Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 1358
The Mongolian heavy cavalry never expected that they, who have always been known for their impact, would one day be surrounded by infantry.What they especially did not expect was that this group of infantry not only had very good armor, but the scimitars that had lost their horsepower bonuses could hardly cause fatal injuries to them. huge threat.

Although sitting on the horse made the upper body of the heavy cavalry far away from the Ming army, it was usually difficult to kill directly, but the horses under the crotch and their own legs were all good targets for the Ming army's bayonet.

The Mongolian heavy cavalry suddenly had an absurd feeling at this moment, that is, they would rather stab their own legs than stab the horse.Stabbing one's own legs is bloody and painful, but people are human after all, they can think, judge, and measure the situation. In such a critical situation, it is actually possible to endure it for a while.

But once the bayonet hits the horse, no matter where it hits, the horse will definitely go mad with pain.At this moment, no matter how good your riding skills are, it is impossible to compete with beasts, and once you fall off the horse, it will be all over—at least three or four bayonets will follow you everywhere, and there is no way out.

Fortunately, the light cavalry behind them also joined the battlefield at this time, attracting a large number of "little mandarin duck formations" from the Ming army to meet the enemy, and gave them a sigh of relief for the heavy cavalry.

However, because the battlefield was not wide enough, the light cavalry could not use the usual slanting tactics, so they could only charge straight in.Although there were no musketeers to give them a blow at this time, the Mongolian light cavalry who lacked horse armor and also used scimitars had worse protection than heavy cavalry. The situation of winning or losing can't actually change the overall situation at all.

The insufficiently wide battlefield along the river has now become a reminder for the Mongols, so that the situation cannot be opened when the cavalry is superior, but it is held back by the inferior Ming infantry.

If it was normal, the Mongolian cavalry would definitely retreat in the face of this situation. They have enough reasons not to fight this kind of stupid battle.Just like when the Mongolian cavalry marched west for the first time 300 years ago.

During the Battle of the Khalkha River (May 1223) in the late period of the first Western Expedition, Jebe and Subotai led less than 5 Mongolian cavalry to face the [-] coalition forces of Oros and Kipchak.The Mongolian army retreated for nine days in a row to a favorable location - the banks of the Khalkha River.The coalition forces that had been chasing for nine days were in chaos, so the Mongolian cavalry launched an assault, and the two wings quickly surrounded them, defeating the enemy in one fell swoop.

In this battle, a total of 5 nobles from the coalition army were killed, and six princes of Oros were executed. In addition to the subsequent siege, the coalition army lost about [-] people, and the casualties of the Mongols were insignificant at all.

Retreat is definitely not a disgrace to the Mongolian cavalry. It has always been just a tactical action, which is no different from stabbing, picking, chopping, and chopping on the battlefield.

It's a pity that this normal tactical action is not allowed now.

Brihatu and Huang Taiji had issued strict orders repeatedly before the war. Unless there was an order from the rear, they could only advance and not retreat in this attack.

Although the glory of the Mongol Empire is long gone, the military regulations set by Genghis Khan are still valid.The Mongolian warriors have strict military discipline. No one will give up chasing and fighting to rob property. Those who disobey orders and do not attack will be beheaded.

Genghis Khan's punishment for deserters was particularly severe. Anyone who retreated without permission was regarded as a deserter and would face continuous punishment: "Someone in the ten-man team escaped and the others did not stop on the spot, and the whole team was sentenced to death; if all the ten-man team fled If it fails, all the centurions belonging to the ten-man team will be executed."

In other words, fleeing or retreating can only be decided by the superior, and soldiers have no right to choose independently.Soldiers have only two choices: obey or die.

That being the case, naturally he would rather die in battle than escape.The tribal family members are all under the rule of the Great Khan, so what's the point of fleeing?What's more, struggling to survive does not conform to the warrior thinking that the Mongolians have been indoctrinated over the years.

The heavy cavalry and light cavalry had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight hard, hoping that the Ming army would collapse in front of their bravery, just like the Ming army in 30.

However, Cao Yu obviously disagrees and will not allow this situation to happen. He has seen the Ming army 30 or 2000 years ago. Although the Zhang Wanbang troops in front of him can't see that kind of sign at all, the cautious Cao Yu still plans to plan ahead. .He immediately ordered the Chinese army to dispatch [-] people to reinforce the southern front.

It's not that Cao Yu is reluctant to give up his troops, nor is it that he doesn't know how to refuel the tactics, but...he faces the same dilemma as the Mongols: the battlefield is not wide enough, even if all the Chinese troops rush to reinforce, they can't really join the battlefield. There are at most 1000 people who can actually serve as reinforcements.

Cao Yu dispatched two thousand, in fact, even the second wave of reinforcements was prepared.

There is no choice in refueling tactics, the opponent can only do this, and he can only do this. Now the real competition is actually who can't bear the casualties and chooses to retreat.

Of course, a group of infantry retreated in front of the Mongolian cavalry, which was no different from stretching their necks and waiting to beheaded. Cao Yu knew that he had no choice, and the only ones who could retreat were the Mongols.

As a result, the battlefield along the river became a meat grinder, and the elites of both sides fought a pot of porridge on this land that was really not open enough.

The Mongolian cavalry lost most of their impact and maneuverability, but they still had at least a condescending advantage on horseback; the Ming army infantry lost the powerful firepower they relied on, but fortunately, the advantages of squad platoon tactics can still be used And the equipment is obviously better than the Mongols.

Casualties on both sides began to increase. In terms of the number of people killed in the battle, the Mongolian army must be the majority;

Zhang Wanbang is still in the usual style in the past. He led a group of soldiers and servants around to make up for emergencies. The "cold iron armor" on his body was chopped off at some point, and part of the cold iron scales on his left arm were chopped off. But it didn't fall off, it just hung outside the leather armor inside, as if it had become an ornament.

His confidant was probably also slashed, but fortunately it failed to break through the armor, but left a deep mark on the iron plate, but it was also shocking.If this knife was cut from a running horse, maybe something big would happen.

There was also a lot of blood on his face, which had already dried up and turned black, making his already somewhat fanatical face even more terrifying.

Maybe it was the high-intensity hand-to-hand combat that made him a little bit exhausted, or maybe the muddy ground was too slippery. At this moment, Zhang Wanbang staggered suddenly and almost fell forward.

Seeing this, a Mongolian light cavalry soldier who forcibly rode his horse from his side swung a knife at him subconsciously, but because Zhang Wanbang happened to stabilize his figure again, the knife that was originally wiped at his neck turned upwards. He slashed at his helmet and knocked his helmet away.

Another Mongolian light cavalry soldier who was close to the flying helmet subconsciously stretched out his scimitar, and happened to pick the helmet on the tip of the knife.

The Mongolian cavalryman was startled for a moment, then overjoyed, and shouted loudly in out-of-tune Chinese: "Zhang Wanbang is dead, why don't you beg for surrender!"

This routine is not only played by generals. When the Mongols fought against Ming in the early years, they often killed low-level generals. Therefore, many people in the Mongolian army used this scaring trick: Whether you die or not, I yell first and then talk, if you cheat one by one, it will always hit your morale.

Sure enough, his shout also attracted the attention of the nearby Ming army, who subconsciously turned their heads to check, and were taken aback when they found Zhang Wanbang's helmet.

However, although Zhang Wanbang is less than thirty years old, he joined the army at the age of 13 and has a lot of experience in battle. How can this Mongolian cavalry show off?Immediately raised his knife and shouted loudly: "Don't be a dog tartar, let me play this game, I live well, kill your mother, you wild man!"

The Mongolian soldier could understand Chinese, and when he heard the scolding, his face turned green with anger, and he was about to throw Zhang Wanbang's helmet and go find him desperately.

Unexpectedly, a heavy cavalry commander in full armor suddenly rushed out beside him, picked up the helmet with a sharp knife, and shouted: "Our army has won, the whole army retreats!"

This time even Zhang Wanbang was a little surprised. The Mongols fought to the death with huge casualties for so long just to grab Lao Tzu's helmet?
However, the servants around him had already surrounded him to avoid the danger that his major general faced just now.The Mongolian soldiers began to withdraw from the battlefield and retreated slowly.

The Mongolian army also seemed to have discovered something in the rear, and began to call for gold.Zhang Wanbang glanced left and right, and found that the casualties of his army were not small.However, when he took a closer look, he felt that the casualties in the headquarters were not as large as those of the Chinese army that he supported later, so he shouted: "Continue to kill as long as the ground is rough!"

This is Zhang Wanbang's personal style. Although he can accept it as soon as it is good, he must strive for the maximum benefit. The "limitation of the ground" is about twenty or thirty steps in front of his position. This order is equivalent to "recovering" the entire position, and then driving the Mongols away.

However, the Mongolian cavalry were very obedient to orders. Once they decided to retreat, they did not hesitate, and quickly withdrew in twos and threes in coordination with each other.At this time, the Ming army also fought a big battle, and they were not as energetic as they were just now. They only left behind thirty or forty unlucky ones by relying on platoon tactics.

The Mongolian cavalry has a good way of retreating. Some cavalrymen who were "dead" when they fell off their horses stretched out their hands at this time. The man who fell from the horse pulled up and dragged it back to the horse, and then retreated together.

Don't underestimate this move, Zhang Wanbang knew that they had this habit, and he could only watch the Mongolian cavalry bring back more than 200 wounded who pretended to be dead.

Cao Yan of the Chinese army breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered Zhang Wanbang to count the battlefield and count the casualties.Qi Jin on the east side and Gao Yimin on the north line also sent people to ask for instructions, saying that the military doctors under their command were ready and could go to the south line to help at any time, and Cao Yan agreed on the spot.

At this time, there was some disharmony in the main formation of the Mongolian Central Army. Brihatu's face was as dark as water and he said nothing, and the faces of the Tumen were also quite ugly. They stared at the several Mongolian generals who had just withdrawn, suppressing their anger. Asked: "Who was the first to give the order to retreat?"

A general in full armor held Zhang Wanbang's helmet and rode forward, saying, "Khan, it's my order."

"Tataer, have you started to fear blood?" Tumen seemed a little surprised, but his face was still sullen: "As one of the six great battlers in Chahar, do you plan to give up this honor?"

Battle means hero, warrior, and it has a transliteration that is more familiar to future generations, called "Batu".It even has another variant of Manchu called Batulu.

Obtaining such a title is not an easy task. The commander of the heavy cavalry of the Mongolian Army named Tataer shook his head and said, "Khan, Tataer is never afraid of battle. The reason why he ordered the retreat is because we have basically reached the goal of cloth." Rihatu Huang Taiji's combat objectives, and at the same time we have no room to continue to expand the results of the battle, and it is useless to continue fighting except to increase casualties."

Tumen frowned slightly, glanced at Burihatu, and asked Tataer: "The Ming army's southern line has not yet collapsed, and you haven't even seen Cao Yu's face, so you can say that you have achieved your combat goal?"

Tatar showed no fear, and said: "Khan, you and Brihatu Huang Taiji's order did not say to take Cao Yu's head. Huang Taiji's order was to break through the bayonet array and find out their depth - we have already completed this. gone."

To talk about breaking through the bayonet formation, if the word "breakthrough" is deadlocked, then the Mongolian cavalry has indeed achieved its tactical purpose, and even before the light cavalry arrived, the heavy cavalry had achieved this goal.

However, the subsequent situation is obvious to all, and the significance of this breakthrough is actually not very great.The bayonet formation seemed to be broken, but in fact it turned into a quagmire, which made the Mongolian cavalry sink into it, almost unable to extricate themselves.

This is something that no one expected in advance. Once the Ming army was defeated by the cavalry charge in the past, basically they could only wait for the Mongolian warriors to cut melons and vegetables. How can there be such a magical scene today?

Tumen was also at a loss for words, and after a pause, he asked back: "Although the bayonet array was broken, it was not broken enough, and how deep have you found out about them?"

"Look here, Khan." Tata'er threw Zhang Wanbang's helmet lightly at the Tumen, and when the Tumen caught it, he explained, "This helmet belongs to Zhang Wanbang."

Tumen was surprised at first, and then had some doubts: "Is Zhang Wanbang dead?"

If the main generals were all dead, and the Ming army had not been in any disorder until the last moment, it would be unreasonable.

Tatar shook his head and said, "He's not dead, but he might be injured—there's still blood on the helmet."

Of course, Tumen couldn't tell whether the blood on the helmet belonged to Zhang Wanbang, but since Zhang Wanbang's helmets were all here, Tata'er said that he had found out the depth of the Ming army, so it can't be said to be nonsense.

Tumen Dahan couldn't find anything to criticize him for a while, so he fell silent.Burihatu next to him suddenly said: "Since our army has won and we already know the details of the bayonet array, then this battle is worthwhile, and the dead warriors will naturally return to the Longevity Heaven and be blessed by the Buddhas."

Tumen turned to look at him, wondering why he changed his attitude faster than himself.But Brihatu didn't explain, just nodded to Dahan: "Khan, it's time to go back to Chahanhot."

Tumen frowned and said, "What about the West City? The Beiguan trade route is gone?"

Brihatu shook his head and said: "There is still chaos in Beiguan, we don't need to act in a hurry, we will talk about it after other people have had enough trouble." In the eye of the storm."

Tumen nodded and sighed: "You're right, let's not be busy, wait until those people who have their own plans have enough fights."

This is actually something that can't be helped, and the Tumen know very well that if he is as powerful as Daming, there is no need to wait.

As soon as he waved his hand, the Mongolian army immediately turned around and began to retreat southward slowly, and a bloody battle came to an end.

Afterwards, both Ming and Mongolia claimed to have won the battle of Yehe River.The Mongols claimed that they had broken the bayonet array that the Ming army had become famous in recent years, while the Ming army claimed that they easily repelled the attack of the Mongolian cavalry and beheaded more than [-] ranks.

As for who wins and who loses, Ming and Mongolia and even the surrounding forces have their own judgments.
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(End of this chapter)