At dusk, the battle in Kaiyuan fell into a stalemate.
The Kaiyuan defenders suffered heavy casualties.
Nearly half of the Liao Town cavalry were killed in the battle. The entire army under He Shixian was defeated. The white-pole soldiers suffered all casualties, with 800 people killed in the battle.
If the attacking Hou Jin soldiers continue to attack regardless of casualties, the Ming army will face the fate of complete destruction.
Of course, the casualties of the Jin Army were even more severe.
There were more than 1,500 casualties in the inlaid blue flag, 500 Jurchen soldiers died in battle, 1,100 Jianzhou Zhenyi soldiers were lost, and the total flag casualties exceeded 5,000. The morale of the army was low. If it had not been for the Zhengbai flag to attract people at the east gate. When the Ming army attacked, Xianglan Banner had already completely collapsed.
The second highest casualty figure was Daishan. His Zhenghongqi lost 500 soldiers and 300 Zhenyi armored soldiers. Since their opponents were the most ferocious cavalry in Liao Town, Daishan spent a lot of money to deal with these elites. , pressed down all the Bagasa, and outflanked more than two thousand Mongolian cavalry, and finally managed to encircle and annihilate the Liao soldiers under Yu Chengming's command in the southwest of Kaiyuan. In comparison, the casualties were already very light.
Huang Taiji led the Zhengbai Banner to attack the east gate, and only five hundred Baoyi died. The Zhenyi masters had only a dozen casualties, so the losses were minimal.
This was not because Huang Taiji wanted to preserve his strength, but because He Shixian was too naive and wanted to take the initiative. Soon after the war started, he was killed by Zhengbai Banner's Ba Ya.
Of course, things are different now. Liu Zhaosun is here and he wants to fight Huang Taiji desperately.
When Zhenglan Banner attacked the west gate, the losses were also not great. Only a hundred female real dead soldiers were killed. The real Yijia soldiers had not yet come on stage, and the battle at the west gate was still going on. The Ming army defending the city was already on the verge of collapse.
After Huang Taiji captured the east gate, he continued to increase his troops and wanted to backstab Liu Zhaosun who was fighting fiercely at the north gate.
The two thousand men and horses left by the Ming army in the city were all packed into the east gate for defense, but they still could not prevent the rapid defeat of the Liao soldiers under He Shixian's command.
Huang Taiji did not use the dead soldiers as cannon fodder in front to attract firepower like Amin did. Instead, he formed the most elite Ba Ya La as a forward and led the Zhenyi soldiers to advance.
Huang Taiji had already learned that Xianglan Banner had encountered a group of chieftain soldiers in the north of the city. They all used chain hook guns and were very powerful.
He knew very well that only by completely defeating this force could Kaiyuan City be truly captured.
Ba Yala held a heavy ax and long knife, slashing all the way, killing the running people and broken soldiers. The white flag armored soldiers followed them and advanced along the street towards the north gate.
Kaiyuan East Gate, the defense of the Ming army has collapsed. The streets were full of fleeing Liao soldiers.
The general's death in battle was too sudden, and the head of his servants was also killed by Ba Ya at the same time. For a moment, the Liao soldiers were leaderless, and their morale was immediately weakened.
The gunners of Houjin fired several shots at the east gate of the city with a French gun. After killing and wounding more than a dozen Liao soldiers, the Liao soldiers completely collapsed and dispersed.
The North and South streets were in chaos, and the defeated Liao soldiers fled to the west. At this time, fierce fighting was going on at the North and South gates. They were afraid of running into General Liu Shen, who would kill the defeated soldiers without mercy.
Some of the defeated soldiers took the opportunity to swarm into people's homes and rob their property. The slaves who were not killed in Kaiyuan City also took the opportunity to become active.
While setting fires everywhere, they spread rumors that Liu Zhaosun had died in battle. For a while, thick smoke billowed from the east of the city, making it look like hell.
Some crazy people ran and shouted: "The Tatars have entered the city! The Tatars have entered the city!" All kinds of chaos intensified the chaotic situation in the east of the city.
Some of He Shixian's servants who were fierce and daring to fight did not choose to escape, but fought with Jiannu to the end.
They rushed towards the approaching Bagala, and after killing one or two enemies, they were shot into hedgehogs by the dense heavy arrows from behind.
Niulu Erzhen Iktan looked at the chaotic street in front of him, with a cruel smile on his face.
He is an old man under his master Huang Taiji. He has followed his master in the war since the old Khan raised his army. Over the years, he has conquered at least a dozen cities, but this is the first time he has conquered a big city like Kaiyuan, so He seemed a little excited.
The east of the city was already a hell of Shura. Some desperate Liao soldiers, regardless of the pursuit of the white-armored soldiers behind them, carried knives to rob the wealthy households. Some soldiers who were frightened of poverty, with Dongzhu silk and satin hanging on their bodies, walked out of the wealthy households with a silly smile. Before he could go far, he was shot to death by arrows from the white-armored soldiers behind him.
Iktan dismissed such robbery. What he was most concerned about was the Ming army using chain hook guns at the north gate.
The fiercest warrior of the Zhengbai Banner was ready to lead his troops to kill all these southern barbarians.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Master Niulu Ezhen caught sight of two stout Zhenyi. These two Zhenyi were both people whom he had captured.
They were kicking open a roadside house and dragged out a disheveled Han woman from the house. The woman was struggling in pain and screaming miserably.
Iktan quickly stepped forward, swung his heavy knife and slashed at the woman. Blood splashed all over him. The ferocious Niu Luzhen said loudly:
"Don't rob the silver woman yet. Go to the north gate and kill the Nanbarbarians. Kill all the Nanbarbarians who use spears! Let you rob the east side of the city!"
The two Zhenyi didn't dare to speak, so they quickly left the dead woman behind, picked up the heavy knife, and ran north.
Iktan stepped on the blood on the ground and said to himself:
"Xianlan Qi, you losers prevent me from grabbing money, and you have to help you kill barbarians!"
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He couldn't help cursing a few words, then he put away his heavy sword and followed a group of Zhengbai flag barbers to the north of the city.
Behind him, a series of bloody footprints were left on the bluestone street.
"The Tatars are killing people in the east of the city, please run away!"
North of Kaiyuan City.
General Liu Zhaosun was greeting the generals of each battalion to move forward faster.
He could already see the black smoke rising from the east of the city, and he felt quite anxious.
Under the urging of the generals of each battalion, three thousand soldiers advanced from the North Gate Wengcheng to Dongmen Street at the fastest speed.
The mandarin duck formation responsible for the assault in front was already approaching the shops near Dongmen Street in Kaiyuan.
Shops on both sides of the street were vandalized, goods inside were stolen, and smoke, dust and debris were everywhere.
The mandarin duck formation appeared on the street in front of the shop. A defeated soldier was still rummaging around in the house, and the faint sound of a woman crying came from inside.
"How can we survive if those who kill a thousand cuts take away the food?"
A skinny woman rushed out of the house, holding down the grain bag with both hands. The defeated soldier in front swung the handle of his knife and hit the woman on the head.
The woman refused to let go, and the soldier suddenly showed a fierce look on his face, pulled out his sword suddenly, and yelled.
The soldiers passing by the Yuanyang Formation looked at the scene in front of them coldly. The new army's military discipline was strict, and they were just waiting for orders from their superiors.
"Suppress the soldiers, take off this man's head!"
Liu Zhaosun waved his hand and pointed over there, shouting loudly.
Two Zhenfu soldiers holding Miao knives stepped forward quickly. Before the defeated soldiers could react, they raised their knives and chopped off the defeated soldiers' heads.
The heads of the defeated soldiers with horrified faces were hung in the streets.
Liu Zhaosun looked at everyone coldly and said loudly:
"Those who harm the people or steal property will be killed!"
The faces of the soldiers were heavy. The further east they went, the more debris was discarded on the ground, and the corpses of civilians were everywhere.
At this time, several heavy arrows suddenly flew out from both sides of the street. The two spearmen in the front row were hit by arrows and fell to the ground.
Each captain immediately ordered to divide the 13-man Yuanyang Formation in front into two vertical formations, transforming them into a small three-person formation, and continue to advance to the east of the city.
After just a few dozen steps forward, they bumped into a few soldiers with a white flag at the corner. They were shooting arrows from a distance. The long card player quickly used his long card to protect the soldiers behind him. The fire gun player in the mandarin duck formation immediately used the fire gun. Fighting back, some soldiers with bows behind them began to stop and shoot arrows at Jiannu.
As the number of Ming troops increased, the dozens of Zhenyi soldiers on the opposite side were quickly killed one by one.
Before the Ming army could continue to advance, a large group of Bagyas wearing white armor appeared on the street corner. When they saw the densely packed Ming army soldiers on the opposite side, they not only did not show any signs of retreating, but instead rushed towards the Ming army's mandarin duck formation like crazy.
After approaching, these Bagas did not shoot at the Ming army. Instead, they held thick shields and roared like beasts in their throats, quickly approaching the Ming army's mandarin duck formation.
When they were still twenty steps away from the Yuanyang Formation, they took off their throwing axes, hammers and other weapons from their waists, and using the inertia of their running, they violently threw them at the opposite Ming army.
The long card player puts the long card up and presses it on the ground, and five or six teammates stand behind the long card.
The sword and shield hand bowed forward, holding the sword in one hand and covering his legs and feet with a round shield in the other hand. He was watching the front vigilantly, ready to give Jiannu a fatal blow at any time.
These sword and shield bearers are all young men of fifteen or sixteen years old. They are agile and not afraid of tigers as newborn calves. They are suitable for holding round shields and quickly approaching the enemy to launch a sudden attack.
Qi Jiguang particularly emphasized that the sword and shield wielder should choose someone who is agile and not afraid of death.
The hammer and ax hit the long card hard, making a dull sound. The long card players felt numb in the tiger's mouth, and half of their shoulders were about to be blown away. However, they held on to the handle of the long card and did not dare to relax at all.
This group of white-armored soldiers thought that the Ming army was timid, so they rushed forward rashly and prepared to behead people.
These Zhengbai Banner Jurchen hunters have never fought against the Qi Family Army in their lives, so of course they don't know how powerful the Yuanyang Formation is.
They just took two steps forward and entered the attack range of the pikemen. Two spears suddenly stretched out from behind the long sign on the opposite side, one up and one down, attacking the target's vital points. The white-armored soldier dodged the attack at the throat, and another spear had already pierced his lower abdomen. The white-armored soldier screamed and couldn't help but squat down. In the Yuanyang formation, a Ming saber shield wielder quickly stepped forward and chopped off the white-armored soldier's head.
Seeing this, the white-armored soldiers at the back immediately threw a few flying axes at the Ming army. The sword-and-shield soldier held up his shield to block the attack, and quickly retreated behind Changpai while carrying Jiannu's head.
The two spearmen in front were unable to dodge and were hit in the face. They groaned and fell to the ground. Two fire gunmen came from behind and pointed the lit fire guns at the white-armored soldiers on the opposite side. After two explosions, a white-armored soldier's helmet was deformed, blood oozed from his head, and his limbs fell limply to the ground.
Just as the last white-armored man was about to escape, a boring palladium struck at his back. The sharp palladium teeth easily penetrated his chainmail. Just as he was about to turn around and fight back, another spear pierced the back of his neck, impaling him. …
The two sides came and went, exchanging death endlessly in front of this shop.
A steady stream of Ming troops came from the north gate and finally gained the upper hand.
Liu Zhaosun looked at the killing battlefield in front of him with a calm expression, looking at the corpses strewn on the street in a mess.
After this battle, Kaiyuan City may be in ruins.
Kaiyuan is the starting point of Liu Zhaosun's rise, and it will become the base camp for Liu Zhaosun's early operations.
Although Zhengbai Banner's Ba Ya La had strong combat power and strong morale, their numbers were too small after all, and they could not withstand the continuous attacks of the Mandarin Duck Formation composed of more than 3,000 Ming troops.
The Ming armies in different Yuanyang formations all have the same equipment and clothing. If someone in front dies, someone behind him will immediately take over.
In this way, it gave Bagala the illusion that the Ming army could not eliminate them all and kill them endlessly.
"Inexhaustible Southern Barbarians!"
More and more Ming troops appeared near the east gate. They formed a small formation and attacked forward. Bagala could no longer resist and turned around and fled.
The Ming army shouted the slogan of Wan Sheng and all rushed towards the east gate. Liu Zhaosun looked at the soldiers rolling past with an expression of relief on his face.
The New Army suffered heavy casualties today, but at least they withstood Jiannu's attack on Kaiyuan. After experiencing the test of iron and blood, they will fight more calmly in the future.
Huang Taiji's face was gloomy and his fists were clenched. He was ready to enter Kaiyuan. Unexpectedly, he was pushed back by the Ming army at the last moment, and even the most ferocious Baya La in the banner was killed and sent back.
Huang Taiji felt melancholy in his heart. He urgently wanted to know what the situation was like at the north gate of Kaiyuan and how many troops there were with Xianglan Banner.
Huang Taiji originally wanted the blue flag to attract the main force of the Ming army, so he stabbed him in the back from the east gate to get a big advantage.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zhaosun abandoned the north gate and led his troops directly to the east city to fight Zhengbai Banner.
In the confrontation just now, Zhengbai Banner suffered hundreds of casualties, blocking the Ming army at the East Gate Wengcheng and unable to move forward. Although Bagala retreated, overall, Zhengbai Banner still had the advantage.
At present, fires are raging in Kaiyuan City, and the three gates in the south, west, and north are also in danger. It will not be long before they are attacked by the Hou Jin Army.
As long as Liu Zhaosun can be restrained at the east gate, he will be unable to fly until the army encircles him, and he will die without a burial place.
Huang Taiji thought for a moment, then sent two thousand more Zhenyi soldiers to reinforce Bagala and continue to attack the Ming army.
At the same time, the artillery was ordered to mount the French cannon at the top of the city and aim at the barbican to bombard it.
In Huang Taiji's view, the French cannon was indestructible. Once the Ming army was beaten to pieces and the warriors were allowed to rush over, Liu Zhaosun would be defeated immediately.
Huang Taiji now feels more and more that the Franji is a magic weapon that will be of great use in future generations.
After returning to Hetuala, he decided to suggest to the Khan that he let craftsmen imitate and improve the Fran machine for siege and evacuation of cities.
Half an hour later, the artillerymen of the Hou Jin army were at the east gate of the city, aiming at the Ming army in Wengcheng with a flange machine, and carried out artillery fire. The shells shattered the Yuanyang Formation Changpai into pieces. Those who were shot by the Ming army were all torn to pieces, and their deaths were extremely tragic. .
Liu Zhaosun ordered the soldiers in the front row to retreat and huddle to the corner of the street to temporarily avoid the bombardment of the French cannon, allowing the soldiers behind to kill the spies who were setting fire everywhere.
Huang Taiji looked at the results of the French cannon in Wengcheng with a smile on his face. This Ming army was short of artillery and had no power to fight back. Once their morale was taken away, he would let the soldiers charge and they would be destroyed with one blow. .
While he was watching with great interest, Goshiha, who was close to him, suddenly ran over and shouted:
"Master, what's wrong, a group of southern barbarians came from the west and broke into our camp. They didn't say a word and killed everyone they saw. They killed many coated soldiers and the whole camp was in chaos!!"
"Nanbarbarians? How could there be southern barbarian soldiers coming from the west at this time?"
Huang Taiji looked to the west in shock. The Liao Town cavalry suffered all casualties, and the Mongolian cavalry blocked the outward passage from Kaiyuan.
"Where else are the Nanbarbarians coming to attack the camp?"
Huang Taiji saw that Geshiha was silent, so he comforted him and said:
"It's just a few horse soldiers. Don't pay attention to them. Let the warriors use their bows and shields to kill them all!"
Just as Geshiha was about to speak, several Niulu Ezhen rushed towards the camp and stumbled towards this direction.
One of them, Niu Lu Ezhen, was not wearing any armor. When several people saw Huang Taiji, their eyes were full of horror.
"Master! The spearmen are very fierce. I don't know where they came from. They killed dozens of our white-armored soldiers!"
Another Niulu Ezhenye said:
"Master, Bagala has been sent out. The soldiers can't kill them. Their spears are like scorpion tails. When they sweep over them, the coat will fall into pieces. A coater from Liaoyang said that these are the wolf soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and they are from the north. Just like the white soldiers at the gate, they are all brave and not afraid of death..."
"Master, a Ming army is coming from the south, carrying a big flag with a bear character. There are tens of thousands of people in the dark, all of them are soldiers. Don't worry about the blue flag! Leave quickly!"
Huang Taiji shouted loudly to stop the strange screams of these cows. He raised his head and looked towards the east gate. The Zhenyi soldiers were still fighting with the spearmen. Both sides used heavy arrows, flying axes, fire blunderbuss and spears. In front of the collapsed city wall, lives were exchanged endlessly. The ground was filled with corpses of those who died in the battle between Ming and Jin. For a while, it was impossible to tell the winner.
The sky above the Zhengbai Banner camp was filled with smoke and dust, and the beast-like howls of wolf soldiers could be faintly heard.
The nearby Zhengbai Banner soldiers joined the battle group one after another to surround and kill this fierce chieftain soldier.
Huang Taiji raised his head and looked around. Chaos had broken out in Kaiyuan City. The Ming army was at the end of its strength. As long as the siege lasted for another hour, Kaiyuan would definitely be conquered.
But now the Ming army suddenly came to help. I don't know how many troops they had, and the chieftain soldiers behind them had to be eliminated.
If Zhengbai Banner is trapped here, even if Zhengbai Banner can kill the Ming Army, he will suffer heavy casualties. He will be the next Amin. Daishan and Mang Gurtai are not willing to use their full strength to attack the Ming Army. Why should he join forces again? Thousands of warriors died to make wedding clothes for the Great Khan?
He thought for a long time, with a look of unwillingness on his face, and waved his hands fiercely:
"Ming Jin withdraws his troops! Send the white-armored soldiers to inform Er Beile and ask Xianglan Banner to withdraw immediately! There will be many opportunities to deal with Liu Zhaosun in the future!"
One Niu Lu was really worried and said:
"Master, what should we do with these wolf soldiers? The warriors have killed and injured hundreds of them. They can't escape!"
After Huang Taiji finished speaking, he turned back and looked fiercely at the wolf soldiers running around in the camp, gritted his teeth and said:
"Withdraw the soldiers from the east gate, recruit them back to Ba Ya La Pad, and kill all these southern barbarians!"
