The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 243 Qin Liangyu Arrives

When Hou Tianxi's wedge formation was torn apart, Liu Ning finally revealed his killing move.

His cavalry surrounded the government troops from three sides simultaneously. The cavalry on the left used their guns to attract the attention of the government troops, while the right rear guard followed closely behind the blind spot, constantly drawing their bows and nocking arrows. The cavalry at the front suddenly turned their horses around and blocked the government troops' path.

Hou Tianxi's warhorse was hit by a stray arrow, throwing him onto the mudflats.

He struggled to his feet, only to see bandit cavalry surging in from behind: the cavalrymen were cutting down fleeing soldiers with their sabers while firing arrows from blind spots.

At this moment, Hou Tianxi was also hit by several arrows in the back. He fell to the ground with a thud, watching unwillingly as his subordinates were called out one by one by the bandit soldiers and fell dead from their horses.

In less than half an hour, all the government cavalrymen fell on the banks of the Jialing River.

Liu Ning didn't even glance at Hou Tianxi on the ground. He spurred his horse and led his cavalry towards Hou Liangzhu's army formation.

At this moment, Hou Liangzhu was focused on directing his troops to retreat slowly.

When he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him, his heart tightened.

He looked back expectantly, but only saw the figures of the bandit riders.

"Tianxi."

He suppressed his grief and roared fiercely:
"Don't stop!"

"The hills are five miles ahead. Once we get past them, we can shake off the bandit cavalry!"

Hou Liangzhu stared intently at the continuous mountain valley ahead, like a wounded wild beast; it was the army's last chance for survival.

But on this battlefield, five miles seemed like an eternity.

Liu Ning led his cavalry, circling outside the Ming army's formation like a flock of vultures, their iron hooves kicking up dust.

He reined in his horse, stood on high ground, drew a short gun from his waist, and fired a shot into the air.

With a whooshing sound, the cavalry immediately dispersed and began to harass the government army's formation with various means.

The vanguard cavalry drew their bows and nocked arrows, which flew across the army formation like locusts, striking the shields or armor of the government troops, and people fell down with screams of agony.

Those in the rear drew javelins from leather pouches on the side of their horses' backs. With the speed of the galloping horses, the heavy javelins easily pierced through the soldiers in front and pinned the soldiers behind them to the ground.
The lead bullets from the three-barreled guns fired simultaneously, instantly creating a spray of blood in the crowd.

"Throw the thunderbolt in there, you bastard!"

Dozens of cavalrymen untied the iron canisters from their waists, lit the fuses, and hurled them forcefully into the government troops' ranks.

With a loud bang, the iron can landed and shattered, sending smoke and debris flying everywhere, with severed limbs scattered all over the ground.

The deafening noise turned the faces of the government troops in the formation pale, and their formation involuntarily loosened slightly.

The government troops were tormented to the brink of collapse by the relentless harassment. Corpses piled up like small mountains in front of the battle lines, and the cries of the wounded rose and fell.

The shadow of death and immense psychological pressure, like a constantly tightening noose, made it hard for every officer and soldier to breathe.

As the hills drew ever closer, a young soldier suddenly threw down his spear, scrambled away from the main formation, and ran madly toward the hills!

"I quit! Run!"

Once the first deserter appears, there will naturally be a second, and a third.
"Run! Run!"

Staying here is tantamount to waiting to die!

Panic swept through the entire rear guard like a plague.

Countless soldiers followed closely behind, abandoning their armor and weapons, pushing aside their comrades who blocked their way, and desperately breaking away from the barely maintained circular formation, wishing they had two more legs.

The military formation that Hou Liangzhu had painstakingly maintained collapsed at that moment.

"It's over!"

Hou Liangzhu's vision went black, and he almost fell off his horse.

Shhh————

Seeing this, Liu Ning, who was not far away, had a cold glint in his eyes and immediately blew his bone whistle.

The cavalry, who had been waiting for a long time, pounced from all directions like sharks smelling blood, crashing into the scattered crowd.

The sabers were brandished, kicking up plumes of blood mist, and screams echoed across the plains.

Even more deadly, on the horizon behind them, billowing dust representing the main force of the bandits was approaching, and the flags of the vanguard were already clearly visible.

Shao Yong's vanguard infantry was charging forward with great strides.

The government troops were thrown into complete chaos, with cries, shouts, fighting, and the sound of horses' hooves all mixed together.

"General, let's break through!"

"I'll bring the brothers to cover you!"

Lieutenant Gao Hao, covered in blood, rushed to Hou Liangzhu's horse and roared hoarsely.

Hou Liangzhu looked at the scene before him and did not hesitate for a moment:

"go!"

He yanked the reins sharply and yelled at the servants beside him.
"Charge out with me!"

"Whoever stands in the way will die!"

His eyes were bloodshot. He spurred his horse and smashed through the foot soldiers blocking his way, rushing out like lightning.

The infantrymen who were still frantically fleeing behind him were left far behind. At this moment, Hou Liangzhu had only one thought in his mind.
"Run! Run behind the hills!"

But Liu Ning had already set his sights on Hou Liangzhu, and when he saw that Hou was trying to escape, he immediately led his troops to chase after him.

He turned his horse around and charged straight in from the side, blocking Hou Liangzhu and his personal guards in the crowd.

Just then, Shao Yong's vanguard infantry also arrived at the edge of the battlefield.

"The government troops have collapsed, kill them all!"

Upon seeing the routed soldiers before him, Shao Yong was overjoyed and led his more than a thousand vanguard infantrymen into the battlefield.

Seeing this, Hou Liangzhu's deputy general Gao Hao wanted to lead the main force of the central army to resist.

But Shao Yong's infantry had already formed small squads, thrusting with spears and slashing with swords and shields, leaving Gao Hao and his men with no chance to fight back, and they fell in droves.

Hou Liangzhu was tightly entangled by Liu Ning's elite cavalry, unable to break free despite his attempts to charge left and right. Seeing the vanguard of the enemy soldiers about to arrive, he closed his eyes in despair:
"My life is over!"

But at this critical moment, a powerful and resounding war drumbeat pierced through the clamor of the battlefield, coming from the hills ahead.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Hou Liangzhu suddenly opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a well-organized military unit that had appeared on the hilltop not far away.

White stem with red tassels, indigo robe!
"It's the White-Spear Soldiers! General Qin has arrived!"

Hou Liangzhu was so excited to have escaped from a desperate situation that his voice changed, and a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

Shao Yong, who had just rushed into the battlefield, also heard the drumbeats. He squinted and looked warily toward the hills.

Soon, a scout arrived on horseback with the report:
"Reporting to the general! We have spotted government reinforcements about three thousand strong three miles ahead."

"Among them, there were about 1,800 spearmen, about 900 crossbowmen, and 150 cavalry on each flank."

Shao Yong felt a chill and immediately took out his binoculars to carefully observe the government troops' reinforcements.

The indigo robes fluttered in the wind, the snow-white spears pointed densely towards the sky, and the red tassels at the tips of the spears danced in the wind like a leaping flame.

At the central command post, a large red flag fluttered in the wind, with a huge "Qin" character on it, its strokes bold and powerful!
Shao Yong dared not delay and immediately gave the order:
"Sound the bugle! Regroup the troops!"

"Surround and kill the fleeing soldiers and Hou Liangzhu in front of you, quickly!"

From her vantage point atop the hill, Qin Liangyu surveyed the chaotic and bloody battlefield below.

She discovered that the entire enemy formation appeared unusually disorganized, and their forces were scattered.

The vanguard infantry of the rebel army were still besieging Hou Liangzhu's central army; while their cavalry galloped across the vast battlefield, chasing down the fleeing soldiers on the periphery.

Seeing this, a burly, one-eyed lieutenant stood up beside Qin Liangyu, his voice booming:
"Commander!" "The enemy soldiers are arrogant and disorganized; this is the perfect opportunity to defeat them and rescue our people!"

"Let me lead two thousand men to rescue General Hou first!"

This person was Ma Xianglin, the only son of Qin Liangyu, who was known as "Zhao Zilong, Little Ma Chao".

Back then, he rushed to the aid of Shanhaiguan with the army. During the bloody battle of Hunhe River, he was shot in the left eye by a stray arrow from the Later Jin army.

Despite suffering such a heavy blow, Ma Xianglin not only did not retreat, but instead drew his arrowhead on the spot and fired three arrows, killing three enemy soldiers. He was truly the bravest in the army.

Qin Liangyu looked at Hou Liangzhu, who was on the verge of death not far away, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"Xianglin, be careful! I'll cover for you!"

"Order!"

A glint flashed in Ma Xianglin's eyes, and he abruptly turned and drew his sword, his voice booming like thunder:
"Stone Pillar warriors! Follow me to defeat the thieves and rescue the people!"

Two thousand White-Spear Soldiers moved at the sound, quickly changing formations by company, and in the blink of an eye, they formed three large triangular cone formations.

This is the most commonly used formation of the White-Spear Soldiers. The wedge formation has a precise internal structure with nested layers.

The wedge formation was organized into units of si (司), with the first layer consisting of heavily armored elite soldiers, consisting of only one banner with 26 soldiers.
The second layer of three flags is responsible for stabilizing the tip of the cone; the third layer of five flags provides continuous forward propulsion; the fourth layer of seven flags expands the kill area; and the fifth layer of eight flags stabilizes the rear of the base.

Three massive spiked cones lined up in a row, crashing down from the hilltop, their target Hou Liangzhu, who was surrounded by enemy soldiers.

"Stop them!"

At this moment, Liu Ning was directing his cavalry to annihilate Hou Liangzhu's remaining forces. Upon seeing the White-Spear Soldiers charging towards them, he immediately dispatched a cavalry unit to attempt to intercept and harass them.

The cavalrymen roared in, and they used the same trick again, trying to quickly pass over the outer edge of the army formation to lure out the government troops' long-range firepower.

However, the white-pole soldiers at the front of the spiked formation, facing the cavalry charging at high speed, did not retreat but advanced instead.

"Bend over!"

"Draw your gun!"

In the cone formation, Ma Xianglin gave a sharp shout, and a dozen or so short, stocky, and agile white-pole soldiers in the front row suddenly lowered their bodies and accelerated forward a few steps!
They thrust out their uniquely shaped white-handled hook-and-sickle spears with all their might, sweeping them toward the lower body of the bandit riders.

The iron hook on the spearhead probed precisely at the horse's leg, its sharp edge deeply embedded in the horse's sinew.

The mournful neighing of warhorses suddenly rang out!
The sharp barbs easily severed the horse's leg tendons and even embedded themselves in the bone.

The galloping warhorse instantly lost its balance, like a tripped giant, and tumbled forward with tremendous inertia, crashing to the ground.

Caught off guard, the cavalryman on horseback was thrown out like a broken sack, crashing heavily to the ground with broken bones and tendons.

"kill!"

Almost at the same moment the cavalrymen fell from their horses, the second and third layers of white-spear soldiers, who had been prepared beforehand, rushed forward from the wedge formation.

The cold spear tip instantly engulfed the group of cavalrymen who had fallen and were in a daze.

The screams stopped abruptly, leaving only the muffled thud of a blade piercing flesh and the sound of blood splattering.

This sudden turn of events instantly stunned the other cavalrymen who were trying to charge forward.

They watched in horror as their companion, horse and all, was easily felled, and their charge faltered.

"Bastard!"

Shao Yong, who was directing his infantry to besiege Hou Liangzhu, also saw the change on his flank.

Seeing that his cavalry had suffered a setback, he cursed angrily and no longer cared about continuing to besiege Hou Liangzhu.

He immediately mobilized the thousand or so vanguard soldiers around him, attempting to halt the advance of the White-Clad Soldiers.

Shao Yong's vanguard was equally fierce, charging straight towards the flank of the wedge formation.

However, they immediately experienced the power of the hook-and-sickle spear upon contact.

A fierce soldier charging ahead had just parried a spear thrusting towards him with his sword when, unexpectedly, a hook-and-sickle spear swept in from the side with a whoosh!

The sharp spearhead did not pierce his body; instead, the barbs beneath it precisely hooked onto the leather strap connecting his shoulder guard and breastplate, even slipping into the gaps in his cloth armor.

"Come here!"

The white-pole soldier wielding the hook-and-sickle spear was an experienced fighter.

His arm muscles bulged, and he suddenly pulled backward with all his might.

The fierce soldier felt a tremendous force coming from him, and his body involuntarily staggered forward and fell to the ground.

He struggled to get up, but several spears were already thrusting at him from all directions.

puff-

The sharp spear tip easily pierced his shoulder blade, pinning the fierce soldier to the ground.

Similar scenes are constantly playing out on the battlefield.

The White-Spear Soldiers did not aim to kill with a single blow, but instead used the barbed nature of their hook-and-sickle spears to specifically hook the joints, hems, and even ankles of the bandits' cloth armor!
Once hooked, teammates immediately assist in dragging the enemy down, while the waiting rear guard swarms in and pins them to the ground.

Although Shao Yong's forwards were well-equipped, they were overwhelmed by this tricky style of play and precise teamwork, and could only retreat step by step.

"good chance!"

Hou Liangzhu was overjoyed to see the enemy soldiers drawn to the reinforcements.

He immediately realized what was happening and roared at his personal guards:
"Quick, rush out!"

"As long as we reach the reinforcements, we'll be saved!"

Under the desperate cover of his personal guards, Hou Liangzhu, like a frightened rabbit, whipped his warhorse frantically and fled desperately toward the hills.

He didn't even dare to look back at his personal guards who were being slaughtered by the bandits while trying to cover for him.

Seeing that Hou Liangzhu had finally broken through the encirclement and was rushing towards their own main force, Ma Xianglin decisively gave the order:

"Ming Jin withdraws his troops!"

"Maintain formation and retreat!"

A sharp, metallic clang rang out, and the three massive cone formations immediately halted their advance.

The outer spearmen slowly returned to their ranks, while the inner soldiers orderly dragged back the wounded and the remains of their comrades.

The cone formation, like three steel hedgehogs, maintained a tight defensive formation and retreated step by step towards the central army on the hill.

Shao Yong's vanguard was still shaken and dared not press too hard, only watching as the soldiers regrouped.

Hou Liangzhu, disheveled and exhausted, rushed up the hill and came to a steady stop in front of Qin Liangyu's horse. His helmet was askew, his armor was askew, and his face was covered in blood and sweat.

Hou Liangzhu, panting heavily, bowed deeply to Qin Liangyu, his voice trembling.
"General Qin, I am deeply grateful!"

"If it weren't for the general's divine intervention, I, Hou, would surely be dead today!"

Qin Liangyu sat upright on her horse, looking at Hou Liangzhu's disheveled appearance, and merely nodded slightly:
"General Hou, you're too kind."

"We are both officials of the imperial court; helping each other is our duty."

"But the enemy forces are too strong, and we cannot stay here for long. We must retreat quickly and devise a better plan."

Qin Liangyu's tone was very calm, but the weariness in it was impossible to hide.

As she spoke, her fingers, still trembling slightly, gripped the reins. The forced march of the past few days had left this veteran general, well past sixty, feeling increasingly exhausted.

Qin Liangyu and her White-Spear Soldiers were exhausted.

They set off from Shizhu, traveling by boat up the river and over mountains.

Traveling thousands of miles, enduring wind and rain, they arrived in northern Sichuan in less than a month, almost exhausting everyone's physical strength.

　I'll post one chapter first, and there will be more tonight. I'll finish this part of the story today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)