Chapter 90: Falling into the Trap
The powerful inertia prevented Hadar from stopping even when he realized there was a trap ahead.
Just as the eight hundred cavalrymen were about to charge forward, the ground suddenly collapsed, forming a trench about five meters deep and four meters wide.
The armored cavalrymen weighed about 90 pounds each, and with their own weight, they were already unable to stop. Led by Hadar, their scimitars fell out of their hands in the weightlessness. The order to stop was drowned out by the dense sound of hooves and the shouts of alarm from the front.
Who would have thought that Xuanjun would set up such a large pit under the beacon tower?
Hadar was at the forefront, but his warhorse couldn't stop its momentum and, carried by the inertia, plunged headfirst into the pit. The warhorse neighed, the cavalrymen cried out in alarm, and those behind also couldn't stop and plunged into the pit. Many of the cavalrymen who had just fallen in didn't even have time to stand up before being smashed by the warriors falling from behind, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. Some unlucky ones, by sheer coincidence, landed under the hooves of the warhorses, and the horses' hooves kicked them so hard that they almost vomited blood.
Humans and horses tumbled and collided in the pit, their bodies intertwined. The heavy armor, sharp blades, and frantic hooves meant that even before Da Xuan could make a move, many tribal men had already perished at the hands of their own people.
Eighty percent of the warhorses couldn't stand up, and the riders lay at the bottom of the pit groaning. Many were crushed under their horses, while others were crushed to death by the falling warhorses and cavalry. A group of people were dazed and confused, some with broken legs and others with injuries from being crushed. They cried out at the bottom of the pit, and at the very least, they would suffer broken bones.
Those who were seriously injured likely died on the spot. About half of the heavily armored cavalrymen fell into the pit, while the other half managed to rein in their horses at the edge of the pit, thus avoiding falling in.
Those with minor injuries in the pit were already trying to get up. Blood slowly gathered in the pit, forming a pool of blood. Dust swirled around them. Qi Rong stepped forward, looked at the horrific scene in the pit, and smiled silently.
Hadar was at the very front, so he was also at the very bottom. Even though his personal guards were desperately protecting him, he still couldn't help but fall and get injured. Hadar pushed aside the pile of corpses in front of him and limped up with difficulty.
Before Hadar could climb up, Qi Rong made a gesture towards the platform, and instantly three teams of archers appeared on the platform, drawing their bows and shooting arrows into the pit.
This is not long-range archery. If they are hit by an arrow at a distance of thirty meters, even armor as strong as iron will be useless, and it will be enough to give them a hard time.
Arrows rained down
The heavy cavalry formation was instantly broken, and Hadar in the pit hurriedly searched for corpses to shield himself from the rain of arrows.
After three rounds, the heavy cavalry still wanted to charge forward, but they were startled by the surrounding Xuan army. The cavalry charged repeatedly but failed. After realizing that they could not break through the Xuan army's defenses, some died and some fled.
With their leader Hadar also in danger, many tribal cavalry turned and ran. Their alliance, formed for mutual benefit, would naturally disintegrate as they could no longer see any gains.
Seeing the cavalry fleeing, the heavily armored officer hesitated, glancing at the leader in the pit. He wanted to rescue him but had nothing. Finally, before the Xuan army could surround them, he broke through and retreated.
The pit is several meters deep. If they can't rescue the leader, fine, but if they get stuck in it, this group of people will probably perish here too.
It was a pity for Hadar, who was still in the pit. Seeing that his heavily armored guards had withdrawn, he stopped climbing and quietly found a corner to cover himself with the corpse.
As they were dragging the corpse, Hadar suddenly felt a shadow fall over his head.
He looked up suddenly and saw several old acquaintances squatting by the pit, watching him with smiles.
Commander Ma, still in his armor, peeked out from the edge of the pit, holding a small riding whip. He saw Hadar and flicked the whip with interest: "Hey~ isn't this our Chief Haha? What's up?"
Another honest-looking head popped out from the side, and Shi Qianhu laughed, "Oh dear~ the pit is quite deep, it must be hard to climb out."
Hada'er was so angry that he jumped up and down. He picked up the curved sword from the ground and threw it at the enemy. The two commanders chuckled and dodged the sword. Commander Ma flicked the blade and, hearing the crisp sound, said happily, "Oh, what a fine sword! It would be impolite to refuse it, haha, Chief."
As long-time rivals, they naturally know how to strike at someone's heart.
Hadar was furious, but with his leg broken and still stuck in the pit, he couldn't do anything to the two men. In previous years, they were the ones who came to rob the Han people. When had he ever been so frustrated?
In previous years, the men fought with real swords and spears, but this year, they set traps and raided tribes. And now, as winter approaches, they've even dug a huge pit to wait for them.
Cunning Han Chinese!
Hadar picked up his leather helmet and silently put it on. He then sat up straight, twirled the gray sable fur hanging down his temples, snorted coldly, and turned his back.
"Today I have been defeated, defeated by the schemes and tricks of you cunning Han people. Do with me as you please!"
Commander Ma casually picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Hadar: "What are you being so stubborn about!"
Commander Shi, usually a man of few words, couldn't help but join in, throwing stones at the captured Tartar leader who remained so defiant: "That's right! You think you'll get away with this? The people of the city could drown you with their spit! Bah!"
As he spoke, he threw down a stone.
Qi Rong frowned as he watched a group of people squatting by the pit, chattering and criticizing the Tartar leader inside. "Don't kill him. Call it a day and get back to work. Tomorrow, hang him on the city wall alive."
Commander Ma followed Commander Shi and turned to gather the troops and return to the city. Hearing the commander's words, he couldn't help but ask, "Commander, is it appropriate to hang people there?"
Qi Rong glanced at Commander Ma: "There's nothing inappropriate about it. Changping already took the cavalry to the mountains when the battle started and hung the man up. These heavy armor and light cavalry wouldn't dare to easily abandon Hadar while he's still alive. If these people don't go back, Changping will be under much less pressure."
Commander Ma nodded and then chuckled, "Commander, was this trap also set up by you beforehand?"
“We only have a little over a thousand cavalry. Half of them were taken away at Changping. The Tartars have at least two thousand cavalry coming down to gather hay, and many of them are heavily armored. If we rely solely on infantry, we will not be able to resist them. Therefore, we have set up deep pits and ditches at several watchtowers.”
"Then why aren't our people falling down?"
Seeing that Commander Ma didn't quite understand, and seeing Commander Shi's curious eyes, Qi Rong explained: "A layer of wooden planks was laid on top of the ditch, covered with soil, then a layer of turf, and supported by several wooden pillars. Light cavalry and people can pass without much problem, but as soon as heavy cavalry gets above the ditch, we pull the ropes to pull down the wooden pillars in the pit, and the planks will collapse naturally because they can't bear the weight."
Commander Ma looked into the pit and, sure enough, there were several logs, four or five meters long, lying there. "Then why not set up a wooden spike trap in the pit?"
Qi Rong mounted his horse, preparing to go around from behind the watchtower, when suddenly a cry of alarm came from the side. One of his soldiers had stepped into a trap and fallen with a thud.
Hearing the sound, Qi Rong looked over and sighed: "The support structure wasn't very stable, and our people would occasionally fall in during setup, so to avoid injuring our own men, we only dug the pit a little deeper and didn't set up any spike traps..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
