Volume 2 Southern Part Chapter 68 Hot Blood (11)

  "How can this be?" Without waiting for others to speak, Zhu Ciyan shook his head: "Infantry, even if we count the station's attendants, there are less than 800 people. The enemy cavalry has chased after us, and they must have more than the ones from early morning... We're outnumbered by at least two or three thousand cavalry!"

  In fact, the total number of cavalrymen from the Imperial Guard and Li Shuangxi's troops was over 5,000. However, considering that some had to be left behind to control the city gates and the lines, and some were defeated in a skirmish, Zhu Ciyan's estimate of around 3,000 cavalrymen is likely more reliable.

  So many cavalrymen came in pursuit, and it can be imagined that they were eager for revenge, with their morale at an all-time high.

  Even with a few hundred infantrymen led by a civil official like Wang Jia Yan, even if they have the advantage of terrain, I'm afraid they can only last for a short while against the enemy's first move.

  "Wei Yue shook his head and said, 'Sir, the geographical advantage is only useful when it's roughly equal to that of the enemy. With just a few hundred exhausted soldiers, you can't withstand the enemy's first strike. Staying here won't do any good either. Why not let me lead all the cavalry to intercept them? Even if we have to fight to the death, we can at least buy some time.'"

  "Your several hundred cavalrymen have all been killed in battle; can you hold on for half a day?"

  "Right!"

  "But I don't believe it!" Wang Jiayan's tone grew even colder, looking at Wei Yue, his voice sternly said: "A matter that concerns the survival of the country, how can you, a military general, be so reckless with your words!"

  All the way, it was a struggle to escape with their lives, even if they were emperors, they would be nothing but a lone horse. So no one could talk about their identity or status, at this time, Wang Jia Yan suddenly put on an official hat to suppress others, Wei Yue swallowed his saliva, his face changed color, and he couldn't say anything else.

  Wang Jia Yan also had his own unspeakable difficulties.

  Now everyone's mind is to escape, but he has been determined to protect the young master with his life and property since he saw the crown prince return to the city to rescue the emperor.

  But thinking about it, the crown prince has no political foundation in the court, and his reputation is only "brave and martial" which can be used as a real topic, other things are not worth mentioning.

  This dynasty is different from the previous one, it's true that imperial power is centralized, but at the same time, it's also a mutual restraint between imperial power and civil officials. Especially in this late age, when imperial power has declined, the emperor can still barely control his ministers, but the crown prince, who is still young, absolutely cannot.

  So, the Crown Prince must have reliable military power in his hands. In the future, when he arrives in Nanjing, he will gradually take charge of the law and give the prince the right to lead the army. With his current identity, it would be appropriate for him to speak out in the future. If he cannot do so himself, he can entrust Li Banghua and others with the task, which will not go wrong!

  How can this be explained clearly to a martial artist like Wei Yue...

  "Wang Qing..."

  "Crown Prince!" Wang Jia Yan's expression was agitated as he said: "Please, don't say any more. Even if I die here, it will be a worthy death. As long as Your Majesty and the Crown Prince arrive safely in Nanjing, I can smile even in my grave."

  "Don't say that," Zhu Ciyan smiled and said: "The lives of the great officials of our country are also related to the national system, besides, I will have use for you in the future, how can I let you throw your life away here!"

  "What?"

  "You don't have to fight anymore," Zhu Ciyan stood up straight, looking around. But all he saw was the setting sun like blood, and under Wang Jiayan's command, the chariots had already formed a battle array by the riverbank. He took a deep breath and said to the people around him: "I have a plan in mind, if you follow orders, we can probably defeat the enemy first, even if we can't really break through the enemy lines, we can still inflict heavy losses on them."

  Although Wang Jiaxun and others still had doubts about this, the inner officials and soldiers all deeply believed it.

  In the past few months, the Crown Prince has been almost flawless in his calculations, with no unexpected events. Of course, his ability to execute and persevere is even more admirable - if one thing doesn't work out, he'll do it a hundred times until it's done right.

  If someone as great as you says it can be done, then it must be possible!

  At this point, Wei Yue and others, including Wang Yuan and Li Gong, bowed deeply and said: "Your subjects will follow all the orders of Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

  ……

  ……

  After chasing for two hours, the vanguard of the light cavalry scout came to report that the Ming army's camp was less than three miles away.

  At this time, the sky was already darkening, which was actually unfavorable for a fierce battle. In this era, although it cannot be said that everyone had night blindness, many people suffered from poor nutrition and could not see objects at night, which should be considered a common situation. As a result, able-bodied soldiers who could move around normally at night were extremely rare, and in each army, such heroes would be assigned to the "Night Unrestrained" unit, scouting thousands of miles away, moving as if invisible.

  But Li Shuangxi was eager to break the enemy, and Luo Hu led the main force to arrive in an instant. As long as he did a good job of scouting and reconnaissance, Luo Hu would be able to lead his troops to break through the enemy as soon as he arrived.

  "Scout out the enemy's surroundings to see if there are any ambushes, search several miles around, and then see how many archers they have, whether they have firearms, and what their morale is like. Check if they've eaten, if they've set up camp, how many infantrymen they have, and roughly how many cavalry... You rabbits, don't be lazy! After this battle is won, you'll be waiting for titles and wealth to be bestowed upon your wives and children, and you'll enjoy a life of luxury from then on!"

  The vanguard was not Luo Hu, but Li Shuangxi, who had been entrusted with the mission of the vanguard due to his eagerness for revenge and frustration. Although young and having lost a battle due to his impulsive nature, he was after all Li Zicheng's adopted son, who had fought many battles despite being relatively young, with over a dozen scars on his body, accumulated from more than ten years of fighting, and rich in battlefield experience and intuition. As soon as he heard the scout's report, he immediately gave orders, and all military commands were precise and accurate.

  "It's settled," replied the bearded scout leader with a smile: "We all understand that ahead of us is the Ming emperor, this merit is greater than heaven, we've all made our calculations: if we don't die, we'll prosper!"

  "Right!" The scouts and all the cavalry around heard it and burst out laughing, saying: "Well said! If you don't die, you'll be lucky!"

  "Great!" Li Shuangxi's face lit up with excitement, and he raised his whip, laughing: "I don't need to say more, you know what I mean. Just wait for your good fortune!"

  Before long, the scouts returned and had already investigated the other side's situation clearly.

  There were forty or fifty large carts, and it seemed that there were some firearms on both sides of the carts, but no large-scale firearms... This is understandable, fleeing in a hurry, large firearms can't be carried at all.

  As for the number of people on the other side, after careful scouting and observation, there were no more than 1,500 people at most. Among them, a considerable portion were slaves and servants, as well as eunuchs and a small number of palace attendants. Therefore, the actual fighting force was only around 1,200-1,300 people, with infantry and cavalry roughly evenly split. Of course, the combat power of the cavalry was extremely impressive, which Li Shuangxi had experienced before.

  "Brother Hu, the scouts are like this: ahead is a small river that horses can cross, and it's not yet completely dark... They've set up their chariot array on both sides of the river, with about the width of the river in between, so the battle line has retreated quite far back... Brother Hu, go for it!"

  When Luo Hu arrived, Li Shuangxi had already done everything he could do. He was dressed in his armor, and his eyes only had the eagerness to defeat the enemy and avenge himself.

  "Good job!" Luo Hu was also excited, and he heavily patted Li Shuangxi's shoulder, laughing: "Wherever you fall down, just get up from there, it's worth the emperor personally taking care of you."

  "Hurry up, what are you waiting for?" Li Shuangxi shouted: "Brother Hu Zi, give the order to start!"

  "Not yet." Luo Hu shook his head and rode forward himself, calling out: "I have to take a look myself before I can be sure."

  "Brother Tiger, you're being too cautious... can't wait till nightfall!"

  "I'm frugal."

  Four hooves flew in the air, carrying two young generals rushing to a high ridge. With the help of the bloody sunset, Luo Hu and Li Shuangxi looked at the Ming army camp not far away together.

  Smoke rose slowly, Li Shuangxi was very careful, keeping the troops separated by several miles, while the Ming army scouts took a few glances from afar and left without further intrusion. It seemed that after fighting a battle in the morning and marching dozens of miles, the opposing Ming army had become exhausted and couldn't continue on their journey without a good rest.

  "Hmph, look at them, we've been marching and fighting all the way, it's nothing new for us to go without rest for dozens of days!"

  Li Shuangxi may be arrogant, but what he said is also a fact. The troops have been wandering around without any real foundation until now. In the past, they were even more like bandits, and it was common for them to fight continuously for several months without stopping.

  "Alright, I'll pass on your orders!"

  Because Li Shuangxi had done a good job in advance, Luo Hu also had an idea in his mind. This young general had rich experience, but he didn't see the horror of the Ming army's battle formation!

  In between was a shallow river, neither deep nor wide, which didn't require ferry boats or naval forces, and for the Ming army it had more psychological than actual effect.

  While both wings had more than twenty large carts, some of the firearms were not many, and the formation in the middle retreated a bit, forming a clear crescent shape with the two wings.

  If Lu Hu could read military books and historical allusions, he should know what this formation is about, but at this time he only has practical experience, and the knowledge of military books is still shallow. Now he is more worried that the opponent's cavalry may detour to counterattack, so after a pause, he ordered: "First dispatch 300 riders each to attack their two wings, first shoot arrows and fire cannons in the middle, no need to charge."

  "The emptiest in between..."

  "Otherwise," Luo Huo, though not fully understanding, still thought it was the cautiousness of Jiangzhe, and warned Li Shuangxi: "The most empty places are often a bit dangerous, let's take a look first."

  As the flags of the officers and guards around Luo Hu's side fluttered, the rebel cavalry began to advance at a slow trot, with the central army following suit. The entire battle line moved forward, with the wings leading the way and the central army slightly lagging behind. Under the command of the flags and bugle horns, the horses' speed gradually increased, until they reached a point less than one li away. At that moment, the entire battle line was like thunder rumbling in the sky, shaking the earth within a radius of tens of miles, startling birds into flight and causing beasts to hide their tracks. It seemed as though only the cavalry's charging power existed between heaven and earth. And when the war cry erupted like a burst of thunder, the entire front line of the Ming army saw nothing but a forest of spears and lances laid flat in front of the horses, with wave after wave of horsemen surging forward, followed by arrows flying through the air, musket shots firing, and countless ferocious faces growing larger and clearer!