weaving

Chapter 1586 Lord Gushan, there is…

The Xuanwu Camp's cavalry division has a full complement of 516 riders. Zhou Ruli, the commander of the central army, only led 156 riders into battle, while another 400 riders remained hidden in the shadows, ready to be deployed at any time.

Gadahun was alarmed because he spotted a cloud of dust billowing in the northeast, which, from a distance, looked like a perfect arc, just like a sharp arrow, its tip pointing directly at the more than four hundred unarmored northern barbarian cavalrymen who were chasing Zhou Ruli.

Even if these two Ming cavalry units were combined, they would not have an advantage in terms of numbers alone. However, Gadahun was well aware of the difference between armored and unarmored cavalry.

Even without armor, his four hundred-plus warriors, if facing any Ming cavalry alone, would not suffer much loss even against enemy cavalry twice their size, thanks to their skillful horsemanship and archery.

But the situation is different now. The unarmored northern cavalry that charged forward were attacked from both sides, and the Ming army also had the more powerful three-eyed guns!

Gadahun couldn't see clearly from a distance. He always thought that the Ming cavalry on the other side were still using three-barreled guns, but if they could wound his men at fifty paces, they must be using excellent three-barreled guns.

Meanwhile, as Gadahun mounted his horse, he shouted, "Sound the retreat! Let the knights who challenged us return to reinforce us! All troops, attack and kill the cavalry of the Bright Dogs!"

After speaking, Gadahun took the lead and charged towards the northwest with his five hundred armored cavalry.

…………

However, the battlefield situation was beyond Gadahun's expectations.

The two groups of Ming cavalry did not attack his unarmored knight from both sides. They merely made a feint, pretending to attack the Northern Barbarians, which deterred them. Then they gathered together and sped away to the east.

This was completely unexpected by Gadahun. He was slightly taken aback, then shouted: "Head east, pursue and kill the Ming dogs. Any armor, weapons and warhorses captured shall belong to the individual."

The Mongol cavalrymen, mounted on their warhorses, cheered and spurred their horses on, charging towards the distant trail of billowing dust.

"Lord Gushan..." A Niru Zhangjing of the Plain Red Banner of Mongolia rode forward at full speed: "The brave warrior who challenged us has been intercepted by the Ming dogs."

Gadahun slowed his horse down, turned around, and asked, "How many Ming dogs?"

"More than two hundred..."

Before the Niru Zhangjing could finish speaking, a sharp "crack" rang out, and Gadahun struck him on the face with a horsewhip, instantly leaving a red welt...

"Damn it... two hundred Ming dogs, what's the big deal... tell the boys to attack to the east..." He raised his riding whip and pointed to the trail of dust in the distance: "Go and intercept those Ming dogs over there!"

"Yes, sir." The Niru Zhangjing, his face flushed, spurred his horse to deliver the order.

…………

Zhou Ruli led the two cavalry units that had joined together and sped eastward.

He would occasionally look back to observe the distance of the pursuit of the northern barbarians. Once he felt that the distance had widened too much, he would quietly slow down his escape speed. It seemed that he cherished the horse's stamina, but deep down it seemed that he had a conspiracy.

"Lord Gadahun, I think Ming Gou is acting strangely. It seems like he's deliberately trying to lure us into a chase," a Jiala Zhangjing reminded him from the side.

Gadahun, however, scoffed at this, coldly saying, "Heh heh, so what? Are we afraid of him?"

He immediately ordered, "Change all horses to conserve their stamina."

At Gadahun's command, the five hundred armored Northern barbarian cavalrymen around him leaped forward, instantly completing the switching of their warhorses with fluid grace, without the slightest hesitation. Like the Jurchen Tartars, Mongol cavalrymen typically went into battle with three horses per rider: one carrying personal supplies, one main warhorse, and one primarily for everyday riding.

Even more extreme, there are cases where one person has four horses. The extra warhorse is usually kept as a spare. If the main warhorse is injured or loses its strength, the spare warhorse will have to take its place.

The Northern barbarian cavalry, having switched to their warhorses, roared eastward in pursuit, closing the distance between themselves and the Ming cavalry ahead...

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On the other side, the 500 Mongol Plain Red Banner cavalry who had been challenging the enemy outside Daxing Town encountered an ambush by 200 Xuanwu Camp cavalry when they retreated, but it was no big deal for them.

Moreover, these two hundred cavalrymen did not actually intend to block them here; they merely wanted to slow them down so that they could not mix with the Gadahun group.

They maintained a distance from the Northern cavalry, sometimes close, sometimes distant, with the two sides at least thirty or forty paces apart, and most of the time they were fifty or sixty paces apart.

When they were close, they would fire muskets; when they were far apart, they would exchange arrows.

While the archery skills of the Xuanwu Camp cavalry could not compare with those of the Northern Barbarian cavalry who had grown up on horseback, they were not without killing power. After all, arrows have no eyes, but if you run into one yourself, that's a different story.

When the Mongol Plain Red Banner cavalry charged forward, the Ming army would retreat far away. But whenever the Mongol soldiers tried to pursue the main force of Gadahun, the Ming army would rush back to intercept them, and this cycle repeated itself endlessly...

The two hundred Ming cavalrymen on this side were like a "dog skin plaster," sticking tightly to the five hundred Mongol cavalrymen.

…………

Gadahun's side had already joined up with the unarmored cavalry that had gone out to fight earlier, and they continued to pursue for nearly two miles, until the distance between the two sides was less than a hundred paces.

"The Ming dogs are too weak to keep up! Men, charge! Kill the Ming dogs, seize their armor, weapons, and warhorses—they're all yours!" Gadahun shouted, encouraging his men.

Upon hearing this, many Mongol soldiers once again switched back to their main warhorses, preparing for a final, desperate charge to kill the Ming cavalrymen who were slowing down and seize their armor, weapons, horses, and the gold and silver in their pockets.

Suddenly, the Ming cavalry, who had been fleeing all the way, turned back abruptly. After circling around, they actually adopted a fighting stance facing each other.

"Lord Gushan, Ming Gou has..." Before the Jiala Zhangjing could even finish saying the word "fraud," he was already uttering it.

They could already see bright red helmet plumes suddenly emerging from the waist-high gray-yellow weeds on both sides, and by a cold glance, there seemed to be no less than two or three thousand people.

Gadahun showed no fear and coldly ordered, "All troops, turn north and break through the Ming dogs' infantry formation!"

He decisively issued the military order, and the Mongol cavalry immediately turned their horses around and charged towards the Ming infantry hidden in the weeds to the north.

The cavalrymen were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, they had closed the distance to within a hundred paces...

Suddenly, a row of dark muskets gleamed, their black light shining brightly in the setting sun, just as the Mongol cavalry of Gadahun closed to within eighty paces...

The sounds of muskets exploding, "bang bang bang..." pierced the sky and struck the hearts of everyone.

Even though the front ranks were filled with armored Mongol cavalry, they could not withstand the bombardment of the superior Yunzhou Type 2 rapid-fire muskets...

Moreover, this wasn't just a row of rapid-fire muskets, but a three-row formation of musketeers firing in a "three-stage attack." The explosions rang out continuously, and amidst billowing black smoke, deadly bullets whistled towards the charging Mongol soldiers…