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Just when the two cavalry units were about a hundred steps apart, Arsalen suddenly gave an order to turn left. Three thousand Mongolian cavalry drew a crescent-like arc and flew past the left side of the Cossack cavalry.
Both sides fired arrows at each other, and both suffered casualties. War horses fell to the ground with a thud, smoke and dust billowed, and the earth shook.
On the vast grassland, the sky is clear blue, the wind is blowing and the clouds are surging, thousands of troops are galloping, the shouting like waves rises to the sky, and a strong murderous aura is overwhelming.
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
The Cossack cavalry were worthy of their reputation for bravery and ferocity. When they saw that the enemy numbered three times their number, they turned away and did not dare to confront them head-on. Their morale was greatly boosted, and they kept shouting wildly.
Under the leadership of Khmelnyk, a thousand Cossack cavalry quickly formed an arc and pursued the three thousand Mongolian cavalry.
Li Ding did not intervene for the time being. He took the remaining 7,000 men and stationed their horses several miles away, watching the battlefield.
Li Ding knew that Arsalan was not only a brave general, but also very strategic. He could often maximize the strengths of the Mongolian cavalry.
What are the strengths of the Mongolian cavalry
This was quickly evident from the battle in which one thousand Cossack cavalry pursued three thousand Mongolian cavalry.
Mongolian cavalrymen all wore leather armor, which had less protection but was lighter.
At the same time, they mostly used sabers, and fewer people used heavy weapons. In addition, Mongolian horses had good endurance. These advantages were quickly reflected during the chase between the two armies.
The armored Cossacks can't catch up with them at all. They can keep up with your speed, but run more easily.
At the same time, their bows and arrows have a longer range. And the Mongols are very good at turning around on horseback;
The pursuers behind them were just heading for their arrows, which effectively increased the range of the Mongols' bows and arrows. The Cossack cavalrymen behind them were constantly shot by arrows and fell to the ground with screams. The tumbling horses made a rumbling sound.
The arrows they shot were chasing the Mongolian cavalry, so there was a speed difference. From the moment the arrow left the string, the Mongolian cavalry had run a certain distance, which lengthened the distance between the two sides.
In this way, the Mongolian cavalry in front can shoot you, but you can't shoot them. But their horses have good endurance, which can ensure that both sides are always at a distance that is beneficial to them.
Khmelnyk watched as his men were shot down one after another, and he could do nothing about the enemy in front of him. If he continued to chase them, all his men would die without him noticing.
Khmelnyk had to give up the pursuit and led his troops to the right. This result dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Cossack cavalry.
In the past, they were most pleased when they chased and killed the enemy. But now, when they chased the enemy, they were the ones who suffered losses, which was very depressing.
As soon as Khmelnyk gave up the pursuit, Arsalan stopped and gave instructions to his men.
The 3,000-strong Mongolian army quickly deployed, forming a nearly two-mile-long linear formation on the wide grassland, and pressed forward again towards the 1,000-man army of Khmelnyk. The war horses began to speed up, and the smoke and dust rose again.
Woo... ... ... .
Woo... ... ... ..
The deep sound of the horn echoed across the grassland, making the world solemn.
When Khmelniki saw the Mongolian cavalry formed this linear formation, he was overjoyed.
Deputy General Khamikov also said excitedly: "Arrogant enemy. They are doomed this time, General. We just need to concentrate our forces, attack the center of the enemy formation, kill the enemy commander, and the enemy army will surely collapse."
Khmelnyk raised his spear and roared, and the Cossack cavalry behind him immediately roared:
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
The murderous Cossack cavalry once again poured out like a flood. They rushed towards the center of the Mongolian linear formation in a tight square. In this situation, although Arsalan had 3,000 troops, he did not have the advantage in the actual fighting.
Khmelnyk did not know Arsalan, and thought he was a very arrogant and stupid man, so he arranged his troops in such a formation.
The 3,000-strong Mongolian army surged forward like a long wave, while the Khmelnyk Cossack cavalry was like a giant ship, rushing towards the Mongolian waves.
Thousands of horses were galloping, the earth was shaking, shouts were reaching the sky, sand was blowing in the face, murderous aura was overwhelming, the two armies were getting closer and closer, and finally it was like a comet colliding with each other, boom! The two armies collided violently in an instant, like a bolt from the blue, blood and flesh flew everywhere, the flash of swords, the shouts, the hot blood, the rain of horse hooves, intertwined together... ... .
Bang! Arsalan, who was as strong as a lion, chopped off a spear that was thrusting at him, then swung his sword like a rainbow, slashing wildly, chopping off a tall Cossack cavalryman, leaving only half of his head, with white brain matter and scarlet blood spurting out.
The soldiers around Arsalan were all Mongolian warriors who had experienced hundreds of battles, but the Cossack cavalry they faced were taller, more powerful and more ferocious. They pressed down on them like mountains, charging at them with all their might and fighting to the death.
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
"Woo-la!"
The Cossack cavalry became more and more courageous as the battle went on. They were like huge waves, hitting the middle part of Arsalan's linear formation wave after wave. The Mongolian cavalry in the middle could not hold out for less than a cup of tea before they were gradually overwhelmed by the Cossack cavalry and had no choice but to fight and retreat.
When the Cossack cavalry saw that the enemy commander began to retreat, their morale was even higher. They kept on chasing and killing, and pushed the center of the Mongolian formation inwards, like a bow string that was constantly tightened and kept falling back;
Every Cossack cavalryman knew that as long as they kept charging, they would soon break the bowstrings and cause the Mongols to completely collapse. So they concentrated all their forces, shouted loudly, and launched wave after wave of attacks in a rage.
As the saying goes, those who chase the deer do not see the mountain.
The Cossack cavalry was the same at this moment. They only had eyes for the Mongolian commander and kept attacking the center of the Mongolian formation. They didn't realize that as Arsalan fought and retreated, the formation continued to collapse inwards, and the Mongolian cavalry on both wings quickly surrounded them, forming a pocket and encircling them on three sides.
This is a pocket tactic often used by the Mongols when they had superior military strength. They could flee on horseback while turning back to shoot arrows, so they could fight and retreat at the same time. They would not be like other armies, who would be unable to fight back once their backs were exposed to the enemy.
At this time, the 3,000 Mongolian troops had formed a perfect pocket, trapping the enemy in the pocket. The central part, which had been fighting to help retreat, stopped under the leadership of Arsalan and fought with the Cossack cavalry again.
The Mongolian army, numbering one thousand on each side, began to attack the two wings of the Cossack cavalry fiercely. A rain of arrows rose into the air and shot down at the Cossack cavalry formation like locusts covering the sky. The war horses cried out after being hit by arrows, or fell to the ground with a bang, or could not be controlled after being injured, rushing around and knocking down their companions.
Khmelnyk realized that if they could not quickly break through the frontal resistance, they would be defeated by the Mongol armies on both wings.
"Woo-la!"
Khmelnyk roared, raised his spear and charged at the head of the soldiers. The Mongols in front of him fired arrows like rain and also tried their best to resist the enemy's attack. The frontal killing was extremely cruel. People from both the enemy and us were constantly killed under their horses, screaming like waves and a bloody wind.
Arsalan suffered even greater casualties, but he knew that as long as he could hold on a little longer, the place where the two armies were fighting would be filled with corpses of people and horses, making it difficult for the enemy to launch a fierce attack.
In fact, this kind of pocket tactic often involves sacrificing a part of the front in exchange for the opportunity to completely annihilate the enemy.
Sure enough, in less than a cup of tea, the section where the two sides had fought was filled with corpses, and the war horses didn't even have room to put their hooves down.
No matter how brave the Cossack cavalry were, their horses could not fly. The corpses on the ground caused their horses to trip over and over again, making it difficult for them to move forward.
However, the Mongolian cavalry on both wings kept attacking their soft spots on the left and right, and soon caused the Cossack cavalry to be in chaos. Their forces were small to begin with, and under the attack from three sides, they suffered heavy casualties and their morale plummeted.
Seeing the Cossack cavalry in disarray, Arsalan immediately counterattacked, just like a taut bowstring. If you fail to break it, when it bounces back, you have to be careful not to break your fingers or even your neck...
Will the thousand Cossack cavalry be completely wiped out? Please stay tuned for the next episode to find out.
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.(To be continued..)
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