weaving

Chapter 1402 Four Hundred vs. Five Thousand?
He Zhenxiong was ordered to lead two thousand cavalrymen from the Xuanfu General Battalion into battle this time, while the infantry and chariot soldiers remained in Xuanfu and did not accompany the army.

He Zhenxiong, a veteran representative of the Xuanzhen Border Army, and his two thousand cavalrymen all shared the same thought—to demonstrate their cavalry combat capabilities to the Yongyi Army, a new-style army also from Xuanfu.

Of course, that's true, but the main reason is to pledge allegiance to the Earl of Yongning and the Yongyi Army!
In fact, He Zhenxiong, like the other soldiers of the standard battalion, was also holding back his anger. Although he had personally witnessed the equipment and training of the Yongyi Army soldiers and had also seen their extraordinary combat power on the Liaodong battlefield.

But no matter what, they were still not convinced. They always wanted to show their strength to prove that not all the old army soldiers were cowards and weaklings. At least their Xuanfu Town Cavalry were not cowards or weaklings.

They were elite cavalrymen led by Yang Guozhu, the fearless and daring commander-in-chief of Xuanfu!

…………

The standard cavalry followed behind the heavy cavalry, advancing all the way, eager to see if the heavy cavalry would clear the way for them so they could demonstrate the bravery of their Xuanfu standard cavalry.

Therefore, when the heavy cavalry split into two, He Zhenxiong knew that it was finally their standard battalion's turn to exert their strength.

"Ten riders in a row, charge with me!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Zhenxiong took the lead and charged ahead of the cavalry of the standard battalion.

Unlike the soldiers of the Yongyi Army, when they received new military orders, they still followed the original Xuanzhen Border Army's custom of issuing whistles to remind each other, instead of shouting standard battle orders such as "Tiger, Force, Kill, Charge, Press, Force, Defend" in unison.

Whistles rose and fell from the cavalry of the standard battalion, growing louder and louder as they charged toward the rear camp of the rebel army.

…………

Hu Dayou left one squad of heavy cavalry to continue charging towards the banner of the rebel king's headquarters, while he himself led four squads of heavy cavalry to meet the rebel army's cavalry coming to their aid from the left.

Four hundred against five thousand, Hu Dayou is really going all out!
At this moment, the heavy cavalry was already at their limit. Even if the knights still had the strength to fight, their warhorses were exhausted and unable to fight.

When they were two hundred paces away from the rebel cavalry, Hu Dayou reined in his horse, and the four hundred heavy cavalry did the same. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they had been programmed.

"Heavy cavalry, dismount and fight on foot!"

"kill!"

Following Hu Dayou, the four hundred heavy cavalrymen dismounted, patted their horses' rumps, and then allowed them to slowly retreat.

Some warhorses seemed reluctant to leave their masters, looking back every now and then; some pounded the ground with their front hooves, while others neighed and looked up at the sky...

But in the end, they all slowly rode away with Hu Dayou's warhorse.

The four hundred knights formed a formation that was not particularly well-organized.

Four hundred lances thrust forward at an angle, enveloping the entire infantry formation. From a distance, they looked like a giant hedgehog, forming a defensive formation.

The long blade of the lance gleamed with a silvery-white phosphorescence under the sunlight—today, this phosphorescence was particularly dazzling!
"Brothers, our heavy cavalry isn't just good on horseback, we're also top-notch in foot combat."

As Hu Dayou watched the rebel army approach, he loudly rallied their morale: "Aren't you all right?"

"Yes, sir!" the knights responded loudly.

"Alright!" Hu Dayou continued shouting, "Today we'll show those thieves how to use a horse lance!"

"Yes, yes!" "Pistols, get them ready. And those capable of taking on ten thousand men, get them ready too!"

"Yes...yes...yes!"

"The Valiant Army, heavy cavalry, will fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death... fight to the death... never retreat..."

At that very moment, the rebel army's five thousand elite cavalry, led by Yuan Zongdi, finally charged forward, and the two sides instantly clashed in a melee...

…………

Hu Dayou did not actually intend to use 400 men to defeat Yuan Zongdi's 5,000 elite cavalry with infantry.

His goal was actually very simple—to delay!
Every moment counts; we must do everything in our power to buy time for the Brave and Resolute Army, as long as they can successfully break into the central headquarters of the rebel leader…

Whether we capture the rebel leader himself or cut down his banner, today's battle is a victory!
Hu Dayou did not give much thought to his own safety, just as he said in his pre-war mobilization speech: "If I die, I will be enshrined in the Temple of Loyalty and Worship and offered incense by thousands of families!"
Why did Xiang Yu win by "breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats"?
Why was Han Xin able to win the "battle with his back to the river"?
There's a saying among military strategists: "Place yourself in a desperate situation, and you will survive."

Hu Dayou had this idea today. He personally led four hundred heavy cavalrymen to abandon their warhorses and meet the rebel army's five thousand elite cavalrymen in infantry formation. Wasn't this "putting them in a do-or-die situation"?

He intended to use this method to inspire the heavy cavalry warriors to fight to the death, to prove their loyalty with their lives, and to repay the Earl of Yongning for his patronage and care.

"kill!"

Hu Dayou roared and thrust out his lance, striking the neck of a rebel cavalryman's horse. As the lance was pulled back, a spurt of blood gushed out.

The warhorse let out a mournful neigh and fell heavily to the ground. The rebel cavalryman on it was thrown off and, just as he landed, was pierced in the throat by another lance. His cry was cut short as he died.

At the same time, a heavy cavalryman beside Hu Dayou thrust his lance into the belly of the enemy soldier's warhorse. Due to the momentum of the horse's forward charge, the lance became stuck in the horse's belly and was difficult to pull out for a while.

In desperation, the heavy knight released his lance and charged towards the surging rebel cavalry, grabbing the foreleg of one of their warhorses...

He held on tightly, tighter and tighter, desperately trying to keep the warhorse in place, unable to move it any further.

The bandit on the warhorse wielded a long axe and kept hacking at the heavy knight. Although he was protected by heavy armor, the heavy blows from the powerful slashes were still too much for him to bear, and mouthfuls of blood kept gushing from his mouth.

Although the heavy cavalry were well-equipped and fiercely brave, their numbers were simply too small. Facing ten times their number of elite cavalry from the rebel army, this absolute disadvantage in manpower was irreconcilable.

As the rebel army's cavalry continued to charge forward, completely surrounding Hu Dayou and his heavy cavalry, their casualties gradually increased.

Moreover, while the heavy cavalry's iron armor provided absolute defense, it also limited their combat skills and made them expend more effort in every movement.

After only a short while of fighting, many of the heavy cavalrymen were already exhausted!

"Pistols, shoot the bandits!"

"Bang... bang... bang..."

At Hu Dayou's command, the heavy cavalry opened fire with their pistols. Smoke filled the air, and black lead bullets flew everywhere, reaping the lives of the rebel knights...