Chapter 120: Is this the Yellow Turban?

Are the Wuhuan cavalry invincible? Xu Chen thinks not.

The Wuhuan cavalry was also known as the Wuhuan Tuqi. Their main method of combat was cavalry charge, with mounted archery being a minor feature. This was the result of the evolution of the military as saddles and stirrups became increasingly popular, and it was also the direction of compromise for nomads in their long struggle with the Han Dynasty.

When the Han cavalry wore light and heavy armor and charged across the battlefield, the damage that the mounted archery tactics could cause to the Han army was significantly reduced.

This is actually a contest between two civilizations in equipment. Those without armor will suffer a disadvantage compared to those with armor, and a big disadvantage. The ones who have always suffered losses in this regard are the nomadic civilizations. This is also the reason why the Han Dynasty was able to suppress the nomadic civilizations until the end of the Three Kingdoms period.

Throughout the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, apart from Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers who were famous for their horse riding and archery, the rest of the cavalry units were all famous for their cavalry. By the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, cavalry tactics had completely developed in the direction of armored cavalry.

Tian Shitou was wearing heavy armor and riding out of the battlefield. With every move, there was the sound of scales colliding with each other. The sunlight made the dark scales reflect light, and a heavy and dull sense of power was revealed as the horse moved slowly.

Behind Tian Shitou, a thousand heavily armored infantrymen were lined up in neat rows, with their spears pointed obliquely at the enemy positions, like a long forest of gold and iron, which made people feel cold.

There were five hundred heavy cavalry on each side of the position. The soldiers were all wrapped in gold and iron like Tian Shitou, but they just stood there quietly with their spears in hand. Except that the horses would occasionally become agitated due to the tense atmosphere, the entire cavalry position remained calm enough. It was this readiness that made it seem more dangerous and terrifying.

As for the 3,000 infantrymen in the rear, although they were not wearing heavy armor, they were still arranged in neat formation. Behind the heavily armored infantrymen, huge crossbows were parked neatly.

In addition to the soldiers operating the crossbows, there were also soldiers holding halberds and crossbows standing on the left and right, and everyone was ready for battle.

"Brothers, don't be afraid. Although the Hu people are good at riding and brave, they lack armor and their formation is scattered. Even if our cavalry is five times as many as mine, what can we do? In the past, one Han could defeat five Hu people. Today, we can defeat five Hu people with one Huang!"

Before the battle, Tian Shitou slowly drove his horse and shouted in front of the formation, which immediately aroused the Yellow Turbans to shout "mighty" in unison.

The oppressive feeling brought by the 5,000 Wuhuan cavalry was very strong, but this did not make the Yellow Turbans panic or fearful.

Thanks to the open military system, the entire Yellow Turban officer system has analyzed and studied the tactics and strategies of various potential enemies. This kind of group cognition can completely eliminate the panic and fear of unknown enemies.

All the officers of the Yellow Turbans, both high and low, had solemn expressions and were filled with fighting spirit.

Is it really impossible to fight if the number of cavalry is not equal? ​​I am afraid not!
After a short period of time, both sides of the battle completed their preparations for war. As the Wuhuan cavalry's wailing horns sounded, both sides in the central battlefield also moved.

When the two sides were within two miles of each other, the five thousand Wuhuan cavalry were still advancing slowly. This was the time when the soldiers were adjusting their status before the charge.

When the distance became one mile, a thousand men in the Wuhuan army began to speed up. In just a few blinks of an eye, the speed of the leading cavalry reached its peak, like a powerful black wind suddenly rushing over. The sound of the horses' hooves alone made the earth begin to tremble dully.

The last few hundred meters were just a matter of a split second for the high-speed cavalry.

However, at this time, the heavy infantry in the front row of the Yellow Turban formation had no intention of retreating. Instead, they shouted and rushed forward in unison, thrusting rows of spears diagonally.

It seems to be common sense that cavalry restrains infantry, but a truly elite heavy armored corps is absolutely not afraid of a head-on confrontation.

However, the Wuhuan cavalry were not fools. As nomadic cavalry with rich combat experience, they would not foolishly charge into the heavily armored soldiers in front of them. Their target was the ordinary infantry in the rear.

Just as the two sides were about to come into contact, the Wuhuan cavalry gave a signal and relied on their superb riding skills to quickly change direction, like two tides rushing from the left and right, completely bypassing the steel jungle in front of the Yellow Turbans.

However, Tian Shitou had anticipated this. Following the flag signals, the heavy armored cavalry waiting on the left and right of the Yellow Turbans also moved. After charging for a distance, they encountered the Wuhuan cavalry.

The two sides were at loggerheads, and in the high-speed direct collision, the long lances stabbed far away. With their powerful kinetic energy, once they hit the enemy, they would instantly pierce the flesh and blood. The collision of iron and flesh broke out in every corner of the cavalry confrontation.

The Wuhuan cavalry were more skilled in riding and charging techniques, but the Yellow Turbans' heavy armor and intensive training could make up for these shortcomings.

The horses collided with each other quickly, and soon the advantage of heavy armor gradually emerged. Relying on stronger protection and greater weight, the Yellow Turbans slowly gained a foothold in the brutal power fight.

As teams charged in turns, the Wuhuan's momentum was actually suppressed by the Yellow Turban heavy cavalry.

However, at this time, the 4,000 Wuhuan cavalry in the rear also quickly moved out and rushed to the rear when the cavalry confrontation was most intense.

The heavy armored infantry in front of the Yellow Turbans were at a disadvantage, and they could only slowly respond to the enemy's main attack direction. However, the Wuhuan cavalry were too fast and had already circled to the rear. Facing the surging cavalry, the ordinary army formation in the rear did not panic. The crossbows quickly turned around, and the soldiers also arranged the crossbows and spears in formation.

As the Tuo cavalry approached within a hundred steps, the soldiers operated the huge crossbows on the carriage and fired. Waves of crossbow arrows instantly tore through the air and flew forward rapidly. Every time a crossbow arrow hit the Wuhuan cavalry, it would pierce the cavalryman completely, or pierce into the horse's body, causing both the man and the horse to fall.

Even after advancing dozens of steps, the soldiers would, under the command of the officers, fire the crossbows in unison, pouring out crossbow arrows crazily in a very short period of time.

Although the power of the infantry crossbows was far less than that of the strong crossbows, the attack was extremely terrifying when fired in groups. The Wuhuan cavalry, most of whom were wearing leather armor, were immediately hit by a powerful blow and fell to the ground.

However, the strength of the cavalry lies in its extremely fast assault speed. Whether it is a bed crossbow or a repeating crossbow, the window for attack is only a short period of time before. With the influx of cavalry from the rear, the entire infantry phalanx has to face the pressure of the Wuhuan cavalry head-on.

The Yellow Turbans fought hard against the attacks of the Wuhuan cavalry, but the huge impact force continued to tear their army formation apart. The Wuhuan cavalry took turns to move in and out to accumulate strength for attack, which visibly made the infantry formation loose and disintegrate.

But the Yellow Turbans' resistance remained tenacious. Even though some soldiers were constantly pierced and thrown away by Wuhuan spears, they relied on their formation to fight back and inflicted a lot of casualties on the Wuhuan cavalry.

In the end, the battle between the two sides turned into a battle of wills.

As the two sides became more and more entangled, the Yellow Turbans' formation became increasingly difficult to maintain.

Tian Shitou, who had been observing the situation, shouted an order: "All heavy cavalry, assemble and attack the enemy on the right wing!"

As the order was issued, the messenger waved the flag and the excellent quality of the grassroots officers allowed the Yellow Turban heavy cavalry to respond quickly. In a short while, the two heavy cavalry units combined into a thousand heavy cavalry, led by Tian Shitou, and rushed towards the right wing Wuhuan cavalry.

More than a thousand heavy cavalry gathered and charged, and the iron torrent suddenly plunged into the Wuhuan cavalry that was entangled with the Yellow Turban infantry phalanx.

Thanks to the advantage of armor, the Yellow Turban heavy cavalry vanguard was like a giant hammer, which used its powerful and violent impact force to scatter the more than 2,000 Wuhuan cavalry on the right. For a moment, countless Wuhuan cavalry fell off their horses and were trampled to death, while more people were killed instantly by collisions and spear piercings.

The situation on the entire right battlefield changed instantly. The Yellow Turbans became more virile, and the infantry phalanx seized the opportunity and immediately cooperated with their heavy cavalry to launch a counterattack. For a while, they were evenly matched with the Wuhuan.

It was at this time that the sound of a wailing horn was heard again from the distant enemy position, and this time it was a signal to retreat.

The Wuhuan cavalry also slowly withdrew from the battlefield like the receding tide, and then gathered back one after another.

When they launched the attack, they were full of vigor and enthusiasm, but now, few of them can laugh anymore. When they look at the Yellow Turbans again, they all have solemn expressions.

The Wuhuan cavalry lacked armor, but this also gave them greater mobility. They took the initiative to withdraw from the battle, and the Yellow Turbans could only watch.

An intense but not desperate competition ended, and the result was beyond many people's expectations. Qiu Liju silently looked at the Yellow Turban army formation in the distance, with disbelief in his eyes.

"These are the Yellow Turbans. Are you sure they are not the elite of the Han Dynasty?"

Qiuliju couldn't help but swear. The Yellow Turbans in front of him were completely different from the Yellow Turbans he knew.

Aren't the Yellow Turbans supposed to be a group of refugees running around with hoes and sticks? You tell me that this neatly-arrayed, well-equipped, and high-morale army in front of me is the Yellow Turbans?

Especially the one thousand heavily armored cavalry, which made Qiu Liju's heart tremble.

This kind of heavily armored cavalry is completely an enhanced version of the Wuhuan cavalry, which means that the enemy's number is small, otherwise we really have to take a detour.

Until now, only the Han Dynasty has been able to produce such heavy cavalry. How could a Yellow Turban like you afford it?

However, he did not know that these elite troops before him were the result of more than a year of preparation, the wealth accumulated over generations by countless powerful people in several counties, the current military governance system of the Yellow Turbans, the completely controlled commercial interests, and the efficient production of many handicraft workshops.

He only saw the incredible strength displayed by the Yellow Turbans, but failed to see the hard work of countless Yellow Turban soldiers and civilians behind them.

Not to mention Qiu Liju was surprised by this, even Zhang Chun, who was relatively familiar with the Yellow Turbans, was a little scared. The Yellow Turbans were stronger and more terrifying than last time.
"It's hard to tell who will win in a competition. Can we still borrow this thing?" Zhang Chun looked at Qiu Liju in confusion.

(End of this chapter)