Wang Jin's voice fell, and several teams of new army soldiers had already dispersed in an orderly manner, and surrounded Xiao Tang and his party in the middle. It is said that Shi Xiu, Niu Gao and others are also brave Wuhan sons who have extravagant skills and do not avoid swords, and when they saw that the soldiers who were just some homeless people some time ago protected them in a cluster, they subconsciously felt as if they were being underestimated, and it was Niu Gao who took the lead and asked Xiao Tanghan to fight: "Brother, we still have hundreds of soldiers available." If there is an enemy, why don't you let me go and fight with those thieves and birds for a while! ”

Xiao Tang shook his head and smiled, and said: "Don't be impatient, you Niu Heizi, now you want to resist the enemy and set up a formation, you can't just be brave, not to mention that I am afraid that Wang Jin's sect leader will not rely on you." ”

Wang Jin also really warned Niu Gao: "Now that the enemy situation is unknown, how can you fight recklessly?" I have also told you many times that if you are good at arching and horse martial arts, you can only be a battalion commander at most to charge into battle, judge the situation, and adapt to the situation...... is also careless, and can be regarded as a general who can lead troops. ”

In addition to his mentor Zhou Tong, Niu Gao, who had also been instructed by Wang Jin and taught the essentials of the army, had to laugh dryly twice when he heard this, and then retreated to the side.

Xiao Tang glanced at the few others on the side, and said: "Raising troops for a thousand days and using soldiers for a while, I was ordered to select and train the new army, naturally so that this army can fight bloody." Now it seems that this is also a good time. ”

The voice fell, Xiao Tang saw that the trench in front of him was still shallow, and the earthen wall behind the ditch had not been tamped up, and the thief army could cross the trench with a single leap on horseback, so he immediately gave orders to the banner commander. After hearing the order, the military officials immediately raised the red and white small flags in their hands and waved a few flags, and the commanders of the new army of the battalions immediately urged the soldiers under their command to arrange the formation according to the commander's order.

When Dang Shiying gave the order, the pikemen in the new army with slug shields and spears in their hands immediately lined up in a dense formation, holding their spears high in their hands, and marching forward in a neat manner. When they arrived at the front of the trench, with Dang Shiying's shout, the staggered infantry in front immediately knelt on one knee and pointed the spear in his hand forward, forming a three-dimensional defensive gun array.

On the rear flanks and flanks of the gun formation, the archers were immediately assembled in formation and ready to attack. From the coverage of the bow and arrow throwing to the thief army's fast horse rushing here, they probably only have the opportunity to shoot four or five rounds of arrows, Dang Shixiong also squinted his eyes at the distance of the thief army in front of him from here, while waiting for Xiao Tang's order, he estimated the best time to drink the archers under his command to release arrows.

The practical military formation does not have many fancy and complicated changes, and it is necessary to trace back to the source, that is, to rationally distribute each soldier, and at the same time to enable all armies and soldiers to obey orders and fight in a unified manner.

The soldiers maintain a formation when attacking and defending, and can also ensure that their own brigade will not fall into an disorderly melee fight, especially now that the defensive position of Xiao Tang's side is put on by the defensive formation, if the army's heart is shaken and the battle is retreated under the impact of the thieves, causing the formation to be broken and scattered by the other party, then the lethality and deterrence that this army can cause to the enemy will soon be gone.

Now it depends on whether the courage and discipline of these new soldiers can withstand this real and cruel test.

Xiao Tang saw that the enemy's cavalry momentum slowed down at all, and there were also several groups of men and horses behind those charging horse troops, and they were about to break through together, it seemed that they were going to attack the infantry army under their command one after another like waves of flesh and blood, and they wanted to break through directly from the center of the formation. Xiao Tang snorted coldly, he also estimated the speed of the enemy's galloping horse in his heart, but when he heard the sound of hooves like thunder, and saw that the other party had rushed to a distance of only a hundred steps from the gun array of the new army, Xiao Tang resolutely waved his hand and slashed downward!

With a spear in his hand, Dang Shixiong, who was waiting for Xiao Tang's order, saw the small red flag in the flag officer's hand waving forward, he immediately raised the spear in his hand and shouted: "Release the arrow!" ”

The new army archers, who had already drawn their bows and set up their arrows, immediately raised their longbows diagonally into the air, and a rain of arrows immediately roared out. The new army was also configured according to the Song court official army, and the number of archers was the largest. More than half of the 4,000 new army soldiers led by Xiao Tang were also archers, so after the more than 2,000 arrows drew countless parabolas in the air, and when the horse army among the thieves in Hedong rushed into the range of bows and arrows, they had already turned into a terrible rain of arrows and smashed down overwhelmingly!

The thieves who were rushing did not have time to dodge and were immediately shot on their backs, and Dang Shixiong did not stagnate, he waved it again, and shouted again: "Release the arrow!" ”

The second round of arrow rain smashed down again, and this group of Hedong thieves still resisted the arrow rain and rushed forward, and when the third round of arrow rain hit, there was another group of people who turned on their horses, and another hundred thieves fell from their horses. Because the momentum was very urgent, many war horses with several sharp arrows on their bodies fell forward, and they also rolled and slid out of a distance, which also made the momentum of the thief rider stagnate for a short time. However, more thieves and horsemen knew that there would only be more and more officers and soldiers who came to encircle and suppress, and while the other party had not yet gathered and suppressed, they had to break out at this time, so they hissed and screamed, and they did not pay attention to the accomplices who were killed and wounded by arrows, and they were bound to level the officers and soldiers in front of them!

Because it was the beginning of the new army, and the logistics materials transferred from Bianjing and the surrounding military states were mainly grain, grass, clothing, and jackets, most of the soldiers under Xiao Tang's current command were wearing paper armor to protect half of their bodies, and they were not equipped with long-range weapons with hard crossbows. At this time, the thieves who rushed over were getting closer and closer to the formation of the new army, and the thieves who were charging at the forefront could probably see that the equipment of this group of soldiers and horses blocking the way was even more rudimentary than that of ordinary officers and soldiers.

The two brothers Dang Shiying and Dang Shixiong had already rushed to the front to prepare to order Junjian to hold the position, the two of them glanced at each other, and couldn't help but feel in their hearts......

Back then, we were determined to be mixed in the army, but we didn't want to serve the country, as soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty, to fight abroad, and then win official fame? However, since Gao Yu took charge of the Bianjing Forbidden Army, although the two of us brothers knew that even if they were military officials, they would not be negligent in their efforts to rely on the power of the powerful...... But how could we have thought that over time, we would become the eagle's talon house slaves?

The lackeys of the powerful, we have done enough, and now is the time to be an upright person, and to be a soldier of the Great Song Dynasty who can really be called a defender of the country!

At this time, Wang Wenbin also prepared all the foot soldiers running forward, the spear was clenched tightly by him, and his palms were full of sweat, and he also thought in his heart: It's ridiculous that I have always called myself a hero, but I have always been ignorant of the true hero, of course, Xiao Jieshuai humiliated me in front of the public...... But it can also teach me to understand, in the past, I was able to work hard but almost fell into the hands of a group of thieves, if there was no marshal to save my life in time that day, I was afraid of being humiliated and defiled by the thieves, and in the end I would become the laughing stock of my colleagues in the army.

If I don't have good skills but my eyes are empty, I can only teach me to be smiling and generous. But since I am ashamed and brave, how can I, Wang Wenbin, be willing to teach my colleagues to come and see my jokes!?

And the new sergeants who formed a gun formation and were in the front row could already clearly see the hideous facial features of the thief riders who rushed to the front, and they knew that Xiao Jieshuai went to Hedong to select and train the new army, and treated them very much in terms of treatment and salary, but they didn't let them eat rice, and what was the duty of being a soldier, wasn't it to sacrifice their lives to fight with the enemy?

It's just that the rumbling sound of horses' hooves seems to hit each of them heavily, and the thought of fighting with the fierce and terrifying thieves in front of them is life and death, after all, the new soldiers and soldiers are also mortals, and they can also feel fear in their hearts. However, this sense of fear only made them hold the weapons in their hands more tightly and the steps on the soles of their feet more solidly. Unless there is a military order and death, no one can make them turn around and retreat, because compared to the terrifying scene in front of them, what is echoing in the minds of these new troops is the few military laws that they have memorized long after they joined the army:

When in battle, those who leave the team without the orders of the main general will be beheaded, those who make noise and scream during the formation will be beheaded, those who do not obey the orders of the superior and act without authorization, or those who violate the restraints, will be beheaded!