Chapter 903: Stunned in a Single Encounter
Omubu began to organize his defenses.
He wasn't actually very afraid of the Wushen tribe and the Ordos tribe, because he had a city!
Guhuacheng and Suiyuan City, the two cities stood side by side, defiant on the prairie.
These were not fortifications that cavalry could simply overwhelm with a charge.
Moreover, Omubu commanded a considerable number of cavalry. He could launch a counter-charge against the enemy at any moment. Let the east wind blow and the war drums thunder; in this world, who fears whom? He only feared the Later Jin; he feared nothing else.
Inside Guhuacheng, the Tumed tribal cavalry began to gather. The Later Jin envoy cackled triumphantly, clapped Omubu on the shoulder, and said, "You're obedient, a good man. I'll report this to General Yue Tuo, and you'll be handsomely rewarded."
Before long, outside the South Gate, the Wushen tribe's cavalry arrived.
Amidst the thunderous hoofbeats, a grand army formed from the alliance of dozens of tribes, over ten thousand riders strong, deployed their battle formation on the southern prairie.
The Wushen chieftain sent out dozens of his men, who collectively shouted towards Guhuacheng, "Omubu, this is your last chance!"
The Wushen chieftain said, "He wants us to kill him."
The mass of cavalry behind him roared in unison, "Grant his wish! Satisfy him!"
The Later Jin envoy guffawed, "Hahaha, who are you trying to scare? With these city walls, you'll never..."
Before his words had even faded, a strange wailing sound erupted from behind the Wushen cavalry. Ten bizarre vehicles, spewing black smoke, parted the cavalry ranks and drove to the front of the formation.
Then, all ten vehicles separated. The front iron-box sections detached from their rear trailer halves. A group of soldiers spun the rear trailers, turning them a full one hundred eighty degrees to aim them at Guhuacheng.
Only then did the people inside the city clearly see they were ten large cannons.
Question marks practically popped up above the Later Jin envoy's head, spinning ceaselessly around him. "Impossible! How can there be vehicles like this? This is impossible!"
Omubu was also startled. "They actually have cannons? How much iron would it take to make just one? The Mongolian steppes don't have that much iron!"
In that instant, Omubu understood. His fellow tribesmen had received support from the Han people. The Great Ming—it must be the Great Ming.
"Fire!"
Zao Ying gave the order, and ten cannons simultaneously spat fire at Guhuacheng.
Ten solid iron shot continuously hammered against Guhuacheng's city walls with thunderous impacts.
The city walls shuddered...
The Later Jin envoy cursed, "Damn it all! How could cannons be transported to such a remote place as Guhuacheng? What the devil are those big iron vehicles? Omubu, don't be afraid! Our Later Jin reinforcements will be here soon. General Yue Tuo's army is already on its way; they'll arrive before long. All you have to do now is hold firm!"
Sweat beaded on Omubu's forehead. His heart felt as heavy as a mountain.
But at this point, he could only grit his teeth and endure.
The soldiers inside the city scurried frantically behind the walls, scrambling to find rocks and pile them behind the walls and gates. Surely, if the rock piles were thick enough, the cannons wouldn't be able to breach the walls, right?
Across the way, the enemy cannons fired intermittently, appearing completely unhurried, almost lethargic.
It was clearly an attempt to lure Omubu's cavalry out to charge their artillery positions.
But Omubu was no fool. Outside were the allied forces of dozens of tribes, over ten thousand Mongolian cavalry. Among them were the elite heavy cavalry of the Ordos tribe. With his meager numbers, how could he possibly charge their artillery positions? Leaving the city would be suicide; he was better off holding fast inside.
The thunderous roar of cannons continued unabated...
After an unknown period, the Later Jin envoy suddenly burst into laughter. "They're here, they're here! Yue Tuo's grand army has arrived!"
On the eastern prairie, the Later Jin cavalry appeared.
A large host of Later Jin cavalry surrounded the command banners of Dorgon and Yue Tuo.
Dorgon, at twenty-three years old, rode at the very front, resplendent in his attire, his horse spirited, embodying youthful arrogance. This was, without a doubt, Dorgon at the peak of his life. On his face, there was only confidence, not a trace of fear.
"Cowardly Han men!" Dorgon cracked his horsewhip and laughed, "Your enemies are here!"
"They're here! Dorgon is here!" A smile flashed across Zao Ying's face as well. "It's time to let these Jiannu barbarians see Gao Family Village's secret weapon!"
"Light Armored Cars, advance!"
"Cavalry Battalion, advance!"
"It's battle time! A real battle!"
"Let's kill these Jiannu!"
Every member of the cavalry battalion had watched "A Small Soldier of the Dalinghe Border Army." Their fury towards the Jiannu had long since reached its peak.
Many had dreamed of a good fight against the Jiannu.
Now, the opportunity was before them!
"Doo-doo-doo..." The distinctive bugle call of Gao Family Village blared.
Ten Light Armored Cars, two thousand musket-armed cavalry, charged towards Dorgon together...
The Wushen chieftain roared, "Follow them! Follow our Han friends!"
Bo'erzhijin Elinchen shouted, "Ordos tribe, charge!"
Ten armored cars led the way, followed by a massive horde of Mongolian cavalry, surging towards Dorgon like a hurricane.
Predictably, a string of question marks popped up above Dorgon's head, spinning ceaselessly around him. "What the devil are these vehicles? Han people always come up with such bizarre contraptions!"
"No, it doesn't matter. No matter what kind of vehicles they are, they can't stand against me, Dorgon. I am invincible!"
Dorgon waved his hand forward. "Crush them!"
The two grand armies, like opposing spearheads, slammed violently into each other...
Then, just like every battle involving Gao Family Village, the first sound to erupt was a volley of dense musket fire.
After a chaotic "bang-bang-bang-bang" racket, Dorgon felt the same helplessness the Mongols had experienced before. After firing a round of muskets, the enemy cavalry surprisingly wheeled around and galloped away.
The ten iron vehicles continued to charge forward. The Jiannu cavalry, seeing the intimidating charge of these massive iron boxes, instantly felt something was wrong.
"Those things aren't stopping!"
"They're going to hit us!"
"CRASH!"
"Damn it..."
The foremost riders were knocked off their horses. The enormous wheels rolled over both men and horses, sending the tires on one side of the vehicle high into the air while the other side remained on the ground, tilting the car at a sharp angle, almost causing it to overturn.
But ultimately, it didn't flip, settling firmly back down. The Jiannu cavalry it had crushed beneath its wheels were now just a long streak of blood on the ground.
"Argh, what the hell is that thing?!"
In just a single encounter, the Jiannu suffered a devastating blow to their morale.
Humanity's fear of the unknown instantly rendered all Jiannu soldiers speechless, stripping them of their will to fight.
They didn't even have time to regroup, because the Mongolian cavalry had arrived!
Mongolian cavalry were the fastest cavalry in the world, bar none.
With a thunderous roar, the torrent of cavalry surged through the Jiannu army, instantly scattering the Jiannu, men and horses tumbling.
The proud Dorgon was left utterly bewildered by this single encounter.
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