Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Seeing the first chariot formation broken, Ke Yongsheng felt a slight sense of peace. Although nearly half of his cavalry had been killed, they still outnumbered the enemy by more than double. In his opinion, despite the heavy losses, victory in the battle was inevitable; it was only a matter of time.

On Jiang Xuefeng's side, while casualties were not heavy, the consumption of firearms and ammunition was considerable. Fortunately, they were well prepared for this expedition, and the ammunition they carried was enough to sustain several more battles of this scale, so they would not be trapped in the predicament of running out of ammunition and food.

Taking advantage of the lulls in the fighting, the People's Army swiftly launched operations, urgently replacing damaged guns and rapidly replenishing ammunition, bracing themselves for the next attack. The soldiers' expressions were serious, their eyes resolute, their movements deft and swift, without a single slackness.

"How is it? Can you still hold on?" There was a bit more admiration and appreciation in Yao Er's eyes as he looked at the People's Army in front of him.

Over a thousand musketeers, relying solely on a seemingly simple chariot formation, were able to engage thousands of cavalry in a fierce, even-tempered battle, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. This feat was truly astonishing. Just a month earlier, these men had been mere farmers, ignorant of military campaigns and battles, only able to work in the fields.

Training a qualified cavalryman took more than a year or two; it required a long period of hard work and countless trials. However, a peasant could transform into a qualified musketeer in just a month. Although these people's soldiers were carefully selected from a pool of 10,000, even so, it can be inferred that an ordinary person could become a qualified musketeer in just six months, an astonishingly fast pace.

At this point, Yao Er suddenly realized why Chongzhen attached such great importance to this new army. At this rate of formation, provided supplies were adequate, how large and powerful a new army could Chongzhen train in a year? Its potential was truly immeasurable and awe-inspiring.

What's more, the new army's combat effectiveness was so strong that it far exceeded everyone's expectations, and its performance on the battlefield was amazing.

At this time, Ke Yongsheng had not yet realized that his troops had become the touchstone of the People's Army. He had only one firm idea in his mind, which was to completely destroy the opposing army here to avenge the previous shame and restore the military prestige.

At this point, the battlefield between the two armies was covered in a dense mass of fallen horses and cavalry corpses, piled up layer upon layer, severely hindering the cavalry's charge. Seeing this, Ke Yongsheng acted decisively, dispatching a group of dismounted soldiers. Braving Ming artillery fire and bullets, they painstakingly pushed the corpses one by one into the nearby river, clearing an unimpeded path for the subsequent cavalry attack. Though terrified, the soldiers, under the overwhelming pressure of military orders, bravely advanced. Soldiers occasionally fell, screaming in agony, and the scene was horrific.

"Marshal, let me go!" Seeing that the time had come, Fei Yanggu stepped forward again and strongly requested to lead the army to attack, with a gleam of eagerness in his eyes.

"Okay!" This time, Ke Yongsheng gave it a moment's thought before refusing his request. He was determined to completely crush the enemy's formation and avenge his previous defeat. "Bring your troops and break through the enemy's formation. Are you sure?"

"They just rely on the power of firearms. If I had gone forward, I would have broken their formation long ago!" Fei Yanggu patted his chest confidently and said loudly, his tone full of disdain and arrogance.

"Don't be careless. The enemy's firearms are vastly different from ours. Don't let a disaster take its toll!" Ke Yongsheng warned gravely, his face gloomy and his brow furrowed. The sheer power of the Ming army's firearms had already left Ke Yongsheng heartbroken and distressed. The cavalry before him was his strongest force, and now nearly half of it had been destroyed. How could he not be heartbroken? Furthermore, Fei Yanggu's Yi Niulu were his most trusted and elite troops, crucial to his rule over Jiaozhou. Naturally, no mistakes were allowed.

"Don't worry, Marshal. They almost came close to hurting me!" Fei Yanggu patted the heavy armor on his body nonchalantly and said with a grin, as if he was sure of victory.

Fei Yanggu's three hundred men were all clad in sturdy iron armor, and their horses were equipped with simple protective gear, making them a truly heavily armored cavalry unit. This wasn't Fei Yanggu's first encounter with the Ming army, and he was familiar with their firearms. While they seemed incredibly powerful, their power was limited, unable to penetrate his armor. Consequently, he felt confident and fearless.

However, Ke Yongsheng acted extremely cautiously. He did not let Fei Yanggu charge directly in front, but arranged the recruited rebel cavalry to take the lead and act as cannon fodder, and let the cavalry led by Fei Yanggu serve as the second echelon, following closely behind them and waiting for an opportunity to attack.

As the Qing army's attack horn sounded, the Ming army's artillery once again unleashed a deafening roar. However, this time the artillery fire was noticeably less intense than before, with the intervals between shots growing longer and longer, and the firepower gradually becoming less frequent. However, the musket fire remained as intense and continuous as usual, the sound of gunfire resounding through the sky.

Fei Yanggu followed closely behind the rebel cavalry. His riding skills were superb, and his horse seemed to become one with him, deftly dodging the falling shells. He watched helplessly as the cavalrymen in front of him fell off their horses one after another with the sound of frying beans, screaming in pain. However, thanks to his superb riding skills and the iron armor on his body, he remained unscathed. Seeing the second broken chariot formation of the Ming army appear before him, he was shocked to realize that there were no more rebel cavalrymen in front of him. Only he and his three hundred elite soldiers were left to face the Ming army directly.

The final few dozen meters were a fleeting moment for the cavalry. Fei Yanggu, unconcerned with his horse's fatigue and pain, whipped it hard, sending the horse hurtling toward the chariot formation like an arrow. At that moment, a thick cloud of smoke suddenly rose from the Ming army's position, filling the air. Then, the clatter of gunfire echoed again, and bullets rained down on him, impenetrable.

When the gunshots rang out, Fei Yanggu instinctively protected his head with the shield in his left hand. Believing his armor to be a shield, he ignored the bullets, his heart filled with contempt. However, he never expected that in an instant, he would feel a piercing pain, blood splattering, and he was horrified to discover that his armor had not stopped the Ming army's bullets at all. Fortunately, the armor still blocked most of the bullets' penetration. Although these bullets penetrated the armor, they did not penetrate deeply into the flesh and did not injure vital parts.

Even so, this encounter only fueled Fei Yanggu's ferocity and fighting spirit. His warhorse had already reached the front of the chariot formation, and the horse beneath him had also been hit by numerous bullets. Although the horse was wearing a vest, the wounds were not too severe, but it had also become extremely irritable and restless. Fei Yanggu yanked the reins, and the horse kicked with its hind legs. Using the powerful impact, it leaped forward, successfully leaping over the chest-high chariot formation and breaking into the Ming army's ranks.

Fei Yanggu sat upright on his horse, looking majestic. He swung the long sword in his hand and chopped it down high. With a flash of cold light, a Ming army soldier who looked a little panicked was instantly chopped to the ground, and blood splattered everywhere.

However, as he prepared to expand his victory, he suddenly felt a pang of fear, a premonition of impending danger. He instinctively drew his sword to block his face, but with a resounding bang, the razor-sharp steel blade in his hand was struck by a bullet from nowhere, the powerful impact snapping it in half. The broken blade struck his face like a hidden weapon, instantly leaving a deep wound. Blood streamed down his cheek, blurring his vision.

"Damn, this guy is so lucky." Xu Sanqiang cursed inwardly, his face full of annoyance. He had aimed his shot at the Qing general's eyes, thinking it was a sure thing, but he didn't expect that he would subconsciously block the bullet with a knife, and his plan was in vain.

Fei Yanggu was also frightened by the bullet that came from nowhere, and he broke out in a cold sweat, his back shivering. If he hadn't subconsciously turned his knife to block it, the bullet would have killed him. At this moment, his heart was filled with a mixture of relief and fear.

Just as he was dazed, the warhorse under him could no longer hold on. It neighed miserably, its front legs gave way, and it fell to the ground with a thud. Fei Yanggu reacted quickly and skillfully. The moment the warhorse fell, he flipped over and jumped off its back, landing steadily on the ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he quickly looked around, looking for a new opportunity to fight.

With Fei Yanggu leading the charge, the cavalrymen following closely behind him were greatly encouraged, and they all rushed forward shouting. Under their fierce attack, the already dilapidated chariot formation finally couldn't resist and was completely broken!

As Fei Yanggu landed, a strange spear lunged at him like a venomous snake emerging from its burrow. With a flick of his body, Fei Yanggu easily dodged the fierce blow. He reached out, precisely grasped the spear, and exerted force, attempting to wrest it away. However, to his surprise, his hand suddenly felt lighter. He peered closely and saw only the strange tip of the spear remaining. Beneath the tip was a sleeve, and above it a bent, triangular steel bar. It looked bizarre; he had never seen such a strange weapon before.

"What is this?" This was Fei Yanggu's first reaction when he saw the sleeve bayonet, and it was also his last thought in this world.

With a crisp gunshot, Fei Yanggu looked at the tall man opposite him with disbelief on his face, his eyes wide open, full of unwillingness and despair, and he slowly fell into a pool of blood and died.

"The instructor said, if you have the chance to shoot during a bayonet fight, you must shoot!" This tall man was the company commander. His company was equipped with advanced self-fire muskets. Just now, his bayonet was snatched away by the Qing army general, but he did not panic. Instead, he took the opportunity to shoot decisively, killing the enemy with one shot.

And Fei Yanggu, Ke Yongsheng's top general, died in such a confused and cowardly way...