weaving

Chapter 1405 General Chen is here!

“Commander-in-Chief, I’m still worried that He Zhenxiong and his men have the will but not the ability!” Sun Shixiang said again.

"There is no turning back when the bow is drawn."

The Earl of Yongning said solemnly, “I order Li Changsheng and Su Laohu not to get too entangled with the bandits. Their first task is to break through the enemy’s central army with He Zhenxiong.”

At the same time, orders were given to Lin Fangping, instructing him to lead his musketeers to follow. If the cavalry failed to break through the enemy's central force, he was to lead his musketeers to hold the line. The Zhuque Battalion's chariot and supply wagon units were also to advance and provide support to the front lines at any time.

As he said this, he turned to look at Zhang Mingyuan in the central army and said, "The three supply wagon units of Weiyuan Battalion will be deployed on the spot, coordinated and commanded by Chen Zhong, to cooperate with the infantry and defend against possible counterattacks and surprise attacks by the bandits."

“Yes, sir!” Zhang Mingyuan answered loudly.

At this moment, Liu Chengzhu, the personal staff officer, strode over with a letter in his hand, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander-in-Chief, General Chen of the Northern Camp has sent a letter."

Upon hearing this, the Earl of Yongning was overjoyed and asked loudly, "What do you mean?"

"We have captured Yuyuan, defeated Dang Shousu, killed over a thousand enemy cavalry and nearly three thousand infantry, severely wounded the major bandit Tian Jianxiu, and rescued over ten thousand starving people."

Liu Chengzhu reported loudly, then added, "General Chen said that he is leading two thousand elite cavalry at full speed and is less than five miles away; there are also more than two thousand five hundred infantrymen on their way."

"Good." Sun Shixiang was overjoyed upon hearing this, saying, "Commander-in-Chief, in this way, our central army is safe!"

The Earl of Yongning nodded and said to Liu Chengzhu, "Send the central army cavalry to meet Chen Yongfu, guide him, and tell him to come quickly."

"Yes, sir," Liu Chengzhu replied loudly, then turned and left.

"Commander, General He is fighting with the bandits."

Upon hearing the reminder from his advisor Hu Yiwen, the Earl of Yongning hurriedly raised his binoculars to take a look, and indeed saw that He Zhenxiong's elite cavalry had already engaged in battle with the rebel army's central cavalry.

…………

He Zhenxiong had ordered the first three ranks of cavalry, as well as the ranks of cavalry on both sides, to prepare their handguns so that they could clear the way with handguns, javelins, and arrows when the battle began.

At the same time, he also ordered two cavalrymen in each rank to prepare a weapon capable of taking on ten thousand men. Once they charged into the enemy town, they would set it on fire and throw it out to create chaos among the enemy and reduce the pressure on him during the charge.

Although the Xuanfu Town Battalion was formed with the core of General Yang Guozhu and also included soldiers from He Zhenxiong's original troops, their ability to fight on horseback was genuine, as evidenced by their performance in the Liaodong War.

Now they have upgraded their equipment; all the knights' armor has been replaced or repaired, and their weapons have also been replaced. Most importantly, each knight is now equipped with two pistols, and three of the knights in each armored unit are equipped with small muskets.

In terms of equipment and combat strength alone, the Xuanfu Town Battalion is no less than the battalions of the generals of the Ming Dynasty, and it is only slightly inferior to the battalions of the Yongyi Army.

"Pistols, fire them all!" He Zhenxiong roared as he spurred his horse forward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..." The crisp sounds rang out one after another, and puffs of smoke rolled and rose up behind the knights.

The bandit troops blocking the way to intercept He Zhenxiong had only exchanged a few blows, managing to fire a maximum of three arrows before being hit by the pistols of the standard cavalry...

More and more bandits fell from their horses, writhing in agony on the ground, their cries of pain growing louder.

"A warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men, blast him to smithereens!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..." With He Zhenxiong's loud command, huge explosions began to ring out. Although the explosions were somewhat scattered, this was the first time the bandits had seen government troops use this "weapon of mass destruction" in close combat; they had only ever seen it when defending a city.

As He Zhenxiong led his cavalry deeper into enemy territory, the rebel army's formation began to fall into disarray.

In particular, those ten-thousand-strong enemy-killing pills, with their thunderous sound, would inevitably cause a group of bandits to fall with each explosion, bringing great shock to the bandit army.

…………

Li You was ordered to lead 5,000 elite cavalrymen of the central army to form a battle formation. Just as they finished forming the formation, they saw a large contingent of government troops charging towards them from the dust cloud ahead.

He arranged for 500 cavalrymen to flank the enemy on each side to prevent government troops from launching a surprise attack on the flanks. He also ordered 1,000 elite cavalrymen to go forward and meet the government troops charging at him, while he himself led 3,000 cavalrymen to hold the line from behind.

But when the two sides clashed, the crisp "bang" sounds and the booming explosions caused Li You's expression to change.

It seems the officers and soldiers are well-prepared, have a clear tactical plan, and are determined to win!
Although Li You was not old, he was an old thief who had experienced countless battles, big and small. Although he was surprised in his heart, he remained calm on the surface.

He loudly commanded the three thousand bandit cavalrymen following him to form a formation with a thick center and thin flanks, while maximizing the distance between each row.

In this way, the casualties of the officers and soldiers in the bombing of 10,000 men can be reduced, and the defensive depth of our side can be increased, making it less likely for the government troops to break through.

Once the government troops are trapped in their own cavalry formation, the infantry will join the battle, and even if the government cavalry is elite, they will not escape defeat.

Just as Li Youchang was reveling in the joy of victory, he discovered that the cavalry sent to the flanks had turned back. He immediately realized there must be a reason for this and hurriedly ordered the five hundred cavalry on both sides of the formation to come forward and provide support.

A moment later, a cavalry unit of the government army emerged from the dust behind the two flanks of the cavalry.

There were about three hundred riders on the left wing, while there were more than five hundred officers and soldiers on the right wing. Although the number of men and horses was not large, just by looking at the momentum of their riding, it was clear that they were elite cavalrymen from the government army.

At this moment, the junior officer leading the left wing had already run back. He reported loudly, "General Li, all the officers and soldiers are armored. Arrows cannot penetrate them, and swords cannot cut through them. It's not easy to fight them."

Li You glared at him angrily, without saying a word.

A moment later, the junior officer on the other side also rushed back. He was covered in blood and had two arrows stuck in his body, indicating that he had been in a fierce battle and had been forced to retreat.

"You... are fine."

Li You spoke softly, then spurred his horse slowly toward the junior officer who had retreated earlier. When he got close, he shouted, "The Grand Marshal has given a strict order: fight to the death when encountering the enemy."

Wu Youcai, let me ask you this: 'What should be done if someone retreats without orders and without injury,'

Hearing Li You's stern questioning, Wu Youcai was terrified, yet dared not refuse to answer. Trembling, he managed to reply, "General Li, he should be executed on the spot to uphold military discipline and serve as a warning to others!"

"Good, very good. It's impressive that you can still remember the Grand Marshal's military regulations!" Li You said softly to him.

After he finished speaking, his expression turned serious, and he suddenly swung his long knife, slashing it directly at Wu Youcai's neck. Blood spurted out, and Wu's large, round head rolled to the ground, his eyes seemingly revealing a look of unwillingness.

Wu Youcai remained seated on his warhorse, swaying from side to side for a while before collapsing to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.

"Brothers, if anyone retreats unscathed, Wu Youcai will suffer the same fate!"