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"Rush across the river! Kill all the Han people!"
After breaking through the Ming army's left defense line, Bagan did not hesitate and immediately led the Junggar cavalry to forcefully cross the Wei River and charge towards the north bank.
At this time, although the Mongolian coalition still needed to break through the Ming army's defense line on the north bank of the Wei River again, Bagan believed that the Mongolian coalition's breakout operation was already in sight.
Since the beginning of the war, the fighting between the two armies seemed fierce, but Bagan knew very well that the most important task of the Mongolian coalition now was to preserve their vitality and escape back to the grassland, so when he commanded the battle, he had always tried to reduce the damage of the Mongolian coalition as much as possible. Condition.
Previously, when Bagan commanded the Mongolian coalition forces to attack the central and right-wing defense lines of the Ming army, he only tried a little and saw that the Ming army's defense line was stable, and quickly changed the direction of the main attack. Therefore, the Junggar cavalry under Bogen did not appear too much. Afterwards, when Bagan discovered the flaw in the Ming army's defense line and began to concentrate his forces to attack the left wing of the Ming army's defense line, the Junggar cavalry still suffered little damage because their opponents were all rabble-rous and vulnerable.
By this time, the two armies had been fighting for more than an hour, but the battle damage ratio of the Junggar cavalry under Bagan still did not exceed 30%, and there were still nearly 10,000 troops. It must be said that Bagan's commanding and combat capabilities are indeed outstanding. place.
At the same time, Qi Bin's new army stationed on the north bank of the Wei River only had more than 3,000 troops, and most of them were infantry. And because the array of Qi Bin's new army was unusually neat, it looked even more inadequate at first glance.
Therefore, Bagan naturally did not take Qi Bin's new army seriously. He believed that the Ming army on the north bank of the Weishui River was only two to three thousand people, and they would definitely not be able to withstand the impact of nearly 10,000 Junggar cavalry. They would definitely collapse at the first touch!
When he led the Junggar cavalry into the Wei River, Bagan seemed to have seen the instant defeat of the Ming army on the north bank.
"After the Junggar warriors dispersed the Han garrison on the north bank, they would immediately leave the Wei River battlefield and return to the grassland as quickly as possible. By that time, it would be best if the Mongolian right-wing cavalry in the rear could catch up in time. But if they are still unable to get rid of the entanglement of the Han cavalry and cannot catch up in time, then I will not deliberately stay here to wait for them! After all, the Han army has the advantage in strength, and things will change if it is too late! The Junggar warriors have already defeated the Han people The defense line has completed its mission. If the Mongolian right-wing cavalry has been unable to repel the Han cavalry, it is because they are incompetent, and they cannot blame me for abandoning them!... In fact, if all the Mongolian right-wing cavalry in the rear army were lost here, From now on, when Great Khan Galdan conquers the grasslands, it will be easier!"
As he led the charge, Bagan secretly made a decision in his heart, as if the Junggar cavalry had defeated the Ming army on the north bank.
However, Bogen did not know that the Ming army stationed on the north bank of the Wei River was the "Qi Bin New Army". The commander of this army, Qi Bin, was a descendant of Qi Shaobao, who frightened the Mongolian tribes. Qi Bin completely followed the methods of the Qi family army back then. Training this army, even if it has the shortcoming of lack of experience, the combat power of this army will still be firmly better than that of another powerful army in Shaanxi and Gansu, the "New Fighting Army"!
When Qi Jiguang was alive, the strength of the Mongolian Duoyan tribe was not much inferior to that of the Junggar Khanate today. The chief of Duoyan, Dong Fox, once led 30,000 Mongolian cavalry to invade the army in the second year of Longqing, but was defeated and defeated by Qi Jiguang's 8,000 cavalry. Dong Hu's tent was stolen, and Dong Hu's nephew Changang was captured. Dong Hu only spared his life, forcing Dong Hu to plead guilty. The Duoyan tribe also fell into despair; in the third year of Wanli, the Mongolian Ulyanha tribe rose rapidly. , 50,000 cavalry invaded the territory of the Ming Dynasty in large numbers. Qi Jiguang led the Qi army to outflank the fortress. Not only did he defeat 50,000 Mongolian cavalry in one breath, but he also captured the leader of the Ulliangha tribe, Changbald, alive. The Ulliangha tribe also declined due to this.
The "Qi Bin New Army" has only been established for a short period of time, and its strength is naturally far inferior to that of the "Qi Family Army" in its heyday. However, now that it has the advantage of the terrain and the advantage of being ready to work, it wants to stop nearly 10,000 Junggar cavalry from crossing the river. It's a huge impact, but it's not too difficult!
*
At the same time, on the north bank of the Weishui River.
Qi Bin looked at the Mongolian cavalry charging towards him, but his expression was extremely calm!
During this period of time, Qi Bin's new army has been stationed on the north bank of the Weishui River. It has not participated in any wars, but it has never been idle. Not only has it been practicing diligently day and night and becoming more well-trained, Qi Bin has also prepared some special means to restrain it. Mongolian cavalry charge tactics.
Seeing that the Mongolian coalition forces were getting closer and closer, and soon rushed to the middle of the Weishui River, Qi Bin suddenly raised his hand and ordered: "The whole army listens to the order, the transport battalion comes forward and sets up the vehicle array!"
The so-called chariot formation is a tactic created by Qi Jiguang based on the characteristics of northern nomads who are good at cavalry combat. When setting up the formation, every four people push a chariot, and horse-repelling devices and firearms are placed in the chariot. Forming a square formation, the horse infantry used chariots as cover and first carried out long-distance attacks with firearms. When the enemy's cavalry approached, the infantry used horse-repelling weapons to line up in front of the formation and assassinated them with spears. After the enemy was defeated, cavalry was sent to pursue them.
Following Qi Bin's order, the supply camp of Qi Bin's new army quickly pushed more than 300 tanks to the front of the formation. The various arms of Qi Bin's new army also quickly set up defensive formations with each tank as the core. .
Qi Bin's new army was so well-trained that it took only a stick of incense to prepare all this. The Mongolian coalition forces that were charging across the river did not react at all.
After the vehicle formation was arranged, and seeing that the Mongolian cavalry were only about 500 steps away from the north bank of the Weishui River, Qi Bin calmly ordered again: "Instruct the rear army, and the tiger crouching artillery should aim at the place where the Mongolian Tatar troops are most concentrated and fire continuously! After the Mongolian Tatars enter the range of a hundred steps in front of the formation, all the fire rifle soldiers immediately start shooting in three stages! We must not let the Mongolian Tatars come ashore!"
The Tiger Crouching Cannon was also invented by Qi Jiguang back then. It was improved from the bowl-mouthed cannon. It has the advantages of being easy to carry and firing quickly. The ammunition used is mainly stones and lead balls. Its power is slightly insufficient, but its killing range is extremely large. Da, once played a huge role in the Qi Jiajun's campaign to annihilate the Japanese and Mongolia.
To this day, this kind of artillery is considered outdated around the world, but the East Asian armies of this era are all competing with each other. The Mongolian cavalry still uses the same old tactics from a hundred years ago. Bian purchased some guns and artillery, but these modern guns and artillery were only widely equipped in Galdan's Guards, and Bagan's troops were only allocated to a very small number, so the Tiger Crouching Cannon was still a big kill on the Weishui battlefield. among the instruments.
Before Qi Bin turned against Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen spared no effort in supporting Qi Bin's new army. Therefore, Qi Bin's new army was equipped with more than thirty tiger crouching cannons.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Following Qi Bin's order, more than thirty tiger squatting cannons fired in unison. The sound of the cannons shook the earth, and lead stones filled the sky and were fired at the Junggar cavalry!
The vanguard of the Dzungar cavalry was immediately overturned, with many casualties and casualties. The originally clear Wei River soon turned bloody. Just one round of artillery fire caused more than 200 casualties. All the Dzungar cavalry within the range of the artillery fire were covered in wounds. There are hundreds of holes and the death is tragic.
"Damn it! The Han army on the north bank is only two to three thousand people, why are they equipped with so many cannons!"
After seeing the cavalry under his command being bombarded by artillery fire, Bagan immediately felt anxious and urged: "Everyone in the army, speed up! The range of the Han artillery is fixed. As long as it rushes within the range of the artillery, the Han artillery cannot have any impact." Threatening!"
As he roared loudly, Bagan took the lead and rushed towards the north bank.
It's a pity that the Junggar cavalry is now forcibly crossing the Wei River. Although the Wei River here is shallow, it is also as deep as a horse's belly. In addition, the water flow is relatively rapid, which greatly slows down the speed of the Junggar cavalry.
Therefore, although the Junggar cavalry kept waving their whips, their speed across the river was still unable to increase much. In the end, they withstood three consecutive rounds of artillery bombardment by Qi Bin's new army, causing nearly a thousand casualties.
However, when the Junggar cavalry finally rushed to within a hundred steps of the north bank of the Weishui River and hid in the blind spot of the Crouching Tiger Artillery, what greeted them was a three-stage burst of gunfire from Qi Bin's new army!
I saw the bird gunners of Qi Bin's new army arranged neatly in three rows. After the bird gunners in the first row finished shooting, they would retreat to the rear and reload the gunpowder lead. At the same time, the bird gunners in the second row would replenish the gunpowder in time. Continue to shoot in the upper position. After the second row of bird gunners completes shooting, the third row of bird gunners will take over the position and shoot in time. At this time, the first row of bird gunners have already loaded the gunpowder and lead and are ready to fire at any time. The second round of launch is ready!
After this period of hard training, Qi Bin's new army has become more and more well-trained. Although the gunmen were a little nervous about the first battle, there was no chaos when shooting and advancing and retreating, and the cooperation was extremely tacit!
But for the Junggar cavalry, the well-trained shooting of Qi Bin's new army was a hellish sight! The gunfire in front of me is like continuous raindrops, without any sign of stopping. Each round of shooting will give the Junggar cavalry a head-on blow!
At this time, there was only about a hundred steps between the Junggar cavalry and the north bank of the Weishui River. Under normal circumstances, this distance would be just a charge for the Junggar cavalry. However, under the continuous shooting of Qi Bin's new army, what was in front of them was The distance of a hundred steps turned out to be as difficult as a natural chasm! The Dzungar cavalry rushing at the front were shot to death and wounded by cannons, and their corpses would block the path of the following troops. The entire Dzungar cavalry was a scene of people falling on their backs, even if occasionally a few Dzungar cavalry rushed against the rain of bullets. When they reached the north bank of the Weishui River, they were helpless under the obstruction of the vehicle array of Qi Bin's new army. They would soon be besieged and killed by the pikemen of Qi Bin's new army.
Just like this, in just a quarter of an hour, the Junggar cavalry suffered heavy casualties. The corpses of the knights and horses soon filled the river, and the Wei River east of the battlefield turned red.
If it weren't for the last-ditch battle, the Junggar cavalry would have collapsed at this time!
"Damn it! Where did this Han army come from! It is equipped with so many guns and cannons, even the guards of the Great Khan of Galdan are nothing more than that!
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be afraid of them. They can be easily defeated by dividing the troops into two wings and outflanking them. But now all the Junggar warriors are blocked in the Wei River. Not only are their marching speeds slow, but they are also deep in the river on both sides and cannot march. How can they Isn't it a situation where you can only take a beating and not fight back?
Is it possible that we have to endure casualties and wait until the Han army's artillery fire is insufficient before we can continue to break through? If this is the case, even if they finally succeed in breaking through, how many Junggar warriors will be left? "
Under the protection of the guards, Bagan hid behind him, covering his shoulders tightly with his hands, looking at everything in front of him with a pale face, his expression was slightly desperate, but he no longer dared to underestimate Qi Bin's new army on the north bank of the Weishui River.
However, even with Bagan's skillful command and rich combat experience, he could not think of a better solution for such a situation.
In fact, this situation was already doomed when the Junggar cavalry forcibly crossed the Wei River.
When the Junggar cavalry began to forcibly cross the Wei River, they had lost their mobility advantage and could not disperse their formation. The enemy they faced had a large number of cannons and artillery and had completed the transformation of a modern army. Qi Bin’s new army!
Numerous cases in later generations have proven that when intensive charges are met with continuous gunfire, no matter how many people there are, it is just a matter of death.
In short, this was a typical crushing victory of a modern army against an ancient army!
Just when Bogen was helpless, a cavalry suddenly ran up to Bogen and reported loudly: "Master Bogen, the Mongolian right-wing cavalry from the rear army has begun to enter the Wei River!"
After hearing the report, Bagan quickly turned around and quickly discovered the sight of the Mongolian right-wing cavalry beginning to forcefully cross the Wei River. He was immediately overjoyed and completely forgot about his previous intention to abandon the Mongolian right-wing cavalry, and quickly ordered: "Send someone to inform Chief Qigemu as soon as possible, and let him lead the Mongolian right-wing warriors to attack the Han people's defense line on the north bank of the Wei River! The Han people will never be able to hold on for long with such a continuous fire of guns and blunderbuss, and their blunderbuss will soon be It cannot be used because it is overheated. As long as we persist for a while, we will definitely be able to break through the Han army's defense line!"
Following Bagan's order, not long after, the Mongolian right-wing cavalry in the rear indeed accelerated their marching speed and rushed towards the north bank of the Weishui River.
After seeing this scene, Bagan felt happy again.
At this point in the battle, the Mongolian right-wing cavalry suffered very little damage and still maintained a strength of tens of thousands. Bagan believed that as long as the Mongolian right-wing cavalry joined the battlefield, it would be able to withstand the continuous cannon fire of the Han army on the north bank of the Weishui River.
However, when the Mongolian right-wing cavalry rushed to the rear of the Junggar cavalry, a scene happened that stunned Bagan!
The Mongolian right-wing cavalry did not attack the Han defense line on the north bank of the Wei River with the Junggar cavalry. Instead, they waved their sabers at the Junggar cavalry in front of them!
Unprepared, the Junggar cavalry suddenly suffered heavy casualties and became a mess! Many Dzungar cavalrymen opened their eyes in disbelief when they were about to die, still not understanding what happened.
At this time, in front of the Junggar cavalry was the iron-walled defense line of the Han army, behind was the Mongolian right wing who defected and pursued fiercely, and on the left and right were the deep water areas of the Weishui River that they could not enter. It can be said that the Junggar cavalry was in a desperate situation. Among them, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is difficult to fly with wings!
Seeing this scene, Bagan was frightened and angry, but also looked desperate.
For a time, many thoughts went through Bagan's mind.
"Damn it! The Mongolian right wing dares to betray its own people!
"When did they collude with the Han people?"
"Is it possible that all the tens of thousands of Junggar warriors will be buried here today?"
"After this battle, the Junggar Khanate must have suffered a serious loss of vitality! Wouldn't it have delayed the ambitions of the Great Khan Galdan?"
"So many Junggar warriors have been killed and wounded. Even if I can escape safely back to Mobei, how can I have the face to meet Galdan Khan?"
Thoughts in his mind kept turning, and Bagan's complexion became paler. He held the handle of the knife in his right hand and gradually moved the blade towards his neck, but he already had the idea of committing suicide to apologize.
However, just before the blade touched his neck, Bagan suddenly stopped moving, and the despair in his expression gradually turned into madness and hatred!
I saw Bagan turning his horse's head, waving the saber in his hand, and roared loudly: "All Dzungar warriors obey the order! The Mongolian right wing has betrayed us. They knelt down before the Han people and begged for surrender. They are a shame to all Mongolians! Kill them all with me." them!"
After saying that, Bagan, with a majestic momentum, led the Junggar knights around him to charge towards the Mongolian right-wing cavalry in the rear!
At the same time, Bagan completely gave up attacking the Han army's defense line on the north bank of the Weishui River!
Compared with the Han army, Bagan could not forgive the betrayal of the Mongolian right wing!
Bagan originally planned to commit suicide to apologize, but before he died, he placed all the blame for the defeat on the Mongolian right wing!
If the Mongolian right wing had not been violating the rule of law, the Mongolian coalition would not have repeatedly hit the wall this time!
If it weren't for the secret reserve of strength by the Mongolian right wing, the Mongolian coalition forces would have already broken through Jiezhou City!
If it hadn't been for the sudden defection of the Mongolian right wing, the Mongolian coalition's last chance of victory would not have disappeared!
No matter what the facts are, this is what Bagan thinks at this time!
Bagan knew very well that when the war had developed to this point, the Junggar cavalry could not escape the end of the entire army being annihilated. The huge guilt completely overwhelmed Bogen, who was still determined at first, so Bogen had to find an outlet. The responsibility must be transferred to the Mongolian right wing, otherwise he will go completely crazy and will not be able to rest in peace even if he dies!
Therefore, at the last moment, Bagan stopped attacking the Han defense line on the north bank of the Wei River. Instead, he ordered the entire army to attack the Mongolian right wing!
As a result, on the Wei River, the Junggar cavalry and the Mongolian right-wing cavalry fought together. The battle became more chaotic and more tragic!
A large number of corpses of Mongolian knights piled up together, blocking the river, and the entire Wei River was dyed red with blood.
*
On the north bank of the Weishui River, Qi Bin was stunned to see such changes in the war.
He had long known that the Mongolian right wing might defect before the battle, but he did not expect that the decisive battle would eventually turn into a fight between Junggar and the Mongolian right wing. Qi Bin's new army could only act at this time. View from the wall.
Regarding this situation, Qi Bin was actually a little dissatisfied, because Qi Bin believed that Qi Bin's new army still had enough strength, and there was no need for the Mongolian right wing to defect on the battlefield. Qi Bin's new army could completely annihilate the Junggar cavalry!
In fact, Qi Bin also prepared many catapults and fire oil cans. Qi Bin originally planned to use fire to block the Junggar cavalry when the battle became fierce, but this back-up move was obviously useless now.
But in this way, Qi Bin's new army lost most of its military merits! If there had not been a sudden defection from the Mongolian right wing, Qi Bin could have wiped out the Junggar cavalry by himself. By then, Qi Bin would have become famous in one battle, and his military achievements would be second only to Zhao Junchen. Even Zhao Junchen would not dare to do so after the war. It was easy to target Qi Bin, but now because of the sudden defection of the Mongolian right wing, Qi Bin's originally legendary contribution to total annihilation has become an ordinary contribution to blocking the enemy. Most of the credit is attributed to Zhao Junchen's instigation of the Mongolian right wing. The situation Nature is completely different.
Just when Qi Bin was secretly dissatisfied, a general flag officer next to him suddenly suggested: "Qi Shoubei, are we just going to watch the Mongolian right wing and Junggar fight?"
Qi Bin turned to look at this person with a slightly complicated expression and asked, "What do you think should be done?"
This chief flag officer was only in his early twenties, with fair skin, handsome appearance, and a seemingly humble and arrogant attitude.
This man claimed to be Wang He. He was a small landowner in Yiwu. He was a talent discovered by Qi Bin when he was recruiting troops in Yiwu some time ago. Qi Bin once valued him very much and soon promoted him to the military position of chief flag officer. However, Then Qi Bin gradually noticed something fishy and discovered that Wang He's name, background, and origin were all disguises!
After secretly investigating, Qi Bin discovered that this person's real name was Zhao He, and he was not from Yiwu, but a direct descendant of the Zhao family, a wealthy family in Yangzhou, and a distant cousin of Zhao Junchen!
Then, Qi Bin soon discovered that Zhao He had been secretly funded by Zhao Junchen, buying people's hearts and forming cliques within the New Army! Moreover, there are several people in Qi Bin's new army who are related to the Zhao family in Yangzhou, or are brothers of Zhao He, or are long-term workers of the Zhao family in Yangzhou for generations.
It was precisely because of Zhao He that Qi Bin discovered Zhao Junchen's ambition to intervene in military power, and he gradually drifted away from Zhao Junchen.
Therefore, after seeing Zhao He speak, Qi Bin's mood was naturally a bit complicated, but on the surface he remained calm, as if he had no idea of Zhao He's true identity.
On the other side, Zhao He seemed not to notice Qi Bin's abnormal attitude at all, and still suggested: "Based on my humble position, it seems that the Junggar cavalry is now unable to escape. Our army should take the initiative to attack... After all, we are facing Military merit is calculated based on the head rank. Although our army has killed a large number of Mongolian Tatars, without the enemy's heads as evidence, it will be difficult to convince people when judging merit in the future. Now the Junggar cavalry is in chaos. , if our army takes advantage of the situation to attack, we can kill more Tatars and collect more heads. The brothers in the army can also get more military awards in the future...Qi Shoubei is not a despicable person who is greedy for merit, but this time the Weishui River The decisive battle is the only battle our army has had in this period of time. Seeing that this year’s fire sifting of invaders is about to come to an end, if we miss this opportunity, I am afraid it will be difficult to reap military glory in the future!"
Although he didn't like Zhao He's ulterior motives, Qi Bin had to admit that Zhao He's statement did make sense.
After thinking for a moment, Qi Bin raised his hand and gave the order: "Send the order, all gunmen will stay on the shore and continue to set up defenses, and all the remaining soldiers will follow me to attack the enemy!"
However, when Qi Bin passed the order, he did not notice the flash of ecstasy and murderous intent in Zhao He's eyes, nor did he notice Zhao He secretly winking at the guards behind him.
After receiving Zhao He's wink, the expressions of several guards behind Qi Bin also changed slightly, all with sinister expressions.
*
At the same time, from the high platform of the Chinese army on the south bank of the Wei River, Zhao Junchen looked at the progress of the war on the Wei River. After seeing that the Mongolian right wing and Junggar began to fight each other, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said: "This war is finally over. It’s over, and this year’s battle of invading invaders has been settled... However, at the last moment, the Junggar cavalry abandoned Qi Bin’s new army on the north bank and turned to attack the Mongolian right-wing cavalry with all their strength. It was an unexpected surprise and I saw it. It’s a good show of cannibalism…”
After hearing Zhao Junchen's muttering, Fang Zhenshan's mind became the most active, and he quickly congratulated: "The victory in this battle was entirely due to the strategizing of the Imperial Envoy. It is precisely because of the wise command of the Imperial Envoy that we can achieve this." Today’s glorious victory! In this battle, 100,000 Mongolian coalition troops were wiped out in one fell swoop. The great achievements of the Imperial Envoy will surely go down in history!”
As Fang Zhenshan finished speaking, all the officials also said in unison: "Congratulations to the Imperial Envoy for your illustrious military exploits. This battle will surely shock the government and the public, and your reputation will be passed down through the ages!"
Hearing the congratulations from the officials, Zhao Junchen couldn't help laughing a few times even though he had always been reserved and deep-tempered. He felt that at this moment, he had gradually begun to break free from the invisible shackles on his body. From now on, he would Entering a new stage.
After Zhao Junchen's laughter subsided, Fang Zhenshan asked cautiously: "However, your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, although the Mongolian right wing has defected before the battle this time, are we really going to let them go after the war? I always feel... It’s such a pity to lose the fat like this!”
Zhao Junchen, however, smiled half-heartedly and asked, "What do you think?"
Without waiting for Fang Zhenshan's answer, Zhao Junchen said meaningfully: "Of course, this imperial envoy must keep his promise. After all, this is related to the credibility of the court, but how to fulfill the promise is another matter!"
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