The next afternoon, after a break, Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Ju, and Zheng Shao sat together with Yang Zhan, Tang Tong, and Luo Dai to discuss whether to pursue the defeated enemy troops.
The victory of the Ming Dynasty was already a certainty. Unless Taiji, the leader of the Qin Dynasty, personally led his army to the north, the arrival of three to five thousand people would not change the situation of the war.
Zheng Jiaqi's fleet is responsible for protecting the sea, so there is no need to worry about the Dog Tartars attacking from the sea again. The black water is not frozen now, and the Dog Tartars cannot cross the river by land at all.
It is natural to pursue the dog Tatars who fled to the hinterland of Fuguo. The problem is that Fuguo, the defenders and the Zheng army only have more than 200 horses in total.
According to the prisoners' confessions and post-war counts, it was confirmed that 1,122 dog Tatars were killed and 875 were captured. The two items combined totaled less than 2,000 people.
Compared with its total strength of 4,500, almost 2,500 people are at large.
This is a considerable amount, and it is difficult for our side to kill them all with only more than 200 cavalry.
Although the hunters and people of Fuguo are familiar with the surrounding terrain, as long as the dog Tatars escape into the mountains, it will be quite time-consuming and laborious to suppress them.
The cold winter is a double-edged sword for both the enemy and us. Both Yang Zhan and Zheng Chenggong successively asked the Orions of Fukuo and their own sailors traveling to the North about the local situation.
The result is very pessimistic. Only with a wooden house can we survive the nearly five months of cold winter. Even if the winter passes, the temperature will not be as warm as in Guan Nei.
Basically, after October, the people of Fuguo finish harvesting their crops and only engage in hunting and fishing as their main activities. The rest is like hiding in the house like a bear during the winter.
Among the four troops, only Yang Zhan's troops have local combat experience, and the remaining three troops are here to help.
Both Zheng Chenggong, Luo Dai and Tang Tong were hesitant about going into the mountains to encircle and suppress the Dog Tatars in the cold winter.
But we still have to fight, otherwise the two thousand and five hundred dog Tatars will be a considerable force.
After being gathered together, it may come back at any time and threaten the security of Fuguo. Fuguo's soldiers and horses alone are simply unable to resist it.
Therefore, we must pursue it first, and if we fail to succeed, we can then calculate.
On the second day after the war, Zheng Ju led 4,000 people to join forces with King Fu's troops and nearly a thousand injured soldiers to guard the house.
Yang Zhan, Luo Dai, Tang Tong, and Zheng Chenggong led their troops into four groups to encircle and suppress the hinterland of Fuguo.
Due to the lack of cavalry, the distance between each group of people and horses was less than five miles, and they also had hunters as guides.
The agreed round trip time was seven days, because the food carried by the baggage vehicles was only enough for the army for seven days.
Based on the calculation of marching forty miles per day, it would take three days to reach a hundred miles deep into the hinterland of Fuguo.
If there is still no trace of the main force of Donglu, they must return immediately to avoid falling into the opponent's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain.
As the emperor's disciple led an army on his own for the first time, a certain revered master did not give him any gifts.
Zheng Chenggong brought two airships with him on this trip for reconnaissance purposes, but they were much more useful than reconnaissance cavalry.
Under good weather conditions, the visual distance from the airship can reach more than twenty miles.
As long as there is no dense forest cover, the Donglu soldiers gathering in groups will definitely be discovered by the pilots.
Sure enough, about half an hour after the airship took off, traces of smoke and dust were discovered about fifteen miles west of the capital of Fuguo.
As long as smoke rises from the ground, it is very obvious and easy to detect from a high altitude.
However, due to the long distance between the targets and the cover of the woods, the pilots were unable to determine whether there were any signs of Donglu troops and horses.
Under the instructions of the airship, the four troops surrounded the designated target area, and at the same time, they had to be careful to avoid being ambushed by Donglu along the way.
All the trees within ten miles of the capital of Fuguo had been cut down, and the people who migrated there chose places with fewer big trees to open up wasteland for farming.
There are also many farmlands in the hinterland ten miles away, but no one is active on them due to the season. Occasionally, some birds and beasts can be seen.
Donglu soldiers and horses are unlikely to appear in the fields. If they are exposed, they will be attacked by the Ming Dynasty king's army, and they can only hide in the mountains and forests.
After the various Ming armies arrived at their destination, they did find a large number of stove pits on the ground, and there were even wounded and dead soldiers.
Some of them were even killed by their companions, which can be distinguished from the fresh knife edges.
It is currently unknown how much food the Donglu carried when they were defeated the night before yesterday.
Neither Yang Zhan nor Zheng Chenggong believed that the military rations carried by the dog Tatars were enough for them to fight nearby for a long time, but they could not fall into the opponent's plan to reduce the number of soldiers.
Under the leadership of Orion and Scout Cavalry, the army continued to pursue the hinterland according to its marching traces.
The airship found signs of Donglu soldiers' activities about ten miles northwest of Zaokeng, and more than 15,000 Ming troops immediately pounced on them.
The further we go, the more obvious the footprints left by the Dog Tartars are, and they are extremely numerous, so they are probably their main force.
Even though they had a strength advantage of no less than five times, Yang Zhan and others did not dare to underestimate the enemy.
Dog Tartars are inherently aggressive people, and now they are forced into a desperate situation. As long as they are not determined to escape, they will definitely fight back to the death to fight like a trapped beast.
At this time, the sky was covered with gray clouds, a large number of snowflakes fell from the sky, the visibility suddenly dropped, and the airship began to fly towards the seaside under the influence of the wind.
The rest of the matter had to be solved by the ground troops, and the four troops began a dragnet-like sweep.
Once one of them discovers the enemy or is attacked by the dog Tatars, the other three will immediately circle around the two wings and try to encircle and annihilate this enemy force.
"Warriors of the Qing Dynasty, you must kill the barbarians to survive. The time has come to be loyal to the emperor!"
When Xituku saw the dog barbarians following him, he decided to use the mountainous terrain here to ambush the dog barbarians who came to die.
Moreover, there is not much food left. If we don’t fight hard, we will starve to death before freezing to death.
Only by defeating the barbarian in front of them and seizing the food they carry can they maintain their troops and continue fighting.
Realizing that they were at the end of their rope, the Qing soldiers were determined to die. If they failed to win, they would have no choice but to become savages in the mountains.
After seeing that the Ming army had reached the designated ambush area, Xituku briefly spoke as a mobilization message, and then all the troops rushed down.
The target was Tang Tong's headquarters located on the easternmost side, with a strength of about 2,700 men. It can be said that the two sides were roughly the same size, but Tang Tong's headquarters carried more than 30 tanks.
"Brothers! Hold on for me, general! We are surrounded by reinforcements. We must annihilate these dog Tatars! Send the signal bomb quickly!"
Tang Tong was riding on a horse, waving a long sword to order his men around him.
As long as the tanks are still there, the infantry has nothing to fear and can defend in place.
At most half an hour, Zheng Jun, who is located on the west side of his army, can come to help.
Tang Tong did not believe that his troops could not withstand the attack of the Dog Tatars for half an hour even with tanks.
All tanks, along with baggage vehicles, were immediately pushed in the direction of the enemy's attack and used as bunkers and firepower points.
Whether it is infantry or tank soldiers, they have enough time to reload their ammunition before the dog Tatars rush over.
"Give me a bayonet! Kill the dog Tatar! Your Majesty has an order. When we meet on a narrow road, the brave will win!"
Since the ambush was at a very close distance, the musket could be fired three times, but maybe it could only be fired twice.
When muskets cannot kill Dog Tatars in large numbers, hand-to-hand combat becomes inevitable after throwing grenades.
The captains' orders ordered the infantrymen under their jurisdiction to install bayonets on their muskets. Everyone did not want to die in this cold and freezing place.
The tank guns began to roar non-stop, and the mortars also fired explosive packets after being loaded.
According to this, about two to three hundred steps away was the leading Donglu force that rushed down, and a large number of artillery shells had already fallen around them.
Similar to the previous confrontation, the Qing infantry still began a large-scale charge under fierce artillery fire.
At least this time fighting in the wild is much easier than fighting the dog barbarians huddled in the village.
Xituku left one Niu Lu's Zhengbai Banner Eight Banners soldier in the rear to hold down the formation, and the rest of the troops pressed forward.
Whether you succeed or not depends on this experience. You can't live up to the prince's trust in you.
Before destroying all the men under his command, at least one of the barbarians must be severely damaged.
Although this place is not Saerhu, it still has the majesty and momentum of the Qing Dynasty King's Division.
"Kill the barbarian!"
In order to grab food, the armored soldiers of the Qing army also risked their lives, and they had to die with a full stomach.
Although there are always companions on the charge, as long as your legs can still run, you must rush straight towards the dog barbarian.
Tang Tong's troops had only accompanied the troops on expeditions to Liaodong, and were mainly responsible for suppressing bandits in the south before, so they had little experience in this kind of scene.
After barely firing two volleys, the soldiers' morale became a little restless. Facing Donglu's mercury-dropping offensive, it was clear that they were a little panicked.
If it weren't for the officer's reminder, many soldiers would have even forgotten to throw grenades.
Fortunately, Tang Tong himself was on the front line of fire, and the reinforcements were nearby, so he was able to persist until the stage of hand-to-hand combat.
At this time, the Qing army finally got what they wanted, and they fought in a melee with the Ming army. More than 5,000 people from both sides began to fight.
"Dog Tartar, suffer death!"
Tang Tong rode his horse and held a knife, charging and killing repeatedly. In just four or five minutes, he cut down no less than twenty enemy soldiers.
Inspired by the general's example, Tang Tong's soldiers naturally fought bravely in the face of their former defeated generals.
"Brothers, hold on! Zheng Jun is here!"
Someone has already seen the big flag with the word "Zheng" in the distance, indicating that the prince's men have arrived nearby.
However, due to the melee between the two armies, artillery support could not be provided, so a large number of infantry could only be sent to help.
Zheng Chenggong's 3,000 men rushed to the battlefield first, and to the west were Zheng Shao's 3,000 men.
Seeing that the two sides were already fighting together and the artillery fire was completely unable to be used, he asked his men to go over immediately to help in the battle.
Even if artillery is not used and it is just hand-to-hand combat, Zheng Chenggong still believes that the bayonet tactics of his soldiers are not in vain.
After practicing in the capital for a long time, you don’t need a sharp bayonet to stab a live dog tartar. Isn’t this tactic learned in vain?
The soldiers of the Zheng army did not think as much as the prince thought. They only knew that killing a dog Tatar was worth two hundred taels of silver!
Wouldn't it be embarrassing to go all the way and go out to play in the field, and then everyone comes back empty-handed?
The Navy fights the Dog Tartars on the sea, but as a soldier of the Army Division, you have to deal with the Dog Tartars on the shore!
Since following Emperor Haojing and sending troops to Liaodong, he has had many battles with the Dog Tatars.
The officers and soldiers of the Zheng Army also discovered that these so-called "invincible" dog Tartars were nothing more than that.
If he was really powerful, how could he defeat the Japanese army who didn't even have a few horses?
No matter which battle they fought, the Japanese army was dominated by infantry and never lost.
Dog Tatars can't even defeat the Japanese army, so don't even think about taking advantage of yourself.
Besides, there are far more soldiers and horses in the King's Division than the number of attacking dog Tatars. Even two against one, or even three against one, they can kill these desperate dog Tatars.
When Zheng Chenggong saw the emergency signal flare launched by Tang Tong's troops, he ordered his troops to move closer to the opponent. Unexpectedly, he heard the rumble of cannons halfway.
Before arriving at the battlefield, the two sides were already in close combat. When the troops arrived, the scene was extremely chaotic, and the enemy could only be distinguished from the enemy by the appearance of the armor of the soldiers on both sides.
Fortunately, the plate armor style worn by the Zheng army was exactly the same as that of the troops rushing to aid the northern vassal state. The Qing army still mainly used cotton armor with two iron plates on the torso.
In this way, the soldiers of the Ming Army no longer have to worry about accidentally injuring friendly forces and can give it a try.
With the addition of the Zheng army, the battlefield situation immediately shifted in favor of the Ming army.
The main reason is that Zheng Jun's platoon leader level is equipped with revolvers. The lethality of this continuous weapon is even more impressive in close combat.
As long as one bullet can hit the enemy soldier's face, the enemy will be killed on the spot in all likelihood, and the rest will feel that life is worse than death.
Xituku invested no less than 2,000 armored soldiers in this battle, which was already a large number, but it was still difficult to defeat the 6,000 Ming army facing them.
The Ming army is still dominated by Han people, but the Qing army is no longer what it used to be.
The Eight Banners soldiers accounted for 20% of the total force, and the rest were Han soldiers and Sauron soldiers.
Sauron's soldiers were brave and good at fighting, but they still couldn't stop the bullets fired by the Ming army.
Under the desperate resistance of the Ming army, there were fewer and fewer Qing soldiers on the battlefield. By the time Zheng Shao led his troops to the battlefield, the Qing army had begun to collapse across the board.
But running away also requires paying a considerable price, because when the two armies are fighting, the Ming army's artillery advantage cannot be used.
Once it becomes clear, it will be interesting to see...
In the end, less than two Niulu escaped back to the mountains, and the rest were knocked down by the Ming army at the foot of the mountain or halfway up the mountain.
Xituku took a Niulu Zhengbai Banner armored soldier and hundreds of broken troops to flee further inland.
Halfway through, the group was ambushed by Ming cavalry, and more than 300 people were killed.
Although not all the Dog Tatars were wiped out, after counting the results of the battle, Zheng Chenggong believed that the remaining Dog Tatars were no longer enough to threaten the security of Fuguo.
The remaining matters can be left to the severe cold. The four generals did not believe that the Dog Tartars could survive the five-month winter without a wooden house.
After returning to Shifu's capital, everyone got another piece of good news.
That is, after several days of fighting and pursuit, Zheng Jun's navy finally annihilated the Donglu fleet flowing down the river.
The other side also wanted to divide their troops into two groups, one going upstream and the other going south along the coastline.
As a result, the two troops did not run very far before they were both annihilated by the Zheng Army fleet that split up its forces to pursue...
