nucmednet Chapter 630 Pig-like teammates
Chapter 630 Pig-like teammates
Wang Pu's words stirred up the officers, who excitedly brandished their sabers and shouted, "Behead them, collect the reward, sleep with prostitutes!"
Wang Pu straightened his magnificent cloak, making sure his heroic image was impeccable, raised his sword and shouted, "Charge!" He charged forward first, and the troops of Datong followed in a chaotic rush, with the cavalry in front and the infantry following haphazardly behind.
Liu Ye saw this, froze for a moment, and then burst out cursing: "Wang Pu, that idiot, is he going up there to die by himself?"
Yan Guang said worriedly, "If we rush in recklessly, we'll definitely get our heads smashed by the Tartars..."
"It doesn't matter if he dies, but it will disrupt my tactical plans!" Liu Ye said bitterly. "Trying to steal credit without even knowing your own limitations..."
When Wang Pu led his men to charge forward, they were met by Ajige, the commander-in-chief of the Later Jin, who had never been defeated in 56 battles since the invasion.
Ajige led the most elite Bayara and Cavalry of the Bordered White Banner. The continuous victories had boosted the morale of this army. After a period of rest and recuperation, they were at the peak of their combat readiness. How could the showy Wang Pu possibly compete with them?
With a loud crash, the two armies clashed. The fierce battle that Wang Pu had envisioned did not materialize. Ajige led a group of Bayara as the spearhead, cutting through the Datong army like a knife through tofu, pushing all the way to the end. The cavalry following behind tore open the gaps and mercilessly slaughtered the enemy. The Datong soldiers, who had been so arrogant just moments before, were now crying and screaming as they were cut down from their horses, proving that they were no match for the enemy.
A dramatic scene unfolded. The once-fierce troops of Datong Town were dealt a crushing blow. While the vanguard put up a desperate resistance, the infantry behind, seeing the unfavorable situation, began to rout before even engaging in battle, and the lines between front and rear began to break down. The fleeing soldiers retreated like a tidal wave, and one general at the forefront, his scarlet cloak particularly striking, stood out – it was Wang Pu. No one knew why he was the first to charge out, yet he managed to reach the very front during the retreat; his speed was simply unpredictable.
The entire attack on Datong Town lasted less than fifteen minutes, a speed that shocked both sides.
Abatai and Yangguli, standing behind, were dumbfounded. Was this the level of one of the so-called nine border towns? They were probably not even as good as the beggar army in Korea. Even if the Koreans were armed with bamboo spears, they could at least hold them off for a while.
Liu Ye covered his eyes in anguish. He wasn't afraid of god-like opponents, but he was terrified of pig-like teammates!
Ajige led his men in a rampage, as if they were nothing. The blade in his hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight, his face splattered with the blood of his opponents, his expression ferocious, like a demon from hell. As he slashed and killed his enemies, he laughed loudly: "I told you the Ming dogs are no match for us. There's no need to waste any effort, just kill them. So what if they have a hundred thousand soldiers? They're nothing but chickens and dogs!"
The tens of thousands of troops in Datong Town collapsed at the first contact, scattering and fleeing in all directions. More than half of the fleeing soldiers headed towards the Qionghai Army.
Liu Ye naturally wouldn't let such a terrible teammate drag him down. Besides, he had already gained experience from suppressing the rebellion in Shandong, having practiced on Liu Zeqing, so he knew what to do. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Fire! We can't let these idiots disrupt our formation."
Under Xu Yifan's command, the second regiment at the front halted its advance, changed from a column to a line, loaded ammunition on the spot, and prepared to fire.
Xu Yifan didn't bother to give any orders and directly commanded to fire. A loud and long brass horn sounded, signaling the entire regiment to open fire.
The gunfire rang out. The four infantry battalions of the Second Regiment opened fire simultaneously, with four thousand-man columns spewing out scorching flames. Dense bullets formed barrages, and the chaotic fleeing soldiers seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, falling to the ground one after another, blood splattering everywhere.
In the chaos, the fleeing soldiers at the rear could not see what was happening ahead, but they still desperately pushed forward, trying to escape the deadly sabers of the pursuers behind them—this was the favorite fighting mode of the Later Jin cavalry, following behind the fleeing opponents and easily reaping lives.
Wang Pu was nearly hit by a lead bullet, but fortunately, he was experienced in escaping and had an instinct for avoiding danger. He used the other soldiers as cover and escaped unharmed. Grief-stricken, he shouted desperately forward, "They're all on our side! Why are they so cruel? Saving a life is a great act of kindness..."
Liu Ye scoffed, "When they surrounded us shouting and yelling to kill us, why didn't they say they were on our side?" He ordered, "Have Xu Yifan direct the continued firing until there are no more people standing in front of us!"
The dense volleys of gunfire continued, and the fleeing soldiers fell in droves. Wang Pu jumped off his horse, ignoring the dust and bloodstains that covered his armor and cloak. He squatted on the ground, hiding behind the corpses of men and horses. His previous nonchalance was completely gone. He cursed, "Damn it, these people are more ruthless than the Tartars when they kill their own people. They don't even blink."
No sooner had he finished speaking than several lead bullets struck the corpse blocking his path, making a series of "thuds" as blood and flesh flew everywhere. He quickly lowered his head, forgetting all about cursing; saving his life was the priority, no matter what.
Ajige, who was chasing after the Datong garrison troops like cattle and sheep from the rear, was somewhat surprised to see this scene. Although the Jin dynasty would also kill their own people when enforcing military discipline, this was the first time he had seen the Ming army use such ruthlessness between different garrisons.
“These Cantonese barbarians are indeed quite something… Pass on my order to drive these useless bastards forward, exhaust the Cantonese soldiers’ ammunition, and then attack.”
Ajige's impression of firearms was still based on the Zhejiang soldiers of the Hunhe Battle. In his view, these were already the most elite arquebusiers in the entire Ming Dynasty, but they still needed the protection of elite infantry like the White-Spear Soldiers; otherwise, they couldn't withstand the repeated attacks of the Jin cavalry. Qionghai Town, no matter how powerful, was only at this level, and currently, it seemed to be composed entirely of arquebusiers. Without the protection of spearmen, they were merely lambs to the slaughter. Abatai's unexpected defeat was simply due to underestimating the enemy—although he mocked his seventh brother, deep down he still acknowledged his ability to lead troops.
The soldiers with the white flag began to consciously drive the Datong garrison soldiers to charge the Qionghai Army's formation. Wave after wave of Datong garrison troops were herded to the front like sheep to endure fierce fire, and countless soldiers fell to the ground like straw blown by a strong wind.
Xu Yifan said angrily, "These good-for-nothings, they should at least fight the Tartars a couple of rounds back—they'd rather die under our guns than have the courage to turn back and fight to the death!" He turned to Li Mo, the artillery battalion commander of the Second Regiment, and ordered, "Bring up the mountain guns and sweep these good-for-nothings away!"