The emergence of new armies has filled the battlefield with unstable factors.
Lu Xiangsheng was very nervous, fearing that he would be attacked from both sides.
He quickly sent people across the river to investigate.
"I heard that the northwest rogues are attacking, and I don't know what your army's chances of victory are. We went out just to find out the outcome and prepare for the follow-up. Please rest assured that you and I have an alliance for a long time. As long as Fengyang is in the hands of the imperial court, our army will
Will not cross the line.”
The New Army cavalry who came to the Huai River reported the reason, which made General Lu Xiangsheng doubtful.
However, seeing that there were only a dozen cavalrymen and no follow-up troops, Lu Xiangsheng could only focus on dealing with the northwest rebels.
The cavalry of the Northwest Rebel Army pressed forward and stopped about a thousand meters away from the Ming Army's array.
Facing a heavily prepared infantry array, using cavalry to attack is absolutely a fool's errand, and it is impossible to win.
We can only use infantry against infantry to disrupt the battlefield, and then the cavalry looks for opportunities to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.
Although the Northwest Rebels had not learned any art of war, after fighting for so many years, they gradually figured out their routines.
Not to mention that there are a large number of soldiers from the three sides in the Northwest Rebel Army, who have brought rich battlefield experience to the rebel army.
After the cavalry formation was completed, the infantry from each department began to move forward.
Those at the front are the most worthless refugees.
There is a strict hierarchy among the Northwest Rebels.
The elite cavalry is the foundation of each department, and the infantry battalion is the main force in combat.
The refugees are used to be consumed on the battlefield.
If you survive a few battles and gain rich experience, you will be promoted to the infantry camp and become the core force of the rebel army.
Obviously, the Northwest Rebels used refugees as cannon fodder with the intention of using the battlefield to train new recruits.
When these refugees pounced on the Ming army like swarms of locusts, the elite infantry battalion pushed out the trebuchets and began to throw stones at the Ming army's array.
Lu Xiangsheng's formation was very rigorous.
A large trench three and a half meters wide and four meters high will be dug every tens of meters in the array, and then the excavated soil will be used to build a wall.
When the trebuchets of the Northwest Rebel Army began to show their power, the soldiers of the Ming Army hid behind the earthen walls, effectively avoiding the killings.
Stones weighing hundreds of kilograms were smashed into the Ming army's array, causing the ground to shake, and dust and smoke billowing everywhere.
Lu Xiangsheng didn't even blink, staring at the situation on the battlefield.
When he saw the refugees rushing to the trench and starting to jump in, he gave the order.
"Fire the arrow!"
The soldiers of the Ming army immediately stood up from behind the earthen wall. The shield soldiers formed a solid line of defense, and the archers shot from between the shields.
There is no overwhelming rain of arrows. The archers aim again and again every time they shoot, striving for accuracy.
Bows and arrows are expensive to make, comparable to beef. Anyone who dares to shoot arrows randomly will definitely be killed by the general.
The refugees in the rebel army did not have much armor, so if they were hit by an arrow, they would almost certainly die.
But the rebel leaders did not care at all about the casualties of these people.
They just used the refugees to consume the Ming army's arrows and physical strength.
Seeing that the people in the first wave of attacks were almost dead, Gao Yingxiang waved his hand, and the second wave of refugees could only bite the bullet, howl in despair, and rush towards the Ming army's position.
The Ming army had no mercy at all when facing these so-called defenseless refugees.
Anyway, for them, killing a bandit from the old camp and killing a refugee's cannon fodder are both a reward for one head.
It's easier to kill refugees, so why not?
The battlefield at the beginning was so boring.
The refugees of the rebel army rushed back and forth five times, but they did not shake the Ming army's defense line at all.
But it can be seen with the naked eye that the Ming army's arrows were consumed a lot, and the archers changed several batches.
Watching the sun reach the middle of the sky.
Gao Yingxiang looked back at the old battalion infantry who had been recharging their strength and had another hearty meal.
He knew that the time had come.
"Pull up the artillery and order the old battalion to attack."
When he gave the order, Zhang Xianzhong, Lao Huihui and others all cooperated.
The cavalry of the two men attacked from the left and right, attacking the flanks of the Ming army, and restrained the Ming army from supporting the central formation.
Those placed on the right wing by Lu Xiangsheng were the Guan Ning cavalry led by Zu Dabi.
Seeing Lao Huihui's cavalry rushing towards them, Zu Dabi took the lead and rushed towards them.
As for the left wing, it was Zhang Xianzhong’s old enemy Zuo Liangyu.
Zuo Liangyu didn't have that many cavalry, so he didn't dare to attack randomly, so he simply set up a turtle formation. Even though Zhang Xianzhong's cavalry was cruising back and forth, they were motionless.
If you have the guts, come and attack. It's impossible to get out. Zhang Xianzhong doesn't want to go through here and disrupt the Chinese army.
Once Gao Yingxiang's old camp was dispatched, their momentum was obviously different.
I saw those soldiers wearing helmets, scattered in twos and threes on the battlefield. And they didn't make any sound. They bent their waists and gathered their bodies completely behind the shields. Their steps were not big but very fast.
His eyes were slightly exposed from the side of the shield, always staring at the situation on the Ming army's side.
As soon as they saw the white smoke coming out of the squatting tiger cannon here, these veterans immediately fell down and covered their bodies with shields.
The power of the Crouching Tiger Cannon is too small, so it is useless if it cannot hit someone in the fart. And even if it hits, the veteran covered by the shield will remain unscathed. He will just dust himself off and move forward.
This time, soldiers from the old battalion rushed forward to cover the cannon fodder refugees.
The refugees followed behind, carrying various ladders and planks, and pushing building carts.
When the soldiers of the old camp rushed to the trench, they also set up their shields, and then the archers shot arrows at the opposite side to cover them.
The archers on both sides began to compete.
Since there were shields blocking the front, they simply bent their bows upwards and launched arrows into the opponent's formation.
At this time, the casualties on both sides began to rise linearly, and screams could not be heard.
The rebels were so numerous that the Ming army's archers gradually began to be overwhelmed.
This gives refugees an opportunity.
They crossed the shield formation and put ladders and planks on the trench to form a narrow bridge.
Of course, the Ming army cannot let the rebels come over easily.
Immediately, Ming soldiers broke out of the shield formation and tried to demolish these simple bridges.
Under the bows and arrows, only ten of the Ming soldiers who ran out were left, and they only demolished a few ladders.
The fierce soldiers of the old camp immediately jumped down the ladder and wooden planks and rushed into the Ming army's camp.
On the narrow battlefield, people were squeezing and pushing each other, leaving no room to display martial arts.
The moves of both sides are very simple, they just keep chopping and stabbing. Whether they can survive depends on luck.
More and more rebel soldiers rushed across the trench.
The carts from behind also came up, and there were archers standing on them, looking down from a high position, shooting arrows at the back of the Ming army.
The Ming troops on the front line could no longer hold on and retreated one after another.
The soldiers of the old camp did not let them go. They kept on clinging to them and ran back with these Ming soldiers, hoping to disrupt the array behind them.
Seeing this scene, the Ming army generals behind him showed no mercy and immediately ordered an attack.
Amidst the roar of the Tiger Crouching Cannon, soldiers of the Ming Army and soldiers of the old camp died tragically one after another, and no one was spared.
Only a small number of Ming soldiers were able to escape.
The entire front camp was occupied by the rebels.
The morale of the rebel army was greatly boosted, and all units moved forward one after another.
Gao Yingxiang was full of energy and waved the long sword in his hand.
"Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder and pushed the officers and soldiers into the river to feed the fish."