Chapter 143: Bloody Battle and the End of a Famous General
The Ming army led by Chen Biao has gained an absolute advantage.
The Ming army had artillery with extremely long range, flintlock rifles with high power and accuracy, and strong morale.
After two rounds of morale damage from fighting with generals and bombardment, the Yuan army's soldiers were already feeling a shadow of defeat.
But even so, Kuyuk Timur quickly gathered his soldiers and organized a powerful attack.
There is a saying that nomadic peoples' bravery and fighting prowess were turned into singing and dancing skills by firearms. In fact, this statement is not true.
This sentence should be that the brave and warlike nomadic people could not withstand the massive amount of hot weapons produced by industrialized production, and cavalry withdrew from the historical stage of mainstream military forces.
Without the powerful ammunition support provided by industrialized production, even if Chen Biao had made yellow gunpowder, the heavy cavalry would still be unable to fight.
The heavy artillery with extremely long range stopped firing after the heavy cavalry rushed to the center of the battlefield.
The small artillery followed closely behind, carrying out a second round of fire coverage.
After only a few shots from the cannon, the heavy cavalry had already rushed to within two hundred meters of the Ming army.
Muskets, bows and crossbows were fired in sequence, using the three-stage attack formation invented by Chen Ying to attack the charging heavy cavalry with the highest efficiency.
The shooting of muskets, bows and crossbows is very accurate.
The grand scenes in film and television dramas have led viewers who have watched too many of them to misunderstand that bows and crossbows do not require accuracy, but only need to be thrown to achieve fire coverage.
In fact, whether it is a musket, a bow and arrow, or a crossbow, the most important thing is accuracy, and it is impossible to shoot directly. Firstly, it is difficult to penetrate armor in this way, and secondly, there is not enough ammunition and arrows.
War means burning money.
Arrows could be mass-produced by casting, but arrow shafts were handmade. The production of arrow shafts capable of being used as weapons required a high level of technical expertise and was extremely complex. A single arrow could cost as much as sixty or seventy wen, regardless of prosperity or turmoil.
In other words, in prosperous times, one penny could buy two taels of rice, enough for ordinary people to eat for a day. The cost of one arrow was enough for ordinary people to live for two months.
Even if the arrows can be recovered, only 10% to 20% of them can be recovered, so the consumption is still very high.
Without mentioning armor and weapons, just talking about arrows, we can understand why many emperors who were considered "talented and strategic" in the eyes of later generations were complained about and denounced as incompetent and tyrannical at the time.
Emperor Wu of Han, for example, pacified the Xiongnu to create stability for the Han dynasty, which was a justifiable "self-defense counterattack." Starving one's own generation to death while protecting future generations cannot be considered foolish.
Like Emperor Yang of Sui, who conquered Goguryeo three times and lost his country, there is really no room for him to cry out for justice.
Even with the current level of productivity, even conquering Goguryeo in Liaodong proved difficult. Emperor Yang of Sui launched three campaigns against Goguryeo simply out of a desire for grandeur, using the lives of ordinary people to build a monument to his own military exploits. More importantly, he lost. Instead of resting and recuperating after his defeat, he simply "made the people suffer." His repeated campaigns against Goguryeo were purely out of spite.
Unlike what later experts despised, the Central Plains dynasties never gave up on expeditions during their heyday. However, their expeditions were strictly calculated for profit, and most of the time they would only send troops if there was profit to be made.
Otherwise, how could the original Yanhuang, which was only a small piece of land in the Yellow River Basin, become such a vast area as it is today?
You should know that the Yangtze River Basin was also called "Southern Barbarians" when the Qin and Han dynasties just unified the country.
Arrows that can be recovered cost this much, and ammunition that cannot be recovered costs even more.
Compared to bamboo and wood, which are found everywhere, both lead bullets and gunpowder are rarer and more difficult to produce.
Among the peasant rebels, Zhu Yuanzhang was the only one who developed his own firearms, while the other warlords basically seized supplies from the Yuan army. This was one of the reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang's army was so invincible.
Chen Biao has worked hard enough.
He used the Chen family's fleet to mobilize supplies, wrote to Zhu Yuanzhang for help, cruelly drove away the refugees around Peking, and strictly controlled the supplies of the people in the city, keeping them at a minimum so that they would not starve to death. Only then did he gather enough arrows and ammunition.
But these arrows and ammunition blocked the first, second and third charging waves of heavy cavalry, and the shield soldiers still collided violently with the heavy cavalry.
When the two armies clashed, all long-range weapons were effectively useless. Chen Biao had retreated to the command heights at the rear, standing alongside the general's flag, war drums, and war gongs.
Chen Biao clenched his fists.
The heavy cavalry had lost nearly 20% of their troops under the attack of arrows and ammunition. Considering the Yuan army's weakened morale, they should have begun to flee.
Later military theories explained that if the enemy army was inflicted with 3% casualties, it would be possible to suppress the enemy; if the enemy army was suppressed by 10%, the enemy might retreat on its own; if the casualties reached about 30%, the enemy might not be able to organize an effective attack; if the casualties reached 50% or 60%, it would be enough to cause the collapse of most professional armies in the world.
This Mongolian heavy cavalry, which had traveled a long distance and had only taken a short rest, was able to maintain its formation and organize a powerful attack even after suffering 20% casualties. This shows Kuyuk Timur's powerful military management and command capabilities.
Kuyuk Timur was a famous general of the time and his reputation was well-deserved.
But among the Ming army, Xue Xian, Deng Yu and Zhao Desheng were those who had experienced the brutal Battle of Hongdu.
Even though they and their armies were not as talented as Kuyuk Timur and his Mongolian cavalry, after being baptized in blood and boosted by morale, they showed tenacity and ferocity, making them one of the strongest armies in the world.
The Ming army lacked horses, and even more so, cavalry.
Even if Chen Biao could produce heavy armor, they did not have the time and ability to train a heavy cavalry that could compete with the Mongolian cavalry. Therefore, they still used the same combat methods that traditional agricultural civilizations have adopted since ancient times to deal with the Mongolian heavy cavalry.
The shield soldiers standing at the front are dressed like tin cans, holding huge shields, and are the defense line of the entire army.
Shield soldiers have strong defensive capabilities, but have almost lost the ability to retreat.
In other words, they were human shields. Once they became shield soldiers, if they faced a heavy cavalry charge, they were almost certain to die.
The heavy cavalry hit the shields of the shield soldiers like a huge wave, and the shield soldiers blocked the huge wave like a solid embankment.
During the resistance, some shield soldiers were seriously injured or killed on the spot by the powerful impact of the heavy cavalry, and were resisted by the second layer of shield soldiers.
The spearmen cooperated with the musketeers who could shoot accurately at close range, hiding behind the shields and attacking through the gaps in the shields.
The spears in the hands of the spearmen were very slender, with a sickle-like hook at the tip, which was used to attack the unarmored legs of the war horses; the musketeers aimed at the horse's eyes, and even if they could not shoot the horse's eyes, they could cause concussion on the horse's visor, causing the horse to lose control.
Layer after layer of heavy cavalry slammed into the shields, their horses' legs constantly snapped and they fell. The Ming army's swordsmen and axemen advanced, hacking the cavalry, now sitting ducks without their horses, into pulp. But some heavy cavalry, like a tide spreading over a dam, seeped into the shield formations.
In Chen Biao's vision, the Mongolian heavy cavalry and the Ming army were clearly separated. He could clearly see the tug-of-war between the Mongolian heavy cavalry and the Ming army, and the clear boundary was constantly advancing or retreating.
This tug-of-war is about the flesh and blood of both sides.
Chen Biao closed his eyes.
"Biao'er..." Yan Qian did not go to the front line. He guarded Chen Biao and asked worriedly, "Do you want to step back and rest for a while? You've been tired for a long time. Don't worry, we will definitely win."
The students also came to the platform and looked down anxiously.
Liu Lian and Zhu Tong, who were accompanying the army, clenched their swords tightly. Looking at their expressions, they seemed to want to rush down and fight to the death with the Ming army soldiers.
"I know. We can definitely win, it just depends on the price." Chen Biao opened his eyes and said, "The artillery battalion, please count the number of small Guorui cannons that are still usable, and follow me around."
Yan Qian immediately stopped him: "Biao'er! I have His Majesty's edict! If I judge you to be in danger, I can disobey anyone's orders and take you away from the battlefield!"
Chen Biao took out the token necklace and asked, "This doesn't work?"
Yan Qian's mouth twitched slightly: "It doesn't work."
Chen Biao sighed and put the token necklace back into his arms, saying, "Alright then. You lead the artillery battalion around and shoot the Mongolian heavy cavalry from behind. You and I are the only generals still available who have commanded the small country's artillery in battle. If I don't go, you'll go."
Yan Qian: "..." He always felt that he was being tricked by Biao'er.
Chen Biao said, "This is a military order. Of course, you can also say that you refused to carry out the order to protect me and let inexperienced people pull the small Guorui cannon to die. Oh, or maybe deliver equipment to the enemy. If you are unwilling to go, even if you try to stop me, I will go on my own. You can try to see if you can stop me."
Yan Qian: "...I will obey your orders."
He called out to his personal guards and asked them to keep a close eye on Chen Biao. If Chen Biao was about to go into danger, they would execute him if they could not stop him.
Chen Biao always felt that Yan Qian’s last look before leaving was asking himself, "You won't watch them being executed, will you?"
Tsk, I’m tricking you, so you want to trick me too, right?
After Yan Qian left with a group of light cavalrymen pulling the small Guorui cannon, Chen Biao imitated the expression his father often made and pinched his soft chin.
What else can he do?
"Give me the drumstick, and I'll beat the drum for you!"
After the battle, there were few strategies left to be deployed. Chen Biao had done his best and could only leave it to fate.
He knew his own strengths and weaknesses. After sending the last capable general around him to the battlefield, Chen Biao had nothing to do except to cheer for his comrades.
Chen Biao climbed up to a high place and beat the drum, and his personal soldiers nervously protected him behind him to prevent stray arrows, even though the Mongolian soldiers' arrows could not reach here.
Liu Lian's blood boiled in his heart. After discussing with Zhu Tong, they selected several strong students to beat the drums together. He gathered the guards on the high ground and sang "Qin Feng Wu Yi" with the remaining students to the beat of the drums.
The soldiers of the Ming army had low cultural levels, but thanks to the military enlightenment promoted by Chen Biao and the poem "Qin Feng Wu Yi" which was a must-sing poem for soldiers when they went to war, the Ming army could understand it.
Not only could the Ming army understand it, but even some of the Mongolian heavy cavalry who had been in the Han area for decades could know what the poem was about through the music, even if they did not understand Chinese.
Although they were on the high ground in the rear, the sound of their singing could be heard on the battlefield. Even the deafening roar of fighting could not drown out the passionate singing and drumming of the young students.
The soldiers who had been waiting quietly at the rear of the battle formation, gritting their teeth and watching their compatriots fighting in front of them, looked back and saw Chen Biao's very iconic small figure, trying hard to beat the drum.
At this time, the sound of artillery fire was heard again on the battlefield.
Yan Qian actually reached a place suitable for bombarding the Mongolian heavy cavalry in such a short time, and used the small Guorui cannon to create chaos for the Mongolian heavy cavalry again.
The shells from the small Guorui cannon were not very lethal to the Mongolian heavy cavalry and could not stop the heavy cavalry's charge. But he was shooting from behind, not killing, but harassing.
He would readjust the trajectory of the bullet every time he fired. The sound of the cannon was sparse, but each shell could accurately fall into the densest area of the crowd in the middle and rear of the heavy cavalry formation, greatly slowing down the force of the heavy cavalry charge.
At this moment, Yan Qian displayed great talent for calculation. Like Chen Biao, he was able to do mental calculations and estimate the range and landing point of artillery shells by eye.
Chen Biao taught Yan Qian the coordinate system. In Yan Qian's eyes, the entire battlefield had become a vast coordinate system. Every calculation result could create a "hole" in the formation of the charging Mongol heavy cavalry.
When Kuyuk Timur discovered that someone was shooting from the side and rear, he immediately sent people to destroy the artillery.
But by chance a cannonball fell near him and struck the horse of a guard who was standing beside him. The horse immediately went mad and bumped into his horse, causing a commotion around him.
The cavalry's "command center" was temporarily paralyzed.
It took no more than half a quarter of an hour from the time the accident happened to the time Kuyuk Timur changed horses and took command of the cavalry again.
The situation on the battlefield changed rapidly, and it was discovered by Deng Yu, who had been observing the battlefield situation, in less than half a minute.
He raised the command flag and waved it fiercely: "Charge!"
The Ming army's light cavalry endured for a long time and finally moved.
They crossed the flesh-and-blood barrier of their comrades and fought with the Mongolian heavy cavalry.
Although the enemy had heavy armor, they were already exhausted, their armor was damaged in many places, and their formation was in chaos. The Ming army's light cavalry finally found an opportunity to demonstrate their lethality!
Yan Qian sighed deeply, jumped on his horse, gripped his saber again, and led the light cavalry transporting the Xiao Guorui cannon to charge out.
He was once again convinced that he had been tricked by his teacher. His teacher did not want to put him in danger, but wanted to force him to go to the battlefield as well.
Chen Biao was standing on a high place, so he naturally saw the Ming army starting to charge.
He handed the drumstick to Liu Lian, asking him to continue beating the drum for him. He said to the people whose voices were almost hoarse, "You are shouting, do you really want to die for your tyrant?"
The students and guards moistened their throats with the water in the bamboo tubes at their waists and concentrated their energy into their dantian. Even though some of them had hoarse voices, they all made louder sounds than before.
"Are you going to die for a tyrant?"
"Are you going to die for a tyrant?"
"Are you going to die for a tyrant?!"
When the sound reached the battlefield, the last bit of morale that had accumulated in the hearts of the Mongolian heavy cavalry, who were already on the verge of collapse because of Kuyuk Timur, was like being hit by a heavy hammer, and was broken away bit by bit.
The Mongolian heavy cavalry finally became confused and their ranks were finally in disarray.
The Ming army's infantry also crossed the flesh-and-blood defense line of their comrades and came to the battlefield to fight with the Mongolian heavy cavalry who had lost their fighting spirit.
At this point, even infantry could contend with heavy cavalry. Just three or two infantrymen could kill a heavy cavalryman.
Even the generals around Kuyuk Timur were confused.
"King of Henan, let's run!" Kuokuo Timur's trusted general, Richard Hanbuhua, had a missing corner of his helmet. He simply threw it away, wiped the blood from his face, and said, "If we don't run now, it will be too late!"
Kuyuk Timur gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Another trusted general, Han Zhaer, also said, "General! Only by keeping our lives can we return! We still have the grasslands! We still have our tribe! We still have many men and soldiers in the north! Now is not the end of our road!"
Kuyuk Timur took a deep breath and finally made up his mind: "Break out!"
At Kuyuk Timur's command, the bannermen around him waved their flags, and the scattered Mongolian bannermen received the order to retreat and began to regroup.
"Damn it, why can't we disperse them!" Xue Xian cursed, then spurred his horse towards Kuyuk Timur, "Don't run away, you thief, take your grandfather's sword!"
Kuyuk Timur looked back at Xue Xian, bent his bow, and the arrow flew towards Xue Xian's chest.
But in mid-air, the arrow unexpectedly broke into two pieces. The arrowhead was deflected by the sudden impact and just grazed Xue Xian's arm.
Xue Xian rushed too fast: "..." Oh my god!
Kuyuk Timur was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened: "Chen! Biao!"
Such shooting skills can only be attributed to that evil young man Chen Biao!
His roar almost scared Yan Qian, who was fighting, and made him fall off his horse.
Chen Biao?!
Even if I sacrifice my life as a guard, I can't tie up the teacher?!
It was indeed Chen Biao.
But Chen Biao was not on the battlefield.
Although he came down from the high ground, he only rode in a chariot to a small mound near the battlefield.
What Chen Biao was holding in his hand was a "toy" made by the craftsmen, a "toy rifled gun" that had a long range and accurate shooting, but was not only extremely troublesome to use, but also had weak firepower and could hardly penetrate even heavy leather armor.
Chen Biao originally just wanted to pick up a basket to see if any lucky Yuan Dynasty general's helmet had fallen off.
Richard Hanbuhua threw away his helmet, and Chen Biao's original target was him.
But Kuyuk Timur just drew his bow and arrow at this moment, and Chen Biao happened to save Xue Xian.
Kuyuk Timur's call of "Chen Biao" not only boosted the morale of the Ming army, but also dissipated the morale that the Mongolian cavalry had finally accumulated.
Their formation was disrupted again, and they began to flee like headless flies, even bumping into their comrades.
A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. In the minds of the Mongolian soldiers, who generally have religious beliefs, the name Chen Biao is as terrifying as a demon.
They connected the magical and terrifying rumors they had heard about Chen Biao with the fact that he was leading the Ming army against them on the battlefield. Those overly advanced artillery and muskets became synonymous with Chen Biao's magic in the minds of the uneducated Mongolian soldiers.
Didn't you see the Henan King's arrow break in mid-air? How could it be possible without magic?
The guard next to Chen Biao handed another loaded rifle to Chen Biao, then stood up the rifle that Chen Biao had fired, tried hard to stuff the ammunition into the muzzle , and then used a thin bamboo stick to force the ammunition in.
You can tell how difficult this thing is to use just by loading it. Not only will it be a target on the battlefield, but because it needs to be made entirely by hand, the production volume is also very low, and there are less than five that meet the required accuracy standards.
But at this moment, the "toy" rifled gun in the hands of Chen Biao, who had activated the "bullet time cheat", became a weapon to intimidate the enemy.
Chen Biao's second bullet finally took away the original target, Richard Hanbuhua who had lost his helmet.
Richard Hanbuhua, who was cursing the fleeing Mongolian cavalry, suddenly stopped talking and fell off his horse.
Kuyuk Timur lowered his head and saw Richard Hanbuhua's face was completely disfigured after being trampled by the horse's hooves. He didn't even know why Richard Hanbuhua fell off the horse.
Even as brave as he was, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Could it be that Chen Biao really knows some magic?
After Richard Hanbuhua fell to the ground, the Mongolian cavalry was in complete disarray. Even with Kuokuo Timur shouting at the top of his lungs and the generals chopping down the chaotic deserters, it was unable to prevent the cavalry from collapsing quickly.
Even some generals didn't care about Kuyuk Timur. They clung to their horses' backs and hid among the chaotic soldiers as they fled.
They were all afraid that they would become the next Richard Hanbuhua and be hit by Chen Biao's magic.
Chen Biao, who used the "magic method", had thrown away the rifle and lay on his back with his head in his hands.
"Ahhhh, this thing is so hard to use! I can't cum at all! No, no, let me slow down, my head is starting to hurt."
Chen Biao had used Bullet Time excessively today, and his energy was exhausted. Furthermore, the crowd was so dense that the bullets he managed to fire were immediately blocked by bullets that appeared out of nowhere, so Chen Biao gave up.
After all, even if he used bullet time to see the opportunity to shoot, the bullet flew too slowly, and by the time it arrived, the opportunity was gone.
If the big idiot hadn't stood there motionless, waving his arms and shouting something, he wouldn't have been able to hit the target.
As for the arrow, Chen Biao was aiming at Xue Xian. Based on the direction of the arrow, he guessed where Kuyuk Timur might have shot, and that saving Xue Xian was a matter of coincidence.
Toys are just toys, so let's put this thing aside. Chen Biao held his head, his breathing gradually becoming even.
The military doctor who had been accompanying Chen Biao rushed over to check and then breathed a sigh of relief.
"The prefect just fell asleep." The military doctor took a fur cloak from the guard and wrapped Chen Biao in it. There was a mixture of heartache and pride in his tone that he himself didn't even realize. "The prefect is too tired."
They all stayed beside Chen Biao, shielding him from the cold wind and the snowflakes that had been falling from the sky.
…
Kuyuk Timur escaped from the siege and came to the Guishui River.
The Ming army pursued the Mongolian cavalry and fled north. Kuyuk Timur changed into a soldier's clothes and quietly went south with only a few people.
To the south of Tongmo Town lies the Guishui River, a place where water accumulates in the valleys and thick forests make it a great place to hide even in winter.
In later generations, this place was the location of Guanting Reservoir.
The Guishui River was frozen, allowing Kuyuk Timur to easily cross the river and escape into the mountains after heading south. Even in the future, even with today's technology, hiding in the mountains would be difficult to find. Kuyuk Timur could blend in with the refugees and wait for an opportunity to head north.
However, when he arrived at the Guishui River, Chen Huoxing had been waiting for a long time.
"Deputy Commander of Peking, Chen Huoxing, has been waiting for the King of Henan for quite some time, following orders from Prefect Chen Biao." Chen Huoxing clasped his fists and said with a smile, "Please, King of Henan, surrender."
Kuyuk Timur was stunned for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until he was hoarse.
"Chen Biao, Chen Biao, what a great Chen Biao!"
"He is indeed a major threat to the Yuan Dynasty and the Mongols!"
"What a pity! I have a heart for serving my country, but I am powerless to change the situation. I am powerless to change the situation!"
Kuyuk Timur laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. He drew his sword from its sheath, crossed it across his neck, and then slowly fell down.
He stared at the sky with his eyes wide open. Snowflakes had already begun to fall from the sky, and a thin layer of fluff had already settled on the ground.
Blood soaked the snow blanket, but Kuyuk Timur was too cold to feel the pain of his wound.
A series of scenes flashed through his mind : from joining the army as a teenager to becoming famous throughout the world; from his biological father, adoptive father, wife, and son to the incompetent emperor and incompetent crown prince of the Yuan Dynasty; from the courtyard where he studied as a child to the majestic Dadu, and then to the military camp where he lived for many years...
As the scenes of the kaleidoscope went out one after another, his pupils gradually dimmed.
Chen Huoxing dismounted and stood beside Kuyuk Timur, quietly waiting for this powerful enemy of the Ming Dynasty to leave before he struck down with his sword.
Chen Huoxing lifted up Kuyuk Timur's head and laughed, "Go back and tell the prefect the good news!"
