weaving

Chapter 1411 A backup plan?

“The Grand Marshal is the commander of the army. How can he personally risk his life against arrows and stones?” Wu Ruyi advised from the side.

Niu Jinxing also said, "The Grand Marshal is a celestial being descended to earth. He will surely ascend to the throne and become a wise and virtuous ruler who will bring peace and salvation to the nation. His status is so noble that he should not personally risk his life and put himself in danger!"

Seeing that everyone else had expressed their opinions, Song Xianze couldn't possibly fall behind. But just as he was about to speak, Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, waved his hand and said directly, "If I am truly destined by Heaven, the Son of Heaven ordained to be the true emperor, even if I personally face arrows and stones, I will not be harmed by swords. So... what is there to fear?"

With just one sentence, Wu Ruyi, Niu Jinxing, and the others were rendered speechless, and they had no choice but to turn their attention to Song Xianze, who had not yet spoken.

In this situation, Song Xianze knew he could no longer remain silent. Offending Wu Ruyi was nothing to him, but offending Niu Jinxing, that vindictive and petty man, was absolutely unacceptable...

Song Xianze was genuinely afraid that if the man harbored resentment towards him, he might take revenge, which would be impossible for Song Xianze to guard against!

"Grand Marshal, although the government troops have already broken into the outer perimeter of the headquarters, they are already at their last gasp. I believe that Generals Li You and Gu Kecheng will be able to drive them back."

Song Xianze then added softly, "I have another idea, but I don't know..."

The rebel leader had already taken a step down from the platform when he heard this. He turned around and looked at Song Xianze with a puzzled expression, saying, "Strategist, speak quickly."

"Grand Marshal, although the border troops from Xuanda are more valiant than those from other places, they have been fighting hard all day and must be exhausted. I suggest we send a message to Jiexuan and ask him to lead his troops here. Tomorrow we can break through the government army's camp in one fell swoop and capture Zhang Cheng alive."

Upon hearing this, the rebel leader fell into deep thought. After a moment, he finally spoke, saying, "Yes, the strategist's suggestion is very timely."

He said directly to Wu Ruyi, "Ziyi, immediately send a trusted confidant to Jiexuan, instructing him to lead his elite infantry and cavalry here overnight, and launch a general offensive tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Just when everyone thought that the rebel king had given up the idea of ​​personally leading the battle, he said again: "However, I still want to meet Zhang Cheng's brave and resolute army today and see what makes them different, and whether they are really all three-headed and six-armed?"

"Grand Marshal..."

Chuang Wang immediately waved his hand to stop Niu Jinxing, preventing him from continuing: "Qidong, no need for further words."

"Stop trying to persuade me. If I am truly destined by Heaven, I will not fear swords and spears, and I will surely be invincible!"

Niu Jinxing and Song Xianze exchanged a glance, confirming that the rebel leader had made up his mind, and then stopped trying to persuade him.

…………

The rebel army concentrated its cavalry on the front lines of the battle against the Yongyi Army. Although the number of cavalry was close to 30,000, not all of them were elite cavalrymen; seven or eight thousand of them were just there to make up the numbers.

The rebel army had nearly 40,000 cavalrymen, but the most capable soldiers combined barely amounted to 27,000 or 28,000. These were the three walls that Li Zicheng, the rebel king, was so proud of!

Currently, Liu Zongmin is accompanied by three thousand elite cavalry to monitor the Xiangong Temple. In addition, Li Guo, Li Yan, Tian Jianxiu, Liu Fangliang and others have each taken away one to three thousand elite cavalry. Among the bandits left around the King of Chuang, the number that can be called elite is at most seventeen or eighteen thousand.

With fewer than 20,000 elite cavalrymen scattered across a battlefield spanning dozens of miles, it's no wonder they couldn't stop the Yongyi Army's deadly charge.

...He Zhenxiong's 2,000 elite cavalrymen maintained their momentum and charged towards Li Zicheng's banner, almost unstoppable.

Suddenly, He Zhenxiong saw a large group of bandits appear in front of him. Although they were only two hundred paces away, they looked to be more than a thousand horsemen.

He knew that he had already penetrated deep into the bandit camp. If he were to be entangled by the bandits in front of him, he would be in danger of being attacked from both sides, and he would be unable to complete the mission assigned to him by his commander.

He shouted, "Chen Zhanqi, go left, take the detour and cut down the flag!"

After saying this, without waiting for Chen Zhanqi's reply, He Zhenxiong had already turned his horse to the right.

At this moment, the Zhenbiao Battalion still had more than 1,500 cavalrymen following behind He Zhenxiong. When they saw their commander turn, they immediately split from the middle to the left and right, and the single arrowhead instantly transformed into two sharp arrows.

Clearly, He Zhenxiong did this to avoid charging directly into the heart of the bandits ahead, and also to reduce casualties among his men.

Since the start of their charge, most of their handguns had been emptied, and even their elite weapon for breaking through enemy lines—the "Little Ten Thousand Men's Enemy"—was nearly depleted. They really shouldn't have charged straight into the enemy's cavalry formation.

By dividing our forces in this way, we can lure the bandits ahead to also divide their forces to intercept us. In this way, we can regain the initiative on the battlefield and maneuver the bandits to follow our route and fight in the places we have chosen.

…………

At this moment, the battlefield was still in chaos, with battles of all sizes everywhere. Along the battle line that stretched for dozens of miles, there was no place that was peaceful.

Only after receiving cavalry support from Chen Yongfu, the Henan general, did Chen Zhong truly gain the initiative on this side of the battlefield. He not only repelled the rebel army's infantry and cavalry but also launched a counterattack in coordination with Chen Yongfu's cavalry.

On the other side, the same result was achieved.

The brave and resolute infantry and musketeers, along with some chariots, barely managed to hold their own against the rebel army's infantry and cavalry. Just as they were about to counterattack, the musketeers received a new military order from the Earl of Yongning, ordering them to continue attacking the rebel army's main camp.

As soon as the musketeers disengaged from the battle, the infantry went from having the upper hand to being at a disadvantage. Fortunately, Zhang Dechang and Cao Shixi led the northern infantry to arrive in time, which held the line and repelled Ma Shiyao's bandit troops.

Of course, the front line of the battle was the main camp of the rebel leader, where the largest number of cavalry, as well as a large number of infantry bandits and starving people were gathered. It was not only the place where the fighting was most intense and the most chaotic battlefield, but also the key that could almost determine the outcome of the battle.

In the middle is He Zhenxiong's Xuanfu Garrison Battalion charging forward...

On the right is Li Changsheng leading five hundred elite Imperial Guards...

On the left are three squads of Tiger Guard cavalry led by Temur, and one squad of heavy cavalry led by Lu Dagang...

They were like three sharp arrows piercing the enemy's formation, aimed straight at the heart of the enemy army, determined to eradicate this treacherous force that had brought disaster to the country and its people.

Even the sharpest arrows eventually run out of power, let alone when the bandits are desperately trying to intercept them.

…………

In this battle, the Earl of Yongning mobilized almost the entire strength of his camp, which can be described as "betting everything"!
He didn't even leave a guard unit around himself.
Actually, that's not the case. The Earl of Yongning's backup plan will only be revealed at the very last moment...