Mason was speechless.
Luosong's head was almost splitting, and he quickly intervened to ease the situation: "Co on, what's the harm in trying? It's better to have it than not, right?"
He patted Mason's shoulder and comforted warmly, "Don't worry, when the ti cos, you just go all out, and leave the rest to us."
-----------------
[On the day of the battle]
After two rounds of cannon fire, the sound of hooves followed closely.
Or rather, the sound of hooves had always been there, just obscured by ridges and masked by the closer sounds of the rebel light cavalry.
Alda was so frustrated he gnashed his teeth—he had completely deduced the Rebels' setup, but it was already too late.
Having lost control over the two small hills on the west side, he lost the western battlefield's vision and failed to tily observe the Rebels' actions behind the hills.
The Rebels seized upon this gap, using the two small hills as cover to deliver a concealed hook punch to the Twelfth Legion.
Alda spurred his warhorse fiercely, charging out of the Fifth Battalion's square formation amid the astonished cries of his guards and the Centurion, racing toward the hilltop.
Back on high ground, he could finally see the battlefield in its entirety:
At the "Bend Gate," the Fourth Battalion's wagon fort had already changed hands, pushed out were the Fourth Battalion's musketeers, and the rebel soldiers were standing on the wagons, firing at the backs of the Twelfth Legion's soldiers;
Beside the wagon fort, spears were scattered everywhere, the long spearn lay in jumbled heaps—the Fourth Battalion's square formation must have suffered so extrely powerful blow, hence the rapid and utter defeat;
In the midst of the smoke and dust, the rebel light cavalry and the Piaoqi Troops were chasing the routed subordinates of Major Lobres, many soldiers were jumping into drainage ditches, fleeing towards the forests on either side of the avenue;
So, panicked and not choosing the route, were running toward the high ground where Alda stood.
Alda shouted loudly, urging his horse down the hill to intercept a Centurion.
"What's going on?!" Alda roared angrily.
The condition of that Centurion was abysmal—his helt was crushed in a large dent, blood seeping from it matting his hair into clumps; his pants had a big gash, hanging in tatters like shredded cloth; he pressed a wound on his left side with his right hand, the sleeve on his right arm completely soaked in blood, red liquid dripping continuously from his fingertips.
"First it was the rebel cavalry... then the cannon... the cannon suddenly opened fire near us..." The Centurion, upon seeing Alda, still attempted a salute, but his arm simply couldn't rise, and he gasped heavily, answering intermittently, "Square formation... blown open a gap... rebel troops and cavalry stord through us..."
When he heard the cannon fire, Alda had already guessed this outco, he just couldn't understand how the Rebels got the cannon right in front of Lobres, while the latter failed to respond effectively.
"What the hell was Lobres doing?!" Alda roared angrily, "Where is he?"
"Don't know," the Centurion was equally bewildered, "Should be... should be retreating to Jade Crossing."
Downhill, the rebel cavalry had already noticed Alda and the Centurion.
A few rebel cavalry abandoned their original targets, turning to attack the ornately dressed Alda, who was clearly not an ordinary officer.
Alda let out a low growl of fury, turned his horse, leaned down and grabbed the back collar of the Centurion, pulling the latter onto the horse's back, and with him in tow, galloped towards the high ground.
The rebel cavalry, unwilling to easily let go of such a big catch, gave chase, but the guards Alda had earlier shaken off arrived in ti, forcing the rebel cavalry back.
Along with the guards ca the Sixth Battalion's Captain Thomas Hamr.
Hamr, already clear on the swiftly changing battle situation, wasted no ti on unnecessary words and directly asked, "What do we do? Should we divide our forces to retake the Fourth Battalion's position?"
"Retake it?" Alda cursed, "Retake what hell! The Rebels have already calculated it perfectly, even if we stake it all today, we can't take back that wagon fort!"
Hamr widened his eyes as large as ox bells, "Then what do we do?"
Alda made a quick decision: "You go gather Lobres' routed troops! Organize them to counter-attack the wagon fort! Engage as many rebel troops and cavalry as you can. Your battalion and Aquina's battalion stay in place, fully blocking the assaults from Thunder Group County and Mont Blanc County rebels."
"What about you?"
"?" Alda resolutely declared, "I'm going to attack!"
"Attack again?"
"Today, if we only defend, we will have no place to die!" Alda sneered, "Push in with all the troops! Crush the enemy of Iron Peak County! Only then do we have a glimr of survival!"
At that mont, the thunderous sound of hooves filled the earth, drawing everyone's attention.
This sound was unlike any hoofbeats previously on the battlefield, not the sound of light cavalry, but the mountain-like rumble only made by heavy cavalry.
For the biggest difference between light cavalry and heavy cavalry lies not in the armor but in the warhorses beneath them.
Alda focused his gaze, and below the hillside, he saw the rebel armored cavalry, like the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, finally move.
But they weren't coming towards him; instead, they were circling behind the two small hills, heading directly for the "Bend Gate."
-----------------
["Bend Gate"]
The interior of the steadfast [wagon fort] was utterly chaotic.
The Horse-Tail Grenades left radial black marks on the ground and wagons; dead and not-yet-dead United Provincials and Paratu People lay sprawled every which way.
Blood flowed from bodies and wounds, pooling into ponds on the roadways and inside the wagons, squelching with each step.
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