Season 3: Chapter 291. Tang and Pang (1)
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
Thud!
OrangeKing slammed the table and stood up with a wild scream, but even his outburst failed to capture the crowd's attention. They were all too absorbed by what just happened before their eyes.
— What the heck
— Did they just pass through?
— No way
— What was that!?
"They just went right through!? Like ghosts passing by!"
"Wh-What happened here?!"
"They hung off the sides of their horses, dodged all the enemy cavalry attacks, and even shot arrows while doing it! Did I see that right?!"
"Yes, and not just one person! Almond wasn’t the only one who pulled it off!"
"Right! Almost the entire cavalry archer unit survived! Guan Yu’s ironclad cavalry couldn’t do anything to them!"
Guan Yu’s ironclad cavalry, which had a devastating advantage over Joseon’s cavalry archers, was rendered useless.
"The cavalry archers are escaping through the gap they created!"
"Are they really escaping that hellish formation?!"
"They’re getting out!"
Despite the ironclad cavalry’s strong pursuit, the cavalry archers evaded their attacks and escaped from the Chinese army’s maze-like formation. All the cavalry archers now galloped through a wide-open path, heading straight for the exit. Liu Bei frantically tried to reposition his soldiers, but the difference in speed was too great.
"They’ve done it! They attacked the Chinese archer unit and made it out alive! It’s actually happening!"
"I didn’t think they could escape, but they’re doing it!!"
A thunderous roar erupted across the battlefield as the last cavalry archers left the formation.
"Wooooaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
This kind of cheer only erupted when victory was near, yet it filled the air at that very moment.
— Insane
— This is crazy
— Wow...
— What just happened???
— Unreal!
"Alright, while we were all focused on that, we missed something important!!"
OrangeKing pointed in a different direction and changed the topic. The observer zoomed out, gradually expanding the view from the galloping cavalry archers.
"!"
Then, the crowd fully grasped what was happening.
"Cookie has already widely spread out Joseon’s forces!"
The Joseon army completely surrounded the Chinese forces.
***
A stunned Liu Bei watched as the cavalry archers escaped. Even he hadn’t expected all of them to get out like that.
‘Not even the Mongol cavalry moved like that during the scrims.’
The Mongol cavalry were known as the best riders in the world. Just like Joseon practiced with Rome to prepare for the semifinals, China also scrimmaged with the Mongols frequently. However, even the Mongols hadn’t demonstrated such movements.
Liu Bei thought the Mongols wouldn’t have held back during practice given that they were also preparing for their semifinals against Rome, but the reality was different. Over 90% of experts predicted a Chinese victory. The Mongols considered China to likely be their final opponent, so they hadn’t given their all in the practice matches.
In contrast, Rome had been eager to train seriously with Joseon. For them, practicing with Joseon was crucial if they wanted any chance of beating the Mongols. In this game, Joseon’s civilization was closest in style to the Mongols aside from China’s Yuan dynasty.
As a result, Joseon had engaged in genuine practice matches with Rome while China hadn’t done the same with the Mongols. Everyone no longer believed in China’s inevitable victory. The weight of the crown had prematurely crushed them and returned with interest. That interest was this current attack.
"Joseon!! They’re closing in!!"
"They’re spreading out wide and tightening the noose around China!"
Liu Bei swallowed nervously. Even though he was well-versed in formations, the pressure was mounting.
‘I don’t understand.’
He couldn’t figure out what Cookie’s current formation was supposed to achieve.
‘Why spread the formation so thin? What’s the strategy here?’
Joseon was forming a huge circle and slowly closing in. However, only two or three soldiers guarded each section of the line. That was barely enough to block a single horse’s path. It was like stretching pizza dough too thin, making it fragile and prone to tearing. This formation looked just as easy to break. If the Chinese cavalry charged through, they could easily breach it.
Every encircling formation needed to deal with those trying to break out, but this one had no visible countermeasures. China could easily break through if their cavalry charged, especially since the encirclement was still spread out over a large area. The window for a breakout was closing, so Liu Bei called for the cavalry to charge. Then, his eyes widened in shock.
"!"
He noticed the position of his cavalry. During the skirmish with the Joseon cavalry archers, the position of his ironclad cavalry had completely changed.
‘They’re inside my own formation!?’
His cavalry had gotten trapped within their own lines like a person whose limbs had become tangled. To free them, he would need the infantry to move, but...
‘That would take too long.’
The encirclement was already tightening and growing stronger with every passing second. The golden opportunity to break through was slipping away.
"Joseon! They’re nearly done closing the circle!"
"Normally, such a wide encirclement wouldn’t even work, but China’s formation is completely tangled because of the cavalry archers! Did Cookie plan all of this!?"
Liu Bei didn’t hear the commentary, but had the same thought.
‘Was this all... planned?’
Did Cookie expect the cavalry archers to wreak havoc like this from the start? Had he placed all his bets on the cavalry archers pulling off this miracle? The fact that they had escaped at all was a miracle.
Cookie had wagered everything on that miracle. So who was the crazier one? The person who pulled off the miracle or the one who bet on it? Or perhaps, to someone like Cookie, it wasn’t a miracle at all like how lightning seemed like divine judgment to primitive people but not to modern minds.
"Ahhhhh! They’re colliding!!"
The encirclement closed in.
"China can’t respond properly!"
China still hadn’t untangled its formation.
"On top of that, Joseon’s cavalry is circling around the outside like hunters, waiting for the perfect moment! Even if China tries to break out now, they’ll be cut down!"
"And it doesn’t seem like China even knows about those cavalry units!"
"Exactly! So this is..."
Joseon’s encirclement only grew more solid and flexible. They even had a pursuit system in place. All China could do now was adjust its formation, try to revive fallen soldiers, and strengthen its production. All they could do was prepare for the next phase.
***
When the encirclement had fully tightened—
Srrng!
Bread drew her sword and shouted, "Kill them all!!"
"Waaahhhhh!!"
The sword unit burst out like a pod of killer whales, slashing their blades.
Shaaak!
Slash!
The Chinese spearmen, who only just reformed their lines, couldn’t withstand the onslaught. The difference in momentum was too vast. In a battle of 200 versus 200, morale was just as decisive as tactics. Humans were creatures who wavered when only three people insisted on something. Here, 200 asserted the same thing: “You will all die here.”
"Ugh!"
"Hold them! Here! From here!"
The Chinese spearmen, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the assault, even collided with one another and couldn’t put up a proper defense. Joseon’s swordsmen quickly cut them down one by one, easily decapitating their foes. It seemed like the collapse was going smoothly.
Then—
"Get out of the wayyyyy!!"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a Chinese cavalry unit charged through, trampling even their own men. What made a hero? It was someone who could enforce their will even when others said it was impossible. That was why heroes always emerged in troubled times.
[Guan Yu]
[Zhang Fei]
The two vice commanders rode into the Joseon formation on horseback, wielding massive weapons. They charged through like a blazing fire. Even the highly motivated Joseon forces wavered in the face of their advance.
"W-What’s going on?!"
"Ahhh!"
"Charge! Push!"
"Follow them! Charge!"
It wasn’t just the vice commanders. The appearance of China’s first string soldiers also turned the tide of battle.
‘It’s different when you fight them head-on...’
‘Dammit.’
‘There’s a skill gap...’
The Joseon soldiers couldn’t help but feel the difference in skills. A small group almost turned the entire battle on its head. The skill level of China’s first string soldiers was nearly unreachable. No matter how fiercely Joseon’s swordsmen fought, the Chinese spearmen deftly blocked their attacks and countered with deadly precision.
‘As expected.’
Cookie watched from a distance and stroked his chin thoughtfully. He considered sending reinforcements, but decided to hold back. In fact, he even left a slight opening.
"They’re retreating!!"
Zhang Fei shouted at the front, "I’ve made a path!!"
He rode through, creating an opening for his comrades to escape.
"Wait a second!"
Guan Yu, still engaged with the Joseon forces behind, sensed that something was wrong.
"These guys just let us through!"
His warning didn’t reach them. Zhang Fei’s unit had already escaped through the path.
"Once you leave—"
BOOOM!!!
The moment they escaped the encirclement, they were struck like a massive car crash and disappeared instantly.
"!"
Guan Yu’s eyes widened. One of the Chinese national team’s heroes just vanished right before his eyes. In his dilated pupils, he saw the Joseon cavalry charging. They circled outside the formation like a blender, shredding anyone who tried to escape. Leading the charge was a familiar face that Guan Yu recognized.
[Malatang]
It was the vanguard of Joseon’s sword unit, Malatang.
Thump...!
Malatang raised his blade into the air.
"Waaahhhhhh!!"
A deafening roar erupted from the Joseon soldiers.
***
Zhang Fei didn’t die.
Thud...!
He had been thrown far from the battlefield.
"... Ugh!"
Regaining consciousness, Zhang Fei rose from the dirt without his horse.
"Cough, cough... What the hell was that?"
Rumble, rumble, rumble...!
The sound of thundering hooves echoed toward him. It was the cavalry that flung him far away. They were coming to finish him off.
"......"
Zhang Fei scowled as he picked up his spear.
"Those damned bastards."
The vanguard of the approaching cavalry laughed and raised his long saber.
"That’s a vice commander! Take him down!"
Gritting his teeth, Zhang Fei clenched his spear tightly and kicked the ground like a bull preparing to charge.
"Let’s see who takes down who, you cursed—"
He remained confident even against the cavalry charging at him.
"A perfect catch!!"
Thunk!
An arrow suddenly pierced the back of Zhang Fei’s head.
"!?"
The arrow came from Pang. Behind him, the cavalry archers who had retreated rejoined the battlefield. For Zhang Fei, who had already taken considerable damage, Pang’s arrow was fatal.
"!"
Zhang Fei’s eyes widened as he slowly collapsed with a hollow expression.
Thud.
His body fell to the ground as the cavalry charged over him. As they crossed paths, the cavalry archers merged with the charging cavalry swordsmen. Pang and Malatang high-fived each other as they passed by.
"Not bad, Tang."
"You too, Pang."
Smack!