Chapter 18: Battle Formation
At this moment, the overall situation on the battlefield favored the Qin Army. Despite the advantageous terrain held by the Chu Army, their total military strength was inferior to that of the Qin Army. Moreover, there were too many new recruits among the Chu forces, with many experiencing their first taste of combat today.
These new recruits had never encountered such a scene before, facing an onslaught of Long Spears from the enemy, and their ambitions of making a name for themselves in battle had long been abandoned.
Were it not for the watchful eyes of the Military Judge behind them, many might have abandoned their weapons and fled. The Qin Army, seasoned from years of military expeditions, consisted mostly of battle-hardened veterans, naturally possessing superior individual strength compared to the Chu Army.
Wang Hong's advantage was only a small one in this localized area. In a battle involving tens of thousands of people, individual prowess struggled to change the overall picture.
The key to the formation was a strong vanguard, and with Wang Hong obstructed, the Qin Army quickly surrounded them, launching a fierce attack on the flanks. Although the flanks resisted vigorously, over time, this formation would inevitably suffer losses and could not hold out for long.
The Hundred-Man Commander on the opposing side, despite possessing considerable physical strength, fell short in overall strength compared to Wang Hong, who was at the Innate Stage.
Furthermore, Wang Hong had yet to unleash his Inner Strength. When infused into the Long Spear, Inner Strength emitted a glare over a foot long, which was too dazzling.
Wang Hong was reluctant to reveal that he had reached the Innate Realm at the age of sixteen, as it would easily draw unwanted attention.
Throughout the battle, Wang Hong relied on the strength of his physical body. Once he used Inner Strength, it would be easily detectable, and mere Acquired Stage warriors would stand no chance against him.
After exchanging blows for a dozen moves, Wang Hong skillfully evaded a sweeping attack from the burly warrior and, capitalizing on his opponent's exposed vulnerability, thrust his spear through the throat.With the Hundred-Man Commander defeated, Wang Hong faced no further hindrance. Like a hot knife through butter, he quickly pierced through the small formation, with Fang Hong and the Hundred-Man Commander leading separate teams to continue pursuing the remaining enemy forces.
The Qin Army, true to its reputation as a formidable force with a history of numerous battles, remained organized even after being split in two. Despite the death of the Hundred-Man Commander, they resisted and did not scatter.
Before Wang Hong could dispatch more Qin Army soldiers, another formation emerged from the rear and advanced towards them.
Wang Hong swiftly joined forces with the Hundred-Man Commander, reorganizing their formation into a smaller one.
If they were to pursue the remnants of the Qin Army now without a suitable formation to resist the new arrivals, it was likely that they would be quickly overwhelmed.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the remnants of the Qin Army regrouped and, with the support of the new forces, once again advanced towards the Chu Army.
Before they could catch their breath, the Qin Army charged towards them. After the intense battle moments ago, everyone was exhausted, and many bore wounds. In contrast, this new Qin Army unit appeared fresh, with each soldier displaying bravery and fierceness.
They formed a dense formation, with Long Spears thrust forward like a formidable wall closing in. The front ranks of the Chu Army, armed with swords and shields, raised their shields, while the rear ranks pointed their Long Spears forward.
This kind of confrontation placed immense psychological pressure on the soldiers. Every move could result in bloodshed, and life and death were decided in an instant. Facing such a situation required great courage.
Fortunately, the rigorous training in Battle Formation Drills paid off. The soldiers remembered the key points of their routine drills and executed their movements with uniform precision. The rows of spearheads advanced towards the enemy like an unyielding wall.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" roared through the ranks, accompanied by the sound of Long Spears piercing flesh. As long as vital areas were not struck, those who fell continued to fight to the end. They understood that collapsing on the battlefield meant being trampled to death, and there was no concept of leaving the battlefield to seek medical attention during the heat of battle.
If they could endure until the end of the battle, there might still be hope for survival. Wang Hong pierced a hole through the abdomen of a Qin Army soldier, intestines spilling out, but the Qin soldier, with a grim expression, paid no heed, swinging his blade towards the nearest Chu soldier.
This formation seemed to be the elite of the Qin Army—fierce and fearless. In just a few exchanges, several Chu soldiers fell.
Wang Hong continued to pierce through multiple small soldiers with each thrust of his spear. In his peripheral vision, he saw that two of his soldiers had already fallen.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Wang Hong knew that if his side suffered too many casualties, they would be outnumbered, making it difficult for him to fend off hundreds of soldiers forming a battle array simultaneously.
Even without weapons, a large group of soldiers could surround him. If they pressed in from all sides, he would be crushed. His martial skills, no matter how high, couldn't overcome such numbers.
Engaged in combat with a Sword and Shield Soldier from his side, a soldier who seemed to have the upper hand was pierced by Wang Hong's spear, pinning him and his shield together.
Before Wang Hong could retract his spear, three Long Spears were thrust towards him. Wang Hong quickly withdrew his spear and shifted his body, surrounded by soldiers on all sides, making it impossible to evade on a large scale.
A spear grazed past his ear, another skimmed his shoulder, and the third stabbed into his chest but couldn't penetrate further.
Wang Hong roared and pierced the nearest soldier through the chest. The soldier tried to block, but halfway through lifting his hands, he felt a pain in his chest. He could only tightly grip the Long Spear without letting go. At that moment, three Long Spears came at him simultaneously.
In this manner, Wang Hong lost count of how many he had killed, while the enemy managed to inflict numerous small wounds on him. Soldiers around him also fell frequently.
Wang Hong observed their Hundred-Man Commander being held by two Sword and Shield Soldiers around the waist. Despite stabbing one of them in the back, the two soldiers clung tenaciously.
Then, a burly man in iron armor thrust his spear towards Wang Hong's chest. The Hundred-Man Commander, inconvenienced by the two soldiers, could only parry with his knife. After just three exchanges, Wounds appeared on his arm. Other Chu soldiers wanted to assist, but they were entangled by the enemy, rendering them powerless.
Suddenly, the Hundred-Man Commander felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. It turned out that the small soldier on his waist had drawn a short knife and stabbed him in the stomach.
In pain, the Hundred-Man Commander infused Inner Strength into his legs, delivering a knee strike that shattered the chest and organs of the nearby Qin Army soldier, sending him flying.
At this moment, the man in iron armor's Long Spear was about to stab him in the face. The Hundred-Man Commander leaned backward, narrowly avoiding the spearhead, leaving a blood trail on his forehead. Simultaneously, he sidestepped and took a step forward, slashing horizontally under the arm of the iron-clad man. The blade emitted a faint white light, cutting through the iron armor like tofu. The armored man recoiled a few inches, a one-inch deep gash on his chest.
Wang Hong swept his spear horizontally, slicing through the abdomen of two Qin soldiers, intestines spilling out. Immediately, two more Qin soldiers took their place, and the number of attackers increased.
Lu Jin Gou, Li Xiao Ya, and Zhang Tie Mao continued to fight side by side in the same unit, each bearing wounds.
Wang Hong and Hua Wen Jue had moved on to other Hundred-Man Commander units, leaving only the three of them in their original unit.
Zhang Tie Mao's leg trembled slightly, a large hole in his thigh with blood gushing out.
Just a moment ago, two Long Spears had simultaneously thrust towards Li Xiao Ya beside him. Seeing Li Xiao Ya about to fall, Zhang Tie Mao angled his spear from the side, saving her life but receiving a spear through his leg in return.
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