Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 501 An Insurmountable Barrier

The one who shouted was Zhen Yuanji, the battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Musketeer Regiment of the 2nd Imperial Guard Division. In this Northern Expedition, Yu Tonghai was the main force for the flanking maneuver, and he had to ensure a high-speed assault. If he wanted to run fast, he couldn't wear armor. A set of standard armor weighed 40 pounds. How could he run with that on his back?
Without armor, they would be at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat with the Yuan army. Therefore, the best approach was to maintain distance and fire arrows from afar. Unfortunately, the Holy Martial Army did not have a large number of bows and arrows, so the only option that could meet this requirement was the musketeer regiment of the Imperial Guard.

Yu Tonghai brought the two musketeer regiments attached to the Eastern Route Army with him this time, and also transferred more than two thousand archers who knew how to use bows from the entire army group, all of whom were used in this encirclement operation.

The unit responsible for cutting off the eastern Lulong Road was Li Wang's regiment from the First Imperial Guard Division. Li Wang was originally a subordinate of Hua Gao, but when Hua Gao surrendered to Lu Jin, Lu Jin transferred Li Wang to the Imperial Guard Division in order to weaken Hua Gao's power, thus separating the two of them.

The regiment guarding Pinggang Road was Li Jun's regiment from the Second Imperial Guard Division. Li Jun was originally a subordinate of Kang Maocai. After being defeated and captured in the Battle of Chaohu, he was thrown into the Imperial Guard Division to serve under Zhang Wen. Moreover, most of the officers in Li Jun's regiment were former surrendered generals, such as the brothers Zhen Yuanji and Zhen Yuanqi, who surrendered and joined the army during the Anqing Campaign.

This time, the two musketeer regiments were each responsible for a mountain pass, but no one could be sure which route Little Iron Pot would take, so they could only gamble.

After running around for so many days, the soldiers naturally didn't want to have come for nothing. But the musketeer regiment of the 2nd Imperial Guard Division had only been there for a day when the small iron pot was thrown at their faces. Such a tremendous achievement was right before their eyes. How could these soldiers not be excited?!
With the sound of a gunshot and Zhen Yuanji's maniacal laughter, the valley exit suddenly came alive. Red figures suddenly emerged from the yellow and green forests on both sides. They were the musketeers of the Holy Martial Army who had been lying in ambush here for a day. They wore red battle robes, held flintlock muskets, and looked at the Yuan army on the mountain road below with their eyes shining!

"Don't let them get away!"

"Capture the Tartar emperor!"

Beep beep beep—the sharp bamboo whistles from the squad leaders rang out one after another, signaling for each squad to assemble urgently.

"Don't run around! Assemble quickly! The whole class will be divided into three groups of four. Fire at the command of your group leader. No one is allowed to fire on their own!"

Bang bang bang bang - bang bang bang bang -

Soon, volleys of musket fire echoed through the valley. The Kheshig cavalrymen in the middle of the mountain path below had no time to react before they were hunted down by musketeers on both sides of the slope. The Yuan army did want to retaliate, as they were also equipped with bows and arrows. However, they were caught off guard and unprepared. Furthermore, the Shengwu Army was positioned on higher ground, while the Yuan army was at the bottom of the valley. It was not easy for them to shoot up at the Shengwu Army.

Anyone who has fought in a war knows how overpowered the terrain advantage of being on high ground is. As the saying goes, "high ground can take down low ground and make you look stupid." After a burst of rapid gunfire, in just a short time, more than two hundred men and soldiers of the Kheshig vanguard fell dead on the mountain path in the middle.

Upon witnessing this battle, He Weiyi was so shocked that his eyes widened in horror. He had only heard that the Gongshu rebels' firearms were very powerful, and that they would always use firearms to blunt the enemy's sharp edge in every battle. After years of fighting, they had pacified most of the country and were almost invincible. But he never expected that the Shengwu Army's firearms would be so outrageous.

Judging from the sound, it seemed to be a single person firing a musket. But how could such a small musket shoot so far and be so powerful? Most importantly, why was the reload speed so fast? The gunshots sounded like they were continuous, seemingly chaotic yet somehow organized. This was a completely new way of firing that he had never seen before!
"Your Majesty, let's retreat quickly. The enemy is already on guard, and we can't break through."

Upon hearing this, Toghon Temür suddenly came to his senses and asked in a panic, "How many bandits are there? Can't our three thousand Kheshig cavalry break through?"

He Weiyi hurriedly said, "The number of bandits is unclear. They just kept firing their guns on the hillsides on both sides. Judging from the sound of the guns, there seem to be several thousand people. Although the number is not large, the bandits' muskets are extremely sharp. Before the two centurions at the vanguard could react, they were all killed on the mountain road after a burst of gunfire."

“In this situation, even if we could force our way out, I dare not gamble. What use would it be if Your Majesty were to suffer any mishap?”

Yes, stray bullets don't have eyes. Those soldiers can risk huge casualties to break through the encirclement, but if you, the emperor, are killed, what's the point of them rushing out?
At the same time, just outside the mountain pass on the other side, Zhang Desheng, the commander-in-chief in charge of the Pinggang Road blocking battle, also hurriedly rode over.

They had only arrived yesterday, the 19th, and the soldiers were too tired to move. Zhang Desheng had no choice but to let the soldiers sleep in the open and rest before even setting up camp. This morning, just after breakfast, Zhang Desheng was preparing to lead the main force to cut timber, set up camp, and leave when the musketeers who were lying in ambush in the valley started fighting first.

Upon hearing the burst of intense gunfire, Zhang Desheng immediately realized that the Yuan army had arrived from Pinggang Road. He immediately abandoned his camp and sounded the assembly call. In addition to the musketeer regiment of the Second Imperial Guard Division, the force responsible for blocking Pinggang Road included a thousand archers led by Zhang Desheng and two regiments of field pikemen, totaling a division's strength. Upon hearing the assembly call, they immediately rushed to assemble and followed Zhang Desheng to the valley to provide support.

Upon arriving in the valley, Zhang Desheng immediately shouted, "Where is Li Jun? What's going on?"

Li Jun immediately jumped out from behind a rock on the hillside. "General, I'm here. Ahead are the Kheshig troops of the Yuan army, numbering several thousand. We have just annihilated a vanguard of the Yuan army."

Zhang Desheng's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he asked again, "Did you see the Tartar emperor's entourage?"

"No, it's uncertain whether the Tartar emperor is in the army."

Zhang Desheng pondered for a moment and immediately said, "Never mind, we can't let a single one escape. You immediately lead the musketeer regiment to flank the Yuan army from both sides of the hillside and cut off their retreat. I will lead the main force of a regiment to press down from the front of the valley. We need to be fast and not let the Yuan army get away!"

"Yes!" Upon receiving the order, Li Jun immediately dispatched messengers to give orders to each battalion: the first and second battalions would proceed along the east slope, while the third and fourth battalions would proceed along the west slope. The auxiliary battalion would follow behind with ammunition, ready to provide support to the four battalions in front at any time.

Zhang Desheng also made arrangements. He personally led a thousand archers drawn from the entire army to pursue the enemy, and ordered Jia Boying of the 17th Regiment of the 115th Division to lead a main infantry regiment to follow him. Finally, he ordered Xu Yuanyan of the 45th Regiment to lead a main regiment to stay behind at the mountain pass to prevent any escapees from hiding in the mountains and attempting to break out.

After the order was given, the entire army immediately rushed towards the Yuan army in the valley. Seeing this, He Weiyi dared not linger any longer and hurriedly woke up the bewildered Xiao Tieguo, "This is bad! The enemy forces are numerous, and there are also a large number of reinforcements outside the valley. We cannot stay here any longer, Your Majesty, retreat quickly!"

With a crack of the whip, He Wei lashed the rump of Xiao Tieguo's mount. The horse, in pain, immediately galloped off back the way it had come, carrying Xiao Tieguo.

He Weiyi didn't dare linger either, because he had already seen red figures leaping on both sides of the hillside. Those were the musketeers of the Holy Martial Army, quickly moving through the forest, trying to outflank them from behind.

Meanwhile, a large force of the Holy Martial Army, numbering no less than several thousand, was rapidly approaching from the direction of the mountain pass. If the rebels succeeded, their side would be completely annihilated. More importantly, the emperor was also present; if he were captured, the consequences would be unimaginable.

While directing the Kheshig troops to hold off Zhang Desheng's pursuers, He Weiyi led the remaining soldiers on horseback to the front to protect the emperor.

Meanwhile, the musketeers on the hillsides ahead would occasionally fire a volley of muskets at the Yuan army on the mountain path as they marched. Although they might not hit many people, they could at least frighten the horses and cause chaos among the Yuan cavalry, which seriously slowed down the Yuan army's retreat.

In addition, this group of Kheshig cavalry had also come all the way from Yutian County, covering a distance of more than 600 li. They were already exhausted, and even if the men could hold on, the warhorses were already overburdened.

On the other hand, the Holy Martial Army, which was pursuing them, had rested for a day and a night at the mountain pass and had recovered a lot of strength. Now, they moved through the mountains and forests like monkeys and deer, leaping and running through the forests, and their speed was not much slower than that of the Yuan cavalry on the mountain road.

Seeing that they couldn't drive away or shake off these red devils, and that the rebel army would fire a volley of muskets every now and then, causing several of their own soldiers to fall, the Yuan army became even more panicked. Some cavalrymen, whose horses were killed or wounded by the muskets, could only stop in place and shout loudly to the Holy Martial Army on the mountain to surrender.

Their emperor was being pursued by the enemy, and their side was facing certain death. Even though these men were the Kheshig Imperial Guards, they could no longer hold out and began to surrender one after another.

Li Jun, walking in the middle of the column, noticed that the musketeers' harassment was not only slowing down the Yuan army's escape but also slowing down his own march. So he immediately sent messengers to the first and third battalions ahead, ordering them not to stop and fire, but to keep charging forward and get ahead of the Yuan army to intercept them. Otherwise, how long would this chase go on? Sooner or later, everyone would be exhausted to death.

A moment later, Zhen Yuanji received the order and immediately led a battalion of soldiers to run forward at full speed. They did not turn when they encountered hills, but instead went straight over them, trying to take the shortest route to reach the Yuan army.

The Yuan army, on the other hand, was in a different situation. They were all cavalry, and could only run along the mountain paths, unable to avoid any detours. In addition, the musketeers from the second and fourth battalions kept firing at them from behind, which made it impossible for them to speed up. They were soon overtaken by the other two battalions of musketeers.

Meanwhile, behind them, He Weiyi also left a commander to cover their retreat and block Zhang Desheng's pursuit, but it was completely useless, as the bad terrain severely limited the cavalry's advantage.

The greatest strength of cavalry is its mobility, but the terrain in this valley is very narrow, so the Yuan cavalry could not maneuver or maneuver. On the contrary, Zhang Desheng's spear infantry, with their five-meter-long spears forming a square, blocked the middle of the mountain road. No matter how many cavalry came, they could not get through.

Moreover, Zhang Desheng also brought a thousand archers. He divided the archers into two teams, five hundred on each side of the hill. If the Yuan cavalry dared to charge the infantry's long spear formation, he would have the archers on both sides of the hill fire arrows. Each archer would fire four arrows, and they could fire four thousand arrows in half a minute.

In an instant, arrows flew like locusts through the valley, routing the Yuan army. Taking advantage of the situation, Jia Boying led his spearmen to charge into hand-to-hand combat. The cavalry, having lost their mobility, were surrounded by the spearmen in the narrow terrain and were destined to be skewered like lamb skewers. The once arrogant Kheshig Imperial Guards were all unhorsed by the Shengwu Army's spearmen, some dying and others surrendering. This thousand-household commander's forces were quickly wiped out.

Zhang Desheng ordered Jia Boying to leave a company to guard the prisoners, while the rest of the men continued their pursuit.

The pursuit battle on Pinggang Road lasted from midday until noon on the 20th, covering a distance of more than 30 li. The 1st and 3rd battalions of the musketeer regiment, which were responsible for the flanking maneuver, finally found a suitable position and set up a dense line formation of musketeers on a mountain road that was only a few dozen meters wide and flanked by steep cliffs on both sides.

When He Weiyi arrived with the small iron pot, Zhen Yuanji immediately ordered his soldiers to fire a volley into the air. The loud and dense gunfire conveyed a message to them: the front was blocked. Looking at the steep cliffs on both sides, unless they could grow wings, there was absolutely no way they could escape.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Seeing the Yuan army with nowhere to go, Zhen Yuanji's eyes reddened with excitement, and he led his soldiers in loudly urging them to surrender. Little Iron Pot burst into tears, crying, "Ping An, what other way is there now?"

He Weiyi was also numb. Seeing that the Holy Martial Army musketeers in front of him were only in a thin formation of three or five rows, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, the enemy army has crossed mountains and valleys, and the number of troops that have circled around to the front must not be many, only a mere three or five rows. I will personally lead the troops to break through the gap and cover Your Majesty's escape. Your Majesty can wait until you escape back to Dadu before making any further plans."

"Alright, alright, I'll be waiting for you in Dadu. You must hurry back to Dadu. I'll also appoint you as Prime Minister." Little Iron Pot immediately grabbed He Weiyi's hand and said with emotion.

He Weiyi simply nodded, but didn't say anything more about expressing his gratitude. He immediately mounted his horse and shouted to the Kheshig cavalry behind him, "Kheshig, charge with me! Clear the way for His Majesty! The enemy is few in number. In a narrow encounter, the brave will prevail! Kill!"

"Kill!"

After a group of Yuan cavalrymen regrouped, they began to charge towards the thin defensive line ahead. Zhen Yuanji, who was in charge of command on the opposite side, just curled his lip and cursed, "They're courting death!"

He then drew his sword and went to the side front of the musket formation, shouting, "Attention, everyone! Listen to my command, prepare to fire!"

"First row, raise your guns."

The soldiers in the first row, kneeling, immediately raised their flintlock pistols.

"preparation."

With a series of clicking sounds, the soldiers quickly turned on their flint hammers.

"aim."

The musketeers in the line of fire lowered their heads, pressed their faces against the butts of their rifles, and carefully aimed their sights and rear sights at the Yuan cavalry charging towards them.

The First and Second Imperial Guard Divisions were the first units in the Holy Martial Army to be equipped with firearms. They had been fighting in the east and west for two or three years and had long since developed the ability to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of them.

The iron hooves of the Yuan army's warhorses pounded the gravel on the mountain path, the thunderous sound echoing through the valley like rolling thunder, creating an oppressive atmosphere. However, the musketeer formation opposite them remained completely still.

Upon seeing this, He Weiyi, who was at the forefront, already knew in his heart that this must be the most elite troops of the rebel army. He was afraid that today, he, no, he was afraid that the entire Great Yuan Dynasty would be buried in this valley.

That's fine too. Let this once invincible Kheshig Imperial Guard send off their Great Yuan on its final journey.

"Charge! The enemy troops are terrified and dare not move an inch. Follow me and kill them!"

"Kill!"

Meanwhile, the Holy Martial Army on the opposite side continued to calmly and steadily aim ahead, awaiting orders from their commander.

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, eighty meters, fifty meters.

Zhen Yuanji swung his long sword downwards heavily, shouting, "Release!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang——

Dense bullets, accompanied by thick smoke, spewed from the muzzle like a volcanic eruption. He Weiyi, who was running at the front, was hit by three large-caliber lead bullets and more than a dozen small-caliber grapeshots in the chest. He was riddled with holes on the spot and fell down in the middle of the mountain road along with his mount. They were then trampled into a bloody mess by the Yuan cavalry that came from behind.

A volley of gunfire rang out, and the leading Kheshig cavalrymen fell in droves, automatically becoming roadblocks for the following cavalry.

At the same time, Zhen Yuanji raised his long sword again, "Second row, fire!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang——

Another wave of cavalrymen fell unwillingly just a few dozen meters from the battle line. But those mere few dozen meters were like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how brave the Yuan cavalrymen were, they just couldn't break through.

"Third row, let go!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang——

The corpses of the Yuan soldiers in front of the battle line had piled up into a small mountain, making it impossible for the following cavalry to pass. Seeing this, Zhen Yuanji seized the opportunity to raise his sword and shout, "Blow the horn, charge! Capture the Tartar emperor alive! Kill!"

Countless red-clad musketeers immediately brandished their bayonets, leaped over the breastwork formed by the corpses of the Yuan soldiers, and charged towards the remaining Yuan troops in front of them.

Just then, a burst of gunfire came from behind the Yuan army. It turned out that Li Jun had led two other battalions of musketeers to catch up with the Yuan army from behind.

Seeing that the Yuan army had been successfully blocked, Li Jun immediately led his soldiers forward, shouting as he charged, "Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

With nowhere else to turn, the Yuan army looked at the Shengwu Army musketeers all around, the steep cliffs on both sides, and the bayonets in the hands of the Shengwu soldiers that looked like magical weapons. They looked at each other and finally chose to lay down their weapons and surrender.

Li Jun and Zhen Yuanqi were the first to charge into the middle of the Yuan army. They immediately noticed that Xiao Tieguo was dressed in extraordinary clothes and rode a magnificent steed.

Li Jun immediately asked the small iron pot, "Who are you?"

The little iron pot seemed to have lost its soul, sitting on the horse without saying a word.

"I'm asking you a question, stop playing dead. Who are you? Can't you even understand Chinese?"

The little iron pot remained silent, and the furious Zhen Yuanji immediately pulled it off his horse.

A Kheshig officer standing nearby could no longer bear it and hurriedly said, "General, please calm down. You must not harm him. This is His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Yuan."

Li Jun and Zhen Yuanji's eyes immediately lit up with surprise, "It really is the Tartar emperor, then where are the crown prince and empress?"

The Kheshig officer continued, "His Majesty originally intended to travel by sea to Liaodong, but upon reaching Yutian, he heard that Jinzhou had been occupied by your army, so he turned back to break through to Shangdu."

"His Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty the Empress did not travel with His Majesty; they headed northwest to Jundu Pass."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanji was so angry that he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh dear, what a pity! We've only gotten half of this great achievement!"

Li Jun rolled his eyes. "Come on, don't act innocent after getting a good deal. It's good enough that we caught one. General Yu personally guarded the Lulong Road area, but there wasn't a single person there. If he finds out you said that, he'll deal with you."

"Hahahaha, I'm so happy!" Zhen Yuanji immediately grabbed Xiao Tieguo by the collar, lifted him up, and shouted triumphantly, "You dog Tartar, you horse herder, how dare you usurp the throne of China?! You've finally met your match?!"

(End of this chapter)