Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 327 Cavalry Battle

Hauge's troops, numbering nearly 30,000, had taken the lead in crossing the river, with boats transporting war horses and infantry back and forth.

At this time, Huang Cheng advanced quickly and rushed towards Wuchang City.

Haoge stood under the big flag and said to Leng Sengji beside him: "The troops under Meng's command are all infantry. By the time he arrives in Wuchang, I will have already crossed the river."

Leng Sengji nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. The only pity is that Wuchang, such a strong city, fell into the hands of Meng thief so easily. It's really a pity. There is not enough time. If there is enough time, we can kill or relocate the people of Wuchang, demolish the city walls, and leave an empty city for Meng thief."

Hauge nodded slightly but did not reply. In fact, he still admired Meng Jun in his heart. Regardless of his position, just talking about the several battles since he started his army, Hauge was different from Duoduo. Duoduo was arrogant and looked down on everyone. As a result, he never recovered after his defeat.

But Haoge was different. He was not as arrogant as Duoduo. He acknowledged the strength of his opponent. After all, his opponent was strong, and if he defeated him, his ability would be more evident. If Meng Jun was as rubbish as the previous Ming court's garrison troops, then defeating him would not be of much significance, and it would not show his level.

But now Hauge has less than 30,000 men under his command. The combined strength of Meng Jun and the Zheng family is almost four times that of his own. In addition, Duoduo's defeated troops are beside him. Hauge is not so arrogant. After Meng Jun's great victory, when morale is high, he can still defeat the larger force with the smaller one.

Looking at the Qing troops boarding the ship one after another, Haoge said in a cold voice: "Let the Meng thieves run rampant again. I don't believe that the southerners will allow the Meng thieves to gradually gain power if they act like that."

Aobai said at the side: "The heart of Meng Ze is, in the words of the Three Kingdoms, the heart of Sima Zhao. Everyone knows it. He claimed to be the king, occupied Jiangning alone, and established his own system. Anyone with a clear eye can see that this person has no loyalty to the Ming court. In my opinion, Meng Ze is worse than Sima Zhao."

"Just wait and see. If the Qing withdraws from Huguang, it will take at least a year, or at most two months, before a civil war breaks out among the southerners. This is my experience."

Just as Hauge finished speaking, there was a rapid sound of horse hooves, and a team of Qing army scouts rushed over.

A man rode his horse and rushed to Haoge, saying urgently: "Your Majesty, the enemy cavalry is approaching, with no less than 2,000 cavalrymen, and they are already 15 miles away from Wuchang!"

Haoge was stunned. He had just said that Meng Jun's infantry could not catch up with him, but he never thought that Meng Jun with more than 2,000 cavalry dared to touch his tiger's beard.

Haoge asked hurriedly: "Where are the Meng thief infantry?"

The scout shook his head and said, "We haven't found out yet."

When Hauge heard this, he knew that Meng Jun must be sending his cavalry ahead in an attempt to delay his pace of crossing the river.

Then Hauge looked around the river. At this moment, nearly half of the Eight Banners Army had crossed the river, and the remaining half was boarding the ships. At this moment, only 4,000 Mongolian cavalry could be deployed.

When Haoge first heard that Meng Jun was coming, he was shocked, but he quickly calmed down and sneered, "Meng Jun underestimated me. He only has more than 2,000 cavalrymen. Normally, he treated them like treasures, hiding them and not willing to use them. But today he is so straightforward."

Then Hauge said without fear: "Order, the 4,000 Mongolian cavalrymen will defeat the Meng bandit cavalry and not let any one escape!"

The messenger hurried away with the order.

After Haoge finished speaking, he turned to look at Leng Sengji and said, "After defeating Duoduo once, the thief Meng became even more arrogant and even rode out on light cavalry. It seems that he is preparing to have a horsefight with me."

Leng Sengji nodded in agreement and said, "It is human nature to be arrogant when one is successful. However, I think Meng Jun ordered the cavalry to advance in order to delay our army's crossing of the river. He probably has no intention of engaging in a cavalry battle."

"Hmph, horse fighting, let the Mongolian cavalrymen who grew up on horseback teach Meng the thief what real horsemanship is!"

…………

The Zhou cavalry were marching forward in a rush. Huang Cheng saw that the cavalry had been galloping for a long time, so he ordered them to stop, dismount, feed themselves, and restore their horsepower.

At this time, Liu Kun said anxiously: "General, the Tartar cavalry is numerous, and we have less than 2,500 cavalry, and we are so far away from the main army, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

Huang Cheng shook his head and said in a deep voice: "The king has ordered me to delay the Qing army. Even if it means fighting through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will follow your orders."

Liu Kun advised again: "Didn't the king allow the general to decide on his own whether to attack or defend? It is not a good idea to risk the entire army to move forward. It is better to divide the troops and move forward. If something unexpected happens, there is still room for turning back."

Huang Cheng pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "Our cavalry is already scarce, and if we divide our troops, how can we delay the Qing army?"

Liu Kun looked unwilling and wanted to persuade him again, but Huang Cheng waved his hand and said with a smile: "We are all cavalry. If things don't go well, we can retreat calmly."

After resting for a while, Huang Cheng saw that the horse power was gradually recovering. With a command, the cavalry immediately mounted their horses and galloped towards Wuchang City.

"Report..."

"General, there are Qing cavalry ahead. The number is incalculable, but at least no less than a thousand."

After hearing the report from the scout, Huang Cheng frowned and looked back at his subordinates. He knew that his order would determine the life or death of his subordinates.

But when there is a battle, the sword should be drawn. The cavalry is charging. Should we retreat without fighting? Huang Cheng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Pass the order down, prepare to fight, and charge with all the troops!"

Huang Cheng's orders, like the morning bell and evening drum, stirred the hearts of every cavalryman, and everyone silently made preparations for the assault.

As the war horses began to gallop, the knights rose and fell with the horses. Even though Huang Cheng, who was in the front row, could hear the sound of horses' hooves trampling, he still seemed to be able to feel that there was a large cavalry coming towards him not far ahead.

The sky was gloomy, with thick clouds blocking the sunlight. Huang Cheng squinted his eyes slightly. In front of him, he could see with his naked eyes a large group of Qing cavalry.

Huang Cheng cursed inwardly. The scouts had underestimated the number of Qing cavalrymen. The scale should be at least three to four thousand people. But now, he could only charge forward.

Huang Cheng shouted loudly: "Prepare to charge..."

The order was passed down layer by layer by the cavalry behind him. Just when Huang Cheng was ready to fight the Qing army, he found that the Qing army on the opposite side was like a pack of wolves on the grassland. They did not choose a head-on conflict. With amazing speed and riding skills, they began to split and turn in front of the Zhou army. The Mongolian cavalry in the front fired a continuous rain of arrows.

Huang Cheng saw this and hurriedly looked around. The terrain in this area was flat and there were no dangerous places. Huang Cheng was distracted for a moment and two consecutive arrows hit his breastplate. Huang Cheng immediately pulled out the two arrows that were inserted into the armor.

Huang Cheng frowned. If this continued, Zhou Jun's physical strength and horsepower would be exhausted. At this time, Liu Kun approached Huang Cheng and said urgently: "General, these are Mongolian cavalry, all light cavalry. We can't catch up with them. We can't chase them anymore!"

Huang Cheng knew in his heart that such tactics must be used by the Mongolian cavalry. This was their forte, their way of survival on the grassland, and their cavalry's winning formula.