Chapter 154: Pursuing the North (Part III)

A sudden gale swept through, scattering the lingering dust into nothingness.

The wind rose abruptly and subsided just as quickly. In that fleeting instant, the previously hazy world became remarkably clear. The surrounding terrain was revealed with absolute distinctness.

This place was a mountain bend, where the post road from Shanyang to Shenwu made a sharp turn. The Vanguard Unit, skirting the bend, came squarely face-to-face with their opponents arrayed in formation just beyond the curve.

Despite the elite status of the Vanguard Unit, a wave of panic rippled through their ranks at this unexpected encounter. Shouts of men and neighs of horses filled the air, accompanied by the chaotic clatter of blades being drawn and bows being unslung.

Clad in profound black armor, Xu Le gently nudged his stirrups, rode out from the rear, and took his position at the vanguard. Han Yue guarded him closely, a small Yuwei shield strapped to his left arm, while smoothly unhooking the massive Shentu shield from his back and grasping it in his right hand to protect Xu Le’s flank.

Seeing Xu Le and Han Yue station themselves at the head of the formation, the sixty mounted retainers instinctively tightened their ranks into an even more solid mass.

With a cold and stern expression, Xu Le gazed across at the somewhat restless Mayi Elite Cavalry, unhooked his horse-lance, and pointed it at a slant toward the sky.

The simplest way to further infuriate Wang Rengong was to strike him hard once again!

There were no elaborate schemes of luring the enemy deep or setting up complex ambushes. It was simply a matter of gathering all their strength, employing their most practiced cavalry charge tactics, and striking another blow!

Of these sixty elite horsemen, the majority were retainers hailing from the Xu Family Village, while the rest were daring youths of Shenwu, all well-versed in archery and horsemanship. The Xu Family Village retainers, having already experienced one dense wall-formation charge, anchored the vanguard and the flanks, while the newly joined Shenwu youths were sandwiched safely in the center of the formation.

Aside from these sixty elites, there were also over a hundred laborers led by Chen Fengpo, tasked with carrying armor, transporting grain, and pitching tents. At this crucial location, Xu Le had waited steadfastly for a full day. Hearing the distant thunder of hoofbeats carried on the wind, he had immediately donned his armor, formed up his troops, and prepared to fight a head-on battle once more!

As Xu Le had anticipated, the approaching enemy had deployed light cavalry scouts in the lead—the most orthodox method of marching.

Light cavalry scouts pushed forward, with the main body of cavalry following in support to press the enemy back and shield the advancing infantry behind them. Ultimately, this would culminate either in a siege or in forcing the opponent into a decisive battle on a chosen field.

If Xu Le refused to give battle, they would proceed to retake Shenwu, stabilize the situation in the Sanggan River valley, and plan their next moves.

Having already tested the mettle of the Mayi Elite Cavalry, Xu Le was fully confident that he could scatter a vanguard scouting force of barely a hundred riders to the winds once again!

Everything was proceeding precisely as calculated. This feeling was truly not bad.

The performance of the Mayi Elite Cavalry, even though their vanguard scouts were drawn from the most elite unit within their ranks, could only be described as mediocre at best.

A force of fifty or sixty riders had not dispersed properly, instead remaining clustered together as they advanced. How much of the battlefield could such a formation control? What kind of reconnaissance coverage could it possibly provide?

Consequently, they had almost blundered right into Xu Le’s waiting force before realizing anyone was there.

Judging by their posture in the saddle, they were undoubtedly veterans of mounted warfare. Yet their performance was so dismal that Xu Le could easily deduce the reasons.

First, Wang Rengong lacked any exceptional cavalry commanders, meaning these old veterans were undisciplined and unruly. If Yuchi Gong from the Heng’an Eagle-扬 Garrison, or even that Yuan Junwei, had been leading these horsemen, their performance would have vastly surpassed Wang Rengong’s subordinates.

Second, Wang Rengong had been far too lavish in his treatment of these painstakingly gathered elites, spoiling them into arrogance. Over time, these Vanguard troopers had grown averse to hardship.

True vanguard reconnaissance often required lone riders surviving in the wilderness for ten days or half a month with nothing more than a pouch of dry rations, climbing mountains and crossing ravines as everyday occurrences. In some places impassable to horses, scouts had to dismount and forge paths on foot. Encountering enemies meant fighting a desperate, solitary struggle to the death if escape proved impossible.

From its inception, the Mayi Elite Cavalry possessed no such heritage or foundation. With the Heng’an Eagle-扬 Garrison shielding them from the front, they had scarcely ever fought a hard battle. Though they boasted of being border elites, in every respect they fell far short of the Heng’an soldiers Xu Le had witnessed!

Xu Le cast a glance back at his own men. Every familiar face, watched since childhood, was etched with determination and trust. Even the Shenwu youths, sandwiched within such a tight formation, caught the contagious spirit and wore expressions eager for battle.

The Mayi Elite Cavalry were not merely inferior to the Heng’an soldiers; they could not even compare to his own brothers!

What use were superior equipment, lavish rations, and massive numbers? Because Wang Rengong had to maintain a force of tens of thousands of soldiers, the common people of Mayi Commandery had been driven to utter desperation!

Xu Le turned his head back. His horse-lance slowly lowered to the horizontal. Dozens of warhorses simultaneously broke into motion, advancing steadily forward!

Since the enemy was of such quality, he would simply fight to his heart's content!

The commotion on the opposite side had not yet subsided. The vanguard troopers looked left and right; some wanted to charge forward and fight, while others wished to fall back.

Zehuan drew his straight saber, brandishing it wildly above his head as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "The main army is right behind us! If we retreat now, the nobleman will execute us! There are only sixty riders!"

Serving as a squad leader in the capacity of a Tujue, he never truly won the loyalty of his men. His methods were always crude and brutal, fitting at best for a low-ranking corporal, yet Wang Rengong had placed him in this position—perhaps placing blind faith in the ferocious combat prowess of the Tujue people.

Having spent several years under Wang Rengong, Zehuan had himself grown soft, drowning his days in wine. No amount of natural talent could withstand such erosion. Consequently, when leading the reconnaissance, he had failed to notice the enemy arrayed right in front of him. Now, as he shouted at the top of his lungs, repeating nothing more than threats of execution by the nobleman, who would pay him any heed?

The speed of the opposing cavalry was steadily increasing. With the black-armored knight at the very tip of the wedge, the cold, glittering light flashing along his horse-lance was now clearly visible!

A bitter taste flooded Zehuan’s mouth, and his grip on his straight saber grew slick with sweat. He stared fixedly at the wall of enemy horsemen charging down upon them.

Behind Zehuan, the Vanguard scouts had already wheeled their horses around and bolted.

Joking aside, their mission was merely reconnaissance, not fighting a desperate battle. Finding the enemy blocking the road should have been enough; their job was simply to wait for the main force. Now that the enemy was charging like thunder, if they didn't run now, when would they?

In any case, the blame would fall entirely on Zehuan. What a useless Tujue dog—hailed as the number one tracker in Mayi, yet he only discovered the enemy when they were already right upon them!

Xu Le’s horse-lance finally leveled completely. At this signal, every single one of his men fiercely dug their heels into their horses' flanks!

Dozens of warhorses opened their hooves, thundering forward with the force of an avalanche!

The formation was so dense, carrying such immense momentum, that anyone facing this terrifying might would naturally feel a sense of utter helplessness and impossibility of resistance!

A dozen horsemen had still been clustered around Zehuan, but at this moment, no one cared about Zehuan as their nominal squad leader anymore. These vanguard troopers whipped their mounts around and fled like madmen!

Only Zehuan stood his ground, gripping his straight saber tightly, neither advancing nor retreating. He stared blankly at the wall of iron rushing ever closer, muttering to himself, "The nobleman will execute us, the nobleman will execute us..."

In the next instant, Xu Le rode straight through him. Zehuan was lifted clean out of his saddle by a single thrust of Xu Le’s lance, sent flying backward into the air as a mist of blood rained down across the sky!