xymnovel Chapter 983 Azure Dragon Star!
Chapter 983 Azure Dragon Star!
Kang Su, a short-range weapon user, seized the opportunity to flank from both sides. His coiled chain hammer was designed to strike the horse's joints. With one blow, he shattered the horse's knee. The Five Bright Horses spewed out blue mist, and the startled Wu Xiong Wei warhorse immediately reared up, throwing its rider off its back to the ground.
Kang Jinlong wielded his "Golden Dragon Horse-Slaying Saber" like a golden python, targeting the throats of fallen knights. With each kill, he roared to the sky, his voice like a dragon's cry, causing the warhorses in the Wuxiong Guard formation to wail in agony.
"Di Tu Hao Cloth Shield Wall!"
A third roar came from the formation, and the Di Su heavy infantry pushed forward with the "Baxia Shield" specially made by the Mo family.
These shields are three feet five inches high and two feet wide, with the Big Dipper engraved on the shield surface and inlaid with sound-absorbing cotton and anti-vibration springs.
The arrow struck the shield, but the seven-star pattern absorbed seventy percent of its force. The remaining arrow shaft was shredded into pieces by the mechanism inside the shield. Under the cover of the shield wall, the heavy infantry forced the remnants of the Wuxiong Guard towards the center of the formation.
The Fangsu archers bared their fangs, wielding "Star Chasing Crossbows," a type of repeating crossbow capable of firing seven arrows in quick succession, each arrow accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, specifically designed to strike the eyes of the enemy.
As soon as a group of crossbowmen emptied their quiver, a group of engineers from the Ji constellation immediately stepped forward to replace it. These engineers carried the Mo family's "Heavenly Craft Box" at their waists, which contained three hundred poisoned arrows, the arrowheads of which were coated with the deadly venom of the Red-tailed Scorpion.
"Dragon Tail Swing!"
The Azure Spirit Star Formation changed its formation again, and the Tail Constellation Light Cavalry suddenly maneuvered to the rear of the Martial Hero Guard.
With a sharp cry, Su Chan, the Moon Fox, caused Fang Ri Tu's arrow rain to suddenly change direction, and Wei Huo Hu's light cavalry had already circled around to the rear of Wu Xiong Wei.
Li Tianxing's halberd moved like a silver snake spitting its tongue, specifically targeting the hind hooves of horses. In an instant, men and horses fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Chan led her cavalry in, her soft sword coiling like a nimble snake, aiming to take the heads of enemy generals.
Sparks flew wherever her "Flame Heart Sword" passed, and the Qian army's armor ignited upon contact with the fire. Amidst screams, the fire-wielding figures fled in all directions, and their formation was thrown into chaos.
Having hastily treated his wounds, Zhong Song dragged his injured body back into battle. In the melee, he killed seven Yellow Turban warriors. Suddenly, he saw fire breaking out on his flank and was about to call for reinforcements when he felt the ground tremble like a tidal wave.
Looking down, they saw that the engineers of Jisu were pushing a hundred "earth dragon carts" towards them. These carts were made of black iron and had three-foot-long iron plows on their shafts. Wherever they went, they dug deep trenches in the ground, tripping up all the fleeing cavalry.
"Shield Wall advance!"
Kang Jinlong laughed wildly and raised his sword, which could cut down as many horses as possible. Suddenly, the Kang Su soldiers slammed the Xuan Turtle Shields on the ground. The shields were connected by a mechanism, forming a mobile fortress.
The archers from Fangsu stood atop the shield wall, shooting down the trapped Wuxiong guards. A silver-armored officer swung his sword at the shield wall, but the blade was deflected by the shield's shock-absorbing spring, causing his hand to split open.
"The dragon turns over!"
Meng Zhang waved the golden bell under the command flag, and the Azure Dragon Star Formation suddenly contracted. The Di constellation heavy infantry surrounded the formation, and the Ji constellation engineers threw out the "Earth-Locking Chains," a Mohist mechanism that could automatically wrap around the horses' hooves.
The light cavalry of Weisu charged in through the gap, driving the remnants of Wuxiong Guard toward the fire circle of Xinsu. The archers of Fangsu fired their last volley, the arrows whistling as they flew over the wall of fire, exploding as the shafts were about to burn out, scattering countless caltrops.
"A hidden dragon should not be used!"
At the forefront, Jiao Mu Jiao changed formation again, and the Azure Dragon Heavenly Constellation Legion instantly contracted into a circular formation, with the Heart Constellation cavalry in the center and the Fang Ri Tu's archers forming a rain of arrows on the outer layer. Jiao Mu Jiao's spearmen roamed the perimeter, targeting any enemies attempting to break through.
A Qian army captain, relying on his superior martial arts skills, swung his sword and cut down two spearmen. Just as he was about to break into the inner formation, he suddenly saw Xiao Hanyi's spear tip like a venomous snake's tongue, aimed straight for his throat!
The captain parried with his sword, but the spear tip suddenly dipped and slid into the gap in his armor along the blade, its cold light piercing through his body!
"The dragon that soars too high will regret it!"
Xin Yuehu Su Chan divided her troops into three groups. Kang Jinlong led the shield soldiers to form a "shield wall" and slowly advanced. The shield wall was covered with spikes. When the Qian army's spears came, they were either deflected or pierced by the spikes.
Behind the shield wall, Murong Xue's arrows rained down like locusts, aiming specifically at the enemy's eyes. A Qian army centurion swung his sword at the shield, but as soon as the blade touched the shield, a long spear emerged from behind it, piercing straight through the chest and abdomen!
At this moment, the Azure Dragon Legion, like a giant black dragon, had completely swallowed up the silver-armored cavalry of the Martial Hero Guard.
The battle cries shook the heavens, blood mist filled the air, and the armor of the Qian army fell in droves; not a single one could break through the Azure Dragon Star Formation.
This Azure Dragon Star Formation, which Meng Zhang had kept hidden for a long time, was based on the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions constellation. It combined the principles of the Five Elements and the "mutual generation of the unexpected and the expected" tactics in military formations. By having the positions of the seven mansions correspond to the nodes of the soldiers' formation, a "dragon-shaped" offensive and defensive system was formed.
The core of the formation lies in imitating the winding shape of the Azure Dragon, with the "Horn" constellation as the spearhead, the "Heart" constellation as the pivot, and the "Tail" constellation as the tail. Through the cooperation of soldiers, it achieves the strategic effect of "attacking like a sudden dragon tornado and defending like a hidden dragon lying in wait".
The attack formation is as follows: Horn (角) is the tip, Neck (亢) is the neck, Root (氐) is the claw, Room (房) is the chest, Heart (心) is the flame, Tail (尾) is the tail, and Winnowing Basket (箕) is the concealment. The seven constellations unfold in sequence, like a blue dragon soaring into the sky, with unstoppable momentum.
The formation of the constellation Yu Ze is as follows: Ji Su gathers troops, Wei Su curls back, Xin Su guards the position, Fang Su forms the core, Di Su forms the shield, Kang Su forms the lock, and Jiao Su forms the spear, forming a "coiled dragon" shape, as solid as a rock.
Therefore, under the fierce attack of the Azure Dragon Heavenly Destiny Legion, which numbered only ten thousand, the battle lasted for less than half an hour. The right flank of the Martial Hero Guard collapsed like the setting sun, with silver armor scattered all over the ground and blood-stained Azure Dragon Banners planted all over the battlefield.
Looking at the Qian army's formation that had been breached on the flank, Meng Zhang suddenly stroked the "Starry Sky Sword" at his waist. The jade pendant of the Twenty-Eight Mansions on the sword tassel gleamed coldly in the morning light.
"Grand Tutor Gu, it's time to make a move in this game of chess."
He turned to look at the Qian Army's command platform in the distance, where Su Ye's White Horse Cavalry were hidden in the morning mist, their expressions concealed beneath their black iron masks.
At this moment, the Azure Dragon Star Formation was transforming into a ferocious giant dragon, slowly turning towards the direction of the Qian Army's central command tent.
The morning mist southeast of Hulu Valley was torn apart by the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, as 300,000 troops clashed violently on a ten-mile battlefront.
"The Xuanxiang Formation shifts to an arrowhead formation; the Chongyan Guard's crossbow carts are at a 30-degree angle—fire!"
Gu Changqing sat firmly on the command platform, his golden-inlaid knife drawing a deep mark on the edge of the sand table, a sharp glint flashing in his aged eyes.
"Ding! Gu Changqing's skill, 'Suppressing the Universe,' is activated!"
Gu Changqing's current base leadership value is 103, and he commands over 200,000 troops of the Great Qian Dynasty. With the activation of his current "Suppressing Defense" skill, his leadership increases by 2. With the activation of his "Heaven and Earth" skill, his leadership increases by 2, bringing his current leadership value to 107!
In an instant, the three hundred iron-clad wooden crossbows of Chongyan Guard roared ferociously, the winches of the ballistae sounded like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts in the night, and the steel crossbow bolts as thick as a child's arm tore through the morning mist like tearing silk, carving out three long corridors of churning black earth in front of the Yellow Turban army's formation.
The Yellow Turban soldiers at the forefront were pierced through their heavy armor by crossbow bolts, and continued to charge until they crashed into their own ranks and fell with a thud, the splattered blood and mud obscuring the vision of the troops following behind.
"Shield Wall!"
Meng Zhang waved his command flag expressionlessly, and the many Yellow Turban soldiers in front of him slammed their bronze shields heavily into the ground.
These shields, each weighing over a hundred pounds, are engraved with ferocious demon faces and covered with three-sided copper spikes. Crossbow bolts rain down on the shield walls, only to be pulverized by the copper spikes, and the sparks that fly out burn the shield surfaces with blue smoke.