Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 465 How ambitious it is to make sacrifices

The battle on the banks of the Dongjing River on September 28th demonstrated that even without artillery, the Shengwu Army, relying solely on musketeers and spearmen in close combat, and fueled by the high morale of its victories and its high armor coverage, still possessed the ability to defeat the main force of the Yuan army, which outnumbered it twice as many.

However, it also exposed a weakness: instead of using artillery to break down the enemy's formation first, they sent musketeers and infantry directly into hand-to-hand combat. Although they won, this tactic caused too many casualties on their side, so much so that it was difficult for generals at all levels to accept. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this battle was a Pyrrhic victory.

Aslan's 40,000-strong army was arranged in five formations, with 5,000 men each on the left, right, center, and rear, but 20,000 men in the front. This troop distribution, with a heavy force in the front and a light force in the rear, made them very effective in both defense and offense.

Jin Chaoxing's side was already at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength, so there were no five armies in the front, middle, rear, left and right. There were only three routes: left, middle and right. There was no central army, and the rear army only had the chariot battalion responsible for covering and did not participate in the attack. All other troops were divided into three routes: left, middle and right to launch a joint attack!

The left and right wings each had 4,000 men, and the central army had two battalions of musketeers plus three infantry regiments of the 101st Division, totaling 12600 men. It was no easy feat for 12,600 men to confront the enemy's 20,000-strong vanguard. Even though the musketeers had already killed about 2,000 enemy soldiers before the two armies clashed, the troop strength was still 1.26 to 1.8, and the disadvantage was still obvious.

Therefore, in order to strengthen their own offensive capabilities and boost their morale, Jin Zhaoxing, the commander-in-chief who should have been in command of the central army, had to personally lead the entire division to the front line. The effect of this was obvious: the Shengwu Army did break through the enemy's front line with just one attack, but they also suffered heavy casualties.

First was Jin Chaoxing, the commander-in-chief. Because he was at the forefront, had the commander-in-chief's flag beside him, and wore a unique fish-scale armor, he stood out among the two armies and thus became the target of concentrated fire from the Yuan army.

He was hit by several arrows, two of which pierced his armor and entered his waist and abdomen, causing him excruciating pain. However, in order to maintain morale and show his soldiers that their battle flag had not fallen, he broke off the arrow shafts and gritted his teeth, standing at the forefront to hold on. The flag bearers around him were replaced one after another, and no fewer than ten flag bearers were shot to death around him.

Among the three regimental commanders of the 101st Division, Guo Zixing's brother-in-law, Zhang Tianyou, also died on the spot in this battle, covered in dozens of wounds and bleeding to death.

The other commander, Hou Zheng, an old man from Chaohu and a confidant of Liao Yong'an, was slightly injured.

Zhang Zhen, the commander of the musketeer regiment of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, who was in charge of command at the forefront of the entire army, was one of the 800 young men who followed Lu Jin to join the army in Chaohu, and was brought out from Zhang Wen's hometown of Zhangjiawa Village. He also died a heroic death.

Song Guoxing, the commander of the Fifth Imperial Guard Division and the vanguard regiment of the Fifth Division, was a young man highly regarded by Lu Jin. He was sent to Deng Shunxing's militia as a spy for more than half a year. Lu Jin promised them that once they brought Deng Shunxing's troops back, he would promote them.

As expected, he was promoted upon his return and directly appointed as the commander of the Fifth Imperial Guard Division. However, less than a month after the expedition, before the battle, he was still saying that there was no major problem and that they could fight. The 18-year-old major general commander also died in battle on the banks of the Dongjing River.
The two battalions of musketeers at the forefront launched a bayonet charge after firing three volleys. However, they did not gain the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat against the elite armored infantry phalanx of the era. The two battalions, totaling 1800 men, suffered heavy casualties, with only about 300 surviving. Half of them were wounded, and there were fewer than 150 uninjured men. It can be said that less than one-tenth of the musketeers in these two battalions survived.

Jin Zhaoxing's 101st Division suffered about 2,000 casualties from its three infantry regiments. In addition, the casualties of the auxiliary vehicle battalions on the flanks and rear were also included. More than 4,000 people died on the spot in this battle, and about 3,000 were wounded. The total number of casualties was nearly 8,000. This 22,000-strong detachment was almost half lost.

Of the five division-level generals who participated in the battle, four died in the first battle, and only Hou Zheng from the 101st Division survived with minor injuries.

After the Yuan army's vanguard was broken, the artillery battalion followed the gap torn open by the vanguard and fired six rounds of exploding grenades at the Yuan army's center. Coupled with the charge of the Yuan army's fleeing vanguard, King Weishun Kuanchepuhua, seeing the situation was not good, fled with his personal guards. The series of blows directly broke the Yuan army's center. The Shengwu army took advantage of the situation to pursue and quickly broke the Yuan army's rear guard. The Yuan army's left and right flanks were also defeated by two other battalions of musketeers and heavy armored infantry.

Just as the Yuan army was in complete defeat, Jin Chaoxing, who was seriously wounded, saw that the situation was hopeless and breathed his last. He could no longer hold on and was on his deathbed when he saw his instructor, Su Jing, come to his side and hug him, crying bitterly. But Jin Chaoxing could not hear anything and only felt his ears ringing.

He instructed Su Jing to take charge of the overall situation of the army, and also quoted Lu Jin's famous saying: "We should pursue the enemy with our remaining strength and not be like Xiang Yu who was greedy for fame. We should exterminate the enemy and not let a single one go. We should chase them all the way to the city of Jiangling and take advantage of the fact that Jiangling is now undefended to capture it. We should not waste this opportunity."

Seeing Su Jing nod in agreement, Jin Chaoxing breathed his last, becoming the highest-ranking general to die in this battle.

Although the Holy Martial Army suffered heavy casualties in this battle, Aslan's main force of 40,000 Huguang Yuan troops also fared poorly. In the battle of Dongjing River, more than 20,000 were killed on the spot, 10,000 were captured, and more than 6,000 remnants fled towards Jiangling. However, they were constantly being pursued by the Holy Martial Army and would eventually die at the hands of the 101st Division.

In addition, a fierce general emerged in this battle. After the death of Song Guoxing, the commander of the Fifth Division of the Imperial Guard and the vanguard regiment, Gu Cheng, the battalion commander of the second battalion of the vanguard regiment, became famous in one battle. He led his battalion to break through the right flank of the Yuan army, killed the Yuan deputy general Huang Tulundai, and then rushed into the Yuan army's center and killed the Yuan general Asilan. He then seized a horse and pursued the fleeing Yuan soldiers alone, capturing the Prince of Weishun, Kuanchepuhua, alive.

He killed two enemy generals and captured a Yuan dynasty prince alive, making the greatest contribution to the battle.

He was promoted on the spot by Su Jing, the chief instructor of the 101st Division, to act as the commander of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, succeeding Song Guoxing, and leading the remnants of the 5th Division to continue fighting.

Hou Zheng, the commander of the last remaining regiment of the 101st Division, was promoted to acting commander-in-chief on the spot, succeeding Jin Zhaoxing, and led the remnants of the 101st Division to continue fighting.

After the Battle of Dongjing River, Su Jing led 2,000 auxiliary soldiers and more than 3,000 wounded soldiers to retreat to Mianyang City. He also collected the bodies of the fallen martyrs and prepared to transport them back to the rear. The Yuan soldiers who died in battle were buried in two large pits dug by prisoners of war.

The remaining troops, led by Hou Zheng as the commander of the 101st Division and Gu Cheng as the deputy commander of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, totaling 13,000 men, continued to pursue the fleeing Yuan army and, when the opportunity arose, to capture Jiangling. This was Jin Chaoxing's last order before his death. Hou Zheng and Gu Cheng also felt that they should strike while the enemy was down, so they decided to carry it out. The two quickly led the remaining troops to follow Aslan's fleeing troops toward Jiangling.

After handling the initial and final matters, Su Jing sent the battle report to Liao Yong'an, and also had the captured Wudu Man and King Weishun Kuanchepuhua sent over together.

Meanwhile, Liao Yong'an was leading his army in a standoff with Dashibadulu's 50,000-strong main force of the Yuan army in Sichuan in the Ying County and Suizhou area north of Anlu. Dashibadulu had several thousand cavalrymen under his command, which should not be underestimated and needed to be dealt with carefully.

Seeing that Liao Yong'an had a large army and that the Shengwu Army was invincible, Dashibadulu was also very cautious.

Liao Yong'an was especially worried about what was behind him, wondering if Aslan's path had been blocked. Both sides were wary of each other and had been locked in a standoff for three days, yet neither dared to make a move.

Dashibadulu was waiting for news from Aslan. If Aslan could cut off Liao Yong'an's retreat, that would be ideal, and they could fight with peace of mind.

Liao Yong'an was also waiting for news from Jin Chaoxing. He naturally hoped that Jin Chaoxing could hold them off, as long as he could stop Aslan in some city. In addition, he was also waiting for the Fourth Army of the Central Plains. He wondered when Yu Tingyu's Fourth Army would be able to reach Jingzhou and Xiangyang. If they could then send a group army to descend directly into Jingzhou and Xiangyang from the north and cut off Dashibadulu's rear, he would have a greater chance of winning.

Both sides were waiting for their allies to flank the enemy, cut off their retreat, and then launch a pincer attack. However, it seemed that the Holy Martial Army was luckier. Liao Yong'an was the first to receive the news, but when he received the battle report, he remained silent for a long time, his face ashen.

Upon seeing this, General Miao Daheng of the Fourth Army Group hurriedly asked, "What happened? Did we fail to hold off Jin Zhaoxing's forces? Did Aslan capture Hanyang behind us?"

Upon hearing this, all the generals of the First Front Army present looked over. If the Yuan army cut off the army's rear, then this battle would be in danger.

However, Liao Yong'an didn't keep them in suspense. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Aslan's main force of 40,000 troops from Huguang was defeated by the 101st Division and the 5th Imperial Guard Division. More than 20,000 were killed in battle, 10,000 were captured, and only a few thousand were on the run. Our detachment chased the Yuan army's routed soldiers towards Jiangling. They wanted to take advantage of Jiangling's vulnerability to capture it and shake Dashibadulu's resolve in the battle."

"In addition, the enemy's commander-in-chief Aslan and deputy commander Huang Tulundai were killed in battle, and Wuduman and Yuan Dynasty royal family member Weishun Wang Kuanchepuhua were captured alive. The two prisoners were also brought over."

"Aslan's 40,000 men no longer pose a threat to us."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and Miao Daheng immediately said, "Isn't this a good thing? This is a great victory! We should give Jin Chaoxing and the others, as well as that little Song from the Imperial Guard, a good commendation. Those two fought very well. Why is the Commander not happy?"

Liao Yong'an then swallowed hard and said, "Jin Chaoxing, the commander of the 101st Division, personally led the entire army in a charge and died on the spot. Song Guoxing, the commander of the 5th Imperial Guard Division, also died on the spot. Zhang Zhen, the commander of the Musketeer Regiment, sacrificed his life heroically. Zhang Tianyou, the commander of the 101st Division, also died in battle. In one battle, two major general commanders and two senior colonels have been killed. Since its formation, our Holy Martial Army has never suffered such a great loss."

"The soldiers of the 101st Division and the 5th Imperial Guard Division also suffered a total of about 8,000 casualties, of which no fewer than 4,000 were killed."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Some even gasped in shock. Jin Chaoxing and Song Guoxing—they had met just a few days ago, but in the blink of an eye, they had both perished. Anyone would feel a pang of sorrow at this.

Miao Daheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately asked, "How could the casualties be so heavy? Four out of five generals are dead. How exactly was this battle fought?"

"Take a look for yourselves. This is a detailed battle report written by Su Jing, the instructor of the 101st Division, as well as their pre-battle decisions." Liao Yong'an immediately handed the battle report to Miao Daheng, and the generals gathered together to read it.

Upon hearing Su Jing's words, Jin Chaoxing judged that if they did not cross the river to create a threat to Jiangling, their detachment would hardly be able to influence the battle situation. If Aslan was smart enough, she could send a small detachment to contain them. Then, whether Aslan went around the Yangtze River to Hanyang or went directly north to Jingmen to meet up with Dashibadulu, their detachment would basically become useless.

Therefore, Jin Chaoxing decided to cross the river and take the initiative to engage in battle, threatening Jiangling and cutting off its retreat, thus drawing the main force of Aslan to fight him. The result was successful. Coupled with the soldiers' valiant fighting and the officers' courage, they finally fulfilled their mission of 'blocking the enemy.' Now, Aslan's 40,000 men could no longer affect them. However, even Jin Chaoxing hadn't anticipated such heavy casualties in this battle. Everyone sighed deeply after reading the report. Zhang Liang, the commander of the 121st Division of the 47th Army, also had tears in his eyes and said, "Zhang Zhen just got married last year. His wife was six months pregnant, and he hadn't even seen his son yet. Now he's gone. I don't know how he'll explain this to his parents and wife and child. He was one of the eight hundred brothers who followed His Highness and Brother Zhang from the village. Another one of those brothers by Chaohu Lake has died."

Yin Congdao also said sadly, "Before this expedition, Lao Jin even invited me to have a drink with him. It's only been a few days since I last saw him, and he's gone. Fortunately, he still has a wife and children, so this time he can at least secure a position for his wife and children."

Liao Yong'an was also very emotional. He was the one who personally went to find Jin Chaoxing and brought him into the group, but now the man is gone.

Miao Daheng then added, "That young Song from the Fifth Imperial Guard Division was a good man. I remember he was only 18 years old this year. It's a pity he died. Do you know if he had any descendants?"

Guo Ying, the commander of the Sixth Imperial Guard Division, who was standing to the side, immediately said, "Guoxing is not yet married, but his father is still alive. He also has a brother who is only 11 years old this year. His name is Song Sheng, and he is studying under His Highness."

"That's alright, at least we still have family."

Miao Daheng nodded, then asked, "Now that Aslan's group is no longer a threat, what do we do?"

Liao Yong'an immediately stood up and said to the generals with a resolute expression, "The soldiers of the 101st Division and the 5th Imperial Guard Division have relieved our worries about the rear with their lives. Our tens of thousands of troops here should not let them down. Now that we have no worries about the rear, we don't need to wait for the four armies in the Central Plains. We will attack Jingzhou and Xiangyang ourselves."

"Pass on my military order to report the victory to the entire army, saying that Aslan's 40,000-strong Huguang Yuan army has been completely annihilated, and our detachment has recaptured Jiangling. Warn all soldiers to be on high alert and prepare for the decisive battle tomorrow."

"And those two prisoners who were sent over," Liao Yong'an said after thinking for a moment. "Chop off all ten fingers of that Wuduman, cut off his ears, and send him to Dashibadulu. Send the news of Aslan's defeat there."

"Then drag that King Weishun, Kuanchepuhua, to the front of the two armies and dismember him to demoralize the enemy, and then we will have a decisive battle tomorrow."

"Furthermore, we must be on high alert today to prevent the Yuan army from suddenly withdrawing upon hearing the news. If the enemy suddenly withdraws today, all units must be prepared to pursue them."

"Yes!" The generals present immediately bowed in agreement.

On the afternoon of September 29th, Wuduman, whose ten fingers had been cut off and whose ears had been severed, was placed outside Dashibadulu's camp. After being informed, he was allowed to enter. He also brought the news of the annihilation of Aslan's 40,000-strong army to Dashibadulu. Dashibadulu immediately frowned and realized that something was wrong.

Later, in the Yuan army camp, a Yuan general whose ears and ten fingers had been cut off entered the camp. The soldiers began to whisper among themselves. Although the soldiers under Dashibadulu did not know who the man was, they knew that he was definitely one of their own generals. Judging from the appearance, he must have suffered a defeat in another direction. As a result, the morale of the Yuan army immediately dropped a few points.

Upon learning of the situation, Dashibadulu immediately ordered a ban on discussion of the matter, saying that Wuduman was merely an injured scout, and then executed several officers and soldiers who had "spread rumors and caused trouble."

But just as he had calmed the soldiers' discussion, Liao Yong'an came to slap him in the face, having a banner unfurled in front of the two armies, saying that Aslan's 40,000-strong army had been completely wiped out, King Weishun Kuanchepuhua had been captured, and the Shengwu Army had already marched from the Central Plains to Jingxiang, cutting off their retreat.

Then, right in front of the two armies, he sliced ​​King Weishun, Kuanchepuhua, into sashimi on the spot. His screams echoed across the field, making the hairs on the heads of the Yuan soldiers in the camp stand on end and their morale plummet.

Dashibadulu was so angry that his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He was a subject of the Yuan Dynasty, and he couldn't just watch the royal princes be brutally murdered by the rebel army on the battlefield. His Mongol generals also volunteered to fight, saying that they could not suffer such a great humiliation.

Therefore, Dashibadulu was forced to send two thousand cavalrymen to abduct King Weishun, even though he knew it was a futile effort, but he still wanted his generals to vent their frustrations and resentment.

So, just as the Shengwu Army had cut King Weishun in half and he was on the verge of death, the Yuan cavalry came out of their camp and headed straight for him. The executioner in charge of the execution cut off Kuanchepuhua's head on the spot, turned around, and rode away, leaving the Yuan army with only a headless corpse that had been almost reduced to a skeleton.

The Yuan general was furious and led his troops in hot pursuit of the executioners. However, just as they reached a mile in front of the Shengwu Army's camp, a series of booming cannon fire erupted from the camp. Hundreds of exploding grenades flew towards the Yuan cavalry, instantly blasting them to pieces.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liao Yong'an dispatched his own cavalry. Two thousand scouts chased after the chaotic Yuan cavalry, killing only a few hundred before retreating.

After this whole ordeal, the Yuan army not only failed to rescue King Weishun, but also lost Kuanchepuhua's head to the Shengwu Army. They also lost hundreds of cavalrymen. Their attempt to steal a chicken backfired, and the morale of the Yuan army plummeted even further.

Now the Yuan soldiers understood that the news of Aslan's complete annihilation was true, and the one who was dragged to the front and flayed was Prince Weishun. Even the prince was captured and flayed by the rebels. If they, ordinary soldiers, fell into the hands of the rebels, what good would their fate be? Moreover, the rebels also had those terrifying cannons. They had used over a hundred of them just to bombard the cavalry. If a battle broke out tomorrow, who knew how many more would die.

On the evening of September 29th, Dashibadulu, who was already overwhelmed by the annihilation of Aslan's army, received another piece of bad news, which came from the rear.

Liao Yong'an's prediction was indeed correct. After the Fourth Front Army captured Xinyang on September 14th, they marched forty li per day for ten consecutive days, finally capturing the sparsely defended Nanyang on the 25th and seizing an important stronghold in the Central Plains.

Afterwards, the Fourth Army split into two routes. Bian Yuanheng led one route northward to attack Fangcheng, Wuyang, Xiangcheng, and Lushan, which is the area near Pingdingshan City in later times, and approached the Bianliang Road area to defend against attacks from Li Chahan and Wang Baobao.

On the southern route, the Eighth Army Group, led by Hua Gao, Yu Tongyuan, Fu Youde and others, also marched straight to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, successively capturing Dengzhou and Xinye, and advancing towards the Jingzhou-Xiangyang passage. By the 28th, Hua Gao's Eighth Army Group was less than 80 li away from Xiangyang, and today it may only be 40 li away.

The bad news that Dashibadulu received was a letter from his son Bolotemur from Xiangyang, pleading for help. The letter said that the northern route army of the Shengwu Army had captured Nanyang and was about to attack Xiangyang. Dashibadulu was urged to quickly lead the main force back. Scouts said that the northern route Shengwu Army numbered no less than 100,000 and their camps stretched for dozens of miles. He was not sure he could stop them.

Meanwhile, on Dashibadulu's side, Liao Yong'an's '100,000-strong army' was in front of him, and now Hua Gao's '100,000-strong army' had arrived behind him, blocking him and his son in the Jingxiang Pass between the Dabie Mountains and the Qinling Mountains.

With wolves in front and tigers behind, and 200,000 people serving them, what a blessing that must be! Just hearing about it fills one with despair.
Such bad news was something that Dashibadulu dared not tell anyone else, lest it disrupt the morale of the army. So he only told his two trusted generals.

The three most famous generals under this father and son were Zhu Zhen, Tu Jian Temur, and Dai Lu. Dai Lu and his son Bo Luo Temur were currently stationed in Xiangyang to resist Hua Gao's Eighth Army Group. Only Zhu Zhen and Tu Jian Temur were with Da Shi Ba Du Lu.

He thought these two men were his confidants, but he never expected that they were the ones who ruined things.

The thought of 200,000 men attacking their single Yuan army was suffocating. Adding to that, the news received during the day that Liao Yong'an's detachment of only 20,000 men had annihilated Aslan's 40,000-strong army—a one-against-two force that could still win—how could they possibly defeat this 200,000-strong enemy force? Don't be ridiculous.
So that very night, the Mongol general Tujian Temur sent his trusted confidant out of the camp to find Liao Yong'an and persuade him to surrender. Liao Yong'an was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately sent a messenger back, saying that the decisive battle would be held the next day and that Tujian Temur should defect on the spot. If Tujian did not defect, they would settle accounts after the battle.

Dashibadulu also wanted a decisive battle, but he was forced into it. After what happened during the day, the morale of his army plummeted, and now the Holy Martial Army was attacking his rear from the Central Plains, and his son was asking him for help.

Of course he wanted to lead the entire army back to Jingxiang, but retreating in front of a large enemy force was not a good idea. If he retreated now, Liao Yong'an would not let go of such a good opportunity and would definitely pursue him relentlessly. In that case, the retreat would turn into a rout, and it would be normal for tens of thousands of people to be wiped out in the rout. So the more he wanted to retreat, the less he could retreat!

This battle is a must. In any case, there are enemy troops on both sides. Even if we retreat, we will still have to face the Holy Martial Army of the Central Plains. It is better to fight Liao Yong'an here. At least we will only have to face one side. But if we retreat, we will face a pincer attack.

So, the next day, September 30th, the two armies, numbering over 100,000, engaged in a decisive battle on the banks of the Yunshui River between Yingshan and Qingshan. The battle had barely begun when the Yuan general Tujian Temur suddenly defected, leading over 10,000 troops to attack Dashibadulu's central army from the flank.

When the Yuan troops in other formations saw their ally defect, their morale collapsed. Liao Yong'an ordered his troops to seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, and the Yuan army was routed on the spot. Countless Yuan soldiers were driven to the banks of the Yunshui River, where the scene turned into a one-sided massacre, and the river water turned red.

On September 30th of the thirteenth year of the Zhizheng era, the thirtieth day of the Henan-Hunan-Jiangxi Campaign, in the western suburbs of Yingshan County, Hubei, the main force of the 50,000-strong Sichuan Yuan army led by Dashibadulu was completely annihilated, with 30,000 captured and another 20,000 killed in battle.

Two Yuan generals, Tujian Temur and Zhuzhen, defected on the battlefield, and Dashibadulu himself was captured alive. The last large-scale Yuan army force in the south of China was annihilated.

The reason this battle was fought so easily was largely due to the sacrifices of Jin Chaoxing, Song Guoxing, and others. If they hadn't fought to the death and annihilated Aslan's 40,000 main force, Tujian Temur wouldn't have surrendered and defected on the spot.

(End of this chapter)