The prince is more stable

Chapter 429 Close combat
The 40,000 Liao troops faced the 10,000 Song troops, and most of their cavalry were killed in the first round of cavalry charge.

But the situation on the battlefield was still very clear, and the Liao army actually had the advantage.

As long as the entire army pressed forward and outflanked the left and right flanks, the Song army's battle formation could be broken. As long as the Song army's battle formation was broken through and the two sides engaged in close combat, the enemy's firearms would become useless.

After all, the flintlock rifle is a long-range attack weapon. In close combat, it can only serve as a firewood stick, especially since the process of loading powder and bullets is very long. After firing the first shot, it is impossible to fire the second shot in a short time.

Yelu Chun was an old general with a very sharp eye. After seeing the firearms of the Song army with his own eyes, he quickly judged the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.

He was confident that he could defeat the 10,000 Song troops on the opposite side, but Yelu Chun was not happy at all.

The Liao army needed to sacrifice 40,000 lives to achieve a tragic victory for the 10,000 Song troops.

So what about the future? Will this become the norm?
If the two countries were to go to war, the Liao Kingdom would often need to use the tactics of four for one or even five for one to win. Can this still be called an advantage?

If the Emperor of Song gritted his teeth, equipped and trained an army of 100,000 with firearms, and marched north to attack Liao, how would he have calculated his chances of victory?
At this moment, Yelu Chun suddenly felt a sense of desolation as if the sun was setting in the west.

For the first time in his life, he felt that in the face of the general trend of the world, the power of a country seemed so insignificant. No matter how hard it tried, the end result would be to be replaced, crushed, and eventually perish.

"Sound the horn and have the cavalry in front retreat." Yelu Chun gave the order expressionlessly.

Of the ten thousand Liao cavalry charging the battle, only two thousand remained, still a hundred paces from the Song front. Even two more volleys from the Song army would kill these two thousand men, so it was better to retreat immediately and avoid unnecessary sacrifice.

The sound of the horn echoed on the battlefield. The two thousand Liao cavalry had already lost their morale, but they gritted their teeth and continued to charge because they dared not disobey military orders. When they heard the horn sounded by the central army in the rear, the remaining two thousand Liao cavalry turned their horses around and galloped back to the central army as if they had been pardoned.

In the Song army formation, Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi also had happy expressions on their faces.

Ten thousand Liao cavalry charged but did not encounter their own front line, and suffered seven to eight thousand casualties. When had the Song Dynasty ever achieved such an impressive victory?

Just in the last round of confrontation between the two armies, Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi were already able to receive a heavy credit.

"The entire army should rest on the spot, load the gunpowder and bullets immediately, check the muskets, and replenish the baggage and ammunition!" Zhe Keshi rode his horse in front of the formation and gave a loud order.

The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion immediately sat down cross-legged, and everyone was talking excitedly in low voices. They were full of high spirits and boasted to their comrades about how many people they had just shot with their own hands and how accurate their shot was.

After a brief moment of joy at victory, Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's expressions became solemn again.

The Liao cavalry retreated, but the remaining 30,000 Liao troops on the opposite side had not retreated. Their formation remained intact, and they looked ready to launch a second charge at any time.

Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi did not dare to relax, and they were both unsure at the moment.

At this point they also saw the situation. With 10,000 firearms under their command, they might be able to cope with the charge of 10,000 men, but if the enemy had more than 30,000 soldiers and horses attacking at the same time and outflanking them, to be honest, the 10,000 firearms under their command might not be able to hold up.

"I don't know when the reinforcements from Duke Zhao will arrive. If the other side launches another attack, the consequences will be disastrous." Zhang Rong said worriedly.

Zhe Keshi curled his lips and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Even if we die, at least we've killed so many Liao dogs. Even if all our 10,000 men die in this battle, it's still a draw. There's no shame in dying. I'd be too ashamed to face my ancestors if I lost the battle!"

Zhang Rong nodded and sighed, "Tell the soldiers to sharpen their swords and prepare for hand-to-hand combat with the Liao army. We estimate that our front lines will be broken in the next round."

Zhe Keshi sighed, his face full of resignation. "I followed the imperial order and came directly from the northwest to Zhending Prefecture. Lord Zhao also promised me that when I return to Bianjing in triumph, he would treat me to the pleasure of playing with all the girls in the brothels of Bianjing..."

"I haven't even smelled the girl yet. I might get caught here today. What a pity!"

Zhang Rong laughed. "I've been in the Dragon Guard Battalion for many years. It was originally stationed outside the southern city of Bianjing. The girls in Bianjing... Haha! Anyway, I've made enough in this life!"

Zhe Keshi glanced at him, feeling even more unbalanced, and secretly cursed him as a bastard.

Zhang Rong, however, continued to tease him recklessly: "Old Zhe, when you were stationed in the northwest, didn't you ever taste a girl?"

Zhe Keshi said coldly: "Can the girls from Northwest China compare with those from Bianjing? If you touch a girl from Bianjing lightly, she will get angry and say "hate" in a pinched voice. That little charm, that little enchantment, tsk..."

"Where is the girl from the Northwest?" Zhang Rong said, trying not to laugh.

"If a girl from the northwest touches her lightly, she will hug me and throw me to the ground, then ride on me and slap me hard..." Zhe Keshi sighed sadly.

Zhang Rong was shocked: "This... is your wife?"

Zhe Keshi was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "No, it's the courtesan from the Northwest Brothel..."

Zhang Rong gasped, "Is this how the Northwest's courtesan works?"

"That's right, it's this type of woman, an eagle-like woman." Zhe Keshi sighed sadly.

Zhang Rong fell silent for a moment. After a long moment, he patted Zhe Keshi on the shoulder and sighed, "Brother Zhe, you've suffered so much. If I were you, and died fighting here today, I'd probably die with regrets, never having eaten a single bite of rice bran in my life. Tsk!"

Zhe Keshi became more and more sad and angry. He raised his eyes and stared at the Liao army's center in the distance. His right hand unconsciously tightened the hilt of the sword. It was obvious that his sadness and anger had turned into strength.

"It's all the fault of these Liao dogs. They delayed me from sleeping with a gentle woman! I must kill them all!" Zhe Keshi gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, the war drums sounded again in the opposite Liao army formation.

Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's expressions tensed as they split up and ran frantically towards their own formation, shouting orders as they ran. "All troops, prepare for battle—!"

As Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi expected, the Liao army rushed out in full force in this round of charge.

Twenty thousand Liao troops launched a frontal attack on the Song army, and another five thousand soldiers were sent from each flank, forming a semicircle on the battlefield and encircling the Song army from both sides.

Zhe Keshi immediately ordered the formation to be adjusted, with a thousand soldiers on each side, and they turned around and formed a battle line.

The remaining 8,000 soldiers and horses were still facing the main force of the Liao army.

"We can't wait for reinforcements, brothers. We can only rely on ourselves! If the enemy breaks through our formation, be ready to fight with swords at any time!" Zhang Rong shouted with his eyes wide open.

Having just tasted the joy of victory in the first battle, the Dragon Guard Battalion immediately fell into the oppressive atmosphere of an impending fight to the death. There was silence in the army. While holding the flintlock rifle, everyone secretly touched the knife at his waist.

Since setting out from Bian Jing, the Dragon Guard Battalion has always relied on flintlock rifles to deal with any enemy, and the enemy has no chance of breaking through the formation and getting close. Unexpectedly, today was an exception.

Seeing the Liao army slowly approaching from the front and left and right flanks and starting to accelerate their charge, the ten thousand soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp gritted their teeth and waited for the fierce battle that was about to begin.

Amidst the silent army, a soldier suddenly shouted, "Duke Zhao has not treated us unfairly. Today, we should fight for him!"

Someone in the crowd immediately echoed, "That's right. Anyway, I've made enough money. I've asked someone to send the stolen money back home. My parents and children are taken care of. Even if I die in battle, they won't starve!"

Inside the army formation, all the soldiers stood still, holding their rifles tightly, but someone stopped their feet, and there was a sound of fighting again and again.

If someone takes the lead, someone will follow.

All the soldiers followed suit and the rhythm gradually became clearer. Finally, the uniform stamping sound drowned out the rumbling sound of horses' hooves from the opposite side.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The officers and soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp shouted in unison, and the battlefield was suddenly filled with murderous aura. The world was filled with a heroic spirit composed of countless small people, and the sun in the sky also lowered and dimmed.

"According to the drill manual, the entire army, line up! The first row, get ready!" The general rode his horse and galloped through the gaps in the army formation to pass on the order.

The first row of Dragon Guards crouched, holding their flintlock rifles horizontally, aiming, and waiting for the enemy to come within range.

The rhythm of the war drums in the opposite Liao army formation suddenly accelerated, and the charging Liao army accelerated their speed in line with the rhythm of the war drums and rushed towards the front formation of the Song army.

Soon, the Liao army in front came into range, and with a loud bang, the second round of attack and defense began.

Smoke was rising on the battlefield, and countless Liao soldiers fell to the ground during the charge, but more Liao soldiers continued to charge forward, still risking their lives to charge towards the front line of the Song army.

The key to the battle is the distance between the two sides.

The goal of the Song army was to kill the Liao army outside the front line, and the goal of the Liao army was to rush into the Song army's formation, fight with the Song army in close combat, and completely tear open the Song army's line.

Within three hundred steps, the gun was fast and accurate.

When the Liao army entered the firing range, casualties increased sharply. Some were hit by the Song army's firearms and fell to the ground, while others were tripped by the fallen Liao soldiers.

When charging at high speed, there is no time to change direction or slow down, and the warhorse has no time to react. It can only watch helplessly as it is tripped by its own comrades, falls with a bloody head, and then is trampled by its comrades behind.

In other words, if one person falls in the front, it is likely to affect a large number of people behind.

This is the natural shortcoming of cavalry, which is particularly prominent in the face of firearms.

In just three hundred steps, the Liao army seemed to have passed through the gates of hell. When they rushed to within a hundred steps of the front line of the Song army, one-third of them had suffered casualties.

Although the distance was getting closer, the Song army seemed unaware of it. Under the command of the generals, they still meticulously followed the usual training procedures, loading the gunpowder and bullets step by step, and firing in four-stage rotations.

Finally, when the Liao army rushed to about twenty or thirty steps in front of the formation, it was too late to load the next round of ammunition.

Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi rode on their horses, drew their swords, raised them high, stared and shouted.

"Everyone, change your swords! Kill—!"

At the same time, the Liao army finally rushed to within ten steps of the Song army's front line.

The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp had put away their flintlock rifles, put their muskets behind their backs, and drew their swords, rushing forward and chopping at the hooves of the Liao army's war horses.

The two armies finally came into close combat. With a bang, it was like the collision of two peerless weapons, sparking a burst of sparks.

At this time, the Song army finally suffered casualties.

The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion in the first row were violently knocked away by the Liao cavalry's war horses, and the soldiers in the second row were also violently stabbed in the chest with weapons by the Liao cavalry using the inertia of the war horses' charge.

(End of this chapter)