Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 243 Three Walls

In essence, the war during the Southern Ming Dynasty was a struggle for interests among local forces in China.

But if you zoom out a little more, you can easily see that most of the generals who participated in the war were from Shaanxi. In the end, it was just that the Southern Ming court and the Qing court each pointed a group of peasant armies from Shaanxi to fight each other. Even the powerful armies outside the Great Wall in the early years ended up being injured or killed if they came into contact with them.

At this point, the question naturally arises: why did the peasant army that was defeated by the Manchus become so powerful that it could rival all of China after changing its identity?
The reasons are of course complicated, but generally speaking, the early peasant army did not receive support from local forces, and thus was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of weapons and equipment and logistical supplies.

Based on this, it was impossible for the peasant army to equip itself with firearms on a large scale, so they were naturally vulnerable to Wuzhen Chaoha.

However, the situation is never constant. After the peasant army split into the Ming and Qing dynasties, the raw materials for craftsmen that were previously impossible to obtain became readily available.

In this way, after their weapons and equipment were basically on par with those of other troops, the powerful fighting power of the people in the Northwest was immediately unrestrained and was displayed to the fullest on various battlefields almost in an instant.

Of course, at this time period, most of the peasant armies had just joined the Ming and Qing dynasties, and their combat style still maintained a style mainly based on cavalry attacks.

Historical records state: The bandits' cavalry were like clouds, and whenever they arrived, they would fill the mountains and plains and gallop as they pleased.

The core elite of Chuang's army was its old camp troops of about 60,000 people, and the vast majority of them were cavalry.

With such a large cavalry force, the Chuang army naturally came up with a tactic to match it: three walls.

"Front team! Advance!"

As the central army's flag was waved, the cavalry at the front of the formation controlled their horses and began to speed up before charging the enemy's formation.

Seeing that his own cavalry seemed to be overwhelming, Wang Tizhong, who had been anxious since the capture of Fuzhou, immediately felt his mind clear and his whole body relaxed.

He now feels that the best thing he has done in his life is to kill Bai Wang.

I don't know if it was because Bai Wang was incompatible with him, but before his death, although Wang Ti Zhong was in a team that almost took over the world, to be fair, he suffered a lot but never enjoyed a single day of happiness.

But when Bai Wang died, Wang Tizhong's luck really turned. He first received an official position and reward from the Qing army, and then he was replenished with a lot of firearms and equipment.

Until now, he was still troubled by his inability to break into the city, but the defenders actually started a internal conflict right under his nose!

Wang Tizhong would not let go of such a godsend opportunity.

After receiving the news, he ordered his infantry to attract the attention of the defenders, while he led his cavalry directly to the south of Ganzhou City.

It really is a turn of events!
When he went around to the south of the city, he was pleasantly surprised to find that not only had several Ming troops sent out some troops to fight in the middle, but the rest were also lined up facing south.

The Ming army's position was like a hook waiting to be beaten for Wang Tizhong who came from the north. Wasn't it like putting the key to Fujian and Guangdong in front of him?
"Marshal, it's time to give the order."

It only took the cavalry five or six breaths to accelerate, and when the front team was already approaching the Ming army's "formation", Wang Tizhong was still a little distracted.

Seeing this, the general beside him whispered a reminder, and he finally reacted and urged his horse to join the squadron formation.

The most critical point of the three walls is to prevent the cavalry from being trapped by the infantry, so when each team's charge slows down, the generals will lead their troops to retreat so that they can regroup and fight again.

This tactic maximized the impact of cavalry. If the Qing army also had cavalry and could make arrangements based on their weaknesses, it might have been able to offset some of the disadvantages caused by the difference in firearms.

However, Wang Tizhong does not have to worry about these. To put it bluntly, all the Ming troops currently guarding Ganzhou come from the southwest. They don't even have decent cavalry, let alone target their weaknesses.

In this case, it is understandable that Lieutenant General Wang Ti would personally charge into the battle as soon as the battle begins. After all, such a sure opportunity that allows him to demonstrate his leadership is rare.

"Squadron! Advance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a team of more than 300 knights slowly gathered speed, and Wang Ti, who was in the middle of them, suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

Yes, if he had not been chosen to go to the old camp because of his excellent riding skills, who knows which bastard would have eaten his body?

Wang Tizhong was an experienced fighter after all, so he forced himself to suppress such irrelevant thoughts as soon as they came to his mind, and then focused all his attention on the front.

At this time, the front team had already touched the central battle group. Although he could not see clearly how the three main formations would respond because his vision was blocked by the huge crowd, he could still make some rough judgments from those battle flags.

The side that was closer to them seemed to be retreating, but the remaining two sides were still standing there, obviously not knowing whether to advance or retreat.

Hmm? Why is there an extra yellow side?

The scout didn't mention that King Yongning's followers were also in internal strife.

Seeing that the situation on the battlefield was slightly different from the intelligence he had received, Wang Tizhong was a little annoyed, but he didn't care too much.

After all, Prince Yongning was chased all the way to Ganzhou by him, so how could he not know the strength of his army?
"Speed ​​up!"

At this moment, the front team had already turned around. Seeing this, Wang Tizhong instantly dispelled all irrelevant thoughts. Then he thrust his spear forward suddenly, and the entire team immediately rushed towards the Ming army in the field who had no time to escape like a huge wave.

He knew very well that the Ming army in the central battle group was in the midst of an infighting, and it was simply a pipe dream to expect them to form a dense formation that could withstand the cavalry's attack. As long as he could disperse these mixed soldiers as quickly as possible, even if several Ming army main formations could be changed in time, they would have to face the attack of their own soldiers first.

"Shoot!"

With the warhorse running at full speed, in just a moment, Wang Ti was only twenty steps away from the central battle group. At the same time, he shouted loudly, and the entire team of knights immediately put their meter-long lances under their armpits.

At this time, Wang could already see clearly that the soldiers of the Central Regiment were wearing slightly different clothes and armor. He could even vaguely see how terrified the soldiers who were fleeing in all directions were.

But how could he, a man who had fought for half his life, have any compassion for the frightened enemy? After slightly adjusting the direction of his lance, he put all his energy into preparing for a collision with the enemy.

There was a bang.

The armor of the Ming army in front of him broke with a sound, and then the entire gun barrel broke out of his body from his back, and the man was actually hung directly on the gun barrel.

If someone else were to see this, they would probably think it was truly extremely powerful.

But Wang Tizhong knew his own business, and he was very clear that under normal circumstances he should have made a slight adjustment when stabbing, so as to pull back the spear and prevent the corpse from hanging on the spear shaft.

But now, the gun barrel has already protruded from the back of the corpse, and it is extremely difficult to pull it out.

In this situation, he did not hesitate much. After letting go of the spear, he immediately pulled out the sword.

"Marshal! It's time to retreat!"

He was delayed for a few breaths because of the corpse, but during this time, the surrounding knights achieved results and the speed of the entire cavalry was slightly reduced.

"Retreat!" After hearing the reminder from the general beside him, Wang Tizhong did not hesitate at all.

To put it bluntly, the most important task of the cavalry in this section is to disperse the Ming army in the central battle group. Only after they have broken through their main camp will it be time to pursue them all the way and reap the fruits of victory.

As the military order was issued, the entire cavalry was immediately divided into several smaller formations. Then these veteran soldiers changed direction and headed towards the main formation along the most convenient route.

But there are thousands of Ming troops gathered here, how could there not be a few who dare to stand up?

Just when Wang Tizhong was halfway through the circle and had not yet completely changed direction, he saw a knight a few feet away who was also changing direction like him, and seemed to be hit by something and fell off his horse.

"Don't run away, traitor! Hu Yiqing from Lin'an is here, do you dare to fight me to the death?"

The sound was deafening. Although the pain in Wang's body did not ease at all, he could not help but be frightened when he saw the knight nailed to the ground by a lance.

But this was not a story, so why would he create trouble when the cavalry had lost its greatest support?
Idiot!

Yu cursed in his heart, and then without him making any move, several riders broke away from his small formation.

These guys were all brave warriors in the army, and when they saw that their own brigade might be held up by this idiot, they took the responsibility of intercepting him.

Seeing this situation, Wang Tizhong didn't care too much. For him, the most important thing now was to prevent the offensive rhythm of the three walls from being disrupted.

As for the coming general.
To put it bluntly, he only has three or five people, so how much impact can they have on the entire battle situation?

But he still underestimated Hu Yiqing. Just when the team completed the turn, he caught a glimpse of the general who was surrounded by more than a dozen knights fighting fiercely and did not feel suppressed at all.

He is actually a brave general. It would be nice to have him under your command.

As the cavalry brigade left the battle group, Wang Tizhong began to have other thoughts.

However, fighting a war these days requires teamwork. Although he wanted to accept it, it was just a hobby like collecting.

After a while, his team retreated about a hundred steps away.

It has to be said that their soldiers were indeed well-trained. At this time, less than half an incense stick of time had passed since the start of the battle, but the front team had already started the second round of attack, and the rear team was retreating from the battlefield.

Wang Tizhong was accustomed to this. After roughly assessing the results of this battle, he once again led the squadron to launch another round of attack.

He saw clearly that the Ming army was unable to make any moves in the first round, which meant that the opponent would most likely be completely defeated in this round.

According to common sense, there would be no suspense in the battle at this point, but when he approached the central battle group again, he found that several knights who had besieged the general had been killed, and standing in front of him were replaced by a group of unarmored men holding various weapons.

Is this a bandit?

They must be crazy.

Zhang An was probably a little crazy at this time. He just arrived when the first wave of attack by the Qing army arrived, but after just a while, most of the troops who came with him were killed or injured.

He had heard that cavalry was the nemesis of infantry, but he had lived in the mountains for a long time, so how could he have the chance to truly witness their horror?
"Leader! Retreat! We can't stop them!"

Seeing another wave of attack from the Qing army was about to arrive, the troops around Zhang An immediately cried out loudly as if they had collapsed.

"What nonsense! I have promised the Han people to help them fight the Tartars, but now I am retreating after just a while. Do you still want to save the face of the Dong people?"

After saying this, Zhang An focused all his attention on the approaching Qing cavalry.

It was not known whether he was too focused or was deliberately ignoring the situation. When some of his subordinates slowly retreated because they could not control their fear, he still stared at the front without any intention of stopping them.

Zhang An regretted it.

I really regret it.

If he had known that the Qing army was so powerful, he would never have agreed to surrender.

However, although the people in the mountains have all kinds of barbaric behaviors, they understand the principle of "one spit, one pit".

Under such circumstances, he, who had personally promised the court, could only die on the battlefield. But with his life at stake, who could find any fault with the remaining Dong people?
It's true that I have never seen cavalry, but I'm not afraid!
With this in mind, Zhang An simply threw the weapon in his hand to the ground. Then he slightly bent his waist, stretched out his hands, and directly assumed a posture as if he was wrestling with a bull, as if he wanted to resist the impact of the cavalry with his flesh and blood body.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

"come!"

Just when everyone thought that this barbarian was going to use his flesh and blood to resist the attack of the Qing soldiers, he actually seized the opportunity to push away the long spear with his hand, and then exerted force with his waist, using the power of the spear to directly knock the knight in front of him off his horse.

Bang!
With a loud bang, a knight fell heavily to the ground.

This happened extremely suddenly, so suddenly that everyone was stunned for a moment, but who among those who could be trained as elite cavalrymen was not one in a hundred?

Just as Zhang An was about to use the force of turning around to attack the knight beside him, the man had already drawn his sword and slashed at him.

When a person turns around and exerts force, his feet are bound to be rooted and it is difficult for him to move. In addition, he has nothing in his hand except the spear that is firmly held down by the Qing army. In this situation, not to mention Zhang An, even if Guan Erye were alive, he would not be able to escape.

Probably can't be avoided.

In just that instant, half of his life experiences replayed in his mind one by one like a picture chapter, and Zhang An knew that this was his last battle and he no longer had the energy to fight back.

"Hey!"

Just when Zhang An was ready to accept death calmly, a golden sound suddenly rang in his ears.

Then he felt a pain in his shoulder, and his whole body was freed from the stiff state before death.

Is this someone coming to rescue?

"What are you standing there for? Get started!"

(End of this chapter)