The sudden counterattack by the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers surprised Li Laiheng. He originally thought that Chu Chuang's powerful military force could intimidate Chen Yongfu, and he could only accept Chen Yongfu's letter of surrender after the artillery mark fully demonstrated its strength.
Unexpectedly, Chen Yongfu actually took advantage of the opportunity of the intruders to deploy artillery. Regardless of the cost, he and Yuan Shizhong seized this fleeting opportunity and sent out the most capable servants in their hands to conduct a surprise attack.
Chen Yongfu originally wanted to lead the counterattack in person, but Yuan Shizhong tried his best to persuade him that the safety of the entire army was now at stake, so Chen Yongfu was allowed to stay in Ma Muji, and Yuan Shizhong was turned to command this risky counterattack.
The elite Ming army composed of two thousand servants and personal soldiers, inspired by the high silver reward, took the initiative to leave the protection of the trenches and antlers fortifications with astonishing courage, and rushed towards the position of the invading army in short distance.
According to Yuan Shizhong's experience, the Chuang army was good at attacking but not good at defending, so he believed that he could achieve great results by relying on Li Laiheng's inadequate defensive preparations to decisively attack and counterattack.
However, Yuan Shizhong's experience came entirely from his understanding of Li Zicheng and the Central Plains Army, which was completely different from the actual situation and combat characteristics of the Huguang Army.
This group of elite officers and soldiers used rattan knives to rush forward. When they approached the front of the artillery position of the Chuang army, they concentrated their firepower, drew up their big bows, set up firecrackers, and aimed at the headquarters and sentry commanders of the Chuang army.
The junior officers will shoot.
However, although the Ming army's counterattack surprised Li Laiheng, it did not really disrupt the deployment of the Chuang army.
The various infantry units covering the artillery mark have formed defensive formations in an orderly manner. The Ting Army infantrymen used heavy bird cannons placed on stands to fire concentrated fire.
The sound of thunder, as dense as a torrential rain, sounded again. The veterans of the Xiaoyuan Battalion who were rushing towards the enemy's artillery position heard this familiar "thunder" and all recalled the terrifying scene during the Battle of Yingzhou.
Their movements froze, and then Ting Bing's heavy muskets shot down the officers and infantry in the front row one after another. Even Yuan Shizhong's helmet was shot off by the muskets, and he had a strong premonition of something bad in his heart.
The time factor is beneficial to Chuangjun.
The vigor of the officers and soldiers' attack was like the steaming steamed buns that had just come out of the basket. The longer the delay, the more the heat disappeared, the more the enemy's position became more consolidated, and the hope of victory became slimmer.
Yuan Shizhong was anxious. He briefly deployed his troops, reorganized his troops, concentrated the entire army, and chose a relatively rugged terrain in an attempt to prevent the intruders from exerting their firepower advantage.
The elite soldiers in Henan Town and Xiaoyuan Camp are all very good soldiers. The fierce attack they launched in response to Chen Yongfu's silver reward seems to have affected not only this local area, but also Mamuji and the overall situation in eastern Henan.
It is related to the victory or defeat of the Ming army and the Chuang army.
Yuan Shizhong took a long breath and put on his iron helmet again, while the soldiers around him raised the flag high with the word "Yuan" embroidered on it.
This large flag with black characters on a red background, trimmed with satin and hanging light yellow tassels, hung high in the Ming army's charging queue.
Some generals deliberately concealed themselves on the battlefield and dressed up like ordinary soldiers to avoid exposing their targets. Yuan Shizhong did the opposite. He deliberately highlighted his identity as a general in the hope of attracting more intruders.
Come to your own side.
As if fearing that the enemy would not know where he was, this big flag was constantly waving to boost the morale of the soldiers.
Thousands of brave soldiers, led by Yuan Shizhong, rushed into the depths of the Chu army's defensive positions like a dragon.
This time, encouraged by Yuan Shizhong to risk his own life, the soldiers did not stand still after a wave of volleys from Ting's army as they had just done. Instead, they followed the banner with the word "Yuan" and charged fiercely.
Wherever the banner with the word "Yuan" flies, these brave generals and soldiers will kill. In the tense battle, amidst the stormy waves, the banner will sink low for a while, sometimes sinking to the point where it is completely invisible.
, people's hearts also sank. Suddenly it appeared again, symbolizing that Yuan Shizhong was still fighting on the front line of the battlefield, rekindling the hope of victory among the veterans of Xiaoyuan Camp.
"Fire the gun!"
Another burst of thunder came from the Chuang Army's position, and countless flying lead shot out, and a large number of officers and soldiers were knocked down. But what made Yuan Shizhong more difficult was not the gunmen of the Chuang Army.
It's the elite infantry blocking the position.
Their martial arts skills are no worse than those of Xiao Yuan Camp's old soldiers, and they also have better armor and more sophisticated weapons and equipment. Quite a few of these people have fought side by side with Xiao Yuan Camp in Henan.
They also had complex emotions and started a bloody life-and-death fight with their former brothers who had just joined the army.
The infantry of the Ming army and the Chu army fired arrows at the same time, and the rain of arrows that almost covered the sky caused astonishing damage to both sides.
At this distance, the power of bows and arrows was almost as powerful as that of blunderbuss, and even Yuan Shizhong was unfortunate enough to be hit by an arrow.
"ah!"
When the troops advanced and the fierce battle ensued, many people saw blood gushing out of Yuan Shizhong's boots, and they couldn't help shouting in dismay.
He was hit by an arrow in his calf. Although Yuan Shizhong endured the severe pain and pulled out the arrow without making a sound. However, the scene of Yuan Shizhong's injury dealt a huge blow to the Ming army's hope of victory. His entire left
The feet and shins were soaked in a pool of blood inside the boots.
"Can this still pass?"
Yuan Shizhong asked the soldiers next to him. Before he got the answer he wanted, he could already feel the fierce force of the Chu army's counterattack again.
The veterans of Xiaoyuan Camp were falling one by one. Hao Yaoqi, whom Yuan Shizhong knew, had already rushed to the flank with the rebel cavalry. This group of cavalry rushed over and almost cut off the entire counterattack force.
The soldiers around Yuan Shizhong were also killed in battle one after another. He was so familiar with these old brothers that he could not only call each of them by name, but also call them by their nicknames and nicknames affectionately, and understand their abilities and martial arts.
He knows their strengths and weaknesses, knows their family background and family situation, and is also familiar with each person’s voice, appearance, and smile.
These people are Yuan Shizhong's old subordinates. In fact, they are also his old friends and brothers.
Seeing these people fall down one by one, Yuan Shi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if part of his own limbs had been amputated.
Compared with the severe pain, the arrow in his calf was nothing.
"Old Palm, we really can't get through, let's retreat!"
Yuan Shizhong's soldiers rushed up to bandage his wounds and hurriedly persuaded him to withdraw his troops and horses to Ma Muji. The situation was indeed not optimistic, but Yuan Shizhong believed that the charged formation was like swimming against the current.
We can only advance, not retreat. If we continue to attack bravely, we may still have a chance of winning.
But if Ma Muji is withdrawn, there is really not much hope.
At that time, he and Chen Yongfu can only count on the reinforcements from Xuzhou!
Yuan Shizhong, Yuan Shizhong, why do you go round and round and finally pin your hope for survival on others?
He didn't want to give up this counterattack, but at this time, the voice of Ming Jin retreating troops could be heard from Ma Muji in the rear. Chen Yongfu was calmer than Yuan Shizhong. He was outside the battlefield and had already seen Li Laiheng's invading army.
The defensive capabilities of the Ming army were even higher than those of ordinary invading armies, and the Ming army had undoubtedly lost the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
"Withdraw! That's all Xiao Yuanying's blood is. Old Palm, if we continue fighting like this, we will really be gone!"
The soldiers' pleas made Yuan Shizhong close his eyes. He covered the wound on his calf, scolded Li Laiheng, and then ordered all troops to withdraw to Ma Muji.
"Damn this Li Laiheng, what grudge do I have against you, why are you trying to block me like this? It's not that Xiao Yuanying doesn't dare to fight hard today, but that I have to protect a way out for the brothers in Henan Town...otherwise
, otherwise...alas! Withdraw!"
At this moment, the most important reason that made Yuan Shizhong decide to withdraw from Ma Muji was that he was worried that the officers and soldiers in Henan Town would be injured too much, making it impossible for him to explain to Chen Yongfu.
If Chen Yongfu knew about it, he would probably lament that Yuan Shizhong's sincerity in treating the court was rare in the world!
As twilight fell, Li Shiwei, who was commanding the artillery target, had completed all preparations. He did not intend to let Yuan Shizhong successfully withdraw all his troops.
The thunderous sound of Tingjun's gunfire had left a very deep impression on the soldiers of Xiaoyuan Camp, but it could not be compared with the roaring sound of the artillery mark.
The roar of hundreds of new artillery pieces is no longer just thunder, but a force that surpasses the power of nature.
People seemed to have borrowed a term that exists in nature to describe it. After the continuous roar, countless artillery shells flew down near Mamuji.
This burst of shelling disrupted Yuan Shizhong's retreat, and the strong shock once again severely damaged the morale of the Ming army.
Even Chen Yongfu who was guarding the Mamu Concentration was shocked by Li Laiheng's bargaining chip. Such artillery firepower was rare even for the Qin Army and even the Guan Ning Army!
It was a real scene of flying lead and molten iron. It shook Ma Muji's artillery fire in the dusk, and finally made Chen Yongfu realize the progress and transformation of the breakout army.
Such an army is qualified to bear the weight of the cauldron.