Chapter 41 The Deterrence of Heavy Cavalry

"Tiantcai~"
"Before our departure, the old village chief gave explicit instructions: under no circumstances should we act rashly or advance recklessly."
"If there is any danger, we must immediately retreat!"
A man from the Hou clan said to Hou Tiancai among the vanguard.
Although old man Hou was also anxious to rescue Huang Xiu'er to avoid damaging relations with the Huang family, he was, after all, worldly-wise and seasoned, and still preferred to be cautious in his actions.
Unlike Hou Tiancai, who let anger cloud his judgment and acted with reckless disregard.
Old man Hou was also worried that this might be a trap set by the enemy~
Yet, though filled with fury, Hou Tiancai, subdued by his grandfather's prestige, nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "All right, I understand~"
Still, he was not particularly worried.
After all, most of the land to the south of the Hou village was flat and open.
Whether the enemy had hidden troops could be seen at a single glance.
If he found the enemy's numbers to be overwhelming, Hou Tiancai certainly would not throw his life away.
And so, the hundred-odd men of the Hou village followed the horse tracks left by Li Xiao, searching westward.
Not long after, the scout at the very front suddenly shouted out.
"There are people ahead!"
Hearing this, Hou Tiancai pushed past everyone else and strode to the front.
Sure enough, in the distance across the green grassland, a large cluster of dark figures was visible.
"It's them!"
Hou Tiancai's expression instantly darkened, and he gritted his teeth as he stared fixedly ahead.
"However, their numbers look substantial—definitely more than twenty!"
A burly man from the Hou clan said in a deep voice, his brow slightly furrowed.
Based on his experience, the enemy's number was at least around a hundred.
It was by no means the mere twenty men Hou Tiancai had claimed!
Furthermore, every single one of them was mounted, armed with bows, arrows, and long spears.
They looked formidable and not easily provoked.
"Hmph, I want to see what kind of person dares to snatch my, Hou Tiancai's, woman," Hou Tiancai said in a gloomy tone.
His gaze remained locked on the cavalry in the distance.
Yet at that moment, he noticed that upon seeing them, the enemy not only did not flee, but instead charged directly toward them.
"They're charging at us~"
The others also noticed this development, and their expressions turned grim.
"What are they trying to do?"
"Could it be that they want to start a war with us?"
"Their numbers are fewer than ours; if it comes to battle, they certainly won't have the advantage."
The men of the Hou village spoke one after another.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
If the enemy had only twenty men, the hundred-odd fighters from the Hou village would not have hesitated to surround and crush them.
Yet the enemy numbered nearly a hundred~
Although their own side held a numerical advantage, combat was never won purely by numbers alone.
In history, countless battles had been won by the few over the many.
Therefore, in a situation without an overwhelming advantage, no one was willing to fight to the death.
Because once a battle began, it meant casualties.
Even in victory, the Hou village would inevitably suffer heavy losses.
To cause dozens or even a hundred casualties over a single woman would be utter foolishness.
Not to mention the outsiders of the Hou village, even the blood relatives of the Hou clan began to hesitate at this moment.
"These people are absolute madmen~"
"They've already snatched Huang Xiu'er away; do they still want to wage war against us?"
"Their numbers are fewer than ours, yet they dare to initiate an attack?"
"Shouldn't we first return to the village, then slowly negotiate with them to trade back the young mistress?"
This final suggestion resonated with many, who shared the exact same sentiment.
Knowing full well they might die, no one was willing to risk their lives for the Hou clan.
Yet the next moment, Hou Tiancai slowly walked up to the man who spoke.
His face was dark, and endless fury surged within his gaze.
He lowered his voice and barked furiously, "Slowly negotiate?"
"Just how long do you intend to negotiate?"
"Until that woman is taken into the bridal chamber by the enemy, defiled, and only then traded back?"
This man was an outsider. Under Hou Tiancai's chilling glare, terror gripped his heart.
"I~ No~"
He barely managed to start explaining when, the very next instant, the long spear in Hou Tiancai's hand thrust forward directly.
It instantly pierced the man's chest.
With wide eyes and a look of utter disbelief, he crashed heavily to the ground.
In that instant, the rest of the men from the Hou village froze in shock.
They had never expected Hou Tiancai to be so ruthless; the man had merely spoken a word, yet Hou Tiancai had executed him on the spot.
Fear gripped the others even more deeply. Overawed by the tyrannical prestige of the Hou clan, not a single person dared to utter another word.
"Those who shrink from battle shall die!"
"Whoever dares to suggest retreating to the village again, this man shall be your fate!"
Holding the blood-stained spear, Hou Tiancai swept his intimidating gaze over the crowd and shouted harshly.
With a major battle imminent, military morale had to be unified.
Anyone who spoke recklessly and shook morale had to be beheaded as an example to all.
"The enemy is fewer in number than us. Charge forward, and we will surely wipe them out."
"To those who defeat these men, I will reward two sheep per household!"
"But whoever dares to slack off and withhold their strength, just wait to starve next year!"
"Charge!"
Hou Tiancai roared, forcing the men forward.
With no other choice, the men of the Hou village could only steel themselves and press on.
The Hou clan's control over the village was no idle boast; anyone who dared to defy them risked absolute ruin as a best-case scenario.
Moreover, as Hou Tiancai had said, their side held the numerical advantage, and the enemy was undoubtedly just putting up a bluff.
As long as they displayed sufficient ferocity, perhaps the enemy would crack first!
In that case, there would be no need for a bitter struggle—they could simply chase and slaughter the fleeing foe.
"Boom, boom, boom~"
More than a hundred youths from the Four Forts charged toward the men of the Hou village. The thundering hooves trampled the earth, producing a low, rumbling vibration that shook the soul.
Yet their advance was not particularly fast~
Li Xiao wore fish-scale armor, a red-tasseled helmet, and wielded a heavy cavalry lance. His entire body was heavily armored, leaving only his face exposed to look forward, and even his warhorse was draped in a layer of iron armor.
In this era, he was essentially a humanoid mecha!
Behind him were nineteen cavalrymen similarly equipped, all grasping long spears or sabers, accelerating their horses into a rapid charge.
They looked like an unbroken copper wall and iron rampart, surging forward with the unstoppable force of a collapsing mountain and overwhelming seas.
"Dalong~"
"The men of the Hou village are charging at us~"
At the very front of the formation, Luo Meng, clad in leather armor, shouted loudly toward Li Xiao at the rear.
"Understood~" Li Xiao shouted back.
"One hundred paces~"
The thunderous pounding of the horses drowned out a large part of Li Xiao's shout, but Luo Meng heard it clearly enough to know what to do.
In this battle, Li Xiao would lead the heavy cavalry to slaughter the enemy, while the vanguard was commanded by Luo Meng.
Watching the distance between the two sides rapidly shrink, Li Xiao's mood instead grew increasingly calm.
There was no pressure or tension whatsoever.
In his view, the moment the troops of the Hou village left their stronghold, the outcome of this battle was already sealed.
Unlike the previous night raid against the Karluks, which had countless unpredictable variables.
The opposing force numbered barely over a hundred men.
Though they charged with fierce momentum, it merely accelerated their own destruction!
As the distance closed, Luo Meng could already clearly see the expressions on the faces of the enemy ahead.
"Come on~"
A slow smile curved the corner of his mouth as he gripped his long spear tighter.
Inwardly, he calculated the distance between the two forces.
When they were still nearly a hundred paces apart, Luo Meng suddenly shouted to the men behind him, "Spread out!"
Following Luo Meng's roar, the youths of the Four Forts suddenly shifted into motion.
The cavalrymen at the very front began veering off toward the flanks.
The entire copper wall and iron rampart seemed as though it had been violently torn apart right down the middle.
"What on earth are they doing?"
The actions of the Four Forts youths left the men of the Hou village completely bewildered and clueless.
Just moments before, Hou Tiancai had been inwardly mocking them for knowing nothing of warfare.
During a cavalry charge, bunching together was the ultimate taboo; the more dispersed, the better.
Yet the enemy had done the exact opposite, forming a solid wall-like formation that looked indestructible, and charging with overwhelming momentum.
In Hou Tiancai's eyes, however, it was absolute garbage.
The enemy leader was nothing more than an amateur.
Or rather, they were simply a group of infantrymen sitting on horses.
Hou Tiancai had numerous ways to easily dispatch them.
Yet just as Hou Tiancai was brimming with confidence, the enemy suddenly changed formation.
"Are they going to harass our flanks?"
The thought flashed through Hou Tiancai's mind.
It was entirely possible!
Their own side held the numerical advantage, so the enemy dared not engage in a head-on decisive battle and had to resort to this tactic—fighting while retreating, harassing them with ranged archery.
"Hmph, overestimating themselves~"
Hou Tiancai mocked the enemy inwardly.
Yet the next second, a sudden flurry of cries and commotion broke out from the front of his own formation.
"Damn it, what is that thing~"
"What just emerged from behind?"
"Good heavens, that's heavy cavalry!"
"Heavy cavalry?"
"We're done for, we are finished!"
The troops of the Hou village instantly erupted into chaos, descending into total disorder.
Their previously frantic charge gradually fractured, and some even desperately hauled back on their reins to halt their warhorses.
They stared at the opposing enemy with looks of sheer shock and terror.
As the cavalry in front of them parted, the cavalry hidden behind them was revealed.
Both men and horses were draped in heavy armor, reflecting the sunlight with a cold metallic sheen like a torrent of steel surging forward from the distance.
They looked like divine war gods riding out of mythology.
"Cataphracts!"
Every single man of the Hou village registered that exact word in his mind.
Each of them felt as though they had plunged into an icy abyss~