Chapter 22: Shooting Down the Eastern Barbarians with a Single Arrow

  At this moment, the arrows flying towards the high sky unexpectedly flew a considerable distance, drawing a large parabola and falling into the advancing cavalry like rain. Although there was no specific target, the range was quite wide, and wave after wave, without stopping - the merchants' archers shot in three rows, circulating and forming a continuous arrow rain attack, instantly becoming a terrible nightmare for the divine bow cavalry.

  As the horses let out mournful whinnies, the elite cavalrymen fell one after another, with most of the arrows hitting their shoulders, heads, and limbs. These elite cavalrymen were used to shooting at people, but never thought they would be shot at like this. Caught off guard, many soldiers were pinned down alive along with their horses, a pitiful sight. Although they were equipped with simple leather shields, they could not fully defend against the hail of arrows from above. This sudden change also stunned the Dongyi people, who were momentarily at a loss for what to do, watching as their proud divine bow cavalry was quickly reduced to nearly a thousand casualties. Cang Jie woke up from his stupor and shouted: "Speed up! Protect your heads, and charge forward in a column formation!"

  Cang Jie, not unexpectedly, having been through many battles, immediately spotted the weakness of the high-shooting tactics and ordered his elite cavalry to adjust their formation, dividing into several columns to charge at full speed, aiming to minimize casualties. Just as the Divine Bow cavalry was speeding through the rain of arrows, Moon Princess Wang, with her sharp eyes, discovered that the archers in the enemy's merchant army had suddenly withdrawn and were replaced by several rows of soldiers wearing dark clothes, holding strange black bows like Huang Feihu's, without any extra armor on their bodies, clearly handpicked divine archers.

  The Moon Princess's slender body trembled, and a strong sense of unease surged up in her mind once again. Before she could utter a word to stop it, her worry immediately became reality.

  Only to see those black bowmen drawing their bows and firing arrows, before the divine bow cavalry had time to react, powerful arrows like shooting stars had already pierced their leather armor. This range was something that even the proud divine bow cavalry couldn't achieve. The frequency of the black bowmen's shots also shocked the Moon Princess, who was known for her long-range archery skills. Although this group of black bowmen didn't shoot as fast as she did, in the entire Eastern Yi tribes, no one could match their speed. Because the damage to the fingers from continuously drawing the string was quite large, if not aided by some special technique, shooting strong bows at this speed would render the fingers useless after just a few times. Little did she know that the black bowmen's fingers were all equipped with another secret device invented by the Emperor - finger guards, which allowed them to fire arrows recklessly at high speeds.

  Under the divine shooting of the Black Bowmen, the column of the Knights of the Valar gradually grew shorter.

  What's even more detestable is that when the battered Divine Bow Knights rushed into their own archers' shooting range on horseback, ready to counterattack, those black bowmen suddenly hid behind the giant shields erected in front of the Shang army, leaving the infuriated Divine Bow Knights with no outlet for their anger.

  Just as the Divine Archers were about to use their signature pincer movement to disrupt the shield wall, the shields suddenly parted and several rows of mounted archers burst forth from the gap. These riders were well-equipped, holding crossbows and even wearing protective leather armor on their warhorses, charging swiftly towards the Divine Archers.

  Although the casualties were not small, the Divine Archers and Fine Riders still had absolute experience and confidence in dealing with the same type of troops, the Great Merchants' Bow and Horse. With their skilled horseback archery techniques, they could easily defeat several times more enemies. However, today was clearly a disastrous day for the Divine Archers and Fine Riders. The strange "bow" in the hands of the merchants was quite terrifying, and it didn't seem to require drawing a string or loading an arrow. It only needed to be aimed at with a strange posture, and its shooting speed and intensity were astonishing. The sturdy armor was like paper in front of it, and those who were hit by arrows all had their bodies penetrated, which was chilling. On the other hand, most of the Divine Archers and Fine Riders' arrows could not penetrate the merchants' specially made leather armor, so it's easy to imagine which side was stronger.

  The divine archers knew that if they continued to shoot arrows, they would only be sending themselves to death. They quickly drew their long swords and accelerated towards the enemy, intending to rely on close combat skills. Little did they know, this played right into the hands of the Shang army. Although the repeating crossbow was formidable, reloading it was a hassle. The Shang army had originally planned to shoot three arrows before immediately engaging in melee combat, but unexpectedly, the enemy delivered themselves to their doorstep.

  As soon as the two cavalry approached, all the Dongyi people were shocked again. The Shang Dynasty's cavalry could actually leave their hands free to make various offensive and defensive movements on horseback with ease. This incredible horsemanship was probably impossible even for the Quanrong tribe who "grew up on horseback". And the sharp, strange curved knives in their hands were the nemesis of long swords. In the flying dust, the bodies of the Divine Bow Fine Riders gradually increased on the ground. The fine riders finally realized clearly at this time that the combat effectiveness of the Shang army in front of them was now far superior to theirs, and they could only rely on a strong courage to persist, feeling despondent.

  As the elite troops were about to be wiped out, morale plummeted again. Cang Jie couldn't bear to fight bravely and ordered a painful retreat. This battle caused the main force of the allied army to suffer heavy casualties, lose its elite troops, and was extremely depressing. Huang Feihu was not willing to let go of such an opportunity, and with a wave of his long spear, he led the entire army in pursuit. The Shang army pursued for over ten miles, capturing many spoils of war and prisoners, but due to the speed of the Dongyi horses, most of the main force escaped. It was the first time since facing the Dongyi that the Shang army had won so triumphantly, and morale suddenly soared.

  When Zhang Zixing, who arrived later, learned of this news, he was overjoyed and heavily rewarded the meritorious generals. Jiang Hanchu only then realized the prowess of this "impetuous" son-in-law. While feeling happy about the great defeat of the Dongyi army, he was even more envious of the advanced equipment such as stirrups, composite bows, and repeating crossbows. He thought to himself that if the Dongru army could be equipped with these new weapons, not only would they make the Dongyi fearful, but also surpass the other three marquises, making the Jiang family the strongest among all the vassals... However, having heard that the Divine Army Workshop was the most secretive place in Chao Ge, he feared that these things were not so easily obtainable.

  Shang Jun stationed in Kan City that night, and Jiang Huan Chu, who had just entered the emperor's central military tent after searching for his son everywhere without success, suddenly saw a scout enter the tent and kneel down before the emperor, loudly reporting: "Your Majesty, General Jiang of the rear army has sent a signal of victory!"

  Jiang Huan Chu was greatly surprised, wasn't his son supposed to be in charge of escorting supplies and receiving work? How could this suddenly turn into a "victory report"? As he listened to the scout's next report, Jiang Huan Chu's face changed again and again, and his gaze towards the emperor became increasingly reverent. It turned out that Zhang Zixing had ordered Huang Feihu to lead the vanguard in a slow and majestic advance, engaging in a great battle with the Dongyi army on the Eastern Plains, while also ordering Jiang Wenhuan to lead a team of elite cavalrymen, numbering over a thousand, to rapidly bypass the main force and launch a surprise attack on the temporary concentration camps of the various Dongyi tribes stationed far away. This was precisely the blitzkrieg tactic employed by the famous general Huo Qubing during the Han Dynasty, and Jiang Huan Chu, being young and valiant with boundless energy, bore some resemblance to him. Moreover, having long resided in Eastern Lu, he was deeply familiar with the enemy's characteristics, making him the best candidate to execute this tactic.

  Jiang Wenhuan did not disappoint Zhang Zixing's expectations, and in one fell swoop destroyed the Dongyi camp, capturing a large number of relatives and supplies of the various kings of Dongyi. He is currently on his way back. Huang Feihu, Zhang Guifang and others heard that the surprise attack was successful, each with a joyful expression, admiring the emperor's clever plan.

  Zhang Zixing was initially delighted, but later frowned: Jiang Wenhuan's success this time was due to his own speed and suddenness in striking the enemy. If he were to return with a large number of captives and supplies, it would greatly reduce his marching speed and lose his greatest advantage. Moreover, although the Eastern Yi had been defeated, their main force had not been damaged, and such a delay in the march might allow the enemy to catch up.

  "Zhang Guilin, Li Jing!" Zhang Zixing ordered: "Order you two to lead 10,000 troops to quickly go and respond to Jiang Yuan Shuai. If you encounter the enemy army, do not engage in a prolonged battle!"

  The two hastily led the order out of the account, Zhang Zixing thought that Sun Kuang's "Tianying" intelligence organization had already taken shape, and Fei Zhong was also very dedicated, but the merchant's intelligence system still needed a considerable amount of time to further improve and expand. "Tianying" has gradually infiltrated into the territories of various lords, but as for the border areas, such as Dongyi and Quanrong, the intelligence is still blank. Although Wen Zhong had conquered Dongyi, the intelligence obtained was still limited, and it was more than a decade ago, so it was necessary to ask Jiang Huan Chu in detail to know oneself and others.

  "Jiang Hou has long been stationed in eastern Lu, and is most familiar with the major and minor details of the Eastern Yi. Does he not know that the Eastern Yi still have some military strength?"

  Jiang Huan Chu saw the Son of Heaven's inquiry and did not dare to be slow, detailing everything he knew.

  The Dongyi are the descendants of the demon god Chiyou, and they are usually scattered into various small countries (tribes). The strongest among them is the Youmeng clan. In the past, there was a famous great god in the Youmeng country, namely Hou Yi, who shot down nine suns. Other powerful clans include the Xuanyuan, Yougu, Zhenxun, and Zhendou. The Dongyi people are very warlike and often form alliances to invade the eastern borders of the Great Shang, plundering wealth and women. However, even the strongest king of the Youmeng country must obey the commands of the religious leader of all the Dongyi tribes - the Wuji King. This Wuji King is well-versed in magic and has profound powers, with a batch of fearsome elite soldiers called the "Shenwu Army" under his command. Although this Shenwu Army is limited in number, they are all equipped with secret techniques and have astonishing combat power, with their speed on foot almost matching that of horses, and their weapons being indestructible divine artifacts. Of course, the most fearsome thing about the Dongyi is the two ancient magical beasts left behind by Hou Yi when he shot down the suns - Fengxiang and Jiuying, which are no longer matchable by ordinary humans. However, to control these two magical beasts, the Wuji King must pay a considerable price, including severe damage to his primordial energy and the need for large-scale human sacrifices. In Jiang Huan's memory, these two magical beasts had only been deployed twenty years ago when the Grand Master East led an expedition, with the final result being that both the Dongyi and Shang armies suffered heavy losses.

  Is it the ancient demon beast that even Taishi's cavalry cannot tame? Zhang Zixing fell into deep thought, he now only has Mo Jia Si Jiang, Zhang Guifang and others in his hands, can they thoroughly subdue Dongyi?

  Just as Zhang Zixing was thinking of a solution, the soldiers suddenly came to report that Jiang Wenhuan had been defeated by the Eastern Yi army on his way back and was seriously injured. Fortunately, he was rescued by Zhang Guifang and Li Jing, and has now retreated to Kan City.

  "What!" Jiang Huan Chu was shocked and lost his composure when he heard that his son had encountered danger and been injured.

  PS: As a colleague said, I've been busy for the past two days to the point where I even wore my underwear inside out... I really envy those colleagues who are on vacation. Also, thank you very much for your thoughtful comments, Point's level is limited and there are many areas that need improvement, please don't hesitate to teach me, your support is my motivation.