weaving

Chapter 1398 Charge, Keep Moving Forward

Li Michang was covered in blood, and his long sword was chipped in three places, but he still could not stop the advance of the government cavalry.

"General, the brothers have done their best."

Li Michang leaned on his long sword, struggling to keep himself from falling. His eyes were bloodshot, and several bloody marks were clearly visible on his arms and chest.

Liu Tichun's eyes seemed to be spitting blood as he roared in a hoarse voice, "We must hold on, even if we can't! Hold on to the death!"

"Damn it, how can we hold this position? The soldiers are wrapped up like a solid block of iron. Our swords can't cut through them, and our spears can't pierce them. We can't fight this battle." Li Michang wasn't afraid; he was simply at his wit's end.

Liu Tichun had no better way to deal with the situation at this moment. He roared, "Even if we can't fight, we have to fight! We'd rather die here than watch the government troops charge into Wang Xingyuan's camp!"

"kill."

Li Michang roared angrily, "Unless the soldiers step over our bodies, they won't get past us."

After he finished shouting, he was about to turn and leave when Liu Tichun grabbed him and shouted in his ear, "The government troops are heavily armored and won't be able to run for long. Drive the starving people up to wear them down. I'm gathering axemen here, and they'll come to help you kill the government troops later."

Li Michang suddenly understood, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. He responded loudly and turned to leave.

…………

On the battlefield, the situation has become one-sided and irreversible.

The rebel army's strategy was correct, but they underestimated the difficulty of execution, which was the main factor that led to their unfavorable situation.

The heavy cavalry of the Yongyi Army could not sustain a long charge. They would inevitably stop after charging a certain distance, otherwise their horses might collapse and die, which would be a loss for the Yongyi Army.

After all, the warhorses ridden by heavy cavalrymen are all carefully selected and meticulously fed!

The enemy's defensive line, which had already been breached, was practically useless against the heavy cavalry. Even if more infantry and cavalry were sent in, it would be of no use. It would only slightly delay the advance of the government troops, and even that delay would be very limited.

Therefore, both Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, and Liu Tichun on the front line understood this very well. They had the same idea: to use the cheap, starving civilians to slow down and delay the advance of the Yongyi Army's heavy cavalry, in order to buy time for the rear to regroup.

In this way, once the infantry and cavalry regrouped and formed ranks, the Yongyi Army's heavy cavalry would no longer have the strength to continue charging, which would be the best time for them to counterattack.

This tactic is called "waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out" on the battlefield.

If you're lucky enough to succeed, then it's the legendary "turning defeat into victory"!

It can be said that "the ideal is very rich", but "the reality is very cruel".

The starving people had been hungry for more than ten days and were already physically exhausted. The previous waves of being driven to attack the Yongyi Army's defense line had greatly damaged their morale and will.

Although these starving people had not yet participated in the charge, they had already witnessed the tragic state of the previous waves of starving people, which dealt a heavy blow to their already fragile hearts.

Moreover, in order to facilitate successive assaults on the Yongyi Army's defensive line and prevent the Yongyi Army soldiers from resting, the rebel army had already divided the starving civilians into groups of five thousand each. At this point, at most, only one group of starving civilians could be forced forward; the other groups were still too far away to be deployed in time. However, the starving civilians, already exhausted, lacking confidence, and fearful of battle, had no intention of actively attacking or killing government soldiers. If they were forced to assault the stationary Yongyi Army defensive line, it would be somewhat manageable; even if they dragged their feet, there would eventually be a time to finish.

But to ask them to actively intercept the charging heavy cavalry is simply wishful thinking!

…………

Li Michang's helpless predicament was passed on to He Jinlong.

He Jinlong was ordered to organize the starving people to slow down the advance of the Yongyi Army cavalry, but when he arrived at the front, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood on the spot.

Having already suffered a defeat on the battlefield, he was eager to perform well and earn a positive evaluation and impression from the rebel leader.

Everyone was a leader. Although there was no real rank distinction in the rebel army, each person's weight was always evident. Even among the leaders who each commanded their own battalion, there was an invisible hierarchy!
But the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

The rebel army camp was in complete chaos, and the starving people were also vaguely aware of it. They were already unwilling to fight and risk their lives, so they naturally became even more resistant and tried every means to delay the progress.

Before He Jinlong could even get the starving people to their positions, the Yongyi Army's cavalry had already broken through the front lines. The starving people were thrown into disarray by the onslaught of the defeated enemy soldiers.

Even when He Jinlong ordered his soldiers to threaten them with killing, it was difficult to effectively stop them.

…………

Hu Dayou knew that the success or failure of today's battle depended on how big an opening his heavy cavalry could break through.

Therefore, he took the lead and dared not be negligent in the slightest. He firmly held his lance under his arm and did not dare to swing it as usual to chop and thrust. Instead, he carefully thrust and parried, just to break through quickly.

He led his heavy cavalry across the wreckage of the barricades, broke through the enemy's light cavalry and infantry lines, and swept through the enemy's defenses as if they were in an empty field.

Although many arrows landed on him and the knights around him during the charge, they were all blocked by his armor. Even those arrows that got caught on his armor did not hurt his flesh.

However, some heavy knights were hit by the bandits' axes and hammers and fell from their horses, but most of them were not seriously injured and it did not affect the heavy cavalry's charging rhythm.

"Charge! Keep moving forward, follow the flag, don't worry about either side!" Hu Dayou shouted sternly from his horse.

Although heavy cavalry are fierce and unstoppable, they are not particularly fast. Their strength lies in breaking through enemy lines rather than launching surprise attacks.

Now, the Imperial Guards and Tiger Guards are protecting the flanks of the heavy cavalry, and they are showing signs of overtaking them. That's why Hu Dayou shouted loudly to remind the heavy cavalry not to be affected, to maintain their speed and focus on breaking through the enemy's central army.

The Imperial Guards and Tiger Guards were the elite of the Brave and Resolute Army's cavalry. Although each of them was equipped with two short handguns, there were also many skilled archers among them, and their saddles were loaded with bows, crossbows, and arrows.

At this moment, he rode his horse fifty or sixty paces away from the heavy cavalry on both sides. The front row used spears to pierce, axes to chop, and hammers to break through the enemy lines, while the rear row would occasionally fire cold arrows to kill the enemy soldiers they saw along the way.

Like three arrows released from a bow, the heavy cavalry in the center, with the Imperial Guards and Tiger Guards on the flanks, easily broke into the enemy's formation.

Although they only had a little over 1,500 cavalry, they were not afraid of the bandit army of tens of thousands of soldiers. With such courage alone, it would be hard to find a second team in the Ming Empire today!