Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 100 Who cares if it hits or not, just shoot it!
Hou Shilu, the general of Xuanfu, had previously served under Sun Chengzong in Liaodong, so the chariot battalion he was training was modeled after Sun Chengzong's chariot formation. Sun Chengzong's chariot battalion was a large combined arms battalion composed of light and heavy chariots, infantry, and cavalry, with a strength generally exceeding six thousand men.

Its original purpose was to allow for the long-term holding of positions after the wagon camps were deployed, enabling production and construction activities to be carried out under the protection of the wagon camps. This provided a secure base for the army, facilitating activities such as land reclamation and city building. In fact, it did achieve the recovery of lost territory in Liaoxi after Xiong Tingbi's defeat. The only drawback was its enormous cost!
While Sun Chengzong's administration of Liaodong was only moderately successful, it was arguably the best among all previous Liaodong administrators. For the Ming Dynasty, simply avoiding defeat was already a stroke of luck. However, to support his strategies, the Ming Dynasty emptied its treasury and drained its imperial coffers. It's difficult to say whether his actions saved the Ming Dynasty or hastened its destruction.

Hulukezaisang pursued Wang Tingchen's cavalry to within two miles of Xuanhua City, only to find the Ming cavalry quickly dispersing and disappearing into numerous small square formations. By the time Hulukezaisang realized something was wrong and tried to retreat, it was too late.

Close at hand were a dozen or so hollow square formations arranged in a long, serpentine line, while further away, a city rose directly from the ground. This city was constructed from numerous sidecarts connected end to end, reaching the height of two men, making it impossible for warhorses to leap, with no visible boundaries to the left or right, and not a single place to bite. The appearance of this wall ensured that the Ming army was invincible from the very beginning.

The dust kicked up by the Ming cavalry had barely settled when the Mongol cavalry, before they could even rein in their horses, heard a burst of cannon fire from the opposite side. Amidst the billowing smoke, a deluge of bullets and shells rained down upon them.

After Altan Khan granted them tribute, life became difficult for the Mongols. Apart from the three thousand iron cavalrymen they had painstakingly assembled, most of the other Mongol cavalrymen could only wear cotton armor or old, worn-out iron armor passed down from their elders. Such armor naturally offered little protection against the Ming army's firearms.

They faced a dense barrage of fire from three breech-loading cannons, two ball-operated cannons, and dozens of arquebuses and three-eyed muskets within a five-step range. In an instant, Mongol cavalrymen were thrown from their horses and fell to the ground; no fewer than a thousand were hit by bullets, and no fewer than five hundred fell from their horses.

"We've fallen into the Ming's ambush!" This was the common thought of all the thousands of Mongol cavalrymen involved in the pursuit. However, based on their experience, there would be a gap after taking a volley of fire, which would be their opportunity to attack. The surviving Mongol cavalrymen gritted their teeth and charged towards the Ming army's square formation.

What chilled them to the bone was that countless smaller square formations emerged from the gaps in the long, serpentine square formation before them. Facing their cavalry charge, these Ming soldiers showed no fear; instead, they charged back towards them. The bowstrings of the Mongol shortbows snapped, and at the same time, a new wave of artillery fire from the Ming army arrived.

Centuries ago, the Mongols swept across Eurasia with their mounted archery tactics, but today, their mounted archery has become the weaker force. The short bow has a short range and low power; it might be effective against infantry, but against the massive shields mounted on Ming chariots, their arrows seem utterly ineffective.

In this round, the Ming army suffered only a few dozen casualties, while the Northern barbarian cavalry lost nearly a thousand riders. A great fear gripped the hearts of these Mongols, just as they had inflicted fear on the soldiers and civilians of other ethnic groups in the past.

Occasionally, a small number of cavalrymen would manage to reach the Ming army's front lines, only to be met with wheelbarrows armed with five large spearheads, their blades gleaming coldly. These wheelbarrows were linked together, forming the outer perimeter of a hollow square formation. They would rush in through the gaps between the squares, only to be met by infantry melee squads equipped with swords and shields, hooks, tiger forks, broadswords, and spears.

The charging Northern barbarian cavalry were carefully dealt with by the Ming infantry, who were coordinating with the wagon formation, in order to avoid harming their precious warhorses. After escorting the Northern barbarian cavalry westward, they gleefully led their looted warhorses back to their own lines.

Finally, these Mongol cavalrymen remembered the terrifying stories their elders had told them. They had previously dismissed them, believing their elders' weakness in submitting to the Ming Dynasty stemmed from their inferiority in martial prowess. But this would not be the case in their generation; they would crush the Ming and prove themselves the chosen ones of the grasslands.

The Ming army's wagon formations fired in succession, while accompanying infantry leaped out of their own lines to hack and slash. Ming cavalry patrolled the flanks of the wagon formations, guarding against potential cavalry attacks. This repeated advance quickly routed the northern barbarian cavalry.

They abandoned the corpses of their comrades, forgetting their Mongol tradition of retrieving the bodies of their fallen comrades, turned their horses around, and fled desperately. The Ming army erupted in cheers, pushing their light carts and relentlessly pursuing the Northern barbarian cavalry, firing their guns and cannons with great enthusiasm.

In this battle, the Xuanfu army achieved a great victory, killing approximately two thousand enemy cavalry, taking 1,600 heads, and capturing three hundred fine warhorses. They couldn't bear to discard the more than two hundred wounded horses, hoping to revive them for use in pulling carts; the remaining carcasses were naturally used to supplement the army's meals. As a result, the morale of the Xuanfu army soared.

Hou Shilu led a combined chariot battalion of 6,627 men, plus two cavalry battalions of 4,800 men, into battle, marching at a speed of 60 li per day, in pursuit of the Northern barbarian cavalry.

On the northern front, Juntu Taiji and Huluke Zaisang suffered major defeats one after another, which both alarmed and frightened Ligdan Khan, further strengthening their determination to withdraw.

If it were just light cavalry, they would have vanished long ago. But the looted goods, the heavy armor of the Iron Pagoda, and the salvaged cannons all needed to be hauled away by large carts. He could either abandon the supplies and slaves, rendering this southward expedition pointless, or face the relentless pursuit of the Xuanfu army.

Their speed was still faster than Hou Shilu's combined vehicle formation, after all, they had more horses and did not have to tow heavy carts and cannons weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Their marching speed could reach eighty li per day, but the Ming army also had cavalry, whose speed was far greater than eighty li. They harassed their troops day and night, causing them endless trouble. If troops were sent to pursue them, these Ming cavalry would turn back and hide under the protection of the wagon camp.

After several days, Ligdan Khan was on the verge of madness. The wagon cavalry was the nemesis of their Mongol cavalry. Whether it was a large-scale flanking attack on the flanks or a heavy cavalry charge against the Ming army's light wagon formation with heavy casualties, it was a losing proposition for them.

Their weak handicraft industry, even their carpenters were captured from other ethnic groups, meant they would only grow weaker with each defeat in war. The Jurchens developed their own wagon corps, while the Mongols were utterly powerless to counter it. Lacking firearms, wagon corps, and even in a simple cavalry contest, they were no match for the Jurchens or even the Ming army. This era was a time of despair for the Mongols.

In fact, disregarding casualties, Ligdan Khan had 40,000 cavalry while Hou Shilu only had 10,000 troops. Even with a formidable chariot formation, it would be difficult for him to defeat an enemy four times his size. The Jurchens had already prepared several models for breaking chariot formations, but Ligdan Khan lacked both the courage and the ability to learn them.

On the fifth day, the Chahar tribe and Hou Shilu's Xuanfu army had separated by more than a hundred miles. They ambushed and dealt a heavy blow to the Ming cavalry, pursuing and killing hundreds of Ming cavalrymen over a hundred miles, finally salvaging some of their reputation.

At this point, the Ming cavalry dared not pursue any further, and Ligdan Khan and his forces approached the breach in the border wall where they had initially invaded. After breaking through the pass, they widened the breach in the wall and also dug several other openings elsewhere, assuming that the Ming Dynasty wouldn't be able to fully repair it for several months. They thought they had left themselves a sufficient escape route, but they never expected to encounter a massive army of tens of thousands already waiting for them in Datong Town!

Datong and Xuanfu are strategically positioned to support each other. In the past few days, Qu Jiazhen, the general of Datong, and Hou Shilu, the general of Xuanfu, have already sent out cavalry to communicate.

Lin Dan felt a chill run down his spine! Blocked ahead and pursued behind, the arrogance he displayed on his arrival was now replaced by a pathetic retreat. He was left with only one choice: to bravely break through the defenses built by the Datong army against the city walls before the Xuanfu army could catch up.

Otherwise, if the Ming army were to surround him and attack from both sides, he would really have no choice but to kneel down and surrender, leaving them with less than two days.

Standing atop the six-meter-high city wall, Qu Jiazhen looked at the endless Northern barbarian cavalry before him and felt immense pressure. He actually only had a little over nine thousand men, because he couldn't possibly take all the troops from Datong Town with him, and the grasslands weren't just home to the Chahar tribe. Nine thousand men were facing tens of thousands of Northern barbarian cavalry, including heavily armored ones; it seemed like they would be torn apart at the slightest provocation.

The only solace he could find was in the several 3,000-jin (approximately 1,500 kg) Hongyi cannons mounted on the city walls! These were the most prized possessions of Datong Town. The Hongyi cannons varied in size, from a few hundred jin to five thousand jin. Originally naval cannons, they were typically used for city defense after being introduced to the Ming Dynasty, but in the hands of Yezhupi, they became weapons for siege warfare.

"Qu Jiazhen, get out of the way! Let us pass, or my 100,000 cavalry will crush you into dust. You are no match for me!!!" Lindan Khan shouted.

"Aimed?!" Qu Jiazhen asked in a low voice from the city wall. "The sights are aligned, but they're too far away. It's hard to hit them, Commander," the gunner said helplessly.

"Who cares if it hits or not, just shoot!"

"Great Khan, hurry and run!!!" Juntu Taiji sensed something was wrong, hurriedly snatched the reins from Lindan Khan's hand, and pulled his warhorse back. The warhorse was startled and jumped up.

Boom! ! !

On the city wall, four heavy cannons roared, and three scorching lead balls flew towards the direction where Lindan Khan stood. With a crisp bang, Juntu Taiji felt as if water had fallen on his face, wet and with a metallic smell.

He turned around in horror, only to find a single, flimsy rein in his hand; the head of his brother's warhorse was gone. The several-hundred-pound horse reared up and fell, pinning the panicked Lin Danhan beneath it. Two more lead balls fell one after the other, kicking up a cloud of sand and gravel before bouncing away.

"Did it work?!" Qu Jiazhen snatched the gunner's binoculars. Actually, the two sides were two hundred paces apart, a distance that was perfectly within sight, but he wanted to see more clearly.

Juntu Taiji hurriedly dismounted, overturned the horse carcass, and dragged the still-shaken Lindan Khan to his feet.

"Oh dear, it was so close!!!" Qu Jiazhen put down his binoculars and said with great regret.

Lin Danhan was being dragged away by his younger brother, limping away. Juntu Taiji, perhaps mistaken, felt his brother's stench was even stronger. His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw that Lin Danhan's groin was already soaked! Juntu Taiji's gaze stung Lin Danhan, who said in a stiff voice, "This is horse blood."

Upon hearing this, Khedrup Taiji nodded without saying anything, but even this action still planted a thorn in Lindan Khan's heart.

"Despicable Ming people! They are more cunning than marmots on the grasslands! Kill them! I will kill them!" Lindan Khan roared in fury.

After a moment of silence, Juntu Taiji said, "Great Khan, let me lead the Iron Spear Konot to charge again!!!"

"Good, my brother, you are my right-hand man, the bravest Batel on the grassland! This time, I, the Khan, allow you to lead five sumu of men to charge into battle!" Lindan Khan said, feigning magnanimity.

A sumu is the basic administrative unit of the Chahar tribe. A sumu has about three thousand people, and about a thousand of them can be organized into cavalry to accompany the army on expeditions. Five sumu would then have five thousand people. Juntu Taiji swallowed hard and said, "Great Khan, I want to bring all the Iron Pagodas with me."

"I'll give you half," Lin Danhan said.

Khuntu Taiji shook his head and said, "Brother, what time is it? Let alone five Sumu, even if all ten Sumu of the Iron Spear Konot were to go into battle together, it wouldn't be a loss! We don't have time to waste!"

“We can’t afford to lose too many Iron Spear Konots, or the others won’t listen to me. Why should we waste our tribe’s warriors in this kind of place? We should learn from Huang Taiji and let the people from other tribes go up first to wear down the Ming people’s ammunition.” Lin Dan Khan said, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

Subsequently, he began to order the mobilization of soldiers from various tribes outside the Chahar headquarters who had accompanied him on the expedition, making them the vanguard.

Of course, Ligdan Khan did not directly send them to their deaths; his task was to drive Ming slaves into battle. The slaves they had plundered in Datong had been lost with the defeat of the Left Wing Grand Commander Tashhai, and the current slaves were plundered again from the Yanmen and Xuanfu areas.

Thousands of Ming Dynasty civilians were driven towards the breach in the border wall. Datong did not have a well-organized wagon garrison because it had long been on the front line directly facing the threat of the grasslands, defending a range of hundreds of miles, and the mobility of wagon garrisons was far from sufficient. Previously, Datong garrison relied heavily on cavalry, but later it became too poor to afford horses, resulting in its current hybrid structure.

However, Datong did manage to temporarily install shields and protective plates on the artillery vehicles, roughly resembling regular vans, and formed a rudimentary array of vehicles to block the gap.

The front was reinforced with artillery, swordsmen and shieldmen, spearmen, and chevaux-de-frise; cavalry supported the flanks; and the city walls provided crossfire from the rear and above. The deployment was adequate; the only problem was the lack of manpower. The cries of the people disturbed the peace of the Datong defenders, their eyes turning red with anger.

"General, let me lead the cavalry to reclaim the people!" Guerrilla General Cao Wenyao volunteered.

However, Qu Jiazhen rejected his request and ruthlessly ordered his soldiers to open fire. The guns and cannons of the Ming Dynasty pierced through the hearts of the people. The Ming army had not yet experienced a long period of suppressing peasant uprisings, and they had not yet become numb.

The soldiers of the Nine Garrisons mostly fought against foreign enemies, playing the role of protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people. They had guarded the borders for generations, did not engage in production, and even the grain they ate was transported from the interior, hauled by the people in carts. Only by protecting the people could they ensure that the people could eat this grain with peace of mind.

After a volley of fire, almost all of the thousands of unarmed civilians were killed or wounded. Many Datong soldiers had swollen eyes from crying, and their hands holding the muskets were trembling.

"The Ming people are truly ruthless!" Lin Dan Khan and his leaders exclaimed as they watched the scene from afar.

"Qu Jiazhen, what are you doing? Why won't you let me go and save the people? You're a madman, a madman! I'm going to petition His Majesty to impeach you!!!" Cao Wenyao grabbed the general's collar and roared.

The other generals were also drawn to this scene. Qu Jiazhen slapped Cao Wenyao's hand away and roared, "You remember this! It was these sons of bitches from the north who killed the people, not us! If you have any conscience, then block them here and don't let a single one escape. Wait for the other armies to surround them and wipe them out, avenging the dead people!"
We don't even have three thousand cavalry, how are you going to save us? If you want to die, don't drag the brothers down with you! You can impeach me if you want, but I'm the General-in-Chief of Datong now, and you're my guerrilla general. You must obey my orders, or I'll kill you right now!!!

Boom! ! !
The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and a dark line surged in from afar. "Dark clouds press down on the city, threatening to crush it"—this was probably the feeling. Just as the two were arguing, the Northern barbarian cavalry officially launched their attack. The two exchanged a glance, then, lying on the city wall watching this scene, their faces began to turn pale.

(End of this chapter)