"Roar! Roar! Roar! "
At the foot of the mountain, a distance away from the bottom of the slope, four hundred infantrymen stood in a neat formation. Every single one of them raised their tall steel tower shields, and they raised and lowered their shields nonstop as they challenged the Big Dipper Army.
Despite being only four hundred infantrymen, the roar they produced was equivalent to the roar of thousands of soldiers. Their powerful and domineering voices shook the entire mountain.
Under the effect of these waves of sound, even the air above the opposite mountain range was stirred up, blowing the entire forest of the mountain range.
Even though these four hundred infantrymen weren't the elites of the Big Dipper Army, they were handpicked from all over Longxi, and they were deeply influenced by the Big Dipper Army.
All of them had undergone the Big Dipper Army's training. On top of that, quite a few of them were handpicked from the Big Dipper Army by the commandant himself.
This was also the reason why the Big Dipper Army commandant was so confident in these four hundred infantrymen.
"Everyone, follow the formation strictly. Those who dare to move will be executed! — — "
A resounding voice reverberated across the sky. The Big Dipper Army commandant raised his sword, and the cold gleam of the sword gleamed brightly in the air.
Behind him, a distance away, the cavalrymen were lined up in an orderly formation, and every single one of them was brimming with fighting spirit.
This was a battle tactic!
Even during a battle, he would leave sufficient gaps for the cavalrymen to charge forward. From this, it could be seen that the Big Dipper Army commandant wasn't a fool.
Be it the massive tower shields, the formation of the infantrymen three hundred meters back, or the gaps for the cavalrymen behind him to charge forward... From these, it could be seen that this commandant was different from the previous commanders. His thoughts were much more meticulous.
His tactics and strategies were also meticulously thought through.
The infantrymen would stand at the front to fend off the first wave of cavalrymen. When the other party's momentum slowed down, the infantrymen would charge forward and break through the enemy's formation in one fell swoop.
This was a typical amalgamation of infantrymen and cavalrymen in the modern battlefield.
Even the Big Dipper Army of Longxi would often employ this tactic in their battles against Ouzan!
The heavy shields and the superior numbers of infantrymen and cavalrymen were the reason why the Big Dipper Army commandant was so confident in this battle.
"Dong dong!"
Just as the Big Dipper Army commandant was waiting for the Ouzan army to appear on the other side of the mountain, the hurried clopping of hooves suddenly sounded.
One of the military inspectors rushed over.
"Sir, something bad has happened!"
"What is it?"
The Big Dipper Army commandant frowned in displeasure.
"Milord, I've just discovered that two hundred people are missing!"
"What?!!"
The Big Dipper Army commandant's face darkened, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
"Bastard, are you joking with me?"
It was inconceivable that they had lost two hundred men in the middle of the march. Such a large number was no small matter!
Cold sweat broke out on the military inspector's forehead as he hurriedly recounted what had happened. He had only just realized that so many people were missing from the march.
The strict military rules of the Big Dipper Army were no joke!
"Do you know who escaped?"
The Big Dipper Army commandant commanded sternly.
"The name has been confirmed!"
The military inspector hurriedly reported the names of those who had disappeared. Almost all of them were scions of the prestigious clans in the capital.
Scions of the prestigious clans were all cowards. Without a doubt, these people had fled in advance upon sensing danger.
This was the typical behavior of deserters!
"Bastards!"
The Big Dipper Army commandant's face darkened, and he felt like his lungs were about to explode. Deserting before a battle was a crime punishable by death. It was one thing for these scions to be in the capital, but to think that they would dare to flee under his command! This was unforgivable!
Did they really think that his Big Dipper Army wouldn't dare to kill these scions?
Just as Zhang Xuan was fuming in his heart, the ground suddenly trembled, and an enormous aura came from the opposite mountain peak with an earth-shattering momentum.
"Hu!"
A violent gust of wind blew, and the Big Dipper Army commandant on the back of his steed seemed to have sensed something, and his heart jolted. He abruptly raised his head, only to see the heads of steeds poking out from the dense thickets on the opposite mountain peak!
Highland steeds!
The Big Dipper Army commandant's heart jolted. He immediately recognized the green-black steeds on the opposite mountain peak. Highland steeds were the most outstanding steeds of the Ouzan Plateau. Due to their immense lung capacity, even though their limbs were shorter than the steeds of the Central Plains, they were extremely capable.
More importantly, their bones were strong, granting them immense strength!
In the past battles between the Tang dynasty and the Ouzan Plateau, these steeds had displayed incredible fighting prowess.
At this very moment, several hundred green-black highland steeds were standing in a neat formation, looking down at the mountain peak. Their eyes gleamed brightly, and they didn't move in the slightest, as if they were statues.
A powerful aura descended upon them, exerting immense pressure on them!
"Retreat! We'll deal with these deserters later on!"
The Big Dipper Army commandant's face warped slightly. He quickly waved the military inspector away, and at the same time, he raised the sword in his right hand and issued a series of orders.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves!"
A resounding voice echoed in the air, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Everyone's eyes turned toward the opposite mountain peak.
As for the matter regarding Wang Chong and the others, he had completely forgotten about it.
Even though two hundred of his men had escaped, it was still an insignificant number to the entire army. Around him, there were still seven to eight hundred soldiers gathered.
This number was far greater than the Ouzan cavalrymen!
Hong long!
At the same moment, on the opposite mountain peak, the three hundred Ouzan cavalrymen slowly walked out of the forest, as if a demonic god who had stepped out from the depths of hell.
These Ouzan cavalrymen were fully armored, and their eyes were ferocious. Even the highland steeds beneath them were equipped with heavy armor, and they were armed to the teeth.
At the same time, they exuded an aura as heavy as the mountains.
Even from such a distance, the Tang dynasty cavalrymen at the foot of the mountain still felt a heavy pressure weighing down on them. The Big Dipper Army commandant's face warped slightly.
These fellows were elites, there was no doubt about it!
"Tower shields, lower your center of gravity!"
"Archers, prepare to load the bows!"
"Cavalrymen, prepare to receive my command!"
…
In just a short moment, the Big Dipper Army commandant issued a series of orders, and the sound of bows being drawn sounded. Four hundred steel tower shields, each taller than a grown man, fell heavily to the ground.
The infantry behind the tower shields held their breaths in silence.
"It's finally time for war!"
At the same time, on the peak of the mountain, the Ouzan commandant gazed down at the formation of the Han army with a savage smile on his face.
It was finally time for the final battle.
Once they defeated the final Tang army and destroyed the resting point, they would be able to leave this place and return to Ouzan.
This mission was basically over.
Without a doubt, the current Tang army was no longer a match for the Ouzan.
Sou!
The Ouzan commandant raised his right hand and grabbed the curved saber by his waist. Whipping it out, he raised it high above his head.
The uniquely shaped Ouzan curved saber gleamed coldly in the air.
"All soldiers, listen up! Defeat this Tang army and we can return to the Ouzan Highlands!"
Roar!
The eyes of the three-hundred-some Tibetan cavalry were filled with excitement as they roared in agreement. Waves of ferocious killing intent surged out of their bodies like a tide.
"Hehehe, good!"
Feeling the killing intent behind him, the eyes of the Ouzan commandant flashed with excitement. Then, he swung the curved saber in his hand down viciously.
"All soldiers, move out!"
Weng!
The ground rumbled as the three hundred fully-armored Ouzan cavalrymen charged down from the peak of the mountain on their black highland steeds.
Their initial speed wasn't too fast, but it gradually grew faster and faster. Eventually, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
An aura as heavy as a mountain, incomparably vast and boundless, slowly emanated from their bodies. And this aura was still growing exponentially.
Not only that, but the originally dense formation also began to change. One echelon, two echelons, three echelons … More than three hundred people, in the end, actually turned into more than ten echelons. Like undulating waves, they swept along the long hillside towards the foot of the mountain.
The Echelon Charge Formation!
This was the most classic, most powerful, and most powerful charging formation that the Ouzan cavalry had discovered over the long years.
With the help of the steep hillside, batches of cavalrymen formed into countless trapezoidal formations and kept crashing at the enemy's infantry defense formation like waves.
No matter how powerful a fully-armored infantry formation was, it might be able to stop one wave, but it might not be able to stop a second, a third, a fourth … a tenth, a twentieth …
When the number of charges reached a certain level, they would definitely be able to break through the enemy's front line and then tear apart the infantry formation, completely shattering the enemy.
As long as the front line infantry formation collapsed, the chaos would spread to the entire army!
This was a secret that the Ouzan cavalry had discovered in the countless battles they had with the Central Plains!
The echelon charge formation would allow sufficient time for the cavalry to charge forward and adjust their formation. This way, even if the cavalry at the front line were to fail, it wouldn't affect the subsequent charge.
Compared to a densely packed cavalry formation, the echelon charge formation was much more continuous. The duration of the charge was extended significantly!
Of all the cavalrymen in the world, only the Ouzan cavalry was able to make full use of this and maximize the prowess of the Echelon Charge formation.
Hong long long!
The earth quaked as the Tibetans charged faster and faster. Like a rolling snowball, they had already reached an inconceivable speed.
From afar, it looked as though a streak of black lightning was advancing along the undulating slope of the mountain.
His aura was as swift as a bolt of lightning, overwhelming and unstoppable!
At the bottom of the mountain, a grim expression appeared on the face of the Big Dipper Army commandant.
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