As Huang Taiji was preparing his troops within the city for an sortie, the five machine guns on the tank thoroughly demonstrated to Aobai the meaning of suppressive fire!
Three thousand cavalrymen, after charging out of the city gates, had barely formed their ranks and picked up speed when they were bathed in a hail of bullets.
The five machine guns made his cavalry fall like harvested wheat, one after another.
The screams of the wounded, the sounds of horses falling, the crunch of cavalry being thrown from their mounts and hitting the ground—these sounds constantly echoed in his ears.
Aobai was stunned. In the blink of an eye, less than half of the three thousand cavalrymen he had led out of the city were still standing!
The dense charging formation had maximized the killing power of the machine guns!
The next moment, the surviving cavalry behind him began to collapse.
Such immense instantaneous casualties left them with no hope of victory.
Disobeying orders might result in court-martial later.
Continuing to charge meant he would be next to die.
Retreat!
Before Aobai could even regain his senses, some of the cavalry behind him started to flee.
Like a fuse, one followed by another.
A defeated army collapsing like a mountain—that was the situation before his eyes.
Even his subordinates fled, and Aobai’s shouts to rally them were in vain.
However, the fleeing cavalry, having just glimpsed a sliver of hope for survival, ran headlong into Huang Taiji, who was emerging from the city.
The gates of Yizhou City opened once more, and Huang Taiji, leading the main army, charged out from within.
The four banner lords, Daishan, Jierhalang, Duoduo, and Ajige, followed with their elite troops.
Seeing the fleeing soldiers rushing towards him, Huang Taiji angrily raised his saber and roared.
How dare you break formation, die for me!
Once fleeing soldiers entered the ranks, the consequences would be unimaginable. In such a situation, he could only kill!
Daishan and the others also raised their sabers and spears, their warhorses charging into the fleeing soldiers without hesitation.
Having to kill their own fleeing troops before even seeing the enemy put them in an extremely foul mood.
At the same time, Wang Xuance, leading the special operations team, had surrounded Aobai and grinned at him.
You look quite muscular, you must be a capable fighter.
What do you say, want to exchange a few moves with me, or be sensible and surrender directly?
Aobai considered himself unmatched in the Qing dynasty. The scene of his subordinates fleeing had filled him with pent-up rage. Now, hearing Wang Xuance's mockery was like adding fuel to the fire, driving him into a frenzy.
He pointed his great saber at Wang Xuance: Fight!
After speaking, without waiting for Wang Xuance’s reply, he spurred his horse towards him.
Wang Xuance smiled slightly, raised his AK, and pulled the trigger towards Aobai’s warhorse.
Bang bang bang!
Three consecutive shots opened three bloody holes in the warhorse’s head.
Boom!
The warhorse immediately pitched forward and fell to the ground, throwing Aobai from its back.
As the foremost Baturu of Manchuria, his equestrian skills were naturally not weak. He rolled several times on the ground and then stood up.
His gaze towards Wang Xuance was filled with killing intent.
He didn’t utter anything about unfair fighting; this was a battlefield, not a ring. The primary objective was to eliminate the enemy.
Fairness? What was that?
Therefore, after steadying himself, he lunged at Wang Xuance first.
Surrounded by so many people, escape was impossible unless he could capture this man who clearly looked like the commander!
Wang Xuance let out a cold laugh, then boldly leaped from his warhorse. While still in mid-air, he swung his left leg in a whip-like motion towards Aobai’s head.
Seeing this, Aobai reached out with his large hands to grab Wang Xuance’s leg, but he didn't expect this whip kick to be a feint.
Wang Xuance bent his left leg slightly and forcefully kicked his right foot towards Aobai’s ribs.
The two exchanged blows, fighting to a standstill.
Just as Wang Xuance was feeling exhilarated, a soldier watching from the side said, “Boss, reinforcements from the city are coming out!”
Wang Xuance heard this and retreated several steps. Glancing towards the city gate, he saw a large yellow banner, and his smile widened almost to his ears.
A da, meaning a great banner, signifies the location of the commander, an indispensable item in warfare.
A yellow da, in the Qing Dynasty, could only be used by Huang Taiji.
This banner indicated the identity of the approaching person, who was undoubtedly Huang Taiji!
Kill him!
He walked towards his warhorse without looking back, and the fourteen special operations members, hearing this, immediately aimed their guns at Aobai.
Bang bang bang bang!
Aobai looked at the bloody holes appearing on his body with unwillingness, and then fell to the ground with a thud.
If Fang Er were present, he might have clapped his hands and said, "Fifth Son doesn't have to worry about power grabs~~"
Oh, no, Fifth Son probably wouldn’t even have a chance to be in this world!
After mounting his horse, Wang Xuance took out his walkie-talkie and ordered the soldiers in the tank, “Target that banner, and blow them to hell!”
The tank had stopped attacking when Aobai’s forces were fleeing in disarray.
Why waste ammunition when it was more interesting to watch them fight amongst themselves?
Didn’t they see Huang Taiji was seeing red?
Now, upon hearing the order, both the cannon and machine gun muzzles turned towards Huang Taiji’s direction.
Huang Taiji never would have imagined that the great banner he would fly in every battle after ascending the throne would now become his death knell!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Five high-speed rotating shells were fired, hitting the cavalry surrounding Huang Taiji. Their immense kinetic energy tore the cavalrymen’s bodies apart, and the shells detonated moments later.
Detonating in mid-air, the shrapnel’s lethality was further maximized.
Boom!
Five balls of bloody mist erupted around the great banner.
Bang!
The flagpole was blown off, and the da, signifying Huang Taiji’s identity, fell to the ground.
After the smoke cleared, almost no complete bodies could be found within the blast radius!
The soldiers who had marched out with Huang Taiji watched this scene blankly.
The Emperor, is gone?
Swish!
Behind the cavalry, another da was suddenly raised.
Follow me, and charge the enemy!
Huang Taiji’s voice was heard simultaneously.
Seeing their lord unharmed, the cavalry of the Plain Yellow Banner, whose morale had just been hit, quickly recovered. They shouted, brandished their weapons, and drove their warhorses forward in a renewed charge.
Since the appearance of artillery in the Battle of Ningyuan, both Ming and Qing armies had trained their warhorses to withstand the sound of cannon fire.
This was to prevent the horses from panicking when hearing the roar of cannons or explosions.
Wang Xuance was momentarily stunned upon seeing the second da, but then he realized.
Oh, so this fellow was afraid of death and wasn't standing under that banner!
But I wonder how many more banners you have!
Brothers, follow me and charge!
As soon as he spoke, he charged towards the Qing army first, holding his AK with both hands while on horseback, opening fire from a distance.
The fourteen special forces soldiers behind him quickly followed.
As for the tank, it didn’t even need his order; it had already adjusted its cannon when the second da was raised.