pappabearbooks Chapter 96 Loyalty to Chen Boying
Chapter 96 Loyalty to Chen Boying
Chapter 97 Loyalty to Chen Boying
Chapter 096. Of the six thousand-man cavalry units of the Solon tribe, four were almost wiped out by casualties. The remaining two thousand-man units continued to charge forward, fiercely charging into the hail of bullets from the Shahe New Army soldiers.
Ge Ling'a, who was in charge of the command, had already realized that they had lost any chance of winning. He could admit defeat now, and if he did, Chen Boying would most likely let them go.
The reason is simple: there are still five or six thousand new army soldiers like Chen Boying, and they did not move, but simply watched this performance-like battle quietly.
Seeing the heavy casualties suffered by the Soren tribe, Chen Ying's heart finally softened: "Tongue people!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
"Go and tell Bomubogor that these Solon soldiers are excellent warriors, and they shouldn't die here meaninglessly. Tell them to stop their attack and surrender!"
"yes!"
The translator accompanying Chen Ying was actually a Han Chinese named Pi Xiude. He was from Shenyang Wei and was a well-known silk merchant in Shenyang because he was proficient in Jurchen, Mongolian, Han, and Sanskrit languages. In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, Pi Xiude was captured by the Jurchens. In the first year of the Tianqi reign, like countless other captured Ming soldiers and civilians, he infiltrated Liaoyang City as a spy.
However, having witnessed firsthand how Shenyang was captured by the Jurchens and tens of thousands of its inhabitants slaughtered, Pi Xiude, unwilling to aid and abet the evildoers, fled amidst the chaos. Knowing that the west was a key area of Jurchen defense and that he couldn't outrun them on foot, he headed east and south, intending to circle around to Xuanchengwei (present-day Dandong) and escape back to the Ming Dynasty. But by a twist of fate, he ended up escaping into Nurgan territory.
Relying on his outstanding linguistic talent, Pishude settled down in the Xibe tribe. Hamutai saw that Pishude was also a talented person, almost a know-it-all, and knew everything about economics, warfare, and daily life. He even gave Pishude two wives. In just over four years, Pishude mastered the dialects of more than a dozen tribes of the Haixi Jurchens, and of course, he was also proficient in the Solon dialect.
Pixiude, now practically Chen Ying's personal translator, arrived before Bomubogor, escorted by a dozen or so soldiers of the Shahe New Guard. He arrogantly declared, "Lord Chen has ordered you to surrender. Enough has been done; these warriors need not die here. It's pointless—"
Bomubogor closed his eyes. How could he not know that Chen Ying's words were actually giving him a way out? But the question was, even if he stopped attacking now, could the outcome be changed?
The answer is yes, it cannot.
Chen Yinghui would force the entire Solon tribe to submit to the Ming Dynasty and pledge allegiance to Chen Boying.
Bomubogor's expression changed, and his chest heaved violently.
The two warriors behind him couldn't help but say a few words in the Soren language, as if trying to dissuade him, but he looked at Geringa, his own brother who was charging into battle covered in blood.
Ge Ling'a was furious. He watched as his warriors fell one after another before him. At first, he was terrified, thinking that the Ming army knew sorcery and that he could retreat. But the question was, did the Solon tribe have any way out?
Actually, no. Ge Ling'a knew very well that his brother was a very restless person. These excellent warriors were his brother's source of pride. His brother was determined to emulate the Jurchens and establish their own Solon nation, refusing to submit to anyone.
The problem is that, in the past, they might not have felt anything special; they were no worse than the Jurchens, only lacking in equipment. Now, however, they have thousands or even tens of thousands of suits of armor, giving them the means to provoke the Jurchens.
However, the Solon tribe was too small in number. Even though their soldiers were very brave, they were no match for the Jurchens. Ge Ling'a actually supported the resistance against the Jurchens. After all, the Jurchens had not given them a way out. Fighting them gave them a sliver of hope for survival. If they did not fight, their Solon tribe would be wiped out.
The problem is that with Bomubogor's victory in this battle, he became arrogant and even wanted to provoke the Ming Dynasty, which was the mountain that they could never get around.
Although Ge Ling'a led his six thousand elite cavalry to the front of the Ming army, the Ming army only had a row of thin wooden railings, which were only chest-high. However, these railings became an insurmountable obstacle for them.
The grenades kept exploding. Even the bravest warriors were no match for the grenades. The Ming army, with fewer troops, fought against more than 6,000 cavalry with just over 2,000 men, and managed to push forward in a straight line.
Seeing that the Solon tribe's offensive force was weakening, Qin Siming roared at the Shahe New Army soldiers beside him, "Brothers, aren't you tired?"
"Not tired!"
Qin Siming laughed and asked, "Do you want land?"
"think!"
"Brothers, follow me, commander, and charge out!"
Qin Siming pulled out a revolver and fired two shots in quick succession.
The soldiers reacted quickly, throwing grenades and firing their guns. This counter-attack left Ge Ling'a's troops in a sorry state.
With the combination of revolvers and grenades, the first few rows of the Solon troops were almost instantly wiped out. The Solon soldiers' charge was somewhat similar to the Soviet charge; they disregarded their own lives, and even if they couldn't kill you, they could scare you to death.
As the first few rows were cleared, the Solon soldiers behind did not hesitate for a moment and rushed forward without hesitation, thrusting their tiger spears at the charging Shahe New Army soldiers.
They just wanted to fight hand-to-hand. Obviously, the Shahe New Army was not untrained in cold weapon combat. With guns and grenades, how could they possibly use their weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths?
The reason for using revolvers now is that the Ming army's system only counts military merits for beheadings. One head is worth ten acres of land. However, the problem is that under the bombardment of cannons and grenades, many Solon soldiers' bodies were blown to pieces, and their heads were not collected, so it did not count as military merit.
However, revolvers are not very powerful. Even if they hit the head, they would only leave a small hole. The head could be saved, the military merit could be saved, and the ten acres of land would be in hand.
The battle had reached its climax. The power of the Ming army's firearms not only shocked Bomubogor, but also shocked the leaders of the various Jurchen tribes, including the Woji tribe, the Hurha tribe, the Hezhe of the Shiquan tribe, and the chiefs of the various clans below them, who had dealt with the Solon tribe to some extent.
Within the territory of Nurgan Commandery, in the area near Changbai Mountain, the strongest fighting force was never the Jianzhou Jurchens. The strongest fighting force was the Xibe and Solon tribes. Who wouldn't be afraid of the Solon tribe's fearless spirit?
However, even the mighty Solon tribe could not gain any advantage against the Ming army. To this day, the Ming army's casualties are pitifully small, with at most a few hundred wounded.
These casualties could have been avoided, but the Ming soldiers were too kind. For example, Zhao Dezhu looked at a Solon soldier, about sixteen or seventeen years old, whose body was riddled with more than a dozen holes from a grenade explosion, and blood was flowing out like a fountain.
Zhao Dezhu shouted at the Solon soldier, "Child, lay down your weapon and surrender, and I'll have the medics treat your wounds—"
Before he could finish speaking, the Solon soldier threw down his weapon. Zhao Dezhu thought the other party was really preparing to surrender. Unexpectedly, the Solon soldier pounced on Zhao Dezhu's face and bit his cheek fiercely.
"Bang bang bang—"
Zhao Dezhu emptied the cylinder of his revolver, and the Solon soldier died. However, a piece of flesh was bitten off Zhao Dezhu's face, deep enough to expose the bone. Zhao Dezhu, a centurion, became the highest-ranking officer in the Shahe New Army to be wounded so far.
Qin Siming saw that many soldiers had been injured or killed by the sudden attack from the wounded soldiers, and his face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Chen Ying had actually expected this result, which was also the real reason why he wanted to subdue the Soren tribe.
Chen Ying was very clear that even though the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens had long been sworn enemies, the Ming soldiers could never do what the Jurchens had done: massacre more than three million Han Chinese in Liaodong in less than a year.
Even if he were strong enough in the future to defeat the Jurchen Eight Banners, he still couldn't flatten the wheels. The Ming army wasn't a cold-blooded killing machine; they simply couldn't bring themselves to do it.
In later online forums, some people suggested revenge, such as staging a massacre in Tokyo. But in reality, this was just a dream. The Chinese people are not beasts. They can defeat no matter how fierce the enemy is on the battlefield, but they cannot be cruel to infants and women.
Chen needed the cold-bloodedness of the Solon tribe. Only the deadly soldiers of the Solon tribe could resolutely carry out the order to flatten the wheels. They could resolutely carry out orders, so Dzungar became a place name.
The battlefield north of Twin Cities has become a scene of carnage.
From afternoon to evening, for a full two hours, this black earth, which was originally covered with a thin layer of snow, was soaked in blood and trampled into a muddy brownish-red by countless hooves.
Limbs and severed bodies were scattered everywhere, and dead warhorses and riders were piled up together, some still in the forward-leaning posture of their charge, as if time had frozen at that moment.
The final gunshot rang out, and then silence fell.
Ge Ling'a knelt on one knee amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, his body covered in blood, his left arm twisted into a pretzel shape. He used his right hand to support himself with a tiger-thorn spear, struggling to keep from falling.
Around him, the last dozen or so Sauron warriors stood back to back in a circle, each wounded and panting heavily, but their eyes still burned with the kind of ferocity that terrified all enemies.
The soldiers of the Shahe New Army have ceased firing.
They carried torches and slowly surrounded them, forming an ever-shrinking encirclement.
No one cheered, no one laughed; everyone wore a complex expression. As the victors, they were very proud of the battle, but they also greatly admired the fearless fighting spirit of the Solon warriors, and of course, they were overjoyed to have survived such a calamity.
It must be admitted that if the Soren tribe were to become an enemy, it would be a nightmare. They are not brave individuals, but a group of madmen. They yearn for battle, but they yearn for death even more.
Their frenzied, relentless attacks sent chills down Chen Ying's spine. Their method of attack was as if they were zombies, devoid of any sense of pain.
Qin Siming stepped out of the crowd, the barrel of his revolver still smoking. He looked at Ge Ling'a, remained silent for a moment, then slowly tucked the pistol back into his belt and said calmly, "You lost."
Ge Ling'a raised his head, blood flowing from the wound on his forehead, obscuring one of his eyes. With his remaining eye, he stared intently at Qin Siming, his lips moving slightly: "Kill me."
Qin Siming shook his head and said, "Lord Chen has ordered that enough people have died; your wounded soldiers will receive medical treatment!"
Chen Ying wasn't exactly a saint. Although he had set up a medical team in the Shahe New Army, the problem was that these medical soldiers, who had received short-term training at the Shahe Medical College, had very poor medical skills and could only do simple bandaging. Now that there were so many wounded soldiers, they could be used to practice.
Since the two sides don't speak the same language, it won't affect their mood.
Ge Ling'a suddenly laughed, his smile appearing particularly ferocious. He used the tiger-thorn spear to support himself as he stood up, swaying as he straightened his back. His gaze passed over the crowd and fell upon the "Ming" character sun and moon flag fluttering on the distant city wall.
The Soron cannot be defeated; we can only be wiped out!
Ge Ling'a knew his elder brother Bomubogor very well. His brother was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason. Only if Chen Ying could show that he could wipe out the Solon tribe at any time would Bomubogor obediently surrender and become a loyal henchman of the Ming Dynasty and Lord Chen.
After he finished speaking, he suddenly raised the tiger-thorn spear in his hand and thrust it towards his own throat.
"Bang!"
With a gunshot, the Tiger Thorn Spear flew out of his hand.
Ge Ling'a covered her numb hand and turned around in astonishment.
Chen Ying rode slowly towards them, while Zhou Bin's revolver was still emitting blue smoke.
Chen Yingke didn't have such good marksmanship. Seeing that Chen Yingke wanted to spare someone's life, Zhou Bin couldn't let Ge Ling'a die.
Now, Zhou Bin, Wang Gui, and all the military households and officers of Xingzhou Zhongtunwei, including Li Cheng, all have great respect for Chen Ying.
The army is a place where strength matters. Even if the garrison has declined, who wouldn't want to follow a capable general? Zhou Bin was very clear that although he trained the Shahe New Army according to Chen Ying's training methods, he did not take credit for it.
Zhou Bin was very clear that Chen Ying had given him this opportunity and this stage. Training troops and building an elite force was not a difficult task for the Ming Dynasty.
Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Military Efficiency" had already been published, and "Treatise on Military Preparedness" also had detailed guidelines for training troops. The problem was that the Ming Dynasty lacked generals who could obtain money and provisions.
Chen Ying's greatest skill was making money, acquiring food and equipment. Which soldier of the Shahe New Army dared to disobey Chen Boying?
If someone else were to become the commander of Shahewei, they wouldn't even be able to get enough to eat, let alone fight a war.
Chen Ying looked down at Ge Ling'a from his horse, his eyes devoid of victor's arrogance or pity for the defeated, only a complex, incomprehensible look: "You want to die? It's easy to want to die. But have you considered what will happen to those thousands of old, weak, women, and children of the Soren if you die? Who will take care of them?"
Ge Ling'a was shocked; he realized that Chen Ying's words made sense.
"The Soren people are not afraid of death, I know that," Chen Ying continued, "but what I need is not a group of suicide soldiers, but a group of allies, do you understand?"
As Pixiude finished translating, Ge Ling'a's lips trembled. Finally, this tough guy, who had been bloodthirsty on the battlefield, knelt down in the blood and mud and cried loudly.
The results of the battlefield inventory were quickly delivered to Chen Ying.
In this battle, the Solon tribe had over 6,300 cavalrymen, with over 5,900 killed, over 100 seriously wounded, and over 400 lightly wounded. The Shahe New Army and the Shuangcheng Guard suffered 29 killed, 43 seriously wounded, and 127 lightly wounded.
If we consider the ratio of deaths to casualties, it's 1 to 206; if we include the total casualties, it's 1 to 55. This was a complete victory worthy of being recorded in history.
In fact, this was an unscientific and unreasonable battle. Chen Ying said that it was cheating. In a normal battle, especially in an encounter battle, it was impossible for the soldiers of the Shahe New Army to prepare lead bullets in advance, load them into firearms, and prepare four firearms for each person.
At the same time, ordinary soldiers were not equipped with pistols. In the process of two armies facing each other, the role of pistols was very limited. Their range was about the same as that of a grenade, but their power was much different.
Another unscientific point is that it is impossible for an ordinary soldier of the Shahe New Army to be equipped with two boxes of hand grenades. These two boxes of grenades weigh nearly 15 kilograms, which would seriously restrict the soldiers' marching speed.
In addition, Chen Ying also cheated to prevent this defeat. He planted explosives on the battlefield where the Solon tribe was attacking and detonated them when the grenades exploded, because Chen Ying had not developed landmines.
However, no matter how Chen Ying cheated, in this battle, he defeated the Solon tribe's more than 6,000 elite troops with only 2,000 men in open field combat. This battle not only shocked Bomubogor and shattered his dream of becoming Khan, but also terrified the various tribes of the Wild Jurchen.
The leaders of the Hurha tribe, the Shiquan tribe, and the Woji tribe secretly calculated that if the Jurchen barbarians were to fight this battle, their fate would definitely be worse than that of the Soren tribe.
They came to the conclusion that neither the Ming Dynasty nor the Jurchens could be offended. The Jurchens' use of bows and swords to kill people was at least within their understanding, but the Ming army's method of killing was simply too efficient.
The Jurchens had fought for half a month against more than 6,000 elite Solon troops, and it was not certain that they could defeat them. However, the Ming army only took two hours. The leaders of the Xibe tribe, including Hamutai, Bomubogor, and Menggun, made the same decision.
Submit to Chen Boying, pledge allegiance to Chen Boying.
P.S.: I fell asleep halfway through writing last night, I'm so sorry. I won't make any more promises, everyone please remember that I'll continue writing after I finish work.