80 Imminent Defea (1/2)
All the soldiers that had fallen off their steeds become mincemeat within the blink of an eye. Blood sprayed liberally and spewed endlessly. From afar, only broken arms could be seen flying up after being detached from bodies upon the collision of both cavalry troops; heads rolled in the air like frogs hopping out of water before landing, there were also complete bodies that were hurled like rice sacks as blood sprayed from their entire physique before they fell limply to the ground.
Wu Jundao charged in to kill with all his might. Suddenly, he felt his movements unhampered, the restraints around him vanished as his front view became unhindered. He had charged out of the enemy’s cavalry formation! Behind him, the Steel Cavalry that was still in a uniform arrangement charged out as well; Wu Jundao raised his spear diagonally as his warhorse fled, making a complete swing before readjusting his aim towards the enemy’s formation.
He charged in once again without a sound!
It was a moment of life and death; it was also the point of victory and defeat!
Somewhere higher up, Tie Zheng stretched his arm towards the sky as he hollered, “Yutang Steel Cavalry!”
His voice roared like booming thunder, traveling and resonating through the battlefield.
Hundreds of thousands of warriors shouted in response at the same time, “Unmatched in the world!”
This was the first time that the Steel Cavalry had made a sound since the war began, their bloodlust rising under the lead of their marshal.
In the enemy’s battle array, deafening drumbeats sounded as well but a cruel smile had already claimed its spot on Tie Zheng’s face.
He had been slightly quicker, and the marshal’s thunderous growl was no doubt an essential boost to the battling warriors.
Yutang’s Steel Cavalry grew increasingly maddened, roaring “Yutang Steel Cavalry! Unmatched in the world!”, as they charged towards Dongxuan’s Shadow Cavalry on the opposite side like a whirlwind.
In the enemy’s tent, the general conducting the battle wore a grim expression, sweat dropping from the tip of his nose. A thin elder stood with his arms behind his back. He looked at the battlefield as he said indifferently, “The Shadow Cavalry has lost. Beat the gong, signal the retreat.”
“Marshal!” The unwillingness to back down was written all over the general’s face.
“A defeat is a defeat!” The elderly said coldly, “Beat the gong and signal the retreat.”
“Yes!”
The enemy had pull backed its own troops but it would be difficult for the cavalry in the thick of battle to regain their own side.
They were still at each other’s throat and slaughtering indiscriminately. Each of them was charging through the other party’s battle array to return to their own.
On the ground, corpses of flesh and blood were trampled into mush.
“Do you know where your defeat was?” The elderly’s gaze was wise.
“I was slow.” The general lowered his head in shame.
“Correct.” The elder was none other than Dongxuan’s god of war Han Sanhe. “Our Shadow Cavalry is basically the same as their Steel Cavalry. Both have the most elite combat skills, both could sustain injuries and not be defeated easily. In conducting their movements, however, you have lost. Our side has commissioned five thousand cavalrymen in this battle and so did they. Those returning to their camp number approximately three thousand five to four thousand people while our brothers who returned to our camp were at least five hundred lesser men than them! Why is this?”
“Because the moment when the men charged through the formation and rearranged their troops, Tie Zheng grasped the opportunity in this battle. His roar spurred the army to new heights, and rallied their morale!”
“Cavalrymen from both sides have already reached the end of their tether. It was only morale that spurred them on. Whichever side had the higher morale, that side would win. The opposite troop has made the first move, the morale of their troop was boosted; we were slower by one step, our morale inhibited.”
“In the first wave, the casualties on both sides were actually equal. The additional hundreds of casualties from our side compared to theirs happened during the second wave when we lost our dominance. You are not worthy to be Tie Zheng’s opponent.”
The thin elder said slowly, “Another reason for your defeat is that Tie Zheng has been standing there all along, where all his men could clearly see him. You, on the other hand, were invisible to your own soldiers.”
“A general is the soldiers’ gut and the army’s soul!”
Han Sanhe sighed softly, “Tie Zheng is truly an outstanding general talent of our time.”
The general beside him was ashamed.
“After this battle, the Shadow Cavalry will be temporarily held of their battlefield. Their dominance would definitely be oppressed. We need to search for opportunities to retaliate if we wish to survive this war. If we were to face the Steel Cavalry again where their psychology has already taken on a superior state, we would still be defeated.”
“For forty-five continuous days, the three of you have pursued the battlefield respectively against Tie Zheng. Three of you, losing half of the war!” Han Sanhe squinted his eyes and looked at the battlefield. “Looks like I have to take care of this myself.”
“This lowly general is ashamed, I am willing to be taught warfare.”
“This is not warfare, this war is supposed to be practice for all of you!” Han Sanhe said coldly, “The three of you, open rivals and veiled strife, challenging each other within the nation for that so-called top general of the younger generation. This battle was to show all of you how far all of you are from being a notable general.”
“I hope you remember the countless heroic souls that have fallen in this war because of your mistake.” Han Sanhe looked at the general, then at the other two generals who stood straight and crestfallen, uttering each word slowly, “This time, I am letting all of you practice warfare using actual lives a fact that you should never forget. In front of a truly reputable general, all of you… are lesser than sh*t!”
“If you don’t improve, all of you will die on the battlefield sooner or later.”
Han Sanhe’s voice was icy; all three generals were flustered with their heads lowered, wanting to dig a hole and bury themselves in it.
“This is how the making of a great general is built; upon a mountain of fallen souls!”
Han Sanhe wore a straight face as he ascended the podium.
A large flag was suddenly raised amidst the wind in Dongxuan’s military camp! It fluttered without restraint – Han!
The entire Dongxuan army, several hundred thousand warriors in all, erupted into roars. The warriors cheered, their shouts deafening as it echoed across the air.
On the other end, Tie Zheng’s expression was stoic. Han Sanhe had finally decided to take the field himself! He had raised his flag to tell him that ‘I view you as an opponent that is a viable threat.”
‘I shall do battle with my all!”
This was the respect Han Sanhe paid to his opponent.
However, this respect almost made Tie Zheng’s heart skip a beat. He would rather Han Sanhe look down on him or despise him than to have the latter come at him with such a ferocious intent.
The pressure was as heavy as a mountain!
Orders resounded continuously from the enemy’s camp, the ongoing battle on the battlefield was forcefully halted as all the deployed soldiers returned to their base camp.
The army’s morale was high and boosted as much as it was also overwhelming; within a hundred-mile radius, the wind bellowed as the great flag fluttered like a dragon!
Han Sanhe had only begun reorganizing the troops but the entire Dongxuan army was already exuding a different vigor! Whether it be their dominance, the will to fight, or killing intent, everything seemed to have instantly taken a few notches up!