Cavalry against cavalry.
Elite against elite.
The Battle of Longshan was destined to be an extremely brutal war from the very beginning, especially the scene of the cavalry fighting between the two armies, which was a powerful and passionate spectacle.
As Wu Qingyun, the commander of the Yunhui Army, personally led the Yunzhou cavalry in the first charge, Chen Huai'an led the Longcheng Iron Cavalry and Xuanjia Light Cavalry to follow closely behind, charging into the battlefield against the myriad rays of the rising sun.
In an instant, the thunderous hoofbeats of warhorses shook the earth like rolling thunder, and the shouts of soldiers echoed deafeningly through the mountains and fields.
Chen Huai'an took the lead, his golden armor gleaming in the sunlight, his moving golden figure like a god descending to earth;
The eighteen riders of Longcheng, clad in silver armor that gleamed in the sunlight, resembled divine soldiers descending from the heavens.
The men and horses of the Dragon City Iron Cavalry were all heavily armored, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, as if even the sunlight could not pierce through their thick armor.
Wu Qingyun spurred his horse forward, facing the blinding sunlight as the Longcheng Iron Pagoda charged towards the Chonglong Mountain camp.
Looking at the spirited Chen Huai'an before him and the heavily armed armored behemoth behind him, one couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy for a hero in his twilight years.
He held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally in one hand, roared to the sky, and asked, "Who will ask: Is Lian Po old and still able to eat?"
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
The cavalry charged faster and faster, their horses galloping and kicking up clouds of yellow dust, which was mixed with the glint of long swords and spears and the neighing of the horses.
boom!
The next moment, the two charging cavalry forces collided without any suspense, producing a violent collision sound.
When Chen Huai'an led the Longcheng Iron Pagoda in a dense formation to charge, it was like a moving Great Wall of Steel, its momentum unstoppable.
In an instant, he ruthlessly crushed the Yunzhou cavalry blocking his way, and in just one round, he carved a large gap in the Yunzhou cavalry formation.
Chen Huai'an easily unhorsed several Yunzhou cavalrymen, and the Dragon City Eighteen Riders and Dragon City Iron Pagoda soldiers behind him also achieved considerable success.
While breaking through the enemy cavalry formation, they also freed up several hundred ownerless warhorses in the Yunzhou cavalry formation.
That wasn't the end of it; the charge of the Dragon City Ironclad Cavalry continued.
Driven by the momentum of their dive, the three thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers continued their charge towards the Pingrong Wanquan Formation, where the Yunhui Army infantry had assembled.
The expressions on the faces of the Polu Army cavalrymen were obscured by their helmets and black veils, but their firm and resolute eyes clearly revealed their disdain for the enemy infantry's cavalry formation built with chariots and shields.
They completely ignored the arrows fired by the archers in the enemy ranks.
He could only clench his legs tightly around the horse's belly, grip his swords and spears firmly with both hands, and urge the horse beneath him to accelerate, faster and faster.
Until, the horses trampled the enemy camp and broke through the enemy lines.
Boom!
Finally, the high-speed Longcheng Ironclad Cavalry crashed into the Yunhui Army's Pingrong Wanquan Formation, which was advancing step by step.
The heavy iron armor of the warhorses clashed against the shields of the enemy infantry's manpower-driven chariots, producing a deafening and violent impact.
The spears and halberds raised high by the Yunhui Army infantry were as vulnerable as rotten wood in front of the Longcheng Ironclad Pagoda, which was covered in steel from head to toe.
In just one round of collision, the spears and halberds of the front row were broken to pieces, and the Yunhui Army soldiers standing on the chariots and hiding behind the shields were knocked over and scattered.
Although they failed to break through the formation directly, they still made the Pingrong Wanquan Formation of the Yunhui Army infantry precarious, with countless soldiers in the front ranks killed or wounded.
More importantly, when the infantrymen of the Yunhui Army faced the Iron Pagoda, a war machine that seemed to come from hell, charging and breaking through their lines, their hearts were already dominated by endless fear and despair, and their morale was almost non-existent.
In contrast, Chen Huai'an's Longcheng Iron Pagoda remained unscathed after defeating the enemy twice, and their morale was high.
With the balance of power shifting, the scales of victory have begun to tip in favor of the defeated army.
Chen Huai'an turned his horse around, regrouped his troops, and pointed his halberd with domineering force, the tip of which was aimed directly at Wu Qingyun, the enemy general who was engaged in fierce battle with the Xuanjia light cavalry led by Fan Wuji.
Then, with a roar, he shouted, "All generals of the Dragon City Iron Cavalry, listen to my command! Follow me and continue the charge to seize the banner of the enemy commander, Wu Qingyun!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The Ironclad Cavalry of Longcheng launched another attack, their warhorses charging at full speed like tigers descending a mountain, sweeping back into the battlefield with the force of a storm and the power of thunder, their sharp edge aimed directly at Wu Qingyun, the commander of the Yunhui Army.
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
The sound of the Iron Pagoda's hooves striking the ground as it charged forward now seemed like a deadly chant echoing in the ears of the Cloud Banner Army soldiers.
"General, something terrible has happened! That scoundrel Chen Huai'an is coming for you this time!"
At this moment, Liang Erhu, the commander of the Yunzhou cavalry who was fighting with the Xuanjia light cavalry, suddenly realized that after Chen Huai'an's Longcheng Iron Pagoda failed to break through the Pingrong Wanquan Formation of the Yunhui Army infantry, it turned its horses around and aimed its sharpness at General Wu Qingyun and the central army banner.
Hey!
This scoundrel intends to use the Ironclad Cavalry's fierce charge to seize the flag in front of the enemy lines and demoralize our troops!
Liang Erhu swung his sword, killing several of the Xuanjia light cavalrymen who surrounded him, before he could continue speaking:
"General, you must not act rashly! Our Yunzhou cavalry lacks heavy armor and cannot afford to clash head-on with the traitor Chen Huai'an's Iron Pagoda!"
"General, please heed my advice: let us temporarily avoid their sharp edge and regroup for another battle!"
Clang!
As he spoke, Liang Erhu raised his sword again to block the heavy blows from two Xuanjia cavalrymen.
"Liang Erhu, where are you going!"
Suddenly, a fierce general rode out from the melee, his spear pointing directly at Liang Erhu. He was none other than Fan Wuji, the former commander of the Longcheng Cavalry of the Polu Army, who had been promoted by Chen Huai'an before the battle.
Fan Wuji rode his horse through the melee, his spear flashing like a dragon, carving a bloody path through the encirclement of a group of Yunzhou cavalrymen, heading straight for Liang Erhu.
"You scoundrel Fan Wuji, prepare to die!"
Liang Erhu knew there was no way to escape, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and ride forward to fight Fan Wuji, who was charging towards him.
Looking at Wu Qingyun on horseback, his eyes were fierce, his arm hanging down, holding a knife, the tip of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand had already dragged on the ground, and the image focused in his pupils never left Chen Huai'an and the Iron Cavalry of Longcheng who were moving at high speed.
Wu Qingyun knew that he would have to fight Chen Huai'an today, so no matter how Liang Erhu, the commander of the Yunhui Army's vanguard, tried to persuade him before and during the battle, he remained unmoved.
Then, he roared in a hoarse, deep voice: "Left and Right Guards, listen to my command! Follow me into battle and kill the enemy!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
At Wu Qingyun's command, the eight hundred Yuhou Army soldiers who had already formed a battle formation around him obeyed in unison.
Immediately afterwards, Wu Qingyun spurred his horse forward and charged ahead of the attacking force of the Ironclad Cavalry of Longcheng, with eight hundred of his personal guards following him at the cost of their lives.
Two hundred steps!
One hundred steps!
Fifty steps!
When the two cavalrymen were less than fifty paces apart, Wu Qingyun, who had been dragging his Green Dragon Crescent Blade the whole way, suddenly raised the blade with one arm and unleashed a powerful and heavy strike at Chen Huai'an, who was right in front of him.
Facing Wu Qingyun's all-out attack, Chen Huai'an on the back of the yellow horse showed no fear, and even had a smile on his face. He raised his halberd and easily deflected Wu Qingyun's powerful attack.
Wu Qingyun was shocked. He never expected that the seemingly weak scholar Chen Huai'an would have such terrifying martial arts skills.
He was comparable to his father Chen Polu at his peak, which explains why Chang Chenghu couldn't even withstand a single round from Chen Huai'an before being knocked off his horse.
Who knows how Chen Huai'an, with his extraordinary martial prowess, endured the ridicule of being called a good-for-nothing by the officials for over twenty years?
He couldn't help but sigh to himself: all these years, I've underestimated Chen Huai'an!
At this point, Wu Qingyun finally put aside his contempt for Chen Huai'an, rallied his spirits, and switched sides to fight again.
Unlike the uneventful and harmonious first encounter between the two armies' commanders, the first clash between the three thousand Ironclad Cavalry of Dragon City and the eight hundred Yuhou Army cavalry was far more brutal.
Although the equipment of Wu Qingyun's eight hundred personal guards could not match the heavy armor of the Iron Pagoda of Longcheng, it was not much inferior.
Wu Qingyun, the Northwest General and Tiger Might General of the Great Xin Dynasty, spared no expense in equipping his personal guards.
Inspired by the Western Xia Tangut nobles and their confidants who formed a heavy cavalry unit nicknamed "Iron Falcons," he also created his own Iron Falcons within the Yunhui Army.
These eight hundred Iron Falcon Guards rode fine horses, wore heavy armor, and used hooks and ropes to bind themselves to their warhorses, so that even if they died in battle, they would not fall off their horses.
The cold-forged armor used is lightweight and sturdy, capable of covering a large area of warhorses and warriors, and has extremely strong protective capabilities.
The eight hundred personal guards were elite soldiers, handpicked from among the best, and their combat prowess was self-evident.
Therefore, when these eight hundred Iron Falcons faced off against three thousand Iron Pagodas, the casualty ratio between the two sides was almost one to one.
After the first round of fighting, Wu Qingyun lost more than 300 personal guards, and Chen Huai'an also lost more than 300 Dragon City Iron Cavalrymen who fell forever on the land they loved so deeply.
After a clash of elite cavalry, the two armies returned to their initial positions.
The Yunzhou cavalry and Xuanjia light cavalry, still locked in fierce combat on the battlefield, tacitly cleared a space in the center of the battlefield for their respective commanders and elite cavalry to duel.
At this moment, behind Chen Huai'an and the Ironclad Cavalry of Longcheng was the Xuanjia Army's Mo Dao detachment, which was already fully equipped and ready to go. The leader of the troops was Chen Qingzhi, a white-robed scholar-general who had changed into a white battle armor.
Behind Wu Qingyun and the Iron Hawks of the Yuhou Army were the Yunhui Army infantrymen who were working hard to repair the Pingrong Wanquan Formation, which had just been shattered by the Iron Pagoda.
After two high-speed sprints, the heavily armored Ironclad Pagoda warhorse was already panting heavily.
The yellow horse beneath Chen Huai'an began to breathe rapidly, its mane soaked with sweat.
He patted the yellow horse's neck, then fixed his piercing gaze on the enemy troops opposite him, and once again issued battle orders to the Iron Pagoda soldiers behind him:
"All generals of the Dragon City Iron Cavalry, listen to my command! Charge into the enemy lines once more with me and carve a bloody path for our brothers in the Mo Dao Squad!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
After saying that, Chen Huai'an turned to look at Chen Qingzhi, gave him a reassuring look, and then took the lead and resolutely led the Dragon City Iron Cavalry into the enemy ranks once again.
Almost simultaneously, Wu Qingyun raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and gave the order to his remaining five hundred or so Iron Falcon personal guards: "All troops, attack!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
Instantly, shouts of battle erupted at the foot of Longshan Mountain, accompanied by the deafening sound of horses' hooves.
One thousand hundred steps!
Five hundred steps!
Three hundred steps!
One hundred steps!
The yellow horse galloped wildly, and Chen Huai'an, on its back, gripped the halberd with both hands. Then, with a flick of the halberd tip, he thrust out like a dragon, striking Wu Qingyun who was coming towards him with lightning speed.
Seeing this, Wu Qingyun dared not be careless and immediately raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade to meet the attack.
Unexpectedly, Chen Huai'an's fierce thrust was just a feint, and he suddenly changed his moves as Wu Qingyun raised his knife to meet it.
With one hand, he pulled the halberd back, then gripped the hard, cold shaft with both hands. He then swung the halberd in a sweeping motion, smashing the tip and shaft together against Wu Qingyun's armored abdomen.
In the chaos, facing Chen Huai'an's sudden change of tactics, Wu Qingyun had no time to raise his knife to block.
He could only watch helplessly as Chen Huai'an's halberd slammed into him like a dragon emerging from the sea.
Clang!
Boom!
Hmm!
In a flash, three different sounds intertwined and rang out together.
The first sound was the metallic clang of Chen Huai'an's halberd striking Wu Qingyun's armor.
The second blow was the booming sound of Wu Qingyun and his horse being sent flying by Chen Huai'an's halberd.
The third sound was the neighing of Wu Qingyun's warhorse after it crashed to the ground.
Indeed, Wu Qingyun, the dignified commander of the Yunhui Army, the Northwest General and Tiger Might General of the Great Xin Dynasty, was actually blasted away by Chen Huai'an, a good-for-nothing who had been ridiculed by the entire court for more than twenty years, with a single halberd strike. He and his horse flew several meters away before crashing heavily to the ground.
This sudden turn of events caught both armies off guard.
Only the Yuhou Army's personal guards, who had reacted quickly, roared and fought a chaotic melee, then desperately squeezed their way to the side of their commander, Wu Qingyun, whose fate was unknown.
Looking again at Chen Huai'an on the yellow horse, a slight smile finally appeared on his cold face as he murmured to himself:
"Under the whole heaven, no one can withstand a single blow from my halberd, not a single one!"
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an led the remaining Longcheng Iron Pagoda troops straight towards the Pingrong Wanquan remnant formation, which the Yunhui Army infantry had not yet had time to repair.
boom!
A moment later, a deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.
With Chen Huai'an leading the charge, the Longcheng Iron Pagoda effortlessly pierced through Wu Qingyun's proud Pingrong Wanquan Formation.
In front of the Longshan camp, Chen Qingzhi, holding a long-handled broadsword, kept a close eye on the battlefield.
As Chen Huai'an led the Longcheng Iron Pagoda to break through the enemy's formation, Chen Qingzhi also issued the order: "Mo Dao Team, all troops, attack! We will not withdraw until the enemy camp is destroyed!"
"We will not withdraw our troops until we have breached the enemy's camp!"
"We will not withdraw our troops until we have breached the enemy's camp!"
"......"
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