Chapter 587-Xiongnu Cavalry
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
"Qiyue Wuyi, I'll get you for this!"
The moment Zhou Yafu fell, Sha Pojun cursed out.
As for Ouyang Shuo, he did not even bother listening to Sha Pojun.
He picked up the General Soul that Zhou Yafu had dropped, as well as a booklet. Then, he turned around, ready to leave. He was afraid that if he continued to stay, Sha Pojun would truly devour him.
There was also another reason why Ouyang Shuo needed to leave. The Bloodthirst Talisman only had an effective time period of half an hour. If he did not leave now, he would get killed.
When Zhou Yafu died, the forces around them were thrown into chaos.
On the other hand, the morale of the Divine Martial Guards reached a sky high state.
With the personal guards acting as the vanguard, they valiantly broke through the defences.
Sha Pojun was furious, and he led his troops to chase.
However, even the elite mongol war horses could not compare to the Qingfu Horses. After chasing around ten miles, the Divine Martial Guards had already disappeared into the distance. Sha Pojun was so angry that he bit into his lips and blood flowed.
Ouyang Shuo was really the cryptonite of Sha Pojun.
Sha Pojun had single-handedly planned everything. However, in the end, he had tricked himself. The cavalry unit that Asura City had just built would lose its direction because they had lost their commander.
Asura City’s rise was going to halt mid-way just like that.
Sha Pojun was unlucky, but Ouyang Shuo was not in a good state either.
Not long after breaking out, the side effects of the talisman started to impact him. Ouyang Shuo could not muster any strength in his body, and he could not even hold onto the reins. If Qingdian was not intelligent, Ouyang Shuo might have fallen off.
Sha Pojun's chase truly terrified Ouyang Shuo.
Luck did not come in twos; misfortune does not come alone.
Not long after the Divine Martial Guards broke away from the chase, just as Ouyang Shuo was about to heave a sigh of relief, a Xiongnu cavalry force charged over.
The Xiongnu Cavalry force was like a pack of wolves that had spotted sheep, crying out.
Wuahhula!
From this distance, one could feel the sturdiness and cruelness of the Xiongnu people.
Their curved war blades shone coldly.
Upon close inspection, one would notice that blood stains and pieces of flesh stuck to the Xiongnu force’s weapons.
This was a pack of real wolves.
Ouyang Shuo once again had a new understanding of his luck stat.
When one was unlucky, even drinking cold water would cause one's teeth gaps to be blocked.
Before this, although the Divine Martial Guards were able to break out courageously, they had also suffered heavy losses. Around six hundred Divine Martial Guards had perished on the battlefield.
Now, they had to face thousands of Xiongnu cavalry, so they really had to gamble with their lives.
However, they had no choice; they could only fight this battle.
Firstly, the Xiongnu warhorses were all elite warhorses. Furthermore, their troops were all adept at horse riding, so it would be extremely difficult to escape from the Xiongnu forces in the manner they got away from Sha Pojun's forces.
Secondly, the plains were the territory of the Xiongnu people.
Even if they could temporarily escape, they would not be able to cover their tracks.
In the end, they would still have to fight.
Who knows, fleeing might even attract more Xiongnu cavalry over.
Hence, the only way was to face the problem head-on and stand their ground.
However, Ouyang Shuo was now completely weak, and he did not have the energy to personally lead them.
In the following battle, Wang Feng would have to lead the lines and set the formations.
Zhao Kuo, who had followed along, would replace Ouyang Shuo as the battle commander.
During this battle, the personal guards would not participate. Their mission was to ensure Ouyang Shuo’s safety.
Ouyang Shuo, who had performed so well moments ago, had now become the burden of his army.
Just thinking about this matter made one feel helpless.
Under the leadership of Wang Feng, the two thousand Divine Martial Guards engaged the four thousand Xiongnu cavalry.
The Xiongnu people thought that they were facing a flock of sheep. They had not expected to fight a pride of lions that had descended the mountains.
This was a battle between wolves and lions.
Neither side had a way to back off.
The Xiongnu cavalry was mainly composed of light armored cavalry. Especially in the case of such a scattered force, they were completely made up of light armored cavalry.
In their battles against the Han Army, they had made use of flexible tactics to cause the Han Army to suffer many loses.
However, they faced a tough bone this time.
The cavalry tactics of the Divine Martial Guards were unparalleled and also unseen in this era.
Ouyang Shuo had invited calvary generals like Luo Shixin and Shi Wanshui to teach the Divine Martial Guards. With such a stellar squad, how could the troops they had trained up be lousy?
Even Wang Feng was influenced and started to study cavalry tactics.
Advisor Zhao Kuo was also familiar with such tactics.
The Zhao Country in history had pushed out the riding and shooting tactic. As a general of that period, how could he not know about cavalry tactics?
Wang Feng and Zhao Kuo working together was a match made in heaven.
One charged in front, one commanded from the back, forming a flawless pairing.
It was not an exaggeration to say that in terms of cavalry battle, Huo Qubing's forces were not on the same level as the Divine Martial Guards. After all, Huo Qubing's cavalry tactics and strategies had yet to mature.
Hence, from the very start, the Xiongnu cavalry were completely suppressed. Their proud tactics were like child's play in comparison.
In terms of riding skills, the Divine Martial Guards matched them.
In terms of archery, although their skills were not as good, they were more than a level better than the Xiongnu people thanks to the God Arm Crossbow.
In terms of equipment, there was no comparison.
The Tang Emperor had especially designed the Mingguang Armor to face the Turk cavalry. Even the strong Turks could not do anything and fell against the Mingguang Armor.
What more could the current Xiongnu people do?
Their bows were much worse than the Turk bows. Facing the Mingguang Armor that countered arrows, the Xiongnu people were so depressed that they vomited blood.
Even so, this battle remained extremely intense.
The Xiongnu people were still the Xiongnu people.
No matter who the opponent, their brutality and guts would not change. Using their numerical advantage, the Xiongnu people inflicted great damage to the Divine Martial Guards.
Both sides went all out for the lives of the enemy, causing even the sky to change color.
As time went on, the balance of the battle finally shifted to the Divine Martial Guards' side.
The arrogant Xiongnu cavalry had finally tasted the bitter fruits of underestimating your opponent.
If they knew that they would meet such an opponent, they would not have charged over so rashly.
The history of this Xiongnu cavalry was not very glamorous.
It was not a coincidence that they had passed this area, as they were the survivors from the battlefield.
The genius general Huo Qubing, who was like a shooting star streaking across the sky, had defeated them.
Four days ago, Huo Qubing had led his troops and ordered the captured Xiongnu people to act as the vanguard to help open the path for the Han people. They crossed the desert and captured the minister Zhang Qu and killed the North Cheqi King. Then, they turned to attack the left two generals and obtained the enemy flag and drums.
This battled could shock even the heavens.
He had stunned the Xiongnu people, and the fear he had inspired lasted for numerous days.
Huo Qubing’s name resounded throughout the entire grassland. This young general was like a massive shadow cast over the skies of the Xiongnu people, suppressing them to the point that they could not breathe.
Some people even spread that Huo Qubing was the god sent to punish the Xiongnu people.
A day ago, Huo Qubing had already led his troops back into their journey.
These cavalry were the subordinates of the defeated North Cheqi King, who had left the battlefield amidst the chaos.
Who knew that they would bump into the Divine Martial Guards.
They had a lot of pent up frustration after suffering losses at the hands of Huo Qubing, so how could they let this opportunity go?
In their eyes, the devil Huo Qubing was already far away. The HanAarmy at the back should be a reserve force that could not match their might. As such, they wanted to take these forces out to vent their anger.
Who knew that this army was just as strong as Huo Qubing's forces.
As the situation developed, the Xiongnu cavalry commander was left on the verge of tears.
"When did the Han Army cavalry become so strong?"
First, there was Huo Qubing. Now, even their backup forces were so strong?
As the commander of the Xiongnu cavalry, he felt a little depressed.
He could not help but feel worried about the future of his tribe.
The Han Army that they had previously handled and killed easily had truly become strong! The carefree plundering lives of the Xiongnu people was about to come to an end.
Before sunset, the four thousand Xiongnu cavalry were utterly crushed.
In this battle, three thousand of them were killed, while the remaining chose to surrender.
The bravery of the Divine Martial Guards had caused the Xiongnu cavalry commander to lose the courage to fight. From his perspective, this was destiny at work, and no one could change it.
Of course, the Xiongnu people had also made the Divine Martial Guards pay a heavy price.
Eight hundred Divine Martial Guards had fallen; they would be buried on the grasslands.
Of the three thousand Divine Martial Guards that had set out for this battle map, half were lost after three encounters
War was just this cruel.
Luckily, this was the battle map.
After a soldier perished, the Lord could use battle contribution points to revive him.
If not, such heavy casualties to the Divine Martial Guards would cause numerous problem for Ouyang Shuo.
However, to revive the soldiers, he had to wait till the entire battle map finished.
Hence, in the following few battles, Ouyang Shuo could only rely on the less than 1500 men he had left.
Thinking back to the dangers of this journey so far, this was the first time he felt uncertain about the road ahead.
Such a string of challenges, was Gaia trying to push them to the brink?
Ouyang Shuo dared to bet that it was not a coincidence that they had met the Xiongnu cavalry.
Who knows how the other two members of the Shanhai Alliance had fared?
When they had tried to break out, the situation was hectic and chaotic.
Ouyang Shuo did not have the time to pay attention to whether the others had successfully broken out.
If they broke out, did they meet something similar to the Xiongnu cavalry?
Under such circumstances, they could only fight for themselves.
As night fell, Ouyang Shuo ordered the troops to camp for the night. At the same time, he could interrogate the surrender soldiers.
Apart from his worries regarding the road ahead, Ouyang Shuo was most concerned about the direction Huo Qubing's troops had headed.