My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 174 Huang Taiji: If you are not Chongzhen, how dare you fight?

Upon hearing this, everyone present seemed to be struck by thunder. They stood there in shock, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Chongzhen was originally sitting in front of the desk, with the teacup in his hand still in his hand, but at this moment he suddenly stood up, and his movement was so big that he almost shook the tea on the desk off.

A look of surprise appeared on his face because of this sudden news.

Hong Chengchou and others looked at each other, not knowing how to react for a moment.

They really couldn't figure out where these 5,000 Ming cavalry came from?

Afterwards, as if drawn by an invisible force, everyone turned their gazes towards Zhu Cilang.

They secretly speculated, could it be that the prince had foreseen the situation and sent cavalry to launch a surprise attack behind the enemy lines?
After all, everyone present knew that this war had actually been led by this prince!
But after a little thought, I felt that this matter was too strange.

On this battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting, a mere 5,000 cavalrymen are just a drop in the ocean and their role is very limited.

If you are not careful, the whole army will be wiped out. There is really no need for this.

It’s no wonder that they didn’t connect these 5,000 cavalrymen with Zu Dashou.

After all, in their opinion, since Huang Taiji dared to cross Jinzhou so blatantly to start a war with the Ming army, Jinzhou must have been well prepared.

But it was obvious that they were wrong!
At the same time, Zhu Cilang said nothing, but took the telescope from the soldier beside him, then quickly walked to the city wall and looked carefully into the distance.

However, due to the great distance, the vision was still blurry, and nothing could be seen except the rolling hills and shadowy figures.

He put down the telescope, frowned slightly, and secretly estimated that the 5,000 cavalrymen were still about ten miles away, so he couldn't see them.

However, this distance was not a problem for the soldiers on the hot air balloon hanging high in the sky, so they were able to discover it in advance!

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang put down the telescope, turned to the messenger beside him and said:

"Continue to observe closely, don't let your guard down for even a moment. Report any signs of trouble immediately. No mistakes!"

The messenger's expression was startled, and he quickly responded:
"As ordered!"

Then he quickly turned and left.

Although he didn't see anything, Zhu Cilang knew in his heart that there could be no other Ming cavalrymen who could rush over from the direction of Jinzhou except the Ming cavalry led by Zu Dashou!
At this moment, Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou and others gradually came to their senses.

"Cough cough."

Chongzhen coughed lightly, broke the silence first, and asked tentatively:

"Could it be Zu Dashou who is coming?"

There was a hint of anticipation in his voice, mixed with a hint of uncertainty.

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly and responded solemnly:

"It must be Zu Dashou, because I didn't send any cavalry to circumvent him. The only one who could appear from the direction of Jinzhou is Zu Dashou!"

When Chongzhen heard this, his originally furrowed brows relaxed slightly and a look of relief appeared on his face.

However, Zhu Cilang and Hong Chengchou still had frowns on their faces, their hearts full of worry.

Because they knew that, including the civilians who were brought along by Huang Taiji, Huang Taiji now had at least 100,000 soldiers and horses.

Five thousand cavalrymen against one hundred thousand soldiers and horses is like an egg hitting a rock!

Logically speaking, Zu Dashou could have kept his troops in place and relied on Jinzhou's strong city defenses to hold out and wait for reinforcements. After the Ming army defeated the Jiannu, the danger to Jinzhou would naturally be resolved.

But why did he choose to break out at this time?

Looking at the Ming people who were gradually approaching not far away, Zhu Cilang suddenly understood.

That’s right!
Zu Dashou must have known that Huang Taiji wanted to use these 30,000 civilians as human shields and force the Ming army not to launch an attack. He was anxious, so he gathered his forces to break out.

Then he led his cavalry straight to the battlefield, trying to turn the situation around!
But what did he want to do?

Did he want to lead these 5,000 cavalrymen directly into the enemy camp and confront Huang Taiji head-on?

If this were true, the Jiannu might have fallen into chaos due to this sudden attack, but as the commander-in-chief, Huang Taiji must have been surrounded by heavy guards. How could he be killed by 5,000 cavalrymen?
However, Zu Dashou dared to break out at this time, so he must have been determined to die. In this way, there is still a possibility of success.
For a moment, Zhu Cilang's mood suddenly became very complicated.

Although he didn't say anything, the others probably realized this and remained silent.

Only Chongzhen's face was still full of emotion!
Look!

This is a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty!
At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, Zu Dashou had already rushed forward with 5,000 cavalrymen, aiming directly at Huang Taiji's army!
The sound of the hooves of the five thousand cavalrymen running was like thunder, and even the earth was shaking!

The momentum is extremely high!

Zu Dashou rode on his warhorse with an extremely determined look in his eyes!

At this moment, he had only one belief in his heart, and that was to break through the enemy's line.

He knew very well that this was a life-or-death journey, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and to repay the loyalty of Chongzhen to his subjects, he was not afraid at all!

At the same time, the Jiannu sentries scattered around soon discovered the 5,000 cavalry led by Zu Dashou.

Because the other side had large numbers, they did not dare to stop them and could only quickly return to the army and report the matter to Huang Taiji!

At this time, Huang Taiji had not noticed anything unusual and continued to advance with the army.

Not long after, a scout suddenly came riding towards them.

"Your Majesty, there are five thousand Ming cavalrymen attacking our army from behind!"

"It looks like the cavalry is led by Zu Dashou!"

Following the sentry's report, Huang Taiji's brows frowned instantly, but he was not too surprised, as if he had already anticipated this situation.

Under normal circumstances, when the army went to war, Huang Taiji, as the commander-in-chief, should be in the center of the army, that is, commanding the entire army.

But because he was afraid of the Ming army's firearms, Huang Taiji did not dare to appear in the central army, so at this time he was at the back of the army.

Because if he stayed here, even if the Ming army really used artillery attack, they would not be able to hit him.

Daishan and Yuetuo were also by his side at this time.

When Daishan and Yuetuo heard the scout say that Zu Dashou had arrived, they looked at each other instantly.

really!

Zu Dashou still managed to break through!

But they were still not too surprised, because this was actually within their expectations.

After all, before the army set out, only 10,000 people were left behind to defend, and if Zu Dashou really wanted to fight to the death, he would definitely be able to break out.

Just as they were thinking this, the next second, they heard Huang Taiji sneer and say:

"Sure enough! Zu Dashou finally managed to break through. I'm sure a lot of people died in this breakout, right?"

"I really didn't expect that Zu Dashou would be so loyal to the Ming Emperor."

When saying this, Huang Taiji's tone was somewhat sarcastic and jealous.

Because he felt that Chongzhen was not a person worthy of Zu Dashou's loyalty at all, and at the same time he felt that it was a pity that a person like Zu Dashou could not be used by him.

Daishan, who was standing nearby, heard this and said quickly:

"Your Majesty, Zu Dashou is a Han Chinese after all, and there is nothing wrong with him being loyal to his emperor."

Huang Taiji did not speak any more, but nodded silently, then looked at Daishan and said:

"let's start!"

When Daishan heard this, he immediately took the order and left.

Immediately afterwards, with the issuance of military orders, 10,000 cavalrymen quickly gathered towards Daishan.

Along with them came about 30,000 infantrymen!
Huang Taiji had actually always been on guard against Zu Dashou, so when he first deployed his troops, he also deployed about 10,000 cavalry and more than 30,000 infantry in the rear.

This is to guard against Zu Dashou’s surprise attack!

Soon, 10,000 cavalry and more than 30,000 infantry gathered around Huang Taiji.

At the same time, Huang Taiji's army was suddenly split up. The army in the front continued to advance, while more than 40,000 people in the rear stayed behind to prepare to deal with Zu Dashou.

There is no other way. It is basically impossible for an army of more than 100,000 people to stop at the same time, so this method can only be adopted.

But in Huang Taiji's view, this is not a big deal.

Just kill Zu Dashou and then chase after him.

It can be seen that Huang Taiji did not take Zu Dashou seriously at all.

After all, Zu Dashou only had 5,000 cavalry at most, while he now had 10,000 cavalry plus 30,000 infantry, a total of 40,000 people.

Forty thousand versus five thousand, it’s a sure win situation no matter how you look at it!
He had even started to think in his mind whether or not to spare Zu Dashou's life after defeating him!

At this moment, Zu Dashou's five thousand cavalrymen were approaching and heading directly towards Huang Taiji's flag!

Seeing this scene, Huang Taiji sneered and said:

"It seems I have underestimated Zu Dashou. He actually came straight for me. It seems he wants to take my life before the battle begins and gain the merit of beheading a general!"

When Yue Tuo heard this, he quickly asked for orders:

"Your Majesty, let me go and meet Zu Dashou."

Huang Taiji nodded.

"Go, let Zu Dashou know how powerful our Qing warriors are!"

Yuetuo waved to the cavalry behind him without saying a word, then rushed out on his horse, followed closely by 10,000 cavalrymen.

At the same time, the surrounding troops once again moved closer to Huang Taiji, fearing that Zu Dashou would hurt Huang Taiji.

In this way, one side had 10,000 cavalrymen and the other side had 5,000 cavalrymen, and they rushed towards each other!

Just when the two sides were about to collide, Zu Dashou suddenly changed direction and rushed directly towards the Jiannu army that had already moved away from here.

The cavalry behind him also followed closely and changed direction according to Zu Dashou.

This sudden scene instantly surprised Yue Tuo.

He wanted to rein in his horse, stop, and turn around to pursue, but a warhorse running at full speed couldn't be stopped just like that, not to mention that there were 10,000 cavalrymen behind him.

If he really braked suddenly, the cavalry behind him would crush him into a pulp! Therefore, even though he was anxious, Yue Tuo still buffered his nerves for a while before leading 10,000 cavalrymen to turn around and chase after him.

But in just a short while, Zu Dashou's cavalry had already rushed out several hundred meters away.

Yue Tuo was anxious and started to spank the horse's buttocks desperately. The warhorse felt the pain and started to run wildly for its life.

At the same time, when Huang Taiji saw this scene, he suddenly cried out inwardly, "Oh no!"
Because he finally understood that Zu Dashou did not come to kill him, but to attack the 100,000-strong army!
It is definitely impossible for 5,000 cavalrymen to deal with an army of 100,000, but if they want to break up the formation of the army of 100,000, there is still a chance!

And now, what Zu Dashou has to do is this!

What Zu Dashou has to do is not to kill the general, but to break into the enemy's formation!

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji shouted:
"Stop him! Stop him for me!"

These words were obviously directed at Yue Tuo, because the infantrymen around him had no time to rush over, and the army not far away could not hear his voice at all.

This is because the two parts of the army have been separated.

Although the army in front may have known that Zu Dashou was coming, they did not care much. After all, they had left 40,000 soldiers to deal with Zu Dashou.

In their opinion, 40,000 versus 5,000, that should be enough, right?

But obviously, things turned out to be beyond everyone's expectations.
Almost in a moment, Zu Dashou led his men to rush forward.

By the time the Jiannu realized that the enemy was attacking, it was too late to react.

In an instant, Zu Dashou's cavalry rushed into the Jiannu army like a sharp blade!

Then the five thousand cavalrymen drew their swords and attacked without saying a word, cutting a bloody path through the Jiannu army.

They waved the long swords in their hands, with cold light flashing, and every swing brought up a bloody mist. The Jiannu army was caught off guard by this sudden attack, and their formation was instantly in chaos.

The Jiannu people fled in all directions, with cries and screams mixed together.

When Huang Taiji saw this scene from a distance, his eyes were bloodshot.

He didn't expect Zu Dashou to be so brave, which completely disrupted his original plan.

At the same time, Yue Tuo finally arrived with his men, but what blocked his way were corpses on the ground and some defeated soldiers.

These corpses and soldiers blocked their way, making it impossible for the 10,000 cavalrymen behind Yuetuo to catch up.

Zu Dashou can charge in without any scruples, but his Yuetuo cannot!

Because these are their own soldiers!

For a moment, Yue Tuo was so anxious that he was sweating all over. He hurriedly waved the whip in his hand to whip the soldiers who blocked his way.

"Damn it! Get out of here! Get out!"

The cavalry behind him also stepped forward at this time and began to drive away the surrounding soldiers.

But even so, they could never catch up with Zu Dashou.
They could only watch as the cavalry led by Zu Dashou rushed through the army, leaving behind a pile of corpses.
At the same time, the noise from the Jiannu side also attracted the attention of the Ming army.

Because many Ming soldiers had telescopes and the distance was very close, they could all see the chaos on the Jiannu side.

But we don't know exactly what happened.

Only Zhu Cilang, Chongzhen and others on the city wall could see the whole scene.

When everyone saw Zu Dashou's action, they were very excited!

Because given the situation at the time, if Zu Dashou led his troops directly to attack Huang Taiji, he would definitely not survive!
After all, it is simply impossible for 5,000 cavalry to deal with 10,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry.

Zu Dashou's entire army would be wiped out before he could even reach Huang Taiji!

But if these 5,000 cavalrymen were to attack the Jiannu army, the effect would be completely different!

Just like now!
The five thousand cavalrymen led by Zu Dashou charged into the Jiannu army like a god of death, and instantly dispersed the Jiannu's most central troops.

Even from a distance, they could see that the most central area of the Jiannu army had become a complete mess.

After seeing this scene, Chongzhen couldn't help but clench his fists and shouted excitedly:
"Zu Dashou truly deserves to be called a loyal and capable general of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Cilang, who was standing by, did not say anything when he heard this, but he also agreed with Chongzhen's statement.

Perhaps in the original history, Zu Dashou eventually betrayed the Ming Dynasty, but now, such a thing will never happen.

Because the moment Zu Dashou appeared on the battlefield with 5,000 cavalrymen, he could only be a loyal minister and general of the Ming Dynasty!
Moreover, Zu Dashou deserves the credit for breaking through the enemy lines, one of the four great military merits!
As long as he can survive, he deserves to be made a marquis based on this merit!

The scene returns to the Ming army again.

Although it is still unclear what exactly caused the chaos in the Jiannu army, at this moment, the distance between the two armies was less than two kilometers.

The Ming army could even vaguely see the group of ragged civilians on the opposite side.

The first person to react was the artillery commander Wang Zhixian.

He was the artillery commander promoted by Zhu Cilang himself before the army set out. He was in charge of 3,000 artillerymen and more than 500 cannons. He was also one of Zhu Cilang's confidants!

The orders he had received were:
As long as the enemy enters the artillery range, we will immediately launch an indiscriminate attack. Don't be stingy with ammunition, just fire with all your strength!
Hit as many as you can!

But at this moment, his heart was full of struggle.

Because through the telescope, he could clearly see the Ming people at the forefront of the Jiannu army.

At this moment, even as a soldier, he couldn't help but feel his hands and feet were cold.

Even the frightened faces of the people kept appearing in my mind.

He knew that if he really gave the order to fire, countless Ming Dynasty civilians would be killed by mistake.

But military orders are like mountains, what can he do?

If he disobeys military orders, not only will his own life be in danger, but the original battle plan may also be disrupted, and the casualties of the Ming army will only be more severe!

He can tell what is important and what is not!
After taking a deep breath, Wang Zhixian looked at the artillerymen beside him who had already loaded their ammunition and were ready for battle, and shouted loudly:
"fire!"

There was a barely perceptible tremor in the voice, as if it was an outpouring of inner pain.

In an instant!
"boom!"

"boom"

"boom!"

Suddenly, bursts of roars rang out, and shells cut through the sky, flying straight towards the Jiannu army with a breath of destruction.

The shells, with long tails of flame, fell to the earth like meteors, bringing death and despair.

Immediately afterwards, the shells exploded among the Jiannu army.

In an instant, flames shot up into the sky, earth and rocks flew everywhere, and many Jiannu soldiers were blown to pieces, with their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Many innocent civilians also suffered misfortune. Some were hit by shrapnel and fell in a pool of blood in an instant.

Some were blown away by the air waves and fell heavily to the ground, their life or death unknown.

But these are unavoidable things.
However, in reality, Wang Zhixian was still a little soft-hearted and delayed the firing time by about ten seconds than originally planned.

It was during these ten seconds that the artillery shells avoided the Ming civilians who were being used as human shields in the front line, and landed among the Jiannu army.

And the shells used this time are all improved shrapnel shells!
Its power is far greater than previous artillery!

Seeing that the Ming army actually opened fire without caring about the lives of the 30,000 Ming people, the Jiannu side was stunned.

The Jiannu soldiers who originally thought they had a sure victory now had shock and confusion written all over their faces.

They looked at each other, as if trying to confirm whether all this was true!

Not
Why is this different from what Huang Taiji said before?

Didn’t Huang Taiji say that as long as these 30,000 Ming Dynasty civilians served as shields, the Ming army would not dare to fire?

Why are they firing now?

Doesn’t the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty care about the lives of these 30,000 people at all?

At the same time, Huang Taiji, Daishan and Yuetuo were also shocked by this scene and were at a loss as to what to do.

Huang Taiji widened his eyes with an expression of disbelief, his heart filled with anger and unwillingness.

He couldn't figure out what was wrong with Chongzhen.
How dare he give such an order?
Does he really not care about the lives of these people and the criticisms of the people and civil servants?

Is this still the Chongzhen he knows?
In fact, Huang Taiji was right, because at this moment, Chongzhen, who was far away on the wall of Songshan City, had already closed his eyes in pain!

The bursts of artillery fire seemed to explode in his heart!
His heart was bleeding from the explosion!

Just like he said before, he will never be the greatest emperor in history again. He will probably only be a tyrant in the future.
As for Zhu Cilang, he was looking at this scene with a calm expression.

It's not that he is cold-blooded, but at this critical moment, his face cannot show any emotion.

Because he is now the commander-in-chief of an army, he must remain calm even when faced with a disaster!
If we panic because a few people died, it will definitely affect the morale of the army!

So, he can only do this!
Even so, Zhu Cilang's heart was bleeding.
Because these are also his people!
Hong Chengchou stood aside and looked at the young prince. For a moment, he felt that even his breathing became rapid.

He just stood there quietly, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, emitting an innate powerful aura.

Just the back view makes people afraid to approach easily.

Even if he was just silent, his aura as steady as a mountain seemed to be in control of the overall situation.

For a moment, Hong Chengchou felt as if the air around him had been sucked out. He was inexplicably short of breath and didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

It was really strange to think about it, that a veteran who had lived for most of his life could be so embarrassed in front of a teenager.

If he truly inherits the throne and ascends to the supreme throne, I'm afraid the Ming Dynasty will be completely changed.
At the same time, something unexpected happened again on the Jiannu side.

A group of people led by Niu Dayong, Li Fangliang and Gao Chunjie, the three Daming Yebushou, had been thinking about when to take action.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a riot suddenly broke out in the rear of the Jiannu.

What was even more unexpected was that the Jiannu army rioted again when the Ming army opened fire.

They looked at each other, and a hint of determination flashed in their eyes!
It's time to take action!

(PS: I wish you all a happy new year! All the best!)

(End of this chapter)