Han officials

Chapter 232 Sweeping Away the Trap [22]

As a loud rumble rang out, the Xianbei commander Alunchi, who was at the forefront, was immediately startled.

Just as some people can identify others by their footsteps, this seasoned warrior, though he couldn't see what it was, could tell something was wrong simply by the sound, because cavalrymen on the grasslands never made such strange noises.
Before Arunchi could react, Yan Rou and Liu Yi, who had just been fighting fiercely, suddenly split into two and rushed to the left and right. Then, a heavy cavalry force, whose men and horses were all covered in black armor, charged in like ferocious beasts.

When they first appeared, they weren't too fast, but as these armored cavalrymen slowly accelerated, their speed increased, and a suffocating feeling suddenly rushed towards Arunchi.

He even forgot to breathe, so when he came to his senses he was panting heavily, and his heart was pounding wildly.

If even the tribal leader acted this way, the ordinary Xianbei cavalry around him were even more dumbfounded.

Whether they were shocked or terrified, by the time they came to their senses, it was too late.

"The Xuanjia Battalion!"

"kill!"

As this armored cavalry, seemingly slow but actually incredibly fast, crashed into the opposing Xianbei army, they were instantly routed. Like a flood sweeping across the land, they sent the Xianbei cavalry flying, causing countless casualties. However, the Xuanjia battalion's speed was not hindered in the slightest. Zhao Yun in the front, Jiao Shan on the left, Mao Kun on the right, and Wei Zhe in the center, they swiftly moved in an arrow formation towards Kebineng under the wolf banner.
Fortunately, Wei Zhe pacified Liaodong in advance; otherwise, even if there were men and armor, they wouldn't have been able to muster this heavy cavalry force.

It should be noted that the Xuanjia Camp's mounts were all fine Fuyu steeds; otherwise, how could they support such heavy horse armor?

Even so, they still have to eat beans and grains every day, and occasionally they have to be fed some eggs to help them gain weight.

To put it bluntly, the cost of these thousand Xuanjia heavy cavalry would be enough to support ten thousand infantrymen in the Central Plains.

However, the performance of the Xuanjia Battalion on the battlefield at this moment undoubtedly proves that all of this was worthwhile.

The Xuanjia Battalion effortlessly tore a hole in the Xianbei formation, as if slicing tofu with a knife.

If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal, since even the fiercest attack by the Xuanjia Battalion only involved a thousand men. However, the problem was that Yan Rou and Liu Yi, who had just been in charge of the main attack, suddenly each led two thousand Han cavalry to protect the Xuanjia Battalion on the left and right, while Tadun and Su Puyan each led five thousand Wuhuan cavalry to provide outer cover.

Thus, a three-wave offensive was formed, with the Xuanjia Battalion as the core of the attack.

This is a heavy cavalry battle tactic that Wei Zhe has been conceiving since he started building the Xuanjia Camp. It is a variant of the "arrow formation". He named it "Iron Plow Formation", which means to plow the courtyard and sweep away the cave, and cut the weeds and eliminate the roots!
However, when Xi Zhicai learned of this, he thought the name was too crude, so he followed the example of "rolling up the beaded curtain" and suggested that he name this cavalry tactic "ploughing the court and sweeping the cave".

Although Wei Zhe remained defiant, he honestly used this name in his military notes.

The Wei Family's Art of War, Cavalry Warfare Chapter, thus gained two more classic tactics.

Reality proved that Wei Zhe's move was indeed effective. With only 15,000 cavalry, Wei Zhe managed to tear a large gap in the 40,000 Xianbei cavalry in front of him, and forcefully plunged this "Iron Plow of Liaodong" into the Xianbei formation.

Like wild boars rooting in the ground, the Xianbei cavalry's agility became a joke under the unreasonable brute force of the Xuanjia heavy cavalry.

Although the Xianbei army unleashed a barrage of arrows at the Xuanjia heavy cavalry, Wei Zhe treated them as dust and paid them no heed. He believed that even the heavy bows used by the infantry, let alone the light bows used by these Hu cavalry, posed little threat to them. Only powerful crossbows like the Dahuang crossbow could inflict effective damage; otherwise, their heavy armor would have been useless.
Within the grand formation, Wei Zhe carefully observed the battlefield situation before leading his Xuanjia heavy cavalry like surgical blades to strike at the weak points of the Xianbei formation. After all, the Xianbei army was composed of countless tribal soldiers, and their coordination was not particularly smooth.

Currently, Wei Zhe's heavy cavalry has thrown them into disarray, and some of their weaknesses have been exposed.

In the blink of an eye, the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry began their second acceleration, their armor gleaming and their killing intent fully revealed.

As a result, the already fierce Han cavalry became even more unstoppable.

Gradually, some Xianbei commanders and tribal leaders lacked the courage to even engage the Xuanjia heavy cavalry in battle. Before the two sides could even clash, they instinctively spurred their horses to avoid the iron-clad monsters, which immediately caused the morale of the Xianbei army to waver and decline.

That's how cavalry charges work; whoever dodges is considered a coward, and even if they have ten points of fighting power, they may not be able to exert half of it.

However, many Xianbei generals couldn't help but look at Kebineng under the Wolf Banner, waiting for his reaction.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu, in its chapter on Deception and Reality, states:
Go where they do not go, and attack where they must defend.

It means to attack where the enemy has no time to provide emergency assistance, and to attack where the enemy will inevitably have to provide relief.

To put it simply, the target that the enemy must rescue is the "real" target; everything else is illusory.

If one can grasp the secrets of this, then one can discern the true nature of the battlefield.

For example, right now, Kebineng is the "real" that Wei Zhe is keeping a close eye on.

According to the custom on the grasslands, whether it was the Xianbei, Wuhuan, or Xiongnu, as long as the commander-in-chief's banner remained in place, the cavalry of the tribes below could not retreat; otherwise, they would be treated as deserters, and extermination of their entire tribe would be a matter of course.

However, once Kebineng's banner retreats voluntarily, his various cavalry units can run away without any psychological burden, and there is no need to worry about Kebineng holding them accountable afterward.

After all, running away when you can't win is the rule on the grasslands.

Since even Kebineng himself ran away, there was naturally no way to hold others accountable.

However, if Kebineng were to back down now, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat. He might escape alive, but his reputation and strength would inevitably suffer greatly.

From this perspective, Kebineng has actually lost to Wei Zhe.

Because Wei Zhe saw through his true intentions, while he failed to discover Wei Zhe's true intentions.

It should be understood that: those who wish to fight should attack where the enemy must defend, thus forcing the enemy to engage in battle with them!
……

At the same time, Wei Zhe, who led the Xuanjia heavy cavalry to attack the Xianbei central army's wolf banner, also faced enormous pressure.

Even armored cavalry cannot be immune to all damage on the battlefield.

Under the heavy arrows of the archers and various unexpected events, the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry suffered more than ten casualties.

However, Wei Zhe's determination to advance remained unwavering. He could still bear the casualties, so he continued to charge towards Kebineng like a yellow dragon, billowing with dust.

As the Han heavy cavalry drew ever closer, until they were only three arrows' length away, Kebineng, who had been trying to maintain his composure, finally gave in, and his shield could not withstand Wei Zhe's spear.

At least in this contest of wills, he dared not gamble any longer.

Kebineng never imagined that one day the Xianbei people's archery would be defeated by the Han people's lances!
Could it be... that cavalry chargeers are the future of cavalry?
In a daze, Kebineng couldn't help but have such a thought.

But he soon stopped thinking about those things.

The deafening roar, like thunder, finally made Kebineng grit his teeth and say, "Withdraw the troops!"

There was nothing he could do; he had tried everything to deal with this unstoppable Han cavalry.

But 40,000 men couldn't stop 15,000. What could he do?
If you can't beat them, you can't beat them. If you don't run away, are you just going to stay in one place and wait to die?
So, with a command given, Kebineng immediately led his three thousand light cavalry in a retreat without hesitation.

At this moment, he even decisively abandoned the tribe, his wife and children, and his wealth in Tanhan Mountain.

Because Ke Bi Neng knew better than anyone else that most losers who covet wealth could not escape their fate.

As for his followers and women, as long as he is alive and as long as he has troops, none of that matters.

At the same time, after Kebineng decisively retreated, the Xianbei army, which had been repeatedly attacked by the Xuanjia heavy cavalry, completely collapsed on the battlefield. The Xianbei cavalry, which had been barely able to hold together, suddenly scattered like sand.

Wu Zhong, who was leading four thousand Han cavalry in a desperate battle against the Xianbei, suddenly found that the enemy in front of him had scattered.

Upon witnessing this scene, Wei Zhe, standing in the center of the battlefield, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no other way; they had already broken through two enemy lines and penetrated several miles into the enemy territory, and were already exhausted.

The men could barely keep going, but the warhorses were nearing their limit; their burden was too heavy for them to continue charging.

If Kebi could have held out for another half an hour, Wei Zhe might have really had to gamble his life.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but feel a little regretful. The Liaodong horse breed was still somewhat inferior. If only he could get the Hexi horse breed.

Of course, Wei Zhe did not forget the occasion.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Wei Zhe immediately ordered Yan Routadun and others to continue the pursuit.

If we don't seize this opportunity to kick someone when they're down, the gains from today's battle will probably be reduced by half.

The saying "Don't pursue a cornered enemy" applies to Han Chinese territory, but not to the grasslands.

On the grasslands, "strike while the iron is hot" is the only rule of survival.

This is why when two tribes on the grasslands clash, the pursuit and escape can often stretch for thousands of miles.

While Yan Rou and others were chasing down the remnants of the defeated army, Wei Zhe led the Xuanjia cavalry to rest for a while before leisurely riding to the Xianbei royal court at the foot of Tanhan Mountain.

Even though they only had a thousand cavalrymen, the herdsmen around the royal tent dared not resist in the slightest when they saw the imposing presence of the Xuanjia heavy cavalry. They prostrated themselves in awe before Wei Zhe's horse and welcomed him into the Xianbei royal court.

Looking at the Han flag flying high atop the Xianbei king's tent, Wei Zhe finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Without hesitation, he stepped over the dusty Xianbei wolf banners and strode confidently into the Xianbei royal tent.

The humiliation suffered at the hands of Tan Shihuai in the past will be avenged today!
(End of this chapter)