Chapter 254

Zhou Weiguo had set tripwires in the bamboo forest, the only path the cavalry could take. He and several soldiers had spent a good while securing the sturdy ropes between thick bamboo stalks at the height of a horse’s legs, cleverly camouflaging them with bamboo leaves and vines. At a glance, the ground looked perfectly normal. The Japanese Army cavalry charged forward, completely unaware of the danger. The lead horse was abruptly jerked to a halt by the tripwire; its front hooves lifted high into the air. The rider, caught off guard, was flung directly from the saddle, carving an arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground. The cavalrymen behind could not check their momentum and collided one after another with the fallen men and horses. In an instant, the air was filled with the shrieks of horses and the cries of men, descending into total chaos. Some cavalrymen, thrown from their mounts, were trampled by other horses; others slammed headlong into the bamboo stalks, bloodied and broken. Shinobu Sato turned crimson with rage and roared in an attempt to steady his formation: "Get up, all of you! It’s an ambush! Withdraw!" But the cavalrymen, still shaken, were in such disarray that they could not be reorganized.