Northeast of Changping City.
Ma Shouying spread out a perimeter map that had been hastily sketched by a scout from a hot air balloon not long ago.
The drawing was rough, more like a child's scribble.
Yet all the important locations were clearly marked.
He laid the map out so his key generals could see it.
"Look carefully. Our current position is here. The Qing forces escorting the people of Changping are here. They are bringing many civilians with them. Their feet are bound with ropes, so they are moving very slowly."
Ma Shouying continued,
"Therefore, by the time we move from here to here, they should have reached this spot."
He pressed his finger firmly on a point on the map.
His generals responded in unison,
"Understood."
Ma Shouying said,
"We are cavalry. Unlike infantry, we cannot quietly crawl through the grass to approach the enemy. When we charge, we will definitely be noticed by their scouts. So I need you to ride faster than their scouts."
"The moment their scouts spot us, everyone must ride at full speed," Ma Shouying said loudly. "We must arrive before their commanding officer, and arrive at the same time as their own scouts."
The generals replied,
"Yes, sir."
Ma Shouying asked,
"As for what to do after we charge in, I do not need to explain it, do I."
The generals shouted,
"Kill, kill, kill. Take out their leader as fast as possible. Do not give him a chance to use the civilians as human shields."
"Good," Ma Shouying said, waving his hand. "Attack."
Five hundred Qing soldiers, herding tens of thousands of Changping civilians, were moving northeast at a snail's pace.
The Qing commander was extremely cautious, since they were deep inside Ming territory.
Ming forces could ambush them at any moment, so he had spread his scouts wide and gave strict orders to report any disturbance immediately.
So far, the journey seemed safe.
Yanshou Town was just ahead. Once they passed Yanshou Town and crossed Mount Dahei, they would enter a relatively secure area, and these tens of thousands of Changping civilians would safely become Qing slaves.
Bringing back so many slaves at once would greatly increase Qing productivity.
He was indulging in this pleasant fantasy when suddenly a thunderous rumble of hooves erupted.
The Qing commander jumped in shock. He whipped his head around toward the sound and saw his own scouts galloping madly toward him, shouting as they rode,
"Enemy attack, enemy attack. Ming cavalry. They are too fast, too fast. I cannot shake them."
Seeing this, the Qing commander was completely stunned.
What was going on. The scouts arrived, and the enemy arrived at the same time.
Since when were Ming forces so fierce. How could their marching speed be so terrifying.
No, that was not the real problem. How did the enemy intercept them so accurately without being detected by their own scouts.
In that brief instant, the Qing commander's mind almost stopped working.
The leading Ming general nocked an arrow, drew his bow, and fired. The shot was extremely precise, striking the scout directly in the back. The scout fell from his horse.
In the next instant, the Ming cavalry were already upon them.
The Qing commander finally snapped back to his senses. He opened his mouth, wanting to loudly order his men to use the civilians as human shields, but it was already too late.
The Ming general who had fired the arrow was already right in front of him, his long spear raised.
The Qing commander's heart pounded wildly. He swallowed the order that was on the tip of his tongue and raised his own spear to block.
Clang.
Their spears collided. The clash was evenly matched as they rode past each other and turned their horses.
The Ming general suddenly withdrew his spear and drew a curved saber from his waist. This kind of curved blade was not standard for Han cavalry. It was a saber favored by Hui cavalry.
The blade shone like a crescent moon.
As they turned their horses, the curved saber swept backward in a powerful arc.
The Qing commander felt a sharp pain in his back. The tip of the blade had pierced him.
The Qing commander's final thoughts before falling from his horse were filled with shock. Where did such a terrifying Ming general come from. This was not an ordinary officer. He must be a top level border general. The Ming still had such capable border generals. Why had he never heard of him before.
The Ming general who cut him down was indeed Ma Shouying.
After killing the enemy commander, Ma Shouying did not hesitate at all. He continued charging wildly, like a blade cutting through the Qing ranks. With a long spear in his right hand and a curved saber in his left, he cut down everyone in his path.
He slaughtered them without mercy.
Behind him, the Hui cavalry surged forward, instantly separating the Qing soldiers from the civilians.
The fight quickly turned into two thousand five hundred cavalry against five hundred infantry. It was a completely one sided battle.
Hundreds of civilians watched in terror, trembling as they feared being caught in the chaos. They huddled together on the ground, doing their best not to attract the attention of either side.
After an unknown amount of time, the sounds of battle gradually faded.
Slowly and cautiously, the civilians raised their heads.
All they could see were Qing soldiers lying dead all over the ground, and a large group of strange cavalry holding curved sabers standing before them.
The civilians were filled with fear. These did not look like Ming soldiers. Where did these people come from. What did they want with us.
Ma Shouying let out a long breath and raised his curved saber.
With one slash, he cut the rope tied to one civilian's foot in two.
Ma Shouying wanted to say something comforting, but no words came out. He had only been with Gao Family Village for a short time and was not as skilled at dealing with civilians as the other generals. In this situation, he truly did not know what to say.
After a long pause, he snorted lightly and said in a blunt tone,
"Come on. Let's go home."
His subordinates quickly followed his example. They swung their sabers to cut the ropes on the civilians and then, copying their leader, said,
"Go home."
The civilians were confused at first, but then they finally understood. This group of people meant them no harm. They were just not very good with words.
Cheers finally erupted.
These tens of thousands of people had just experienced their city being breached, being captured, and being driven like livestock. Everyone had believed they were doomed, certain they would die far from home and never return, only to end as slaves in the north.
Yet they had been rescued so quickly.
Having survived such a disaster, some cried, and some laughed.
"We are going back to Changping."
"Can we really go back to Changping now. When we left, the Qing were still guarding it."
Ma Shouying replied,
"You can go back now. The Qing forces have withdrawn. Hurry home."