With black powder explosive shells and only ten catapults, the actual damage caused was very limited.
However, the psychological shock brought by this unprecedented weapon is unparalleled.
The senior officials of Xue Yantuo knew that this was a gunpowder weapon, but the soldiers at the middle and lower levels did not.
They only heard loud noises and saw billowing black smoke. People around the black smoke were either dead or injured, which was really scary.
They were frightened when faced with something that was comparable to a magic spell. Even though Yi Nan was right behind them, their morale still declined uncontrollably.
Yi Nan saw this and was anxious in his heart. He had been on guard against the Tang army's artillery.
During Li Ji's march, he specially sent dozens of detective teams to get close to the Tang army's formation, with the purpose of checking whether there were any suspicious items.
He was relieved when he learned that there were no suspicious items.
Then he set up this iron barrel formation to consume the Tang army's effective strength. He also learned this formation from the Han people, and it was indeed very useful.
Especially when used against cavalry, it is a perfect weapon.
Just now, their cavalry suddenly changed their formation, dismounted, formed a formation and fired with bows and arrows, causing huge casualties to the Tang army.
Normally, Tang Jun should fill it with human lives at this time to attack the iron barrel formation he set up.
Who would have thought that Datang actually came up with a new trick, using a trebuchet to throw out cannonballs.
Although the projectile distance is only a few hundred meters, it is farther than the range of a bow and arrow, and is enough to break through their defenses.
As a person who is familiar with the art of war, he knows very well that he cannot continue like this.
So he once again ordered to change from defense to offense and attack the Tang army's line.
Following his order, more than ten messengers set out to bring his order to the generals.
How does a noisy general command an army on the battlefield?
In film and television works, if the general gives a casual order, the soldiers who are fighting miles away can immediately receive and react. It is purely a dramatic performance.
Before the advent of telephones and telegraphs, this was simply not possible in reality.
Why did Napoleon's restoration fail?
One of the reasons is that at the decisive moment, the tactical adjustments he made based on the actual situation could not be communicated to his subordinates in time.
However, because his subordinates did not know the specific situation, they still faithfully carried out the initial orders, and then there were problems with the cooperation of the entire army.
Napoleon's main force was defeated, and his men were still fighting the enemy on other fronts.
This situation is the same in China and abroad.
Because communication is inconvenient, specific tactics must be planned in advance.
It is very difficult to adjust tactics after the battle begins, so whoever has a more profound and comprehensive plan has a higher probability of winning.
In order to deal with emergencies, the ancients also came up with many ways, such as setting aside a mobile force to deal with unexpected situations.
Another example is using drums to convey some simple military orders.
Complex orders can only rely on messengers, and the messengers cannot be sent in just one wave, but in many waves.
In this way, even if a messenger gets lost or has an accident, he can still ensure that the order is delivered to him.
The situation in the Central Plains Dynasty was actually the same. Important information was delivered by several groups of people.
When Yi Nan's orders were passed to the generals, Xue Yantuo's camp moved again.
Li Ji saw this scene in the distance and immediately made a judgment: "Yi Nan took the bait, and ordered the Pioneer Battalion to stand by and withdraw from the army."
After he finished giving the order, Li Chengqian asked: "The British Lord, what should I do with the catapult?"
People can withdraw, but the trebuchet is so heavy and heavy that it is difficult to move.
Li Ji replied: "Burn it down. We only brought more than 300 explosive bombs when we came out this time. We have almost put out just now. There is no need to keep the trebuchet."
"And we have craftsmen who can make new ones at any time if necessary."
Li Chengqian nodded and stopped talking, secretly admiring Li Ji's cunning and cunning in plotting against Yi Nan.
As Li Ji said, they brought 300 explosive bombs with them this time, and they had already used 7,788 in the previous rounds.
If Yi Nan persisted for a little longer, Tang Dynasty would really have to use human lives to break through the Xue Yantuo army.
However, being unfamiliar with firearms, Yi Nan could no longer hold on and chose to take action.
"Actually, we are not afraid of a head-on collision with the Xueyantuo people. Regardless of their large number, they have no chance of winning in a fight."
"It's just that our casualties will also increase, so I understand that the soldiers will withdraw to the military formation and rely on the effective strength of the formation to kill the Xueyantuo people."
Li Ji taught: "The reason why the saint handed over the Shenji Battalion to me is also to test its combat effectiveness through actual combat. We need to give them a chance to perform."
Li Chengqian nodded and said: "I see, I understand. I wonder if Shenji Camp can live up to everyone's expectations."
Things changed quickly on the battlefield. When Xue Yantuo's troops walked out of the military formation and expected the Tang army to attack them, the Tang army had already made preparations and began to retreat.
And all the trebuchets were burned with a fire to prevent them from being snatched and used by the Xueyantuo people.
Watching the Tang army retreating in an orderly manner from a distance, Yi Nan said sincerely: "Li Ji is indeed a famous general. The combat effectiveness of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty is indeed very strong."
Retreating was more difficult than attacking. One bad move would lead to a huge rout. He thought he could not learn this skill from Li Ji.
However, he did not think that it was because of his own incompetence, but because the quality of his soldiers was different.
He thought that he could do what Li Ji did in a different place.
Seeing that the catapult that released the magic spell was burned down, the Xueyantuo people were very excited, their morale began to recover, and they became even more brave when they rushed towards the Tang Army's camp.
One party is chasing and the other is retreating, but their speeds are almost completely different.
Soon the Tang army withdrew from their formation, and the soldiers immediately rearranged their horses and stood ready.
And Xue Yantuo's army followed closely behind.
However, at this time, Xue Yantuo's army was divided into two. Some of the infantry attacked the military formation, while others took out their bows and arrows and shot at the Tang army hiding behind the military formation.
The Tang army relied on chariots and horses as shields for defense, and mainly used bows and arrows for shooting.
Seeing that the two sides were about to enter the stage of shooting each other and fighting for consumption, the unexpected happened.
Of course, this surprise was only for Yi Nan.
"Bang, bang, bang..." sounds resounded everywhere in the Tang Army's formation, and puffs of black smoke rose up.
The people of Xue Yantuo were startled at first. They were too familiar with this thing. Isn't it just a magic spell?
But why did the Tang people use demonic magic in the military formation here? I can’t figure it out, or is the demonic magic out of control?
No wonder they thought so. The shells exploded inside Xue Yantuo's military formation as soon as they were fired, and black smoke was emitted. They thought this was how this weapon was meant to be used.
Now when I see the Tang army making noises and black smoke coming out of their formation, I think something went wrong out of control.
Thinking of this possibility, the morale of the Xueyantuo people increased even higher.
Yi Nan thought so at first, but when he noticed that the sound kept coming, he knew that it was not the firearm that was out of control, but that the Tang Dynasty had taken out a brand new firearm.
At this moment, his confidence in victory was shaken uncontrollably. Tang Ren was more prepared than he thought.
Shaking his head violently, he stared at the Tang army formation.
I will never admit defeat. I must win this battle and let the world know who is the master of this grassland and desert.
Moreover, there is no room for retreat now. As long as his rear army dares to take a step back, the front army will be defeated.
Then it won't be as simple as failure.
No matter from which aspect, this battle must continue to be fought.
Thinking of this, he felt fierce in his heart and said: "I have sent an order to Da Du Shi. Now is his chance to make meritorious deeds. He must break through the Tang army's formation."
Dadu Shi, who was at the front, felt miserable after receiving the order, but he had no choice but to urge the troops to attack and then attack again.
The three-stage attack highlights its power on the battlefield that is most suitable for it.
With the roar of fire cannons, rows of Xue Yantuo people were shot and fell, either dead or injured.
Fireguns use lead bullets, and lead is known to be poisonous.
Even if someone is not beaten to death on the spot, it is difficult to survive unless the flesh of the shot site is dug out on the spot.
Obviously the Xueyantuo people didn't know this, so the fate of those who were shot was already doomed.
If this was a volley of bows and arrows, the Xueyantuo people would not be afraid, but facing this completely unfamiliar weapon, it would be difficult for them to control their emotions.
A new panic began to spread, and many Xueyantuo soldiers began to act secretly, trying to hide behind others and let others stand behind them.
If one person does this kind of thing, countless people will imitate it. More and more people try to avoid it, and riots begin at the front line of Xue Yantuo.
Li Ji, who was always paying attention to the battlefield, keenly discovered this and immediately ordered: "Throw all the last shells into the crowd of Xue Yantuo in front of Shenji Camp."
His order was immediately implemented, and the craftsmen built a simple stone-throwing equipment as quickly as possible.
I experimented first and found that it could only be thrown a hundred meters away, but it was enough.
The soldiers immediately threw the remaining shells out, and they landed right at the foot of Xue Yantuo's vanguard camp.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The familiar voice and black smoke appeared, like the last straw, completely crushing the enemies on this side.
Some people start to run away, and if one person runs away, more people will follow suit, and a chain reaction will occur.
Xue Yantuo's army in the corner defended by the Shenji Battalion was defeated, and their defeat also led more unsuspecting people to flee.
The Xue Yantuo people at the rear who did not know anything and mistakenly thought that the Tang Dynasty's magic method had failed, continued to rush forward excitedly.
Then the two collided together, and Xue Yantuo's entire front army was in great turmoil.
Yi Nan's eyes were split with horror when he saw this scene. Why did the Pioneer Battalion retreat? Don't they know the consequences of doing so?
In the end, thousands of words were condensed into one sentence: "Dadu Shi, I'm going to kill you."
In his opinion, the culprit of all the crimes was Da Da Shi. If he hadn't been incompetent, this would not be the case.
At this time, one of his subordinates advised: "Khan, retreat quickly, it will be too late if you don't leave."
Another subordinate said: "The defeat of the front army is a foregone conclusion. We cannot let them affect the rear army, otherwise we will really be doomed."
Yi Nan naturally understood this truth and immediately said: "Order the rear army to withdraw and kill all the defeated troops who try to attack the rear army."
Someone will go immediately to deliver the order.
At this time, don't blame him for being ruthless and cruel to his own people. If he didn't do this and let the defeated troops disperse the well-organized rear army, it would be cruel to everyone.
However, Li Ji soon told him that you were thinking too much.
At the Tang Army's camp, Li Ji saw the defeat of Xue Yantuo's front army and immediately ordered: "Order the infantry to pursue and drive away the Xue Yantuo people."
"Send the order to General Hou. His cavalry can move and directly attack Xue Yantuo's rear army, completely disrupting the entire battlefield."
Hou Junji, who had been itching to see it for a long time, was very excited. He raised his halberd and shouted: "Brothers, follow me."
"Charge." With an order, five thousand cavalrymen who were waiting in full formation jumped out of the military formation and charged towards Xue Yantuo's rear army.
Yi Nan noticed Tang Jun's movement immediately and thought to himself that it was not good.
Although he had nearly 40,000 men and the Tang army's cavalry seemed to be only 5,000, he knew that his chances of winning were slim.
He had seen with his own eyes the combat effectiveness of the Tang army. In field battles, one could defeat five or even ten. This was how the Eastern Turks were defeated with fewer hits but more.
This is also the reason why he took the initiative to learn the method of the Central Plains Infantry War Formation.
Moreover, their military morale was fluctuating at this time, and it was still unknown how much combat effectiveness they could exert in the face of the Tang army's attack.
But he also knew that he had no room to retreat, so he immediately ordered his men to meet the enemy.
Twenty thousand cavalry rushed out of the queue and faced Hou Junji's cavalry.
The two cavalrymen charged toward each other, and the distance quickly closed to more than a hundred meters.
The two sides took out their bows and arrows and shot each other for a round, then threw them away. Then they took out their weapons, took postures, and charged towards each other with their heads down.
"Bang bang bang..." It was like two waves colliding hard together. At that moment, dozens or hundreds of lives died in the collision.
"Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate..." Hou Junji shouted excitedly while slashing.
He used one of the famous tactics of the Tang Dynasty, 'piercing through', and he himself was the leading charge.
Soon he was dead, but he didn't care at all. He just waved the weapon to kill the enemy in front of him, enjoying the pleasure of the weapon eating through the enemy's body.
Since he was punished last time, he had not experienced the feeling of going into battle to kill the enemy for a long time, so he was particularly excited at the moment.
It only took a short time, maybe only five or six minutes, maybe only three or two minutes, for the two sides to pass each other and change positions.
However, Xueyantuo's cavalry had been cut into two from the middle.
Both sides charged forward for a short distance, then reined in their horses and turned around at the same time, as if they had a tacit understanding.
"kill."
Another round of acceleration, another stagger and exchange of positions, but after each stagger, their respective formations will become much thinner.
Especially the formation of Xue Yantuo's cavalry has been torn apart.
After another round of charges, Hou Junji quickly gathered his troops. Taking this opportunity, he estimated the number of people and found that there were only 4,000 people left.
Xue Yantuo's side has lost even more people, with only 13,000 or 4,000 people left.
A battle loss ratio of three to four times, this is a data that can make everyone proud.
However, Hou Junji did not look happy at all. Instead, he cursed and said, "Young special brew, you are getting used to not leading troops for a few days. You will be laughed at again when you go back."
After muttering something, he raised the halberd in his hand again and shouted: "My sons, keep charging at me."
While shouting, he rushed into the enemy camp again.
Twenty thousand Xue Yantuo's cavalry could no longer hold on and were completely defeated.