Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 164 Crying So Helplessly
two days later,

New changes have taken place on the battlefield south of the Mongolian desert.

With the departure of the two white flags, there were less than 60,000 people left in the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia, plus less than 30,000 people in the ten Mongolian tribes south of the desert, totaling only more than 80,000 people.

On the Ming army side, there were 80,000 troops in the four major camps alone, plus 30,000 troops from Lu Xiangsheng's army. In addition, Miyun Governor Wu Aheng also brought more than 10,000 troops, totaling more than 120,000 troops.

The Manchus and Mongols were unaware of all this because their scouts were unable to penetrate at all.

There is no such thing as winning with fewer people.

Whenever there is a situation where the majority is fighting against the minority, no one wants to lose one more soldier on their side.

……

"drive!"

Huang Degong rode his horse at full speed, raising dust from his horse's hooves. He arrived at the central army tent, stopped suddenly, jumped off, threw the whip to a soldier, and then walked into the central army tent.

Following closely behind was Ma Xianglin. Just as he sat down, another person walked in from outside, Wu Aheng.

When he came in, he found that the tent was full.

"I, Old Wu, am too late!"

"It's not too late. There's still a quarter of an hour left. They came early." Li Banghua said.

Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this.

As Cao Huachun walked into the tent, everyone fell silent at the same time.

"Supervisor!"

"Supervisor..."

Cao Huachun nodded to everyone and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's get started!"

The current Cao Huachun is far from the Admiral Cao before he retired and returned home. He has decided the outcome of a battle and was even granted the surname of the emperor. He is so favored by the emperor, who dares to say that he is a eunuch?

As the deputy, Li Banghua had already opened the sand table and made preparations.

Cao Huachun pointed at the sand table and said, "It is impossible for these people led by Jirgalang to stay on the grassland forever. They will have to leave eventually. Our focus is still on the tribes on the grassland. We will cripple them and make it impossible for them to turn over..."

To put it simply, it means to fight against the ten Mongolian tribes south of the desert.

"Yongwei Battalion, Jing Battalion, Tianxiong Army, I will allocate 60 artillery pieces and fire gun soldiers to you. Block Jirgalang and hold him back for two hours."

"Miyun Army, Xuanfu Three Towns' soldiers, White-Pole Soldiers, Qi Family Army, I will allocate the remaining 80 artillery pieces and fire-gun soldiers to you, and you can defeat the troops from the three grassland tribes."

"Yes!"

"As ordered!"

"Order!"

"I will definitely live up to my mission..."

The generals clasped their fists and shouted in unison.

Coming out of the tent, Huang Degong had a bitter look on his face. He patted Zhang Shize and said, "Old Zhang, it's another tough battle!"

"Who made the commander think highly of us?"

Everyone wants to fight the ten Mongolian tribes, but who will take on the toughest challenge?
In the end, the battle fell to the Yongwei Camp, the Jing Camp and the Tianxiong Army, because these three camps had fought head-on with the Eight Banners of the Manchus before, and with the addition of artillery and muskets, they were not at a disadvantage.

……

The flags are moving and the signal flag is coming out.

"So what if they are the Eight Banners? They are just a token of support for Seoul!" Huang Degong grinned and rode on his horse with a sly smile, "Wait for me, Old Huang, to kill their arrogance!"

The warhorse under his crotch neighed "xilulu" and its hooves rose into the air. The soldiers of the Yongwei Camp were all excited and rushed out with Huang Degong.

Zhang Shize was unwilling to fall behind and followed closely behind. The 5,000 men of the Tianxiong Army were almost as fast as him.

Tens of thousands of people suddenly surged in, as densely packed as a torrent, so numerous that they could not be counted. The Manchu and Mongolian cavalry also discovered the Ming army's unusual movements at the first moment. Bugles rang out over the entire grassland, and they mounted their horses one by one.

Prince Zheng Jirgalang was originally in the camp, and he also quickly put on his armor and held his weapons, "What are the Ming army going to do? How dare they charge at my Eight Banners with cavalry? Who do they think they are?"

"Pass my order, meet the enemy!"

"Boom boom boom~~"

With a burst of artillery fire, shells fell on the Qing army's camp like "iron sleds", reducing the Qing army's momentum.

The two sides rushed towards each other at an extremely fast speed.

After only two rounds of artillery fire, the two torrents collided with each other, shaking the heaven and earth.

The so-called blocking the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty is not something that can be done simply by wanting to stop them, because the enemy is also cavalry, and their mobility is stronger, so they can only fight with their lives, cavalry against cavalry, soldier against soldier, and life for life.

The huge impact force caused people and horses to fall to the ground, corpses flew everywhere, cold light was shining, and blood was spilled into the sky.

The body was separated in the blink of an eye.

The blood splattered onto the flying dust, becoming sticky in an instant, but was then trampled apart by the horse's hooves and kicked away.

After a round of charge, the blood dripping from Huang Degong's iron spear had not yet completely fallen, but he rushed towards the Tartars again.

"kill!"

"Kill~"

The general is the courage of the army. If one soldier is incompetent, the whole army will be incompetent as well.

Huang Degong and Zhang Shize led the way, and their brothers naturally fought to the death. Although Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong Army had less than 5,000 people, he also led the way, and his soldiers roared past like a steel torrent.

The Manchu Tatar cavalry should not be underestimated either. They were faster than the Ming army and continued to break through the Ming army.

Only by fighting to the death in this way can we hold back the Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners Army.

"Musketeer!"

"Bang bang bang..."

Three thousand musketeers fired bullets at the Qing army from the flank, creating flowers of blood on the advancing torrent.

……

Cao Huachun watched the battle with his heart aching, but he had to admire the powerful cavalry of the Manchu Tartars. Even with artillery and muskets, they could only barely hold off the enemy.

Then he turned his gaze to another battlefield, where the ten Mongolian tribes south of the desert were fighting against the Miyun army, the troops of the three towns of Xuanfu, the White Spear Soldiers, and the Qi family army.

The two sides fought more brutally.

Although the ten Mongolian tribes have only 30,000 people, their combat effectiveness is not weak. The troops of Miyun Army and the three towns of Xuanfu include many new recruits and are far less powerful than the White Spear Soldiers and Qi Family Army.

Fortunately, no one in the two armies retreated...

Ma Xianglin rode on horseback and led the white-pole soldiers to engage in a head-on fight with the Mongolian soldiers.

Although the majority of Qi's troops were from the military department, their combat power should not be underestimated. With their spears and wolf-whips, they would often stab down the Mongolian cavalry or cut off the horses' legs.

"Boom...boom..."

Cannons and muskets roared, and smoke filled the entire battlefield, blocking much of Cao Huachun's vision.

But he pulled it suddenly because he saw a person falling from the horse out of the corner of his eye.

Ma Xianglin's horse was shot in the eye by an arrow from a Mongolian cavalryman. The horse instantly went crazy and threw him off the horse.

Then the Mongolian rode his horse and swung his sword at him, but he rolled several times, dodged in panic, and stabbed the opponent in the throat with his backhand.

Then he pulled it down, rode on it, wiped the enemy's blood off his face, and continued to charge. "What a great move, General!"

The White Spear Soldiers shouted loudly.

"Kill~" Ma Xianglin's shoulder had been chopped off, revealing his inner armor, and his flesh and blood were blurred, but he didn't feel it at all. He swung his spear and stabbed another Mongolian cavalryman off his horse.

Cao Huachun gritted his teeth and said, "Let the guard battalion also press forward to support the White Spear Soldiers and Qi's Army."

Qin Liangyu raised her head suddenly, "What about the central army?"

"Even if I die, I cannot afford to lose this battle."

……

The two divided battlefields have now become meat grinders.

The rumble of horse hooves was like an earthquake, and the roar of cannons was like thunder, shocking everyone.

This is a battle for survival. There is no question of grudges, let alone benevolence, righteousness, or morality. We are mortal enemies. There are only four words: winner takes all.

If the Ming Dynasty was defeated, it would return to the situation before liberation, with the border troops disbanded and no longer able to resist the Manchu and Mongolian coalition forces.

If the Mongols south of the desert were defeated, they would not only have to submit to the Ming Dynasty and break away from the Qing court, but all their previous efforts would also be wasted.

And it would be difficult for them to organize an army sufficient to defend themselves.

But for Jirgalang, the Qing Dynasty would not allow the Ming court to clean up the north and sleep peacefully.

None of the three parties could accept defeat, so the brutality of the battle was far beyond imagination.

Inside the central army camp,

A messenger soldier hurried in and whispered in Cao Huachun's ear: "Commander-in-chief, Chen Erfa has arrived."

"Who?"

"Your Majesty's father-in-law, the Viceroy Chen Erfa."

"Let him in."

"Chen Erfa, the deputy governor, pays his respects to the commander-in-chief." The fat and big-eared Chen Erfa saluted Cao Huachun.

"Quick, get up!"

"You guys arrived just in time..."

Chen Erfa arrived with his men. According to the emperor's order, he could have sent them to Xuanfu, but after entering Xuanfu city, he found that things were not as he had imagined.

There are only a thousand soldiers left to defend the city. How many people are left to deliver ammunition and food to the battlefield?
So after hesitating for a while, he did not choose to leave, but chose to send ammunition and food over.

His nephew also asked him, "Uncle San, we have completed the mission, why don't we leave?"

Chen Erfa answered like this, "Don't you understand this? Or I asked you to deliver meat to Mr. Liu, and you delivered it to his home, but found that there was no one at home, and there were wolfhounds here, and you left without any worries?"

"That can't happen. If I leave, I'll be eaten by a wolfhound. That would be a big loss."

So, Chen Er sent it.

He brought 3,500 soldiers from the city's military department to deliver supplies.

"Please ask Commander Chen to order his men to help carry the ammunition."

Chen Erfa waved his hands quickly, "You are too polite, Commander-in-Chief. Just call me Deputy Governor. I will ask them to move the ammunition and food supplies..."

But just as he started moving, Chen Erfa's body suddenly shook and his eyes lost focus for a moment.

"Tartar...Tartar..."

Boom boom~~
The deafening sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the murderous atmosphere was rushing towards the Ming army's central camp.

It was a team of cavalry from the Eight Banners of Manchuria that broke through the defense lines of the Yongwei Camp, the Jing Camp, and the Tianxiong Army and rushed to the central army. There were not many of them, only a few hundred.

But there were not many people on the central army side, and even Cao Huachun's guard battalion was sent to the battlefield.

There was an immediate chaos in the central army camp. There were hundreds of people including logistics personnel, military servants and temporarily recruited civilians, but they were no match for the Tartars and were defeated in an instant.

The nephew grabbed Chen Erfa's sleeve and said, "Uncle San, Uncle San, what should we do now?"

Chen Erfa was also confused at this time. His Adam's apple rolled and he swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva. "Uncle will ask you another question. You said you were carrying a piece of meat to the house of the rich man Liu Liu, and there were wolfhounds trying to snatch the meat from you. Would you give it to him?"

"I can't give it to you..." Chen Erfa's nephew said halfway, swallowed the rest of the words, and his eyes widened suddenly, "No, Third Uncle, what do you mean?"

Chen Erfa was trembling all over, but he gritted his teeth and said, "It's so simple. These ammunition and food are the meat that your uncle carried on his back. Now the jackals are coming to rob them. I can't let them take them away, otherwise... wouldn't my trip be in vain? Can your brother-in-law forgive me?"

"Everyone from the South City Army, listen up! Block them!"

Following Chen Er's shout, all the people from the Nancheng Bingmasi who were originally preparing to run away were stunned. They didn't know whether to run or not.

Chen Erfa shouted in a trembling voice: "If anyone escapes, all three clans will be killed!"

"Yes, kill all three clans..." Chen Erfa's nephew also shouted sternly at this moment.

As soon as these words were spoken, no one dared to run away. They clenched their swords and guns tightly in their hands and showed some courage.

"I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well kill the Tartars."

"Kill the Tartars~"

"Da da da..." Chen Erfa's teeth chattered together like frying beans. He was scared to death, but he stood there and shouted loudly. When he saw the people from the Bingmasi gathered together and blocked the Tartars, he suddenly grabbed his nephew.

"Quick, tell the supervisor."

Then he shouted at the servants and civilians, "Don't just stand there, move these ammunition and food supplies away. Are you waiting for the Tartars to snatch them away?"

But as soon as he turned around, he was suddenly stunned, because there was an arrow stuck in his fat belly. The arrowhead was completely embedded in the belly, and only the feathers at the tail were vibrating.

The wound didn't look big, and there wasn't a lot of blood, but it was extremely painful.

"Uncle Three!"

Chen Erfa raised his head with difficulty and found that it was Cao Huachun, Li Banghua and Qin Liangyu who had arrived with their men. Although they only brought a few dozen people, the appearance of the commander instantly raised the morale of the soldiers.

Qin Liangyu spurred her horse and rushed out from the side, knocking a Tartar off his horse. She led dozens of female soldiers and eased the Tartar's offensive in an instant.

Three thousand five hundred soldiers from the City Bingmasi surrounded the Tartars and kept poking them with their spears.

"Juncheng!" When Chen Erfa saw his nephew coming, joy flashed across his face, but it soon faded away. His face turned pale. "Quick, help me see if there is any hope?"

The nephew squatted beside Chen Erfa, and with trembling hands he lifted up his clothes, "There is hope... there is hope! There must be a way..."

"Really? Really?" Chen Erfa's eyes suddenly rekindled with infinite hope. "But why do I feel something is wrong? I can't breathe, and my eyes are a little dark. Tell me, you are a fool to lie to me."

"Really, I'd be a fool to lie to you."

"You bastard, the more you say that, the more I know I'm going to die." Chen Erfa's face became paler and the light in his eyes dimmed. He usually cursed and swore, but at this moment he was too calm. "Your brother-in-law gave me the folding fan meat. Now I'm giving it to you. Take good care of it and don't lose it..."

"Uncle San, don't say that. He can be saved, he must be saved. Military doctor, military doctor~ Come here quickly... Please save my uncle..." Chen Erfa's nephew hugged Chen Erfa's head.

The seven-foot-tall man's eyes were red and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He cried so helplessly like a three-year-old child.

"Remember not to embarrass your brother-in-law. By the way... after you go back, go to my room. There is a secret compartment under the urinal. There are 500 taels of silver in it. It is my private money..."

In the blurred vision, the nephew saw the pale and miserable face of his third uncle. He was smiling and talking to him, but suddenly his arms dropped down.

"Third uncle~third uncle~"

……

(End of this chapter)