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

Chapter 163 Really not going to kill them?! Of course I'm lying!
Da da da!
The scouts went quickly and returned just as fast. The Jurchen Niru Ejen looked around and saw a terrifying Ming general leap out from the end of the road. He was not very old, but he was very imposing and had a dignified appearance, making others feel ashamed of their own appearance in comparison.

The Ming general wielded a two-zhang-long (approximately 6.6 meters) spear, the arm-length pommel bearing a corpse impaled on it—his scout, whom he had sent out, was now riddled with holes, armor and all. It was terrifying; this was practically the Ming Dynasty's number one warrior!
A cacophony of sounds filled the Jurchen ranks: the scraping of armor, the drawing of bowstrings, the clanging of swords being drawn, and the neighing of warhorses. Everyone tensed up.

thump!
Cao Bianjiao lowered the spear shaft tucked under his arm, letting the corpses of the slave riders slide off. Then he pointed the blood-stained spearhead at the slave general and shouted, "I am Zhu Yujian, the grandson of the Tang Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty. If you have the guts, come and fight!"

"A prince?!" The Niru Ejen was stunned for a moment, but his men couldn't hold back any longer. Ordinary slave cavalry didn't think as much as the Ejen had imagined, such as whether there would be an ambush or how many Ming troops there would be.

Now they only see one rider, and he's an important figure from the Ming Dynasty, similar to their own Heshuo Beile. If they capture him, they'll rise to power. Besides, the Great Khan has ordered that several important Ming figures be captured in exchange for Dorgon Beile—isn't this perfect opportunity?!
So, without waiting for their commander's orders, they rushed out in a swarm. The commander, though somewhat intelligent, was blinded by the immense profits. An ambush it was! They had four hundred cavalry; even if the Ming army came with two thousand men, they could outrun them, even if they couldn't defeat them. If they captured this Tang prince and presented him to the Khan, they would truly rise to power.

After showing off, Cao Bianjiao wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on a hundred men single-handedly. He quickly turned and fled. The four hundred cavalrymen, with their thunderous roar, already possessed the momentum of an overwhelming force. Through the sparse woods, one rider led the way, followed closely by hundreds more. After less than a quarter of an hour, they emerged from the woods, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

Because Cao Bianjiao was quite tall and wore triple armor, weighing over 200 pounds including himself and his weapons, it was a hardship for his warhorse, greatly slowing it down. The Jurchen cavalry behind him were gradually closing the distance. Perhaps at this point he could have discarded his armor and armor to increase his escape speed, but Cao Bianjiao did not do so. Instead, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, twisted his body, and fired it left and right.

He used the Kaiyuan Bow, which was shorter than the Jurchen's long-handled bow and used smaller arrows. While it was less effective at penetrating armor, it was superior in its range and speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Cao Bianjiao's bow moved like lightning, emptying his quiver in no time. At this distance, such arrows couldn't penetrate the Jurchen armor, but Cao Bianjiao hadn't intended to shoot the Jurchens; he was aiming at their warhorses! The arrow pierced the horse's neck. For such a large creature, it wouldn't be immediately fatal, but horses are timid, and even trained warhorses are prone to losing control after being wounded.

Cao Bianjiao's aim was flawless, and at least ten Jurchens were thrown from their horses. After falling, they rolled on the ground to dissipate the force, struggling to get up, or crouching on the ground, huddled together, praying that their comrades could control their horses to avoid them.

But with the ranks so densely packed, there were always times when it was impossible to dodge. Several unlucky men were knocked away by warhorses, their bones broken, and they vomited blood upon landing, barely breathing. The warhorses that had knocked men would then break their own legs, and the men would be knocked down again, causing chaos in the Jurchen ranks.

In a normal cavalry charge, they would maintain a safe distance from each other. But now, they were all scrambling to chase one person, and before they knew it, they were huddled together, creating this strange scene. They were horse archers, not lancers, and therefore did not actually possess the ability to charge into enemy lines.

But it was impossible for several hundred people to be scared off by a single rider. Seeing the general about to enter their firing range, the Jurchens' faces lit up with excitement. They stood up, stuck out their backsides, and leaned forward, their bows aimed intently at the so-called Tang prince's back.

At the critical moment, the cavalry sent to provide backup arrived. There were dozens of Ming cavalrymen ahead. They parted to make way for the Ming general, who then darted in. Their three-barreled guns then fired, and the smoke filled the air, blocking the air space more than five feet in front of them, leaving only a section of horse legs visible.

With a crackling sound, gunfire rained down, sending slave riders and their horses flying.

Rumble!
The Ming army's tiger-squatting cannons unleashed their power, a dense barrage of lead bullets forming a screen of fire that left the slave cavalry with nowhere to hide but to watch helplessly. The foremost warhorses were riddled with bullets, hundreds of small black holes first appearing on their chests, then turning red and oozing blood, which flowed down, staining the entire horse crimson.

The warhorses began to rage, and the Jurchen riders struggled to control them, but to no avail, and many more fell from their horses. Those with superior horsemanship fought desperately with their mounts, only to be thrown from their horses as well. The cannons, capable of obliterating both horse and rider, and devastating for miles with a single shot, were terrifying, but the destructive power of smaller cannons should not be underestimated. The fanatical Jurchen cavalry gradually calmed down; they suddenly remembered an edict from the old Khan Nurhaci: "No open battle without shielded wagons!!!"

The Jurchens' pride in cavalry archery had already been crushed countless times: the spear formations of the White-Spear Soldiers, Sun Chengzong's chariot formations, the cities of Ningyuan and Jinzhou—which one hadn't caused them heavy losses and left them defeated?! They finally understood why the Great Khan had brought so many cannons this time.

During the Battle of Hunhe, they used a thousand taels of silver to lure captured Ming artillerymen into firing cannons at the White-Spear Soldiers' gun formation, which is how they defeated the enemy.

The light smoke quickly dissipated with the wind, but the lingering faint smoke acted like an invisible barrier. The Jurchen cavalry hesitated outside the smoke, unable to advance. Cao Bianjiao, who had already run some distance, had no choice but to turn back when he saw the Jurchen cavalry had stopped pursuing.

He was incredibly annoyed. He should never have come here. How could he have known the Jurchens were so cowardly? They were too scared to even come. This was nothing! Oh no, he was going to get a terrible scolding from his uncle again. He had failed in his mission to lure the enemy, and all his efforts had been for nothing!
Cao Bianjiao and the Jurchen leader stared at each other. The Jurchen leader glared at him fiercely and gritted his teeth as he spat out a single word: "Withdraw!"

kill! ! !

Just as the Jurchens were about to retreat, they saw thousands of Ming cavalry leap out from behind them. It turned out that Cao Wenzhao had made two preparations in advance: the ambush in the grove was real, and the cavalry that flanked them was also real.

Damn it, in the past, the Jurchens always bullied them by outnumbering them. Now he has six thousand cavalrymen under his command. He has never been so rich in his life. Now that he has encountered a small group of Jurchen cavalrymen who are outnumbered, if they get away, he won't be able to sleep tonight!

The Jurchens pursued relentlessly, while the Ming cavalry advanced in the opposite direction, quickly flanking the Jurchens and effectively walking into an encirclement. The Jurchen cavalry commander was filled with remorse; he had sensed something was wrong from the start and knew he shouldn't have pursued them.

However, he was wrong. Whether they pursued or not, they would be surrounded anyway. Since Cao Wenzhao had ascertained the situation and was determined to defeat them, he had naturally made thorough preparations and laid a trap. Even if they retreated, they would usually be running slowly and could not outrun the Ming army's rapid march. In the end, they would still be surrounded.

Cao Bianjiao was delighted. He raised his lance and charged forward, while the slave cavalry, surrounded, were caught in a dilemma. Although Cao Bianjiao's side had the fewest men, the slave cavalry leader, Ezhenque, was unwilling to face him. So he roared, "Zheli'emurinshushule, retreat!!!"

Cao Bianjiao couldn't understand what the Jurchen general was saying, but he did know a phrase in Jurchen: "Gulunbedasaladwahaojini!" which means: Surrender and you will not be killed!

"Are you really not going to kill them?!" Several Jurchen riders who were nearby hesitated upon hearing the shout.

Of course it's fake!
Without hesitation, Cao Bianjiao used his thick, long spearhead to pierce through the enemy cavalry, one end, two ends, forming a chain. No matter how many layers of armor you wore, you couldn't stop the charge of the horse spear. However, this weapon was not something an ordinary person could use. Let alone lifting two people, even being able to land the first thrust on an enemy soldier during a charge without losing control was already a rare feat for a fierce general.

(End of this chapter)