Chapter 582: Fighting in the Camp
However, the situation at the front developed faster than he expected. He had just mobilized some troops to prepare to go there, but a soldier came to report that the camp had been breached.
Under the fearless charge of thousands of fire bulls, all obstacles were meaningless and were torn into pieces like pieces of paper. In addition, the fire bulls set fires everywhere, causing chaos in the rear army camp.
The commander was horrified. He had also read some military books from the Central Plains, and he immediately knew that the enemy was using the fire bull formation to break into his camp. Moreover, unless those crazy fire bulls exhausted all their energy and died, it would be impossible to stop them.
He gritted his teeth and immediately gave the order, "Immediately abandon the rear troops and order the central army to form a battle formation in the middle of the camp to prepare for defense. Send a message to the nearby camps for help."
There are more than 2,000 soldiers in the rear army. It’s not that he doesn’t feel sorry for them, but if he goes to rescue them now, he will end up using up all the other soldiers.
Therefore, the soldiers who had just gathered in the camp formed a battle formation inside the camp. The camp was two or three miles in front and behind. Although there was not much room for maneuver, it was enough to deploy the soldiers.
Those fire bulls rushed directly into the camp and then scattered. Some of the more than 2,000 soldiers in the rear army were killed by the fire bulls, and most of them fled in all directions. They had barely avoided the fire bulls, but before they could react, Lu Feng's cavalry arrived behind the fire bulls.
Seeing this chaotic situation, Lu Feng directly dispersed his troops and wiped out the rear army first, making room for the rear army to advance.
Those scattered soldiers were already in a panic. How could they be a match for thousands of cavalry? Except for a small number of them who fled, most of them were directly strangled by Lu Feng's soldiers.
"Leading by the battalion commanders, scatter and attack, focusing on harassment and setting fires. Do not engage the enemy in a fight! Find their food supply locations and see if you can seize their vital food supply areas!"
Afterwards, two or three thousand people were divided into several groups and scattered to attack. By the time the five thousand troops led by Du Xi and the other arrived, the rear of the entire camp had been cleared out by Lu Feng's troops. Moreover, looking forward, the entire camp was in chaos and fires were everywhere.
"Come here, clean up the battlefield and occupy the mountain pass immediately to prevent the enemy from attacking!" Du Xi and the others gave the order.
About half an hour after the fire bull broke into the camp, the army led by Jia Cong successfully entered the camp. Then, Du Xi left two thousand soldiers to guard the rear gate, and the rest of the soldiers joined Jia Cong.
Jia Cong had nearly 20,000 soldiers under his command, forming two large formations and charging directly forward.
"Marshal!"
Not long after advancing, Lu Feng came up to meet them. "The enemy has gathered about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers in front of us to form a large battle array. The rest of the camp has been abandoned by the enemy. Their food and fodder is located to the side of the central army, and my troops cannot break through."
"Okay!" Jia Cong nodded slightly. "You don't have to worry about their central army. Take the rest of your troops and go around to the rear of the central army, waiting for an opportunity to attack their front gate. Their central army is trying to buy time until the other camps arrive, so they must have fewer soldiers in the rear. Your troops are more than enough."
Lu Feng nodded slightly and immediately led his troops away.
"Chen Ruiwen, Peng Chuan, form a formation of 10,000 people!"
"Niu Chong, Ma Gang, each of you will lead two thousand soldiers to attack the enemy's two wings! They only have four to five thousand soldiers in total. Our forces outnumber them several times. There's no need for any tactics; we can just crush them with our army!"
"I have received your order!"
Afterwards, a large formation of tens of thousands of people slowly took shape and moved forward like a dark cloud.
Soon, the enemy's troops came into view. The cavalry of Generals Niu Chong and Ma Gang went to the left and right first. After all, the enemy had fewer soldiers, so neither of their cavalry units needed to charge. It was enough to tie up the enemy's energy.
At the front of the formation of 10,000 people, rows of shield soldiers were holding large shields in front, and spear soldiers in the back were following closely, holding their spears through the gaps in their shields. Behind them, archers had already strung their bows and arrows and were ready to shoot.
To be honest, this ancient formation is not as mysterious as the legend says. However, it is not as simple as imagined, or as meaningless as some people think.
First of all, most of the formations in ancient times were dense formations. The reason for this was that it was easier for generals to command, and it could also bring greater oppression to the enemy, while at the same time maximizing the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.
Communication and transmission were not easy in ancient times, especially on the battlefield. Small-scale battles were not difficult, but large-scale battles involving tens or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers stretched across several miles. Relying on messengers to deliver orders was not only slow but also prone to accidents. Therefore, most commanders and generals relied on command flags to convey their orders.
One of the things these armies practice on a daily basis is what kind of flags are hoisted in what pattern and what kind of orders they represent.
If you practice more, you will be able to command them as easily as if they were your own arms. If you practice less, the soldiers will react slowly after you issue orders, and there may even be chaos among the units, and their combat effectiveness will naturally decline.
Why do countless troops quickly disintegrate after the death of a commander? The main reason is that without a commander, the various units are unable to coordinate with each other. At most, the battalion commanders fight independently, and their combat effectiveness naturally decreases.
Secondly, some formations can confuse the opponent's vision, making it difficult for the opponent to know where to start.
For example, the renowned Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation is actually a formation that deploys troops of varying numbers and types based on the so-called gates of life and death, leaving the enemy with no way to attack. If one attacks through the gates of death, not only will they encounter strong troops and traps, but they will also attract other troops to attack them together. Therefore, the chances of victory are naturally slim. The so-called gates of life are actually the weak points of the entire formation. Once one attacks through, the troops they encounter will be weak and small...
In short, this formation takes psychological warfare, confusion, and the combat effectiveness of soldiers to the extreme. In this way, those scattered soldiers are certainly no match for the soldiers in this formation.
The most commonly used formation is actually the cooperation between different types of troops, and it is not that mysterious.
Shield soldiers provided protection in the front, spearmen served as the first wave of attackers, and archers provided ranged attacks. In this type of battle, the competition was based on the elite level of the soldiers on both sides, their willpower, and so on.
Once the formation is broken by the enemy and the soldiers are scattered, they will naturally be defeated.
After the two sides' formations had been baptized by two or three waves of arrow rain, they officially collided with each other. At this time, human life became the cheapest thing. After the comrades in the front died, the soldiers in the back would step forward without hesitation to maintain the integrity of the battle formation. No one would be sad, and there was no time to be sad, because perhaps they would be the ones to die in the next moment.
