Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 178 From Slave to Master

The Mongol cavalrymen, swarming across the Caohe River, imagined the scenes of their ancestors roaming this land. They charged at the groups of militia with bows and arrows, but were immediately met with accurate bullets.

In clusters of militia centers, on makeshift wooden or earthen platforms, soldiers in prone positions were firing their sharpshooters, precisely picking off targets.

They relied on their rate of fire to continuously kill cavalry.

With the bolt pulled, one can fire ten rounds per minute; fifty elite snipers could fire over five hundred rounds per minute.

The sheer number of cavalry meant that almost no bullets were wasted.

After all, even if it missed the cavalry, there was a high probability of hitting the warhorse. With Mauser's 11mm caliber bullets, if they hit a warhorse, no matter where it hit, the warhorse would be ruined.

The fallen cavalrymen were also rendered useless.

Even adjacent clusters can form crossfire, creating deadly traps.

At the heart of this combat system were, of course, those cannons. Mounted on high platforms, they used their range advantage to supplement the firepower of the rifles. Meanwhile, the clusters of militia, the surrounding trenches, barricades, and the handcarts and sacks that served as obstacles, acted like islands, blocking the cavalry's torrent and forcing it to detour and become crowded.

The greater the density of cavalry, the farther the heavenly soldiers could accurately shoot.

A cavalry torrent of several thousand cavalrymen, even from two miles away, could be easily defeated by the heavenly soldiers with a single shot.

Moreover, this area also contains numerous villages and forests, which further helped to divide the cavalry.

Tens of thousands of cavalry...

For tens of thousands of cavalry to truly unleash the power of a stampede of ten thousand horses, they would need a sufficiently open battlefield!
Of course, the Mongol cavalry had their own countermeasures: they would charge directly at these groups, like a sweeping tsunami, trampling these troublemakers under their hooves. In reality, they believed that the normal course of action would be for them to brave the enemy's bullets, charge into the ranks of these troublemakers, and the latter would scatter in disarray. This was a foregone conclusion; a group of poorly armored, poorly armed, and disorganized rabble—how could they possibly withstand a charge from cavalry?
There's no need to rush up to these unruly people; just get within range of the arrows and fire a few shots, and you'll see them scatter.

Then the Mongol cavalry could trample over the corpses of the commoners and charge directly at the heavenly soldiers, turning these bastards who had caused them so much casualties into mincemeat.

But they were wrong.

"Don't back down. Think about the farmland we just received. Are you willing to be slaves to the Qing Dynasty again?"

The battalion commander leading a group of militiamen facing the cavalry roared.

The vast majority of these were serfs from the banner estates that the Eight Banners had seized during their land grabbing campaigns. Some of the land originally belonged to them, but was simply seized. Now, with the Qing army marching north, they have become the owners of these lands again. Their land is just behind them, and once the Qing army attacks, their best outcome will be to become serfs again.

and so……

No one backed off.

Behind the newly dug trenches, chevaux-de-frise, wagons, and sacks of armor, militiamen, armed with spears or simply sharpened bamboo poles or pieces of hardwood, watched in panic as the cavalry surged forward, yet none fled. Even their old-fashioned firearms were firing; javelin throwers, slingers, and a small number of archers waited, all prepared to die here, to preserve their land for their descendants.

Of course, in reality, the cavalrymen in front of them were falling one after another.

On the makeshift wooden platform behind them, the heavenly soldiers kept firing, their bullets hitting the charging cavalry with pinpoint accuracy.

The latter kept falling off their horses, sometimes even collapsing along with their riders.

"Stay calm, the worst that can happen is we die here."

The battalion commander roared.

Then he grabbed his spear and thrust it to the very front.

After leaving behind a trail of corpses, the Mongol cavalry finally reached their defensive line. However, by this time, the distance was so close that the Heavenly Soldiers could fire with unerring accuracy. The first group of cavalrymen who leaped to try and jump over the trenches almost all ended up filling the trenches with their own bodies and those of their horses. Taking advantage of the Heavenly Soldiers' reloading time, the cavalrymen behind them used them as stepping stones to rush across the trenches. But just as they jumped over the barricades, the Heavenly Soldiers opened fire again, and dozens more corpses fell onto the barricades, impaled by sharpened wooden stakes. The cavalrymen behind continued forward and finally collided with the militia, but instead of the militia, they ran into their spears.

The cavalrymen's corpses quickly piled up in front of the militia in front of a breastwork made of handcarts, sacks, and even their door panels.

The heavenly soldiers continued firing.

The militiamen, screaming in terror but clutching their spears and refusing to retreat, were surprised to find that the cavalrymen in front of them seemed even more frightened than they were.

Really.

The Mongol cavalrymen were also screaming in terror.

After all, less than thirty meters away from them, behind the wooden plank wall, were rows of gun barrels aimed at them.

Then flames shot out from the muzzle of the gun.

Then the bullets pierced their bodies.

They were actually more afraid than the militiamen, since the militiamen only needed to hold their spears and stand behind the breastwork to avoid running away.

However, they had to face the terrifying reality that dozens of corpses fell with each round of shooting.

And such a round of shooting can be completed in the blink of an eye.

"You fools! The Qing Dynasty has already cut off its own shipping and is barely able to feed itself. What do they have to offer you to make you risk your lives for them?"

The battalion commander shouted in Mongolian.

The banner he belonged to belonged to a general of the State, who had a marriage alliance with a Mongol prince's family. He had been to the grasslands several times as a laborer, and because of his quick wit, he had learned Mongolian. These experiences were the reason he was elected as a battalion commander; after all, someone who had been to the grasslands multiple times was definitely considered a capable person in the common folk. Now his Mongolian language skills were finally coming in handy. A Mongol cavalryman opposite him, holding a bow and arrow, hesitated instinctively upon hearing his words.

But at that moment, a bullet struck him in the head, and his body fell from the horse.

"This time, I've really risked my life!"

The battalion commander said with a smile.

Behind the corpses of the cavalrymen, the Mongol cavalrymen holding bows and arrows also fell one after another amidst the whistling of bullets.

Of course, their arrows were hitting the militia, but the problem was that the militia wouldn't retreat. The result of this was that the Mongol cavalry couldn't reach the Heavenly Army behind them, and for every ten seconds the Mongol cavalry hesitated before their formation, dozens of corpses were left behind. The militia weren't afraid to die; in fact, one could say they were prepared to die there. But the Mongol cavalry didn't want to die. They were just following their tribal chief's orders to make a quick buck, not to risk their lives.

Moreover, just as the battalion commander said, it's not even certain whether Brother Ma has the ability to pay!

In fact, when they traveled south from the capital, the price of rice in the capital had already skyrocketed to five taels per shi (a unit of dry measure), and the price was still rising every day.

Don't end up working yourself to the bone and not getting paid.

As their losses mounted, the Mongol cavalry, unable to break through the militia's lines, finally gave way and turned to flee. The militia cheered.

At the same time, the vast majority of militia also withstood the onslaught of the Mongol cavalry and engaged in a fierce battle with their enemies.

The problem was that the Mongol cavalry couldn't withstand their relentless attacks.

The direct assault was blocked, and then, from a distance of tens of meters, they were spotted by sharpshooters who never missed. They had to create distance and use bows and arrows...

What kind of bow and arrow could shoot through a Mauser 71?

Even if the Mongol cavalry switched to firearms, it wouldn't make a difference.

Their muskets still couldn't outshoot the sharpshooter.

The only option was to use artillery, but unfortunately, cavalry like theirs wouldn't carry heavy artillery; at most, they could only use light cannons to fire grapeshot at a distance of two or three hundred meters. But at that range, let alone against a divine cannon, even the musketeers of the Heavenly Army could easily pick off targets. Moreover, Lin Qing's cavalry constantly weaved through gaps in the militia, suddenly charging out and unleashing a barrage of fire on the Mongol cavalry. After firing a volley, they would immediately retreat, disappearing quickly under the cover of the militia, awaiting the next attack.

Of course, there were also instances where Mongol cavalry broke through the militia's defenses.

After all, it's impossible for all militia members to fight to the death without retreating.

However, the disruption of one or two militia formations could not alter the overall situation on the battlefield. After all, there were 400,000 militiamen, forming over a hundred such formations, creating a depth of dozens of miles behind them. Essentially, the entire area west of Baoding was comprised of these clusters, centered around elite marksmen and artillery. The militiamen's role was to fight to the death to protect them, while the Qing army was responsible for providing firepower. The Qing army had to pass through this unique formation to advance south. This formation lacked unified command; everyone fought independently. However, this independent fighting resulted in almost every soldier fighting to the death – a tactic feared in warfare throughout history.

Elite troops are not scary, excellent generals are not scary, and superior equipment is not scary, but an opponent who fights to the death and refuses to retreat is truly terrifying.

I can lose one, two, or even ten or dozens of lives, but I must kill one enemy. I can fight to the last one, but as long as I have a breath left, I will fight you to the death.

Whether I live or die is not important; what matters is that I must kill you.

If such an enemy has a tenfold numerical advantage, and actually inflicts no less damage than the opponent...

Such a battle would truly leave the opponent in despair.

Although the Qing army could ignore them.

But to pass through these clusters, one must endure constant death.

Fifty thousand Qing troops were indeed a lot, but in reality, they could not withstand even five thousand deaths.

The Mongol cavalry were there to work; they wouldn't be so foolish as to expect a death rate exceeding one-tenth. In reality, because Ma Ge was short of food and the rations provided were insufficient, many Mongol princes threatened to retreat to the grasslands. It was only because Ma Ge still possessed some prestige that they managed to maintain control of the situation, but they wouldn't tolerate too many deaths. Even the regular Eight Banners were the same; they were even less capable than the Mongol cavalry. These frightened birds, intimidated by Yang Feng, were often too afraid to go to battle, and most of them, when arrayed, anxiously watched the sky above.

They were afraid of a sudden burst of golden light.

Even during a charge, they had to look up at the sky from time to time.

Moreover, they were well aware that once they won this battle, the golden light would definitely appear. Fighting the heavenly soldiers was nothing; there wouldn't be too many casualties. But if the demons were enraged by the heavenly soldiers' defeat, then when they came back, everyone would be reduced to ashes.

It is said that the blood and flesh plastered on the walls of the capital city still emitted a foul stench even after being cleaned for many days.

Therefore, many of the Eight Banners soldiers who participated in the war felt more at ease losing than winning.

It's okay to lose, it's not like it's the first time. Everyone feels at ease when we lose. We've lost again, uh, why do I say "again"? But when we win, we really don't know what will happen next!

Ultimately, the style of this battle became increasingly bizarre.

Mongol cavalry charged, the Eight Banners waved flags and shouted encouragement from behind, the militia fought fiercely with the Mongol cavalry, while the Heavenly Army calmly conducted target practice...

"Kill! Kill these sorcerers! The founding emperors Taizu and Taizong are watching! Kill these sorcerers!"

However, my Great Qing's Great General Who Pacifies Demons, or more accurately, General Wang Yinzhen, or now known as Yinzhen, roared furiously under his Plain Yellow Banner.

His actual title was Beizi, but because of this expedition, he was granted the title of Grand General and was given a yellow banner, which meant that he was in a sense representing Ma Ge in the expedition.

however……

The generals around him all remained silent.

These guys were all scared by Yang Feng. With Baltu as a precedent, they had no courage to fight a bloody battle.

So what if Baltu was a little shameful? But now he's all high and mighty. In the Qing Dynasty, he's still Prince Kang. He was able to meet that demon and still escape unscathed. You could say that the Qing Dynasty is now relying on him to handle demon-related matters. It's said that he was even escorted by heavenly soldiers on his way back. Who in the Qing Dynasty can compare to him?

There are still quite a few die-hard supporters who flatter him now, just in case they need him to say a few good words for them in front of the Immortal Venerable in the future.

"Laxi, you go. I'll give you a thousand Plain Yellow Banner soldiers. Break through their formation. They're all a rabble, they don't even have armor. I don't believe the Plain Yellow Banner soldiers can't break through!"

He pointed to a general wearing a Plain White Banner cloth armor and said.

The latter lowered his head sadly and knelt down on his horse.

"Reporting to the Great General, I am a Mongol of the Plain White Banner, leading the Bayara Banner of the Plain Yellow Banner. I am truly terrified."

He said.

"You bastard, I told you to go, so go! Why are you talking nonsense?"

Enraged, Yinzhen raised his riding whip to lash him.

But at that very moment, Rashid, who had been kneeling, suddenly leaped up and pounced on him at top speed. Gunshots rang out, and before Yinzhen could react, bullets whistled through the air. Although Rashid pulled him off his horse, the bullets still grazed his face and shattered one of his ears. Meanwhile, more gunshots rang out, and more bullets whistled into the still-dazed generals. Chaos erupted among the generals, with many falling from their horses, and the guards were equally thrown into disarray.

Near a grove of trees about half a mile away, a group of heavenly cavalrymen were firing their rapid-fire lances at them without stopping.

The Qing soldiers guarding the area rushed forward to meet the enemy.

But the latter had already emptied his gun and retreated into the woods at top speed.

Lying paralyzed on the ground, watching this scene, Yinzhen trembled as he pulled on Laxi...

"Withdraw, withdraw to Ansu."

He said.

(End of this chapter)