Chapter 176: Jin Prefecture’s First Division, Golden Banner With Yellow Armor And Red Edges
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
With round after round of volleys, countless cannonballs tore through the air like meteors, accurately smashing into the Naiman Heavy Cavalry formation.
In an instant, heaven and earth seemed shaken by an unstoppable force, the deafening roar shaking ears, shockwaves carrying sand, gravel, and metal shrapnel radiating outward in rings from the impact points, spreading wildly.
The mud and gravel kicked up by the cannonballs acted like dense shotgun blasts, mercilessly piercing the cavalrymen’s armor, leaving bloody, mangled wounds on their bodies.
Blood sprayed out like fountains, staining the ground beneath their feet.
The heavy cavalry’s originally tight charge formation was completely torn apart, the battlefield littered with severed limbs, dying war horses, and soldiers groaning in agony.
Thick bloody smell mixed with gunpowder smoke, making one nauseous.
The short distance of just over a thousand meters, which could have been covered in an instant with a single charge, had now become a one-way road to death for these Naiman Heavy Cavalry.
In the distance, more Naiman Soldiers witnessed the scene, fear spreading rapidly among them like wildfire.
They were even more unwilling to believe the reality before their eyes.
The powerful Armored Cavalry were dying in droves under the mysterious power of the Jin Prefecture People.
“What is that?”
“Ahala（ God）, what exactly happened?”
“Ahala is angry, it must be Ahala’s anger punishing us.”
“Jin Prefecture People are Ahala’s envoys, we offended the divine envoys.”
“We can’t beat the divine envoys.”
Countless Naiman Soldiers’ eyes were filled with fear and despair, their legs trembling involuntarily, their weapons feeling impossibly heavy in their hands.
Some soldiers even began retreating unconsciously, ignoring the officers’ loud rebukes, fearing that terrifying power would descend upon them.
Those still in place were also terrified by the horrific scene, standing stunned and at a loss.
On the battlefield, gunpowder smoke surged like a ferocious giant beast, Li Xiao stood high above, his gaze sharp as a hawk, overlooking the situation.
Seeing the Naiman Heavy Cavalry in chaos and heavy losses under the Divine Machine Camp’s bombardment.
He made a snap decision, issuing a deep command: “Order the Black Armored Army to attack immediately!”
“Woo woo woo~”
The low, majestic horn sound, as if from the depths of hell, instantly tore through the pervasive gunpowder smoke, echoing long in the vast heaven and earth.
At the forefront of the Jin Prefecture Army formation, a tower-like burly man stood tall.
This man had broad shoulders and a wide back, like an unshakable mountain, his black Hexi Steel heavy armor gleaming with cold, eerie light under the sun.
He straightened his back, slowly donning the iron mask, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes like cold stars.
This man was Zhang Xianfeng, the naturalized Hu People, and once Li Xiao’s slave.
The Black Armored Army was originally commanded by Er Hu, but after Er Hu was appointed Myriad Household Commander, Zhang Xianfeng became the current commander of the Black Armored Army.
Moreover, the original Black Armored Army had only five hundred men.
However, with the development of Hexi iron smelting industry, in the past half year, the Hexi Weaponry Shop used Hexi Steel to forge five hundred full sets of iron armor.
The current Black Armored Army numbered one thousand, standing at the forefront of the main force.
“Kill!”
Zhang Xianfeng held the Armor Piercing Cone, roaring like rolling thunder, charging first toward the Naiman army.
“Roar roar roar~”
“Roar roar roar~”
The thousand Black Armored Army soldiers behind him let out low, angry roars, following closely.
They surged toward the Naiman army like a black flood.
Everywhere they went, the land trembled.
In a short time, they charged right up to the Naiman Heavy Cavalry.
After the Divine Machine Camp’s continuous bombardment, eight hundred Naiman Heavy Cavalry were mostly killed or wounded, the ground covered in blood and wreckage.
The surviving soldiers trembled in fear, their war horses neighing in panic, running wildly out of control.
“Kill!”
In this situation, the Black Armored Army charged in.
From beneath the black iron armor came low angry roars, Zhang Xianfeng gripped the Armor Piercing Cone, using the war horse’s charge momentum to thrust fiercely at the Naiman Heavy Cavalry in front.
“Crack~”
A sound of iron armor breaking rang out.
Made from Hexi Steel as raw material, tempered countless times by hydraulic forging hammers, the Hexi Armor Piercing Cone directly pierced the weak point in the Naiman people’s iron armor.
The Naiman cavalry’s body flew sideways, crashing heavily to the ground, blood gushing out.
At the same time, under the Black Armored Army’s assault, the remaining Naiman Heavy Cavalry fell one after another, their formation collapsing.
The low horn sounded again across heaven and earth.
Amid clashing metal, Da Hu held the Hooked Scythe Spear, shouting loudly to the thousands of White Armored Soldiers behind him.
“Sweep the Naiman~”
“Kill~”
On the other side, Er Hu bellowed roughly: “Brothers, follow behind me, kill!”
In an instant, countless soldiers in red cotton armor and white cotton armor, faces fierce and murderous, roared as they charged out from both wings of the Jin Prefecture Army formation.
On the boundless grassland wilderness, the Second Town and Third Town armies attacked from left and right in a pincer offensive, surging fiercely toward the Naiman army.
Red and white floods echoed each other, iron cavalry thundering forward, kicking up endless dust, shaking the land.
Sun Khan stood on the war chariot, witnessing his heavy cavalry annihilated, then seeing the Jin Prefecture Army surging like tides, furious and shocked, his face twitching.
He waved his gem-encrusted long saber, roaring hoarsely at his soldiers: “Kill for me!”
“Naiman warriors, for our tribe and honor, for your wives and children, charge, kill all those Jin Prefecture People!”
However, fear like thick gloom completely enveloped the Naiman army.
Gunpowder smoke had not yet cleared on the battlefield, acrid smells permeating.
As the Jin Prefecture Army surged like a tidal wave, this overwhelming sense of oppression gradually broke the already crumbling mental defenses of the Naiman Soldiers.
Especially seeing the heavy cavalry’s fate, they couldn’t help associating it with the Jin Prefecture Army being under Ahala’s protection, even more afraid to charge forward easily.
Thus, the current Naiman Soldiers completely lacked their former ferocity.
Some trembled all over, eyes panicked; some eyed the approaching Jin Prefecture Army like hungry wolves, stealthily stepping back, hoping to flee the horrific battlefield.
Naiman nobles saw this, enraged and jumping in fury.
They rode tall horses, whipping and slashing at those hesitating to fight.
Naiman Soldiers, faces full of despair, could only steel themselves, shouting weakly as they charged at the Jin Prefecture Army.
“Kill!”
On the desolate land, fierce winds howled.
The two armies collided like two giant dragons long poised to strike.
Blade lights flashed, shouts of killing, metal clashes, and pained groans weaving together.
However, leading the Jin Prefecture Army forefront was Zhang Xianfeng’s Black Armored Army, each cavalryman wrapped head to toe in heavy armor, like demons emerging from hell’s abyss.
The moment the Black Armored Army clashed with the Naiman army, it was like a boulder smashing into a lake, stirring up a storm of blood and gore.
With Naiman Heavy Cavalry annihilated, ordinary Naiman Soldiers wielding crude weapons were like fragile ants under the Black Armored Army’s impact.
Zhang Xianfeng’s Armor Piercing Cone carried immense force, easily piercing Naiman Soldiers’ chests, the sharp spear blade lifting their bodies.
Blood gushed along the spear shaft, arcing shockingly in the air.
“Naiman pups, your Grandpa Zhang is here.”
Zhang Xianfeng rampaged like a speeding armored vehicle, slaughtering recklessly in the Naiman flesh forest.
Other Black Armored Army soldiers, using war horse momentum, spears severing Naiman Soldiers’ heads and arms, severed limbs flying everywhere.
One burly Black Armored Cavalryman swung his giant axe down on a Naiman cavalryman.
The Naiman cavalryman hastily blocked with his saber, but the axe’s power was overwhelming, snapping the blade instantly, cleaving the Naiman cavalryman and his head in two.
Wherever the Black Armored Army went, Naiman knights fell like waves of wheat.
The two armies’ lines rapidly advanced toward the Naiman side.
Second Town and Third Town cavalry followed closely, attacking from both flanks.
In a short time, the Naiman army was shattered, soldiers’ screams and pleas rising amid weapon clashes and war horse neighs.
Countless soldiers fled in all directions, the Naiman lines nearly collapsing.
Sun Khan in the rear saw his army retreating, on the verge of collapse, anxious beyond measure.
Eyes bulging in rage, he wildly waved his long saber, shouting hoarsely: “Warriors, no retreat! Charge, kill!”
“Whoever dares flee, this khan will kill his whole family.”
He never imagined the Jin Prefecture Army’s combat strength was so terrifying.
Clearly his army had numerical superiority, yet they were no match at all.
If this continued, the Naiman main force would be utterly finished.
Sun Khan, frantic, rallied morale while constantly glancing back from his high position.
“Tuoteboluo, you bastard, why haven’t you appeared?”
According to the agreement between Sun Khan and Buyiru Khan.
Sun Khan led the main force to engage the Jin Prefecture Army head-on.
Buyiru Khan would flank to the Jin Prefecture Army’s rear for a surprise attack.
By the agreed time, Buyiru Khan’s army probably wouldn’t arrive so quickly.
But crucially, the Jin Prefecture Army’s assault was too fierce, Sun Khan couldn’t hold much longer.
Fortunately, it was as if Ahala heard Sun Khan’s prayers; just as the Jin Prefecture Army lines advanced step by step, Li Xiao received a scout’s report.
“A Naiman army has appeared behind our forces, roughly seven to eight thousand strong.”
“Judging by the command flag, it’s personally led by Buyiru Khan.”
Hearing this, Li Xiao was not surprised at all.
Dividing forces on the battlefield, flanking the enemy’s rear, striking suddenly during main force engagement.
These were common tactics in cold weapon era wars, and Li Xiao was long prepared.
He slowly drew the cavalry saber from his horseback, turned his horse, and commanded the soldiers behind him.
“Officers and soldiers of the First Division.”
“The Naiman People are at the end of their strength, now just cornered dogs jumping walls.”
“This commander will personally lead you to annihilate the Naiman army.”
“Kill~”
……
Ten li behind the Jin Prefecture Army, Buyiru Khan led eight thousand cavalry surging forward, intent on striking the Jin Prefecture Army from behind.
But as the distance closed, a low horn sound became increasingly clear.
“Woo woo woo woo woo woo woo~”
The horn was urgent and continuous.
Buyiru Khan naturally recognized it as the Naiman army’s horn, Sun Khan calling for help.
“Useless trash, what a stupid pig.”
“Can’t hold out this soon?”
Buyiru Khan whipped his war horse onward, cursing angrily.
He wondered deep down if the Jin Prefecture Army’s combat strength was truly that terrifying.
After all, Buyiru Khan had given part of his forces to Sun Khan temporarily; the frontal Naiman army numbered twenty-five thousand.
And they couldn’t hold off a mere twenty thousand Jin Prefecture Army?
“The Jin Prefecture Army must have committed all their troops against Baibuhua.”
“Their rear defenses must be empty.”
“Officers and soldiers, time to earn merit, kill for me.”
“Kill one Jin Prefecture man, this khan rewards him ten sheep and a woman.”
Heavy rewards breed brave men.
Under Buyiru Khan’s material incentives, Naiman Soldiers excitedly howled, waving spears as they charged.
However, just as they neared the battlefield.
Countless Jin Prefecture cavalry in yellow armor blocked their path.
Jin Prefecture First Division!
The golden Sun and Moon Battle Flag fluttered in the cold wind, war horses neighing, fully armored First Division soldiers stood like endless wheat waves on the grassland, murderous.
“What?”
Buyiru Khan saw this and froze instantly.
“Damn, the Jin Prefecture People guessed it.”
The Jin Prefecture Army had preemptively deployed heavy troops on the road, with numbers not inferior to his own.
Buyiru Khan felt like he had fallen into a trap.
But with things as they were, he could only fight desperately.
“Warriors, kill for me!”
Buyiru Khan, furious and fierce, waved his spear, leading the Naiman army in attack.
Beneath the golden Sun and Moon Battle Flag, Li Xiao wore yellow cotton armor with red edges, standing tall like a cypress, his long saber unsheathed, gleaming coldly.
His gaze like lightning coldly fixed on the Naiman Soldiers ahead, as if appraising lambs for slaughter.
Then, saber waving, he commanded sharply: “Order, Wuwei Army frontal assault.”
“Second Myriad Household, Third Myriad Household, envelop from both sides, annihilate the Naiman enemy army completely.”
Words barely out, majestic horn sounds pierced the sky.
“Roar roar roar~”
“Roar roar roar~”
The First Division’s eight thousand soldiers roared powerfully, the sound like an avalanche.
Immediately after, the Wuwei Army charged straight at the Naiman army front.
The Wuwei Army was the original White Armored Army.
Originally fifteen hundred strong, after full army expansion, Li Xiao drew five hundred to serve as junior officers in other units.
Then selected two thousand more soldiers to join.
The current Wuwei Army had three thousand soldiers, as Li Xiao’s direct personal guard.
Moreover, the Wuwei Army’s attire differed slightly from the First Division soldiers.
First Division soldiers wore fully yellow cotton armor, while Wuwei Army soldiers’ cotton armor had red edges.
Yellow armor with red edges was the Wuwei Army’s exclusive mark.
They were also called the Golden Armored Army.
Iron cavalry thundering, Wuwei Army spears like a forest gleaming coldly in the sun, charging across the land with powerful aura.
At the same time, Second and Third Myriad Household officers and soldiers rapidly flanked from both sides, hoofbeats booming like thunder.
They were like sharp daggers, precisely stabbing at the Naiman army’s flanks.
