It Became a Symbol of the Bronze Age - Chapter 360



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Episode 360. The Unavoidable Battle (4)

“This battle is simple. Keep creating variables and catch the opponent who is slow to react.”

Hanho says so and looks around outside.

Enemy soldiers approaching down the hill, kicking up dust.

The number is approximately 40,000.

This is the number that Poongbaek used all sorts of tricks to cut down.

If the opponent had brought an army of around 100,000 men as ‘expected’… it would have been useless, both strategically and absurdly. However, if it was 25,000 to 40,000, it would have been a sufficient strategy.

So, when the Asadal soldiers came into close range, Kang So-baek deployed 40,000 soldiers.

The first thing that catches the eye is the pikemen.

“It looks like there are about 15 rows. About 30,000 won.”

“Probably so.”

Geonmu answered.

“And it seems that the flanks are protected by ten thousand cavalry, chariots, and auxiliary troops.”

“You’re not going to just give me your side.”

“I guess so.”

Hanho said after hearing the report.

“Listen up, each military leader (Golga). As you have been trained, the response after the battle begins is left up to you. You are to lead each Gol and achieve the best results according to your mission.”

One of the characteristics of the pikeman is that the shield he carries does not protect him. The shield that protects him is the shield of the person on my right.

Therefore, the soldiers inevitably show signs of leaning to the right, and the most elite of the long spearmen also stand on the far right.

So the most important thing here would be the army that faces the army on the far right, which is the best army of my country.

Hanho chose the most trustworthy person here.

“Chau. I leave it to you. You will lead 15,000 troops from Shanhaiguan and the Korean Peninsula combined. Stand on the far left of our camp and block the elite troops on the right.”

“I will do my best, Grandmother!”

Even though it was a task to stop 25,000 pikemen with 15,000 shieldmen, Chau said, “I will do it” without a single moment of hesitation.

Chow thought, ‘If Hanho says so, it’ll work out,’ and Hanho thought, ‘If Chow takes care of it, it’ll work out just fine.’ It’s a bond that’s lasted a long time between the two.

“And I will entrust Geonmu with command of all cavalry. If necessary, respond decisively and quickly when you see the enemy’s weakness. And I will organize the remaining 5,000 troops into a reserve force and lead them myself.”

In this way, Asadal’s army was split into three groups.

Chau’s heavy soldiers blocking the enemy’s advance.

A cavalry unit that uses mobility to swing its sword at the opponent.

And, even the reserve force led directly by Hanho.

“I don’t say cool words. Cool words are the coolest when you survive and do them. So, I hope you all survive and can tell your heroic stories. That’s all!”

Hanho’s short speech was over.

A plain of art.

The two armies began to draw closer.

***

The pikemen are invincible. No formation in existence can defeat the pikemen from the front.

Kang So-baek believed so. It was not a simple stubbornness, but an empirical result. No matter what battlefield it was, as long as the Jangpyeong Corps maintained its position, there was no enemy.

Oh, it happened once.

Posuk-ah led a long spear army and was defeated in the state of Lu. Jiang So-baek analyzed the cause of the defeat for several days. The result was simple.

‘The reason I lost in Noh was because I was stabbed in the side.’

Because they were fighting in the mountains, they were suddenly attacked by enemy troops. The pikemen were strong from the front, but their sides were equally vulnerable.

And on the contrary, if you can protect your flanks well, you are also invincible. After making up for that weakness, Jiang Xiaobai won all the battles of Lu and Song.

‘But you’re picking a fight with us? And on such an open plain?’

The enemy should have chosen the mountains. It would have been right to somehow plan an ambush there. What on earth could they possibly do in such an open plain where it would be difficult to even hide soldiers?

“The enemy soldiers have also formed up.”

“What number?”

“15,000 shield-bearers are stationed, and it seems that 5,000 cavalrymen are being used separately. The remaining 5,000 are stationed in the rear.”

“If we look at just the infantry, there are 15,000 to 30,000.”

The ‘length’ of the two soldiers was the same, but their ‘thickness’ was different.

The pikemen of my country, consisting of 30,000 men, were in a long line of 15 rows, while the enemy’s infantry was only in 8 rows. Jiang So-baek ordered.

“Soldiers in the fifth row raise their spears in front. Then, soldiers in the rear row place their spears diagonally on the shoulders of the soldiers in front, and when the enemy approaches, lower their spears.”

The spears of the front rank are naturally aimed at the enemy, but the spears of the rear rank also have meaning. The spears of the rear rank, erected high in the sky, are an excellent barrier in themselves, protecting against the enemy’s projectile weapons.

“Remember, all of us are soldiers! But the enemy is at best a group of peasants who have just taken up arms. And they have chosen the wrong battlefield.

“There is nothing that can stop us on this flat terrain, so we will repel them today and reclaim Gye-hyeon!”

***

Seeing the enemy pikemen approaching, Chow shouted.

“Everyone, swallow the elixir!”

At those words, the soldiers swallowed a potion made by mixing coffee and garlic. Asadal soldiers swallowed this potion before battle to enjoy the effects of caffeine and nutritious tonic.

And then, Chow ordered.

“The enemy is approaching. Soldiers, do as you were trained!”

At Chow’s words, a yellow flag split the sky. There was no one among the soldiers who did not know the meaning of that flag.

“…Thank you for your hard work, Chow.”

“Yeah. You too, work hard, Chest.”

As he said that, his chest retreated a few steps, leaving Chow’s troops behind.

***

“…What on earth are you doing?”

Kang So-baek blankly stared at the enemy formation. The enemies were retreating. However, not all of them retreated.

Asadal’s soldiers, who were about to face off against their best right-wing troops, still held their ground.

So the right side stayed still and the left side stepped back, so the shape naturally became a diagonal line.

‘…Diagonal formation? What on earth is that supposed to do?’

Just looking at that appearance, it was difficult to figure out what Asadal was up to. Kang So-baek momentarily considered whether he should stop the army here.

“Arrows, arrows are flying!”

With a whizzing sound, Asadal’s pride, arrows and crossbows, decorated the sky.

If the enemies had moved before Asadal’s arrows flew, Kang So-baek would have had a chance to think. However, it was impossible to tell them to retreat while arrows were flying openly.

“Everyone, shake your spears as you advance!”

At that command, the soldiers began swinging their spears.

Chae-Ang-! Tae-Dang!

The arrows broke and fell off the spears of our country without causing much damage to the enemy.

The defensive power of the pikemen did not come from just their shields. Seeing this, Kang So-baek clenched his fists again.

‘It doesn’t matter what the enemy is up to. The strong ones just have to follow the rules.’

So, Kang So-baek ordered another advance. Whether the enemy’s formation was diagonal or circular, he would just smash them all with overwhelming force.

***

Chow was afraid.

The enemy’s numbers are twice ours, and they are the most powerful pikemen on the front line.

As if that were scary enough, the soldiers guarding his side fell back to form a diagonal formation. He felt as if he were isolated on the battlefield.

‘It’s so fucking scary.’

But even so, Chau did not doubt that this ‘diagonal formation’ was the strategy decided by Poongbaek and Hanho. It may be difficult for him to understand, but it must be effective.

so.

“Shields of Asadal! Listen carefully!”

You just have to hold out well.

“If we return from here alive, we will enjoy wealth and honor! If we return from here dead, we will drink together with the old heroes at Shindansu. Do you understand, everyone?”

“Asadaaaaal!”

At Chau’s speech, Asadal’s soldiers planted their shields on the ground with determined expressions and gritted their teeth.

“Enough with the bow, now throw the javelin!”

“yep!”

Asadal’s soldiers even threw javelins, but even these did not cause any significant damage.

And finally.

“Throw Asadal’s fire! Throw it over the enemy’s heads, but it will be blocked by their spears. Throw it at their feet!”

Mokpo fired. Hug-! The shell fired from Mokpo at a low angle exploded as soon as it hit the ground, scattering a mixture of bitumen, sulfur, and gunpowder.

Soon, Asadal’s soldiers threw torches at it. Whoosh! A huge fire rose up.

“Kwaaaaak!”

Some of the enemy’s battle lines were thrown into disarray after being properly covered with gunpowder. No matter how high the warrior class, it was difficult to endure the scorching heat of a burning body.

But the damage was not great. In the first place, there was not much fire left in Asadal.

Kang So-baek rode his horse around and shouted loudly.

“That’s all the enemy’s weapons are! Don’t be afraid of fire! If you are afraid, a second shot will come! Advance!”

As he said, my country’s officials did so.

Rather than saying that they did it, it is a characteristic of the pikemen. If the first to fifth rows of pikemen fight, the soldiers in the back row push the friendly troops ahead with one hand.

So, they could just trample over the burning soldier and pass by. But they had to stop a bit at what was in front of them.

“Kkaaaak!”

A soldier looked at his feet and shouted. A large iron spike was sticking out of his foot.

It’s one of Asadal’s weapons, a hammer or iron club. I didn’t notice it because of the smoke.

Although it was originally most effective when used on horses, the hammer was also quite accurate against those wearing heavy armor and weighing a considerable amount of weight.

“Kwaaah, my foot, my foot!”

“My little toe!”

The spearmen started jumping up and down, but they still couldn’t stop. They were being pushed from behind.

However, unlike Asadal’s fire, the iron bars were set up quite long, and the feet of those in front stopped on their own. As the front line stopped and the back line began to push, confusion began to arise on the front lines.

And at that moment.

“Dog warrior—- come out!”

The 4,000 cavalrymen who had been kept behind the infantry charged toward the enemy lines with sufficient shock power.

Of course, they did not charge targeting the pikemen.

Even if they were cavalry, a frontal charge against pikemen would be tantamount to suicide. What they were aiming for was the flanks of the confused pikemen.

But Kang So-baek is not stupid.

“Chariots and cavalry! All rush out! We will block the enemy’s cavalry! No, I will lead it! Lord Seogwak!”

“yes!”

“You lead the infantry and break through the enemy lines! I will personally lead the cavalry and engage the enemy cavalry!”

Jiang So-baek decided to lead the cavalry himself. Having lost three of his masters in the previous battle, this was the only way to restore the command structure.

Kang So-baek personally led the cavalry, chariots, and soldiers supporting him into battle.

***

There are two main types of phalanx.

One is the pikemen of ancient Greece.

They held a spear about 1.8 m long in one hand and a shield in the other.

But Alexander’s pikemen were a little different. They used long spears, about 4 to 5 meters long. This is what my country uses now.

Naturally, such a long spear cannot be wielded with one hand. That is why soldiers wield spears with both hands, and tie their shields to their left hand with leather straps.

Naturally, this would result in the shield being placed on only one side, which would make the other side’s defenses weaker. This is why Hanho quickly moved away from the river.

This is because if you advance with one side pressed against the river that your opponent cannot cover with a shield, you will literally be ‘out of luck’.

That is why Hanho thought that flat land was the best terrain to deal with the enemy’s long spear units.

However, Kang So-baek was also well aware of this problem, so he deployed all of his mobile forces and the 5,000 volunteers that the lords and soldiers had gathered on the flank of the long spear corps.

So, the cavalry forces of both sides met.

The beginning is Asadal.

“Light cavalry, fire!”

“All right!”

Asadal’s light cavalry lit the tips of their arrows and fired them at their opponents.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeing!”

Fire arrows are not necessarily stronger than regular arrows. However, they are enough to scare horses. All creatures other than humans have a fear of fire built into their genes.

‘Perhaps this is why Asadal chose the plains.’

The only thing Asadal has better than them is their cavalry force, so they plan to seize the opportunity to win through their cavalry force.

Perhaps they formulated their strategy based on the recent deaths of the three cavalry leaders.

But here, Asadal misjudged two things.

“Cavalry, do not panic! Make your way up!”

First, their cavalry force still maintained a command structure. This was because Jiang Xiaobai personally led the cavalry. He was fundamentally different from other feudal lords who only gave orders and waited behind.

“Don’t engage the enemy, just spin around to avoid them!”

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Kang So-baek gave the order, and the soldiers followed his orders and instead of engaging the enemy directly, they spread out in a circle around them.

Geonmu ordered.

“Chase the enemy! Guide them while shooting arrows… Huh?”

Here, Asadal’s second mistake occurred.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeing!”

Asadal’s horses lifted their soles in a flash. Some horses fell over.

As the bewildered Gunmu looked at the floor, something sparkled.

‘…I’m sick of it, no, I’m sick of it?’

Kang So-baek, a lover of Asadal, had already prepared a weapon that imitated Asadal’s ‘Jilryeo’.

***

The Asadal cavalry was quite taken aback by the sudden appearance of the enemy.

“What about the damage?”

“The horses in the front ranks were badly wounded!”

“shit…”

“Still, the damage isn’t that great! The number of enemies isn’t that great!”

While Asadal soldiers went into battle with three iron spears, the cavalry of my country barely had enough of copper spears. Copper was a harder material to obtain than iron.

This may be considered fortunate, but it was still a big deal that the vanguard was broken.

Instead of forcing himself here, Geonmu chose to break the army and change his words.

And because of that, the enemy’s flank became safe.

“My country’s spearmen! Charge!”

Taking advantage of the gap, the spearmen’s spears began to strike Asadal’s shield formation under the command of the Western General.

Crunch, crunch!

My country’s spear shattered without mercy when it hit the shield. But it didn’t matter.

“Back row, deliver the spear!”

“It’s already being delivered!”

As soon as the spear broke, a new spear was immediately delivered over the shoulder and shoulder. No matter how strong the shield was, it would be pushed and broken if struck with a spear dozens of times.

But in the meantime, Asadal Army did not stay still.

“Let’s go, follow me!”

The reserve force led by Hanho appeared on the battlefield.

They immediately filled the gap left by the cavalry led by Gunmu. The reserve force was there for times like this.

“Get rid of it first!”

The soldiers led by Hanho pulled their shields low and cleared away the fallen comrades. Asadal’s large square shields could easily be used in that way.

And Kang So-baek laughed when he saw this sight. Wasn’t the back of that army’s head completely empty just now?

“Cavalry and chariots! Sweep away the enemies before your eyes!”

If they were to defeat them alone, there would be no troops left to attack the flanks of the pikemen. Thinking so, they struck the flank of the 3rd Corps. However.

Ta-da-da-dak!

A group of soldiers quickly ran up to block his path. They were armed with huge steel shields. Jiang So-baek gritted his teeth as soon as he saw them.

‘…Steel Crossbowman!’

Asadal enjoyed using the steel crossbow as a reserve since his past struggles against the Pan tribe. Unlike Dongjilryeo, the steel crossbow was one of the things that Kang So-baek could not ‘copy’ no matter how hard he tried.

Wheaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The steel crossbows flew with a loud noise and pierced the chariots, not the cavalry of my country. Kwaaak! Several of the chariot crews fell off their horses, and the chariots lost their tracks.

Whiriliriririk!

As the horses galloped, the chariots moved on their own, knocking down the cavalry next to them.

Yes, that’s right.

My country’s cavalry was ‘beside’ the chariots.

‘…shit.’

Kang So-baek gritted his teeth.

Some may see this and call it ‘stupid management’, but… this was Kang So-baek’s best.

Having previously lost three of his cavalry commanders, he had no choice but to use chariots and cavalry together, even though he knew it was somewhat risky, in order to fill the vacuum of command and maintain the army.

First of all, there is no doubt about Kang So-baek’s ability as a general, as he is the one who fills the gap of the three generals while operating the tank platoon.

So the current situation… if we were to be exact, it would be closer to an unavoidable situation, but being unavoidable doesn’t necessarily guarantee less damage.

“Now is the time, give it everything you have!”

The soldiers led by Hanho also had many throwing weapons. Asadal’s quick-footed soldiers ran behind the steel crossbowmen and immediately threw javelins, daggers, and spears.

Sometimes, instead of spears, a short sword, the ceremonial weapon of Asadal, would fly.

“Hey, you idiot! What if I throw a knife? What are you going to fight with?”

“I, without knowing it…”

But you can’t blame him for that.

In the chaos of battle, it’s inevitable that some people will throw safety pins instead of grenades.

***

The moment when Hanho was fighting a bloody battle.

Chow’s situation wasn’t good either.

Crunch! Crunch!

My country’s spears fiercely smashed Asadal’s shield. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

“Opposite the diagonal line, what about the unit on the chest?”

“Now we are engaged!”

“…Just that?”

As expected, the chest unit that had retreated to the rear was supposed to start fighting about 10 minutes after Chau started fighting. So, at most 10 minutes had passed.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Kwaaak!

At that moment, a scream was heard. The shield had been breached, causing casualties among the soldiers.

“What column is it now?”

“It’s row 2.”

“Damn it… Switch with rows 2 and 3!”

In just 20 minutes of battle, two rows of Asadal shieldmen lost their shields. The damage was not insignificant.

So 2 columns are 3 columns.

The third row was replaced by the fourth row. Slowly, Asadal’s shields were also starting to show their bare bottom. What if they all fell?

The fight between heavy armored soldiers never ends with soldiers dying one after another over time. At first, they fight in small numbers, but at some point, they suddenly collapse.

So, that is the point where the shields disappear and the soldiers can no longer maintain their formation. At that moment… Asadal will be swept away by the enemy’s pike infantry.

‘When on earth will the opportunity come…?’

But at that moment.

An unexpected sight was captured in Chow’s eyes.

“Whoa!”

The spearmen of my country were swinging their spears sharply. Their appearance was as if they were training in a martial arts arena.

therefore.

“Huh? Did those guys just… throw a spear into the air?”

It means to stab into the air. This happened several times. Someone stabbed a spear into the air… and some people were blinking, wondering what was going on.

‘The enemy’s movements have become strange?’

Did you see something because your opponent wasn’t elite?

No, it’s the opposite.

This problem occurred because the opponent was too elite.

They move when they receive an order. They do not disobey orders on the battlefield, even if they are wrong orders.

That’s why the incomprehensible action of ‘stretching the spear into the air’ came about.

therefore.

If there is a problem with the person in charge.

Or, there is confusion in the chain of command.

***

Neolithic Age and agriculture began.

From the time humans first realized the concept of war, it did not take long for humans to realize the ‘importance of the battlefield’.

And this soon developed into the concept of ‘battlefield construction’. This is the act of first securing high and strong land, building castles, raising fortresses, and digging moats.

However, the Thebans created one more concept here.

-The formation of a battlefield is not limited to space.

Therefore, they split time, not space.

That method is the ‘Diagonal Byeongjin’ that is currently being implemented by Asadal.

‘It was said that it was a method of fighting with a time difference by deploying troops in a diagonal shape.’

Kang So-baek’s pikemen probably had a unified combat system in which everyone moved as one body. The pikemen became the most powerful when they did so.

And diagonal forward movement is good when dealing with enemies that ‘move as one body’.

Placing your troops in a diagonal line changes the timing of the battle. The first troops engage, and it takes several dozen minutes for the second troops to join the fight.

And, if you delay the battle like this, it becomes quite difficult for ‘everyone to move as one body’. That was the case now.

‘Did the enemy’s command get messed up because of the diagonal advance?’

The enemies are now in disarray. They are in different situations, but the order is the same, so it is understandable that they will get confused.

And Chow didn’t know, but that wasn’t all.

If Kang So-baek had been there, he would have broken through this chaos in an instant… But he is currently commanding the cavalry, leaving the command to Seo Gwak-dae-bu.

If it were Kang So-baek from the history of Yuan Dynasty, Gwan-o or Yeong-cheok who were next to him would have taken command instead… but in this history, he did not have such a top-class talent.

However, Chow may not know why this happened.

It’s not that I didn’t know what to do now.

“Flag! Raise the flag! Now! Legion standard!”

The armies of my country, or rather the Central Plains, are usually commanded from the north. The north is good for commanding a united system.

However, Asadal’s army uses flags. The sound of the drum cannot be repeated, but each unit can raise the flag. This is the difference in unit autonomy. Chawoo shouted.

“Now that the enemy is in disarray, this is my chance! Bring them out!!!!!”

Gurrrrrrung-!

The back of the battlefield became chaotic. And then, the soldiers in the back row tapped the shoulders of the soldiers in the front row.

“Get out of the way, get out of the way!”

“Get out! It’s passing by!”

As Asadal’s soldiers were moving, what caught the eyes of the Western Commander were huge wagons with spear blades.

Asadal used this cart to transport military supplies, but now it had a spear blade attached to the front.

“Push!”

The simple swordsmanship or spearmanship that was made in this way was fired towards the opponent through the steep slope of the hill. When the Western Lord saw this, he was shocked.

“Young Jin…!”

A surprise attack tactic in which the infantry is positioned in the front line, then the tanks rush out while pushing the infantry back.

‘This is a Central Plains tactic!’

Kang So-baek diligently imitated Asadal’s work.

And imitation is not something that can be done only on one side.

And during the Zheng-Zhou war, the tactics that allowed Zheng to win against the allied forces of Zhou were now reproduced in Asadal’s hands.

“I used all my strength to push!”

Asadal took advantage of the gentle slope of the hill to push his cart towards his opponent.

Kwaddeok-! Kwajik!

“Kwaaak, my wrist!”

It was a split second that three or four rows of enemy spears were broken. There was a momentary gap in the enemy’s battle line as too many spears were broken at once.

Taking advantage of the gap, Chow shouted.

“Now is the time! Throw the javelin and throw the arrow!”

Chow spoke backwards, perhaps because of the tension of the battle.

But the Asadal soldiers understood Chau’s instructions perfectly.

Peeing! Peeeeeeeee!

In an instant, straight lines and curves adorned the battle line. The straight lines radiating out were arrows, and the curves were spears. The enemies whose spears had been blocking the projectiles were broken, could only fall to the ground with their spears stuck in their necks, helpless.

and.

Urrrrrr-!

Asadal’s swordsman, who had his center of gravity lowered by heavily loading sand in front, trampled through the enemy’s pikemen.

In the midst of the chaos caused by the advance of the front lines, when an unexpected chariot attack occurred, the head of the Western District Commander turned white. He acted like the Wanli Emperor who was conducting politics.

It means that nothing was done.

And then, Chow lifted the axe high.

“This means I have the authority to command! Through this axe, I say, charge! Now is your chance!”

This also meant that Chau’s army, which had been pushed back helplessly until now while facing the enemy’s best, took its first step.

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