Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 341 The Defeated Army
'Whoosh whoosh whoosh~'

Groups of Mongol cavalrymen rode back and forth near the Red Turban Army's formation.

They even held out until they were only twenty or thirty paces away, desperately drawing their bows and hurling a rain of arrows at the Red Turban Army formation.

A dense rain of arrows fell upon the army like a swarm of locusts.

'Jingle bells~'

The sound of the arrow striking the iron armor was a little too crisp.

This is where the advantages of armor become apparent.

The armored soldiers wearing helmets only need to lower their heads.

Those wearing faceplates don't even need to lower their heads.

In ancient times, swords and spears were not prohibited, but armor was.

The only reason is that those who wear this thing are too powerful in combat, and ordinary weapons can hardly break through their defenses.

They prohibited bows and arrows, but banned crossbows.

This is because powerful crossbows can penetrate armor at close range.

The armor provided by Kelin Road is of such high quality that it is estimated that only ballistae can penetrate it.

'Bang bang bang bang~~'

The Mongols' most powerful weapon was rendered useless, effectively halving their fighting strength.

Meanwhile, the muskets in the Red Turban Army formation fired continuously without pause.

The musket could fire extremely far and was extremely lethal.

What the Mongols found even more difficult to understand was the extremely fast rate of fire.

The Yuan army also had muskets, but the loading process was cumbersome and complicated, and it took half a day to fire a single shot.

Not only is the power small due to the short distance, but the ignition success rate is also very low, comparable to India launching rockets.

Moreover, the Red Turban Army's muskets were fired in rows.

Each time a burst of gunfire rang out, a Mongol man and his horse would fall.

The Mongol cavalry, moving swiftly and indiscriminately, suffered increasing losses.

"quick!"

Anxious Richard Khan loudly instructed his guards, "Go and tell those on foot to come here quickly!"

The most effective way for cavalry to fight against a formation of armored soldiers is to wear them down.

The constant harassment kept the armored soldiers from resting, eventually causing them to collapse.

In addition, artillery and muskets can also be used to break through enemy lines.

Now, they are facing the Red Turban Army's endless square formations.

When harassing enemy troops, the Mongol cavalry moving between the two formations would encounter crossfire from both sides.

Richard Khan witnessed a group of over a hundred Mongol cavalrymen charge into the space between two square formations that were over a hundred feet apart.

When they turned around and came out, only a dozen or so riders remained.

This is harassment for what?

The only hope lies with the muskets and cannons in the army.

His personal guards galloped to the rear, where a large number of Yuan soldiers on foot were rapidly approaching.

On large-scale battlefields, infantrymen rarely run.

They need to maintain their pace as much as possible to avoid their formation falling apart.

This caused the infantry to dawdle for a long time, without covering the distance of several miles.

Left with no other option, Richard Khan ordered the muskets and cannons to speed up their arrival.

'Woo~~~'

Another terrifying, silent sound flashed across the sky above.

The next moment, Richard Khan's expression changed drastically.

A bolt from the blue struck right into the artillery barrage!
The earth seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer.

The mud shot into the sky, tumbling and flying along with severed limbs and even cannon barrels.

A section of cannon barrel fell from the sky and crashed into the ground not far from Richard Khan.

As wisps of white smoke rose, the cannon barrel, which was stuck at an angle, looked to Richard Khan like a tombstone.

"How can we fight like this?!"

He was in a daze.

He looked down at the knife in his hand, then at the Red Turban Army firing their guns in the distance.

In terms of weaponry, they were completely outmatched!
The Mongol cavalry, having suffered heavy losses, were driven to desperation by some of their men.

Shouting and brandishing his sword and spear, he lowered his blindfold to cover his warhorse's eyes and charged headlong into the Red Turban Army's formation without any regard for the consequences.

Under the spears of the barricades, both men and horses were strung together like a string of beads!
Even if someone managed to break through the enemy lines, the swordsmen and shieldmen would rush forward.

Axes and hammers smashed the horse's legs, while short spears knocked the man off his feet.

Even the musketeers who had mounted swords on their muskets would rush over and stab wildly.

No matter how many people rushed in, none of them ever came out.

By this time, the brave Mongol had already died in battle.

The remaining men dared not continue fighting and turned their horses around to flee.

The cavalry's rout triggered a chain reaction.

Before they could even arrive, the large number of Yuan infantrymen who had been deployed to the battlefield also began to flee under the relentless, soul-shaking bombardment of the 152mm cannons.

On the entire battlefield, the army collapsed in an instant.

"Abu! Let's go!"

Wang Baobao spurred his horse forward, grabbed the reins of Richard Khan's steed, and rode away.

"Soldiers and horses~"

Lost in thought, Richard Khan pointed tremblingly towards the city gate, "Soldiers and horses~~"

At this moment, the routed Yuan army was mostly pushing towards the city gate.

Those who tried to escape were repeatedly shot down by the Red Turban Army's formation.

The battlefield was in complete chaos, like the end of the world.

"We can't worry about that now!"

Wang Baobao responded helplessly, "The entire army has collapsed, and at this point, there's nothing we can do."

It's really beyond our control; in this situation, no one will listen to them.

Being able to protect oneself from being killed by the chaotic army is already a stroke of good fortune.

'Rumble rumble rumble~'

The war drums sounded in the Red Turban Army formation, and one after another, huge military formations began to slowly advance.

Wang Baobao shook his head and smiled bitterly. The Red Turban Army was clearly taking advantage of his weakness to kill him.

"How about we take this opportunity to break through?"

Already panicked, Richard Khan vaguely suggested, "Charge out and run towards the grasslands."

Looking at his flustered godfather, Wang Baobao was slightly taken aback, then solemnly shook his head.

"Can't run away."

He gestured to the Red Turban Army, which was gradually advancing.

"These military formations, arranged in a crescent shape, blocked all escape routes."

"The only passage is between the two military formations."

"Yes~"

There's no need to go into details; Richard Khan already knows.

The Red Turban Army's muskets could fire far and fiercely.

To break through the gap between the two enemy formations, one must endure the crossfire of the Red Turban Army's muskets.

How incredibly tough must one's life be to break through?
Moreover, even if they managed to break through, they would still have to face pursuit by the Red Turban Army cavalry.

"A death trap! The capital city is a death trap!"

"Let's go! Let's go back first and then figure out a solution."

Wang Baobao pulled on the reins and galloped toward the distant city wall.

At this moment, tens of thousands of defeated soldiers were surging toward the narrow city gate.

Many of the routed soldiers attempted to flee outwards.

They moved through the gaps between the Red Turban Army formations, and were continuously shot down by muskets.

Just as Wang Baobao said, most of the people who fled died under the fire of muskets.

Even if someone manages to break through, they will be chased and killed by the Red Turban Army cavalry waiting behind them.

These Red Turban Army cavalrymen, though their horsemanship was mediocre, possessed an insatiable fighting spirit.

The reason is simple: the fleeing soldiers they chased were counted as personal merits and rewards, not as merits for the entire unit.

A head of a Mongol costs at least thirty strings of cash; even if it wears out your backside, you'll chase them to the death.

This is all money!
Seeing that the death tunnel was impassable, the fleeing soldiers rushed toward the city gate.

At first, things were fine at the city gate.

The first people to escape, though in a sorry state, at least managed to get in.

However, as more and more defeated soldiers poured in, congestion became inevitable.

"Go away!"

"My father is Right Chancellor Wuliang Hatai~"

"My sister is Prince Weishun's concubine, let me go first~"

The Kheshig army, composed of sons of nobles, had been lagging behind, but when it came to escaping, they were the ones who had the advantage of being close to the source.

Amid the crowd, people introduced themselves, trying to use their identities to fight for survival.

As a result, one of the cousins ​​of Prince Guangping, Arutu, in a moment of desperation, raised his knife and slashed down a colleague who was blocking his way.

It was like pouring water into hot oil, instantly igniting everyone's tense and fearful mood.

As far as the eye could see, everyone was wielding knives.

Soon, the city gates were littered with corpses and blood flowed like rivers.

More fleeing soldiers surged forward, desperately hacking and slashing at those in front of them, trying to carve out a path to the city.

'Woo~~~'

Once again, a strange scream that terrified the Yuan army echoed through the air.

The shells crashed down, creating a large crater in the ground, and the flying fragments and shockwaves swept away everything in their path.

This time, the shelling was clearly closer to the city wall.

Lin Dao had received a notification from Xu Da and began extending his firing range.

The shelling exacerbated the panic among the fleeing soldiers.

They surged frantically toward the city gate, fighting desperately and even causing a terrible stampede.

Many people were pushed so hard that they stumbled and were then pressed to the ground by the surging crowd behind them.

He shouted, but no one paid any attention in the noisy battlefield.

When he tried to get up, countless large feet trampled over his body.

The closer they got to the city gate, the more severe the trampling became.

Especially at the city gates, the fighting and infighting were most intense.

The corpses gradually piled up, eventually even exceeding the height of the city gate!
Lin Dao had already stopped shelling, while the approaching Red Turban Army continued to fire muskets.

Armored soldiers, holding short spears, slowly stepped forward and stabbed the corpses lying on the ground.

Many Yuan soldiers who feigned death were killed as a result.

Feigning death on the battlefield is not as easy as it seems.

If your side wins but is found by those cleaning up the battlefield, you will be treated as a deserter.

When the opposing team wins, they will also search carefully while cleaning up the battlefield.

After all, in an era when even a set of clothes could be pawned, every piece of equipment on the battlefield was precious.

The most worthless and cheapest thing is life.

Only a very few truly intelligent people did not try to squeeze through the city gate, but instead rode their horses around to the distant city wall.

They were pulled up onto the city wall by a basket that fell from the wall.

That's how Richard Khan and Wang Baobao were dragged onto the city wall.

They were greeted by Prime Minister Hama.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the Empress have all returned to the palace."

Hama smiled and beckoned the armored soldiers forward to surround Richard Khan and his son. "You and your son are generals who have lost nearly 100,000 troops in one battle. Go to the imperial prison first."

Wang Baobao was furious and was about to draw his sword, but was stopped by Richard Khan.

They were surrounded by armored soldiers, but the father and son's personal guards were still at the foot of the city wall.

At this point, resistance would only lead to certain death.

The father and son were taken away and sent directly to the imperial prison.

Hama peeked out and saw that his guards below the city were shouting for more baskets to be lowered down.

He grinned and turned to instruct, "They like the hanging baskets so much, throw them all down."

"Throw it in, rope and all!"

(End of this chapter)