Chapter 37: Combined Infantry and Cavalry Assault

"The enemy soldiers are pursuing!"

As the Hou clan's retainers were shoving their supply carts, a leader suddenly shouted a warning. Hearing this, Hou Mo pulled on the reins to turn his horse around, immediately bellowing, "Crossbowmen, form ranks!"

As the men around him responded, they saw the pursuing riders within their line of sight discard their torches and vanish into the darkness of the night.

Wei Xing drove his horse forward, looking back to shout, "Drop the torches! Break through from both sides!"

There was no verbal response; the riders skilled in mounted archery had already begun to draw their bows and nock arrows, while those less experienced kept one hand on the reins and used the other to retrieve pre-wound crossbows from their gear.

As the Huben archers approached within fifty paces, they began to fire, using whistling arrows designed to harass and terrify the enemy. The piercing shriek of the arrows cut through the air, and most riders fired a single shot before dropping low over their horses' necks.

Wei Xing fired three arrows in quick succession. Relying on the superior quality of his armor, he used a crescent-shaped arrowhead for his third shot, aiming it at the densest clusters of torches. Without waiting to see the result, he ducked low and spurred his horse to accelerate.

When the crossbow-wielding riders got close, they fired at the brightest clusters of torches, discarded their crossbows, and pressed themselves as tightly as possible against their horses. As scions of powerful, wealthy families who could afford to keep horses, even if they had not seen real combat, they were well-versed in the hunting rituals that centered on horsemanship. They lacked experience in large-scale battles, but they were no strangers to these small-scale skirmishes.

The Huben were indeed guards of the imperial palace, developed from the Qimen Lang, and were horsemen by nature. Like the Yulin guards, the Huben were organized as a cavalry unit by tradition. How could one serve as a guard for the Son of Heaven’s carriage without being a skilled rider?

"Fire!"

Under the illumination of the convoy's torches, a leader of the Hou clan's retainers shouted sharply. Without formidable force, the Hou clan would not have been able to defend their current holdings.

But as the Huben riders darted and weaved on both sides of the convoy, the Hou clan's crossbowmen fired, then knelt on the ground to winch their heavy crossbows. The most powerful of these weapons required the men to lie on their backs and use their leg and waist strength to draw the strings.

The Hou clan’s infantry on the flanks of the convoy stepped forward with spears and halberds, thrusting and swinging in an attempt to block the incoming Huben riders. However, the Huben riders only wove through the gaps, keeping a safe distance from the carts.

Seven or eight paces away, as the horses thundered past, the Hou retainers merely extended their arms to thrust, keeping their feet planted rather than charging forward. Before the Hou crossbows could be reloaded, more horses continued to charge past the flanks of the convoy in intermittent waves.

The sound of the trampling hooves further disrupted the Hou retainers’ reactions, to the point where they failed to notice that some of these were riderless horses. Even those who swung torches to strike out in the heat of the moment mistakenly believed the riders were hiding against the saddles or the horses' bellies.

Nearly two hundred horses galloped past. Hou Mo was struck with terror, his palms sweating. He had never imagined that this newly formed Huben unit could be so fierce and unrelenting.

"Crossbowmen, form ranks!"

The leader pointed his sword toward the direction where the riders had broken through, and the Hou retainers turned. Before the crossbow unit could align, a short spear came whistling from behind. It struck the back of the leader standing atop a rectangular grain cart; he didn't even have time to scream before the impact sent him tumbling off the cart.

Hou Mo, near the grain cart, hurriedly turned to look at the rear. It was pitch black, with only a few dying torches visible in the distance.

Immediately, a dense volley of short spears followed. Hou Mo’s mount was struck in the rump and let out a long neigh, rearing up. The horse bucked violently; Hou Mo could not control it, and he dared not leap off.

Some of the Hou retainers had already turned around, but another round of short spears was hurled from the darkness. Seven or eight men fell, plunging the ranks into further chaos.

"Throw the fire!" a leader screamed in hatred. Only then did some of the retainers react, throwing their torches toward the mouth of the ravine.

A dozen torches spun through the air, revealing shadows shifting on the ground, followed by an even denser volley of short spears. Quick-witted veterans either dodged behind their comrades or grabbed others to shield themselves.

After Zhao Ji threw his spear, he charged forward. He easily parried a spear with his iron halberd and drove it straight into the face of the man before him. He did not shout, nor did he even need to pull the halberd free.

The momentum of his charge pushed the halberd, its blade slicing through the man's face before piercing the shoulder of the next. That man dropped his spear, grabbed the halberd with both hands to prevent it from going deeper, and shrieked in agony.

Another retainer lunged with a spear. Zhao Ji abandoned the halberd, dodged by leaping sideways, and drew his sword.

Behind Zhao Ji, his messenger Han Shu charged forward with long strides. He was the fastest runner in Zhao Ji’s unit, the only one who could barely keep pace. He had long since abandoned fear; he rammed his own iron halberd into the side of another man's waist, twisting the handle and roaring. The man, struck by the sudden, intense pain, went rigid, unable to even scream, let alone counter-attack.

The personal guard squad closed in, followed by the flag-bearer Gao Yanglong, the strongest man in the unit. When the guard squad reached the end of the convoy, they saw no more moving shadows, so they picked up torches from the ground and advanced rapidly along the carts.

On the side of the convoy, Zhao Ji surged forward, slashing with his sword whenever he saw a shadow. Suddenly, a Hou retainer hidden behind a cart lunged at Zhao Ji from the left rear with a halberd.

Han Shu, following close behind, roared and swung his halberd, striking the enemy’s shaft and twisting it until the weapon was wrenched from the man's grip. The retainer turned to run along the other side of the convoy, but before he could go far, a guard squad caught up and pierced his waist with a spear. He let out a wail, his legs kicking as he jumped in pain, but as he landed, another spear pierced his shoulder and back.

Two Huben guards pushed their spears forward in unison. Suddenly, crossbow bolts flew from the opposite side, striking the struggling retainer in the chest and causing his body to go taut instantly.

One Huben guard took an arrow to his left shoulder. He immediately dropped his spear, twisted his waist, and turned his left shoulder back. Without a second thought, he drew his sword with his right hand and continued to charge forward with his comrades.

Hou Mo had just managed to steady his horse when several Huben soldiers lunged with spears and halberds. The horse, still wounded and agitated, was too dangerous for them to approach, so they merely stabbed the horse's rump again.

The horse went completely wild, and Hou Mo’s resolve faltered. In the blink of an eye, he was thrown from the saddle.

Hou Mo hit the ground, nearly suffocated. Daring not to hesitate, he tried to roll away using his hands and feet. But spears and halberds immediately struck down. He hadn't rolled even twice before a spear pierced him.

He stopped rolling, screaming in agony, and immediately three or four more spears and halberds pinned him to the ground. Seeing that his armor was sturdy, the successful Huben soldiers did not dare be careless, stabbing him repeatedly until he stopped moving.

Ximen Jian stepped forward, holding a torch to illuminate Hou Mo's face. Seeing the round head, he shouted, "Hou Mo is dead! No quarter for the rest!"

By this time, Zhao Ji had reached the vicinity of the crossbow unit. The crossbowmen had abandoned their weapons and fled, so he paused to observe his surroundings.

The Huben soldiers who had been pursuing from the rear finally lit their spare torches. The sounds of shouting and demands for surrender echoed from every direction. Even the Huben riders who had charged to the front to cut off the retreat began to light torches, gathering ownerless horses or intercepting and driving off the fleeing Hou retainers.

Under the glow of the torches, Zhao Ji grabbed a wheel and climbed onto a cart. He saw another group of men galloping toward them from deep in the ravine, holding torches.

Zhao Ji turned and bellowed, "Beat the drums! Assemble the troops!"

The drummer, lagging a dozen paces behind, was slapped by a comrade: "The Tunzhang has ordered it! Beat the drums and assemble the troops!"

The drummer reacted, immediately striking up the rhythmic beat to gather the ranks. Han Shu, panting heavily, ran along the convoy with a torch, shouting, "The Tunzhang’s orders! Assemble and prepare for battle!"

Ximen Jian, having just severed Hou Mo's head, heard the order and shouted, "Left-wing Huben! Assemble at the sound of the drums!"

The Huben soldiers everywhere shouted, passing the order along and moving toward the sound of the drums. Wei Xing, unable to spare the time to collect horses or hunt down the fleeing remnants, had his men blow their horns to signal their convergence on Zhao Ji’s position.

The cavalry unit gradually reformed, the air thick with the stench of blood. They saw the enemy cavalry appearing less than two hundred paces away; the enemy reorganized slightly and charged.

Wei Xing looked up and asked, "Tunzhang!"

"The cavalry will retreat, reorganize, and then return to slaughter the thieves! The infantry will hold the line behind the carts and kill only the riders!"

Zhao Ji formulated the plan to distinguish friend from foe without a moment's hesitation. As he gave the order, he grabbed his bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at the enemy riders, and loosed the shaft at full draw.

Wei Xing immediately led his riders to circle around the convoy, heading toward the rear, and shouted, "Tunzhang, shall the riders fight on foot?"

Without waiting for Zhao Ji's response, Wei Xing focused on controlling his horse. Seeing a wounded Hou soldier come at him with a blade, he accelerated his mount and smashed his torch into the man's forehead.

Corpses littered the ground on both sides of the convoy. Wounded men struggled, and those Hou retainers still alive swayed as they rose to strike back with their weapons. The passing riders showed no mercy, either thrusting with spears and halberds or hacking with blades and swords.