Mike Bai noticed many eyes were fixed on him, and at this moment, he couldn't afford to show any sign of hesitation.
"Close the formation. Defensive stance," Mike Bai issued his first order on the battlefield. Immediately, his attendants waved their flags and blew their horns. The entire force shifted into action. The pikemen knelt at the front, holding their shields upright and slanting their spears toward the enemy. The limited archers and crossbowmen took position behind them, preparing their arrows.
On the opposite side, the enemy commander gave a similar order, sending his archers to the front, forming a loose line before their dense formation, and soon, a rain of arrows began falling toward Mike Bai's troops.
The arrows screamed through the air, and soldiers quickly raised their shields to protect themselves. The thudding sounds of arrows hitting shields were constant, occasionally interrupted by the sickening thwack of an arrow piercing flesh, followed by the anguished cry of a soldier.
Mike Bai's archers returned fire, but their numbers were too few to do much. They only managed to down a couple of enemy soldiers before they were overwhelmed and forced to duck for cover.
More soldiers fell as arrows found their way through gaps in the shields. Mike Bai could feel his formation start to waver.
"Hold firm! Running means death!" Mike Bai bellowed to his men, while also commanding his attendants to act as enforcers.
"Running means death!" The enforcers had already struck down two soldiers who were hesitating, and the line was stabilized once more.
Perhaps realizing it was a waste to waste more arrows, the enemy commander called off the barrage and ordered his infantry to advance.
Mike Bai's breath quickened as he watched the enemy soldiers begin to press from the front and flanks. His heart raced, but he forced himself to focus, calculating the distance.
150 meters… 100 meters.
Finally, when the distance was down to 75 meters, Mike Bai shouted, "William! Bring out the cart!"
William spurred his horse and galloped toward the rear. In no time, he returned with a specially modified war cart, its wooden platform secured with several large barrels, each filled with foul-smelling liquid. The draft horses were draped in thick, protective coverings.
Mike Bai, watching the enemy close in, ordered his formation to part in the center. He nodded firmly at William.
William understood, and with a swift slash of his sword, he urged the horses forward. The cart surged into the gap, heading straight toward the heart of the enemy formation.
The enemy soldiers, unsure of what was coming, raised their long spears to form a defensive line, trying to prevent the cart from breaking through.
But the draft horses, with a sudden burst of power, reared up and skidded to a stop right in front of the enemy.
After a brief hesitation, the enemy soldiers, assuming it posed no immediate danger, began to move around the cart, continuing their advance.
"Get down! Cover your ears!" Mike Bai shouted as he leapt off his horse. He turned to one of his lieutenants, "Patrick!!"
Patrick smiled grimly in response. Drawing his longbow to its full extension, he let loose an arrow, which vanished in an instant before embedding itself in the cart.
Boom!!!
The cart exploded in a fiery burst, sending a massive fireball into the air, followed by an overwhelming shockwave that rattled Mike Bai's eardrums and nearly sent him tumbling.
His mind spun, as if trampled by a hundred knights. His vision swam, and a hot stream of blood dripped from his nose.
After what felt like an eternity, Mike Bai's sight returned, but the scene before him was one of utter carnage. His soldiers lay stunned on the ground. A few were still conscious, muttering prayers.
Before he could urge them to stand, William's horrified shout snapped his attention back to the devastation.
Mike Bai's stomach churned at the sight before him. The cart and the soldiers within a 30-meter radius were nothing but shredded remnants. Some were blown into pieces, others pierced by the iron sand mixed with gunpowder, while others were scorched beyond recognition, reduced to human torches.
The battlefield fell into a stunned silence, broken only by the horrifying screams of the burning soldiers.
In the face of this hellish scene, Mike Bai, despite having seen his share of death, was the first to regain his composure. He kicked William in the rear to snap him out of it.
"The enemy has been punished by the gods! Charge!"
Mike Bai's roar seemed to revive the soldiers' spirits.
"The enemy has been punished by the gods! Charge!" Mike Bai mounted his horse and shouted once more, urging his men forward.
"Charge!" Mike Bai rode forward, with William and Patrick close behind, followed by a row of knights.
"Charge!" Mike Bai's personal guard followed suit, their pikes held high as they drove them into the enemy ranks.
"Charge!" The mercenaries, roused by Mike Bai's command, raised their weapons and cried out as they barreled toward the enemy.
The explosion had cleared a wide gap in the enemy lines, and Mike Bai's troops seized the opportunity to break through, driving deep into the center of the enemy formation.
The stunned enemy, still reeling from the shock, suddenly realized that they were being enveloped on both sides. The momentary panic was palpable as soldiers wished they had grown two extra legs to escape.
Mike Bai, seeing the enemy retreating in disarray, felt the weight of the days of pressure lift from his chest. He raised his sword high, channeling the momentum of his horse as he cleaved an enemy soldier in two.
"Don't stop! Victory is within our grasp!" The enemy, who had initially attempted to surround Mike Bai, were now being driven back from the flanks. As their lines started to crumble under the pressure of their own retreat, many began to pull back, trying to escape.
Mike Bai and his forces kept pushing, driving the fleeing soldiers into a chaotic rout. The gaps in the enemy lines widened like a dam breaking, and Mike Bai's forces took full advantage, pushing relentlessly forward.
The mercenaries, sensing the tide turning in their favor, grew fiercer. The pikemen held their ground, while the Danish mercenaries wielding massive axes hacked into the enemy ranks, spreading fear and carnage. The Turkish light cavalry, wielding their sabers, chased down the stragglers, cutting them down like sheep. Any enemy attempting to stop or retreat was swiftly sent into a frantic run for their lives.
Suddenly, the tide of the battle shifted. The fleeing soldiers slammed into what seemed like a wall, their progress grinding to a halt.
Mike Bai peered ahead and saw a group of well-dressed knights cutting down stragglers. Their leader, adorned in fine armor, was shouting orders, trying to reorganize the enemy forces.
Mike Bai's heart raced. If the enemy managed to regroup, his small force would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, glanced at William, Patrick, and the handful of knights at his side. His resolve solidified.
Taking the spare lance handed to him by a squire, Mike Bai spurred his horse into action, moving slowly at first, but steadily picking up speed.
His powerful steed smashed through the retreating enemy, crushing soldiers under its hooves as Mike Bai kept his eyes fixed on the leader of the enemy knights.
The enemy commander seemed to notice Mike Bai's approach and began to accelerate toward him.
Sweat soaked Mike Bai's helmet, his breath ragged in his chest as the two forces closed in.
"I can do this!" Mike Bai murmured to himself, steadying his lance.
On the opposite side, the enemy knights formed a line, charging at him with their lances pointed straight for his chest.
"Charge!" Mike Bai urged his steed to full speed, trying to maintain his grip on the lance.
With a surge of energy, his steed leaped into the air, and Mike Bai extended his lance. He felt the resistance as the point of his lance struck true.
But the immense pain in his chest told him he had failed.