Chapter 3 Yangguan (Five Upper)

There was not much time left for Wang Xun and others to prepare. About a quarter of an hour later, the ghost puppeteers in the distance launched a second wave of attacks. This time, they removed all the skulls from their heads and replaced them with thick iron-clad felt hats that protected most of the skull, leaving only the two eyes exposed. The gray cloth camouflage painted with blood stains on his body was also discarded, revealing the neat cowhide armor inside, and on the chest, the heart-protecting mirror reflected the moonlight.

"Where's the sand thief of this grandmother. The equipment is no worse than ours! Fang Ziteng ran to Wang Xun's side with his waist and cursed in a low voice. The role of the Wyvern Praetorian Guard is to decorate the royal majesty, so the armor on the body focuses on good looks rather than actual combat. At this moment, in front of the two armies, all the flaws were revealed. Not to mention the thickness of the cowhide, some decorative objects in the corners also seriously affected the movements of the soldiers.

"At least we have a Fubo crossbow, they don't!" The first time he went to the battlefield, Elder Zhou also became a chatter, constantly showing off the advantages of his side.

The Fubo crossbow is a cavalry crossbow with a short range, but it is very simple to operate. Even Minzhuang, who is in contact with this thing for the first time, can send out crossbow arrows after a little explanation. Although it is not possible to do 100 shots for the time being, each person will be issued with three crossbows, which will be loaded in advance, and it will not be a problem to give the enemy a three-stage round shot in wartime.

"I also found eight big Chemo knives, more than a thousand. If we are in a hurry, we will organize the Modao team and rush out to fight with them! "Talking is the only way to relieve tension, and Elder Zheng has also become extremely verbose." That thing, it's best to deal with cavalry. Back then, Su Dingfang led 800 Mo sword generals and slashed more than 20,000 Turkic dogs on their backs. Now we have more than 400 brothers, if each of us takes a handful......"

The Mo knife is the first weapon used by the Tang infantry to attack. It weighs more than fifty pounds, the knife is too long, and the blade alone is more than six feet long. With a single swing of the sword, the enemy can be cut into two pieces at the same time. Because its power is too great, it is strictly forbidden for the people to build it privately. The use in the army is also uniformly customized by the military department, and then allocated in batches according to the requirements of the generals. (Note 1)

Among the materials transported to Anxi by Wang Xun and others this time, the most important is this batch of Mo knives. This is also the reason why he does not dare to give up easily. If the Modao is taken by the robbers on the opposite side, and then sold to the big cannibals or Tubo people who have been eyeing the Western Regions, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Why did he get off his horse again?" was also pale with fright, but Wei Feng, the leader of the Minzhuang, paid attention to something completely different from Fang Ziteng and others, "Lack of virtue and bully dumb animals?!" Sooner or later, you will be punished! ”

The answer is clear. Before going to bed, Wang Xun ordered people to sprinkle thistle around the camp, which played a double role in the desert. This kind of guy with sharp cones on three sides is difficult to spot with the naked eye when it is covered by sand. When the horse stepped on it, the hooves were pricked with blood, and when the man accidentally stepped on it, the soles of the boots and the soles of the feet were poked to the heart. In the last wave of sneak attacks, the reason why the robbers who pretended to be ghosts failed to take advantage of the chaos to rush into the camp was that Wang Xun and the others reacted in time was a factor, and the more important reason was that they had to carefully ride their horses to avoid the thistle terrestris under their feet.

This time, the thieves did not dare to stop during the attack and serve as a target for the Wyvern Guards. So he jumped off his mount a hundred and fifty paces away, blindfolded a dozen horses, and hurried out on his head.

The poor mount did not know that his master had blackened his heart, and he was blindfolded and rushed forward. Suddenly, a warhorse was pierced by an iron thistle in the sand, and fell to its stomach with a wail, sliding forward more than half a foot by inertia. More thistles buried in the sand were brought out and pierced into the flanks of the horses one by one. However, the war horse rolled back and forth, up and down its body, and soon there was no longer a complete piece of skin. More than a dozen thistles stabbed in, and blood trickled out, staining the red and cold sand.

A good horse like this can be sold for at least twelve or three copper coins near Chang'an City. It can be used for riding, pulling carts, and even ploughshares for ploughing. Ordinary people, no matter who can buy one, use it as a treasure. The usual food is all concentrate, and I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed some bean cakes to replenish my strength. Now that they suddenly saw the robbers using horses as meat pads on the road, the people were so distressed that they scolded. However, without Wang Xun's order, no one dared to shoot arrows, so he could only hold the newly received Fubo crossbow in the palm of his hand, and the green tendons on his forehead were rising.

More and more horses are falling in the run, giving their lives to make a way for the robbers to attack. Seeing that the fire was almost over, the leader of the bandits led the team grabbed the horn at hand and whined. Immediately, all the robbers rushed forward. Either on horseback or on foot, they stepped through the sand moistened with the blood of the horses, and rushed like a tide to the silent camp.

The first time he commanded the actual battle, Wang Xun was also nervous and sweating. But he did not dare to give the order to attack too early. Judging by the armor and weapons, the enemy army is not necessarily an ordinary bandit. And he and his soldiers are strong, but they are an out-and-out rabble. If you can keep the attackers out of the barracks, maybe the morale will be maintained for a while. Once the enemy jumps into the camp and fights closely, the camp must be blown up immediately.

You can't panic, you can't panic, losing the fight is a dead end. Seeing the enemy's figure getting closer and clearer, he tried to keep his eyes round and his teeth clenched, so as not to let his heart jump out of his throat. Finally, the robbers who rushed to the front entered the distance where the blind man was absolutely sure of shooting, Wang Xun stood up suddenly, and shouted with all his strength, "Shoot!" ”

The people had been waiting impatiently, and when they heard the order, they pulled the trigger without hesitation. Nearly four hundred crossbow arrows were shot out at the same time, and a pale black light flashed in the front of the entire camp in an instant. Passing by, the bandits who rushed to the front of the line fell head-on. Both men and horses were hit by a dozen crossbow arrows, and blood spurted wildly along the wounds.

Before leaving, the robbers had done their homework, knowing that the Praetorian guards escorting the baggage, from officers to non-commissioned officers, had never been rookies on the battlefield. So I didn't take the other party very seriously at all. Suddenly, he was stopped head-on by four hundred crossbows, and he was instantly stunned. The rhythm of the attack came to a halt instantly.

This negligence has brought fatal consequences. Without waiting for Wang Xun to continue to order, the people dropped the crossbow in their hands, picked up the second Fubo crossbow that had been wound from their side, and made another round in front of them. Three hundred crossbow arrows whizzed out, and at a distance of only twenty paces, the penetration was astonishingly great. The robbers on their horses immediately fell a dozen or so more, and the mounts, which had lost their master's control, galloped wildly, and soon were filled with short arrows, and with a thud, they fell to the ground, and blood splattered all over the carriage which had been used as the wall of the camp.

"Pay attention to the rhythm, pay attention to the rhythm. Aim and shoot at people! Wang Xun reminded loudly, shouting hoarsely. The enemy was caught off guard this time, and will definitely not continue to be stupid next time. If the robbers are not killed as much as possible, the next round of attacks will put more pressure on the crowd.

No one could hear his shout, and a third round of bolts flew out and smashed into the robbers who were close at hand. Some of the robbers were hit with a dozen arrows and were almost shot into a sieve. Some of the horses were clearly seriously injured, and the people also threw crossbow arrows at them like no money. The poor horse was shot like a giant hedgehog and fell on the way back. The robbers, who had recovered from their senses, relied on the disguised cover of their dead companions and war horses to turn around and scurry with their heads in their hands.

Seeing that the robbers were repelled by themselves, the morale of the people was even stronger. Regardless of whether the opponent retreats out of the range of the crossbow arrows, he takes out a short crossbow without tail feathers from the arrow box and quickly adds it to the crossbow. After a while, he chased the enemy and shot hundreds of crossbow arrows, most of which missed, erecting a dense pile of arrow shafts in the desert.

"Aim, aim. A crossbow costs twenty good seeds! Seeing that some people were still shooting happily, Wei Feng, the leader of Minzhuang, reminded loudly. His words were obviously easier to understand than Wang Xun's, and the elated people immediately hung down their crossbows, grinning in distress. In less than half an hour, everyone shot thousands of crossbow arrows. One is calculated at 20 yuan, which is 20,000 yuan. Enough for a small family for half a year!

The most taboo thing in the Zhuang family is to be scolded as a "loser", many people raised their heads, looked at Wang Xun and smiled. was made to cry and laugh by everyone's simple actions, Wang Xun stretched out his slap and scratched his scalp, "This." You don't have to be too provincial, it's important to beat off the robbers. Let's pick up all the crossbow arrows later. Hurry up and load your crossbow arrows, the next enemy attack is about to begin! ”

Hearing that there was no blame in Wang Xun's words, the people finally breathed a sigh of relief. Carefully pick up all the Fubo crossbows assigned to him, and reload them one by one. Fighting suddenly became a very simple thing in the eyes of everyone, nothing more than aiming at the enemy and pulling the trigger of the crossbow. As long as the crossbow arrows on the carriage are not used up, the robbers rest and rush to the inside of the camp!

As the main general of this team, he repelled an attack from the enemy in a daze, but Wang Xun's mood did not become relaxed. Raising his head, he looked out of the camp with the help of the moonlight in the sky, and saw that more than two hundred paces away, the enemy army had gathered again. Some had just retreated, others had come from behind the sand dunes farther away, with a few black human heads hanging from under their horses' necks, and there was no need to ask them to be the brethren who had fled in fear of the ghosts.

"I really don't let go of any of them!" grinning gently, Wang Xun's heart swelled with sadness. Is it worth burying so many innocents for the sake of a so-called secret? I'm afraid that when some people make decisions, they don't think of themselves as the same kind in their hearts!

Thinking of this, Wang Xun couldn't help but shake his head slightly, there was no need to run away anymore. Before the enemy launches the next attack, it is best to let all the brothers understand the situation of the group.

"Go to a few people, and arrest the one surnamed Yue for me!" While both the enemy and the enemy were preparing, he sighed and ordered in a low voice.

Note 1: Han ruler, one ruler is equivalent to about 23 centimeters now.