weaving

Is Chapter 1577 Cao Manzi?
Zhou Yuji, courtesy name Cui'an, was a native of Jinzhouwei, Liaodong Town. He was a hunter in his youth and was quite courageous. Later, he joined the Liaodong army and rose to the rank of guerrilla general after accumulating merits.

In the ninth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the emperor ordered the eunuch Cao Huachun to integrate the troops of the Wuxiang, Tengxiang, and Yongshi camps, with the Imperial Horse Administration as the main body. He also selected good men from families near the capital to join the camp and recruited some elite border troops to form the "Yongwei Camp," which was directly under the control of the inner court.

The newly formed Yongwei Battalion eliminated the old, weak, sick, and disabled, leaving only strong and capable men. After rigorous training, its combat effectiveness is quite strong, at least among the top ranks in the Beijing Garrison.

Cao Huachun was very dedicated to his post as the commander of the Yongwei Battalion. He selected two capable generals from the eunuchs to serve as military supervisors, and most of the officers were also promoted from among the brave and skilled warriors. For example, the famous generals Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, and Zhou Yuji were all personally selected by Cao Huachun to join the Yongwei Battalion.

As the most trusted and powerful armed force of the imperial court, they were active on the front lines of suppressing bandits, except for a few times when they participated in battles against the Jurchen invasions.

Among them, General Sun Yingyuan had already died heroically in the spring of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, when he fought against the rebels at Luoshan in Runing Prefecture, Henan Province, due to being isolated and without reinforcements, and was exhausted from fighting.

Now only Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji and others remain, still fighting in the Fengyang Prefecture area of ​​Southern Zhili, continuing to work hard to eliminate the bandits Xian and the five bandits of the Left. This time, when the Jurchens invaded, Zhou Yuji was summoned to lead troops back to the capital to defend the emperor, while Huang Degong remained on the front line to confront Xian and others.

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When Zhou Yuji returned to the capital to defend the emperor, he only brought 3,500 soldiers with him. Although there were only 1,500 cavalrymen among them, they were all elite warriors who had fought in many battles.

The remaining two thousand infantrymen were all trained strictly according to the standards of the Brave Guard Battalion, of whom about five hundred were short-range weapon fighters, all carrying rattan shields and standard goose-feather sabers.

The other thousand infantrymen consisted of crossbowmen and musketeers. The crossbowmen used crossbows and composite crossbows, while the musketeers primarily used three-barreled muskets, supplemented by a small number of high-quality arquebuses.

There was no other way. Most of the soldiers in the Yongwei Battalion came from the Beijing Garrison and the border troops, supplemented by a small number of good families from the capital region. They were all used to using three-barreled guns, and once this habit was formed, it was difficult to change.

However, the three-barreled guns used by the Yongwei Battalion infantry were different from those used by the northern border troops of the Ming Dynasty. The three-barreled guns used by the Yongwei Battalion infantry were more sophisticated and had longer barrels, which greatly increased the firing range, unlike the three-barreled guns used by the border cavalry, which had an effective range of only twenty or thirty paces.

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As soon as the wooden palisade of the enemy camp was suddenly pulled down, flames suddenly rose outside the camp, as if powerful bows and crossbows had fired rockets and crossbow bolts into the Jurchen camp.

Almost simultaneously, thousands of elite Ming cavalry suddenly surged out, galloping through the fallen wooden palisade into the Jurchen camp. As soon as they entered the enemy camp, they threw their torches forward.

He immediately grabbed a three-barreled gun, instantly igniting the fuse. The crisp "bang bang bang" sounds were deafening, and through the faint light, one could see Jurchen soldiers falling from time to time.

Outside the Jurchen camp, the shouts of battle were deafening, as if government troops were attacking from all sides. In the chaos, it was impossible to determine which side was the main force of the government troops' night raid.

"Boom! Boom!"

The tiger-squatting cannons and mortars brought by Zhou Yuji were ignited and fired. The loud explosions seemed to announce to the Jurchens that the main force of the Ming army had arrived and that it was time to begin harvesting the barbarians!

Although it appeared chaotic, with Zhou Yuji's cavalry seemingly charging headlong into the Jurchen camp, their actions were actually meticulously planned. The cavalry quickly split into three groups, each with about two hundred riders, charging forward without engaging the Jurchens directly. They would simply slash and kill any easy targets they encountered, continuing their advance if they couldn't find an enemy.

As they galloped along, they would either grab torches or braziers and throw them at nearby tents, or use their swords or spears to flick the flames and scatter them in all directions. Their goal was the same: to set fire to the camp and create chaos.

These three cavalry units had no fixed routes; they would charge wherever it was dark, and they never engaged in prolonged battles with the enemy. They would take advantage of any opportunity, and if there was no advantage to be gained, they would charge into the dark.

If there were torches or braziers, they would set fires along the way. If there were no torches or braziers, they would light the torches they brought with them with a tinderbox and throw them out. In any case, the act of setting fires could not be stopped!

Two other elite cavalry units, each with over a hundred men, charged toward the east and north gates respectively. These two elite cavalry units were different from the others; they made no sound, and when they encountered resistance, they simply killed those who tried to stop them with swords and spears from their horses. They galloped on without stopping, their only goal being to capture the camp gates as quickly as possible and lead the infantry in.

The remaining seven hundred or so cavalrymen gathered around their commander, Zhou Yuji. Their goal was clear: follow their leader and go wherever Zhou Yuji charged!
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It's impossible for the Jurchens not to be thrown into chaos after being suddenly attacked at night!

For many years, their ferocious and violent nature instilled fear in the people and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, but at the same time, it greatly fueled their arrogance and made the Jurchens even more arrogant.

In the eyes of the enemy, the Ming army was not even as good as dogs, only daring to rely on fortified cities for defense. Since they dared to go out of the city, they would not dare to fight in open field battles.

Of course, it's no wonder that the Jurchens would have such thoughts. The Ming Dynasty's government troops were indeed too cowardly. Just like the previous times when the Jurchens invaded, they always swaggered out of the pass, plundering money, grain, and people.

The Ming dynasty's loyalist troops, let alone reclaiming money, grain, and people, didn't even dare to show their faces. They simply followed the Jurchens, trying to recover lost territory.

However, this time is different!

They encountered another ruthless figure in the Ming Dynasty, a fierce general who dared to fight against the rebel army of hundreds of thousands with only a few thousand elite troops, a rare loyal and brave general in the chaotic world at the end of the Ming Dynasty—Zhou Yuji.

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"A blatant dog sneaking into the camp?" Hushibu, the Gushan Ejen of the Bordered Blue Banner of Mongolia, blurted out, "Is it that blatant dog of Cao Manzi?"

Perhaps, in Hu Shibu's eyes, only Cao Bianjiao, who was famous throughout Liaodong, would have the audacity to raid the camp of their Qing warriors; others were not even considered.

The personal guards who were helping Hu Shibu put on his clothes and armor looked bewildered: "We haven't seen the Ming dog's flag yet, but thinking about it, besides Cao Manzi, which other Ming dog would be so stupid?"

"Hmph, only this Cao barbarian dares to break into the Emperor's camp. Besides this treacherous dog, who else has such courage?" Although Hu Shibu kept calling him "treacherous dog," he still showed a trace of respect for Cao Bianjiao.