In addition, Duduo also sent people to ask Shang Keai for 800 wrapped Aha belonging to the Tianzhu Army. Together with the troops on the front line, the offensive force on the right once again exceeded 10,000 people.
Among them, the Eight Banners soldiers numbered 6,000. No matter in terms of quality or quantity, they were determined to attack the dog barbarians who were entrenched on the top of the mountain and tried to continue their stubborn resistance.
However, the battle report Duduo received was extremely inaccurate, because the losses were so severe that the frontline commanders did not dare to report the situation truthfully.
We can only hope to break through the barbarian's line of defense again, and then report the truth to Prince Yu, so that the merits can be eliminated. Otherwise, it would be strange to say it directly and not get whipped.
The Eight Banners soldiers who were recuperating and resting in the mountains totaled less than 4,000 including the reinforcements that rushed over. Most of the others were injured. They had fought fiercely with the dog barbarian for more than an hour, and now they were tired and sore.
It is already summer, whether it is a military campaign or an attack on the mountains. The Eight Banners soldiers, wearing double or even triple layers of armor, running for several miles on the mountain road and fighting many times will accelerate the loss of water in the body, thus exhausting their physical strength.
Compared with the "Ming army" who was stationed on the ground and waited for the enemy, the physical strength of the Qing army soldiers who were always in the upward attack and pursuit stages was much different.
Every Eight Banners soldier is skilled in bow and horse. They can gallop when mounted and fight when dismounted. In the past, the Eight Banners' tactics were to circle around and shoot. After discovering the flaws of the Ming army, they could form a group and charge into battle.
The worst time is to rush to the front of the formation, then dismount and fight with the Ming army. This can save most of the Eight Banners soldiers' physical strength for hand-to-hand combat.
But in the Laotieshan area, this strategy is completely unfeasible, because the plains on the east and west sides of Laotieshan are coastal areas.
Once close to the seaside, it means that it will be violently bombarded by hundreds of warships at sea.
No matter how capable the Eight Banners soldiers are, even if there are thousands of them, they can't defeat the thousands of artillery pieces facing them.
The only way to avoid the sea bombardment and attack the mountain is to dismount and fight up the mountain on foot.
In fact, it is possible to ride horses up the mountain, but as long as the Ming army uses artillery and other weapons to injure the horses, the Eight Banners soldiers behind them who attack the mountain on foot will suffer.
Moreover, the mountain itself is littered with the corpses of Tianyoujun soldiers, and there are obstacles almost everywhere, making it difficult to walk. Riding a horse up the mountain is almost impossible to succeed.
In order to avoid hurting their own soldiers, both Dorgon and Daishan ordered their Eight Banners soldiers to dismount and fight on foot.
On the plains, the heavily armored Eight Banners soldiers could persist for more than two hours with their strong physical fitness and tenacity. However, when fighting in the mountains, they could only persist for one and a half hours and had to wait for most of the day.
After several attacks failed to succeed, the Eight Banners soldiers with white flags could only turn back to rest on the mountain ridge they had occupied. If they wanted to charge again, they would have to wait until morning.
The Qing army also didn't know that it was much more tiring to do five twenty-meter turnback runs than to charge 200 meters at a time, and they had used this method to attack the "Ming army" positions before.
Rush forward and get beaten back!
He rushed forward again, only to be beaten back again!
The one-way distance for each turnaround is more than fifty steps!
No matter how energetic the Eight Banners soldiers are, after doing this several times in a row, they will be so tired that they sit on the ground and are unwilling to get up.
What made the Qing army even more helpless was that there was no water source on the mountain here. After drinking all the water they carried, a group of people could only rely on the coated aha to deliver water to the mountain.
Without water, how can we fight physically?
Even the strong Eight Banners soldiers could not withstand the lack of water.
The Eight Banners generals on the front line have sent people to ask Prince Duduo of Yu to give them enough water, food, gunpowder and cannons, plus reinforcements.
Only by meeting these conditions can we hope to capture the mountain range occupied by the "Ming Army" on the opposite side. Otherwise, even if we use human lives to fill it, it will be difficult to be sure of victory.
Although this place belonged to the Qing Dynasty, the Japanese army who held the bound map knew much more about this place than their opponents.
The second ridge of Laotieshan is in the shape of a wooden comb. Under the main ridge running east-west, there are seven secondary ridges running north-south.
Moreover, the west is lower and the east is higher. All the high-altitude mountains are still in the hands of the Japanese army. After working for a long time, they can only knock down some low-lying mountains on the west side.
The area leading to the first mountain range is relatively high, which was the goal that the Qing army had been trying to capture, but the Japanese army also knew the importance of this place.
After receiving a timely report, Abe once again increased the number of troops stationed here to as many as 5,000. The purpose was to prevent the Qing army from detouring from the flanks to the rear of its own defense line and avoid a total collapse of the entire line.
The only way to attack here is the road in front of us, which is less than ten paces wide. Another way is to go south along the lateral ridge.
Turning back near the seaside is equivalent to a four- to five-mile detour through the mountains.
This is secondly, the important thing is that there are still many "Ming troops" hiding on this road waiting to ambush them.
The implementation of siege and no attack here forced the "Ming Army" to mutiny, surrender, or take the initiative to attack due to lack of water.
At the end of the southern slope of the mountain is the sea. As long as the Ming navy is still there, it can bombard and rush to the rescue of the defenders on the mountain at any time.
After the Japanese army quickly retreated south from Fuzhou, they retreated to Laotieshan and did nothing. Tens of thousands of them were digging holes.
The pits dug this time were different from the previous ones. They were all connected, and trenches were dug on the top of the entire mountain to hold on.
Faced with the criss-crossing "trench groups", even if the Qing army captured one or several locations, they would not be able to seize the initiative on the battlefield.
After adopting trench tactics, the number of Japanese casualties who hid in the trenches and attacked the opponent plummeted.
By counting with the naked eye on site, the summary results of each department are added.
Abe Shigetsu probably learned that his own battle loss ratio was about five, that is to say, for every five enemy soldiers killed, one of his own soldiers was lost.
This means that this novel tactic is not only feasible, but also brings great benefits to one's own side, and is extremely attractive to the Japanese army.
More importantly, as long as the Japanese army did not die on the spot or were seriously injured and could not be treated, they could be treated with special medicines, which was not possible for the Qing army.
As long as they were within the range of artillery, iron cannons and even crossbows, any enemy wounded soldiers would be shot to death by samurai and ashigaru, regardless of their level.
Abe Shigetsu believed that the number of enemies killed on the first day was about three thousand, and from yesterday to this morning it was two thousand, totaling five thousand. After discounting, it was one million taels of silver.
This "general who conquered the captives" just had doubts about how to exchange it, because most of the results could not be counted and could only be visually verified by Ming officials.
The quantities verified are of course estimates and cannot be exact.
Abe Shigetsu was relieved because the Japanese army was determined not to cheat.
The results of the battle are lying there, and neither our side nor the opponent can drag them away.
In order to increase the reliability of the results, Abe Shigeji also asked the cameraman sent by the Ming Dynasty Crown Prince to take a bunch of on-site photos as evidence.
This was more convincing than any official's report. Abe once again believed that his side could at least cash in 70% to 80% of the established amount.
If the exchange amount promised by the Ming Kingdom is too low, it will inevitably affect future cooperation between the two parties. Everything will have to wait for the outcome of the negotiations between the Ming Crown Prince and the court.
The current task of the Japanese army is to hold on to the defense areas that they can hold, even if some places have been captured by the enemy, it does not matter.
What Abe was worried about again was not the morale, casualties, combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, or even the amount of silver that would be redeemed in the future, but the same object - grenades!
In order to prevent the Qing army from attacking the mountain, the frontline Japanese troops used a large number of grenades in the battle. Currently, all Japanese troops are begging for such weapons to continue their defense.
However, Abe Shigetsu only had 2,000 grenades left in his hand. This was the last inventory. Once they were allocated, there would be no more.
He didn't know if the Ming Crown Prince could send a ship to transport grenades in time. Even if there were only a few thousand grenades, it would solve a big problem.
After receiving reports of the tense land battle, both Mao Yuanyi and Zheng Zhibao allocated hundreds of tiger squatting cannons, hundreds of muskets, and thousands of bird muskets from their navy, and sent them to the shore.
Although the division of labor between the two sides was clear, the two generals who commanded the navy also knew very well that as long as the Japanese troops stayed ashore for one more day, they could kill hundreds or even thousands more Qing troops.
This is a result they are very happy to see. The victory achieved by the Japanese army is the victory achieved by the Ming Dynasty. If one more Tatar is killed, the Ming Dynasty will gain one more hope of victory.
The cooperation between the Zheng family and a certain prince was long-term and in-depth, and the Denglai Navy expected the imperial court to vigorously build the navy and allocate more silver. Thinking of this, the two generals spared no effort to support the Japanese troops on the shore.
Also brought ashore were baskets of seafood, fish, shrimps, shells, crabs, snails, and a large amount of kelp, plus barrels of fresh water.
Even after the war reached this point, the Japanese army still maintained high morale and combat effectiveness, which was inseparable from strong logistical support.
The dining standards on the battlefield are: half a pound of kelp, a pound of rice balls, and a bag of water per person per meal in Ashigaru. The seafood depends on the fishing situation. When there is a shortage, two ounces of bacon are used to make up for it.
A large number of rice balls were provided because many Ashugaru would rather be "full to death" than fight on an empty stomach. For them, as long as they can eat well, they can continue to hold on to the position.
Due to the surge of ocean currents near the peninsula, many microorganisms are brought in, which can support the survival and reproduction of fish. The seafood here is not only large in quantity, but also very rich in species.
The Japanese army did not have high requirements for main dishes. As long as they were caught from the sea, regardless of shape, color, or even raw or cooked, they could be used for meals.
The prince of the Ming Dynasty said that there are many parasites in shelled seafood, and it must be cooked before eating, otherwise it will cause diarrhea and cause the soldiers to collapse.
Abe Shigetsu ordered the entire army not to eat it raw. It would taste better after being cooked and would be easier to transport to the front line.
There are a lot of seafood off the coast of Lushun. For example, the most common ones are mackerel, seabass, hairtail, flat fish, pomfret, barracuda, yellow croaker, and bullhead fish.
The fish caught alone can basically meet the needs of most Japanese ashigaru. Daimyos and samurai can taste better-tasting sea cucumbers, conches, clams, razor clams, oysters, octopus, shrimps, swimming crabs and other seafood. .
The fishermen who were recruited from the coast of Shandong were very reluctant to go out with the army at first, but after seeing that the caught seafood could be weighed and discounted when it was landed, everyone enthusiastically worked hard.
Mao Yuanyi has told everyone that no matter what objects they fish out from the sea, even a basket of kelp, they can be exchanged for cash or copper coins immediately when they are transported to the shore.
According to a certain prince's drastic measures, as long as Yu Min works off the coast of Lushun for one day, adults can receive two kilograms of rice per day, and teenagers can receive one kilogram, regardless of gender!
At present, the sea outside Lushun is calm, and the water temperature is at its best, so there is no problem in fishing. There are naval warships nearby for protection, so the fishermen on each boat are doing their best to make money.
According to the current situation, the war can only last for half a month at most. When both sides fight to the point where both sides are injured, the fight will be no longer possible, and tens of thousands of Japanese troops will be able to return home in glory.
Since they have not been with the army for a long time, the fishermen who came from Denglai cannot delay their own affairs, not to mention that the money earned by working here for a month is equivalent to more than three months of fishing in Shandong.
The population around Lushun is not large, so the fishing volume in the nearby waters is very low. Even if large-scale fishing operations are now implemented, thousands of baskets of seafood are caught every day.
Anyway, idleness is idleness. With the consent of Zheng Zhibao and Mao Yuanyi, some small and medium-sized warships of the Ming army who had nothing to do also joined the fishing army.
Each warship actually carries a lot of fishing nets, because fishing boats cannot follow the warship to any sea area. After the warship completes its combat mission in the designated sea area, it often does not return quickly.
It is normal to rest on the spot. At this time, the fishing nets brought will be of great use. The sailors on every battleship will not be willing to eat dried meat that is similar to firewood while resting at sea.
According to the battlefield regulations agreed upon in advance, all Ming warships must catch the seafood they need by themselves and cannot drag down the fishing boats delivering goods to the Japanese army.
Therefore, whether it was the reconnaissance cavalry sent by the Qing army or the Japanese army on the top of the mountain, they could see up to a thousand ships on the sea fishing for seafood together.
The left and right naval forces of the Qing Dynasty were almost wiped out, and the remaining small broken ships did not dare to take the initiative to provoke the large Ming army fleet.
This allows any ship on the Ming army's side to fish for seafood without any threat, and the pirates on each ship can even lie on the deck and bask in the sun.
The dining place is the beach, and the division of labor between the two sides is clear. Even if the Japanese army is tight on the front, it will not delay the Ming Navy officers and soldiers on the rear...
The Dengrai Navy finally felt proud. Even knowing that the Qing army was attacking the Japanese army less than three miles away from them, they would also put a bunch of "barbeque feasts" on the beach.
The Dog Tartars dared to charge over on horseback, and what "welcomed" them was not all kinds of seafood, but hundreds of artillery pieces of various types!
Mao Yuanyi had already determined that even the Qing army was equipped with dozens of Hongyi cannons, which would most likely be used to bombard the top of the mountain, and he was determined not to use this precious weapon to bombard his navy.
It's not impossible for Hongyi cannons to attack water divisions, but the Denglai navy is also equipped with a lot of Hongyi cannons, which can completely counterattack from a long distance.
The senior officers of the Dog Tartars are all treacherous and sycophantic people, and they will definitely not do such stupid things. Therefore, the entire Denglai navy can dine on the beach with confidence and boldness.
Mao Yuanyi even hoped in her heart that the Gou Tatars would send some people to fight them. In this case, a bunch of cannons on the Denglai naval battleship would be targeted...
