Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Chapter 95 The chance for revenge has arrived!

Sometimes one cannot be too cautious; Esen was not as decisive as Zhu Qiyu.

This approach is not problematic in military campaigns, but it was precisely Esen's actions that gave Shi Heng ample time to reinforce Andingmen.

When Shi Heng led his cavalry to Andingmen, Esen had not yet arrived.

He simply ordered his cavalry to hide on both sides of the rear of the main camp, and even ordered the clearing of the defenses in front of the main camp, preparing to cower in front of the main camp and wait for battle.

Shi Heng did this because Tao Jin's regiment at Andingmen was still mainly composed of infantry, with only a few hundred cavalrymen, and even those were just nominal cavalry. The warhorses in the regiment were all conscripted from the homes of some gentry in the capital, and their quality varied greatly, so their combat effectiveness was really limited. They were okay as local harassment or scouting cavalry, but as the main fighting force, they would most likely be sent to their deaths.

Shi Heng brought three thousand cavalry, which were true cavalry, but compared with Esen's cavalry army, their numbers were simply insufficient.

If the battle line is pulled far away from the main camp, the infantry will not be able to provide support in time. Shi Heng will have to lead three thousand cavalry to fight alone, facing Esen's army head-on, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

They should remain in their camp and wait for Esen to launch a surprise attack. With infantry and cavalry working together and the advantage of firearms, they will surely be able to defeat part of Esen's army.

The Ming Dynasty's ultimate tactic is to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, constantly depleting Esen's forces. Even exchanging 10,000 for 5,000 can be considered a huge profit.

Da Meng lacks the ability to launch attacks, which is why Shou Qian set up camp outside Shou City, forcing Esen to take the initiative to attack.

Esen's army arrived without encountering any significant obstacles, which further convinced him that his judgment was correct and that the defenses at Andingmen were weak.

The Ming Dynasty's elite troops had clearly been wiped out at Tumu Fortress, and there was no way they would have any more elite soldiers left. This unimpeded advance was exactly what Esen had anticipated. In his view, the Ming Dynasty should be terrified and surrender at his besieged city.

After all, he was the man who wiped out the Ming Dynasty's elite troops and captured the emperor, making him arguably the bravest man in the universe!

As Esen gazed at Anding Gate from afar, he cursed inwardly: "Damn the Ming Emperor! He actually tried to deceive me with such a clumsy scheme. Today I will wipe out the Ming army at this gate and avenge my brother!"

Esen immediately gave the order!

The elite Oirat cavalry, forming a thick and dense formation, advanced towards the Ming army camp at Andingmen.

After traveling nearly half a mile, Esen finally noticed something amiss. The Ming army camp was in perfect formation, seemingly having been waiting for a long time.

A row of strange wooden carts (sidecarts) was arranged in front of the formation. Needless to say, they were used to block the advance of the cavalry. This was similar to the way the soldiers with spears formed a human wall. However, in Esen's view, the wooden carts were not as good as the spear formation, because although the wooden carts could block the cavalry, they had no offensive power.

When the bugle sounded, Esen waved his command flag, and the Oirat cavalry charged forward. The commanders on the side wagons observed and gave orders through the square holes, and the cannons under the cover of the side wagons adjusted their muzzles instantly.

"fire!"

The Ming army's Shenji Battalion's cannons roared and spewed flames, sending iron bullets flying at perfect angles, sweeping across the enemy formation like invisible longswords sharpened with cold light.

The Oirat cavalryman who was first hit was unable to dodge and was instantly smashed in half by the huge impact. The iron bullet did not lose any momentum and cleaved the thigh of the second cavalryman, smashing into the belly of the horse, and the man and horse fell over instantly.

Bullets came one after another, descending with the force of thunder.

Several Oirat cavalrymen suffered shattered limbs and broken shields, with fragments of weapons flying everywhere. Some iron bullets, carrying blood and flesh, bounced on the ground before finally landing heavily.

A series of agonizing screams erupted in an instant. In just one volley of ricocheting shells, more than ten fierce Oirat cavalrymen were either killed or maimed. The entire charging line was thrown into slight disarray, but the Oirat cavalrymen were well-trained and quickly adjusted and returned to normal.

In the Oirat ranks, the King of Datong had a solemn expression, his hands gripping his sword tightly, showing no fear of the cannons.

Using artillery against cavalry was entirely a matter of luck. Cavalry moved swiftly, and artillery could not lock onto their targets. Hitting their own cavalry was purely a matter of blind luck for the Ming army.

Moreover, the Ming army's cannons were extremely slow to reload, and there would be a long gap after each shot. The army only needed to hold its ground and advance steadily to within two hundred paces. Once they got close, the cannons posed no threat whatsoever.

But just as the King of Datong finished thinking about it, another roar erupted!

This person is truly a jinx!

The Ming army adopted a volley firing tactic. After the first volley was completed, the commander signaled the artillery to adjust the angle in time according to the distance the cavalry had run, and the second volley was almost seamless.

The cannons at the Andingmen camp spewed out white smoke again. The Ming army gunners coordinated their actions skillfully, their movements flowing smoothly and incredibly fast.

Tao Jin didn't want his army to suffer losses, and since his cavalry was scarce and unusable, he put a lot of effort into developing firearms.

Another wave of chaos swept through the Oirat army. Before the Oirat cavalry could regain their composure, a third round of artillery fire followed!

A fierce wind whistled past the helmet that King Datong had captured from Tumu Fortress, and the trajectory of the iron bullet was within reach, almost grazing his head as it swept into the rear army.

A series of screams erupted behind him, and the knuckles of the King of Datong, gripping his sword, turned white. For the first time, his fierce and battle-hardened heart was filled with inexplicable fear.

I almost died just now, thanks to the great Genghis Khan!

I didn't expect the Ming army's artillery fire to be so dense. I was careless just now. I can't let the Ming army bombard us again.

"Charge at full speed!"

Bugles sounded loudly in the Oirat army, and the Oirat troops galloped wildly on horseback.

The safest approach at this moment would be to spread out the formation, making the cannonballs less damaging. However, there were too many Oirat cavalrymen, making it impossible to spread them out. In the past, as long as they could withstand one or two rounds of artillery fire from the Ming Dynasty and suffer only a few casualties, they could reach the front lines.

In an instant, the Oirat army, which was accelerating its advance, had pressed the Ming army's formation to within two hundred paces.

Seeing the Oirat army approaching, Tao Jin immediately abandoned the cannons. The Shenji Battalion soldiers used the side wagons to aim their firearms at the approaching cavalry, preparing to fire. Behind the wagons, there were three rows of archers who, under the cover of the side wagons, followed the command of the sergeant to fire blind shots. The rain of arrows was able to suppress the Oirat cavalry for a short time.

As they approached the sidecar, infantrymen armed with long spears were ready to kill any enemy soldiers who came near.

To the Ming army's surprise, the Oirat army sounded the bugle again, the leading cavalryman raised the command flag, and the Oirat cavalry quickly split to the two flanks, without recklessly charging into the Ming infantry formation.

Tao Jin seemed to have anticipated this and quickly changed tactics.

Cavalry is not at an advantage when directly confronting infantry phalanxes; even if they charge, they may be surrounded and killed.

The Oirat cavalry were extremely experienced; how could they possibly clash head-on with the Ming infantry formation?

The biggest weakness of a phalanx is always on its flanks, while the greatest advantage of cavalry is its high mobility. As long as they surround an infantry phalanx, they can always find a weakness. Human coordination is bound to have mistakes, especially under the mental pressure of cavalry hunting.

The Varians thought of attacking from the flanks, and so did another player!

Shi Heng had already been lying in ambush on both flanks of the rear army camp below the city. Since the defeat at Yanghe, Shi Heng had entered the darkest period of his life. If Zhu Qiyu had not taken him out of the imperial prison and entrusted him with important responsibilities, he might still be living with shame to this day.

However, as a defeated general, he was promoted to the position of commander of the Twelve Battalions. Many people were secretly resentful of this. He always wanted to find an opportunity to prove himself and repay Zhu Qiyu's imperial favor, to prove that Zhu Qiyu had not misjudged him.

Shi Heng was waiting for an opportunity to prove himself, not to show how great he was, but to tell everyone that what he, Shi Heng, had lost, he would definitely take back!

During his more than ten years in Datong, he fought against Esen repeatedly. But because of one defeat, he was made to deny all his achievements. Esen had to pay back this debt!

For the past three months, he has been thinking about ways to break the Oirat cavalry.

The Oirat cavalry were mostly armed with spears, supplemented by scimitars, maces, bows and arrows, etc. They were extremely capable in individual combat and their small groups were well-coordinated. Their charge tactics were basically that the cavalry in front used spears to disrupt the enemy's formation before engaging in close combat. With such simple tactics, they had almost no rivals. The Oirat people were born warriors.

Emperor Taizong once used the Shenji Battalion to break this formation, but the prerequisite was that a continuous stream of Shenji Battalion soldiers were needed to provide seamless fire support; otherwise, by the time the commander finished speaking, he might have already been beheaded.

This tactic is only suitable for wars fought with abundant resources, such as when you have a Shenji Battalion of tens of thousands of soldiers who can fire in rapid succession without stopping. Nowadays, the capital is so poor in terms of weaponry that it has nothing left but its underwear.

If firearms are ineffective, then only one option remains: avoid close combat with the Oirat cavalry.

The Oirat lance-wielding cavalry were the most elite force in the formation. Their warhorses were all armored, and these elites possessed both the charging power of heavy cavalry and the agility of light cavalry.

Shi Heng did not want to engage the spear cavalry in a direct confrontation, so he instructed Tao Jin to create openings on the flanks of the infantry formation, allowing the spear cavalry to break through the flanks and enter the infantry square to fight each other.

Shi Heng and Tao Jin's tactics were simple yet cruel: they used human lives to lure the enemy deep into their territory.

The two men had not expected the Oirat cavalry to be so fierce. They had intended to create an opening to lure the enemy deeper into their territory, but now they didn't need to!

The Ming soldiers lacked armor, and the sidecars weighed several hundred pounds, requiring the assistance of many people. In the chaos, they couldn't move them at all, and the soldiers became sitting ducks, each shot leaving a gaping hole.

Tao Jin's heart was bleeding; these were his soldiers, and he would be heartbroken to lose even one of them.

Tao Jin couldn't wait any longer. If things continued like this, he estimated that all his soldiers would be wiped out by the end of the battle.

As the war drums sounded, Shi Heng and his nephew Shi Biao, like wild beasts unleashed from their cages, led the only elite cavalry of the Ming Dynasty out to fight.

The chance for revenge has arrived!

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