My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 554: Capturing Liang Xing and Beheading Pang De

Faced with Zhang Fei's sudden charge, Pang De felt uneasy for no reason.

He subconsciously commanded his soldiers to shoot arrows to stop the enemy. Cao's archers also immediately shot arrows sparsely, but the effect of stopping the enemy was hard to describe.

On the one hand, after four days of siege on the camp and repeated failures, the troops under Pound's command had suffered heavy losses in the long-range forces.

Especially when shooting against the archers defending the camp, even if the attacking side has shield cover available, they are still at an absolute disadvantage.

Moreover, it is the end of the sixth lunar month, the hottest time of the year. The northern soldiers crossed the Qinling Mountains and headed south, entering the relatively hot and humid mountain forest terrain, which they were not used to.

The attacking party had to fight under the scorching sun every day, while the defending party could stay in the relatively cool camp. After a few days, Pound's army was already exhausted, and even those who were not injured were inevitably sick and weak.

In contrast, the problem of Pang De's men consuming too many arrows too quickly did not have such a big direct impact. Anyway, there were enough arrows in this battle, and whether there would be enough in the future was another matter.

The hasty shooting of arrows only managed to shoot down a dozen or so vanguard cavalrymen of Zhang Fei's side, and the remaining cavalrymen soon approached them.

Most of the cavalrymen who were shot down were because their horses were hit by arrows and the horses stumbled and were thrown out. Very few of them were killed by arrows directly piercing their armor.

However, a few Cao generals with high martial arts skills and sharp eyes, such as Pang De, still noticed something unusual from the changes before the enemy was engaged in battle.

"What's going on? Some of Zhang Fei's cavalrymen were clearly shot by arrows, but they were able to keep their balance and continue to charge forward?"

"No, why aren't the people thrown out but dragged down by the horses instead?"

Pang De couldn't help but feel a little alert in his heart. He realized that the riding skills of Zhang Fei's cavalry on the opposite side were a little beyond his expectations.

He considered himself to be the top warrior in Xiliang, and his ability to charge a cavalry battle formation was definitely the best in the world. Even Ma Chao was defeated by him. But Pang De thought that he could not be so steady on horseback after being shot by an arrow.

Moreover, the cavalrymen on the other side occasionally fell off their horses, and their postures were too strange. When ordinary people's horses fell, they would most likely be thrown out. But the cavalrymen under Zhang Fei seemed to be glued to the horses' backs.

This way, the danger of being thrown off and killed was avoided, but when the horse fell sideways, it was easy for one of the legs to be crushed by the horse. What's worse, some cavalrymen were actually dragged for a distance by the horse after falling off the horse.

The amount of information that Pang De received at one time was too much and went against common sense. He did not dare to be arrogant and fight Zhang Fei. He could only desperately command his men to go forward and stop Zhang Fei.

However, this instinctive behavior of fear in battle further led to low morale among the Xiliang cavalry around him. Although these behaviors were only subconscious and momentary, the psychological implications they formed were also very subtle and far-reaching.

Groups of Xiliang cavalry rushed forward, and the two sides soon launched a head-on attack along the valley. For a time, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Whether it was the Xiliang cavalry or Zhang Fei's cavalry, they all charged on horseback with long spears, and only when they entered close combat distance did they draw out their sabers and slash left and right.

The amplitude of swinging the gun and the sword will not be very large. Basically, most of the kinetic energy is provided by the speed of the horse. The arms only need to be adjusted at the right angle and wait until the enemy directly hits the tip of the gun or the blade.

As Pang De directed his troops to charge, he thought to himself, "How can the Liangzhou cavalry, with their tall and mighty horses, be compared with those under Liu Bei's command? Even if Zhao Yun's Youzhou cavalry were dispatched, they would not be as fierce as the Xiliang cavalry. We can't move out of this valley, nor can we use our horseback archery to fight. As long as we can kill Zhang Fei, there is still hope for this battle!"

However, after just a few encounters, Pound's confidence was completely shattered.

Because he saw clearly that although Zhang Fei's cavalrymen's horses were shorter, the power of their cavalry charge was not inferior to that of the Xiliang cavalry, and was even more powerful.

The cavalrymen under Zhang Fei stood straight, holding their lances as if their waists and horses were one. When they passed each other, the shaking caused by the collision of weapons was much smaller than that of the Xiliang cavalry.

After two or three rounds of charges, the Xiliang cavalry in front of Pang De had fallen into a clear local disadvantage.

As the fight continued, the rear infantry units of both sides surrounded them layer by layer, and the two sides fell into a larger-scale melee.

Zhang Fei was as powerful as a mad tiger, his snake spear swung left and right like flying, and no one could stop him. Even two or three of Pang De's personal soldiers were hit by Zhang Fei's spear, and fell off their horses at the same time, but Zhang Fei on the opposite side just leaned back a little, and then stood up again like an iron bridge.

When Pound saw this scene, he was stunned:

"How is this possible? Riding on a horse, can he hit the horse head-on like this? Even if he has such great strength, the horse can't bear it, right? How tightly must he hold the horse? Wouldn't the horse's belly be injured?"

……

The incredible scenes that Pang De saw were of course all because the double-sided metal stirrups and high-bridge saddles were finally becoming popular among the cavalry of Liu Bei's army.

The appearance and first combat application of double-sided stirrups can be traced back to more than a year ago, when Zhuge Jin and Zhao Yun of Liu Bei's army fought against the Wuhuan Subuyan tribe and Gongsun Du of Liaodong in Youzhou. (It was the end of 204, and now it is June 206, a year and a half apart)

At that time, Zhao Yun still used double-sided wooden stirrups. Later, he summed up experience in actual combat and fine-tuned the shape and structure. In the second half of last year, Liu Bei's army finally began mass production of double-sided metal stirrups cast by molds.

Because during the Liaodong War, the enemy was the barbarians in the remote northeast and foreign princes, so even if they saw the power of these new weapons, they had no chance to leak them to Cao Cao. Cao's army had never seen these things from beginning to end, and this technical secret was kept firmly by Liu Bei's army for a year and a half.

As for the Gaoqiao saddle, Zhao Yun had not used it when he fought Gongsun Du in Youzhou. It was only after the double-sided metal stirrups began to be mass-produced last year that Zhuge Liang gradually implemented mass production according to the plan he and his elder brother had discussed in advance.

Now is a good time to throw out all the improved equipment that Liu Bei's army had been brewing before. The reason why they had to hold off before was because they were afraid that stirrups were too easy to imitate and the enemy would be able to imitate them at a glance. Therefore, if Liu Bei's army did not have enough horse-producing land, it would only benefit the enemy who had a large amount of horse-producing land if they rashly equipped themselves with stirrups on a large scale.

But now the situation is different. Half of Youzhou is in Liu Bei's hands, and Liaodong and other northeastern marginal areas have also fallen into Liu Bei's hands. There is also the newly conquered Tamra Island in the Three Kingdoms of Korea, where horses can also be raised.

In contrast, Cao Cao only had half of the remaining Youzhou excluding Liaodong, plus Bingzhou, which was considered his traditional horse-producing area.

As for Liang Province, after Ma Teng surrendered to Cao Cao, it could also be considered Cao Cao's. But now Ma Chao has surrendered to Liu, and Pang De brought the iron cavalry accumulated by the Western Liang Army for many years to serve as the vanguard for Cao Cao.

The current Battle of Hanzhong will definitely change the strength of the confrontation in the world.

If they could severely damage the main force of the Xiliang cavalry that Cao Cao had surrendered, or even annihilate a large part of them, then even if Cao Cao learned double-sided stirrups and high-bridge saddles and the cavalry equipment technology of both sides was brought back to the same starting line, what would be the big deal?
By then, Liu Bei might be able to close the gap in manpower between him and Cao Cao, or even slightly surpass him. In that case, the technology diffusion would be fine, it wouldn't matter.

Good steel should be used on the blade, and the suddenness brought by new equipment should be saved for the decisive battle that can determine the trend of the world, where it will be fully revealed.

……

"You bastard Pang De, even without the double stirrups and the high-bridge saddle, you are no match for me! What's more, I am using this magical weapon to catch you off guard! Just prepare to die!"

Zhang Fei relied on the new killer mace he had suddenly taken out, and he charged recklessly on the battlefield, with almost no one to match him under his spear, and he was very proud of himself. The cavalrymen around him also rushed forward bravely, inspired by Zhang Fei's leading by example and the pleasure of charging brought by the new equipment, and threw themselves into the charge.

As the soldiers got used to the recoil of weapons in actual combat after being equipped with Takahashi saddles, the amplitude of their movements in brandishing swords and guns gradually increased and they became more and more unbridled.

The ordinary cavalrymen who originally held the reins with one hand and the gun with the other began to gain courage, hold the weapons with both hands, and charge straight towards the enemy.

At the moment when the swords and spears collided, one side held the weapon with both hands and attacked with all his strength, while the other side only had the strength of one hand to parry, and the winner was immediately apparent.

Pound's front team was gradually killed and their formation was cut into pieces.

Seeing that Pang De was afraid of fighting, the Xiliang cavalry gradually lost their will to fight, began to flee backwards in a disorderly manner, and began to impulsively break up the formation of their own infantry that followed.

Zhang Fei took advantage of the situation to expand the victory and chased after Nian all the way along the narrow Chencang Valley Road.

Pang De's performance in this battle was even worse than Zhang He's performance in the Battle of Hanzhong in the same period of history. In history, Zhang He was also blocked in a valley by Zhang Fei in the early stage of the Battle of Hanzhong.

Because of the narrow terrain, the large army could not deploy its troops and could only use the tactic of adding fuel to the fire to advance bit by bit. Therefore, the side with more people was completely no match for the side with fewer people but more elite and braver ones.

At this moment, Pang De was facing the same problem. Although Pang De's men were numerous, their morale was low. The front troops were wavering and unwilling to fight to the death. They were also frightened by the fierce attack of the enemy's new equipment. No matter how many soldiers were in the rear, they could not be deployed.

Zhang Fei led the charge, stabbing and killing countless enemy cavalrymen, and finally broke through the encirclement and reached Pang De.

At this point, Pang De knew that he could not avoid this battle, so he turned around and rushed forward, brandishing his sword.

"Pang De, you dog thief, I will send you to see the Lord of Mount Tai!" Zhang Fei also shouted loudly, and did not care that the Zhangba Snake Spear was more suitable for stabbing, and also chose a head-on attack without any fancy moves.

Pang De already had a premonition and knew that Zhang Fei's charge was now powerful and strong, but he relied on his heavier weapon and was willing to give it a head-on test.

“Even if Zhang Fei has some uncanny ability that allows him to stand more steadily on horseback, his weapon is not as heavy as mine after all. If I swing my long sword at maximum speed in advance, I can knock him away with the remaining momentum…”

This thought flashed through Pang De's mind like lightning, and he exerted further strength in his arms, swinging the sword even faster than the wind.

Although he had never learned "Newton's Three Laws" and didn't know that "heavier weapons have greater inertia", he did have some common sense on the battlefield. As long as the weapon was heavy enough and the initial velocity was fast enough, then even if he was not so stable on horseback, it would not be a big problem.

"Clang!" With a loud bang, Pang De's broadsword and Zhang Fei's snake spear collided head-on.

In the instant before the sword and spear intersected, Pang De slightly relaxed the grip of his back hand, relying only on his front hand as a fulcrum to give the sword room to swing back and relieve the force.

Zhang Fei on the opposite side, on the other hand, did not use any fancy moves and just used all his strength from beginning to end.

Zhang Fei only felt the palm of his hand shaking violently, but he still managed to hold it. He continued to exert force from his wrist to his arm, and then to his waist, horse and legs, and finally shook Pang De's sword away.

However, Zhang Fei's big black warhorse felt the huge impact force transmitted through the saddle bridge and the double-sided stirrups. All four hooves staggered slightly. The huge impact force was transferred to the warhorse and then transmitted to the ground.

Especially the two hind hooves of the warhorse, which for a moment stepped an extra inch into the mud, which shows the horror of the unloading force.

"This couldn't even knock Zhang Fei's weapon away?" Pang De was horrified when he saw that the other party caught his weapon without any tricks.

He knew very well that he was able to swing the sword at such a high speed because he relied on the run-up sprint before the battle and slowly accelerated to accumulate strength.

Now that the sword had been stopped, it would take time to speed it up again. Unless the two sides passed each other, opened up some distance and rushed back, he still had a chance.

But Zhang Fei was also an expert in battle formations, so how could he give Pang De such an opportunity?
Since he took the attack head-on despite the surging blood and energy, he had of course made plans long ago to fight with Pang De after slowing him down.

Sure enough, after Pang De's moves became old, Zhang Fei gently pushed his horse's head and changed to parallel with Pang De, and then he stabbed him with subsequent moves one after another.

Therefore, Pound is like a diesel car that seems to have a lot of total power, but takes more than ten seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour. Zhang Fei is like a muscle car that seems to have a low peak power advantage, but has a clear acceleration advantage.

Under Zhang Fei's fierce knocks and blows, Pang De was caught left and right. After once again withstanding Zhang Fei's powerful thrusts, Pang De suddenly felt a sharp pain and tearing sensation under his ribs.

"Oh no! The ribs that were stabbed by Ma Chao in Tongguan two months ago are broken again!" Pang De felt slightly dizzy and immediately realized the problem.

Nearly two months ago, he fought with Ma Chao in the Battle of Tongguan. At that time, Ma Chao tried hard to kill him before Xu Chu arrived at the battlefield, but Pang De desperately threw away his sword and hugged Ma Chao's spear, trying to delay time to give Xu Chu a chance to kill him.

The final result was that Ma Chao was narrowly avoided being hit by Xu Chu's sword and suffered internal injuries and vomiting blood. He is still recovering from his internal injuries.

Xu Chu was hit by Ma Chao's backhand sword, which was a combination of all his skills, and three of his finger joints were cut off. Pang De was injured in the waist and ribs by Ma Chao's strong pull when he drew his spear.

The wound was not very deep at the time, and the ribs protected all the internal organs, but it was very long.

After nearly two months of recuperation, Pang De had recovered by at least 80% or even 90%. If he did not use great strength anymore, he would not collapse.

But in an occasion like today, it is impossible for him to hold back even if he wants to.

Zhang Fei's martial arts were superior to his, and with the help of the high-bridge saddle and double-sided stirrups, the gap was even more obvious. If Pang De held back, he would be killed on the spot.

Now that I have fought hard to this point and my old wounds are only beginning to break, it is already very good.

Zhang Fei was too lazy to analyze what had happened to Pang De. He just felt that after seven or eight moves, the opponent's moves immediately slowed down, and the power of the sword was not as sharp as at the beginning.

In this case, of course, we should take advantage of his weakness and kill him directly!

After fighting for more than ten rounds, Zhang Fei saw that Pang De's moves were disorganized and his strength was running out, so he took advantage of an opportunity and thrust his spear forward like a dragon emerging from the abyss, finally stabbing Pang De's heart guard.

After all, the breastplate was made of a whole piece of steel, so it couldn't be broken at once. But Zhang Fei's strength was so great that the spearhead was deflected by several inches, but it still penetrated through the seam of the breastplate, breaking off several pieces of fish scale armor.

Zhang Fei swung his spear with all his might, lifted Pang De slightly from the horse's back, then swept it horizontally, knocked him off the horse, and threw him two steps away.

(End of this chapter)