HCT – Chapter 163 The Charge of Heavy and Light Cavalry

The Chu generals stood upon the chariots at the rear, gazing toward the Qin army’s movements.

Like the armies of other states, the Qin soldiers wore clothes brought from home, without any standardized uniforms. Yet the Qin people favored black; thus, even without a uniform, their forces appeared from afar as though clad in one, a dark and oppressive sea.

While the soldiers’ clothing was nearly all black, the warhorses varied greatly in color. Now, the Qin formation split down the middle, resembling a parting tide. From within emerged a square phalanx where not only the soldiers, but even the horses, were clad in armor painted black—whether of iron, copper, or leather, none could tell.

As this strange cavalry mounted, the Chu generals—though never having seen such a sight—instinctively sensed grave danger.

“Loose the arrows! Loose them at once!” one ordered immediately.

“General, the enemy is loosing arrows. Shall we exchange volleys first?” a deputy asked.

Wang Jian pondered for but a moment before coldly declaring, “Charge through! Crush them beneath us!”

The deputy’s heart gave a jolt; he furrowed his brows but obeyed. Every soldier knew how dearly General Wang Jian treasured this heavy cavalry. Countless resources and effort had been poured into them—their horses and armor, their training and sustenance. Wang Jian had even forgone his own comforts, eating the same fare as junior officers, in order to provide better rations for them.

The deputy had asked, thinking the general would surely want to minimize the losses of such a costly force. Yet the order was to plunge through the rain of arrows— no matter the cost.

Why? The deputy could not understand. But the Qin military’s discipline was iron; when the commander gave the order, they would brave even mountains of blades and seas of fire. So he gave the command for the heavy cavalry to ride straight into the arrowstorm.

Perhaps it was their armor, perhaps the superior care and treatment they had received, but not a single man among the heavy cavalry hesitated. It was their first time entering battle in this form— none knew if they could meet the general’s expectations. Not even they themselves knew. But every man wished to prove worthy of the trust and sacrifice of General Wang Jian.

The horns blared. The black mass of heavy cavalry advanced slowly, like an iron tower in motion, then quickened pace until they burst into the arrowstorm like a company of death-seekers.

On their chariots, the Chu soldiers loosed arrows, bewildered— why would these riders charge so readily to their deaths? So puzzled were they, they simply continued shooting as usual.

Yet countless arrows clattered harmlessly against the strange black riders, as though striking a stone wall, bouncing off without effect.

Unstopped, the dark tide surged forward faster and faster.

The Chu soldiers’ eyes widened. Before they could loose a third volley, the iron cavalry was already upon them.

Then— the black wave smashed mercilessly into the bronze chariot-wall.

Some fell like spray; more surged forward to crash again.

Among the Chu were men from villages near the eastern seas. They knew the power of the ocean’s waves, but here their bronze chariots and raised shields were no match for cliffside rocks by the shore.

At the first crash, their wall began to crumble. At the second, the tide broke through, surging into the fissures. The third, the fourth…Wave after massive wave, accompanied by screams, tore the Chu formation asunder. Countless soldiers were swallowed by the roaring torrent.

As the heavy cavalry clashed head-on with the Chu, the light cavalry spurred forward, crouching low against their horses’ necks, and charged out from the Qin lines.

Through the breach carved by the black wave, the light cavalry poured in, prying the Chu lines open and tearing them apart. Abandoning bows, they drew sabers, engaging the Chu at close quarters— flesh and blood flying with every strike.

From a high vantage, Wang Jian watched as Qin and Chu forces entangled. He raised his hand.  The standard-bearer switched flags. The drummers and horn-blowers shifted their rhythms once more.

Two more cavalry units surged from the flanks, sweeping toward the Chu wings. They bore not sabers but long weapons with blood grooves— spears, glaives, halberds. Some wielded their weapons with both hands, others tucked them beneath their arms as they thundered into the Chu wings.

Never had the Chu seen such cavalry. In these times, cavalry lacked stirrups. In less advanced states, even saddles were but cloth pads. Thus cavalry usually relied on mounted archery, with short weapons for support. If they attempted to charge with long weapons, a blocked thrust would unseat them by sheer momentum.

But with the stirrup, everything changed. Now riders were anchored firmly in the saddle, able to channel the immense force of their horses. Their long weapons pierced through soldiers on foot;  wooden shields held by lone men were utterly useless.

The Chu wings were pierced through at once, like a bird pinned through both wings. And the breach carved by the heavy cavalry was as though the bird’s belly had been split open.

“The time has come.”

Wang Jian swung into the saddle, fixing his helmet firmly.

“Follow me—charge!”

The drummers beat furiously, as if to tear the hides apart. The horns blared a high-pitched roar,  like a giant beast unleashed.

At long last, the main force of Qin infantry surged forward into the fray.