There are many ways to attack, and facing different attack methods requires different defensive formations. In the end, I decided to take a gamble and return to our own infantry positions. I ordered them to use their shovels to move half the earth from the west side of the trench to the east side, making both sides of equal height. This would lower the overall height of the trench, but with the average height of the ghost soldiers, they could still manage by slightly bending their knees or leaning forward.
The advantage of this setup was that they could turn their rifles to fire forwards or backwards at any time. I predicted the enemy would employ a "trident" tactic: first, use cavalry to flank our position from both sides of the hillside and move to our rear, while infantry would charge head-on, attempting to encircle us. I just didn't know which of these three waves would arrive first.
If the cavalry arrived first, the infantry would have to fire backwards. If the infantry charged first, the infantry would have to fire at the earth slope in front of them.
After setting up the two-way positions, I also instructed the cavalry not to engage the enemy at close range. Once the two sides engaged in close combat, our infantry would become ineffective. Infantry were different from archers. Archers could stand behind cavalry or infantry and fire at the enemy in front through a parabolic trajectory, protected by the troops in front of them. However, the bullets from rifles travel in straight lines and lacked this capability. There was no issue of cover; the infantry were the front line, and they were supposed to protect the cavalry.
Just as I finished giving instructions, a small rider from Siyue's side ran over, "Lord Wu, the enemy has marched out in full force!"
I returned to the hillside. It was the infantry coming out from the main gate. I estimated the cavalry would still come from the flanks, but a little later.
As expected, after the infantry left the city and formed their ranks, the gates on both sides were opened, and two cavalry units quickly emerged. They didn't form up but immediately advanced in columns, beginning to circle behind the small hill. However, the infantry from the main gate did not advance. At that moment, I understood. The enemy commander was still quite cautious. He wanted to test the waters first with approximately a thousand cavalry on each flank, aiming to finish the battle directly. If they got bogged down, then he would order the infantry in the center to charge.
This was because the cavalry on both sides represented the rebels' last resort. Many of the infantry in the center were former defectors from our side, so their combat effectiveness would not be very high.
Siyue ran back and asked me what to do. She was a bit intimidated by the enemy's very obvious encirclement tactic.
"You just stand on the hillside and prevent the infantry from charging. You don't need to engage in combat," I said.
Soon, eight hundred cavalry stood in neat formation at the top of the slope, ignoring the flanking cavalry.
The command had been given, and communication was slow. It was too late to recall them. Even if the enemy commander was now puzzled, it was too late.
And then, the enemy's two cavalry units completed their flanking maneuver. From about a kilometer behind us, they charged towards our small hill, their target being the eight hundred cavalry on the slope. The infantry were still huddled in the trenches and hadn't shown themselves. From my vantage point on the slope, I could see them, but the distant enemy could not. They only saw a pile of earth.
During their charge, the enemy's two cavalry units consolidated their formations. The two thousand men divided into four ranks, each with about five hundred men, tightly packed. This formation was designed to break through our cavalry formation in one fell swoop, but it also made it easier for us to fire.
The cavalry were too fast to be allowed too close. When the enemy had formed up and was still seven hundred meters from the trench below, I raised my hand.
Four hundred infantry soldiers immediately emerged from the trenches, propped their rifles on the newly turned earth, took aim, and fired.
When firing with these old-fashioned long rifles, the accuracy of standing and firing versus firing from within a trench could differ by more than tenfold. Moreover, these four hundred infantry soldiers, being in the trench, would not be very panicked. The trench also offered some advantage by providing a sense of security when facing a cavalry charge. If the cavalry got close, they only needed to shrink down to the bottom of the trench, and the cavalry's sabers couldn't reach them unless they dismounted. If they dismounted, the cavalry's power would be lost. If the enemy dared to jump into the trench, then the sabers' effectiveness in the narrow trench would certainly be inferior to the infantry's short and sharp bayonets. I had already explained this principle to them, so they were not panicking.
No panic, coupled with firing from the trench, meant steady rifles, steady minds, and steady hands, resulting in a naturally high hit rate.