Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 225 Past Events in Guilin

In Guilin, deciduous and evergreen trees coexist. As the horsemen gallop down the mountain slopes, the gusts of wind they create sweep away the green and yellow leaves, some crushed into dust by the hooves of their horses, others swept up by the air currents and danced in the valleys.

Cavalry is advantageous on flat terrain and can also fight on relatively gentle mountain slopes. While broken slopes are not conducive to advancing, they can still be used to launch charges.

When the vanguard of the army was in trouble, the cavalry on both flanks rode the autumn wind and galloped down from the heights amidst the falling leaves.

The grass troops, spread out along several mountain ridges, had a wider front than the government troops.

Taking advantage of this situation, the cavalry charged out to the left and right.

Using cavalry on both flanks to pressure the enemy formation is a fairly common tactic. However, the number of cavalrymen was insufficient, so Zhu Wen also arranged for archers and stone throwers to follow behind the cavalry for coordination.

After a round of fighting, the government troops and barbarian soldiers reorganized their formation and once again raised their shields to form a strong line in the face of the grass army's attack.

When facing a strong formation, cavalrymen cannot directly charge into the spearheads or shields. They usually charge with spears, suddenly rein in their horses before colliding with the formation, strike the formation with their spears, and then quickly turn around and retreat, repeating this process.

The horses, weighing hundreds of pounds, trampled the grass and chirped as they charged in, kicking up clouds of dust, creating immense psychological pressure on the infantry. Even though they knew the cavalry generally wouldn't risk their lives in a suicidal charge, poorly trained infantry often lost their composure and collapsed under repeated enemy assaults.

The barbarian cavalry were not fully armored iron cavalry, and the government troops' front-line barbarian soldiers were quite skilled in combat. Simply turning and charging was certainly not enough to shake the enemy formation.

The archers and slingers who followed used the dust kicked up by the cavalry charge as cover to get close to the enemy lines.

The archers nocked heavy arrows, and the bowstring twanged like thunder. The heavy arrows struck the shields like sharp iron hammers, making the barbarians feel a significant increase in weight in their hands.

If things go wrong, the shield could be pierced, pinning the barbarian's shield-wielding hand to the shield.

As for flying stones, their power at close range is considerable, but they are mostly used by martial artists, and it is difficult for ordinary armies to find many excellent slingers.

However, the majority of the bandits were江湖人 (jianghu people, people from the martial arts world).

The hail-like stones pelted the shields, causing them to dent. Most of the time, the shields could deflect the stones, but sometimes they would shatter completely. The unprotected enemy soldiers were immediately riddled with stones and arrows, their flesh torn to pieces.

When the enemy attempted a counter-charge with their spears, the archers and slingers would retreat, allowing the cavalry to charge again. This cycle repeated itself, causing immense distress to the barbarian soldiers on both flanks.

When Gao Yan led his cavalry out to charge, he discovered that the grass army cavalry had attacked even faster than his own.

However, Gao Yan's original plan was to meet the cavalry who entered the plains on the plains.

The mountainous terrain rendered the chariots, which were the specialty of the peasant army, unusable, while the government cavalry outnumbered the peasant army considerably.

Although Gao Yan noticed that the barbarian troops on the east side were in a disadvantageous position, he didn't take it to heart at all.

The slight suppression achieved by the grass army cavalry was far less than the losses suffered from the previous hail of javelins.

The number of government cavalry was nearly twice that of the bandits. Not to mention the sharpness of the Changwu cavalry, they could overwhelm the bandits' cavalry in a head-to-head battle alone!
"Launch a surprise attack on horseback. If the enemy cavalry escapes, then kill those archers and stone throwers." Gao Yan coldly ordered, "Zhu San'er is quite amusing, actually playing such petty tricks with me."

Gao Yan was extremely confident in his cavalry command skills, and with his long-armed elite cavalry, he also possessed a numerical advantage. In his eyes, the enemy was simply coming to their deaths.

The western cavalry was dealt with by Xin Dang, the military governor of Lingnan West Circuit. Xin Dang rose to fame during the suppression of Pang Xun's rebellion and was also a veteran general of the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, based on Gao Yan's judgment, the enemy is very likely to launch a flanking maneuver with an elite cavalry force led by the invincible Meng Kai after the cavalry on both flanks begin to engage, and directly attack the central army.

Therefore, Gao Yancai instructed Qian Liu to assist Yang Fuguang and to be on guard.

As for Han Ping's entire army, Gao Yan and some underperforming units simply placed them on the hills on the northwest side of the battlefield as reserves. Only if the rebel army collapsed would they be allowed to join the battle and pursue the fleeing enemy.

In this way, even if something happens to the surrendered troops, it won't cause any major disturbance.

Those weak soldiers were disorganized and if the enemy exploited their weaknesses to break through, it would inevitably affect the entire army. Placing them together with the surrendered soldiers, however, could serve to monitor the surrendered troops.

The Changwu cavalry charged forward, all riding warhorses as black as ink, like a dark cloud. The rapid, rhythmic clatter of their hooves was imposing and powerful, striking the hearts of listeners like drumsticks.

Today, every long-armored knight wore a mask to protect against arrows, mirroring Gao Yan's style of wearing the Lanling King's Ghost Mask. Each of them held a long spear, and their rapid advance resembled a giant spear cutting across the plains.

The earth trembled as the enemy cavalry approached, and many of the archers and slingers who retreated hastily showed expressions of shock.

"The brave warriors of Changwu possess a spirit that soars to the heavens. They are as constant as the moon and as rising as the sun."

"The world is in turmoil, and we dare not cease hostilities. We will slaughter all the rebels and bring peace to the four seas!"

The cavalry, led by Changwu, sang in unison, their voices resounding amidst the clanging of drums and gongs.

Dong Hou, who was leading the grass army cavalry, snorted coldly and looked at this group of elite cavalry with the imposing aura of a mountain as if they were a bunch of rats and ants.

"What kind of rubbish song is that? You even believe it yourself," Dong Hou spat at Ge Congzhou.

He then turned to another Ming Cult knight: "Do you remember where this place is?"

This is Guilin. Anyone with a sound mind can give the answer.

But Dong Hou said "I remember".

The Ming Cult knight's expression suddenly turned cold, and he then placed his hand on his chest.

"The Ming Wang is immortal, and the heart lamp lives forever!"

The Pang Xun uprising that swept the country ten years ago originated from the eight hundred garrison soldiers of Guilin!

They came from Xuzhou, but were stationed in the south for a long time and were not allowed to return home.

According to regulations, soldiers were rotated every three years.

But these people endured the hardships of the malaria-ridden land of Lingnan, three years after three years!

The Pang Xun Rebellion, which shook the world, was based on the anger of these soldiers. It spread like wildfire and almost swallowed up the Tang Dynasty.

In Gao Yan's eyes, Guilin was an excellent location for a decisive battle because it was convenient to obtain support and supplies from Hunan and other places, and could also block the rebel army layer by layer.

However, Gao Yan overlooked the significance of Guilin to Dong Hou and other former subordinates of Pang Xun.

Memories of the past, when they fought alongside Pang Xun across the land, flashed through the minds of every soldier.

Dong Hou's cavalry consisted of only about thirty riders, none of whom wore horse armor during this battle.

Their eyes were cold as lightning. They spurred their horses and galloped forward, their hooves kicking up mud and their armor shaking the air, like demons descending to earth, charging towards Gao Yan's cavalry.

Gao Yan originally thought that the enemy's cavalry, which numbered only half as many as his own, would be crushed into dust like chicken eggs under Mount Tai.

But what happened next made his eyelids twitch violently beneath his mask.

The mere thirty Ming Cult knights cut through the Changwu Cavalry formation as easily as cutting paper, leaving a blood-stained arc as they circled among the government cavalry.

Wherever they went, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and soon people were covered in blood, and horses were covered in blood.

"General Dong Hou is advancing with his momentum, but a prolonged battle might lead to defeat," Huo Cun said to Tian Jun beside him. "Let's follow him as soon as possible."

Such composed words were often spoken by Zhu Zhen.

Zhu Zhen was neither here nor among the left-wing cavalry.

Zhu Wen entrusted him with an even more important task.

(End of this chapter)