Ma Chao held the reins of the horse and stared at the guide in front of him, not even daring to blink his eyes, for fear that the guide would disappear in a blink of an eye.

The fog was too strong, and there was no sign of people just a few steps away, and only the sound of horse hooves could be heard. It was bright, but the shadow of the sun was not seen. The air was wet and cold, and the cloak was wet against the body. When I took a breath, I felt half of it was water, which was cold until my chest.

Ma Chao scratched his fingers and a stinging pain. He bared his teeth in pain and cursed himself secretly. The frostbite torture him so hard that he felt bad. It hurts when he touches it, and itchs it doesn't touch it, making people feel at ease. Sun Ce said it right, the climate in Jiangnan is too different from Liangzhou, and it is completely different from that in two worlds. People say that Liangzhou is cold, but he feels that Jiangnan is colder than Liangzhou. He is covered with two mattresses and shivering with coldness.

"Come on, keep up." Jiao Zhongqing rushed over and urged him repeatedly.

Ma Chao muttered a few words, but Jiao Zhongqing didn't hear it clearly. He turned his head and looked at it, and chuckled. The most unaccustomed thing for northerners to come to the south is frostbite. "Let's go back and find some badger oil for you, and apply it a few more times."

"Don't you?"

"Yes, I'm used to it." Jiao Zhongqing stretched out his hand, and there were indeed, and the back of his hand was swollen, much worse than Ma Chao. "But you are different. You are a martial arts practitioner, and your blood and energy are smooth, but it's not suitable for the climate here for a while. Just adapt." Jiao Zhongqing suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Guo Jijiu said that several styles of General Sun's boxing are most suitable for moving his palms and fingers. If you have the opportunity to ask the general for advice, it may be helpful."

"Thank you, thank you." Ma Chao was very grateful. He was really tortured by frostbite. If he had the opportunity to cure frostbite, he would be reluctant to ask for it.

Under Jiao Zhongqing's guidance, Ma Chao and two hundred riders walked through the thick fog. The thick fog not only did not stop them, but instead provided them with rare cover. At noon, they arrived near Shicheng, on the southern foot of Niuzhu Mountain. The fog gradually dissipated, and Niuzhu Mountain showed its outline, like a fairyland.

Ma Chao and others got off the horse and rested, picked a bag containing soybeans from the horse's back, hung it on the horse's neck, and let the war horse lick and replenish their physical strength. The war horse can be grazed in normal times, but it is tight during wartime. It must be fed with essential ingredients such as beans and wheat. Sometimes food is directly used, otherwise it will be easy to lose. The food standard for a horse is equivalent to two adult men, and the logistics supply of cavalry is therefore much more expensive than that of infantrymen.

They were all elite knights, and they knew what to do without giving instructions. Ma Chao took out the dry food he carried with him and ate it a few bites. A sound of horse hooves sounded. A knight rode his horse to Ma Chao, tied his mount, and said loudly: "Major General, someone has left the city."

"Who?"

"Like a crossbowman, there are quite a few people, about a thousand."

Ma Chao turned his gaze to Jiao Zhongqing. Jiao Zhongqing was also surprised. Their actions were very secretive and covered by thick fog. It is logical that it is unlikely that they would leak. They had just arrived outside the city and had not sent anyone to the city to inquire about the situation, so why did Shicheng send people out? One thousand people, if they formed a formation and fought, Ma Chao and the others had no chance of winning.

"Don't worry, hide first and see what these people do."

Ma Chao agreed with Jiao Zhongqing's opinion and ordered the knights to find a place to hide. The woods on the roadside were very deep and the fog had not completely dissipated. As long as you don't pay attention, it would be difficult to find even if you pass by. The knights led the horses, scattered into the woods, took the branches, and swept the horse's hoof prints on the ground. Pang De and Ma Chao said, and led the two knights forward and approached to observe.

After a while, there was a reward from the scouts. Those people went to the eastern foot of Niuzhu Mountain, and they might have gone around Niuzhu Mountain from there and rushed to the riverside. They also noticed a characteristic that most of these people were crossbowmen. However, they were very relaxed, and many people did not have crossbows, which was not like they were preparing for war.

Jiao Zhongqing suddenly understood. "They are going to reinforce Zhou Xin. Yesterday, Zhou Xin's crossbowman suffered the most losses. He must have transferred crossbowman reinforcements from Shicheng overnight. Major General, this is a good opportunity."

Ma Chao also felt it was reasonable, so he discussed it with Yan Xing and made a decision immediately. The two hundred knights came out of the woods, got on the horse immediately, and rushed east under Jiao Zhongqing's leadership. Not far away, they met the knights sent by Pang De. Pang De's judgment was similar to Jiao Zhongqing, and he also suggested attacking immediately and killing these unprepared crossbowmen.

For cavalry, the threat of crossbowmen is much higher than that of spearmen and heavy armored soldiers, especially crossbowmen. Due to the size limitation, the cavalry's bow range is mostly between 60 and 80 steps, which is dozens of steps less than the strong bow and hard crossbow used by infantrymen. These dozens of steps mean that the cavalry has to advance at the risk of being caught in the arrow, so that the arrow can hit the target, and these dozens of steps are often the distance between life and death.

"Yanming." Ma Chao shouted and gestured at Yan Xing.

Yan Xing didn't say anything, nodded, adjusted the arrow pouch, pulled out four arrows, one on the string, and three in his fingers. The knights behind him also took out the bows, adjusted the arrow pouch to the appropriate position, kicked the horse's belly lightly, and followed Yan Xing. The chaotic sound of horse hooves gradually became neat, louder and louder, and became more and more rapid. When the last cavalry passed by Jiao Zhongqing, they were already trotting.

Jiao Zhongqing secretly admired that he was able to form a storm-former formation in such a short time, prepare for battle, and did not make any unnecessary sounds. These knights are worthy of being the elite of Xiliang.

Ma Chao made a gesture to the knights behind him. The knights unbuttoned the leather bags on the horse's back, revealing wooden poles. Jiao Zhongqing had noticed these leather bags for a long time, but he didn't know what was inside. Seeing these wooden poles, he realized what these might be. Sure enough, Ma Chao pulled out one, and the wooden pole was inlaid with an iron spearhead, which was a small spear. Ma Chao turned it in his hand twice, kicked the horse's belly, and galloped forward.

The knights followed closely, and Jiao Zhongqing hurriedly let him beside him so as not to be touched by the war horses.

The knights ran faster and faster, quickly forming a column. The horse heads behind were almost next to the horse tail in front of them, and rushed past Jiao Zhongqing. Jiao Zhongqing was frightened. If a knight stumbled, the horse behind them would not have time to stop or change direction, and would step on them directly. However, these Xiliang knights seemed to be accustomed to it, with a relaxed expression, and leisurely and elegantly fiddled with the short spear in their hands.

Jiao Zhongqing remembered the cowardly appearance of Ma Chao and others when they were seasick, and looked at the relaxed and heroic knights on the horse's back, and couldn't help but laugh. The northern people rode horses and the southern people rode boats. It turns out that the local people are the land and the local people are the only one who nourishes the other.

The cavalry soon disappeared from Jiao Zhongqing's sight, and the rumbling sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, leaving only the strong smell of livestock in the air. A scream sounded from afar, mixed with the roar of arrows breaking through the air.

Yan Xing had already caught up with the Danyang soldiers and launched an attack.
Chapter completed!