amaotonovel Chapter 713 The Crushing Power of Willpower
Chapter 713 The Crushing Power of Willpower
On a battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people are fighting, archers don't need to worry about accuracy when shooting arrows; as long as they can shoot the arrows, they will win.
Because there were so many arrows, tens of thousands of arrows fell in parabolic arcs at the same time, creating a rain of arrows so dense that it could block out the sunlight, let alone anything else.
Under the desperate cover of the spearmen and swordsmen, the Ma Clique archers finally came into range and fired their arrows.
The rain of arrows was denser than locusts crossing the land, instantly causing the Sassanid army to fall and their horses to tumble, soldiers falling one after another like wheat being harvested.
The spearmen and swordsmen used the gaps created by the archers to accelerate again, charging into the Sassanid army and tearing apart their formation.
Ardashir was taken aback by the sharpness of the Han archers and was immediately stunned.
But he was, after all, the commander of an army of hundreds of thousands. After the initial shock, he quickly recovered and, while organizing the army to resist, ordered the cavalry to attack and flank Ma Chao from both sides.
In winter, the ground is frozen, making it impossible to dig trenches or set up horse traps. Cavalry can move in and out without any obstacles, but is it effective?
Don't forget that Ma Chao was a cavalry commander; these were things he had already mastered.
Upon seeing the enemy cavalry charging, the ballistae instantly took their positions. Moreover, the Han army's ballistae were deployed in pairs, with two arrows tied together by a rope and fired simultaneously.
As the arrows were shot, the ropes flew out as well. As the arrows struck the enemy, the taut ropes instantly transformed into a barrier, mercilessly stopping the enemy cavalrymen who were about to pass between the two arrows.
The most formidable aspect of cavalry is their speed. They cannot afford any obstacles while advancing at high speed. If they are blocked by an obstacle, the impact force generated by their high speed will instantly backfire, causing anything from a fall to broken bones and even death.
Although the rope's restraining force was not great, the cavalry was fast, and the rope was launched by a ballista, which was faster than the warhorse. One can imagine the sparks that would be generated when the ballista collided with the high-speed warhorse.
Two ballistae, connected by ropes, pierced the enemy's chests with unstoppable force, continuing their advance with tremendous impact. Using the taut ropes, they stopped all the enemy cavalry charging through the barrage of arrows.
In an instant, all the cavalrymen crossing the ropes were knocked over and thrown to the ground. The cavalrymen behind could not stop and mercilessly crashed into their comrades in front, causing even greater chaos. The Sassanid cavalrymen who came to flank the Ma Clique army had not even reached the front line before they were mercilessly collided with each other and began to trample each other.
In this situation, Ma Chao naturally didn't hold back. He decisively ordered the remaining archers to attack, unleashing a merciless barrage on the dazed and confused enemy cavalry, instantly reaping countless heads. And then...
In a battle between two armies, morale is paramount. High morale increases the chances of victory, while low morale renders even the most capable commander ineffective.
The Sasanian army did not have the strict organization and discipline of the Han army, nor did they have the courage to meet them head-on. On their way here, they had been harassed and tormented by Ma Chao for several months, and their morale had long since plummeted. Now, they were being ruthlessly slaughtered by Ma Chao, so where would they find the courage to charge?
Therefore, seeing the cavalrymen in front being brutally shot to death, the cavalrymen behind quickly reined in their horses and turned to flee, scattering like birds and beasts before they even reached the Han army's lines.
Seeing this, Ma Chao's face darkened, and he asked incredulously, "How come you ran away after just one charge? I haven't even used my spear formation yet."
In battle between two armies, casualties are inevitable.
According to Ma Chao's conventional thinking, the best course of action in this situation would be to ignore all attacks, sacrifice the front-line troops, and rush into the enemy ranks to engage in close-quarters combat.
Cavalry only unleashes its full power when it charges into enemy lines; otherwise, it's just sitting ducks.
In other words, the range of archers was the death zone for cavalry charges; there was no other way to pass through this zone except by risking one's life.
The Han cavalry never hesitated to sacrifice themselves to fill this gap, because they knew that if they could break through, they could make up for what they had lost twice over, but if they failed to break through, all their previous sacrifices would be in vain.
Therefore, in Ma Chao's view, one can retreat at any time except for this time. Once a charge is launched, one must charge to the end. Once the arrow is released, there is no turning back!
But what happened to the Sasanian cavalry? They ran away after suffering some damage halfway through their charge.
Pan Jun was also somewhat bewildered by the Sasanian cavalry's actions. After a moment of thought, he tentatively said, "I have recently come into contact with some Parthian people and found that they are all selfish and self-serving, without any intention of sacrificing themselves for others. I suppose these Sasanian cavalry are the same; they all want to hide in the rear and pick up the scraps, and no one wants to rush to the front to provide cover for others."
Upon hearing this, Ma Chao sneered and said with a face full of disdain, "It's one thing for the common people to be like this, but if the army is like this, how can you expect to win a battle?"
"Then there's no need to hold back. Order the second squad to charge at full speed and take over from the first squad's pikemen and keep fighting."
Seeing the Sassanid army performing so poorly, Ma Chao's confidence soared, and he began to actively deploy troops to expand the battle.
Meanwhile, Ardashir, his face darker than the bottom of a pot, watched as his position was constantly being eroded, and he was also actively deploying troops to deal with the situation.
To be fair, Ardashir's command was not the problem, but the Sassanid army was too weak in terms of organization, coordination, courage, and perseverance. If the casualties exceeded 10%, it would collapse immediately.
In contrast, the Han army, despite suffering over 30% casualties, was still resisting, demonstrating a fighting spirit far superior to the Sassanid army. How could Ardashir possibly win against them?
Under the desperate charge of the Han army, the two armies quickly merged completely and became entangled. Ardashir was even forced to use all his reserves, but Ma Chao's 30,000 elite cavalrymen remained behind him without moving.
Nevertheless, the Sasanian army continued to suffer defeats at the hands of the Western Regions coalition forces within the Han army, and defeat was only a matter of time.
Seeing that victory was assured, Pan Jun excitedly mounted his horse and sang loudly, his hoarse voice booming: "The smoke of war rises, and I gaze northward at the vast land..."
Ma Chao exclaimed in surprise, "What song is this? It's actually quite nice!"
Pan Jun explained, "Guan Xing wrote military songs for the Han army that even three-year-old children in Jiangnan can sing."
Why is it Guan Xing again?
Ma Chao was speechless. He gripped his spear and said, "It's about time. I'll lead 20,000 cavalry to charge into the enemy lines and end the battle. You and Tu Lin will each lead about 5,000 to encircle and pursue the fleeing enemy soldiers. Do everything you can to expand the victory. In this battle, I will completely cripple the Sassanid army so that they won't be able to cause any trouble for decades."
There are two types of defeats: one is a normal defeat, in which the fleeing soldiers can quickly regroup and rebuild their strength; the other is a defeat in which more than half of the soldiers are killed or even the entire army is wiped out, which will completely destroy the potential for war, and in a short time, let alone attack, even turtling down to defend becomes a problem.
Ma Chao wanted the second option. Although he didn't like Guan Xing very much, he strongly agreed with Guan Xing's idea of annihilating the enemy's manpower. So this time, he wanted to completely cripple the Sassanid family so that they would tremble at the mere thought of him.
Ma Chao led 20,000 cavalrymen in a decisive attack. Pan Jun and Tu Lin exchanged a glance and each led 5,000 cavalrymen to flank the Sassanid army from the left and right wings, encircling it.
Thirty thousand elite Han cavalrymen, riding fine warhorses and wielding sharp swords, mercilessly charged towards the Sasanian army!