The reason why the grassland riders usually go south in autumn is that in addition to the fact that the Han people harvest in autumn and have a lot of grain and grass to plunder, the state of the war horse is also a key.

The steppe people did not breed horses like the Han people, and could feed a lot of beans and grains. If you really have these coarse grains, people will not have enough to eat. Therefore, in the spring and summer, let the horses eat grass and nourish their fat, and in the autumn, the war horses have accumulated enough physical strength to complete the arduous journey of breaking into the Han land and fighting thousands of miles.

However, in order to pursue the suddenness of the attack this time, King Xianbei and Lian launched a long-distance attack against public opinion when the war horse had not yet raised enough fat. Running along the way, the Xianbei cavalry is of course a one-man double horse, and it is used for alternate riding. But the horses under the crotches of the cavalry still lost weight badly.

On the way to the Meiji Royal Court, there were hundreds of Xianbei people who fell behind because the war horses couldn't run and couldn't keep up. The nomadic cavalry, who barely kept up, and many of their horses, looked extremely weak and unable to withstand the fierce battle.

Xianbei Xiaoshuai used his own experience to deduce. If you send an elite, use running shots to harass the Han army. Let's not talk about the possible counterattack of the Han army, just the existing war horses, I am afraid that every time they attack, they will run to death and waste a few horses.

These good horses are all high-quality wealth in the Xiaoshuai tribe. If you are tired to death, even the king will not compensate for it. Why let yourself accept such a big loss for the sake of the benefit of one person?

Xianbei Xiaoshuai led his 600 nomadic cavalry to a distance of 200 paces in front of the Han army, without any intention of launching a charge, but the whole army dismounted, lifted the huge step bow, drew a light arrow that could shoot farther, and prepared to delay the Han army with the bow.

Writing this, some people must ask, why do these Xianbei cavalry dismount and shoot arrows?

Children's shoes that ask this question need to understand the obvious difference in performance between cavalry bows and infantry bows.

Shooting an arrow on a horse, even if the horse does not move, the arrow shot out, whether it is strength or accuracy, is significantly worse than foot shooting. If you want to shoot arrows on a horse, you must get within a distance of fifty or sixty paces if you want to inflict effective damage on the Han army. Otherwise, I am afraid that the arrows shot by the cavalry will not fall into the formation of the Han army, let alone any effective lethality.

However, at a distance of fifty or sixty paces, the Han army's counterattack bows and arrows would cause the Xianbei cavalry to suffer unbearable casualties. On the contrary, at a distance of seventy or eighty paces, the exchange between the two sides will be better than the Han army's foot shooting.

However, Xianbei Xiaoshuai's plan was not realized.

Bow and arrow lag and is invalid......

The vanguard of the Taixing Army was a thousand-man team led by Xie Xun. Although this person is young, he has a family history and outstanding art of war, especially the common tactics of the Xianbei people. To be able to beat Zang Ba, Dian Wei, Zhao Yun and others in the talented Taixing Army, and become the captain of the thousand-person team, if there is no real material, how can it be done?

Xie Xun's headquarters has only 900 soldiers. These people are still a cut behind five or six hundred cavalrymen, just looking at the momentum. However, the well-trained Tai marching army was still unhurried when advancing.

For the Xianbei people in front who tried to snipe at their own side with bows and arrows, Xie Xun, who was sitting on his horse and commanding in the center, only sent a team of fifty crossbowmen to meet them.

The two armies are fighting, and the first is heavy with a bow and crossbow. For this truth, Taixing Army naturally attaches great importance to it.

In the past few years in the Taihang Mountains, Zhang Qi has successfully established a medium-sized crossbow workshop, which can produce 600 strong bows and 800 hard crossbows every year, which will meet the combat needs of the Taixing army. If calculated in terms of quantity alone, the per capita amount of bow and crossbow equipment of the Taixing army has exceeded that of the Northern Army of the Han Dynasty.

Of course, in terms of the quality of these bows and crossbows, you can't pay too much attention to them. However, compared with the Xianbei people who have a more humble production process, the bow and crossbow of the Taixing army still have obvious advantages.

Xie Xun's main force, the speed of progress is basically the same. Only the crossbowmen who had been sent out approached a hundred paces from the Xianbei people by trotting forward.

――Do you want to suppress my 500 bows with just 500 men? Men, you are too arrogant!

Xianbei Xiaoshuai's heart thought indignantly. As long as the Han army advances a little more, he will let the arrows like a rainstorm douse these bold Han troops!

However, the Han army stopped at this distance.

At this distance, even if they used light arrows with a long range, the bows and arrows of the Xianbei people were still basically unable to shoot. Even if a few ranges are reached, they are not lethal. Seeing the Han army on the opposite side, they raised their crossbows and released a row of flying arrows neatly, and the formation of the Xianbei people immediately became agitated.

"Puff", "Puff......

The sound of several arrows biting flesh sounded along with the screams of the Xianbei people. This burst of shooting, thanks to the dispersed and wide formation of the Xianbei people, the hit rate of the Han army's strong crossbow was not high. Of the fifty powerful arrows, only four or five hit the target.

However, the Xianbei people, who generally lacked armor and were only protected by tanned leather clothes, looked so fragile in front of these powerful crossbows with a strength of at least five stones. Of the four people who were hit by the arrow, except for one who was not deep in the flesh and could continue to fight, the other three became wounded who could not fight.

was shot in the head by the Han army like this, and many Xianbei people who couldn't hold their breath also roared and shot the long arrows in their hands. Although the Xianbei people used light arrows with a long range, but at a distance of a hundred paces, needless to say, they naturally could not cause any effective damage to the Han army.

Two or three hundred long arrows fell one after another on the distance from sixty to ninety paces, as if a small reed had suddenly grown from the ground.

Of course, the Xianbei people are not completely in vain. An "eagle archer" who was quite famous in the ordinary name hit a Han soldier in the chest with an arrow, which frightened the Han soldier a lot.

The so-called "Condor Shooter" originally referred to the best archery among the Huns. Later, with the long-term rule of the Huns over the steppe, other steppe peoples slowly borrowed this expression.

Birds fly in the air, but eagles are difficult to shoot. Condor shooting must not only be accurate, but also be able to pull a strong bow.

Because the eagle and feathers on the grassland have become shiny and smooth over thousands of years of evolution in order to reduce air resistance during gliding. If the bow and arrow do not enter the eagle's body vertically, it will immediately slip on its feathers, making it difficult to stab or kill it.

If you want to shoot a steppe eagle that flies extremely fast, the requirements for the shooter are extremely high. Even the steppe people, who are famous for their riding and archery, such a master is one in a million.

However, the Han sergeant obviously did not suffer any major damage. He came to his senses, plucked the arrow from his leather armor, and threw it on the ground. Except for the small hole left in the leather armor, there was no sign that the Han soldier had been hit by an arrow.

The Han crossbowmen who had finished shooting an arrow began to load their crossbow arrows on the spot. In normal times, the gap between the loading of these crossbowmen is an opportunity for the Xianbei riders to charge. However, looking at the Han army that was steadily advancing in front, the dozens of Xianbei elite knights who were still on their horses had no idea of charging at all.

The crossbowmen, who had finished winding, took the initiative to advance twenty paces again when the large group of men and horses followed. Don't underestimate the twenty paces away. When the distance between the two sides was shortened to eighty paces, the bows and arrows of the Xianbei people finally had a certain use.

Xianbei Xiaoshuai gave an order, except for more than 100 "horse stakes" who were responsible for holding the war horses and preventing them from scattering, and dozens of elite knights who were ready to launch a cavalry assault at any time, nearly 500 bows, and "hulala" made a loud sound.

This wave of arrow rain far exceeded the previous wave. Among them, the batch of arrows with a long enough range fell in the positions of the crossbowmen of the Han army one after another, which finally brought some damage to the Han army.

Six Han crossbowmen were hit by fourteen long arrows. Four arrows pierced through the armor and dealt damage. However, the excellent armor of the Han army effectively protected the safety of the crossbowmen. Apart from the minor wounds of two crossbowmen, the Han army did not suffer any other losses.

However, the shortened twenty steps are not a disaster for the Xianbei people?

At the same time as the Xianbei people shot arrows, fifty powerful crossbow arrows were also shot at this moment. Of course, compared to the Xianbei archers who were outnumbered, the Han army's arrow array was somewhat insignificant. However, if you count the casualties of the Xianbei people, the Xianbei people obviously suffered a big loss.

Of the 50 crossbow arrows, 29 of them hit, killing and wounding 17 Xianbei people, and two were killed on the spot.

The only thing that is worthy of Xianbei Xiaoshuai is that the speed of archery is undoubtedly much faster than the speed of reloading a strong crossbow. Therefore, before the Han army crossbowmen fired the second round of crossbow arrows, the Xianbei people could shoot a few more rounds of arrow rain first!

"Shoot! Shoot fast! Don't stop! ”

Xianbei Xiaoshuai howled loudly, urging his subordinates to attack. He didn't plan to fight with the Han army, so he naturally didn't have to take care of the physical strength of his men at this moment. Three rounds of arrows were shot in a row, and Xianbei Xiaoshuai shouted and ordered his subordinates to stop shooting arrows.

Xiao Shuai had to stop attacking. Because, the fierce attack of the Xianbei people just now basically did not play a role.

The Han crossbowmen who shot an arrow did not brave the rain of arrows to reload as the Xianbei people expected. On the contrary, each of these crossbowmen took off a light leather shield from behind them, and then crouched on the spot, dodging the enemy's bow and arrow without saying a word!