The thick smoke obscured everyone's vision, and no one could see what was happening on the battlefield.
But the deafening sound of muskets and the sound of cannons that cracked rocks and penetrated clouds were like heavy hammers hitting Zhang Yuan's chest.
Zhang Yuan held the riding whip tightly and his mind went blank. He could not see what changes had occurred on the battlefield, but he had already seen that the troops he had arranged to supervise the battle in the rear were scattered by the defeated hungry soldiers.
The defeated hungry soldiers scattered across the entire wilderness with the troops supervising the battle. The cavalry troops he placed in the rear to supervise the battle could not even stop the defeat.
Not only that, the defeat of the hungry soldiers in the front line also caused the hungry soldiers he placed on the left and right of the front line to fall into panic.
When the troops fled like headless flies, the formations of hungry soldiers on the left and right were also routed.
Panic is spreading, and the collapse caused by the rout has not ended after three battles, and is still spreading like poisonous weeds.
He never thought that with only more than 10,000 horse troops and more than 20,000 hungry soldiers, he would eat up the officers and soldiers who set out in camp.
His original intention was to severely damage the guards in Hanzhong and then test the strength of this battalion.
If possible, chew off a piece of meat from the officers and soldiers who left the camp to weaken the officers and soldiers' strength.
He first sent troops inside and outside to attack the Hanzhong Guards, which had obviously attracted most of the cavalry in Datong Town.
He watched with his own eyes thousands of cavalry galloping out of the camp to aid the Hanzhong Guards in the south.
The soldiers who then left the camp were basically infantry, and there were not many cavalry at all in the formation of officers and soldiers.
An army without cavalry is like a jackal with a broken leg.
Although it still has claws and canine teeth that can hurt people, it has lost the ability to pursue.
Datong is an important town in Shanxi, and its frequency of fighting with the Mongolian tribes ranks among the highest among the towns.
In Datong Town, the cavalry is more brave than the combat power, but the infantry is slightly inferior.
Although Zhang Yuan was not originally a soldier in Datong Town, he had some contact with them at that time. They also fought against Datong soldiers in Shanxi and Henan in the past and knew some of the conditions of Datong soldiers.
The infantry of Datong soldiers is not strong, and is on the same level as Yansui's town soldiers.
Zhang Yuan is a cautious person. When he stays in Hanzhong, he has his own plans and considerations. He knows what kind of response should be made in any situation.
Zhang Yuan has become accustomed to deducing the course of the battlefield in advance for every battle, arranging multiple plans in advance and leaving a path for retreat.
From Shaanxi all the way to Shanxi, then to Henan, and South Zhili, he was able to travel safely to several provinces not because of the strong power under his command, but because of his sufficient caution and careful planning.
Because those Datong soldiers were a little weird, he even sent nearly 20,000 infantry and cavalry to the front at one go. He also personally led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry to press the formation, and he was very energetic.
But the sudden appearance of this battalion in Hanzhong disrupted his plan time and time again. Everything that happened now was beyond his expectation.
There was silence in the formation, no one could say anything, and there were even many people who had not come back to their senses.
The offensive and defensive momentum reversed in an instant, leaving no one with time to accept it.
Most of the gunpowder smoke from the front line has dissipated, and the scene inside can already be seen.
A large number of officers and soldiers were already here to cover up the attack, and countless flags were dancing in front of everyone's eyes, stimulating their fragile nerves.
"Winter!" "Winter!" "Winter!"
The sound of high-spirited war drums sounded like thunder, mixed with the roar of mountains and tsunami-like shouts.
Zhang Yuan raised the riding whip in his hand, and he finally came to his senses from the extreme shock.
"Blow the trumpet and gather..."
It's just that he only said half of what he said before he was blocked back.
Zhang Yuan's eyes suddenly shrank, and he saw several huge groups of fire suddenly appearing in the formation of officers and soldiers.
The sudden flash of fire was even brighter than the muskets fired by the officers and soldiers before.
Zhang Yuan's mind went blank, and the sudden fire brought his memory back to the days when he was still in northern Shaanxi.
His face turned pale and he wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he found that he could not speak.
But even if Zhang Yuan could calm down, it would be too late to give orders again.
"Peng!" "Peng!"
The huge roar was like thunder from the sky, almost piercing the clouds and cracking the rocks.
Zhang Yuan's heart felt cold, his hands and feet were as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cave. No matter how hard he calculated, he could not imagine that this Datong army actually had heavy artillery!
Amidst the deafening sound of the cannon, the huge projectile flew over a distance of more than a mile and smashed into the formation where Zhang Yuan was.
Zhang Yuan was in the center of the formation, and the cannonball did not fall where he was, but he watched a cannonball hit directly into the crowd.
Several kilograms of shells passed by, blood mist sprayed out, and broken limbs were scattered on the ground.
Whether it is the troops wearing armor or the shield soldiers holding shields, they are all as vulnerable as paper lake clay sculptures.
After the cannonball killed three infantrymen, it continued to roll into the cavalry formation, broke the legs of several war horses, and overturned all the riders on the horses before finally stopping. down.
"The formation must not be chaotic!"
"Zhao Quan!"
The veins on Zhang Yuan's forehead were exposed. He couldn't care less about his dignity at this moment and shouted hysterically.
"Anyone who dares to leave the queue will be killed immediately!"
He knew the power of heavy artillery. Some big cities in Henan and Shaanxi had such heavy artillery on their walls.
In fact, not many people were actually killed by artillery shells. The really scary thing about heavy artillery is the extremely long range and the almost devastating blow to morale...
The soldiers under his command have also seen it before. Although they are afraid of heavy artillery, they are confident in their hearts.
But those who followed Lu Shi had never seen such a scene.
At this moment, there was a lot of noise in the formation, many places were already in chaos, and panic was spreading.
If it is not stopped with thunderous means, I am afraid that the rout will not only sweep through the three formations in front, but also spread to the other side.
The defeat is like a mountain, and once the collapse cannot be stopped, the entire army will collapse.
By that time, all the plans he has been planning for several years will be in vain!
"Once the cannon fires, it will take half an hour to fire again. Don't mess around!"
When a large amount of gunpowder smoke rose from the formation of officers and soldiers, although Lu Shi had never fought with the soldiers, he already felt something was wrong.
When Zhang Yuan's expression suddenly changed, Lu Shi also guessed that the situation might have gotten out of control.
"Brother, I'm going to stabilize the right wing. I'll leave the center to you!"
After the heavy artillery sounded, although Lu Shi had never seen the power of the heavy artillery, he was not intimidated and rushed to the right without delay.
Zhang Yuan was also confused just now. He only thought of sending people to stabilize order, but he did not think of letting Lu Shi manage the troops of his headquarters.
Zhang Yuan's expression softened a little. Most of Lu Shi's troops were on the right. The morale of the army was currently fluctuating, but according to Lu Shi's prestige in the army, they would probably be able to stabilize the military formation.
But when Zhang Yuan turned his eyes forward again, his expression darkened again.
Because right in front, the three front lines, composed of more than 7,000 troops, were already rolling back...
