Chapter 1466: Grasping Cavalry Tactics

The number of Soldiers in the Western Development Group is now not much less than the savages of the Wulengge Tribe, and the Soldiers' morale is even higher, and the Weapons in their hands are even more refined.

One cannot say the savages threw away their Armor and abandoned their weapons, because they had no Armor to begin with; they were simply fleeing blindly. Now, the Soldiers of the Western Development Group, holding sharp Knives and Spears, could intimidate these savages just by walking over. If they didn't understand what was said and didn't know to surrender, they would just get a poke first. As long as they stopped running, everything was negotiable. A light poke, in the right spot, only hurts but doesn't kill; later, with some treatment and recovery, they can still work.

Those who could speak the language of the Wulengge Tribe would use rough language to urge surrender. As long as they could understand what was being said, those savages would become obedient. The one thing they feared most was that these people would eat humans, so the first plea after crouching down was: "Don't eat me, don't eat me!"

"Who wants to eat you? We are not a cannibal tribe!"

The savages stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it, but the Western Development Group couldn't be bothered to explain to them; there were still so many savages to catch. Leaving one Soldier behind, holding a Weapon, to guard the few savages crouching on the ground, the others continued the pursuit.

For those who wanted to continue running after surrendering, there was no need for mercy. This kind of disobedient Slave needed to be treated more strictly; stabbing one to death would naturally intimidate the rest.

But because the savages ran so fast and the distance between them and the Soldiers of the Western Development Group had stretched too far, there were still many fleeing savages who were no longer worth chasing. The Cavalry were now exhausted, but to keep these savages intimidated here, they could only ride their oxen and patrol slowly. The oxen's noses were like steam engines, puffing out hot air with a chugging sound.

And Hun felt that if the Cavalry hadn't been put to sufficient use on the Shennong Clan Battlefield this year, the battle he commanded should be the most brilliant and efficient battle of the Huaxia Cavalry, to the point where it could be summarized and used as a textbook.

Therefore, he was also very excited in his heart. Besides the joy of having performed a great service, there was also the development of Cavalry tactics. These two, no, three great merits—because there was also the merit of capturing the king—these three great merits were enough to get him to the position of Brigade commander, right? If the position and status of this Tribal Chief were a bit more important, it wouldn't be impossible for him to be enfeoffed with a title and granted a surname!

All the Soldiers who participated in the battle today felt very satisfied, extremely exhilarated. They hadn't really felt the deterrent power of the Cavalry so clearly before; they just felt that one Cavalryman might be worth four or five infantrymen. As it turned out, today, a few dozen of them surrounded over a thousand people; this level of satisfaction was truly hard to describe.

It could even be said that in today's battle, the effect of the Bombs was not as good as that of their Cavalry, because the power of the Bombs, as it appeared now, was still limited. Baifeng knew this better than anyone, because what he used was the lowest-grade, lowest-spec Black Powder. The ratio was correct, and most of it had been granulated, making it more powerful, but no matter how strong, it was still Black Powder.

To cause sufficiently strong lethality, one could only increase the dosage and make larger Explosive Packs; only in this way could one provide a larger range of damage. Currently, Huaxia's copper and Iron casting technology was not enough, and the output was not enough, so guns and bullets that could most fully utilize the power of Black Powder were difficult to make well and difficult to mass-produce.

Now, the flintlock gun was already the limit of Huaxia's technology, and it could not be equipped on a large scale. The deterrent power of a flintlock gun was clearly not as strong as a fully armed Ox Cavalryman, so for current technology, Baifeng would not invest too much energy into heat-based Weapons.

Otherwise, in one war, how many copper bullet heads and Iron pellets would you have to fire? Huaxia had no lead, and stones could not be used as bullets. Not everyone in Huaxia was a sharpshooter, and it was impossible for every bullet to eliminate an enemy.

If ten bullets eliminated one enemy, one would have to say the hit rate was very high. But the bullets fired were likely not recoverable, and even if one didn't manufacture shell casings and just loaded Black Powder, it was still very wasteful. Forging those pieces of Iron into Knives and Spears was enough for this era.

Baifeng would pass down the concepts and technology of heat-based Weapons. When Huaxia's steel production increased and became sufficient, and when the technology for lathe and bench work existed, it would not be too late to build heat-based Weapons then. For now, relying on large Explosive Packs was enough, though he discovered its limitations the more he used it.

Using Explosives in a siege battle where people were densely packed would definitely have an immediate effect, but on such a wilderness, the power of the Bombs was not worth looking at. Furthermore, there were few people, and a thrown Bomb or Explosive Pack might not even kill a single person.

Now Hun felt he was close to mastering the correct use of the Cavalry. The more open and flat the place, the greater their power and the stronger their combat effectiveness; they were almost unstoppable. The only drawback was poor sustainability and poor endurance.

Another thing was that he felt the speed was a bit slow; the oxen's running speed was not fast enough, and their reactions were not quick enough. This couldn't help but make him think of Huaxia's horses. The Tribal Chief initially wanted to create a Cavalry that rode horses, but because there were no horses, they chose oxen.

Hun, riding on an ox, began to imagine those tall, sturdy horses with long, elegant, and strong legs. Riding on them, one would fly like the wind. What kind of enemy could he not catch or kill?

With the savages here, he could toy with them like a mouse until they died. Moreover, a horse's endurance was sufficient for continuous galloping. An ox's endurance was only shown when pulling carts or carrying heavy loads; for such galloping and sprinting, the ox was not up to it.

Each has its own specialty. Later, when Huaxia has enough horses, the Cavalry will all use horses, and oxen will be used for hauling cargo, plowing fields, and pulling carts. Horses are for fighting.

Many horses that look tall and sturdy, or even huge, are actually just like oxen—born to be draft animals for pulling carts; they cannot be ridden.

Hun lovingly patted the ox beneath him. The ox curled its long tongue and licked Hun. Hun laughed happily. The ox under his crotch was his great contributor; he must treat it even better in the future.

Behind him followed the Tribal Chief he had dragged out from the crowd of savages. He was being held by two Soldiers and taken toward the mountaintop. At this moment, the Tribal Chief was already in despair, knowing he was finished. What he would face next was that horrific sacrificial ritual, and his head would certainly appear in the Sacrificial Tripod of these cannibal tribes.