I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

In the middle of the third month of the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

General Qin Liangyu of Sichuan led an army of more than 30,000 men from Ba County, Chongqing Prefecture, down the Yangtze River, and headed straight for Kuizhou.

The vanguard of 10,000 men, led by Qin Yiming, clashed with Zhang Xianzhong's Great Western Army in Wanxian, Kuizhou, and successfully captured Wanxian.

Two days later,

Qin Liangyu's troops captured Yunyang and their advance was close to Qutangwei, the seat of Kuizhou Prefecture.

Zhang Xianzhong appointed his adopted son Ai Nengqi as commander-in-chief, leading 30,000 troops to Tanjia Ping to intercept Qin Liangyu.

at the same time,

Li Dingguo's 50,000 troops and Sun Kewang's 30,000 troops have arrived at Tongguan.

Sun Kewang's troops left Tongguan and marched north, entering the territory of Pingyang in Shanxi, intending to rush to the aid of the Da Shun army that was tied up in Fenzhou.

Li Dingguo then traveled east along the Yellow River, heading straight for Kaifeng.

……

South of Taiyuan City, on the east bank of the Jin River.

The riverbank reeked of horse manure, and the morning mist shrouded the battlefield like a thin veil. The distant mountains appeared and disappeared, like a lurking beast.

The reeds along the river swayed gently in the breeze, rustling softly, as if whispering for the impending battle.

The air was filled with a chilling smell, a mixture of horse manure, soil, gunpowder, and rust.

Li Zicheng's 30,000 iron hawks were divided into three teams: front, middle, and rear, each with 10,000 men. The armor plates on the cavalrymen gleamed dazzlingly in the morning light.

In recent days, Li Zicheng ordered the melting down of all the door studs in the city, and even the copper coins, in order to barely scrape together 30,000 suits of armor.

Although these iron hawks were still wearing leather armor, their chests were inlaid with rough copper and iron plates, making them look both comical and pathetic.

Liu Tichun rode on a tall black horse, holding up a nicked broadsword with blood and rust still clinging to its blade.

He roared, his voice echoing across the empty riverbank:

"Brothers! Today's battle is a fight to the death; if we win, you can have any woman in Beijing you want!"

The mud on the riverbank was trampled into a pulp by the horses' hooves, and mud splattered onto the Iron Falcon's leather armor, making it look even more disheveled.

On the other side,

Composed entirely of infantry, 50,000 men, in five square formations, three in front and two in the rear.

Li Zicheng stood at the front of the battle, his golden sword gleaming coldly in the morning light.

His eyes revealed a fierce glint, like a beast about to break free of its cage, ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.

Behind him, 30,000 infantrymen stood in a square formation, their spears like a forest and their shields like a mountain. Although the formation was neat, tension was written on the faces of every soldier.

Because they know in their hearts

Unlike the Ming army they had faced from within the Great Wall in the past, the Ming army they faced was Liaodong troops from outside the Great Wall.

That was a formidable army that had driven the Qing invaders to their knees in submission; their weapons, armor, and firearms were all of the finest quality.

……

Three thousand paces away,

That was the Ming army formation.

Xu Anguo's second garrison, numbering 20,000 men, was in the middle;

Zheng Chenggong's third garrison, with nearly 10,000 Japanese soldiers, relied on the Jin River's riverbank on the left.

On the right is Cao Mingsheng's nearly 20,000 cavalry.

With fewer than 50,000 troops, they faced an enemy army of 80,000, putting them at a significant disadvantage in terms of manpower.

However, the Ming soldiers showed no sign of tension.

They were all seasoned soldiers, having fought tooth and nail with the Qing invaders in Liaodong.

They didn't underestimate these bandits who weren't even fully armored, but they weren't particularly concerned either.

Confidence is something forged in blood and fire.

If they didn't even have this much ambition, how could they have humiliated the Manchu Eight Banners in Liaodong?

Xu Anguo was stirring a pot of meat soup with an iron ladle. A few scallions and chili peppers floated on the surface of the soup, and the aroma was irresistible.

He scooped up a spoonful of foam, splashed it on the ground, and chuckled: "General Cao, are your right-wing cavalry troops up to par? Look at that Iron Falcon formation, it looks like a pot of undercooked rice!"

Cao Mingsheng sat upright on his horse, carefully wiping the iron spear in his hand with a clean white silk handkerchief. The blade was still stained with yesterday's blood, who knows where he went to feast yesterday.

He grinned and said, "I've heard that Li Zicheng's Iron Falcons like to use the 'three walls' tactic. I just don't know if it's because his three walls are thick enough, or because my Flying Cavalry's spears are sharp enough..."

Before he finished speaking, Zheng Chenggong came over carrying an iron watermelon.

The iron watermelon was round and plump, its surface covered with uneven, spiked bumps, making it look like a giant durian.

Zheng Chenggong shook the iron watermelon and laughed: "The hand-thrown fire grenades sent by the Liaodong Firearms Bureau are said to be quite powerful!"

As the morning mist gradually dissipated, sunlight shone through the clouds onto the battlefield, illuminating the formations of both armies clearly.

Zhang Jingchuan's black banner suddenly moved forward three zhang, and a horn sounded in the Liaodong army formation.

The mournful and tragic bugle call echoed across the battlefield.

This made Cao Mingsheng, Xu Anguo, and Zheng Chenggong's faces appear colder and more solemn.

Zhang Jingchuan led his warhorse from behind.

Xu Anguo and the other two bowed respectfully.

"I could smell the aroma of the broth from far away."

As Zhang Jingchuan spoke, he handed the horse reins to Zheng Chenggong, then leaned closer to the pot and peered inside.

"Beef bone soup," Xu Anguo said with a simple smile.

Zhang Jingchuan picked up a spoon, ladled himself a bowl, blew on it, took a small sip, and nodded.

"It tastes good," Zhang Jingchuan smacked his lips and smiled, "but it seems like something's missing!"

Xu Anguo said thoughtfully, "Don't worry, my lord. After we kill Li Zicheng, we'll put his leg bone in there!"

Cao Mingsheng's eyes lit up, and his gaze toward Xu Anguo became more affectionate.

"I don't like that!" Zhang Jingchuan rolled his eyes at Xu Anguo. "I was talking about coriander!"

Xu Anguo was taken aback, then slapped his forehead and exclaimed in realization, "That's right! Adding coriander to beef bone soup not only makes the soup more fragrant, but also has the effect of dispelling cold and keeping you warm!"

“This pot of soup…” Zhang Jingchuan looked at Cao Mingsheng and the other two.

The three of them tensed up and quickly clasped their hands in greeting.

They knew perfectly well that whoever their master gave this pot of soup to meant who would take the lead.

None of the three wanted to let this opportunity slip by.

At last,

Zhang Jingchuan turned his gaze to Zheng Chenggong: "I'll reward this pot of soup to your Third Town!"

"Thank you, Godfather!" Zheng Chenggong said with a joyful expression.

In a battle between two armies, whoever leads the charge represents the one most trusted by their own commander.

of course,

Except for cannon fodder.

"My lord!" Cao Mingsheng said with dissatisfaction, "How can the Japanese soldiers of the Third Division be entrusted with such a great responsibility!?"

Zhang Jingchuan smiled slightly.

"When it comes to persimmons, you have to throw the softer one over first, right?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Mingsheng and Xu Anguo were both taken aback, and then turned their gazes to Zheng Chenggong standing to the side.

At this moment, Zheng Chenggong's smile froze. "Godfather..."

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Jingchuan laughed loudly, "Cao Mingsheng's side has cavalry, you can't expect me to charge in with my cavalry right away; Xu Anguo's second garrison carries a lot of firearms, so they have to hold the line!"

Although Zheng Chenggong was unwilling, he still nodded.

"I know, kid."

……