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

Chapter 176 Zu Dashou, I’m here to save you!

But even so, the Jiannu people had no intention of stopping.

Once the cavalry launches a charge, they are like an arrow shot from a bow, unstoppable!

At this moment, their eyes were filled with madness and determination, and they had only one belief in their hearts:
That is to break through the Ming army's defense line and win the final victory in this war!
At the same time, on the Ming army side, several border army generals were already eager to try on the battlefield and couldn't wait to join the battle.

Wu Sangui stared intently at the approaching Jiannu cavalry, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and he could not help but shout loudly:
"It's finally our turn to take action! Brothers, let's show these Jian slaves how powerful we are!"

His voice was passionate and full of fighting spirit, and it echoed on the battlefield for a long time.

Tang Tong, the Miyun general beside him, nodded in high spirits, then suddenly waved his hand and gave the order to charge:

"Send out your entire army to attack, and let the Jiannu know how powerful we are!"

The next second, the 60,000 cavalry on both sides of the Ming army rushed out roaring like released beasts.

They quickly formed a charging formation and galloped towards the Jiannu army.

The dust raised by the horses' hooves covered the sky, as if a yellow smoke was filling the air above the battlefield.

The weapons in the cavalrymen's hands flashed coldly under the sunlight, like a group of death gods from hell, exuding a terrifying aura.

All of this was part of a battle plan that had been drawn up long ago.

When the Jiannu cavalry charged, the Ming soldiers first fired a round of fierce shots with flintlock rifles to suppress the Jiannu cavalry with firepower. Then, the Ming cavalry moved out and engaged in a head-on confrontation with the Jiannu cavalry.

Hauge saw that the Ming army also dispatched cavalry, and judging from the number, the Ming cavalry completely crushed them, and he couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

He thought that the Ming army would continue to rely on powerful firearms to attack, but he did not expect that the Ming army would also choose to dispatch cavalry.

But at this moment, it was too late to change anything. If they retreated, they would surely die. They had no way out.

So Hauge had no choice but to grit his teeth and lead the cavalry around him and charge forward without hesitation.

Immediately, the cavalry of both sides engaged in a fierce battle on the battlefield.

At this time, they were very close to Songshan City.

Zhu Cilang stood on the city wall and could even clearly see the faces of some soldiers on the battlefield through the telescope.

The expressions on their faces, whether fear, anger, or determination, were all seen by Zhu Cilang.

Chongzhen was also using a telescope to observe the situation on the battlefield. His face turned red with excitement, his fists were clenched tightly, and his nails were deeply embedded in his palms.

Chongzhen also knew that this battle had reached the most critical moment!
As the cavalry of both sides charged fiercely, the battlefield was instantly filled with shouts, neighs, and the sounds of weapons colliding.

In the first clash between the two sides, many cavalrymen were knocked away by the powerful impact, fell heavily to the ground and died on the spot.

Some cavalrymen were pierced by spears and thrown out like rag dolls.

Some were hit in the neck by the big knife, their heads rolled to the side, and their bodies shook a few times before falling down.

In just this one encounter, the cavalry on both sides suffered casualties to varying degrees.

But this was a melee involving 80,000 cavalrymen after all. Such casualties were normal in such a large-scale battle.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of soldiers and horses from both sides. The blood dyed the ground red, and the ground became muddy due to the large amount of blood.

When the horses' hooves passed by, blood splattered everywhere, and the scene was extremely tragic.

Zhu Cilang was still standing on the city wall. On the surface, he still looked calm, his eyes still cold, as if everything was under his control.

However, he was extremely nervous inside, and his heart was beating violently in his chest, as if it was about to burst through his chest.

His eyes kept scanning the entire battlefield, not missing any details.

The battlefield at this moment was like a hideous painting soaked in blood.

The thick smoke was like a heavy haze, pressing heavily on the earth. The pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with the disgusting smell of blood permeated every inch of the air, penetrated into people's nostrils, and made people almost suffocate.

On the battlefield, the sounds of shouting, horses neighing, and weapons clashing were intertwined together, deafening enough to seem to burst one's eardrums.

The cavalry on both sides charged and fought each other like a tide, and blood splattered continuously.

Suddenly, the black vortex-like encirclement in the middle of the Jiannu army pierced his sight like a sharp thorn.

Zhu Cilang's pupils suddenly shrank, and a complex emotion instantly surged in his heart!

Because he saw clearly that the center of the vortex was Zu Dashou and his cavalry!

The original five thousand people are now less than one thousand!
At this moment, in the center of the battlefield!
Zu Dashou still led the remaining cavalry to fight desperately against the Jiannu who kept pouring in from all around.

Only 900 of the 5,000 cavalrymen were left, and the other 4,000 or so cavalrymen had already died at the hands of the Jiannu.

But their deaths were worth it, because they saved at least three times the lives of the Jiannu!

The warhorse trampled on the corpses of the Jiannu and continued to rush through the crowd. Zu Dashou held the long sword tightly, and every time he swung it, a cloud of blood was raised.

There were many wounds on his body that were constantly oozing blood. The bright red blood slowly flowed down his armor and then fell to the ground.

But at this moment, how could Zu Dashou care about the wounds on his body?
As long as he has breath left, he will try his best to kill the Jiannu!

Because he knew he would not survive.
Including the soldiers behind him, none of them survived.

But they have no regrets!
Just like what was said before, dying on the battlefield is the final destination for these soldiers!

At the front of the battlefield, Wu Sangui was fighting with the Jiannu while looking anxiously at the Jiannu's central army.

Because he has realized by now that the reason why the Jiannu suddenly fell into chaos was that someone attacked them from behind!
And this person could not be anyone else except Zu Dashou who was besieged in Jinzhou!
At this moment, he couldn't wait to rush in to rescue Zu Dashou!
The reason is simple: there is a complicated kinship relationship between him and Zu Dashou.

First, Wu Sangui's father Wu Xiang married Zu Dashou's sister. Because of this marriage relationship, Zu Dashou became Wu Sangui's uncle.

Later, Zu Dashou married Wu Sangui's aunt, making Zu Dashou Wu Sangui's uncle.

In addition, Wu Sangui had always had a good relationship with Zu Dashou, and most of his combat methods were learned from Zu Dashou.

So for Wu Sangui, Zu Dashou was not just a relative, but more like a friend who was both a teacher and a friend.

Based on these relationships, Wu Sangui now really wants to save Zu Dashou!
So, Wu Sangui led his cavalry to charge towards the Jiannu's defense line like a surging wave again and again.

However, the Jiannu cavalry had also reacted by now, and the remaining cavalry continued to come to support, forming an impenetrable defensive formation that ruthlessly blocked the Ming army's repeated charges.

The fallen soldiers and horses lying on the ground in all directions became obstacles to subsequent charges, making the Ming army's attack more difficult.

Zhu Cilang stood on the city wall, his eyes still fixed on Zu Dashou who was fighting in the Jiannu army!

He knew in his heart that Zu Dashou had already put his life and death aside the moment he rushed out of Jinzhou City.

This must be true for the soldiers under his command!
They had already anticipated the difficulty and danger of this battle and knew that there was no turning back, but he still rushed out of Jinzhou City without hesitation.

Perhaps they did it for the Ming Dynasty's country and people, perhaps for the peace of the people of the world, or perhaps to repay Chongzhen's loyalty to his subjects.

In short, he is willing to sacrifice his life in this battle!
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang suddenly felt a strong urge in his heart!

He couldn't just watch his grandfather die here!
An inexplicable sense of mission arose in his heart!

In an instant, a bold and surprising decision suddenly popped up in Zhu Cilang's mind!

He wants to save Zu Dashou!
He wants Zu Dashou to live!

He wants to prove something to the people of the world and to these soldiers who fought bravely in the battles!
The ministers are willing to sacrifice their lives for the monarch, and the monarch will also stand up for the ministers!

As long as the subjects are loyal to the monarch, the monarch will never let them down!

Once this idea took root in his mind, it quickly spread and occupied his entire mind.

The next second, Zhu Cilang turned around without any hesitation and strode towards the bottom of the city wall with firm steps and the determination to fight to the death.

When Chongzhen saw this scene, he was suddenly shocked for some reason and asked loudly.

"What are you going to do?"

Zhu Cilang stopped, turned his head slightly, a faint smile appeared on his face, and his tone was calm yet revealed incomparable firmness.

"Your son is going to save Grandpa's birthday!"

what?
When Chongzhen heard this, he was furious and his voice became hoarse because of anger. He shouted loudly:

"Hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides are fighting fiercely now. How can you save him? Isn't this nonsense?"

At this moment, Chongzhen's anger was more due to his concern for Zhu Cilang.

In fact, didn’t Chongzhen also want to save his grandfather’s birthday?
Zu Dashou's great achievements in breaking through enemy lines on the battlefield and indirectly saving tens of thousands of civilians are enough to prove that he is a well-deserved loyal minister and good general.

However, this does not mean that Zhu Cilang can take such a rash risk.

After all, in this battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting, the difficulty of rescuing Zu Dashou from the encirclement is beyond imagination!
Unless a god descends to earth, it is almost impossible to achieve!
Thinking of this, Chongzhen was suddenly stunned. Because he suddenly realized that Zhu Cilang was a god who had descended to earth.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
At the same time, Hong Chengchou, Li Hu, Li Ruolian, Fang Zhenghua and others who were standing by were also stunned after hearing Zhu Cilang's words.

Hong Chengchou's heart was full of doubts and confusion. The prince had always been wise, so how could he suddenly make such an irrational decision?
In his opinion, the prince was completely playing with his own life, which was ridiculous.

You could have stood safely on the city wall and waited for the good news of the army's victory, so why did you have to take the risk yourself?

He also knew that Zu Dashou was a rare loyal and capable general, and he also understood that he was likely to die on the battlefield at this moment.

But the battlefield is a place where life and death are unpredictable, and death is a common thing here!
If you really feel guilty about this, wouldn't it be enough to posthumously confer a prestigious title on him after the war is over and take good care of his family?

Why take such a risk to save him?
Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou decided to persuade Zhu Cilang.

However, before he could speak, Zhu Cilang seemed to have sensed his thoughts, and then slowly turned around, his eyes revealing an unquestionable determination.

The next moment, Zhu Cilang said decisively:

"Don't try to persuade me anymore, I've made up my mind!"

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang looked at Li Hu, Li Ruolian, and Fang Zhenghua again.

"If you want to follow, come along. If you don't want to follow, stay here!"

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to the crowd, and walked down the city wall with firm steps and determination.

Leaving everyone there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

But the next second, Li Hu followed swiftly, followed by Li Ruolian and Fang Zhenghua!

In the brief moment when Zhu Cilang went downstairs, the situation on the battlefield was violently stirred as if by an invisible giant hand, and an unexpected and drastic change occurred.

Because Yuetuo was less than a hundred meters away from Zu Dashou!

He led his cavalry and rushed forward like a surging tide. The dense sound of horse hooves was deafening, like bursts of muffled thunder coming from the sky.

Not far behind Yuetuo, Huang Taiji was wearing heavy armor, the scales on the armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. He had a stern expression and a sharp gaze, his deep eyes revealing his innate majesty and ruthlessness.

But at this moment, Huang Taiji's gaze was not on Zu Dashou, but on the army in the front!
Although there was still some distance from the front army and it was impossible to see clearly what was happening in front, the deafening shouts that seemed to tear the sky and the earth apart continued to be heard.

Huang Taiji knew clearly that the cavalry of both sides had already started fighting!

As for Yue Tuo, he was staring at Zu Dashou, who was only a hundred meters away, with anger burning in his eyes, as if he wanted to burn everything in front of him to ashes!

Yue Tuo felt unwilling. He felt that he was very close to Zu Dashou, as if he could capture him with just a stretch of his hand. However, in reality, there was an invisible barrier in front of him, preventing him from getting close no matter what.

It turned out that this area was completely covered with corpses, including those of the Ming army, the Jiannu army, and even war horses!

The corpses were piled up layer upon layer, the highest being more than one meter high. Looking around, it looked like a horrifying sea of corpses and blood.

As soon as the warhorse's hooves set foot on it, they would sink deeply into it. After struggling for a few times, they would be unable to move and would be unable to pass at all.

When people walk on it, every step is extremely difficult. The ground feels soft yet strangely hard. If you are not careful, you will fall. You can only climb using your hands and feet.

The scene was extremely weird and terrifying!
At this time, some Jiannu infantrymen were gritting their teeth and struggling to crawl over the pile of corpses, and then bravely charged forward.

Under such circumstances, Yuetuo's 10,000 cavalry could only stay where they were and were unable to pursue the enemy.

At this time, Yue Tuo was extremely angry and wanted to get rid of Zu Dashou, his biggest threat, by himself!
The scene of himself killing Zu Dashou kept appearing in his mind, which made his breathing become rapid.

However, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to break through the 'defense line' made up of corpses.

Then, he turned around angrily and shouted at the guards beside him:
"Bring me the bow!"

The voice was filled with anger, as if it could ignite the air around it.

The personal guard was frightened by his aura and his body trembled unconsciously. Not daring to delay for a moment, he quickly drew a bow from the quiver behind him and handed it to Yue Tuo with both hands.

Yuetuo snatched the bow, then drew an arrow from the quiver of his personal soldier, put it on the string neatly, pulled the bowstring to its full extent and aimed directly at a Ming soldier.

The muscles in his arms were tense and the veins were bulging, it was obvious that he was using all his strength!
With a whoosh sound, the arrow shot out like a meteor and hit the neck of a Ming soldier with incredible accuracy.

The Ming soldier fell straight to the ground before he could even let out a scream.

When Yue Tuo saw this scene, the anger in his heart subsided a little, but it was soon filled with resentment towards Zu Dashou.

Then he quickly pulled out two arrows and shot them one after another.

Unfortunately, their luck was not so good this time, because both arrows only hit the armor of the Ming army, making a "ding-dang-dang" sound.

Although sparks flew, they failed to cause any substantial damage to the Ming army.

Yuetuo looked at Zu Dashou who was surrounded by the Ming army with regret, and sighed helplessly in his heart.

Because he knew that he had no chance to shoot Zu Dashou himself.

The next second, Yuetuo threw the bow and arrow in his hand to the ground, then raised his head and looked at the army in the front!
At this moment, he clearly heard continuous shouting and killing coming from the front.

He knew very well that he couldn't waste any more time here.

At the moment, the most critical thing is the battle situation in the front, which is the key to determining the outcome of this war. He must lead the cavalry to provide support as soon as possible!
Thinking of this, Yuetuo no longer went to see Zu Dashou, but decisively ordered:
"Don't worry about Zu Dashou anymore, the entire army will immediately go to support the front!"

The generals around him all accepted the order.

Afterwards, Yuetuo's cavalry split into two groups, like two flexible black dragons, carefully bypassing the disgusting sea of corpses and blood in front of them, and galloping towards the battlefield ahead.

Not long after Yuetuo left with his cavalry, Huang Taiji arrived at the battlefield.

Looking at the horrific scene in front of him, Huang Taiji couldn't help but frown.

Looking around, the entire field of vision was filled with corpses and war horses lying all over the place, piled up in a disorderly manner. Some of the corpses had been trampled beyond recognition by countless horses' hooves and footsteps, with limbs broken and bloody.

Blood gathered on the ground and formed small streams, flowing in winding patterns. The scene was extremely bloody.

Huang Taiji secretly estimated in his heart that Zu Dashou's cavalry of only 5,000 people had cost them a heavy price of more than 15,000 people!
This was something he had never expected before the war!
In previous battles with the Ming army, they always won with fewer troops and made the Ming army flee in disarray.

But now?

The situation took a 180-degree turn. Zu Dashou killed more than 15,000 Qing warriors with only 5,000 people!
Thinking of this, Huang Taiji looked at Zu Dashou, who was still fighting tenaciously on the battlefield, with a face full of resentment, and his heart was full of unwillingness!

I wish I could go up and tear Zu Dashou into pieces myself!
By now, he no longer had any regard for talent, and his mind was filled with thoughts about how to kill the evil Zu Dashou!
But he was a battle-hardened commander after all, and he soon calmed down.

Because in his opinion, Zu Dashou's death was inevitable!

After all, at this moment, there were at least seven or eight thousand Qing warriors surrounding Zu Dashou, while the Ming army around Zu Dashou was already less than seven hundred!
With a tenfold advantage in military strength, it would be a piece of cake to capture Zu Dashou!

So he no longer needs to worry about Zu Dashou.

The most important task at present is to support the front-line troops who are fighting bloody battles.

Judging from the fierce shouts and cries that kept coming out, the battle between the two sides was in full swing.

Then Huang Taiji turned his head and looked at Daishan beside him and said firmly:
"Daishan, you must lead the remaining troops to support the front immediately!"

When Daishan heard this, he bowed respectfully and said:
"As ordered!"

Then he quickly turned around, mounted his warhorse, and led his troops away quickly, with the dust raised filling the air again.

At this time, the situation on the battlefield ahead became increasingly complicated.

With the addition of Yuetuo cavalry, the total number of cavalry on the Jiannu side has reached 30,000. Even though some of them were killed by flintlock rifles and after fighting, there are still about 23,000 people left.

The Ming army's cavalry had only lost less than a thousand people, leaving more than 59,000 people.

In terms of the number of troops, the Ming army had a certain advantage.

However, what is quite frustrating is that the Ming army's overall combat effectiveness is still slightly weaker than that of the Jiannu.

In addition, the battlefield space was very limited, and the cavalry on both sides could hardly exert their advantages in such terrain, which led to the battle inexplicably falling into a stalemate.

Both sides come and go, refusing to give in to each other.

On the battlefield, the sounds of shouting, weapons clashing, and horses neighing were intertwined and endless, like a symphony of death.

Soldiers from both sides kept falling, their blood dyed the ground red, and made the entire land muddy.

At the same time, the scene returned to Matsuyama Castle.

Zhu Cilang put on his own dragon-patterned helmet neatly, then jumped onto his horse, exuding an innate kingly aura.

The next second, he looked at Li Hu next to him and said:
"Raise the dragon banner!"

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang looked at the open city gate in front of him and said silently in his heart:
"Zu Dashou, you have to hold on! I'm here to save you!"

(End of this chapter)