Chapter 257: Crossing the River

"The government troops have gone to the riverbank and are moving along the river." You Lihua watched the government infantry advancing by the river, his expression completely unruffled. "They think that will stop our horse soldiers."

Luo Rucai pressed his lips together for a moment, moistening his cracked lips briefly. "That unit of government cavalry is somewhat fierce. Send a hundred horse soldiers over there — don't let those government troops move too fast."

You Lihua did not make excuses upon hearing this. He did not have many men — his old camp plus horse soldiers came to just over two hundred. Although they were all called old camps, his could not compare to Luo Rucai's old camp, which was made up of Border Army men and hardened bandits.

Very soon, over a hundred horse soldiers charged out from the west side and headed north to counterattack the government cavalry.

Luo Rucai's eyes had been fixed on that infantry unit the entire time. After a long while, he suddenly chuckled darkly. "Moving along the river does make them hard to strike, but they've lost their baggage train."

"Also, they're afraid of our Brother Cao and don't dare take the official road anymore."

"They want to follow the river channel all the way past White Armor Bridge. They must know they can't escape and are fighting desperately to reach the walls of Chuzhou. Little do they know we've long been prepared. Go to White Armor Bridge again and tell the servants to prepare more firewood."

"Rest assured, Brother Cao. I looked when I came back just now — the firewood is piled mountain-high, and the foot soldiers are waiting. They absolutely cannot cross the bridge surface. Once they go down into the river channel, we'll block the front and pursue from behind. The dog officials' formation will inevitably fall into chaos. Brother's old camp will strike their rear, and this government unit will have no choice but to surrender."

"If not for the fear that Lu Xiangsheng might win, we could dig a deep trench at White Armor Bridge and see where these government troops would run. As it is, it's enough. When the time comes, we'll capture them, behead the general officers, and keep the usable soldiers. There are still some usable ones among these government troops..." Luo Rucai stopped abruptly mid-sentence, his mouth slightly agape.

You Lihua followed Luo Rucai's gaze and saw that one unit of government troops was forming ranks facing west. The troops behind them paused briefly in place, seemingly taking off their trousers en masse, then began walking into the river channel.

"Brother Luo, this — they're going to cross the river from here..." You Lihua paused for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "They're heading for Physics Bridge, aiming to hit Chuang Wang's flank!"

Luo Rucai said resentfully, "Bring out the old camp. Don't let them cross the river!"

Horn calls sounded from the west. The garrison battalion's soldiers had grown familiar with them over the past two days. Some of the larger Roving Thieves' camps had gongs and drums, but the vast majority of camps only had horns. Hearing horn calls generally meant a large force was on the move.

The commands these monotonous horn calls could convey were very limited, so the surrounding Roving Bandit outriders actually pulled back a little. They needed to observe Luo Rucai's banners and guess what they meant.

"Cross the river! First Company, follow me across the river!"

Yao Dongshan tied his trousers and belt around his neck, like an extra scarf, and held his shoes in his left hand. He waved vigorously at the First Company and was the first to step into the icy river water.

The floating ice beneath his feet cracked and split with a crunching sound. Yao Dongshan grimaced. The soldiers of the First Company followed behind, all looking exactly like Yao Dongshan, wading with uneven steps toward the eastern bank.

Pang Yu sat on his horse on the riverbank. Behind the hills to the west, a large mass of cavalry had appeared. Luo Rucai had already discovered the garrison battalion's intent. By now, the garrison battalion had reached the ferry crossing. Pang Yu had fought for this precious stretch of time and smoothly completed the first phase, but the most dangerous moment had only just arrived — the river crossing itself.

The Second Company had already formed its array, rows of long spears pointing west. The officer leading this company was Zhou Er, the Deputy Battalion Commander of the First Division, concurrently serving as Centurion of the Second Company. Because of Zhou Er's performance at Tongcheng's Xiangyang Gate, Pang Yu had confidence in the Second Company.

The soldiers of the First Division's two companies streamed down into the river from the ferry crossing in an unbroken line. Figures swayed in the water, splashes rolling, a continuous splashing sound of wading. Differences in the riverbed quickly threw the ranks into disorder.

Pang Yu's heart pounded wildly. The adrenaline made his hands and feet itch with an urge to move, a constant impulse to twitch or touch something. He forcibly suppressed this impulse, put on an unhurried and composed appearance, and stood steady before the ferry crossing.

Much as he had guessed, Luo Rucai was still keeping his horse soldiers hidden behind the slope. If they had truly headed for White Armor Bridge, they could have been ambushed by cavalry at any point along the way.

The Pure Stream River's current was not wide in winter. The men of the First Division moved quickly. Yao Dongshan had already crossed the river and led the First Company over the riverbank, beginning to form ranks on the eastern bank.

As the sound of hoofbeats from the west gradually intensified, Pang Yu's heart also pounded violently. Cavalry held many advantages over infantry. One was that they did not need to form ranks and could launch an attack at any moment, even while on the move. Infantry, however, had to form ranks to resist, and once in formation, they could not move, often getting pinned down in place by cavalry.

The First Division's two companies had already crossed the river. Wang Zenglu was directing the Second Division as they began descending the ferry crossing.

"Plant my banner here."

Pang Yu dismounted and took his stand to the left front of the Second Company's formation. His banner rider stayed beside him and planted the banner in the mud of the riverbank.

The drummer and gong bearer waited right beside him. To the left, the Second Division's infantry were crossing the river. Wang Zenglu howled incessantly, ordering the soldiers not to stop — they had to get as many men across as possible before the horse soldiers arrived.

Several hundred Roving Thief horse soldiers came charging from the west. They had already spread into attack formation. Looking head-on, the thunderous roar of horse soldiers filled the entire western side. The galloping horses and their riders surged like waves, their figures rising and falling. The white mist breathed out by men and horses flickered in and out of sight.

"They won't dare come close, they won't dare come close." Pang Yu chanted silently in his mind. His hands and feet trembled slightly. Although he had fought horse soldiers so many times and knew the Roving Thieves were not shock cavalry, facing a Roving Thief cavalry charge for the first time with no cover like this still felt terrifying.

The very earth seemed to shake. Chen Yuwang's cavalry did not dare linger either; their horses, needing no direction from their riders, desperately shied backward. Faced with a mass of huge animals charging at high speed, both men and horses instinctively recoiled. Pang Yu had personally experienced galloping at full speed on horseback — the faster the speed, the more exhilarated the rider became, and the stronger the urge to attack. Thus, in cavalry battle, the side with greater speed held the initiative. This was what was called momentum.

"They won't dare charge in! Everyone, hold steady for me!"

Zhou Er's voice came faintly through the rumbling hoofbeats. The other team leaders were shouting at the same time, telling the soldiers to hold their ground. Pang Yu drew a deep breath, forced the instinct to flee out of his mind, and carefully observed the distance of the horse soldiers.

Behind him came the splashing of water and, from time to time, the startled cries of soldiers falling. Under the threat of the enemy cavalry charge, the ranks were bound to be in some panic. At this moment, no matter what was shouted, the soldiers could no longer take it in. The only way to calm their hearts was for Pang Yu to plant his great banner here — to let every soldier see that their chief official was still here, holding his ground.

Judging from past experience, the Roving Thieves' horse soldiers would not charge directly into an infantry formation. As long as they endured this stretch, the shocking impact of the cavalry charge would greatly diminish.

The gong bearer beside him panted heavily, his eyes darting back and forth between the Roving Thieves and Pang Yu. As long as the gong had not sounded, the infantry could continue crossing the river. Pang Yu needed to get as many soldiers across as possible and make the battle line as short as possible. Once they made contact with the horse soldiers, the danger of the river crossing would multiply.

The horse soldiers were only a little over one li away. The Personal Guard Unit was crossing the river, bringing with them quite a few wounded. Many were being carried on crude stretchers, so they could not move quickly.

The men supporting the wounded had no ability to resist. Pang Yu could not leave them on the western bank. His eyes fixed on the charging horse soldiers. The cavalry formation had also encountered obstacles from field ridges and ponds; their formation split and merged repeatedly, and their speed had already lessened somewhat. But as the distance closed, their momentum was still terrifying.

The Personal Guard Unit had all entered the river channel. In the chaos, some stretchers tipped over, and wounded men fell into the water, drawing bursts of panicked cries. Others scrambled to rescue them. The unit's speed was extremely slow, and in many sections, they came to a complete halt. At the same time, the cavalry, pressed by the enemy, retreated back to the ferry crossing and circled around the Second Company's formation. The ferry crossing became jammed.

Pang Yu ran a few steps to the water's edge and roared at Jiang Guoyong, who stood in the water overseeing the river channel: "Jiang Guoyong, what are you doing! No one is to stop! Anyone who shouts or screams, behead them all!"

Jiang Guoyong, his lips turning blue, drew his waist saber with a sharp hiss. Together with the other Garrison Inspector soldiers, he shouted and cursed, shoving those who had stopped to keep moving. One wounded soldier was still thrashing and wailing in the water; the men beside him tried to drag him up but couldn't. After a moment's hesitation, a blade slashed down toward him.

Amid the spray of blood, the wounded soldier's movements halted. Jiang Guoyong kicked him out of the water channel. The wounded soldier, trailing blood, sank into the water. A small piece of clothing floated on the surface, drifting slowly downstream.

The ranks resumed moving. Pang Yu rubbed his face, twisted with ferocity, turned his head, and shouted at the cavalry behind him, "Cavalry, cross the river immediately."

He hurried back beneath the great banner. The horse soldiers were now only two hundred paces away. Pang Yu bellowed, "Sound the gong!"

The waiting gong bearer, unable to wait a moment longer, struck the bronze gong. The clanging sound spread far and near. The Third Division immediately halted on the riverbank. The garrison battalion had long been prepared for an attack; their formation facing west was already their battle formation.

Due to conditioned reflexes built during training, many soldiers crossing the river also stopped when they heard the gong. A degree of chaos broke out everywhere. The Garrison Inspector soldiers busied themselves for a while before getting the ranks moving again.

The Roving Thieves' horse soldiers entered within a hundred paces. Officers in every unit were steadying the ranks. Pang Yu still stood beneath his banner, the Second Company's soldiers to his right, the entire Third Division to his left.

The surging figures of the galloping cavalry heaved and swayed. The rumbling hoofbeats shook the heart and soul as they came sweeping straight toward the garrison battalion.

"Horse Rejecting!"

Officers in every unit shouted the order. The front row of sword-and-shield men crouched down one after another. The first row of long spearmen turned sideways and crouched low, gripping their long spears with both hands and angling them downward, their right feet stepping on the butt ends. The spearheads pointed obliquely forward. The second and third rows followed suit in succession.

The attached step bowmen appeared in the gaps between units, bending their bows and nocking arrows. The military formation bristled like a porcupine raising its quills, awaiting the surging tide of Roving Thief horse soldiers.