First of all, it was very difficult for infantry to fight against cavalry.
However, the difficulty did not lie in the fact that the cavalry had some sort of suppression over the infantry. It was just that it was a very difficult task to train an infantry unit that was brave enough to face the whizzing cavalry and remain unmoved like a mountain, persevering and fighting bravely.
In other words, the difficulty did not lie in the infantry itself, but in the training and organization of the infantry unit that could fight against cavalry.
In the era without saddles and stirrups, most cavalry fought on foot. Both sides used horses to speed up their advance and then dismounted to fight on foot. There were very few people who could fight on horseback. Most of them lived in the northern borders of the Han Dynasty, and their lifestyle was nomadic.
They trained their leg muscles from a young age so that they could clamp their horses' bellies and free their hands to fire arrows. There were very few people like this, and as a farming dynasty in the Central Plains, it was rare for them to train such an army.
On the other hand, nomadic people grew up on horseback, so their legs were naturally strong enough to clamp their horses' bellies. Even so, it was difficult for them to fight on horseback for a long period of time. Therefore, they relied on mounted archery to defeat the Han Army.
This had not changed until now. After the invention of stirrups and saddles, the Central Plains Dynasty was able to train qualified cavalry. However, at the same time, the nomadic people had an even greater advantage. The battle between cavalry and cavalry had escalated, and the cavalry had become stronger.
This was especially so at the end of the Song Dynasty. The Jin and Mongols used the Han's techniques and used cavalry tactics to the extreme. The Song Dynasty, who lacked horses, training, and fighting spirit, were defeated like a landslide. This gave the Han the impression that cavalry was invincible and that they could only use cavalry to deal with cavalry.
However, that was definitely not the case. Cavalry was not the only thing that was needed to deal with cavalry.
When Xiao Ruxun used firearms against the Japanese, he still needed large objects like shields and carriages to block bullets. However, this time, the Mongolians did not have guns. They only had steel blades and bows, and Xiao Ruxun's 3,000 Zhennan Army were more than enough to deal with them.
The Shieldbearers formed a defensive line of shields on the outer layer, while the Gunners thrust their spears through the gaps between the shields. This way, the horses would not dare to collide with them, unless they were blindfolded. After all, horses were also living creatures, and they would also be afraid. No matter how well-trained a horse was, it would still be afraid of sharp objects and fire, so it would not dare to charge.
It didn't dare to charge at them on a large scale, so the cavalry's most powerful charging ability was severely restricted. If they wanted to engage in close combat, the cavalry would have to stop in front of the infantry phalanx and engage in guerilla warfare on horseback, or simply dismount and fight on foot.
At this time, the gunners would use their own strength to stab the approaching cavalry and infantry, stopping them outside the formation.
If it was an ordinary infantry formation, it would be like this. There were no more powerful means of attack. If there were archers in the formation, they could still retaliate from a distance.
This was a little difficult for the cavalry. At this time, the infantry formation was like a hedgehog that had nowhere to bite, and the spikes on the back of the hedgehog could be fired. It was easy to imagine how uncomfortable it was.
Xiao Ruxun did not bring archers. In fact, there were not many archers in Xiao Ruxun's Zhennan Army. All of them used crossbows, and bows had already been eliminated. Moreover, they would receive training with guns and crossbows. When it was raining, they would all use crossbows to attack, and when it was sunny, they would use guns.
Firing arrows required a lot of stamina. Even the strongest soldier would be extremely tired after firing 10 times. If they did not rest, it would be difficult for them to continue fighting.
However, the archers and gunners did not have this problem. Machinery replaced manpower, and the energy saved could last longer in battle.
Yesterday, it snowed in Taiyuan, and there was also snow in Qi County, but not as much as in Taiyuan. Today, it was sunny again. Although it was getting colder, the dry snow in the north was not as beautiful as the snow in the south. When it melted, it would not affect the gunners.
Other than the 700 archers, there were also 300 archers with flintlocks. These 300 archers were all highly skilled archers. Xiao Ruxun wanted them to shoot from a fixed point. As long as they saw a target, they would aim and shoot. Under the protection of the shieldbearers and gunners, the archers could shoot without worry.
They would try their best to eliminate the enemy's fighting spirit and numbers, and reduce the pressure on Li Rusong's cavalry. After this, they would have to face two to three such high-intensity battles, and there might be even more high-intensity battles later on. There were only 20,000 elite cavalry, and they could not use up too much.
This time, it was the same. Xiao Ruxun asked Li Rusong to arrange for the Jurchen cavalry to be the vanguard, and let Nurhaci's two sons, Chu Ying and Dai Shan, lead the charge.
Li Rusong understood Xiao Ruxun's arrangement, but he did not understand why Xiao Ruxun seemed to have a problem with Nurhaci. If they were to be used, they should be used at the vanguard.
Although Xiao Ruxun explained that they were to be used at the blade's edge, it was not the first time that Li Rusong used this method of using the hand of war to kill his enemy.
Nurhaci was a character, but Li Rusong had the confidence that he could control him. However, Li Rusong was not sure if there was anyone else who could control him. Therefore, it was good to weaken him a little, so that Nurhaci could not leave his support and control.
As for whether Nurhaci would resent and resist because of this, Li Rusong was not worried. If he dared, I would be the first to kill him!
A servant must have the consciousness of a servant! You must have the intention to sacrifice everything for His Majesty! Everything you have today was given by the Li family! You must know how to be grateful!
Therefore, Li Rusong had no objection to this.
The gate slowly opened. It would take some time for the Northern Barbarians cavalry to reach this point. This time was enough for Xiao Ruxun to set up a large formation of firearms.
Xiao Ruxun pulled out his sword and raised it up. The soldiers on the city wall immediately beat the drums of marching.
Although they could rely on the city and receive the support of the soldiers on the city walls, Xiao Ruxun felt that infantrymen who did not dare to face a cavalry head-on were not qualified infantrymen. After training for so long, they had always imagined large-scale cavalry as their enemies, but this was the first time they were actually facing a cavalry attack.
After leaving the city for some distance, they chose an open space and Xiao Ruxun ordered the formation to be launched.
The shield-bearers moved, the gunners moved, the musketeers loaded the ammunition and lit the match, and the musketeers quickly loaded the rifled muskets.
The formation spread out in a circle.
Naturally, Xiao Ruxun would not be blindly confident. Li Rusong's cavalry was ready to attack. This distance would take less than two minutes for his cavalry to rush over.
Even if they could not win, the army would not face the disaster of annihilation. As long as they maintained a complete square formation, the survival rate of the infantry would greatly increase. The only thing they could not compete with was the cavalry's speed. The infantry could not chase after the cavalry and could not expand the results of the battle. This was the part that cavalry could not solve before the advent of mechanized troops.
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