Pan Yi, who was escorting the goods back, did not know that hundreds of Mongolian cavalry were chasing him. He was still heading towards Baicheng with his convoy.
The goods snatched from Fan Ji these past few times were either sold to the Chahar Department in Baicheng or to the Fried Flower Department of the Five Neikalka Departments.
The free goods obtained from Fan Ji several times have brought a lot of profits to Tiger Flag.
The goods Fan Ji sent to Horqin were all grains, salt, iron and medicinal materials. These things were necessary for the lives of all Mongolian tribes on the grassland, so they were very popular no matter which tribe they shipped to.
As for the origin of these goods, no one cares. Even if they know that these goods are robbed from Fanji, no one cares, because it is the struggle of the Ming people themselves and has nothing to do with the Mongols.
"Captain, why don't we let the cavalry protect our convoy along the way? With so much cargo, it will inevitably attract the covetousness of the horse bandits. If we are targeted by the horse bandits, it will take a lot of effort." The person who spoke was a person next to Pan Yi. A staff officer.
Pan Yi glanced at the staff officer
The other party was an officer who had recently joined his brigade. Before that, he was an attendant in the Attendant Department.
Now, not only his brigade, several other brigade have also arranged their own staff officers, all of whom are attendants from the Attendant Department. Even the thousand-man brigade where his brigade is located has also set up a chief of staff position.
As the convoy moved forward slowly, Pan Yi said: "The people from the cavalry team came to the grassland to rob Fan Ji's convoy. Now that the task is completed, it's time for them to go back. The rest is our brigade's own business. We You can’t rely on the cavalry people to help with everything.”
"To be honest, what I'm most worried about is that Horqin will send a large number of cavalry to chase us when they know that Fan Ji's convoy has been robbed. Don't forget, this is the third time. Horqin may not be so easy this time. Let us go." Staff officer Cheng Pingping looked worried.
The cart was filled with goods snatched from Fan Ji's motorcade, and it was difficult to cover up his tracks along the way. If someone wanted to pursue them, they could find them by following the tracks left behind by the cart.
Moreover, the most indispensable thing on the grassland is the cavalry. Even if they want to hide, their convoy cannot escape, just like their tiger-shaped flag cavalry chasing Fan Ji's convoy, they cannot run away even if they want to.
Pan Yi said with a smile: "Don't worry, Counselor Cheng, our brigade also has more than 300 soldiers, which is enough to protect the safety of the convoy."
"Except for a few sentries, our group is all infantry. If we encounter the Mongolian cavalry on the grassland, we will be at a huge disadvantage if we take action." Cheng Ping expressed his worries.
Pan Yi smiled and said: "Don't worry, don't forget that our brigade has brought four four-pound cannons. With these cannons cooperating with our car formation, even if there are thousands of Mongolian cavalry, I am confident to defeat them."
The four-pounder cannons have begun to be equipped with several thousand-man squadrons in Tiger Character Banner. The first to be equipped with four-pounder cannons was Zhang Hong's 3,000-man squadron. Pan Yi's brigade, as the brigade below the 3,000-man squadron, naturally also Equipped with four batteries of four-pounders, and four four-pounders.
Cheng Ping glanced sideways at the four artillery carts in the convoy. Gunpowder and iron balls were hung on them. A horse could easily pull the artillery carts.
Seeing these cannons, he felt a lot more at ease.
Rumble…
"It's thundering?"
Pan Yi, who heard a sound like thunder in his ears, was stunned for a moment, and then raised his head. The sky above his head was cloudless, and it didn't look like a beating.
At this moment, a sentry rider who had dispersed came galloping from behind the convoy and shouted: "The enemy is attacking, the enemy is attacking, there is a cavalry attack."
The loud voice soon spread throughout the entire convoy.
However, the convoy did not panic due to the enemy attack.
Pan Yi climbed onto a large vehicle, took out a monocular, and looked in the direction behind the sentry rider.
"What's wrong?" Cheng Ping asked eagerly, "Are there horse bandits coming here and trying to take advantage of our convoy?"
After watching for a while, Pan Yi took back the monocular in his hand and said: "I'm afraid you are right, but it's not the horse bandits, it's the Mongolian cavalry who are chasing us."
Cheng Ping's heart sank and he quickly asked: "How many people are here?"
"It's too far away to see clearly, but there should still be several hundred cavalry." Pan Yi said, and then shouted to the others, "Set up the formation and prepare to meet the enemy."
As his order was issued, the soldiers and cart drivers in the team began to move.
The vehicle formation is the best way for infantry to deal with the cavalry. All the teams sent by the Tiger Character Banner to the grasslands need to be trained in the vehicle formation, so the vehicle formation is no stranger to Pan Yi's brigade.
With the assistance of several squadron leaders and squad leaders in the motorcade, the vehicle formation was quickly set up.
The gunners and artillerymen also all performed their duties, ready to meet the enemy at any time.
……………………
"We found them!" Zamulun said through gritted teeth.
The sight of a convoy made him understand that the other party was probably the same people who robbed Fan Ji's convoy and were also the ones who killed their Jurchens.
Seeing that there was really a Ming Dynasty convoy in front of them, Burigude and Baiyin's eyes lit up.
The two men did not expect to catch up with each other so quickly, and the convoy in front of them only had a few hundred infantry, which posed no threat to the hundreds of cavalry they brought with them.
Although the Ming Dynasty convoy on the opposite side had set up a car formation, in their eyes, it was just a show-off. As long as their cavalry rushed over and got close, the rest would be wanton massacre.
In front of the most powerful cavalry of the Mongols, a team of several hundred infantrymen only needed one round of arrows to kill them, and the Ming people would collapse and flee.
The carts and goods in front of them will become their trophies.
"What are you waiting for, men, kill!" Baiyin shouted, and then said, "The first person to rush into the Ming Dynasty's motorcade, I will reward him with ten lambs."
Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet, and Zamulun is the first to rush forward.
Following closely behind him were two centurions and hundreds of Mongolian cavalry.
Burigude and Baiyin did not rush too close. Instead, they were guarded by the soldiers around them and followed the team at the back.
Three hundred war horses galloped on the grassland, the ground almost shook with it, and the rumble of horse hooves was deafening.
Zamulun, who was riding at the front, had a sneer on his lips and a look of madness in his eyes.
There were countless Ming people who died in his hands. There were not only many Ming people, but also Ming officers and soldiers, including the so-called personal soldiers of Ming. In his eyes, these guards raised by Ming businessmen were just a bunch of waiters. Slaughtered cattle and sheep.
The distance between the two parties gradually narrowed.
Pan Yi said to Cheng Ping next to him: "You will personally guard the artillery crew in a moment and order the men of the artillery crew. As long as these Mongolians rush into the range of our cannons, don't be polite and let me bomb them."
Cheng Ping nodded, ducked and ran towards the artillery crew.
