"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Wu Liang gave the order.
Immediately, a dense rain of arrows whistled down toward the roland people, this time directly aiming at the Musketeers who were still reloading.
"Ah!"
"Damn it! It's arrows!"
"Quick, take cover!"
Puchi!
Puchi!
The sound of sharp arrows piercing flesh was incessant.
In an instant, over a dozen Musketeers were shot full of holes like hedgehogs, falling to the ground with screams of agony.
"Now! Go!"
Wu Liang's voice rang out again.
"Cavalry Battalion! Charge with me!"
Akomann squeezed her horse's flanks with her legs and led the Cavalry Battalion on a charge.
"The enemy cavalry is coming!"
"Protect the Musketeer unit! Cavalry! Counter-attack!"
The Roland cavalry commander was both shocked and enraged, hurriedly splitting off a portion of his cavalry to try and intercept.
But the Black Rock Cavalry's goal wasn't to get bogged down in a fight with them at all.
"Scatter! Harass them!"
Akomann shouted loudly.
Over a hundred cavalrymen immediately broke formation, bypassing the front of the Roland cavalry.
Then, from the flanks, they plunged fiercely into the ranks of the Musketeers.
Spears swung, and flesh and blood flew.
The Musketeers, who possessed no melee capabilities, were completely vulnerable before the high-speed charging cavalry.
Amidst another wave of chaotic screams and falling horses, Akomann knocked a Musketeer into the air with her spear and immediately turned her horse around.
"Withdraw!"
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water and as fast as lightning.
By the time the Roland cavalry reacted and tried to encircle them,
Akomann had already led the Cavalry Battalion in a wide arc, quickly disengaging from the battlefield, leaving behind only a mess and over a dozen Musketeer corpses.
"Despicable bastards!"
The Roland cavalry commander cursed in a fit of rage.
In just a single exchange, their Alchemical Firearm unit had lost nearly half its strength!
Seeing this, Wu Liang chuckled and issued an order.
"Spear and Shield Battalion! Provide alternating cover and retreat! Move fast, keep the formation tight!"
"Bow and Crossbow Battalion! Cease fire and keep up with the main force!"
Seeing the Black Rock Army retreat, the Roland Commander was momentarily uncertain.
"Pursue! All forces, pursue! Don't let a single barbarian escape!"
"Commander, be careful of a trap!"
The adjutant beside him spoke up in warning.
"Shut up!"
The commander glared at him fiercely.
"Pass down my order! All forces, advance! We must annihilate them all before they reach Wild Boar Ravine!"
"Yes!"
The adjutant dared not advise further and could only follow the order to pursue.
"They've taken the bait."
Seeing the roland people chasing after Akomann's cavalry, Wu Liang immediately ordered the Spear and Shield Battalion to retreat in a flanking maneuver, slowly following behind the roland people.
In the Withered Wood Forest, Ignis and the others looked at each other.
"What's going on? Why is Wu Liang retreating?"
Suina gripped her warhammer, somewhat puzzled.
The overwhelming momentum of the Black Rock Army when they first appeared was still fresh in her mind; why did they suddenly turn and run?
"He's luring the enemy."
Florgloria spoke slowly.
Her eyes were fixed on the direction in which the Black Rock Army was retreating.
"That direction—look, isn't that Wild Boar Ravine?"
Florgloria shared her suspicion.
"We all know the terrain of Wild Boar Ravine; it's the only narrow, long canyon in the vicinity."
"With steep cliffs on both sides and only a small path in the middle, it's a natural place for an ambush."
"You mean... Wu Liang wants to lure the roland people into Wild Boar Ravine and then ambush them?"
Alesha immediately understood Florgloria's point.
"The roland people couldn't be that stupid, could they? They wouldn't go in once they reach Wild Boar Ravine. Wu Liang is too naive."
Ignis snorted disdainfully.
"That's not necessarily true. If the roland people are careless, they will definitely pay a price!"
Suina said thoughtfully.
"Let's go! Follow them and see!"
Ignis gritted her teeth and made a decision.
She wanted to see exactly what tricks Wu Liang was going to play!
...Akomann's Cavalry Battalion constantly turned back to harass with arrows.
They delayed the roland people's pursuit speed while always maintaining a subtle distance, not letting them break away.
"Fast! Faster! They're just ahead!"
The Roland Commander brandished his whip, frantically urging his soldiers.
He completely ignored the fact that the terrain ahead was becoming narrower and the cliffs on both sides were getting higher.
The Black Rock Army was just a short distance ahead, as if they could be caught with just a little more effort.
Akomann, sitting on her horse, looked back at the closing Roland pursuers, a cold sneer curling her lips.
She looked up at the cliffs on either side of the canyon; at the top, under the cover of night and trees, black shadows could be faintly seen.
That was the Bow and Crossbow Battalion that Wu Liang had arranged long ago.
Everything was within Wu Liang's plan.
"They've entered the canyon! Pursue!"
The Roland cavalry commander shouted excitedly upon seeing this:
"Charge in! Kill them all!"
"Commander! I'm afraid there's an ambush ahead!"
The adjutant finally couldn't help but shout out again.
"I just feel like something isn't right about this; they retreated way too cleanly!"
"Get lost! Shut your jinxed mouth!"
The commander swung his whip violently, nearly hitting the adjutant in the face.
Ignoring all warnings, he led the charge into Wild Boar Ravine.
"Hahaha! Barbarians! Your end has come!"
His laughter echoed through the narrow canyon, sounding particularly grating.
Following him, hundreds of Roland Soldiers scrambled to pour inside.
"These roland people actually all went in?"
Sa Lan was stunned as she watched the Roland Soldiers disappear into the canyon entrance.
"These roland people are finished."
Suina sneered, pointing toward the Black Rock Spear and Shield Battalion that was lagging behind, with Wu Liang leading Kaila as they arrived.
Hundreds of massive tower shields blocked the canyon entrance, slamming into the ground with a heavy, dull thud.
Spear tips protruded from the gaps in the shield wall, sealing off the roland people's only path of retreat.
"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?"
The Roland Commander at the very front of the pursuit wore a cruel grin as he saw Akomann and her cavalry suddenly stop.
"Why would I run? My task is complete."
Akomann gave a cold laugh.
"Everyone, seal this path! Do not let a single roland person through!"
The Roland Commander laughed loudly:
"With just the few of you?"
"Alchemical Firearm unit, prepare! Kill everyone except for this woman!"
Akomann couldn't help but laugh:
"You should take a look above your own head first."
"This is bad, Commander! There really is an ambush here!"
The adjutant ran over in a panic, his face pale.
The Roland Commander's head buzzed. He looked up and saw silhouettes holding torches all along the high cliffs.
"Damn it! Retreat, quickly!"
He didn't even have time to regret not listening to the adjutant's warning.
He could only focus on pulling the reins hard, trying to turn his horse around.
But in this narrow canyon, how could it be so easy to turn around?
The Roland cavalry in front wanted to retreat, while the infantry behind were still pushing forward unknowingly; the entire formation instantly became a chaotic mess.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
"You damn fools, get out of my way!"
The commander roared at the top of his lungs.
Just then, Wu Liang's cold voice drifted down from above the canyon.
"Release arrows!"