From within Mozhou City, the newly formed Tiger Warriors, who took the initiative to fight, numbered over 50,000 men, including 30,000 infantry, 20,000 elite cavalry, and 3,000 heavily armored Iron Pagoda cavalry.
As a rising star among the military generals of the Great Xin Dynasty, Wu Sanjia, the commander of the Tiger Warriors New Army, would naturally not be foolish enough to order the 250,000 troops in Mozhou City to come out in full force to fight the Longcheng army.
These 50,000 troops were used by Wu Sanjia to charge into enemy lines and deplete the morale of the Longcheng army.
Wu Sanjia's initiative to leave the city to meet the enemy was somewhat unexpected for Prince Chen Huai'an, who was in charge of the siege from the central army, and for Chang Yuchun, the deputy commander who had lowered his status to become the vanguard of the Longcheng army.
Logically speaking, as seasoned generals who commanded troops through countless battles, both Chen Huai'an and Chang Yuchun had a golden opportunity to lower the drawbridge and open the city gates to fight when faced with the enemy defending the city.
They should all give a decisive order for the vanguard to attack immediately, taking advantage of the enemy troops who have left the city and are not yet able to establish a foothold and form ranks, to catch the enemy off guard.
In reality, when faced with Wu Sanjia leading his troops out of the city to meet the enemy, neither Chen Huai'an nor Chang Yuchun rashly issued an order to attack.
On the one hand, it was because the Tiger Warriors, who were fighting outside the city, were assembled within the range of the ballistae of the defending troops on the city wall of Mozhou, but outside the range of the ballistae and catapults of the Longcheng army's attacking forces.
If the attacking army of Longcheng were to launch a rash attack, they would inevitably be met with a devastating blow from the ballistae and catapults of the defenders on the city walls.
On the other hand, it was because the Tiger Warriors who went out of the city to fight were led by the Iron Pagoda heavy cavalry and light cavalry, which had extremely strong mobility and flexibility.
On the contrary, the Longcheng army's vanguard consisted of archers and crossbowmen and auxiliary soldiers carrying siege equipment. If they were to rashly attack the enemy cavalry, it would be tantamount to suicide.
Therefore, when Chen Huai'an and Chang Yuchun discovered that Wu Sanjia and the Tiger Warriors infantry and cavalry had taken the initiative to leave the city, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy army gathered right under their noses.
On the watchtower of the central army of Longcheng, Chen Huai'an felt a pang of anxiety when he saw that the Tiger Warriors, the new army defending the city, had actually deployed the Iron Pagoda.
He then ordered, "Pass down the order to Fan Wuji and Pang Xianchu to lead the Iron Pagoda and Xuanjia Army to the front to assist the enemy. We must not allow the enemy's Iron Pagoda to charge!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Soon, a messenger carrying the military order of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin hurriedly headed to the front line of the siege.
Meanwhile, the Tiger Warriors' new light and heavy cavalry outside Mozhou City had also assembled into battle formation.
Clad in gleaming armor and wielding the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear, Wu Sanjia, the commander of the Tiger Warriors' new army, had an air of dominance on his rugged face as he gazed firmly at the massive, dark mass of Dragon City's soldiers and cavalry directly in front of him.
He slowly raised the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear in his hand, pointed the tip with domineering force, and said sternly, "Soldiers of the Tiger Warriors, the time has come to earn your merits and be rewarded!"
"Generals, follow me to annihilate the rebels of Dragon City!"
"For every rebel head beheaded, a reward of fifty taels of silver will be given!"
"Kill them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Sanjia slammed his fist against the horse's belly. The white horse under his feet neighed in pain, reared up, and charged away.
"Kill the rebels and collect your reward!"
"Charge!"
Closely following behind were three thousand heavily armored Ironclad Cavalry.
On both flanks were 20,000 light cavalry from the Tiger Warriors New Army.
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
In an instant, ten thousand horses galloped, their iron hooves shattering the earth. The deafening sound of their hooves echoed throughout and around Mozhou City, and even the water in the moat was rippled with waves.
"Archers, form ranks and meet the enemy!"
"Catapult, fire!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Almost simultaneously, as Wu Sanjia led his cavalry in a charge, the various units of the Longcheng army, which had been gathering outside Mozhou City to attack the city, began to fight back without the need for orders from their vanguard commanders.
The first to react were the crossbowmen and slingers.
Arrows rained down and boulders tumbled down, drawing tragic and deadly arcs in the sky outside Mozhou City.
The next moment, arrows and boulders rained down on the moving Tiger Warriors cavalry formation.
boom--
puff--
Clang—
In an instant, the booming sounds of boulders crashing onto the horses and men, the thuds of arrows piercing through light armor and flesh, and the metallic clanging of arrows striking the heavy armor of the Ironclad Warriors all mingled together in a cacophony.
The Tiger Warriors' cavalry formation, which resembled a moving torrent, was instantly crushed and killed in large numbers.
The ownerless warhorses, driven by their animalistic survival instincts, continued to charge forward with the main force.
"Dragon City Ironclad Pagoda—"
"Black-armored light cavalry—"
"Attack!"
The Iron Pagoda and Black Armored Army, which were supporting the attacking forces of the Longcheng army, received orders from their respective commanders, Pang Xianchu and Fan Wuji, at the same time that the enemy cavalry set out.
Even before Chen Huai'an's order for the two to attack reached Pang Xianchu and Fan Wuji, the two made the correct decision to lead their troops into battle based on the rapidly changing battlefield situation.
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
The sound of horses' hooves, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, once again resounded over the city of Mozhou.
The thunderous hoofbeats of the charging Tiger Warriors cavalry intertwined with the thunderous hooves of the new army, creating a majestic and tragic symphony.
One thousand steps.
Five hundred steps.
Two hundred steps!
In the blink of an eye, the distance between the Tiger Warriors' new cavalry led by Wu Sanjia and the archers of the Longcheng army's siege force was reduced to less than two hundred paces, entering the range of the archers' manual firing.
"Archers, fire!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
With the command and coordination of the various archer commanders, the archers of Longcheng launched another volley of close-range fire, sending countless arrows into the enemy cavalry formation.
"Archers, retreat—"
"Shieldbearers, move forward!"
"Spearmen and broadsword-wielding soldiers lined up to meet the enemy—"
One command after another, directing and coordinating orders, rang out smoothly from all sides of the Dragon City army.
Faced with the imposing presence of the enemy's light and heavy cavalry so close at hand, the soldiers of the Longcheng army, engaged in the siege, showed no fear and no intention of retreating.
These soldiers were all private soldiers and assassins summoned by Chen Huai'an from the [Born to Be an Emperor] system. Their combat strength and fighting will were much stronger than those of ordinary soldiers.
Even when facing an enemy cavalry charge, knowing he was outmatched, he could still calmly draw his sword.
This scene deeply moved and shocked a group of former imperial Tiger Army generals, led by Liu Ziyu, the deputy general of the Longcheng Expeditionary Army.
They all muttered to themselves that if their own soldiers were in the same situation, their morale would have collapsed and they would have fled in disarray long ago.
Looking at Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin again, his gaze became one of genuine admiration.
However, Chen Huai'an, who was on the central command watchtower at this moment, had no mind or time to care about the looks his generals gave him.
His gaze never left the front-line battlefield.
When Chen Huai'an witnessed Wu Sanjia, the enemy commander riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, charging into the Longcheng army formation alone;
He knew very well that the Battle of Mozhou was an inevitable and fierce battle!
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