The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 16 Encounter with Mongol Cavalry
Jiang Han stared intently at the campfire and slowly began to explain:

"My family originally lived in Ansai, and I can barely be considered a fellow townsman of Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader."

“Anse suffered a drought in the first year of Chongzhen’s reign. It didn’t rain for a whole year, and almost everyone died.”

"Have you ever seen doors left unlocked at night? People say that only prosperous times have such a scene, but Ansai has been doing this for a long time."

After listening, Shao Yong remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the flickering campfire, as if he were recalling something.

Jiang Han looked at the silent Shao Yong, somewhat puzzled:

"Shao Yong, what about you? Where are you from?"

Shao Yong rubbed his nose, his voice hoarse:

"Sir, my family is from Dingbian. I wanted to join the army to receive a salary and help support my family; but after enlisting, I haven't seen a single penny."

“My family suffered from a severe drought, and my two children starved to death before I could receive my meager salary.”

Jiang Han immediately understood:

"So you were so bold that day? Daring to shout about rebellion in front of so many people?"

Shao Yong nodded, his hand unconsciously stroking the hilt of the knife at his waist, as if trying to soothe the resentment in his heart.

After a moment, he raised his head, his voice somewhat muffled:
"To be honest, sir, I, Shao Yong, have been serving in the General's Battalion as a vanguard since the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, which is now five years ago."

“In these five years, apart from a meager resettlement allowance, we haven’t seen a single penny.”

"We were always hungry and cold, and in order to find something to eat, we even caught all the rats around the camp!"

As Shao Yong spoke, his expression grew increasingly somber, his eyes filled with unspeakable bitterness.

"Lord Jiang is a kind man. He not only saved our lives but also gave us pay. From now on, if you give the word, I, Shao Yong, will serve you without hesitation!"

Jiang Han nodded silently, a sigh escaping his lips.

The Ming Dynasty's border troops selected their vanguard, archers—the elite of the elite.

Now they've fallen to the point where they can't get enough to eat or wear, and even their family members have starved to death. No wonder the Ming Dynasty is doomed!
Jiang Han patted Shao Yong on the shoulder and comforted him:

"Don't worry, as long as I, Jiang Han, have a bite to eat, you will never go hungry!"

He paused, glanced at the faintly brightening sky, and exhaled a breath of cold air:
"Alright, it's already dawn, time to change shifts. I'll go get Zhu Zi to take over, this wind is killing me."

Jiang Han struggled to sit up, took a deep breath, and tightened his cotton armor, trying to keep the biting cold wind out.

But just then, Shao Yong suddenly grabbed Jiang Han's shoulder, his face full of vigilance:
"My lord, wait! There's a message on the wind!"

Jiang Han paused for a moment, then composed himself, opened his ears wide, and listened carefully to the sounds carried on the wind.

"It sounds like shouts of battle. I'll take some men to check it out."

Jiang Han dared not delay, so he quickly woke up Erzhu and Heizi, and gathered more than a hundred men, who rode their horses toward the source of the sound.

"Chief, don't be so nervous; we're downwind, so our voices can travel a lot. I reckon we'll have to walk a bit more."

Hei Zi, still half-asleep, rode his horse, yawning as he comforted Jiang Han.

Jiang Han, standing to the side, looked on warily. With such heavy snow and at dawn, where did the shouts of battle come from?

Could it be that the imperial court sent people to intercept them?

After riding for about half a cup of tea's time, Jiang Han and his group finally saw a group of people in the distance, along with faint flickering lights in the morning light.

As the shouts of battle grew clearer, the men at the front exchanged glances, drew their swords, spurred their horses, and charged forward. Jiang Han and Zhu Zi tacitly split into two groups, each leading fifty men, standing on either side.

Once the horses came to a stop, Jiang Han looked closely and saw a group of Mongol cavalrymen galloping towards him, numbering about two hundred.

Two soldiers were galloping ahead of the Mongols, clearly being pursued by the Mongol cavalry.

Jiang Han's gaze sharpened as he looked at the cotton armor and goose-feather sabers on the two men, instantly recognizing them as Ming Dynasty border soldiers!
Seeing the Mongols getting closer and closer, Jiang Han immediately gave the order:

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"

At a command, the cavalry, who had been separated to the left and right, immediately adjusted their formation and stood in three rows.

This is a triple-layered formation commonly used by the Ming army. Veteran border soldiers generally call it the "one-two-character pig-slaughtering formation".

The fighting style is simple and brutal: the front-line cavalry engages the enemy first, then feigns defeat to lure the enemy in;
The Ming troops in the rear took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack on the enemy's flank, while the front ranks then flanked and killed all the enemy soldiers.

It is simple and straightforward, so the border troops also call it the "Pig Slaughtering Formation".

Meanwhile, the Mongol cavalry in the distance gradually slowed down, clearly having spotted Jiang Han and his group not far away.

"Where did these Ming soldiers come from?"

The Mongol centurion in charge was surprised. How did a group of Ming cavalry suddenly appear here? The Ming cavalry should be in the capital region by now.

However, he didn't take the Ming army on the other side seriously. They were just a hundred cavalrymen; he could kill them all.

This was not an overconfidence on his part. Since they followed Huang Taiji into the Central Plains, almost every Ming army they encountered along the way collapsed at the first contact.

I suppose this Ming army will do the same; as long as I lead my men to charge at full speed, they will rout on their own.

And so, in the dim light of dawn, the two sides stood facing each other across a mile.

Because Jiang Han was injured, Shao Yong simply brought more than twenty people to surround Jiang Han.

Jiang Han frowned upon seeing this, somewhat worried:

"Shao Yong, why did you bring so many men? There are too few people in front, be careful the army formation gets broken up."

Shao Yong smiled, revealing a disdainful expression:

"Lord Jiang, they're just a bunch of Mongols. We've seen plenty of them in Yulin. They're nothing to worry about."

Jiang Han was somewhat surprised. Was it true? He had been to the frontier to burn wasteland in previous years.

Once outside the border wall, the cavalry of Yansui Town would turn around and retreat as soon as they encountered Mongol cavalry. Why do they seem so calm and composed now?

Seemingly noticing Jiang Han's confusion, Shao Yong spoke up to explain:

"Lord Jiang, in the past, when we went out to burn wasteland beyond the Great Wall, it was just a trip. The brothers couldn't even get enough to eat, so where did they get the strength to fight?"

"Riding a horse around the border region and firing a couple of arrows would be enough to do justice to the Emperor."

As he spoke, Shao Yong pointed to a soldier in the ranks:
"Sir, look, Li Laowai in the second row, he used to be the fastest runner, like a rabbit."

Jiang Han looked in the direction Shao Yong was pointing. Wasn't this the man who had shouted about rebelling earlier?

Li Laowai was carrying a horse-slaying knife in one hand and picking at his nose with the other. After he finished, he didn't forget to wipe his hand on the horse's mane.

Looking at Li Laowai's slovenly and disheveled appearance, Jiang Han was somewhat worried:
"Oh no, will all those tens of thousands of taels of silver I've invested attract these old, cunning soldiers?"

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(End of this chapter)