Chapter 242 The cavalry comes to the rescue

Style: Historical Author: Silent silver pine forestWords: 2041Update Time: 24/01/11 22:59:28
The mountain soldier was surprised to see that Mengshantun actually had firearms. But after the initial panic, seeing that the number of firearms was sparse and their power was low, they calmed down. This captain is not a fool. He knows his own strengths and understands Mengshantun's weaknesses. He immediately ordered people to cut down trees and prepare to erect a fence and build a low wall in front of the gatehouse to block the artillery of the Perak Army. Judging from the sound and power, Mengshantun's artillery is not very powerful. These fortifications could easily protect against artillery fire, while archers could hide behind and fire their projectiles. As long as the counterattack from the head of the wall is suppressed, the sword and shield player can continue to dig into the wall.

Chief Cao also saw the Mingshan Army's intentions, but he was helpless. Because the Mingshan Army did not build the wall directly, but first dug a trench in the distance leading to the gatehouse, and then dug a deep trench parallel to the village wall before starting to build the wall. Deep trenches have a reducing effect on the killing effect of heavy artillery, and the effect against the two light artillery in Mengshantun is even more obvious. Commander Cao fired two cannons at the Mingshan Army hiding in the trench. Seeing that it had no effect, he had to stop the bombardment. He did not dare to send people to destroy the trenches, so he could only pray in his heart that reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible.

Digging trenches and cutting down trees to build the wall took a lot of time. It was only after noon that the Mingshan Army built a wall more than 20 meters long. Seeing that it was getting late, the leading captain ordered the archers to shoot behind the fence and low wall. After several rounds of arrow rain, the wall was suppressed again. Then dozens of sword and shield players began to dig into the village wall. Seeing that the Mingshan Army's offensive became more and more urgent, Cao Cao, the commander of the army, became anxious. He ordered people to bury two landmines behind the village wall that was about to be dug through. He also led militiamen to guard the wall with spears, preparing to fight to the death with the famous mountain soldiers who rushed in.

Just as the Mingshan Army was excavating the village wall, there was a faint sound of thunder on the official road in the direction of Baizhang City. The captain looked up at the sky with a puzzled look. Although the sky was sunny at the moment, it didn't look like it was going to rain. He turned his ear towards the direction of the village wall again. Although the sound of digging into the wall was dull, it was mixed with the clanking of iron tools. The thunder is getting closer and closer, and if you listen closely, it is also mixed with the tiniest sound of horses neighing. This captain has been in the military for a long time, so he naturally understands what this means. At that moment, he shouted loudly: "Cavalry, form your formation quickly!"

The formation horn sounded, and the excavating sword and shield soldiers and crossbowmen quickly retreated into the large group of people. After a burst of chaos, the Mingshan Army's defensive formation was quickly formed. Several rows of spearmen were seen facing the direction of Baizhang City, followed by three rows of crossbowmen, while sword and shield men protected the two wings of the array. This place is about a mile away from Mengshantun, just outside the range of the light artillery on the gate tower. There is a small winding river half a mile away, which can limit the detours of the cavalry.

The militiamen on the wall of Mengshantun saw clearly that the rapidly approaching cavalry was indeed carrying the banner of the Perak Army, and they immediately cheered. It turned out that when the militiamen from Mengshantun seeking help ran to Baizhang City, the officers of the garrison battalion guarding the city quickly sent a messenger to a valley thirty miles north of the city, where a company of the field brigade cavalry battalion was training. Knowing that Mengshantun was in danger, the cavalry company hurried over. The cavalry was very fast. The journey of more than forty miles only took half a day.

The arrival of the Perak Army cavalry scared the soldiers of the Mingshan Army into trembling with fear. Many soldiers turned pale and even wanted to flee. The Mongols made them feel the terror of the cavalry. But before these people could turn around, the captain's whip came out. He shouted loudly that there was nothing to be afraid of because the Perak cavalry could not shoot well. "As long as they dare to charge forward, they will be skewered by the spear points." Having said that, his heart was beating a drum. In fact, the captain also knew that if the Perak cavalry rushed into the formation without fear of casualties, although they would suffer a lot of casualties from spears and bows, with the blessing of huge inertia, they would definitely be able to break down the formation. As long as the formation is disrupted, the infantry will be unilaterally massacred by the cavalry.

When the equipment is basically equal, the combat power of cavalry is equivalent to five times the number of infantry. This is also commonly referred to as "five steps are equal to one cavalry". This combat power ratio is also equivalent to the investment ratio. Yazhou is close to the Yifan area where horses are produced, so it is said that there is no shortage of war horses. It's just that Yazhou is mountainous, and the role of the cavalry cannot be fully exerted due to the restrictions of the terrain. What's more important is that the people of Yazhou are very poor and cannot afford to raise many cavalry. It is more economical to use the money of one cavalry to raise five infantrymen to defend the city. Therefore, the Yazhou Army has less than a hundred cavalry in total. In addition to serving as personal guards for Cao Zhizhou and the generals, a small number are used for communication purposes.

The Perak cavalry cost even more money, because even compared to the expensive horses, the price of firearms was not cheap. The Perak Army can raise a basic militia squad for the cost of raising one cavalry, and will never use such an expensive cavalry to attack the infantry spear formation. In fact, the Perak Army cavalry is not used to rush into battle, nor is it used for physical combat. Ouyang Xuan is very clear about its positioning, which is to combine the mobility of cavalry with the power of firearms. It is similar to the famous Modao soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. It is essentially a mounted infantry. Therefore, three hundred meters in front of the Mingshan Army's array, the cavalrymen of the Perak Army dismounted their horses one after another, and took down the light artillery and ammunition from the accompanying packhorses.

Although the leading captain did not know why the Perak Army cavalry did not ride into the formation, but after dismounting, they were carrying things and forming formations. He just thought that the other party was cowardly. It seems that the famous Pili Army is nothing more than this. Since the opponent is timid, this is the time to attack. Following his order, the infantry phalanx of the Mingshan Army slowly pushed forward. His wishful thinking was that if the cavalry remounted and attacked, they would switch to defense on the spot. If the opponent does not attack, they will be forced to within 100 meters and shoot the opponent with a crossbow. He could clearly see that the opponent did not have a large shield, but mostly small wooden shields hung on the horses.

Before the Mingshan Army had advanced ten meters, a series of loud noises sounded. This was the light artillery fire in the Perak Army formation. I saw earth and rocks falling where the shells landed, and grass blades flying from small trees and wild grasses. Its momentum and power were more than ten times stronger than the previous shelling in Mengshantun. However, this round of shells mostly landed thirty meters to the right of the Mingshan Army formation, and no one was injured. However, the huge explosion frightened the Mingshan Army into chaos, and they all stopped moving forward. Just as the captain was about to order everyone to move forward, another round of artillery bombardment immediately shattered his dream of making great achievements. This round of artillery shells landed twenty meters to the left of the Mingshan Army array. The sound was very terrifying. Several spearmen standing in the front row were also injured by flying stones.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Mingshan Army all saw that the two rounds of shelling by the Pili Army were not inaccurate, but merciful. If those cannonballs were a little deflected, they would fall into the crowd, and the consequences would be very clear without even thinking about it. The Mingshan Army has always had lax military discipline, and most of these soldiers are slippery people. They only join the army to eat food. How can they be willing to sacrifice their lives? At that moment, I just hated my parents for having only two legs, so they threw away their weapons and ran away. Even if the officers could not stop him, they also threw away their weapons and ran towards Mingshan City. Speaking of running with a weapon, it really hinders your escape.