Gao Yingxiang guessed that Lu Xiangsheng had a back-up plan.
I just didn't expect this backhand to be so violent.
Under the bombardment of the new artillery, the entire rebel army collapsed. Even the soldiers of the old battalion could not withstand such a blow and began to retreat one after another.
The morale of the Ming army was greatly boosted. Seeing Lu Xiangsheng's commanding flag moving forward, all departments rushed to join the counterattack.
At this time, the benefits of bronze cannon are undoubtedly evident.
It only takes four people to push a cannon forward, while the civilians behind push a cart loaded with projectiles and gunpowder, and fire the cannon without any delay.
When encountering a trench, thick wooden boards were laid on it, and light bronze cannons could cross it.
When it's time to fire, you only need to open the rack at the back, put it on the ground, and the artillery will be as stable as a rock.
Although the rebel artillery also counterattacked, the rate of fire of the two was not at the same level.
The rebel army can often only fire one round of artillery shells, but the Ming army has already fired three or four rounds.
Although the Ming army's artillery shells were not large, they were powerful. The frequent firing speeds and earth-shattering loud noises caused great psychological pressure on the rebels.
The two lost trenches in front of the Ming army were quickly recaptured.
Not only that, under the cover of artillery, the Ming army chased and killed the defeated rebels.
In the distance, in the Chinese army, Gao Yingxiang almost wanted to vomit blood when he saw that the defeat was certain.
The casualties at this time were all the elites of the old camp. This battle was enough to break his muscles and bones.
But now is not the time to be sad.
At the critical moment, Gao Yingxiang showed his heroic qualities.
He ordered Liu Zhe, his confidant and favorite general: "Go gather the retreating troops and go west without waiting."
Liu Zhe quickly led his soldiers to greet him, trying his best to maintain the front line.
Gao Yingxiang ignored the status of his troops and horses. He gathered all the cavalry in front of him. Then he pointed his sword and rushed towards the left wing.
He could see clearly that the frontal war was irreversible.
With the cavalry behind them, there was no way to join the battlefield. They could only watch the infantry of the old battalion being eaten up bit by bit, and worry about breaking up and breaking up the formation.
If you want to stabilize the situation at this time, you must find a breakthrough point.
Zhang Xianzhong and Zuo Liangyu on the right wing were rubbing against each other, and neither could do anything to the other. The front was intact and there was no chance.
Only the left-wing Lao Huihui and others had gotten involved with Zu Dabi, and they were fighting fiercely.
The cavalry is the biggest threat to the rebels.
Understanding this, Gao Yingxiang made a desperate move.
He led more than ten thousand cavalry under his command and headed directly towards Zu Dabi's retreat.
The addition of this new force instantly broke the balance on the battlefield.
Zu Dabi was really frightened and did not dare to charge with all his might. Instead, he gathered his formation together and did not give Gao Yingxiang a chance to break up.
The addition of Gao Yingxiang cut off the rear column of Guan Ning's army, but he was powerless against Zu Dabi's main formation.
With no choice, Gao Yingxiang had no choice but to eat up the entire rear group of Guan Ning's army that was left alone.
In this battle alone, more than 400 Guanning Army armored cavalry replaced more than 1,300 Rebel cavalry.
But no matter what, after paying a heavy price, Zu Dabi's Guan Ning cavalry lost its combat effectiveness.
Having achieved his goal, Gao Yingxiang sent a signal and directed the troops to retreat.
Lao Huihui, Yiziwang, Chuangtianwang and others had long since stopped fighting, and immediately retreated after receiving the order.
Zu Dabi had few men, and after fighting for such a long time, his horses had already lost their strength, so they did not dare to pursue him.
Gao Yingxiang personally came to the rear and covered other leaders as they slowly headed west.
As for the infantry of the invading army, they were defeated by Lu Xiangsheng. Only one-third of the troops caught up with the large army and fled.
Lu Xiangsheng wanted to take advantage of the victory to pursue, but he had to stop when he received the notification that Guan Ning's army was unable to fight anymore.
As for the right wing, seeing that all other parties had withdrawn, how could Zhang Xianzhong dare to stay?
He was more thoughtful and did not follow Gao Yingxiang and others. Instead, he turned around and headed south, heading straight for Huguang.
Since Lu Xiangsheng led an army to Fengyang, Huguang must be empty.
Zhang Xianzhong has long coveted the wealth of Huguang, so how could he let this opportunity pass?
The battlefield gradually calmed down, and finally ended with the victory of the Ming army.
Seeing the dead bodies all over the ground without distinguishing between friend and enemy, Lu Xiangsheng's mood was waning.
Even if such a battle is won, what is there to be happy about?
All the people who died were all people of the Ming Dynasty!
When can the world be at peace and all people live and work in peace and contentment?
The generals under his command were very happy. After all, they had won a great victory and had achieved solid military exploits.
Tang Jiuzhou ran back covered in blood, smiling as if he had made a fortune.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I will fulfill my mission and kill thousands of thieves. You must ask the imperial court for your credit and reward your sons."
Lu Xiangsheng came to his senses and forced a smile.
"General Tang has made great contributions in this battle, and I will keep it in my heart. Please be patient, I will certainly not be short of credit for your contribution."
Tang Jiuzhou felt relieved after receiving Lu Xiangsheng's guarantee.
Seeing the artillery returning to the team, he was really excited.
"This cannon is really amazing. It can fire fast, hit far, and is not easily damaged. The Prime Minister should buy more of these cannons, so that thieves will not have to worry about them."
Looking at the still intact bronze cannon, Lu Xiangsheng's heart was full of waves.
Although this cannon is good, one shot costs four thousand taels of silver, which is beyond his ability to afford.
Maybe this time we won a big victory and we could ask for more military pay from the court.
Lu Xiangsheng is confident that if there are twice as many such artillery pieces, the destruction of Gao Gao Yingxiang will be just around the corner.
But when he thought of the more terrifying weapons in Shandong, his good mood dissipated again.
It is easy to destroy the bandits, but it is difficult to destroy Shandong!
The second battle of Fengyang ended with Lu Xiangsheng's victory.
In this battle, more than 30,000 northwest rebels were killed, many of whom were elite and old thieves.
It can be said that the Northwest Rebels who returned to Henan were seriously injured and could no longer compete with Lu Xiangsheng.
While Lu Xiangsheng reported his victory to the court, he also directed his ministries to pursue Gao Yingxiang and fight fiercely.
Gao Yingxiang couldn't stand at all, so he could only retreat all the way, avoiding the Dengfeng area.
Only then did Lu Xiangsheng receive the military intelligence report that Zhang Xianzhong was causing trouble in Huguang.
Huguang is Lu Xiangsheng's base camp, and all food and grass supplies come from here, so there must be no room for loss.
In desperation, Lu Xiangsheng could only lead his troops back. Whether it was to eliminate Zhang Xianzhong or expel him, he had to ensure the safety of the base camp.
As for Gao Yingxiang who fled to the mountains, he could only hand it over to Tang Jiuzhou and Zuo Liangyu.
I fully thought that the two generals would cooperate with each other and even if they failed to win, they would still be safe.
But Lu Xiangsheng never thought that the attributes of Zuo Liangyu's teammates had been lit up and a surprise was brewing for him.