From Gushi Khan's perspective, there was nothing strange about Liang Yue's deployment.
It was just to guard the only channel to the east of Huangyuan, piling up troops in the canyon between the two mountains.
This canyon is very narrow, and there is a Huangshui River flowing through it, making the passage even more valuable.
Huangshui, also known as Xichuan River, is the only water source in this area.
Because the Huangshui River cuts the canyon in half, the battle between the two sides will also take place on both sides of the river.
On the Han-Mongolian coalition side, in addition to digging deep ditches in front of the formation, they also built some earth walls as high as a person's chest.
This kind of formation method has become a very common phenomenon on the battlefield today.
Gushi Khan felt that with his own strength, there would be no problem in attacking.
Under his order, the Qinghai Allied Forces divided into three groups and rushed towards the Han-Mongolian Allied Forces.
Aksan on the left led 15,000 men and slowly approached the bottom of the mountains.
There is an advantage to a place like this.
The terrain is rugged and crisscrossed with ravines. Although the roads are uneven and seem to be inconvenient for movement, the terrain can be used to block the defenders' attacks.
Aksan also asked some soldiers and horses to climb up the mountain.
Although you can't climb to the top of the mountain, you can find the commanding heights halfway up the mountain and attack from a high position.
Liduoji in the middle gathered all the wooden shields and drove the armored yaks ahead.
For nomads, the loss of cattle and sheep during war is almost negligible. As long as the enemy can be defeated, the spoils obtained can completely make up for the consumption.
The yak has rough skin and thick flesh, and when put on armor, the yak has outstanding defensive capabilities. It can effectively protect soldiers from casualties when walking in front.
Mondork on the right expanded southward, competing with the Han-Mongolian coalition forces in various valleys and looking for other ways to advance.
"Put out the Tiger Crouching Cannon."
Seeing the Qinghai coalition forces using yaks to charge into the formation, Liang Yue made corresponding arrangements.
If the artillery is temporarily unavailable, use the captured Ming army's Crouching Tiger Cannon.
This kind of small old artillery is difficult to kill yaks. But the huge movement will definitely scare the animals.
At the same time, the archers of the Han-Mongolian coalition began to shoot in mid-air.
The arrow drew an arc in the sky and fell into the formation of the Qinghai Allied Forces.
The Mongolians' archery skills were indeed very superb. Even when they were thrown, the angles were very tricky. Immediately, many soldiers of the Qinghai Allied Forces fell under the arrows because of lack of protection.
There were a large number of Mongols on both sides, so bows and arrows became the main combat weapon.
The Qinghai Allied Forces used yak formations and wooden shields for protection, while the Han-Mongolian Allied Forces used earth walls.
In the fierce bow and arrow battle, the losses on both sides were not very serious.
As they watched the yak array move to the front of the deep ditch, the Qinghai coalition's archers could already shoot directly through the gap.
By this time, casualties on both sides began to increase dramatically.
The soldiers of the Han-Mongolian coalition mounted the Crouching Tiger Cannon on the earth wall. Under the series of bombardments, the yaks became violent.
The nomadic peoples on the plateau have not experienced too many firearm strikes, and the animals here lack the ability to adapt to firearms.
Although the shot from the Crouching Tiger Cannon only slightly hurt the yak, the loud noise frightened these animals.
But these yaks wanted to escape but couldn't.
When the Qinghai coalition forces drove them away, they had already connected all the yaks together with ropes and fixed them with wood on both sides.
As a result, these yaks can only move forward in a straight line. They cannot turn and naturally cannot retreat.
However, there was a deep ditch ahead, and the yak did not dare to cross it. It could only stand blankly on the edge of the ditch, desperately acting as a flesh and blood shield.
The two sides were shooting at each other across the ditch, and it seemed that neither could do anything to the other.
At this moment, there were loud noises coming from behind the Qinghai coalition forces.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of huge stones rushed into the sky, and then hit the Han-Mongolian coalition's position.
As expected of the descendants of Genghis Khan, despite the lack of firearms, the Qinghai Allied Forces had sufficient artillery.
The earthen wall of the Han-Mongolian coalition was very crude. After being hit hard by these stones weighing hundreds of kilograms, many gaps immediately appeared. As the smoke and dust boiled, many soldiers were killed.
"Hmph, what a witherworm's little skill is worth mentioning. Let Fangzi's crossbow fight back."
In addition to artillery, the Han-Mongolian coalition also had sharp long-range attack weapons.
That is the bed crossbow captured from the Ming army.
This kind of crossbow has a range of five to six hundred meters, and the crossbow shaft is as thick as a human arm. Whether it is shooting at people or walls, it is extremely powerful.
Dozens of thick crossbow arrows flew out, immediately creating a bloody storm in the yak array.
Even though the yak has rough skin and thick flesh, it cannot stop such sharp crossbow arrows.
Many crossbow arrows crossed the air and hit the Qinghai coalition's return artillery, immediately smashing these wooden trebuchets into pieces.
Wails spread everywhere, and the Qinghai coalition forces were all frightened. Those manipulating the return artillery turned around and ran away, not daring to attack again.
At the same time, the fighting on both wings was extremely fierce.
The Mongolians are tough and the Han people are rigorous.
When the two sides faced each other, their natural bravery met the array of wisdom, and sparks flew out, making it difficult to tell the difference.
But the Mongols attacked from their backs and suffered huge casualties.
The infantry of the Han-Mongolian coalition formed a rigorous array, with strong shields blocking the front. Whether the soldiers behind were poking with spears or hitting them with stones from high places, the Mongols were unable to stand.
The first wave of fighting lasted for more than an hour, and both sides were exhausted. They slowly retreated and temporarily broke away from contact.
The leaders on both sides immediately began to discuss the next combat changes.
"The enemy pays too much attention to the protection in the middle, and the two sides are a little weak. We can invest more troops in attacking from both wings. As long as we can fight in close combat, we can hope to break through."
Baisang Taiji observed the entire combat process and put forward feasible ideas.
Although most of the Qinghai coalition forces were cavalry, in terrain like Huangyuan, war horses were of little use.
On the contrary, by using the complex terrain on both wings to avoid the long-range weapons of the defenders and rushing forward for close combat, the Qinghai Allied Forces' numerical advantage can be brought into play.
Unlike the middle zone, as long as the defenders' crossbows are not knocked out, the Qinghai coalition's return artillery will not dare to be put into use. No matter how many troops there are, they will not be able to break through the deep trench that is six or seven meters wide.
"The next time we charge up, we can use the cover of the yak formation to throw fireballs at the opposite side. As long as those earth walls are set alight, the defenders will be unable to stand, and we can take the opportunity to rush through the trench."
As the general in the middle, Liduoji also proposed methods based on the actual situation.
The earthen bridge of the Han-Mongolian coalition was smashed by return artillery, and many areas were damaged, making it useless for protection.
Moreover, the trench is only six or seven meters wide, so anyone can throw something across it with just a little force.
Although the Qinghai Allied Forces do not have gunpowder in their hands, they can create fireballs and poisonous smoke. As long as they are thrown over, they can force the defenders to retreat and give up their positions. This chapter has been completed!
