The method of polluting water sources had no effect on the Ming army, which made the various ethnic groups in Mongolia become nervous.
It seems that the only way is to attack by force.
The longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it will be for the Mongolian ethnic groups, who have no logistical support.
Besides, hundreds of thousands of war horses would eat up the entire grassland.
So in the early morning of the fifth day, a large number of Mongolian cavalry began to gather and form formation.
Zhu Xi also quickly discovered their intention. The grassland was unobstructed and there was no obstruction. The military actions of both sides could be clearly seen.
"It seems these barbarians can no longer bear it any longer. Tell the whole army that anyone who retreats will be killed!"
At this time, Zhu Xi's face also became heavy.
This is a grassland, and they don't have a solid wall as a defense, so they can only use human flesh to form a shield to resist the cavalry charge.
Obviously, the Mongolian army was determined to capture him.
Zhu Xi also knew that if he was defeated, the firearms, artillery, and food in the camp would be used as supplies for the Mongolian army to deal with his father.
In the battle between the two armies, there was no shouting in front of the battle, and there were no fighting generals. After the Mongolian cavalry army was assembled, they started charging directly, it was so simple and unpretentious.
In the field of vision of the Ming army soldiers, the first thing they saw was the Mongolian cavalry all over the mountains and plains. The soldiers holding shields in front of them were promoting defense. Through the gap, they saw the roaring cavalry. Their heartbeats were accelerating, and the hands holding the shields were also shaking slightly.
trembling.
"fire!"
With a loud shout, hundreds of cannons fired in unison, and raindrop-like shells suddenly blasted out, and then fell on the Mongolian cavalry army.
A tragic scene unfolded. Countless Mongolian cavalry were affected by the bombing and fell on their backs.
Some of them were unlucky and were directly hit by artillery shells, with their flesh and blood flying everywhere.
It's just that the actual damage caused by hundreds of artillery pieces in an army of tens of thousands is not very large. Even if there are thousands of people, it will not be exaggerated.
The main significance of artillery is to demoralize the enemy, forcing the opponent's charging momentum to slow down. The loud noise will frighten the war horses, thus causing greater casualties.
However, what made Zhu Ping's face gloomy was that it was just a short-lived commotion, and the momentum of the Mongolian cavalry's charge did not weaken.
"Your Majesty, their horses have blocked their ears and eyes, so they can resist the artillery bombardment."
Hearing Geng Bingwen's words, Zhu Ping did not answer, but quietly looked at the charging Mongolian cavalry.
"Fire!" "Fire!" "Fire!"
The continuous artillery bombardment continued to cause casualties to the Mongolian cavalry.
After the fourth artillery bombardment, the Mongolian cavalry was already close at hand.
"Fire!"
Next came the musketeers. The matchlocks in the first three rows had all been lit. They quickly pulled the triggers under the command of the herald.
Compared with artillery, the attack of matchlock gun is more powerful.
These cavalrymen who were used as cannon fodder to attack the Ming army camp were naturally without armor, and many of them were old and weak, just for consumption.
After three shots, the Mongolian cavalry approached the first line of defense of the Ming army camp.
On the grassland, the cavalry, which accelerated to the extreme, relied on horse power to become unstoppable.
They rushed directly into the Ming army's formation.
The soldiers in the front row were knocked out, and the huge force could break their whole bodies.
The Flesh Millstone is activated.
Life seems extremely fragile at this moment.
Every breath is hundreds of casualties.
The large shield could not stop the death charge of the Mongolian cavalry. This time the Mongols gave up their best guerrilla warfare and completely attacked the Ming army camp with a horizontal push.
The cavalry who rushed in were quickly killed by matchlocks, or were unable to advance and were hacked to death with swords, but there was a steady stream of cavalry from the rear.
In less than a stick of incense, the first line of defense of the Ming army completely collapsed.
But in the second line of defense, there are a large number of trenches. These trenches are not deep and people have to squat in them to hide. These trenches were dug to deal with the cavalry.
In the trench, a large number of Ming soldiers were hiding. When the cavalry came, they got up and chopped at the horse's legs.
It sounds familiar. Yes, this is the way Yue Fei carried the Wei army to face the cavalry in the Southern Song Dynasty.
This method is very effective against cavalry.
It's just that the Mongolian cavalry was like a big wave crashing on the beach, one wave just flattened, another wave rose again.
From the perspective of Ming soldiers, the charge of the Mongolian cavalry was boundless and endless.
There are those who are timid and may even feel like they are about to collapse.
"Behead those who retreat!!!"
Thousands of officers supervising the battle shouted loudly. They stood on their horses with muskets in hand. They would shoot and kill any soldiers who dared to retreat without hesitation.
Soldiers who knew there was no way out could only fight to kill the enemy.
Zhu Xi, who was in charge of the central army, just watched with cold eyes. If the Mongolian army just charged like this, he would not be worried at all.
The artillery bombardment continued, and the gunmen continued to shoot.
Except for the soldiers at the front who were constantly hit and killed, the Mongolian cavalry suffered obviously more casualties than the Ming army.
At this moment, Zhu Xiang's pupils shrank slightly.
He saw a large number of artillery being pulled over from the Mongolian army in the distance.
These artillery pieces relied on the death charge of the Mongolian army, and were then continuously pulled into the position of the Ming army's camp. The idea behind this is naturally self-evident.
They relied on artillery to directly attack the Ming army's positions.
Fortunately, the number of artillery pieces of the Mongolian army was not large, only about a hundred or so. These artillery pieces were basically trophies captured from the Ming army and were now used to attack the Ming army.
Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth.
Even if there were more than a hundred gates, the damage to the Ming army would be very large.
Because the Ming army was denser than the Mongolian cavalry, falling artillery would also cause greater casualties.
But Zhu Xi had no other choice but to watch helplessly as the Mongolian artillery bombarded the Ming army's frontline position.
At this moment, the cruelty of the Mongols was fully demonstrated. They did not care about the casualties of their own troops. The falling fire bombs indiscriminately killed the Ming army and the cavalry that had rushed into the Ming army's defense line.
The casualties of the Ming army obviously soared at this moment, and the loud noise caused the Ming army soldiers to collapse. Even the supervising officers kept shouting, but they could not stop the collapse of the defense line.
At this time, Zhu Xi was still watching coldly.
A large number of Ming infantry gathered up and started a close battle with the Mongolian cavalry regardless of the bombardment of artillery fire.
These Mongolian cavalry were not elite and could not effectively kill the armored Ming infantry. Once their charging momentum stopped, they could only fall into a stalemate.
The Mongolian cavalry in the rear also weakened their charge because of the cavalry in the front. After all, they could not fight against their own cavalry.
Of course, the Mongolian army, which had consumed a large amount of cavalry, would not miss this opportunity and launched the second wave of elite cavalry.
These cavalry are completely different from the previous cavalry. Even though they don't wear armor, their stature is different, and their horses are obviously stronger than the previous charging cavalry.
They are the Mongolian cavalry who can truly fight the Ming army.
After these cavalry approached the Ming army's camp, they did not attack directly. Instead, they adopted the most popular Mongolian fighting method, shooting in a roundabout way.
Arrows rained from the sky, causing huge casualties to the Ming army.
The dense rain of arrows showed no sign of stopping. The Mongolian cavalry who finished shooting in front dispersed to the left and right, and the cavalry behind them fired in succession.
Genghis Khan used such tactics to sweep through Central Asia and flatten Europe.
At this moment, Zhu Xi also knew that he could not wait any longer.
"Send the order, the cavalry is dispatched."
"As commanded."
The Ming Dynasty had 20,000 mounted cavalry, the same cavalry that had fought against Timur in the Western Regions and conquered Tubo invincibly.
The twenty thousand cavalry were divided into four groups, each of the three kings received five thousand, and the other five thousand were in Zhu Yuanzhang's camp.
The trump card in Zhu Xi's hand is these five thousand armored cavalry.
Of course, Zhu Ping had more than 5,000 cavalry, otherwise there would be no need to fight on the grassland. After robbing Hulun Buir's horses, the number of cavalry in Zhu Ping's hands already exceeded 30,000.
Under Zhu Xi's military order, the 30,000 cavalry were divided into two groups, led by the heavy cavalry, and charged the Mongolian cavalry from the left and right flanks.
They are covered in armor and are not afraid of arrows. Even their horses are also armored.
Matchlocks fired continuously, and a large number of Mongolian cavalry were killed.
They forcefully broke through the Mongolian cavalry formation and penetrated into the enemy's heart like two sharp knives.
The situation on the front line of the Ming army changed greatly due to the addition of cavalry. A large number of Mongolian cavalry died, and the balance of victory seemed to be heading towards the Ming army.
However, how could the Mongols, who had suffered losses at the hands of the Ming army's armored cavalry, be unprepared?
In the beginning, it was precisely because Fu Youde led the armored cavalry that he directly defeated Bei Yuan's only 80,000 cavalry. This led to the sharp decline in Bei Yuan's strength and the shaking of the majesty of the imperial power, which led to Gui Lichi's rebellion and the death of the Bei Yuan Emperor.
Elbek.
When the Ming army's cavalry was raging on the battlefield, the Mongolian army also had 20,000 cavalry charging out.
This is the Mongolian heavy cavalry. They are also wearing armor. Although they are not as sophisticated as the armored knights, they are still true heavy cavalry.
The most important thing is that what they hold in their hands are not bows and arrows, scimitars, but heavy weapons such as maces and hammers.
This army was specially built by Guilichi.
In the hands of Beiyuan, there are naturally many craftsmen, and these craftsmen are now in the hands of Gui Lichi.
The best way to deal with the armored cavalry is to hit them with blunt weapons. Guilichi himself could not think of such a way to deal with them. These methods were taught by the Han people who had surrendered to the Mongols.
Although these heavy weapons look a bit crude, and many are simply iron blocks with wooden sticks inserted into them, their lethality cannot be ignored.
After these cavalry entered the battlefield, they charged directly towards the Ming army's cavalry.
They had armor on them, and the fire cannons could not cause much damage, but their horses were not protected. The Ming army cavalry reacted quickly and shot the horses directly.
The heavy cavalry that fell to the ground were immediately destroyed, but despite the obvious effect, many heavy cavalry still approached the Ming cavalry with the force of their charge.
The stuck Ming cavalry could only fight with the Mongolian heavy cavalry. At this time, the reloading speed of the matchlocks limited the Ming cavalry. They often had to take out their long knives after firing a shot.
Even though the Ming cavalry was coordinated by multiple squads, there were too many Mongolian cavalry.
They not only have heavy cavalry, but also a large number of light cavalry, and these light cavalry are faster.
The light cavalry assisted the heavy cavalry in getting close to the Ming cavalry, thus forcing the Ming cavalry to engage in close combat.
The originally invincible Ming cavalry also began to suffer casualties. However, even if it was in the form of head replacement, it often took three or four Mongolian cavalry to replace one Ming cavalry.
The armored cavalry is even worse. It takes five or six Mongolian cavalry to kill one Ming army armored cavalry.
Although there was a huge disparity in casualties, the Mongolian cavalry numbered hundreds of thousands, while the Ming army only had more than 30,000 cavalry.
Once all the Ming army's cavalry were lost on this battlefield, the Ming army would have no means of counterattack.
It will only be a matter of time before the camp is broken.
Of course, Zhu Xi would not let this happen. He immediately ordered the drummers to beat the drums and withdraw the troops, and notified the cavalry to return.
At the same time, tens of thousands of musketeers entered the battlefield to cover the retreat of the cavalry.
The purpose of breaking up the roundabout shooting of the Mongolian cavalry has been achieved, and it is completely meaningless to fight at this time.
Fortunately, the Ming cavalry was not too far away and quickly returned under the cover of the infantry.
This battle lasted from dawn in the morning until dusk.
The Ming army buried pots to make rice, while the Mongolian army could only eat dry food.
Even at night, the Ming army still needed a large number of soldiers on duty to prevent night attacks.
The surviving Ming soldiers were sent to doctors for treatment. The surviving soldiers put on their armor and began to rest after eating.
Tomorrow's battle may be even more brutal than today's.
It seems that the situation on the battlefield is in favor of the Ming army, but in fact the Ming army is not feeling well.
Because today alone, the death toll of the Ming army has exceeded 20,000, and there are nearly 10,000 wounded soldiers, which is equivalent to a loss of more than 30,000.
The Mongolian army is naturally even worse. Although there are no detailed statistics, it is definitely approaching the 60,000 mark.
What is the concept of 60,000 Mongolian warriors? You must know that the total strength of the entire Ulyanha region is only more than 80,000, which is equivalent to defeating most of Ulyankha in just one day.
Not to mention that the morale of the army is fluctuating, how can the Mongolian army be any better.
On the battlefield, there was already a river of blood and corpses everywhere.
Human and horse.
The blood in some low-lying areas even reached the ankles.
A large amount of blood flowed into the Mozhgrad River, dyeing it red.
The Ming army had a great advantage on today's battlefield, but there was a key problem, that is, the artillery was gone.
The continuous high-intensity shooting made it unbearable for the Ming army's artillery. By this afternoon, many of its barrels had been exploded.
The most important thing is that the artillery shells have been fired.
The weight of the artillery shells themselves is not light. It is naturally impossible for Zhu Ping's march to carry a large number of artillery shells. There are only about two to three thousand rounds in total, and they were all fired in one day today.
Of course, the damage caused was also considerable. At least nearly 20,000 Mongolian cavalry were killed directly by the artillery.
But, will the Mongolian army retreat tomorrow?
Without the assistance of artillery the next day, the Ming army's casualties would inevitably be greater.
Perhaps in three or four days, the Ming army's camp will be crushed by the Mongolian army.
Zhu Ping regretted it at this moment. He should have followed Geng Bingwen's suggestion and retreated from Daqingshan as soon as he got the news. Perhaps at that time, the Mongolian army had not formed an encirclement force and there was hope of leaving.
Now holding on to the Mozhgrad River is truly a trapped beast.
Failure may only last a few days.
"General Geng, go and gather all the food and grass for the entire army. If you lose, burn all the food immediately."
Zhu Tie said this with a livid face.
"As ordered." Geng Bingwen clasped his fists and bowed, his voice low.
At this time, all the generals felt as depressed as if they were covered by dark clouds.