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

Chapter 96 Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I am your sworn enemy!

Shi Heng divided his cavalry into three ranks.

The first rank, modeled after the Oirat cavalry, carries spears ten feet long, used for charging and breaking through enemy lines.

The second row carries an eight-foot-long horse fork (similar to the later Qi Jiguang's battle halberd), specifically designed to counter the Oirat scimitars and avoid close combat; it can be used to fork men or horses.

The third row uses thickened and widened sabers, which are used for flexible auxiliary kills.

When the Oirat cavalry saw Shi Heng and Shi Biao charging out from the left and right, they were extremely shocked. There was such a large cavalry force here!

Seeing this, Tao Jin hurriedly ordered the drums to be beaten and the battle flags to be waved, making a crazy decision.

Using the lives of soldiers to sever the communication between the Oirat cavalry, as long as there are enough corpses, an obstacle can be formed. Tao Jin wanted to keep the Oirat spear cavalry in the formation.

The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, upon receiving their orders, went without hesitation, unafraid of death. What was there to fear in dying for their country?

Soldiers died one after another from the spears. Tao Jin ordered his men to fire arrows to kill the spear-wielding cavalry. This was a huge risk, though; if the arrows missed, they might accidentally kill their own men.

At that moment, the archers had no time to think; their only thought was to kill all the Oirat cavalry. A volley of arrows was unleashed, and both the Ming soldiers and the Oirat cavalry fell to the ground, creating a scene of extreme carnage.

Some soldiers never imagined that they would die at the hands of their own people, but they died a worthy death, and perhaps in the afterlife they did not blame their comrades!

Upon hearing the screams, Shi Heng knew that Tao Jin's plan had succeeded and that his chance for revenge had arrived.

Flying in from both flanks, the Ming cavalry, fueled by boundless rage, thrust their spears straight at the Oirat cavalry, who suddenly realized they only had swords and short bows at their disposal!

Faced with the threat of the dense array of spears from the Ming cavalry, the Oirat cavalry began to panic.

"Retreat immediately!"

Unfortunately, the dense formation left both sides with nowhere to retreat and no room to hide. Killing and being killed happened in the blink of an eye when their horses crossed. At this moment, individual combat skills were useless, and ferocity was on full display.

"kill!"

The Ming cavalry charged forward with their spears, and many Oirat cavalrymen who could not dodge in time were killed on the spot. Some were even knocked away, and the huge impact did not diminish.

The Ming cavalry were fearless, and the two groups of horses clashed head-on. Countless broken spear shafts and blade fragments flew through the air, and the sounds of breaking and collisions between men and horses were incessant. The sound of spears scraping against armor was chilling. Horses that could not avoid each other collided and their bones were shattered.

Some horses were sent flying by the impact, while others fell to the ground with their riders, rolling around desperately. Those warriors who could stand up fought directly on the ground until they died. In the first rank of the battle alone, the Ming army killed hundreds of Oirat cavalrymen.

Among the Oirat cavalry, many galloped diagonally to the side, a swift and instinctive evasive maneuver by their warhorses, narrowly avoiding the spears. Before the Oirat cavalry could even catch their breath, a dense barrage of spears came hurtling towards them.

The second platoon of Ming cavalry arrived on horseback and killed those who had escaped.

The sharp central spears and horizontal spikes, propelled by the horses' acceleration, were like the scythe of death. The Oirat cavalry, who had narrowly escaped death, were now reining in their horses, almost powerless to fight back. The dense and straight formation of the Ming cavalry deprived the Oirat cavalry of any chance to move forward, leaving them no room to dodge to the side.

"kill!"

"Tiger!"

A resounding shout from all sides!

This time, the Oirat suffered heavy casualties, and their formation was completely thrown into chaos. The places where the two rounds of collisions had just occurred were piled with the limbs of dead and wounded men and horses. The two rounds of collisions were only a blink of an eye, and the Oirat cavalry still had no chance or time to adjust their course.

The third wave of saber-wielding cavalry charged forward, killing those cavalrymen who hadn't yet recovered their senses.

These saber-wielding cavalrymen, using the momentum of their horses, deliberately charged towards small groups of Oirat cavalrymen. They gripped their saber hilts tightly with both hands, letting the momentum carry them forward. They were determined to die, hoping to exchange one for many. It was this ferocity that not only saved these saber-wielding cavalrymen but also terrified the Oirat cavalrymen, who had never seen such brave cavalrymen before.

The Oirat cavalry's formation was thrown into chaos, and they were already feeling fear. Shi Heng and Shi Biao, as the main generals, did not hold back the battle at this moment, but personally charged into the fray, determined to take back what they had lost!

Seeing their commander so brave, the Ming cavalry became even more ferocious, as if divinely aided, each one seemingly possessed by a war god, and the Oirat cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another.

With the pressure on Tao Jin's infantry reduced significantly, the Shenji Battalion finally had a chance to make its mark, using the side wagons to unleash a barrage of fire on the Oirat cavalry.

Now the Oirat cavalry were attacked from both sides. If it weren't for Shi Heng's cavalry, these Shenji Battalion soldiers wouldn't have had a chance to fire their guns.

One after another, the Oirat cavalrymen fell to the ground. The King of Datong panicked and looked in the direction of his commander, that exceptionally brave fellow. He knew who had come: his old rival, Shi Heng.

This battle cannot be fought any longer. These cavalrymen are far more ferocious than those at Tumu Fortress; they are more like elite troops, relentlessly pursuing the Oirat cavalry while the Ming infantry assist them. If this continues, more casualties will only result.

In fact, the King of Datong made a mistake in his prediction. These cavalrymen only had one more thing than the Oirat cavalrymen: they were not afraid of death!

The Oirat cavalry came to Dadu to enjoy wealth and luxury, not to fight to the death. The Ming cavalry, on the other hand, thought that a one-for-one exchange would be a huge gain, so their courage was naturally different.

Esen, having observed the situation, knew he could no longer allow his cavalry to become entangled with the Ming infantry and cavalry, and needed to withdraw from the battlefield.

Without the assistance of Ming cavalry, these infantrymen could be killed on the spot. Without the assistance of infantry, it would be easy for them to surround and kill Ming cavalrymen.

Esen hurriedly issued a general order to retreat, hoping to break the Ming infantry and cavalry into disarray and fight again.

The Oirat cavalry hastily retreated, and Shi Heng pursued them for a short distance, only managing to restrain the Ming cavalry from retreating. He dared not rashly pursue them further, which was a predicament for the Ming Dynasty.

He had too few cavalry; in this battle, he lost several hundred more, leaving him with only two thousand or so. However, he had defeated a large number of Esen's cavalry, at least three thousand, and had already achieved a great victory in cavalry combat.

However, Tao Jin was devastated. The regiment had lost at least a third of its troops, and thousands of soldiers lay dead there. This great victory was won with the lives of its soldiers.

Seeing that the Ming cavalry did not pursue, Esen judged that the Ming cavalry was not numerous. Instead of retreating immediately, he coldly observed the battlefield, wanting to find out the situation before organizing a second attack.

The Prince of Datong, somewhat disheveled, reported, "Grand Tutor, it was Shi Heng leading cavalry!"

Esen's face was ashen; no wonder he was so fierce, he was an old adversary.

Shi Heng was not at Deshengmen, yet he appeared here. This was not due to a lack of defenses; the presence of this cavalry force clearly indicated that they knew he was coming to attack Andingmen.

Esen had a bad feeling; he might have been tricked!

"Report! Grand Tutor, a large force of Ming troops has appeared at the Andingmen city gate, and they have even opened the city gate and left the city."

Esen was immediately alarmed. He reined in his horse and rode forward, looking into the distance. The Anding Gate was filled with a dense mass of people. Zhang Chao and his main force had already appeared at the Anding Gate.

At this moment, Esen could not help but understand that there was a large army stationed at Andingmen. He was filled with fear and broke through the camp.

They will likely suffer heavy losses outside the city. This gate has gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and cavalry. How could they not understand that they have fallen into Zhu Qiyu's trap?

Esen roared to the sky, "Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I will never let you get away with this!"

Esen was like a gambler who had been tricked. A series of military defeats caused him to lose his mind.

The situation at Andingmen is no longer a viable option, but Xizhimen must be undefended. Damn the Ming emperor, he's playing a fool of us with such a clumsy scheme.

"Head to Xizhimen immediately!"

Although the Oirat army suffered heavy losses, its morale was not greatly affected.

From the Ming Dynasty's perspective, defeating 3,000 Oirat cavalry was a great victory. However, from the Oirat's point of view, the Ming Dynasty lost at least twice as many soldiers as they did, so the result could still be considered a great victory.

As the saying goes, everyone is happy, and both sides feel they have won!

Bayan Temur and the King of Datong did not object to Esen's order. With the continuous battles in the north, the Ming army must have lost its ability to provide support. What reassured them even more was that even if the war went badly, the Oirat army could retreat at will, and the Ming would not be able to pursue them.

Seeing that the Oirat army was moving westward, Shi Heng hurriedly sent out scouts to keep a close watch.

Shi Heng handed over the task of cleaning up the mess at Andingmen to Tao Jin and Zhang Chao, while he immediately reorganized his troops. The cavalry, exhausted from the repeated battles, had to mount their horses again, as the war was far from over.

Shi Heng vaguely guessed that Esen might have headed to Xizhimen, rather than being withdrawn to his camp for rest. He simply dared not rashly lead his cavalry directly to Xizhimen, lest Esen turn back and attack Andingmen again, at which point Tao Jin's entire army would be annihilated.

Xizhimen.

Zhu Qiyu stood on the city wall, not idle at the moment. He heard that Esen had fallen into the trap and gone to Andingmen, which bought time for the defense of Xizhimen.

However, Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian underestimated the garrison commanders Liu Ju and Sun Tang. Knowing that their forces were insufficient, the two had put a lot of effort into the defensive fortifications, and the entire camp was surrounded by traps.

Upon hearing the reports from the two men, Zhu Qiyu felt greatly relieved. He then waved his hand and ordered Jiao Jing's entire battalion to leave the city to assist Liu Ju and Sun Tang in defending Xizhimen. At this point, 25,000 soldiers had gathered at Xizhimen.

Jiao Jing, standing on the city wall, wore a bitter expression. He had been promised that he, as the commander-in-chief, would be in charge of logistics and support, but now he had been sent to the battlefield. It would be a lie to say that Jiao Jing was not flustered.

The princess died young, and he, as the prince consort, was living a carefree life. He had a prestigious status, was not henpecked by the princess, and was trusted by the emperor. His life was wonderful; it was the pinnacle of his life.

"We can't afford to die hastily on the battlefield right now," Jiao Jing said with great difficulty. "Your Majesty, do you really want this old man to go to the battlefield?"

"What are you saying? As the commander-in-chief, are you perhaps deserting your post? My uncle is not yet fifty, in the prime of his life, the very time to make his mark!"

Jiao Jing really wanted to say: Thank you for remembering that I am your uncle!

"But I am not skilled in commanding troops. If I were to mismanage them, I fear I might ruin the affairs of the court."

These were Jiao Jing's true feelings. He was afraid of death, but not to the point of being afraid to go to the battlefield. He was just worried that if he lost command of the battle, his poor command would ruin the overall situation. If the capital was captured, even a hundred Jiao Jings wouldn't be enough to kill him.

Zhu Qiyu finally saw Jiao Jing's worries and did not make things difficult for him, saying, "It's alright. I only need you to command the Shenji Battalion in the regiment. Afterwards, you can retreat to the rear tent. If necessary, I will have someone hoist you up. Temporary command can be given to Liu Ju and Sun Tang."

Although Jiao Jing was not good at commanding battles, he had been in charge of the Shenji Battalion for many years and was not entirely useless. At least he was quite familiar with the Shenji Battalion's combat operations; otherwise, Zhu Qizhen would not have left Jiao Jing to guard the capital during his northern expedition.

After the military system reform, few of the regimental and battalion commanders were familiar with the Shenji Battalion's combat tactics, and Liu Ju was not one of them.

Upon hearing this, Jiao Jing's expression softened slightly. Just as he was about to say something more, Chen Mao, who was standing nearby, noticed something.

"Your Majesty, this is bad! The Oirat army is likely coming!"

Jiao Jing saw the billowing smoke and dust in the distance and couldn't bother to haggle with Zhu Qiyu anymore.

"Your Majesty, I will immediately go to the camp to meet the enemy!" Jiao Jingtong, who had just made excuses, turned around and left hastily.

"Wait! Have someone shoot these papers at the Oirat camp and then immediately withdraw!"

Jiao Jing was confused but could only do as he was told. Chen Mao and Li Xian, standing to the side, smiled wryly. When it came to dealing with people's mentality, this emperor was unbeatable.

Li Xian suggested, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this group has come with great force. For your safety, you should retreat first."

"No rush. If the situation becomes unfavorable, I will retreat immediately. There is no danger at the moment."

Zhu Qiyu didn't want to leave yet. He wanted to boost the morale of the soldiers below the city. If Esen was able to break through the camp and the city walls were within the attack range of the Oirat army, then he would run back to the palace without saying a word, and even eight horses couldn't hold him back.

Chen Mao and Li Xian nodded helplessly.

"Marquis Ningyang, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is now under your command. If the Oirat army does indeed break through the camp, you shall use these cannons and rockets to launch an attack."

"Here you go!"

On the other side, Esen was furious when he heard that the Ming emperor had sent men to shoot arrows at him again.

"What did you say?"

Ha Ming's expression was quite strange, and he suddenly felt that the current Ming emperor was truly a brave warrior.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty said that the Grand Tutor was a treacherous and cowardly fellow, and that he should retreat back to the grasslands if he was afraid to fight!"

Esen snatched the note, tore it to pieces, and immediately ordered, "Bayan Temur, King of Datong, prepare your army and attack Xizhimen!"

""

Bayan Temur said with some concern, "Grand Tutor, I fear this is a trap. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has been at Xizhimen all along, which doesn't seem like he was unprepared. If it were a scheme, he shouldn't be at Xizhimen. The fact that he's been waiting there suggests that he anticipated our arrival."

Bayan Temur was now uncertain. He had an almost obsessive admiration for the culture of the Ming Dynasty. These emperors were all men of great talent and ambition. Even the one who had been captured was quite charismatic. Their intelligence was simply not on the same level.

Esen sneered, "The Ming emperor's empty city ruse will not fool me again!"

He had also heard the story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"!