Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 192 A silver bottle suddenly shatters, water gushing forth; iron cavalry charge forth, swords and spears clashing!

As dawn approached, the morning wind from beyond the Great Wall carried a bone-chilling cold, stirring up wisps of thin mist.

In the fog, a blurry black figure first appeared.

That was a knight leading a horse.

He was wearing only a dark red military jacket and was walking steadily along the mountain path.

On the back of his warhorse beside him, his armor and longbow were carried on one side, while a cold spear hung on the other.

He made no sound, but silently led the horse forward along the mountain path, and once again entered the thin mist.

Then came the second rider, the third rider...

One after another, Ming cavalrymen, dressed in the same attire and using the same methods, appeared continuously from behind the bends in the mountain path.

The procession meandered through the narrow mountain path, like a dark red dragon coiled among the mountains, its beginning and end nowhere to be seen.

……

how to spell?
This was never a problem for Ma Shilong, the commander-in-chief of the army.

He sat astride his horse, his gaze sweeping over the faintly visible procession before him.

Of the six thousand elite cavalry, at least fifteen hundred of the three thousand household guards were handpicked by him from various towns, along with their officers.

The servants were all strong and muscular men, well-fed with plenty of silver, and the officers were fierce and daring warriors.

Thirty-odd riders dared to detour a thousand miles to raid enemy rear; this is the kind of elite force they were.

The other three thousand elite troops from Liaodong, though not a large proportion of them were personal guards, were still fierce soldiers carefully selected by him and Sun Chengzong based on their past prestige. There were no fewer than a hundred men in their tents who had three or more bandit leaders!
This was the most elite field cavalry force they could muster, provided that no major chaos ensued in the border towns.

After gaining control of the Datong military town, he maximized the advantages of this force within a few days.

General Qu Jiazhen of Datong personally led a 3,000-chariot battalion and stationed it at Yulin Pass, allowing him to commit all 6,000 cavalrymen to the attack without any worries.

He also mobilized three thousand second-class packhorses specifically for transporting armor and provisions, in order to conserve the strength of the main warhorses to the greatest extent possible and ensure that they could unleash the most lethal charge at the most critical moment.

Finally, there was the reward personally issued by the emperor.

A reward of 50,000 taels of silver! Fifty additional imperial edicts! No regard for heads or prisoners, no civil officials to supervise, everything is decided by Ma Shilong alone!

The army is strong, the horses are sturdy, and the rewards are plentiful.

When has Ma Shilong ever fought such a costly battle?!
Therefore, from beginning to end, there was only one problem that Ma Shilong was most worried about and could not decide.

That is, the moment Ligdan Khan spotted the Ming army's banners, he would immediately break camp and head east without hesitation.

If that's the case, then he, the commander who insisted on the strategy of defeating the enemy on the western front and rejected the strategy of annihilating them on the eastern front, will become the biggest sinner in this war!

In this situation, the worst outcome would be to have wasted effort and incur the wrath of the powerful chieftain.

—Even if he actually carried out the emperor's strategic intentions completely.

But faced with the overwhelming barrage of impeachments, this new emperor probably lacks the courage and will to protect him.

He, Ma Shilong, was, after all, just a defeated general in the past...

At this time.

A messenger came against the flow of traffic on a specially left passage: "Governor, the cavalry ahead has emerged from the mountain road, and our scouts have encountered the Tumed tribe's cavalry."

"They reported that the Prince of Shunyi has sent scouts to cover the southern battlefield as much as possible, and he only requests that the general go out into battle immediately!"

Ma Shilong nodded slowly, suppressing all his reverie, his gaze becoming as sharp as a knife.

He raised his hand and gave the order: "Pass down the order! After each unit leaves the mountain road, immediately don armor and form ranks, then move three miles northward to form a sentry formation!"

The messenger took the order and left.

Ma Shilong watched his figure and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

The wind in the southern desert is still so crisp and cold.

"Come on, you foolish Tiger Mound Rabbit, let this governor see what your choice really is!"

……

"The Ming army is coming."

Under the banner, someone whispered something, and the previously noisy crowd immediately fell silent.

Lin Danhan stood on the gentle slope, showing no reaction to the words, as if he hadn't heard them at all.

Ejen Agula of Ahagushan stepped forward and replied in a deep voice:

"Even if it's not the Ming army coming, it could be reinforcements from the Ordos tribe."

“Otherwise, the Prince of Shunyi would not have needed to invest so many Aljinchi in the south; this is already abnormally high.”

He looked at Lindan Khan and asked for instructions, "Great Khan, what should we do? Should we... retreat and observe the situation first?"

"retreat?"

A cold laugh rang out, and Guiying stepped forward from the crowd, her face full of contempt.

"Just look at the strength of this bunch of useless trash on the Mongolian Right Wing, and you'll know the strength of the Datong Border Army."

He looked around at the crowd and said in a loud voice, "A bunch of sheep-like troops. If they dare to come up, it will give us a perfect excuse to plunder Datong!"

"If the Ming Dynasty can give those lambs a million-year reward, why can't we?"

"A million-dollar reward! How much armor and arrows could that buy! And all that silk and cloth? I doubt even ten thousand carriages could hold it all!"

"Why retreat? There's no reason for a wolf to back down when facing a lamb!"

Guiying suddenly turned to Lindan Khan, knelt on one knee, and loudly pleaded, "Great Khan! Give me a thousand Baiya La, and I will surely crush this reinforcement army!"

No one spoke in the tent anymore; all eyes were focused on Lindan Khan, the steppe lord who had just led them to a glorious victory.

A moment later, Lin Danhan finally moved.

By this time, the morning mist had gradually dissipated, and on the southern horizon, a fiery red wave was slowly spreading out, forming a horizontal column of about five or six thousand cavalry.

There is no doubt that it was the Ming army, not the Ordos tribe.

So, should we retreat or fight?

Countless pros and cons swirled rapidly in his mind.

In the end, all these thoughts turned into a disdainful sneer.

He had also fought against the cavalry of Liaodong, but they were nothing special.

What are these border troops of Datong? Do they deserve to make the bloodline of his "Golden Family" yield?
"Send a messenger to tell the Ming army that this is an internal matter of the grasslands, and that they should retreat immediately, or they should not blame the Chahar's iron hooves for being ruthless!"

He paused, then turned abruptly, his voice echoing throughout the entire army:

"Order all units to prepare for battle immediately! If the Ming army remains obstinate, let them know who the true eagle of this grassland is!"

"As ordered!"

Amidst the thunderous roar of responses, interspersed with the unique Mongolian howls, a fierce and wolf-like whistle, the entire camp was instantly ablaze with fervor and fighting spirit!
……

Batel held high the flag representing the envoy, galloping on his horse. The cold wind blew on his face, filling him with boundless pride.

His master, Gui Yingqia, had promised that if he could obtain two more heads in the subsequent battles, he would be promoted directly to the rank of centurion!

The Great Khan's westward expedition, annexing tribes and conquering populations along the way, created this opportunity for him to rise to the top!

The Khan's confidant was Master Guiyingqia, and the Master's confidant was Batel!

After all, he was the only one with the authority to help his master remove his armor, which shows how much trust he was placed in him!
Then Timur will be able to have his own foal and bow and arrows, and when he grows up, he will become the master's Baturu...

Battelle drove along, envisioning a bright future.

Finally, it came to a slow stop about an arrow's length from the Ming army's lines.

Batel took a deep breath, about to speak and announce the Khan's warning and contempt.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, the still red line opposite him suddenly started moving!
There were no warnings, no responses, and no unnecessary actions!
The arrogance on Batel's face froze instantly, then turned into immense terror.

Without a second thought, he abruptly turned his horse around and frantically whipped its belly, ready to gallop back.

Too late.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of knights in the galloping Ming army almost simultaneously drew their bows, and arrows soared into the air like locusts, only to fall back down in an instant.

Batel felt a sharp pain in his back as several arrows were deeply embedded in his body.

He lay prone on the horse's back, desperately trying to escape.

The warhorse beneath him let out a mournful cry, spurred on by a sudden burst of energy, but after a moment it abruptly slowed down.

In despair, he glanced around and saw a Ming knight had caught up to his side.

The man's face showed a bloodthirsty excitement, and he flashed his dagger.

In his final moments, Batel murmured, "Timur... Abu..."

But he didn't seem to finish saying that sentence.

The Ming knight grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, bent down, and caught the head, which was still in mid-air.

Just as he was about to tie it to the side of the saddle, a sharp whip flashed from his side and back, striking him hard on the back!
"Tian Le, do you want to die?!"

Ming cavalryman Tian Le turned around and saw Cao Wenzhao, the cavalry general of the main force, glaring angrily, his spear already slightly raised, aimed at his neck.

Tian Le shuddered, finally snapping out of his years-long muscle reaction and recalling the military orders issued before the battle.

Those who cut off their heads in battle shall be executed!
Those who hesitate in the face of battle shall be executed!
Anyone who hesitates in the face of the enemy shall be executed!
Those who go alone and do not return shall be executed!
……

The dozen or so execution orders were all rife with bloodshed, yet not a single person in the entire army uttered a single complaint.

Because right in front of them was a bounty of 50,000 taels of silver!

Before the generals captured the camp, they swore an oath together in blood.

The officers did not take any reward money for this battle; all the reward money was awarded for bravery in battle!
A head? No way!
Capture the flag? No way!
The only way is to break the formation! The only way is to break the formation!
Breaking through one enemy formation, the cavalry will be rewarded with two thousand taels! Breaking through two enemy formations, the cavalry will be rewarded with four thousand taels!

If you can reach the banner of Lindan Khan, you will be rewarded with five thousand taels of silver!

Damn it, how could I forget about this!

Tian Le cursed inwardly! He quickly tossed aside the unsightly head, bent down, and frantically whipped his horse.

His warhorse neighed and finally managed to move slightly forward from the cross formation, allowing him to feel the menacing gaze leave his back.

He breathed a sigh of relief and then looked ahead.

A portion of the opposing Chahar cavalry also detached themselves and charged towards this location.

According to what was said before the battle, this was either an outer tribe or a Gushan from the main force, but it was definitely not the Baiya La of the central army.

Because they did not have visible armor or cotton armor on their bodies.

But so what if I'm just going to make a fuss!

Can the Tiger Chieftain's "Baiya La" and the Slave Chieftain's "Baiya La" be the same thing?
Having beheaded four enemy soldiers in Liaodong, Tian Le, who had also beheaded one of them, grinned maliciously and increased his horse's speed even further.

Close, getting closer!

The panic on Chahar's face was even visible.

"Run!!!"

With a loud shout, Cao Wenzhao squeezed from the second row to the front of the first row, leading more than ten fearless personal guards, forming a small convex arrowhead shape.

"Don't shoot arrows! Don't shoot arrows!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Sixty steps!
A hail of arrows rained down from the opposite side, turning the knights in the front ranks into pincushions.

Several Ming knights were unlucky; some were shot in the head, others in the neck, and they were all swallowed up by the cavalry.

But nobody paid any attention to them.

The riders simply swerved around these unfortunate souls and continued to accelerate!
Forty steps!
Almost everyone on the other side turned their horses around and began to scatter and flee to the rear and sides!
"Damn it! What a load of crap! How could they run away so early!"

Cao Wenzhao's eyes instantly turned red. He felt as if his punch, which he had gathered with all his strength, had hit cotton.

If you run away too early, it will be difficult to motivate the fleeing troops to get involved in the next wave, and it will be difficult to create a larger-scale rout effect.

Damn it, he never expected to encounter such a shitty situation.

"Right! Right!!!"

Cao Wenzhao shouted loudly, and the cavalry standard-bearers carrying the general's flags followed him.

The entire personal guard squad turned their horses around and crashed down on the enemy cavalry on the right that had not yet completely dispersed!
A cavalry formation of several hundred men, like a red lightning bolt, crashed into the rear of the already slowed-down cavalry!

Slash with a knife, thrust with a spear!

They didn't even bother with careful hacking and slashing; they simply used their immense kinetic energy to drive the routed soldiers like sheep, slamming them into the next tier of unprepared ranks. Today—there are no reserves! No turning back!
One wave forward, and then wave after wave forward!

Two thousand taels for the first round, four thousand taels for the second round, and six thousand taels for the third round!

Money is pouring in!

On the battlefield, cries of agony filled the air.

The Ming cavalrymen showed no pity, only a thirst for the reward and absolute obedience to military orders.

They silently wielded their knives, silently charged, silently raised their guns, tearing everything in their path to shreds.

After Cao Wenzhao's cavalry broke through two lines of enemy formations, their speed inevitably slowed down, and they became entangled with the enemy in the third line of formations.

Cao Wenzhao slew a Mongol general off his horse with a single spear thrust, wiped the blood from his face, and glared fiercely at the enemy who were beginning to regroup, his heart bleeding.

Damn it! One red bout, now only two reds! Only two reds!
I risked my life, lost face, and begged everyone I knew to become the vanguard in this battle. How can I only get two red cards?
"kill--!"

With a roar, he charged into the enemy ranks alone once more!

This time, he no longer sought to break through, but instead transformed into a true mad tiger, plunging into the most primal frenzy of killing.

In his hands, the spear sometimes resembled a club, smashing an enemy and his horse together with tremendous force, breaking their bones; sometimes it was like a whip, sweeping across a large area, knocking two or three enemies off their horses; and most of the time, it was used for the simplest of thrusts, jabs, and stabs!

He abandoned all unnecessary blocking and dodging, relying on his two layers of thick armor, and directly allowed the enemy's weapons to strike his body, making a clanging sound.

He only did one thing: to thrust the tip of his spear into the body of every enemy who dared to stand in his way as quickly as possible!
Inspired by his bravery, the cavalry surged forward, managing to nearly crush the newly recruited troops from an unknown tribe.

"Cao Wenzhao of Datong is here. Who dares to fight me!"

He roared, his spear swung like a dragon, and in the heat of battle, he used the spear as a javelin and hurled it with all his might, pinning a Mongol archer who was trying to fire a stray arrow more than ten paces away to the ground!
Several guards squeezed their way forward, while some who had lost their horses simply followed on foot.

A group of more than ten people actually managed to carve out a bloody path through the enemy ranks.

When he finally reined in his horse and looked back, he saw a scene of utter devastation, and no one dared to approach him again.

The Mongol army that stood in his way was finally utterly shattered by this humanoid beast!
"It's Asura! It's Asura!"

Someone let out a desperate scream, which spread like wildfire.

The Ming general before me is no longer human; he is a demon god who knows no pain, no fatigue, and whose sole purpose is to kill!
Faced with such an enemy, any resistance would seem futile and laughable.

The crash has begun.

The Mongol cavalry closest to Cao Wenzhao yelled and turned their horses around, fleeing desperately to the rear. They even charged and trampled their own comrades, just to get as far away from that demon as possible.

One person's collapse triggered the collapse of a whole platoon, and the collapse of a whole platoon caused the entire army to collapse in an avalanche!
Cao Wenzhao laughed heartily, his heart filled with boundless pride.

He was about to spur his horse to pursue and completely expand this rout, to see if he could turn the tide for another while.

But his warhorse suddenly let out a mournful cry. Having endured too many shocks and injuries along with its master, it finally couldn't hold on any longer, its front hooves buckled, and it almost collapsed to its knees.

"Grass!"

Cao Wenzhao cursed and jumped off his horse in frustration, shouting at his personal guards, "Blow the horn! Blow the horn! Assemble on the gentle slope to the right!"

The long, slightly melancholic horn sounded.

This cavalry, which had been locked in a fierce battle for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, finally followed the horn's guidance, turned their horses, and slowly retreated towards the gentle slope on the right flank.

The group regrouped on the gentle slope and counted their numbers. There were 304 people when they set out, but now only 247 remained.

It's not that so many people actually died; most were probably scattered during the chaotic battle.

Some even lost their horses, but they are gradually returning to the team.

The exact number of casualties will only be known after the war.

……

But in any case, everyone finally had a chance to catch their breath and look at the entire battlefield.

Everyone was stunned after just one glance.

One after another, Ming cavalry units, identical to their own, were seen, each group consisting of three hundred men, advancing in succession from south to north, bombarding the Chahar tribe's positions.

The entire Chahar army's front line, stretching for several miles, was in complete disarray. In the very first charge, its left flank and central vanguard had been utterly routed.

The strategy discussed beforehand was far more complex than just this barrage of elite cavalry attacks.

The next wave of attacks should begin soon.

Cao Wenzhao looked into the distance and, sure enough, he only waited a moment.

The last three thousand Ming soldiers who remained in place as reserves had now stretched out in a terrifying line stretching for several miles, like a dark blood-red tsunami, and started moving from south to north with a roar!

"Pooh!"

Cao Wenzhao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes filled with jealousy and envy.

Damn it, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they've already emptied out all six thousand elite cavalry!

That was awesome! That was fucking awesome!
No need to worry about the flanks, no need to worry about the rear, no need to worry about teammates running away first, no need to worry about not getting the bounty, and there's no need to do any damn maneuvering or kiting. Just fucking charge in!

Grass! Grass! Grass!
Old Cao fought battles from Shanxi to Liaodong for half his life, but he had never fought so exhilaratingly!

but!

Ugh, just thinking about it makes me so angry my liver hurts!
Damn it, why isn't it me, Old Cao, who's personally fighting this battle!
In just a short moment, the even more powerful torrent of Ming cavalry thundered past them!

The knights under Cao Wenzhao's command were eager and rushed over.

"General! Charge! We've only got six thousand taels today! Maybe we can charge a little further!" a burly man roared.

"Go to hell!" Cao Wenzhao spat again. "Can your horse even move?"

The burly man cried out anxiously, "Why can't we break through!"

"Even if we can break through, it's useless. Where are we going to get anything to eat?"

Everyone turned to look and, sure enough, saw that Lin Danhan's great formation, under that final, overwhelming impact, was rapidly melting and collapsing, like butter being cut by a hot knife.

“Get on the horse,” Cao Wenzhao pointed ahead. “The bugle will be sounding soon. We can’t completely trust these right-wing Mongols, so we have to be careful. It would be ridiculous if we defeated the wolves, only to have an eagle peck out our eye in the end.”

However, almost no one heard what Cao Wenzhao was saying.

The eyes of the hundreds of cavalrymen followed the banner of Ligdan Khan.

The great banner representing the ruler of Chahar initially moved eastward.

But before long, the Ming army's torrent had arrived, and the banner only struggled to sway symbolically a few times before crashing down.

"My God!" the burly man who had been clamoring to keep charging cried out in anguish, "Five thousand taels! Five thousand taels!"

His comrades around him immediately erupted in a chorus of wails and lamentations.

"I wonder which damned person took those five thousand taels!"

"Tell me, has anyone taken the tiger chieftain's head?"

A man nearby laughed and said, "It's useless to take it! There's no reward for Tiger Chief's head, so why bother? If we really cut it off, we might get punished by Governor Ma later!"

As everyone was discussing, a long horn blast rang out.

Cao Wenzhao stood up, mounted a spare packhorse, and shouted:
"Let's go! This is truly none of our business. The entire army, form ranks to the west!"

"Help the governor stabilize the situation, so those Western barbarians won't come and steal our heads!"

One of the guards asked curiously, "General, didn't we say that merit wouldn't be awarded based on the number of heads taken?"

Another older guard patted him on the back of the head and chuckled as he scolded him:

"You know nothing! Only by sending His Majesty his head will he save face! Only when His Majesty saves face will those civil officials in the court dare not utter a word of nonsense! This is called sharing the burden of the ruler!"

……

Ligdan Khan lay prone on his horse, protected by hundreds of his most loyal Bayaq knights, as they desperately fled eastward.

It was too fast, everything happened too fast.

How long did it take from the moment he sent out his envoy to the moment the entire formation collapsed?

Half an hour? Or a quarter of an hour?!
His mind was in complete chaos, and he couldn't comprehend the course of the battle at all!

The entire battlefield was no more than ten miles in circumference and depth.

When the first small Ming army unit launched its charge, he knew that this battle was inevitable.

Instead of sending out outer vassal troops to wear them down as usual, he directly dispatched his own elite Gushan troops to counterattack.

And what happened? Damn it, at the very front were heavily armored cavalrymen, all wearing double armor and riding tall horses!
Why the hell is this the Jurchen's fighting style?
Where did the Datong border troops get so many fine horses and double armor?
In a single exchange, his vanguard crumbled, and was driven to defeat the second cavalry unit that was waiting in place to provide support.

When he realized something was wrong, he immediately sent out the Baiya La, and only a few moments had passed!

But fucking! Fucking!

The unknown Ming general on the other side, without any regard for reason, directly sent up his entire reserve force of three thousand men!

The outer vassal states fled first, followed by the main force, which was completely routed. Even his most elite troops, the Baya La, turned their horses around and joined the fleeing ranks when they saw the overwhelming red tide halfway through their charge.

The army of tens of thousands was squeezed into an open area less than a kilometer wide at the mouth of a valley south of Yinshan. The Ming army swarmed in and killed indiscriminately, but the casualties caused by the trampling were what truly chilled his heart.

Lin Dan's heart was bleeding.

After this battle, his strength will probably regress to what it was several years ago.

Let alone unifying Mongolia, those newly submitted vassal tribes will probably all have their own agendas!
However, this was not the most painful thing for him.

"Tiger Chief Rabbit Fool, where do you think you're going!"

A thunderous roar came from behind, making Lin Danhan tremble involuntarily.

Damn it, a Ming army junior officer who appeared out of nowhere led over a hundred cavalrymen and had been chasing him like mad dogs all the way!

"Quick! Send a squad to block him!" Lin Danhan cracked his whip without turning his head. The men beside him, Bai Yala, obeyed the order and sent out dozens of riders, who roared and turned their horses around to charge back at the pursuing troops.

……

"Scatter them! Ignore them! Charge towards Lindan Khan!"

Jiang Mingwu, the garrison commander of Datong Weiyuan Fort, had bloodshot eyes as he desperately whipped his warhorse. He wielded his long spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, and in just a few rounds, he stabbed the leading cavalrymen off their horses.

Just as he was about to give chase, a familiar bugle call suddenly came from behind him.

That was the signal to summon all teams back to their bases, and it also meant that the pursuit in this battle had come to an end.

Jiang Mingwu paused, his face filled with indignation.

He spurred his horse forward, seemingly wanting to continue the chase.

An elderly bodyguard gripped his reins tightly and shook his head vigorously at him.

The two remained locked in a stalemate on horseback for a moment, until Jiang Mingwu finally lost his temper and angrily turned his horse around: "Let's go! Back to the camp!"

How could Jiang Mingwu, a military scholar who passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign, not understand the imperial edict that Ma Shilong repeatedly conveyed before the battle?
Strategic goals always take precedence over tactical goals.

Keeping Hudun Tuhan alive, allowing him to continue to be a threat to the right-wing tribes of Mongolia, would be far more effective in achieving the court's far-reaching goal of controlling the grasslands and isolating the Later Jin than killing him.

however……

So what! So what!
My late father named him "Wo Yang" in the hope that he would one day become famous throughout the world.

If only my horse had been a little faster, if only I had spotted Lin Dan Khan's escape route a little sooner...

If one is "forced" to capture or kill Hudun Tuhan, who can really say anything about it?

To capture and kill a "famous king among the barbarians" in a single battle is an extraordinary achievement worthy of being recorded in history!

Ugh……

Jiang Mingwu sighed deeply on horseback, his heart filled with regret and resentment.

……

It was noon (5-7 AM).

Emperor Yongchang in the Forbidden City had just finished washing up and was preparing to go to the training ground of his loyal Yongwei Camp.

While local officials remained in their rooms, officials in the capital had already begun their roll call.

Along the waterways of Jiangnan, breakfast stalls steamed with food, while drunken scholars and courtesans slept soundly on painted boats.

Across the vast fertile fields, farmers either sigh at the parched land or tend to the newly sprouted wheat seedlings, beginning their busy day.

……

The morning sun rose from the Mongolian Plateau, shining from east to west on the young player's regretful back.

Young Jiang Mingwu would never know that, among countless branches of history, this would be the best ending for him.

(End of this chapter)