Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

"Where righteousness lies, life and death we defy!"

"Heaven bears witness, the white horse is our bond!"

The oath of the You and Yan warriors echoed above the Boundary Bridge.

Seeing Yuan Shao leading the main force to retreat, leaving only a detachment to guard the bridgehead, and constantly trying to destroy the Boundary Bridge.

At Gongsun Zan's command, Yan Gang led five thousand White Horse Riders across the Boundary Bridge to break the enemy formation and hold onto the main force of Yuan's army.

The movement of the White Horse Riders resembled a surge of white clouds from afar.

The Boundary Bridge was not short, but under the speed of the White Horse Riders, it seemed that they had rushed over half the distance in an instant.

Meanwhile, Qu Yi, gazing at the White Horse Riders, had his eight hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers guarding the bridgehead complete their formation almost instantly.

The formation of the Vanguard Death Soldiers was not the same as the previous formation of Yuan's army, which deliberately opened a gap and then attacked from three sides.

Eight hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers blocked the front of the Boundary Bridge, divided into three layers as a whole: one kneeling, one half-squatting, and one standing, forming a strange formation in Yan Gang's eyes.

Moreover, these Vanguard Death Soldiers, who were completely different from ordinary infantry, carried strong crossbows on their backs, wore long knives at their waists, and had indifferent and calm expressions.

Even in the face of the White Horse Riders surging from the Boundary Bridge, the expressions of the eight hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers remained unchanged.

Facing the White Horse Riders rapidly passing through the middle of the Boundary Bridge, Qu Yi still did not issue any orders.

Until... the distance of the White Horse Riders was closer, and they were about to pass two-thirds of the Boundary Bridge.

The remaining distance was only a short distance for the speed of the White Horse Riders.

These mere eight hundred people formed such an absurd formation, and even without a large shield in their hands, Yan Gang completely disregarded them.

The White Horse Riders might be known for their speed and mounted archery, but that did not mean that the White Horse Riders did not have the ability to charge into formations.

A mere few hundred people would be instantly turned into meat paste under the hooves of the White Horse Riders.

Until, when the distance between the two sides was only a few dozen steps, Qu Yi could clearly see the facial features of the White Horse Riders at the front.

Qu Yi's face, like a mountain rock, finally moved, and he shouted.

"Rank, fire!"

The Vanguard Death Soldiers kneeling on the ground moved their fingers.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

A series of short, loud noises rang out, causing Yan Gang, who was still in the middle of the Boundary Bridge, to feel his heart skip a beat involuntarily.

Strong crossbows?!

Yan Gang instantly recognized the sound of the strong crossbow.

Unlike arrows that might be blocked by armor, the power of crossbow bolts was undoubtedly far greater than that of arrows.

In the face of crossbow bolts, the armor worn by the White Horse Riders was no different from thin paper.

Contact.

Men and horses died.

In the next instant, Yan Gang heard a burst of screams and wails from the front.

Years of being on the battlefield allowed Yan Gang to judge the number of casualties to be about a hundred people based on the sound alone.

The narrow Boundary Bridge caused the White Horse Riders to squeeze together, unable to avoid the crossbow bolts, fearing that the front had turned into a dead zone.

This made Yan Gang both surprised and angry, and he shouted an order.

"Strong crossbows take a long time to reload, all units speed up and rush over! Trample them!!!"

As Gongsun Zan's direct lineage, the loss of a hundred White Horse Riders was considered a significant loss.

Since Gongsun Zan gained power, he had led the White Horse Riders to patrol outside the Great Wall, suppressing foreign tribes, and the annual loss of White Horse Riders was only a few dozen.

The White Horse Riders were inherently elite soldiers who followed orders, and a mere strong crossbow would naturally not scare them away; instead, the blood of their comrades angered them.

In addition, Yan Gang's order made the speed of the White Horse Riders squeezed on the Boundary Bridge slightly faster.

However, facing the White Horse Riders rushing in anger, Qu Yi's expression remained calm as usual. He used his eyes as a ruler, estimated the distance of the White Horse Riders, and shouted again.

"Second, fire!"

The Vanguard Death Soldiers half-squatting on the ground also moved their fingers.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!!"

Another series of strong crossbow sounds exploded, shooting down all the White Horse Riders within the adjacent dozens of steps at the front. Many corpses directly and weakly fell into the gradually cut-off Qing River.

This scene made even Gongsun Zan, who was still in the rear, frown, not to mention Yan Gang.

The distance made Gongsun Zan only able to hear the sound of the strong crossbows, but he could not see the details clearly.

Yan Gang vaguely sensed something was wrong, but there was no turning back once the arrow was nocked.

Five thousand White Horse Riders squeezed into the Boundary Bridge one after another. Even it was not easy for the infantry to change direction, let alone the cavalry.

However, Yan Gang quickly heard the third wave of strong crossbow sounds, causing Yan Gang's heart to tremble.

'No matter how many strong crossbows Yuan's army has prepared, they should... should be gone, right?'

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!!!"

The fourth wave...

The fifth wave...

Wave after wave of strong crossbows sounded, making Yan Gang feel like he was in a nightmare.

Finally, Yan Gang, who was originally in the middle, rushed to the front and completely saw the formation of the Vanguard Death Soldiers. He finally understood why Yuan's army seemed to have an endless supply of strong crossbows.

The eight hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers were divided into three layers, releasing crossbow bolts in turns and reloading in the intervals.

If it were a plain, the White Horse Riders could increase their speed, and this method of the Vanguard Death Soldiers might not work.

However, the width of the Boundary Bridge was limited, and it was impossible for the White Horse Riders to run freely.

'I can't get through!'

Yan Gang subconsciously reined in his horse, and this thought emerged in his mind.

However, before Yan Gang could shout loudly to stop the White Horse Riders from continuing to advance, another wave of crossbow bolts was released.

Yan Gang struggled to raise his weapon to protect the vital parts of his body, but his abdominal cavity was inevitably hit by an arrow. The crossbow bolt even pierced almost completely through his flesh and blood after breaking through the armor.

The severe pain made Yan Gang's consciousness almost blurred. He lay weakly on the horse's back, using the last of his strength to shout.

"Don't charge recklessly, retreat! Release arrows!!! Release arrows!!!"

After repeating twice, Yan Gang stared straight at Qu Yi's direction with wide eyes, revealing full of unwillingness.

'My lord's sweep across Hebei is today, but I can't witness it with my own eyes...'

Yan Gang's last shout caused obvious confusion among the White Horse Riders who were originally squeezing forward one after another.

In the situation of people squeezing people and horses squeezing horses, the White Horse Riders in the rear could not see what was happening in the front.

They only knew that there seemed to be strong crossbows obstructing them, so they had not been able to rush over for a long time.

More importantly, many of the personal guards who originally assisted Yan Gang in conveying orders were also killed in battle, so Yan Gang's orders could not be conveyed properly.

For a time, the White Horse Riders in the front, closer to Yan Gang, subconsciously reined in their horses and stopped, while the White Horse Riders in the rear continued to squeeze forward.

Seeing the obvious confusion among the White Horse Riders on the Boundary Bridge, Qu Yi immediately ordered four hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers to hold the line in place.

Immediately, Qu Yi personally led four hundred Vanguard Death Soldiers onto the Boundary Bridge towards the White Horse Riders, shouting.

"Vanguard Death Soldiers, live to die."