Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 491 Attack and Counterattack! Target!
"No!" Before the words were finished, Chen Cheng had already jumped out of the carriage and said in a deep voice to stop him, his expression solemn.

"Why?" Huo Liancheng was taken aback and subconsciously turned to look at him, his face full of confusion.

Chen Cheng pointed to the "bandits" who were rapidly approaching in the distance, speaking quickly but calmly: "We are here as envoys of the Ming Dynasty, not as an army on a campaign. Our primary objective is to reach Beshbaliq safely, and we must not start a war here."

Launching another attack within Beshbali is a completely different matter from fighting your way into Beshbali from there.

The former could have been accomplished by bribing officials in Beshbali, with the cooperation of the Ming Dynasty's intelligence bureau and military intelligence department, as well as the bravery of the hundreds of soldiers accompanying him.

But if the battle starts from here, no matter how powerful or capable the Ming soldiers are, it is absolutely impossible for them to conquer Beshbalik with just a few hundred men.

Putting aside everything else, once the enemy adopts a scorched-earth policy, the logistical supply issues alone will force them to have no other option but to withdraw their troops.

Chen Cheng continued, "Moreover, this group moved in unison and attacked fiercely. They were not like ordinary mountain bandits, but rather like a well-trained regular army."

Upon hearing this, Huo Liancheng's expression hardened, and when he turned to look again, his eyes immediately became sharp.

He spent his life on the battlefield, fighting countless battles, large and small, and dealing with countless bandits and outlaws, so he naturally knew very well what he was doing.

Even the fiercest bandits are nothing more than a rabble, only capable of oppressing the people and robbing merchants. When it comes to facing the elite troops of the imperial court, they are ultimately nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, utterly vulnerable.

But this team in front of me...

Huo Liancheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and cold, like the sharp edge of a sword.

He could tell that the enemy's offensive was well-organized and their formation was orderly, lacking the laxity of bandits. They were clearly a well-trained and regular armed force.

“Furthermore,” Chen Cheng continued his analysis, “it is said that the ‘Tianshan Bandits’ numbered only four or five hundred, but this army in front of us has at least two thousand men. The numbers are clearly mismatched.”

He paused, his expression growing increasingly solemn. "The Western Regions are a vast expanse of desert, with no sign of human habitation for thousands of miles. In many places, even basic water resources are extremely scarce."

"How do you maintain supplies for such a large force? What do they eat and drink?"

"Don't forget, although caravans carry treasure, they rarely carry large amounts of water and food. They simply cannot support an army of this size by plundering."

Chen Cheng's expression was as calm as a deep pool, and he said with certainty, "If they were truly bandits, how could they survive in this barren land? Unless..."

Huo Liancheng had already come to his senses.

"If there were really several thousand bandits lurking here, how could it not arouse Beshbali's vigilance?"

"Even if the officials in Beshbali are corrupt and pervert the law, they are not dead."

"If there really was such a large band of bandits, it should have been reported long ago and troops should have been dispatched to wipe them out."

"According to reports from passing caravans, there is no separatist force here that is at war with the Beshbaliq government."

"This proves that they were not bandits or outlaws at all."

"They are the regular army of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate!"

"They actually dared to send troops to attack the Ming Dynasty's envoy?" Huo Liancheng's tone suddenly changed. "Is Beshbali provoking us? Are they declaring war on our Great Ming?!"

“No, they don’t have the guts.” Li Boyue also quickly climbed out of the carriage, his eyes fixed on the approaching cavalry, his tone as firm as iron.

"Then what about these people?" Huo Liancheng frowned and asked, his eyes sharp as knives, clearly already in a state of combat readiness.

As they were talking, the group of "bandits" had already galloped to a nearby spot, their horses' hooves flying, dust billowing into the sky, rushing towards them, and the whole earth trembling.

“Perhaps they are testing the strength of our Ming Dynasty delegation.” Li Boyue quickly judged, his eyes never leaving the enemy’s figure, but his speech suddenly quickened: “It could also be that there is a power struggle within them, and someone is trying to use someone else to do their dirty work.”

He said in a deep voice, "Regardless of the purpose, the most urgent task is to save our lives and block this first wave of attacks, while at the same time not to expose the true strength of the Ming delegation."

"Then form a defensive formation!" Huo Liancheng made the decision without hesitation and immediately ordered the defenses to be deployed.

At the same time, he raised his musket, aimed without hesitation at the rider at the front, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out.

Before the rider could even groan, he fell from his horse, blood arcing through the air and splattering dust.

Huo Liancheng knew perfectly well that he could not allow the entire delegation to resort to force, otherwise it would inevitably attract the attention of the Beshbali government police.

However, if it is merely a defensive counterattack by the guards, then it is normal.

By taking the lead in firing, he was essentially firing the first shot in self-defense.

The mission was accompanied by an armed force of sixty elite guards, all of whom were armed with standard firearms and were an openly armed force.

As soon as Huo Liancheng fired the first shot, the other guards reacted quickly, getting into position and opening fire in quick succession, the gunshots ringing out like popping beans.

The cavalrymen who rushed in were caught off guard and shot at. In an instant, one after another, they fell from their horses and lay in the yellow sand.

The warhorses neighed in alarm, panicked, and kicked wildly. Some broke free and ran away, while others crashed into their comrades, causing chaos.

Although these soldiers were well-trained, their warhorses had clearly never heard such a loud musket fire before.

The sudden explosion terrified the warhorses, causing them to try to flee and instantly throwing the entire cavalry formation out of control.

Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Chen Cheng and Li Boyue immediately organized a caravan and mobilized manpower to quickly build a temporary defensive line by using horse-drawn carriages to surround the perimeter.

The troops then retreated into the defensive line, forming a coordinated defense between the inside and outside, and were on high alert.

Not only was the entire Ming Dynasty delegation placed on high alert, but several accompanying merchant caravans were also protected and brought under the protection of the perimeter.

The merchants and their entourage in the caravan were already pale with fright, hiding behind the wagons and trembling uncontrollably.

Although they had been to the Western Regions many times, they had never seen such a scene before.

This is no ordinary robbery; it's on the scale of a war.

Fortunately, the Ming delegation consisted of elites selected from among the best, and all of them, whether guards or attendants, were highly trained.

They quickly regained their composure amidst the chaos, protecting the panicked caravan members and preventing them from collapsing.

However, their situation did not improve as a result; on the contrary, it became even more perilous.

The most troublesome problem was that although they had nearly 600 soldiers with them and the carriages were full of muskets and ammunition, enough to support a sizable battle.

However, in order not to expose their true armed forces, they had no choice but to remain completely still.

They fought back with only the sixty guards on the surface.

Facing a large enemy force with a small number of troops, the danger was like dancing on a knife's edge; the slightest mistake could lead to total defeat.

The accompanying merchants were already terrified.

Even the usually calm and composed Chen Cheng and Li Boyue were now filled with anxiety, their expressions solemn.

Chen Cheng suppressed his unease and quickly ordered his soldiers to prepare for the worst.

If the enemy launches a strong attack, immediately enter the carriage, grab a gun, and fight back. Survival is the priority; everything else can wait!

At this moment, whether the soldiers' identities were exposed or not was far less important than their lives. However, just as everyone was on edge, the "bandits" suddenly stopped their charge after closing in to within a few dozen paces. Instead, they rode around the area, surrounding the enemy without attacking.

They quickly dispersed and formed ranks, drawing their bows and arrows on horseback, assuming firing stances.

This is the most traditional and most proficient classic tactic of the steppe cavalry: mounted archery on horseback.

Genghis Khan used this tactic to lead his cavalry across Eurasia, becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Its essence lies in using superb horse archery skills to harass from a distance, avoiding head-on confrontations with the enemy, and maximizing the speed and agility advantages of the steppe cavalry.

The so-called "when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy flees, we pursue" is a proverb.

The cavalrymen attacking them were clearly skilled archers, and they did not choose to engage the delegation's position in a direct confrontation.

Instead, they circled and hovered on the periphery, preparing to unleash a rain of arrows from a distance.

After each volley of arrows, they would quickly withdraw and then launch a new attack.

This process is repeated, like a kite string holding the enemy back, keeping them busy but unable to retaliate.

Such tactics can not only continuously weaken the enemy's manpower, but also completely crush their fighting spirit psychologically.

The cavalrymen moved swiftly like the wind, while the defenders lacked effective means of counterattack. Unable to strike or catch them, they could only sigh and struggle to hold on.

It was this simple yet extremely effective strategy that enabled the steppe cavalry to wear down an army of tens of thousands with only a few hundred men, while suffering minimal casualties themselves.

At this moment, the "bandits" who launched the attack on the Ming Dynasty delegation were none other than the troops under the command of Mahama.

Mahama had long harbored murderous intent, intending to wipe out the entire Ming delegation and then shift the blame to his own brother, Sami Chagan, so that the latter would be unjustly implicated and never be able to recover.

Therefore, under the guise of "hunting in the desert," Mahama led his troops on a detour and made a long-distance raid. Finally, before Shamichagan met with the Ming delegation, he ordered his soldiers to disguise themselves as "Tianshan bandits" and launch a surprise attack on the Ming delegation.

Mahama's family, the royal family that now rules the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, are direct descendants of Genghis Khan's Golden Family.

They were more familiar with the "kite-flying" tactic commonly used by steppe cavalry than anyone else in the world; it was almost ingrained in their very being.

Therefore, when Mahama saw that the Ming delegation had formed a defensive line with carriages and steadily set up a defensive formation, he did not hesitate to change his strategy. He immediately ordered his men to stop the frontal charge and instead adopt a guerrilla cavalry archery approach, surrounding the enemy without attacking, and repeatedly harassing them with cavalry archery techniques.

It must be said that although Mahama is a man of strong character and sometimes seems reckless, he is quite skilled in military strategy.

From a battlefield perspective, the tactics he is employing at this moment are indeed the safest and most effective approach.

The cavalrymen of Beshbali were all born on the grasslands, and from childhood they were accompanied by horses and befriended by bows.

He learned to ride a horse at the age of three and could shoot arrows at the age of six.

Their horsemanship and archery skills are not the result of training, but rather an instinct for survival, a product of living and coexisting with the wind and snow of the grasslands.

Compared to soldiers from the Central Plains, this skill, which is cultivated from childhood, is far superior to any skill acquired through later training.

In the Central Plains, soldiers mostly enlisted and received training after reaching adulthood.

Even if they train day and night for three to five years, it is still difficult to compete with someone who has grown up on horseback since childhood.

The gap between them cannot be bridged by a short period of effort.

There is absolutely no comparison between the two.

The steppe cavalry, while galloping at full speed, not only had extremely high accuracy but also a range far exceeding that of ordinary people.

With their high mobility and long-range attack capabilities, they can often take on ten opponents at once.

It is especially effective when using the "kite flying" tactic.

Shoot arrows from a distance, strike once and retreat immediately, repeatedly employing guerrilla tactics to gradually erode the enemy's manpower and morale.

Even if the opponent has a large number of people, they can be slowly worn down and killed.

If the enemy and our forces are evenly matched, just one or two rounds of attacks are often enough to rout the enemy.

Mahama's plan is built on this experience and traditional advantage.

Judging from past battles, he did not make a misjudgment.

If we could turn back time several decades, this strategy would have been an almost unbeatable weapon.

However, he overlooked one point.

Times have quietly changed!

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty today no longer carry traditional swords, bows, and arrows, but powerful firearms.

They were equipped with standard firearms that had undergone multiple rounds of improvements and were meticulously crafted by the Ming Dynasty's military factories; these were breech-loading rifles that had been fully replaced with fixed-load ammunition.

The rate of fire, accuracy, and lethality of these firearms far surpassed those of cold weapons like arrows.

Especially when the enemy is completely exposed, with their cavalry deployed and their figures exposed in open areas, they are practically "live targets" in the eyes of musketeers!
In his view, Mahama's guerrilla formation was an invincible and tried-and-true tactic.

But to the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, they were nothing more than a group of targets running against the wind.

He still lives in the glory of his fathers, unaware that the rules of war have long been rewritten.

The glory of horseback archery on the grasslands had not yet faded away before it was replaced by the smoke of gunpowder.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Sixty musketeers fired in succession, the gunfire sounding like firecrackers exploding, so dense that it almost made the air tremble.

With a series of rapid gunshots, the grassland cavalrymen who were riding and shooting were as if cut off by invisible blades, and one after another they tumbled off their horses, their blood staining the yellow sand.

The originally fierce and intense rhythm was quickly disrupted by the gunfire.

Mahama did not charge to the front. As the commander, he was currently riding his horse atop a distant sand dune, looking down at the battlefield below.

Through messengers nearby, orders were constantly relayed to the troops at the front by waving flags and blowing bugles.

However, after only a moment, Mahama's brows furrowed tightly.

The casualties among our own cavalry were far higher than expected.

Based on his years of experience fighting on the battlefield, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Are the Ming army's firearms really that powerful?"

……

(End of this chapter)