The night was like thick ink, so deep it seemed impossible to dissolve. Suddenly, a night breeze came, and as the wind and clouds dispersed, sparse stars and a pale moon broke free from the darkness.
However, the clouds had not yet completely dissipated. Under the dim moonlight, the wolves nimbly dashed away from the left and right wings, while their enemies hurriedly lit torches, trying to drive them away with flames.
After all, compared to bows and arrows and firearms, these agile wolves are too fast and easy to dodge, so fire is the most suitable method to drive them away.
Even the fiercest beasts are always afraid of fire, which is understandable. But when these beasts gather in groups and are trained by humans, the flames no longer have any deterrent effect.
The wolf pack moved swiftly in the night, their eerie green eyes like ghostly flames that could steal one's soul. The soldiers lit fires and roared loudly, trying to drive them away.
The wolves seemed to genuinely sense the fear; instead of charging forward, they chased the convoy, with some wolves already running ahead from the left and right flanks.
"Hurry! We mustn't let them get to us!" Prince Qing roared from inside the carriage.
The archers guarding both sides of the caravan had already drawn their bows and arrows, and the musketeers were aiming their matchlock muskets at the wolves, but they hesitated to fire. After all, the wolves were too fast, and if they missed, reloading would take too much time.
"Shoot!!! It doesn't matter if you miss! Just scare these beasts away!!" The enraged Prince Qing continued to roar, and the musketeers finally reacted and hurriedly fired in all directions.
"Bang bang bang!"
In an instant, a series of explosions rang out, and the quiet night finally became noisy. When the gunshots rang out, the chirping of insects instantly disappeared, but at this moment, an even more shocking sound appeared.
"Awoo!"
The wolves were howling, and the sound no longer came only from behind, but from all directions, in the darkness of the night.
There were only about a hundred wolves, but when the heart-wrenching howls of wolves echoed from all directions, the soldiers felt an unprecedented pressure.
Fortunately, they had weapons and torches to accompany the caravan. These wolves were no match for them. These beasts were just fast. If it really came down to a fight, given enough time and weapons, even if there were thousands of wolves, they could be killed!
That's what the soldiers thought, but how could their mounts have imagined it?
—They have always been stupid.
When the howling of wolves echoed from all sides, the warhorses went into a frenzy. Although their masters were still holding the reins tightly, the fear in their blood could not be restrained by the reins.
That's a wolf!
Horses are usually the ones hunted by wolves. Even a few wolves can drive hundreds of horses to flee. But at this moment, the horses can't tell how many wolves there are; they only know they have to escape.
But wolves were howling all around him, so where could he escape to? And the thing on his back was still pulling him back, preventing him from running away. How could this be allowed?!
Even if you don't know where to escape to, you still have to escape eventually!
"hiss--"
With a series of neighing sounds, countless warhorses leaped high into the air, and some soldiers on horseback were thrown to the ground by their frightened horses, immediately followed by a chorus of panicked shouts.
However, these soldiers were different from ordinary soldiers; they were from the Thousand Machine Battalion. Therefore, there were no large-scale incidents of falling off horses, but the howling of wolves rang out again.
This time, the attack didn't come from all directions, but directly in front, as if warning the herd that if they went any further, they would be eaten by me!
The soldiers knew it was a wolf pack intimidating them, but the warhorses didn't. The howling of wolves ahead was so intense that it was obvious there was a large pack of wolves in front of them, and it was clear where they should flee.
Immediately, ignoring the tugs of the reins, the warhorses forcefully turned around and chose to flee.
The warhorse pulling the chariot was burdened by the heavy load behind it and could not turn around to escape. It could only circle around in place, emitting mournful cries.
In just a short while, before the wolf pack had even launched an attack, their howls alone had thrown their enemies into chaos.
Prince Qing, inside the carriage, was drenched in sweat. He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Quickly, stop the horse! We can't let it run away!"
He knew the importance of these warhorses; even losing a few dozen would be a huge loss. Without them, the journey westward would be impossible. But now these wolves had the upper hand, not attacking the men first but instead disturbing the horses.
Damn it! These cunning beasts! They even know tactics like humans!
Prince Qing was furious, but also increasingly anxious. The wolf pack had arrived, and the barbarian soldiers were surely nearby. If the warhorses couldn't hold their ground, the barbarian soldiers would definitely surround and attack.
Thinking of this, he shouted again, "Don't stray from the group, be careful!"
At this moment, the chaotic convoy was in complete disarray, with men shouting and horses neighing. The soldiers dared not chase after the lost horses, while the remaining horses had not yet calmed down from their agitation. They were just circling around, and even with the reins pulled tightly, these warhorses were still difficult to control.
In the midst of the riots, a loud shout could be heard from afar:
"Dismount and drop your weapons!"
"If you do not comply, you will be killed without mercy!"
The rough roars were particularly loud in the night, but Prince Qing never thought of surrendering. If he couldn't escape, he would only die at the hands of the rebels. Not only that, but he would also be humiliated before he died.
Without any hesitation, he roared with a ferocious expression, "Kill whoever comes!"
"Fight your way out!"
The archers aimed their shots at the running wolves, while the musketeers formed a defensive line, completely protecting the convoy.
At that moment, a horn pierced the sky and suddenly rang out, its sound so loud it seemed to stop the clouds in their tracks.
"Waaah!"
The barbarian horns sounded, like the howl of a wolf, and almost simultaneously, a dense volley of arrows whistled through the air.
The silver arrowheads gleamed with a cold luster under the moonlight, like stars falling silently, but the sound of the arrows was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Arrows indiscriminately struck the convoy, creating a dense crackling sound, followed by screams of agony.
The carriages had roofs and the soldiers had shields; although they couldn't protect everyone, they didn't cause widespread casualties.
The soldiers also began to fight back, launching a counterattack in the direction from which the arrows came. However, the barbarians were skilled in mounted archery, and they could constantly change the direction of their shots. Meanwhile, the soldiers' horses were out of control, and they could no longer move an inch, leaving them only able to passively defend their positions.
After several rounds of firing, the soldiers found it increasingly difficult to defend themselves. Their arrows and lead bullets were almost exhausted, and they were still unable to escape, with wolves waiting menacingly on the periphery.
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be many barbarian soldiers chasing after them, and they fired fewer and fewer arrows as time went on. Just then, a shrill scream suddenly came from ahead.
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