Chapter 419 Battle of Xuzhou V
"Protect Your Majesty..."
There was a violent explosion, and what came flying were not iron bullets, but flower bombs.
Chen Cao didn't know how he escaped death. After he was escaped to a safe distance by a group of Jinyi guards, there were only a dozen or so of the Jinyi guards around him, and they were all in a state of panic.
"Save people, save people quickly..."
He was not the only one who was parked where he was before, but also the accompanying staff officers and many civil and military personnel. After this wave of fatal explosions, the smoke and dust did not dissipate completely, and it was not clear who was alive and who was dead.
'Cough cough cough...'
Chen Cao coughed twice violently. It was obvious that the explosion just now shocked him and caused him constant pain in his chest. Fortunately, there was no blood in the filth he spit out, otherwise he would have left himself with internal injuries in the future.
"Hit me, beat me hard..."
Chen Cao, who was furious, did not wait for the arrivals to report the casualties, and immediately ordered the artillery troops to take action. The incense sticks were only half full, and the first salvo of artillery had already sprayed out of the muzzle.
In less than half an hour, all the artillery positions were in place. In the next half hour, all the thousand artillery shells transported to the position were fired, and the counterattack in Xuzhou City was also extremely fierce.
This made Chen Cao never expect that the artillery in Xuzhou City was so fierce, but now he didn't bother to trace the source of their such powerful firepower.
"Your Majesty..."
Xin Zhao was in an unusual state of embarrassment. The shock wave generated by the explosion tore many parts of his drag suit. If his upper body was not still wearing plate armor, he would look like a beggar: "Three staff members died. Fortunately, Xu Fuyuan He and Huang Chunyao were spared, but they were both injured and have been transported for treatment. I ask the emperor to retreat."
It took a long time for Chen Cao to regain his breath. The start was already unfavorable. However, now the artillery battle has begun. The battle between the two sides has officially started from this moment. There is no reason to retreat: "You bastard, the battle has just begun. I He hasn’t been killed yet, so why panic? Send the order and have the logistics troops transport the artillery shells to the artillery position immediately. I don’t care what Xuzhou City is made of, even if I smash it with money, I will smash a hole out of it."
Lou Xingye's headquarters was located on Yan Chun's left rear wing. However, because Yan Chun's headquarters suffered heavy casualties before the initial battle, it had basically become a reserve force. However, when they discovered that the artillery shells in Xuzhou City actually hit two and a half miles After leaving the emperor's command post, all the ministries were undoubtedly shocked and sent messengers to Chen Cao's command post to check the situation.
Fortunately, the emperor was unharmed, but some of his staff and retinue's imperial guards died, so the divisions became quiet.
Lou Xingye has grown a lot from being shirtless in the battle to now commanding from the center. But just now, the forward observation post came to report that Yang Lian, the infantry in charge of the charge, had been defeated and was approaching his position.
"How was this battle fought? What other magic weapons do the Tatars have in Xuzhou City?"
Lou Xingye could not help complaining, but compared to his character, the irritable Huang Degong flew into a rage after learning that the command post was bombed, and wanted to avenge Chen Cao. As a result, the first wave of troops did not rush forward, but were defeated across the board. The charging infantry in front was blocked.
If it weren't for the fact that Yang Lian brothers were reused after their surrender, Huang Degong would have thought of killing Yang Lian.
The battle here is in full swing, and the Dangshan battlefield to the west of Xuzhou is also unambiguous at this moment.
Hauge commanded his troops to launch an attack on Liu Butang's troops stationed in Dangshan County. The two sides fought from dawn to after noon, with corpses lying all over the battlefield and blood flowing like rivers.
The fighting here in Xujiawa, northwest of Dangshan City, was particularly fierce, so much so that Feng Zhongping was already stationed in Xujiawa himself, and the command post was placed on a high slope in the northeast of Xujiawa near the Yellow River line.
"Master, the 6th regiment has suffered heavy casualties. I have asked people from the 5th regiment to replace them. It seems that the Tatars are just taking a proper rest. I have reason to believe that they will attack again in an hour."
Feng Zhongping's face was livid. Before leaving, his order was to hold on to Dangshan for seven days. However, on the first day of the battle, his casualties were equal to one regiment. The key is that it was just past noon. The fundamental reason for the opponent's truce Just eating to replenish energy.
"How is the defense on the front of the village?"
Facing Feng Zhongping's inquiry, the staff officer replied: "The 2nd Brigade dug several trenches on the front, but this group of Tatars is not ordinary. They attacked with artillery before attacking, and then used Wugang vehicles as cover. The infantry behind them arrived. After approaching, they threw heavy fire and oil cans at our soldiers in the trench, causing the 6th Regiment to suffer heavy casualties."
"Are they smart?" Feng Zhongping felt that something was different: "Immediately send a letter to the military gate, requesting the Ministry of Defense to reinforce Xujiawa."
"Report..."
After Feng Zhongping read the official document, he clenched his fists and suddenly screamed and fainted.
When everyone woke up, everyone knew that the Yellow River defense line had been lost, and countless Qing fleets entered Xuzhou from the east of the Yellow River.
The Yellow River defense line was only part of Liu Butang's expectations, but what he never expected was that the Qing army was actually bold enough to march eastward from the Yellow River into Xuzhou, and the strength of the Yellow River defense line was only a regiment of the 1st Division. This thousand Five hundred men could not intercept the Qing army marching on the Yellow River.
The fighting did not stop. Sure enough, half an hour later, the Qing army launched a large-scale attack on Xujiawa and Liucun again. However, Feng Zhongping had already met with Liu Butang, and both of them had a bitter taste in their mouths.
It wasn't until there was a violent explosion of artillery that Liu Butang said: "Old Feng, we are sorry for your majesty's entrustment."
"Junmen," Feng Zhongping swallowed his throat: "Retreat."
Liu Butang shook his head: "We can't withdraw. The Dangshan defense line has been lost. Hundreds of thousands of people from Hauge marched straight in. You and I can't bear this crime. What we have to do now is to block the Yellow River defense line and hold on to Dangshan."
"We have just a few people."
Liu Butang's face was livid: "A large number of people may not necessarily accomplish something, and a small number of people may not necessarily accomplish great things. Li Xuanjun's example is before us, and we must also learn how to learn from it."
"Take the initiative?" Feng Zhongping asked.
Liu Butang looked at the map for a long time before saying: "The Longwu Army went north to Shanghai to pursue the remnants of the Qing Army Yue Tuo. It is impossible not to do something big. Besides, there are people like Li Yan following them in the army. They don't know the importance. The Shenwu Army is attacking On the way to Xuzhou, our troops are sufficient, but we don’t know how many Qing troops have passed from the Yellow River and who they are, otherwise we can deal with it calmly;
It's not a bad thing to take the initiative. "
The Dingwu Army is equipped with all rifles. Although they are loaded with single shots, they are superior in their long distance and strong firepower. A well-trained soldier can easily fire ten rounds of bullets in one minute, even if it is not stronger than ten rounds, five rounds of bullets. It is also a basic skill.
"Please tell me from the military gate."
"First send a message to His Majesty, and for the rest, we have only one task," Liu Butang looked at the battlefield in the distance: "At all costs, hold on to Dangshan Mountain."
.
The day after the battle began, in the camp located five miles outside Xuzhou City, Chen Cao received urgent military information from Dangshan and immediately summoned his staff and civil and military personnel to discuss countermeasures.
"The Yellow River defense line was lost. According to Liu Butang's reaction, an unknown number of Qing ships entered Xuzhou from the Yellow River."
"I ask your Majesty to return to Shuanggou first."
Chen Cao looked at Xu Fuyuan and asked: "Fuyuan, how is your injury?"
"The minister's injury is not a problem, but now Xuzhou is a barrel of fire and powder. I don't know when it will explode. Besides, Hauge's troops in Guide are no less than 300,000. His Majesty once taught us that we should fight in Guide." Strategically, we despise our opponents, but tactically, we attach great importance to them. While the enemy is storming Dangshan, they can also send troops to advance eastward from the Yellow River. The intention is already obvious."
Huang Chunyao also nodded: "I agree with Fu Yuan's words. Please immediately retreat to Shuanggou Camp and wait for the main force of the Shenwu Army to come together."
"There are only 70,000 people in Abatay."
Chen Cao muttered, and then looked at the crowd: "Songjiang's logistics stretched too long, so that the supply line had to slow down. The Battle of Xuzhou is too important to underestimate the enemy. I know what you mean, but once you retreat, In Shuanggou, not only is the morale greatly reduced, but the places that the brothers of the 8th Division and the guardsmen sacrificed their lives for will be in vain."
"Your Majesty," Huang Chunyao knelt down: "The ambition of the Tatars is obvious. They want to use Xuzhou to set a trap for us."
"Get up," Chen Cao stood up and paced back and forth: "Liu Butang can make mistakes. I already know Abatai's ambition. Like Daishan, he wants to surround us in Xuzhou."
Chen Cao didn't know it at first. Only Huang Chunyao always maintained a skeptical attitude. Because the war was too strange, he only used Sun Degong's resistance. From the beginning of Shuanggou to the later arrival in Xuzhou, there were tensions and relaxations, and finally Hauge. The troops marched eastward from the Yellow River, which completely confirmed his own conjecture.
However, Chen Cao himself was also dazzled by the victory and his development over the years. He believed that defeating the Qing army was a duel between hot weapons and cold weapons. Who would have thought that his opponents were also chasing after them step by step, such as the Hongyi Cannon? The best evidence.
"They want to eat our army, but why don't I want to destroy Huang Taiji's hands in one go?"
Chen Cao looked at the artillery fire in the distance fiercely: "Although Songjiang is rich, our Ming Dynasty has experienced wars for a long time. If the battle of Xuzhou turns into a tug-of-war with Jiannu, it will be the most painful for the people in the north. thing."
"Your Majesty is concerned about the people in the north at the moment, and I feel ashamed..."
Chen Cao took a deep breath: "The Shenwu Army is coming. Since Abatai wants me to die here, I will also give Abatai a big gift. It depends on whether his teeth are stronger or my bones are stronger;
Send orders to Cao Wenzhao, Li Xiukuan, Zhao Wenhui and Han Xianchu...
I want to use myself as bait in Xuzhou. "
