Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1343 - 1336: Cavalry Charge

Chapter 1343: Chapter 1336: Cavalry Charge

As weapons and equipment continued to be enhanced, from sight range warfare to beyond sight range warfare, the casualties among troops kept increasing. A melee with cold weapons might result in a bit over a thousand casualties after a day, but with firearms, the casualties were significantly higher.

Thus, this proactive attack left the Dongsheng forces not only failing to achieve their tactical objectives but also resulted in a loss of more than two thousand men, all of whom fell on the path of advance.

According to the organization of the Dongsheng military, the loss of over two thousand soldiers meant almost total annihilation, which explained the reason for the frontline’s retreat.

Facing the retreating Dongsheng army, the Demon Clan’s forces showed utmost restraint and did not launch an offensive. For the Dongsheng army, a force of fifty thousand, losing over two thousand was merely a minor setback, and they still possessed sufficient strength to contend with the Demon Clan’s forces.

In the face of his own side’s defeat, Xuan seemed quite composed, although his deputies looked extremely grim.

"Catch those deserters, decapitate them all, the second squad prepare to move forward," Xuan commanded coldly after observing for a long time.

"Marshal, this..." One deputy appeared somewhat surprised.

"Didn’t you hear what I said," Xuan rubbed his temples and continued coldly, "Decapitate all those deserters and place their heads at the front of the formation. The second squad, continue the advance."

"Marshal, the enemy’s offensive has weakened, perhaps it would be better to dispatch cavalry to flank them and annihilate them completely," another deputy suggested respectfully.

Hearing this, Xuan glanced at him expressionlessly and coldly countered, "Are you teaching me how to do my job?"

"My subordinate dares not," facing Xuan’s imposing aura, that deputy immediately backed down.

"Continue the advance!" Taking his gaze back, Xuan seemed somewhat impatient now, as this was already the third time he issued the command.

Accompanied by Xuan’s order, the already prepared reserve soldiers stepped over craters and their comrades’ corpses, advancing under heavy fire. This was a strictly disciplined army, at the marshal’s command, they had to jump into the fire pits ahead if necessary.

And what met them was still the same tragic trio. Fragmentation grenades continuously fell from the sky, some exploding mid-air, the shrapnel and shockwaves instantly felling swathes of soldiers.

On the ground, solid cannonballs the size of fists kept shooting forth, easily penetrating several layers of shields and even human bodies, ripping open bloody trails.

The Demon Clan even deployed large-caliber cannons, firing cannonballs the size of human heads; a hit from these essentially left a trail of dismembered remains, a stark depiction of brutality.

As the Dongsheng army got within fifty meters, the Demon Clan’s line infantry redeployed and began a devastating volley of fire.

Under the heavy fire of the Demon Clan’s army, within just half an hour on the battlefield, the Dongsheng army was again in full retreat, leaving behind over three thousand corpses in a disgraceful withdrawal.

With this and the previous casualties combined, the Dongsheng army hadn’t even managed to touch the enemy and had already suffered over five thousand losses, a tenth of their entire force’s number, a devastating blow indeed.

At this time, an atmosphere of panic permeated the entire Dongsheng army, and the soldiers were terrified of being sent to the frontline again, for that all but guaranteed death. Whether through desertion or dying in battle, death seemed inevitable for them.

The Dongsheng army was merciless even towards its own; in just the previous battle, over three hundred deserters were beheaded, their severed, bloody heads lined the front of the formation.

Although it seemed cruel, such actions temporarily stabilized the army’s morale, and the Dongsheng forces did not fall into complete disarray, thus the Demon Clan’s forces found no opportunity to launch an offensive.

"Cavalry, form up, prepare to charge!" Despite the overall demoralized state of the army, Xuan remained calm and commanded at a measured pace.

"Yes, understood, the cavalry is ready!" All the deputies appeared unusually excited upon hearing his command.

"Order the archer cavalry to advance to thirty steps from the enemy formation and start a cyclical attack to tie down the enemy’s main force," Xuan ordered.

"Yes!" the deputy general saluted.

"Order the heavy cavalry to split into three groups and charge on my command," Xuan ordered.

"Yes!" the deputy general nodded.

"Order the third squad to be ready to charge. Once the heavy cavalry begins to press the formation, immediately initiate the charge!" Xuan continued.

"Understood!" the deputy general nodded emphatically.

"Hmph," Xuan faintly smiled upon hearing the deputy general’s forceful reply and then muttered to himself, "Firearms, merely that."

As soon as Xuan gave the order, over a thousand Dongsheng archer cavalry began to charge towards the Demon Clan’s army. Facing the swiftly approaching cavalry, the Demon Clan’s army dared not be careless. After just a round of cannon fire, they hastily ordered their line infantry to form up and prepare to meet the enemy.

When the archer cavalry reached about fifty meters from the Demon Clan’s line infantry, they immediately turned sideways and began shooting arrows at the Demon Clan’s troops. For a moment, arrows fell like rain, and the Demon Clan’s troops quickly activated their Rune Shields to block the incoming arrows.

The Dongsheng archer cavalry kept circling around the line infantry at a distance of over fifty meters, continuously shooting arrows at them. The dense arrow barrage left the Demon Clan’s line infantry with no opportunity to fire, only able to watch their Defense Shields until the archers ran out of arrows.

However, it was not so easy to expect these thousand-plus archer cavalry to run out of arrows, so the Demon Clan’s commander took a risk. He ordered the line infantry to drop the shields during a lull in the arrow barrage and begin returning fire with their guns.

Under the barrage of arrows, line infantry soldiers occasionally fell, but they kept firing courageously and then quickly substituting personnel. Under their intense gunfire, the archer cavalry soon suffered heavy casualties.

After just three rounds of volley fire, the archer cavalry had over three hundred casualties. Considering the attacking archer cavalry totaled just over a thousand, this nearly eliminated a third of their strength, significantly weakening their offensive.

Under the volley fire of muskets, more cavalry fell, along with their horses, creating a scene of greater chaos with flying dust and fallen bodies, making the spectacle particularly impressive.

"Marshal, we have lost thirty percent of our archer cavalry, should we consider retreating?" seeing this, a deputy general couldn’t help but turn back and ask worriedly.

"Maintain the offensive, everyone else hold their positions," Xuan said coolly.

Despite the heavy casualties, the Dongsheng archer cavalry still circled and exchanged fire with the Demon Clan’s line infantry. The line infantry, only lightly armored, struggled to withstand the piercing arrows, causing severe casualties among the Demon Clan’s troops and even disrupting their formation at one point.

The presence of the Dongsheng archer cavalry put pressure on the Demon Clan’s troops, as the previous Dongsheng troops had only known a blunt advance, being beaten down by their firepower without a fight.

Although the archer cavalry was also vulnerable, they possessed a tenacious means of counterattack. Despite their severe casualties, they posed a serious threat to the Demon Clan’s army.

"Marshal, their formation is beginning to falter," a deputy general said excitedly.

"Order the archer cavalry to withdraw, and the central heavy cavalry to start the charge!" Xuan said, expressionless and unhurried.

His command quickly translated into the sound of drums. Relieved, the Dongsheng archer cavalry, who heard the order, quickly wheeled their horses around to retreat, escaping the ceaseless circling hell.

As the archer cavalry just re-entered the Dongsheng army’s formation, a force of over a thousand heavy cavalry suddenly burst forth, their heavy, chaotic hoofbeats making the ground tremble; the scene, with its flying dust and stones, was especially magnificent.

Faced with these fully armed heavy cavalry, the Demon Clan’s line infantry clearly showed confusion. The Demon Clan commander struggled to maintain order, then ordered them to change formation to withstand the heavy cavalry’s charge.

The ordered pikemen promptly stepped out, formed two rows, and pointed their spears directly at the approaching heavy cavalry. The line infantry behind them, after completing the formation change, also raised their muskets, preparing to fire simultaneously at these advancing Dongsheng heavy cavalry.

At noon, with the sun irritating him, Cheng Ziang felt irritable. However, he had no mind for such things; facing the charge of the Dongsheng heavy cavalry, the atmosphere at the scene grew incredibly tense. Even he, a military observer, felt his heart rise to his throat as he watched the spectacular charge and countercharge collide.