Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 46: 20,000 Surrendered Soldiers Return to Ming Dynasty
First, the soldier from the Brave Guard Camp chopped off the head of an old soldier with one sword, and then, without any hesitation, stabbed him again with an extremely tricky angle.

The old soldier was hit right under the armpit, and someone next to him quickly finished him off.

A man in the back was holding a knife and standing alert.

A total of five hundred people formed more than one hundred small formations, and every four small formations formed a large formation.

Attacking for one phase can induce the other three phases to counterattack.

Although the rebel army had the advantage in numbers, they were at a disadvantage when facing the blade.

The tacit understanding of cooperation even shocked Liu Fangliang.

This is not the scariest thing. What is even scarier is that these people seem to know everything.

The swords might get bent or slip out of their hands, but these soldiers were not afraid at all.

They picked up the spears on the ground and formed a spear formation.

Two men held up their armor and one stabbed their throats, and the soldiers in the old camp were completely unable to resist.

What made Liu Fangliang even more frightened was that each of these soldiers was incredibly fierce!
Even if he was stabbed seven or eight times, as long as he could still move, he would continue to chop, and the more he chopped, the more excited he became.

What shocked him even more was that when someone in the front was injured, someone would immediately come out to take their place, and then the injured person would step back two steps, and other soldiers would come out to bandage their wounds before they could continue fighting.

The most outrageous thing is, which army repairs its own weapons and armor on the battlefield? !
What are you doing with the whetstone?!

What the hell is this thing called chopping and grinding?!

After so many years of fighting, this was the first time Liu Fangliang had seen this kind of army.

He was so scared that he didn't dare to move forward, for fear that these lunatics would pull him down and chop him into pieces.

If he knew that Zhu Youjian had stuffed dozens of entries into the Yongwei Camp, I wonder if he would curse.

In less than half a minute, more than 500 of the 2,000 soldiers from the old camp were chopped down!

Only more than twenty people were killed among the five hundred elite soldiers. Although there were hundreds of wounded, most of them were bandaged urgently and were still able to continue fighting.

Seeing that the border troops wearing cotton armor and more than 5,000 militiamen were about to attack from the rear.

The soldiers in the old camp were stunned.

If surrounded, even if you can break out, you will suffer heavy losses.

Only by reorganizing the team can we have the strength to fight.

Thinking of this, Liu Fangliang hurriedly raised the command flag and waved it left and right, "Retreat fifty steps!"

Under the banner of the central army, Song Xiance stood up straight when he saw Liu Fangliang's actions.

Realizing the critical situation, he ignored everything else and shouted anxiously, "Don't retreat!"

However, the two sides were too far apart and Liu Fangliang could not hear anything at all.

By the time the flag officer issued the flag order, it was too late.

The old soldiers in the camp, who had already been stunned by the Yongwei Camp, certainly did not dare to stay any longer when they heard the order to retreat.

Although there was no major defeat, the formation was completely destroyed.

Wu Xiang, atop the arrow tower, keenly sensed the opportunity. "Your Majesty, quickly issue an order. Order the Brave Guards and Tiger Guards to attack immediately! Seize the opportunity and attack!"

Zhu Youjian could not understand the changes on the battlefield, but he could see the retreating central army.

Hearing Wu Xiang's words, he immediately raised his hand and said, "Go and pass the order quickly!"

The military drums sounded and the commands rang out.

The Huben Guards in the center of the battlefield no longer held back. Thousands of them formed several rows and continuously attacked the old camp soldiers with large shields.

The goal is not to kill as many people as possible, but to break the formation.

The Yongwei Battalion was in even worse shape, while the soldiers of the Lao Battalion had just begun to retreat.

They started a fierce attack, using swords, guns, axes and halberds.

Wang Erhu ignored the blood on his face and chased the old soldier with his mouth wide open.

Those who retreated slowly were chopped down, forcing the remaining soldiers in the old camp to run faster.

The order was to retreat fifty steps and re-form the battle line.

Facing the sharp blades and extremely brutal Brave Guard Battalion, who could retreat by counting steps?

No matter how elite the soldiers in the old camp are, they are still human beings like the surrendered soldiers.

One person escaping can still take ten with him.

Although Liu Fangliang is a veteran general with the reputation of being an invincible general, he mostly relies on the combat effectiveness of the veteran soldiers to determine victory or defeat.

In other words, most of the rebel generals relied on the fearless fighting power of the veteran soldiers to win battles.

Once the old camp's soldiers are defeated, all will be lost.

Seeing this scene, Wu Xiang on the arrow tower stood up suddenly with an extremely excited expression.

"I dare to borrow your Majesty's Royal Guards!"

Although Zhu Youjian was a little confused, he nodded and agreed. Wu Xiang hurried forward and said, "The Imperial Guards will stand side by side on the city wall. Just repeat what I say loudly!"

With Zhu Youjian's consent, the thousand imperial guards ran to the parapet on the city wall and stood side by side without any hesitation.

Wu Xiang then shouted towards the battlefield below the city, "Liu Zongmin is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Liu Zongmin is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!" The shouts of thousands of people echoed in front of Deshengmen.

The selection criteria for the Imperial Guards are a sturdy physique and a loud voice. The tall physique can support the royal image, and the loud voice can effectively convey the emperor's words.

You can imagine how loud it would be if a thousand people shouted the same thing at the same time.

Even the three or four thousand surrendered soldiers who had already formed a line at the back of the battlefield could hear it clearly.

Song Xiance, who was under the banner of the central army, had only one thought in his mind at this time.

Lost!

The surrendered army was defeated, the central army was also defeated, and the last 4,000 elite cavalry were still entangled, while the Ming army had tens of thousands of civilians led by elite troops.

The momentum is great.

Both the surrendered soldiers from the old camp and the cavalrymen of the rebel army following behind Liu Zongmin were in a panic.

They all looked towards the direction of the central army's banner.

Even though the banner was still there, there was no sign of Liu Zongmin.

Chuang Jun, who was already on the brink of collapse, was like a flood breaking through a dam after hearing these words.

Completely lost the last bit of organizational ability.

They ran backwards in a huge crowd.

Song Xiance had no choice but to urge his horses to retreat while ordering his men to call back the troops.

Fortunately, the central army's flag was still there, providing a target for the scattered soldiers of the old camp.

As the horn sounded, the only organized cavalry began to evacuate in an orderly manner.

Liu Zongmin lay on the horse's back, with the whistling north wind and the chaotic sound of horse hooves in his ears.

The three broken ribs stung as the warhorse rocked him, but none of that could compare to the feeling of shame surging in his chest.

Last month, while drinking from the Yellow River, he pointed his whip at the other side and declared, "We will conquer Juyong in three days and the Forbidden City in five days."

The former goal was achieved, but the latter resulted in his complete failure.

He looked back somewhat unwillingly.

The figure in golden armor was leaning against the parapet and overlooking the battlefield, as if looking at a beast trapped in a cage.

During the great victory at Tongguan last year, the Ming generals who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy said that the emperor did not even dare to leave the palace.

But at this moment, the bright yellow color hurt his eyes.

He knew in his heart that the defeat in this battle was not anyone else's fault but himself. If he had not attacked so hastily and advanced steadily, the outcome would have been uncertain.

But at this moment, he could only curse angrily, "Old Emperor!"

Then he left the battlefield without looking back.

After all, the soldiers in the old camp were elite soldiers who had fought in many battles. When they heard the sound of the bronze bells, they were able to form a formation, use their spears to push away the fleeing soldiers blocking the way, and forcibly tear a gap in the encirclement.

But the surrendered troops did not have such ability.

The armies on both sides have already deployed, and the horses of the 3,000-man battalion are exhausted and can only advance in small steps to the rear of the surrendered army.

Under pressure from three sides, the 20,000 surrendered soldiers rushed towards the city wall like a flock of driven sheep.

"Release!" A sharp order came from the top of the city.

Amid the buzzing sound of a thousand bows vibrating simultaneously, three waves of arrows rained down on the back of the crowd.

This was Zhu Youjian's last move.

The Royal Guards shouted again, "Drop your weapons and kneel down. Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The defeated soldiers looked at the white feather arrows nailed in front of their feet. No one knew who took the lead, but tens of thousands of people suddenly faced the city wall and performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. The sound of their foreheads hitting the ground drowned out the noise of the battlefield.

On the city wall, Ni Yuanlu was unaware that his black hat was tilted to one side.

The newly appointed Prime Minister, known for his uprightness, was now clutching Fan Jingwen's arm, laughing and crying, "Did you see that?! The capital is defended! The capital is defended!"

The officials around were so happy that they cried, not knowing whether it was because they had defended the capital or because they had saved their own lives.

Zhu Youjian held the armrest of the armchair, his nails almost digging into the wood, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

He barely won the battle, but he didn't dare to relax.

Li Zicheng's army was less than fifteen miles away.

If the situation on the battlefield hadn't changed so quickly, the reinforcements he sent might have arrived.

(End of this chapter)