The flags are flying and the eyes are dazzled.
The drums and horns were loud and deafening.
In the field of vision, countless bandits are all over the mountains and plains, coming like mercury pouring down the ground.
After only being frightened for a moment, Cao Wenzhao came to his senses and regained his composure.
In the battle of Nanyuan in the past, the thieves hid their elite troops and only used more than a thousand cavalry to fight. When he led the troops into Nanyuan, an ambush arose and tens of thousands of thieves surrounded him.
But the final result was that the bandits were defeated, and zombies covered the fields in Nanyuan, with thousands of corpses lying in wait.
Five years have passed since the third year of Chongzhen's reign. The number of these bandits is increasing, but there is not much progress.
A thief will always be a thief, no matter how many people there are, they are just a mob.
The infantry of the rogue thieves are not very motivated to fight. When faced with the enemies forming a military formation, they often resort to aggressive tactics. They dare not and will not attack the tight military formation directly. They only make noises and threats from the outside, or use long soldiers to attack from a distance. Or shoot from a distance with a crossbow.
Attacks will only be launched under the driving force of the cavalry and the strict orders of the leaders of each team. After all, they are not real soldiers. Most of them are forced to become bandits just because they want to survive.
There are only a few veterans and elites in the bandit army. They will never be able to break through the military formation and there is no need to control them.
However, the cavalry of the bandits are all veterans who are good at recruiting and fighting. Many of them were formerly frontier troops from the Nine Borders and recruited soldiers from various places. They rose up due to lack of pay and natural disasters.
As soldiers, facing a familiar military formation, how could they not know how to break it?
A group of foot soldiers on the official road also began an orderly retreat under the command of the commanders and commanders of various departments.
Being almost heavily surrounded by tens of thousands of troops, it would be false to say that they were not afraid, but it was precisely because of fear that they did not flee.
They are all veterans, and they know very well that only by maintaining the military formation and slowly retreating, the bandits' troops will not dare to move forward, and the bandits' cavalry will also throw rat weapons.
Once the military formation disintegrates, the bandits surrounding the perimeter will pounce on them like tigers pouncing on prey, tearing them all into pieces.
"Woo————"
The sound of the horn successfully focused everyone's attention on Cao Wenzhao.
Cao Wenzhao didn't say anything. He was surrounded by deafening shouts of killing. It was undoubtedly difficult for the generals around him to hear his words. He just raised the horse in his hand.
Looking at the surrounding thieves who were as dense as ants and as dense as mountains and seas, Cao Wenzhao reined in his horse and looked back, his sharp eyes sweeping across the faces of the servants behind him.
The entire cavalry formation was silent, and everyone had regained their composure.
The horse vibrated slightly and cut through the sky, bringing with it a clear clanging sound, which passed through countless chaotic sounds and reached everyone's ears.
Cao Wenzhao kicked the horse's belly with his legs. The half-armored horse beneath him shook its head slightly, then took a small step forward with four hooves.
The horses' hooves were churning, the dust was flying, and the headwind was attacking them. All the servants and cavalry were also jumping on their horses, following Cao Wenzhao.
The division, gathering, and formation were completed almost instantly, and they were already familiar with these things.
As the knights on the horses pulled the reins, one after another the horses buried their heads, and one row after another followed suit and began to run at a small pace.
Hundreds of servants and cavalry were arranged in a row of six, for a total of nineteen rows.
In the first four rows of servants, except for the servant in the front row who holds a spear, the remaining three rows all hold reins in their left hand and a knife in their right hand, with the back of the knife leaning on the right shoulder.
Then came a group of servants, all holding bows and arrows, and their formation was slightly scattered.
Since the development of the Ming Dynasty's frontier armies, they have mainly relied on soft bows and long arrows, and fast horses and light swords. Cavalrymen with guns and spears only account for a very small number in the army.
Most of the Ming Dynasty frontier troops used Kaiyuan bows. The so-called "soft bows" were actually compared to the heavy bows used by infantry.
When shooting between galloping war horses, the jolting of the war horse has a particularly huge impact on aiming and exerting force. Using a soft bow can ensure that the bow can be fully opened even if it is affected while on horseback to ensure the power.
Long arrows, as the name suggests, are elongated arrows. Using long arrows can effectively prevent the bow from being drawn too full and causing the draw length to exceed the arrow length.
Once the arrow is pulled past the bow body, there is a risk of destroying the bow and injuring the hand.
The fast horses and light swords were combined with each other. The Ming Dynasty's frontier troops basically had no heavy cavalry. Even if they were equipped with horse armor, they were only equipped with light half armor. They mainly relied on speed to win.
This is not a step back, but due to the evolution of needs. After all, the Ming army's main opponent has always been the Mongolian cavalry who did not have much armor at all.
The lightweight knife does have unique advantages on horseback. It can be flexibly wielded with one hand by relying on the strength of the wrist, and it can perform some complex movements on horseback.
In a cavalry confrontation, victory or defeat can only happen in the blink of an eye. Whoever can use weapons faster has a greater chance of winning.
Although the lance is longer, it can also gain an advantage in cavalry battles. The cavalry in the front line mostly use long soldiers, but more people still choose light swords.
Chen Wang did not draw his saber, but took off the Kaiyuan Bow hanging from his waist. Because of his superb shooting skills, his position was always arranged in the middle of the riding formation.
When Cao Wenzhao rode out, he had already returned to his own army. Marching and fighting were all regulated by regulations.
He has regained his composure, and he has changed a lot of things. They did not fall headlong into the encirclement of the bandits. The terrain here is low and gentle, which is perfect for cavalry operations. It is still unclear who will win!
Shoes hit the dark yellow soil, and the deep and firm sound of horse hooves slowly sounded on the official road.
The horse pointed at an angle and rode forward alone.
Cao Wenzhao was alone at the front of the cavalry formation.
The headwind hit him head-on, blowing up the fiery red shirt covering his armor.
The three fiery red helmet flags on the high-topped helmet also kept dancing in the headwind.
Hundreds of servants followed closely behind him, no one flinched, no one fled.
As servants, they had already put their lives in Cao Wenzhao's hands.
And although the enemy is outnumbered, they don't think they will lose this battle.
"Woo————"
Different from the previous low tone, a very high-pitched horn sound suddenly sounded in the cavalry formation.
And when the riding horn sounded, the speed of the riding formation accelerated several minutes again.
Cao Wenzhao did not take care of the four infantry groups in the front army. The two infantry groups at the front were first attacked by Crouching Tiger Cannons and Rain of Arrows, and then surrounded by rogue infantry. Now they were already in a tight siege. The results speak for themselves.
The infantry in the other two rounds fought and retreated. As long as they merged with the Chinese army, they could hold on relying on the military formation.
The battlefield was chaotic, but Cao Wenzhao's thoughts were very clear.
This battle is different from the Battle of Nanyuan. There are no friendly troops around to help, and there is no possibility of turning defeat into victory. All that can be done is to save as many soldiers' lives as possible.
The top priority must be to block the enemy's offensive and buy enough time for the infantry on the official road to retreat and form formation.
The Battle of Nanyuan, "History of the Ming Dynasty·Biography·Volume 156":
"Wen Zhao went to the rescue. The thieves hid their elite troops and counterattacked with thousands of cavalry. They lured them to Nanyuan and set up a great ambush. People on the city said that General Cao was dead."
"Wen Zhao rushed left and right with his spear, and his horse lingered in the crowd."
"When the armies saw it, they attacked from a flank. The thieves were defeated, and the zombies covered the field. The rest of them took the Tongchuan Bridge."
