CHAPTER 308: CHAPTER 12 CHARGE!_4

In fact, unless forced by adverse circumstances or extreme situations, most generals would not opt to use cavalry in this manner.

For a simple reason: it was too expensive!

The Yan people had always relied on cavalry. Consequently, a major portion of Yan State’s annual tax revenue was funneled to the Earl of North Border’s command for troop maintenance.

This was why the Jingnan Army maintained both advance and rear camps. It was also why the emperors of Yan, throughout history, had never ventured south. Maintaining an army was already costly enough; if a large-scale war were to erupt, Yan State’s treasury simply couldn’t support it.

It wasn’t that the ancestors of the Yan people were unaware that infantry was cheaper; they simply had no choice. After all, with barbarians as neighbors, they couldn’t very well send their men out on foot to fight barbarian cavalry in the desert, could they?

In the age of cold weapons, cavalry was an extremely expensive endeavor. If you weren’t content with a cavalry that was merely for show, the expense would be even greater.

Just consider that the Earl of North Border, as a child, had to fight with the prince, Ji Runhao, over a chicken drumstick. This illustrated the extent to which the Earl’s household had to scrimp and save to maintain their three hundred thousand cavalrymen of the North Border Army.

This isn’t to say there was no corruption within the Earl of North Border’s household, but its excess wastage was kept to an absolute minimum—a level of frugality difficult to imagine in any historical frontier commandery. If anyone dared to engage in corruption, they would face the wrath of the Li family, who lived by scrimping and saving, should they find out!

Qian State had also attempted to implement a horse administration policy. However, the investment required was too substantial, and coupled with the state’s specific conditions, they ultimately failed to sustain a reliable supply of warhorses. At best, they could only keep up appearances.

The Wolf Land Soldiers now found themselves in an extremely awkward predicament. They wanted to retreat, but it was difficult to disengage freely. The surrounding cavalry clung to them like persistent flies, darting in to take a bite of flesh before pulling away again.

They wanted to advance, yet they couldn’t catch their opponents.

Lady Daxi’s expression was grim. The commander of that Yan army is teaching me a lesson, she realized, but the tuition for this lesson is one I can ill afford.

This relentless wearing down was also a terrifying prospect, for a person’s mental fortitude is finite.

Especially when enveloped, toyed with, and harassed by the cavalry, this sense of despair would be gradually amplified—magnified again and again...

Even the most elite armies, possessing discipline and strong cohesion, would find it hard not to crumble in such circumstances—trapped, without aid, and with no hope in sight. This was all the more true for the Wolf Land Soldiers, who fought relying purely on raw, hot-blooded courage.

Their courage flared up fiercely, but when they broke, their collapse would be all the more complete!

They were, in truth, more akin to a disorganized mob. In the mountains, they could leverage their hunter’s instincts and familiar terrain to their advantage. In reality, however, they weren’t vastly different from peasant levies, merely surpassing them in morale and ferocity.

Finally, they began to break.

Some started to flee desperately rearward. They instinctively wanted to return to the city, remembering that these Yan people hadn’t seemed so terrifying within its walls!

Back to the city! They had to get back to the city! One person ran, then two, then whole groups turned and fled.

At this point, Lady Daxi’s loud calls could no longer rally her kinsmen.

The Wolf Land Soldiers, who had never possessed a particularly distinct Formation to begin with, now lost all semblance of it. They scattered!

It was then that Liang Cheng raised his long saber and issued a new command.

In that instant, all the cavalrymen stowed their bows and crossbows. They drew their sabers and, holding nothing back, began to unleash the full power of their warhorses.

Their prey, ’trained’ to the breaking point, had finally collapsed. Now, it was time for the harvest.

Liang Cheng’s saber slashed down, leaving an afterimage in the air as he roared, "Charge!"