ATPnovel Chapter 93 How to Fight with Infantry and Cavalry
Chapter 93 How to Fight with Infantry and Cavalry
"Bo Shun, if you were leading five hundred infantrymen and encountered Xianbei cavalry, how would you deal with them?"
The conversation shifted abruptly from the overall global situation to specific tactical issues.
Gao Shun's expression remained unchanged. He answered almost without thinking, clearly having considered it countless times.
"Reporting to the Commandant, when infantry encounter cavalry, the first thing they must do is not run away, and the second thing they cannot only think about defending."
"According to this, it should be done in three steps."
"What are the three steps?"
"Firstly, it forms a defensive formation."
Gao Shun raised his right hand, his five fingers together, and held it up in front of him as if it were a shield.
"When infantry encounters cavalry, the first thing to do is not to run. Two legs cannot outrun four legs. Once they turn their backs to the enemy cavalry, their formation will break down, and it will be a one-sided massacre."
"Therefore, when infantry encounters cavalry, the first priority is to stand firm."
"Taking five hundred people as an example, the outer perimeter is formed by a barricade of spears and shields, with the spear tips pointing outwards in three staggered rows."
"First row, squat; second row, stand; third row, get ready."
"Archers in the center, ready to fire."
"The cavalry's horses will not run into the dense forest of spears. As long as the formation is well-organized, the first wave of attack can be withstood."
Cheng Pu stood to the side and nodded slightly.
This is the basic tactic of infantry against cavalry; he had fought on the frontier, so he naturally knew it.
But what Gao Shun is about to say is the key point.
"But simply holding on is not enough."
Gao Shun's voice was calm and clear, as if he had witnessed this scene on the battlefield.
"The advantage of cavalry is speed and impact, while the advantage of infantry is formation."
"If the infantry only defends and does not attack, the cavalry can charge repeatedly, once, twice, three times, until eventually the formation will be broken."
"Therefore, infantry cannot simply defend; they must actively limit the speed of cavalry."
"How can we restrict it?" Liu Bei asked.
"This is the second step—the trap." Gao Shun's voice deepened slightly.
"The reason why cavalry can charge repeatedly is because they have room to maneuver."
"What the foot soldiers need to do is compress his space."
His hand changed from a "shield" to a clenched fist.
"Specifically, it involves setting up obstacles in front of the position."
"Barbed wire, chevaux-de-frise, and tripwires can all be deployed in advance."
"If there is no time to deploy in an encounter battle, archers can be positioned on both flanks. When the enemy cavalry charges to the front of the formation, they should not shoot the men, but only the horses."
"When a horse is hit by an arrow and falls to the ground, the cavalry behind it will be slowed down, and their momentum will naturally decrease."
"Once the momentum decreases, the cavalry's speed advantage is halved."
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Liu Bei.
"At this point, the enemy cavalry's speed had been restricted, their formation was in disarray, and their momentum had waned."
"But that's not enough—the infantry must seize this opportunity and move on to the third step."
"Fight back," Liu Bei said.
"Yes, counterattack." A glint flashed in Gao Shun's eyes. "But a counterattack is not a matter of swarming in. An infantry counterattack must be methodical."
He held up three fingers.
"The counterattack will also be carried out in three steps. The first wave will involve heavy armored swordsmen and shieldmen."
"Their mission was to charge into the enemy cavalry formation that was being held back and specifically cut the horses' legs."
"A horse with a broken leg becomes an obstacle blocking the road, making it even more difficult for the cavalry behind it to move."
"Second wave, the spearmen follow up."
"At this point, the enemy cavalry was in disarray, and the spearmen advanced in dense formations, stabbing the fallen cavalrymen one by one and forcing the remaining cavalrymen to retreat."
"The spear formation advances not for speed, but for stability; with each step forward, one less enemy is on the ground."
"The third wave, lightly armed knife-wielding players flank from both sides."
"Their mission was not to engage the enemy head-on, but to flank the enemy cavalry from both sides and cut off their retreat."
"Once cavalry are surrounded by infantry on three sides, they lose all room to maneuver and can only dismount and fight on foot."
"When cavalrymen dismount, they are cumbersome to move in their armor and lack foot combat training. When facing well-trained infantry, they are like meat in an iron can."
He folded his three fingers one by one, making a fist.
"Once these three steps are completed, the enemy cavalry will no longer be cavalry, but a group of iron shells trapped in place. At that point, the outcome will be decided."
Gao Shun finished speaking.
He straightened his posture again, placed his hands on his knees, and regained his composure, as if he were talking about nothing more than an ordinary matter.
The hall was completely silent.
Cheng Pu stood to the side, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Most of his experience involved charging against the Xianbei on horseback; he had never systematically considered how infantry could counter cavalry.
Gao Shun's words were not just theoretical; he dissected a complete tactical chain from beginning to end.
Defense, restriction, and counterattack are all interconnected, with each step having a specific unit type, tactic, and objective.
This is not something that can be explained simply by reading a few books on military strategy; it is a method that can only be formed through countless real-world simulations.
Cheng Yu remained silent for a long time, full of admiration for the young man before him; he was no weak strategist.
He was eight feet tall, capable of wielding a spear on horseback and a pen on foot; he was a true master of both literature and martial arts.
Then he spoke, his voice lower than usual.
"Bo Shun, you said the counterattack would be in three steps: the swordsmen would cut the horses' legs, the spearmen would advance from the front, and the shieldmen would flank from both sides."
How can these three groups coordinate their efforts?
"If the enemy cavalry reacts and launches a concentrated attack on the swordsmen and shieldmen when the first wave of swordsmen and shieldmen goes out, what should be done?"
Gao Shun turned to him, his gaze calm.
"Mr. Cheng has hit the nail on the head. The most difficult part of the three-step counterattack is not the fighting itself, but the coordination."
"The five hundred men are divided into three waves, and the timing, direction, and intensity of each wave's attack must be perfectly synchronized."
"A moment earlier, before the enemy cavalry are thrown into disarray, the swordsmen and shieldmen will be sent to their deaths; a moment later, the enemy cavalry will regroup, and the opportunity will be lost."
"That's why Shun Fang said that this requires well-trained infantry."
"They can't be used just by bringing in ordinary villagers; they must undergo repeated training and be able to obey orders without question."
He paused for a moment, then answered the second question.
"As for the enemy cavalry concentrating their charge on the swordsmen and shieldmen—if that's the case, it's actually a good thing."
"Good news?" Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It's a good thing, because when the swordsmen and shieldmen go out into battle, their formation is already loose, with each person several steps apart. When the cavalry charge in, they won't knock down many of them, but will instead disperse their momentum."
"At this moment, the spearmen will press forward from the front, while the swordsmen will flank from both sides, trapping the enemy cavalry in a scattered formation of swordsmen and shieldmen, unable to advance or retreat."
"Infantry against cavalry: what they fear is not the cavalry charging in, but the cavalry charging out, circling back, and charging again."
"Once the cavalryman stops, whether he stops voluntarily or involuntarily, he has already lost."
Cheng Yu fell silent, acknowledging the young man before him.
He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and noticed that the tea was cold, but he didn't pay attention.