The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 24: Full Army Attack
The three hundred family servants rushed towards the enemy camp like a hurricane sweeping through the wheat fields. With the passing of their swords, a large number of Jiannu archers in the front row fell down.

Most of these archers were not wearing armor, and the soldiers who were charging into the battle were running away in all directions and at a great distance.

The Jurchen hunter who rushed to the front and shot the Mandarin Duck Formation became the prey of the Ming army's cavalry in the blink of an eye. It was really retribution.

"All troops charge, don't stop!"

When cavalry charges, momentum comes first.

As long as there is an unstoppable momentum to charge forward, even a mere hundred people can create the effect of a thousand people charging into battle.

Liu Zhaosun squeezed his horse's belly, stood upright on its back, held the bow in his left hand, took an arrow from the quiver with his right hand, and aimed at Bayala, thirty steps ahead.

Bayala brandished his mace and attacked fiercely at the broken mandarin duck formation in front of him.

The Mandarin Duck Formation held out for half an hour, killing five Zhenyi soldiers in succession, and eventually attracted a team of Bayala to besiege them.

In the Mandarin Duck Formation, the leader was a spear captain who was as agile as a rabbit and quite fierce. He swung his 17-foot-long spear with great force. He killed two Bayaras by himself. Now he was exhausted and was about to face the fate of dying in battle.

Bayala, who came up from behind, slashed and killed the Ming army fiercely, smashing the long shield with his mace and heavy sword. The shield-bearing officer in front felt numb in his palm and finally could not hold on and fell backwards. Without the protection of the long shield, the soldiers behind him were quickly killed one after another.

Liu Zhaosun saw from his horse that the spearman was surrounded by three or four Bayalas. He was not afraid at all and used the Qi family army's long spear and short spear techniques to continuously block the attacks of mace and heavy sword, retreating step by step.

A Bayala with scars all over his face suddenly jumped up from behind, roared, pushed away several Bayala who were still attacking, and swung his club violently to hit the spearman.

The spearman, already exhausted from the assault by the three Bayalas, quickly picked up a long shield to protect himself. The club struck the shield, sending the spearman flying. He struggled to his feet, using his dagger to support himself, half-kneeling, half-sitting, spitting blood.

"die!"

Liu Zhaosun roared, and the heavy arrow filled with kinetic energy was shot out rapidly with the help of the inertia of the running warhorse, directly hitting the chest of Bayara.

The fierce Jurchen warrior was shot through the chest. Fear appeared in his eyes and he struggled to look in the direction from which the arrow came.

Liu Zhaosun put away his bow and arrow, picked up his lance, and rushed forward at an accelerated speed.

The soldier in white armor covered his chest with his hands, holding the blood gushing out of it, and drew out his heavy sword, slashing fiercely at the horse's legs.

With a "whoosh" sound and the sound of metal entering flesh, the sharp edge of the lance pierced deeply into the face of the white-armored soldier.

A cold light flashed before Bayala's eyes, and then the head flew high into the air.

Liu Zhaosun sneered and continued to charge on his horse. At this moment, a black shadow suddenly flew past and he felt his body hit by a weapon.

A flying axe more than half a foot long cut through the horse's back and hit his lower abdomen heavily.

Ten steps away, a Bayala looked at Liu Zhaosun with deep hatred on his face.

Liu Zhaosun was knocked out, but he stood up despite the severe pain and helped the spearman up. One held the spear, the other held the shield, ready for the final battle.

The Zhenyi soldiers began to form a battle formation in a hurry. They initially thought that this cavalry was in a panic and could escape by just breaking through a gap, but they didn't expect that they would now fight them to the death.

At present, the Ming army's spearman formation has been broken. Except for a few people in the Mandarin Duck Formation who are still resisting, tens of thousands of Ming troops are doomed to be destroyed. As long as those infantrymen who cannot escape are surrounded and annihilated, it will be a great victory.

Niulu'ezhen knew the principle of not pursuing a desperate enemy and surrounding the enemy on three sides and leaving one side open.

When these Jurchen hunters hunt in the mountains and forests, they will leave a way for wild boars to survive and will not really block the road.

All the Niulu Ezhen have witnessed the bravery of the Ming army's cavalry. It is impossible to stop this army without losing thousands of Zhenyi soldiers.

The Niulu of the Bordered Blue Banner have not received any replenishment from the Khan for a long time. If they continue to consume at this rate, their strength will only weaken further. If they return, they might be annexed by the other banners one day.

Even when the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner besieged Dusong Malin at Sarhu, the border vassal state, they were far from being able to completely annihilate the Ming army. At least several thousand people from Malin's army escaped.

With this mentality, facing the charging cavalry, the Niulu of the Bordered Blue Banner only put up a symbolic resistance and then tore open a gap to let them escape.

They thought that the overall situation had been decided, so they would just let this group of Ming cavalry escape and everyone would live in peace.

However, unexpectedly, after rushing through the position, this group of people did not flee to the west, but turned their horses around and returned to continue charging towards the Bordered Blue Banner.

"What are the southern barbarians trying to do? They dare to charge with only three or four hundred cavalrymen!"

"Kill them all!"

Although the Bordered Blue Banner had an absolute advantage in terms of manpower, the battle formation was now in disarray, and it was not easy to deal with these three or four hundred cavalrymen.

When cavalry charged the infantry formation, they took advantage of their speed and often came and went like the wind. Before the infantry could react, the cavalry had already disappeared without a trace.

"Why don't these servants flee, but instead continue to resist?"

When Gushan Ezhen hesitated, he looked up and saw a few lone soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner in the distance being attacked by the oncoming cavalry.

Fei Yingwu looked at the ever-changing battlefield. Although he was slow-tempered, he began to feel anxious.

"We fought with the Zhejiang troops this morning, and all the Ming cavalry were killed. Where did these people and horses come from? Could it be that the Ming emperor has sent reinforcements?"

Jirgalang and Li Yongfang stood beside the young prince, and the situation before them was something no one had expected.

It took the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner less than half a day to attack the strongest Du Song, while the Bordered Blue Banner's troops, which were weaker than Du Song's, fought for a whole day but still failed to defeat him.

From the dawn when the Baoyi Aha charged into the battle formation until now, the Ming army has blocked three attacks from the main army.

The Bordered Blue Banner lost one thousand Zhenyi warriors and more than two thousand bannermen. Although the main force is still there, it has been seriously injured. It is unknown how long it will take to recover after returning to Hetuala.

Li Yongfang stared at the dead bodies on the ground and thought to himself, how will he explain to the Khan after returning home after so many people died at once?

The Khan might strip Amin of his title, or even execute his nephew in anger.

Jirgalang, who had ulterior motives, was overjoyed when he saw the situation.

The outcome was decided. Liu Jing would either be dead or captured, and would soon be brought before everyone.

The Bordered Blue Banner has lost so many soldiers and war horses, and there will be no replenishment in a short period of time. The Second Prince is completely defeated this time.

Jierhalang believed that he could get the full support of Daishan and Huang Taiji. Then he could unite with Niulu Ezhen, who was dissatisfied with Amin in the banner, and the position of Gushan Ezhen in the Bordered Blue Banner would be his.

Just as Jirgalang was looking forward to the future, Amin's deep voice rang in his ears:
"Have the white-armored soldiers lead the charge. Recall the Blue Banner Niulu cavalrymen who are charging ahead to kill the defeated soldiers. Push them all forward and kill the Ming cavalry here!"

As soon as the Second Beile finished speaking, a Goshiha hurried forward and whispered a few words into Jirgalang's ear.

When Jirgalang heard this, his face changed and he looked at Amin in panic.

Amin was very disgusted with this brother who betrayed his father and brother. Normally, he never looked at him straight in the eye. Seeing this, he said impatiently:
"What? The Khan is here?"

Jirgalang shook his head, the two rat whiskers under his lips trembled, and he seemed a little uneasy.

"Yehe, Jin Taiji and Buyanggu are here!"

Although the voice was low, the surrounding Niulu Ezhen and Beile could hear it clearly. When Jilharang said these two names, everyone present couldn't help but step back a little, and even the gentle Fei Yingwu showed a look of fear.

Yehe and Dajin are mortal enemies, and their feud is so deep that even marriage cannot break it!

Amin was also a little panicked.

He thought of the group of Mongolian ladies he met in Hetuala, and the pretty face of Borkigit appeared in his mind.

"What are you panicking about?! Why are they here only now? How many people are there?"

The movements of the Yehe tribe were originally under the surveillance of the Great Jin. A few days ago, scouts reported that after the Yehe army set out from Haixi, they heard the news of the Ming army's disastrous defeat, and the two armies hurriedly fled back to Dongxi Haicheng.

Why did you suddenly turn back?

This requires asking Liu Zhaosun.

Jirgalang's voice trembled a little. He took a breath and tried to appear calmer.

"There are 10,000 of them. They are out in full force and are now five miles to the west. They will be here in a moment."

With a thud, the fifteen-year-old Fei Yingwu knelt down in front of Amin, looked up at his brother and cried:
"Fourth brother, it's my fault. This morning, the warriors fought fiercely with the Zhejiang soldiers and couldn't break through. I thought about the scouts a few days ago and saw that there were no other enemies around, so I asked the scouts to come back and help the flag soldiers charge..."

Li Yongfang grabbed the little prince's collar and said angrily:

"Master! You have harmed the Bordered Blue Banner!"

Amin's thoughts were racing. A few days ago, he came here from Hetuala with great enthusiasm. He thought Liu Jing was a soft persimmon that could be squeezed, but he didn't expect that he would get hurt now.

At that time, there were only 4,000 combat-capable soldiers in the Bordered Blue Banner. He also blamed himself for being too careless and letting more than a thousand people go in Hetuala alone.

The remnants of the Ming army had not been eliminated, and a new cavalry unit had just rushed down. There was no problem in dealing with these remnants, it would just take some time.

But now, the Yehe tribe, the mortal enemy of the Great Jin, has arrived.

Amin stared blankly towards the west, his head buzzing. Fei Yingwu ran up to him and shouted loudly.

Soon Jirgalang and Fei Yingwu started fighting.

Li Yongfang lost his master's dog, and dragged a few servants by the tail, circling around his two masters anxiously, mumbling something.

The stunning figure of Bushiyamala, an old woman from Yehe, appeared before the eyes of the Second Beile. This peerless Jurchen beauty had attracted countless heroes.

The love-hate relationship between Yehe and Aisin-Gioro is inextricably linked to this old woman from Yehe.

The war between Dajin and Yehe was more or less related to this woman.

"Second Prince, hurry up!"

Fei Yingwu commanded two Goshiha to drag Amin and push him onto the horse.

Amin was in a trance until he was riding on horseback, and his thoughts were brought back to reality.

The Ming cavalry who charged into the battle were divided and surrounded by the soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner. Some fierce Bayara approached and killed the horses with heavy troops.

He gradually regained consciousness, pushed away Fei Yingwu who was holding the reins, lifted the reins himself, summoned the Gosha around him, and rode forward to kill the Ming army.

"We can't leave! We can't let these Ming soldiers get away! I'm going to kill Liu Jing!"

Fei Yingwu hurried forward, grabbed the reins again, and hit the horse's belly with his scabbard.

"Fourth brother, if Buyanggu catches you, he will chop off half of your body! Back then, the Khan chopped off half of Buyanggu's father's body!"

As soon as Amin was distracted, several Goshiha came forward and grabbed the reins without saying a word, and galloped north with the second prince.

Fei Yingwu ordered the troops to retreat.

At this time, the rumbling of horse hooves could be heard in the west, and the earth seemed to be about to crack. The soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner near the west looked up and saw that to the west of Shajianzi Hill, in the direction of the Hunjiang River Valley, about five miles away, black cavalrymen were rushing towards them like a surging river, with no end in sight.

The news of the Yehe tribe's attack quickly spread throughout the battlefield, and the soldiers in the front immediately turned around and ran away. Compared to the southern barbarians in front of them, the outcome would undoubtedly be much more terrifying if they fell into the hands of the Yehe tribe.

The supervision team of the Bordered Blue Banner could not hold back and fled with the others. Everyone fled to the position of the cavalry at the back, mounted their horses and fled north.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the Jiannu cavalry fleeing all over the mountains and plains, and the rat-tail braids fluttering behind them, and smiled with relief.

His chest was still aching slightly. Just now, he was hit by a flying axe while trying to save a Ming army formed by the Mandarin Duck Formation, and he vomited blood on the spot.

All the servants around Liu Zhaosun were killed or wounded. He was too weak to stand up and was waiting for a white-armored soldier to come up and chop off his head. Only then did the army of the Bordered Blue Banner sound the retreat, and he was able to save his life.

There were only two people left in the Mandarin Duck Formation that he rescued, a halberd-wielding soldier and a spearman.

The halberd-bearer was speechless and fell to the ground crying, while the spearman stared blankly at the sky.

There was light snow in the sky and the surroundings were in a mess. Pei Dahu limped over and said to Liu Zhaosun that two beiles from the Yehe tribe wanted to see General Liu Qian.

Liu Zhaosun, supported by his servants, stood up with great effort and turned to look at the spearman:

"What's your name?"

"My humble servant, Shen Lian."

This man is tall and handsome. Although he is not as good-looking as Liu Zhaosun, he is still a handsome man.

"Shen Lian, what are your plans for the future?"

The spearman named Shen Lian covered the wound on his left shoulder, which was still bleeding. He struggled to stand up:
"General Deng has died in battle, and I don't want to stay in the Zhejiang Army. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost like grass."

Liu Zhaosun also looked into the distance, where the sun was shining brightly.

"But I still have my mother in the capital who needs my care!"

"In that case, go to the capital. I'll have the military supervisor report your achievements. When you return, I'll get you a small position in the Pacification Bureau. Are you willing?"

Shen Lian's face changed slightly. He was tired of fighting on the battlefield and was ready to die in Liaodong today. He never expected that the bandits would be defeated.

Liu Zhaosun took out a bag of fried noodles from his pocket and handed it to Shen Lian.

"Give your brother some of what you found on the Tartars. All the Zhejiang soldiers are dead. There are no more Zhejiang soldiers in the Ming Dynasty!"

Shen Lian took the fried noodles, gave half to his brother, and then held the remaining half, chewing it with an expressionless face on the snow.

Liu Zhaosun patted his shoulder, looked up at the corpses scattered all over the ground, and said with a sad face:

"You held off six thousand soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner for two hours. You are truly heroes!"

(End of this chapter)