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

Chapter 200 Feigned Defeat
Guanghuamen is not far from Nanxunmen, only about four or five li away.

Therefore, He Huchen arrived very quickly, gathering his troops to provide reinforcements in less than a quarter of an hour.

When he saw that the right flank of the enemy soldiers was exposed to his troops, he rushed forward without saying a word, leading Zuo Guangxian, Ai Wannian and others, in an attempt to disrupt the enemy soldiers' breakout formation from the flank.

But Jiang Han's central army had been waiting for a long time. When he saw He Huchen leading his troops to attack, he did not panic at all. He immediately turned his guns around and led his central army to meet them.

The two thousand infantrymen quickly changed from a column to a line, with swordsmen and spearmen at the front and Dong Erzhu's musketeers behind them.

Although they couldn't fire cannons at this time, the soldiers in the artillery battalion didn't sit idle. They grabbed the muskets at their sides and, under the command of their respective officers, quickly formed several musket squads on both sides of the shield wall.

"Prepare—release!"

At the sergeant's command, hundreds of muskets roared simultaneously.

The dense barrage of lead bullets, accompanied by thick smoke, rained down like a deadly shower of iron upon the charging government troops.

The government troops at the forefront fell in droves, like wheat cut down by a sickle.

The momentum of the government troops' charge was halted. Seeing that the offensive was thwarted, He Huchen quickly led his personal guards and servants to take the lead.

The problem is that the shield wall that Jiang Han set up in front is not so easy to break through, and He Huchen's soldiers do not have powerful weapons like the Thunderclap Bomb, so they can only risk their lives to fill the gap.

The saber struck the leather-covered long shield to no avail; the sword could only be used to continuously reap lives from the spears behind the shield wall.

Seeing the vanguard suffer a setback, Zuo Guangxian, leading his men, took over the task of leading the charge without hesitation.

He pulled out a special chain hammer from somewhere and charged towards the shield bearers.

It must be said that Zuo Guangxian, coming from a military family in Shaanxi, did have some clever ideas.

He had clearly planned this all along, intending to use the chain mace to break the shield.

On the battlefield, the chain hammer is not actually that effective.

The chain hammer requires open space to swing, and it is easy to accidentally injure friendly forces in a dense formation. Moreover, the recovery is slow, and a missed strike will expose an opening.

However, the advantage of the chain mace lies in its soft rope structure, which makes the attack trajectory of the chain mace not a straight line, but can bypass the upper or side edge of the shield and directly strike the head, arm or shoulder of the enemy soldiers behind.

While a long shield can block frontal slashes and thrusts, it is still inadequate against such unpredictable, curved attacks.

Secondly, when ordinary weapons hit a shield, it usually doesn't hurt or itch, and it might not even leave a mark.

However, once the heavy hammerhead of the chain mace strikes the shield with all its might, the enormous impact is enough to cause the shield bearer to suffer from numbness in the arm and cracked skin, or even bone damage, rendering them unable to fight on the spot!

"boom!"

A vanguard of the government troops nimbly dodged the thrust of a spear, roared, and drew an arc in the air with his chain mace before slamming it heavily onto the long shield in front of him.

Even though the shield was covered with a layer of skin, the shield bearer still felt a tremendous force coming from the shield. He groaned, and his entire arm instantly lost feeling, and the long shield slipped from his hand.

The moment the shield-bearer exposed himself, the government troops behind him immediately followed up and smashed a hammer into his skull.

With a crisp cracking sound, the shield bearer fell to the ground.

Many shield bearers were hit in the arms and shoulders by the chain mace and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Zuo Guangxian's chain hammer soldiers, like a professional demolition team, forcefully smashed open gaps in the shield wall that Jiang Han had set up in front.

The officers and soldiers who had been waiting behind them rushed in through the gap and engaged in a fierce battle with the spearmen behind them.

The situation became tense in an instant.

But at that moment, Yang Jiamo, who was in front, could no longer hold on.

In the previous siege battles, his Gansu troops had already suffered heavy casualties and their morale was low.

Now, in a hasty confrontation, they faced off against the elite vanguard led by Shao Yong. After a close-quarters battle that lasted nearly fifteen minutes, the soldiers under his command were already exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

Shao Yong noticed that the Gansu soldiers were somewhat hesitant to fight, so he decisively seized the opportunity and led his personal guards in one charge after another.

Finally, thanks to Shao Yong's tireless efforts, Yang Jiamo completely broke down.

"We can't hold them off any longer, the enemy soldiers have broken in!"

"run!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, many Gansu soldiers threw down their weapons and ran away, ignoring Yang Jiamo's shouts and curses.

The army collapsed like a house of cards. As more and more soldiers fled, Yang Jiamo could no longer hold out and could only follow them in the retreat.

After breaking through Yang Jiamo's defenses, Shao Yong didn't even glance at the fleeing soldiers. He immediately turned his gun around and headed straight for the battlefield behind him.

At this time, He Huchen was still locked in a fierce battle with Jiang Han's central army, and the two sides were evenly matched.

"Quickly, follow me and flank the government troops!"

With Shao Yong's command, the forwards, riding the momentum of their victory, charged fiercely toward He Huchen's right flank!
At this moment, He Huchen was unaware that Yang Jiamo had already been defeated. He was working diligently, determined to lead his troops to break through the enemy's formation.

Suddenly, a deafening battle cry erupted from the right flank.

He turned his head in horror and saw that the enemy's banner had appeared on his flank. The enemy was coming on strong, and the soldiers on the right flank could not stop them at all. They were being driven back in defeat.

He Huchen wanted to lead his personal guards to the front, but his soldiers were unwilling to fight anymore.

The fact that the enemy troops have all appeared on the right flank means that the friendly forces at the front must have been defeated.

Otherwise, the enemy soldiers wouldn't have appeared on their flanks. With that in mind, how could these soldiers still be willing to fight?
We're about to be attacked from both sides by the enemy. If we don't run now, when will we?

"Retreat! All troops retreat!!"

Without He Huchen giving the order, countless government soldiers turned around and fled in all directions.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, He Huchen could only reluctantly lead Zuo Guangxian and others, under the protection of his personal guards, to escape the battlefield in a sorry state.

After a fierce battle, they finally repelled the defending troops blocking their way. Jiang Han had no time to rejoice, and immediately ordered the entire army to regroup and continue their breakout to the south.

Judging by the time, the pursuers from the north of the city should be arriving soon.

Now he'll run as far as he can, and whether he can escape successfully depends on Li Laowai's rear camp and that fake supply battalion.

The massive army, like a long dragon, marched rapidly southward.

But Li Laowai soon discovered that he had two tails that he couldn't shake off.

Yang Jiamo and He Huchen did not go far.

Having just suffered such a huge loss, the two were naturally unwilling to let the matter rest.

After gathering their remaining troops, the two men, still harboring treacherous intentions, dispatched several hundred of their cavalry to harass Jiang Han's army from a distance, constantly raiding the left flank responsible for covering the rear.

They attempted to delay Jiang Han's march in this way, while waiting for Hong Chengchou's reinforcements to arrive.

Jiang Han had no good way to deal with the cavalry that was following closely behind. He couldn't stop and fight them, because that would be exactly what they wanted.

He could only send Hong Ming out to lead the cavalry to drive away the approaching government cavalry and protect the flanks of the main army.

Just as this small group of cavalry was about to lose sight of their target, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the horizon not far away, obscuring the sky.

"General, reinforcements have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han suddenly looked behind him.

A torrent of three thousand cavalrymen, carrying yellow sand, was charging towards his troops at full speed.

Looking into the distance, the banners clearly belonged to the pursuing troops led by Cao Wenzhao.

Upon receiving news of the enemy's breakout, Hong Chengchou immediately handed over all his cavalry to Cao Wenzhao, ordering him to go ahead and pursue the enemy.

Seeing that the pursuers were approaching, Jiang Han decisively summoned a messenger:

"Go, tell Li Laowai to find a place to block the pursuing government troops, and hold them off for at least two hours!" "Also, tell Shao Yong to take 1,500 cavalry, break away from the main force, find a place to hide, and be ready to support Li Laowai at any time!"

After issuing the order, Jiang Han did not hesitate. He led the main force of the central army and Dong Erzhu's artillery and supply battalions southward without looking back.

After receiving Jiang Han's order, Li Laowai showed no fear on his face, but instead revealed a hint of excited smile.

He glanced at the fake supply depot ahead and hatched a plan.

He climbed to a high point and quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain. Soon, Li Laowai's gaze settled on a narrow intersection ahead.

This is a narrow passage between two small hills, a very strategic location where I can establish a defensive position.

If Cao Wenzhao wanted to take a detour to pursue him, he would have to spend a lot of time getting around the small hill in front of him.

"Hu Yongsheng! Quickly, take your men and occupy the intersection ahead. Pull out the fake supply wagons and build a defensive line on the spot!"

At Li Laowai's command, the two thousand soldiers of the Left Battalion immediately sprang into action.

They grouped the wagons of the supply battalion together, linking them end to end to form a crescent-shaped wagon formation, blocking the entire intersection.

Outside was a defensive line composed of soldiers from the Left Battalion, while inside was a suicide squad composed of civilians and wounded soldiers.

To be on the safe side, Li Laowai specifically ordered that all the vehicles loaded with gunpowder be moved to the innermost part of the entire vehicle formation.

It was also covered with a large number of grain and straw sacks, as well as wet mattresses.

The purpose of this was to prevent government troops from suddenly shooting a rocket or lead ball from some corner and igniting the gunpowder.

If the gunpowder were ignited prematurely, their rearguard team would be completely annihilated on the spot.

Not long after Li Laowai finished setting up the wagon formation, Cao Wenzhao's cavalry brigade caught up and stopped three or four miles away from the wagon formation.

Looking at the hastily erected position ahead, Cao Wenzhao couldn't help but smile contemptuously:
"Hmph, you think such a rudimentary position can stop the pursuers?"

"Transform into a dragon! Go and lead the troops to break through the formation!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Shoufa hesitated for a moment:
"General Cao, a direct assault would probably require some maneuvering. Why don't we look around and see if we can find a detour?"

Cao Wenzhao glanced at Sun Shoufa and frowned:
"Foolish! Look at this terrain, how can we possibly go around it?"

"Just go all out and attack. Don't be afraid of casualties. This kind of tactic won't hold out for long."

In his view, the bandits before him were nothing more than fighting like cornered beasts.

This rudimentary position can only hold them off for a short while at most. Once they've wiped out these bandits covering the rear, they can catch up with the main force.

He didn't even bother with probing; he simply drew his sword and pointed it forward.
"Transform into a dragon! Xiang Jun! You two each lead three hundred cavalry and launch an attack from both flanks!"

At his command, his two generals immediately mustered their troops, divided them into two teams, and charged toward Li Laowai's position.

The hundreds of government cavalry did not charge directly. Led by their respective officers, they divided into several small teams and, like experienced hunters, began to surround Li Laowai's wagon formation, constantly throwing arrows from their hands.

After firing a volley, the cavalry at the front immediately turned their horses around and left the front line from the left and right flanks respectively, then turned back to regroup and prepare for the next volley.

In an instant, arrows rained down like locusts, a dense barrage of arrows pouring down on the chariot formation from all directions.

The large cart that Li Laowai had placed in front of him was just for roadblocks; it couldn't possibly stop such a dense rain of arrows.

Fortunately, there were still quite a few shield soldiers ahead, who could barely hold them off.

"Raise your shields! Those without shields, crawl under the vehicle!"

Upon hearing this, Li Laowai's soldiers raised their shields or hid under the carts to shield themselves from the rain of arrows raining down on them.

Arrows struck the cart and shields, producing dull, resounding impacts.

Seeing that the archery was not effective, Cao Wenzhao frowned slightly and then gave the order:

"Dismount and fight on foot! Use the three-barreled guns to suppress them first, and move those carts blocking our way!"

Hundreds of Guan Ning cavalrymen immediately dismounted.

They skillfully took the three-barreled muskets from their horses and, under the command of their officers, lined up in three rows to begin firing in rotation at the wagon formation.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A dense barrage of lead bullets whistled as they pounded the line of vehicles.

The wooden carts were blasted apart, splinters flying everywhere, and some grain sacks used as cover were also pierced through.

The rebel soldiers hiding behind were shot from time to time, letting out a scream before falling into a pool of blood.

"The government troops have dismounted! Prepare to retaliate!"

Seeing this, Li Laowai's eyes lit up.

He had not chosen to retaliate earlier, mainly because the government troops' cavalry had been lurking outside his firing range.

This is the advantage cavalry has over infantry: they can constantly provoke you into firing arrows and guns from beyond their range.

If you can't resist and flinch, you'll be tricked into firing, and then the cavalry will overwhelm you and wipe you out in one fell swoop.

So, a distance of ten or so steps was the life-or-death distance between infantry and cavalry.

But now the government troops have dismounted, and the archers and musketeers of the left wing have also raised their heads and are firing arrows and muskets outward from the gaps in the wagon formation.

The two sides engaged in a fierce firefight at this small intersection.

The battle lasted for a full two hours.

Cao Wenzhao's counter-shooting failed, and he ordered his men to charge several times with shields, but they still failed to take the position.

Li Laowai and his left battalion brothers withstood several rounds of fierce attacks from Cao Wenzhao.

They stood there like nails, firmly rooted to the spot, refusing to yield an inch.

However, the casualties among the soldiers of the left battalion were equally heavy.

Of the nearly two thousand brothers, less than half remain.

Almost everyone was wounded, and their bows and arrows were about to run out.

Li Laowai glanced at the sky and estimated the distance the main force had traveled; he knew it was time.

The main force should have already gone far away, and his mission should have been completed.

Next, it's time for the supply battalion behind us to take the stage.

"withdraw!!"

Li Laowai roared and gave the order to retreat.

In order to lure the government troops into the trap, and also to make the performance more realistic.

Before retreating, Li Laowai deliberately had people cut open the sacks containing grain and scatter the gleaming silver all over the ground.

"Brothers! Retreat! Run south!"

The soldiers in the chariot formation felt as if they had been granted a pardon upon hearing the order to retreat.

They ceased resistance, leaving behind the corpses of hundreds of their comrades, and fled in disarray to the south.

Those more than one hundred wagons loaded with "gold, silver and grain" were left abandoned there all alone.

It's like a sumptuous feast, quietly awaiting the arrival of guests.

　Please refresh the page; I posted the wrong chapter earlier.

　　I've been working a lot of overtime this week, so I'll try to update more in the next two days!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)