Seeing the approaching force several miles away, led by Yuan Xi, Zhao Yun felt a mix of emotions.
He's actually come to meet me?
Zhao Yun wasn't a fool; how could he not know that Yuan Xi's wager, while seemingly advantageous to him, would inevitably come at a cost? There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
However, when Zhao Yun learned that the Xiongnu bandits were plundering and causing havoc in the heartland of the Central Plains, poisoning the lives of the common people, he still agreed.
Not for anything else, but for the ambition held within his heart to sweep away the enemies and bring peace to the world.
Now, finding himself pursued by the White Horse Volunteers, Zhao Yun didn't feel any particular regret, but Yuan Xi actually coming to his rescue was somewhat unexpected.
He was just an unknown nobody, while the other was the son of a prominent aristocratic family. Why did he value him so highly?
However, when Zhao Yun saw the troops Yuan Xi brought, his mood instantly soured.
Besides a dozen heavy cavalry and several dozen archers, the remaining hundreds of men were all infantry!
Moreover, these men were all sitting in groups on nearly a hundred donkey and mule carts. Zhao Yun had never seen a marching force like this before!
At that time, mules and donkeys were used to pull supplies and provisions, and infantry marched lightly on foot. Who would sit directly on carts like this?
And how could a force composed almost entirely of infantry deal with the all-cavalry White Horse Volunteers?
Thinking of this, he shouted loudly, "There are hundreds of White Horse Volunteers behind me, be careful!"
Yuan Xi heard him from afar, picked up his telescope, and saw the situation clearly. He found that the White Horse Volunteers had already pursued to seven or eight *li* behind Zhao Yun's force and could break into their ranks in less than a quarter of an hour.
Furthermore, the enemy had calculated precisely, waiting only for Zhao Yun's force to merge with his relief force and create confusion before launching a decisive charge!
Under normal circumstances, this area was flat terrain, and engaging cavalry in a hasty battle would not go well for these infantrymen.
But that was under normal circumstances.
Now was the time to test the combat capability of this animal-powered mechanized unit!
Because his infantry had all arrived armored and riding in carts, their physical strength was at its peak, ready to fight at any moment!
This was not his original idea; in the Han Dynasty, and even during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Five Barbarians, there were precedents of heavy infantry riding horses to pursue cavalry, waiting until both sides' horses were exhausted before dismounting to form ranks and defeat the cavalry.
He said to Qu Yi beside him, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Qu."
Qu Yi heard this, laughed heartily, and said, "Don't worry, I will show the young lord that I have not lost my former might!"
He roared loudly, "Dismount, form ranks!"
Hearing this, the several hundred infantrymen jumped off the donkey carts one after another and formed a formation behind the carts on the spot. They took out their shields to cover their bodies, preventing the enemy from seeing what was behind the shields.
The heavy and light cavalry were arranged by Qu Yi on the flanks. These few dozen cavalrymen were too few in number, and their strength was insufficient to overwhelm the fully armored White Horse Volunteers. They could only harass and raid from the flanks as support.
Zhao Yun, with his hundred or so subordinates, suddenly ordered an acceleration, bypassed Yuan Xi's formation, and arrived at the rear ahead of time.
Yuan Xi came forward smiling, cupped his hands, and said, "It is truly fortunate to finally meet Brother Zhao."
Zhao Yun was moved in his heart and said, "The enemy is numerous, I fear we cannot match them. Please be careful, General."
"If Zhao Yun is needed to charge and resist, please feel free to give the order, General."
Yuan Xi heard this and smiled, "It's alright. Brother Zhao has ridden dozens of *li* and is tired from the journey. Please rest for a moment, and we can assess the situation later; it's not too late."
Zhao Yun could only agree, thinking to himself, if their formation here is broken through, I'm afraid even if I'm well-rested, it will be too late, right?
Hooves thundered, and hundreds of White Horse Volunteers charged forward. The leading general was also one of Gongsun Zan's capable subordinates.
From afar, he saw Yuan Xi's side had formed a formation, with donkey and mule carts interspersed in front of the line, followed by sword and shield infantry, and cavalry waiting for an opportunity on the flanks.
His mind raced, and he instantly made a decision, roaring, "Level lances, charge!"
Hundreds of White Horse Volunteers roared in unison, raising the lances hanging from their saddles. For a moment, points of cold light glinted, striking fear into the hearts of onlookers.
Instantly, hundreds of cavalry charged directly towards Yuan Xi's central army!
The decision of this commander could be said to be the optimal solution at this moment.
They had already pursued Zhao Yun for dozens of *li*, stopping and starting in between, not chasing desperately, precisely to preserve the stamina of their warhorses.
But even so, the warhorses had little stamina left. If they were to turn back now, they would inevitably be pursued closely by the enemy's few dozen cavalry, falling into a passive state.
Since that was the case, it was better to use the remaining stamina of the warhorses to break through the enemy's infantry-heavy formation in one go!
Although the enemy had set up a cart formation, it was located on flat terrain, and the gaps between the vehicles were quite large, enough for their own forces to break through!
The hundreds of White Horses gradually accelerated, their hooves pounding the ground, emitting a uniform and muffled echo. The lances, several *zhang* long, reflected dazzling light in the sunlight, like a silver dragon, charging towards Yuan Xi's main formation!
Many of the shield-bearing soldiers on Yuan Xi's side saw this scene through the gaps in their shields and couldn't help but tremble, uttering gasps of alarm.
Qu Yi saw this and secretly shook his head. These men were soldiers he had trained over the past two years. Although they had been on the battlefield many times, they had never faced a scene of enemy cavalry charging collectively. It was expected that they would waver.
The vanguard death warriors he had once led were much stronger than this group. Those men were veterans from Liangzhou and could maintain a calm expression even when enemy cavalry was close at hand.
However, those vanguard death warriors who had followed him, he should probably never see them again.
Thinking of this, Qu Yi roared loudly, "I am at the front of the formation!"
"I will live and die with you all!"
"Advance is permitted, retreat is forbidden!"
Hearing this, the still trembling soldiers were filled with courage and shouted in unison, "Yes!"
Gongsun Zan's general, holding his lance straight, led the charge, having already brought his warhorse to maximum speed.
His left foot was in the stirrup, and his right foot pressed against the saddle. At this time, cavalry typically used a single stirrup, mostly for mounting, but experienced White Horse Volunteers understood that stirrups greatly aided in mounted charges. Although the high-pommel saddle helped stabilize the body, both were needed to exert force effectively.
This was the very reason the White Horse Volunteers dominated the northern lands!
Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the enemy formation, one hundred and fifty paces, one hundred paces, eighty paces, fifty paces!
He suddenly began to feel a little uneasy in his heart. Why were the enemy still crouching behind the carts?
Carts
Shields
Hiding
Charging the formation
Thirty paces!
He vaguely felt that this situation seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before?
Qu Yi roared loudly, "First rank, rise!"
Suddenly, from behind the carts, a neat rank of soldiers stood up in unison, all holding powerful crossbows!
"Fire!"
Fifty or sixty crossbow bolts instantly rained down upon the White Horse Volunteers!
The next moment, the front dozen or so White Horse Volunteers were thrown from their horses, tumbling on the ground. Some of the horses behind them tripped, and others were forced to slow down and go around.
"Second rank, rise!"
The second rank of crossbowmen stood up in unison, while the first rank quickly crouched down to reload their bolts.
"Fire!"
Another twenty-odd warhorses fell to the ground.
With this, the charge of the remaining two hundred-plus cavalry was completely halted, forcing them to go around to the sides, and their formation was completely scattered.
"First rank, rise!"
The warhorse ridden by the leading Gongsun Zan general was also shot down. He rolled onto the ground, quickly stood up, and finally remembered what this familiar scene was!
The Battle of Jieqiao!
It was the same situation where he had narrowly escaped death, the memory still fresh, but today he had still been led into a trap by the enemy!
If the situation had been exactly the same as when the formation was set up at the Battle of Jieqiao, he could have realized it earlier, but Qu Yi had made slight changes, confusing the enemy.
First, he set up a cart formation, making Gongsun Zan's general think they were just using the carts for simple obstruction.
Then, he used two ranks of crossbowmen firing in rotation, creating a time difference that shortened the interval between volleys. Although the lethality didn't increase, it greatly slowed down the warhorses!
Gongsun Zan's general roared, "Keep charging, don't stop!"
He endured the crossbow bolts, leading the way and running forward with his lance held straight. The bolts pierced his armor, embedding themselves between his flesh and the armor plates, but his running speed became faster and faster.
Seeing that they were approaching the cart formation and the enemy's crossbows were no longer effective, the next moment he widened his eyes.
The opposing sword and shield infantry, as well as the crossbowmen who had thrown away their long crossbows and raised their ring-pommel swords, charged forward with shouts under the leadership of a big man with a full beard, ready to face the White Horse Volunteers head-on!