On the battlefield, twenty thousand Eight Banners troops stood in a horizontal line, blocking the path of the Ming Army infantry. Hooge did not rush to launch an attack; instead, he carefully observed the Ming formation. Standing at the very front were the pikemen and the sword-and-shield soldiers. Because the terrain of the grasslands was difficult to navigate, the Ming Army had not brought war chariots, using shields as their cover instead. They operated in pairs: the pikemen were responsible for holding off the enemy, while the sword-and-shield soldiers provided cover and engaged in close-quarters combat. Behind the pikemen and shield-bearers stood a large number of infantry archers and matchlock bird gun soldiers. Further back stood another line of sword-and-shield soldiers and pikemen.
Wait—
Hooge handed the thousand-li eye in his hand to Prince Yuele and said, "Look closely at the Ming Army’s matchlock bird gun soldiers. Their weapons seem off."
Chapter 591