Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 224 Barbarian Soldiers' Strong Formation
Banners fluttered across the fields, and horns sounded throughout the sky.

Teams of barbarian soldiers, with their backs to the sun, strode across the plains west of the Li River.

They wore light but sturdy leather armor, carried gleaming spears, and their shields clashed frequently as they ran, producing a clanging sound. Despite this massed charge, their formation maintained a remarkable degree of order.

The large formation advancing consisted of the most elite barbarian soldiers under the command of the government army, including the Wudang Flying Army personally trained by General Lei Gao Pian, as well as the local Dongman warriors of Lingnan West Road.

South of the plain, mountains surround the area, with layer upon layer of peaks and verdant peaks stretching like a sea, intertwined and close together.

The golden battle flags of the Grass Army moved along the rugged mountain paths, with each unit connecting and supporting each other by light infantry crossing the ridges.

To avoid confusion during their march through the mountains, the rebels had to control their speed as they descended the mountain.

However, the enemy ultimately managed to trap the rebel army on the edge of the mountains.

After several battles, the government troops finally realized that Huang Chao's chariot warfare tactics were formidable and difficult to counter.

Gao Yan blocked the rebel army's heroes on the mountain, intending to prevent the rebel army's chariots from operating.

The barbarian warriors, their faces painted with ferocious patterns, pounded their chests with their rough hands, letting out deafening battle roars, each displaying a triumphant expression.

The barbarians were swift and agile, and mountain warfare was their forte. Therefore, Gao Yan ordered the barbarians to lead the vanguard, leveraging their advantage of swift battle to try and withstand the grass army's superior position.

If they gain the upper hand, they should press on and use the terrain to divide the rebel forces along the mountain ridges. If the battle goes poorly, the Han soldiers behind should quickly rotate to fill the gaps.

Just like in the Battle of Han River, Gao Yan still relied on the strength of the barbarian tribes. However, the barbarian soldiers used in this battle were far more elite than those in the Battle of Han River; they were all barbarians who received government rations and were officially registered.

They were not only skilled with swords, but also quite adept with spears.

If the rebels charged straight down, they would be deliberately running into their own guns and dying.

"Fire arrows!"

When the two armies were within a hundred paces of each other, Duan Hongyan let out a clear and charming shout and personally beat the war drum.

A cool, slightly damp mountain breeze brushed against her face, making her feel refreshed.

Guilin is just as hot as Guangzhou in the summer, but now that it's autumn, the weather is much cooler.

As drums and horns sounded in the ranks, the soldiers of Qingyu General drew their bows and nocked their arrows. A hail of arrows flew in smooth arcs, landing on the mountaintop and striking the enemy ranks, instantly causing a spray of blood.

Shooting an arrow from a hundred paces away is quite a distance. However, taking advantage of the high ground, it is enough to inflict effective damage on the enemy.

Duan Hongyan's troops also had many archers who could hit a target from a hundred paces away. After a volley of arrows, several barbarian chieftains were killed on the spot.

The vanguard of the army consisted mostly of archers, such as the troops of the three brothers Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, and Zhang Guibian, who had also undergone long-term archery training.

In a very short time, tens of thousands of arrows rained down, so heavy that it was no exaggeration to say that dark clouds covered the sun. An army with poor discipline could be crushed and scattered by psychological intimidation.

However, after a very brief period of chaos, the barbarians at the front of the government army quickly restored order.

They pieced together square vine shields, each cut to the same length, fitting them tightly together, and did the same above their heads. In an instant, the barbarian soldiers' formation transformed into rows of square boxes.

The vine shields were packed so tightly together that they were like a tortoise's shell.

Between the shields, long, menacing spears peeked out, still wary of the grass army's frontal assault.

The ancient Qin state in the western region, which existed at the same time as the Han Dynasty, was the ancestor of the present-day Fulin people. They had a formation called the Tortoise Shell Formation, which was extremely effective at defending against arrows.

The formation used by the barbarian soldiers in this government army was very similar to the tortoise shell formation of the Qin Dynasty eight hundred years ago.

When Qingyu and his troops fired arrows again, they were unable to inflict significant damage.

Almost all the arrows were blocked by the vine shields.

Arrows were stuck in the continuous shields, yet the barbarian soldiers held them firmly in their hands. When the rain of arrows thinned out, the barbarian soldiers finally broke their sturdy shield formation and charged up the mountain with their rattan shields raised.

The archers retreated in an orderly fashion, preparing to rotate with the melee fighters, while drawing their short swords and daggers from their waists in preparation for possible close combat.

The barbarian soldiers suddenly stopped running and their javelins, like hail from a hurricane, whistled and fell on the line of the grass army archers.

Screams of agony filled the air, blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and many people were nailed to the ground and killed instantly.

Even Ding Hui, a trusted general of Duan Hongyan, was pierced through the left shoulder by a spear, suffering serious injuries and fainting on the spot from the pain.

The barbarians of the western Lingnan region were particularly skilled at using javelins, capable of unleashing a powerful rain of javelins in a short period of time.

Javelin has a shorter range than bows and arrows, but it is much more powerful and can be used to break through enemy lines.

Archers are relatively weak in defense, and their parrying skills are generally inferior to those of melee soldiers. If an opportunity is seized, a volley of javelins can be used to attack the archer ranks, which can be surprisingly effective.

Due to the difference in range, such opportunities are rare. However, the enemy seized the opportunity when the arrow rain stopped quite accurately, inflicting considerable casualties on the grass army in one wave.

The archers were thrown into disarray by a volley of javelins. The soldiers, supporting the wounded, retreated with difficulty to the infantry's cover, leaving behind a pile of corpses for the enemy.

Many of the soldiers looked frightened.

"General Gao, didn't Xiao Gu perform quite well?"

In the central army of the government troops, Qian Liu laughed heartily and said to Gao Yan beside him.

Among the hordes of barbarians ahead, there was a conspicuous bald man who was much taller than the generally short barbarians.

Little Gu's name was Gu Quanwu. He was Qian Liu's personal guard. He was only thirteen years old, but he was over seven feet tall and looked no different from an adult.

He was originally a novice monk in a temple. When he was ten years old, Qian Liu took a liking to him while offering incense. He donated a lot of money to the temple and asked the abbot to take him in. However, he did not return to secular life and instead practiced asceticism in the secular world.

According to Qian Liu, Gu Quanwu's strategy was inferior to his own, but he was born to train troops and fight tough battles. His ruthlessness in using troops was even greater than his own, making him a match for Wang Jian of the Zhongwu Army.

Gao Yan summoned Gu Quanwu and found that Qian Liu's words were absolutely true.

Gao Yan was naturally overjoyed with the buy-one-get-one-free offer.

This intensive training exercise for the barbarian soldiers was largely thanks to Gu Quanwu's efforts.

Qian Liu himself also had the ability to promote and identify extraordinary talents in the world, which shows that he was quite ambitious.

This was something Gao Yangang had confirmed as soon as he met Qian Liu.

Gao Yan then felt that Qian Liu was his Hou Jing.

Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan, the ancestor of the Southern Liang dynasty, gained control of Guandong when he acquired Hou Jing, while Emperor Xiao Yan of the Southern Liang dynasty died and his country was destroyed when he acquired Hou Jing.

Dangerous talents depend solely on whether the Lord has the capacity to control them.

Gao Yan knew that if Qian Liu continued to serve under Dong Chang, Dong Chang would likely face the extermination of his entire clan.

He still felt he could handle someone like Qian Liu.

“Meng Kai may be about to make a move.” Gao Yan lowered his voice and said to Qian Liu, “Yang Gong is not wise or brave enough to be a match for Meng Juehai. Please ask Ju Mei to assist him.”

Gao Yan really looked down on Yang Fuguang, thinking that Yang Fuguang was not even as good as Meng Kai, let alone Zhu Wen.

With the barbarian troops gaining the upper hand, Gao Yan was overjoyed and naturally ordered his cavalry to attack from both flanks.

Leading cavalry charges personally was also a common practice of Gao Yan in his military campaigns.

(End of this chapter)