Chapter 107 Horror
Just after midnight (three o'clock in the afternoon), the fire gradually extinguished, and thick black smoke enveloped this Shura field-like place. The embers occasionally crackled, and the red light flashed, and then dimmed.
The burning stench permeated the air.
There were corpses in various postures and shapes everywhere. Some have become curled up into a ball of coke, some are only half burnt, some have been pierced by sharp arrows in the chest, and some have no obvious scars - the smoke harvests lives even faster than sword.
Luan bells jingled in the distance, and through the smoke, a group of knights vaguely appeared in the west: Gu Baisong's cavalry was back. In order to avoid the billowing black smoke and embers from the front, they made a long circle back from the west. The knights on the horse were chatting and laughing freely, and they didn't look like they had just experienced a life-and-death fight.
It was true that there was no fight, let alone a desperate fight, it was just a one-sided massacre.
Luo Shifan deployed two lines of defense in advance, including 8,000 auxiliary archers, and another 4,000 people to support Gao Tengdou's three flying beast battalions to counterattack. Guan Shengyun's Poxiao battalion was also fully clothed and blocked the entrance of the camp to ensure safety. However, the tens of thousands of menacing enemies were all blocked by the first line of defense and the rain of arrows from the four thousand auxiliary archers that followed. What followed was a one-sided massacre in pursuit of the enemy.
The raging fire ignited by the three firewood stacks trapped tens of thousands of people rushing in front. The people behind were running along in a daze, and were completely shocked by the tragic scene they had never seen in their lives. One after another, flames several feet high suddenly jumped up and licked into the air. Black smoke mixed with burning firewood and leaves rolled straight into the sky. Along with the dying cries of thousands of people, this group of people were shocked. The mob was at a loss. The people who were close to the wall of fire struggled to get away, and the people further back slowed down. The charging crowd finally stopped and stared dumbly at everything in front of them from a hundred steps away. Burnt out smoke fluttered down, covering heads and faces. Everyone was still standing stupidly, unaware...until they were awakened by the thunderous sound of horse hooves and shouts of death!
As the piles of firewood continued to burn with fire that reached the sky, the horses became restless, snoring anxiously and pacing in place. Seeing that there were only a few hundred people running across the defense line, Gu Baisong ignored it, sent someone to say hello to Gao Tengdou, and then led the cavalry to gallop westward. After passing the wall of fire, he turned again and more than two hundred cavalry pulled away. A horizontal formation, screaming and killing the remaining people who were stunned to death.
"Lost!"
"Thieves kill people!"
"They are all dead, the thieves are coming to kill them!"
The crowd, awakened from the shock of fear, burst into shouts. Those closest to the cavalry threw away the sticks and hoes in their hands and scrambled to turn around and run away.
In the dense crowd, no one has a God's perspective, and no one can know what is happening in front of them. However, everyone saw the fire and smoke in the distance, and everyone heard the hoarse screams of the people in front! In just an instant, a huge sense of fear tightly gripped everyone's heart, thinking of the corpses lying aside and the dying and moaning similar people they saw on the road just now... just one or two Every hour, the spirit goes from excitement to nervousness, from excitement to fear...
Finally completely collapsed.
Everyone rushed to escape south, no longer thinking about the blessing of the cat and civet beast, no longer thinking about the good days of killing the thieves, no longer thinking about the official reward from Mr. Qian, and even no longer thinking about the two long-lost people. The steamed buns with mixed noodles...his mind was filled with blanks, except for one word: Escape! As for where to escape to, who knows? Anyway, head south, the farther you can escape from these vicious thieves, the better. These thieves are so vicious, unlike those rebel thieves who knelt down and cried out for mercy without mercy - they actually know how to kill!
The swarm of people running desperately didn't care about the discarded sticks or clods of earth that stumbled over the ditch. They either stepped directly on their bodies, or tripped over them, and then they were put on straw sandals again and again. , or the bare feet without shoes stepped heavily into the mud again and again! Anyone who tries to pull up a fallen relative or friend will be immediately hit by the person behind them. Then everyone rolls and gets entangled, crying and struggling, enduring the seemingly endless trampling, waiting and praying for death with tears. Come sooner, let all this pain end sooner.
Although many examples of armored cavalry forcibly rushing into battle can be seen in actual combat, due to the limitations of horse types, there were few independent heavy cavalry units in ancient China that were all armored. Gu Baihua's cavalry team was originally made up of looting from here and there. At this time, it was just one man and two horses: a war horse rushed into the battle, and a pack horse marched to carry the load. The cavalry soldiers did not even have the horses necessary for tactical maneuvers. , not to mention the cavalry auxiliaries. On weekdays, all marchers lead horses and walk, and their support relies entirely on the support of the Chinese army's auxiliary troops. Therefore, they only provide tactical support to the army at the combat level, and the cavalry does not yet have the ability to fight independently. However, they have been forged through countless battles along the way from northern Shaanxi. Although they are still light cavalry, they are no worse than any elite armored cavalry of the Ming Dynasty. To them, these ragtag troops fleeing in embarrassment are just lambs to be slaughtered.
The knights did not charge directly into the dense crowd. They knew that it would be easy to get stuck in it and not be able to maximize their advantage. Generally speaking, the greatest advantage of the cavalry is its extremely high mobility, followed by its unstoppable impact. At this time, their most effective weapon is not the swords and guns in their hands - it is to spread fear in the hearts of the fugitives to the greatest extent!
The horses ran briskly in the gaps between the crowds, and the armored cavalry shouted loudly. Many knights who used lances did not use the standard charging method of holding the lance between their arms, but held a long lance in their hands. When approaching the target, he lowered the horse's speed to almost constant speed and at the same time gently sent the tip of the gun into the human body - but he deliberately avoided the vital point! In contrast, the armored knights wielding sabers do not need to be so careful. With a slight movement of their arms as they pass by, the sharp blades will pull out a shocking wound on the opponent's shoulder and back! Much more efficient and less laborious.
Seeing this, the gunmen hung their rifles back on the saddle rings and drew out their spare sabers...
Injure as many as possible without killing. This is what the young military advisor has repeatedly explained.
In this era, being a soldier is just a means of making a living. The purpose is just to have food to eat and not to starve to death. There is no military discipline, let alone belief. If the casualty rate of an army reaches ten percent, the battlefield situation will be extremely precarious. If it can withstand such losses without collapsing, it can definitely be called a first-class strong army. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, no army could withstand 20% casualties - until the concept of the modern army emerged, relying on ruthless military sticks, mechanical conditioned reflexes created by long-term training, and soldiers imprinted with fear. Only the military regulations in the bones can maintain the troops' battle damage tolerance at this level.
However, Luo Shifan knew that his opponent this time was the people. People who have an absolute advantage in numbers, people who are scattered, people who have no battlefield experience! They don't know how to judge the situation, they don't know tactics, they don't know anything except rushing forward - until fear completely destroys their spirit!
Then let the blood and tragedy spread terror in their hearts to the greatest extent! Let their eyes be filled with bloody wounds, let their ears be filled with the cries of the dying, and let only fear be left in their hearts... Let them wake up screaming in nightmares for the rest of their lives!
Wherever the armored knight went, shrill screams rang out everywhere, driving other people who had run until they were almost exhausted to once again squeeze out the last drop of energy from their bodies and run wildly. From time to time, someone would suddenly fall down without warning while running desperately. The body would roll several times under the influence of inertia, and then stop motionless. A large amount of red and white blood foam would pour out of the mouth and nose, and then there would be blood gurgling from both ears. Emerge. This is the man whose lungs were blown away. Oxygen is rapidly consumed in the body. In order to maintain the operation of the body, the lungs and heart have been overloaded for a long time. Finally, a cell or a capillary begins to rupture, and the cell fluid and blood suddenly burst out and block the terminal ends. Small pathways trigger an avalanche-like effect.
The crowd was trampling on each other, and there were lying and tumbling bodies all over the place. Some of the injured fell to the ground, while some staggered southward holding their wounds and crying. In less than an hour, Gu Baisong's cavalry had passed the majority of the people fleeing south. Two or three miles ahead was the north wall of Nanyang Mansion. Gu Baisong reined in his horse and looked toward the city from a distance for a moment. He spat heavily and whistled. The riders turned back one after another and charged towards the crowd again, shouting and screaming.
At this time, the crowd had become much thinner. Looking at the past, there were only tens of thousands of people left. No one had the strength to run anymore, and they were all stumbling around like sleepwalking. Seeing the murderous armored knights coming towards them again, some people finally knelt down involuntarily. One after another, in less than half a stick of incense time, the armored knights could no longer see a standing person in their sight.
They finally regained the more skilled side of themselves: the cowardly side.
They have no mercy for the weak, and can even enjoy indescribable pleasure and excitement in all kinds of violence; however, in front of more powerful perpetrators, they will involuntarily prostrate themselves on the ground, and even if a sword is thrown at them, they will only bear it. While witnessing the atrocities, he let out tearful wails and begged in vain for mercy that he had never experienced before.
It's a pity that the armored knights don't have any sympathy at all. This is not only because they live in an ignorant era, but also because they know very well what will happen to them if they fall into the hands of these people! The high-ranking knights did not let their horses run wildly. Instead, they let their horses take small steps directly into the crowd, sending the weapons in their hands into the bodies of people who kowtowed and begged one after another. Miserable screams came one after another - at this time, in order to facilitate the killing, they had withdrawn. The sabers and long soldiers on the saddle rings were all taken off.
The hundreds of people who were lucky enough to rush through the firewood stack and reach the front of the formation were all lying dead on the spot.
The soldiers of the Flying Beast Battalion, who had been beaten with stones and dirt earlier on the ship, were already full of anger. Seeing the auxiliary soldiers of Guoqinglin killing each other, the guys who usually bowed to the soldiers and were respectful The vivid appearance was even more furious. Luo Shifan couldn't bear to waste his precious arrows on these dead people, so Guo Qinglin, who was grinning from ear to ear, laughed and cursed, and ordered his eager men to withdraw their bows and return to camp.
Although the soldiers only wore half-armor in order to move quickly, some people still felt that it was a hindrance when facing such opponents. They stared fiercely at the group of bewildered guys standing not far away while trying to untie each other. The cowhide rope removes the armor to the ground. As soon as Gao Tengzu issued the order, the soldiers strode forward, cursing profusely.
Behind him was a blazing wall of fire with no way to escape, and in front of him was a large group of red-eyed evil spirits. Like the crowd being chased by Gu Baisong, most people knelt down habitually, and only a few tried to make some symbolic resistance. Five people - of course, these are also the ones who died earliest and in the most miserable way.
Those who kneel down to beg for mercy will not be spared. The soldiers will not care that you have knocked your head until your face is bleeding, and they will say viciously: "Kill you! Have you ever thought about sparing grandpa?" with the sword and gun in your hand. Just gouge the head off... Guan Shengyun doesn't have any decapitation skills here, so he doesn't care about the head. It's enough to save half of their lives to spread fear in Yougu Baisong's cavalry. Even Military Advisor Luo won't be soft-hearted about killing these guys who are the most daring and can run in front of tens of thousands of people.
