Chapter 764: First Volume_Chapter 764 Rapid Changes

First Volume_Chapter 764 Rapid Changes

Of course, the main reason Qin Feng could defeat cavalry with Bow Infantry was ultimately money.

Qin Feng commanded Bow Infantry to mostly employ the "Parabolic Coverage" tactic, prioritizing suppression over precision. But this tactic was far too extravagant for the vast majority of troops, even for an entire kingdom.

A single arrow's wartime service life could reach five years and required repeated reuse; every arrow fired had to be recovered after battle.

Arrow production was overly complex: while the Yan Tou was secondary, the shaft was where technical skill was tested, with seven or eight steps alone for drying and straightening.

Moreover, wooden shafts required hand-carving, further increasing labor cost.

Under normal market conditions, the price of one arrow roughly equaled a schoolmaster's daily wage—and a schoolmaster was already considered Middle Class.

According to data from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War, Liang's entire active inventory of arrows totaled only ten million, and including reserve stock, it amounted to no more than eighteen million.

If cavalry was the most expensive war machine, then arrows were the most expensive war consumable.

Only aristocratic clans as wealthy as Qin Feng could afford parabolic coverage tactics.

For everyone else—generals or soldiers alike—their top priority had always been ranged attack precision, striving for every arrow to find its mark.

The military treatise "Jiang Yuan" recorded: "If you cannot hit, it is as if you had no arrows; if you hit but cannot penetrate, it is as if you had no Yan Tou."

The "Wu Jing She Xue Zheng Zong Zhi Mi Ji" also contained nothing but methods to improve bow and arrow precision.

Of course, Qin Feng did not rely solely on parabolic coverage; when battle scale was small or isolation was unavoidable, he still employed Precision Shooting.

In short, combat required adaptation to terrain—throughout Heaven and Earth, no single tactic could be called a universal solution.

At this moment, Ning Hu had led reinforcements into battle against the Snow Wolf Brigade, but the intensity was low because Ning Hu's forces included not only Cavalry but also Infantry, while the Snow Wolf Brigade fielded Pure Cavalry alone.

Pure Cavalry facing a Mixed Allied Force must remain mobile and maneuver.

Moreover, since the two thousand Snow Wolf Cavalry were too large a force, Chen Li had no choice but to break them into ten plus small units, relying on messengers to maintain communication so orders could be efficiently delivered.

In contrast, Ning Hu employed a tactic of using Cavalry to protect Infantry, deploying Cavalry to shield Infantry formations from Snow Wolf Cavalry harassment, while simultaneously using the Bow Infantry's Step Bow to counterattack.

This tactic, though minimizing casualties and extending combat endurance, had a glaring weakness: it could not pose any real threat to the Snow Wolf Brigade, leaving all initiative firmly in the enemy's hands.

Within just one incense stick time, Ning Hu was being overwhelmed by the Snow Wolf Brigade, forced into desperate defense.

Hidden at the Rear, Chen Li, upon learning the front-line situation, sneered even more: "Hmph, this so-called Beixi army is nothing special!"

"During the National War, Beixi troops of all branches coordinated well and matched our forces evenly. Now, in small-scale operations, my great Di elite troops will surely crush the Enemy Army!"

Saying this, Chen Li sneered: "Who is the enemy commander?"

Identifying the enemy Main General was crucial, for different commanders meant vastly different tactics and abilities—this allowed for targeted countermeasures.

After one incense stick time, the scout returned to report: "General, the enemy commander is Liang's Battalion Commander Marquis, Beixi Deputy General Ning Hu."

Upon learning the enemy Main General's identity, Chen Li's gaze grew even more contemptuous: "Hmph, Ning Hu? I've heard of him."

"He excels at leading small Tianji Camp Guards on deep-penetration Special Operations. But in large-scale troop warfare, he is a complete outsider."

"That's why among Beixi County's three generals, Xu Mo and Zhao Yuxiong are Main Generals, while Ning Hu is merely a Deputy General. Even Qin Feng knows Ning Hu is unfit for Large-scale Cluster Combat."

If the opponent had been Xu Mo or Zhao Yuxiong, Chen Li would have been wary. But since it was Ning Hu, there was nothing to discuss—annihilate him outright!

"Daring to adopt a Defensive Posture before me? Foolish! Beidi War Command: recall one thousand Cavalry. Send them in batches of five hundred, alternating in Harassment Combat with rest periods. Tonight, I won't just kill Qin Feng—I'll swallow this three-thousand-man reinforcement force whole!"

At this moment, Ning Hu was suffering terribly. He had brought Infantry to reinforce, aiming for Prolonged Warfare—after all, as long as Infantry held ground, the DefensiveLine could be secured.

But the problem was, this was Huang Ye combat, with no cover nearby, and the enemy was Pure Cavalry.

Facing the Snow Wolf Brigade's frantic Mobile Guerrilla Harassment, Ning Hu could only defend desperately, refusing to send out Cavalry to counterattack—the reason was simple: once Cavalry moved, the Infantry would immediately be subjected to Stealth attacks.

Although he could trade Infantry losses to weaken the enemy Cavalry, the thought of massive casualties made Ning Hu hesitate.

Ning Hu frowned deeply and said sternly: "Quickly report to Lord Qin—find a way to withdraw from battle. The enemy is too fierce to fight head-on."

But no sooner had Ning Hu spoken than a messenger arrived: "Lord Ning, Lord Qin has already ordered you to hold the Snow Wolf Brigade here for at least half a Envoy."

Hearing this, Ning Hu frowned tightly but gritted his teeth and accepted.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng already knew Ning Hu was being crushed, yet he showed no alarm.

Even Jing Qianying found this indifference strange: "Feng'er, Ning Hu is no match for Chen Li—why force him to keep fighting?"

Qin Feng shrugged indifferently: "Each has his own expertise. In small-scale Special Operations, Little Marquis could outmaneuver Chen Li to death. But in this large-scale combat, Little Marquis's Tactical Mastery naturally falls short of Chen Li's."

"I knew Little Marquis would hit a wall the moment he charged. But right now, we can only let him keep tying down the Snow Wolf Brigade and drain their strength as much as possible."

"We have numerical superiority and the advantage of time."

Advantage…

Jing Qianying saw no advantage whatsoever—since the start, both Qin Feng and Ning Hu had been dominated by Chen Li, with no chance to counter. If morale dropped, they risked being shattered in one-strike victory.

Yet on the Battlefield, no one—not even Jing Qianying—could challenge Qin Feng's authority.

Knowing the danger was extreme, they could only grit their teeth and keep fighting.