How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 79 The Yuan Dynasty suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Wei Zhongxian! Where is justice? (Third update today)

On the 28th day of the first month of the first year of Chongzhen's reign, the setting sun was like blood!

South of Dushikou City, the battle situation suddenly changed.

Yu Shiwei took the lead, his sharp eyes under his iron helmet sweeping across the open south gate, while his spear pointed unhesitatingly to the north—the area in front of the south gate of Dushikou was only the size of a palm, not enough to squeeze in several thousand men and horses, but the few hundred armored elites led by the two fierce generals Hou Shilu and Cao Wenzhao should be enough.

"Circumnavigate north of the city! Intercept and annihilate the main force of the enemy cavalry!"

Military orders are absolute. The four thousand iron cavalry moved at the command, moving as if guided by their own arms, like a torrent sweeping around the city, avoiding the melee at the city gate, and heading north along the outer side of the city wall to intercept the main force of Hudun Tuhan.

Meanwhile, the Mongol light cavalry that roamed along the way fled at the mere sight of the enemy, disappearing without a trace before even engaging in battle. They were nowhere to be seen as Mongol warriors. The elite retainers of the You and Hou families, along with the cavalry of the Imperial Guard's vanguard, were all clad in heavy armor and wielding long weapons, rushing towards the Yellow Dragon River like an iron torrent.

……

At this moment, the area inside the city gate has become a living hell.

After a brief but fierce battle, Wang Shiqin was severely wounded. He was kneeling on the ground, leaning on a broadsword, with four or five arrows embedded in his body. His cotton armor was torn, his chainmail was pierced, and blood was seeping out continuously. He was panting heavily, and his vision was blurring in waves.

Wang Tong leaned against the city wall, his left eye now a bloody hole. He still brandished a gleaming saber, roaring furiously, his feet trampling on the bound Su Tai Fujin. This Yehe Fujin was also covered in blood and had been shot with two arrows, but she was not dead yet, still cursing fiercely in Mongolian.

Of the dozens of retainers they brought, most were dead, and the rest were wounded, leaning against the city wall in a small, arc-shaped formation, the corpses piled up densely at their feet. The Mongol soldiers split into two groups: one desperately held off Cao Wenzhao's troops who were advancing step by step through the city gate, while the other frantically attacked the remnants of the two kings' forces, gritting their teeth and determined to slaughter these reckless Ming soldiers!
"Hold on..." Wang Shiqin shouted, coughing up blood. He knew that he would most likely die here today, and he only hoped that he could hold on for a little longer so that Hou Shilu and Cao Wenzhao's men could break in.

In that case, he won the gamble!
The Mongols were also fighting desperately.

We can't afford to lose again, or we'll have nothing left to lose!

Batel, the veteran general who had followed Ligdan Khan for many years, witnessed the perilous situation and finally made the decision to fight to the death. He grabbed his scimitar and roared to his personal guards, "Mongol warriors! Follow me to slaughter these southern barbarian dogs! Reclaim the Princess!"

After shouting this, he charged like a madman towards the remaining troops where the two kings were. His scimitar flashed, and an exhausted Ming soldier fell to the ground with a scream. Batel's Mongol troops from the Chahan tribe followed closely behind, charging with a desperate resolve.

Seeing this, Wang Shiqin mustered his last breath and raised his sword to meet the attack. Batel's curved blade slashed down fiercely, and Wang Shiqin hurriedly parried with his own sword, but unfortunately, he was severely wounded and unable to support himself; the sword flew from his hand. Batel then followed up with a powerful kick, striking Wang Shiqin squarely in the chest.

Wang Shiqin flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall, spitting out blood.

"General!" Wang Tong roared, his eyes wide with fury, as he tried to rush to his aid.

Batel wouldn't allow him to help. He raised his scimitar again, grinning maliciously as he slashed at the fallen Wang Shiqin. At the critical moment, Wang Tong, with strength he didn't know he came from, suddenly kicked Su Taifu's wife in the stomach, causing the woman to scream in pain.

Batel, thinking his wife had been murdered, instinctively went to look. In that split second of hesitation, Wang Tong pounced like a madman, his curved blade aimed straight for Batel's throat!

The old Mongol general was still highly skilled in martial arts. He dodged to the side and slammed his round shield down. Wang Tong was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering backward and spitting out a mouthful of blood, yet he still fought to the death. His one eye was bloodshot, and he had only one thought in his mind: gamble with his life! If he won, the Wang family would live; if he lost, he would die, but the Wang family could still live!
Batel's eyes also turned red; the enemy who murdered the Princess Consort could not be spared! He raised his knife again, ready to cut Wang Tong down. At this moment, Cao Wenzhao had led his troops through the encirclement and saw Batel about to strike.

"Die, Tartar chieftain!" General Cao roared, gathering all his strength to hurl the spear in his hand like a javelin!

The spear hurtled through the air, but Batel's entire focus was on Wang Tong. As a result, with a soft thud, the spear pierced through his chest, spraying out a cloud of blood and pinning him firmly to the ground!

The old Mongol general stared wide-eyed at the spear shaft in front of his chest in disbelief, his throat gurgling, before finally tilting his head to the side and dying.

Seeing their commander die in battle, the already demoralized Mongol troops of the Chahan tribe lost all pretense and collapsed in a panic!
……

Almost simultaneously, another torrent of iron surged into the south gate of Dushikou, where corpses lay strewn everywhere!
Hou Shilu personally led two hundred Hou family cavalrymen, their hooves trampling over flesh and blood, rushing through the gate like a whirlwind and heading straight for the horse path leading up the city wall!
"My comrades! Take down the city wall! Plant our flag!"

Ignoring sporadic resistance, these cavalrymen charged up the ramparts. The Mongol archers on the city walls frantically fired, but how could they stop the armored cavalry? Hou Shilu took the lead, deflecting the arrows and charging onto the city wall, wielding his spear and sweeping away a large number of enemies!

The cavalry surged forward, quickly slaughtering the defenders on the city wall. A tattered Han eagle flag was then thrown down from the wall, and the Ming army's flag was raised high, fluttering in the cold twilight wind!

……

While the fierce battle raged in the south of the city, You Shiwei had already led his iron cavalry to circle around to the north of the city.

On the north bank of the Huanglong River, tens of thousands of Mongol cavalrymen were swarming across the river, their hooves thundering. The vanguard had already reached the south bank, but their formation remained scattered.

You Shiwei reined in his horse and halted the army. Four thousand iron cavalry stood solemnly in the twilight, like a silent iron forest.

He then divided his forces into two groups: 1,500 elite soldiers from the You and Hou families led the way, while over 2,000 imperial guards followed behind. The Mongol cavalry crossed the river one after another, their formation becoming increasingly chaotic.

"Guards! Charge!" Seeing that the time was ripe, You Shiwei decisively gave the order.

As the bugle sounded, 1,500 guards spurred their warhorses, gradually increasing their pace. These battle-hardened veterans were skilled; their horsemanship was extremely steady, and their formation was impenetrable.

When they were less than a hundred paces from the enemy, the guards suddenly exerted their strength and charged with all their might! The heavy hooves sounded like war drums, and the iron cavalry crashed into the Mongol army formation like a wall!
A deafening roar followed, then men and horses tumbled to the ground! The guards, with their heavy armor and speed, instantly overwhelmed the Mongol vanguard. Swords flashed, spears thrust—they were unstoppable.

As the first wave of attack subsided, the guards dispersed their horses.

Before the Mongol army could catch their breath, a second wave of attacks followed.

"Personnel Battalion! Charge!" You Shiwei pointed his spear forward.

The Imperial Guard began to accelerate. The Imperial Guard's cavalry were also elite troops, many of their warriors hailing from the border armies, their morale even higher, and their equipment equally superior. While they might be no match for the elite Eight Banners troops, today, against the already defeated Chahar Mongol cavalry, it was another merciless crushing victory!
Spears pierced through leather robes, sabers felled light cavalry, and the Mongol army completely collapsed, losing its formation.

After two waves of attacks, the battlefield descended into chaos. Ming soldiers, in groups of three or five, used their fine armor and sharp blades to indiscriminately slaughter the panicked Mongol light cavalry.

Surrounded by his personal guards, You Shiwei charged left and right, reaping heads everywhere he went.

……

On the city wall of Dushikou, Hou Shilu saw the Mongol cavalry routed to the north of the city and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the approaching army formation to the south.

South of Dushikou, on the north bank of the Qinglong River, two enormous banners bearing the seal of the governor and the banner of the governor of Xuanfu stood tall in the setting sun. Under the banners, Wei Zhongxian sat upright on his horse, surrounded by the supervising eunuch Liu Yingkun, the governor Zhu Zhifeng, and other civil and military officials.

Behind them, the vast and boundless main force of the Ming infantry had crossed the river and formed ranks! Banners fluttered, swords and spears stood in a forest, and the heavy footsteps pounded the earth. Wagon formations, spear formations, musketeers, archers... the 30,000-strong army marched in formation, heading straight for the city.

Their military might was overwhelming and breathtaking.

……

On the north bank of the Huanglong River, on a high slope.

Lindan Khan immediately stood under the Suluding banner, his face ashen and his lips trembling.

He watched helplessly as tens of thousands of cavalry were routed by two waves of Ming cavalry charges and fled north in disarray.

He watched helplessly as the Ming army's flags were planted atop the city wall of Dushikou.

He watched helplessly as the massive, desperate Ming infantry force in the south crushed his last hope.

This time it was a complete defeat. They were defeated by Wei Zhongxian once again!

"Great Khan! Retreat!" his cousin, Juntu Taiji, urged. "Dushikou has fallen! The Southern army is approaching! If we don't leave now, I fear..."

Lin Danhan gritted his teeth, gazing at the glaring palm print banner to the south, his eyes filled with resentment: "The Great Yuan... the Great Yuan has been repeatedly defeated by a eunuch! How can Heaven bear this!"

In the end, he managed to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth.

"withdraw!"

The mournful sound of horns echoed along the north bank, signaling a full retreat of the Mongol army. The remaining cavalry, as if granted a pardon, fled north into the wilderness with the Khan's banner.

The outcome of the Battle of Dushikou is already decided.

……

In the medical tents inside Dushikou City after the war.

Wei Zhongxian, surrounded by a group of generals, walked over, his gaze falling on the two stretchers. Wang Shiqin's body was covered with a white sheet, having been dead for some time. Wang Tongze, his single eye wide open, stared at the tent ceiling, his entire body wrapped in bandages.

Wei Zhongxian stepped forward, bent down and gently stroked Wang Shiqin's cold body, then patted Wang Tong on the shoulder.

“Generals,” his voice was a little hoarse, “I have seen your loyalty. Rest assured, I will report this to His Majesty without missing a single word. As for General Wang’s funeral arrangements, I will certainly request an imperial decree for a dignified funeral.”

He paused, then looked at Wang Tong, forcing a smile: "You won the bet. Your sins can definitely be redeemed. Take good care of yourself... Using the heads of the Tartars to atone for your sins is more reliable than any land or silver. His Majesty only recognizes this."

Wang Tong cried out hoarsely, "Eunuch Wei...we...we can finally be loyal ministers..."

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly: "General Wang has achieved his goal of seeking benevolence; his loyalty and valor will surely be recorded in history." Then, in a barely audible voice, he added: "I've won my gamble too... With this battle, I'm sure I can be a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty!"

"So, it turns out that the loyalty of the Ming Dynasty can be won through gambling!"

(End of this chapter)