Chapter 258: Northward

With only a few dozen paces left, Pang Yu's great banner still stood steady and unmoving within the formation.

If the Roving Bandit cavalry truly crashed headlong into them, Pang Yu had no doubt they could shatter his infantry in an instant — but he did not believe the Roving Bandits could do it, because at Shucheng and Puzikou, when facing infantry, the Roving Bandits had never launched a direct assault.

But this force belonged to Luo Rucai and included many so-called Border Army men; he did not know if they would fight the same way as the other Roving Bandits. A dense sheen of sweat beaded on Pang Yu's forehead.

Twang — bowstrings thrummed as the Garrison Camp archers' first wave of Light Arrows left the strings. Almost simultaneously, the Roving Bandit Horse Soldiers loosed a wave of Light Arrows, then began to slow.

The Roving Bandits were indeed following the same pattern. Pang Yu, standing in the front rank, let out a long breath of relief. As long as the Horse Soldiers did not charge in, the infantry could steady their footing and gradually withdraw.

The moment his heart relaxed, it tightened again. A dense mass of arrows came flying at his face; arrows from both sides crisscrossed the air like swarming locusts. Pang Yu hurriedly ducked his face low. He wore Chain Mail and a padded jacket, but his face had no protection.

All around him came the wailing sound of tearing wind, followed by clinks and clangs. A sharp pain stabbed Pang Yu's chest, as if he had been struck — for a moment, breathing was difficult. Then a crisp clang rang against his helmet, the brim tilting to the left. His head swam slightly, but the sensation quickly faded.

A ringing filled his ears. From the ranks around him came an unending series of muffled thuds; now and then someone let out a miserable cry. The archers were shooting back with desperate effort, the hum of bowstrings never ceasing, as if many people were fluffing cotton together.

At this moment, both sides presented large targets — as long as the draw was strong enough, a hit was certain. The Step Bows held the advantage in the exchange. From the Roving Bandit horse herd came one neigh after another; several horses tumbled to the ground, and the Horse Soldiers behind veered aside to avoid them. The Roving Bandits' two wings had long since turned outward; their frontal formation halted fifty paces away, spreading into a wider arc. Many Horse Soldiers began dismounting to shoot on foot.

Nearly all the Horse Soldiers carried bows. An unending stream of arrows rose like locusts from the opposing formation, tracing parabolic arcs as they fell thick and dense toward the riverbank.

The Garrison Camp seemed caught in a rainstorm of arrows. The ground around them was planted full of shafts; arrows that flew too far splashed into the Pure Stream River, white spray churning without pause.

Another arrow struck his shoulder. Pang Yu felt only a stabbing pain — he did not know if it had pierced the flesh. Facing such dense arrow fire for the first time, a measure of panic stirred in his heart.

Swoosh — a dark shadow streaked past the left side of his head. Pang Yu could even feel the wind stirred by the fletching. Some arrows were shot from Step Bows, their trajectories flatter and lower. Even with his head ducked low, dark shapes danced before his eyes; he did not know when an arrow might plant itself in his face.

All around him were the drummers and signalmen, also facing such heavy arrow fire for the first time. The Signalman who beat the gong had already collapsed to the ground; two Drummers were checking on him. A Flag Bearer pressed his flagpole against his face, as if that pole could help block arrows for him. Amid the chaos, no one noticed that Pang Yu was also at the front of the formation.

The wailing of tearing wind was like a death-hastening call. Pang Yu's heart wanted to flee the front line, but he knew he was the anchor of morale. If he retreated at this critical moment, it could trigger a chain reaction. He could only force himself to stay where he was.

In his panic, he shielded his face with both hands — better an arrow in the hand than in the face. He was already somewhat at a loss, his mind a blank. Zhou Er was shouting somewhere nearby, but Pang Yu could not make out what he was saying. Without having experienced it personally, he could never before have understood what a soldier felt.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him. The man held up a Rattan Shield, deliberately raising it a little higher. He did not protect his own waist but specifically shielded Pang Yu behind him.

That Rattan Shield, a mere three feet across, seemed in Pang Yu's eyes like an enormous protective barrier. The figure was very familiar to Pang Yu — it was Guo Fengyou.

Once he felt safe, his mind immediately regained its agility. Catching his breath slightly, Pang Yu looked up at the falling arrow rain. It seemed less dense than at the start. The Garrison Camp archers were still shooting back with desperate effort. He cautiously craned his neck to look: on the opposite side, the corpses of men and horses lay on the ground, and their battle line seemed to be retreating.

The Garrison Camp's formation had not collapsed. The front ranks were equipped with armor and shielded by Sword-and-Shield Soldiers; casualties among them were few. The rear ranks, instead, suffered more. Officers of every rank kept shouting — this was required by regulation, a conditioned reflex trained in daily drills. When soldiers were at a loss, hearing an officer's familiar voice actually made them carry out orders more resolutely.

This frenzied exchange of fire had already gone on for seven or eight volleys. Several thousand arrows had fallen upon the Garrison Camp's position. The enemy's strength was rapidly depleting; the Garrison Camp archers had inflicted no small number of casualties on them. The Roving Bandit Horse Soldiers prized mobility above all and wore no iron armor. About half had padded jackets. Though they had greater numbers of arrows, they gained no advantage exchanging fire with Step Bows. Given the Roving Bandits' living conditions, being wounded in this weather was also extremely dangerous.

The Roving Bandits' morale was rapidly declining. The best proof was that the enemy's line was drifting farther away the longer they fought. The Garrison Camp had already weathered the most difficult period.

The Horse Soldiers in the opposing front rank had all dismounted; they blocked the path, making it impossible for the Horse Soldiers behind to launch another charge. The Roving Bandits' formation was already somewhat disordered. This was the moment to maneuver.

Dragging Guo Fengyou along, Pang Yu first went to the Second Company to exhort Zhou Er, telling him to steady the Second Company's battle line.

Shielded by him, he reached the Third Division on the left flank and roared at the Company Commander before the formation: "The Eighth Company is preparing to cross the river. The archers stay behind. First, you give Advice to every Team Leader — move by Squads in sequence. You only move when I wave my hand."

The Company Commander acknowledged the order and went along relaying it. Pang Yu again dragged Guo Fengyou and hurried to the Ninth Division, telling that Company Commander to prepare to move in turn.

He walked all the way to the Seventh Company at the very rear. Only after Zhuang Chaozheng had explained to all the Team Leaders did Pang Yu wave his hand toward the Eighth Company's Company Commander.

The Eighth Company's soldiers withdrew toward the Ferry Crossing. As each Squad pulled back, the adjacent Squad filled in the battle line. The Third Division began crossing the river in succession.

Pang Yu stood to the left of the Second Company, personally watching the turning point to prevent chaos from breaking out there.

Under the flurry of flying arrows, the soldiers streamed through in an unbroken line. The Roving Bandits on the opposite side did not launch a charge; instead, they grew more disordered the longer they fought. As physical strength waned, both sides' rates of fire dropped sharply, and their lethality grew weaker and weaker.

"The Roving Bandits' Horse Soldiers are all lords — they don't dare fight to the death," Pang Yu said to Guo Fengyou, then let out a relieved breath. The Border Army men, deserters, and fierce bandits who made up the Roving Bandits had military experience — one could even say extensive experience — but their goal was survival, not achieving military objectives. Until their organizational form evolved, they would never fight to the death for allied troops.

If their Combined Camp were on the same battlefield, they might possess stronger organization. But right now, Luo Rucai's forces were far from Physics Bridge. Without the advantage of mounted charges, making them dismount and come engage Iron Armor infantry in close combat was clearly difficult to achieve.

The Third Division had all entered the river channel. Now only the covering Second Company remained; they too needed to withdraw across the Pure Stream River, with the Seventh Company blocking on the opposite bank, turning the river into a Water Obstruction for the enemy.

"My lord, you cross the river first," Zhou Er shouted toward Pang Yu.

"You are the last to withdraw. Let the archers go first; the Iron Armor Soldiers go last."

Having said this, Pang Yu turned to look for his horse but had no idea where it had run off to. He could only hastily tear open his belt, pull off his shoes and the outer cotton trousers, and step into the icy water toward the opposite bank. Jiang Guoyong was still in the river, his face pale, his lips completely purple.

"Get ashore."

Jiang Guoyong waved his hand, his voice trembling as he said, "This subordinate will wait for the tail of the column."

Pang Yu said no more. As he passed, he patted Jiang Guoyong on the shoulder. The current was very slow; in the river water around them, large patches of red bloodstains drifted.

When Pang Yu came ashore, the Seventh Company had already begun forming ranks. There was some confusion, but the formation had largely taken shape. Zhuang Chaozheng was Pacing everywhere, dragging soldiers who had run to the wrong position back to their original Squad of Five. Soldiers who had reached their places hurriedly wiped the remaining water from their legs and feet, then pulled their trousers back on.

By now, the opposing archers were crossing the river in succession, and long-range attacks had greatly diminished. Some Headmen were shouting before the Roving Bandit formation, and the battle line began to close in again.

The archers had all entered the Ferry Crossing; they helped carry away some wounded from the Second Company. At this time, the Eighth Company and Ninth Company entered the main formation, arrayed facing north. Once the Ferry Crossing was secure, the main force would immediately advance toward Physics Bridge.

The Seventh Company had already formed its array. Pang Yu waved toward the opposite bank, and the Second Company began crossing the river.

They no longer had archer cover. The Roving Bandits drew closer and closer. The Second Company's withdrawal was faster than any other unit's; the formation lost all order. Zhou Er stayed at the very rear with the Company Commander banner, leading a Team of soldiers all in full Iron Armor. When he received the rearguard assignment, he had called over some of the Iron Armor from other Squads, so that this Squad was entirely clad in Iron Armor — including the Sword-and-Shield Soldiers, who normally did not need Iron Armor, every man had a set, fully equipped with accessories.

They had no time to take off their trousers. Reaching the Ferry Crossing, they faced west and retreated step by step, their Long Spears kept pointed toward the Roving Bandits' direction.

Like a tide, the Roving Bandits surged toward the Ferry Crossing, closing in to shoot volleys at the Second Company. The Second Company's infantry struggled to move through the water; the unarmored soldiers suffered heavy casualties under the volleys of Light Arrows. Wounded men screamed and thrashed in the river, dyeing the water red. Nearby soldiers dragged their injured comrades along.

The Roving Bandits crowded the riverbank, loosing arrows at the rearguard. The shafts flew like raindrops, clanging against the Iron Armor of the few men. The vast majority did not penetrate the Iron Armor; a small number slipped into gaps and hung from the soldiers' bodies.

The Garrison Camp's Step Bow archers who had already reached shore lobbed shots at the Roving Bandits on the opposite bank. Some even stepped back into the river water to shoot on a flat trajectory, forcing the Roving Bandits to pull back outward again.

Zhou Er shouted as he retreated, ordering this one Squad of soldiers to steady their formation. When they climbed onto the riverbank, the soldiers on the bank let out a loud cheer. All the soldiers had now come ashore. The Second Company's soldiers caught their breath behind the formation for a moment, then headed to the main battle line to regroup. The task of blocking the enemy behind them would now be carried out by the Seventh Company.

At this moment, the Pure Stream River had become an obstacle for the Roving Bandits. The Roving Bandit Horse Soldiers on the opposite bank killed some of the wounded the Garrison Camp had been unable to carry away, then began probing along the riverbank. They did not know where the water was suitable; entering the water in this weather also meant facing harassment from the Garrison Camp archers on the opposite bank. The existing Ferry Crossing, meanwhile, was occupied by the Seventh Company.

Pang Yu had also put his trousers back on. He yanked the Light Arrow from his shoulder in one pull — it hurt, but he could bear it. Only his shoes were lost somewhere; he saw no spare shoes on the ground. With no time to search, he beckoned over the nearest cavalryman and commandeered his horse. His bare foot rested on the stirrup, the cold piercing to the bone.

In the ranks, Zhuang Chaozheng was watching Pang Yu. Pang Yu looked at him and shouted, "Hold the Ferry Crossing! This official will surely smash the Roving Bandit great army and return at once to support you."

Zhuang Chaozheng nodded forcefully and cupped his hands toward Pang Yu.

Pang Yu wheeled his horse and trotted a short distance east. The Garrison Camp's main formation had taken shape: the First Division and Second Division in front, the Third Division's two Companies plus two Banner Teams of the Personal Guard Unit behind — over a thousand infantry in total. Only the Second Company was still deploying on the far Right Wing. The remaining Personal Soldiers and Chen Yuwang's infantry were dragging the wounded eastward; this way, they could quickly distance themselves from the battlefield.

The Garrison Camp's main force had completed the River Crossing mission. Pang Yu did not know how many casualties they had suffered, but at this moment, the initiative had shifted into his hands.

Pang Yu glanced around. Of the three Drummers, only one remained; the Gong player was gone. Two Signalmen were left. Half the Flag Bearers were missing — only six remained.

Pang Yu adjusted his helmet. "Raise the Recognition Banner! The whole Ying — north!"