On the north bank of the Xiaoling River, the Ming army formed military formations one mile away from the river bank.
The Ming army's formation, composed of the Xuanfu Army and the Datong Army, had well-proportioned square formations in the front row. In front of the formation were horsemen and chariots, with the black muzzles of the cannons on the vehicles waiting attentively.
The first row is a total of six phalanxes. The two phalanxes in the middle are the left and right camps of Xuanfu chariots. In front of them stands a row of horse guns, followed by sixty chariots each, and every ten chariots are connected together. There are three-step wide aisles in the middle to facilitate the soldiers in the camp to attack.
The two battalions are about thirty steps apart. On both sides of them are the military formations of the left-wing battalion and the right-wing battalion of Datong Town Zhenbiao, and on the outermost side are two large cavalry formations guarding the two wings.
On the right is the Xuanfu Zhenbiao Battalion of Xuanfu veteran Guo Yingxian, and on the outermost left is Zhang Guangda's cavalry battalion. As the assault force of the entire army, they can advance to attack the slave bandit formation, but retreat to protect the safety of the flanks of their own formation.
About a hundred steps behind the first row of military formations, there are four more Ming army formations. In the middle are the Xuanfu Army's Chicheng Camp and Wang Pu's Zhenbiao Camp. To the right of Chicheng Camp are the Xuanfu Army's Huwei Camp and Wang Pu's Zhenbiao Camp. The left wing of the battalion was Datong guerrilla Hou Fangke's guerrilla battalion.
Zhang Cheng's left and right central army's nearly two thousand soldiers, as well as Huang Baozhong's cavalry team, formed at the end, about fifty steps away from the Chicheng Camp in front. This is also where the central command platform of Xuan Dajun is located.
Opposite the nearly 20,000 soldiers of the Xuan Army were Manchu troops and horses with white flags led by Prince Azige of Wuying County in the Qing Dynasty. On both sides of them were the Northern Banners cavalry with two yellow flags from Mongolia.
Coupled with the accompanying soldiers, the Qing army's strength definitely exceeded 20,000 troops. This did not include the sparse Han troops in front of and outside their formation, and there were more than 3,000 people.
The Qing army set up a highly offensive Crane Wing Formation. Most of the more than 20,000 Tatar cavalry were concentrated on the two wings. They extended from the east and west sides to the south, like outstretched arms that seemed to wrap up the entire Ming army. In the meantime.
…………
There is a high earth platform in the middle of the Xuanda Army Camp, with a command platform stacked with several special carts. Datong Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu and Zhang Cheng stood on the platform together.
Wang Pu looked at the several dragon banners in front of the Qing army's formation in the north and the majestic Qing army's cavalry formation. He was still frightened in his heart, but with a smile on his face he said: "Fortunately, Zhang Shuai came to help in time, otherwise I would have been in Datong." The army and horses will suffer a big loss at the hands of slaves and thieves."
Zhang Cheng put down the telescope in his hand with a smile on his face and comforted him: "General Wang is worried. I see the situation here. Although the slave thieves are coming with great force, they may not be able to seek benefits from the Datong Army."
Seeing what Zhang Cheng said, Wang Pu felt a little embarrassed. He raised his finger and pointed to the distance in the north and said: "Thankfully, Zhang Gueryi and Qian Hu fought bravely, otherwise it would be really difficult to deal with these damn Tatars."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but curse: "Damn it, you might not have seen them when killing Tatars before, but now they are killing our own people, but they are very ferocious."
Wang Pu seemed to be getting angrier as he spoke. He pointed in the direction of the Qing army's formation and continued: "Kong Youde is such a person that he has simply forgotten his ancestor's last name. I didn't expect that he would become so ferocious after surrendering himself to slavery.
I really don’t know what this guy is thinking, but he is actually able to kill his own people? I am really ashamed of this saint’s surname! "
"You are a disciple who forgets your ancestors after reading the classics. Why should Commander Wang bother with you?"
Zhang Cheng said calmly: "Like Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi and others, they have already committed themselves to slavery and become two Tatars who have forgotten their ancestors. These people who help Zhou to abuse are really more hateful than the real barbarians.
The same is true for Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, Bao Chengxian, Shi Tingzhu, Ma Guangyuan and others. Anyone who falls into the hands of this commander will definitely die a good death! "
Wang Pu also added bitterly: "Yes, you can't teach him to die well. You have to let him experience all kinds of tortures in the Ming Dynasty before he can die well."
Zhang Cheng, however, did not want to continue to argue about this topic. He asked Wang Pu: "General Wang, Jinzhou City is close at hand. Today, the Datong Army will perform meritorious service. You must be brave in front of the battle."
Wang Pu immediately continued: "Commander Zhang, our Datong army has been fighting with the two Tatars since they crossed the river in the afternoon. Only when they got a foothold on the north bank, the Tatmadats immediately came to kill them. No matter how they clashed, our Datong army never stopped." Not taking a step back.
It’s not easy, it’s not easy! "
Seeing Wang Pu like this, Zhang Cheng looked amused, but Wang Pu said again: "Of course, we are also lucky to have Zhang Guerrilla's cavalry camp and Yu Qianzong's car camp to help out, otherwise even our Datong Army would have achieved this result. , I’m afraid there will be heavy casualties.”
Zhang Cheng was speechless when he heard the words. He looked at his Xuan army formation. Nearly 20,000 troops were arrayed neatly without a trace of chaos. Xuan Town and Datong Town had never practiced together before. It was rare to see them like this.
But now the soldiers and horses of Datong Zhenbiao camp are already led by Wang Pu's general Wang Zheng, so he does not need to return to his main camp and can accompany Zhang Cheng.
The sun was setting in the west. Although the Xuan army in front had just joined the battle, the weather was the most difficult at this moment. The sun was scorching hot at noon, but it was extremely cold in the morning and evening.
Both sides in the Ming and Qing Dynasties wore armor on both foot and cavalry. Now everyone was sweating, but no one dared to take off their armor in the formation. After all, military orders were like mountains, and the slightest disobedience would result in death.
The Datong army had not been so strict before, but now they were sandwiched between the Xuanfu army, and there was a solemn silence on both sides, which actually made them dare not make the slightest move.
"Those who are close to vermilion are red, and those who are close to ink are black." I'm afraid this is the truth!
Today's Ming Dynasty officials and troops aiding the Liao Dynasty all have a sense of awe for the Xuanfu army, especially Wang Pu of Datong and Li Fuming of Shanxi.
Even the generals in Liaodong who looked down on the Xuanfu Army at the beginning are now looking at him sideways. Although some people still look disapproving on the surface, they already attach great importance to Zhang Cheng in their hearts.
And all this was done by the Xuanfu Army themselves. If the Xuanfu Army had not built its prestige today through numerous military exploits, how could those arrogant and powerful generals in Liaodong be convinced?
Now, facing the Tatars who had nearly ten thousand more troops than him, Zhang Cheng still showed no fear. He took a deep breath and said to Wang Pu beside him: "General Wang, we can't just fight with the Tatars like this." We are running out of time, but we have to seize the opportunity to break through the Tatar army formation and approach Jinzhou South Pass."
Wang Pu took a deep breath after hearing this. According to his opinion, he could actually hold the north bank front. Although it was not a great achievement, it was nothing wrong. There was no need to charge into the Tatar army's formation, which would only increase unnecessary casualties.
But at this moment, in front of Zhang Cheng, he did not dare to reveal his inner thoughts, not to mention that there was now a Xunzhen cavalry army fighting with him. He also felt very confident and would not say anything unsupportive. .
Just listen to him say: "Yes, it's time to attack. Please give the order to Commander Zhang. If anyone in the Datong army dares not to try his best, I will be the first to chop off his head."
Zhang Cheng nodded with a smile and said to him, "That's good."
As soon as he finished speaking, he shouted: "Pass the commander's military order. After one shot of artillery, the left and right car camps will bombard the Qing army; after the second shot of artillery, Zhang Guangda's cavalry camp on the left will attack the right flank of the Tatars; when the three shots of artillery fire, Datong Town's left and right wings attacked simultaneously, while the left cavalry withdrew.
Tell the generals of each battalion that today's battle is of great importance, but anyone who is timid and retreats before the battle will be killed immediately! "
"Here."
Under the high platform, several flag officers rode on horseback and loudly responded to the order, then hurried away, leaving only a puff of smoke floating around.
However, Zhang Cheng shouted loudly: "Send the order, Datong general Wang Zheng, guerrilla Hou Fangke, Xuanfu guerrilla Zhang Guodong, and Qianzong Lin Fangping immediately prepare for war, pay attention to the flag of the Chinese army at all times, march according to the flag, and attack according to the order of the flag of the Chinese army. There must be no mistakes.
But those who make mistakes before the formation will be dismissed from their posts; those who do not respect orders will be killed! "
"Here."
Several more flag commanders galloped forward on horseback.
Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, listened to Zhang Cheng shout out the word "kill" one by one. With each shout, his body trembled involuntarily, as if he was the one who was about to be beheaded.
Zhang Cheng also saw Wang Pu's reaction. Although he smiled secretly in his heart, he didn't say anything on his face.
…………
Seeing the smoke billowing from the galloping horses of the flag commander, it soon spread to the front row of the military formation, and then all the battalions started to move.
However, although the army was preparing for war, it was in an orderly manner and showed no chaos at all. The soldiers of each battalion were following the requirements of their superiors. Some were cleaning the barrels of the cannons and loading the cannons, while others were sorting out their armor and weapons.
The cavalrymen also tightened their saddles and bridles for their horses, especially the soldiers from the left-wing Xuanfu Army cavalry battalion. They took out a handful of beans from their belts and fed them into the mouths of the horses beside them.
"Tum!"
A cannon sounded, followed by a burst of war drums, and then bursts of drums from the battalions in front responded.
As the drums beat loudly in the Ming army's formation, the Qing army seemed to be aware of the coming danger. Although they were more than a mile apart, it could still be seen through the telescope that the Qing army's cavalry formation was stretching to both sides.
Suddenly, the flags in the Qing cavalry formation wavered, and a large number of captive cavalry rushed forward, as if they were going to break through the Ming army's defense line in one go. Especially the captive cavalry on both sides of them were more violent.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
Almost at the same time, artillery boomed from the two military formations in the middle of the front row of the Ming army, and smoke instantly filled the entire military formation, like a fairyland.
Solid iron cannonballs were fired one after another and fell in the rushing Qing cavalry formation. Almost every cannonball could hit at least one Tatar cavalryman.
Some cannonballs kept bouncing in the cavalry formation, surging around in the cavalry formation in very irregular routes, but even so, they still could not stop them from galloping south. They were really brave Tatar thieves who were not afraid of death.
"Tum!"
The second trumpet sounded, and with the sound of war drums, the front row of Ming army's left cavalry formation also moved forward.
The left-wing cavalry of the Ming army was divided into three waves. The five hundred light cavalry were at the front. They ran the fastest. Each one of them ran forward with a rein in their left hand and a short-handed gun in their right hand.
Outside the light cavalry were three hundred heavy cavalry. They followed the light cavalry, about twenty or thirty steps apart, and ten steps apart on the left and right.
These heavy cavalrymen all have one person and two horses. The horses they ride on have nothing but saddles and bridles. Next to this horse, there is also a stronger horse, which is actually the same as the heavy cavalry. Like the cavalry, they also wear battle armor.
On the outermost side are four hundred cavalry. Although their armors are of ordinary appearance, each of them has a variety of weapons, including everything.
It was Mongolian Qianhu Morigen's 300 Mongolian cavalry and Hu Dayou's 100 errant cavalry. They were thirty or forty steps behind the heavy cavalry, and the queue spread out even further, whining and shouting as they galloped towards the north. Go, the momentum is actually the largest among the three teams of cavalry.
At the Zhang Guangda Cavalry Battalion, there are still four to five hundred cavalry scattered around, standing guard. They are the auxiliary soldiers of the Cavalry Battalion. Although they are managed and drilled as combat troops, they are always on guard. Not allowed to go into battle, only responsible for some security and miscellaneous tasks.
Soon, on the north bank of Xiaoling River to the west of the Ming and Qing armies, the cavalry from both sides were the first to engage in battle.
The soldiers on both sides roared their most familiar slogans loudly, and the shouts of killing resounded throughout the sky, seeming to overwhelm the sound of the artillery from the two car camps.
At the moment when the two sides engaged in battle, Qingqi Division Qianzong Wang Tieren shouted: "Xuanfu Army..."
The light cavalry beside him immediately shouted: "Mighty... Mighty..."
In the midst of these "mighty" roars, the explosions of "Bang! Bang! Bang!" continued one after another. The oncoming Tatar riders screamed and screamed miserably, falling off their horses.
Of course, many of the Xuanfu Army's light cavalry were hit by javelins, flying axes and other objects thrown by the Tatars, and screams followed by "Puff! Bang!" and other sounds continued to be heard.
Fortunately, the light cavalry of the Xuanfu Army were all warriors with superb riding skills. Although many of them were shot by Tatars with spears and flying axes, they could endure the pain and hold on to the reins of their horses, or they could hold on to the necks of their horses and keep themselves Not falling off the horse.
Although there were some soldiers who were shot in vital parts by Tatar javelins, or hit on the head by flying axes, iron bones, etc., and fell off their horses. They fell off their horses when their horses were galloping, and most of them probably did not survive.
Even if you fall and fight, you won't die for a while, but when the horses gallop behind you, how can you ensure that you don't trample the fallen soldiers in front?
"kill!"
At the moment when the Xuanfu light cavalry and the Tatars were fighting, the heavy cavalry following them slowed down slightly, and they followed their leader Zhang Guangda and roared in unison.
All three hundred heavy cavalry soldiers stood up from their horses and mounted on the tall horses next to them.
They quickly converted into a cavalry formation of six cavalry in a row, with a total of fifty horizontal rows. Like a long knife, they rushed straight into the Qing army's right-wing cavalry formation.
The heavy cavalry of the Xuanfu Army Cavalry Battalion all wear uniform heavy armor. In addition to the carefully selected leather armor for the horses, even the weapons of the knights are uniformly equipped with tiger lances.
The five rows of heavy cavalry in front all held the reins with their left hands to steadily control the speed of the horses. They held the long tiger guns with their right hands and clamped the tails of the guns under their armpits to increase stability.
The heavy knights in war horse gear are like tanks in later generations. They are like rock-solid iron walls, and the tiger spears sticking out in front are even more like a forest.
The cold light flashing from the tip of the spear complemented the cold light reflected by the iron helmet and armor. It rushed into the Qing army's cavalry formation and rushed away as if entering an uninhabited land.
