Chapter 009: Slaying the Tartars
Your Majesty, our horses are inferior to those of the Tartars
However, by this time, the distance has become too great
He fell from the horse with a cry of anguish
He then shouted again
This bow is too soft; find me a harder one later.
All the Ming troops watching the battle from the city wall erupted in cheers
Deputy General Chen, leading the troops, waved his hand and said
Yang Feng pushed aside Deputy General Chen, rushed down the city wall, mounted his warhorse, and grabbed a wolf-toothed club, ready to charge out.
The day after the miraculous event was displayed, Yang Feng led one thousand cavalry to be the first to depart from Shanhaiguan and head north.
As for the remaining Qing cavalry, they can only leave. It is difficult to expect a second occurrence of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat. If the shot misses, it will undoubtedly diminish the effect of this display of bravado. In this regard, Yang Feng remains quite clear-headed. Xiao Qian's calculations can achieve absolute certainty, but the frayed bowstring, the crooked arrow shaft, and the substandard arrowhead in his hand will all introduce errors, which cannot be mitigated by Xiao Qian's calculations, no matter how precise. Moreover, this type of projectile lacks sufficient force; even if it hits the Qing soldiers, it would not penetrate their armor. In this regard, Yang Feng remains quite clear-headed. Xiao Qian's calculations can achieve absolute certainty, but the frayed bowstring, the crooked arrow shaft, and the substandard arrowhead in his hand will all introduce errors, which cannot be mitigated by Xiao Qian's calculations, no matter how precise. Moreover, this type of projectile lacks sufficient force; even if it hits the Qing soldiers, it would not penetrate their armor
Yang Feng had no interest in how Wu Sangui would defend Shanhaiguan next.
Step aside
Yang Feng swung his wolf-toothed club and charged out first, while the cavalry on both sides quickly raised their long spears and charged at full speed. The Qing army opposite also raised their long spears and advanced forward. The two cavalry forces collided within a matter of seconds.
Your Majesty, according to the reconnaissance by our scouts, there are approximately 1,000 guards stationed by the Tartars in Ningyuan, and an additional 500 at the Zhongyou Qianhu Station. This group of Tartars is stationed in Ningyuan. When our scouts returned, they encountered some of them who were patrolling outside. Although, thanks to Your Majesty's divine might, we completely annihilated them this time, one horseman managed to escape. Consequently, the Tartars in Ningyuan will soon be aware of our arrival and will prepare accordingly.
Let go, lead the troops to stay in the city, and see how I will kill these dog Tartars
Your Majesty, please do not be angry!
The era of cold weapons largely depended on morale. The equipment and training levels of these Ming cavalry were not inferior to those of the Qing army. They were all hereditary military households, with generations serving as professional soldiers. The northern regions were not as peaceful as the southern areas. Previously, the Qing army had repeatedly bypassed the Shanhai Pass to invade and plunder, and these garrison soldiers had not neglected their training. It can be said that they were not incapable of engaging the Qing army in battle; they simply lacked the courage. However, now that the Emperor himself is leading the charge with a wolf-tooth club and displaying such bravery, the soldiers naturally would not hesitate any longer.
Li Yutian is from Shaanxi, and it is estimated that at this moment, his fellow townsmen must be feeling extremely anxious. Old Tang is the former General of Xuanhua, who has been impeached by Wang Chengmu and is currently at home due to corruption. Naturally, he is unlikely to have any loyalty towards him. Although switching allegiance to the Ming Lord is not feasible due to the isolation from both sides, it is still quite possible to exploit his foreign skills. Although he has indeed just demonstrated a miracle, such miracles cannot serve as a substitute for the Red Robe Cannon. Ultimately, if a real battle were to break out, how could the spirit of the Great Ancestor in heaven possibly lead down a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals?
Yang Feng returned to the Zhonghou Station, where Deputy General Chen approached him with a face full of admiration and said
These Ming soldiers are well aware of what it means to hit a moving target with arrows while riding galloping horses, achieving a perfect score every time
A cavalryman stopped beside His Majesty the Emperor, who had also come to a halt, and said breathlessly
What left Yang Feng speechless was that the cavalry he had dispatched was clearly slowing down
Otherwise, it is indeed not secure
Certainly, this is already sufficient
Take the bow and arrow
Old Chen, who followed closely behind, grabbed his reins and shouted
A thousand-household leader immediately led one hundred cavalry forward in the direction indicated by Yang Feng, while Yang Feng also accelerated the main force. The sound was coming from the north side of the middle and rear positions. When they entered the already abandoned castle and climbed the city wall, they could see in the distance four reconnaissance soldiers previously dispatched sprinting towards them at full speed, followed by dozens of Qing cavalry. At this moment, the Ming army sent to provide support had also exited the city, but those Qing cavalry did not regard these Ming soldiers as a threat and continued to pursue the four reconnaissance soldiers.
The cavalry sincerely wished to praise Yang Feng's archery skills, yet they were at a loss for words. Although it could be regarded as a miracle, it ultimately still missed the target.
Yang Feng said
Drum roll!
Although the military supervision system of the Ming Dynasty has always been criticized, in Yang Feng's view, with such a group of loyal ministers and capable generals, it would indeed be unfeasible to operate without a military supervisor
Meanwhile, the Ming cavalry, who were also in pursuit, continuously shot their sharp arrows, causing the fleeing Qing cavalry to fall from their horses in panic, and soon only two riders remained
The emperor's valor suddenly boosted the morale of the Ming army
What do you suggest we do
He said with a serious expression while holding the war horse
However, regrettably, it did not hit the target, but rather flew past the helmet of the Qing cavalryman with a near miss amidst a chorus of lamenting exclamations
Your Majesty
Yang Feng let out a faint cold laugh, then drew the bow again. However, he did not aim directly at the target, but rather slightly upward. The cavalryman beside him looked at him with an incredulous gaze. In that moment, the bowstring in His Majesty the Emperor's hand suddenly released, and the arrow shot straight into the sky with the sound of the bowstring, only to fall back down in a parabolic arc after nearly a hundred steps as its power was exhausted
Marching north from Shanhaiguan, one thousand cavalrymen advanced at a normal pace, reaching the Guangning Front Guard by noon. After resting sufficiently in this already abandoned fortress, they continued in the afternoon to reach the Zhonghousuo, which is the modern-day Suizhong County seat. Before they could even enter the city, Yang Feng's keen sense of hearing came into play.
Deputy General Chen said
Kill
Yang Feng charged forward towards the thousand households and shouted
A cavalryman hurriedly handed over a bow and arrows
Turn around and prepare for battle
Then it shall be as you wish. Furthermore, the thousand households who were just executed by me shall be recorded as having died in battle. The fact that he could accompany me here already demonstrates his loyalty!
Amidst the shouts of "Long live the Emperor," His Majesty, with an expression of feigned indifference, tossed the bow back to its original owner and said
The cavalry, upon seeing the bloodied Qianhu on the ground, trembled and turned around, forming a line centered around Yang Feng. The Qing soldiers opposite them watched with great interest and simultaneously arranged themselves in formation, preparing to attack
Hurry!
Wearing two layers of chainmail, Yang Feng grasped a spear thrusting towards him with his left hand. Immediately, as he seized the spear, he brought down a wolf-toothed club onto the head of the Qing soldier, crushing it under his immense strength. Before the Qing soldiers on either side could react, his left spear struck another Qing soldier in the chest, knocking him off his horse, while simultaneously being impaled by a Ming cavalryman's spear. Yang Feng's right-hand wolf-toothed club swept across, sending another Qing soldier, who was engaged in combat with a Ming cavalryman, flying away. Before the Qing soldiers on either side could react, his left spear struck another Qing soldier in the chest, knocking him off his horse, while simultaneously being impaled by a Ming cavalryman's spear. Yang Feng's right-hand wolf-toothed club swept across, sending another Qing soldier, who was engaged in combat with a Ming cavalryman, flying away.
The latter hesitated for a moment
I, on behalf of his family, express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your great kindness
Immediately, he urged his warhorse and charged out. At this moment, the Qing army, having closed the distance, began to shoot arrows. As the Ming army was retreating, several soldiers were struck by arrows. Fortunately, the distance was still considerable, and their cotton armor provided some protection, so none of the cavalry had fallen. However, what left Yang Feng even more speechless was that none of these men turned back to retaliate, focusing solely on rushing towards the city gate.
He said irritably
Yang Feng kicked the door open and said
Then, as if an explosion had occurred, countless screams erupted. At the same time, the cavalry dismounted one after another, kneeling around Yang Feng as if to worship a deity, shouting long live. Immediately following, the Ming soldiers on the city wall also knelt in homage to their Emperor.
Turn around and prepare for battle
Yang Feng unceremoniously struck him down from his horse with a wolf-toothed club
Set off immediately after finishing the meal, do not spare the warhorses, advance at the fastest speed, and it is estimated that we can reach Zhongyou Fortress before dark, then immediately breach Zhongyou Fortress and await the arrival of the subsequent army
The advantage of twofold, coupled with a monster-level general, instantly transformed the situation into a crushing one. In the chaos of battle, the Qing cavalry fell one after another, and the commanding officer, realizing the dire situation, hurriedly ordered a retreat. The remaining fewer than 20 riders immediately turned and fled
The eyes, they have been struck by an arrow!
This is already enough for those Ming soldiers to regard him as a deity. Looking at the soldiers kneeling in worship on both sides, he knows that at this moment, even if he were to lead these soldiers to charge against a few hundred Qing troops, they would not hesitate. However, if it were a few thousand, it would likely not be very secure.
This can almost be described as a miracle
The infantry would take at least four days to cover these two hundred miles. He did not expect this rabble to have the iron feet of the Red Army, and covering fifty miles in a day would be quite an honor for the emperor. However, he did not have the time to dawdle. It would suffice to leave the infantry to Li Yutian and Tang Yu, while keeping Liang Cheng and Old Wang as monitors to oversee these two.
The 40,000 troops of Guan Ningjun have already returned with Old Wu, and nearly 10,000 remain among the garrison at Shanhaiguan. This means that a total of 50,000 defenders can be assembled here. Wu Sangui's military command abilities are undoubtedly commendable, while other miscellaneous tasks are handled by individuals such as Wang Yongji. These are seasoned veterans who have navigated the bureaucratic landscape for decades. If they truly apply themselves, managing the over 100,000 common people in Shanhaiguan would be as easy as child's play.
At that moment, the warhorse of the Qing cavalry suddenly let out a mournful cry and reared up violently, throwing the cavalryman off. It then continued to cry out in distress, as if it had suffered a great injury, and galloped towards the nearby rocky shore, dragging him along.
Deputy General Chen said with some gratitude
The sound of war drums immediately resounded, at this moment the supporting cavalry had already joined forces with the scouts. However, after the meeting, the one hundred Ming soldiers, faced with no more than fifty Qing soldiers, disregarded the drumbeats behind them and turned back to flee in a frenzy.
Almost simultaneously, Yang Feng's second arrow was shot out, and despite being on a galloping warhorse, the precise calculations obtained through various parameters still allowed this arrow to accurately hit the target's back heart once again. The Ming soldiers on the city wall cheered fervently, and amidst their cheers, His Majesty the Emperor's third arrow brought down the third Qing cavalryman from his horse, followed by cheers that echoed through the sky
A keen-eyed Ming dynasty cavalryman screamed as if he had gone mad
During the pursuit, Yang Feng swung the blood-soaked wolf fang club horizontally next to the saddle, then extended his hand and spoke
At this moment, every second counts
There are gunshots in the north of the city
The horn bow was instantly drawn back by Yang Feng, and an arrow equipped with a wolf-tooth arrowhead was steadily nocked on the bowstring, perfectly aimed at the back of the Qing army officer. As the warhorse jolted, the arrowhead swayed continuously. Meanwhile, various data was instantly uploaded to Xiao Qian, where a high-speed computer completed all calculations in an instant and returned the results. Yang Feng's hand suddenly released the arrow, which shot forth with the power of the bowstring, piercing through the officer's cotton armor and silk undergarment before penetrating his body. At the same time, various data was instantly uploaded to Xiao Qian, where a high-speed computer completed all calculations in an instant and returned the results. Yang Feng's hand suddenly released the arrow, which shot forth with the power of the bowstring, piercing through the officer's cotton armor and silk undergarment before penetrating his body.
Yang Feng said