Chapter 538 537 Melee
Five thousand cavalrymen of the Xuanfu army rushed eastward from Huairou, fearing that the Tatars would get out of the border wall first and their efforts in recent days would be in vain.
After running day and night, they were only twenty miles away from the mountainous area, and the closest distance to the Great Wall was thirty miles.
After all, the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty was all built according to the mountains, and they were all built on the edge of the mountains.
Perhaps, the original builders also wanted to offset the labor and force, and they were already exhausted when they reached the foot of the Great Wall over the mountains and ridges, so they deliberately left long stretches of mountains for the enemy to climb.
Moreover, building the Great Wall in this way is not only convenient for construction, but also very conducive to the supply of the Ming army.
Ma Fang was running at the front of the team at this time, closely following the army's tooth flag.
Follow the commander and you will have meat to eat.
This was what the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty thought in their hearts. They were willing to fight with a general like Ma Fang who always thought about the soldiers. Therefore, although the journey was hard, few people complained.
To achieve success, military households actually have their own dreams.
Although they are often bullied by the general banner and hundreds of households, they also dream of becoming one of them one day, so meritorious service on the battlefield is their only way out.
To be selected into the cavalry, one is naturally one of the best among the military households. Not only must they be brave and fearless, but they must also have superb martial arts skills.
As for proficiency with bows and horses, only a very small number of horse owners can achieve this, and most of them gradually learn after being selected into the army.
However, although the Ming cavalry was slightly inferior to the Mongolian cavalry in terms of bows and horses, it had great advantages in equipment, so the combat power of the two sides was basically even.
As they were rushing forward, two fast horses came running quickly in the distance. Looking at Ma Fang's clothes, he knew that they were sent out by his side.
Soon, the two horses came close. Ma Fang reined in the horses and waited for them to convey the military information.
At this time, he may encounter the Tatars at any time, which is why he came to the front of the army, so that he can be notified as soon as possible.
He is in the front line, so he can naturally command flexibly, at least there will be no mistakes.
"Commander, a group of Tatar cavalry was found twenty miles ahead. There were about two thousand people. There were ruts on the route heading north."
"There are a lot of Tatar scouts around here. It's probably not easy to hide when the army is marching."
The two sentry detectives began to report and supplement each other's information.
"Caught."
Ma Fang knew in her heart that she had arrived in time this time, and the Tatars should still be walking around the border wall, looking for the slope to leave Mingjing.
"What's the terrain ahead? Will we meet each other if we go this way?"
He asked loudly immediately.
"The plains are suitable for cavalry charges and battles. The cavalry troops are not fast, but our army can stop them."
After receiving such an answer, Ma Fang knew that this encounter could only rely on the combat power of the army. There was no terrain advantage at all, so there was no need to make too many arrangements.
"The whole army halted their horses to restore their power, and ordered Dong Yikui's troops to halt their horses and march slowly, to take charge of the rear."
Knowing that there were only 2,000 Tatars in the front, Ma Fang certainly would not choose to attack with his entire army.
This time, there were tens of thousands of Tatars entering the customs. It is difficult to tell whether these two thousand people are the rear team or the forward team. This means that there may be captive cavalry around.
If all the troops are put into it at once, once the Tatar reinforcements break in when the war is in full swing, the outcome will be unpredictable.
Dong Yikui is left as a reserve team. No matter whether there are Tatars coming to help before or after, he can deal with it calmly.
Three thousand Ming troops attacked two thousand Tatars, and the odds of winning were still very high.
After the order to stop their horses was given, the Ming cavalry stopped advancing, and only dispersed several waves of sentries to drive away the approaching Tatar scouts.
After the Ming army dismounted, they took out bean cakes from their bags, broke them into pieces, and began to feed the horses. They also took out marching water bottles to feed the horses. At this time, the most important thing was to let the horses eat something to maintain their strength.
After the horses were fed, they took out the dry food, ate it one bite at a time, and gave themselves a few sips of water when they were thirsty.
In a cavalry battle, the first thing to ensure is the horse, but you should line up behind the horse.
Ma Fang was now the same as a soldier, except that he was sitting on the ground eating dry food, and his own soldiers were responsible for taking care of the war horse.
After resting for a while, he looked at his mount, which seemed to have recovered a lot.
For people like Ma Fang who work with horses all year round, you can know the horse's condition by looking at its movements.
Although he was traveling quickly all the way before, Ma Fang still retained a bit of horsepower to launch a charge.
After this moment of rest, the horse's physical strength has obviously recovered a lot, enough to sustain a battle.
Slowly getting up, Ma Fang walked to his horse and gently stroked it.
The moment he stood up, the surrounding Ming troops knew that they were almost rested and about to go into battle.
So, they all got up one after another.
Although the Ming army in the distance couldn't see Ma Fang's movements, they could see that all the people in front of him were getting up, and they all stood up and moved their hands and feet.
This is an army. The actions of some soldiers will affect the entire army. They don't need to communicate it to the soldiers behind them. They can also feel a lot.
Because they are a whole.
No one got on the horse, everyone was just waiting for this moment to come.
The soldiers nearby all looked at Ma Fang, while the soldiers in the distance stared at their comrades in front.
Finally, Ma Fang stopped what he was doing. He was not only caressing his comrade, but also checking the harness. After that, he checked the armor he was wearing, grabbed the saddle and got on the horse with a clean and neat movement.
Following his movements, the nearby soldiers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty followed suit, and spread quickly, sweeping from the front army to the rear like a wave.
He glanced at the big flag erected next to him. The big word "horse" on it was unfolding in the wind. Next to it, a line of small characters "General Officer Guarding Xuanfu" showed the identity of the commander of this army.
Ma Fang's heart moved. Now he was no longer the slave kidnapped by the Tatars, but the commander-in-chief of a town in the Ming Dynasty.
His name also spread to all parts of the grassland with each victory.
"Put away the handsome flag and bring it out when you launch a charge."
The terrain restricts the flexible use of troops, but some small movements can be made.
In Ma Fang's opinion, with the reputation he has accumulated over the years, he must be known to the elite among the Tatars.
This move might be useless against ordinary Tatars, but he didn't believe that the elite cavalry around the Mongolian nobles would not know his reputation.
"go ahead."
Ma Fang waved his hand and rode forward first, followed by his own soldiers, and then the forward cavalry of the Ming army.
Although the Ming army sent out many sentries and cavalry, the vibration and smoke of the marching army could not be concealed from others.
At this time, at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, a marching Tatar cavalry had received a report from a scout. A group of Ming troops appeared in the west. The number is unknown, but judging from the formation, they must be cavalry.
"Why did the Ming cavalry appear here?"
The leader of the team was Da Laisun. According to Huang Taiji's order, he led the thousands of people under his command and the Tatars who originally besieged Zhengguantun, which was indeed more than 2,000 people.
They are responsible for the capture of the enemy.
In fact, if Ma Fang's troops had arrived half an hour earlier, they would have seen the main force of three thousand cavalry led by Huang Taiji and a huge convoy transporting property.
Calling Sun thought for a moment, he didn't understand why the Ming army had a large force here.
Shouldn't the Ming army still be near Shunyi and Sanhe?
Based on his many years of experience fighting the Ming army, the Ming people should be helping them clean up the battlefield in Zhengguantun at this time.
By the way, from the west.
When he called Sun, he thought of his original target, the Miyun Cavalry of the Ming Dynasty.
That team only had more than a thousand people, and the number of them was probably not as large as mine.
With this judgment in mind, Da Lai Sun quickly figured out that Huang Taiji might have been overly worried at the beginning, as the Miyun Ming army did not leave the city to join the battle.
It is very likely that the Ming army started to retreat here, and the Ming army also discovered some clues, so the Ming army from each city was sent to attack.
The people from Miyun came here, probably to see him off.
I remembered that this was the case the last time I entered the Ming Kingdom with Altan Khan. While they were looting, the various ministries of the Ming Kingdom stood still and only started to pursue them when they retreated.
Later, I heard that the various departments of the Ming army fought against each other, saying that they defeated and drove away the Mongolian cavalry.
What a joke.
Except for Ma Fang, labor and management are not afraid of anyone.
At this moment, Sun Ke thought with disdain.
The last attack, the Xuanfu army that finally arrived and caused some casualties to them, was the Ming army led by Ma Fang.
Within a few years, Ma Fang had become the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu of the Ming Dynasty, and they repeatedly attacked the Xuanfu without achieving much results.
Fortunately, this is Ji Town. Am I still afraid of your Miyun cavalry? Hehe
When Sun thought about this battle, he asked Bao Du'er to get a lot of credit, and he also killed the general soldier of Ji Town in the Ming Dynasty, but he hardly got any credit.
Miyun Cavalry, just think of it as a gap in your teeth, it's better than nothing.
"Send the order, the army will assemble, we will kill this Ming army before we leave."
After thinking about it, Sun immediately ordered to prepare for the battle.
"General, would you like to inform Taijiya?"
A close confidant behind him reminded him.
"It's better to send someone to say something, otherwise all the glory this time will be robbed."
Call Sun and ordered.
Soon, a fast horse broke away from the group and accelerated forward, chasing the group in front.
The autumn wind is rustling and murderous.
At the foot of Langwo Mountain, the Ming army and the Mongolian captives faced each other from east to west.
The two armies stopped at a distance of five miles. At this distance, neither side dared to use marching columns anymore. They could only form formations against each other. Only by defeating their opponents could they continue their actions.
"Commander, the formation is ready."
The soldiers reported loudly behind Ma Fang.
"Bang the drum."
Ma Fang immediately ordered.
On several carriages behind them, several shirtless men were beating drums.
"Dong dong dong"
The drum beats start from being slightly chaotic to being neat, and then gradually increase in frequency, indicating the arrival of the final moment.
The intensive beating of drums also stimulated the secretion of adrenaline in the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, so everyone was waiting for the commander's order.
On the opposite side, after the Ming army's war drums sounded, the trumpets were also blown.
This is a tacit understanding between the Ming and Mongolian armies, and both sides are ready.
"How come there are so many people in the Miyun Ming Army?"
At this time, in the Luqi formation, Sun Ye noticed that something seemed wrong.
In fact, from the moment he confronted the Ming army, he realized something was wrong. The Ming army had too many cavalry.
But at this point, it’s superfluous to think about anything else.
Only by defeating them can the army leave here safely.
"Wan Sheng. Wan Sheng"
The Ming army's ranks suddenly erupted into shouts like a mountain roar and a tsunami.
After that, there was the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground.
The Ming army on the opposite side began to move, and the horses began to move forward slowly under the control of the knight.
"Haorui."
Sun didn't dare to show weakness when he was beaten. He suddenly raised his right arm, waved the sword in his hand, and shouted loudly.
"Haorui. Haorui"
Behind him, countless Mongolian men also shouted loudly. As he slowly lowered his sword forward, the Mongolian cavalry also began to move.
Both armies were not advancing very fast at first, but this only gave the horses time to adapt. As the two armies approached, the speed of the horses on both sides increased in unison.
"Put up my banner."
When the Ming army was in the rear formation, Ma Fang saw the army gradually retreating and gave instructions loudly.
As the "horse" flag was raised, the drummer tried his best to beat the war drum, just to suppress the sound of the horn from the opposite side.
Ma Fang raised his flag and was immediately spotted by Lai Sun.
Although he couldn't see the small words next to it due to the distance, he was familiar with the big flag.
It's not like Huang Taiji has never played against Xuanfu in recent years, he has also fought against Ma Fang. The moment he saw the big flag, he knew who his opponent was.
But what's the use of knowing it now?
It's too late.
"Flying to report to Taiji, Xuanfu's Ma Fang Department intercepted my rear team."
Immediately, Sun came and gave the order.
Asking for reinforcements was something he couldn't say yet.
"Bang bang bang"
When the two armies were about to join the battle, a burst of smoke erupted from the front line of the Ming cavalry. It was the Ming cavalry using firearms to kill the enemy on the opposite side. At the same time, what appeared in his eyes were dense arrows on the heads of the cavalry queue.
The archers on both sides fired arrows at the opposite side, but the Ming army's arrows were obviously less than those of the Mongolian cavalry.
Soon, on the plain, the two cavalry units collided fiercely. For a moment, people on the battlefield were on their backs. Soldiers from both sides swung their weapons at their opponents at the moment they met the enemy.
No one will show mercy to the enemy on the opposite side. The weapons in their hands are all dropped with all their strength, just to cut off the opponent's head or knock the opponent off his horse, and the fight only lasts for a moment.
Due to the low horse speed of both sides, there was only one chance to take action against the enemy, and then they had to guard against the enemies that followed. The formations previously arranged by both sides quickly became chaotic and fragmented.
Blood energy can be easily stimulated in such an environment.
Both sides fought head-on, and soon the formations were squeezed together, and the horse speed was lost.
There was not much room for maneuver on either side, and neither side maintained their horse speed and charged back and forth, they just hoped to defeat their opponents with their combat power.
The situation where the two armies staggered and charged back and forth did not happen here. The two sides soon fell into a melee like synchronized pawns.
This is naturally Ma Fang's purpose, to entangle his opponents and defeat them by taking advantage of his numbers and equipment.
If they charge repeatedly, there is no guarantee that the Tatars will choose to turn around and go north after one charge.
They are all cavalry. If they pursue, there is no guarantee that they will not be attacked by the Tatars in front.
This is not conducive to maintaining maximum results.
In such a melee situation, the side with more people will naturally have an advantage, and there is hope for total annihilation.