Huangming

Chapter 299 Fighting to the Death to Slay the Flag, a Distinguished Warrior is Here (Bonus Chapter for 200 Monthly Tickets!)
The course of the battle unfolded exactly as Xiong Tingbi had predicted from the city wall.

The Ming army that rushed out of the gates of Shenyang did not collapse at the first contact as Chen Ce and others had expected. Instead, it burned more and more fiercely in the open field like a wildfire that had been lit.

The infantry formation at Andingmen was like a moving iron mountain, with spearmen forming an impenetrable forest of spears in front, and swordsmen following closely behind to fill the gaps, forcefully stopping the charge of the Plain White Banner.

In the direction of Deshengmen, He Shixian's cavalry, though exhausted, regained their spirits thanks to the arrival of reinforcements.

Instead of charging relentlessly, they coordinated with the infantry phalanx to maneuver left and right, like a nimble scimitar, constantly cutting through the Jurchen formation.

"Commander He! Commander Qi! I'm here!"

An old yet resounding shout pierced through the chaos of the battle.

Chen Ce's figure stood out conspicuously amidst the chaotic army.

This old general, with his white hair and beard, had armor covered in knife marks and dried bloodstains embedded between the armor plates. Yet, he wielded his long-handled broadsword with ferocious skill, and wherever the blade flashed, the Jurchen helmets shattered.

The veteran soldiers he led were all seasoned veterans who had survived countless battles. Although most of them were men over forty years old, they all had eyes like eagles. They formed small squads and specifically sought out gaps in the Jurchens' defenses to attack.

"It's Commander Chen!"

Qi Jin, trapped in the center, suddenly brightened up.

His Japanese sword was already dulled, with several nicks on the blade. He had been shot in the left arm with an arrow embedded deep in his flesh, yet he still desperately protected the exhausted He Shixian beside him.

He Shixian's warhorse had already collapsed and died, its carcass still twitching. He was now leaning on his broken sword, panting. A large gash had been cleaved in his chest armor, and blood stained half of his battle robe, dripping down the seam and pooling on the ground in a dark red puddle.

"The reinforcements have finally arrived."

He Shixian breathed a sigh of relief and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

And at this time.

Chen Ce's team, like a tempered awl, forcefully pierced through the encirclement.

The veterans worked together seamlessly. Some used shields to protect their comrades, while others used short guns to bombard the enemy at close range. Lead bullets thudded against the enemy soldiers' armor, and some even targeted the horses' legs, forcing the Jurchen cavalry to fall from their horses one after another.

Abate watched from the high slope with eyes blazing with fury.

His personally led White Armor soldiers had suffered nearly half their losses, and the originally impenetrable encirclement had been torn open, with Ming army reinforcements pouring in continuously.

"Taji, let's retreat and regroup!"

The Niru Ejen beside him said anxiously, "The Ming army is gathering in greater numbers, and we can no longer make use of our cavalry and archery advantage!"

Abatai lashed the horse's rump hard with his whip, and the warhorse reared up in pain.

He was well aware that the strength of the Eight Banners cavalry lay entirely in their mobility; they could tear through enemy lines in a charge and outflank them from the rear in a flanking maneuver.

At this moment, the cavalry was being relentlessly pursued by the Ming army. The cavalrymen were like trapped beasts spinning in place, unable to use their bows and arrows effectively, and their sabers were no match for the Ming army's long-handled weapons. If they continued to linger, they would only be worn down and eventually collapse.

"Withdraw first!" Abatai ordered through gritted teeth.

The crisp sound of a golden gong pierced the battlefield, and the Jurchens who were besieging He Shixian felt as if they had been granted a pardon and began to retreat in an orderly manner.

They fought and retreated, with archers continuously firing arrows as they retreated, attempting to halt the Ming army's pursuit.

But Chen Ce's veterans were prepared, raising their shields to protect their heads and steadily advancing.

As the Jurchens retreated, the encirclement receded like the tide, revealing Qi Jin and He Shixian, covered in blood, in the center.

The two supported each other, with more than twenty wounded soldiers standing behind them, all of them bearing injuries but still holding their backs straight.

These dozens of men had fought their way through the initial thousands, each bearing multiple wounds and tattered armor, yet not one of them retreated.

If the reinforcements had arrived even a moment later, both of them would probably have lost their lives.

"Commander He!"

Chen Ce dismounted and helped the swaying He Shixian up.

He Shixian was riddled with arrows, some piercing his arms, some grazing his ribs, and the deepest arrow was still trembling at his shoulder blade.

He saw reinforcements arriving, grinned, revealing his blood-stained teeth, and tried to say something, but everything went black before his eyes, and he fell straight down.

"Commander He!"

The guards beside He Shixian rushed forward to support him, but as soon as their hands touched his body, they were scalded by the hot blood and turned pale with fright.

"Quick! Stop the bleeding!"

Although Qi Jin did not fall into a coma immediately, his body was covered with crisscrossing wounds. The arrow wound on his left arm was so deep that the bone was visible, and his right leg was slashed open by a saber, bleeding profusely. His trousers were already soaked in blood and stuck tightly to his leg.

He was barely holding on with the broken spear, his vision blurring, clearly having lost his fighting ability. If his wounds weren't treated promptly, his life would be in danger.

"Quickly! Get the two generals onto stretchers!"

Chen Ce gave the order in a deep voice, but his gaze swept towards the Jurchens like that of a hawk.

The retreating Jurchen cavalry had begun to regroup, their black armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, their hooves clattering, clearly preparing for a new charge.

The infantry pushed their shield wagons, advancing step by step, the wagons covered in arrows. They were less than a hundred paces away, and battle was imminent.

Chen Ce gripped the long-handled broadsword tightly in his hand, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

He instructed the veterans behind him, "A few of you escort the two generals back to the city!"

"As ordered!"

Qi Jin and He Shixian were immediately carried back to Shenyang.

And without any worries about the future.

Chen Ce looked at the Jiannu who were closing in step by step, but his face showed no fear at all. Instead, a fierce aura rose up on his face.

He spent half his life on the battlefield; what kind of desperate situation hadn't he seen?

Although the Jurchen cavalry was fierce, the Ming army was not made of mud!

"The Jurchens are powerful? The sons of the Ming Dynasty are not to be trifled with!"

Chen Ce suddenly raised his long-handled broadsword and shouted to his troops behind him, "Brothers, follow me and kill! Let these Tartars see what the might of the Ming army is!"

"May the Great Ming Dynasty be victorious!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The veterans behind him shouted in unison, their voices shaking the wilderness.

Soldiers continued to pour out of the gates of Shenyang. The infantry formation at Anding Gate had advanced to within a hundred paces, and the cavalry at Desheng Gate had also formed their ranks on the flanks.

Chen Ce knew that he had to create an opening to clear obstacles for the following teams.

"rush!"

At Chen Ce's command, he spurred his horse and charged forward.

The heavily armored cavalry behind them followed like arrows released from a bow. These elite soldiers, dressed in gleaming armor and whose warhorses were also clad in thin armor, charged forward like a silver torrent, the thunderous sound of their hooves shaking the earth.

The Jurchen cavalry initially wanted to stop them, but seeing this unstoppable charge, they instinctively pulled on the reins.

Their leather armor was like paper against the heavy armor!
"Fire arrows!"

The Jurchen cavalry squad leader roared, and arrows rained down on the Ming army like locusts.

However, when the arrows struck the heavy armor, they only made a crisp "clanging" sound, and most of them were deflected, causing no damage whatsoever.

"What kind of skill is it to just scratch an itch on the sidelines? If you've got the guts, come and fight me with your knives!"

Chen Ce laughed loudly and swung his broadsword at the nearest Jurchen cavalryman.

The cavalryman hurriedly raised his sword to parry, but the impact made his hand go numb, and the long sword flew out of his hand. The next second, Chen Ce chopped off his head with a single stroke.

The heavily armored cavalry charged forward, their lances piercing the chests of the Jurchens, their longswords cleaving through the enemy's armor, and screams of agony echoed throughout the land.

The Jurchen cavalry dared not face the enemy directly, and retreated hastily, only daring to roam the flanks and harass them from afar with arrows, but they could not stop the Ming army's charge.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ce had led his troops into the Jurchen infantry formation.

The Jurchen infantrymen pushing the shield carts did not expect the Ming army to arrive so quickly, and hurriedly put down the shield carts to form a defensive line.

But Chen Ce's broadsword, carrying immense force, struck the Jurchen infantryman beside the shield wagon with a clang, cleaving him in two from the center of his forehead downwards!
"Kill me!"

Chen Ce roared and slashed down with his sword again.

Another Jurchen head rolled.

The Jurchen infantry behind them were so frightened that they retreated one after another. The heavy cavalry took the opportunity to pour in through the gap, their lances flying, and soon a gap was torn open.

Chen Ce moved through the enemy ranks as if they were empty, wielding his long-handled broadsword with impenetrable skill, leaving mountains of Jurchen corpses in his wake.

"Happy! So happy!"

As Chen Ce got into the heat of battle, his hair and beard stood on end, and the bloodstains on his battle robe grew thicker and thicker, yet he fought with ever greater ferocity.

He recalled the Jurchen saying, "If the Eight Banners are less than 10,000, they are invincible when they are 10,000," and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Bullshit! Today I'll show you that my Ming Dynasty's men are truly invincible when they are less than 10,000, but when they are 10,000!"

Abatai, watching from the high slope, was terrified.

The more he engaged in the battle, the more uneasy he felt.

These Ming soldiers are completely different from those we've encountered before!

They were not afraid of death, nor did they retreat. Even if they were cut down, they would drag the Jurchens down with them.

"What exactly is going on?"

Abatai muttered to himself, a sense of panic rising in his heart for the first time.

His White-Armored Soldiers suffered increasing losses, while the Ming army in Shenyang continued to pour out, seemingly endless.

He had already decided to withdraw.

The fighting on the main battlefield has become chaotic and intense.

On the edge of this chaos, You Shigong's five hundred elite cavalrymen, like a hidden arrow released from a bow, broke through the gaps in the Jurchen army's formation and, without lingering in battle, headed straight for the depths of the Jurchen camp.

On the high platform in front of the camp, a black silk banner, embroidered with a white gyrfalcon capturing a deer, and with nine sable tails along its edge, fluttered in the wind.

Yu Shigong stared at the black banner, his eyes blazing with fury.

What he had to do was to kill the commander and seize the flag, thus establishing an unparalleled achievement that would overturn the course of the war!
On the high platform, Huang Taiji's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's as he locked onto the attacking Ming cavalry.

He placed his hand on the curved sword at his waist, his brow furrowed into a knot.

"Are these Ming people crazy? They dare to cut down the flag with only a few hundred men?"

He turned his head to look at Ajige beside him.

"Ajige, my good brother, go and crush these ignorant fools!"

"Don't worry, brother!"

Ajige slapped his warhorse hard, his tiger-shaped spear gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The three hundred elite cavalrymen behind him simultaneously drew their sabers, the flashes of their blades forming a silvery arc as they charged towards You Shigong's troops.

According to the Eight Banners' tactics, cavalry should have used their archery advantage to constantly harass the enemy. However, the commander's banner was the heart of the army, so Ajige had no choice but to confront them head-on.

"boom--!"

The two cavalry forces, like two surging torrents of iron, collided with a thunderous crash a hundred paces from the high platform.

Yu Shigong's long spear was the first to strike, its tip piercing the throat of a Jurchen cavalryman with a sharp whistling sound. Blood splattered onto his armor like a blooming, bewitching flower.

Almost simultaneously, Ajige's tiger spear slammed into the Ming army's shield with a sharp clang, sparks flew, and a crack appeared in the shield.

Using the momentum of his warhorse, he swept his tiger-shaped spear horizontally, knocking two Ming soldiers flying in succession, letting out a beast-like roar.

However, You Shigong brought only heavily armored cavalry, their warhorses clad in armor and their riders in gleaming armor. Their charge was like a heavy iron plow, tearing a gap through the Eight Banners cavalry.

The Jurchen cavalry in the front row were no match for the impact. They fell to the ground, their horses neighing and collapsing into pools of blood. Some even suffered broken bones and could not get up again.

The elite troops of the Eight Banners, having been through many battles, quickly adjusted their formation and launched a flanking maneuver from both sides.

Arrows rained down from three sides, striking the Ming army's iron armor with a clanging sound. Although they were unlikely to injure bones, they still caused many knights' arms to go numb.

"kill!"

One of his personal guards roared and engaged in close combat with three Jurchen cavalrymen who charged forward. Three spears pierced his abdomen at the same time.

Blood gushed out from the spear shaft, but he grinned maliciously, snapped the spear shaft in two, and hurled the blood-stained broken blade at an enemy general not far away, hitting him squarely in the eye socket.

"Die to me!"

Before the guard's shout had even faded, he was thrown heavily from his horse and died instantly.

Ajige was shocked; he had never seen such fearless Ming soldiers.

Some men, their intestines spilling from their wounds, tightened their belts around their abdomens and charged forward on horseback; others, their arms severed, bit open the fuses of their fire bombs with their teeth and threw them towards the densest concentration of Jurchens; still others, their warhorses shot to death, wielded their sabers on foot and carved a bloody path through the enemy lines.

These Ming soldiers showed no fear, only a resolute determination to perish together with their enemies.

Faced with such an enemy who was determined to die, even Ajige, known for his ruthlessness, couldn't help but feel a chill.

But the commander's flag was right behind him, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

"Abandon mounted archery and engage in close combat!"

Ajige roared, abandoning his preferred guerrilla tactics, and ordered his cavalry to forgo mobility and engage the Ming army in a head-on confrontation.

The foot soldiers below the platform quickly pushed their shield carts forward, attempting to form a solid defensive line.

"Brothers, charge with me!"

Yu Shigong's long spear pierced the chest of another white-armored soldier. His battle robe was already soaked in blood, and his face was splattered with the enemy's brains, but he showed no fear.

The heavily armored cavalry followed closely behind, their lances flashing and their blades gleaming like snow, as they approached the high platform bearing the commander's banner step by step.

The shouts of battle below the platform grew closer and closer, even Huang Taiji, who was directing the battle from afar, panicked.

He instinctively climbed onto his warhorse and retreated towards the rear of the camp.

He could disregard Ajige's life or death, but he couldn't allow himself to be in danger.

This is not because I'm afraid of death.

Rather, it was the death of the commander-in-chief that had a huge impact on morale.

however.

A person can retreat, but the commander's flag cannot.

The five hundred cavalrymen that You Shigong brought were now less than a hundred, but they still charged towards the black banner like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Drop the explosives!"

You Shigong pulled out the last explosive charge from his pocket, lit the fuse, and threw it forcefully toward the high platform. The remaining soldiers behind him followed suit, throwing their remaining explosive charges toward the platform.

"Boom boom boom——!"

A series of explosions rang out on the high platform, sending wood chips, gravel, and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The great banner, symbolizing the authority of the Jurchens, swayed a few times amidst the smoke of battle before finally snapping with a "crack" and falling heavily to the ground.

"The flag has fallen!"

Someone let out a roar, the sound piercing through the clamor of the battlefield.

Yu Shigong stared at the fallen black banner and suddenly laughed, his laughter tinged with blood.

His warhorse had long since fallen, and now he stood atop the mound of corpses, leaning on a broken spear, his body riddled with arrows, yet he stood like an unyielding monument.

"Damn it!"

Ajige spurred his horse forward and stabbed You Shigong through the heart with a dagger.

He stared blankly at the black banner, which had been blown to pieces, and the tiger spear in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Did he win?

He annihilated the Ming army, but lost his command flag.

Although he was one of the few survivors of the battlefield.

But he lost.

Once the black banner falls, the morale of the Jin soldiers will plummet.

A crushing defeat may be imminent.

(End of this chapter)