Chapter 359: The situation reverses

"Kill--!" Amid the howling screams of ghosts and wolves, the newly formed Zhenghuang Banner, who had already quickly replaced the Khan elite, had the least casualties in the past, was divided into four echelons, carrying the increasingly cold north wind to launch the most fierce attack on the defense line of the Ming army's Xiaoling River. The dense heads and the flags covering the sky were like waves, roaring and rushing, rushing towards the defense line of the Ming army's Xiaoling River.

A few days ago, Jiannu dared to come so arrogantly to attack the Xiaolinghe defense line in the north of the Ming army camp. Master Zhang had already brought Ming army soldiers howling and repelled backwards. With Master Zhang's best-known central breakthrough tactics, he arrogantly and domineeringly directly entered the front with the strongest troops of the enemy, directly destroying the enemy's self-confidence, morale, fighting spirit and will, and then drive the enemy's defeated soldiers like driving a duck to destroy one complete enemy army after another.

Completely defeat the enemy and then massacre! - But unfortunately, Young Master Zhang is no longer here. This tactic that requires extremely high confidence, morale, fighting spirit and command has become a masterpiece of the Ming army. The current Ming army, including the Slaughter Army, can only hide behind the Xiaoling River defense line, and use river channels, bows, arrows, muskets, and artillery to resist the enemy's offensive. It is completely gone without the majesty that less than 20,000 Ming army could block more than 100,000 Jiannu in the camp a few days ago.

Although the double threat of river water and rifled muskets was destined to prevent the Jiannu army from quickly breaking through the Xiaoling River defense line of the Ming army, and the group's casualties were quite serious in the charge, but when the new Jiannu Khan Huang Taiji saw that his army had recovered their confidence and morale, he was able to charge in front of the Slaughter Army without any fear, he couldn't help but be happy, cheered and praised his army for his bravery. Fan Wencheng was even more happy. After carefully counting the flags of the Slaughter Army in the telescope, Fan Wencheng quickly came to Huang Taiji and said, "Khan, judging from the flag, the Mad Dog Army was all attracted to the front of our army. The slave believed that our cavalry should disperse left and right, replace it with infantry long shield teams, and the bow and arrow team was behind to shoot, and then send two elite cavalry to cross the river from the upstream and downstream, and attack the barbarians from left and right. Our army will definitely win."

In the past, Huang Taiji would never dare to use this kind of adventure tactic in front of Master Zhang - rashly splitting troops across the river is equivalent to sending meat to Master Zhang's mouth. Although it was judged from the flag that the elite Ming army had gathered to the front, who could guarantee that this was not Master Zhang's trick? But the same thing, Master Zhang is no longer here now, so Huang Taiji only thought about it for a moment, and immediately nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do what you said."

The order flag was waving, and the Jiannu cavalry that could not break through the Xiaolinghe defense line dispersed left and right. The Ming soldiers who were guarding the ferry had just breathed a sigh of relief. The Jiannu's war drum had already beaten again. Five thousand Jiannu infantry teams composed of traitors, traitors and gangsters held eight-foot-high long shields, connected with shields and shields, and arranged five neat and unusually horizontal lines. Behind them were five thousand Jiannu archers, oppressing like five shield walls. The Ming army's muskets and arrows hit the long shield wrapped in iron, making waves of golden iron sounds, but they could not penetrate the long shield and hurt the Jiannu soldiers behind the shield. Seeing this scene, Xiong Tingbi, who was commanding the battle with Yuan Keli, was anxious and quickly shouted: "On the cannons, on the red cannons, bombard the Jiannu's long shield team for me!"

Because Yuan Keli did not oppose Xiong Tingbi's tactics, Xiong Tingbi's order was finally implemented quickly. After the banner was launched, the Ming army's fifteen heavy artillery quickly pushed up and loaded bullets to bombard the long shield formation that Jiannu was advancing rapidly. At this moment, Xiong Tingbi was so angry that he had smoke from his seven orifices. After the Ming army's heavy artillery shells hit the Jiannu Changshi Team, the effect was really good. As long as they hit, each shell could basically knock down two or three or even more Jiannu Changshi soldiers.

Jiannu's long shield hand immediately filled up the position like a chicken blood, filling the gap left by his dead companions, and still arranged neatly to advance. In a blink of an eye, it pressed to the north bank of Xiaoling River, blocking the lead shells of the Ming army's light artillery and rifled muskets. The Jiannu archer behind took the opportunity to shoot feather arrows. The dense arrowheads drew countless deadly arcs in the sky and fell overwhelmed the earth on the heads of the soldiers of the Tunu Army. The soldiers of the Tunu Army, the strongest combat-capable force in the Ming army, began to fall one after another.

"Damn it! Do you think I'm not as good as a stinky son-in-law?" Xiong Tingbi certainly understood the reason why the Jiannu soldiers suddenly became so brave and fearless - Jiannu soldiers were afraid that his son-in-law would not be afraid of him. As he cursed, Xiong Tingbi quickly adjusted his tactics and removed the rifled muskets and could not shoot the Nushu Army, replaced the Jiannu archer, and shot in an arc with the Jiannu archer, fighting against the feather arrows with Jiannu. Originally, Xiong Tingbi's move was actually very beautiful. The Ming army's material advantages were far above Jiannu, and the Ming army would never suffer any loss to the Feather Arrows, which was still costing more than the lead bullets, but Xiong Tingbi really underestimated Zhang

The morale influence brought to the Ming army by the death of the eldest young master, almost every Ming army soldier could not show his true training level. In the past, he could only shoot four arrows at most, or even less. The high morale Jiannu performed extraordinaryly. In the past, he could shoot at least six arrows in the time of shooting five arrows. As one went up and down, the Ming army's archery team naturally suffered much more casualties than Jiannu. After only one meal, the Ming army killed hundreds of archers, and countless injured people, and the team that was even less strict was looser.

"The morale of the barbarians is lost." Through the telescope, Huang Taiji, who had been through the battlefield for a long time, keenly discovered the change in the morale of the Ming army and shouted decisively: "Beat the drum, Du Du's army seized the ferry, attract the attention of the barbarians, and create opportunities for the surprise soldiers on both sides!"

As more than 300 cowhide drums were thrusting wildly, Jiannu's archers and long shield hands dispersed left and right, leaving the road open. Du Du, the leader of Jiannu's Inlaid White Banner, personally led the Zhengbai Banner. The elite cavalry of the Inlaid White Banner charged through it and launched a strong attack on the ten wooden bridges controlled by the Ming army at the Xiaoling River Ferry. The depressed Ming army's infantry archers were in chaos, either turning around or running around in scattered life. Not only did they fail to resolutely block the charge of the Jiannu's cavalry, but they greatly hindered the subsequent mobilization of the Ming army's troops to repair defense.

. Seeing this scene, Xiong Tingbi complained and had to send Cao Wenzhao's uncle and nephew to lead his army forward, forcibly cross the defeated troops, and consolidate the defense line at the ferry position again. As a result, more soldiers who were defeated by the Ming army were trampled to death by their own family than those who were shot to death by Jiannu for tens of thousands of arrows. At the same time, when Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao hurriedly took over the ferry position, the Jiannu cavalry had already reached the wooden bridge. Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao were forced to fight and fight to the point.

"Kill--!" The battle on the ferry front was so fierce that it entered a white heat. The Ming army and Jiannu, who were also cavalry, rushed on the wooden bridge, with swords and blood on the river, and the river surface was like a pot. The collision sound of sabers and steel guns was as dense as it was on a blacksmith's construction site. The blood of the soldiers and horses on both sides quickly dyed the entire Xiaoling River red. Although the Liaodong cavalry led by Xiong Tingbi's beloved general Cao Wenzhao desperately blocked the charge momentum of Jiannu, the morale of the Jiannu cavalry was too high, and they sacrificed their lives to kill them desperately. They rushed to the south bank of Xiaoling River many times, causing huge casualties to the Ming cavalry. Seeing this scene, the roars and drums on the side of Jiannu were naturally more shocking, while the morale and fighting spirit were completely different from the last battle in Xiaoling River.

"This battle cannot be fought!" Xiong Tingbi did not expect that the morale of his own army would be so low. Just as he was helpless, a new ferocity came. A Jiannu Zhenghong Banner cavalry came to attack the left and right wings of the Ming army. Although it was said that there were two fierce generals Heiyunlong and Madengyun on both sides of the army, and they would not collapse in a short period of time, there was a chaos in the Ming army, and countless soldiers had the intention of escaping. The morale broke out on the side of Jiannu, and the drums were shouting like thunder. Xiong Tingbi was forced to yell: "Mingjin, the Mascun Army cut off the rear and the Mangui cavalry cut off the rear, and retreated to the camp to defend!"

"Dangdangdangdangdangdangdangdangdang!" With the gong of the Ming army's withdrawal, the first retreat of the Ming army since the decisive battle in Liaodong began. The low-morning Ming army rushed to flee to the camp, and the people and horses were scrambling to the top. The Jiannu side was cheering and launched a full-scale attack, and rushed towards the defeated Ming army like a tide. Thanks to the presence of the two most elite Ming army, the Murderer and the Mangui cavalry, they blocked the Jiannu pursuers and the retreating and the retreating friendly troops were to retreat. The Ming army did not suffer too much casualties when they retreated. Seeing these scenes, Huang Taiji and Fan Wencheng Zhunu naturally laughed so hard that they almost couldn't even close their mouths, but Xiong Tingbi was extremely depressed and couldn't help asking himself, "Am I really far better than a stinky son-in-law?"

After finally withdrawing the camp, relying on the solid fortifications left by Master Zhang, the Ming army finally spent the dark and Jiannu voluntarily withdrew troops. However, after this battle, the Ming army suffered more than 3,000 elite soldiers, countless injured, and thousands of prisoners were captured by Jiannu. The casualties on Jiannu were less than half of the Ming army. They also successfully seized the initiative in the Xiaolinghe Ferry and gained the first victory since the beginning of the Liaodong decisive battle - it was really not easy! In this way, Jiannu was naturally cheering and full of morale. The Ming army was depressed, helpless, and did not know where the way forward was!

That night, Xiong Tingbi held a military meeting overnight, and all the generals of the Ming army, the chief and deputy generals, were present to discuss the next military plan. At the meeting, Xiong Tingbi was straightforward, just like Yuan Keli asked the head coach's sword seal left by Master Zhang to rectify the team, strictly enforce military discipline, and reorganize the troops again. Moreover, because of the defeat, Xiong Tingbi spoke very rudely and said to Yuan Keli directly: "Mr. Yuan, you have seen the situation today. Our army's morale is too poor, and my order must be approved by you before it can be promulgated. It is really inconvenient to command - if you don't want to continue to let our Ming army lose, then hand over the head coach's sword seal to me, we may have some hope."

"Sir Xiong, it's okay for the lower officer to hand over the head coach's sword seal to you." Yuan Keli said in a deep voice: "But the lower officer wants to ask the lower officer, what should we do next after you get the head coach's sword seal?"

"Of course, it is to strictly enforce military discipline, reorganize the troops and fight again, fight to the death with Jiannu!" Xiong Tingbi roared with red eyes: "The bastard finally wiped out nearly half of the elite Jiannu. Jiannu has been greatly damaged. As long as the morale that has been lowered and the loose military discipline has been reorganized, we still have the advantage and hope to defeat Jiannu!"

"Ship Xiong, if this is the case, then I'm sorry, the subordinates can't hand over the head commander's sword seal to you." Yuan Keli shook his head. Xiong Tingbi was furious and jumped up and slapped the table and shouted: "What do you mean? Do you think you can do better than me in leading the army? Or do you think that if you hand over the army to me, I will throw all the main force of the Ming Dynasty? Or do you want to lead your own troops to fight Jiannu?"

"Minister Xiong misunderstood, so the officials absolutely have no intention of this." Yuan Keli shook his head and said seriously: "Before coming to Liaodong, Xiaguan also fantasized that he could jump on the battlefield, kill the enemy and kill the chiefs to serve the country. However, after following Zhang Shaobao for so many days, Xiaguan has already understood that he is not the material at all, and leading troops to fight is not as simple as writing stories with the teahouse as imagined. If the army is commanded by Xiaguan, then maybe in three days, we may be wiped out! In terms of commanding troops and fighting, Zhang Shaobao is a genius, Xiong is a talent, but Xiaguan is a fool, so Xiaguan will never dare to compete with you for military power."

"It's good that you know yourself!" Xiong Tingbi, nicknamed Xiong Dasty Mouth, really smelly enough. Yuan Keli has already given up to this point. Not only is Xiong Tingbi not at all humble, he also stretched out his hand to Yuan Keli, "Then you can hand over the head coach's sword seal to me now, right?"

"It can be given to you, but before the subordinates hand over the head commander's sword seal to the supervisor, Xiong must agree to the subordinates." Yuan Keli said calmly: "That is, after the superiors Xiong take over the military power, they cannot fight with Jiannu anymore. They must withdraw their troops immediately and withdraw their troops to the Shanhaiguan guard! And if Jiannu chases too tightly, Xiong, you are not allowed to take them back, and you must ensure that all the 130,000 soldiers of the Ming Dynasty return to Shanhaiguan safely!"

"Why?" Xiong Tingbi jumped up, clenched his fists and beards with both hands and shouted angrily: "The bastard finally made the battle like this. Do you want me to waste all his efforts?"

Although he had been mentally prepared for Xiong Tingbi's bear temper, seeing Xiong Tingbi become so excited, Yuan Keli shook his head, sighed and took out a yellow silk from his arms, and suddenly shouted: "The Emperor of Ming Dynasty, Xiong Tingbi kneels down and listens!"

"When will the emperor send the imperial edict? Why don't I know?" Xiong Tingbi was shocked. Yuan Keli replied in a deep voice: "This imperial edict was secretly handed over to the subordinates when the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition Army went on a war. In order to prevent it, I am preparing to issue it to you when Zhang Shaobao unfortunately died of illness. Supervisor Xiong, listen to it."

"My minister Xiong Tingbi knelt down and received the imperial edict." Xiong Tingbi, who was completely brainwashed by the feudal toxins of the Three Bonds and Five Constant People, was forced to kneel down obediently and said in a rough voice: "Long live the emperor, long live, long live, long live."

"In accordance with the will of heaven, the emperor ordered the emperor to express his imperial edict." Yuan Keli launched the imperial edict and said, "The prince's young master Zhang Haogu Gongzhong was in charge of the country. He went to the expedition with illness. Although I promised it, Zhang Haogu's love is seriously ill, fighting on the battlefield, and the journey is rampant, and he is afraid that he will suddenly die in the army, which will be unfavorable to the army. Therefore, I secretly ordered the Liaodong Martial Arts Envoy Xiong Tingbi. Once Zhang Haogu's love is dead in the army, Xiong Tingbi can immediately take over the army and lead the Northern Expedition Army to retreat to Shanhaiguan to defend the security of the capital and protect our Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition Army to prepare for the reorganization of the army. You must not be greedy for merit and advance again. If there is any mistake, I will not let you go easily and do not misunderstand this."

"Master Xiong, do you understand what the emperor means?" Yuan Keli sighed and said, "If you accept the order and promise to lead the Northern Expedition Army to withdraw back to Shanhaiguan, then I will hand over the head coach's sword seal to you immediately. Otherwise, I would rather take the risk of leading troops to retreat by myself than give the head coach's sword seal to you."

Xiong Tingbi's expression changed. After gritting his teeth for a long time, Xiong Tingbi replied helplessly: "I am here to accept the order, long live my emperor, long live, long live." Hearing this answer, Yuan Keli breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried forward to support Xiong Tingbi, comforting: "Mr. Xiong, I understand your mood, but you have also seen that Zhang Shaobao's unfortunate sacrifice for the country will have a blow to our morale? The Ming army here is the elite of our Ming Dynasty and the last family of our Ming court. There is no tolerance for any loss."

As he said that, Yuan Keli quickly held the head coach's sword seal and the secret order of Emperor Xizong of Ming to calm Xiong Tingbi's anger. Xiong Tingbi took it over and said angrily: "This is definitely the idea of ​​that bastard. Our emperor has such a long-term vision? That bastard even arranged the matter after his death, just to believe it to his father-in-law!" But after venting his temper, Xiong Tingbi sat down helplessly and began to formulate a plan to withdraw troops.

"The Ming army is about to withdraw. What should I do next?" The Jurchen King, who was about to get it, flew away again, and Amin, who also participated in this military meeting, couldn't help but start to think. "In this situation, I followed the Ming army to Shanhaiguan. What would the Ming court do to me? Now the eighth brother inherited the Khan throne, and people cannot hang themselves on a crooked tree. Should I contact him for a little......"

The next morning, and it was also the early morning of October 20, the tenth year of the Great Ming Dynasty. Liaodong, whose north wind was getting stronger day by day, finally fell the first snow. The snowflakes flew, and the 80,000 Ming troops on the battlefield of Xiaolinghe also began to retreat in full swing. Xiong Tingbi personally led the most powerful army to the Slaughter Army and the Mangui cavalry to cut off the rear. Yuan Keli and Cao Wenzhao's uncle and nephew led the central army to go first. The Ma Shilong Army stationed in Bijia Mountain was moving faster. They had already loaded the grain and supplies to the official road overnight. After meeting with the main force, they went south together. After detecting this situation, the Jiannu scout quickly returned to the camp to report the new Jiannu scout Huang Taiji. Almost in an instant, cheers echoed into the sky in the Jiannu camp, "The barbarian ran away! Run--!"

"Old barbarian Xiong Tingbi, run so fast!" The Ming army retreated so quickly, which made Huang Taiji, the new Jiannu Khan, disappointed Huang Taiji. Originally, with the current morale of the Ming army, Huang Taiji fought with the Ming army for another three days, exhausting the morale of the Ming army. Even if Xiong Tingbi withdraws his troops, his army will be extremely chaotic when his morale collapses, creating more opportunities for hunting and interception for Huang Taiji. Now Xiong Tingbi has just lost a battle and withdrew his troops immediately. His morale is still preserved, so there are naturally not many opportunities left for Huang Taiji. But Huang Taiji was not too disappointed, and immediately shouted: "Send the order, the entire army will rise up, chase down the barbarian defeated soldiers, and rescue Ningyuan's friendly troops!"

"Khan, either don't chase after you, you have to chase after you have to chase after you!" Fan Wencheng shouted wildly: "Catch up with the barbarian's palace back army, kill them all over the world, and kill them completely, and kill them! In this way, the barbarian's morale will collapse, and it will be easier for us to fight Shanhaiguan!"
Chapter completed!