Chapter 157: Pursuing the North (Part 6)

With the fluttering of the back-flags, this battalion of Mayi elite cavalry spontaneously shifted into action.

The scout cavalrymen on the hills flanking the road dismounted instantly, preparing to use elevated archer fire to pin down the approaching enemy, or even preemptively loosing an arrow that flew dozens of paces to embed itself in the imperial highway as a ranging marker. They would use this distance to gauge their shots when the time came.

Meanwhile, the Mayi elite cavalry in the center of the road rapidly transitioned from a marching column into a horizontal line, loosening and spreading out their formation in readiness for battle.

Although it was still the traditional dispersed cavalry formation, such reflexes and combat proficiency were marks that only battle-hardened veteran soldiers could achieve!

As one of the border-region Eagle-Yang Garrisons, the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison had suffered drafts by the Daye Emperor for the Liaodong campaigns, endured the replacement of officers with favorites after Wang Rengong took charge, and seen the recruitment of barbarian tribes to cause turmoil. Yet, a solid foundation of veteran core personnel still remained.

Without waiting for Wang Fan’s orders, these veterans prepared for battle within mere moments. It was only then that the squad leaders and platoon commanders looked towards Wang Fan, awaiting his decision on whether to engage or temporarily withdraw.

Yet Wang Fan remained frozen in his saddle, alongside a dozen of his trusted aides, completely motionless. Their faces were drained of color and they stared in stunned silence—how could they possibly issue any commands?

Wang Fan was barely thirty years old, a distant collateral relative of the Taiyuan Wang clan. Because his blood ties were exceedingly remote, even desperate attempts to curry favor with the main lineage had only landed him the position of a household retainer, serving as a personal bodyguard to Wang Rengong.

Throughout his life, his duties had amounted to nothing more than holding the stirrups and leading the horse for Wang Rengong. He had served with extreme diligence and care, never acting imperiously within the circle of household retainers by flaunting his Wang clan status. Instead, he treated everyone kindly and enjoyed an excellent reputation. In quieter times, he had indeed practiced a modicum of martial arts.

Having accumulated years of exhausting service to Wang Rengong, coupled with his favorable reputation and popularity, Wang Rengong had finally dispatched him from his side after taking control of Mayi Commandery, placing him in command of a battalion of Mayi elite cavalry in the hope that Wang Fan could thoroughly bring these veteran soldiers under his control.

Within the camp, Wang Fan had always treated his men generously, putting others before himself, never withholding military pay, and avoiding any tyrannical abuse of power.

However, Wang Fan simply did not know how to lead troops in battle!

Serving as a soldier on the frontier, the absolute primary requirement was the ability to lead troops and engage in fierce combat. Without this, no matter how well one managed other matters, it was all in vain—how could these veterans ever submit to you?

The sudden fall of Shenwu was undoubtedly a heaven-shattering piece of news. Although Wang Rengong had constantly targeted Liu Wuzhou, everyone throughout Mayi Commandery knew the formidable prowess of the Hengan garrison. Half of the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison's forces were blocking the exit of the Yunzhong basin, purely out of fear that Liu Wuzhou might one day burn his boats and wage a decisive war against Wang Rengong.

Suddenly, however, news arrived that Shenwu had fallen, while the heavy forces blocking the Yunzhong basin's exit to the north had yet to send any word. Although Wang Rengong immediately mobilized the Anyang main army with iron-fisted methods to counterattack Shenwu, how could the ranks of the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison not be panicked to their cores?

Could it be that the garrison blocking the Yunzhong basin exit had already been completely annihilated by Liu Wuzhou, who then launched a surprise attack and captured Shenwu? Had the Hengan elite forces already pushed right to the gates of Anyang? The situation in Mayi Commandery was now in grave peril!

Upon learning that his own battalion was assigned to advance right behind the Vanguard Battalion—effectively making them the vanguard of the entire army—Wang Fan had suffered nightmares all night long. As they marched on the road, he was even more suspicious and paranoid, his mind spinning entirely with thoughts of what he should do once he laid eyes on Liu Wuzhou's vast army.

Things dreaded always came to pass; a warning signal had suddenly erupted along the road! Although his subordinate veterans immediately assumed combat postures, they were still waiting for their commander to issue orders. Yet Wang Fan knew his own limitations all too well. Both of his legs were now trembling uncontrollably—how could he possibly make any decision?

At that very moment, Wang Fan genuinely wanted to turn tail and flee, but Wang Rengong's accumulated awe barely maintained a shred of his remaining sanity. With a trembling voice, he forced out just two words: "En... engage!"

The squad leaders and platoon commanders continued to stare at Wang Fan.

Engage? How were they to engage? What formation should they deploy? Should they use arrow volleys to repel the enemy, or charge head-on for hand-to-hand cavalry combat? Or should they clear the road, dismount, and use foot archery from the hills to harass the enemy?

Damn it all, uttering those two barebones words left everyone utterly at a loss!

Several squad and platoon leaders shook their heads repeatedly, whispering instructions to their trusted subordinates: "This Wang fellow is entirely useless. When the time comes, we brothers will just have to look out for our own skins... Damn that Prefect Wang, a veteran commander himself, yet he has ruined the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison into such a wretched state!"

The reason for the decay of the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison was simple: the Daye Emperor had traveled south, and with the realm up for grabs, the deer was fat indeed. How could ambitious men not salivate? Wang Rengong had exhausted the entire financial resources of Mayi Commandery, rapidly expanding the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison to over ten thousand men—how could problems not arise?

Furthermore, Wang Rengong was a scion of a noble lineage. Naturally, every critical post was reserved for well-born aristocratic youths or his own trusted cronies, while local veteran commanders and elite soldiers of Mayi Commandery were ostracized. How could the combat effectiveness of the Mayi Eagle-Yang Garrison not deteriorate under such conditions?

While morale was in utter turmoil, the scouts sent ahead galloped back like flying, shouting loudly from afar: "It's the defeated remnants of the Vanguard Battalion!"

Had the Vanguard Battalion been defeated just like that, in such muddled confusion?

Wang Fan first felt a surge of relief, which was instantly replaced by a pale-faced horror: if even the Vanguard Battalion was so utterly vulnerable, how should he and his men face the enemy advancing in the flush of victory?

Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, scattered groups of defeated soldiers indeed began retreating back along the road ahead—they were precisely the men of the Vanguard Battalion.

Those individuals who usually swaggered about in Anyang, flaunting their martial prowess, starting brawls, and having been recruited by Wang Rengong under the guise of being "heroes of the four quarters," were now utterly disheveled and wretched, having discarded all their cumbersome gear and weapons.

Seeing this spectacle, the Mayi veterans in the battalion felt an exceptional sense of satisfaction.

Vanguard forces were naturally tasked with deep and perilous reconnaissance—something an army commander could never truly control. If local men were used as vanguard troops, Wang Rengong feared they might secretly collude with Liu Wuzhou. Therefore, he had recruited brave men from Yanmen, Hedong, scattered remnants of the Liaodong campaigns, and foreign tribes to serve as vanguard elements, treating them with generous rations so they could act as the eyes and ears of the entire army.

These self-proclaimed heroes of the four quarters had previously lorded it over the Mayi veterans, boasting of being Prefect Wang’s direct confidants. Yet now, they had suffered such an ignominious defeat. At this moment, the primary reaction of many Mayi veterans was actually a strong urge to cheer for the forces under Liu Wuzhou who had defeated them!

That grand general under the Eagle-Yang commander Liu—the one who captured Shenwu and was known as Lord Yue—truly was a hero of Mayi. This defeat felt like a sweet venting of long-suppressed grievance for all of them!

Camp General Wang Fan, however, felt not a shred of joy. He hurriedly issued an order for his personal guards to escort the defeated soldiers over.

Upon seeing Wang Fan’s banners, these defeated troops flocked toward him like lost souls finding their anchor, riding up with dejected expressions and saluting Wang Fan without even dismounting.

Wang Fan could no longer afford to care about protocol and anxiously demanded, "What is the enemy's strength?"

The defeated soldiers exchanged glances until finally one of them spoke: "The elite forces of the Hengan Garrison have all taken the field! The Hengan armored cavalry are here too! There must be at least a thousand of them. We fought with all our might but were defeated, and we were just rushing back to send word to the following forces in the rear!"

Another soldier gestured wildly as he added, "We couldn't beat them, truly we couldn't! Not unless the main army gathers together and deploys a full battle formation! Military intelligence is urgent; we must carry the report further back. General, we must part ways with you here!"

Just as Wang Fan was attempting to hold them back and question them further, enemy battle flags suddenly fluttered in the distance. There was no need to carefully decipher the flags this time; through the rolling dust and smoke at the far end of the road, the sound of thunderous hooves could be heard as cavalry came galloping fiercely straight toward them!