Chapter 56: Prairie Swallow (Part 2)

  Thanks for the reward from " Zhao Wu Xu 2014", "Wu Gus" and "Su Mu Yu"!

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  Outside Hangulou Village's walls, over a thousand Wuhuan troops had already surrounded them from all sides. Some dismounted their horses while others galloped back and forth, preparing to shoot.

  The wall of Hangou Village is only one person high, but it's not just a simple enclosure. After the last invasion by the Wuman people, the Han people took warning and strengthened their defenses. For example, they added an inner wall, three feet away from the outer wall, as a second line of defense; they cut down large amounts of thorns and piled them up on the outer wall, binding them to the earth wall with tree vines, making it difficult for enemies to climb over; and they dug a moat about one foot wide and deep around the outside of the wall, preventing enemy cavalry from charging and forcing them to fight on foot.

  Thanks to this series of defensive measures, although simple, but against the Wuhuan people who had only a few ladders and relied on human wave tactics, they were quite effective and held out for three days. However, after three days, these simple defenses were almost destroyed: the trenches were filled with mud and corpses, and the thorns were damaged by the Wuhuan people with knives and axes, and were pulled away with long spears. For this, the Wuhuan people paid more than 300 lives. Now, it was finally time for them to exact their revenge.

  Rumble! Fifty steps outside the village wall, a dense group of Wuhuan cavalry flew past along the wall, with smoke and dust billowing, arrows raining down, covering the sky and shooting towards the Han people behind the wall. Many civilians held up pot lids, ceramic jars, door panels, as well as homemade wooden shields and leather shields to block the chaotic arrows. The Wuhuan people also used mostly single-body bows, which had limited penetration power for their arrows; as long as they were blocked, they basically couldn't shoot through, but if they weren't blocked, it was enough to be overwhelming.

  Tang Nu stood at the top of the watchtower, with a circular shield on his arm and a hard bow in his hand, gritting his teeth and shooting continuously. He shot over twenty arrows in succession, then switched to a single-bow and shot over ten more arrows, wearing out the leather finger guards. In just half an incense stick's time, he killed nearly thirty riders with one breath. The five attendants beside him also shot with all their might, gaining quite a few kills. As a result, when the Wuhuan Hu cavalry passed by the watchtower, they opened up a distance and detoured far away.

  The Wuhuan cavalry surrounded the Han army's camp, shooting and suppressing them for over a dozen rounds. With a loud, hoarse horn blowing, they retreated in disorder. Hundreds of Wuhuan soldiers, holding knives and spears, rode out of the dense fog and dust, charging towards the camp wall. Just as their fast horses were about to collide with the wall, the Wuhuan soldiers suddenly reined in their horses and turned around, their warhorses brushing past the base of the wall. The Wuhuan soldiers took advantage of the momentum to leap up into the air. Some were shot down by arrows and spears while still in mid-air, while others managed to climb onto the top of the wall.

  "Kill! Not a single Wuhuan will be let in!" Tang Nu drew his bow and shot an arrow, hitting the right chest of a Wuhuan man who was about to climb over the wall. Unexpectedly, he had no strength in his arm, and could only draw the string halfway. As a result, not only did the Wuhuan man not fall, but he became even more ferocious, pulling out the bloody arrow and chopping down one of the soldiers with his knife before jumping down. Before he could steady himself, a sturdy figure rushed over from the side, striking the Wuhuan man's head with a hammer and bursting it open.

  Tang Nu looked intently and found it was the bow maker Meng Yuan, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

  Meng Yuan smiled and put the iron hammer on his shoulder. Tang Nu in the watchtower suddenly changed his face, aimed at Meng Yuan and shot an arrow. Meng Yuan was stunned, watching the arrow fly towards him - it flew past his ear, and a scream came from behind him.

  Meng Yuan was shocked and turned his head back, only to find that a Wuhuan man holding a short axe had fallen down covering his face...

  The battle for the village wall was a fierce and bloody fight, with every sword thrust and arrow shot finding its mark.

  Just as the Han people were about to be overwhelmed, a loud clanging of horseshoes was heard from afar, with a mighty force, numbering in the hundreds.

  As soon as Tan Nu heard this special horseshoe sound, he cheered loudly: "Our cavalry is back! Everyone, let's work together to drive the Wuhuan people out!"

  As expected, the cavalry rushed out of the wall like a whirlwind, raised their bows and shot in unison, violently striking down the Wuhuan people who had not yet climbed over the earthworks. The few Wuhuan people who had already climbed over the wall were surrounded by the Han people's knives and clubs, beaten to the point where their brains were coming out.

  The reason why Hangouzhai has been able to hold on for the past few days is largely due to this mobile cavalry unit lurking outside the village. Every time a critical moment arrives, they appear, stabbing the Wuhuan people from behind and then galloping away, leaving the Wuhuan people unable to catch up.

  Although the Wuhuan also had patrols, in order to defend against this sudden and elusive cavalry, the warning line had to be extended, and the horses were scattered, and it was impossible to intercept this concentrated force of light cavalry. The Xiongnu cavalry used this wolf pack tactic repeatedly, and many times turned the tide at critical moments.

  As the Wuhuan people were repelled again, Tangnu was excitedly waving his hand to the cavalry on the watchtower, but at this moment, he seemed to see something, his whole body stiffened, his face changed greatly, and he pointed southwest with a spear, shouting: "Be careful, Wuhuan people... Heaven! It's Khanluo Wang's riding guard, Wu Yan this old thief has brought out all his hidden goods..."

  Sweat Lu Wang rode with his guards, over 300 riders in total. Under the leadership of Qianren Chang Chilu, each man had two horses, and their bows and horses were all of high quality. Suddenly they burst out of a dense forest, tightly biting down on the Han Goguryeo cavalry, and pursued them relentlessly.

  The two hundred Han cavalry were suddenly ambushed, almost cut in two. Fortunately, they had been well-trained and had strong discipline, so although startled, they did not become disordered. The central part of the cavalry quickly galloped outward, occasionally turning back to shoot arrows, while the wings attacked from the sides, forming a semicircle that bulged outward. As the Han cavalry galloped, the semicircle continually expanded outward, seeming as if it would scatter at any moment, yet always remaining loose but not scattered.

  Both sides continued to exchange fire, although the bows and arrows used were roughly the same, but the Han cavalry was shooting while retreating on horseback, with the wind at their backs, while the Wuhuan cavalry was shooting against the wind, so the range was naturally slightly shorter. This tiny difference caused a tilt in the ratio of casualties.

  At the moment when the Hango cavalry was strangling the Wulan cavalry, Pufulu led all the Wulan people to make a desperate attack on the other side of the Hango camp. More than 1,200 Wulans, although not elite, were simply equipped, but they had the advantage of being strong and bloodthirsty, far surpassing the Hango camp where the old and weak accounted for half of the population. After a comprehensive press, it took only half an hour to break through the outer wall and enter the Hango camp.

  "Fall back, all the way to the inner wall!" Tanu's throat was so hoarse that he could hardly shout out orders, and each command had to be relayed by his attendants shouting in unison. Although there were also flag signals, most of the soldiers guarding the fort were ordinary troops, and how many of them could understand the flag markings? So communication still had to rely mainly on shouting.

  Actually, there was no need for Tang Nu to give the order, most of the soldiers had already sensed that something was wrong and retreated in a hurry. Those who were slow were caught up from behind by the Wuhuan people, hacked and stabbed to death with axes and spears. In an instant, they were killed. Tang Nu's eyes turned red as he watched, raised his arm to draw his bow, but his arms trembled uncontrollably, as if trying to lift a mountain - how could he not open the bowstring? He had already shot nearly a hundred arrows today, exceeding his usual performance, the finger guard was worn out, his fingers were bleeding, and his arm could no longer be lifted. Now he couldn't even shoot one arrow. The soldiers were being slaughtered, and his heart was also bleeding. Han Gou Village was in danger.

  Outside the village wall, Pufulu and fifty riders were staring at each other like a wolf waiting for an opportunity to pounce. Seeing that more than a thousand brave warriors had already entered the village wall, while the Han Gou tribe was retreating step by step, Pufulu opened his big mouth and laughed wildly: "The Han Gou tribe is finished! Where are your Han Gou cavalry? Why don't you see them coming to rescue?" Hahaha!

  No sooner had he finished speaking than a cloud of dust rose in the distance, and a group of Wuhuan people rushed out, fleeing desperately, as if a pack of ferocious wolves was chasing them.

  Before Pufu could react, a cavalry unit emerged from the smoke and dust. They wore strange uniforms: helmets that covered their faces, thick woolen cloaks, and each held an ancient-looking crossbow, charging forward with great momentum.

  Where did these cavalry come from? Before Pflügel could turn his head, thirty of his mounted guards had already rushed out to intercept them. The other side was also only over thirty riders, and all of Pflügel's mounted guards were elite, one-on-one could easily take down, this was what Pflügel thought. But as soon as the two sides touched, the result almost made Pflügel's jaw drop.

  The Wuhuan cavalry guards, fearing to mistakenly injure their own troops who were being pursued and killed, did not dare to shoot arrows. Instead, they planned to get close and use knives, axes, long spears, and lassos to kill the enemy. They also saw the hand crossbows in the enemy's hands, so each of them held up a round shield, preparing to block the enemy's first strike before rushing forward to fight at close range. But the next moment, the Wuhuan cavalry guards realized they were greatly mistaken.

  After the cavalry rushed up, they raised their hands and shot - most of the Wuhuan riders blocked this arrow, only three or four riders were slightly slower and were shot off their horses. When the guards lowered their arm shields according to their usual thinking, drew their swords and prepared for a fierce battle, they were shocked to find that the enemy did not draw arrows, but quickly moved a rod-like object, and then, a continuous stream of crossbow arrows shot out like pearls...

  The Wuhuan cavalry guards were instantly hit by a fatal blow, with some people's faces pierced by three or four arrows, bleeding profusely and falling to the ground; others had their chests and abdomens pierced by arrows, rolling off their horses; while others had their warhorses pierced by arrows, and in pain, threw their owners off. In just one confrontation, more than half of the thirty Wuhuan cavalry guards fell, leaving only seven or eight people who had never seen such sharp weapons before, fleeing in all directions.

  This cavalry struck with one blow, and all shouted in triumph, etc., that sound, seemed like...

  Pu's mouth was agape, and before he could even associate the feminine voice with this strange cavalryman, the latter charged over on horseback, his crossbow already aimed at him.

  Pffft!

  Arrows flew in rapid succession, and the Ulan riders fell one after another. Only a few quick-witted ones drew their bows to counterattack, hitting several of the enemy, but at close range, even the fastest arrows couldn't outdo the repeating crossbow, and soon they were shot full of holes like hedgehogs.

  Pufei also shot and killed two riders, and when he was about to shoot his third arrow, a thin, masked rider suddenly appeared from the side and fired three shots in a row, hitting Pufei's wrist, arm, and cheek. Especially the arrow that hit his cheek, it pierced through his right jaw and knocked out several teeth.

  Pufleur's face was covered in blood, his soul flew out of the sky, and he galloped away in a flash. The thin, masked knight aimed at Pufleur's back, pulled the lever with all his might, and the crossbow clicked, but no arrow shot out, only to find that the bolts were exhausted.

  "Ma Jun, this idiot, why didn't he load more arrows into the quiver. What a great opportunity..." The masked rider complained while replacing the quiver, and to his surprise, it was Nianshu.

  Pufulu ran away, and the flag followed. More than a thousand Wuhuan people who had already entered the Han army's camp heard the sound of cavalry rushing and shooting behind them. When they saw that their commander had run away, they suddenly fell into great chaos.

  Tan Nu was overjoyed and didn't care to investigate where the cavalry that suddenly appeared out of nowhere came from. The Golden Dragon Broke Locks banner waved, shouting hoarsely: "Kill! Kill! Drive the barbarian dogs out!"

  The situation changed, one side fell and the other rose. The Wuman people, who were attacked from both front and back, were once again driven out of Hangul Village.

  This sudden raid on Pufu was led by Nianslave, with more than 30 grassland swallows, relying on the sharp crossbow, killing the Wuhuan riders off guard. At this time, seeing Pufu injured and fleeing, the grassland swallows drove their horses to pursue fiercely, all the girls had only one thought: kill the prince of Wuyan, the Wuhuan people would definitely collapse, and the siege of Hangou Village would be lifted.

  The girls rode swiftly, their horse-riding skills in no way inferior to those of their fathers and brothers. As they pursued, they gradually gathered together, only to find that there were more than twenty riders left, some had fallen behind, while others had unfortunately sacrificed...

  "Go after him, kill Pfeffer!" Nian Nu's eyes were fixed intently on the flustered figure fifty paces ahead. Suddenly, her face changed color - and not just hers, all the girls' faces changed...

  Three hundred paces ahead, a troop of Wuhuan elite cavalry suddenly emerged from a low hill, with men and horses numbering over fifty, charging down the slope, galloping towards them head-on.

  Almost all the girls reined in their horses, but one frail figure galloped on, headlong and unhesitating, towards Pferd who was now only thirty paces away.

  "Run, slave! Run!"

  "Don't chase! Come back quickly!"

  Pufulu originally ran out of fifty steps, when he saw his father king dispatch the last team of guards to reinforce, his heart was first hot and then icy cold, and he couldn't help but loosen the reins and slow down the horse. He understood in his heart that his father king had gone all out. With the army of the whole tribe, if they can't take down a small Han Gou village, the reputation of the Wuyan Department will be ruined and it will be difficult to call on other departments again. So he couldn't escape, he must fight back. Hmm, with this team of elite young soldiers, why did he need to escape? It should be the cavalry that was chasing him who escaped instead, they were only a few dozen riders after all...

  Pu Fu Lu immediately reined in his horse, turned around, disregarding the severe pain on his cheek, spat out a mouthful of blood and water, drew his sword and pointed forward: "Kill our way back..."

  Before the sound had faded, a familiar frail knight rushed up, pointing with one hand and firing repeatedly - Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Ten arrows shot out together, Pu Fu's face was full of short arrows, he looked up at the sky and let out a loud roar, heavily falling to the ground.

  Historically, after Wuyan's death, the one who succeeded to his throne was his eldest son, Pufu. Who would have thought that in this White Mountain, the successor of the King of Youbeiping Wuhuan would die at the hands of a 13-year-old girl?

  With a loud shout, she shot and killed the prince of Wanyan, but she was also in extreme danger - a hundred paces ahead, hoofbeats thundered, smoke billowed, figures swirled, it was Khanluo's last elite cavalry!