After passing the pass, the cavalry went down the slope, whipped up and galloped away. Therefore, there was a small disconnection problem on both sides of the pass slope. The horses downhill on the south side galloped away.
, the war horses on the uphill slope on the north side crowded together and slowly went uphill.
Just when Zhao Yuankang thought everything was going smoothly, under the dim light of the sky, loud shouts suddenly rang out from the dense forests on both sides of the hillsides. Countless figures rushed out from the dense woods on the hillsides.
, in a very short time, the roar of arrows and firearms resounded throughout the mountains and fields.
The position where the ambush troops on the hillside rushed out was a space of dozens of steps wide at the top of the pass. Under the ferocious blows of repeating crossbows and firearms, before the officers and soldiers could react, the enemy occupied a favorable position at the top of the pass.
Zhao Yuankang quickly came to his senses and saw that the opponent was condescendingly shooting arrows and firearms at the soldiers and horses going up the slope. His own cavalry was caught off guard and suffered many casualties. He immediately ordered an immediate retreat and stopped going up the slope. When the cavalry retreated down the slope, Zhao Yuankang suddenly realized
We encountered a very serious problem: the troops and horses were divided.
Three thousand cavalrymen passed the pass first, but there were still seven thousand soldiers and horses blocked under the Bowangpo Pass. The cavalry formation was divided into two parts in a short period of time. Zhao Yuankang immediately understood what was going on.
What's going on? This tactic is so similar to what we knew about the situation in Akakura Town that day. It's the same cutting formation, and it's the same use of favorable terrain. The difference is that that day it was blocked by fire, but today there are ambushes coming out to quickly capture it.
The position at the top of the pass. This is Lin Jue's handiwork. The identity of this group of people is self-evident. They are Luoyan Army soldiers and horses from Funiu Mountain.
There were roars and shouts of killing from the opposite side of the mountain pass, and Zhao Yuankang became more certain of the opponent's intentions. They wanted to divide their formation, and the three thousand cavalry who had crossed the mountain pass were the target, and they would be subjected to the full strength of the opponent.
attack.
Zhao Yuankang cursed continuously. He suddenly realized a serious problem. His side's so-called plan to invade the east and attack the west had actually been seen through by the other side. The other side had already prepared to intercept his troops here. Everything was an arranged trap, but
Waiting for him to be delivered to his door. Although the slopes on both sides of Bowang Slope are not steep, it is this that confuses him. He thought that there would be no condescending blow from rolling logs and rocks, but he did not expect that the other party was hiding in the dense forest.
Taking advantage of the disconnection of the team as they crossed the pass, they rushed out, occupied the pass, and divided the team. This was a completely planned plan.
Zhao Yuankang's first reaction was to retreat immediately and turn around and leave. He knew that as long as he wanted to leave, no one could stop him. But then, the three thousand cavalry would be ruined here, and the whole plan would be ruined.
. How to explain to Guo Xu, that is a problem. I have patted my chest and made bold remarks, even swore a poisonous oath. Now I am running back in despair without doing any rescue. The emperor will not spare me.
Zhao Yuankang calmed down and observed for a moment, and quickly stabilized his mind. There were not many bandits on the hillside, more than a thousand at most. They just rushed out suddenly, which caught him off guard. According to the detective report
He said that there were only 20,000 bandits in Funiu Mountain, so how many could come out to attack? If he could annihilate all these bandits, he would be considered a winner and win the first battle.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yuankang gave an order in a loud voice: "Reorganize the formation and prepare to charge. Rush to the pass with a strong momentum.
, collapse them into pulp."
The cavalry also recovered from the panic, stood up and shouted, and quickly adjusted their formation. These cavalry were the elite of the Forbidden Army, not just a ragtag group. After recovering from the panic, they quickly adjusted their mentality and prepared the plan.
Preparation for attack.
"A mere thousand bandits will be our first credit. Kill them!" Zhao Yuankang shouted loudly.
"Kill!" The cavalry roared loudly, and the swords in their hands were like a forest, emitting a cold light in the dusk. The cavalry waved the swords in their hands, held the sword flowers in their arms, and made a roaring sound, accompanied by the thundering sound.
The roar rushed towards Bowang Slope.
Bowang Slope is not steep, but a long and wide slope. Although it affects the speed of the charge, it does not prevent the cavalry from using their impact speed in general. The torrent of cavalry is like a sea tide surging up the embankment, even if it is high
The high embankment could not withstand the surge of the tide. In just a few dozen breaths, the leading cavalry had already rushed dozens of steps down the slope.
Without any suspense, the opponent's arrows and firearms began to roar, and the dense rain of arrows began to pour down like a heavy rain.
"Stand up your shield!" the cavalry general rushing in front shouted. The cavalrymen took off the shields hanging from their saddles and leaned over to cover the sides of the horses and their own bodies. This is exactly what the Forbidden Army has been doing in recent times to strengthen training.
On that chaotic night in the capital, Lin Jue's firearms and the repeating crossbows of the palace guards caused the imperial army a lot of trouble. On the way to pursue, they were beaten to a pulp. Therefore, after nearly two months of training,
, how to defend against the opponent's firearms has become a problem that both Guo Xu and Yang Jun must face.
The answer given by Yang Jun is that the cavalry carries shields to withstand the ferocity of firearms. According to analysis, the trajectory of firearms is to shoot directly in the face. This single shooting direction is actually easy to prevent. Just use the shield to resist. But
The problem is that there is no precedent for cavalry to carry large shields, which is a heavy burden for war horses and soldiers. There are several types of shields in the Zhou army, such as hardwood shields and iron shields, no matter which one is relatively heavy. This is suitable for those who need light cavalry to make a surprise attack.
The cavalry is a complete burden, so the cavalry is not worthy of a shield at all. The physique of the Zhou people and the quality of the horses are not the characteristics of forming heavy cavalry at all, and there is no such concept in the Zhou army.
Later, someone came up with the idea of equipping the cavalry with lightweight rattan shields, which could solve this problem. Rattan shields were already obsolete shields. These shields were commonly used by barbarians, and the soldiers and horses of the Zhou Dynasty did not disdain to use them.
But at this moment, it has become the best choice for defense against firearms. Rattan is light, thin and elastic. It can not only defend against arrows, but also against iron beads of firearms. Military generals quickly devised tactics using rattan shields.
When charging, he lay sideways on the horse's back, covering half of the horse's head and his own upper body with a vine shield, which had the effect of protecting both the horse and people.
From a certain perspective, Lin Jue played a certain role in promoting the improvement of the equipment and tactics of the Zhou cavalry.
Although the vine shield is a vine shield after all, its strength is limited. Many vine shields were shattered into pieces by the strong penetrating power of the crossbow arrows. Many cavalrymen were inevitably pierced by iron bullets and crossbow arrows, causing many casualties.
However, this vine shield has greatly reduced casualties. In the dozens of steps of the charge, without these vine shields, the dense firearms and arrows above would have already caused a large number of casualties.
. The original casualties were probably five to six hundred, but now they have been reduced by at least half.
The distance is getting closer, and everyone with common sense knows that when the cavalry charges within twenty steps in front of them, it is already an unstoppable force. No one will allow the cavalry to rush in front of them, or they will be eliminated from a long distance.
, either avoid and escape in advance. Otherwise, it will be your own nightmare.
Zhao Yuankang, who was at the foot of the hillside, was much less nervous. He knew that victory was within easy reach. He had already mobilized his horses and was ready to lead his troops to charge forward.
However, the situation suddenly changed. The Imperial Guard cavalry who were about to rush to the top of the hillside suddenly fell down one by one as if they were possessed by an evil spirit. The men and horses rolled to the bottom in front of the formation, neighing in confusion. The two men who rushed to the front suddenly fell down.
The three hundred cavalrymen rolled to the ground one after another as if they were under a spell. It was just that they fell off their horses, but the horses could not struggle on the ground.
"What's going on?" Zhao Yuankang shouted in horror.
"I don't know." People around him were also shocked and confused.
The news came not long after that the reason why all the horses that rushed down the hillside fell down was very simple. The ground had been tampered with. The injured cavalry who retreated touched something prickly in the dust on the ground. This thing quickly
In the hands of Zhao Yuankang. It was an object the size of a pigeon egg, surrounded by spikes, and it was heavy to hold. The spikes were several inches long, and there were dozens of them. It was an oversized version of caltrops.
Something that can cause huge damage to a horse's hooves.
Zhao Yuankang cursed endlessly, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
The opponent was not only prepared, but also fully prepared. It can be seen from the oversized iron caltrops that this was a specialized response made by people who were familiar with the equipment of the Forbidden Army cavalry. Basically, the horses of the Zhou cavalry were nailed
Horseshoes. As we all know, horseshoes are in the shape of a ring and are nailed under the horseshoe to protect the horseshoe from thorns and rocks. The Zhou cavalry also had an original protective measure, which was to embed a thick layer of metal in the middle of the horseshoe.
The leather felt protects the horseshoe by increasing the thickness of the hoof, and increases the anti-slip and puncture-proof effect. Ordinary obstacle spikes cannot harm the horseshoes of war horses at all. The commonly used iron caltrops used to prevent war horses from charging are not large and the spikes are not long. After penetrating the leather felt
It can penetrate the cuticle of the horseshoe for a few minutes at most, but it will not cause any real damage to the horseshoes.
However, the caltrop in front of us is obviously a specially made large thing. Once stepped on, the spikes, which are several inches long, can directly penetrate the leather felt and the cuticle of the horse's hoof and reach the flesh. This is exactly the method used by the Zhou cavalry to break the protection of the horse's hoof.
Targeted things.
I don’t know at what time, the opponent sprinkled a large amount of dense caltrops on the ground within 20 steps down the slope. The war horses charged here, and after stepping on the iron caltrops, the consequences can be imagined. The vine shield can protect the head, face and body
, but couldn't guard his feet. This was once again calculated by the opponent.
Countless war horses stepped into the area covered with iron caltrops. The iron caltrops piercing into the flesh and blood of the horses' hooves made the war horses scream and jump, rolling all over the ground. Naturally, the knights on the horses could not be restrained at all, and rolled to the ground. Almost the entire hillside was covered with iron caltrops.
Horses and soldiers were tumbling everywhere, their formations were in chaos, and the charge suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
What's even more disgusting is that the opponent seems to have started to spread out caltrops again to fill the gap in the ground, making the ground below the hillside a chasm that the cavalry cannot cross at all.
