In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 708 My Lord, Times Have Changed (Supplement: 419)

The thick smoke billowing into the sky, and the explosions that could be heard from a great distance—

There is no doubt that this is gunpowder that only the Ming Dynasty could keep on hand.

Gunpowder that could be ignited in icy conditions without getting damp was even rarer.
After the Northern Yuan royal court disappeared, it was the only one left in the world.

In an instant, Huang Yingzhi's mind relaxed.
Exhaustion overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

But he stubbornly refused to collapse, and instead allowed two bodyguards to support him.
He was kept in place, his eyes fixed on the battle ahead.

After the rear gate of the Jurchen camp was blown open, the camp clearly fell into chaos.

A cacophony of shouts and yells could be heard.

For some reason, Huang Yingzhi and his soldiers felt a secret sense of satisfaction, as if to say:
"You have today too!"

Inside the Jurchen camp, Zhang Huai'an led his soldiers to skillfully place gunpowder at several key points, easily blasting open the gate and rushing in.

Even when he led his army in,

The Jurchens had not yet prepared the defenses of their rear camp.
Preparations such as barricades and horse pits are not yet fully complete.

What he saw were blank faces, as if to say:

"How did you get in?"

Zhang Huai'an didn't waste any words with them, and gently flicked the reins.
He charged ahead, taking the lead, and let out a loud shout:
"Kill the enemy!"

"Kill the enemy—"

Soldiers surged in from the back gate of the camp like a tide.

What was shocking was that, apart from the initial thousand soldiers who charged in,
The remaining two thousand soldiers were all infantry, and they could even see groups of warhorses gathering behind them through the open gate.

This performance greatly surprised many Jurchens.

I think these grassland people might have lost their minds.

They have warhorses but don't ride them; instead, they insist on fighting on foot.
But soon, they regretted their earlier thought.
They couldn't wait for these infantrymen to mount their warhorses and engage in a fierce and exhilarating battle.

"The musketeers split into three groups and dispersed to engage the enemy!"

"Triple attack, prepare!"

"volley--"

With a series of rapid military orders issued, the musketeers gathered at the front met the Jurchens who were rushing forward.

The number of people was approximately a thousand, scattered among the gaps in the tents in various locations.

Before they could even get close...
Then I heard explosions coming from the world in front of me.
The smoke billowed and dissipated with the wind.

Upon hearing the sound, a soldier at the forefront froze on the spot and covered his ears.

But soon he found that nothing had changed; there was just some thick smoke in front of him.
A look of confusion flashed in his eyes. What had happened?
Suddenly, he heard a few barely perceptible ticking sounds.

He turned his head in confusion, but found no source of the sound.
After listening carefully, I finally found the location: it was right under me.

When he looked down, he didn't find the expected dripping water.
But
Bright red blood,

Thick blood trickled down the seams of the armor.

It was like rain pouring down on the roof, almost forming a continuous stream.

"What's going on here?"

His gaze moved upwards and quickly fell upon the bloodstains on the chest.
And that chest, its skin torn and flesh ripped apart, already rotten to pieces.

The soldier's eyes widened suddenly, and pain surged up like a tidal wave, engulfing him in an instant.

But before he could even utter a cry, the world before him was already shrouded in darkness.

He fell straight backward and landed on the ground with a thud.

Sometimes it's like that; a wound doesn't hurt unless you look at it, but once you discover it, the pain will follow.

At this moment, at least half of the more than a thousand soldiers who charged forward encountered the same situation.

At first, there was surprise and doubt, with the impression that the grassland people were deliberately mystifying things.

But after the chest wounds were discovered, the dead and wounded began to appear in large numbers.

In just a few breaths, at least five hundred of the valiant Jurchens fell!
"Three-stage attack, volley fire!"

Before they could react, the demonic voice rang out again.
Those grassland people, holding their dark gun barrels, stepped forward again and unhesitatingly spat fire.

Amidst the smoke and the piercing sounds of explosions, the scattered tents were riddled with holes.
The remaining five hundred soldiers also fell to the ground one after another, leaving only a few standing.

Bloodshed and terror filled the air at that moment.

In no more than fifty breaths, over a thousand Jurchen warriors fell in pools of blood.
This left many Jurchen people, who had never witnessed such a battle, stunned in place.

The long sword in his hand seemed to have turned into noodles, becoming somewhat limp.

"what is this?"

"Go, go, go! Don't just stand there, what are you standing there for!"

At this moment, a Jurchen general rushed over, breaking the deathly silence.

He cursed:
"Push forward and coordinate with the vanguard to block the gate."

The sound stopped abruptly, his running pace slowed down, and finally he froze on the spot.

He scanned his surroundings but did not see the thousand or so vanguard soldiers who had surged forward earlier.

Instead, they saw the grassland people beginning to spread.

He was stunned at first, then burst into a tirade:
"Where are they? Where are they? Didn't they say they'd be here a long time ago?"

His voice grew softer and softer until it disappeared completely.
He saw corpses everywhere and their grotesque, bewildered faces.

He couldn't believe it—more than a thousand living people.

How could it vanish without a trace in just a few breaths?

Even slaughtering a pig wouldn't be this fast.

"Kaka."

"go ahead!"

The sound interrupted his thoughts, and he saw the earthen-yellow square formation ahead begin to move slowly.
The light footsteps landed on the ground without making a sound.

The only sound in the world seemed to be the tapping of metal.
"When did the grassland people acquire such skills?"

The general's thoughts had barely formed when a sharp whooshing sound rang out.
"Whoosh-"

An arrow, inlaid with a fish-tail arrowhead and a fluffy tail, flew past the crowd.
It also bypassed the gaps between many camps and pierced deep into his brow!

The arrowhead pierced most of the fishtail, and the head jerked backward as if struck by a heavy object.

With a "crack" sound, the neck snapped, but it was no longer of any consequence.

The group of Jurchens turned their gaze in that direction again.

A dashing young figure appeared at the gate, riding a warhorse.

The large bow in his hand was menacing and powerful, and it was still trembling slightly.

The Jurchen people were suddenly shocked; such a large bow must have been at least a hundred stones!

The moment that man appeared at the camp gate, the aura of the steppe people changed drastically.
From its original composure, it suddenly became sharp and full of ambition!
Their steps, though measured, had become longer, seemingly filled with a thirst for the enemy.

After observing the layout of the Jurchen camp from behind the military formation, Lu Yunyi nodded slightly.

Aside from a few minor details, the military camp before us is almost identical to those of the Ming Dynasty.

He also admired the people of Liaodong; they had something truly authentic.

Lu Yunyi spoke in a deep voice:
Kneel down and you won't be killed!

Kneel down and you won't be killed!

The messenger, carrying a megaphone, began shouting arrogantly.
One by one, messengers rushed forward, and the entire army formation erupted in a deafening roar.
Kneel down and you won't be killed!

"Danglang"

The sound of a long sword falling rang out; it had been at the front of the army...
More than a hundred Jurchens were pointed at by muskets.
Without any hesitation, he dropped the long sword and knelt down with a thud.

They trembled all over, their eyes no longer filled with the desire to fight the enemy, but only with the fear of death.

As Jurchens who advocated fishing and hunting,

They weren't afraid of death, but they were afraid of dying silently, without any fanfare.
Like a stray dog ​​on the roadside, ignored by everyone.

The sound of long swords falling was incessant, and more and more Jurchens knelt down.
Lu Yunyi looked around in surprise.
His earlier remarks were merely intended to demoralize the Jurchen people.

This will give them pause and a choice, preventing them from becoming trapped soldiers.

But judging from the current results, the effect is much better than he had imagined. "Order the entire army to gather the prisoners and spare their lives by having them kneel!"

"Shout louder again: Whoever presents Baturuhan will join our army as a commander of a thousand and enjoy wealth and honor!"

The moment the voice was uttered, the morale of the Jurchens plummeted.

Many of the kneeling Jurchens suddenly raised their heads, their eyes revealing longing.

That feeling was like being branded as a servant, forced to fight for a new master.

Lu Yunyi was greatly shocked by the scene.

This was his first time facing the enemy, the Jurchen, and he never expected them to be so spineless.

Wu Fulu also noticed this scene.

But he did not stop the musketeers; instead, he continued to advance.

Being lenient and tolerant towards enemies will only embolden them to take advantage of you.
Only by continuing the killing can fear spread throughout the military camp!

Two thousand musketeers followed one thousand cavalrymen and quickly charged toward the camp.

Every cavalry charge was stopped.

The infantry, painstakingly organized, turned out to be as flimsy as paper.
After three volleys of fire, only corpses remained.
The group continued their journey, killing as they went.

As if they were visiting their own home, they quickly arrived at the central command tent!

The defenses here are much stronger; barricades and roadblocks have already been set up.

Following them was a battle formation of spearmen, behind whom were Jurchens wielding long swords.

Next came the archers responsible for suppressing the enemy.

Their longbows were already poised to fire.
Once the enemy enters the attack range, a volley of fire will be unleashed!
"end!"

Wu Fu waved his command flag, and both cavalry and infantry halted.
No one made a sound, and the world suddenly became quiet.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

However, the Jurchen guards of the central army camp were sweating profusely.

Fast, too fast!
From the moment they received orders to begin constructing the central army's defenses.
It's only been a quarter of an hour, how did the enemy troops manage to attack from the rear camp?
So much so that they didn't dig trenches or horse traps.
Some arrangements were not fully prepared, so we had to respond hastily.

Baturuhan stood behind them, surrounded by several guards, his face extremely grim.

The malicious stares around him made him feel uneasy and a sense of absurdity.

How did the situation suddenly turn out like this?
He clearly intended to achieve a major victory and become the leader of the Jurchens who could simultaneously defeat both the Ming army and the steppe people.

How can I become a prisoner in the blink of an eye?
Anger had clouded his judgment; reason had vanished.
If it weren't for several guards holding him back tightly,
He was about to mount his warhorse and lead his soldiers in a charge!
At this moment, his bodyguards were still trying to calm him down.
"Your Majesty, stay calm. They have Ming dynasty firearms. If they get close, they'll die."

"Wang, retreat quickly, we'll hold them off here."

The cacophony of voices annoyed Baturuhan to no end; he kept waving his hands and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

At that moment, a voice came from behind the barricades.
The clear and loud voice instantly suppressed their arrogance.

"Your rear guard has been completely breached, and the Jurchens in Haramulin have been utterly slaughtered."
Of the three Jurchen tribes, only you few remain.

"Kneel down and we won't kill you, we might spare your life."

Wow.
The previously quiet atmosphere instantly erupted into a frenzy.
Even the elite soldiers behind the barricades, armed with long spears, felt a sense of panic.
Cold sweat suddenly broke out on my palms, and my body trembled.

They're all dead? How is that possible?

At this time, Baturuhan regained some of his senses.
He looked at the young men in the battle formation not far away and cursed:

"You're talking nonsense, brothers, people of the tribe!"

The grassland people are cunning and spout nonsense; don't listen to them!

"In Halamulin and the left passage of Liaodong"
There are nearly 20,000 Jurchens left behind. Am I right?

Now they're all dead!

The sound spread, and the expressions of some generals who knew the number of people left behind changed drastically.

They believed they had made meticulous arrangements.

Scatter everyone among the people in the forest and mountains.

This was to avoid being discovered by the grassland people.

The fact that the enemy can accurately state their numbers already speaks volumes.

When Baturuhan heard the news, his hands trembled slightly.

In fact, he was not distressed by the deaths and injuries of the Jurchens in Haramulin.

Because they were people from the Haixi Jurchen.

But the rear army has many of his clansmen.
If I were to die here...
Baturuhan couldn't imagine the immense pressure he would face.

The loss of the tribe's able-bodied men in a battle would be a blow that would prevent the tribe from ever standing tall again.

Compared to this, his personal safety is somewhat insignificant.

Soon, he felt a burning hatred for Bayan and the others.
If they hadn't provoked the grassland people, they wouldn't be in this mess today.

“If the people inside kneel down, we won’t kill them. At least we can leave some seeds for your Jurchen tribe so that your race won’t be wiped out.”

The sound came from outside again, causing many people to waver.
They looked around blankly. Were they the only ones left?
What's the point of them staying here?
Almost instantly, the thought of surrender surged like a spring breeze, quickly sweeping over everyone.
Baturuhan keenly sensed the change in atmosphere.
He knew perfectly well that the three Jurchen tribes could only fight when the tide was against them.

Once the war turns against them, they will immediately go their separate ways and look after themselves.

And now, this trend has already emerged even though we've only just engaged the enemy.

He suddenly felt a pang of envy for the Lingshanpo camp across the way.
For the past seven days, Huang Yingzhi's troops have almost always been fighting against the odds.

But they were still able to organize several powerful counterattacks.
Despite the low morale, they never collapsed.

The thought of surrender flashed through his mind, but Baturuhan's eyes quickly hardened, and he said through gritted teeth:

"He's lying, we can't surrender!"

But before he could finish speaking, a Jurchen woman at the very front threw away her long sword.

It scrambled out using both hands and feet, shouting incessantly:
"I surrender, I surrender!"

Once there's a first, there's a second.
It's like a dam suddenly cracking open, and the rest is left to the flood.
Now, the dam in people's hearts has cracked, and thoughts of cowardice and surrender are surging forth like a tide.
There was no obstruction
"I surrender too! I surrender too!"

The newly established central defense line collapsed almost instantly.

Half of the people poured out at once.

They knelt on the ground, and when they looked up and saw the dark, menacing muskets...

He quickly lowered his head, his fear undisguised in his eyes.

"Sir, it's all assembled."

Lu Yunyi sat on his warhorse and took the flintlock pistol that Feng Yunfang handed him.

He glanced at the gun in his hand, then at the row of kneeling figures in front of him, and said with a half-smile:
Is this even necessary?

Feng Yunfang's expression was strange, and he tilted his body slightly.
Looking at the cannons that the soldiers behind him were assembling with great effort, he whispered:
"Sir, if the cannons can't be used, the craftsmen will get angry again."

Lu Yunyi thought about it and agreed that it made sense.
He smiled, picked up his flintlock pistol, aligned it with the target, and aimed at Baturuhan, who was half-exposed in the crowd opposite him.
"Here, bring me the binoculars so I can take a look, but make sure they don't touch the gun."

Feng Yunfang quickly pulled over a warhorse, mounted it, and

He carefully brought the telescope close to Lu Yunyi, while muttering to himself:
"Sir, it would be great if the telescope could be attached to it."

"Don't worry, it will happen."

Lu Yunyi chuckled, a smirk playing on his lips. His aim shifted rapidly, and soon he spoke:

"Okay, take it away."

Feng Yunfang quickly held his breath and moved the telescope away.
next moment,
A loud bang suddenly rang out.
The flintlock musket emitted intense sparks and billowing smoke.
"what--"

Screams followed one after another. Baturuhan was hit as if by a heavy object and flew backward!

The guards were somewhat bewildered and at a loss.
When they saw Wang's shattered right shoulder, their expressions changed drastically. What had happened?
Baturuhan looked at the exposed bones.
Feeling the pain above, I wanted to touch it but dared not.
His pupils contracted sharply, equally puzzled. What had happened?
"Kneel down and you won't be killed; everyone will die in three breaths!"

A sound came!

"No...ah."

Baturuhan tried to struggle to his feet, but the pain made him cry out.
The next instant, the sound of the long sword falling to the ground was deafening, engulfing him.

Lu Yunyi, mounted on his warhorse, chuckled softly, slung his flintlock pistol over his shoulder, and proclaimed loudly:

"Times have changed."

(End of this chapter)