In terms of culture and religion, Xixia has been learning from China.
Regardless of whether it was Liao China or Song Dynasty, they were all the goals of Xixia's study.
Therefore, Buddhism and Taoism were quite prosperous in Xixia.
At the same time, Xixia has its own primitive religion, namely nature worship, ghosts and witchcraft, and ancestral beliefs.
Every time Xixia sends out troops, it must be done by a wizard for divination.
Burn the sheep blades with mugwort, knock them on the ground with bamboo and break them. Observe the cracks in the sheep blades and count the number of broken bamboos. The wizard uses this to calculate good or bad luck.
There is also the practice of leading sheep at night to burn incense and pray, and then go to the wild to set fire. The next morning, the sheep will be killed and dissected. If the intestines and stomach are unobstructed, it is auspicious. If the sheep has blood in its heart, the battle will be lost.
Or you can hit the bowstring with arrows, listen to the sound to predict the outcome, or even calculate the time for the enemy to come.
Before Li Renyi sent out troops this time, he also asked a wizard to do divination, and all the above four methods were used.
The divination result is: bad!
Therefore, he gathered his troops in Jisang (Gulang) and refused to continue marching. Later he had to move forward, and he was cautious along the way for fear of being ambushed by the Ming army.
On another hilltop on the east side, the Ming army chased and defeated the troops and captured it. On the hilltop farther south, the Xixia soldiers stationed there were attacked from the north and south by the Ming army, and it seemed that they could no longer defend it.
Yang Zhi's main army did not move forward. Instead, it began to defend in place and sent more soldiers to garrison the hilltop because the Xixia people also divided their forces to recapture it.
Just as the battlefield was stalemate, in the center of the Xixia camp, the wizard began to take advantage of the battle.
The "Tiansheng Laws and Orders" of Xixia stipulates that fortune tellers and official shamans must carry armor and accompany the army in battles.
Therefore, wizards are the standard equipment of the Xixia army, and they are equipped with armor, and they can also carry swords to kill people at critical moments.
There are even regulations that once the Xixia army is defeated, they should fight back within three days, capture the enemy troops and shoot them at the place where they were defeated. It is called "killing ghosts and summoning souls". If the enemy troops cannot be captured, they will be tied up.
The straw man was buried in the ground and the soldiers shot arrows into the ground, which was regarded as a curse on the enemy.
At this moment, according to the descriptions of the soldiers who escaped, the wizard used water and mud to make models of artillery and even models of muskets.
He also tied up the clay muskets and artillery pieces with magic ropes.
Then he brought the straw man prepared in advance, tied it with French rope, and buried it in the small pit together with the musket and artillery model.
The wizard began to recite incantations and then danced.
The Xixia soldiers formed a circle, and after receiving the wizard's order, they fired arrows at the place where the straw man, muskets, and artillery were buried.
After the practice was completed, the Xixia soldiers were still attacking the hilltop. Every time they attacked, the Ming army was condescending and killed them back.
The wizard said to Li Renyi: "Du Tong, I have cursed the enemy. But the enemy's cannon is blessed by ghosts and gods. I don't know if it will work this time."
"It must work!"
Li Renyi said to the surrounding soldiers: "Although the enemy's weapons are possessed by evil spirits, they have been cursed by the wizard. Don't be afraid. Even if you die in battle, your soul can return to your ancestors."
Earth! As long as you fight hard to kill the enemy, you will be blessed by your ancestors and ghosts and gods!"
Those soldiers quickly returned to their respective departments and told other soldiers about the incident. The morale of the Xixia soldiers who suffered a serious blow finally recovered somewhat.
Ding Zhongyi said: "Victory or defeat is determined. We should take the initiative to attack while morale is improving. Otherwise, if the Han soldiers continue to fire artillery, morale will fall to the bottom again, and the whole army will collapse if one mistake is made."
Li Renyi said with a serious expression: "That's what I think too. It's hard to tell whether the witchcraft incident is true or false. It can only temporarily boost morale. The cavalry has already rushed to the enemy's formation just now. You can continue to divide the cavalry into three teams to charge. The infantry The soldiers should not worry too much about the formation and rush over quickly with the cavalry. As long as they rush to the front of the Han army's formation, those cannons will have little effect."
Yang Zhi had climbed to the hillside with his soldiers and used binoculars to observe the movements of the enemy's camp.
Li Renyi mobilized troops on a large scale, all of which were exposed to telescopes.
The telescope is also an artifact, which is equivalent to giving the general a full map of the local battlefield!
If there were any changes on the Xixia side, the Ming army would immediately make corresponding changes.
The enemies on the hilltop diagonally behind have been eliminated by a pincer attack, and only a few troops are still fighting stubbornly. The musketeers from Shenji Camp who were attacking the mountain there have been transferred back.
The Tiger Crouching Artillery was also carried to the top of the hill occupied by the Ming army, and infantry was sent to protect it. The artillery was positioned high and could cover the battlefield without fear of being attacked by the cavalry.
"The Han soldiers carried the cannon to the mountain, what should we do?" Ding Zhongyi asked worriedly.
Li Renyi said: "You have to fight wherever you carry it, and it is impossible to avoid the battle. As long as you rush close and the two sides fight together, those cannons will be useless. However, since the cannons have been carried away, the cavalry does not need to charge forward. Just let the infantry quickly attack and take over the formation."
Thousands of Xixia infantrymen, fearful of guns and artillery, formed a sparse formation and quickly approached the Ming army's formation.
However, the main force did not follow too closely, and even the reserves stayed far away. This was because they were afraid of being shelled from the side hills.
Such a tactic is purely seeking death!
Charge in a sparse formation in a narrow valley to go head-to-head with the Ming army in a large formation?
Moreover, the Xixia reserve force and the main army are still out of touch with the front army that is charging, and they will not be able to stabilize it in time once a defeat occurs.
This is tantamount to adding fuel tactics to provide food to the Ming army.
But Li Renyi had no choice. If he attacked all at once, he would most likely be beaten to the point where his tens of thousands of troops would be scattered.
In fact, it would be nice to have a cart. Push the cart forward slowly.
The Tiger Crouching Cannon is divided into horizontal fire and curved fire. The maximum range is three to four hundred meters, and the effective range is only two to three hundred meters. It fires fist-sized iron bullets. To show the power of the shotgun, it has to be placed within a hundred meters. It is best to fire shotshells from 50 to 60 meters.
Wearing cotton armor at a distance of more than 100 meters, even if you are hit by a shotgun, you will most likely be injured but not die.
It is difficult for such a rubbish cannon to resist cavalry alone. It must be combined with other long-range weapons.
As long as there are carriages, the squatting tiger artillery will have to be blinded, and more powerful field artillery will be needed.
However, Li Renyi did not have a carriage or even cotton armor!
Ding Zhongyi advised: "Du Tong, we can't fight like this. Either shrink and retreat, or press forward with the whole army. If you only send a few thousand soldiers out without hesitation, you are asking them to die!"
Li Renyi said: "Those in front of you are just kidnappers. If they die, they will die. From now on, we will catch the Han people. Let them try it first. If it works, send a strong army to press them. If they collapse at the first touch, find another way." .”
Ding Zhongyi said: "It is true that Young Master Chuang is a Han, but he is still a Daxia soldier after all. If they were defeated miserably, wouldn't the captured army be afraid? Morale dropped again and again. Even if the enemy did not have divine artillery, the battle would not be able to continue. beated."
"Then what should we do? Send more soldiers to press up, and then the whole army will be defeated?" Li Renyi said in frustration, "It's not possible to retreat. The enemy keeps firing artillery, and sooner or later our army's camp will be occupied. Can you withdraw from the camp with food and grass? By that time, even if the enemy does not pursue us, we will have no choice but to return to Jisang for supplies, and the food stations along the way will barely be enough for us to withdraw our troops!"
Ding Zhongyi said: "The whole army can still give it a try, but Dutong's attack like this will definitely fail!"
Probably disgusted by the Ming army's fighting style, the two party generals next to him also said: "Du Tong, fight for your life. Let Young Master Chuang block the artillery fire in front, and we will follow closely with the captured troops. Even Young Master Chuang Even if we are defeated, we can fight through the rout."
This situation also happens. Party soldiers often use the young master as cannon fodder.
And since they are cannon fodder, defeats are naturally common. Real party soldiers will not see the defeated soldiers being defeated and flee in fear. They will even line up to drive away the defeated soldiers to prevent the defeated soldiers from breaking through their own formation.
But the premise of all this is that Prince Chong don’t collapse too quickly, and don’t let the entire front army flee in an instant. In the field battle outside the city of Henan Army, Prince Chong’s front army collapsed in an instant, causing all the party soldiers in the rear to be in chaos. .
Under the persuasion of General Dangxiang, Li Renyi finally decided to fight to the death.
Thousands of Princes were still in front, but Party Xiang's capture army followed closely behind them. Li Renyi's Chinese army also moved forward as a whole, and the Xixia troops on both sides attacked the mountain like crazy.
"The Xixia General is going all out!" Yang Zhi held up the telescope and smiled. He had already driven the enemy crazy.
But I saw the young masters in front of me, moving forward cautiously.
The wizard can improve the morale of the party soldiers, but it has no effect on these men who are fighting against the prince. They have already determined that the Ming army must be protected by ghosts and gods.
How can a mortal body contend with ghosts and gods?
Even before the battle started, Young Master Chuang was already thinking about escaping due to fear of the unknown.
As Han soldiers who were born as serfs, the only belief that supported them in fighting was that they could continue to survive after the battle.
Since your life may not be guaranteed, why bother fighting?
Fortunately, the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and the Ming army's artillery never fired. The young men began to imagine that ghosts and gods would no longer protect the enemy.
The front armies of both sides were seventy or eighty steps away. The drums on the Xixia side were getting louder and louder, and the flag orders also made the young masters speed up their charge.
When the front army was more than ten steps away, the Qisheng army behind also arrived within sixty steps and began to throw arrows towards the Ming army's formation.
Yang Zhi waved his flag, and more than a thousand muskets fired at the same time, accompanied by javelins and arrows.
However, the squatting tiger cannons on the top of the mountain were positioned condescendingly, aiming at the captured troops behind them.
The moment the long-range firepower came out, the Ming infantry charged collectively and slammed into the Xixia front army more than ten steps away.
The charge of the Ming army infantry was no less powerful than firearms. After being hit by more than a thousand muskets at close range, Chuang Gongzi was charged like this by the Ming army infantry. All those who were still alive turned around and ran away.
The party's Jingsheng Army behind them had just been attacked by forty tiger squatting cannons at the best distance, and were attacked by their own defeated troops. They were also followed by the wolf-like Ming army infantry. How could they withstand it?
"Failed...lost too quickly..."
Li Renyi was devastated. He thought he might lose, but he didn't expect that he would lose so cleanly.
In such a narrow river valley, a defeat in the front will definitely lead to a chain reaction, and it will not even be possible to drive the defeated troops around from both sides. Under the constant pursuit of the enemy, the entire army will definitely be overwhelmed by the defeated troops.
"Come on, Commander, as long as you can escape!" Ding Zhongyi had already led the horse.
Li Renyi smiled bitterly and said, "I have been prepared for it."
Ding Zhongyi said: "Don't worry about victory, think about defeat first."
Before the defeated troops collided with them, the two men fled with their own soldiers, followed closely by the Xixia cavalry.
