Sweep Yuan

Chapter 25 Chaotic Command in the Face of Battle

"put!"

At Shi Shan's command, a hundred spears (arrows) were fired simultaneously, creating a truly frightening spectacle.

However, due to the great distance between the two sides, only one Red Cavalryman fell from his horse, while the other was grazed but did not fall off.

Shishan cursed the Tartars for being cautious, knowing that this battle would likely offer no further opportunity to lure them into launching an attack.

The enemy's scattered attack just now also showed that the Tatar cavalry was a hastily assembled unit, and their equipment and morale were no better than ours.

After this round, the local militia, who were new to the battlefield, calmed down a bit.

Shishan accurately grasped the changing battlefield situation and decisively adjusted his tactics.

"The cavalry will split up and pursue the enemy cavalry, preventing them from regrouping! The infantry will resume their original formation!"

"Giddy up! Yohoho—"

Chang Tietou and Li Wu could no longer contain themselves, and immediately spurred their horses and chased after the enemy cavalry.

"Beat the drums, and the troops march forward."

Even though he knew his men were in low spirits, Wang Baiyin still couldn't help but curse when he saw the cavalry fire only one volley of arrows and then flee back in disarray without even disrupting the enemy's formation.

"Useless trash!"

However, despite the criticism, the situation on the battlefield did not change.

The advantage of having more men at the station still exists. As long as they retreat back into the station, they may not necessarily lose. Wang Baiyin's dilemma is whether to retreat back into the station immediately or to receive the cavalry and then retreat.

Both options had their advantages and disadvantages, but the rapidly changing battlefield situation did not allow him to hesitate too much.

The Red Cavalry had already lost some of their horsepower, and under the attack of the Red Turban Army's javelins and arrows, they had to turn back quickly. In order to avoid the enemy's attacks, they also had to perform various difficult evasive maneuvers, which consumed a lot of energy. Although the initial speed was fast, it was powerless to continue.

The Red Turban Army cavalry, having rested and exhausted themselves, had reaped the heads of the enemy before they could even catch up a mile away.

Screams echoed behind him, and Wang Zhenye was terrified, wishing he could have two legs instead of a horse's.

"retreat!"

Knowing she could no longer hesitate, Wang Baiyin decisively abandoned Wang Zhenye before the Red Turban bandits got close.

The order to retreat was correct, and the timing of the order was also right, but Wang Yiling's act of fleeing immediately after giving the order became the last straw that broke the morale of the station's residents.

The soldiers were mentally numb and lacked the ability to think about the overall battle situation; they only believed what they saw with their own eyes.

Our main force left the station—the cavalry charged forward aggressively—the cavalry were driven back by the demon bandits—the demon bandit cavalry caught up—Wang Yiling fled first.

So, they've lost?
"Run!"

In the group, someone shouted out in a daze, instantly triggering an avalanche-like effect.

In fact, the station troop was not far from the station gate, and there were also Liu Tiling and others inside the station to provide support. As long as they maintained their formation and took turns providing cover, they could retreat back into the station in an orderly manner even if there was a threat from enemy cavalry.

However, the long-term oppression, massacres, whippings, insults, and hunger of the station's upper class crushed the station's residents' will to resist, and also destroyed their courage to defend their homes.

The courier has already run away, why shouldn't I run too? Am I just waiting to die?
Just as Wang Zhenye dodged a javelin, he noticed that the guards who were supposed to be "holding up" for him suddenly collapsed and were scrambling to run towards the gate.

At this time, Shishan was still two miles away, and he also noticed that the enemy's formation was in chaos and they were trampling each other.

Such a golden opportunity, yet he could only watch helplessly. He couldn't very well send his troops flying over to join the battle, could he? "Maintain formation, listen to the drumbeats, and keep moving forward."

On the battlefield, where tensions are high, marching in groups is extremely physically demanding. If the commander cannot control it, some people will charge recklessly and exhaust themselves, which will also disrupt the formation of their own troops. If they are not careful, they may give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Shishan didn't have time to slowly train the troops, nor did he expect the local militia, who couldn't distinguish left from right, to keep up with the drumbeats. He only required them to march roughly according to the drumbeat density, and whether they were orderly or not was not important, as long as they didn't lose their composure.

At this moment, he could only hope that Chang Tietou and Li Wu could seize the opportunity, adjust their tactics in time, divide the enemy, and take advantage of the chaos to seize the station gate, thus gaining the upper hand for the infantry in subsequent battles.

Chang Tietou, as expected of a seasoned bandit, immediately abandoned the pursuit of the remaining six Red Cavalrymen as soon as he discovered the collapse of the station guards, and headed straight for the station gate.

Li Wu, caught up in the chase, paid no attention to the changing battlefield situation and relentlessly pursued the fleeing Wang Zhenye.

It's no wonder Li Wu got carried away; after all, Commander Wang was such a show-off. Not only did he ride the most magnificent horse, but he also wore a silver horned helmet, bright leather armor, and a black cloak, making it hard for him not to attract attention.

Chaos erupted at the station; the station gate, which could accommodate large carts, was blocked by station guards scrambling to escape.

There were only a few hundred station guards leaving the station, and nearly two hundred of them had escaped into the station with Wang Baiyin earlier. If an official with sufficient prestige were in charge, it wouldn't be difficult to quickly clear the station gates.

However, Wang Baiyin was completely flustered at this moment and made a series of wrong decisions.

He was furious that the station keeper was stupid and clumsy, blocking the station gate. He cursed and lashed out with his horsewhip.

This action not only failed to solve the problem of blocking the gate, but also caused the people being whipped to instinctively avoid it, making the crowd even tighter.

In the end, it was only after a thin, weak resident was pushed to the ground that the others had a little room to move around.

The sudden gap caught the force of the eager station occupants, causing the already exhausted crowd blocking the entrance to be pushed over by the surging flow of people before they could even get out of the way.

Wang Baiyin was also affected and knocked down by the crowd. She was barely pulled out by her confidants when a shrill cry of "The demon cavalry are coming!" came from outside the door.

Wang Baiyin, who had just been trampled and was completely disoriented, felt a chill run through her body and her mind went blank upon hearing the shout. She didn't even know when her confidant helped her onto a horse, broke through the crowd, and they fled through the door.

By the time he regained his senses, he had already been dragged out of the station by two of his confidants and rushed out of the east gate of the station.

"Grandpa's lucky! I never expected there to be such a big fish! Hahaha!"

Ahead of the post road, a small squad of Red Turban Army cavalry blocked their way. The leader, a dark-faced man, wore a silver horned helmet, bright leather armor, and a black cloak. He carried a bloody human head and looked at Wang Baiyin and his companions with a grin.

The newcomer was none other than Li Wu, who had previously relentlessly pursued Wang Zhenye.

……

“Yu—”

When Chang Tietou and his men rushed to Chulan Station, the crisis of blocking the gate had just been resolved, and Liu Ji'an, the supervisor, was directing dozens of station staff to work hard to close the station gate.

Outside the station, there were more than twenty elderly people, women, and children, crying and desperately trying to squeeze in.

Liu Ji'an was in a panic and drew his sword to strike. Blood splattered everywhere at the doorway, and screams of agony filled the air.

If we disregard casualties and charge forward on horseback at this moment, we might be able to break through the gate and take Chulan Station in one fell swoop.

However, Shi Shan's main force had not yet caught up, and Chang Tietou was even more reluctant to lose the few remaining old brothers. They had already charged to within an arrow's reach when they reined in their horses and stopped.

"Huang Quan, you seven keep an eye on these Tartars outside the door. The rest of you, follow me, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)