Chapter 656 0651 [Live Towards Death]

Due to the narrow valley, the 1,000 Ming heavy cavalry were divided into several groups.

On the hillsides on both sides, some brave cavalrymen who had abandoned their horses were kneeling. The reason for the kneeling position was that the slope was steep and they could not stand steadily.

Chen Ziyi came behind the first group of heavy cavalrymen and shouted: "Have the food and wages been deducted?"

"No!" The heavy cavalrymen answered in unison.

Chen Ziyi asked again: "Are there any shortages of clothing and bedding?"

"No!"

"You are paid the highest military salary in the Ming Dynasty, eat the best food in the army, and have to distribute clothing and bedding in winter. Has the court treated you badly?"

"No!"

"The barbarians of the Jin Kingdom across the way are burning, killing, looting, and doing all kinds of evil. If the Jin people are allowed to kill your hometown, they will rob your food, your land, and your wives and children. Even if you are a submissive citizen, you have to shave the hair given by your parents and wear clothes with left lapels. There will also be endless conscription and food collection! Do you agree?"

"No!"

"For the Ming Dynasty, for Your Majesty, in order to protect your parents, wife and children, do you dare to fight to the death and kill the enemy today? "

"Dare!"

"Dare!"

"Dare!"

"All the heavy armored knights who died in the battle today will be given generous compensation. For those with sons, the court will choose a son to support them in the Imperial College. For those without children, the court will adopt a son on their behalf, pass on the incense and support them in the Imperial College! Do you have any regrets?"

"No regrets!"

"No regrets!"

The soldiers who climbed up the hill and observed with telescopes had already raised the flag. Chen Ziyi shouted: "Beat the drums, charge!"

"Kill!"

The Ming heavy cavalry slowly started, and even after accelerating, the charge speed was still relatively slow.

Because they were in a dense formation, the distance between cavalry and cavalry was less than half a meter.

Chen Ziyi actually used the most expensive heavy cavalry as consumables to carry out a "wall-style" charge.

This was because although the Ming heavy cavalry had enough equipment, they lacked combat skills, combat experience and tenacity. Then simply forget about anything else and directly confront Hezhameng'an in a dense formation in the narrow valley.

Looking at the Hezhameng'an of the Jin Dynasty, their distance is much larger. Even due to the terrain restrictions, the distance between the cavalry is only compressed to less than one meter.

As for the three cavalrymen connected by ropes and dragging chevaux de frise behind to show that they will fight to the death, these are all fabricated contents in the memorials of the civil officials (Wang Ruohai, the pro-war faction), used to describe the terribleness of the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda. Then, it was quoted in the "Three Dynasties Northern Alliance Collection" and became a symbol of the Iron Pagoda.

The heavy cavalry of both sides was getting closer and closer, and the Hezhameng'an of the Jin Dynasty was a little at a loss.

Because the distance between the Ming Dynasty's heavy cavalry could not accommodate the Jin cavalry to pass through, it was obviously heading for a suicidal collision.

Wanyan Loushi, who was standing on the slope behind to observe, finally saw the situation of the Ming Dynasty's heavy cavalry, and a sense of fear rose in his heart for no reason.

Hezhameng'an was indeed fearless, but when faced with a situation where they were doomed to die, could they still move forward?

What's more, they had been frightened by the wooden cannons, their retreat was blocked, and their allies had lost a battle during the retreat.

When both sides should have entered the final sprint stage, some of Hezhameng'an did not choose to speed up, which was almost a subconscious action in the face of death.

Even the Ming heavy cavalry who had written a suicide note in advance were afraid of the battle.

But this terrain could not be passed left or right, and it was even more impossible to turn around and escape, so they could only bite the bullet and crash into each other.

"Boom!"

The collision of heavy cavalry, which was rare in a century, occurred in this nameless valley.

It was tragic, but not as tragic as imagined.

At the last moment, both sides chose to slow down at the same time, and only a few reckless men really accelerated to sprint.

The four-meter-long spears stabbed each other, and under the power of the charge, many heavy cavalry fell backwards immediately. The war horses that lost their masters continued to move forward and collided with each other after automatically slowing down. Some horses even stood up to prevent collisions and used their front hooves to kick the horses on the opposite side.

There were also cavalrymen who did not fall off their horses, and they collided with their horses. The horses under their crotches were either dead or injured, and they fell down regardless of whether they were dead or injured, and the cavalrymen also fell off their horses.

The Ming heavy cavalry was more closely spaced, and naturally had more troops in a single charge. The lucky ones successfully penetrated into the gap of Hezhameng'an, pulled out the secondary weapons at their waists and began to slow down and fight on horseback.

The Jin cavalry, who were assisting in the rear, saw the miserable state of the heavy cavalry in front and didn't know how to fight for a while.

They were not mentally prepared, and subconsciously stopped their horses and shot at the cavalry behind the Ming.

The Ming cavalry, who were kneeling on the hillsides on both sides, shot at the Jin cavalry from a long distance. The Ming cavalry following the heavy cavalry did not carry their main weapons at all. When they rode close to the "car accident" scene, they jumped off their horses one after another, pulled out their secondary weapons and rushed to the battlefield.

Some used iron rods, some used bone flowers, and some used iron maces. When they met Hezhameng'an who was still fighting on horseback, they would crouch down and hit the horse's legs. When they met Hezhameng'an who had fallen off his horse but was not dead, they would knock him down together if he struggled to stand up, and when they met him lying on the ground and moving, they would rush over and hit him hard.

The Jin Kingdom's cavalry finally reacted, stopped shooting arrows and charged to the battlefield.

But they could not rush out quickly at all. First, the charging distance was too close, second, there were many ownerless war horses blocking the front, and third, they were shot by the Ming army on the hillsides on both sides. They just wanted to come to rescue their friendly forces.

The surviving Ming heavy cavalry was helped up by the cavalry, picked up the long spear and stabbed it diagonally upwards.

Soon, the survivors of each other were fighting again. The Jin Kingdom's cavalry, who had lost their horse speed, fell down one after another after being hit on the horse's legs, and those who were not entangled were frightened and hurriedly reined in their horses and fled.

Wanyan Loushi turned pale. The Ming cavalry was trading their lives for lives with Hezha Meng'an.

How many Jurchens are there in total?

And how many people are there in Ming Dynasty?

The heavy cavalry of the Ming Dynasty and Hezha Meng'an can be accepted not only for one exchange, but also for two exchanges for one or three exchanges for one.

What's more, due to sufficient tactical preparations in advance, this time the heavy cavalry fought to the death, and Hezha Meng'an suffered more deaths.

In this wave just now, Ming Dynasty invested 200 heavy cavalry, and there were more than 40 people who could continue to fight. Another fifty or sixty people either suffered fractures from falling off their horses, were seriously injured in a fall, or passed out.

The Jin soldiers threw themselves into Hezha and fiercely secured one hundred and twenty people, but no one was spared. Those who survived after the hedging were all killed by blunt objects.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

In the center of the battlefield, the heavy cavalry of the Ming Dynasty, which could still stand, formed a formation and roared on the spot relying on the heroic cavalry. It is both a declaration of victory and a shout of excitement for the rest of the life.

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

Other Ming troops near the battlefield followed suit, and the sound of victory resounded throughout the valley.

Wang De was originally standing on the wall of the village, pretending to still be fighting against the city. He had just witnessed the heroic performance of the heavy cavalry, and with wet eyes he raised his mace and shouted for victory.

The second wave of Ming heavy cavalry was already moving slowly along the wall.

"Get out, we can't fight here!"

Wanyan Loushi's attitude towards the Ming army changed from the initial vigilance to the horror after the volley of wooden cannons. Now he regards the Ming army as his lifelong enemy.

The available troops under his command, after experiencing the encounter with the vanguard troops when returning to reinforcements, the charge in the valley, and the wounded who fell behind during the march, there are still: more than 1,400 Hezha Meng'an, more than 1,600 Liaodong Han infantry, More than 4,200 Jin Kingdom Xiaoqi, more than 800 Jurchen, and Prairie Qingqi.

The total remaining strength is more than 8,100.

These golden soldiers quickly left the mouth of the valley and ran westward along the foothills.

Chen Ziyi led his troops to chase them out, and sent Xiaoqi up to shoot arrows to harass them, slowing down the movement of the golden soldiers. When encountering a counterattack by the common cavalry of the Jin Kingdom, they went up to fight head-on. When encountering Hezha Meng'an coming in armor, they immediately took turns to cover the retreat.

At the same time, the cavalry was sent south to tell Zhang Guangdao the direction of the Jin soldiers' evacuation, and to notify Yang Yun in the southeast to bring Xiaoqi to join them.

Wanyan Loushi led his troops to withdraw two miles away, and Wendu Sizhong, who was exploring the mountain terrain, finally sent his light cavalry back: "Wanhu, there is a place not far to the west where it is easier for cavalry to pass."

Wen Du Sizhong did not find the most suitable place to march, because it was too far to the west. Moreover, the middle section of the "eight" shape is blocked by mountains extending southward. Even if Wen Du Sizhong found it, he would have to go south in the direction of Zhang Guangdao's main force, and then go around to the northwest.

"Speed ​​up the march!"

In order to deal with Chen Ziyi's attack, Wanyan Loushi left some cavalry from the Jurchen tribe and the remaining prairie cavalry behind.

Due to the power of Wanyan Loushi, these cavalry had to turn around and deal with the pursuing Ming army.

After just cruising and shooting a few arrows, they didn't want to fight anymore.

Why can other cavalrymen withdraw, but he must stay and risk his life?

"Spare your life, we are willing to surrender!"

Team after team of cavalry responsible for cutting off the rear threw away their weapons and knelt down to ask for surrender.

The main force of Wanyan Loushi rushed to Wendu Sizhong's place. Guided by the light cavalry responsible for exploring the terrain, they divided into two groups and entered different ravines. Immediately, the whole army dismounted and climbed the mountain ridge, and Hezha Meng'an also began to take off his armor. The horses carrying the heavily armored cavalry galloping were already foaming at the mouth from exhaustion.

Chen Ziyi led his troops in hot pursuit and dismounted to attack the mountain ridge. Even Wang De's first camp was chasing after them on horseback to attack the mountain.

Further south, Zhang Guangdao's main force was still marching rapidly.

The cavalry sent by Chen Ziyi reported: "The enemy is running to the west, probably intending to escape over the mountains!"

"Stay the artillery, stay behind the carriages, and the rest of the troops will march with me!" Zhang Guangdao immediately ordered.

The reason why they marched carrying wooden cannons instead of moving them on wheeled gun carriages was because the entire battlefield was rugged. Instead, four people carried the cannon barrels and ran the fastest.

In the two mountain cols to the north, hundreds of war horses foaming at the mouth ran wildly after being injured.

Those were top-notch war horses that carried Hezha Meng'an and ran all the way in armor. They could not withstand the subsequent trek over the mountains and ridges. Wanyan Loushi ordered the massacre on the spot, preferring to die rather than leave it to the Ming army.

Nearly a thousand good horses were killed on the spot, and many of the hundreds of injured horses that escaped were stabbed and bruised casually and allowed to escape.

"You stay and guard these two mountain ridges!" Wanyan Loushi said to Han Chang.

Han Chang opened his mouth, stopped talking, lowered his head and said, "Yes."

More than 1,600 elite Han infantrymen in Liaodong became the abandoned sons responsible for breaking up the rear.

Hezha Meng'an's armor was carried on spare war horses at this time. Together with Jin Guoxiaoqi, they descended from the two mountain ridges, walked into the ravine further north, and then continued to climb the mountain ridge.

"Brother, the Jurchen barbarians don't treat us as human beings!"

Ming soldiers attacked the mountain ridge, and Han Chang's general Yang Sui began to complain.

The soldiers nearby also looked at Han Chang, unwilling to risk their lives.

Han Chang didn't know how to make a decision. Their entire family was in Wanyan Zonghan's hands. Moreover, they had a blood feud with the local Han people in Shanxi, so even if they surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, they would probably not end well.

But the soldiers were unwilling to stay and die, so Han Chang insisted on fighting, which might lead to a mutiny.

If you run away on the spot, even if you can escape back to the Kingdom of Jin, you will be punished by military law.

The world is so big that there is no place for the Han people of Liaodong.

The Ming soldiers were already shooting arrows at the foot of the mountain ridge. Han Chang gritted his teeth and said, "Go over the mountain to the northeast and become bandits in the mountains north of Yu County!"

Not long after the Ming army began to attack the mountain, the Jin army's rear guard troops ran away, and deliberately avoided the direction of Wanyan Loushi's withdrawal.

Wanyan Loushi had climbed another mountain ridge and looked back to see clearly. He said angrily, "Each tribe must select a dead warrior to come out to cover the rear. At least 1,200 people are required, except Hezhameng'an!"

This is an order to the leaders of each tribe. Each tribe must send someone, and the families of the rear guards will definitely be treated preferentially.

After a while, the dead warriors were selected and silently guarded on the mountain ridge.

Wanyan Loushi could only take away more than 1,400 Hezhameng'an who lost his main warhorse, and more than 3,300 Jin Guo's brave cavalry and light cavalry.

Zhang Guangdao arranged the battlefield for more than a year, but still failed to wipe out this group of Jin soldiers.

Including the defenders of Yu County, Wanyan Loushi lost tens of thousands of troops!