NCCnovel Chapter 371 Reunion with Li Jiucheng
Chapter 371 Reunion with Li Jiucheng
Just as the Shandong soldiers and the rebels were locked in a fierce battle, the Qiongzhou camp's mountain artillery opened fire again.
"Boom boom boom," a dense rain of bullets, symbolizing death, flew towards the two sides that were hacking at each other. The bullets did not discriminate, and everyone in the trajectory of the bullets, whether they were Shandong soldiers or rebels, was wiped out in one fell swoop, with their intestines and horses torn apart and riddled with holes.
Li Jiucheng, who was overseeing the battle from the rear, was stunned. These arquebusiers were truly ruthless. He could have tolerated their fear of being thrown into disarray before; he himself would have done the same – better to sacrifice a friend than himself. But now they were firing on their own troops from behind. When did the imperial army become so lawless?
This round of shrapnel became the final straw that broke the back of the Shandong soldiers. They lost their last bit of courage to resist, and they turned and fled in agony, even if it meant exposing their backs to the rebels and being cut down by their sabers.
The few remaining Shandong soldiers dared not venture into the tightly packed ranks of the Qiongzhou camp, instead fleeing to the flanks. The rebel cavalry, having easily beheaded a hundred or so, ignored these defeated foes and spurred their horses toward the square formation. They were met with a volley of gunfire.
It must be said that Liu Ye's judgment was accurate. Although firing at the Shandong soldiers' backs under the circumstances seemed like kicking them while they were down, the rebels' defeat of the Shandong soldiers' charging formation was an inevitable result. He was just striking first, which was better than stupidly waiting for the rebels to finish them off and then attack him at their leisure.
"Bang, bang, bang!" A volley of hundreds of guns fired from directly in front felled dozens of cavalrymen. The massive warhorses rolled on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and blocking the path of the cavalry behind them. The charging cavalrymen, unable to dodge in time, were tripped by their fallen horses and thrown heavily into the air.
After completing a volley, the soldiers in the back row, just like before, crouched down and formed two horizontal rows of bayonet formations with the soldiers in the front row.
After dodging the "obstacles" such as warhorses and rebel corpses on the ground, the rebel contingent charged forward, though at a much slower pace. Seeing the gleaming bayonets, the rebel horses, like the Shandong soldiers' mounts before them, neighed and refused to advance, spinning in place—avoiding danger is an animal's instinct.
Some rebels, defying all reason, thought, "Surely we can't get past this thin line?" With a powerful squeeze of their legs, the spurs pierced the horses' bellies, drawing blood. The warhorses, in pain, neighed and charged forward, crashing headlong into the bayonet barricade.
The massive warhorses were riddled with bayonets, turning into pincushions. The rebel soldiers on their backs were thrown off by the force, falling into the middle of the formation and being killed by the swarming reserves. The dying horses, pressing down on the soldiers, couldn't even support their rifles and bayonets; several rifles snapped in two. An adult Mongolian warhorse typically weighs seven or eight hundred pounds, some breeds even exceeding a thousand pounds. Such weight was simply too much for flesh and blood to bear. Those crushed beneath coughed up blood, feeling their internal organs shift, several ribs broken, and some unlucky enough to die instantly.
The rebels were not heavy cavalry specifically trained for charging into battle. Seeing the situation before them, they understood that even if they charged, it would be a lose-lose situation, and they would have to pay with their lives. Li Jiucheng ordered from the rear: "Circle around to both sides and fire arrows from a distance, looking for weaknesses."
Upon receiving the order, the rebels scattered and rushed towards the flanks of the square formation in two separate groups.
Liu Ye spotted a familiar figure in the distance. He raised his monocular binoculars and saw that it was indeed the rebel leader Li Jiucheng! He excitedly pumped his fist. He had been searching high and low, but the opportunity had come to him without any effort. Today, he would find a way to kill this bandit leader.
At this moment, Yang Youji reminded him: "General, there is movement from the Guan Ning Army. It seems that they are going to attack the rebels from the rear."
Liu Ye raised his binoculars to look. Amidst the swirling dust, thousands of cavalrymen were slowly advancing, indeed heading in this direction. Wu Sangui's figure also appeared in his field of vision, closely following a middle-aged military general with a thick beard.
He had an idea: as long as he could find a way to hold Li Jiucheng back, the Guan Ning army could attack from the rear, and Li Jiucheng would have no chance of escaping. This was tantamount to using himself as the chopping block and the Guan Ning army as the knife to cut the fat meat of the rebels.
However, this also carries some risks. If the Guan Ning Army has ill intentions and drives the rebels to charge the square formation, the combined cavalry of both sides number four or five thousand, and their combat strength is far superior to that of the useless Shandong soldiers. In that case, the Qiongzhou camp would be in great danger.
In that instant, Liu Ye envisioned all sorts of possibilities, but ultimately decided to take the gamble. The Guan Ning Army marched south for military merit and had no grudge against the Qiongzhou Camp, so they had no motive to plot against him. If he killed Li Jiucheng, the rebel army would lose its leader, and Kong Youde and others alone would be unable to hold on. The rebellion would collapse even faster, and his plans to manage Shandong and facilitate immigration could be implemented smoothly.
Having made up his mind, he went to the front and stood at the back of the line, calling out, "Li Jiucheng, do you still remember your old friend?"
Li Jiucheng had excellent eyesight. Hearing the sound, he looked over and immediately recognized Liu Ye. He was taken aback at first, not expecting that the commander of this unit was actually this guy. Then, veins bulged on his forehead, and he roared, "You little thief, I searched for you so hard back then, but I never thought you would deliver yourself to my door today?"
He had always disliked Liu Ye, and when Liu Ye, under the guise of the White Lotus Sect, infiltrated Dengzhou City, wreaked havoc while he and Kong Youde were away, kidnapped Sun Yuanhua, and even killed Geng Zhongming during his escape, depriving him of a valuable ally, it only fueled his hatred. Now, seeing his enemy again, he raised his saber, pointed it at Liu Ye, and shouted, "You little thief, prepare to die!" Then he spurred his horse and charged forward.
The commander-in-chief personally led the charge, greatly boosting the morale of the rebel army. They surrounded the square formation on three sides, stopped fifty paces away, and took out their horse bows.
The most important reason why cavalry has a huge advantage over infantry is its mobility and flexibility. Infantry, to deal with cavalry, must form ranks; if they are disorganized, they will be slaughtered like pigs and sheep. However, once in formation, cavalry can use their archers to attack from a distance. Once the infantry can no longer withstand the casualties and collapse, cavalry can then charge in and completely rout them. Therefore, infantry without ranged attack capabilities is doomed when facing cavalry.
The rebels didn't know how to shoot on horseback while moving; such a skill was generally possessed only by Mongols raised on horseback. However, shooting arrows while stationary was no problem. Everyone drew their bows, arrowheads pointing at a 45° angle to the sky—horsebows were light bows, and horizontal shots weren't very powerful, so hurling them was much more threatening.
Li Jiucheng grinned maliciously at Liu Ye. He was certain that this volley of arrows would throw the Qiongzhou camp into disarray, allowing the cavalry to charge and defeat them, taking the bandits' heads. However, he forgot one thing: although this infantry force didn't have bows, they did have more powerful muskets.