The darkness before dawn is the thickest, and the west gate of Zhuozhou slowly opened with a suppressed creak.
There were no horns, no war drums, only the faint sound of horses' hooves wrapped in thick cloth and their armor tightened.
Zhao Muyun led the way, followed by Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luo, who led five hundred heavy cavalry.
They were like silent, steel behemoths, disappearing into the lingering night.
Next came Xi Sheng's Mo Dao battalion. Despite heavy casualties, the remaining five hundred warriors still stood tall, their Mo Dao blades pointing diagonally at the ground, reflecting the cold starlight.
Liu Yi's Shenji Battalion, carrying all its firearms, followed closely behind, while Murong Chunhua and Namtso's light cavalry had already dispersed and disappeared into the vast plains.
Zhao Muyun's strategy was extremely bold, even insane.
He wanted to defeat Han Yanshou's relatively isolated and unstable forces with lightning speed before Han Yanshou and Arahan could join forces, thus breaking the encirclement that was about to take shape!
Outside Gu'an City, at Han Yanshou's camp.
Han Yanshou was no mediocre man. After receiving orders from Wuzhu, the Left Wise King, he led his army on a rapid march to Gu'an.
Instead of immediately approaching Zhuozhou, he chose to set up camp outside Gu'an City in a place nestled against a small hill and next to a stream.
Deep trenches and high walls were built, and scouts were widely deployed.
Knowing the strength of Zhao Muyun's soldiers and their unconventional tactics, he planned to proceed cautiously and wait for Arahan's cavalry to arrive before launching an attack.
"Sir, our scouts have spotted a small group of enemy cavalry spying outside the camp, but they have been driven away," the lieutenant reported.
Han Yanshou stood atop the camp's watchtower, gazing towards Zhuozhou, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Zhao Muyun...is he holding out for reinforcements, or does he have other plans? Pass down the order to strengthen defenses, send out more scouts, and ascertain the enemy situation within a twenty-mile radius!"
He guessed that Zhao Muyun might hold his ground or try to break through, but he never expected that Zhao Muyun would dare to take the initiative and come so quickly.
At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
The sun had just risen above the horizon, casting its golden rays across the fields.
A dull tremor began to emanate from the earth, initially subtle, then growing louder and louder, like distant thunder!
The soldiers in Han Yanshou's camp looked in surprise and doubt toward the west from which the tremor came.
A black line appeared on the horizon and rapidly expanded in the field of vision!
They're cavalry!
Heavy cavalry!
Under the sunlight, it was a moving steel forest, the cold armor reflecting a dazzling light, and the uniform red flags with black clouds fluttering wildly in the wind!
The two leading generals were none other than Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luo!
"The Iron Cavalry of Hedong! It's Zhao Muyun's heavy cavalry!"
The Northern Di garrison on the stockade wall cried out in terror.
The horrific scenes described by the defeated soldiers under the Darughachi's command were now vividly unfolding before their eyes!
"Form ranks! Quickly! Spearmen, advance! Archers, prepare!"
Han Yanshou was both shocked and furious, and roared at the top of his lungs.
He didn't expect Zhao Muyun to actually dare to come, and to directly charge his camp with heavy cavalry!
However, in the rush, the defensive fortifications outside the camp were not yet fully completed, and the troops were not yet fully deployed.
"boom--!"
The steel torrent crashed violently into the front fences and hastily assembled gun emplacements of the Northern Barbarian camp!
Wood chips flying everywhere!
The sounds of bones cracking, weapons clashing, warhorses neighing, and the agonizing screams of dying humans erupted in an instant!
Wu Shangzhi took the lead, his spear flashing like a poisonous dragon emerging from its lair, directly sending a Northern Di centurion flying, armor and all!
Guo Luo brandished his long sword, and wherever the blade flashed, severed limbs flew everywhere!
Five hundred heavy cavalrymen, like a sharp dagger, pierced fiercely into the Northern Di army formation!
But this is just the beginning!
Just as the heavy cavalry tore open a gap and the Northern Di army's attention was completely drawn to the front, the sound of even more intense and deadly bowstring vibrations suddenly rang out on the flank of the camp!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh-!"
Liu Yi's Shenji Battalion, under the cover of light cavalry, took advantage of the terrain to advance to extremely close range, and hundreds of repeating crossbows were fired simultaneously!
Black crossbow bolts rained down on the Northern Di army camp like a storm, especially those troops that were trying to gather and rush to the front to provide support, which suffered devastating blows!
"Hold on! Don't panic! Flank them from both sides! Take them out!"
Han Yanshou tried his best to maintain command and attempted to mobilize troops to encircle and annihilate this audacious enemy force.
However, the real killer move is only now revealing its fangs!
"Mo Dao Battalion! Advance!"
A roar as loud as muffled thunder resounded!
Xi Sheng, like a god of war descending to earth, led five hundred Mo Dao soldiers and poured into the Northern Di camp like a torrent of steel bursting its banks through the gap opened by the heavy cavalry!
The long-handled sword is brandished!
The gleaming blades wove a web of death!
These heavily armored, incredibly strong warriors didn't need complicated moves; they only used the simplest chopping, slashing, and sweeping techniques.
The leather and chainmail armor of the Northern Di soldiers were like paper in front of the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword); wherever the blade passed, men and horses were shattered!
They were like a rock, firmly holding onto the breach and constantly expanding it.
The terrain inside the camp was relatively narrow, which prevented the Northern Di cavalry from fully utilizing their advantages, making the Mo Dao Battalion virtually invincible in this environment.
They formed tight small battle formations and advanced step by step, leaving behind a trail of broken corpses in their wake!
"Fire arrows! Shoot those with long swords to death!" Han Yanshou's eyes turned red as he commanded the archers to concentrate their fire on the Mo Dao Battalion.
However, the soldiers of the Modao Battalion were heavily armored, and ordinary arrows could hardly wound their vital organs.
Moreover, the Shenji Battalion's repeating crossbows and Murong Chunhua and Namtso's light cavalry consistently suppressed the Northern Di's ranged forces with precise shooting from the perimeter.
The battle turned into a one-sided massacre.
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