Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 225 - 191 Change of Formation

Chapter 225: Chapter 191 Change of Formation

The first charge had ended, and in front of the player-formed battle array, corpses of the Northern Barbarian Cavalry piled up in all four directions.

However, under the configuration of chariots, muskets, cannons, and long spears, the players’ casualties were very light. Even if some players at the very front, in the gaps of the chariots, were hacked, stabbed, crushed, or rammed to death, the players in the back ranks could immediately step forward very firmly to fill the gaps and maintain the overall unity of the formation.

The fallen players quickly entered the resurrection state, with the resurrection point being the center of the entire array.

That is to say, if one were to estimate in the most optimistic manner, even if the monsters continued to control the Northern Barbarian Cavalry to charge like this, they might send all their cavalry here, yet the players’ battle damage would not exceed one-third.

With the end of the first round of attacks, many players in the military arrays felt much relieved, even becoming somewhat complacent.

"The legendary terrifying heavy cavalry charge? Is that all?"

"Indeed, it’s kind of disappointing."

"The dense formation of long spear infantry is really useful. Not to mention the addition of cannons and long spears, there’s a sense of joy like playing a tower defense game."

"You can only say that the monsters are too weak, purely giving away their lives."

"We’ve also improved a lot compared to when we first encountered heavy cavalry! The coordination is much better!"

"Hurry up and start the next round, I can’t wait!"

Quite a few players even felt it was somewhat boring.

This was because General Deng, in arranging the player’s square formation, had left quite a lot of depth.

Even if the Northern Barbarian Cavalry, controlled by monsters, broke through the chariot formation and somehow trampled through the players holding long spears at the front, the sufficient depth would still maintain the formation, trapping the cavalry in a quagmire, preventing them from continuing to advance on the impact.

Moreover, they hadn’t even broken through the first line of defense of the chariot formation.

So, after this first round charge, the players further back in the depth of the formation somewhat lacked a sense of participation.

Watching the opponent’s cavalry rush forward like a thousand horses galloping, only to falter before reaching them, holding a long spear for a long time without a single horse colliding, was somewhat disappointing.

Li Weiyi blew the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of his musket and asked General Deng Yuanjing somewhat disappointingly, "General Deng, this formation seems truly invincible.

"Can the cavalry only run in this situation? Don’t they have any other options?"

When the enemy cavalry was charging, Li Weiyi naturally did not miss the opportunity, hitting two cavalrymen.

He obviously felt very good about himself, only feeling that this battle had lost its suspense too early, becoming somewhat dull.

General Deng Yuanjing’s face did not show much expression; he was not blinded by the excitement of the moment, instead, he continued to analyze the situation of the battlefield, maintaining a rational analysis.

"There are indeed ways for cavalry to break this kind of array.

"As the saying goes, troops are like water—they take no constant shape. All tactics counter each other, and there’s no such thing as a guaranteed victory.

"However, our opponents are monsters, after all, and cannot be measured by common sense.

"Perhaps they linger in the Ancient Era, so their thinking is outdated, and they are not aware of these tactics; but after all, they are monsters, and perhaps they will continually learn and progress..."

General Deng Yuanjing, after savoring the last sentence spoken by Chu Ge, nodded in agreement: "Well said."

Although not all the players agreed with this sentiment, they still continued to keep a tight formation in readiness.

Dark clouds tumbled in the sky, unclear whether they expressed the rage or confusion of the monsters.

But soon enough, the roiling clouds returned to normal, and the sky once again became a dark, heavy sea.

On the battlefield, the Northern Barbarian Cavalry began to show some changes.

Their formation had changed!

Originally, the monsters had gathered all their armored cavalry together, apparently intending to use sheer force to break through the players’ solid defense lines without any finesse.

After this attempt met with serious setbacks, the monsters began mixing the armored cavalry with light-armed archer cavalry.

While many players had yet to comprehend what this change meant, the Northern Barbarian Cavalry, swiftly changed by the control of monsters, had already begun their second charge.

Soon, the expressions of the players went through some subtle changes.

It was unclear whether to say General Deng Yuanjing had an almost prophetic ability to predict the enemy’s actions or to call him a harbinger of bad luck...

The Northern Barbarian Cavalry still charged as usual but in the process, players could clearly see their tactics had changed significantly from before!

The previous formation was a dense horizontal line, surrounding and striking from all directions, appearing completely random and more akin to brute force.

Now, the Barbarian cavalry split into four directions, forming four longer columns. Each column’s front line consisted of only five or six cavalrymen, but the entire formation extended far into the distance.

Some players, unaware of what this entailed, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"What does this mean? Rushing up all at once was one thing, but now are they queuing up to die?"

No doubt, if the monsters insisted on charging at the player’s array with the current formation, it would indeed be like queuing up to die; not to mention how effective the players’ killing power was, just the dead warhorses at the front alone would be enough to block the way completely, causing the cavalry’s mobility to be lost entirely, turning them into live targets under bows and muskets.

But the serious expression on General Deng’s face evidently proved that the matter was not so simple.

However, with the cavalry’s speed being extremely fast, it was too late to make adjustments now, one could only endure this round before considering a tactical change.

If one were to hastily change formation, it might result in flaws appearing in the formation, making it easier for the Northern Barbarian Cavalry to break through.

General Deng could only shout, "Watch the four corners of the formation! Maintain the array!"

Many players had not yet grasped the meaning of General Deng’s words when the Northern Barbarian Cavalry had already approached.

The early exchange of fire from ranged weapons was similar to previous encounters.

The barbarians’ mounted archers shot arrows into the ranks, while the players either raised rattan shields to defend or countered with cannons, muskets, and bows, both sides incurring casualties.

Relatively speaking, the players definitely held the advantage.

However, this time the barbarian cavalry charged in a long queue, not foolishly encircling like before, so the effectiveness of the players’ ranged weapons naturally diminished, not hitting the enemy as easily as before with random shots.

But clearly, this was not the main purpose of the monsters commanding the barbarian cavalry to change formation.

Many players at the front tightened their grip on their long spears, preparing to relish the moment the horses crashed onto their spear tips.

While it was likely that both man and spear would be sent flying by the cavalry’s charge, the spears would inflict fatal damage on the horsemen.

For the players, dying was inconsequential; they only had to wait to respawn, but the exquisite feeling of piercing a warhorse was remarkably satisfying and addictive.

It must be said that no army in history could match the players’ lack of fear and, on the contrary, their enjoyment of the battle.

In the next moment, however, the players’ anticipation was dashed.

For the Northern Barbarian Cavalry did not come crashing to their deaths!

The leading barbarian horsemen suddenly wheeled their mounts around, splitting their formation in two from the center and skirted past both sides of the densely speared player formations, tracing a semicircular route before wheeling around again.

But clearly, this was not a leisurely sightseeing tour or a display of horsemanship.

As the barbarian cavalry wheeled around, brushing past the players’ spear tips, they began to attack in various ways.

Heavy cavalry attempted to cut down or stab players who were too exposed, and more lethal still, some mounted archers lightly stood up in their stirrups, drawing their bows with their left hand, arrow nocked with their right, continuously shooting arrows at the four corners of the player’s formation.

Even some elite mounted archers were holding their bows horizontally, nocking four or five arrows at a time for a volley at the players!

Cavalry raced past while the players saw nothing but the thundering warhorses and a continuous barrage of arrows.

Especially those at the four corners of the formation, each was simultaneously attacked by four or five or even more barbarians, and in a single encounter, they were turned into sieves.

The long spears they held hadn’t even grazed the barbarians’ clothing before they bewilderingly returned to the respawn point to wait for the countdown.

The players at the four corners suffered heavy casualties in an instant; thankfully, General Deng had warned them beforehand, and the surrounding players were quick-witted enough so that others promptly took their places, avoiding the creation of a large gap that the heavy cavalry could immediately exploit.

But after another charge, the casualties on both sides had closed to a degree that was not optimistic for the players.

Previously, the barbarian cavalry’s losses had been high because they had mindlessly charged at the players’ carriages and spear formations.

Now, the barbarian cavalry no longer charged head-on but focused their fire on the corners of the formation, creating situations of few against many, reducing their own casualties while posing a significant threat to players in specific areas.

General Deng’s expression was grave as he spotted an interval between the barbarian cavalry’s charges and immediately issued new commands, "Slightly withdraw the war chariots at the corners of the formation, advance the shield bearers to increase the array’s density, and cover the spear bearers!"

"Concentrate the cannons toward the center of the four sides of the formation!"

After two rather simple commands were issued, the players began to adjust their formation as instructed.

Since they had not rehearsed beforehand, the changes were slightly chaotic.

Fortunately, General Deng had good timing, leaving the players with enough time to make the adjustments, which were barely completed before the next charge arrived.

The players also put away their previous contempt and continued to fight with heightened focus.

The tactics now used by the Northern Barbarian Cavalry were clearly several levels more sophisticated than before.

This tactic was the standard against a square formation, the so-called "slicing the corners" or "shaving the edges."

The specific application was not to charge headlong into the infantry’s awaiting spear lines, but to turn the mounts just before reaching them, allowing the entire column to trace an arc to the left or right, creating a side approach to the infantry square.

In such a state, it was a very comfortable shooting stance for the riders.

These expert mounted archers could then calmly concentrate their fire on the enemy at the corners or along a particular side.

After a few repeats, the infantry at the edges would suffer heavy casualties, creating a severe blow to their morale.

If the infantry could not maintain their formation, they would quickly collapse.

Then it would be the familiar charge and massacre.

General Deng obviously had preparations in place, tightening and compacting the formation’s corners slightly, better to deal with the barbarian cavalry’s tactic. However, even with such measures, the ratio of casualties on both sides remained in a highly tense state.

When both sides employed rather clever tactics, the competition came down to determination, resilience, morale... or simply, which side would die out first.

...

Elsewhere, Emperor Taizu of Sheng, leading his elite cavalry, had broken through the encirclement of the barbarian cavalry and was now patrolling and observing the surroundings.

He no longer actively attacked the barbarian cavalry.

Having witnessed the changes in the main battlefield, Zhao Haiping couldn’t help but be surprised, "Is that even possible?

"This demon... to change its approach so swiftly, it’s a bit troublesome."

All previous encounters with the demons had left the impression of brainless brutes, capable of commanding cavalry to collide into city walls and spear formations, so there was a sense of underestimation.

Many players were quite confident in their own tactical abilities, believing they would easily crush the demons.

But this time, things were clearly different.

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