Chapter Eighteen: The Mighty Iron Cavalry
"General, you go first, I'll cover the rear!" Zhang Fei shouted loudly to Li Guang as he led a unit of Han military cavalrymen who were also Li Guang's personal bodyguards.
"Cut the nonsense! I, Li Guang, have fought in dozens of battles large and small throughout my life. In which one did I not lead by example? Is it reasonable to abandon my subordinates and flee for my own safety?"
"General, you are the commander-in-chief of the army. If something goes wrong, what will happen to the thousands of soldiers? You should lead everyone to retreat first! I, your subordinate, will not let these Xiongnu take another step forward!" The bodyguard team urged anxiously.
"Yes, Father, you'd better withdraw first. Zhang and I will cover the rear!" Li Gan rarely showed a majestic air at this moment.
"Shut up, all of you! Anyone who dares to speak again will be punished by military law!" Li Guang shouted loudly. He paused for a moment and asked, "Where is the Colonel?"
"What has become of Colonel Wei now? What is the general's business?" shouted a white-faced young servant who was holding a sword beside Li Guang.
"Go quickly to find the cavalry captain, I will order him to bring men to guard the mountain pass we came from, under no circumstances can we let the mountain pass fall into the hands of the Xiongnu people, until our main army withdraws!" Li Guang ordered.
"Yes!" The pale-faced groom responded with a single word and galloped away.
……
Nowadays, Qin Cheng has successfully upgraded from infantry to cavalry. The war horse he seized from the Xiongnu people galloped freely on the battlefield under his control. He held a military flag in one hand and reins in the other, but instead of retreating with the main force, he led the flag under the escort of Dong Zhuo, Wu Zhi, and others to Li Guang's side.
Li Guang as the commander of the three armies is not hard to find.
"General, the army flag is here!" Qin Cheng rode his horse to Li Guang's side at a gallop, using the army flag to knock down a Xiongnu cavalryman in front of him, and shouted to Li Guang.
Qin Cheng led the army flag to Li Guang's side, not to ask for credit or reward, but as a symbol of the commander-in-chief, Qin Cheng had to let the cavalry who stayed behind know that Li Guang did not abandon them and escape! This was necessary to boost the morale of the cavalry who stayed behind, because their battle directly affected whether the main force could retreat safely.
"Good!" Li Guang saw the military flag and excitedly shouted, "I hereby appoint you as the new Marquis of the Army, in charge of commanding the banner!"
"Yes!" Qin Cheng responded loudly, and without having time to get excited about being able to fight alongside Li Guang, he threw himself into the new battle.
At this time, a cavalryman shouted loudly: "General, there are too many Huns cavalrymen in the rear, and I'm afraid our soldiers can't hold on!"
Li Guang rode his horse at full gallop, cutting down several Xiongnu cavalrymen in a row, before shouting: "Quickly go and pass on the order, our cavalry will fight to the death without retreating. Even if we are reduced to just one soldier, we must ensure that our main force withdraws safely!"
"Promise!"
"General's order: Cavalry fight to the death and never retreat, fight until the last soldier!"
"General's order: Cavalry fight to the death and never retreat, fight until the last soldier!"
"General's order: Cavalry fight to the death and never retreat, fighting till the last soldier!"
“……”
As the messenger galloped across the battlefield, Li Guang's order was also delivered to every Han cavalryman. Upon hearing this order, the Han cavalrymen not only did not feel despair, but instead a strong and intense aura burst forth from their hearts, and their movements became even more vigorous!
For these Han army cavalrymen, their hatred for the Xiongnu had already penetrated to the bone. Sixty years of humiliation and endurance, after finding a breakthrough, once erupted, would be more violent than a flood, fierce and fearless of death!
Fight to the death. This was the only thought left in the minds of every Han military cavalryman. They certainly did not want to die, but they would never be afraid of death!
The bloody scene of the battlefield has entered its second phase.
The war chariots that had not been scrapped yet, charged back and forth in the Xiongnu army formation, coordinating with the cavalry's blocking. The cavalrymen on both lines, even more tenaciously held back those Xiongnu cavalrymen who attempted to break through the defense line and encircle from behind. Here, the shouts of killing, the wails of agony filled the air, blood stained the sky red, every step forward by the Xiongnu cavalry came at a heavy cost!
When the light infantry first retreated to the mountain pass where they came, a fierce battle was being staged between the Han army cavalry and the Xiongnu Left Worthy King's cavalry.
"Archers, ready!"
The light infantry commander gave an order, and the remaining few hundred archers lined up in formation!
"Draw your bow and nock your arrow!"
"Let go!"
Hundreds of iron arrows suddenly pierced into the dense Khitan cavalry formation that was blocking the mountain pass, causing massive casualties!
"Draw your bow and nock your arrow!"
"Let go!"
Several rounds of volleys, the Han army cavalry who were charging at the Xiongnu cavalry defense line suddenly felt a great reduction in pressure. The cavalry squad of less than 300 people finally tore open a gap at the mountain pass!
At this time, the heavy infantry and chariot infantry also arrived almost simultaneously. These Han military cavalrymen, after opening up a gap, began to intercept the Xiongnu cavalry reinforcements under the cover of archers.
The heavy infantry and the cavalry infantry rushed into the mountain pass under the command of their respective centurions!
"General, Shan Kou has been taken over by our army, let's retreat quickly!"
The Imperial Guards shouted at Li Guang.
"Let the infantry go first. Pass on my order, have the archers set an ambush at Eagle's Mouth!"
"Hello!"
……
"General, the infantry has almost withdrawn, let's hurry up and go!"
"You withdraw first, I'll cover the rear!"
"General!"
"Obey orders! The military flag follows me to block the enemy!"
"Promise!"
……
The heavy infantry and the infantry in vehicles retreated into the mountain pass, followed by the war chariots under Li Guang's command, then the light infantry, and finally the cavalry. Qin Cheng and others followed Li Guang, who was at the very back of the cavalry!
All retreating personnel rush to Eagle's Mouth five miles away!
Eagle Mouth, a particularly narrow place in the mountain forest path, the terrain of Eagle Mouth is narrow, about 10 zhang long and less than 1 zhang wide. When chariots and soldiers pass through, they have to put away their horizontal spears. This was also why Li Guang chose it as an ambush point for his archers.
When the scorching sun at noon was about to turn into sunset, the last cavalry rushed into the mountain pass. And among the last dozen cavalrymen, Qin Cheng and Li Guang, who were carrying the military flag, were unexpectedly in the ranks!
To cover the infantry's retreat, the original nearly two thousand cavalry now has less than two hundred left, and each one is wounded. Even Li Guang's body is full of knife wounds and arrow wounds, and his blood has already stained his battle robe red!
These dozen or so cavalrymen galloped forward while continuously shooting arrows backwards. Within the short distance of five li, the more than fifty cavalrymen who had been following Li Guang and were the last to retreat had already been reduced to just over a dozen by the time they reached Lao Ying Kou.
"The general is coming! The general is coming! Archers, get ready!"
The light infantry commander saw Li Guang and others coming on horseback, a look of frantic excitement flashed across his face, and he immediately ordered the archers to prepare to respond.
Qin Cheng followed behind Li Guang, with an iron arrow still stuck in his back. Fortunately, he had the protection of his iron armor, and this one hadn't caused him too much harm. However, the person who shot the arrow was indeed formidable, having managed to shoot the iron arrow through his iron armor.
That person was called "Zuo Da Gu Tou Hou" or something like that.
Qin Cheng saw Lao Ying's mouth was already close at hand, and he couldn't help but secretly let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
Damn it, I almost died on the battlefield for the first time in a fight, it's too damn dangerous! Qin Cheng thought to himself.
"Ah!" When Qin Cheng rushed to the front of the Eagle's Mouth, about twenty or so yards away, a miserable cry came from behind. Qin Cheng's heart shook, but he didn't dare look back. Now it was the last step, and he couldn't afford to be careless. Many times people fail at the last step before success. Qin Cheng didn't want to make this mistake. Besides, without looking back, Qin Cheng knew that one of his cavalrymen must have been shot off his horse by the pursuing Xiongnu cavalry from behind. This was how it had been all along.
"Let go!"
As soon as the light infantry captain gave the order, hundreds of archers and crossbowmen who were hiding behind rocks on both sides of the Eagle's Mouth simultaneously shot arrows, and a rain of arrows suddenly enveloped the pursuing Xiongnu cavalry. The Xiongnu cavalry at the front was overturned in an instant!
"Tank blocking the road!"
Li Guang rushed into the eagle's mouth and ordered directly without getting off his horse.
"Hello!"
The remaining few chariots were placed in the narrow passage of Eagle's Mouth, which was only ten zhang long.
"General!" The Han army officers and men who were retreating here all stood up when they saw Li Guang return safely, each of their blood-stained faces mixed with some tears at this moment.
Li Guang dismounted his horse and slowly looked around at the remaining soldiers. The army of 5,000 men that had set out on the expedition now numbered only 1,500 - less than a third of its original strength. Especially the cavalry, almost all of them were annihilated.
These surviving soldiers had no excitement or luck on their faces, behind each blood-and-tear-stained face was a heart that refused to give up.
Looking at these soldiers covered in blood, with their clothes in disarray and wounds all over their bodies, Li Guang's heart felt suffocated, his throat momentarily hardened like a rock, and he was on the verge of tears.
When they set out, the 5,000 soldiers were all robust and vigorous, eager to show their prowess on the battlefield and avenge their country's shame. But after a fierce battle, they ended up in such a wretched state. Even more tragic was that many of his men lay dead in the wilderness, becoming sacrifices to defeat. As a general, not being able to lead his troops to victory was perhaps the greatest regret and failure.
"What? Daliang didn't follow up?! Just as Li Guang was feeling anxious and worried, a loud shout suddenly exploded from behind him!"
