Chapter 10: Hexi Iron Cavalry, Charge!

Li Xiao and the others hid behind the slope. The Karluks, eager to capture Kunji, didn’t realize there were people lying in ambush here.

When the people of Hexi Fortress appeared on the slope, commanding the high ground and using the favorable terrain for ranged shooting, the Karluks were instantly stunned.

In just half a minute, Li Xiao, holding his bow, shot three Karluks in succession.

And all of them were hit in vital spots like the head and chest.

Such archery skills made Li Dashan and the others look sideways.

“Not bad, Da Long. I didn’t expect your archery skills to become so powerful after only a few months,” Li Dashan turned his head and said in surprise while shooting arrows.

Mounted archery was not a simple matter.

Li Dashan and the others had also trained since childhood and were excellent in both riding and shooting.

But even so, in the three rounds of arrows just shot, Li Dashan only killed one Karluk. One arrow missed the target, and another hit a Karluk’s arm.

The situation for the others was similar; some didn’t even hit a single arrow.

This was all very normal. In real mounted archery combat, many factors would influence the outcome.

The enemy wouldn’t stand still for you to shoot. Apart from the first round catching the Karluks off guard, the Karluks quickly used their warhorses and other cover to dodge by the second arrow.

So, killing one person with three arrows was already very impressive.

Marksmen who never missed were extremely rare.

But what surprised Li Dashan was that Li Xiao actually hit with all three arrows, and all in vital spots.

Only now did they discover that Li Xiao, whom they had always regarded as a junior child, had transformed so brilliantly.

“I’ve been training mounted archery during this time; it seems the effort wasn’t wasted.” Li Xiao chuckled.

Drawing the bow and nocking the arrow, his movements were smooth and coherent. After releasing the bowstring, the arrow once again struck a Karluk in the chest.

The precise marksmanship filled the able-bodied men of Hexi Fortress with envy and admiration; he was simply a born marksman!

Li Xiao’s marksmanship was excellent. With only a brief period of training in this life, that familiar feeling had returned to his body.

Hitting every single time wasn’t guaranteed, but nine out of ten was no problem.

“Underestimated you, kid.”

Li Dashan chuckled, becoming more and more satisfied with Li Xiao.

The living environment in the Northern Border was complex. Besides facing harassment from the Naimans, they also faced conflicts and struggles with other nomadic tribes and even Han villages.

Every person in the Northern Border grew up in battle.

Li Xiao was the Young Lord of Hexi Fortress, the future Lord. If his martial arts were strong and he was brave and skilled in battle, he could give Hexi Fortress more chances of survival.

And acquire more resources in the struggles with surrounding tribes and villages.

Just then, the Karluks below began to shout and actually started turning their horses around.

“The Karluks want to run,” Chen Erqiang shouted.

The sudden appearance of the Hexi Fortress group caught the Karluks off guard.

After three rounds of ranged shooting, more than a dozen Karluks died, and quite a few were injured.

After all, Li Xiao alone shot four Karluks dead, including the leader of this cavalry unit.

Seeing this situation, how could the remaining people dare to tough it out?

They no longer had the advantage in numbers, stamina, or terrain. Staying here would make them sitting ducks.

They could only retreat to regroup with the main force by the river and then make plans.

“Chase them, don’t let them escape!” Li Dashan shouted loudly~

The whip fell, and the warhorse beneath him instantly charged out.

Li Xiao and the others also charged forward one after another.

Setting out from the slope and charging down from high ground with their warhorses full of stamina, the distance between them and the fleeing Karluk cavalry grew smaller and smaller.

When the distance closed to a hundred meters, Li Xiao once again drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the Karluk running at the very back.

Swish~

The arrow pierced the air and instantly shot forward.

“Ah~”

With a scream, the Karluk at the rear was hit in the back by the arrow and quickly fell.

“Good kid, you can hit even from this far?”

“And you still have strength after shooting so many arrows in succession?”

Seeing Li Xiao shoot another person, Li Dashan secretly marveled in his heart.

At a distance of nearly a hundred meters, with both sides galloping on horseback, Li Xiao could still hit with one arrow?

This archery was simply divine!

On the contrary, these adult men didn’t think they had this ability. To avoid wasting arrows, they all prepared to get closer before attacking.

More importantly, Li Dashan and the others discovered that Li Xiao not only had precise marksmanship but also amazing arm strength.

The bows used by Hexi Fortress had a heavy draw weight. Even an adult strong man would have to exert some effort to draw them.

So, normally, each person could shoot six or seven arrows at most before needing to rest a while to continue shooting.

But Li Xiao had already shot so many arrows in a row without blushing or panting, and his arm drawing the bow didn’t tremble at all, as relaxed and easy as at the beginning.

This puzzled Li Dashan and the others greatly.

Li Xiao’s physique wasn’t the particularly robust kind; instead, it was somewhat well-proportioned. His arms weren’t particularly thick either, appearing not to have too much muscle.

But why was such great strength hidden within?

Li Xiao, however, laughed loudly and directly increased his horse’s speed, overtaking everyone.

“Hahaha, kill!”

Perhaps because of the transmigration, Li Xiao found his body was a little bit strong.

Bursting with power, explosive strength was hidden under every muscle.

Swish~

Accompanied by a whistling sound, the arrow in his hand flew out again.

The distance was closer this time, and the arrow hit a Karluk cavalryman in the neck even more accurately, killing him instantly.

Companions being shot dead one after another made the Karluks even more panicked.

Someone shouted in Karluk: “Alaha, there is an Eagle Shooter among them.”

Alaha was a transliteration from Syriac, meaning God.

A considerable number of Karluks believed in Nestorianism, a branch of Christianity.

“If this goes on, we will all die.”

“Can’t run anymore.”

“Charge back and kill these barbarians.”

The existence of an Eagle Shooter instilled fear in these Karluks. If they continued running, they would only be shot one by one.

Moreover, they didn’t have many arrows left, making it difficult to fight back with bows and arrows.

Then they could only engage in face-to-face melee combat to have a chance of survival.

“Kill~”

Soon, this unit of Karluk cavalry turned their horses around one after another and charged back toward Li Xiao and the others.

“The Karluks want melee combat.”

Seeing the Karluks charging aggressively, Li Dashan shouted with a ferocious face.

Li Xiao immediately stopped Li Dashan, whose blood was rushing to his head: “Sixth Uncle.”

“The Karluks still have strength. Don’t clash head-on with them for now. Use bows for ranged shooting after getting close; they don’t have many arrows left.”

Li Xiao shouted, stopping everyone’s thought of melee combat at this moment.

The men of Hexi did not lack bravery, but they couldn’t sacrifice themselves needlessly.

Although many Karluks were shot dead before, their will to fight remained, and their numbers were about the same as Li Xiao’s group.

Engaging in close combat in this situation, even if they wiped out the Karluks, the Hexi Fortress group would also suffer significant losses.

The loss outweighs the gain!

The best way was still to use bows and arrows to wear down the opponent, which was also the traditional tactic of nomadic peoples.

Retreat when the enemy advances, attack when the enemy is tired.

Constantly harass and consume the opponent until finally having enough assurance to engage in bayonet fighting.

Huff huff~

After hearing Li Xiao’s words, Li Dashan took a deep breath, calmed down, and nodded gently to Li Xiao.

Then he said to the crowd: “Everyone listen to Da Long.”

Subsequently, the distance between the two sides got closer and closer. When it was about forty meters, Li Xiao suddenly shouted.

“Spread out!”

Subsequently, the Hexi Fortress group split into two, forming an inverted V-shape, separating toward the two flanks of the Karluks without slowing down at all.

At the same time, the Hexi Fortress group shot arrows one after another, firing with crossfire.

At this distance, the accuracy of Li Dashan and others’ archery greatly improved.

Nearly twenty arrows shot from two directions simultaneously, catching the charging Karluks completely off guard.

Many fell under the arrows of Li Xiao and the others, crashing off their horses.

“Good~”

“Hahaha~”

“So many more of the dog-fucked Karluks died.” The crowd gathered together again, stopping their horses for a rest, and laughed excitedly.

After another round of shooting, there were fewer than ten Karluks left.

They had completely seized the initiative.

“Da Long, you’re something!”

“Impressive!”

Chen Erqiang and the others didn’t hesitate to give Li Xiao a thumbs up.

Being able to shoot Karluks while reducing their own losses, Li Xiao’s tactic was very impressive.

Li Xiao just smiled gently, showing no intention of being modest.

This move was also learned from the Mongols. As the Mongol Iron Cavalry swept across the Eurasian continent, looking down on everything, countless powerful countries collapsed before them.

In later generations, there were many discussions researching Mongol cavalry warfare, so Li Xiao had learned the Mongol fighting methods thoroughly.

The Mongols were not as brave, tenacious, and unafraid of death as the Jurchens, but they could end battles in the simplest way with minimal losses.

Only the Karluks still clung to their old set of fighting methods, completely unaware of the warfare revolution brought by the Mongols of the eastern steppe.

“The Karluks are going to fight to the death,” Li Dashan suddenly said in a serious voice.

The remaining fewer than ten Karluks knew they couldn’t escape at all, so they simply decided to fight desperately and charged at Li Xiao and the others again with the momentum of trading lives.

This time, Li Xiao didn’t stop them. After all, their side outnumbered the Karluks two to one, possessing an absolute advantage in melee combat.

More importantly, the distance between the two sides was too close; it was too late for bows and arrows.

“Then kill.”

“Karluks ain’t shit!”

“Kill them all.”

Chen Erqiang and the others shouted one after another, filled with murderous intent.

With brothers and relatives dead at the hands of the Karluks, they had long held a breath of anger in their hearts.

They must use the Karluks’ blood to pay for their relatives’ lives.

The ranged shooting just now wasn’t satisfying enough; they had to personally chop off the Karluks’ heads to vent their hatred.

“Kill~”

Li Xiao was also infected by this emotion. He drew his cavalry saber, adrenaline rapidly secreted in his body, and his blood seemed to start boiling.

Cavalry combat is a man’s romance. At this moment, Li Xiao wished he could shout loudly.

“Hexi Iron Cavalry!”

“Charge~”

(End of this chapter)