Chapter 458: Defeat and Capture
Jiang Qingzhi read a lot of books when he was young, all kinds of books. When he read about the Han and Tang dynasties, he couldn't help but feel proud of the Central Plains at that time and proud of being a Han Chinese.
But after the Han Dynasty came the Jin Dynasty of the Sima family. Why did they become weaklings when they came to the Jin Dynasty, even though they were both Han people?
By the time of the Early Song Dynasty, the Central Plains had become so weak that it was heartbreaking.
The situation was better at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, but in the middle and late stages, the coastal areas were messed up by a group of farmers who went to sea, and the north was beaten to a pulp by foreign races...
What's wrong with these men in the Central Plains?
Young Jiang Qingzhi raised a question.
He was puzzled.
He then went to South America, where he would occasionally think of this question amidst the hail of bullets.
Modern times were also the weakest era for the Central Plains, but it was able to defeat the multinational coalition forces afterwards, proving that your father is still your father, and that Han people can still dominate the world in the era of hot weapons.
Why is this?
After arriving in the Ming Dynasty, he saw slave-like armies in the south and greedy and incompetent generals.
In the capital, he saw guards who were not even as good as watchdogs, and gilded generals.
In the Nine Frontiers, he saw generals who were afraid of the enemy like tigers, and soldiers who were timid and cowardly...
What are they missing?
Jiang Qingzhi was thinking and observing during the fight.
When he led the Tiger Guards to defeat their opponents again and again, and when he heard his opponents call him the God of Death, everything became clear to him.
The people are still the same people, but one thing is missing!
"courage!"
Jiang Qingzhi watched as a group of cavalry rushed out of the enemy's formation. Mang Ruiti keenly noticed that the momentum of both sides was reversing, so he sent out cavalry to suppress them.
"Send out five hundred cavalrymen!" Jiang Qingzhi ordered.
"My Lord, the enemy has more than a thousand cavalrymen!" Tan Yuan was shocked.
"I once said that one Han can defeat five Barbarians!" said Jiang Qingzhi.
Five hundred cavalrymen rushed out of the formation, and the two sides fought on the left side.
The cavalry of the Huben Zuowei charged forward in neat formation.
They held their spears horizontally, and so did their opponents.
"kill!"
The cavalry in front of both sides were pierced by spears and seemed to be evenly matched, but when the second row of Ming troops rushed out, the situation changed.
The Ming cavalry took advantage of the opportunity of the first wave of troops blocking the way and squeezed in through the gap. Then they took advantage of the small gaps created by their comrades' blood and penetrated deeper with small groups of cavalry. When the first enlarged gap appeared, the follow-up cavalry rushed in without hesitation.
Their fighting methods were so skillful that it seemed as if they had practiced them countless times.
Even if there were rows of spears in front of them, they still turned a blind eye and bravely pierced through their opponents...
"This is a real man!" Jiang Qingzhi said softly.
The gap was widened, and the Ming cavalry rushed in, cutting up the enemy as easily as using a hot spatula to scoop up lard.
When the first enemy soldier turned his horse around, Jiang Qingzhi said contemptuously: "Is this all Mang Ruiti can do?"
"Victory!" There was a long spear raised high in front, with a human head on it.
"Lord, the cavalry was defeated."
Mang Ruiti saw it and said coldly: "It is indeed Jiang Qingzhi, the elephant soldiers are attacking!"
He originally wanted to use infantry to open the passage, and then use elephant soldiers to deal the final blow to Jiang Qingzhi. This was the safest way.
But as the battle situation developed to this point, his two attacks had little effect. The second time, in full view of the public, more than a thousand cavalrymen were beaten to a pulp by the enemy's 500 cavalrymen.
The morale of the people had dropped drastically. If he could not reverse the situation, Jiang Qingzhi still had 500 cavalrymen in his hands. Once they attacked...
There were heavy footsteps behind the enemy army. The soldiers turned around and saw the elephant soldiers moving out, and they couldn't help cheering.
The Ming army also heard the cheers, and someone shouted, "It's the elephant soldiers!"
Tan Yuan's face was stern. "My Lord, this is the Burmese's trump card. And Mangrui is wearing armor on the elephant, which makes it even more difficult to break it now!"
Heavy footsteps were approaching.
The enemy troops made way for the generals, cheering and leaping for joy as they watched the elephants approach slowly...
The elephant soldiers sitting on the elephants were skilled in manipulating them, shouting loudly or patting the elephants to issue orders.
The local officers and soldiers in Yunnan changed their expressions drastically, while the soldiers of Huben Zuowei seemed calm but their faces were pale.
Many people saw an elephant for the first time. How should they respond when they saw an enemy that looked like a prehistoric monster approaching?
Shoot an arrow?
Don't be funny, that giant beast looks thick-skinned and tough, and it's also covered in armor.
Do I have to charge in with my physical body?
They have no lack of courage, but they cannot eliminate the tension of facing unknown opponents.
"My Lord, let's retreat!" Tan Yuan suggested retreating. After all, they had won the battle today, and it would not be too late to go back and slowly discuss how to deal with the elephant soldiers.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Stone!"
"exist!"
Sun Chonglou and his guards arrived, each holding a huge tube in his hand.
Jiang Qingzhi pointed forward and said, "Give them a surprise."
"Understood sir!" Sun Chonglou happily rushed to the front with his guards.
"Get ready to light the fire!"
On the other side, the King and his ministers of Toungoo were delighted to see that the Ming army did not respond.
"Lord, the Ming army is actually stunned, hahahaha!"
"I said they would be helpless against enemy troops. Lord, attack!"
Mang Ruiti felt relieved and said calmly: "The whole army should move forward, tell the warriors, whoever kills Jiang Qingzhi or captures him alive will be the first to achieve great merit and will be rewarded handsomely!"
"The Lord has ordered the entire army to attack!"
The messengers rushed between the arrays and shouted, "Whoever captures or kills Jiang Qingzhi will be the first to achieve great merit and will be rewarded handsomely!"
Cheers broke out in the enemy camp, and then they came out in full force.
On the Ming army side, the soldiers' faces were livid, but military orders were as firm as a mountain. Jiang Qingzhi did not order a retreat, and everyone was holding on.
The enemy took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack with a tidal wave of attack.
They specially reserved a passage for the elephants to charge, and the Ming army passed through this spacious passage, watching the dozens of giant beasts approaching.
At the front, Sun Chonglou lit the fuse and shouted, "Attack those elephants..."
The guards raised their cannons.
The elephant soldiers were urging the elephants to move faster and faster, and the sound of their footsteps was like thunder, which was frightening.
call out!
With a sharp sound, a flash of fire and smoke rushed towards the elephants.
Then there was a continuous whistling sound, deafening, and dense flames rushed out of the barrels one after another.
"After defeating Jiang Qing, we must not stop, but charge forward all the way, and be quick, not giving the Yunnan Ming army time to respond. In addition, our secret agents must take advantage of the situation to launch an attack. The Mu family will not be resigned and will definitely be willing to join hands. When the time comes, we can attack from both sides, and Yunnan will be completely in chaos in an instant..."
"Lord!" Mang Ruiti, who was giving instructions, looked up.
"what is that?"
He saw countless flames rushing towards the elephant that he relied on as a great wall.
"It's a meteor!" someone exclaimed.
The continuous whistling sounds were deafening, and the flames fell all over the elephants. The elephants screamed in panic, and then jumped around wildly. The elephant soldiers on their backs were also frightened and subconsciously tried to comfort their companions.
But as the flames came in waves, the elephants were completely thrown into chaos. They rushed around in all directions, crashing down anyone who stood in their way.
But they subconsciously avoided the source of the fire, and their instinct drove them to turn around and run.
Jiang Qingzhi drew his sword.
The soldiers turned to look at him, then looked at the flames...
what is this?
Sun Chonglou shouted, "This is my Mo family's treasure, hahahaha!"
This wave of advertising is well done!
But Jiang Qingzhi didn't care about this at the moment, he keenly discovered the opportunity.
The elephants' counterattack caused chaos among the enemy troops. Without Jiang Qing's order, the Ming army launched a counterattack.
For a time, the enemy was attacked from both sides, and the left wing was the first to be defeated.
"All troops attack, order the cavalry to follow up!" Jiang Qingzhi drew his sword, "Mo Zhan!"
"Uncle!"
"follow me!"
"Yes!"
"Xu Wei."
"Master!" Xu Wei drew his sword. "Master, don't underestimate me. I also practiced in the past!"
"Then... follow me!" Jiang Qingzhi glanced at him and then raised his knife.
"Generals!"
The long sword points forward, and the large flag behind it follows forward.
"Army attack!"
"Wan Sheng!"
The Ming army cheered and launched a counterattack.
Five hundred cavalrymen passed the infantry and penetrated into the middle.
"Drive them away!" Ma Fang roared and rushed to the front.
The enemy's main force, which was mobilized in full force, was hit by the fleeing soldiers.
"Get out of the way!" The generals shouted in vain, but the fleeing soldiers turned a deaf ear to them and disrupted the main force's formation.
"My Lord!" Someone's face turned pale. "Retreat! My Lord!"
Everyone saw the trend of defeat, but Mang Ruiti shook his head, "We can't retreat. Once we retreat, we will be completely defeated..."
It's not that he is without opponents. He has killed countless people in his conquests. Many people are hiding and waiting for the opportunity. Once he is defeated, those people will surface and drown him.
"Kill the enemy, kill the enemy!" Mang Ruiti's trusted generals roared and killed the fleeing soldiers.
But he was soon submerged in the crowd.
"Take the king away!" a minister shouted. The guards saw that the battle was irreversible and no longer cared about Mang Rui's struggle. They surrounded him and turned around and ran away.
"Lord!" Bol was left behind and no one cared about him.
He turned around blankly, watching the Toungoo people fleeing in panic like a tide, and shouted, "Turn back!"
But the defeat was so great that even the god of war would be powerless at this moment.
The Ming army chased them all the way with great ease.
More than ten riders came, escorting Jiang Qingzhi.
He reined in his warhorse and ordered, "Chase them all the way until they are blocked and retreat. Also, send someone back to Kunming to report the victory. I think many people will be happy to hear the good news."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
The remnants of the Mu family will certainly grit their teeth, but they can do nothing and can only sigh helplessly as the flowers fall.
Jiang Qingzhi saw Boll and let out a light exclamation.
Boll stood in front and knelt down.
"Boer greets the distinguished Ming nobleman!"
He lowered his head and heard footsteps approaching.
"what country are you from?"
"The Portuguese, your Excellency."
"A down-and-out sailor? Or a businessman?"
"Sailor," said Boll.
Jiang Qingzhi did not expect to capture a Portuguese sailor, which was of great help to his subsequent great navigation plan.
At this time, cheers came from the front, "We captured Mang Ruiti!"
Tan Yuan turned around and looked at Jiang Qingzhi, as if he had seen a god.
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ashes from his cigarette and asked Boll, "Are you willing to be a slave?"
Boll knew that if he dared to say no, his head would be chopped off the next moment.
He said devoutly, "Yes."
More than ten riders came galloping over, dismounted from their horses, and approached respectfully.
"My Lord, it's Chieftain Chen Rui." Xu Wei chuckled and said, "This man is spying on our army with his men."
"Really?" Jiang Qingzhi looked at Chen Rui, "I prepared three hundred elite soldiers for you, but it's a pity that you are too timid to attack."
Chen Rui looked up and felt that Jiang Qingzhi was bragging.
But at this moment, the situation was stronger than him, so he had to admit defeat, "I wanted to help in the battle..."
Hearing hurried footsteps, Chen Rui turned around.
Three hundred infantrymen hurried over, and the leading general glanced at Chen Rui and said regretfully, "What a pity."
Chen Rui's heart was shaken, and he looked at Jiang Qingzhi again, his eyes filled with coldness and murderous intent...
"This official deserves to die!"
Pfft!
Chen Rui kneels down!
(End of this chapter)
