Chapter 10: Hexi Iron Cavalry, Charge!
Li Xiao and the others hid on the back side of the hillside, and the Geluolu People eager to capture Kun Ji did not discover at all that there were still people ambushing here.
When the Hexi Fort people appeared on the hillside, looking down from above and using the advantageous terrain to shoot from afar, the Geluolu People were instantly stunned.
In just half a minute, Li Xiao held his bow and continuously shot three Geluolu People.
And all of them were vital spots like the head and chest.
Such archery made Li Dashan and the others glance sideways in surprise.
“Not bad, Da Long. I didn’t expect that in just a few months, your archery skill has become so impressive?” While shooting arrows, Li Dashan turned his head and said in surprise.
Riding and Archery is not a simple matter.
Li Dashan and the others had also trained since childhood, excelling in riding and shooting.
But even so, in the three rounds of arrows just now, Li Dashan had only killed one Geluolu Person, with one arrow missing the target and another hitting a Geluolu Person’s arm.
The others’ situations were similar, and some hadn’t even hit with a single arrow.
These were all very normal things; in real riding and archery combat, many factors would affect it.
The enemy wouldn’t stand still for you to shoot. Except for the first round that caught the Geluolu People off guard, the Geluolu People in the second round quickly used war horses and other cover to dodge.
So, killing one person with three arrows was already very impressive.
A divine archer who hits every shot was almost extremely rare.
But what surprised Li Dashan was that Li Xiao actually hit all three arrows, and all were vital spots.
At this moment, they realized that Li Xiao, whom they had always treated as a junior child, had already transformed so outstandingly.
“I’ve been training in riding and archery this time, and it looks like it wasn’t in vain.” Li Xiao chuckled.
Drawing the bow and nocking the arrow, the action was smooth and fluid. After releasing the bowstring, the arrow hit a Geluolu Person’s chest again.
The precise shooting skill filled the young and strong men of Hexi Fort with envy and admiration; he was simply a natural divine archer!
Li Xiao’s shooting skill was very good. In this life, after just a short period of training, that familiar feeling returned to his body.
Not necessarily hitting every shot, but nine out of ten was no problem.
“Underestimated you, kid.”
Li Dashan chuckled, growing more and more satisfied with Li Xiao.
The Northern Frontier’s living environment was complex. Besides facing harassment from Naiman People, they also had to deal with conflicts and disputes with other nomadic tribes and even Han People villages.
Every Northern Frontier Person grew up in battle.
Li Xiao was the Young Fort Master of Hexi Fort, the future Fort Master. If his martial arts were strong and he was brave and skilled in combat, then Hexi Fort would have more survival opportunities.
In struggles with surrounding tribes and villages, they could acquire more resources.
And at that moment, the Geluolu People below began shouting loudly and actually started turning their horses around.
“The Geluolu People are going to run.” Chen Erqiang shouted.
The sudden appearance of the Hexi Fort crowd caught the Geluolu People off guard.
After three rounds of long-range shooting, more than a dozen Geluolu People were dead, and there were similarly many injured.
After all, Li Xiao alone had shot dead four Geluolu People, including the leader of this cavalry team.
Seeing the situation, how could the remaining people dare to hold out?
They no longer had the advantage in numbers, physical strength, or terrain. Staying here would make them complete live targets.
They could only retreat to rendezvous with the main force by the riverside and plan again.
“Chase, don’t let them escape!” Li Dashan shouted loudly~
The horsewhip fell, and the war horse beneath him instantly charged out.
Li Xiao and the others also charged forward one after another.
They set off from the hillside, looking down from above with sufficient war horse stamina, getting closer and closer to the fleeing Geluolu Cavalry.
When the distance closed to a hundred meters, Li Xiao drew his bow and nocked an arrow again, aiming at the last Geluolu Person in the rear.
“Swoosh~”
The arrow pierced the air, instantly shooting toward the front.
“Ah~”
With a scream, the last Geluolu Person was hit in the back by the arrow and soon fell down.
“Good kid, he can hit from so far?”
“And after shooting so many arrows in a row, he still has strength?”
Seeing Li Xiao shoot another one, Li Dashan marveled inwardly.
Nearly a hundred meters away, and both sides were galloping on horseback, yet Li Xiao still hit with one arrow?
This archery was simply divine!
In contrast, these adult young and strong men didn’t think they had the skill. To avoid wasting arrows, they planned to close in before engaging.
More importantly, Li Dashan and the others discovered that Li Xiao wasn’t just precise in shooting; his arm strength was astonishing.
The bows used by Hexi Fort had heavy draw weight. Even an adult strong man needed some effort to draw it.
So, generally, each person could shoot at most six or seven arrows, then needed to rest before continuing.
But Li Xiao had continuously shot so many arrows without flushing or panting, his drawing arm showing no tremor at all, as relaxed as at the beginning.
This puzzled Li Dashan and the others greatly.
Li Xiao’s build wasn’t particularly burly; it was somewhat well-proportioned, and his arms weren’t particularly thick, with no apparent excess muscle.
But why did he hide such great strength?
Li Xiao, however, laughed loudly and directly spurred his horse faster, overtaking the crowd.
“Hahaha, kill!”
Perhaps due to traversing, Li Xiao found his body a tiny bit strong.
Strength surged, every muscle hiding explosive power.
“Swoosh~”
Accompanied by a whistling sound, the arrow in his hand shot out again.
This time the distance was closer, and the arrow accurately hit a Geluolu Cavalryman’s neck, killing him instantly.
Companions being successively shot dead made the Geluolu People even more panicked.
Someone shouted in Geluolu language: “Alaha, there is a shooter of eagles among them.”
Alaha was a transliteration from Syriac, meaning God.
A considerable portion of the Geluolu People believed in the Jing Religion, a branch of Christianity.
“If this continues, we’ll all die.”
“We can’t keep running.”
“Charge back and kill these barbarians.”
The existence of the shooter of eagles filled these Geluolu People with fear. Continuing to run would mean being picked off one by one.
Moreover, they also had few arrows left, making it hard to counter with bows.
They could only engage in face-to-face close combat melee, where they had a chance to survive.
“Kill~”
Soon, this Geluolu Cavalry all turned their horses around and charged back toward Li Xiao and the others.
“The Geluolu People want close combat.”
Seeing the Geluolu People charging with fierce aura, Li Dashan shouted with a ferocious expression.
Li Xiao immediately stopped the hot-blooded Li Dashan: “Sixth Uncle.”
“The Geluolu People’s strength is still there. Don’t clash head-on with them for now. After closing in, use bows for long-range shooting. They don’t have many arrows left.”
Li Xiao shouted, stopping everyone’s impulse for close combat at that moment.
Hexi men were not lacking in bravery, but they couldn’t sacrifice needlessly.
Although many Geluolu People had been shot dead before, their battle will remained, and their numbers were about the same as Li Xiao and the others.
In this situation, close-range engagement would mean even if they took out the Geluolu People, the Hexi Fort crowd would suffer significant losses.
It wouldn’t be worth the cost!
The best way was still to use bows to consume the enemy, which was also the traditional tactic of nomadic people.
When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy is fatigued, we attack.
Continuously harass and consume the opponent until there was sufficient certainty, then engage in bloody close combat.
“Huff huff~”
After hearing Li Xiao’s words, Li Dashan took a deep breath, calmed down, and nodded lightly to Li Xiao.
Then he said to the crowd: “Everyone listen to Da Long.”
Afterward, both sides closed in. When they were about forty meters apart, Li Xiao suddenly shouted.
“Spread out!”
Then, the Hexi Fort crowd split into two, forming an inverted V, separating to the two sides of the Geluolu People without slowing speed.
At the same time, the bows in the hands of the Hexi Fort crowd all shot out, crossfire shooting.
At this distance, the shooting accuracy of Li Dashan and the others greatly improved.
Nearly twenty arrows came from both directions simultaneously, catching the charging Geluolu People off guard.
Many fell under the arrows of Li Xiao and the others, tumbling off their horses.
“Good~”
“Hahaha~”
“Those damn Geluolu People died so many again.” The crowd gathered again, reined in their horses for a brief rest, and laughed excitedly.
After another round of their shooting, the Geluolu People numbered fewer than ten.
They had completely seized the initiative.
“Da Long, you’ve got it!”
“Impressive!”
Chen Erqiang and the others didn’t hesitate to give Li Xiao thumbs up.
Able to kill Geluolu People while minimizing their own losses, Li Xiao’s tactic was very effective.
Li Xiao just smiled lightly, without any humility.
This move was also learned from the Mongol People. As the Mongol cavalry rampaged across the Eurasian continent, countless strong nations fell before them.
Later generations had many discussions on Mongol cavalry tactics, so Li Xiao had learned the Mongol People’s combat methods thoroughly.
The Mongol People weren’t as fiercely tenacious and fearless of death as the Jurchen People, but they could end battles in the simplest way with minimal losses.
Only the Geluolu People were still clinging to their old combat methods, completely unaware of the revolutionary changes in warfare brought by the Eastern Grassland Mongol People.
“The Geluolu People are going to fight desperately.” Li Dashan suddenly said in a serious tone.
The remaining fewer than ten Geluolu People knew they couldn’t escape, so they went all out, charging at Li Xiao and the others again with a desperate, life-for-life momentum.
This time, Li Xiao didn’t stop them. After all, their side had twice the numbers of the Geluolu People and held absolute advantage in close combat.
More importantly, the distance was too close now; bows were too late.
“Then kill.”
“What are these Geluolu People!”
“Finish them off.”
Chen Erqiang and the others shouted one after another, full of killing intent.
Their brothers and relatives had died at the hands of Geluolu People, and they had long been holding back their anger.
They had to use the Geluolu People’s blood to avenge their relatives.
The previous long-range shooting wasn’t satisfying; they had to personally chop off the Geluolu People’s heads to vent their hatred.
“Kill~”
Li Xiao was also infected by this emotion, drew his cavalry saber, and adrenaline surged in his body, his blood seeming to boil.
Cavalry melee was man’s romance. At this moment, Li Xiao wanted to shout loudly.
“Hexi Iron Cavalry!”
“Charge~”
