Chapter 468: Still a Chance to Win (First Update!)

Someone shouted. In the middle square formation, first row, right side, a flag went up — black field, red border, dazzlingly conspicuous under the slanting rays of the setting sun. Then rhythmic drumming began. The three horizontal formations, arrayed in a V-shape, started advancing just like that. The remaining three hundred-plus riders stayed off to the right rear of the infantry, keeping a distance of several dozen paces.

The scene was very quiet. Only inside the stockade did the cheering and shouting continue. The Feng side, after the initial chaos, had now steadied — all of them somewhat at a loss.

What kind of plan was this? If those seven hundred cavalry had simply charged in, the Feng side might have been thrown into frantic disarray. But now they were actually sending infantry to attack, and advancing so unhurriedly at that — what sort of game was this?

Li He, still mounted, stared at the gradually approaching square formations. At first he was dumbfounded, then he burst out laughing, pointing at them. "Beating drums and clanging gongs — have they come to put on an opera?"

Li Dajin's face also showed bewilderment. He shook his head. "Seeking their own death — no one else to blame!"

"Mounted men fight mounted men, foot soldiers fight foot soldiers. Wipe out this opera troupe, then we'll gnaw on that stockade!" Li He slammed his right fist into his left palm, speaking fiercely.

Li Dajin nodded and in a low voice gave his instructions: "Our two family cavalry units will combine. For infantry, the government troops here have better discipline. You take the vanguard; the Feng family men will keep an eye on the stockade!"

After saying this, Li Dajin added, "Something feels off. Better to be cautious. The ferocity of that Zhao Character Camp is famous throughout Xuzhou — wiping out manors, killing roving bandits, never yet defeated."

"Infantry raised by local gentry aren't worth mentioning. For infantry formations, you still have to look to us government troops. Wiping out manors and roving bandits — if our camp's soldiers were deployed, could we not do the same?" Li He said dismissively.

Li Dajin said no more. He turned his head and began issuing orders. Li He's side also started shouting commands. The two family cavalry units began to merge, and the infantry were also separated out.

Compared to the start, however, all movements were rather sluggish, and the ranks were in disarray. After all, from early morning until now, they had been hauling earth to fill the slope, maneuvering and keeping watch, never once stopping. Just now they had suddenly heard of a large cavalry force; after spotting it, they had tensed up on alert. Then, upon discovering the enemy's actual movements, they felt there was no need for excessive panic or fear. Exhaustion, and the shift from tension to relief, left everyone's spirits relatively slack — they simply couldn't get worked up.

Gradually, even inside the stockade fell quiet, people craning their necks to look out. But the Feng family's main force was arrayed in strict readiness, and they knew they could not allow the men inside the stockade to fight their way out and coordinate an attack.

"Have they lost their minds? Putting infantry out front and cavalry behind. Da Li, let the cavalry charge first — smash straight through their infantry, then drive the routed foot soldiers toward their own cavalry. If everything falls into chaos, we'll sweep them all together. If not, we'll still have seized the initiative!" Li He frowned as he watched the battlefield, rapidly voicing his assessment.

"You're the old campaigner — you take charge this time!" Li Dajin said in a deep voice.

Li He bared his teeth in a grin, raised his hand, and bellowed: "Cavalry, charge! Smash through these rabble infantry, then drive them toward their cavalry!"

At the command, the cavalry, long since ready, began charging forward. The drumming on the opposite side had been sounding for a while now. Over here, they had been noisily trying to assemble. The distance between the two sides was already not that great — there was little chance of getting the horses up to full speed.

But no one thought this mattered. The two families together had mustered roughly three hundred-plus riders. Cavalry were inherently more valuable than infantry; learning to ride and to fight on horseback was no easy task. Whether government troops or local militia, everyone invested heavily in cavalry. It was said that the cost of maintaining one cavalryman could support ten infantrymen. Given the customary embezzlement under the Great Ming, one cavalryman's upkeep might cover twenty or even more infantrymen. By the same token, when a cavalryman charged on the battlefield, his combat power was roughly equal to that of ten infantrymen.

Of course, this was Great Ming cavalry and Great Ming infantry. There were exceptions at certain times, but over the many years it had held roughly true. Within the realm of local militia and village braves, the disparity in combat power between cavalry and infantry was even more extreme.

Seen from a distance, those three dismounted horizontal formations amounted to just over three hundred men. Counting the hundred-odd scattered among them, the total was under five hundred. And the greatest threat — those three hundred-plus cavalry — were following behind.

Judging by this momentum, the Feng family cavalry would certainly collide first with the relief force's four hundred infantry. Roughly equal numbers — victory was absolutely assured. Then they would scatter those infantry, drive the routed men to throw the cavalry behind them into chaos, and the main force would close in from all sides and devour them completely.

This situation was not only something Li He could analyze and judge — everyone in the Feng family's main force thought the same. Watching the cavalry charge forward, those behind shouted and cheered, hailing the great victory to come.

Li Dajin remained very cautious, though his expression had relaxed considerably. He had already given orders: archers were to cover the infantry and keep a close watch on the stockade. With the cavalry's mobility gone, they would have to rely on the long-range screening of bows and arrows.

The Feng family cavalry riders howled and shouted wildly, brandishing their weapons. They saw the infantry formation ahead come to a halt, and the archers interspersed among them run forward, drawing their bows and nocking arrows in unison. At this sight, those at the front spurred their mounts desperately while crouching low.

This suddenly appeared stockade relief force had quite a few archers, but the Feng family cavalry hardly cared. At such close range, with everyone galloping at full speed, the archers would get off one volley at most. And in this situation, with the targets on one side in motion and the cavalry on the other closing in fast, few archers would have the steadiness — they simply couldn't hit anything.

Someone shouted. "Swoosh, swoosh" — the shrill whistle of arrows tearing through the air sounded in dense succession. On the Feng family cavalry side, men were struck by arrows and fell from their horses; some horses were hit, bucking wildly and neighing shrilly. Men hit by arrows was one thing, but when a horse was struck mid-gallop, it often lost its balance and sent the rider tumbling across the ground, horse and man soon a bloody mess of flesh.

Only, no one had time to notice. This time, the number of hits seemed far greater than normal. A stretch at the front had already been cleared, but the distance had also grown even closer.

Just as everyone had predicted, although the horses had not reached full speed, at such close range the archers could only get off a single arrow. If they tried to draw again, they would either be trampled to death by horses or cut down by the cavalrymen.

The archers knew this logic well. After their one shot, bow in hand, they ran for the gaps between the three square formations.

What use was that? The men in the front ranks of the Feng family cavalry all wore savage grins, their faces filled with cruel anticipation. Next would come one wave to smash through, then trampling and crushing. These three neat-looking square formations would instantly collapse and disintegrate.

Closer now — about to collide. Why hadn't these infantry scattered? The alarm and tension on their faces were clearly visible. You could even see the long spears in their hands trembling. Even wearing mail armor, there was no way they could withstand the cavalry's charge.