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

Chapter 161 Ming Dynasty Cavalry vs. Manchu Gazha Boshiku

The emperor made a marriage agreement with the Cao family, stipulating that the two would marry after the Ming army defeated the Jurchens. Zhu Huiti would marry Cao Bianjiao and no separate princess residence would be established for her, so that she could live with her husband.

This was marrying off a princess instead of marrying a princess, which is a big difference. Marrying a princess was a terrible system. Princesses in the Ming Dynasty did not live a comfortable life and were not comparable to the unruly princesses of the Tang Dynasty. You should know that princesses in the Tang Dynasty had their own personal guards.

At first, she didn't understand, but later it was all in vain. When Zhu Huiti learned that Cao Bianjiao was about to go to the battlefield, she cried her eyes out. She had never begged her imperial brother before, but for the first time, she cried and begged the emperor to let Cao Bianjiao guard the city and not participate in the dangerous field battle.

Zhu Youjian sneered inwardly. Just a moment ago she was his good sister, but now that she's met that little blondie, she's forgotten all about her brother. He shook his head and said seriously, "Cao Bianjiao is a born general. Not letting him go to the battlefield would be the greatest humiliation for him, and he won't be happy. Since you're going to be his wife, you have to learn to adapt."

"I hate you!" Zhu Huiti shouted, and ran away crying.

Zhu Youjian watched his sister's departing figure and said calmly, "The army will set off tomorrow. You still have one night to prepare jade pendants, sachets, or something similar to give to him."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huiti paused for a moment, then quickened her pace and left.

The following day, six thousand elite cavalrymen from the Shenshu Camp of the capital were dispatched from the city. Three thousand of these cavalrymen had fought against the Mongols before, but by the time it was their turn, the battles had been going smoothly for them, and they had not received sufficient training or proven their ability to fight tough battles. The other three thousand cavalrymen were added after the capture of warhorses; they had performed well in the training grounds but were new recruits who had never seen blood.

The loss of elite troops was a devastating blow to the court, but simply avoiding war was not an option. What was the point of having elite troops if there was no fighting? Without the baptism of a hundred battles, the very definition of elite troops was questionable. Therefore, barring any blunders and assuming equal strength on both sides, fighting was still necessary.

The battlefield cannot always be transparent to one side. The Ming Dynasty also needs to cut through the fog of war and understand more about the situation. If we don't even know where the enemy is, how can we deal with them? The Jurchens have recently approached within forty miles of the capital, and Tongzhou has already reinforced its troops three times.

In the defense of Beijing, besides the capital city itself, there were several other crucial points that could not be lost:

One is Tongzhou, the southeastern gateway to Beijing. Tongzhou is the core storage hub at the end of the north-south canal transport route, with large granaries such as Tongzhou Granary and West Granary, storing most of the grain supplied to the capital. If Tongzhou falls, the capital will face a food shortage crisis.

Then there's the Lugou Bridge, the southwestern gateway to the capital. Spanning the Yongding River, the Lugou Bridge is the only large stone bridge leading into the capital from the south. Goods, officials, and troops from the south had to pass through here to enter the capital, making it a crucial land route that could hold off ten thousand men.

Zhu Youjian reinforced both locations with a full-fledged 6,000-man wagon battalion. Even if the Jurchens attacked with ten times the force, they might not be able to capture them before their ammunition ran out. However, military strategists have always said that isolated cities are indefensible. To counter the Jurchens' attacks, the Ming Dynasty still needed a sufficiently strong mobile force.

Cao Bianjiao's destination was Tongzhou. Zhu Youjian saw them off at Chaoyang Gate. He personally packed his luggage for his future brother-in-law. It must be said that the emperor seemed quite wise when he wasn't making fun of people. Cao Bianjiao was moved and said with some emotion, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely die a worthy death!"

Boom!
Zhu Youjian slapped Cao Bianjiao's high-topped helmet askew, and said irritably, "You mouth of yours, what's with the 'die'? Don't you know how to be a little more cautious? Here are sixteen words for you: When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue. Don't force your way in if you're not satisfied. It doesn't matter if you die, but don't squander all the wealth I've painstakingly built up!"

"Understood!" Cao Bianjiao replied loudly.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

"what?!"

"Huiti is waiting for you at home," Zhu Youjian said softly.

Upon hearing this, Cao Bianjiao's face showed a distressed expression. Alas, he used to be a dashing young man, but now the emperor is demanding that he live a life of ignominy. He should have told him not to get married so early.

"Here you go. These are all things Hui Ti prepared for you. This sachet is a bit ugly; she sewed it overnight, and her fingers were pricked by the needle. Here are thirty taels of gold, which is her private savings. This jade pendant is a pair. When we brothers and sisters were young, we were not favored, and these small items were rarely given to us. Don't look down on them." Zhu Youjian said in a rambling manner.

"Ha, Cao Bianjiao's eyes are wet!" Zhu Youjian almost laughed. "Get lost, and come back quickly!" The rumble of hooves faded into the distance. Zhu Youjian stood at the city gate, watching the billowing dust disappear into the distance, a look of melancholy on his face. A pale-faced soldier beside him bent down, peering at him with a puzzled look, and said, "Your Majesty, did you just cry? Why are your eyes so red?!"

"Nonsense, I don't care about Cao Bianjiao at all, I'm not familiar with him! I'm just worried about my six thousand cavalrymen," Zhu Youjian said dismissively.

"Oh!" Wanwan nodded.

Although Cao Bianjiao was also nineteen, he couldn't play the role of Huo Qubing. Zhu Youjian wasn't so magnanimous as to entrust all six thousand cavalry to Cao Bianjiao. It's unclear what Emperor Wu of Han was thinking back then; perhaps he was too wealthy to be extravagant. In comparison, Zhu Youjian was more inclined to trust veteran generals.

The commander of the 6,000 Shenshu Camp cavalry was Cao Wenzhao, the guerrilla general, while Cao Bianjiao was promoted to guerrilla general. The guerrilla general had no rank or fixed number of personnel, and his rank was equivalent to that of a deputy general. After he accumulated enough merit, he might be able to achieve the dual position of uncle and nephew as generals.

Aside from the two uncles and nephews who appeared out of nowhere, the Shen Shu Camp was already full of hidden talents. Zhou Yuji, Huang Degong, Sun Yingyuan, Tang Tong, and others were not necessarily much worse than Cao Bianjiao.

What's rather astonishing is that Zhu Yujian, a descendant of the Tang prince, actually rose from a lowly auxiliary soldier to become a member of the elite Shenshu Camp, leaving even Zhu Youjian speechless. Whether this was due to another military talent emerging from the Zhu family, or whether he had used his status to gain entry, remains unknown. Zhu Youjian didn't try to dissuade him further, only hoping that he could survive.

No one likes an outsider as leader, and the arrogant and fierce generals of the Shenshu Camp were extremely unhappy with the Cao family uncle and nephew; the emperor was far too biased. However, this time, they would launch a multi-pronged attack, engaging the Jurchen scouts and cavalry in one-on-one combat. Then, it would be clear who was capable and who was incompetent. They also wanted to prove to the emperor that the Liaodong troops were not superior, and the capital garrison was no pushover!
That afternoon, when they were still more than ten miles away from Tongzhou, the Ming cavalry encountered the Jurchen "Gazha"!

The Ming army has actually gone to war?! The Jurchen scouts were astonished; for the past month, they had been fighting utterly pointless battles. Endless sieges, besieging cities, and although the Ming defenders they encountered were mostly weak, every siege inevitably resulted in losses. They kept winning, yet they always felt a sense of inexplicable frustration. They still preferred open field battles with the Ming army, enjoying the feeling of overwhelming the enemy.

At this moment, Zhou Yuji had only about thirty riders with him, each riding two horses, while this Jurchen scout squad only had thirteen riders. Seeing twice the number of Ming soldiers, they didn't flee. They chattered amongst themselves, and upon meeting, without any probing or entanglement, they immediately charged forward at full speed.

"How dare they?!" The cavalrymen on both sides had the same thought at that moment.

Those who could serve as scouts were all handpicked elites. Although they couldn't compare to the guards of the Prince, they were still the best of the best. The slave cavalry had their pride, and the cavalry of the capital garrison was also somewhat special. Unlike the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, who were known for their speed, they were like newborn calves unafraid of tigers. They were all human, and these Jurchens didn't seem to have three heads and six arms. Why should they be afraid of them?
One hundred paces, eighty paces, sixty paces. The Ming cavalry lowered their heads and slightly raised the muzzles of their three-eyed muskets. The Jurchen cavalry drew back their thick bows, stood up from their horses on the stirrups, and squatted down.

The Manchu bows used by the Jurchens were different from those used by the Mongols. The Manchu bows were large, powerful, and had large arrowheads. The same bow was used both on horseback and on foot. This type of bow was not convenient to use on horseback, but the Jurchens, through training, managed to make the foot bow usable as a horse bow.

Of course, the Jurchens were not superhuman, and this method came at a cost: they could not hold the bow and arrow properly, which led to a decrease in accuracy. The Jurchens' solution was to shoot at close range. Coincidentally, the Ming army's three-barreled guns could not shoot very far either.

Forty paces, thirty paces, twenty paces—the Ming cavalry were furious, but Zhou Yuji's orders to them were that they should not fire until the Jurchens had shot; eighteen paces!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh, bang bang bang!!!
The snapping of bowstrings and the smoke of gunpowder filled the air almost simultaneously. With a whooshing sound, the cavalry of both sides passed each other, leaving behind several warhorses without riders, bewildered and lost.

The Jurchen arrows pierced through the double armor of the Ming army's elite cavalry. This armor was made of cotton and iron, capable of withstanding musket fire from fifty paces away. They had never encountered such a situation when they fought against the northern barbarians. Back then, they were almost the ones chasing the barbarian cavalry in a one-sided pursuit. The small bows of the Mongol herdsmen simply could not penetrate their armor, which allowed them to fight with increasing ferocity.

The Jurchens were also incredulous. Were these Ming soldiers really that bold? Why didn't they run away?! Even at a distance of a dozen steps, their triple armor couldn't hold out. Compared to the Ming soldiers, they had an extra layer of silk lining for protection, making them double armor. Triple armor was a privilege reserved for the guards.

In just one round, both sides were enraged. They turned their horses around and charged again. With two shots left in their three-eyed muskets, they simply fired both. The Jurchens could only fire one arrow at a time. Those hit by arrows and bullets did not die immediately. After all, both sides were wrapped up tightly. Even if their defenses were breached, they could continue fighting as long as their vital organs were not injured.

The slave riders, thrown from their horses, drew their scimitars and charged at the Ming army with strange cries. The Ming cavalry also dropped their muskets and drew their swords to fight back. They were terrified, but they did not flee.

Bang! ! !
Zhou Yuji spurred his horse past a Jurchen soldier, flicked the musket barrel, and struck the soldier squarely in the jaw, smashing his entire jaw. The three-barreled musket was only truly effective on horseback! The Ming soldier behind him roared, thrust his sword, piercing the enemy soldier's sternum under the sword's tip, then twisted the blade and pulled it out, completing the finishing blow in one swift motion.

call out!
Zhou Yuji caught a glimpse of the sharp blade out of the corner of his eye, and his hair stood on end. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block, only to feel a sharp pain in his arm. An arrow had pierced through his arm armor. Fortunately, the angle was slightly off, and it only grazed the top of his arm, tearing the skin and drawing blood. What a vicious Tartar! Even with his martial arts skills and wearing such fine armor, he was still injured!
(End of this chapter)