"Commander, we have two divisions with 30,000 people at our disposal, and the military rations can last for about 10 days."
"The military rations are not enough!" Shi Kefa hesitated again.
Without the lifeline of the Grand Canal, supplying the Northern Expeditionary Army would be a problem! In history, many Northern Expeditions in the Southern Dynasties and Southern Song Dynasty suffered enough logistical difficulties.
So now Shi Kefa has to count the rations to fight...
"That's enough!" Tian Qing said meaningfully, "Commander, aren't we going to attack Shunzhi?"
"That's right!" Shi Kefa said, "The opportunity is rare... If you are lucky enough to catch it, Beijing may be able to win it without losing any blood, and then there will be no shortage of food."
Tian Qingyi smiled and said: "It's bad luck. It's just that you can't catch it or miss it... If you can't catch it, it means Shunzhi hid in Tianjin Guard. Let's surround him. , and then send people to the countryside to collect food!
We have surrounded the Manchu emperor, but the people around Tianjin Guard are still not allowed to eat pots of pulp to welcome the king's master? Are you afraid that you will have nothing to eat by then?
If the attack fails, it means that Shunzhi abandoned the city and ran away... He who was the emperor ran away, who else dares to defend the Tianjin Acropolis? If we scare them, we might be able to capture the Tianjin Acropolis. Now that you have a city, are you afraid that you won't be able to collect food? "
"Hahaha, that's good!" Shi Kefa smiled and nodded, "Send the command to the general and change the direction of the whole army... Say goodbye to those useless Mongols, let's attack Tianjin Guards and capture the Emperor of Donglu go!"
"Here!"
The knights who followed Shi Kefa responded loudly, and then flew away one after another.
Tian Qingyi on the side reminded Shi Kefa again: "Commander, there is Marshal Gaojie! He is still chasing the Mongols to the west of the canal. Do you want to call him?"
"No need," Shi Kefa said, "There is no need for so many people to be crowded together... You can let him go to Qing County to meet Li Yuanyin, and then go to Dacheng, Wen'an, and Baoding County (not Baoding Prefecture, nor is it within the territory of Baoding Prefecture) , but within Shuntian Prefecture), Bazhou, and then turn eastward to take Shunzhi's retreat."
The task Shi Kefa gave Gao Jie was to insert himself between Beijing and Tianjin. In his opinion, once Emperor Shunzhi was defeated south of Tianjin Wei and was attacked by his army, Governor Shi, he would most likely abandon Tianjin and go to Beijing... If he was unlucky, he would bump into Gao Jie. Army, by then a "Prince Daming Gong" will not have escaped!
In the seventh year of Hongxing's reign, it was the afternoon of the fourth day of the first lunar month. The Ming Army's middle and west armies on the Hejianfu battlefield began to change their marching direction under Shi Kefa's order.
Originally, the middle road of the Ming army was marching close to the frozen canal. The two divisions were on the left and right sides of the canal, marching vigorously along the embankment, and from time to time they would engage in battles with small groups of Mongolians. According to Shi Kefa's opportunity, the target of the Central Route Army was Qing County. After defeating the Mongols surrounding Qing County, they would join forces with Li Yuanyin who was stationed in Qing County. Now they have only one target, Tianjin Guard where Emperor Shunzhi is located!
Gao Jie's West Route Army marched urgently thirty miles west of the canal, with the goal of outflanking the Mongolian army's rear in the Qingxian area. Now their goals have become two, one is Qingxian County; the other is to outflank Tianjin's retreat route for Emperor Shunzhi.
If we include Huang Degong on the east road, Shi Kefa will advance in three directions this time. Shunzhi really did "go all the way", but his "go all the way" may not necessarily be able to defeat Huang Degong, one of the three groups of the Ming army.
On the afternoon of the fourth day of the lunar month, the fighting in the Guanyintang area became increasingly fierce.
A battlefield is now divided into two parts: the inner line and the outer line. The outer part is a melee between infantry and cavalry. Huang Degong sent four regiments, all of which were divided into battalions. The 16 battalions were scattered in a circle and distributed around Guanyintang-Zhuangqiao Village to block the Qing cavalry from approaching Guanyin Hall where a fierce battle was taking place.
There is also a battalion of lancers (mule soldiers), which is divided into companies and takes turns to serve as a fire brigade and rush around the battlefield. Support the infantry battalion that is in a bitter battle or attack the repulsed Qing cavalry.
The inner line was a battle to attack the position. Huang Degong sent four regiments to take turns to fight. With the support of 12 3-pound cannons, they attacked the Qing army who defended Guanyin Hall.
The bloody battle started in the early morning and lasted until the afternoon!
The 2,500 Qing troops commanded by Zhuo Butai went all out and used all their strength. They fought hard for several hours against an enemy four times their size, and defeated more than ten Ming troops one after another. In this offensive, several of the Ming army's spearmen even rushed into the wall of Guanyin Hall and fought hand-to-hand with the Qing army!
In the hand-to-hand combat, the Qing army's sword soldiers performed well, repelling the Ming army's spear soldiers time and time again, and defended the Guanyin Temple.
But as the war progressed, the crisis on the Qing army gradually came!
The quality of the matchlocks they used was slightly poorer, and they had no backup guns, so after several hours of fighting, they were seriously damaged. Many of the muskets had cracks in their barrels, and some simply exploded and became unusable. Their firepower became weaker and weaker. By the evening of that day, the number of soldiers under Zhuobutai's command was less than 1,500, and there were only less than 500 muskets that could be fired.
Everyone was exhausted, and the battlefield was littered with corpses... The Ming army suffered at least more than 2,000 casualties - including the loss of 16 battalions that resisted the Qing cavalry on the periphery.
However, Huang Degong's eight regiments totaled 20,000 people, and their current losses were just over 10%.
Therefore, a new round of attack was quickly organized by Huang Degong.
It started with the crazy shooting of 12 3-pound cannons, and then 8 infantry battalions with full personnel formed a battalion square to press forward... Huang Degong also used all his strength this time, and devoted himself completely. 4,000 soldiers!
Both the offensive and defensive sides know that this is the final battle!
...
Outside Guanyintang, Aixinjueluo Baiyintu also deployed the most elite cavalry battalion and forward battalion. More than 4,000 fully armed cavalry all launched one impact formation after another on the north side of the outer front of Guanyintang. .
Of course, Huang Degong also noticed the movements of the Qing cavalry. He integrated the remaining 8 incomplete battalions and made up 4 relatively complete infantry battalions, plus all the "Black Lancers", all Pressed on his own northern line.
8 Ming Army infantry battalions lined up in an 8-battalion-level Morris Square. Behind them, there were 16 cavalry platoons (mule soldiers) also in an assault formation, ready to launch a counterattack at any time. Attack.
Baiyintu stood in the stirrups and looked at the eight square formations of the Ming army. Then he stretched his neck and looked at the Guanyin Hall in the distance. It was being bombarded over there! It is estimated that Shi Kefa (who did not know that it was Huang Degong who was "surrounded" by him) will also be desperate! The Ming army's fierce attack is about to begin. I don't know if this wave can be withstood?
If Zhuo Butai's firearms camp is eaten by the Ming army, then the next battle will be difficult to fight!
Baiyintu took a breath and said to his left and right: "Blow the drums and trumpets. This time we must let Shi Kefa and his Nikans know how powerful we are!"
Following Baiyintu's order, the sound of bugles and war drums suddenly resounded through the sky, followed by the shouts of people and the neighing of horses. The essence of the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry began to launch a landslide-like impact!
The first wave of attacks was launched by 1,800 Xue cavalry led by Namusenge. Their heavy cavalry were all warriors selected from the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the tribes of Monan and Mobei. Everyone was wearing two layers of heavy armor, riding the best Mongolian horses, and holding long spears. A horizontal formation, driven by horns and war drums, spread like a tide toward the three square formations in the center of the Ming army's front.
The speed of the impact became faster and faster, and thousands of horse hooves hit the ground, as if the entire earth was shaking. However, the Ming army's formation in front of them remained motionless, and the spearmen did not even put down their ten-foot-long spears. The musketeers had formed three rows in front of them, and the two rows behind them charged forward with their guns. Only the one standing at the front leveled the Hongxing three-year-old matchlock gun that had been loaded with ammunition.
