The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 115 Slaughter

Cao Wenzhao was originally from Datong, Shanxi.

Although he served in the Liaodong Army, unlike native Liaodong military families like Zu Dashou, he did not truly belong to the Liaodong system.

Cao Wenzhao initially served under Xiong Tingbi, and later served under Sun Chengzong, who was in charge of the Ji-Liao region. He accumulated merits and was promoted to the rank of Guerrilla General.

While following Yuan Chonghuan from Liaodong all the way to the capital to provide relief, he was extremely dissatisfied with Yuan Chonghuan's actions. Moreover, at this time he also heard that Gao Yingxiang and his troops, taking advantage of the Shanxi army's support for the emperor, suddenly crossed the Yellow River eastward, entered Shanxi from Shaanxi, and captured the two cities of Hequ and Baode in one fell swoop, as well as occupying several surrounding military fortresses.

The incursion of the rebel army into Shanxi filled him with anxiety, and he was even more worried about the safety of his hometown should the flames of war reach it.

Sun Chengzong returned to service, and Cao Wenzhao fought bravely against the enemy. After the battle, he was promoted to the rank of Assistant General for his merits. Not long after becoming Assistant General, the emperor suddenly appointed him as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Yansui East Route, ordering him to lead troops into Shanxi to suppress the rebels. This arrangement was exactly what the emperor wanted.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Cao Wenzhao immediately mobilized his troops, leading his two thousand elite cavalrymen directly westward from the capital region into Shanxi.

Upon arriving in Shanxi, his troops made no stop and marched westward without pause. A few days later, they reached their hometown of Datong, where they rested briefly, replenished their supplies, and learned of the current situation of Gao Yingxiang's forces. After carefully assessing the situation, Cao Wenzhao decided to continue the advance, leading his troops directly to Bajiaosuo.

Bajiaosuo is located in the eastern part of Hequ and Baode, less than 100 li away from Sanchacheng.

After Gao Yingxiang took Sancha City and rested for a while, he recently sent troops to directly capture Bajiaosuo.

The fall of Bajiaosuo opened a breach in Gao Yingxiang's forces to the east. This allowed them to directly attack Laoyingbao to the north, as well as Wuzhou to the south. If they continued eastward, Ningwuguan, a key town in Shanxi, would also be within their attack range.

Because Huang Taiji had previously led the Eight Banners into the pass, and Emperor Chongzhen had ordered troops from various regions to return to the capital to defend the emperor, most of the troops stationed in Shanxi had been drawn from elsewhere, leaving the province at its weakest. Once Gao Yingxiang successively captured these areas, the situation in Shanxi would deteriorate to the same extent as in Shaanxi.

Just as Gao Yingxiang was making these plans and intending to further expand his influence in Shanxi, he never expected that Cao Wenzhao, who had just arrived in Shanxi, would suddenly lead his cavalry to attack Bajiaosuo.

The officer stationed at Bajiaosuo was one of Huang Long's subordinates, and the rebel army had more than 3,000 men stationed there.

Moreover, when they captured Bajiaosuo, the castle facilities there were intact, and with the considerable amount of supplies they had seized, the rebels should have been safe and sound.

With so many people here, and the government troops severely lacking in Shanxi after coming to the aid of the emperor, relying on the barriers and supplies, let alone a few thousand government troops attacking, even if tens of thousands came to fight, they could at least hold out for a few days.

Moreover, not far to the west of Bajiaosuo is Sanchacheng, where Wang Er's main force is located, along with Huang Long's troops, totaling nearly 10,000 men.

Therefore, in the eyes of the rebels, Bajiaosuo was an impregnable fortress.

But to everyone's surprise, Cao Wenzhao actually dared to attack.

With only two thousand men, he quickly set out after resting in Datong, and in less than three days, he marched from Datong to Bajiaosuo.

When the rebel army at Bajiaosuo discovered that Cao Wenzhao was coming, they were utterly astonished. When they saw that he only led two thousand cavalrymen, they were even more dismissive.

In the eyes of the garrison commander, it was simply wishful thinking for a mere two thousand men to take over Bajiaosuo.

Keep in mind that Bajiaosuo has three thousand men, and they are stationed there. Normally, the Ming army would need at least five or six thousand men to attack, and even then, they might not be able to take it. Cao Wenzhao is incredibly audacious! Isn't this small force just courting death? Aren't they afraid of getting their heads smashed and bloodied?

Upon arriving at Bajiaosuo, Cao Wenzhao made no attempt to rest and immediately ordered an attack.

Just when the rebels of Bajiaosuo thought they could give him a good beating, the battle turned out to be beyond everyone's expectations from the very beginning.

The rebel army had never seen such capable government troops before.

Cao Wenzhao's troops were far superior to any government army they had encountered before. Although they were cavalry, Cao Wenzhao's cavalry were equally adept at siege warfare, and the army carried a large number of firearms, including dozens of breech-loading cannons and tiger-squatting cannons.

Although Bajiaosuo was a military fortress, it was not a formal city, nor was it a military fortress near the Great Wall.

In other words, it was merely a large military camp within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. The outer walls were not high, generally only a little over one meter tall, with the highest point barely reaching two meters. There were also few parapets on the top of the walls suitable for riding horses or stationing troops. Such fortifications would not pose a significant problem in resisting ordinary infantry attacks, but in Cao Wenzhao's eyes, they were practically nonexistent.

First came a fierce bombardment, with dozens of breech-loading cannons and tiger-squatting cannons firing extremely hard at one side.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large section of the outer wall was blasted down. The righteous army that was originally stationed there hadn't even seen the government troops coming up before they were bombarded and forced to flee in panic.

As the wall collapsed, dozens more were killed in the bombardment. The rebel army had just scrambled to assemble their troops to plug the breach, and before anyone could get up there, Cao Wenzhao decisively gave the order for a cavalry charge.

In an instant, hundreds of cavalrymen's iron hooves flew across the ground, shaking the earth.

Cao Wenzhao personally took to the field, wielding a long sword and carrying a three-barreled musket at his waist, leading his cavalry directly into the breach.

Despite their fierce resistance against Cao Wenzhao's cavalry, the rebel army was no match for them.

It should be noted that his cavalry was not only elite, but also not ordinary cavalry.

The Guan Ning Iron Cavalry was known as unparalleled in the world, and that was no exaggeration. This cavalry was the only force in the Ming Dynasty capable of fighting the elite Eight Banners in open field battles. How could the rebel army possibly withstand them?

These cavalrymen were battle-hardened, skilled in tactics, coordinated perfectly, and extremely lethal. Not to mention that Cao Wenzhao's Iron Cavalry was called "Iron Cavalry" not only because of their combat prowess, but also because their equipment was different from that of ordinary Ming cavalry.

These cavalrymen not only wore armor on their riders, but also on the vital parts of their warhorses. The rebels' swords and spears couldn't even scratch the cavalry, and a single charge from the cavalry, combined with a downward slash from higher ground, could overwhelm the rebels in less than half a round.

As a group of cavalrymen swept past, a large number of the rebels fell in unison.

Some were immediately hacked to death, while others were thrown a great distance by the warhorses, their bodies twisted into irregular shapes upon landing, bleeding from all seven orifices, dying a gruesome death on the spot. Even those who miraculously survived were severely injured by being trampled by the warhorses, lying on the ground crying, struggling, and wailing in despair.

The cavalry, however, remained unscathed and charged back and forth under Cao Wenzhao's leadership. In just two rounds, the rebel army at Bajiaosuo completely collapsed.

"Devils! This is a bunch of devils!"

"Run! It's terrifying!"

"Oh my god, escaping is the priority..."

"Mother! Father! Save me!"

Not only can they not beat them, but they can't even hurt them.

On the rebel side, countless soldiers were killed or wounded instantly, like rice being harvested. Faced with such a situation, where would the rebels find the slightest courage to resist? Moreover, they were not a regular army to begin with; most of them were peasants who had only recently joined the army and had never witnessed such a brutal battle. In an instant, the collapsing rebels scattered in all directions, utterly unable to organize any resistance.

Cao Wenzhao sneered at this sight. Seeing that the rebel army had offered no resistance whatsoever, he immediately ordered a full-scale attack. Two thousand elite troops surrounded the rebels from three sides, driving the much larger rebel army into a chaotic retreat.

The cavalrymen weaved back and forth among them, and each attack took the lives of dozens or even hundreds of rebels.

In less than half an hour, the battle came to an end. Apart from a dozen or so rebels who managed to escape, the entire rebel force, including its garrison leader, was almost completely annihilated. Throughout Bajiaosuo and the surrounding area, the corpses of rebels lay scattered everywhere, and nearly a thousand rebels, seeing that escape was impossible, simply threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

After swiftly and decisively taking over Bajiaosuo, Cao Wenzhao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

That's it? A rebel army? They dare to rebel with such fighting strength? In his eyes, dealing with these rebels would be as easy as killing chickens.

"General, what should we do with the prisoners?"

At this moment, one of his lieutenants came to inquire.

This battle was a resounding victory, a truly great triumph. However, with so many rebels captured, the question remains: should they be imprisoned or transported to the rear?

After all, Cao Wenzhao's troops were not many, and now the number of prisoners accounted for nearly half of his troops. It would be very troublesome to settle so many people.

"What else can we do? Traitors and rebels deserve to die. Keeping them alive is just a waste of food. Kill them all!" Cao Wenzhao said coldly.

The lieutenant was not surprised upon hearing this, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and left.

A moment later, screams, pleas for mercy, and desperate cries rang out from the Bajiao area.

Cao Wenzhao listened without showing any pity, instead appearing relaxed.

In his view, these thieves all deserved to die. He never had the slightest intention of showing mercy, nor did he have any thought of letting the prisoners go.

Kill them all! Kill them all!

As long as my blade is sharp enough and I kill ruthlessly enough, I can kill as many of these rebels as they come. Once all the rebels are wiped out, there will naturally be no more rebels in the Ming Dynasty. It's such a simple choice, why do I need to think about it any more?