Chapter 158: Xiongnu cavalry archery harassment

Sweeping his gaze across the audience, Wei Xikang took a deep breath:

"Today, there is no Crown Prince, only brothers fighting side by side! Only men sworn to defend their homes!"

"Holding weapons, defending the country, what we are guarding is the thousands of lights behind us! Even if we die..."

His voice carried determination:

"We must also carve out stability for Beijiang for thousands of years!"

"If the blood doesn't run dry, we won't stop fighting!"

"Crown Prince is mighty!"

"Prince of Zhenbei is mighty!"

Wei Xikang personally put on armor and went to the battlefield, not only to boost morale but also to show his determination.

Now he had no way out, and neither did Beijiang!

Wei Xikang's long sword swung down, pointing directly at the Xiongnu camp.

"Beat the drums!"

"Advance!"

"Dong~ dong! Dong!"

The city gate opened wide, and the Zhenbei Army in black chain armor was like a male lion, pouncing on the hungry wolf that was the Xiongnu!

The sound of war drums rushed straight to the sky, not only encouraging the Zhenbei Army but also faintly reaching the distant Xiongnu camp.

The Xiongnu Adunla was sitting on a low couch covered with wolf skin, cutting a piece of roasted, fragrant lamb leg meat with a small knife.

He was nearly forty, with a broad face and curly beard, sharp eyes, and his weather-beaten face carried the ruggedness and cunning unique to a grassland overlord.

The drum sound was faint at first, then became clear and continuous, carrying an unquestionable will to attack.

Adunla's cutting action stopped. He leaned down and listened sideways, the relaxed expression on his face fading rapidly, replaced by the alertness of a wild beast smelling danger.

He threw down the small knife abruptly, grabbed the golden blade beside the couch, and strode out of the royal tent.

Outside the tent, many Xiongnu nobles and thousand-cavalry commanders had already gathered, their faces carrying expressions of suspicion and uncertainty.

"What sound is that?" a young Danghu couldn't help but ask.

"War drums." Adunla's voice was low, carrying coldness.

He looked toward the direction of Dingbei Jun. Although they were far apart, the murderous aura rushing to the sky seemed to be perceptible.

"They are coming out."

One man narrowed his eyes and said: "Adunla, is this Prince of Zhenbei going crazy again? Or have the Da Qian reinforcements arrived?"

Adunla was silent for a moment, shook his head, and a ferocious smile hooked at the corner of his mouth: "Reinforcements? The Da Qian country's luck has run out, and they are busy with infighting! Where would reinforcements come from? I think he was forced into a corner and wants to fight to the death."

He turned abruptly, his gaze sweeping across the generals under his command, his voice suddenly raised: "Boys! Did you hear that? The two-legged sheep in the south are no longer hiding in their turtle shells, they are walking out themselves, wanting to feed our blades and war horses!"

Adunla's blade tip pointed at Dingbei Jun: "They want to come and die, so we will fulfill them!"

"Pass the order!" Adunla shouted with effort, "The Tixia King's department will be the vanguard, lead five thousand light cavalry, go and explore the situation! Yelanying will lead ten thousand cavalry to suppress the formation, watch for the opportunity, and insert into their flanks! The rest of the departments, follow my central army and press on!"

Adunla and the Prince of Zhenbei had been old opponents for many years. The two had fought wits and courage for more than ten years, but whenever the Prince of Zhenbei took the initiative to attack, Adunla had never lost.

So Adunla dreamed of fighting the Prince of Zhenbei head-on, rather than watching the other party hide in the 'turtle shell' and being helpless.

Now the opportunity was rare. The Prince of Zhenbei didn't know what medicine he had taken wrong and wanted to bump into him, so he couldn't let his old opponent down.

"Woo... woo! Woo!"

The horn sounded in the Xiongnu camp, faintly having a trend of resisting the Zhenbei Army's war drums.

The Xiongnu camp, which had seemed a bit loose just now, instantly erupted with amazing efficiency.

The Xiongnu shouted and leaped onto their horses, without the slightest fear of war! Bows were strung, curved blades were unsheathed, and the black cavalry torrent began to gather rapidly.

The sound of their horse hooves was chaotic at first, but quickly gathered together to become uniform.

At the same time, the Zhenbei Army also lined up under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei.

The central army was a dense formation of long-halberd infantry, while the two wings were cover lines composed of a mix of cavalry and crossbowmen.

This time, the Prince of Zhenbei did not mobilize troops from the other two cities, first fighting a battle to test the depth.

Wei Xikang and the Prince of Zhenbei stood on horseback under the central army's banner, their distinct armor and cloaks exceptionally eye-catching.

"Crown Prince, the Xiongnu have reacted."

The Prince of Zhenbei was also very familiar with Adunla; the other party's keen perception made it impossible for him to charge to close range.

"No matter, there was no intention to sneak attack in the first place!" Wei Xikang was calm, without any pre-battle tension.

It wasn't that the two were upright gentlemen, but the grassland vision was broad, and there was no possibility of a sneak attack at all, so it was better to occupy the position and line up in advance, waiting for the other party to come.

The Prince of Zhenbei hesitated for a long time, and tentatively said: "Crown Prince, why don't you beat the drums yourself to boost the morale of the soldiers."

Wei Xikang was speechless, looking at the Prince of Zhenbei with the eyes of a fool, and finally sighed helplessly.

"Uncle, the orphan is not a fool! I know you are worried about the orphan's safety, but turning around and returning to the rear at this moment, the morale that was finally raised will probably fall to the bottom instantly."

The Prince of Zhenbei couldn't possibly not know this truth, so he chuckled twice and didn't speak again, concentrating on facing the upcoming battle.

The Xiongnu's five thousand light cavalry were getting closer and closer, and one could already see their figures crouching on the horse's back, as well as the braids and leather hats dancing in the wind.

Wei Xikang's horse moved uneasily. Wei Xikang pulled the reins hard, his expression becoming even more solemn.

Wei Xikang had never been on a battlefield, and the impact of this scene on him was not small.

The Prince of Zhenbei said in a deep voice: "Left and right, protect the Crown Prince well!"

"Obey!"

The Prince of Zhenbei's left and right vice-generals had followed him for many years and had saved his life many times, so they were naturally not weak generals in terms of martial arts.

The Xiongnu did not directly charge the front of the Zhenbei Army, which was ready in formation, but split to both sides before entering the range of one arrow, like nimble wild goose wings, starting to sweep and run at high speed along the edge of the formation.

This was the Xiongnu's classic tactic—cavalry archery harassment.

The Prince of Zhenbei was not surprised, after all, the other party's vanguard was not a fool, how could they charge in head-on!

"Swish swish swish...!"

Like a sudden swarm of locusts, dense rain of arrows was shot from the hands of the galloping Xiongnu cavalry, drawing arcs and falling toward the Zhenbei Army's formation.

The Prince of Zhenbei ordered immediately, "Raise shields!"

Amidst the orders, the halberd soldiers and archers in the front row quickly raised their tall shields to protect their heads and bodies. The soldiers in the rear also lowered their heads, using smaller shields or arm shields to cover themselves.

"Puff puff puff..."

Arrows nailed into the shields, and the dense muffled sounds were mixed with a muffled groan or scream; those were the soldiers who hadn't been fully protected and were hit by arrows and fell.

But the Zhenbei Army's formation remained solid overall, which showed the strict discipline of the Zhenbei Army.

Being beaten passively was not the Prince of Zhenbei's style, so he immediately ordered a counterattack!

"Release arrows!"

The rain of arrows filled the sky, surging down like a tide, chasing the Xiongnu's horse rumps.

Seeing this, the Xiongnu cavalry scattered immediately, but there were too many arrows, and some still hit.

The next moment, Adunla's arrogant words came!

"Dead turtles, finally not shrinking in your turtle shell? Come and fight me!" ===== CHAPTER 159 =====