The Tatar soldiers of each banner of the Qing army are all those with outstanding fighting skills.
In terms of individual combat effectiveness alone, the Tatar soldiers of the Qing army are much superior to the Xuanfu army. Even when fighting in formation, the Tatar soldiers are not inferior to the Xuanfu army.
Although their formation is not as strict as the Xuanfu army, the war-torn Tatars have a tacit understanding of each other.
The Xuanfu army had only been practicing for a long time on weekdays, and their personal bravery was not allowed to show off. All the soldiers acted according to the orders of their superiors. They blocked and stabbed each other, or they clashed with shields like mountains, and shot out spears like dragons. Each team formed a self-contained body and moved in unison. Only then can you show your power.
After several fierce battles between the two sides, even though they were as strong as the Tatar heavy armored infantry, there were waves of fear in their hearts.
Too strong, too cruel!
This is the impression the Tatar soldiers had on the officers and soldiers of the Xuanfu Army.
The Xuanfu army's shield array was tight and difficult to break through, but the spearmen behind them rushed in wildly. With each thrust, their spears were directed at each person's eyes, throat, heart and other vital parts.
What is even more frightening is that they are brave and not afraid of death, roaring and stabbing with spears. When they faced them, they lost three points in terms of momentum.
However, these Tatar heavy armored infantry are all double-armored, and even the tops are specially thickened, making it difficult for the Xuanfu Army soldiers' spears to pierce with one blow.
However, their eyes and mouths were the weakest in protection. Many Tatar soldiers were stabbed in the eyes and mouths and died in front of the battle.
Furthermore, if the spear is thrust out with force, even if it fails to pierce Dun's neck, the force of the blow is enough to make people faint. However, the spear that stabs the center of the mouth is mostly blocked by the two layers of armor on the Tatar's body. , difficult to pierce.
These Tatars were also fierce. They often roared and rushed forward, knocking back the spears that pierced the center of the mouth. There were even more brave ones who were able to push the Xuanfu army spearmen backwards.
Although the long spears of the Xuanfu Army officers were at a disadvantage when facing the Tatar heavy armored infantry, they benefited from their extremely skilled array coordination.
They can always cleverly form a situation where more people fight less, and the rescue and response between comrades in each team is more accurate and timely. They use the team as a unit to form an array like an inverted pin shape or a small three-level formation.
The spears protruded out of the shield array and swept across them violently. Many Tatar heavy armored infantrymen who thought they were outstanding in skills were unwillingly stabbed in the eyes and mouths by the spears, or were shot through the throat, and died in pain.
However, the sledgehammers, long axes, and maces in the hands of the Tatar soldiers also flew left and right, up and down, and even the sophisticated shields of the Xuanfu army could not withstand them, let alone the spearmen behind them.
As long as a shield soldier is killed or injured, the Tatar soldiers will immediately rush up from the gap, break into the Xuanfu army formation, and drive back the spear soldiers behind.
But at this moment, the resilience of the Xuanfu Army officers was revealed. Although they retreated continuously under the hammers and axes of the Tatar thieves, they retreated without chaos. The formation cooperated and forced the Tatars back to their original position.
Amidst the sound of war drums, the soldiers of the Ming and Qing Dynasties overlapped and fought in a melee. Their eyes were filled with blood and flesh, their ears were filled with the sound of howls and roars of fighting, and their noses were filled with the nauseating smell of blood.
On the left, Qianzong Liu Changliang's front chest armor is torn, with flesh and blood evacuated, and obvious marks of ax blows. His face is also covered in blood, but it is impossible to tell whether it is his own or the Tatar's.
The intensity of the battle has exceeded everyone's expectations.
Not only Zhang Cheng, but also did not expect that the Tatars would be so brave and brave, and still fight to the death despite huge casualties.
Even Duduo, Prince of Yu of the Qing Dynasty, was secretly surprised. The Ming army in front of him seemed to be the most tenacious one he had encountered since joining the army.
wrong.
There was also a Ming army that was also very capable of fighting. However, he was still very young at that time, but he also heard from the older generation that he seemed to have encountered a Ming army on the banks of the Hun River during his time.
As for which Ming army was which, Duduo didn't know. He only heard from his elders that the leader of that Ming army was named Qi!
It is said that at that time, there were corpses everywhere in the field, and the sky was dark. Although the Qing warriors finally killed the Ming army with all their strength, they also paid a heavy price.
Duduo, who was riding on a war horse, was thinking in his mind at the moment: "Huh, my father Khan could defeat Ming Gou back then, and the king of Japan can do the same today!"
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Zhang Guodong's long sword has also disappeared. He is now holding a shield in his left hand and a short ax in his right hand. His bun is floating on his head, and even his helmet is missing.
Like Liu Changliang, he looked like he was covered in blood, and even his voice was hoarse, but he still kept shouting the military order slogan loudly to boost morale and guide the direction of the soldiers.
When the battle has reached this point, it no longer matters whether we win or lose.
For the Chicheng Battalion of the Xuanfu Army, they had actually won. After all, with a new army that had only been trained for just over two years, they were able to fight the famously ferocious Eight Banners of Manchuria to such an extent that, looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, there was no second place. The two armies can compare!
However, it is unprecedented for the warriors of the Qing Army's Xiangbai and Zhenghuang Banners to be able to withstand such a casualty ratio and not retreat to the death. It can be said that this battle broke through the limit of the Qing Army's tolerable casualty ratio.
Just when the soldiers of Chicheng Battalion were struggling to support themselves, there was a rapid "rumbling" sound of horse hooves hitting the ground behind them. It turned out that the cavalry of the Chicheng Battalion was ordered to attack.
Although they only have a mere 150 cavalry, they are all elites in the army. They have witnessed the brutality of the fighting here. They have long wanted to rush forward and capture the captives with their brothers in the camp.
But before the war, Zhang Cheng had made it clear that the cavalry and convoys in the Chicheng camp were only controlled by him. Without the commander's orders, they could only endure it no matter how anxious they were.
Zhu Anmin, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army Cavalry, was already red-eyed, but he did not dare to attack without command. At this time, he received command from Zhang Cheng to attack. He led one hundred and fifty elite cavalry under his command, like a group of soldiers. One hundred and fifty were like tigers descending from the mountain.
They galloped on horseback, roaring angrily all the way, and rushed forward regardless.
Zhang Guodong received the order from the commander of the Chinese army almost at the same time as Zhu Anmin. He had already ordered Chen Dakuan, the commander-in-chief of the Central Qian, who was fighting in the center, to get out of the way so that the cavalry could attack.
Just as the infantry on both sides were anxious, the Ming army in the middle suddenly gave way to both sides. Just when the Tatars were surprised, they heard a "rumbling" sound of horse hooves hitting the ground.
Immediately afterwards, a cloud of dust rose up in front of us, and a group of Ming army armored knights galloped out. They galloped towards them, all of them roaring like tigers and wolves, with astonishing momentum.
The Chinese cavalry units equipped in each infantry camp of the Xuanfu Army were mostly made up of the backbone of the army's Ye Bushou, who were carefully selected and trained. They served as sentries and cavalry in the infantry camps, and were also used as the only mobile force.
Due to the long-term training in the same camp, the brotherhood between the comrades has become very deep, and the cavalry soldiers now only want to rush forward and help their brothers kill the Tatars.
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"Commander, the slave cavalry has moved."
Xia Shuncheng, the governor of Chichengying Town, reminded hurriedly beside Zhang Cheng.
Zhang Cheng wiped a smile from the corner of his mouth and said: "The Tatars finally couldn't hold it back."
He turned around and shouted to Zhang Chengfang: "Send the order, cavalry on both wings, attack!"
Zhang Chengfang had been waiting for this sentence for a long time. When he heard the words, he immediately shouted an order and passed it down hastily.
At this time, Zhang Cheng turned around and said to Xia Shuncheng and Fang Zhihai, the governors beside him: "It's not that I don't care about the soldiers in the step camp.
However, the thousands of armored cavalry of the Tartars have been wandering on the two wings without attacking. If our cavalry attacked first, they could defeat the Tartar infantry, but our knights have also lost their vigor and the horses are weak.
If the Tartar cavalry attack at this moment, then our infantry camp will be exhausted after a long battle, the cavalry is not sharp, and the horse's legs are not as strong as before. How can we deal with the Tartar cavalry? "
Only then, after Zhang Cheng gave some explanations, did Xia Shuncheng and Fang Zhihai suddenly realize.
Xia Shuncheng hurriedly clasped his fists to plead guilty and said: "I am concerned about causing chaos. On the one hand, I don't know the secret of fighting on this battlefield, and on the other hand, I do feel that it is a bit difficult to fight against the bandits alone.
Fortunately, the commander-in-chief strategized and was not affected by his subordinates. What a blessing, what a blessing! "
Fang Zhihai also said at this time: "If our Xuanfu army can fight, it will win, and it depends on the merits of the commander-in-chief."
Zhang Cheng looked at the two of them and said with a smile: "Don't flatter me anymore. There are always many variables in marching and fighting, so there is a saying that 'the general is outside and does not receive the emperor's orders'.
How many people have actually done this in the thousands of years since ancient times? "
He went on to say: "After all, human life is a matter of concern. As generals, we naturally have to make many calculations. As the saying goes, 'Know your enemy and yourself, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles.' We must know both our enemies and ourselves, and the key is to know ourselves." .
If the commander of an army does not know the number of soldiers and horses in each battalion under his command, and does not know the combat strength of each battalion, how can he plan strategies and command and dispatch? "
Zhang Cheng raised his hand and pointed to the battlefield of Bu Ying, and said to the two of them: "I also know how difficult the battle in Bu Ying is today. The battle in Bu Ying has suffered a lot of damage, and I can't bear it.
So what? If I had ordered the cavalry to attack early, I might have been able to drive off the Tartar infantry in one fell swoop, and the damage to the infantry camp would not have been so great.
But once the Tatar cavalry launches a fierce charge at me, how can I stop them?
If it disrupts our army's formation, the infantry camp will not be damaged as it is now. It is unknown whether half of our over 10,000-strong army can survive and escape with their lives! "
"Commander, I have thought it over carefully. I failed to think about it in time and may have caused a serious disaster. Please punish me, Commander-in-Chief."
"The focus of the two of you is to monitor the officers and generals of each battalion, evaluate the merits and demerits of the officers and men, and implement rewards and punishments. Your focus was not on the military. Now you are just making suggestions based on the situation, so what's the crime!"
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Zhang Mingyuan stood next to Yu Jin, the general manager of the chariot camp, and watched with him that the surrounding chariot soldiers were busy. They took out some iron tripods from the several chariots at the back, and many short and stubby ones. barrel.
"Flying Cannon?"
Zhang Mingyuan said in shock: "Mr. Yu Qian, is this a flying cannon that can explode?"
Yu Jin said with a smile: "That's right. This is a big killer weapon. It explodes when it hits the ground. Hundreds of projectiles shoot out in all directions. It really makes people defenseless and unable to hide!"
"Since there is such a good thing in the army, why not sacrifice it early to avoid General Zhang's Chicheng Battalion from suffering such heavy losses!"
Faced with Zhang Mingyuan's question, Yu Jin did not answer directly, because this was also the question in his mind.
He turned his head to look at the Chinese military position and murmured: "Perhaps, the commander-in-chief has other considerations. Our general has a foresighted plan, and we can just follow orders, but we don't dare to think so much."
His last words seemed to be addressed to himself, but also seemed to be addressed to Zhang Mingyuan.
"Brothers, you have to be gentle. Don't be careless. As long as one explodes, we will all be finished..."
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Veteran general Guo Yingxian had waited for the military order to attack. He shouted the order and ordered all the soldiers to mount their horses immediately.
Although he had urgently requested to go to war, in order to conserve his horse power, he had strictly ordered all soldiers to dismount before receiving military orders.
Guo Yingxian's arrangement was that he himself led the Xuanfu cavalry in the front, the Datong Town cavalry in the rear, and more than 500 Shanxi Town cavalry in the left to cover his flanks.
They roared and urged the horses under their crotches to move forward slowly, facing the Tartar armored knights who were also charging slowly from the opposite side. Both sides did not start to accelerate, and they just approached slowly.
They were about less than 350 steps apart at this time, but in order to save some foot power for the horses under their hips, both sides started walking slowly, and only gradually picked up speed when they reached a distance of 300 steps.
Zhang Guangda on the other side also arranged the same arrangement. He personally led 500 light cavalry in front, and hid the heavy armored cavalry behind the light cavalry, followed by nearly 300 cavalry from the servants led by Huang Baozhong.
Lin Fangping's more than 600 Tiger Guards were dispatched on the flanks to cover the main cavalry attack.
Then there was the Mongolian general Mo Rigen, who also led more than 300 Mongolian cavalry at the end. Their task was to wait for the cavalry to attack, then go around and harass the heavy armored infantry of the Qing army with mounted fire.
Zhang Guangda was concerned about the Chicheng Battalion, so he assigned Mo Rigen this task, specializing in assisting the infantry battalion and focusing on dealing with the Qing heavy infantry.
Although they wear two layers of armor that can withstand all bows and arrows, their eyes, mouth, etc. are still insufficiently protected. Furthermore, although these Mongolian knights are the best at riding and shooting, it does not mean that they are not good at riding and fighting. .
Each of their saddles also had javelins, throwing axes, as well as sledgehammers, long axes and other long weapons for cavalry warfare.
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Prince Duduo of Yu saw that the defense of the Ming army's infantry became more and more difficult, and its guns and artillery were also inconvenient to shoot due to the close combat between the two sides. He had a premonition that victory was just around the corner.
He actually wanted to lead the army to the battle in person, so Zhen Turge, who held a white flag on the mountain and held him in place, grabbed him and asked Dai Duduo to lead the army to the battle.
Turge even tried to persuade Duduo that he was the commander-in-chief of an army and it was inconvenient for him to go to the front line to charge. He could stay in the middle army to observe the military situation at the front for command and dispatch.
But Duduo had already determined that the defeat of the Ming army was imminent, so how could he let go of this opportunity to pursue the powerful Ming army?
In desperation, Turge also knew that his persuasion was useless, so he had no choice but to lead the Baja soldiers with white flags and follow Duduo closely to protect his safety.
