In the Ming army camp, the artillerymen rested the earliest and got up the earliest.

After the artillery carriages and ammunition were ready, and their respective tasks and positions were arranged, they pushed out of the camp gate, crossed the wooden bridge over the trench, and entered the ready position.

"With so many cannons, we can raze the Jianlu camp to the ground in one fell swoop!" Zhao Huizu sat on the gun carriage and patted the bronze mortar that looked like a water jar.

Zhang Junneng hunched his neck, stamped his feet repeatedly, and said, "Fighting in winter is hard. Let's defeat the Jianlu quickly so that everyone can relax."

"Are you cold?" Zhao Huizu looked puzzled and said, "Look at others. They're really not as cold as you."

Zhang Junneng grinned and said, "I didn't dare wear too much. I was afraid it would be too heavy and I wouldn't be able to keep up with the team."

Zhao Huizu blinked his eyes, gave his friend a thumbs-up, and said, "Nengneng, you're really good. It looks like you're going to really work hard."

Zhang Junneng rolled his eyes and said, "Warfare is a matter of life and death. How can you not work hard and be lazy?"

As soon as Zhao Huizu opened his mouth, he made a gesture to keep quiet and stood up from the artillery carriage.

Artillery commander Luo Li came over, inspected the artillery's preparations, and gave the officers some instructions from time to time.

"The field artillery must be pushed forward to bombard the Jianlu camp."

"The main purpose of the heavy pressing is to kill the enemies inside the camp and take advantage of the indirect fire..."

"Don't unload all the falconets. Leave some ready to follow up and provide fire cover for the infantry."

Luo Li had repeated these instructions several times, but every officer listened carefully and no one showed any impatience.

A decisive battle, a decisive battle! This was clear to everyone. On the other side was the main force of the Jianlu, led by Lao Nu himself. As long as they were defeated, the pacification of Liaodong would be within reach.

Parameters such as distance and elevation angle have already been calculated and measured, and the artillery officers have memorized them by heart. Once they move into position, they can fire at the fastest speed and raze the enemy camp to the ground.

It was still dark, but the infantry had already marched out in formation. They had a full complement of equipment for crossing the trenches, including shield carts, trench bridges, ladders, and longboards. The general assault was well prepared.

Inside the camp, Xiong Tingbi laid out the missions for the final time. Although everyone already knew the plan, Old Xiong still carefully pointed at the map and explained to the generals the attack areas and combat plans of each unit.

Haicheng had been captured, and only two thousand people were left to defend the city. Only more than a thousand people were left in the other camps. Almost the entire army was mobilized, and an unprecedented battle of tens of thousands against tens of thousands was fought.

The generals from all the divisions had serious expressions on their faces. They listened attentively and went over the battle plan again in their minds.

After a day of fierce fighting yesterday, the Jiannu suffered heavy losses and their morale was frustrated; on the other hand, the Ming army surpassed the Jianlu in both manpower and weapons and equipment.

Therefore, although the atmosphere was solemn and somewhat tense, the generals were not nervous, but were full of confidence.

"I obey your command."

"I understand."

"I will obey your orders."

The generals bowed and saluted, then took the order and left.

Xiong Tingbi looked up and saw that only his main generals He Kegang and Feng Datie were left. He couldn't help but smile and breathed a sigh of relief.

Preparations for the decisive final offensive had been meticulously made. Even if the attack failed to achieve suddenness, victory was assured thanks to the overwhelming superiority in firepower.

"Sir, my troops are ready and can join the battle at any time." He Kegang bowed and reported.

Xiong Tingbi chuckled, patted the two commanders of the Rock Camp with his left and right hands, and said jokingly, "You are joining the battle and abandoning me?"

After saying this, Xiong Tingbi waved his hand, refusing to allow the two to argue, and said, "You will have your own chance to make merit in the future, and I will not delay you from making merit. You have worked very hard in the defensive battle and killed many enemies. Today, let the credit be given to other troops!"

"Yes, I will obey your command."

Xiong Tingbi nodded and turned to walk out, fully armored, his steps clanging. Today, he was rarely fully armed, and he was ready for a decisive battle.

The night still seemed dim, but a grayish-white color had appeared on the horizon, not yet very obvious.

Cao Wenzhao rode on his horse, gazing coldly into the distance. There were several thousand Jiannu cavalrymen on alert.

The two generals of the Flying Cavalry, Huang Degong and Yang Guozhu, came on horseback to report that their cavalry were ready and could launch an attack at any time.

Cao Wenzhao nodded and said, "The General has issued an order that the attack will begin in two quarters of an hour. You should return to lead the troops and prepare for the attack!"

"I obey your order." Huang Degong and Yang Guozhu bowed and reined in their horses, then galloped away.

The rocket launch marked the time for the flying cavalry and the spear cavalry to take turns attacking. The battle plan of the two cavalry units was to defeat or drive away the Jiannu cavalry, thus opening up space for the artillery and infantry to advance.

Even without Liu Xingzuo's Shengzi Camp, Cao Wenzhao still had the confidence to defeat an enemy of equal strength. Moreover, this was his modesty; he was not afraid even of the Jiannu army, which was twice as large as his own.

Holding the hilt, Cao Wenzhao felt even more eager and anticipatory for the battle. This sword was even better than the standard equipment of the Flying Cavalry Battalion.

This saber not only had a fine steel blade, but also had a beautiful shape and was easy to use. Furthermore, there were only nine of them, bestowed by the Emperor personally to the two commanders-in-chief of the Flying Cavalry Battalion, six battalion commanders, and Man Gui, who had naturalized with the Flying Cavalry Battalion.

Once a sword is unsheathed, how can it return without being stained with blood? Cao Wenzhao narrowed his eyes, remembering the earnest anticipation when the emperor bestowed the sword upon him, and seemed to sense the clanging sound of the sword thirsting for blood.

Generals inevitably die on the battlefield; this is the cruelty and unpredictability of war. But there are also loyal heroes who die on the battlefield, and there is even greater honor in being granted a title of nobility.

By contrast, military positions like those of Cao Wenzhao, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong were considered professional soldiers. Since they were considered professionals, no one wanted to be unemployed, and no one wanted to be idle until old age.

In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were so many generals who wanted to gain military merits on the frontiers and even thought about provoking wars for no reason!

Now there is no need to look for trouble. We should truly be loyal to our country and serve our emperor.

Now it is no longer "I look at my sword by lamplight while drunk, and dream of blowing the horn in the camp", but "the horse is as fast as Lu, and the bow is as loud as thunder", and the battle is just around the corner.

Fighting on the battlefield and winning a battle means "accomplishing the king's business" and "winning reputation in life and after death". Isn't it the best of both worlds? Isn't it magnificent!

Cao Wenzhao narrowed his eyes slightly, but he was also feeling a little impatient. Just as he was about to look back, he heard a sharp whistling sound piercing the air. He tilted his head slightly and saw countless bright tails flying across the night sky, flying towards the enemy camp.

"It's begun!" Cao Wenzhao suddenly drew his sword, pointed it forward, and shouted, "Beat the drums, attack!"

There were constant shrieking sounds, and hundreds of rockets spewed flames, lighting up the night sky and the attacking troops.

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