Chapter 28: Decisive Battle Against the Xiongnu, The Mo-Dao Infantry Formation

Chapter 28: The Decisive Battle Against the Xiongnu—The Strange Blade Phalanx

“Change formation! Let the Xiongnu through,” Meng Tian commanded the officer beside him, issuing the order.

With the waving of the banner, the frontline defense gradually shifted its formation. Suddenly, several passages wide enough for three Xiongnu horsemen abreast opened up in the front lines. The entire army transformed into countless hundred-man square formations.

Seeing the Qin army open the way, the Xiongnu cavalry ceased their direct charges against the shield wall and began to gallop through the passages. As more squares maneuvered, the Xiongnu horsemen were gradually divided into countless small groups. Under the threat of long shields and spears, the horses slowed, losing their speed advantage, and were slowly encircled by the Qin forces, awaiting their inevitable attrition.

At the moment of the Qin army’s formation shift, those in Touman City sensed disaster. Indeed, the cavalry relied on their charging power to break infantry formations. Now, after absorbing the initial fierce assault, the Qin troops deliberately loosened their ranks, clearly intending to split and encircle the Xiongnu horsemen to annihilate them piece by piece.

However, as the two massive armies clashed, orders became ineffective; victory hinged on the commanders’ judgment.

On the battlefield, Modun also observed the Qin army’s change. Peering into the distance, countless Xiongnu horsemen gradually lost their speed under interference, encircled on all sides by square formations. Arrows flew from the ranks, knocking riders from their mounts. Countless long spears and pikes pulled riders down, their screams drowned out by the clatter of heads being severed.

At this moment, Modun was helpless but to watch his clansmen slaughtered one by one. Anger surged in his heart; he roared, “Sons of the Xiongnu, follow your prince!”

“Charge toward the great banner! Kill their commander, and we shall win! I will reward ten thousand captains, grant a thousand warhorses, and countless cattle and sheep,” Modun declared, raising his saber. Leading his elite warriors, he charged toward the central army’s command tent.

With Modun’s promised rewards, the surrounding Xiongnu horsemen gradually gathered around him, forming a force of over ten thousand. They hacked down the Qin soldiers blocking their path with reckless abandon.

Modun’s sudden move caught those nearby off guard. It was only after a reminder from the colonel that they began to rally toward the central army to protect the great banner.

Yet, as the central army’s banner waved, the soldiers turned back to continue eradicating the scattered Xiongnu horsemen, disregarding Modun’s forces and even clearing the way toward the central army.

While Touman and his men still worried over the Qin army’s shifting formation, seeing Modun’s bold charge uplifted their spirits.

“My son truly bears the king’s spirit!”

“The crown prince is indeed extraordinary!”

Though uncertain why the Qin army ignored Modun’s forces, as long as he could break into the central army, slay the commander, and cut down the banner, the Xiongnu would claim victory. Then, pursuing the fleeing Qin forces into the Central Plains, the entire region would tremble beneath the iron hooves of the Xiongnu cavalry.

Vivian watched the Qin army’s tactics with puzzlement, unable to fathom their meaning. Her expression beneath the veil was inscrutable.

“Immortal Master, are you confident?” Meng Tian could not help but ask. He knew the Xiongnu force striking directly at the central army numbered over ten thousand. One misstep could mean total defeat.

“General, rest assured. I have absolute confidence. Besides, the reserves have yet to be deployed,” Yang Zimo comforted Meng Tian.

“Good. But ensure the reserves stand ready, just in case!” As commander of the army, Meng Tian could not afford to be careless.

“As you command, General!” Yang Zimo ceased further discussion and ordered the Iron Eagle sharpshooters to relay the commands.

Modun, too caught up in his charge to ponder the Qin army’s yielding of the path, sought only to strike the central army and avenge his people. Along the way, he kept watch on the Qin forces’ movements.

The distance to the central army was not far; riding swiftly, they would arrive soon.

“Gallop!” With a burst of speed, Modun’s force was less than two hundred paces from the central army. The Qin banner fluttered in the wind. Just a few breaths more, and the towering figures before the command platform would be within reach.

Those in Touman City and at the Qin command post gripped their weapons tightly; the battle’s outcome would be decided now.

On the command platform, Meng Tian gazed at the regiment arrayed in five ranks and two hundred columns before him, puzzled. Each member stood at least six feet tall, some even exceeding seven feet. The leaders at the front towered over eight feet.

The entire unit numbered just over a thousand. They wore grotesque masks shaped like fierce beasts and helmets adorned with black feathers. Their bodies were clad in specially crafted armor etched with savage creatures. Each carried a powerful crossbow and a quiver of bolts. On the ground lay a strange weapon—seven feet long, as straight as a blade, wider than a sword, weighing around fifty pounds. From afar, their presence was terrifying.

This was the ancient elite unit Yang Zimo had painstakingly forged using his civilization points and tribal artifacts—the strongest soldiers of ancient times. For the first time on the grasslands, they proclaimed their ferocity to the world.

“Kill with me!” Modun sneered, leading his men to charge disdainfully at the thousand-strong square.

“This battle is won!” Those in Touman City thought no more. A mere thousand men were like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

Yet what followed froze everyone mid-fight—many cowards fainted outright.

“Raise your blades!” the burly commander shouted. The thousand-strong phalanx dropped their crossbows, grasped their great swords from the ground, and stood resolute before their horses.

Fifty steps.

Thirty steps.

Ten steps.

“Slash!”

A flash of blades—the strange blade formation struck, shattering men and horses alike.

The phalanx advanced, blades swinging, limbs flying, bodies torn asunder.

“Forward!”

“Cut down!”

With each simple roar, the blade formation took a step forward and struck once more. Every shout was followed by a rain of blood. The charging riders, man and horse, were cleaved as easily as watermelon. Innards spilled, mixing white with red, the pungent stench of blood filling the air. On both sides, soldiers lowered their weapons, covering their noses, unwilling to breathe.

The blade formation pressed on. Five ranks of strange blade soldiers advanced in turn, slowly pushing along the path Modun’s force had taken. The commanders on both sides quietly observed the relentless advance. While the Qin generals wore expressions of relief, the Xiongnu looked despondent.

Across the grassland, it was as if both armies had reached an unspoken understanding—they silently fixed their gaze on the thousand-man phalanx at the center, swallowing nervously.

The strange blade soldiers wielded their great swords with both hands, cutting through from the central army to the vanguard. From the start to the end of the hour, a crimson road paved with blood stretched toward the central army. The entire phalanx had ripped through Modun’s vast force and now stood silently before Touman City. Their bloodstained armor and chipped blades marked a ghostly presence, as if demons risen from hell, their cold eyes piercing the crowd atop the city walls.

(End of Chapter)