"Lord Li, if we retreat now, the only losses we will suffer are the Dalinghe Fort and Ma Shiyao's 3,000 soldiers!"
"If we fight a decisive battle with the Jiannu, once we are defeated, the losses will be incalculable!"
"I hope Lord Li will think twice!"
Seeing that Li Xingzhong was going to have a decisive battle with the Jiannu, the eunuch supervising the army came up to him and tried to persuade him.
With 20,000 troops against 30,000, the eunuch supervising the army saw no hope of victory.
The eunuch supervising the army has two tasks.
The first is to monitor the loyalty of generals and military affairs.
The second is to minimize the loss to the emperor.
You should know that the cavalry under Li Xingzhong belonged to the Beijing Yongwei Camp and was Chongzhen's personal army.
Any losses would ultimately be borne by Chongzhen.
"Eunuch," Li Xingzhong clasped his fists and bowed to the eunuch supervising the army, "First of all, Ma Shiyao is a surrendered bandit general!"
"If we don't help them now, the loyalty of the other bandits and surrendered generals will be greatly reduced after the news spreads."
"Secondly, the Brave Guards are your Majesty's personal troops. If we fail to help them, it will not only affect the morale of the Brave Guards, but also your Majesty's reputation!"
"Besides."
"I, Li Xingzhong, come from a family of generals! As a general, you must be armed to the teeth and fight the enemy. You must not retreat in battle!"
Chongzhen told the eunuch who supervised the army.
As long as there is no surrender to the enemy or treason, the commander-in-chief has the final say on all matters related to the war.
Seeing Li Xingzhong's firm attitude, the eunuch supervising the army didn't know what to say. He could only give a few instructions and then retreat to the back.
At this time, Man Dahai's 30,000 cavalry had arrived two miles away.
"Kill!" Man Dahai raised his weapon high and gave the order to charge.
Boom——
Thirty thousand war horses trampled on the ground, and the earth trembled.
War horses passed by.
Dust flew everywhere, and all the grass and trees were broken.
Looking at the enemy troops all over the mountains in the distance, Li Xingzhong knew that he could not wait there.
The more times like this, the more we must take the initiative to attack.
The cavalry’s killing power depends on momentum!
There is both physical momentum and spiritual momentum!
Having more soldiers but weaker forces does not necessarily mean victory.
A small army with a strong force will not necessarily lead to defeat!
"The Ming army is mighty!" Li Xingzhong shouted and led the main force to meet them.
Tens of thousands of cavalrymen collided violently on the plain.
At that moment, the sky and the earth changed color.
The two sides first shot arrows at each other to compete in archery.
Arrows flew across the air like locusts, and the sound of them breaking through the air was endless.
Some arrows hit their targets, while others were blocked by armor.
Soon the two sides were less than thirty steps apart.
Due to the limited width of the battlefield and the large number of troops, there was no room for maneuver.
So both sides put away their bows at the same time and drew their swords to fight.
Li Xingzhong personally led the central army and blocked the first wave of attack by the Jiannu.
Immediately afterwards, Zha Binxun led his troops to make a detour to the left, and Ma Yingkui led his troops to make a detour to the right, trying to attack the left and right wings of the Jiannu.
But the Jiannu had too many troops.
After they went around in circles, they discovered that the Jiannu's flank had more troops than they brought.
He had no choice but to fight and retreat until he reunited with Li Xingzhong.
In less than an hour, Li Xingzhong felt the pressure.
Man Dahai's command ability may not be outstanding, but he is not mediocre either.
Relying on his superior military strength, he tied down the main force of the Ming army on the front.
At the same time, troops were continuously sent to harass Li Xingzhong's left and right wings.
Attacked from three sides, Li Xingzhong gradually became exhausted.
"Why hasn't Liu Fangliang arrived yet?" Li Xingzhong was so angry that he wanted to curse.
Before dawn, he sent someone to deliver a message to Liu Fangliang in Songshan, asking him to come to the rescue immediately.
Songshan is less than forty miles away from Dalingh Fort.
It was almost noon.
Even if Liu Fangliang is slow, he should be here soon.
"Report!" The scouts delivered the news: "General Liu Fangliang was held back by a group of Jiannu cavalry fifteen miles south of the city and could not provide support."
"How's Ma Shiyao doing? Hasn't he recaptured Dalinghhe Fort yet?" Li Xingzhong asked again.
"The bloody battle is still going on!"
"It seems like we can't count on anyone else," Li Xingzhong tightly grasped his weapon, "Today we can only rely on ourselves!"
After repelling the attack of the Eight Banners Army again, Li Xingzhong felt exhausted.
He is nearly sixty years old.
The Li family's fighting style is to take the lead in every battle.
From entering Liao to the present, he has fought hundreds of battles, big and small.
The continuous fighting has taken its toll on his body.
He originally wanted to follow the example of his grandfather Li Chengliang and just sit in the center of the army when he got older, leaving the task of leading the charge to his subordinates.
But the problem is that all the generals under Li Chengliang are capable of taking charge of their own affairs.
But he has only a handful of people available under his command.
"We're going to fight to the death today!" Li Xingzhong sneered and took out two pieces of rock candy and put them in his mouth.
Seeing this, the few personal soldiers around him also took out rock candy and put it in their mouths.
After a while, Li Xingzhong issued an order: "The main force of the Ping Liao army has returned to the Great Wall and will arrive here tomorrow. As long as we can stop the Jiannu's offensive today, we can kill them happily tomorrow!"
"Order all units to adopt a defensive posture. Anyone who retreats will be killed immediately!"
"The Ming army is mighty!" The soldiers burst into a thunderous roar.
When the Ming army was adjusting its formation, the Jiannu cavalry suddenly arrived.
The two sides fought a desperate battle outside Dalingh Fort.
Man Dahai personally commanded the battle from the center of the army.
As it was already afternoon, he became more and more anxious.
We can't delay any longer. If we delay any further, the main force of the Ming army will arrive near Dalingh Fort.
At that time, not only would he be unable to complete the mission of besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements, but he would also be forced to retreat and return empty-handed.
"What's going on with Wu Shoujin? Why hasn't he taken over Dalingh Fort yet?" Man Dahai asked.
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