059 Trial
Gao Fei, Cao Cao and Ge Xun led the 9,000 cavalrymen in a rapid gallop when they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves behind them. Turning their heads back, they saw Beigong Boyu and Bian Zhang leading a large army in pursuit. The mountains and fields were filled with Qiang Hu rebels, estimated to be around 20,000 men.
"General Cao, please lead the 7,000 government troops to retreat quickly to Chen Cang, I'll take the Flying Feather Troop to cut off their rear!" Gao Fei saw that the rebel army was approaching with great momentum, and obviously, Zhang Lu's plan had not had much effect. He observed the surrounding terrain for a moment, then made a swift decision, shouting loudly to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao did not respond, but instead said to Gai Xun: "Gai Zhangshi, please lead the 5,000 infantrymen back to Chen Cang first. I and General Xiahou will stay here to cover our rear!"
As soon as the words fell, Cao Cao didn't wait for Gai Xun to respond, and led his 2,000 cavalrymen to quickly turn their horses around, rushing to the side of the flying feather troops led by Gao Fei. In an instant, they formed a battle array, with the two troops forming a horn-like shape.
Cao Cao reined in his horse, turned to face Gao Fei and shouted: "The enemy is too strong! My brother and I will fight side by side and resist the enemy together!"
Gao Feng smiled and did not answer, but his heart was warm. At least Cao Cao did not leave him behind, but chose to stay and fight alongside him. Turning his head, he looked at the rebel cavalry rushing over from less than three miles away and immediately shouted loudly: "Zhao Yun, Li Wenhao scattered on the left wing, Zhou Cang, Guan Yu blocked in front, Pei Yuanshao, Xia Houlan occupied high ground, Liao Hua, Bian Xi scattered on the right wing, Hua Xiong, Pang De guarded the central army."
At the sound of the order, Zhao Yun and Li Wenhou led 400 cavalrymen to quickly line up on the left side of the official road; Zhou Cang and Guan Yu's 400 shield-bearing soldiers stood in the front row, each holding their shields tightly together, with their right hands grasping their knives and their eyes fixed intently through the gaps; Pei Yuanshao and Xiahou Lan led 200 archers each to scatter on the hills on both sides of the official road, with full bows waiting to shoot, quietly awaiting the arrival of the rebel cavalry; Liao Hua and Bian Xi led 400 strong crossbowmen scattered on the right wing, with 200 people crouching on the ground and 200 standing upright, each holding a crossbow machine in their hands, gazing intently at the rebel army in front; Hua Xiong and Pang De's 400 long spear soldiers were the backbone of the entire Flying Feather Corps, with each person's long spear modified to be three or four meters long, specially designed for dealing with cavalry.
In an instant, the Flying Feather Corps formed a small array, and the black army blocked the entire official road, making it impossible to pass through. If it weren't for Cao Cao's thousand cavalry occupying the far right side of the official road, there might not even be any space left. The whole process was carried out smoothly by the soldiers, and in an instant, a two-thousand-man army became five teams with different skills, dividing into five indeed added a lot of mysterious atmosphere.
Cao Cao looked at the flying feather troops in surprise, their rapid formation into a battle array was astonishing to him. The way this army was composed was also puzzling, somewhat like the Qin army's square formation, yet slightly different, making it impossible for him to see through. Just as he was still filled with curiosity about this flying feather army, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps behind him and turned around to see Gai Xun.
Gai Xun led the 5,000 infantrymen to and fro, without saying a word. He immediately ordered the archers to climb up high on both sides of the official road, while the rest of the troops followed closely behind, ready to respond at any moment. All the soldiers were arrayed in strict formation, waiting for orders.
The thundering war horses brought not only a simple tremor of the earth, but more so a shock to people's souls. A swift war horse charging forward could absolutely knock down five or six tightly guarded infantrymen, and adding the lethal power of the knight on its back, one cavalryman could completely take out at least eight enemies in a battle formation.
At this moment, everyone held their breath. The horses under Cao Cao, Zhao Yun and Li Wenhou began to get restless. If it weren't for the riders' control, they would have been in a mess already. The 400 shield-bearing soldiers standing at the front of the official road also felt a little fear in their hearts. Although they were all well-trained warriors from Liangzhou, they often fought on horseback and this was their first time fighting on foot. Moreover, their first battle on foot was against cavalry, and knowing the power of cavalry, they couldn't help but feel a bit short of breath.
Gao Fei rode on horseback, stopping at the back of the battle formation, frowning and staring at the approaching rebel cavalry. He knew that this battle would be the greatest test for the Flying Feather troops, to see if his tactics were practical, and also to test whether those soldiers were truly brave.
The vast snowy plain gradually stopped the wind, which brought great convenience to Gao Fei and others. This is equivalent to the arrow shot by the archer can be played normally. Between heaven and earth, except for the rapid horseshoes, everything seemed to have stopped. The 20,000 cavalry rushed forward at the fastest speed, without stopping, only bravely and fearlessly advancing forward. Led by Beichang and others, the Qiang Hu Jian'er with a breath of death rushed over quickly.
Five hundred meters! Everyone held their breath again, and the ground shook even more violently.
Three hundred meters! Archers on the earth mounds on both sides of the official road shot out arrows, and the arrows were continuously shot out. Although hundreds of people lost their lives in an instant, they could not stop their advancing footsteps.
One hundred meters! The strong crossbowmen on the right wing began to fire arrows continuously, shooting down hundreds of cavalry charging at the front. However, the rebel cavalry's footsteps remained steady, striding with agile and majestic hooves, wanting to trample everything in front of them.
50 meters!
"Disperse!" High-flying glared at the timing, and the knife-shield soldiers led by Zhou Cang and Guan Yu in front shouted loudly.
At the sound of the order, Zhou Cang and Guan Yu each led 200 halberd-wielding soldiers to scatter along both sides of the road. Suddenly, a huge gap appeared in the middle of the official road, and the long spear-wielding soldiers who had been waiting in formation at the back immediately charged forward with their long spears, exchanging positions with the halberd-wielding soldiers, blocking the front line of the battle array. It turned out that the 400 halberd-wielding soldiers were only used to cover up the long spear-wielding soldiers.
The sudden appearance of the dense long guns shocked Bian Zhang and Bei Gong Bo Yu, and they hastily restrained their horses. Before they could even shout to stop the cavalry behind them, they saw the rebel cavalry rushing forward in a swarm. Those rebel cavalry were instantly pierced by the long guns, four hundred long guns were arranged in an orderly manner, waiting for the enemy. It was seen that both men and horses were pierced through their bodies, blocking those cavalry three meters away.
At this time, Liao Hua and Bian Xi's powerful crossbowmen were able to exert their greatest power. The archers on both sides of the official road were also shooting arrows like rain. For a moment, the long guns and arrows were like forests and rains, playing an important role in the front line. Those cavalry who rushed into range all fell, and in just this brief moment, more than 1,000 cavalrymen died in battle.
The long spear array was filled with the corpses of Qiang Hu and horses, making it difficult for the soldiers holding the long spears. At this time, Gao Fei rushed to the left wing cavalry team on horseback, shouting "Charge!" Four hundred cavalrymen immediately charged out, followed by four hundred knife-shield soldiers. Even Liao Hua and Bian Xi's strong crossbowmen put away their strong crossbows, drew their knives from their waists, and shouted as they charged forward.
Hua Xiong and Pang De led the long spear soldiers to exert their utmost strength, four hundred people, four hundred long spears, began to pull out the long spears inserted in the corpses, then charged forward towards the rebel cavalry that was still somewhat terrified and undecided, wherever they went, the rebel cavalry could not stop them.
Cao Cao saw this so real scene, did not expect Gao Fei only used four hundred long gunners to block the rebel cavalry, under the guidance of the atmosphere, he immediately drew out the long sword from his waist, pointed the sword forward and shouted "attack", the two thousand cavalry behind him rushed up like a fierce tiger.
Gai Xun saw the Han army suddenly start a counterattack against the cavalry, and immediately drew out his long sword from his waist, shouting loudly: "The rebel army is defeated, the rebel army is defeated, follow me to kill them!"
At the sound of the order, all kinds of close combat troops behind Han's army rushed up together. The archers on both sides of the official road were still standing on high ground, continuously shooting arrows at the rebel cavalry.
This sudden change caused the situation on the battlefield to reverse, with the rebel cavalry behind constantly charging forward, while the cavalry in front had already engaged in close combat with the Han army.
Bei Gong Bo Yu and Bian Zhang, wielding their sabers, slaughtered the Han army soldiers. Just as they had killed one or two charging cavalrymen, they saw the long spear formation approaching. Having witnessed the power of the long spear formation before, which had stopped the rapid charge of the cavalry, the two men felt a chill in their hearts. Seeing the orange-red Han army and the black unknown military unit begin to counterattack on the battlefield, they exchanged a glance, and an unprecedented tacit understanding flashed between them. They turned their horses around, retreated, and shouted: "Withdraw!"
It will be the courage of the soldiers, and the role of a general can completely affect the entire army. Beipalace Boyu and Bian Zhang are already chilled in their hearts, let alone other rebel cavalry? With the rebel army's retreat order, the cavalry behind also stopped advancing and retreated one after another, while the cavalry that was fighting with the Han army had no intention of fighting and fled back on horseback.
Gao Fei, Zhao Yun, Li Wenhou and Cao Cao led the cavalry to attack from behind, chasing them out for five or six miles, killing hundreds of people before stopping the pursuit.
On the way back, Cao Cao's face was full of smiles, and he was in high spirits. It seemed that this time Cao Cao was really pleased with himself. On his horse's neck hung a human head, and he walked alongside Gao Shun, giving him a thumbs up and praising him: "Younger brother, you are the best fighter I have ever seen, using only 400 long spears to make these Qiang barbarians tremble with fear. I truly admire you."
Gao Fei was also delighted, this battle had verified the true combat strength of the Flying Feather Troop's coordinated fighting, he was naturally pleased. He turned his head to look at Zhao Yun and thought to himself: "Looks like next time I should try single-handed combat."
"Brother, what kind of formation is this? Why have I never seen it in the books on military tactics?" Cao Cao asked with admiration for Gao Fei, while being very interested in the formation laid out by the Flying Feather Troop.
Gao Fei smiled and said slowly: "Brother Meng De, this is a secret."
Cao Cao heard that Gao Fei was unwilling to speak, and he himself did not ask further. He silently memorized the personnel arrangement in his heart, preparing to study it slowly later. He chuckled and said: "Since my brother is unwilling to speak, I won't ask more either. I'm thinking, if all the troops use your battle formation, why worry that the rebellion in Liangzhou can't be pacified?"
Gao Fei said: "Brother Meng De, it's not that I don't want to talk about it, but this formation is still unstable, and everything is still in the experimental stage."
Cao Cao said: "My wise brother, I am also well-versed in military strategy. Why don't you tell me and we can study it together?"
Gao Fei looked embarrassed, he didn't want to tell Cao Cao the secrets behind this, let alone that this combat mode was still in experimentation and hadn't reached a stage where it could be promoted, and there were also shadows of the Roman legions involved. He smiled and said: "The Buddha said, if I don't go to hell, who will? This brain-draining task, I'll take care of it myself."
Cao Cao stopped asking and thought to himself, "How petty! I don't believe that without you, I won't be able to come up with this battle formation. Just wait and see, I will definitely be able to devise an even better and more ingenious way of fighting!"
Victory returned, Gai Xun led the soldiers to sweep the battlefield, with impressive achievements, and suddenly annihilated more than 3,000 rebel cavalry, while the Han army lost 16 people and injured 30 people. As for the Flying Feather Corps, there were zero casualties, it was a strong team.
The army retreated, and before they returned to Chen Cang, they received news from the scouts that Anding had been captured by Huangfu Song's fierce attack, and the rebel leader Han Sui had escaped back to Hanyang County. Huangfu Song did not stay in Anding, but pursued the victory, leaving only a small number of soldiers to guard Anding, and ordered Cao Cao and Gao Fei to lead their troops to attack Hanyang County and merge with the main force.
In this way, the troops did not have to return to Chen Cang, but instead took a shortcut back and slowly advanced towards Han Yang County.
