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As the Qin Army completed its assembly, dust suddenly rose from the mountainous areas on both flanks. With a gust of wind dispersing the swirling dust, the rapidly advancing Zhao Cavalry emerged from within. The objective of these two suddenly appearing armies was clear: to target the Qin Army, which was still gathering its forces on the hills.
The Qin Army on the hillside was captivated by the Zhao Army's Main General Flag charging directly at them, completely overlooking the imminent danger approaching from both sides. As the sound of hoofbeats shattered the silence, someone finally reacted and shouted a warning.
The Qin Crossbowman, who was still seated on the ground taking a moment to rest, had no time to rise before being struck down by the flying arrows from the Zhao Army. The recently assembled Arrow Formation was thrown into chaos, and even the three-row volley Arrow Formation meant to counter the cavalry charge became ineffective.
Fang Tianhua, who was waiting on horseback beside Luzi, was the first to notice that their flank had been shattered. He loudly reminded the Generals to protect the General while grabbing hold of the reins of his Seven Star Black Steed. "The Zhao Army is attacking from both sides! General, hurry!"
Luzi, who had intended to confront Zhao's Xiao Kuo shortly, also realized that the situation was dire. Taking advantage of Fang Tianhua's pull on the reins, he turned his horse's head. "Retreat! Retreat!"
By the time the Generals reacted, the General had already turned and fled. They exchanged glances, looking at Fang Tianhua; even in defeat, this was not how one should exit the battlefield, as there were strict protocols for retreating.
At that moment, the Generals understood very well that if they all ran around like headless chickens, the ensuing casualties would be appalling. What needed to happen now was for someone to voluntarily choose to sacrifice themselves to lead their troops in resisting the Zhao Army's charge and cover for the main force's withdrawal.
The military discipline instilled through rigorous training became evident at this time. The composed Qin Army began systematically dispatching fierce generals to stabilize the situation on both flanks. As the main force retreated to become the vanguard, the Crossbowmen immediately moved outward to form a quadrilateral formation.
The Crossbow and Arrow Formation would determine their primary defensive direction based on actual pressure within the military formation, using a basic structure of nine rows and three columns to conceal the main force of Crossbowmen among them. The three columns represented three-row volley Arrow Formations.
As the Crossbow and Arrow Formation began moving within the military ranks, other units prioritized managing their positions. If they discovered that their current location was needed by the Arrow Formation, they would immediately switch places.
The troops did not follow their General in an emergency retreat but instead methodically switched positions with one another. This demonstrated that the Qin Army had its own unique set of Defensive Formation protocols for withdrawing from battle, which clearly provided more safety than remaining in disarray.
To confirm this observation, Luzi found a suitable position to watch what had previously been chaotic on both flanks. The subsequent results were satisfying; both wings of the military formation that were about to go out of control began extending toward a more manageable side.
Thanks to the large size of the Army formed by One Hundred Thousand, their hasty retreat did not appear too disorganized. Confirming the situation, Luzi quickly turned his horse back to the command center within the formation and informed everyone that his warhorse had just experienced a fit.
The good-natured Fang Tianhua fully agreed with the general's statement, seriously asserting that such occurrences were quite normal. As long as the general's personal safety was ensured, other issues... were really not that significant.
Having returned to the Defensive Formation, Wang Jian confirmed that no one was trapped before ordering his troops to merge into the formation. He then rode to the command center to report. Upon seeing the calm Luzi, he hurriedly reported the unusual situation regarding the Zhao Army.
"General! The Zhao Army directly in front of us only has the Main General Flag, while Zhao Kuo has long since disappeared. If my guess is correct, that kid must be attacking our flanks at the Charioteer Camp."
This timely delivered information was crucial as it would determine the focus of the Qin Army's Defensive Formation. As for how to ascertain whether Zhao Kuo was on the left or right flank of the Troops, reconnaissance methods were actually quite simple.
In ancient times, generals leading troops would use various means to make their current position known to the entire army, including employing a Standard Bearer higher than other flags and wearing a General's Uniform with distinct colors as essentials.
The remaining item was a Military Helmet similar in function to the Qin Army's hair bun, which typically had a brightly colored feather inserted above it. The color of the feather was often predominantly white. White ensured that whether in daytime battles or nighttime skirmishes, Soldiers could see their general leading them into combat.
Without clear markings indicating a general's identity, it would be extremely difficult for Soldiers to locate their Commander on the battlefield. Everything has two sides; obvious general markings not only allowed their own Soldiers to see them but also made them visible to enemies.
The reconnaissance personnel tasked with locating the Zhao Army's General returned one after another, almost simultaneously bringing back an awkward answer. Now, aside from discovering the Commander flag of the rear army, no sight of Zhao Kuo was found in any other direction.
Upon hearing this answer, Luzi looked at Wang Jian and Fang Tianhua. He clearly remembered that both generals had mentioned that the reason for Zhao Army's turnaround was because their Commander had returned! And they had seen him with their own eyes! But now, in such a critical battle, where was he!?
"General Wang, General Fang, how should we explain this matter?"
Wang Jian was confident that Zhao Kuo had returned to his troops and had fully taken over command of the Zhao Army. Moreover, since they had already clashed before, how could there be any doubt!?
Wang Jian, who was fighting against Zhao Kuo, remained silent, and the hearsay from Fang Tianhua could not prove anything. Seeing Wang Jian looking at him, he steeled himself but couldn't articulate a coherent explanation.
The Qin Army, having completed their formation, began to move slowly. They had one purpose: to convey to the Zhao Army across from them that they did not wish to engage in battle at this moment and were temporarily returning this area to them. Those who were sensible should quickly clear the way! If they were foolish enough to resist, the crossbows in their hands were not just for show!
The result of exchanging fire with long-range weapons was that both sides would suffer casualties; however, compared to the earlier losses, the current situation was already quite satisfactory. The Qin Army's extremely solid defense ensured the continuation of this situation, and the effectiveness of their Arrow Formation played a crucial role.
The stable front line allowed the command center within the military formation to enter a positive feedback loop, pooling ideas to determine where their defensive focus should lie. Just as discussions were ongoing, the generals suddenly noticed Luzi deep in thought as he observed the direction in which the Qin Army's Defensive Formation was retreating.
Just when everyone was puzzled about what the General was looking at, Luzi suddenly said, "All troops halt! Quickly! Bring out our Military Map!"
The words of the General were orders! The staff at the Qin Army command center immediately unfolded a table and spread out an accurate Military Map on its surface. Luzi stepped forward quickly and examined it closely, finally understanding why they had never detected the whereabouts of Zhao Kuo, the Commander of the Zhao Army.
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