The battle lasted for less than half an hour. Everyone looked towards the Qing army and saw a sound of horns. Most of them began to retreat two miles away, but they were still densely gathered there, with a strict array of chariots and flags. Neither attack nor retreat into the camp. Maybe it's to rest, or maybe it's to discuss countermeasures.
It was almost noon. When Lu Xiangsheng saw this, he ordered all the ministries to clean the battlefield. The Central Military Headquarters made fires and cooked meals, seizing the time to reward the soldiers.
Densely packed Ming army soldiers came out to clean the battlefield, and some Qing army sentries rode up among them. However, they were afraid of the Ming army's firearms, and the Ming army also had a lot of cavalry who stayed outside at night. Those Qing cavalry seemed to be unwilling to do anything, and did not dare to get too close.
Liu Yan, Yang Guozhu, and Hu Dawei each cleaned up their positions, collected the weapons and flags of the Qing army scattered on the ground, cut off their heads, stripped off the armor from their corpses, etc.
After a fierce battle in the morning, Liu Yan ordered Wang Bo's troops to take over Chen Xun's defense line and let his men go out to clean the battlefield.
The soldiers under Chen Xun's command were all cheering and cleaning the battlefield with the joy and pride of victory.
"It's a pity, so many heads were smashed."
While Chen Xun was in high spirits, he couldn't help but murmur in a low voice when he looked at the many beaten heads on the ground.
The soldiers under his command were densely packed among the low-walled trenches to carry the corpses of the Qing soldiers, and casually gave the wounded Qing soldiers who were still alive a knife or a shot.
The corpses of the Qing soldiers between the low wall trenches were okay, but the bodies of many Qing soldiers on several passages were beaten to pieces, including their heads.
The pools of flesh and blood parts on the passage could not prove that they were the heads of Qing soldiers. The military merits were lost a lot, which made Chen Xun heartbroken. Accompanied by several guards, he patrolled everywhere and shouted to make his subordinates move more quickly.
At this time, the chill was overwhelming, accompanied by the unpleasant smell of blood, and the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke had not completely dissipated. Inhaling it into his lungs made Chen Xun sneeze several times. There was a constant sound of beetle leaves clanking all around. Although the weather was extremely cold, the soldiers were still busy working enthusiastically while breathing in the thick white air, while excited discussions could be heard from everyone.
"Mr. Chen Bai, is it difficult to move the Tatar corpses in the trench?"
Several soldiers whose hands and feet were bruised and swollen from the cold complained to Chen Xun.
The first low wall trench was quite full of corpses of Qing soldiers. Although their corpses were stiff and mixed with frozen blood, forming a solid mass, it was still easy to transport.
There were only a few remaining trenches. The tall trenches were slippery and there were many sharp wooden thorns underneath. Jumping into the trenches was obviously not a wise choice. Everyone looked at the corpses of Qing soldiers in various trenches, lying in various directions, with different signs of death. Some were beaten to death with fire blunderbuss, or fell into the trenches and were stabbed into skewers.
"Stupid, won't you find some long hooks? Then borrow some hooks and sickles from the brothers' troops.
Chen Xun cursed, hating that iron was not as strong as steel, while sighing at his own cleverness. The soldiers woke up and went to fight the long hook.
Accompanied by the generals, Liu Yan quietly came to the passage. His feet were covered with the internal organs and bloodstains of the Qing soldiers, as well as their scattered thighs, calves, palms and arms. Without exception, it was frozen into a hard piece in the extremely cold weather, mixed with blood and soil on the ground, and firmly stuck together.
The cold wind howled, Liu Yan stood motionless on the bloody battlefield, quietly not knowing what he was thinking, only the cold wind lifted his bright red cloak from time to time.
From time to time, the sound of soldiers cleaning up the battlefield could be heard in the surrounding area. They moved the Qing army corpses one after another into the earth wall defense line. All the weapons and flags were cleared away, and the broken chariots on various passages were also pushed into the earth wall.
In any case, it would be good to break up these dilapidated chariots and light a fire to keep them warm. Keeping the passage smooth to facilitate those Qing soldiers to charge again is also a consideration. Corpses of Qing soldiers were moved into the earthen wall one after another, and slowly piled up like a hill. "There should be hundreds of heads and thousands of armors...
Liu Yan heard the discussions of the generals around him, especially Wang Yue's excited voice, which was easy to identify. This time Wang Yue led his troops to defend together with Chen Xun's outpost and captured many heads. After returning, his promotion was a sure thing. No wonder Wang Yue was so excited that he could see his molars.
Liu Yan then walked around outside the defense line and led everyone back to the earth wall. Next to the pile of corpses, I saw soldiers from the baggage train. Many of them were holding short axes, and like butchers chopping off pigs, they chopped off the heads of the Qing soldiers one by one and stripped off their armor.
In addition, the town governor Xun Jingyun was patrolling everywhere with the pickets from various generals. Everyone held documents in their hands, registering the captured heads one by one, and calculating military merits.
The final statistics were brought over by Xun Jingyun, the governor of the town: "Sir, our army beheaded a total of 595 people in this battle and captured 1,250 armors of various types..."
After all, many of the Qing soldiers who died were wearing multiple layers of heavy armor. In addition to their iron-inlaid cotton armor, most of them wore chain mail underneath. Although these armors were broken by firecrackers and artillery, they can still be used after repair. Liu Yan estimated that after this battle, the number of armors in his army would greatly increase. When he expands again in the future, the number of armors will no longer be so scarce.
Everyone around them was smiling happily when they heard these data, especially Chen Xun and Wang Yue, who were laughing with big mouths. It was really a huge profit to gain such military honors in just one battle.
He had beheaded so many people on his frontal defense line. Liu Yan estimated that the actual casualties of the Qing army were even greater. After all, the troops on both wings must have gained something. Moreover, many Qing Tatar soldiers were killed and injured by artillery and rockets during long-distance fighting. But the bodies of the wounded must have been snatched back by the retreating Qing army.
Liu Yan ordered all the captured armors and weapons to be stored in the warehouse. At the same time, he ordered the craftsmen accompanying the army to select some of the previously repaired armors and put them on all the gun soldiers in the army, so that they could wear them every day. People wear double armor to increase their protection. After all, the spearman is protected by the sword and shield hand, and the gunman can only rely on his own armor for protection when shooting.
Subsequently, the casualties of Liu Yan's troops were also calculated. In this battle, the Xiahezhai New Army suffered more than 130 casualties. Most of the injuries were from arrows. The large rockets launched by the Qing army caught them off guard. Many musketeers were hit by arrows in their arms. Most of these people were slightly injured.
However, during the war, the Qing army's chariots stormed the passage, and more than a dozen cannon soldiers were hit by arrows in the face and were seriously injured. The most serious thing was the artillery fire from the Qing army. More than 30 spearmen or cannon soldiers were hit by jumping and rolling artillery shells. They died on the spot or had their arms and legs broken.
In this severe cold weather, many people with severe injuries and limbs may not be able to save their lives. After Liu Yan led a group of subordinates to see the wounded and dead, he felt sad. After the Qing siege ended, he didn't know how many soldiers would die.
The smoke was curling up, and the heavy troops or auxiliary soldiers of each battalion had prepared meals. After the battle, bursts of joy and laughter erupted in the Ming army's defense line. Everyone gathered around the fire, eating and drinking the hot meals while talking excitedly. It's about the battle just now.
Liu Yan was summoned to Lu Xiangsheng's Chinese army tent. Here, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others had arrived first. Everyone was happy. It was obvious that everyone had gained a lot in the battle in the morning.
As soon as he saw Liu Yan's face, Yang Guozhu shouted: "General Liu, I am beheading 234 people in the barracks. How many people have you beheaded in the new army of Xiahe Village?"
Liu Yan smiled and said: "The final general will be beheaded at level 595."
Yang Guozhu took a breath and muttered "Good guy".
Then Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei also looked at each other meaningfully.
In the Chinese army's tent, Lu Xiangsheng looked at the results reported by each battalion with a smile on his face. Many gains were made on three sides of the defense line. Liu Yan beheaded 595 levels, Yang Guozhu beheaded 234 levels, and Hu Dawei beheaded 212 levels. More than a thousand levels have been beheaded here. Lu Xiangsheng estimated that the actual number of casualties of the Qing army was even higher.
Although each battalion together suffered more than 500 casualties, including more than 200 killed in battle, after all, under the attack of Qing artillery and rockets, each battalion was somewhat inferior to the hunters. However, now that each battalion has a sense of protection and has a solid earth wall defense position, there is no problem in holding the position.
Later, at Lu Xiangsheng's suggestion, everyone was discussing military affairs while eating and drinking. During this period, everyone was full of praise for Liu Yan's fortifications. Under such fortifications, the superior strength of the Qing army could not be deployed at all, and its own soldiers were massacred one-sidedly. Today's war has achieved such results. Just like Liu Yan said, it is completely feasible to shed the blood of the Qing soldiers in front of the Ming army camp!
Lu Xiangsheng also praised Liu Yan a few words, and then loudly encouraged the generals: "In today's first battle, the slaves and traitors have lost their energy. As long as our army holds the position firmly, in a few days, the slaves and traitors will be exhausted and their energy will be exhausted." I'm exhausted. At that time, Eunuch Gao led the army with a thunderous strike, and tens of thousands of slave soldiers could be wiped out in one battle. I, the Ming Dynasty, will get rid of this serious trouble, and everything will be worry-free!"
Everyone burst into laughter. During the banquet, Liu Yan took the opportunity to ask Lu Xiangsheng and the generals for some masks. In fact, the iron masks under each helmet have always been the standard equipment of the Ming army. Each mask looks ferocious, like a ghost. Because Liu Yan believed that the mask hindered his vision, and his gun soldiers had experience in protecting against arrows, he did not make any equipment. But at the moment, it seems that this iron mask is still necessary to equip part of the equipment.
Lu Xiangsheng and the generals were generous in asking Liu Yan. Now we are all like grasshoppers on the same rope, and we think they share the same hatred. So when Liu Yan said goodbye, he had already asked for a total of 400 iron masks. The logistics officers in each battalion quickly sent the masks to Liu Yan's army.
At this time, the Qing army's formation was different from the joy of the Ming army. The atmosphere seemed extremely dull. Qing soldiers lit fires one after another, drank water and ate dry food in silence.
Under Dorgon's Zhijinlong banner, the banner owners, as well as important figures such as Baylor in the banner, gathered around him without saying a word.
At this time, the casualties of each banner had been calculated, which shocked everyone. In today's mere battle, the entire banner had suffered nearly 2,000 casualties, including more than 1,000 warriors of each banner. These people Among them, many were heavy armored soldiers from various banners. The casualties were really too great. No wonder everyone was in grief and remained silent.
There was no expression on Dorgon's face. Under the report of the banner leaders who attacked the Ming army camp, a rough Ming army defense plan appeared in front of everyone. Looking at this sketch, everyone took a breath of air.
Abatai said: "What a vicious battle formation. I'm sure that this kind of defensive formation in the camp is not what Lu Xiangsheng had in mind. He is not so ruthless. There must be another strong general in the Ming army." !”
Dorgon also agreed with Abatai's conclusion. After all, with the Manchu Qing's intelligence capabilities at this time, everyone still knew a thing or two about Lu Xiangsheng's personality and military habits.
Then Dorgon said: "Let's not mention who this person is for now. As long as we win this battle, we will know."
"After today's test by our army, the defense of the Ming army's camp is clear. It is surrounded by three earth walls, about one person high. There are five flat passages, and the rest are short-walled trenches, which are difficult to cross. There are about ten large and small artillery pieces on the front. , although there are not many, but the accuracy is very high and the rate of fire is fast, which shows the sharpness of the Ming army's artillery and fire."
"Looking at the flag again, I didn't expect that in front of the Ming army was a small defensive officer of the Lingshan Guard in Dusi, Shandong Province. According to the questioning of the Ming army prisoners captured today, this person Liu Yan is said to be a powerful general under Lu Xiangsheng. In addition, Ming The two wings of the army are composed of Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty, and Hu Dawei, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty. Each has sixty artillery pieces, large and small!"
Abatai asked doubtfully: "Liu Yan? Could the person who designed such a line of defense be Liu Yan? Otherwise, why would a small defense officer be reused by Lu Xiangsheng!"
A flash of light suddenly flashed in Dorgon's eyes, and everyone else fell into deep thought.
After a while, Dorgon shook his head. He now had too little information and could not conclude anything, so he had to continue: "Among the five passages in front of the Ming army, each is more than ten to twenty steps wide, and there is a gap in the earth wall in front. There are two or four large and small artillery in each place. For the remaining artillery, the gaps in the earthen wall are two or three steps wide each. The Ming army's gunners can hide in the protective wall at any time. In front of these artillery, there are Set up low walls and only a few trenches!”
"In addition to these artillery pieces, in front of the remaining earth walls are trenches with low walls. The Ming army set up firecrackers for protection. Since the gaps in the earth wall are fixed, their artillery is also fixed. If our army wants to attack, they can You can attack from the low wall trench, so you can avoid Akito's artillery!"
Ji'erharang, the leader of the Xianglan Banner, led the soldiers of his banner today, as well as the Mongolian Zhengbai Banner and the Xianglan Banner of the Eight Banners, to attack the right wing defended by Hu Dawei, even if they did not encounter Liu Yan's troops in front. A powerful strike, but after today's attack, I still have lingering fears. The casualties among the warriors under my command were too great.
Jirhalang said: "General, the Ming army's earthen walls are low. When our army attacks, the archers in the rear cannot cover the impact of the warriors in front. If we want to shoot hard, they will only hit our own soldiers!"
Dorgon said: "So, we have to fill up the trench behind the earth wall!"
Dorgon pondered for a while, and then said: "In the cold winter weather, those low walls are as hard as water, and it is expected to be extremely difficult to dig. However, the low walls are not high, and only the trenches need to be filled. Our warriors from all banners will be supported by archers." We can still break through the Ming army's earthen wall."
A chill suddenly surged in everyone's heart, as they were afraid that just filling up those trenches would cost the blood of the warriors in the banner. The first trench is okay. The chariots of each flag can be pushed all the way to the front of the first low wall, and the auxiliary soldiers of each flag can just throw the soil bags into the trench, but the remaining trenches...
Some people died, but not completely...
