Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 211 - 187: Trial Cleared!

Chapter 211: Chapter 187: Trial Cleared!

A hawk swept across the azure sky, flying towards a land shrouded in yellowish-brown dust and sand.

The winds from the Desert North rustled, blowing the withered grass under the hooves of horses to fold down continually, but after the wind passed, they stubbornly stood up again.

Warhorses snorted loudly, agitatedly shifting their hooves.

Tens of thousands of Northern Barbarian Cavalrymen were quietly waiting like this.

...

On the other hand, the Sheng Army led by Zhao Haiping continued to advance.

During the journey towards Wulan Tula Mountain, the vanguard of the Sheng Army began to encounter the Cavalry of the Northern Barbarians one after another. These cavalrymen were few in number and had little intention to fight, quickly scattering and fleeing after a brief skirmish.

All signs were identical to the situation Duke Qii had experienced before.

However, Zhao Haiping had already made up his mind, and of course, he was not going to cower now.

He knew that the Northern Barbarian Army was lying in ambush on Wulan Tula Mountain, but he also knew that only in such a situation could there be a chance for a decisive battle.

If the Sheng Army were assured victory, the Northern Barbarian leader would rather abandon a large amount of baggage and flee, preserving the vital strength of their elite cavalry. Although it would be considered a victory, it would be difficult to achieve the strategic goal of this expedition to the Desert North.

Knowing it was bait and still going for it, in the end, there was only one reason.

To see who would perish, the fish or the net!

The distant mountains were getting closer.

Wulan Tula Mountain was not a particularly tall mountain range; compared to the towering high mountains, it was just a series of continuous small hillocks.

Yet such terrain was sufficient for tens of thousands of cavalrymen to hide.

Finally, at a very subtle distance, Zhao Haiping saw silhouettes emerge faintly on the distant mountaintops.

Soon after, more cavalrymen appeared.

One after another, the hilltops were all occupied by the heavily armoured cavalrymen of the Northern Barbarians.

These heavily armoured cavalrymen, both man and horse clad in armor, were the undisputed kings of warfare in the age of cold weapons.

Not only that, each of these Northern Barbarian cavalrymen had three or four horses, with an estimated total of over a hundred thousand mounts, overpowering the Sheng Army in horsepower.

Zhao Haiping’s gaze swept over one hill after another from a distance: "At least thirty thousand heavily armoured cavalrymen..."

This was the absolute main force of the Northern Barbarian Army, and such a heavy cavalry force could sweep the world in most of the ancient historical periods.

"Form up!"

At Zhao Haiping’s command, the already weary Sheng Army immediately sprung to life, forming into square formations.

And the Northern Barbarian cavalry had already occupied the heights of Wulan Tula Mountain, overlooking the Sheng Army from a commanding position, while constantly maneuvering.

The great battle was about to erupt.

Yet during this process of both sides’ maneuvering, this vast grassland was filled with silence and a repressive atmosphere, even seeming somewhat grim.

Even Chu Song and the other three players were silent at this time, quietly watching.

It was like a magnificent movie after many rises and turns had finally reached its climax.

They each played different roles, but now, to win this war, they could only depend on Zhao Haiping’s own performance.

Zhao Haiping continued to give orders: "Divine Machine Battalion, form up in the front!"

At this moment, the situation was clearly in favor of the large Northern Barbarian force, with the initiative in their hands.

Wulan Tula Mountain had already been meticulously chosen as an ambush spot by the Northern Barbarian army, with the leader Mahari hiding all the finest cavalry behind the slopes to forge a perfect encirclement when the Sheng Army arrived.

At this time, no matter how the Sheng Army chose to act, the Northern Barbarian Army could maintain enough tactical initiative.

If the Sheng Army chose to fight, the Northern Barbarian troops on the mountain could leverage their downhill position, allowing their heavily armoured cavalry to charge with overwhelming momentum. And if the cavalry of the Great Sheng Dynasty wanted to counter-charge, they would undoubtedly be at a great disadvantage.

If the Sheng Army chose to retreat, their morale would be greatly damaged, and all soldiers of the Sheng Army would believe their chances of winning this battle were extremely low. Taking advantage of the Sheng Army’s retreat, a pursuit by the Northern Barbarian Cavalry would ensure that even with Emperor Taizu of Sheng present, they wouldn’t lose their entire force, yet costly losses were likely.

In the age of cold weapons, the outcomes of many wars often depended not solely on numbers but on morale.

Thus, the Sheng Army could not retreat at this moment; they had to gamble everything on one decisive engagement.

As both sides’ formations were already deployed, Zhao Haiping of course wouldn’t act rashly, for he knew the large Northern Barbarian force would certainly initiate the attack.

In the eyes of Mahari, the Northern Barbarian leader at this moment, the Sheng Army had penetrated deep into the Desert North, exhausted from consecutive days of marching, and had recklessly entered their carefully planned ambush site, already like a plump piece of meat to his mouth.

Why not launch an attack in such a situation? What else was there to wait for— for the Sheng Army to collapse on their own?

The moment of battle was not to be missed.

For Emperor Taizu of Sheng, all the preceding preparations were aimed at dealing a severe blow to the Northern Barbarians, so retreat was not an option at this moment. As for the Northern Barbarians, wasn’t it the same for them?

As expected, dust rose from the opposing mountain.

The Northern Barbarian’s heavy cavalry moved!

These heavily armoured men and horses charged towards the center of the Sheng Army’s position from their elevated vantage point, collapsing down with the force of an earthquake.

Countless horse hooves thundered against the earth, causing a rumbling tremor, unstoppable!

Mahari was evidently quite certain that in this world, no infantry or cavalry could withstand the charge of heavily armoured cavalry coming from a higher ground.