The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 116 Formation

Cao Wenzhao captured Bajiaosuo in one battle, leaving no survivors except for a few bandits who escaped.

After winning the first battle, he rested for only one night at Bajiaosuo before continuing to lead his troops westward the next day.

His next target was Sancha City to the west.

Wang Er, who was stationed in Sancha City, had no idea that the octagon had been lost.

When Cao Wenzhao's troops arrived, Wang Er was taken aback when he received a report from his subordinates that a cavalry force had suddenly appeared outside Sancha City. He then burst into a tirade: "What are the men of Bajiaosuo doing! The government troops are right under my nose, why didn't they report this?"

Wang Er was furious, but he never expected that it wasn't that the people from the Bajiao Institute didn't report it, but that no one was capable of reporting it.

Cao Wenzhao attacked too quickly; the garrison at Bajiaosuo was overrun before they could even react, and almost the entire army was wiped out.

Even if some managed to escape, they're nowhere to be found right now. As for running back to Sancha City to report? You have to understand that Bajiaosuo is over a hundred miles away from Sancha City. How could two human legs possibly outrun a warhorse?

Cursing and swearing, Wang Er climbed to the top of the city wall and looked eastward.

The cavalry on the east side were carrying large banners with the character "Cao" on them. Although they were all cavalry, there were only about two thousand men and horses.

Wang Er didn't care at all: "Who is this Cao?" He raised his hand and pointed to the flag opposite him and asked.

The men under his command exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to answer. They had no idea who led the government troops bearing the banner of "Cao." Seeing that no one knew either, Wang Er became even less concerned. In his view, the arriving cavalry must be some nobody from the government army.

The rebel army is currently very powerful, and Wang Er, as one of the main leaders of Gao Yingxiang's troops, has achieved brilliant results since crossing the Yellow River.

Hequ was captured by Wang Er, as were Tangjiahuibao, Lougoubao, and the current Sanchacheng, and even Bajiaosuo to the east.

It can be said that Wang Er is currently in a period of high spirits and self-satisfaction, so how could he possibly look down on the mere government troops?

Cavalry? So what if they're cavalry! It's not like Wang Er hasn't seen cavalry before. Besides, the government cavalry that came only looked to be about two thousand, but you have to know that he has tens of thousands of troops in Sancha City.

Huang Long's force numbered about two thousand, and the rest were his main force. His troops outnumbered the Ming army outside the city by a full five times. Did Wang Er really have to fear such a small number of government troops? It was a joke.

With 10,000 against 2,000, the advantage is in my hands!

In his view, Cao Wenzhao was simply there to die.

"Men!" After observing for a while, Wang Er immediately ordered the troops to assemble and go out of the city to meet the enemy.

"General! It's best to be careful. After all, the enemy is all cavalry. It's really not wise for our troops to fight cavalry on foot and to go out of the city," a subordinate couldn't help but advise.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Wang Er pointed outside the city, his voice filled with heroic spirit. "That's exactly why I'm going to take the initiative to meet the enemy. The government troops are all cavalry. If we just stay in the city and let them attack, wouldn't we be passively fighting? What if the enemy general realizes he can't take Sancha City and just gets on his horse and runs away? How can my men catch up on foot? It's better to take the initiative to meet the enemy and lure them into our formation. As long as we arrange things properly, once the enemy cavalry is trapped in our formation, my troops can use the city walls as a shield to hold them off from the front, while the left and right flanks can encircle and annihilate this cavalry force in one fell swoop."

At this point, Wang Er said smugly, "I, Wang Er, have done it before with infantry against cavalry. Besides, this cavalry force isn't that many. My troops number ten thousand, five times the enemy's strength. How could we possibly lose? It's a joke! Issue my order: the entire army must prepare to open the city gates and engage in battle!"

Ignoring his subordinates' advice, Wang Er, full of confidence, directly issued the order to leave the city and meet the enemy.

In his view, Cao Wenzhao's arrival was not only a death sentence, but also an opportunity to add to his merits.

Moreover, he had his eye on Cao Wenzhao's warhorses and was thinking about how many horses he could keep after annihilating the enemy, so he could use them to build his own cavalry.

Not long ago, Gao Yingxiang acquired some warhorses from Mongolia and entrusted them to Li Zicheng's command. Even Zhou Lun, who had always been at odds with him, had gathered several dozen riders and was currently forming a cavalry force.

As a general under Gao Yingxiang, Wang Er was deeply troubled by the lack of warhorses in his army. He wasn't short of money to buy horses from Mongolia; he had amassed considerable wealth through recent conquests. But wouldn't it be better to simply enjoy the money? Buying horses was far too costly and time-consuming. Now that Cao Wenzhao's cavalry had arrived, he saw it as a gift of horses.

Wang Er was full of confidence, and what he said wasn't wrong. Since the uprising began, he had fought against the government troops many times, not only in Shaanxi but also in Shanxi, and he had encountered government cavalry quite often. However, although cavalry was strong in combat, its strength was not absolute.

In his view, apart from being a bit fierce in a charge, the cavalry was only fast and their combat effectiveness was so-so. As long as they had a large number of men to withstand the first wave of cavalry charges, they were not very useful afterward.

Thus, after Wang Er's troops assembled, they opened the city gates of Sancha City and marched out of the city in a grand procession, swaggering out to form ranks right at the city gate.

At this moment, Cao Wenzhao, who had just arrived at Sancha City and was observing the city's defenses while plotting how to attack it, was stunned by what he saw.

He blinked hard, hardly believing what he was seeing: "Huh! Am I seeing things? These bandits actually came out of the city on their own initiative?" He pointed his riding whip forward, his expression astonished.

"General, you're not mistaken. The enemy army has indeed left the city. Judging from their appearance, they intend to set up an array outside the city to lure our army into attacking," a lieutenant said with a smile.

Cao Wenzhao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He served in the army for so many years, fighting his way from Shanxi to Liaodong, and then back to Shanxi, gradually rising to his current position as deputy commander-in-chief. He can be said to have experienced countless battles.

Especially in Liaodong, he had clashed with the elite Eight Banners troops countless times. Even the Eight Banners soldiers wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in the face of the Guan Ning cavalry. Where did these bandits get their guts? Instead of defending the city, they actually marched their troops out of the city to form ranks. Did they really think their cavalry were made of clay?

Cao Wenzhao had no idea what Wang Er was thinking, and he couldn't understand where the other party got the confidence to think that he could fight against his iron cavalry with this rabble.

However, this did not affect his judgment. The moment he saw Wang Er lead his troops out of the city to set up battle formation, he instantly realized that his opportunity had arrived.

He had originally been pondering how to capture Sancha City, since it was different from Bajiao. Although its city walls couldn't compare to those of a proper county or prefectural city, it was a genuine military fortress. Although his cavalry carried breech-loading cannons and tiger-squatting cannons, these firearms were fine for Bajiao, but they would be impossible to breach Sancha City.

Such a fortified city requires heavy artillery or a brute-force assault by manpower to breach its walls. However, Cao Wenzhao's troops were all cavalry, and he could not possibly use his elite cavalry as infantry.

If Wang Er holds firm and does not come out, he will not be able to do much to the enemy for the time being. He can only temporarily set up camp outside the city to look for an opportunity, while waiting for the follow-up troops from Shanxi to arrive. He will then try to attack Sancha City after the infantry arrives.

But to everyone's surprise, Wang Er was so arrogant that he actually went out of the city to provoke them.

This gave Cao Wenzhao an instant opportunity. How could he let it slip by? He immediately ordered preparations for battle. He led the central army, remaining stationary for the time being, and dispatched a thousand cavalry, led by his subordinates, to launch a direct attack on Wang Er, who had left the city.

Although Cao Wenzhao's cavalry force was small, numbering only a thousand, the earth trembled slightly as they began to run and their speed increased. The sound of hooves pounding the ground like drumbeats created a deep, resonant roar.

The rebels, who had just left the city and were arrayed under Wang Er's command, turned pale and trembled slightly upon seeing this scene, a sense of fear rising in their hearts.

"Brothers! Cavalry is nothing to fear! As long as we hold off their attack, these cavalrymen are like sheep to be slaughtered at our mercy!"

Wang Er rode a large horse and shouted loudly in the ranks. He not only touted the incompetence of the cavalry and the strength of the rebel army to his men, but also made a great promise: if they could annihilate this cavalry in this battle, he would reward them handsomely; if they could kill or capture the enemy general, they would not only be promoted three ranks, but also be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver.

Hearing Wang Er's solemn promise, the rebels' tense mood gradually calmed down, and their eyes gleamed with courage.

Cao Wenzhao's cavalry arrived quickly; a few miles was just a blink of an eye for them. As the cavalry drew closer and closer, until they could almost see the enemy's faces, the rebel soldiers in formation were all parched and filled with unease.

But because of Wang Er's promise, they still mustered their courage and gripped their weapons tightly, while secretly reminding themselves: as long as they can hold off one wave of cavalry, they will win.

Not only did the rebel army below think this way, but Wang Er also felt the same way. He even arranged for the left and right flanks to quickly encircle and annihilate the cavalry after they had blocked the frontal attack.

It must be said that Wang Er's idea was good. But cruel reality would soon give him a harsh lesson.

Cao Wenzhao's Guan Ning Iron Cavalry was no ordinary Ming cavalry. They were not only battle-hardened and well-equipped, but also possessed a formidable fighting force that Wang Er had never seen before.

Moreover, this cavalry force had its own set of tactics against infantry. Cao Wenzhao, as one of the most capable generals in the Ming army, would never be foolish enough to charge blindly as Wang Er imagined. This cavalry force's tactics were flexible, varied, and unparalleled in their sharpness. No matter how well Wang Er planned, it was destined to fail.