To Li Daoxuan, Li Zicheng's defeat was no big deal.
But he couldn't lose too badly.
It couldn't be said to be a complete defeat like in the original history. After all, he still shouldered the historical mission of beating up the local tyrants. Li Daoxuan hoped that the Shun army would sweep forward like locusts and sweep away all the old filth that the Ming Empire had accumulated for hundreds of years. Then, the great Holy Lord would bring the colorful light to save the people from fire and water. He would also see if there were any remnants to clean up.
If Li Zicheng was defeated by Nine Palace Mountain, then…
Then how was he supposed to play the game?
Dorgon would definitely not take up this great historical mission. He would only beat Li Daoxuan to it and punish the criminals. In fact, he had already started to do so. Just look at the fall of Gubeikou and Miyun. Then, those gentry would sing songs about the divine emperor and celebrate the prosperity of the four seas. Then, then Li Daoxuan would be very embarrassed!
Therefore, Li Zicheng had to be protected.
"Sigh!"
Li Daoxuan sighed helplessly.
"Let's go!"
He said with a hint of melancholy.
Five hours later.
"This is what it means to have thousands of troops!"
He sat on a folding chair and looked down the mountain.
As he spoke, he crossed his legs, grabbed melon seeds from the small tea table beside him, and leisurely chewed them. Zheng Chenggong and the others on both sides of him were also sitting in front of the stage as if they were watching a show. They were laughing and staring in the same direction. Only the Jinyiwei were still standing at their posts, guarding their masters with a circular defense line.
This was Millet Mountain in the south of Miyun City.
At the foot of the mountain was the battlefield where Li Zicheng and Dorgon fought.
The 200,000 Shun troops were lined up with their backs against Niulan Mountain. The flag with the word " Chuang " was erected on this small mountain that had been dug up in modern times. It was very eye-catching as it fluttered in the wind.
Six miles in front of the mountain was divided by the Cup River. On the right side of the mountain were infantrymen, countless side carriages, giant shields, antlers and the like, forming a line. The dense spearmen formed a second line, the musketeers formed a third line, the archers formed a fourth line, and behind them were the supervising team and the reserve team. In front of the formation were dozens of cannons, and behind the infantrymen was a small number of cavalry to prevent the Qing army from ambushing from the flank.
On the west side of the Cup River were the cavalrymen. These should be Li Zicheng's most elite troops. At least 30,000 cavalrymen were lined up north of Huairou City. Together with Huairou City, which was still in the hands of the Shun army, they formed an iron wall.
As for their enemies…
100,000 non-humankind cavalry!
"How many years has it been? Every day, there have been people saying that the woman is less than 10,000 and that she can't be defeated by 10,000. Or that the intruder is fierce and unstoppable. Today, I'll see if this woman is really powerful or the intruder is powerful!”
Li Daoxuan said.
"Your Majesty, you're all useless!”
Liu Zhaoji, who had died in the Battle of Yangzhou, said.
"Well said!"
Li Daoxuan said proudly.
"The Tartars are attacking!"
Zhang Mingzhen said.
At the foot of the mountain, the Qing army's flag waved, and a large number of Mongolian light cavaliers charged forward. They then charged straight at the infantry of the following army, and they quickly reached a mile in front of the following army. At that moment, the dozens of cannons placed in front of the following army opened fire. The solid artillery shells whistled and hit the Mongolian cavaliers. The powerful artillery shells instantly shattered. However, this did not stop the Mongolian cavaliers from advancing. The artillery of the Shun army also loaded the cannons with the fastest speed. Just as the Mongolian cavaliers were about to start shooting, the cannons roared again. This time, the killing effect was obvious. The Mongolian cavaliers less than 200 meters away fell in groups and were stomped into meat paste by the galloping warhorses.
The Mongolian cavaliers did not retreat and continued to charge forward.
Very soon, they entered the shooting range of the infantry's arrows. The arrows shot by the soldiers 'archers were concentrated. The Mongolian cavaliers who were running wildly were constantly hit by arrows or their warhorses. There were also people and warhorses falling. However, at the same time, their attacks began. These nomads who had once conquered almost the entire continent of Asia and Europe raised their bodies from their horses and drew their bows. They shot arrows at the enemy at an extremely fast speed. Although the soldiers were protected by simple armor and shields, they still began to fall in large numbers. Some of them even began to panic, and some of the timid ones turned around and fled.
At this moment, the supervising team stepped forward.
These strong men holding long-handled podaos mercilessly chopped down the soldiers who tried to escape.
The rest had no choice but to continue fighting under the rain of arrows.
Fortunately, they had cannons and muskets. At the same time that the Mongolian cavaliers attacked, the cannons at the front of the infantry formation and the muskets behind the spearmen fired at the same time. Bullets and shrapnel flew towards the enemy. The archers at the back also aimed at their targets and shot straight at them. The casualties of the Mongolian cavaliers suddenly increased.
However, it was also at this moment that the Eight Banners, who had tested the combat strength of the Shun army, moved out. As the Qing army's command flag was waved again, the Eight Banners heavy infantrymen behind the Mongolian cavaliers began to move forward. These infantrymen pushed the shield carts and used the Mongolian cavaliers in front to cover them, quickly closing the distance between the Shun army and the Mongolian cavaliers. As they got closer, the Qing army waved their banners again. The Mongolian soldiers who were shooting at them split up the heavy infantrymen behind them and began to run wildly. The cavalry who split up to the two wings continued to provide cover for them.
Under the protection of iron sheets, cowhide, and thick wooden shields, the heavy infantrymen of the Eight Banners Army quickly approached the formation of the Shun Army infantry. In the process, they also left behind corpses on the ground.
However, this did not affect their progress.
These fierce Tunguska barbarians knew very well what this battle meant to them. Whether they would enter the Central Plains to enjoy the colorful world or continue to stay outside the bitter cold pass to endure the snow and ice would depend on this battle. All the heavy infantry of the Eight Banners were pushing the shield carts, braving the arrows and bullets that were constantly flying at them. Opposite them, more and more Shun soldiers began to throw down their weapons and flee south. These soldiers, who were made up of surrendered Ming soldiers and forced able-bodied men, had a natural fear of the Eight Banners. It was already very rare for them to be able to hold on for so long.
Behind them, the supervision team was also frantically killing the deserters, but they were getting more and more overwhelmed.
At this moment, the shield carriages of the Eight Banners Heavy Infantry were already within ten meters of the Shun army. The archers and musketeers behind them started to fire wildly at the Shun army.
Then, Shun Jun immediately began to collapse.
This was not surprising. If they could withstand the Eight Banners under such circumstances, they would not have been able to run amok for decades, especially the archers behind the shield chariots. They could shoot arrows at the enemy's face from a distance of more than ten meters. It could almost be said that the arrows were fatal. These things were simply unbearable for the inferior Shun troops, and even some of the main forces of the Shun army could not withstand them. Starting from a place where there were more able-bodied men, this seemingly impregnable front line began to collapse like sand. The reserve team, which was actually composed entirely of the elites of the Shun army, had no choice but to move forward. But soon, more and more places collapsed. The cavalry who were originally guarding the flanks had no choice but to move forward. Some brave Shun troops even charged into the Qing army's chariot formation.
The chaotic battle unfolded just like that.
At this time, Li Zicheng, who was on Niulan Mountain, finally could not hold it in anymore. As the flag was waved, the Shun Army cavalry on the west bank of the Cup River attacked. The 30,000 cavalry began to slowly accelerate, crossing the shallow Cup River to attack the flank of the Qing army.
At the same time, the Eight Banners Cavalry also moved.
No less than 30,000 Eight Banners Cavalry slowly advanced like a dark cloud, and then began to gradually pick up speed. All the cavalrymen held spears in their right hands and shields in their left hands as they charged forward while shouting. Their speed became faster and faster, and as the ten thousand horses galloped, they charged at the Shun army that was also accelerating with a majestic aura. The latter advanced in almost the same manner as them. The only difference was that the Shun army's formation looked much more chaotic than the Qing army's. Even from a distance, Li Daoxuan could clearly feel the difference between the two.
Dozens of large drums were beating wildly on Niulan Mountain, and the sound of muffled thunder rolled in the sky. In the sound of the drums that resounded throughout the entire battlefield, the charging Qing army and the cavalry of the Shun army were like the tide of the Qiantang River, fiercely colliding with each other with an indomitable momentum. Even though they were more than ten miles away, Li Daoxuan and his generals could still feel the shocking power of the cavalry charge. There, spears were broken, blades and spears collided, and countless bodies of flesh and blood flew in the instant of impact. Armor was broken, shields were broken, and horses were neighing. Countless warriors fell to the yellow sand, blood dyed the battlefield red, and corpses piled up into hills.
But the battle was only the beginning.
After the initial collision, all the soldiers of the two armies began to fight on the vast battlefield that stretched for more than ten miles.
"He broke out!"
Zheng Chenggong said while holding the binoculars.
The big flag with the word " charge " on Niulan Mountain was moving rapidly. Li Zicheng, who was wearing golden armor, rushed down the small mountain that was less than a hundred meters tall under the protection of a large group of cavalrymen. Then, he rushed straight to the battlefield where the cavalrymen fought. The infantrymen who were on the verge of collapse were stimulated by this scene and suddenly roared. The main force of the Shun Army's old camp was boosted by the morale of the flag, and the front line that was on the verge of collapse actually began to stabilize.
Especially now that another reinforcement had arrived from the rear, blocking the Qing army that had already broken through and began to press back.
"Even if the Tartars win, it will be a miserable victory!”
Zhang Mingzhen said.
Li Daoxuan nodded in satisfaction.
Indeed, regardless of the final outcome of the battle, he had already obtained what he wanted. Up until now, the combined casualties of the Eight Banners and their subordinate Mongolian cavaliers were no less than 5,000. The performance of the cavalry of the Shun army was especially eye-catching. Even though there was a difference in strength, these low-born soldiers were still in the bloody battle. They did not lose like the Ming army usually did. Even if there was a difference in strength in such a chaotic battle, as long as they could fight to the death and not retreat, then even the strongest opponent would have a piece of meat bitten off!
"Reinforcements from the cavalry of the Shun Army!"
Zheng Chenggong suddenly shouted.
Li Daoxuan raised his head and looked towards the south. A huge cavalry group was surging towards Changping. In this direction, it could only be Li Zicheng's reinforcements.
"F * ck, he actually won!"
Li Daoxuan said in surprise.
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