12dz Chapter 2092 Tragic
Chapter 2092 Tragic
The two carrier pigeons circled briefly in the air, seemingly trying to determine their direction, before taking flight one to the east and one to the north, quickly becoming two small black dots in the sky.
Having done all this, Ma Dai had no more worries.
He looked at the vanguard of the two cavalry forces, which had collided fiercely like two raging waves, where swords flashed and men and horses fell to the ground!
"brothers!"
Ma Dai raised his long sword high, his voice echoing across the battlefield: "Reinforcements are on their way! Our mission is to hold this place firmly! Not a single step back!"
"Let the Tang dogs see just how tough the bones of the men of Great Chu are!"
"Fight to the death and never retreat!"
"Fight to the death and never retreat!"
The Chu cavalry roared furiously, despite being outnumbered.
However, under Ma Dai's command, relying on their newly formed defensive formation and their indomitable will, they engaged in a fierce and brutal battle with the Tang cavalry led by Yuchi Bo.
Arrows flew like locusts, spears stabbed each other like a forest, and sabers slashed, sending up clouds of blood. Warriors fell from their horses one after another, and their warhorses neighed and collapsed to the ground.
Ma Dai knew that this would be an exceptionally arduous war of attrition.
His five thousand men were the iron chain that held back Li Jing's ten thousand-strong army.
His only hope now is that the two carrier pigeons flying in different directions can deliver the message in time and attract the decisive reinforcements.
Before that, he must persevere, no matter the cost!
Across the wilderness, smoke and dust obscured the sun, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.
Yuchi Bo led four thousand Tang cavalrymen, like a steel torrent carrying the force of thunder, and crashed hard into the Chu army's arc-shaped defensive formation that Ma Dai had just set up.
This collision was like two moving mountains clashing, instantly stirring up the most primal and devastating waves of blood!
"boom--!"
The sounds of violent impacts, the neighing of warhorses, and the cracking of bones mingled together, setting the stage for this cavalry duel.
The Tang cavalry at the forefront, relying on the momentum of their charge and their ferocity, attempted to tear apart the Chu army's defenses in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, the Chu army's lancers at the front held their horses firmly, raising their long spears and lances, each over ten feet long, to form a deadly steel jungle.
Many Tang cavalrymen and their horses were pierced by several spears at the same time, screaming as they rolled into the dust.
However, some brave Tang knights leaped up the moment their mounts were stabbed and felled, brandishing their sabers to slash at the Chu soldiers' spear shafts, or charged directly into the fray to engage in close-quarters combat.
Yuchi Bo took the lead, wielding a long iron spear with the speed of the wind, thrusting left and right with unstoppable force.
He knocked two Chu cavalrymen flying in succession, attempting to tear a gap in the Chu army's defenses.
"Follow me and charge in!"
He roared and led a squad of his personal guards in a fierce attack on a single point.
Ma Dai, seeing the situation clearly from within the formation, immediately dispatched reserves to reinforce the ranks, while simultaneously shouting loudly:
"Horse archers! Concentrate your fire on the area where Yuchi Bo is located! Don't be stingy with your arrows!"
Upon receiving the order, the Chu cavalry archers in the inner circle immediately targeted Yuchi Bo and his surroundings.
In an instant, a dense rain of arrows shot out like swarms of poisonous bees!
Yuchi Bo brandished his spear to deflect the arrows, the clanging sounds filling the air, but his personal guards were hit by arrows and fell from their horses one after another, and the offensive was immediately thwarted.
"Change formation! Use flanking fire for harassment! Don't engage in a direct confrontation!"
Seeing the immense pressure of confronting the enemy head-on, Ma Dai immediately changed tactics.
Under his command, the Chu cavalry began to demonstrate superior mobility.
They did not stay in one place, but moved and rotated in small areas, sometimes tightening and sometimes expanding the arc formation.
After withstanding a charge, the lancers would quickly retreat, allowing the horse archers to rain down arrows on the pursuing enemy, and then the lancers would step forward again to parry.
This tactic greatly depleted the morale and stamina of the Tang cavalry.
Although Yuchi Bo's troops charged fiercely, each time they hit the Chu army's defenses, it was like hitting cotton; they could not achieve a decisive breakthrough and instead had to endure a continuous barrage of arrows.
The Chu army was like a thorny, constantly rolling iron ring, leaving the Tang army, like a heavy hammer, with nowhere to strike.
"You bastard! Don't you dare run away!"
Yuchi Bo was furious; he had never fought such a frustrating battle.
He made several attempts to lead his elite cavalry in a central breakthrough to take Ma Dai's command post, but these attempts were thwarted by the Chu army's flexible formation changes and focused arrow barrage.
The battle lasted from the afternoon until the sun began to set.
The wilderness was littered with corpses, and the blood had stained the dry land into patches of dark red swamps.
Both sides paid a heavy price.
The Chu army's arc-shaped defensive formation was constantly compressed and deformed under the Tang army's relentless attacks, and many dangerous situations arose. However, thanks to Ma Dai's timely adjustments and the soldiers' desperate fighting, the formation was managed to hold firm.
Ma Dai himself went to the most dangerous front lines several times, wielding his long sword and killing several Tang cavalrymen who tried to break in.
Several sword marks were added to his armor, and he had changed his mount, but the determination and calmness in his eyes remained the pillar that kept the morale of the Chu army high.
Yuchi Bo's attacks were like waves crashing against the shore, one wave higher than the next, but they could never completely breach the seemingly thin but exceptionally resilient dam.
After an hour of intense fighting, the Tang cavalry's momentum inevitably began to wane.
The depletion of horsepower, casualties, and frustration from the prolonged siege began to erode the fighting capacity of this new force.
"General! The brothers have charged seven times! Although the Chu army's formation is chaotic, their core remains intact! Our losses have already exceeded a thousand..."
A Tang army deputy general, his face covered in blood, rushed to Yuchi Bo's side and reported in a hoarse voice.
Yuchi Bo surveyed the battlefield, looking at the Chu army's "horse" banner still fluttering in the distance, and the figure standing tall beneath it, his heart filled with resentment and anger.
But he had to admit that the bone in front of him was much harder than he had imagined.
The resilience of the Chu army and Ma Dai's command both exceeded his expectations.
Meanwhile, Ma Dai was also under tremendous pressure within the Chu army's ranks.
Five thousand cavalrymen fought fiercely for an hour, suffering nearly 30% casualties. Their arrows were being used up at a great cost, and everyone's physical strength was nearing its limit.
The defensive line has been reduced to its minimum, and they are practically holding on with a human wall.
But he knew he had to hold on!
Every moment of perseverance is buying time for potential reinforcements.
"Hold on! Hold on, everyone!"
Ma Dai's voice was hoarse, but still full of strength: "They're running out of strength! Reinforcements are on their way! No one is allowed to retreat!"
Perhaps it is the power of belief, or perhaps it is the potential that erupts in dire circumstances.
The battered Chu army's defensive line miraculously regained its footing after another somewhat feeble charge by the Tang army.
When the hour hand pointed to Shen Shi (3-5 PM), Yu Chi Bo's fierce attack, which had lasted for a full hour, finally came to a slow stop, like the receding tide.