The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 10 Breaking the Camp
At the south gate of the Bordered Blue Banner Camp, Jin Yinghe held a two-stone hard bow and kept shooting at the bandits.

Within twenty steps, heavy armor-piercing arrows could penetrate chain mail. Those auxiliary soldiers who came out to die wearing only cotton armor were knocked to the ground by the heavy arrows. Many of them rolled into the horse traps they had dug and were pierced like hedgehogs by sharp bamboo sticks.

The Korean archers took up advantageous positions and blocked the road to the South Gate. Two hundred bowstrings vibrated at the same time, making a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees flying across the sky.

Some soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner and bondservants who rushed out of the camp in panic were killed by heavy arrows before they could figure out what was going on.

After dozens of bodies fell at the south gate of the Bordered Blue Banner camp, soldiers finally arrived and fired back at the Ming army with bows. However, their vision was obstructed and they were downwind, so they were hit by many heavy arrows and had to retreat back to the camp.

Jin Yinghe leaned against a willow tree and took out a coconut ladle to drink water.

At this time, flames shot up into the sky in the opposite camp, countless tents were set on fire, and the explosions of Ten Thousand Enemies were like muffled thunder one after another, which made people terrified.

The bannermen were like a herd of horses, running wildly around the camp.

There were no more slaves or bandits near the camp gate. Jin Yinghe guessed that they had gone to put out the fire, so he blew the whistle and summoned the archers.

"Approach the camp gate and switch to light arrows and shoot towards the north!"

The Ming army's fire soldiers who followed the Korean archers hid behind the woods. Seeing that there was no danger around, they immediately carried baskets and ran towards the gate of the Jiannu camp, took out their beheading knives and snatched the heads of the slaves who were shot dead.

Jin Yinghe looked at the back of the running fire soldier and said helplessly:
"Qi Shaobao once said that the Northern Army, always eager to compete for merit in battle, would kill a bandit and thirty or fifty men would fight over him. It seems the Southern Army is also picking up the Northern Army's habit of snatching heads."

After saying this, he replaced his bow with a light arrow and rode towards the opposite camp gate. The archer behind him asked in confusion:

"General, the heavenly soldiers are still charging into the camp. If we throw them like this, we might hurt our own people."

Jin Yinghe's expression remained unchanged. He turned his horse's head, looked at everyone and said:

"Captain Liu and his men are all heavily armored, so they can't be hurt by light arrows. The enemy camp is in chaos right now. We can kill more of the bandits with our projectiles while they're still armored. When General Deng's spearmen arrive, we can switch to heavy arrows and engage the Jiannu white-armored soldiers! Support the Zhejiang troops!"

After Jin Yinghe finished speaking, he raised his head and looked at the Jiannu camp where flames were everywhere. He whipped his horse and shouted:

"Everyone, let the Tartars know today that Korea is not without its own people. Kill!"

In the camp a few hundred steps away from the Jinying River, hundreds of divine fire crows were ignited by the Ming army, spinning and flying into the sky, flying everywhere in the air like flowers scattered by fairies, and finally returning to the ground. After a violent explosion, they ignited the tent.

The so-called "Divine Fire Flying Crow" was a prototype of a rocket, crudely constructed from a bamboo stick covered in paper and then filled with gunpowder. Its accuracy was limited, so it was usually used for concentrated fire to inflict damage. Its trajectory was unpredictable, as unpredictable as that of the "Ten Thousand Enemies." One rocket, after ignition, turned and flew directly towards Liu Zhaosun's head.

A group of Zhenyi armored soldiers rushed out of the tent without even putting on their armor, armed with weapons such as swords and spears, and fought with the servants led by Liu Zhaosun.

These people obviously overestimated their fighting ability, and they were quickly killed one by one by the Ming army servants.

Liu Zhaosun rode his horse to avoid a spear attack, and swung his club to knock the oncoming Later Jin soldiers to the ground.

The Jiannu soldier was quite strong and struggled to stand up. The servants behind him rode up and stabbed the Later Jin soldier in the abdomen. The horses did not slow down and the lance lifted him high. When he fell again, hundreds of riding servants rushed past and the Later Jin soldier was reduced to a pulp.

Liu Zhaosun set fire to the Wanren Di and shouted to his servants, ordering them to throw all the Wanren Di into the tent.

There were shouts of people and neighing of horses everywhere, and he didn't know whether the servants heard him.

The soldiers were probably beaten and scolded too much by their masters on a daily basis, and their spirits were highly depressed. Under the stimulation of the night attack, many of them had a mental breakdown, running around in the camp and making meaningless screams.

Liu Zhaosun slapped the horse's belly with the handle of his knife. The Hejian horse neighed, spewed out large clouds of white mist, and rushed forward at an accelerated speed.

They have broken through the south side of the camp and entered the central army camp. The number of resisting soldiers around them has begun to increase, and there are even elite Bayara soldiers. These elite soldiers among the Eight Banners are not in a hurry to attack their opponents at this time, but form a battle formation on the spot and approach this side step by step, apparently wanting to eat up Liu Zhaosun and his men.

Wan Di was thrown into a tent. A moment later, screams were heard from the tent. The soldiers who had no time to put on armor, with stones and nails piercing their bodies, rushed out screaming. They waved their weapons and cursed angrily, and were immediately stabbed to death by the cavalry who rushed up from behind with lances.

Amin did not expect that Liu Jing, who was alone and deep in the enemy's territory, would dare to attack him actively, and it would be a night attack.

If the Second Prince were given the chance to choose again, he would never set up camp at Dong'e Road. The terrain here is high around and low in the middle, which is totally unfavorable for his own defense, and it also cannot bring out the power of the Bordered Blue Banner's infantry shooting.

The enemy cavalry attacked from above and below, and their charge was invincible.

When Liu Zhaosun led his servants to charge down, the more than 200 people were full of momentum, and there was a faint look of a thousand people attacking at night.

The servants broke through the south camp gate and began to advance northward. Some scattered Zhenyi armored soldiers on the opposite side were killed by them.

Liu Zhaosun felt a little uneasy. He knew in his heart that with only two or three hundred men, he was no match for the Bordered Blue Banner.

For today's night attack, killing and wounding the enemy is secondary. The most important thing is to boost the morale of the Eastern Army and prepare for the upcoming decisive battle.

It should be noted that many Ming troops have never seen the Tartars. If they go into battle directly tomorrow, they will probably suffer a tragedy like Dusong Marin.

If Deng Qilong could not arrive in time and use spearmen to form a battle formation to cover the retreat, the Jiannu dead soldiers would be able to wear them down without the Bayala taking action, so they had to break out immediately.

Liu Zhaosun's mind flashed, and he saw a wounded Baoyi in front of him, kneeling and shouting for mercy.

"Where's that bastard Amin!"

Liu Zhaosun Ce rode forward and put the tip of his spear against the neck of the Baoyi.

Two servants came up from behind and protected the Thirteenth Master from both sides to prevent the slaves from attacking. The bondservant was frightened by the scene and spoke incoherently:

"Master, General, please don't kill me. The Second Prince's camp is to the east. I will take you there right away."

Liu Zhaosun felt a surge of anger:
"roll!"

Baoyi pointed in the direction of his finger, where a group of soldiers were gathering. They looked quite fierce, holding thick shields and weapons like throwing axes and spears. Although the surroundings were in chaos, these armored soldiers were calm and composed.

Liu Zhaosun's heart tightened: "Dead Jiannu soldiers?"

When the bondservant heard this, he quickly agreed:

"Yes, Grandpa Ming Army, these are the Jurchens our masters have just captured from the north of Hetuala. They are not afraid of death, but very powerful. One person can beat ten Han people..." It seems that the situation developed as he expected. The dog thief Amin launched a counterattack in such a short time.

"Mingjun Grandpa, please don't kill me. I can ride a horse and help you kill..."

A cold light flashed in Liu Zhaosun's eyes, and he thrust his lance out at high speed. Before the bondservant could react, his neck was pierced through. He let out a "chuckle" sound and fell limply to the ground.

Liu Zhaosun didn't even look at the corpse in bondage, and called a few servants forward:
"Call a few more people and follow me to kill Amin!"

The two servants were stunned for a moment. They were all brave men and no longer cared about life and death. However, they were a little surprised to hear what the Thirteenth Master said.

Liu Zhaosun saw what they were thinking and said with a smile:

"Thousands of Jiannu are about to surround us. We have no other way out. We must kill them and leave through the north gate!"

The two servants agreed in unison and immediately turned their horses to greet the others.

At this time, fires were everywhere, and the ground was littered with wounded and running Baoyi soldiers. The Bordered Blue Banner soldiers and cavalry began to gather.

The place where the servants behind him had just charged was now densely packed with soldiers. At least half of them were already wearing armor, and the fine armor radiated a cold luster.

Concentrate the troops to kill Amin. Even if we can't kill this bastard, we can still escape in the chaos.

The servants arrived one after another and made a rough count. There were more than 260 riders left. In less than half an hour, more than 30 of them were killed.

Liu Zhaosun looked around and saw that all the servants were covered in blood. He didn't know whether it was the blood of the Jiannu or his own.

From behind came the Manchu shouts of killing and the rumbling of horses' hooves. These warriors of the Bordered Blue Banner had just defeated Du Song and Ma Lin, and their morale was high. Suddenly, they were attacked by the Ming army at night, bombarded by rockets and the Ten Thousand Enemies. Some were even trampled by the running bannermen. How could they not be angry?
At this moment, everyone wanted to capture this group of Ming cavalry alive and cut them into pieces to relieve their hatred.

Liu Zhaosun's body trembled slightly. During the bloody battle just now, he was only focused on killing people and did not feel scared. When he heard the rumbling of horse hooves, he realized the true strength of the Jiannu. The whole camp seemed to be shaking.

"The thief is coming! Thirteenth Master, Pei will leave first!"

Pei Dahu turned his horse around, facing the pursuers, lance in hand, ready to charge into the battle line for the final fight.

He had just turned his horse's head when someone pulled the reins.

"Old Pei, come on, follow me and kill Amin! Charge out!"

At this time, screams were heard from the South Gate, and hundreds of light arrows streaked across the night sky, pouring down like raindrops on the heads of the soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner.

Many soldiers who did not have time to put on armor were shot by light arrows and rolled on the ground wailing.

"It's the Korean Light Arrows. Jin Yinghe has come to help us."

Liu Zhaosun shouted loudly, gathering his servants to continue the charge. He raised his lance and pointed it at Amin's tent:

"Charge! Kill Amin. Whoever cuts off Amin's head will be rewarded handsomely by the general!"

Two hundred and sixty cavalrymen formed a strict array, ten men in a team, and began to charge forward in turns.

They rushed towards the central army tent with overwhelming force. Some baoyi soldiers who failed to dodge were knocked down by the horses' heads and drowned in the galloping hooves.

Near the central army tent, Amin's most elite Geshiha launched a counterattack. They stood thirty steps away from the flank and shot heavy arrows at the Ming army servants. At this distance, the powerful armor-piercing bows could penetrate double layers of armor. Under their fierce attack, the servants were soon shot and fell.

The servants were quite fierce. After being attacked by Gosha, they immediately launched a counterattack. They approached the enemy and fired back with three-barreled guns. The two sides shot at each other and cruelly exchanged deaths.

Seeing this, Liu Zhaosun was afraid that the servants would suffer heavy casualties, so he shouted loudly:
"Ignore them and charge forward!"

There are not many of these Goshiha, but they are the most elite warriors among the Eight Banners. Just a dozen of them can pose a serious threat to more than two hundred cavalrymen.

"The Zhejiang troops should be arriving soon. Have Jin Yinghe escort them as they march toward the north gate to form a battle array!"

Changes always happen faster than planned. According to the original plan, Deng Qilong should have fought against the Bordered Blue Banner soldiers at the South Gate together with Jin Yinghe to cover the servants' evacuation from the South Gate.

I didn't expect Amin's defense to be so weak. Just one charge was enough to break through the camp.

Of course, it was impossible to return to the South Gate at this time. Liu Zhaosun estimated that there were at least 3,000 Zhenyi soldiers chasing them.

A servant turned around to inform Jin Yinghe. Liu Zhaosun watched the servant disappear in the chaotic camp and prayed for him silently.

Amin's central army tent is right in front of them. Killing Amin is just talk. Only by attacking the central army tent can they attract the main force of the Bordered Blue Banner, making it easier for Jin Yinghe and Deng Qilong to break through the north gate.

Overall, the night attack was quite successful, but most of those killed were auxiliary soldiers. These auxiliary soldiers were good at filling trenches and digging ditches, but they definitely had no combat effectiveness when fighting with others on the battlefield.

The seven thousand soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner were like a giant beast that had regained its senses, waving its claws and fangs, trying to bite these hundreds of people to death.

The servants had just rushed halfway when more and more dead Jiannu soldiers appeared in front of them.

These dead soldiers came from the deep mountains and dense forests further north of Hetuala, and were also called Shengnuzhen.

Compared with the Jianzhou Jurchens, the Sheng Jurchen tribe was less developed but had stronger combat power. They were captured by the Jianzhou Jurchens and used as cannon fodder to rush to the front in battles to consume the enemy's firepower.

The dead soldiers, armed with thick shields, formed a strict line, blocking the way of the servants. Liu Zhaosun saw that the shields were three inches thick and knew that heavy arrows could not penetrate them, let alone three-barreled guns.

If they used lances or sabers to hack and chop, these two hundred people would be caught in a fierce battle with the dead soldiers, and when the soldiers behind them surrounded them, they would all be killed without a burial place.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhaosun ordered his men to bypass the dead soldier formation and rush past it, throwing all the remaining Ten Thousand Enemies, ash bottles and other items on their bodies into the dead soldier formation.

The dead soldiers shot with their bows without waiting for the cavalry to get close. Fortunately, the surrounding light was dim and the enemy attacked the Ming army from a bright place, so most of the arrows missed the target.

Heavy arrows whizzed past Liu Zhaosun's head, and several people around him were hit and fell off their horses. The remaining servants clung to the horses' bellies, barely avoiding the arrows and continued to rush north.

(End of this chapter)