The Mongolian light and heavy cavalry on the front were defeated, and his eyes turned to the cavalry formation attacking from the flanks. Jia Sidao was surprised for a while.
"Isn't that Xiang Zongzhi? Does he want to lead the way?"
As the commander of the first army, Xiang Shibi stood up with his sword drawn, as if he wanted to charge into the battle with the soldiers.
"If it were you, wouldn't you take the lead?"
Xin Su glanced at the cavalry formation and looked away.
"Xiang Shibi is self-respecting and boasts that his talents are not inferior to those of Cao Youwen and Yu Jie. He has always been resentful that Your Majesty did not send him to the northwest frontier. He is only a commander now, while Cao Youwen and Yu Jie are already high officials in the border areas."
The meaning of his words is self-evident. Xiang Shibi is risking his life and is eager to make achievements.
Xiang Shibi and Du Shu, like Cao Youwen and Yu Jie, were graduates of the first phase of the Jiangwu Hall. They also achieved excellent results and received the "Soldier Soul" dagger. But four or five years later, Cao Youwen and Yu Jie had already become famous all over the world. They were important officials in the imperial court and favored by the emperor.
And Xiang Shibi was just a commander in the Huainan Army.
This is indeed unbearable for the conceited Xiang Shibi.
"Your Majesty is working hard to govern, all wise people can be promoted, and capable people come out in large numbers. There is no major war in Huaidong, Xiang Shibi has been appointed as the commander, and Du Shuai has treated him well!"
He, Xin Su, was both a student in the first phase of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall, and he was still a commander, so who could he ask to reason with?
"Why doesn't Commander Xiang ask His Majesty to go to the northwest frontier? There are frequent wars in the northwest, and it is easy to make achievements. If so, he might be able to reach a higher level. Commander Xin, why didn't you do the same?"
Jia Sidao was confused and sighed.
"Xiang Shibi is arrogant and does not want to be inferior to others. He may not have expected that there are no major wars in Huaidong, but there are constant wars in the northwest. As for me, I am similar to Xiang Shibi. Both of us have donkey tempers. The stench is the same, the stench is unbearable!”
Xin Su smiled self-deprecatingly, and there was a hint of pride in his words that was not easy to detect.
Military pride! The pride of the strong!
"The cavalry duel is really exciting!"
Jia Sidao said enviously.
"Stop sighing! Let the gunners fire at the Tatar army on the flanks, and the small cannons can protect the frontal positions!"
Xin Su immediately issued a military order.
The heavy artillery of the Song Army had a range of up to three miles. The Mongolian cavalry came with confidence and could reap a severe harvest.
Hundreds of heavy artillery fired at the same time, and the rumbling sound of the artillery was earth-shattering. The Mongolian cavalry formation was turned upside down, and some Mongolian cavalry screamed and fell off their horses. The Mongolian cavalry distanced themselves one after another. The horse speed did not change, fearlessly heading towards forward.
"Kill the enemy!"
The cavalry of the Song Army formed a large formation, pointing their swords at Shibi's bright sword, taking the lead, urging the horses forward. The Song cavalry on the flanks moved together. As they ran, they gradually formed a large formation of sharp arrows. Their speed gradually increased and they went straight towards the Mongolian cavalry.
"Kill Song Dog!"
In the Mongolian cavalry formation, Zheng Yande also shouted angrily and directed the Mongolian cavalry forward.
On the wasteland, the cavalry formations from both sides were getting closer and closer, the sound of artillery stopped, and only the sound of galloping horse hooves was thrilling.
Before the two sides came into contact, arrows and crossbows flew into the sky one after another, and the sky became dark. Hundreds of people from both sides fell off their horses, and they were instantly killed and injured.
The cavalry formations of both sides collided fiercely, and another group of people were knocked off their backs, and the ground was covered with corpses and injured people.
The Song army's formation was strict and tight, while the Mongolian cavalry formation was sparse. The Song army relied on its superior stainless steel armor and tall and long-legged Hexi war horses to run rampant, knocking the Mongolian cavalry under their horses.
The Song cavalry on the outside of the sharp formation had solid armor and used shields, sabers and spears to attack. The Song cavalry in the formation fired arrows and fired crossbows. Some Song cavalry lit thunderbolts and threw them at the dense crowd of Mongolian cavalry. .
Arrows rained down, and thunderous explosions occurred one after another. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. In contrast, the Mongolian cavalry suffered even greater losses from the Song army's thunderous attack.
Thunderstorms hit the sky, and columns of smoke billowed in the Mongolian cavalry formation. Mongolian cavalry kept falling off their horses, and the horses screamed. Many horses were frightened and fled in all directions. The Mongolian cavalry formation was in chaos. The Song army took the opportunity to fire their bows and crossbows, throwing out thunderous thunder, taking the opportunity to kill and injure the Mongolian cavalry.
There were countless casualties. The Song and Meng sides passed each other and broke away from the battle formation. They saw that the battlefield where they had just charged was dripping with blood, and there were stumps and broken bodies all over the ground. The tragedy was unbearable to look at.
"Assemble!"
The Song Army's cavalry formation gathered together and shouted loudly to Shibi, commanding his men to assemble and prepare for the next charge.
"General, I'm afraid we've lost a thousand riders!"
The sergeant came over on horseback to report, looking excited and without any fear.
"Brothers, we are all soldiers. It is natural to kill the enemy, serve the country, and make meritorious deeds. If the dead enter the Martyrs' Shrine, they will have their own pension from the court. The living will offer sacrifices to the dead and take care of their wives and children. Brothers, remember this. ?”
Xiang Shibi loudly encouraged his soldiers.
"remember!"
Xiang Shibi loved his soldiers as much as his own son, and often made generous donations to the soldiers, making him highly admired by all the soldiers.
"Brothers, cheer up and don't let the frontier troops in the northwest look down on you!"
He shouted angrily at Shibi and unknowingly expressed his feelings.
"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"
The cavalrymen of the Song Army waved their weapons one after another, and everyone was impassioned.
"Okay! Brothers, charge again and the Tatar cavalry will be defeated!"
Xiang Shibi's handsome face was filled with color, but he didn't even notice it.
The charge was so brutal that the Song Army lost a thousand cavalry, while the Mongolian cavalry only charged once and lost a full 3,000 cavalry, nearly 30%, under the Song Army's fierce firearms attack.
Seeing that the Song cavalry had assembled and was about to move, there was a commotion in the Mongolian cavalry formation.
If he charges again, his vitality will probably be severely damaged.
"Puffy!"
In the Song Army's artillery formation, the heavy artillery fired again, and the iron balls flew in the air and landed on the edge of the Mongolian cavalry formation. The solid iron ball jumped and bounced on the ground, smashing into the Mongolian cavalry formation. There was another crackling sound of broken tendons, and the Mongolian cavalry kept falling off their horses. Some solid iron balls also hit the Mongolian cavalry directly. Dozens of Mongolian cavalry fell off their horses and were either killed or injured. There was a commotion in the Mongolian cavalry formation, and they all drove their horses eastward, trying to avoid the artillery fire of the Song army.
In the Mongolian army's formation, Li Quan was so distraught that he opened his eyes involuntarily.
How could the Song Army's artillery shoot so far?
This is probably within three miles!
While Li Quan was frightened, Xiang Shibi had already commanded his cavalry and started another charge.
"Kill the enemy!"
Xiang Shibi braved the arrows, and the Song army cavalry beside him became more courageous. They roared and gathered behind Xiang Shibi. With the rumble of horse hoofs, they went straight towards the Mongolian army fearlessly.
"Kill Song Dog!"
With no way out, Zheng Yande bit the bullet and took the lead.
"Kill Song Dog!"
The Mongolian cavalry mustered up their courage and rushed towards the Song army.
Arrows were flying like locusts, thunder and thunder exploded continuously, and after another fierce charge, corpses were strewn across the field, with broken limbs and injured people strewn all over the ground. The tragic scene made people's hearts tremble and they couldn't bear to look at it.
The Mongolian cavalry retreated to their own formation. Everyone was frightened and looked ugly.
After this charge, the Mongolian army lost five to six thousand cavalry, and more than a thousand heavy cavalry were almost wiped out. If this fight continues, I'm afraid the entire army will be wiped out.
"Give way to the infantry! Increase the distance and avoid the Song Army's artillery! Tell the brothers, we have no retreat, we must break the Song Army's formation!"
Li Quan was unmoved and issued a military order coldly.
No matter how much ammunition the Song Army has, they will be beaten to death.
At the top of Yangzhou City, they saw the bloody scene of the cavalry of the two armies charging into battle and fighting fiercely. All the generals were shocked. Some of them turned pale and were speechless.
"I didn't expect that our Song Dynasty frontier army also had such brave warriors!"
Lieutenant General Lu Wang sighed with emotion.
"The emperor founded the martial arts hall and forged firearms. It was a blessing to the Song Dynasty and a blessing to all the people!"
Another civil servant, Sun Shicheng, witnessed the tragic fighting scene and was also moved.
Du Gao, the envoy of Huaidong Zhizhi, watched the fierce battle of thousands of troops outside the city without saying a word.
"These young people really don't know how to cherish them! Dig more horse traps and use more rockets, so many horses and soldiers will be lost!"
Xu Zijie, the general judge in Yangzhou, looked red and impatient.
This fierce battle outside the city made him terrified and awe-inspiring, but without the torment of the past.
The warriors of the Great Song Dynasty, the sharp sword of the country, can finally make people feel at ease.
"Ms. Xu, now that we have the land to raise horses in Hexi, these war horses are not a rare thing. Our army has excellent armor and horse equipment, and sharp firearms. Naturally, we are not afraid to compete with the Tatars!"
Lieutenant General Lu Wang withdrew his gaze and said leisurely.
Rockets only serve to disturb and trap enemies, but they also limit one's own mobility, so the gains outweigh the losses.
Xu Zijie's expression softened a little, but he still muttered something.
"That gunpowder costs money too!"
"Xu Xianggong, the sulfur is collected from Liuqiu, the wood comes from South Korea, and the saltpeter comes from India. After all, gunpowder is worthless. In addition, my iron-smelting skills in the Song Dynasty are unparalleled in the world, so you can rest assured."
Another general, Li Wei, said with a smile.
This Xu Zijie is an upright official, but he is just too stingy.
"Emperor, everything is good, but you don't know how to save money!"
Xu Zijie shook his head, whispered, stopped talking, and turned his eyes to the killing field in the north of the city.
"Is there any news from the navy?"
Du Gao looked away from the killing field and asked Lu Wang.
The Yangzhou Navy is led by Nie Bin, a powerful general who came back from "further training" at the East Zhejiang Naval Academy. He is familiar with water warfare and should not be distracted.
"Mr. Nie, Commander Nie has not replied yet. But with him at the Yangzhou East Canal, Li Quan's navy cannot enter."
Du Gao nodded, pondered for a moment, and looked at Lu Wang and Li Wei.
"Lu Wang, Li Wei, you two can leave now."
Meng Gong must have cut off the Huaihe River and cut off all Li's escape routes to the north. Song troops are now gathered in Chuzhou. Once Li Quan retreats, it will definitely be in Huaixi.
Lu and Wang took the order and left. Xu Zijie was a little uneasy.
"Xianggong Du, the defenders of Yangzhou City have been transferred. What if Li Quan attacks Yangzhou City?"
"Then he has to break the formation in the north of the city first."
Du Gao remained calm and said softly.
With the elite Song army, sharp firearms, and powerful naval vessels and cannons, the Mongolian army had a wishful thinking of breaking Yangzhou City.
