Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 761: Don’t chase the poor criminals

The sudden explosion silenced the entire battlefield instantly, as both sides were stunned by the power of the secondary explosion.

Liu Zongmin slapped his thigh hard, extremely annoyed: "Damn it, why did it explode at this time?"

His opponent, Liu Guozhu, was experienced and reacted quickly. He excitedly raised his saber and shouted, "The bandits' cannons have exploded! It's the perfect time to charge! Follow me!"

The Baoding cavalry followed Liu Guozhu through the fleeing refugees and charged directly towards Liu Zongmin's main force.

The hastily trained gunners of the Da Shun army were clearly no match for the well-trained artillery of the Qionghai navy, who could withstand a hail of arrows from the Tartars and fix bayonets to their cannons. These gunners, mostly refugees, fired somewhat skillfully during the favorable battle, but when a cannon exploded, they scattered immediately, and even Liu Zongmin's personal guards couldn't stop them with their swords. Without the threat of cannons, the Baoding cavalry, now demoralized, roared in, about to approach Liu Zongmin's central army.

Liu Zongmin spat and shouted, "What bad luck! Men, charge! I refuse to believe these Baoding soldiers have three heads and six arms!" As he spoke, he mounted his horse and ordered his men to advance and defend.

Several groups of cavalrymen rushed out from both sides of the central army and went to meet Liu Guozhu and his men. These cavalrymen were the elite veterans of the bandits, equivalent to the personal guards of government troops and generals, and were the most reliable force.

Liu Guozhu was very experienced. He commanded his men to drive the refugees ahead as a means of attacking the enemy. The cannon fodder, who had already lost their fighting spirit, charged towards their own central army under the threat of the cavalry's sabers, scattering the veteran troops who had come out to meet the enemy.

The cavalrymen of the old camp had their charge completely disrupted. Furious, they brandished their steel sabers and mercilessly hacked at their own men, sending the refugees screaming as they fell to the ground. After a fierce battle, a passage was finally cleared.

But it was too late. While they were killing their own men, Liu Guozhu led his men and charged forward. A large cavalry force swept into the formation like a whirlwind.

Riding the momentum of their cavalry charge, the Baoding cavalry gained the upper hand. The Laoying cavalry, who stood their ground to meet the enemy, were forced to retreat in disarray and suffered heavy losses after a fierce battle.

Seeing the situation was turning against him, Liu Zongmin quickly ordered, "The government troops are formidable! Retreat immediately! Get the old camp troops out of here!" He then turned his horse around and fled. Seeing their commander running away, the rest of his men followed suit.

The veteran cavalry, having received the retreat signal, were not foolish. They abandoned their plan to engage the enemy head-on, split up to the sides, and circled back in the direction Liu Zongmin had retreated.

Liu Guozhu was surprised by how smoothly the battle went. After hesitating for a moment, he ordered, "The entire army must pursue them and take the head of the bandit leader!"

A captain, somewhat worried, advised, "Commander, we shouldn't pursue a cornered enemy. We only have a few thousand cavalrymen, and we're deep in enemy territory. Be wary of a trap!"

"It's alright, the bandits' rout is real." Liu Guozhu insisted, "If we take advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack and completely crush this force, it will be a great achievement."

The pursuit began, with several thousand Baoding cavalry chasing tens of thousands of refugees like cattle and sheep. The refugees, having lost their will to fight, were slaughtered at will, unable to mount any effective resistance. This only strengthened Liu Guozhu's resolve to pursue them. Although the refugees on two legs could not outrun the warhorses and fell to the blades one after another, their numbers were simply too great, and many Baoding cavalrymen's sabers were dulled from the blows.

It must be said that Liu Zongmin, who had fought against government troops for many years, was a first-rate escape artist. He cunningly used the army of refugees as cover to slow down Liu Guozhu's pursuit, and led the remaining old troops of the old camp who had caught up, gradually widening the distance between himself and the pursuers. During the escape, he also took the time to give orders to send someone to the front to inform Li Zicheng's army.

"Have the rebel leader set up an ambush ahead, just in case..."

In his haste, Liu Zongmin forgot to address him as Grand Marshal and instead used his old title, "Chuang Wang" (King of Rebels).

After running for more than ten miles, Liu Zongmin thought he had shaken off his opponents. But when he looked back, dust filled the air behind him. The Baoding cavalry had actually shaken off the refugees blocking their way and were chasing after him again.

"Damn it, what kind of medicine did they take to be so desperate?" Liu Zongmin cursed angrily, then ordered his men, "People die for money, birds die for food. The soldiers all love money. Throw some gold, silver and valuables down there, and I don't believe they'll still chase after us."

The soldiers untied the bundles on their backs, and ingots of gleaming silver rolled onto the ground, scattered everywhere, a striking sight. This was one of the bandits' trump cards against government troops; by throwing the looted gold and silver on the ground, the pursuing government soldiers would most likely dismount to pick it up, not only escaping their pursuit but also having the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, catching the government soldiers off guard.

The pile of gleaming silver on the ground indeed attracted the attention of the pursuers. Even though the Baoding cavalry knew the silver was deliberately dropped by the bandits, their hearts pounded, and their speed involuntarily slowed. A few of the bolder ones hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stopped, dismounted, and went to collect the silver.

Liu Guozhu rushed forward just in time, brandishing his riding whip to lash out at his men who were picking up the silver. He scolded them with exasperation, "Are you risking your lives for money? This is all the tricks of bandits. If you all dismount, they might turn around and attack. Even if you get this silver, you won't live to spend it!"

The man who had been whipped was still somewhat indignant and looked up, ready to argue with the garrison commander, when he noticed that the bandit cavalry in front of him had also reined in their horses, seemingly observing the situation. Some of them even impatiently took a few steps back, as if they would really attack if more people dismounted to collect the silver.

Liu Guozhu raised his saber: "We are at the height of our momentum, and it is the perfect time to pursue. If we miss our chance because of greed for small gains, or even turn victory into defeat, I will chop off your dog heads first!"

Under the general's persuasion and analysis, the cavalrymen reluctantly abandoned their idea of ​​making a small fortune, stuffed a few silver ingots into their pockets, and hurriedly jumped onto their horses.

Seeing that their opponents had not fallen for the trap, Liu Zongmin and his men had no choice but to continue their escape, while Liu Guozhu pursued them relentlessly.

Upon reaching a nearly dried-up stream, Liu Zongmin's army of over ten thousand had dwindled to a mere thousand cavalrymen. Meanwhile, the Baoding cavalry, aside from a few hundred killed in the artillery barrage, remained largely intact. With the two sides closing in, the battle seemed poised to end.

Just as Liu Guozhu and his men reached the middle of the river, where the water was only deep enough to cover the horses' hooves, a command cannon rang out, and countless figures emerged from the hillsides on both sides of the river, shouting as they surrounded Liu Guozhu and his men.

"Damn it." Liu Guozhu's heart tightened. He hadn't expected the bandits to have laid an ambush here, not only blocking their path but also cutting off their escape route. Could it be that the rout of these ten thousand men was just a feigned defeat? They've gone to such lengths!