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墨書 Inktalez
Deeply aware of the domineering nature of Zhou Zhi from the Qin State, he summoned the commanders of various battalions before issuing orders to beat the drums. The Qin Army's formation was not to be feared; what was truly terrifying was their long-range weaponry. The only way to break through was through a swift assault. The Zhao State's Charioteer Camp excelled in this regard, so the responsibility fell upon the generals.
To ensure their horses could run at maximum speed, the returning commanders ordered the Cavalry to discard all unnecessary items to minimize weight. As a rapid response unit, the light Cavalry only had to shed personal belongings and food supplies.
The monthly military pay and rewards were also included in this list, as it was uncertain whether they would return alive. Orders were orders, but humanity found its ultimate expression among soldiers facing death. Zhou Zhi allowed a moment for the preparing Cavalry to settle their affairs.
Most of the Cavalry were children of poor families, saving their military pay and rewards for times of need. Knowing that some might never return home after the upcoming battle, they sought out familiar Wounded or Supply Troops, asking them to take their coins back to their parents.
There were tearful farewells and mutual blessings, leaving those who witnessed it deeply moved. Yet no one was afraid; ever since donning their Military Uniforms, they had been prepared for this day. Remembering brothers who had died in battle, simply surviving to this moment felt like a miracle.
As the moment passed, the fully equipped Cavalry awaited the order to march...
The Qin Army's formation.
The Crossbowmen resumed long-range shooting, finally witnessing the speed of the Cavalry. With Zhao soldiers repeatedly charging in, their accuracy and speed began to falter. After several rounds of rapid fire, the Zhao Army's Cavalry once again approached the front lines of the Qin Army. As the first batch of horses crossed over the chariot formation, signs of widening breaches created by Zhao forces became evident.
Faced with a surge of light Cavalry from Zhao Army, Fang Tianhua suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. In coordinating with the general's assault, he had not left behind a single Cavalry Unit. Now confronted by charging Cavalry, he found himself without troops to counter them.
The only troops capable of pressuring the Cavalry, the spear soldiers, had already been disrupted by close-quarters fighting with Zhao forces and could not form an effective formation to resist the Cavalry's charges. As more light Cavalry crossed over the chariot line, signs of collapse appeared on the right flank of the Qin Army.
Soaked in blood, Fang Tianhua knew that all hope was lost. He turned his horse towards the Central Army in search of General Lu. He had made up his mind that even if it cost him his life, he would protect the general's escape. His unit was meant as bait; it was actually the Cavalry Unit assaulting Zhao's main camp that posed a real threat. It could now be said that this unit had completed its assigned mission. As long as he ensured the general's safe withdrawal from danger, he would leave everything else to his brother units.
Listening quietly to Fang Tianhua’s explanation, Luzi understood that Fang Tianhua intended for him to abandon his brothers and flee alone. Such occurrences were not uncommon in military conflicts; when faced with overwhelming danger, protecting a General’s escape allowed other troops to withdraw under their command. If questioned later about accountability, it would be far worse if a General were killed compared to losing subordinates.
Fang Tianhua had always believed that General Lu was a descendant of a military family, so he thought the general would understand the helplessness of his subordinates. Just as he was speaking, he suddenly noticed that the general's expression was not quite right, and hurriedly fell silent.
Luzi had followed his master in the martial world since childhood, naturally prioritizing righteousness in his dealings. Although soldiers might consider this to be too much of a martial spirit, there were many commonalities between the two worlds. Brothers in life and death were indeed brothers; if they did not abandon or give up on each other, their words would be as solid as nails. Whether in small skirmishes or large-scale Army operations, the camaraderie among Soldiers was evident everywhere.
Feeling a bit irritated, Luzi stopped speaking and pointed at the Qin Soldiers who were currently fighting fiercely. "General Fang! When we set out to lead our troops into battle, it was not to abandon anyone. Tens of thousands of brothers have risked their lives for Great Qin; how can we, as Generals, leave them behind and flee alone!?"
Fang Tianhua's responsibility was to prioritize the safety of the general. As long as this mission was accomplished, the subsequent Army withdrawal could be discussed. Moreover, this was how armies operated; as long as casualties were within a controllable range, it was acceptable. However, if the General were killed, it would become troublesome because that would be beyond control.
"General! Our initial mission was to spread bait formations to divert Zhao Army's attention. As long as we attract Zhao Army's gaze, our Cavalry brothers can complete the surprise attack on Zhao Army's main camp. Now that the mission is accomplished, it's time to retreat."
After hearing Fang Tianhua's explanation, Luzi stopped speaking. If they had retreated after completing the Scale Formation earlier, they could have still escaped unscathed with a complete Arrow Formation while Fighting While Retreating. But now it was different; the Scale Formation deployed on the right flank had already been broken by Zhao Army. The two armies were now locked in combat; how could they simply leave!?
Luzi glanced at the direction where thick smoke was rising and then at the encroaching right flank Scale Formation. "General Fang! Although our Cavalry brothers have completed their mission, we cannot retreat!"
Hearing the General's insistence, Fang Tianhua had no choice but to explain to this great general: "General! I only say this matter-of-factly without any other intentions. The lives and deaths of brothers are trivial matters; the General must not face any danger. As long as you can escape from danger, I wouldn't hesitate to charge into enemy lines right now. But if you encounter danger, even if all our tens of thousands of brothers survive, it would lose its meaning."
Upon hearing this, Luzi smiled slightly. No matter whether Zhao Army's main camp remained intact or not, there was one undeniable fact: Zhao Army had hundreds of thousands of troops at this moment. If they abandoned two Scale Formations without care, the situation of being outnumbered would not change at all. The likely outcome would be total annihilation of their forces, followed by the collapse of the Cavalry Unit that was coming to join them.
The Qin Army Charioteer Camp was safe at this moment because their Scale Formation effectively held back Zhao Army's Charioteer Camp, leaving them unable to spare any forces and forcing them to find a way to deal with this Qin Army infantry first. Once they eliminated Qin Army's phalanx, whether Qin Army's Cavalry Unit could escape from Zhao's powerful Cavalry Unit would be another question altogether.
Having quickly assessed the battlefield situation, Luzi had indeed regained his composure; perhaps this served as proof of learning through analogy. At this moment, he no longer wished to explain anything further and had made up his mind to act like a wooden peg to block Zhao Army's Cavalry. If anyone could survive and leave, let Wang Jian take the Charioteer Camp brothers away!
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