Polluting water sources had no effect on the Ming army, which made the Mongolian ethnic groups nervous.

It seems that the only way is to attack by force.

The longer the time drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for the Mongolian ethnic groups, as they have no logistical support.

Besides, hundreds of thousands of war horses would eat up the entire grassland.

So in the early morning of the fifth day, a large number of Mongolian cavalry began to gather and form a battle line.

Zhu Chong also quickly discovered their intention. The grassland was in full view and there was no obstruction, so the military actions of both sides could be seen clearly.

"It seems these barbarians can no longer hold back. Announce to the entire army, anyone who retreats will be killed!"

At this time, Zhu Chong's expression also became heavy.

This is grassland, and they have no strong walls for defense, so they can only use human shields to resist the cavalry charge.

It was obvious that the Mongolian army was determined to capture him.

Zhu Chong also knew that if he was defeated, all the firearms, artillery and food in the camp would be used as supplies for the Mongolian army to deal with his father.

In the battle between the two armies, there was no shouting before the battle, nor any fighting between generals. After the Mongolian cavalry army assembled, they directly started charging. It was so simple and unpretentious.

In the vision of the Ming army soldiers, what they saw were Mongolian cavalrymen all over the mountains. The soldiers in the front who were holding shields for defense saw the cavalrymen rushing towards them through the gaps. Their heartbeats accelerated and their hands holding the shields trembled slightly.

"fire!"

With a loud shout, hundreds of cannons opened fire at the same time. Artillery shells rained down like raindrops and landed among the Mongolian cavalry.

A tragic scene appeared, as countless Mongolian cavalry were affected by the bombing and fell to the ground.

Those who were unlucky were directly hit by the shells, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

However, the actual casualties caused by hundreds of artillery pieces among tens of thousands of troops were not that great, and even if there were thousands of people, it would not seem exaggerated.

The main purpose of artillery is to undermine the enemy's morale, forcing the enemy to slow down its charge. The huge noise scares the war horses, causing greater casualties.

However, what made Zhu Chong look gloomy was that it was only a brief disturbance and the momentum of the Mongolian cavalry's charge had not weakened.

"Your Majesty, their horses have their eyes and ears blocked, so they can resist the bombardment of artillery."

After hearing Geng Bingwen's words, Zhu Chong did not answer, but just watched quietly the charging Mongolian cavalry.

“Fire!” “Fire!” “Fire!”

The continuous artillery bombardment continued to cause casualties to the Mongolian cavalry.

After the fourth artillery bombardment, the Mongolian cavalry was already within reach.

"Fire!"

The musketeers came next. The muskets in the first three rows had already been lit, and at the loud shout of the herald, they quickly pulled the trigger.

Compared with artillery, the impact of muskets is more powerful.

These cavalrymen who were used as cannon fodder to attack the Ming army camp were naturally not wearing armor, and many of them were old and weak, and were only used for consumption.

After three shots, the Mongolian cavalry approached the first line of defense of the Ming army camp.

On the grassland, the cavalry, accelerating to the limit with the help of horsepower, were unstoppable.

They rushed directly into the Ming army formation.

The soldiers in the front row were knocked away, and the huge force was enough to break bones all over their bodies.

The flesh grinder starts.

Life seems extremely fragile at this moment.

Hundreds of casualties occurred with every breath.

The large shields could not stop the Mongolian cavalry's death charge. This time, the Mongols gave up their best guerrilla warfare and attacked the Ming army camp with a completely sweeping force.

The cavalry that rushed in were quickly killed by muskets, or were hacked to death by swords because they could not charge forward, but the cavalry from the rear continued to flow.

In just less than an incense stick of time, the Ming army's first line of defense completely collapsed.

But on the second line of defense, there are a large number of trenches. These trenches are not deep, and people have to squat inside to hide. These trenches were dug to deal with cavalry.

A large number of Ming soldiers were hiding in the trenches, and when the cavalry came over, they stood up and chopped at the horses' legs.

It sounds familiar. Yes, this is how Yue Fei's Beiwei Army fought against cavalry in the Southern Song Dynasty.

This method is very effective in fighting against cavalry.

It’s just that the Mongolian cavalry was like huge waves hitting the beach, one wave subsided and another one rose.

In the eyes of the Ming army soldiers, the Mongolian cavalry's charge seemed boundless and endless.

Some of the timid ones even feel like they are about to collapse.

"Those who retreat will be killed!!!"

Thousands of supervising officers shouted loudly and stood on their horses with muskets in their hands. If any soldier dared to retreat, they would shoot to death without hesitation.

Soldiers who knew they had no way to retreat could only fight hard and kill the enemy.

Zhu Chong, who was in charge of the central army, just watched coldly. If the Mongolian army just charged like this, he would not be worried at all.

The artillery was still bombarding and the musketeers were still shooting.

Except for the soldiers in the front who were constantly killed by the collision, the Mongolian cavalry suffered obviously more casualties than the Ming army.

At this moment, Zhu Chong's pupils shrank slightly.

He saw a large number of artillery being pulled over from the Mongolian army in the distance.

These artillery pieces relied on the Mongolian army's death charge and were then continuously pulled into the position of the Ming army's camp. The idea behind this is naturally self-evident.

They had to rely on artillery to directly attack the Ming army positions.

Fortunately, the Mongolian army did not have many artillery pieces, only about a hundred or so. These artillery pieces were basically spoils of war captured from the Ming army and were now used to attack the Ming army.

Zhu Chong clenched his teeth.

Even with more than a hundred guns, the casualties to the Ming army were still very heavy.

Because the Ming army was more densely packed than the Mongolian cavalry, the falling artillery fire would cause greater casualties.

But Zhu Chong had no other choice but to watch as the Mongolian army's artillery fired and exploded on the Ming army's front lines.

At this moment, the cruelty of the Mongols was fully displayed. They did not care about the casualties of their own army at all. The falling fire bombs indiscriminately killed the Ming army and the cavalry that had rushed into the Ming army's defense line.

The casualties of the Ming army obviously soared at this moment. The huge noise made the Ming army soldiers somewhat collapsed. Even the supervising officers kept shouting, which could not stop the collapse of the defense line.

At this time, Zhu Chong was still looking coldly.

A large number of Ming army infantrymen gathered forward and engaged in close combat with the Mongolian cavalry despite the bombardment of artillery fire.

These Mongolian cavalrymen were not elite and could not effectively kill the armored Ming infantry. Once their charge stopped, they would be in a stalemate.

The Mongolian cavalry in the rear also weakened their charge because of the cavalry in the front. After all, they couldn't possibly hit their own cavalry in the butt.

The Mongolian army, which had consumed a large number of cavalry, would certainly not miss this opportunity, and the second wave of elite cavalry was launched.

These cavalrymen were completely different from the previous ones. Even though they were not wearing armor, their body shapes were different, and their war horses were obviously stronger than the previous charging cavalrymen.

They are the Mongolian cavalry who are truly capable of fighting against the Ming army.

When these cavalrymen approached the Ming army camp, they did not attack directly, but instead adopted the most popular Mongolian tactic of shooting in a roundabout way.

Arrows rained down from the sky, causing heavy casualties to the Ming army.

The dense rain of arrows showed no sign of stopping. The Mongolian cavalry who had finished shooting arrows in the front spread out to the left and right, and the cavalry behind took over the shooting.

Genghis Khan used this tactic to sweep across Central Asia and conquer Europe.

At this moment, Zhu Chong also knew that he could not wait any longer.

"Order the cavalry to move out."

"Yes, sir."

The Ming Dynasty had 20,000 mounted cavalry, which were the same cavalry that had previously fought against Timur and swept across the Western Regions and Tibet.

The 20,000 cavalry were divided into four groups, with the three kings each leading 5,000, and the remaining 5,000 were in Zhu Yuanzhang's camp.

The trump card in Zhu Chong's hand is these 5,000 equipped cavalry.

Of course, Zhu Chong had more than 5,000 cavalrymen, otherwise why would he fight on the grassland? After seizing the war horses from Hulunbuir, the number of cavalrymen under Zhu Chong's command exceeded 30,000.

Under Zhu Chong's military order, 30,000 cavalrymen were divided into two groups, led by heavy cavalry, and launched a charge against the Mongolian cavalry from the left and right flanks.

They were covered in armor and were not afraid of the rain of arrows at all. Even the horses under their command were covered in armor.

The muskets continued to fire, and a large number of Mongolian cavalry were shot and killed.

They broke through the Mongolian cavalry's formation with great force, like two sharp knives piercing into the enemy's heart.

The situation on the Ming army's front line changed greatly with the addition of cavalry. A large number of Mongolian cavalry died, and the balance of victory seemed to be tilting towards the Ming army.

However, the Mongols, who had suffered losses at the hands of the Ming army's armored cavalry, were not prepared.

At the beginning, it was because Fu Youde led the armored cavalry and directly defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty's only 80,000 cavalry, which led to the sharp decline of the Northern Yuan Dynasty's strength and the shaking of the majesty of the imperial power, which led to Guilichi's rebellion and the killing of the Northern Yuan Emperor Elbek.

While the Ming cavalry was wreaking havoc on the battlefield, the Mongolian army also had 20,000 cavalry charging out.

These are Mongolian heavy cavalry. They are also wearing armor. Although they are not as sophisticated as the armored knights, they are also real heavy cavalry.

The most important thing is that what they held in their hands were not bows and arrows or scimitars, but heavy weapons such as maces and hammers.

This army was specially created by Guilichi.

Naturally, there are many craftsmen in the hands of Bei Yuan, and these craftsmen are now in the hands of Guilichi.

The best way to deal with armored cavalry is to hit them with blunt weapons. Guilichi himself could not think of such a way to deal with them. These methods were taught by the Han people who defected to the Mongols.

Although these heavy weapons look somewhat crude, and many of them are simply wooden sticks inserted into iron blocks, their lethality cannot be ignored.

After entering the battlefield, these cavalrymen charged directly towards the Ming army's cavalry.

They were wearing armor, so the muskets could not cause much damage, but their horses were not protected. The Ming cavalry reacted quickly and shot the horses directly.

The heavy cavalry that fell to the ground were directly disabled, but although the effect was significant, many heavy cavalry still approached the Ming cavalry by relying on the momentum of the charge.

The trapped Ming cavalry could only fight against the Mongolian heavy cavalry. At this time, the loading speed of the matchlock gun limited the Ming cavalry, and they often had to take out their long swords after firing a shot.

Even though the Ming cavalry was organized into multiple teams, there were too many Mongolian cavalry.

They have not only heavy cavalry, but also a large number of light cavalry, which are faster.

The light cavalry assisted the heavy cavalry to get close to the Ming cavalry, thus forcing the Ming cavalry to engage in close combat.

The Ming cavalry, which had been invincible, also began to suffer casualties. However, even in the form of exchanging heads, it often took three or four Mongolian cavalrymen to replace one Ming cavalryman.

The armored cavalry was even worse. It took five or six Mongolian cavalrymen to kill one armored cavalryman of the Ming army.

Although the casualties were disparate, the Mongolian cavalry numbered hundreds of thousands, while the Ming cavalry had only about 30,000.

Once all the Ming cavalry were killed on this battlefield, the Ming army would have no means of counterattack.

By then it will only be a matter of time before the camp is broken.

Zhu Chong would certainly not let this happen, and he immediately ordered the drummers to beat the drums to call back the troops and notify the cavalry to return.

At the same time, tens of thousands of musketeers entered the battlefield to cover the cavalry's retreat.

The purpose of dispersing the Mongolian cavalry's flanking shooting has been achieved, and there is no point in fighting at this time.

Fortunately, the Ming cavalry was not too far away and quickly returned under the cover of the infantry.

This battle lasted from early morning till dusk.

The Ming army cooked their meals, while the Mongolian army could only eat dry food.

Even at night, the Ming army still needed a large number of soldiers on duty to prevent night attacks.

The surviving Ming army soldiers were sent to the doctor for treatment, and the surviving soldiers put on their armor and began to rest after the meal.

The battle tomorrow may be even more brutal than today.

Although the situation on the battlefield seemed to be in favor of the Ming army, in fact, the Ming army was not having an easy time.

Because today alone, the death toll of the Ming army has exceeded 20,000, and there are nearly 10,000 wounded soldiers, which is equivalent to a loss of more than 30,000.

The Mongolian army was naturally in an even worse situation. Although there were no detailed statistics, it was definitely close to 60,000.

What does 60,000 Mongolian warriors mean? You have to know that in the entire Wuliangha area, all the troops added up were only more than 80,000. It is equivalent to destroying half of Wuliangha in just one day.

Not to mention the Ming army's morale was fluctuating, how could the Mongolian army be much better?

The battlefield was already a river of blood and littered with corpses.

Human and horse.

In some low-lying areas, the blood was even above the ankles.

A large amount of blood flowed into the Mozhgrad River, dyeing it red.

The Ming army gained a great advantage on the battlefield today, but there was a key problem, that is, the artillery was gone.

The continuous high-intensity shooting made it impossible for the Ming army's artillery to withstand it. By this afternoon, many of their barrels had exploded.

The most important thing is that the artillery shells have been used up.

The shells themselves are quite heavy, so it was impossible for Zhu Chong to carry a large number of shells during his march. There were only about two to three thousand shells in total, and they were all used up today.

Of course, the casualties caused were also considerable. At least nearly 20,000 Mongolian cavalry died directly under the artillery fire.

But will the Mongolian army retreat tomorrow?

Without the assistance of artillery the next day, the Ming army would have suffered greater casualties.

Perhaps in three or four days, the Ming army's camp will be razed to the ground by the Mongolian army.

Zhu Chong regretted it at this moment. He should have followed Geng Bingwen's advice and retreated to Daqing Mountain as soon as he received the news. Perhaps at that time the Mongolian army had not yet formed an encirclement and there was hope of leaving.

Now they are defending the Morigele River and have truly become trapped beasts.

Defeat may only take a few days.

"General Geng, go gather all the food for the army. If we are defeated, burn all the food immediately."

Zhu Chong said this with a grim face.

"Yes, sir." Geng Bingwen clasped his fists and bowed, his voice low.

At this time, the hearts of all the generals seemed to be depressed as if covered by dark clouds.

Zhu Chong felt even more melancholy.

"Is this the King going to be buried here?"