Chapter 1 Ye Tao, General Dai Ordered a Retreat

"Ye Tao, General Dai has ordered a retreat." Zhang Yong grabbed Ye Tao. Ye Tao was already covered in a layer of blood. Although he wasn't hurt, Ye Tao was indeed a little tired. Even more tired was Ye Tao's Night Star steed. This black divine horse, which had initially been temperamental with Ye Tao, had become Ye Tao's most beloved mount, and Night Star seemed to love the battlefield more than anyone else.

"Okay. We'll retreat slowly and rotate." Ye Tao said loudly, "Bring back all the wounded and fallen brothers. Officers to the rear."

While ordering the soldiers fighting fiercely at the front to retreat, Dai Shihuan also ordered the heavy infantry who had been resting and awaiting orders to don their armor and attack. They advanced slowly, allowing their own forces to pass through the gaps in their formation. The heavy infantry's formation was like a sieve that allowed their own people to pass through safely, but for the enemy, it was an iron plate covered in nails. The heavy infantry advanced in a square formation, stepping in unison, and swung their blades in unison, ruthless, indifferent, and mechanical, as if those encased in the steel armor were not humans but some kind of machine. Indeed, among the Xiling army, who had always been apprehensive about Ye Tao's creations, some really thought so. And the heavy infantry had always been such a group. They were strict with themselves during training, and they displayed this fierce killing intent when facing the enemy. This indifference and mechanical nature was, in some ways, more frightening than loud shouts and curses.

Behind the heavy infantry square, which was as heavy as a mountain and impossible to shake, the archers began to unleash their power. They had always known that heavy infantry were immune to arrows, except for the two holes in the front of their masks that revealed their eyes. And shooting from behind, there was no need to worry about that. They inherited the tradition of providing support for the heavy infantry: indiscriminate shooting. Clusters of arrows pierced through the gaps in the heavy infantry's formation and pierced the bodies of the enemies. Yunzhou had not yet popularized special arrows with bleeding grooves, but the three-edged arrowheads currently used by the archers, with their strong penetrating power, were also quite lethal.

"Bastard… This is too much of a bully." A young Xiling officer, watching this almost one-sided situation, couldn't help but start to cry. These were all their sons.

"Third formation, advance!" Jiang Xujing still ordered without any expression. Sun Xiaofan behind him also had some goosebumps. He considered himself a person who disregarded life, and he had no psychological barrier to using other people's lives as his stepping stones. In fact, he had always done so. However, Jiang Xujing's coldness, his indifference to the large number of his own people falling, made him also feel fear. Was this still a human? Was Jiang Xujing really cold-blooded, or had he completely made up his mind to drag Ye Tao down to his death?

But it seemed that Jiang Xujing might indeed succeed. Sun Xiaofan clearly felt that when the casualties in the second formation had already exceeded 30%, the previously formidable Yunzhou army was obviously becoming more conservative when engaging the enemy. This should be an adjustment made by the officers who noticed the soldiers' physical exhaustion. Now, it could only be said that the Yunzhou army's transition and connection were too timely. If the heavy infantry didn't go up, and the soldiers in front didn't retreat, then pressing on with the third formation, or even directly pushing up the fourth formation, would have put the two armies directly into a desperate fight, instead of the Yunzhou armies still steadily occupying the advantage. But how many times could this transition be carried out? The heavy infantry could indeed withstand this formation, but the heavy infantry's combat time was shorter, and the rest time for those melee infantry and cavalry was very limited. Calculating, Ye Tao would probably have to come up again by the fifth formation. Thinking of this, Sun Xiaofan couldn't help but reveal a cold smile on his face.

Jiang Xujing suddenly said to Molge, the leader of the Kelka tribal army behind him, "Molge, you will lead the next formation, bringing your Kelka cavalry."

This was the configuration for the seventh formation? Everyone was surprised, but then understood that Jiang Xujing also understood that there must be a problem with the Yunzhou armies' rotation. This was to increase the intensity of the attack and disrupt the Yunzhou armies' rotation in advance. Jiang Xujing had divided all the troops at his disposal into eight formations for a reason.

Unexpectedly, when Molge's flag appeared in the rear formation, the Jingyun cavalry who were resting cheered.

At this time, Ye Tao had just returned to the command tent in the central army camp. Two guards brought two buckets of clear water and poured them over Ye Tao's body, while deftly scrubbing Ye Tao's armor. In no time, Ye Tao's armor was as bright as new, but the traces of blood hidden deep in the engraved patterns on the armor could not be cleaned off all at once.

Hearing the sound, Ye Tao quickly asked, "What's wrong? What's all the noise about?"

Zhe Luo gritted his teeth and said, "It's Molge… the most famous villain of the Kelka tribe. Even when the Kelka tribe gathered a large army to attack in the past, others didn't dare to kill our elders or rape our sisters indiscriminately, but this Molge did all kinds of bad things. He used to come to Benlang Plain every year to provoke trouble, and he was always there. Everyone suffered from the poison of his wolf soldiers, and they hated him deeply. My tribe is north of Benlang Plain, and I barely escaped from his hands. But several elders in the tribe died in his hands. The last time the Kelka gathered tribes, they were afraid that he would ruin things and didn't dare to bring him. Now, the Kelka are somewhat softened and want to buy salt and tea from us. We can go deep into the grasslands, but we haven't been able to find out the whereabouts of this great enemy. It turns out he's here. Lord, you must stand up for us. Let us take revenge."

Ye Tao closed his eyes and pulled Zhe Luo into the command tent. Zhe Luo's voice was very loud, and Dai Shijin and Dai Shiheng naturally heard it. They themselves had also heard some rumors about this Molge and didn't want to let this guy go. Seeing Ye Tao come in, Dai Shiheng said without even raising his head, "It's impossible to rotate normally… there will be problems." Ye Tao didn't say anything, and Dai Shijin was also a little helpless, but this battle of the Yunzhou army was originally fighting more with less, and rotation was the only way to ensure continuous combat, and the time flexibility was not great.

Zhe Luo said angrily, "Then I'll go alone." Ye Tao grabbed Zhe Luo and scolded, "Stop." Zhe Luo really didn't dare to forcefully break free.

But at this time, Dai Shihuan raised his head and said, "Nephew, your guard hasn't moved yet. Just now you were leading only the Guards Cavalry Battalion… and those personal guards. Take them up." Dai Shiheng glanced at Zhe Luo and said, "Zhe Luo, now that you're following the lord, your temper has grown… "

Zhe Luo was both grateful and embarrassed. He bowed deeply to Dai Shiheng and said, "Zhe Luo will thank General Dai later."

Rushing out of the tent, Zhe Luo howled to the sky, and then the Jingyun cavalry began to shout like him. Although everyone was a little strange, the heavy infantry soldiers who were fighting on the front line felt the high fighting spirit in this cry and fought even more vigorously.

The guard had been waiting outside the camp. In fact, there was more than one guard team outside now. In addition to Ye Tao's large guard of a thousand people, Dai Shijin's and Dai Shiheng's two personal soldiers had also joined. With the Central Army Camp providing ample protection, the adults were usually as stable as Mount Tai, and these guards were really idle. With a shout from Zhe Luo, everyone was ready in a hurry, rushing towards the camps on both sides to lead their horses and carry their knives, and they were ready in an instant. There had always been many people from the Yunzhou tribes in Dai Shiheng's and Dai Shijin's personal soldiers, and Ye Tao had even accepted the Yunzhou elite cavalry as guards in an organized manner. At this time, everyone was just a little regretful: the old patriarch Golan was not here, otherwise he would definitely be interested in beheading Molge. Now, according to tribal customs, this matter should be left to Zhe Luo. The most ferocious devil must be solved by the most powerful warrior.

A line of men and horses came to the front of the battle. The fierce aura made the enemies in front of them stunned. Zhe Luo, carrying a bow on his back, took a large knife from his companion and rushed out. He shouted loudly at the Kelka tribal cavalry of the Northern tribes who were raising dust in the front, "Molge, you bloodthirsty devil, you devil abandoned by the gods, do you still remember me… I am that child you can't kill, Zhe Luo of Black Feather Mountain. Molge, do you dare to come and die? Today, let the Earth Mother settle our hatred! Do you dare?"

"Do you dare? Do you dare? Do you dare? …" all the tribal warriors repeated it over and over again. The tone was not like asking, but like questioning, like accusing, like indicting.

"Wahaha-" The person wearing a scarlet cloak and armor opposite was Molge. He was not afraid, but let out a wild laugh. "So even a young tribe master like you has joined Ye Tao. Zhe Luo, come on, let's see who is abandoned by the gods!"

Molge's voice was too loud. When he spoke, even the people around him had to turn their heads away, not daring to face him directly. Although his simple words did not completely cover up the noise on the battlefield, they were heard clearly by most people.

"Wa ya ya ya ya…" Molge let out a violent roar and suddenly ordered, "All troops halt!"

His order did not have much impact on those fighting in the middle of the battlefield. But Jiang Xujing and Dai Shihuan's moods were completely opposite… What was going on? Letting Molge go up to lead the charge, and then pulling out this all-troops-halt stunt? In this way, whether he killed Zhe Luo at the first meeting or was killed by Zhe Luo, making the whole army rush up again would at least give the other side's heavy infantry some rest time, which greatly disrupted Jiang Xujing's plan.

"This brute… Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" Jiang Xujing stomped his feet. No one said anything. Jiang Xujing had no choice but to order, "Fifth formation, prepare to take over at any time."