The sound of gunfire echoed over the Ming army's right forward position, and bullets flew past, making a continuous whistling sound in the air.
The two commanders of the two new red flag armies, Langtan and Pengchun, were now merged together. The two men were lying together behind a low wall that had just been built with sandbags, almost a mile away from the front of the Ming army's position. , holding up the telescope, staring at the offensive and defensive situation in front.
At the front of the Ming army, facing the Qing army, the simplest trench shooting fortifications had been built. Not only were trenches dug, but simple horse barriers were also erected. Although it is far less complete and sturdy than the fortifications at Hujia Mountain, the ability to dig out such fortifications in such a short period of time is really extraordinary! The progress of the Qing army was also very fast. They did not rush forward like before, but began to build fortifications a hundred steps away from the Ming army's position.
The Qing infantrymen who had just lined up in formation and pressed against the Ming army's artillery shells and precise rifle fire were all carrying sacks filled with soil. After taking a stand about a hundred paces in front of the Ming army's formation, they did not immediately Instead of firing, they piled up the sacks they were carrying and built an intermittent low wall.
Afterwards, part of the Qing army relied on the low wall and used their muskets to fire hollow bullets at the Ming army. The other part took shovels and shovels and began to dig out soil and pile it on the low wall.
Well, the current Qing army is really easy to learn. They imitate one thing after another, and they turned queuing and shooting into trench warfare!
Of course, they didn't learn new tactics immediately after a trench battle. In fact, after the Qing army obtained the cavity ammunition, they began to improve their tactics. However, they did not have a tactical golden finger and the improvement speed was relatively slow.
After all, after the emergence of simple improvements such as cavity bullets that can increase the effective range of flintlock muskets to more than a hundred steps, as long as you are not a brainless military strategist, you can guess that the tactics of queuing to kill will inevitably change—— The reason for queuing up to be shot was because the accuracy of the smoothbore gun with round bullets was too poor, so it was a last resort.
The tactic of rushing to within 20 steps of the enemy's front while facing the enemy's bullets, and then defeating the enemy with a dense rain of bullets, was simply a tactic in an era when the effective range of ordinary muskets could reach a hundred steps away. Die.
It takes about one hundred seconds to complete eighty steps at walking pace (one step refers to one step with the right foot and one step with the left foot, which is almost 1.5 meters), which is enough for a musketeer to complete three to four shots. If ordinary round bullets are used, the opponent lining up can probably withstand it, but if it is replaced by a cavity bullet with excellent air tightness, the opponent's casualties will at least double, and the iron-clad troops will collapse. If it were replaced with a rifled gun and Gamini bullets, it would be an annihilating blow!
In this case, it makes sense to dig trenches and build breastworks.
In fact, in history, during the American Civil War when rifled guns, minion bullets, and cavity bullets began to appear on the battlefield, this tactic of digging trenches and building walls was very common. At the same time, the Hunan-Huai army, which grew up during the Taiping War, was also very good at digging trenches and building forts.
In addition, Li Zhongshan also developed a wooden handle grenade for the Ming army that was easy to throw and highly reliable. The fuse of this kind of grenade is hidden in the wooden handle, which is not easy to extinguish. It is easy to throw with force and will not roll around after landing, so it is highly accurate!
If anyone wants to imitate the lobster soldiers and line up and shoot them at close range, they will not only suffer heavy losses from Mini bullets and cavity bullets, but they will also have to be blown up by grenades. Basically, there will be no survivors.
However, as soon as the trenches were dug, the parapets were repaired, and the hollow-cavity and minion bombs were installed, the pace of the battle slowed down.
Originally, after the artillery bombardment, the infantry charged again, and it would be clear whether they would win or lose. But now just to get a favorable starting position, one has to work for a long time.
And because rifled guns using Mini bullets pose a great threat to artillery positions - the 200-step shooting range of rifled guns and Mini bullets is not the limit. For example, if the condition of the shooter, gun, and ammunition is ideal, 300 steps or even 400 steps It's all possible! Therefore, if artillerymen want to shoot at close range, they must build more complete bunkers.
While the Qing army is digging trenches, building forts, and building bunkers, the Ming army on the opposite side will not be idle. They will also step up their construction of fortifications. As time goes by, their defensive positions will become stronger and stronger, and even become stronger. A second trench parapet defense line will be built behind the first trench parapet line as a reserve position. At this point, it will be too difficult to break through!
Under the current circumstances, once the battle is delayed, the Ming army will be sure of victory. Because the Baima River-Zou County area behind the Qing army may be broken through by the Ming army numbering 100,000 at any time!
At that time, the Qing army in the boundary river-Beishahe area will be trapped in the dilemma of being attacked from both sides.
Langtan and Pengchun, who understood their situation, did not dare to wait too long. When they saw that the smoke on the front line was accumulating more and more, and it had reached the point of fog, they looked at each other, and then Lang, who was more senior, Tan took a deep breath and asked loudly: "Have the First and Second Battalions of Zhenghong Banner and the First and Second Battalions of Xianghong Banner had enough rest?"
"Enough rest!" Goshiha immediately replied.
"Okay!" Langtan stood up, "When you have rested enough, come with me!"
The four battalions he mentioned did not participate in digging trenches and building fortifications. Instead, they were sitting on the ground a hundred steps away behind the Qing army's trench line, preparing to attack. The reason why they were sitting was of course to save physical strength. On the other hand, it is also to avoid the damage of ricochet. Anyway, there is a trench line blocking the front, so it is impossible for the enemy to rush to them in one breath.
"Brother Lang, I will do this battle!" Pengchun was much younger than Lang Tan. Seeing the gray-haired veteran about to get up, he quickly grabbed him and said with a smile, "I will do this battle, I can't fight. Move you up again."
"Peng Gongye" Langtan also wanted to compete with his little brother. As a result, Pengchun waved his hand and said: "You call me my father-in-law, but I am the first-class father-in-law of the Qing Dynasty. I have a share in it. If I don't go up to you now, who will go up to you?"
This Pengchun, whose surname is Dong'e, is a Manchurian Zhenghong Banner, the fourth-generation grandson of He Heli, one of the five great contributors to the founding of the Qing Dynasty, and a hereditary first-class duke!
Although this duke has been passed down for four generations, he still inherited a lot of the bravery of his ancestors. Over the years, he fought with the former Kangxi and became a new generation of generals in the Qing Dynasty.
As he spoke, Gong Pengchun stood up and shouted at his Goshihars who were standing by, "Young men, follow this Duke into battle. Kill him without leaving any trace behind!"
"嗻!"
Pengchun's Goshiha are all warriors he recruited from the fiefdoms outside the pass. They are all stout and stocky, and they are a bit like the "old women's real wild flags" back then. Now they all wear double armor, hold simple swords, and have swords behind them. Carrying a bow and arrow on his back, he looks like he has traveled from Saarhu. Although it may look outdated, as long as you use it properly, you can still achieve miraculous results!
According to Pengchun's idea, as long as the thousands of fusiliers in front can rush into the Ming army's formation, then his warriors outside the pass will have a chance to kill the generals and seize the flag. These days, they wear armor, hold simple swords, and ride fiercely. The "heavy infantry" that charges with horses is really rare, and it can definitely catch the Ming army by surprise.
Pengchun nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand and said: "Take the horse and follow me!"
While the infantry of the two red flags launched a large-scale attack, their cavalry also fought hard on the right wing of the Ming army with a mixed force composed of two cavalry battalions and four infantry battalions of the Ming army. They had a great advantage in numbers. The cavalry of the two flags numbered almost 8,000. Supported by a team of 6-pound cannons, they continuously attacked a large square formation of Ming army infantry. This Ming Army infantry phalanx is a hollow phalanx formed by four infantry battalions that came out from the Ming Army's vehicle formation defense line on the right wing. There is also a group of artillery and two battalions of cavalry hidden in the hollow phalanx, with a total of about 6,000 troops. people.
Although the cavalry of the Ming Army has reached a certain scale and is trained very strictly, due to the quantity and quality of the horses, it is still unable to confront the cavalry of the Qing Army head-on. Tactics such as wall charges are used to deal with only the cavalry of the Qing Army. The nomadic cavalry that rides and shoots is indeed very effective, but now the Qing cavalry also dares to launch a group charge, and the formation is not much different. Moreover, they have a large number of Western Region Ocean horses, and they charge faster and harder. Therefore, the Ming army usually used the tactics of infantry and cavalry to deal with the Qing army, and rarely used large-scale cavalry attacks.
The battle outside the Ming army's right-wing vehicle formation was now evenly matched. The numerically superior Qing army's cavalry charged several times, but failed to break through the hollow square formation composed of the Ming army's infantry. The subsequent counterattack launched by the Ming army's cavalry did not cause any damage - the Qing army's horses were faster and retreated like a gust of wind. The Ming army's horses could not catch up at all, and they did not dare to chase too far. , for fear of being outnumbered by the large cavalry of the Qing army.
And just when neither side could do anything to the other, no one noticed that a huge group of cavalry was stopping and watching near a ford of the Beisha River four or five miles away from where they were heading.
This cavalry group is a roundabout group led by Beile Yechani, Grand Chief Gui Eunuch, and South Study Minister Li Guangdi. There are four brigades (wings) and one battalion of cavalry, and the number has reached 17,000!
When this number of cavalry moves into action, the sound of horse hooves can be heard as thunder, and the smoke and dust raised can be seen from far away. If the 8,000 soldiers of the two red flags had not attracted the attention of the Ming army, their whereabouts would have been discovered.
However, Chani, Eunuch Gui, and Li Guangdi are all careful people and they dare not underestimate the enemy and advance rashly!
The 17,000 cavalry here are related to the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, and Kangxi also asked them to fly the dragon flag representing the emperor. The national flag of the Qing Dynasty and the emperor's flag are both dragon flags, but they are not the same kind of flag. The national flag is triangular. The emperor's flag is square. If you compare the two flags together, one emperor's flag is equivalent to two national flags.
The moral is simple - in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor was greater than the country! Because the Qing emperor was still the Great Khan of Mongolia, the material of the emperor's flag was cut into two pieces. One half could be used to make the Qing dragon flag, and the other half could be used to make the Mongolian eagle flag.
Once the emperor's flag of the Qing Dynasty was raised on the front line, it meant that Kangxi personally went into battle. He just fought hard!
So before going all out on behalf of Emperor Kangxi, Chani, Eunuch Gui, and Li Guangdi made a plan and sent some light cavalry across the river to investigate. What if there was an ambush? Forget it if there is an ambush.
By the way, the three of them also found a mound, rode their horses forward and took a good seat to watch the cavalry with two red flags hit the Ming army's hollow formation.
"I can't beat him!" Zani looked anxious.
"Four to five thousand infantrymen set up a hollow formation, but why can't eight thousand cavalrymen break through? Isn't the Ming army too tough?" Li Guangdi shook his head repeatedly.
"We are not going to attack the fortresses and camps of the Ming Army later. Is that okay?" Little Guizi's father-in-law looked worried.
"Xuan" Chaney and Li Guangdi shook their heads together.
Li Guangdi said: "Your Majesty is good at everything, but he likes gambling too much."
Xiao Guizi disagreed with this statement: "Qing Jin, don't talk nonsense. The emperor is as wise as Yao, Shun, and Yu. He never gambles."
Li Guangdi sighed: "Eunuch Gui, the emperor is not betting on money, but on the fate of the country!"
"Betting on the fate of the country?" Chaney nodded in agreement, "It's just that gambling on luck is not good."
When the three people were discussing "Betting on the National Fortune", there was a rapid sound of horse hooves, and then they saw several light horses galloping towards them. When they arrived at the foot of the mound, they were stopped by Goshiha from Chani, who asked a few questions, and then a The leader of the light cavalry was led up, and when he arrived in front of Chani, Li Guangdi, and Eunuch Gui, he loudly reported: "Master Beile, Li Zhongtang, and Eunuch Gui, there are about ten thousand cavalry coming towards us from the south bank of Beisha River!"
"It's over, it's been discovered!"
"This time, the emperor has no luck in gambling!"
"It seems that this national destiny is really something you can't gamble on!"
Chani, Li Guangdi, and Eunuch Gui all shook their heads and sighed.
Little did the three of them know that the more than 10,000 cavalrymen driving over were not coming towards them at all. They were the roundabout regiment led by Li Zhongyi. Li Zhongyi's cavalry set off late, so they had not reached the ground yet.
If Chani, Li Guangdi, and Eunuch Gui were not discussing Kangxi's "gambling luck" by the Beisha River, but rushed over without stopping, they would never have bumped into Li Zhongyi!
Although Li Zhongshan had set up defenses in the villages, bridgeheads and camps behind him, it was still possible to break through if the 17,000 cavalry were really determined to attack!
Even if these places can be defended, Li Zhongshan will definitely mobilize a large number of troops to support his rear. With this backward support, there will be fewer frontal troops, and it will not be difficult for Kangxi to withdraw from the Jiehe front line.
As long as Kangxi retreated to the north, he could easily bring all the troops into Qufu Castle. Even if he lost all the 17,000 cavalry, he still had more than 70,000 people on hand, plus the Zhengbai Banner troops deployed in Baima River and Wuxian County and the outstanding troops in Qufu City. There are still 80,000 Shufan troops!
Kong Shenggong and Shang Shuying could not stop Kangxi no matter what, and if they were controlled by Kangxi, Li Zhongshan's military ration supply would be difficult.
If the 17,000 cavalrymen who were "betting" today were Dodo or Obai, or even characters like Mulima and Yue Le, they would not have hesitated for so long by the Beisha River and would have made a decisive bet long ago. .
It's a pity that the Qing Dynasty no longer has such good generals. And Kangxi himself didn't dare to play on his own, so this is the result.
"Then, what should we do? Should we go back?" Mr. Xiao Guizi is a father-in-law after all. When he heard that more than 10,000 Ming army cavalry were coming, he immediately gave up.
"How can we retreat?" Chani shook his head, "They have 10,000 riders, but we have an advantage of 17,000!"
Li Guangdi also knows the art of war. 17,000 is greater than 10,000. The advantage is obvious!
Moreover, the combat effectiveness of the Qing cavalry is no worse than that of the Ming cavalry. They will definitely win this battle!
"Fight!" Li Guangdi slapped him, "If we cross the river and fight with them and win, Li Zhongshan will definitely be in chaos. If nothing happens, we can still retreat."
"It can be attacked or defended." Xiao Guizi nodded, "Li Zhongtang still has a way. By the way, we still have the emperor's dragon flag with us, do you want to bring it out?"
"Fight, fight to inspire military morale!"
"Fight it out. The enemy will definitely be frightened when they know that the emperor is here!"
(End of chapter)
