The Mongolian heavy cavalry never expected that they, always known for their impact, would one day be surrounded by infantry. What they especially didn't expect was that not only were these infantrymen well-armed, but the scimitars without the horsepower bonus would hardly be able to inflict fatal injuries on them. They were almost all able to continue fighting, but their bayonets would inflict serious injuries on themselves. A huge threat.
Although sitting on horses makes the heavy cavalry's upper body vitals farther away from the Ming army, making it usually difficult to directly kill them, the horses under their crotches and their own legs are all good targets for the Ming army's bayonets.
The Mongolian heavy cavalry suddenly had a ridiculous feeling at this time, that is, they would rather stab their own legs than stab their horses. Although the stabbing in his legs was bleeding profusely and heart-wrenching, people are human beings after all, and they can think, judge, and evaluate situations. In this critical moment, you can actually endure it for a while.
But once the bayonet hits the horse, no matter where it hits, the horse will definitely go crazy with pain. At this moment, no matter how good your riding skills are, it is impossible to compete with the beasts. Once you fall off the horse, it will be all over - at least three or four bayonets will follow you like a shadow, and there will be no way to survive.
Fortunately, the light cavalry behind them also joined the battlefield at this time, attracting a large number of Ming army's "Little Yuanyang Formation" to come forward to meet the enemy, giving these heavy cavalry a breather.
However, because the battlefield was not wide enough, the light cavalry could not use their usual diagonal attack tactics, so they could only charge straight in. Although there were no musketeers to give them a heads-up at this time, the Mongolian light cavalry, which lacked horse equipment and also used scimitars, had worse protection than the heavy cavalry. They could only fight with the Ming army due to their superior strength. A no-win situation actually cannot change the overall situation at all.
The insufficiently wide battlefield along the river has now become a reminder for the Mongols, so much so that they have been unable to open up the situation despite the superior cavalry force. Instead, they were held back by the numerically inferior Ming infantry.
Normally, the Mongolian cavalry would have retreated in the face of this situation. They had enough reasons not to fight such a silly battle. Just like what happened three hundred years ago during the first western expedition of Mongolian cavalry.
In the Battle of the Khalkha River (May 1223) at the end of the First Western Expedition, Jebe and Subotai led less than 30,000 Mongolian cavalry to face the 100,000 coalition troops of Oros and Kipchak. The Mongolian army retreated for nine consecutive days to a favorable location - the banks of the Khalkha River. The allied forces that had been chasing for nine days were in chaos, and the Mongolian cavalry launched an assault. The two wings quickly outflanked the enemy, defeating the enemy in one fell swoop.
In this battle, a total of 70 nobles from the coalition forces were killed, and six Oros princes were executed. Including the subsequent siege, the coalition forces lost about 50,000 people, while the Mongolian casualties were negligible.
Retreating is definitely not a shame for the Mongolian cavalry. It has always been just a tactical action, no different from the stabbing, picking, chopping, and slashing of soldiers on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, this perfectly normal tactical action is no longer allowed.
Burihatu Huangtaiji had issued strict orders repeatedly before the war. Unless there was an order from the rear, they could only advance and not retreat this time.
Although the glory of the Mongol Empire is long gone, the military regulations established by Genghis Khan are still effective. Mongolian warriors have strict military discipline. No one will give up pursuit or fighting to rob property. Anyone who disobeys orders and does not attack will be beheaded.
Genghis Khan’s punishment for deserters was particularly severe. Those who retreated without permission were considered deserters and would face consecutive punishments: “If someone in a team of ten escapes and others fail to stop them on the spot, the entire team will be punished with death; if all ten people in the team escape, If there are any, then all the centurions to which the ten-man team belongs will be executed."
In other words, escape or retreat can only be decided by the superior, and soldiers have no independent choice. A soldier has only two choices: obey or die.
In this case, it is natural that he would rather die in battle than escape. The tribe’s family members were all under the rule of the Great Khan, so what was the point of escaping? What's more, living an ignoble existence is not in line with the warrior mentality that has been instilled in the Mongols for many years.
The heavy cavalry and light cavalry had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight hard, hoping that the Ming army would collapse in front of their bravery, just like the Ming army did in the past twenty or thirty years.
However, Cao Yu obviously disagreed and would not allow this situation to occur. He had seen the Ming army twenty or thirty years ago. Although Zhang Wanbang's troops in front of him could not see any such signs, the cautious Cao Yu still planned to Plan ahead. He immediately ordered the Chinese army to dispatch 2,000 troops to reinforce the southern front.
It's not that Cao Yun was reluctant to give up his troops, or that he didn't understand the tactics of refueling, but... he faced the same dilemma as the Mongols: the battlefield was not wide enough, and even if all the Chinese troops rushed to reinforce, they would not be able to truly join the battlefield. There are at most a thousand people who can actually play a reinforcement role.
Cao Yu dispatched two thousand troops, which was actually a second wave of reinforcements prepared.
There is no choice in the refueling tactic. The opponent can only do this, and he can only do this. The real competition now is who will eventually be unable to withstand the casualties and choose to retreat.
Of course, a bunch of infantry retreating in front of the Mongolian cavalry is no different from stretching their necks to be beheaded. Cao Yu knew that he had no choice and the only ones who could retreat were the Mongols.
As a result, the battlefield along the river turned into a meat grinder, and the elites of both sides fought into a pot of porridge on this ground that was not open enough.
The Mongolian cavalry lost most of their impact and mobility, but at least they still had a commanding advantage on horseback; the Ming infantry lost the powerful firepower they relied on, but fortunately they could still take advantage of squad tactics. And the equipment is obviously better than that of the Mongols.
The casualties on both sides began to increase. In terms of the number of people killed in the battle, the Mongolian army was definitely the majority; but in terms of the number of injured, it was the Ming army.
Zhang Wanbang still has his usual style in the past. He led a group of soldiers and servants to go around to make up for the vacancies. Some of the "cold iron treasure armor" on his body was cut off at some point, and part of the cold iron scales on his left arm were cut off. But it didn't fall down, it just hung on the outside of the leather armor inside, as if it had become a decoration.
The place between his confidants was probably cut with a knife. Fortunately, it didn't break the armor. It only left a deep mark on the iron piece, but it was still shocking. If this knife had been cut from a running horse, something big might have happened.
There was also a lot of blood on his face, which had dried up and turned black, making his already fanatical face look even more ferocious and terrifying.
Perhaps it was the high-intensity hand-to-hand combat that left him a little exhausted, or perhaps the muddy ground was too slippery. At this moment, Zhang Wanbang suddenly stumbled and almost fell forward.
A Mongolian light cavalryman who was forcibly riding from his side saw this and subconsciously swung a knife at him. However, because Zhang Wanbang happened to stabilize his body, the knife that was originally aimed at his neck turned upwards. The ground hit his helmet, knocking it away.
Another Mongolian light cavalryman who was close to the flying helmet subconsciously stretched out his scimitar and happened to pick the helmet on the tip of the knife.
The Mongolian cavalry was startled at first, then overjoyed, and shouted loudly in somewhat off-key Chinese: "Zhang Wanbang is dead, why don't you beg to surrender!"
This trick is not only played by generals. When the Mongols fought against the Ming Dynasty in the early years, they often killed low-level generals. Therefore, many people in the Mongolian army used this trick to scare people: I don’t care whether you die or not. I yell first and then talk. If you deceive one after another, it will always damage your morale.
Sure enough, his shout also attracted the attention of the nearby Ming army. They subconsciously turned their heads to check. They were stunned when they found Zhang Wanbang's helmet.
However, although Zhang Wanbang is not yet thirty, he joined the army at the age of thirteen and has rich combat experience. How can he tolerate this Mongolian cavalry showing off? He immediately raised his sword and shouted: "Young Tatar boy, you are playing this trick on me. I will live well, but you will die, you are a wild man!"
The Mongolian soldier happened to understand Chinese. Hearing this angry curse, his face turned green with anger, and he was about to throw away Zhang Wanbang's helmet and go fight for him.
Unexpectedly, a heavy cavalry commander suddenly rushed out next to him, suddenly took away the helmet with a knife, and shouted: "Our army has won, the whole army retreats!"
Even Zhang Wanbang was a little surprised at this time. The Mongols fought for so long with huge casualties just to grab my helmet?
However, the servants around him had already gathered around to prevent his young general from being in the same danger just now. The Mongolian soldiers began to withdraw from the battlefield and slowly retreated.
The Mongolian army seemed to have discovered something at the rear and began to shout gold. Zhang Wanbang glanced around and realized that the casualties of his army were not small. However, when he took a closer look, he felt that the casualties of his headquarters were not as great as those of the Chinese army's main formation that later supported him, so he shouted: "Continue to kill as long as the terrain is tight!"
This is Zhang Wanbang's personal style. Although he can give up when things get good, he must maximize this benefit. "Limited by the ground" is about twenty or thirty steps in front of his position. This order is equivalent to "recovering" the entire position and then driving away the Mongols.
However, the Mongolian cavalry were very obedient to orders. Once they decided to retreat, they did not hesitate and quickly withdrew in groups of twos and threes in coordination with each other. At this time, the Ming army also fought a battle, and its energy was not as strong as before. It relied on squad tactics to retain thirty or forty unlucky riders.
The Mongolian cavalry has a good way of retreating. Some of the "dead" cavalrymen who were originally fallen from their horses stretched out a hand. When the retreating cavalry saw it, they would take the initiative to "pass by", control the horse with their legs alone, lean their body, and reach out to pull the horse. The man who fell from his horse pulled him back to his horse, and then they moved away together.
Don't underestimate this move. Zhang Wanbang knew that they had this habit, but he could only watch as the Mongolian cavalry brought back more than two hundred wounded people who pretended to be dead.
Cao Yu of the Chinese Army breathed a sigh of relief and ordered Zhang Wanbang to count the battlefield and count the casualties. Qi Jin on the east side and Gao Yimin on the northern front also sent people to ask for instructions, saying that their army doctors were ready and could go to the southern front to help at any time. Cao Yu agreed on the spot.
At this time, there was some disharmony on the side of the main formation of the Mongolian Chinese Army. Burihatu's face was as dark as water and he said nothing, and Tumen's face was also quite ugly. He stared at the several Mongolian generals who had just withdrawn, suppressing his anger. Asked: "Who was the first to give the order to retreat?"
A general in full armor held Zhang Wanbang's helmet and rode forward, saying: "Khan, this is my order."
"Tata'er, are you afraid of blood?" Tumen seemed a little surprised, but still had a stern face: "As one of the six battles in Chahar, are you planning to give up this honor?"
Battle means hero and warrior. It has a more familiar transliteration for future generations, called "Batu". It even has another Manchu variant called Baturu.
It is not easy to obtain such a title. The Mongolian heavy cavalry commander named Tatar shook his head and said: "Great Khan, Tatar is never afraid of battle. The reason why we ordered the retreat is because we have basically achieved the deployment plan." The purpose of the battle is to increase the number of casualties and increase casualties."
Tumen frowned slightly, glanced at Burihatu, and then asked Tata'er: "The Ming army's southern front has not collapsed yet, and you haven't even seen Cao Yun's face. How can you say that the combat objective has been achieved?"
Tatar showed no fear and said: "Great Khan, the orders from you and Burihatu Huang Taiji did not say to take Cao Yun's head. Huang Taiji's order was to break through the bayonet formation and find out their depth - we have already completed this. ”
When it comes to breaking through the bayonet formation, if the word "breakthrough" is pressed to death, then the Mongolian cavalry has indeed accomplished the tactical purpose. Even before the light cavalry has arrived, the heavy cavalry has accomplished this goal.
However, what happened later is obvious to all, and the significance of this breakthrough is actually not that great. The bayonet array seemed to be broken, but in fact it turned into a quagmire, causing the Mongolian cavalry to get stuck in it and almost unable to extricate themselves.
This is something that no one expected in advance. Once the Ming army was defeated by the cavalry charge in the past, they basically had to wait to be chopped down by Mongolian warriors. How could there be such a magical scene today?
Tumen was also a little speechless, and after a pause he asked: "Although the bayonet array was broken, it was not broken completely enough. And what depth did you find out about them?"
"Please take a look, Khan." Tatar gently threw Zhang Wanbang's helmet towards the Tumen. After the Tumen caught it, he explained: "This helmet belongs to Zhang Wanbang."
Tumen was surprised at first, and then became suspicious: "Zhang Wanbang is dead?"
It would be unreasonable if all the generals were dead and the Ming army was not in chaos until the last moment.
Tatar shook his head and said, "He's not dead, but he may be injured - there's still blood on the helmet."
Of course, Tumen couldn't tell whether the bloodstains on the helmet belonged to Zhang Wanbang, but since Zhang Wanbang's helmet was here, Tatar's claim that he had found out the depth of the Ming army could not be said to be nonsense.
Tumen Khan could not find anything to say to criticize him, so he could only ponder. Burihatu next to him suddenly said: "Since our army has won and we already know the details of the bayonet formation, then this battle will be meaningful. The dead warriors will naturally return to the immortal heaven and receive the blessings of the Buddhas."
Tumen turned to look at him, wondering why he changed his attitude faster than himself. But Burihatu did not explain. He just nodded to the Great Khan and said, "Great Khan, it's time to return to Chahanhot."
Tumen frowned and said, "What about Xicheng? No more Beiguan Commercial Road?"
Burihatu shook his head and said: "There is still chaos in Beiguan. We don't have to rush to take action. We will wait until others have made enough trouble." He paused and explained a little: "To stir up the situation, you don't have to be physically present." In the eye of the storm.”
Tumen nodded and sighed: "You're right, let's not be busy for now and wait until those people who have their own agendas have had enough fighting."
There was actually nothing we could do about it. Tumen knew very well that if he was as powerful as Ming Dynasty, he wouldn't have to wait at all.
As soon as he waved his hand, the Mongolian army immediately turned around and began to slowly retreat southward, and a bloody battle came to an end.
Afterwards, both the Ming and Mongolian sides claimed to have achieved a great victory in the Battle of Yehe River. The Mongols claimed that they had defeated the bayonet array that the Ming Army had become famous for in recent years. The Ming Army claimed that they easily repelled the Mongolian cavalry attack and beheaded more than 1,600 people.
Who wins and who loses depends on the Ming and Mongolian sides and even the surrounding forces.
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