Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 227 The Flail Triumphs
The flail is one of the few weapons that can bypass a shield.

This weapon is easy to learn, but difficult to master. In the midst of a chaotic battle, one careless move can injure yourself or your comrades.

Zhu Zhen's troops had undergone relevant targeted training before the battle.

The selected knights were all accustomed to using flails to thresh wheat while doing farm work at home, and had more than ten years of experience in using them.

After Zhu Wen personally supervised and guided them, they quickly became adept at using this item.

They dragged grass with their horse tails, stirring up dust and making a great commotion, creating the impression of an endless number of people.

The barbarian shield soldiers in the rear paled in shock.

The barbarian soldiers of Lingnan West Road generally wore only light armor, or even no armor at all, not just because of the heat.

Human physical strength is limited, and one can often only choose between heavy armor and a strong shield, otherwise it is difficult to ensure flexibility in combat.

A skilled shield bearer can withstand most attacks on the battlefield with just a large shield. However, the flail is a weapon specifically designed to counter shield bearers.

The barbarian shield-bearers, who were only wearing headscarves or light leather helmets, were caught off guard and at a loss when flailed down on their heads. Lacking experience in dealing with such things, they were at a loss and did not know how to respond.

Seeing that the ranks were about to break apart, someone in the government troops quickly shouted: "The enemy has few troops and is just bluffing. Raise your spears and hold them off!"

The crossbowmen supervising the battle fired arrows, instantly piercing through the hearts of several barbarians who were retreating and about to charge into their own supply lines.

The barbarians calmed down slightly, only then realizing that Zhu Zhen's forces were indeed limited in number, probably less than three hundred.

The Grass Army was known for its mobile warfare and was not short of horses, but it lacked tall, strong horses suitable for war. Therefore, its cavalry force was quite small.

The barbarians rallied their spirits and shouted insults: "This little bit of men dares to provoke our great-grandfather Liao! Brothers, grip your spears tight and stab them to death!"

They spoke in a barbarian language, which to the knights like Zhu Zhen was just a bunch of incomprehensible gibberish, but it gave them courage.

Seeing that the barbarians had reacted, Zhu Zhen and the others changed their tactics, as the barbarians' spears were impenetrable.

Zhu Zhen waved his command flag and issued orders. His knights scattered and became agile squads, some to the left, some to the right, and so on, advancing and retreating in succession, launching a dense attack on the barbarian lines.

One of the advantages of cavalry is that, through rapid maneuverability, they can exert pressure on a large number of enemy troops with a small force.

To paraphrase a later saying, "A hundred riders can surround a crowd of ten thousand, and a thousand riders can spread out to cover a hundred miles."

Zhu Zhen dispersed his two hundred cavalrymen, sending them in small, rotating groups to attack the enemy's weak points, much like a swarm of fierce wasps relentlessly stinging a massive giant.

Their tactics were extremely flexible. They used flail as their main weapon, but did not rely on it entirely. Some mounted archers would occasionally shoot arrows at the enemy's face from time to time, while some lancers would thrust their lances at the barbarian soldiers' spears.

Some people even threw javelins directly from their horses, using the momentum to make them even more powerful than javelins used on foot.

In order to parry the spears, the barbarians had to change their posture. At this moment, the flail cavalry took advantage of the wavering of the enemy formation, rushed forward, charged into the formation and fought, and then quickly retreated before their warhorses lost their momentum.

Enraged, some barbarians broke away from the group, wielding spears and launching a counter-charge in small squads, only to be devoured by the bloodthirsty knights' efficient counterattack.

Faced with the barbarians' javelin throws, Zhu Zhen's cavalry would quickly scatter, causing the javelin rain, which resembled a chaotic swarm of swans, to miss its target.

This cavalry tactic of advancing when there is profit and retreating when there is no profit is quite similar to that of the Hu people, and it is not easy for regular Han cavalry to master.

The reason why Feng Shuai Li Guochang was the number one cavalry general of the Tang Dynasty was that he could launch a massive cavalry charge and was also good at mobile combat in the style of the Hu people.

Compared to the rigid and disciplined Han cavalry, those who were outlaws in the martial world were more likely to master this flexible and agile art of mounted combat.

But this kind of task could only be entrusted to Zhu Zhen, who was both cautious and decisive.

If Huo Cun or Tian Jun were to lead the troops, they might get carried away with the fighting and forget to retreat in time, thus becoming trapped in the enemy's lines.

The barbarian soldiers that Gao Yan deployed in the rear were highly skilled. Zhu Zhen's forces were limited and could not quickly destroy their lines, but they were able to rely on this bloodletting tactic to make them passively take hits and feel extremely frustrated.

However, the general commanding this barbarian army was quite experienced. He tried his best to boost morale while sending people to report the situation to Yang Fuguang in the central army and Gao Yan, who was fighting fiercely with the barbarian cavalry on the left wing of the government army.

However, Yang Fuguang had no time to worry about that at the moment.

Meng Kai did not participate in the cavalry battle on the left or right flanks. Instead, he led more than a hundred elite cavalrymen, wielding axes, and took advantage of the chaos in the front lines to strike directly at the enemy's central army through the gaps in the infantry formation.

In the heat of battle, formations must maintain a certain order and be reorganized periodically to prevent a chaotic free-for-all. This means that large infantry formations are composed of smaller formations, with gaps in between for advancing and retreating.

A well-trained cavalry unit, relying on its mobility, can penetrate gaps in the infantry formation, a tactic known as "breaking through the enemy lines."

During the Three Kingdoms period, Lü Bu, also known as Lü Fengxian, often led dozens of cavalrymen into battle against tens of thousands of elite enemy troops, capturing and returning victorious, which greatly demoralized the enemy.

Meng Kai took the lead, his yellow horse galloping like lightning, his large axe sweeping across the ground with the courage to strike ten times over.

Behind them, warriors rode swiftly, flags in hand, their shadows sweeping across the enemy ranks like flashing blades. The autumn wind was strong, whipping the battle flags into a fluttering, rustling sound.

In the blink of an eye, as if shrinking the earth to an inch and the sun had not moved its shadow, Meng Kai and his men had already stormed into the central army of the government troops, catching Yang Fuguang completely off guard.

Meng Kai rode his horse with unstoppable momentum, charging into battle and unstoppable. To boost morale, Yang Fuguang was also forced to personally join the fight.

Qian Liu led his army to the rescue, unleashing a hail of arrows that repelled Meng Kai's desperate attack.

Gao Yan desperately wanted Yang Fuguang, that troublesome eunuch, to die, but not now.

Yang Fuguang was the nominal supreme commander of this army. If Meng Kai were to kill Yang Fuguang in battle and cut down the army's banner, the entire army would surely collapse, and Gao Yan would be unable to stop it.

Gao Yancai ordered Qian Liu to lead troops to protect Yang Fuguang, and they successfully saved Yang Fuguang's life.

Yang Fuguang was tied down by Meng Kai's surprise attack, and Gao Yan was also in the midst of a fierce battle. It seemed that the rear guard would not receive reinforcements for the time being.

But frankly speaking, it seems unrealistic to expect Zhu Zhen's two or three hundred knights to break through the barbarian army's ironclad lines in a short period of time.

Gradually realizing that Zhu Zhen's bloodletting tactic was quite troublesome but had limited actual lethality, the barbarian soldiers gradually suppressed their anxiety.

Having long been fed by the government, their sense of discipline far surpasses that of ordinary tribal barbarians. They understand that even when passively attacked, they must hold out regardless of the cost, a task often undertaken by infantry on the battlefield.

Just then, a noisy discussion arose from the reserve troops of the government army on the hills to the north.

"General Gao told us to wait until the enemy is defeated before we can join the battle and pursue them, but he didn't say what to do if the enemy comes at us head-on?"

"Exactly! These flies are buzzing around right under our noses, aren't we allowed to swat them?"

Although these troops lacked combat effectiveness, they still wanted to make more contributions and capture some spoils of war.

Zhu Zhen's cavalry were sandwiched between them and the rear guard. They charged down from the hilltop, and it looked like they could attack from both sides and wipe out the knights.

At least that's what these soldiers think.

Even when faced with an easy battle, a team with weak combat capabilities will be very proactive.

Han Ping's eyes also showed anticipation.

Gao Yan's distrust made him very unhappy, and he also hoped to make meritorious contributions and get promoted as soon as possible to get back the gold and silk he had bribed Eunuch Yang Fuguang.

"This Zhu Zhen is the favorite general of that scoundrel Zhu Wen. If we can capture him, the bandits will be greatly terrified, and their defeat will be as easy as drinking tea!" Han Ping patted his chest and confidently told his generals.

Han Ping had only recently defected, yet he could utter the insult "bandit" fluently and without a single stumble in his tongue.

The generals became even more excited as they saw the achievement within their grasp.

The enemy had only two hundred or so cavalrymen, but annihilating this enemy force would have been a great achievement in determining the outcome of the entire battle.

With four thousand men on our side, charging down from our high ground, how could these bandits possibly escape?

Faced with the temptation of military achievements, Gao Yan's earnest admonitions were nothing.

Besides, Gao Yan is only the deputy commander of the three armies. Isn't the commander-in-chief of this battle still Eunuch Yang?
The generals quickly made a decision; in their eyes, the heads of Zhu Zhen and the others were like clusters of gleaming gold.

"Kill!"

Shouts of battle rose and fell, and a flurry of banners poured down from the hilltop.

(End of this chapter)