Thousands of Tatar cavalry kept harassing the two wings of the Ming army, sending arrows to each other.
Thousands of enemy cavalry in the front retreated and returned to Dayan Khan's main formation to accumulate power. Thousands more enemy cavalry pressed forward. After a round of feint attack, they suddenly charged towards the Ming army's front army.
"Fire the arrow!"
Three thousand crossbowmen immediately started firing.
A round of arrows was fired, and dozens of enemy cavalry were knocked off their horses. The Mongols also responded with cavalry fire.
"javelin!"
More than two thousand javelins were thrown out in unison, and dozens of enemy cavalry fell off their horses. The Ming army was also wounded and killed several people.
"The swordsmen and shieldmen are in formation, the spearmen are ready, and the crossbowmen are firing again!"
Thousands of Tatar cavalry rushed to the front of the formation in an instant, but were shot again by bows and arrows on the way, leaving hundreds of corpses this time.
The two sides were about ten steps apart, and the Ming army's front troops did not panic at all. Seeing that the intimidation was ineffective, the Tatar cavalry immediately passed in front of the formation diagonally.
The crossbowmen and harpooneers of the Ming Dynasty took advantage of the enemy's cavalry to slow down and change direction, and immediately carried out crazy projections. The Tatar cavalry panicked instantly, and the formation became disorganized, and finally they were defeated and fled.
Zhu Houzhao stood on the imperial chariot, observed the battle situation with a telescope, and suddenly laughed and said: "It is another feigned defeat to lure the enemy. How can I, the general, be fooled? Order the front troops to strictly guard the formation and not to pursue."
"The mighty general is wise!" Zhang Yong, Jiang Bin and others all flattered him.
These days' Mongolian cavalry, even if they are not out to rob, will not wear heavy armor at all.
They like to harass from two wings, pretend to be defeated and lure the enemy from the front, and after breaking up the opponent's formation, they immediately launch a three-sided countercharge. Once the countercharge is ineffective, they continue to harass with mounted fire, preventing the opponent from regrouping, and finally defeat the pursuing enemy in a mobile battle.
The Ming Dynasty had been fighting the Tatars for decades and had already figured out Mongolian tactics. Even Zhu Houzhao would not be fooled easily.
Faced with this situation, Dayan Khan had a slight headache. In the wave of false defeats just now, the Mongolian cavalry suffered more than 300 casualties, but it did not have the slightest effect in luring the enemy.
The Han emperor in front of me is too cautious and sophisticated!
At noon, the Mongolian cavalry were scattered everywhere, dismounted and ate dry food on the spot, and at the same time fed their horses with water. They were not far from the Ming army's formation. As long as the Ming army dared to go out to collect arrows and javelins, they could immediately mount their horses and launch an attack.
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty also started to eat. They had brought enough food with them when they went south for rescue this time, and they were not afraid of being cut off by the Mongols. If the victory could not be determined in half a month, the Ming army could withdraw to the nearby city of Yingzhou for supplies.
The fighting continued in the afternoon, and the total casualties on both sides were less than three digits, which was simply negligible.
…
Twenty miles north of the battlefield and fifteen miles south of Huairen County, fighting was also breaking out.
Pang Long, Jin Ying and others, the generals of Xuanfu who were ordered to meet in the direction of Huairen, discovered something was wrong halfway through. They actually encountered a large group of Tatar cavalry.
Pang Long chose to set up camp and sent out the few sentry cavalry: "Immediately inform your majesty that there is a large enemy force ambushing here thirty miles north of Yingzhou! The road from Yingzhou to Huairen has been blocked by Tatar cavalry.
Cut it off, but if there is any change, immediately withdraw it to Yingzhou City."
The Xuanfu cavalry had already gathered under Wang Yuan's command. Pang Long and others sent out messengers, but there were only a dozen or so cavalry. They were discovered just after leaving the camp and were intercepted and killed by the Tatars, leaving only two or three cavalry alive.
Escape into the eastern mountains.
Balso Polo also immediately sent a messenger to inform Dayan Khan: "The Ming army appeared in the direction of Huairen, with about 5,000 people. My troops have been discovered. The Ming army sent out sentries to report the news, and two or three people escaped.
After entering the mountains, it is estimated that we will be able to circle to Yingzhou in two days. I will leave two thousand horses to guard these Ming troops. Please ask the Great Khan to make a decision as soon as possible."
"Convene the leaders of various ministries to discuss tomorrow's war!" Dayan Khan planned to spend a lot of money.
The next day, the wind was calm and the sun was beautiful.
Dayan Khan only left 3,000 personal guards, and the remaining 40,000 cavalry were all sent out to attack in turns.
Arrows and javelins were scattered like rain, and the casualties on both sides increased rapidly. The left wing of the Ming army was the first to waver. These were the troops of Xiao Chu, Shi Chun and others. They went from Datong to Pingluwei for support, and came all the way from Pingluwei.
Yingzhou was besieged for several more days and had not had much rest for more than half a month.
Seeing more and more enemy troops gathering on the left wing, Wang Yuan quickly ordered: "Shenji Battalion, artillery team immediately support the left wing!"
Dayan Khan originally wanted to swindle defeat and lure the enemy. At this time, he felt the changes on the battlefield and instantly changed his combat intentions. He personally led his team to attack: "Invasion from three sides, attack the enemy's left formation with all your strength!"
About 25,000 Tatar cavalry, under the command of Dayan Khan, took turns riding around the left wing of the Ming army, shooting and feinting.
The offensives became more and more fierce, and the left army's formation became more and more unstable. Zhu Houzhao dispatched 2,000 men from the Chinese Army, and finally the left wing was not collapsed directly.
"kill!"
King Altogai, the most powerful general in Mongolia, and his son Bulhai, led more than 20,000 cavalry to charge. After several feint attacks and harassment by the friendly forces, they suddenly accelerated towards the left flank of the Ming Dynasty, taking advantage of the gap when the Ming army had no time to shoot arrows and throw spears.
.
"Flan cannon, fire at full speed!"
Twenty Fran cannons fired in a straight direction without waiting for the enemy to approach the range of the crossbow. An iron bullet was fired. If you were lucky enough, you could shoot through several enemy cavalry, and the battlefield was suddenly filled with blood and flesh.
The swordsmen and shieldmen in the front row of the Ming army's left wing temporarily gave up their positions, revealing a total of more than 6,000 gunmen in the back row.
In addition to the Shenji Battalion, these fire gun soldiers also included troops from various border towns. They were all gathered together by Wang Yuan. They had not moved in the previous battle, but now they showed their fangs in the face of the large-scale Tatar charge.
Wang Yuan ran over in person: "No firing without my order!"
He was too lazy to engage in three-stage shooting or five-stage shooting. When the Mongolian cavalry ran thirty steps away, Wang Yuan suddenly ordered: "Fire!"
"boom!"
Not only did more than 6,000 musketry soldiers fire at the same time, but the fifty artillery carts (little general cannons) gathered by Wang Yuan also instantly fired shotguns made of iron sand and iron sheets.
When the Tatar light cavalry charged with all their strength, the formation was slightly denser. Thirty rifles and cannons were fired by cavalry, which directly eliminated one front row. The Tatar cavalry formation was instantly scattered. The cavalry behind them bumped into the corpses of friendly soldiers and all kinds of people fell on their backs.
At the same time, the crossbowman on the left wing also re-cocked the bow, and the moment the swordsman and shieldman pushed forward, another volley fired.
The most powerful general in Mongolia, King Altogai, the leader of the Horqin tribe, was already dead because he was charging ahead with countless iron pieces stuck in his body. His son Bulhai, the heir to the Horqin tribe, also had his life cut off by a cannonball.
Arms, riding a shaky horse.
"Get back, blow the horn quickly!" Dayan Khan's neck became thick and red with anger.
He continued to feign attacks for several days, thinking that he had already forced out all the Ming army's methods. He didn't even see the fire cannons fired, so he thought that the gunpowder had run out. How could he have thought that Wang Yuan would wait until now to use it?
"Woo!"
The Mongols blew their horns, and the cavalry rushing into the formation slowed down, turned around, and then turned around and retreated. However, there were more than a thousand cavalry who could not restrain their horses and ran headlong into the formation of horses and chariots on the left wing of the Ming army. There were only a few
He was lucky enough to survive, but was stabbed to pieces by the Ming army's spearmen.
"The enemy army is defeated, follow me and kill them!" Zhu Houzhao jumped down from his chariot, turned over and mounted his horse.
Jiang Bin and Zhang Yong rushed over, each saving the emperor's leg: "Your Majesty, no pursuit!"
"That's nonsense," Zhu Houzhao said angrily. "The Tatar thieves have been defeated. If we don't chase them now, when will we wait?"
Jiang Bin said: "This is a Tatar plan to lure the enemy!"
"You used the lives of thousands of cavalry to lure the enemy?" Zhu Houzhao slashed out with his sword, "You bitch, let go!"
Jiang Bin was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hands, and Zhang Yong did not dare to stop him. Zhu Houzhao had obviously lost his temper. Anyone who dared to persuade him would be hacked to death.
Wang Yuan was about to lead his cavalry in pursuit. As soon as he opened the iron rope of the chariot formation, he saw the emperor leading five hundred heavy cavalry rushing towards him. He shouted angrily: "Your Majesty, return to the central army and take charge!"
"The whole army is pursuing us!" Zhu Houzhao shouted wildly, brandishing his sword.
Five hundred heavy cavalry rumbled forward, and all the friendly troops, including Wang Yuan, had no choice but to retreat and give way. Zhu Houzhao was the first to lead his troops out of the formation.
The emperor has already charged, how dare the soldiers not to do so?
Especially the ordinary soldiers, all of them were filled with enthusiasm and were completely dazzled by the victory.
The Ming army's formation, numbering tens of thousands, was instantly disorganized due to the great victory. During the various pursuits, various units were constantly disconnected.
Wang Yuan said to Pan Gui and Wei Sheng: "You bring 6,000 sharp spears and 6,000 musketry soldiers, strictly guard the formation and advance slowly to prevent the Tatars from attacking behind!"
"Yes!" Pan Gui accepted the order.
However, the eunuch Zhang Zhong rushed over and said to Wei Sheng, the commander of the fire gun soldiers: "Follow your Majesty quickly."
"Don't panic, listen to me!" Wang Yuan said.
Zhang Zhong said: "It is important to protect His Majesty!"
Wang Yuan drew his sword directly: "How dare Mr. Zhang disobey military orders?"
Zhang Zhong suddenly shrank his neck and rode his horse to chase the emperor. He was afraid that he would be chopped by Wang Yuan.
Although Zhu Houzhao was very reckless, he was right this time. The Mongolian army was really in defeat.
The Ming army concentrated large-scale muskets, artillery, and crossbows to launch short-range volleys. The last time this method of warfare was used was by Emperor Yongle Zhu Di. The Mongols who had seen such a battle had been dead for nearly a hundred years.
How did Yanhan expect that the Ming army would have such a skill?
The terrifying instant killing and the rumbling sound of fire directly frightened the Tatars, both men and horses, into panic.
Dayan Khan's pre-deployment of a false defeat has now turned into a real defeat, one infection is spreading to another, and he cannot gather his troops even if he wants to.
"Raise the hot air balloon and observe the enemy situation in the rear!"
Wang Yuan said nothing and pursued with five thousand light cavalry.
The students brought by Wang Yuan immediately raised the hot air balloon, holding horns, command flags and telescopes to closely observe the situation behind them.
Zhu Houzhao personally led his heavy cavalry in pursuit and killed an enemy who fell off his horse. He then dismounted and said, "Take off your armor and chase again!"
The five hundred heavy cavalry all dismounted, took off their mail and zhao, and rushed out again following the emperor.
"kill!"
Zhu Houzhao became relaxed, raised his sword high and galloped on his horse, feeling as if the souls of Taizu and Taizong were possessed.
Wang Yuan did not dare to stay too far away from the emperor. He pursued and killed him while observing the situation. His main responsibility now was to protect the emperor's safety.
The change in the battle situation was so sudden that Balsopolo, who was ambushing more than ten miles away, could not rush to the battlefield at the first time. But this was enough. He had tens of thousands of cavalry under his command, and the Ming army's formation was in chaos.
It seems that as long as they come here, they can kill the Ming army and defeat the whole army.
"Woo! Woo! Woo!"
The physics disciples on the hot air balloon saw Balso Polo from a long distance, and immediately blew the horn and raised the flag to order the entire army to assemble.
But it was difficult to recover most of the Ming army's troops.
The Mongols fled like crazy, and the Ming soldiers chased them like crazy. The battle was a complete mess.
Datong general Wang Xun, veteran Zhang Xi, and Liaodong guerrilla Xiao Cu were the few border generals who still kept their sense. When they heard the trumpet and used telescopes to see the flag order, they immediately raised money to gather their troops and quickly assembled to stop the Tatars behind them.