The Manchu cavalry under Yue Le controlled the horses skillfully. Among them, the cavalry in the middle and rear of the team also took out long-range weapons such as horse bows and javelins. They were not the kind who would only attack the cavalry foolishly. Of course, they were not the kind. They are the so-called Mongolian warriors who know how to ride horses and shoot arrows but dare not fight in battle. In the early years, the Manchurian cavalry that dominated the world followed an all-round approach. They could ride and shoot, charge into formations, fight hand-to-hand, and of course they could dismount and fight!
It's just that the comfortable life of "employed citizens" after they settled in Beijing made them lose the ability of their ancestors to conquer the world immediately. But now in the Qing Dynasty, it is still the Kangxi year, not the Daoguang year or the Xianfeng year. The older generation of Manchu ruthless people are not dead yet! With their words and deeds, it will not be too difficult for the following group of youngsters to regain their lost martial arts skills. In addition, the children of the Eight Banners this year do not have a habit of smoking, so their physical fitness is still online. So these Manchu heroes who followed Yue Le into battle today are quite powerful.
Today, the formations of these powerful Manchu cavalry are not dense, and the tactics used are not the dense horizontal or square group charges often used by the Ming and Zhou cavalry today, but more flexible wave charges. He doesn't keep charging with his head covered, but he shoots arrows and javelins during the charge. If they encounter the enemy's spear formation, they will even rush to the spear formation and kill the enemy by shooting in the face. And after breaking away from the enemy formation, they will also engage in hand-to-hand combat!
Of course, if the enemy's formation remains motionless, it doesn't matter if Yue Le's cavalry can't charge down. This traditional cavalry charge is not a one-time deal. It is common to charge more than a dozen formations a day, but it is rare to charge down in one go.
That's why Yue Le divided the eight or nine hundred cavalry under his command into eight teams, preparing to charge and roll the wheels one by one. The cavalry team he led was the second team among the eight teams of cavalry, and the one in front of him was also a team of Manchurian cavalry. Letting the Manchurian cavalry take the lead and the second team was also a helpless choice.
After all, Emperor Geng Jingzhong of Dajing was a Han Chinese, and Yue Le and his Manchu warriors were not cowardly masters in Dajing. The Han military leaders in Dajing only looked up to Yue Le because of his status as the head of the state. There was no way they wanted Yue Le's cavalry to charge with their servants.
However, when Yue Le rode his horse to the field with only more than 200 steps away from the Ming army's line, he felt that the first and second formations of the Manchurian soldiers were still right! Because the Ming army on the opposite side put up a "three-character thin line formation" that was as stupid as a thin line. Such a formation is useless to withstand the charge of the infantry spear formation, let alone resist the cavalry? By the way, the infantry forming the "three-character thin line formation" are all musketeers, and they don't have a single spear. Can such infantry stop the cavalry from charging into the formation?
It seems that Chen Yonghua really doesn’t know how to fight!
As soon as he thought of this, the first thin red line of the Ming army, which was a bit sparse in numbers, suddenly flashed with rows of large and small fires!
At this time, the Manchurian cavalry leading the front of Yue Le was at least 180 steps away from this thin red line!
Haha, as expected, I still ejaculated indiscriminately! Yue Le thought happily. In fact, it is very common for musketeers to fire outside the effective range because they are afraid of the enemy approaching. On the contrary, musketeers who can put the enemy at a very close distance and kill them with one shot are extremely rare.
He had just been proud for a while when he suddenly saw a Manchu warrior directly in front of him, with a pigtail on the back of his head being tossed around as if he had been struck by lightning. He twitched twice and fell off his horse. !
What's going on?
Yue Le was startled, and quickly raised his eyes forward, looking left and right, only to realize that something was wrong. There were many vacancies on the backs of the horses running in front. Who knew where the cavalry on the horses had gone? There were also some Manchu warriors who fell on their horses and could not move! There are also some war horses that have lost control and are rushing left and right! Then he lowered his head and looked down again, and at a glance he saw a Manchurian soldier lying on the ground, obviously seriously injured and still struggling!
Yue Le was shocked by this scene. The Ming army's muskets could actually shoot so far. Ah, they were using those extremely expensive rifled guns! He had been fighting against the Republic of China and the Ming Dynasty for several years, and was once a military governor of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, he knew that there was a rifled gun in Foshan, Guangdong that could shoot far and accurately, but it was ridiculously expensive and difficult to buy. He also knew that a small number of Li Zhongshan's soldiers in the Shanzi camp were equipped with such rifled guns, and Li Fuchen's soldiers also had some, but none of the other Ming armies seemed to have them!
And the Ming army in front of me, which doesn't even have armor, should be a ragtag army. Why do they also have rifled guns? Are they not as rabble-rousing as they seem? Are they Shanziying pretending to be?
"Bah, bah, bah"
Another burst of crackling gunfire rang out, pulling Yue Le out of his own thoughts. He hurriedly looked up and found that he was very close to the Ming army's "three-character thin line formation", and the original blockade There didn't seem to be many people left in the group of Manchu cavalry in front, and they were all scattered to the left and right. At this time, he saw the first line of the "three-character thin line formation" less than a hundred steps ahead. The platoon of Ming soldiers had already squatted down, and then three platoons of Ming soldiers raised their muskets at the same time. At least 800 muskets were pointed at him and the more than a hundred Manchu cavalry beside him.
Suddenly, Yue Le felt like he was about to die. He was now less than a hundred steps away from the opponent's gun. Facing a firepower network composed of 800 rifled guns (in fact, most of them were not rifled guns), he turned around in succession. Ma Tou had no chance of escaping. Yue Leda opened his eyes and looked ahead desperately.
"You rebels, I will fight with you!"
Yue Le, who knew that he was in danger, raised his carbine and let out his loudest roar. At this time, his mount had already led him to a position less than fifty steps away from the enemy's formation, while the Ming army was still calm and composed. , no one ran away, and no one opened fire, they just pointed the black muzzle at the rapidly approaching target.
With this kind of calmness that does not panic when the cavalry rushes into battle, this kind of Ming army with all firearms is worthy of the word "elite"! And he seemed to be giving away his head!
Thinking of this, Yue Le took one last big breath of air that smelled like gunpowder smoke and shouted: "Ama, Mafa, I really tried my best."
There was a piercing sound of the suona, and the last thing Yue Le saw was three rows of large and small muzzle flashes!
"Hahaha!"
Behind the "Three-Character Thin Line Formation", Chen Yonghua looked at the battlefield with loud gunshots and grinned, shaking his folding fan while laughing. Just now, the second Jing Army cavalry centurion attacking on his left wing was shot down by a volley of one battalion of musketeers and one rifler (the riflemen of both battalions were concentrated on Chen Yonghua's left wing). The smoke has disappeared! A volley of more than 800 muskets killed and wounded most of the more than 100 Jingguo cavalry, and also knocked down many war horses. In an instant, an insurmountable barrier of human and horse corpses was formed - falling It's not that the Jingguo cavalry behind them couldn't jump over, but they were frightened by the fact that the two centurions of cavalry in front of them were almost completely wiped out. Who dared to forcefully send people forward?
Seeing these Jingguo cavalry fleeing in all directions, Chen Yonghua couldn't help but feel how beautiful they were. Who will dare to say that he can't fight in the future? He, Chen Yonghua, also knows how to fight, and he can win the war!
Besides, winning the battle doesn’t seem to be that difficult! He commanded only two battalions and twelve cannons, and he was able to defeat more than 10,000 infantry troops of the Jing Army, and he also repelled the side attack of more than 1,000 cavalry troops of the Jing Army!
It seems that the secret to winning the war is to form an infantry with all firearms, and the muskets must be flintlocks, preferably rifled flintlocks. By the way, the bullets must also use special corks!
With this set of winning tactics, unification of the world is just around the corner!
Chen Yonghua, who finally understood the "win-win strategy" of the 17th century, suddenly felt enlightened and loudly ordered Wang And beside him: "Wang Canjun, quickly send someone to tell the general that Geng Jingzhong's troops are unstoppable. With one blow, ask him to advance quickly and defeat Geng Jingzhong’s Chinese army in one fell swoop!”
"Got the order!"
"General, Wang An's two battalions have suppressed the left wing of the Jing Army, and also defeated a side attack by the Jing Army's cavalry. They performed very well. It seems that the combat power of the Model Army far exceeds that of the old-fashioned Army Division. All we need now is Concentrate our forces to attack Geng Jingzhong’s Chinese army formation, and we will surely win quickly!”
Li Zhongshan nodded. He had always been very confident in the combat effectiveness of the Model Town. After all, the equipment and tactics of the Model Formation represented the ultra-high level of the seventeenth century! However, the super high level in theory also needs to be tested in actual combat!
Today's battle is to use Geng Jingzhong to train in the Model Town. If the Model Town performs well, then the Ming Army's next military reform direction will be clear. Now there is a military handicraft industry in Foshan that makes flintlocks and rifled guns. Production capacity has gradually increased, enough to support Ming Dynasty in establishing more model towns.
In fact, the cost of building a model town is not high - the cost of a flintlock gun, even a rifled flintlock gun, is considered cheap compared to the equipment of an armored warrior.
Moreover, it is very easy to train fusiliers. If you are more sloppy, it will take a few months. If you are more rigorous, you can become an elite soldier in six months. Such arms are a perfect match for the Republic of China in the Ming Dynasty!
Historically, wasn't the modern republican system of Westerners established in the era of queuing to be shot? If knights in full armor still dominate the battlefield, why should the common people be republican? Just be a serf!
Thinking of this, Li Zhongshan said to Li Zhongxian: "Zhongxian, now concentrate your troops on the front of Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army. Except for the two battalions of the Zeng Yangxing Formation on the left wing that remain unchanged, the Jingjun Army of the other three formations have arranged a battalion to contain them. Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army arranged five battalions to attack fiercely! There were also two battalions serving as reserves.
In addition, we also mobilized the Zhongzheng cavalry and asked them to form behind the second battalion on our left wing to intimidate the enemy's right wing. When Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army was defeated, he immediately launched a pursuit operation! "
"yes!"
When Li Zhongshan was about to launch a fierce attack on Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army formation, the founding emperor of the Dajing Dynasty was about to collapse because of the death of his father-in-law, Lao Taishan Yue Le!
The enemy clearly only has more than ten thousand people, and they don't even have armor. They only have muskets but no spears. No matter how you look at it, they are just a bunch of rubbish, but when it comes to fighting, they are incredibly powerful! Zeng Yangxing on the left wing was also considered a strong general, and his more than 10,000 troops were considered elite in Dajing, second only to the army directly led by Geng Jingzhong. However, these more than 10,000 people were suppressed and beaten by less than 2,000 people personally commanded by Chen Yonghua. They were seriously injured and killed. They sent people to Geng Jingzhong again and again!
What surprised Geng Jingzhong even more was that his father-in-law, Lao Taishan Yue Le, personally led eight or nine hundred cavalry to attack Chen Yonghua's left wing. "Three-character Thin Line Formation" to fight, but in the end, with precise and intensive firepower, almost all the 200 Manchurian cavalry led by Yue Le who rushed to the front were killed. Even Yue Le himself did not come back? I don’t know if he went down to see Abatai?
And the Han cavalry who followed Yue Le didn't even have the courage to kill people, so they all ran away in fear!
When all these cowards return to the main formation, why should they add salt and jealousy to the matter of Yue Le's death in battle and the Ming army's powerful firepower before spreading it out? Will the morale of the military be shaken by then?
When Geng Jingzhong was greatly shaken, someone suddenly shouted in a crying voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The Ming army is coming to us!"
What? Are you all coming to me?
Geng Jingzhong quickly raised his head and looked forward, and his heart dropped as soon as he looked at it. He didn't know when, four to five thousand Ming army infantry had gathered directly in front of him! They all carried flintlock guns with bayonets and came with their heads held high!
Before he could recover from the fright, someone on the other side shouted: "Cavalry, cavalry! The Ming army's cavalry is coming!"
Did the Ming army have cavalry?
Geng Jingzhong quickly raised his telescope and looked ahead, and soon discovered hundreds of "bright-eyed" "silver armored cavalry"! They all wore polished iron armor, which glowed silver under the sun. Each cavalryman carried an outrageously slender bamboo spear. The tip of the bamboo spear was made of fine iron, and it also shimmered under the sunlight. A chilling light that makes people’s hearts tremble!
Will I be chased by such cavalry soon? If I had known better, I would not have become this unlucky emperor! Geng Jingzhong really wants to cry but has no tears!
"Your Majesty, quickly order the entire army to attack!"
At this time, Yu Renying, Geng Jingzhong's chief assistant scholar, suddenly came forward to offer advice.
"Yu Renying, it's all your fault!" Geng Jingzhong suddenly turned his head and shouted angrily: "If I had not been this unlucky emperor, how could I have ended up like this?"
Yu Renying quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this is fate! It is your destiny to be the emperor. If you don't want to be the emperor, you will change your destiny against the will of heaven, and you will definitely not end well!"
"I am now" Geng Jingzhong is anxious. Can he have a good ending now?
"Your Majesty, don't be impatient!" Academician Yu was calm and composed. "Please listen to my analysis. Now we have just encountered the strongest soldier of the Ming army, and we are a little unable to withstand it."
"Isn't this urgent?" Geng Jingzhong glared at him fiercely, "Can there be anything more urgent than this?"
"Yes!" Yu Renying nodded, "I speculate that with such an elite Ming army, they will not divide their troops to go on the defensive. They will probably divide their troops in several ways to attack our retreat!"
"You still want to steal my retreat?" Geng Jingzhong's face turned livid, "What about Jiande?"
"Your Majesty, don't think about what's going on with Jiande, there are more urgent things!"
"More urgent? What you're talking about is" Geng Jingzhong's face was about to turn black.
"Liu Jinzhong!" Yu Renying said, "Liu Jinzhong has betrayed us once before. If he knew that the Ming Dynasty had such strong soldiers, do you think he would do it?"
"Ah!" Geng Jingzhong's eyesight went dark and he almost fell out of the fight.
Yu Renying said urgently and quickly: "Your Majesty, Liu Jinzhong has an army of thirty thousand! If he takes advantage of the fierce battle between us and the Ming army to march towards Hangzhou, then we will not even have a way out!"
It's over now!
Dajing is really going to perish!
Geng Jingzhong was trembling all over, "What should I do? What should I do?"
Yu Renying said: "There is no other way. We can only launch a counterattack while everyone still has some morale and invest all our strength. If we can push the Ming army back a little, we can withdraw from the battlefield and leave some The green mountains are here, so you don’t have to worry about running out of firewood!”
The suggestion to evacuate sounds great!
Geng Jingzhong looked at Yu Renying: "Do we still have room to evacuate?"
"Yes, yes." Yu Renying nodded and said, "We can also evacuate to Ningbo. Li Daoshi is the Minister of Commerce in Ningbo, and he still has some navy and army divisions. We can go and work together! Then we can find a way out! "
"A way out? Is there still a way out?"
"Yes!" Yu Renying said, "I heard from Taoist Li that there is an island country hundreds of miles away from Ningbo. The king's surname is Shang. The monk is probably from the same ancestry, so we can just go and get along."
Go to an overseas island country?
Geng Jingzhong thought for a while and said to himself: It is better than being captured by Chen Yonghua and executed by Ling Chi!
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and ordered loudly: "Beat the drum! Advance the troops and raise the Qinglong flag. Then pass the order to each formation, and now start the general attack! Tell the commanders in each town that the rise and fall of Dajing will be achieved with one blow. The entire army moves forward without hesitation!"
"yes!"
A group of Geng Jingzhong's soldiers were still willing to protect him to the death. After loudly agreeing, they got on their horses and conveyed Geng Jingzhong's orders to the formations below.
At the same time, a huge green dragon flag was also raised. According to the previous agreement, as soon as this flag is raised, the Jingjun of each formation will launch a general attack!
And a burst of drumming began to sound from Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army formation! It reached the ears of Li Zhongshan, who was supervising the army and preparing to launch a general attack on Geng Jingzhong's Chinese army.
He immediately understood Geng Jingzhong's thoughts, so he said to his left and right: "Geng Jingzhong is going to fight hard. It's good to have some skills. I, the general, will make him die! Now, raise the general's flag!"
"yes!"
(End of chapter)
