"Hold your pursuit!" A Jiannu Cavalry commander saw his banners preparing to charge the Ming Army's matchlock cavalry and immediately barked an order to stop them.
Matchlock cavalry were a difficult foe; they could launch sneak attacks with their matchlock bird guns from a distance, compete in archery, or engage in brutal close-quarters combat. Sending too few men might lead to defeat, while sending too many would only result in the Ming Army fleeing on horseback once they realized they were outmatched. The best way to deal with these people was with matchlock cavalry of one's own, but theirs were all currently stationed in the center of the formation and could not be redeployed at a moment's notice. Fortunately, there were only five hundred of them, so they posed little threat.
The Jiannu commander reorganized his troops. "The Deputy Lieutenant-General has ordered our cavalry to split into two wings. One will engage the Ming cavalry in a stalemate, while the other will retreat slightly before turning to charge the Ming lines. Repeat this, and the Ming Army will surely crumble!"
Chapter 230