Di Ming

Chapter 247 Revitalizing the Glory of the Mongol Empire!
When Cao Wenzhao woke up, it was breakfast time. Upon learning this, Zhu Yin immediately sent Ding Hongying to find Zheng Guowang and get some fine food, just to give Cao Wenzhao a meal for a sick person.

Ding Hongying was overjoyed and immediately obeyed the order to go to Zheng Guowang's camp to fetch some delicious food for Cao Wenzhao.

As the inspector and military supervisor, Zheng Guowang's camp was not far from the central command tent.

At this very moment, Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai are also having breakfast.

Compared to the breakfasts of Zhu Yin, Qi Jiguang, and the soldiers, the breakfasts of the two imperial inspectors were much more lavish.

Zheng Guowang had a face as beautiful as jade and a graceful demeanor; anyone who saw her would mistake her for a woman.

However, his status as a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a Circuit Inspector proved to the outside world that she was undoubtedly a man.

On the table in front of her were fresh roasted meat, sashimi, fruits and vegetables... about ten kinds in total, all served in small dishes, not many in quantity but rich in variety.

Hao Yunlai's breakfast was about the same.

The two of them each had their own table and ate very elegantly, never speaking while eating.

Not only was their food exquisite, but they also had personal guards fanning and serving them. Beside them was a Tang Dynasty Boshan incense burner covered in verdigris, from which wisps of smoke rose.

Clearly, even within the military, the two imperial inspectors adhered to the principle of "purifying the mind and following the Way."

This is actually not surprising at all; it was quite common among the Ming army. The supervising officer always ate very well, and even had the means to indulge in luxury.

Their meals were the norm for Ming army supervisors.

Zheng Guowang was a civil official who supervised the army and was also the emperor's brother-in-law. Why would she cooperate with Zhu Yin and the soldiers to share weal and woe? Of course, she would enjoy herself and live a life of luxury.

I will never mistreat myself.

Even though Zhu Yin was the governor-general, he could not force Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai to eat the standard rations for soldiers with him.

As a result, Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai actually had the best food in the army.

When Zheng Guowang was in Lanzhou, he sent his personal guards to procure and transport fresh meat and vegetables. He also had a private chef.

Hao Yunlai also benefited from the situation.

As soon as Ding Hongying entered the military tent, she smelled a fragrance, a top-grade agarwood called "Yingge Green".

They really know how to enjoy themselves, especially in the military.

"Hongying greets the two Daoist masters." Ding Hongying bowed immediately upon entering the military tent.

Hao Yunlai's expression wasn't too bad. He stopped eating and said, "What brings Hong Niangzi here? Is she here to deliver a message from the Governor-General?"

Zheng Guowang completely ignored Ding Hongying, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Replying to the long story," Ding Hongying said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "the Governor-General sent me to fetch a delicious meal for the wounded."

Hao Yunlai picked up a fried shrimp, put it in his mouth, and ate it with relish, saying slowly and deliberately:
"Isn't the governor supposed to share weal and woe with his soldiers? Why should the wounded be served delicacies?"

His tone was sarcastic. After speaking, he picked up a piece of roasted venison, which was roasted until golden brown and oily, and smelled delicious.

Ding Hongying hadn't eaten breakfast yet. She swallowed hard, unsure whether to leave or stay.

In his heart, he was already cursing: You two damned military supervisors, Uncle Hu and Qi Shaobao eat the same food as the soldiers, but you two eat and drink well every day, and are even served and fanned. Is this how you fight a war?

"It's so sour." Zheng Guowang suddenly spoke, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she spat out a piece of shark fin. "How much vinegar did you put in?"

One of the guards behind him changed his expression and immediately knelt down.

"Forgive me, Fourth Master. When I was braising the shark fin earlier, I mistakenly used aged vinegar instead of soy sauce and added an extra spoonful. Your Highness is truly discerning; you noticed it with just one taste..."

"Stop flattering me." Zheng Guowang's expression was cold. "A month's salary fine. If you do it again... hmph."

"Yes, yes," the soldier said with a mournful face. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Thank you for your mercy, Fourth Master."

"I'm not eating anymore." Zheng Guowang threw down his chopsticks in disappointment, and immediately someone brought him mouthwash, a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and a towel.

Zheng Guowang picked up a slice of fresh watermelon, took a couple of bites, and then casually tossed it away.

Then, they leisurely rinsed their mouths, wiped their mouths, and wiped their hands.

Ding Hongying looked at the few bright red, juicy slices of watermelon and couldn't help but swallow hard. In the past few years at the Zhu family home, her diet had been excellent, the same as Zhu Yin's family; she could eat whatever she wanted, so she shouldn't be craving it.

But nowadays, even fresh vegetables are hard to come by in the army, yet Zheng Guowang can eat watermelon!
Ding Hongying looked at Zheng Guowang's face, which was no less handsome than her own, and the more she looked, the stranger it seemed. She subtly observed Zheng Guowang, and suddenly an absurd guess popped into her mind: Could this Uncle Zheng... be a woman? He looks like a woman and doesn't have a beard.

Thinking this through, Ding Hongying dismissed her guess. How could Zheng Guojiu be a woman? He was a court official, and already married. He was just a man with feminine features; she had really been overthinking it.

"Has Cao Wenzhao woken up?" Zheng Guowang suddenly said calmly, "He's lucky to be alive."

Ding Hongying said, "It is indeed Cao Wenzhao."

Zheng Guowang nodded absentmindedly and said to his servants in a detached tone, "Prepare some ingredients, fish, meat, and fruits, and take them back to Hong Niangzi."

"Yes, Fourth Master." The guards immediately prepared.

Ding Hongying quickly curtsied and said, "Thank you, Daoist Zheng."

"Why should I thank you?" Zheng Guowang sneered. "Cao Wenzhao shed blood for the court; he was wounded for the country. What is this little thing worth?"

Soon, the family soldier prepared some things and went back with Ding Hongying.

After Ding Hongying left, Hao Yunlai put down his chopsticks and smiled:
"Brother Yueying, when it comes to the skill of winning people's hearts, you and I are far inferior to Zhu Zhihu."

Zheng Guowang, holding a similarly pure white jade cup in his jade-like hands, said with a half-smile:
“Zhu Zhihu is a man of action, and he is generally infallible, which is better than you and me. Brother Huaji, we are still at war, so don’t hinder him or impeach him. After this war is over and Hexi is recovered, it’s not too late to impeach him one by one. We’ll settle all the scores together.”

Hao Yunlai smiled faintly, "That's right, that's exactly how it should be."

……

Less than an hour after Cao Wenzhao woke up, at the fourth quarter of the Chen hour, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from the north.

A vast horde of Mongol cavalry, like a dark cloud, swept in.

Between Huangyangchuan and Zamuhe, billowing smoke and dust filled the air.

The bandits suffered a great loss last night and have finally come to retaliate today.

"Woo woo woo—" The Ming army, which had been on high alert for a long time, also rearranged its battle formation.

Li Rusong pointed his whip at the enemy troops and laughed, "General, Commander, the enemy suffered a great loss last night, and as expected, they have come to retaliate today. It is bound to be a tough battle."

Qi Jiguang shaded his eyes with his hand as he looked north, and said in a vigorous tone:

"If we strike the bandit army again, we can pin them down here. With the main force of the Mongol cavalry pinned down here, Qin Liangyu and Xiao Ruxun's battles will be much easier."

Zhu Yin snapped his folding fan shut and slammed it into his palm. "So today we must fight the enemy to the death, at any cost, and force them to wear us down to the bitter end!"

Qi Jiguang waved his command flag, and the Ming army's 30,000-strong formation shifted once more. Messengers blew urgent whistles as they galloped between units. Cavalry commander Li Rusong personally arranged the cavalry ranks.

The sun had already scorched the earth, and the summer wind swept by carrying fine sand and gravel. The dust raised by the Mongol cavalry obscured half the sky, and the armor, swords, and spears gleamed coldly like wolf fangs in the sunlight.

Beneath the towering Suluding banner stood a Mongolian nobleman wearing a cow-horned helmet.

It was the bandit commander-in-chief—the truth!
As Zhenxiang looked at the Ming army camp, the scene of the Ming army's night raid on the camp floated into his mind. His eyes were extremely gloomy, and his whole body was filled with murderous intent.

With a wave of his hand, the mournful sounds of horns and conch shells began to resound.

Large contingents of Mongol cavalry and Han infantry surged forth.

Today, he had no patience to waste time with the Ming army. He had to fight a bloody battle with them to salvage the morale that had crumbled during the night.

His tactic was to have Zhu Shuaixin's 5,000 Han soldiers attack the enemy first, followed by 5,000 cavalry behind the infantry, waiting for an opportunity to break through their lines.

Five thousand cavalrymen were deployed on each of the left and right flanks, for a total of ten thousand men to contain the Ming army's cavalry.

The remaining 8,000 cavalrymen were kept as reserves.

"Woo woo woo—" As the horn sounded, five thousand Han soldiers, under pressure from the Mongol cavalry, took the lead in attacking!

Zhu Shuaixin's eyes turned red as he watched the five thousand Han soldiers he had worked so hard to acquire being used as the vanguard.

However, despite being the Crown Prince of Ximing, he was merely a puppet of the Mongol nobles, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He already had a terrible intuition: the Ming Dynasty was doomed to defeat!
If the Ming Dynasty is defeated, the puppet Ming will reoccupy Hexi. What will happen to his family? That greedy Prince Yan who surrendered to Beijing is doomed to die, and a terrible one at that!
What to do? Zhu Shuaixin watched the retreating figures of the five thousand Han soldiers, his mind racing. Suddenly, he called over one of his personal guards and gave the order:
"You must immediately return to Liangzhou City and tell His Majesty and the Grand Tutor that they should issue an imperial edict ordering the Gansu and Suwei Guards to conscript as many as 100,000 able-bodied Han Chinese as possible within half a month. They should assemble at Beihepi, east of Jiayuguan, and tell them they are to build the Great Wall, with provisions and compensation provided. All the grain from both guards should also be gathered at Beihepi. Do you understand?" The guard replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will deliver the message."

After saying this, he rode away from the army and headed towards Liangzhou.

Just as Zhu Shuaixin sent out messengers, the three Mongol cavalry forces were also mobilized.

"Rumble—"

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, 15,000 Mongol cavalrymen, divided into three groups—one in the center and two on the flanks—surged towards the Ming army opposite them like three iron torrents, overwhelming the earth and causing it to tremble.

"Kill!" Driven by the Mongol cavalry behind them, the five thousand Han soldiers could only desperately charge forward.

They pushed the shield cart forward, followed by pikemen, then a few tiger-squat cannons, a small number of musketeers and rocket soldiers, and mostly archers.

Soon, the infantry of the two armies clashed, only thirty paces apart. A hundred paces behind the enemy infantry were the Mongol cavalry bringing up the rear.

"Boom boom—" As the enemy infantry charged forward, the tiger-squatting cannons on the vehicles also opened fire.

At the same time, the Ming army's firearms on the other side also spewed flames.

Muskets and arrows were fired without restraint. The two sides immediately clashed, and the battle was incredibly fierce from the very first encounter.

However, the Ming army's tiger-squatting cannons and breech-loading cannons were bombarding the Mongol cavalry, who were a hundred paces behind the enemy infantry.

Although the Mongol cavalry hid behind the infantry, iron shot mixed with shards of porcelain still exploded in the cavalry ranks, creating a bloody mist. The warhorses reared up in alarm, and as the riders were thrown off balance, the muffled thud of bullets shattering leather armor sent Mongol cavalry crashing down like they were hitting an invisible wall.

Qi Jiguang's tactics were ingenious. With the chariots positioned outside, the long-range tiger-squat cannons and breech-loading cannons were concentrated for ranged attacks against the cavalry, who were over a hundred paces away. Meanwhile, bows, muskets, and rockets were focused on the enemy infantry charging towards the front lines.

In this way, the enemy's infantry and cavalry coordination was completely isolated, and they could no longer work together.

"Damn it!" Zhenxiang's face turned ashen. He no longer cared about the lives of the five thousand Han infantrymen. He simply took advantage of the fact that the infantry had already charged forward and ordered the cavalry to charge head-on without regard for friend or foe.

In this way, the five thousand infantrymen acted as a one-way shield, used to cover the cavalry's charge into the enemy lines.

As soon as the order was given, the five thousand cavalrymen behind them immediately accelerated and charged with all their might while the Ming army's cannons were being reloaded!

Boom boom boom!
"What!" Zhu Shuaixin was stunned, staring at the truth with a shocked expression.

That bastard! He completely disregarded the lives of five thousand Han soldiers.

Truth, with a cold expression, said casually, "Your Highness, there's nothing we can do about it. Since the infantry has already charged forward, their casualties will definitely be high. We might as well use them as human shields to create opportunities for the cavalry."

Zhu Shuaixin forced a smile and said, "The Prince of Xihai commands with composure and uses troops like a god. I admire him greatly. Very well, that's how it should be."

Prince Consort Ayun Taiji glanced coldly at the truth without saying a word.

Five thousand Mongol cavalry charged and fired arrows, a dark rain of arrows piercing the air and enveloping the Ming army's front line, falling from the sky.

The wooden walls of the chariot formation couldn't withstand this barrage of arrows.

Seeing the Mongol cavalry charge ahead at this moment, Qi Jiguang, facing the enemy, couldn't help but shake his head and say, "The Tartars are truly ruthless!"

He then raised the Five Elements Command Flags.

The messenger shouted:
"Raise the bamboo whisk!"

"Raise your shield!"

Suddenly, bamboo shields over ten feet long were erected within the chariot formation, and a torrential rain of arrows pierced the verdant bamboo joints. The bamboo, having been soaked in tung oil, made it difficult for the arrowheads to penetrate more than two inches into the wood.

The dense array of bamboo whisks was also raised, rapidly spinning to deflect the arrows. Most of the arrows were blocked by the rattan shields, bamboo shields, and bamboo whisks, but many still fell, wounding or even killing Ming soldiers.

Meanwhile, the rebel infantry, who were fighting the Ming army in the front lines, suddenly heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves behind them in terror.

They looked back and saw that their own large cavalry force had actually charged ahead of time.

The original plan was for the infantry, protected by shield wagons, to launch the first attack, remove the Ming army's barricades, deplete the Ming army's ammunition, and destroy the Ming army's wagon formation.

When the time is right, the infantry split in the middle, withdrawing from both flanks to clear the front, and then the cavalry behind them charge.

But right now, they're being used as human shields. While they're keeping the Ming army's front lines occupied, they're launching a preemptive charge to break through their lines!
"Run!" the rebel infantrymen shouted, and thousands of them abandoned their fight with the Ming army and ran to both sides.

Forget military orders, forget victory and defeat, to hell with them!

The enemy infantry wished they had two more legs, and ran desperately to both sides, thus clearing the way for the onrushing cavalry and creating excellent conditions for the cavalry to charge.

But Zhen was still not satisfied and said bitterly, "These Han soldiers are cowards! Instead of charging forward to their deaths, they ran to the sides! Useless!"

Zhu Shuaixin looked up at the sky, his eyes ashen, wishing he could draw his sword and slay the truth. But then he immediately followed up with a curse:

"Useless! Utterly useless! Raise the flag now and make these useless people retreat!"

As they spoke, the Mongol cavalry charged into the Ming army's ranks.

Thanks to the role played by the rebel infantry, the Mongol cavalry reached the Ming army's lines at a very low cost, while still maintaining a high horse speed.

"Well done!" Zhu Yin roared from the Ming army's ranks, "When two armies meet on a narrow path—the brave shall prevail!"

"Boom boom boom boom!" The drummer rose up and struck the drumsticks, the three heavy blows making the flagpole hum. Suddenly, ten gaps appeared in the chariot formation, and five hundred hook-and-sickle soldiers, dragging their cold iron chains, leaped out of the formation.

"Bang bang bang—" The muskets behind the Ming army's chariot formation fired again, filling the air with smoke and deafeningly loud.

"Kill!" A large number of spears also emerged from behind the chariot formation like a hedgehog.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" The Ming army's archers also rained down arrows.

With a deafening roar, the large cavalry force, like a warhammer, slammed into the Ming army's front lines.

At the same time, the Mongol cavalry on both flanks rained down arrows to contain the Ming cavalry, coordinating with the Mongol cavalry on the front to break through the enemy lines.

The first rank of cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another. At least five or six hundred cavalrymen were killed by gunfire, arrows, or stabs, and many more were wounded.

However, the cavalry's powerful charge still broke through the Ming army's chariot formation like a flood bursting its banks, overturning chariots and breaking spears.

"Slash!" The quenched scythe drew a silver arc, severing the front hooves of the foremost Mongol warhorse. A centurion with a face full of tattoos had just cut down two Ming soldiers when a spear pierced his throat.

The Mongol cavalry's charge was highly skillful, a wave-like charge rather than a chaotic, haphazard rush. This allowed them to maintain a continuous momentum, preventing the entire force from halting simply because the vanguard stopped.

Looking down from the sky, one could see that the Mongol cavalry were still pressing forward, compressing the Ming army's formation like waves crashing against rocks; the Ming army's first line of defense had been breached.

In an instant, tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides were locked in a fierce and desperate battle, their weapons clashing and both suffering heavy casualties. A dense rain of arrows hung over both sides, as if space itself were being torn apart.

While the Mongol cavalry vanguard suffered heavy losses, the Ming army's wagon formation on the front was also destroyed, and the first line of defense had been breached.

If the second line of defense cannot be held, the Ming army's main formation will be breached and collapse.

Once the great formation collapsed, even the God of War was powerless to reverse the situation; the defeat was truly like a landslide.

At this time, the Ming cavalry was tied down by the Mongol cavalry attacking from both flanks and was unable to attack the Mongol cavalry in front.

Even more critically, Zhen Huan still had a full eight thousand cavalrymen at his disposal, including eight hundred precious heavy cavalrymen!

However, Qi Jiguang and Zhu Yin on the high carriage remained calm at this moment. Although their gazes were solemn, they showed no signs of anxiety.

Clearly, the father and son had a backup plan!

"The enemy lines have been broken!" Zhenxiang exclaimed with joy. "Victory belongs to the Mongols! Heavy cavalry, charge!"

He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to deploy his precious eight hundred heavy cavalry.

This is the most powerful heavy cavalry force of the Western Sea Mongols, which they rarely use. Now is the time.

"Boom boom boom—" The chainmail of eight hundred heavily armored cavalrymen gleamed with blood in the dust, and the heavily armored cavalry cleaved the battlefield like black lightning.

About a hundred paces behind the eight hundred heavy cavalrymen came another five thousand Mongol light cavalrymen!

Most of the reserve force for the truth has been mobilized!

The truth seems to reveal the collapse of the Ming army's formation and the utter defeat of its troops.

He wants to restore the glory of the Mongol Empire in Hexi!
P.S.: There have been many rebels throughout history, but An Lushan was the most idiotic. Thank you, goodnight! I'm making all sorts of requests! Those of you who are reading this book, please send me an auto-subscription!

(End of this chapter)