Volume 1: The Wind Rises in Tumubao Chapter 31 Blood and Sand
The north wind howled, blowing yellow sand onto the ancient city wall of Badaling.
As the wind and sand grew stronger, it obscured the morning light. The dust swirled around the ears with a shrill scream, making people unable to open their eyes.
In the yellow sand, several smoke beams rose into the sky, countless black dots rushed like lightning, the earth trembled, rumbling like thunder in spring, and even the silent city walls began to shake.
Yesen did not give the Ming army time to prepare and launched a general attack directly.
After the army was flooded, more than 30,000 people were killed. Combined with the casualties of Bayan and Ala before, only 80,000 people were left out of the 120,000-strong army.
The only consolation was that the Ming army retreated in such a hurry this time that they didn’t even have time to take the cannons with them.
The twelve General Cannons were priceless treasures for the Oirat, which was short of firearms.
Looking at these big black guys, Yesen suddenly felt that the loss of 30,000 people was acceptable.
However, the Ming army was able to step out of the predicament of Tumu Fort step by step, but when leaving, they stabbed themselves in the backhand . This was like a thorn in the throat that they could never swallow.
An army of hundreds of thousands went out to fight, and they are going back in disgrace. Don't I have to save my face?
So they decided to take advantage of the Ming army's fatigue and gather all their forces to attack Juyongguan, but they did not expect that the other side would directly place its forces at Badaling.
This is better because there is a flat land in front of Badaling, and a large force can be deployed, which is more advantageous for the attacking side.
This time, both sides skipped the intrigue and just competed purely in hard power.
Countless Wala cavalrymen came galloping with yellow sand, thousands of horses were galloping, and the earth was shaking.
The faces of these people were filled with desire for battle, their eyes were filled with excitement and greed, and countless snow-white scimitars were raised high in their sturdy arms, flashing a faint cold light under the sunlight.
They are coming!
Dust and war horses mixed into the same color of sky and earth, and the desolation was extremely shocking. No matter how great a person you are, in front of this unparalleled momentum, you will become insignificant.
On the city wall, Zhu Qizhen's eyes were wide open and his face was solemn.
"Soldiers, get ready!"
Tens of thousands of Ming troops were already ready. Seeing the emperor staying at the front line to command the battle, they looked nervous yet full of confidence.
Although everyone knew that this was a tough battle, no one was afraid.
Once in Tumu Fort, the Ming Emperor personally led his army to victory after victory. Now the Ming army has become veterans who have fought in many battles.
The battlefield can turn cowards into warriors!
Eight hundred steps, six hundred steps, five hundred steps...
More than ten thousand Oirat cavalrymen advanced forward at a very fast speed. Gradually, the noise became louder and louder, and the dust turned the ten miles in front of the eyes into an impenetrable fog. Faintly, the manes and hooves of the war horses and the felt hats on the heads of the Oirat people were clearly visible.
Everyone's heart was tense. They stared into the distance, and the handles of the knives in their hands were about to be crushed.
Dust swept across my face and flowed into the corners of my mouth, with a bitter taste.
Zhu Qizhen spat on the ground and drew the sword from his waist.
"Fire!"
Boom!
Boom!
The cannons on the city walls began to roar , spitting out angry tongues into the distance.
The shells, accompanied by the sound of whistling wind, drew a beautiful arc and landed right in the middle of the Wala cavalry formation. For a moment, blood and yellow sand flew everywhere.
The blood seemed to have aroused the ferocity of the Oirat people. The large army never stopped. They stepped on the corpses of their horses and companions, shouting slogans that the Ming army could not understand. They were like a rolling dark cloud, covering the sky and the sun.
On the city wall, the cannons roared continuously, and the barrels were hot. However, in front of tens of thousands troops, this little firepower was just a drop in the bucket. The Oirat people left behind hundreds of corpses and continued to advance.
"Archer!"
Zhu Qizhen swung the sword in his hand, and the archers on the city wall drew their longbows and fired arrows like locusts.
The Wala man who was rushing in the front fell off his horse, but his comrades behind him turned a blind eye. They quickly passed their injured companions and reached the foot of the city in the blink of an eye. They drew their bows and arrows and shot at the top of the city.
Under the cover of bows and arrows, the Oirat people began to attack the city. They were divided into several commando teams. Some attacked the city gate from the front, some set up ladders from the outside, and others began to cross mountains and ridges, trying to find weak points in the defense.
However, there were no loopholes in the Ming army's defense, and the two sides fought hard.
"Fire Gun Camp, the south wall has collapsed, send fifty people over immediately!"
"Send more people to the city gate!"
"There is a small group of troops coming over the mountain in the northern valley, go and support them!"
"Damn it, there are more people coming over there, Fan Zhong, follow me to kill the enemy!"
Zhu Qizhen was giving his command when he rushed forward with his sword in hand.
Fan Zhong hurriedly caught up and fought with the Oirat people who climbed up the city wall.
The Oirat people were not only excellent riders, but also skilled swordsmen. Moreover, they had been eating beef and mutton all year round, and were strong and powerful. They never had any extra tricks, and every strike of theirs was powerful.
However, when the soldiers saw Zhu Qizhen personally going into battle to kill the enemy, they were greatly encouraged. Countless shouts rose to the sky, and then dozens of Oirat corpses were left behind.
The battle has entered a white-hot stage. The Oirat people have suffered heavy losses, and the Ming army is also losing men. The blood flowing on the city walls has dyed the desert dust red.
There were flashes of swords and bloodstains everywhere. The small Badaling instantly became a coordinate that will be remembered forever in the history of the Ming Dynasty and the Oirat Mongols.
"ah!"
A long and shocking howl was heard. A Ming soldier was so bloodthirsty that he shook off his thigh which had been chopped off by the Oirat people long ago. He jumped up on one leg, pressed the enemy under him, and started to bite the other's neck.
The Wala man roared and pierced his chest with a scimitar. The tip of the knife dug out his intestines and blood spilled all over the ground.
This scene happened to be seen by Zhu Qizhen. He rushed over like mad and stabbed the Wala man in the chest with a sword.
"Fuck your ancestors!"
Zhu Qizhen roared with all his might, his eyes tearing, and stabbed down with the sword in his hand.
Seeing his crazy look, she was immediately frightened and rushed to protect him.
"Your Majesty, he is already dead..."
Zhu Qizhen simply couldn't listen and just kept swinging his sword, stabbing out again and again.
"emperor!"
Fan Zhong hugged the mad Zhu Qizhen tightly and shouted in his ear: "He is dead, dead!"
Zhu Qizhen finally reacted, threw away the sword in his hand, and squatted in front of the Ming army soldier.
This man was covered in blood and was obviously dying. Zhu Qizhen wanted to help him stop the bleeding, but he didn't know where to start.
"How are you?"
"Your Majesty..."
Although this man was dying, his face was full of smiles. He was just an ordinary soldier. He had never thought in his life, nor dared to think, that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would half-kneel in front of him and care so much about his life and death.
"Tell me what you wish for!"
At this moment, he did not use the title "I".
"My little one...my little one...I have no regrets in this life!"
After he finished speaking, the man tilted his head and died.
Zhu Qizhen picked up the dragon-patterned sword on the ground, and the flames of anger in his eyes ignited again.
"kill!"
