Chapter 57 -Urban Army First Battle (2)
Translated by Bloodfalcon
Current translation is MTL, it is not translation checked, proofread or heavily edited yet.
“Destroy them! SHAAAAA!!!!!” Zhang Kai whole face is in killing frenzy, his sword has been covered with blood also as his body, making he look like a hellish general.
“Run! Run! RUN! DEMON IS COMING!” Only dead people who no longer fear death, living people, they all fear death. Supply troops are all scattered, decimated. Of 5,000 troops, casualties more than 1,000. Most of them are trampled to death. If good luck, then can be killed by Yu Province Cavalry soldiers, not trampled to death.
“General!” Cheng Yu screamed at Liu Mang only to find out that Liu Mang is very calm and unmoving. Although Cheng Yu have experienced hundreds of battles and have a general ability, but he have not been facing charge from Cavalry division therefore he is now in panic. So, when he noticed that Liu Mang is really calm, his heart calmed down a bit.
That is from Cheng Yu’s point of view, but what really happens is he is scared stiff. He is frightened to the point that his face muscle cramp completely, therefore it is just showing calmness
“General, what about these supply troops?!” The first soldiers that Liu Mang face now is not the Yu Province Cavalry troops which Chen Lan and Lei Bo leads, but the supply troops who are running in fear toward him.
These supply troops is being scrubbed off by cavalry charges. So their fear already reached their max, and rushed quickly toward Phalanx troops. Perhaps their intention is to hide behind them.
More than 3,000 troops rushing toward Phalanx troops.
“Cannot retreat, absolutely cannot retreat!” Liu Mang muttered to himself. He know that once these supply troops are rushing over to his phalanx formation, the result is both are gonna die. And he who wear golden armor will also impossible to escape.
“CRASH!” The first wave of supply troops have clashed with great shield soldiers.
“I cannot die! How can I die here?!” Liu Mang saw those cavalry soldiers brandishing bloodthirsty look. Liu Mang pulled out his sword and ordered his cavalry who protects the middle phalanx to attack those who are fleeing.
“General?!” Cheng Yu noticed that Liu Mang advancing, also ordered his squad to also advance.
“I will not let you escape and disarray, ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Liu Mang become mad. Usually pressure of fear either making people have death wish or being mad, Liu Mang being the latter.
Liu Mang’s arrival in front of phalanx formation, raise the morale instantaneously.
Supply troops frontline when they saw Liu Mang, all shouting “General, General, please saveus!” Their impact began fiercer as they want to break open the phalanx formation so they can escape to the rear, to the safe zone.
“Save you?!” Liu Mang muttered “Then, who will save me?! Forgive me!”
“General, why do you do--!” Common soldier looking at Liu Mang with disbelieve in his face. “Why, Why!” The soldier not yet said the sentence, his blood already splattering Liu Mang’s face.
Liu Mang also raged by the blood and shouted “Anyone who dare to retreat, shall not be spared!”
Liu Mang’s killing did not move these supply troops. A supply troops shouted “To go forward is dead end, who wants to live rush with me!” While saying that, they raised their sword toward Liu Mang.
“Yes! Rush him is to live! Kill him, kill him!” Supply troops have been stricken with fear by Yu Province cavalry troops started to raise their sword, not to kill the enemy but want to kill the general who is leading them.
“You dare do this!” Liu Mang had underestimated those supply troops potential to be fierce. Those supply troops are generally commoner who are seeking to survive within the army, which means, you as their general must be responsible for them.
Those supply troops pulling Liu Mang horse reins, they want to topple down Liu Mang, so they can kill him.
When it seem Liu Mang will die in the chaos.
“Who dares to hurt the general, will not be spared!” Suddenly Cheng Yu galloping with his horse, killing people with his spear and immediately protect Liu Mang. Cheng Yu has been indebted to Liu Mang since Xiapi and Kaiyang, so he is the one who will first defend Liu Mang at any cost.
“Enemy cavalry troops are nearing, if we do not escape, we shall die!” Yu Province cavalry troops are nearing every second. Some supply troops soldiers are trying to boost their messed-up morale “They are only two people, kill them!”
“The one who dares hurt the general will not be spared!” Behind Cheng Yu is 100 cavalry for phalanx guardian, all rushing together. They only following Liu Mang’s order. No matter if you are allies or enemies, as long as Liu Mang said behead, they will behead them all.
And the result, is as usual, these infantry supply troops become meat patty in front of cavalry! These 100 cavalry unexpectedly killed 200 infantry in an instant.
“General, are you all right?!” Cheng Yu said his concern.
“I am all right!” Liu Mang actually afraid that if Cheng Yu did not come in time, perhaps Liu Mang will be maimed by those supply troops.
With 200 people dead, the supply troops become calmer now.
Because they already thought, advance die, retreat die. So no escape for them
Many of supply troops become despaired as they throw down their weapons. Some even weeping. Fear of death has made them docile.
Survival is the most basic instinct. These supply troops before joining the army are just farmers and peddlers. How could they have any experience fighting in the battlefield. And their enemy now is cavalry soldier, even veteran soldier also nervous fighting them, let alone them.
Is it their fault for fleeing? No! Their task is just transporting grain and provisions, not to fight. Is it right for rushing their allies? Yes! But it is a matter of survival or not.
Liu Mang looking at these supply troops also felt bad in his heart. If he stop these 5,000 supply troops from fleeing now, no one will be able to live. These are 5,000 lives, they cannot be obliterated just because his orders to fight.
Liu Mang’s heart began softened up, especially when he saw youngsters faces in supply army. Old people, children? These are people when in peaceful age should be taken care of. But this is chaos time, one can only struggle desperately. Those children whose sword are higher than their bodies, and those frail old men who took up sword.
He is thinking, whose son or whose father maybe they are. But in the battlefield, their name is only a soldier.
“Open the way!” Liu Mang suddenly made a big decision.
“Huh?!” Cheng Yu doubting this order… Open the way??? “Please general, think again, if making them go through phalanx formation, we do not have time to reform again and then we’ll die!” Cheng Yu also knows to fight cavalry troops with only infantry, it need a very organized formation. If that formation breaks, then it is the end for them.
Let them pass? They will destroy the formation.
“Take the path beside our formation! Quick!” near the phalanx formation that Urban Army stand, there are two narrow paths for people to walk.
“Many thanks for general to let us survive, many thanks for general to let us survive!” These supply troops seeing a glimmer of hope, profusely thanking Liu Mang and quickly go to the narrow paths.
“Puff!” Liu Mang behead a supply troop personnel. They began to shock and thinking that the general breaking his promise.
Then Liu Mang said coldly “The elderly and weak go first and after that the others!” If those cavalry soldier start to storm, the elderly and weak is the one going to be trampled to death. This kind of incident will absolutely compromise the Urban Army phalanx formation, so they must queue one by one. The one that Liu Mang just executed is a healthy and capable soldier who is forcing his way to the queue, so his execution is a warning to other soldiers not to mess up the queue.
“Yes, Yes!” Those supply troops who have experienced Liu Mang’s means, obediently formed a queue as Liu Mang ordered.
100 people, 200 people, 300 people, 500 people, 1000 people, when 2000 people have passed, Liu Mang suddenly ordered to seal the path.
"General, please you cannot do this!"
"General, we asked you to let us pass, PLEASE!"
"General saves us, saves us!"
These sound begging for mercy does not move Liu Mang, he is already too cold-hearted for that and said “CHOOSE! You attacked the enemy or tried to destroy the formation! Either way will grant you only death!”
It was not Liu Mang who want to make them pass, but the cavalry soldier is already here. Liu Mang already can see the opposite general.
“COME, COME! Let me witness with my own eyes, how terrifying you are, cavalry troops!”