Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Page 2700

How could the number of soldiers be less than before?

Because the Western Xia Iron Falcons were basically hereditary. A suit of armor was passed down for generations, and combat skills were also passed down within families.

Chapter 3748 The man is dead

This may ensure combat effectiveness in the early stages, but problems will inevitably arise after several generations.

First, too many people have died or been injured in a short period of time, making it difficult to replenish their ranks quickly.

Secondly, it is difficult for the descendants of hereditary meritorious nobles to maintain their fighting spirit.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, the Iron Falcons of Western Xia were even afraid to charge into battle, and only dared to charge after defeating the Song army with arrows.

Heavy cavalry that dared not engage in close combat!

At this moment, about one-third of the Iron Falcons do not come from hereditary noble families.

Unfortunately, in many families with young children, all the adult male members have died.

However, they occupy the quotas, selecting brave men from their respective tribes and "lending" their armor to these men in place of them in the army.

These brave and daring warriors rarely rise to high positions based on their military achievements and martial prowess.

The mid- to high-ranking officers of the Iron Falcon were all from hereditary aristocratic families.

Many of them have lost their fighting spirit, yet they cling to their positions and refuse to move.

If a real fight breaks out, their true colors will soon be revealed.

……

Intimidated by the Iron Falcon's reputation, Yang Yizhong, after joining forces with Yang Jin's troops, immediately distanced himself to avoid their sharp edge and instead charged towards the Western Xia light cavalry further away.

Then they discovered that the Iron Falcons, who had been rushing after them, did not charge at them, but instead began firing arrows from a great distance.

They fired one arrow, then a second, but seemed to have missed the best opportunity to encircle the enemy. The iron hawks decided to rest for a while.

Richard saw it too and roared, "Give the order to Fang Danqili to lead the troops to charge!"

"Don't keep shooting arrows there. He's not leading a light cavalry herdsmen, nor is he facing a large Ming infantry formation."

"If anyone dares to cower in the face of the enemy again, they will be beheaded even if they win!"

The messenger first blew the horn and waved the flag, but the Iron Falcon only charged forward for a while before stopping and repeatedly shooting arrows.

Left with no other option, the messenger had to ride his horse to the battlefield to deliver the message.

Before Richard's orders could be delivered, another group of Western Xia light cavalry was defeated by Yang Yizhong and Yang Jin's troops.

Then, they charged straight to the flank of the Western Xia infantry formation.

The Western Xia infantry there hurriedly turned to defend themselves. Yang Yizhong and Yang Jin's elite cavalry split into six groups, sweeping past the front of the formation in waves, and firing at close range while flanking the enemy.

Then, these Ming cavalrymen turned and fled into the distance, launching attacks on the Western Xia light cavalry from all sides.

On the other side of the battlefield, Li Yu and Liu Zhengyan were also intercepted by the Iron Falcons, and they also distanced themselves to charge at the Western Xia light cavalry.

The Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry was organized into squads of 25 men each and battalions of 250 men each.

There were officers in front, behind, left, and right, and the speed of turning and advancing/retreating was extremely fast.

The Western Xia light cavalry were divided into tribes, with one chieftain leading a troop.

The number of soldiers in each rank is not fixed; it all depends on how many soldiers the chief can recruit.

Within a single group, multiple tribal nobles lead the way, and command relies entirely on the prestige of the nobles and their mutual understanding.

When faced with large-scale battles, herdsmen who spend most of their time on horseback are actually less agile than disciplined regular cavalry!

At that moment, Yang Yizhong made a turn, and the deputy general on the right automatically took over command, leading six cavalry battalions to flee into the distance.

These six large groups galloped several dozen paces, then split into two to charge at the encircling Western Xia light cavalry.

Each battalion has an officer leading the charge at the first moment, and each squad also has a corresponding commander.

The proportion of officers in the Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry was more than six times that of the Western Xia's light cavalry.

Chapter 3749 Defending the Castle

Relying on their well-organized army structure, strict discipline, and superior equipment that overwhelmed the Western Xia light cavalry,

The Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry could often disrupt and defeat the Western Xia cavalry with just one or two battles.

The Western Xia infantry formation remained firmly in place, not attacking the Ming cavalry, as the two sides were already locked in a fierce battle.

They continued to fire arrows, targeting the cavalrymen patrolling in front of them; the crossbowmen were killing large numbers of the light cavalry.

Furthermore, at the very beginning of the battle, more than ten carrier pigeons flew towards the northeast.

When the Western Xia sent troops on long-distance outflanking maneuvers, they often used carrier pigeons to transmit signals, which were sometimes more effective than beacon fires.

Richard dispatched 8,000 light cavalry to the flank and rear of the Ming army, a distance of 20 to 30 li.

Having received the carrier pigeon, they immediately rushed towards the Ming army's supply depot.

It was a relatively large fortified city. After being captured by the Ming army, all the cannons and some of the grain were stored inside.

Only three hundred infantrymen, two hundred artillerymen, and several hundred steppe laborers were defending the castle.

"Sound the horn! Iron Falcons, intercept the enemy!"

Richard was giving orders again because Yue Fei was rushing over, and all the Western Xia cavalry that had been blocking his way were being overwhelmed.

Fang Dangqili's 1500 Iron Falcons had no choice but to fight this time.

Because Yue Fei led 2000 elite cavalrymen straight towards him.

The Iron Falcons consisted of 300 men in a large battalion and 30 men in a small squad, with officers making up half the number of officers in the Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry.

Yue Fei neither dodged nor avoided, nor even rode and shot, charging forward fearlessly.

He was flanked by Xu Qing and Wang Gui, the team leaders. The three of them charged forward like three arrows, without any fancy moves.

Fang Dangqili reluctantly accepted the battle. Their armor was generally better than that of Yue Fei's elite cavalry, but many hereditary officers of the Iron Falcons were afraid.

They are timid and hesitant, lacking the courage and spirit of their ancestors.

Yue Fei had a fine steed and precious armor bestowed upon him by the emperor. He always charged ahead of the pack, and his armor was even more exquisite than that of the Iron Falcon!

His weapon was an "eighteen-foot iron spear," which, according to the Song dynasty foot, was actually only twelve feet long, or about four meters.

The Western Xia Iron Falcons had a sparse formation, with a distance of up to five meters between their warhorses, which, according to the Six Secret Teachings, was a "method of easy warfare."

Yue Fei's elite cavalry formed a dense formation, with the distance between the warhorses being about three meters, which, according to the Six Secret Teachings, is a "strategy for risky battles."

The perilous battles test courage and skill even more; a moment's carelessness could lead to a collision with enemy cavalry!

Let alone a hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, the Iron Falcons would have definitely used a risky formation, but now their courage and skills are not up to par.

Yue Fei was the first to charge into the enemy formation, positioned between two iron hawks, and thrust his four-meter-long spear diagonally forward.

The iron hawk was knocked off its horse by the impact, but it did not fall off immediately. Instead, it lay on its back, tilted to one side.

Iron Falcons will never fall from their horses, because they have bound themselves with hooks and ropes!

These hooks could also be removed and used to entangle enemy horses' legs during cavalry charges; both Song and Liao cavalry suffered losses from this. However...

Its technical requirements were too high, and it was only recorded in the early to mid-stages of the Iron Falcon's creation. It seems that the Iron Falcon no longer used grappling hooks in combat in the later stages.

Yue Fei struck the enemy with his spear, then released his hands to mitigate the impact.

The gun barrel slid back a foot or so in his palm, and he immediately gripped it tightly, diagonally withdrawing the force, and swept it out towards the iron hawk on the other side.

Chapter 3750 All-Out Charge

In the instant he charged into the enemy lines, Yue Fei had already dispatched two enemies.

Neither of them died.

The previous one was so badly injured that his blood was churning, and he only managed to stay on his horse because he was tied up with a hook.

The man, feeling dizzy, tried to sit up, only to be stabbed again by Yue Fei's personal guards who rushed over.

One of Yue Fei's personal guards rode forward, and the second guard swung his mace, smashing it hard into Tie Yaozi's chest.

The second one was knocked to the side by Yue Fei's sweep, then stabbed by Yue Fei's personal guards, and soon after was hit by an iron mace.

The Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry, commanded by Yue Fei, used long spears in the first two ranks.

Starting from the third row, they put away their spears and used blunt weapons for attacks.

This was a hastily designed charge tactic to deal with the Iron Falcons.

To facilitate close-range blunt weapon attacks, Yue Fei arranged his formations more densely, but he also paid a price for it.

The Ming cavalry that followed were no longer in formation, as both sides were no longer in proper order.

The Ming army itself was also closely spaced, and many of the Ming cavalrymen directly collided with the Iron Falcons.

In a physical collision, both sides would be in grave danger.

Yue Fei, Xu Qing, and Wang Gui, like three arrows, led the Ming cavalry in a charge.

Each Ming Dynasty cavalry unit has five ranks.

The first five platoons charged into the formation, and the second five platoons quickly followed, launching a continuous assault.

The entire battle was incredibly fierce, but Yue Fei, who was at the forefront, has remained uninjured to this day.

His four-meter-long spear swept left and right, its sole purpose being to throw the enemy cavalry off balance, allowing the Ming elite cavalry to finish them off with blunt weapons.

After breaking through two teams of Iron Falcons, the third team of Iron Falcons was actually routed.

The elite cavalry charged head-on into the heavy cavalry and routed them!

Fang Dangqili, as the commander of this Iron Falcon, did not even dare to lead his troops to the forefront.

Seeing the horrific battlefield from the rear, he was so frightened that he led his troops to turn to the side to avoid the battle, which made his Iron Falcons even less willing to fight.

More than a decade ago, Fang Dangqili was also fearless in the face of death.

His father and brother died at the hands of the Song army. He inherited the Iron Falcon armor and vowed to avenge his father and brother.

He quickly rose through the ranks after making numerous merits at the beginning. Later, he followed Richard into battle and encountered Yang Zhi's firearms troops in a narrow valley.

He didn't even engage in battle; he abandoned his warhorse and armor and fled over mountains and valleys with Richard, because if they didn't run, they would be trapped in the valley from both sides.

Having lost his warhorse and armor, Fang Dangqili returned to Xingqing Prefecture in a daze.

The forging speed of cold-forged armor is very slow. It took the Western Xia several years to reforge the equipment of the three thousand Iron Hawks, and the quality was not as good as the set passed down by Fang Dangqili.

During this period, Fang Dangqili's willpower waned, and he began to indulge in sensual pleasures in Xingqing Prefecture.

When Iron Falcon was being rebuilt, he couldn't even withstand the heavy armor; after riding a horse and brandishing his spear for a while, he would be out of breath.

From then on, he never fought a decent battle again.

They dared not face the Jin soldiers, nor the Ming army; each of them harbored a deep-seated fear.

Fang Dangqili led more than 700 Iron Falcons to avoid battle, and did not even dare to rescue the Iron Falcons' friendly forces who were surrounded.

Yue Fei continued his pursuit, giving Fang Dangqili no chance to regroup and fight again.

Yue Fei's follow-up troops charged into the trapped Iron Falcons, using blunt weapons to fight two or three against one enemy.

Chapter 3751 Harassment

Fang Dangqili's act of avoiding battle angered Richard so much that he vomited blood.

Richard urgently transferred 900 men from the Iron Falcons on the other side, leaving only 600 Iron Falcons with light cavalry to fight Li Yu and Liu Zhengyan.

At the same time, Richard also dispatched 800 of his personal guard cavalry to surround and kill Yue Fei, and ordered several detachments of Western Xia light cavalry to harass him.

However, after Yue Fei's elite cavalry broke through the battlefield, Li Shifu's troops followed closely behind.

The number of men was small, consisting of three hundred heavy cavalry and three hundred auxiliary cavalry.

They were all dressed in heavy and light cotton armor, making them inconspicuous on the battlefield, like a cavalryman in cloth armor.

Two groups of Western Xia light cavalry took the initiative to come and take advantage of the situation. All the arrows they fired were blocked by the cotton armor, and even the warhorses were covered with cotton armor to protect themselves from arrows.