"Great Khan, this guard only has more than 7,000 people. We don't need 10,000 cavalry to deal with them. Five thousand people are enough." A person next to him who held a position similar to that of a staff officer said.
"It's better to be careful. Anyway, the remaining cavalry is enough to entangle the infantry. And in a battle, the more troops our army invests, the fewer casualties will be. The total number of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty is now greater than our army.
"On the whole, we can only use less to fight more, but if we can create a situation where we can use more to fight less locally, we must create a situation where we can use more to fight less."
After Timur explained, no one raised any opinions, and the flag-talking soldiers waved the flags in their hands and began to convey orders.
…
…
"General, the Great Khan ordered us to deal with the Ming army guard station that was just sent to the battlefield. The Great Khan also reminded us not to be careless." Hamuli's adjutant said to him after the flag was waved.
"The Great Khan attaches great importance to this guard post." Hamuli smiled and said: "It is just a lonely guard post. If they stop and form a formation when our army is killing them, I will definitely not be able to destroy them.
But it’s impossible for them to take another step forward.”
His adjutant actually agreed with his general's words, but did not say anything out of respect for Timur.
Hamuli immediately ordered the whole army to slowly rush towards the Baiyi Guards. They had been on the battlefield for a long time, and the horses were a little tired, so they had to be more considerate.
But until they were only a hundred feet away from the Baiyi Guards, the Baiyi Guards had not yet formed a formation to fight against the cavalry. Hamuli immediately sighed: "The commander of this Ming army is really brave. Facing the cavalry so close
We haven’t formed a formation yet.”
He originally just wanted to fulfill Timur's order, but seeing this situation he couldn't help but feel joking: "Order the soldiers to increase their horse speed, and let's go scare them."
"Yes, General." Everyone agreed with a smile. They did not plan to attack by force, but it was interesting to see their opponents forming a defensive cavalry formation in panic. It also allowed them to waste a few arrows, and
Not useless.
The soldiers immediately increased their horse speed and began to charge. But something very surprising happened to them: Facing the Xilu who were moving faster and faster, it was obvious at a glance that they were going to attack them, but the Baiyi Guards did not form a formation.
Prepare for cavalry formations.
Under the command of the commander whom Hamuli did not recognize, the archers of the Baiyi Guards tilted their bows upwards, and when the Xilu army approached eighty steps, they released arrows. Countless arrows shot at the Xilu;
The infantry was divided into two parts. About 200 people stood in a row at the front, while the rest of the infantry retreated a dozen steps.
Hamuli was confused by his response. What was he doing? These two hundred people had a grudge against the commander and were murdered with a knife? That's not right. The other generals of the Ming army were also watching. Even if they really had grudges,
It won't be done so simply and crudely.
Hamuli was confused and wanted to hold off on charging for the time being and observe for a while. But when his soldiers saw so many Ming soldiers standing alone outside the formation, they suddenly became happy and accelerated their speed. "Charge, hit."
Kill these Ming troops!" Countless people shouted excitedly.
Hamuli quickly noticed the movements of his soldiers. He understood that he had no way to stop these excited soldiers at this time. He could only change his previous thoughts and lead the soldiers to rush towards these lonely Ming troops. However,
He was cautious and did not rush to the front, but fell behind.
Xilu, whose face was full of excitement, did not notice what the commander did. Their eyes were fixed on the Ming army in front, and the expressions on their faces became more and more excited as they watched themselves getting closer and closer to them.
"Kill you Eastern heathens." One of them shouted loudly, and at the same time, his horse hit a Ming soldier, killing him instantly.
But before the man could be happy for a while, he suddenly felt as if his horse suddenly lost its balance, and after a few more steps, it fell to the ground.
"How is this going!"
…
…
Fangyuan Kusunoki looked at the Fuso warrior who had just fallen to the ground, tears streaming from his eyes.
Their method of blocking the Xilu cavalry was very simple. The lone soldier standing out held a zanma sword in his hand. At the same time as the Xilu cavalry rushed over, he used it to chop off the horse's legs. These warriors all had superb martial arts and had done it before.
After practicing this tactic, most people successfully completed the tasks assigned to them by Zhu Hengshi.
But the moment everyone hit the horse's leg, they were all hit by the horse's forequarters and killed. The warriors sacrificed their lives to stop the attack of the Xilu cavalry.
Fangyuan Kusunoki couldn't accept that the samurai died like this before they could enjoy the superior life of the Ming Dynasty. They died in a foreign country. Especially some of them were friends he had made in China. He couldn't help but cry out with sadness.
made a sound.
But he was immediately taught a lesson by Zhu Hengshi. Zhu Hengshi saw that all the Xilu's cavalry at the front had fallen to the ground, and the cavalry that followed were caught off guard and knocked down. The rest were also in confusion for a while, and their attack was blocked.
He immediately shouted and was about to lead his warriors forward to fight the Xilu.
But he glanced back and saw Kusunoki Fangyuan was crying. He was furious, raised his chin with his left hand, and then raised his right hand to give him two mouths.
Nanmu Fangyuan was stunned for a moment and looked at Zhu Hengshi in a daze. Zhu Hengshi said with hatred: "I don't care why you are crying, but you must not cry on the battlefield! If you let me see you shed tears again, I will
I’ll cut off your head so that you don’t bring shame to the warriors!”
He was very disappointed in his heart. Kusunoki Fangyuan was the younger brother of his former friend Kusunoki Masashige, so he had high hopes for Fangyuan after Masashige's death, hoping to train Fangyuan to be as good a samurai as Masashige, but he failed.
Thinking of his first time on the battlefield, he was so pustified.
After slapping these two people, Zhu Hengshi saw that he was still a little confused. This was not the time to teach him on the battlefield. Zhu Hengshi could only sigh and turned around, picked up his weapon and went forward to fight with Xilu.
However, tens of thousands of people were fighting each other, and he was no exception. Frightened by the suicidal attack of the Fuso warriors, Hamuli's troops were stunned for a moment. They were already surrounded by the Fuso warriors who rushed forward. They lost the opportunity.
Horses cannot charge, and the advantages of cavalry cannot be used. They can only ride on horses or dismount to fight with the Ming army on foot.
But most of these Xilu were herdsmen and had little kung fu. The Fusang warriors had practiced martial arts since childhood and were stronger than those who had been riding horses all year round. They quickly killed the Xilu like chopping melons and vegetables.
After he died, his head was cut off and pinned to his waist. Before long, except for some people who were running at the back of the Xilu and fled in time, the rest of the army was wiped out.
Timur's hands, who were watching the battle from behind, couldn't help but tremble. It was not that he had never seen crazy enemies. When he led troops to sweep away the Golden Horde, he had seen the Eastern Cross religious people launch a desperate charge against his army, and he also
I have heard about the performance of the so-called berserkers during the Crusades more than a hundred years ago.
But people who are so crazy under the influence of Western religions and don't care about life and death are crazy. They can't think rationally and can't choose the right time. When they see the enemy on the battlefield, they will charge immediately until they fight.
Until they die or the enemy is frightened by their madness and runs away, how can the expressions on the faces of these people be called calm and serene until they swing their sabers to chop off the horse's legs, and they can also calmly choose the opportunity and his attack
The soldiers died together.
"Is this a concrete manifestation of loyalty and patriotism that Easterners have always admired?" Timur whispered to himself.
"Which guard station is this army?" He turned to ask the staff officer again.
"The Great Khan, according to their flag, should be the Baiyi Guard that was just formed last year. The soldiers in this guard are mainly Fusang people." The staff officer immediately replied.
"Fusang people." Timur muttered, and after a while he said: "Send another 10,000 cavalry to attack this guard post."
"Khan, this will cause huge losses," the staff officer couldn't help but say.
"Let them be smart and don't attack the front like fools. I don't believe they can put up such a formation in all directions all the time. Even if they can put it up, it will definitely slow down the speed of their march." Timur.
said.
But what happened on the battlefield subsequently did not conform to his judgment. Of course, Zhu Hengshi had already anticipated the enemy's response to his use of this tactic. After Xilu's cavalry approached again, he ordered a change of formation, and all sides were attacked.
A row of lonely warriors prepared to block the enemy with their lives was arranged, and they continued to move forward. Although the speed was slower, they still approached the central army where 1 was. The cavalry surrounding him were unwilling because of the scene just now.
Stepping forward to charge into the formation, the Baiyi Guards were able to get closer to less than 200 feet away from Timur's central army.
Seeing this situation, Timur pondered for a moment and looked at the two armies on the other side who were fighting fiercely. Although the Ming army's infantry responded more and more slowly, there was still no sign of opening up the formation to eliminate an army.
Timur gritted his teeth and said: "Order Lanchabu to lead 20,000 main infantry to fight against the Ming army's Baiyi guards and destroy them."
He never thought that he would be forced to this point now. His original plan was to destroy part of the Ming army and force Xu Huizu to dispatch the absolute main force to deal with it, and then lead the last 100,000 main force to make the final decision;
But at this time, in order to prevent his central army from retreating, he could only dispatch part of the main force to fight.
‘What will Xu Huizu do next?’ He looked at where Xu Huizu was and thought.
…
…
"Order the flag-bearing guard, Jinwu rearguard, Fujun guard, Fujun vanguard, and Fujun rearguard to dispatch five guards to force Timur's central army from the right wing." Xu Huizu ordered.
"General Xu, this way there will no longer be a main force here." Song Sheng said.
"Aren't there still left and right guards from the government army?" Xu Huizu said with a smile.
"General Xu! According to the plan, the left and right guards of the government army will be sent to the battlefield soon. How can it count? Not to mention the safety of His Royal Highness King Yongxing must be protected. This cannot be ignored!" Song Sheng emphasized his tone and admonished.
"Don't worry about being alone!" Zhu Shanglie said immediately: "I think it's good to send out all five Shangzhi guards. The Westerners are not easy to deal with, so the more troops the better."
"Don't worry." Xu Huizu also said: "With these guards protecting His Highness, there will never be any problem with his safety."
"But if something goes wrong..." Song Sheng still wanted to persist. He was old, pursued stability, and was unwilling to take risks.
"There will be no mistakes!" Xu Huizu said firmly.
Xu Huizu immediately sent someone to call Yang Feng and said to him: "Your Majesty the Prince Consort..."
"Just call me Yang Feng." Yang Feng said.
"General Yang," Xu Huizu changed his title: "I want to send out the Fujun Guards and other five direct guards to fight against the Western Captives, and charge directly at the Western Captive Central Army from the left wing. Will General Yang lead the attack?"
Before Yang Feng could speak, he heard voices coming from both sides: "No! We can't let Yang Feng lead the troops into the formation!" "General Xu, you can't!" Zhu Shanglie and Song Sheng said one after another.
Zhu Shanglie came over, grabbed Xu Huizu's shoulders, and said to him: "Let me lead the Zhiwei to attack Xilu as a general."
"General Yang Shen has been commanding the five-level direct guard, and he is familiar with both soldiers and generals. If it were commanded by His Highness, he might not be able to do it as he should, and the plan would be difficult to succeed." Xu Huizu said.
"But," he couldn't speak clearly because Yang Feng was nearby: "You have thought about the consequences."
"I will bear all the consequences!" Xu Huizu said firmly.
Zhu Shanglie wanted to persuade him again, but suddenly Yang Feng interrupted: "His Royal Highness King Yongxing, General Song, at this time, it is General Xu who is asking about his subordinates' wishes. Please allow me to answer General Xu's words."
He then took a step forward and walked to Xu Huizu, bowed and said: "General, I am willing to lead troops to go out to defeat the main force of the Xilu and destroy the enemy army!"
"You have to think about it." Zhu Shanglie said to him again.
"I accept His Highness's kindness, but I am willing to lead troops on an expedition." Yang Feng replied.
Since the wishes of both parties were very firm, Zhu Shanglie and Song Sheng could only stop persuading, but Zhu Shanglie still said: "Xu Huizu, you are taking a gamble. You already have such a status, why do you do this?"
"For the Ming Dynasty to win this battle!" After Yang Feng retreated, he said to Zhu Shanglie.
After hearing this, Zhu Shanglie sighed and said nothing more.
…
…
"What! It was Yang Feng who led the attack? Did you read that correctly?" Timur said to the staff beside him in disbelief.
"Great Khan, I will never be mistaken! That flag is the flag of Yang Feng, the consort of Princess Zhongshan of the Ming Dynasty. Although there are many generals named Yang in the Ming army, there are many people who use the flag with the word 'Yang', but it is different
The styles of the generals’ flags are different.”
"Furthermore, Yang Feng is the consort of the Ming Dynasty. He can use some patterns on his personal flag that others are not allowed to use, so that flag must be Yang Feng's flag," the staff officer said.
"How dare Xu Huizu send him to lead the army at this time?" Timur muttered. Yang Feng was the fiancé of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty's sister. If he died here, it would definitely make the emperor of the Ming Dynasty feel uncomfortable. Because the Ming Dynasty
It adopts a monarchical autocratic system, and a minister who makes the emperor uncomfortable will not have any good results.
"Could it be that Xu Huizu thought that Yang Feng would definitely not be in danger? Where did he get the confidence?" Timur thought again.
He didn't know that the reason why Xu Huizu sent Yang Feng to fight was actually very simple. It was what he told Zhu Shanglie: because Yang Feng was the most familiar with these five superior guards.
Before setting off, Yang Feng was appointed as the commander of the five infantry-based Shangzhi Guards including the Tongfu Army Guards. Because this was appointed by Yun Xi personally, Xu Huizu did not change others. Today he had to lead the troops to fight with
During the decisive battle in Xilu, and when the battle plan was formulated, I realized that there was a task that could only be carried out by the Shangzhiwei, and other guards could not guarantee success. But the people who led the five Shangzhiwei could not die in battle.
Yang Feng.
Xu Huizu fell into deep hesitation at that time. Not only did he know that Yang Feng was the consort of the eldest princess of Zhongshan, he also knew that the princess really liked him because of Lan Zhen's leak. Once Yang Feng died in the battle, her highness the eldest princess of Zhongshan cried to her majesty, even if
Your Majesty is wise, and there is no guarantee that he will not be affected.
Moreover, his reputation will definitely rise after this battle, and it is hard to say whether His Majesty will be jealous of him. If he is feared by Your Majesty again, not only will his future be in doubt, but his life may not be saved.
But he thought about it, and decided to lead the five Shangzhi Guards to attack the Xilu with Yang Feng as the main general. Yang Feng had commanded them for a long time and was very familiar with the soldiers; and in the past year or two, the Shangzhi Guards had changed their costumes, and their tactics were also different from before.
If there is a big difference, it can only be commanded by someone who has recently commanded the Kaminao Guard. People who have commanded it in the past may not be able to exert the combat effectiveness of the Kaminao Guard.
Moreover, as the Shangzhiwei is an army under the direct control of the emperor, it is difficult to command those who do not have enough prestige or status. Yang Feng can barely command by relying on his previous experience with the emperor and his status as consort, but the entire army can be commanded.
There are no more than ten people in Zhiwei, and it is not easy to find one of them now.
Moreover, Yunxi had told Yang Feng before he set off that he would be rewarded for his meritorious service, and the wedding would be more beautiful in the future. In addition, the probability of the general commanding the army dying in battle was low, so Xu Huizu decided to send Yang Feng as the main general.
Of course, Xu Huizu was not really relieved about this. He had previously given instructions to Yang Feng's guards: once danger arises, he would immediately escort Yang Feng to retreat, and he should stay close to him for safety during normal protection.
"May God bless Yang Feng and be safe." Xu Huizu finally said to God.
Timur certainly didn't know what Xu Huizu was thinking, so he quickly put behind him the reason why Xu Huizu sent Yang Feng to lead the army, and thought about how to deal with the sent Ming army.
The establishment of a general guard station of the Ming army is one hundred and twelve soldiers per hundred households, one thousand and ten hundred households for a total of one thousand one hundred and twenty soldiers, and one guard for five thousand households for a total of five thousand six hundred people.
The total number of military generals and civilian personnel at all levels, Huotou Army, etc. is less than 6,000.
But the imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty - the Shangzhiwei and the Prince's Guards are different. There are ten thousand families in one Shangzhiwei or Prince's Guard, with a total strength of 11,200 people, which is equivalent to two ordinary guards.
.At this time, Xu Huizu sent five Shangzhi guards, which was more than 56,000 people.
Moreover, Shangzhiwei is said to be the most powerful guard in the Ming Dynasty. It uses the latest weapons, some of which are not equipped by other guards, and its tactics are also unique. It must not be underestimated.
Timur walked a few steps nearby, raised his head and said loudly: "Pass my order, and the remaining 80,000 main troops will all press forward. I want to lead my troops to try it myself to see the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty."