Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

The organizational ability of the Summer Army was inferior to that of Liang Army.

Thus, Lord Qin astutely seized the moment they intended to retreat, during a chaotic gap in the formation of ten thousand cavalry, and attacked directly, further amplifying the chaos!

Additionally, the sudden onslaught of the ambush forces and the flaunting banners all over the hills exerted immense psychological pressure on the Summer Army.

The Summer Army's rear cavalry did not understand why the front cavalry turned to retreat; they might have thought they were facing an ambush, leading the front forces to fall back.

In such a chaotic battlefield, it was actually very difficult for the soldiers to accurately judge the number of troops.

Especially in localized battlegrounds, when the soldiers saw enemy banners everywhere while their own side was panicked and retreating frantically, morale would crumble in an instant—even though they vastly outnumbered the opposition.

Li Hongyun saw Dou Jiande's subordinate officers frantically trying to stop the soldiers and maintain basic organizational order, but failure during the retreat was inevitable.

However, amid such disarray, Li Hongyun suddenly slowed down slightly and turned around to draw his bow.

It's my turn to pursue you now!

This wasn't originally planned by Li Hongyun, but the moment he saw Lord Qin chasing after him, he realized this rout might unintentionally create a perfect opportunity.

An arrow shot forth!

The arrow whistled through the air, aiming straight for Lord Qin at the very front.

Li Hongyun was quite confident in his archery, after all, his accuracy was not solely based on skill but also somewhat on metaphysics.

As expected, while Lord Qin charged left and right, cutting through the enemy ranks as if they were nonexistent, the arrow flew directly towards the path Lord Qin was charging!

It almost seemed as if Lord Qin had intentionally collided with the arrow.

Logically, having charged through enemy lines so many times, Lord Qin was extremely adept at unpredictable maneuvers. The Qingzhui Horse was incredibly fast, and Lord Qin did not simply run in a straight line; he frequently switched directions, making it harder for enemy archers to hit him.

But this time, Li Hongyun's arrow flew straight towards him!

"Good shot!"

Lord Qin even exclaimed in admiration, then suddenly twisted on his horse, almost instantly leaning at an angle of forty to fifty degrees, his feet still firmly on the stirrups.

With a "whoosh," the arrow brushed past him without hitting its mark!

Li Hongyun was dumbfounded.

I accuse him of cheating!

Lord Qin's riding skills and archery were top-notch in the world, and since riding skills included the ability to dodge and weave on horseback to avoid attacks,

Yu Chi Jingde's proud spear-snatching technique was also a manifestation of horseback skills.

After all, spear-snatching required not just strength but also nimble maneuvers on horseback to dodge the opponent's spear thrusts, seizing the brief moment to grab the spear.

And of course, Lord Qin's riding skills surpassed even Yuchi Jingde's.

But Li Hongyun did not get discouraged, and he loaded another arrow.

It was unrealistic to expect a single arrow to kill Lord Qin, so this time he decided to shoot continuously, aiming for Lord Qin's mount, the Qingzhui Horse.

However, at the same moment, Lord Qin's horse suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Li Hongyun!

Clearly, Lord Qin had also recognized that Li Hongyun, acting as Dou Jiande, was the army's commanding officer. Although he was not entirely sure if this was indeed Dou Jiande, he could tell the high status.

And this one arrow made Lord Qin realize the great threat posed by Li Hongyun.

Capture the leader first to defeat the enemy; Lord Qin certainly understood this principle.

Amid the tumultuous flight, Lord Qin's sudden acceleration and relentless pursuit brought immense mental pressure to Li Hongyun.

In such conditions, only those with extremely steady nerves could remain calm.

Seeing the distance between them rapidly closing, Li Hongyun drew his bow again and fired three arrows in rapid succession!

But at the same time, Lord Qin had also drawn his bow and fired a volley of arrows!

"Thud!"

"Thud! Thud!"

Three arrows, shot in rapid succession.

However, what sank Li Hongyun's heart was that two of the arrows had only hit the breastplate right in front of the horse, with only one arrow truly hitting the horse.

Lord Qin's three arrows, two struck the cavalrymen to the left and right of Li Hongyun, and the last arrow, hitting the buttocks of Li Hongyun's mount.

Lord Qin's cavalry were light cavalry, meaning the men wore armor, but the horses were not heavily armored.

This was to ensure the maximum speed of the cavalry.

However, not heavily armoring the horses did not mean they wore no armor at all, some vital parts at the front were still minimally protected.

The Qingzhui horse neighed mournfully, staggering in its steps.

Clearly, these three arrows had caused it some damage.

But Lord Qin fiercely pulled on the reins, and it began to run forward again, struggling.

However, the situation was even worse for Li Hongyun, as his horse neighed mournfully, tossing him to the ground!

This fall scrambled him thoroughly, also throwing the guard cavalry around him into panic.

In a flash, Lord Qin had already closed the distance.

He was seen drawing his bow and aiming at Li Hongyun, who was struggling to get up from the ground.

"Whoosh!"

Li Hongyun felt a terrible tearing sensation and a sharp pain coming from his back—he had been hit by an arrow!

Fortunately, the armor he was wearing was of decent quality, so the arrow was not fatal.

But immediately afterward, the Liang Army's cavalry surged forward, engulfing him.

Li Hongyun silently closed his eyes.

He already guessed how history would record him.

"Emperor Taizong took on a challenge with a few dozen cavalrymen. Dou Jiande rashly pursued with ten thousand cavalry. Emperor Taizong shot and killed several men with his bow from left and right, three times. Dou Jiande, failing to match Emperor Taizong in archery, feared an ambush and pulled his army back, throwing his formation into chaos. Emperor Taizong then pursued with his elite troops, decisively defeating them. The remaining forces scattered, and the siege of Hulao was thus lifted."

People seeing this historical record were sure to laugh at him.

Emperor Taizong merely led a few dozen cavalrymen to provoke a battle, and then Dou Jiande foolishly pursued, unable to catch up because he feared an ambush, and then got killed by the ambushing troops of the Liang Army in the chaos, his massive army dispersing like birds...

Although he felt he still had a chance, once the battle began, he realized it was a hopeless gift...

He was back where he started.

Li Hongyun gritted his teeth: "Respec my talent! This time I must get a talent in proficient archery and horsemanship before fighting!"

He realized that his difference with Lord Qin was not just in archery but also in horsemanship.

Lord Qin could maneuver agilely on horseback, even dodging arrows, whereas he struggled to control his mount to avoid incoming arrows.

Without solving this, catching the recklessly advancing Lord Qin and defeating him seemed impossible.

However, Li Hongyun wasn't solely fixed on personal combat; he had already silently planned his Plan B.

That was... to find a stronger supporter!

So, was there really someone in Dou Jiande's army who could stand up to Lord Qin?

There indeed was.

This person was named Liu Heita.