Chapter 448: First Volume, Chapter 448: Nighttime Death Battle

First Volume, Chapter 448: Nighttime Death Battle

The moment the black cavalry appeared at the Camp Gate, six hundred crossbowmen fired in unison; though darkness impaired their aim, the first volley killed ten plus black riders outright and wounded another ten.

The crossbow's range far surpassed that of the horsebow; though the black cavalry's formation remained intact, to counterattack they had to advance within range—but by the time they closed the distance, the crossbowmen had reloaded and unleashed another ArrowRain.

With the distance shortened, the black cavalry's casualty rate rose sharply, leaving over fifty dead.

At the same time, the black cavalry launched their counterattack.

Since Chen Si's troops had been caught unprepared, the crossbowmen had no Great Shields for protection; faced with the black cavalry's ArrowRain, their numbers were instantly halved.

The remaining crossbowmen could only retreat immediately—but even the heaviest black cavalry were still cavalry; how could foot soldiers hope to outrun them on two legs?

Under the black cavalry's pursuit, the remaining crossbowmen were slaughtered to the last man.

With the loss of both the Beixi Light Cavalry and the crossbowmen, the outcome of this battle was sealed; the remaining infantry, facing the black cavalry, were merely being slaughtered in one-sided carnage.

Though the infantry spear could pierce armor, it was shorter than the cavalry lance; charging in blindly was nothing but Flock Like Moths to Flame.

But Chen Si could not retreat—if the Camp was lost, the Beixi County Garrison would charge straight in, storming into the Di rear area and launching guerrilla raids everywhere!

At all costs, the line must be held!

At this moment, Chen Si had exactly three thousand infantry left; he needed to hold them for at least one Envoy until the Vanguard Camp's light cavalry arrived.

"Beidi War Command: send three hundred troops to block the black cavalry!"

It was less a blockade than an experiment—three hundred lives thrown out to test how many arrows the black cavalry still had. As those three hundred fearless troops charged forward, as expected, the black cavalry answered with arrows.

One by one, over ten troops carrying Fire Torches reached beneath the black cavalry's horses; though they were instantly speared, Chen Si had obtained the intelligence he needed.

The black cavalry's arrows were nearly exhausted—otherwise, how could even one of those three hundred troops have reached beneath their horses?

Chen Si no longer hesitated; he summoned Ye Xiao and asked in a low voice: "Have you completed what I ordered?"

Ye Xiao bowed, voice sharp: "I dared not delay, but capturing wolves at night is extremely difficult—I caught only three."

Since learning of the black cavalry's approach, Chen Si had known his meager forces could never stop them; he had immediately dispatched Ye Xiao to capture the wild wolves roaming nearby at the fastest possible speed.

Though far short of the ten he demanded, the situation was dire—Chen Si could only treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

"Release them!"

At Chen Si's command, Ye Xiao cut the Ropes tied to the wolves' bodies; driven by Ye Xiao, the three wolves sprinted straight toward the black cavalry.

Zhao Yuxiong had already heard the wolf howls; his brow furrowed instantly as his eyes swept back and forth, searching for the wolves' shadows—when he spotted the three dark shapes, the wolves were less than TwoHundredSteps from the black cavalry.

Zhao Yuxiong did not dare delay; he raised his cavalry lance and pointed at the wolves' approach: "Kill those three wolves at once!"

The black cavalry fired simultaneously at the wolves, but the wolves moved too fast, their slender bodies blending with the night—making them nearly impossible to hit.

Moreover, after prior consumption, many black riders had exhausted their arrows; only when the wolves closed to within Hundred Steps did they manage to kill two.

The final wolf, however, slipped through and darted beneath the black cavalry's horses, escaping through the gaps beneath their bellies.

Though the black cavalry's Warhorses had undergone rigorous training, they had no experience dealing with wild beasts; and with the formation dense and movement slow, a single wolf triggered catastrophic chaos.

Wherever the wolf ran, the Warhorses panicked, throwing the entire formation into disarray.

Seizing the moment of chaos, Chen Si gave the decisive order: all troops advance!

Two thousand seven hundred infantry, facing nearly equal numbers of black cavalry, were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—but the infantry had already discarded their Fire Torches and forced themselves into close combat with the black cavalry; in this melee, the black cavalry's advantages were repeatedly eroded.

Seeing the black cavalry in utter disarray, Ye Xiao's eyes brightened; he turned, bowed to Chen Si, and said with deep admiration: "No wonder you're a General! Even Beixi County's elite black cavalry are this easily broken!"

Though the tactic had succeeded, Chen Si felt no relief.

Hearing Ye Xiao describe the black cavalry as "easily broken," Chen Si's face darkened.

"Easily broken?!"

"My five thousand troops will all perish tonight, and all we've gained is a few hundred casualties among the black cavalry—just enough time to buy one Envoy for reinforcements."

"If even such a formidable enemy is 'easily broken,' then my Di soldiers, unable to achieve even a ten-to-one casualty ratio, are nothing but wine-skins and food-bags, Scattered Soldiers and Wanderers! How dare you insult soldiers who fought bloody battles and died for their country?!"

Facing Chen Si's rare fury, Ye Xiao bowed his head in shame: "On the battlefield, overconfidence and underestimating the enemy are fatal—your servant deserves death."

Chen Si took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and stared at the bloody battlefield ahead, voice unwavering: "If reinforcements fail to arrive in time, not only will these five thousand troops be annihilated—the rear army will be struck as well!"

As the black cavalry clashed with Chen Si's troops, the Tianji Camp Guards, led by Ning Hu, had quietly crossed the Border.

The black cavalry's value lay not merely in capturing Chen Si's Camp and breaching the Border—but in drawing attention to mask the Tianji Camp Guards' Secret Infiltration into the rear.

At the same time, Xu Mo and his two thousand light cavalry were fighting desperately to hold back the Beidi Reinforcements.

The Beixi Light Cavalry fought while retreating; behind them, the pursuing Beidi Cavalry was the Xiongying Brigade!

In the prior two battles, the Xiongying Brigade had lost over two thousand men; logically, their Combat Effectiveness should have plummeted—but the opposite was true. The Xiongying Brigade's original strength was eight thousand; with fresh reinforcements arriving, their numbers rose—not fell—from five thousand to six thousand.

Ma Meng, Commander of the Xiongying Brigade, pressed his stirrups hard, his buttocks fully lifted from the Saddle, left hand gripping a Crossbow, right hand constantly drawing arrows from the quiver on his right saddle; he fired arrow after arrow at an astonishing rate, with remarkable accuracy—averaging one hit every three or four shots.

"Kill them! Leave none alive!"

Ma Meng roared as he chased down the Beixi Light Cavalry.

The Beixi Light Cavalry fought back fiercely, but in horsemanship, mounts, and even archery, this hastily assembled light cavalry could not compare to the battle-hardened elite of the Xiongying Brigade; this ambush was nothing short of suicide.