Chapter 42 : The Blue Wolves Reveal Themselves
Chapter 42: The Blue Wolves Reveal Themselves
In an instant, the distance of four hundred zhang vanished.
The Black-Armored Cavalry, while charging, automatically formed up into a sharp, cone-shaped wedge.
The frontmost riders leveled their three-zhang-long armor-piercing lances, the cold gleam of the lance tips merging into a silver line of death beneath the sun.
“Boom—!”
The iron flood crashed violently into the rebel flank.
The dozens of rebels at the very front didn’t even have time to scream before their chests were pierced through by the lances.
Before their bodies could hit the ground, they were trampled into pulp beneath the iron hooves behind.
Cheng Yaojin swung his giant axe in a sweeping arc, sending forth a crescent-shaped golden wave of qi.
Wherever it passed, the rebels fell like cut wheat, broken limbs and severed arms flying through the air.
The rebels roared in madness as they surged forward—only to see the Black-Armored Cavalry suddenly change formation.
The riders in front yanked on their reins, halting abruptly, while those in the rear veered off, charging along both flanks, skimming past the rebel edges.
After reforming, the Black-Armored soldiers wielded their long lances and Mo Blades, reaping heads from the rebels’ flanks like harvesters in a bloody field.
When one round of assault ended, over a thousand rebel corpses had fallen within their ranks, leaving another gaping hole in the formation.
The three allied armies that had just formed a defensive line didn’t wait for the rebels to react—they instantly shifted back into an offensive formation and charged again.
In that moment, the entire riverbank became a massive meat grinder, countless soldiers turning into mangled flesh within it.
Above the blood-soaked battlefield, the setting sun hung red as blood.
Three hours of fierce combat had exacted a heavy toll on the rebels.
As far as the eye could see, rebel corpses lay scattered in all directions, tattered flags soaked in pools of blood, and broken weapons littered everywhere.
Of the more than forty thousand rebel infantry who had once stood on the field, barely over twenty thousand still resisted in desperation.
By contrast, on the coalition’s side, aside from the three thousand infantry lost during the landing, only two thousand infantry and several hundred cavalry had fallen since—an astonishing casualty ratio of six to one.
Just as the soldiers believed they could continue harvesting rebel lives, an urgent report came from the Beiting cavalry on the northern flank.
The rebel cavalry were rapidly moving south—around seventy thousand strong—and among them were twenty thousand Blue Wolf Cavalry from the Blue Wolf Army!
Upon hearing this, even Cheng Yaojin couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“All forces, hear my command! At all costs, assist our infantry brothers in seizing the enemy camp!”
With Cheng Yaojin’s rallying cry, the Black-Armored Cavalry surged forward with renewed vigor, intensifying their assault on the enemy formation.
Everyone on the battlefield knew that after the prolonged struggle with the Queshe Army, both the Black-Armored Cavalry and the Queshe Army were no longer at their peak.
If they were to face the rebel cavalry head-on now, they would find themselves in a perilous position.
Moreover, if the rebel cavalry charged without sufficient fortifications to block them—even the Prefectural City’s heavy infantry might not withstand the enemy’s iron hooves.
Half an hour later, the Beiting cavalry were driven back by the rebel cavalry to within thirty li of the enemy camp.
At that moment, the rebel cavalry were only forty li away from the battlefield—soon, both sides’ cavalry would clash.
Yet, inside the enemy camp still remained ten thousand elite rebel infantry, and it would take the coalition infantry at least two more hours to capture it.
This meant that if unimpeded, the enemy cavalry would certainly arrive before the coalition could take the camp and massacre the coalition infantry outside.
At that critical moment, Jiang Zhaoming’s carriage finally arrived at the opposite riverbank and swiftly crossed the river.
Through Aruba and Cheng Yaojin, Jiang Zhaoming had already gained a full grasp of the situation.
He immediately assumed command.
“Bandit-Subduing Army, Prefectural City Army, and Luntai Army—continue pressing the enemy! Black-Armored Cavalry, assist in clearing the field! Queshe Army, advance north immediately and join the Beiting Army to block the rebel cavalry!”
Hearing Jiang Zhaoming’s orders, all the generals were shocked.
Qin Wei stepped forward and urged, “Your Highness, please reconsider! The enemy cavalry is formidable—you must not send the Queshe Army to their deaths!”
Yan Chen echoed, “Your Highness, the Blue Wolf Cavalry are fearsomely strong! Even the Beiting Army cannot match them! Please think twice!”
Jiang Zhaoming raised a hand to silence them.
“The Blue Wolf Cavalry have never fought us before—how can you speak of victory or defeat?”
Qin Wei protested, “Your Highness! The Beiting and Queshe Armies together number only thirty-five thousand cavalry, yet the enemy has seventy thousand!”
Jiang Zhaoming smiled with calm confidence.
“No matter. Just watch.”
Meanwhile, to the north of the enemy camp, Aruba—who had been leading harassment attacks—received the order.
There was no panic on his face; in fact, faint excitement flickered in his eyes.
He looked back at the riders following behind him, scenes of his past years galloping through battlefields flashing through his mind.
“Men! His Highness commands us to intercept seventy thousand enemy riders! Do you have the courage for it?”
The Queshe Warriors roared in unison, raising their longbows high.
“Kill! Kill!”
Aruba clamped his legs around his horse and shouted, “Follow me and slay the enemy!”
The Queshe Army wheeled around sharply.
The rebel commander, who had been directing troops to resist their arrow volleys, froze for a moment—then burst into laughter.
“Interesting! Very interesting!”
Dozens of li to the northwest of the battlefield, in a hilly region—
Qin Qiong, who had been resting there for some time, suddenly opened his eyes wide, murderous intent flashing within them.
He looked at the armored riders resting around him and shouted, “Soldiers! The time for us to earn merit has come!”
The Black-Armored Cavalry immediately picked up their gear, mounted their warhorses, and quickly formed ranks.
At Qin Qiong’s command, the entire cavalry unit charged out from the hills, galloping straight toward the location Jiang Zhaoming had designated.
Aruba had already led twenty thousand Queshe troops northward at full speed.
Grassland cavalry were known for their flexible tactics.
Rather than engage the enemy head-on, they chose a narrow valley as their interception point.
Steep slopes rose on both sides, and the middle passage could barely accommodate a hundred riders abreast—an ideal battlefield for the few to face the many.
The Beiting light cavalry had long been waiting there.
When the Queshe Army arrived, they immediately spread out and cleared their lines of fire.
“Prepare!”
Aruba raised his longbow high.
Twenty thousand Queshe Warriors simultaneously drew their bows, the taut bowstrings humming in the wind as one continuous note.
On the distant horizon, clouds of dust rolled up as seventy thousand enemy horsemen surged forth like a black tide.
The light cavalry at the front entered range.
They raised their curved blades, howling like beasts, showing no intention of slowing.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Aruba’s lips.
“Loose!”
“Whoosh—!”
Nearly twenty thousand arrows tore through the sky, a torrential rain of death tracing lethal arcs through the air.
“Puff! Puff! Puff!”
As the arrows fell, the rebels’ vanguard was instantly thrown into chaos.
The foremost riders, men and horses alike, were riddled with arrows.
Those behind couldn’t brake in time and crashed into their fallen comrades, their formation thrown into utter disarray.
Seeing this, the Beiting light cavalry immediately flanked from both sides.
They did not close for melee but employed hit-and-run tactics, loosing arrows while circling, their crossfire merging seamlessly with the Queshe Army’s volleys.
The rebels’ charge faltered—the vanguard suffered heavy casualties, corpses piling high, forming a barrier of flesh and blood at the valley’s mouth.
However, the rebels were clearly prepared for such resistance.
Just as the arrow rain seemed to take effect, a deep, resonant horn suddenly sounded from within the rebel ranks.
Moments later, the enemy formation parted—and an armored cavalry unit emerged, advancing in perfect rhythm.
The Blue Wolf Cavalry had finally revealed themselves!