Although Mongolia's Zhenghong Banner Gushan Ezhen Enge Tu had not expected it, there was no fear on his face. He took his usual big ax in his hand and faced the "bang bang" muskets that kept coming from the front. Rushed forward.
In his opinion, the Xuanfu army in front was indeed more brave and brave than other Ming armies, but even so, they were destined to be vulnerable to his own warriors.
Even if he can remain undefeated for a while due to his bravery, when the warriors in his own banner defeat the Ming infantry on the opposite side and the large army returns to support, the enemies on all sides will definitely disperse.
Engetu always believed that although there were some battalions in the Ming army who dared to fight, they could only fight a few favorable battles with temporary bravery. Once the battlefield situation reversed, they would immediately collapse.
Since he was young, he followed the old slave Nurhachi to fight in all directions. He has seen many such situations.
As the saying goes, "When a man stumbles, a horse stumbles." Even Engetu, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, never thought that the eagle he had played with all his life would be pecked out by an eagle today!
He led more than a hundred elite Mongolian knights around him, galloped forward, and faced Tan Zhenlin from the Xuanfu Army's retainers.
"Bang!...Bang!..."
There were only two incoherent crisp sounds, and two deadly bullets shot out quickly in a cloud of sparks and smoke, passing by the oncoming weapons such as spears, throwing axes, and iron bones.
Like other generals of the Qing Dynasty, Engetu rode his horse and rushed to the front. He saw two sparks flashing across the street in his eyes, and only heard two crisp sounds in his ears. Before he could make any reaction, he felt that he His chest tightened and his breath froze.
He hurriedly lowered his head to look, only to see that the armor on his left chest was dented inward, and bright red blood kept gushing out. Engetu's eyes were dull, but he still stuck his head forward with difficulty, thinking You need to see clearly what is going on in your chest.
The moment the bright red blood hole came into Engetu's eyes, his expression immediately froze completely, and there was no trace of life in his eyes. With a "Wow", he spurted out a large mouthful of bright red blood, and his whole body suddenly fell to the ground. Fall off the horse.
With a "bang" sound, Engetu's huge body stirred up a cloud of dust the moment it landed on the ground, and then there was no more sound, except for a few unconscious twists when the war horses stepped on it.
A member of the Horqin tribe of Mongolia, he lived in the Hada tribe for a long time, was subordinate to the Zhenghong Banner of Mongolia, and was a general of the Qing Dynasty.
Engetu, a member of the Horqin tribe in Mongolia, lost his surname. During the period of the old slave Nurhaci, he led his troops to join the Hou Jin Dynasty. He was first subordinated to Zhenghong Banner in Manchuria and was awarded the post of Niu Lu Ezhen.
In the eighth year of Chongzhen, after the Eight Banners of Mongolia were established, Engetu was transferred to the Zhenghong Banner of Mongolia and was awarded the post of Gushan Ezhen of the Zhenghong Banner of Mongolia.
During this period, Engetu had been following Nurhaci and Huang Taiji in their campaigns. He once conquered Lindan Khan of Chahar Mongolia, conquered North Korea, and invaded the Ming Dynasty many times.
As for the Battle of Julu in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, he once led the Mongolian Tatars under the Zhenghong Banner to participate in the war, and his hands were stained with the blood of countless people from Mongolia, Korea, and the Ming Dynasty.
All of this seems to have been arranged by God. Engetu's actions and his ending are exactly what he said: "If you come out to mess around, you will have to pay back sooner or later"!
It is true that "good and evil will be rewarded in the end." Today, Ngetu will use his own blood to repay the blood debt he owed until the last drop in his body.
…………
Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, took Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and led the soldiers of the two towns of Xuanda and Datong, who had less than 3,000 troops, to fight without hesitation into the front infantry and Tatar battle groups.
At this time, the infantry camp in the middle of Xuan Army was on the verge of collapse. Although they fought desperately, there were too many Tatar soldiers rushing towards them. Wave after wave came, and the physical strength of the infantry soldiers of Xuan Army was extremely exhausted. It is so big that it is powerless to stop it.
In particular, the right-wing battalion of Datong General Fu Dianzuo has retreated to the defense line of the Xuanfu Chariot Battalion.
Fortunately, the soldiers of the 600 odd troops on the right side of the chariot, led by General Qian Gou Changsheng, arrived in time for reinforcements. They relied on the chariot as a shield to defend against the Tatar cavalry and were able to stand their ground.
The battle between the two sides in the Ming and Qing Dynasties has become fierce in the middle. They are fighting in such close quarters, and almost all of them are infantry. If you turn around and run away at this time, leaving your back to the Tatars defenselessly, it is tantamount to committing suicide!
Everyone still understands this truth, not to mention that since the battle, seeing the comrades they have been with day and night falling one by one in front of their eyes, everyone's hearts are full of hatred and anger.
Once a person is controlled by anger, he will lose his mind!
This is even more vividly reflected on the battlefield.
This is the case for the current officers and soldiers of the Xuan Da Army. Before the war, they still had some fear in their hearts, especially the soldiers of the Datong Army. And during the period when the war just started, this fear was at its peak.
But once they survived the difficult period in the early stages of the war without fleeing, the remaining blood in their hearts would be aroused, and they would completely forget the word "life and death" at this moment.
In their minds, the roar of "revenge" is always echoing, and the hatred towards the Tatar thieves will also evolve into anger, which can ignite the Tatar body until it is burned to ashes!
It is precisely with this trace of remaining blood, full of hatred, and endless anger that the Xuanfu coalition forces can withstand the continuous rush of the slaves, thieves, and cavalry.
The Chicheng Battalion of the Xuanfu Army had no time to pay attention to them at the moment. Since all the surrounding infantry camps were retreating, they became the most prominent one among the infantry camps of the Xuanfu Army, and naturally received special attention from the slaves, thieves, and cavalry.
The Chicheng camp, which was targeted by the slave thieves as a key attack, had already surrounded the city in a circular formation. The outermost was a defense line composed of chariots and horsemen. The inner ring was composed of musketry and archers, and each team of musketry and archers was preceded by a team. Guarded by shield soldiers.
At the same time, there were groups of spearmen arrayed in the gaps between the gunnery teams. Even behind the gunnery archers, there were rows of spearmen.
Zhang Guodong's Chinese cavalry team gathered in the middle of the circular formation. Each of them held their own horses and waited for the general's order. Always be ready to strike.
Although at the beginning, relying on the sophisticated and sharp Yunzhou flintlock guns, all the slaves, thieves, and cavalry who would be captured were kept out of the formation, and the Chicheng camp's military formation was not directly attacked.
However, as the Datong Army's right-wing battalion retreated first, the town's guerrilla battalion and the Biao battalion commanded by Wang Zheng also began to retreat. In this way, the Chicheng battalion was completely exposed to the siege of slaves, bandits and cavalry, leaving it surrounded by enemies on all sides. Total disadvantage.
Fortunately, Zhang Guodong was also an old soldier. In his early years, he was already a thousand generals under the command of Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda.
At the same time, in order to delay the change of formation, the Chinese cavalry team from the Chicheng Battalion was dispatched as the rear guard of the formation to attack from the south to prevent the slaves and thieves from breaking into the formation.
Although the Chicheng Battalion responded quickly and changed its formation in time, the slave thieves did not take the opportunity to break into the formation. However, it was also deeply surrounded by the slave thieves. It was not enough to protect itself, so how could it spare the energy to rescue the Datong Army battalions.
While the slave thieves besieged the Chicheng Camp of the Xuanfu Army, they continued to attack the Datong Army camps southward. Finally, Hou Fangke's Datong Town Ranger Battalion lost the support of the Chicheng Battalion and was the first to be defeated by the slave thieves. Later defeated.
At the same time, Wang Zheng's Datong Biao Battalion and Fu Dianzuo's right-wing battalion had retreated behind the defense line of the Xuanfu Military Vehicle Battalion, and were on the verge of collapse. They could only use their last strength to hold on.
As for whether they can hold on to the Cheying defense line, they themselves have no confidence at all. Now they can only "do good things and not worry about the future." They have no time to care about the outcome. Let God decide everything!
"Kill... kill the slaves... kill the Tatars... kill..."
At this moment, roars came from behind the infantry formation of the Xuan Army. Thousands of soldiers of the Xuan Army let out hysterical roars. Under the guidance of two handsome flags raised high, they rushed into the melee. Killing Fields.
Although Zhang Cheng and Wang Pu only had less than 3,000 troops, they were, after all, the bodyguards of the two commander-in-chiefs. Naturally, they were all elite soldiers in Xuan's army.
Moreover, since the war started this morning, they have been with Zhang Cheng and Wang Pu and have not participated in the battle. Not only have their physical strength not been exhausted, but they are also full of energy in their chests, just waiting for the military order. Rush up and kill the Tatars.
With the addition of such a new force, the slave thieves were temporarily defeated, and were actually killed by them and retreated more than 200 steps away.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Cheng commanded the battalions of the Datong Army to quickly regroup and advance to the original station again, forming a straight line with the Chicheng Battalion and rebuilding a barrier.
But as the slaves, thieves and cavalry regrouped and came to fight, after all, they were outnumbered, and many Mongolian cavalry continued to shoot waves of arrows from a distance, which greatly disrupted the Xuan army's formation.
As most of the slaves and thieves continued to attack, Zhang Cheng, Wang Pu and other Xuan troops were once again surrounded by them, and each battalion was gradually separated by the slaves and thieves.
Wang Pu was unwilling to lead the elite of the Chinese army to join the melee. Even if he rescued his soldiers in Datong Town, he felt that it was not as important as his own life.
But at that time, he was held hostage by Zhang Cheng and had no chance to retreat or escape. But now, he does not dare to escape alone, not because he is afraid of being dealt with by the military law of Ji Liao Governor Hong Chengchou!
With the war going so far, Wang Pu's Datong Army has tried its best. Even if it still fails to break the siege of Jinzhou in the end, Wang Pu's merits and demerits will at best be offset, and he will not lose his life in any case.
In fact, the person he fears is not Hong Chengchou, but Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu who he is following closely now!
Logically speaking, Wang Pu should command the battles in his battalions in Datong Town, but Wang Pu, as the commander-in-chief, knows best what kind of moral character his soldiers have and what their true nature is like.
It is not easy for them to persist until now. There is no telling when they will suddenly collapse. If they return to the Datong Army, they are afraid of how they will die if they stay here.
But Wang Pu, who had no trust in his own Datong Army, had full confidence in the officers and soldiers of the Xuanfu Army!
At the same time, he believed that Zhang Cheng was already the commander-in-chief of a town at such a young age, and his future prospects were limitless. How could he be willing to put himself in danger?
He guessed that the reason why Zhang Cheng was like this must have a backup plan!
Therefore, since he accompanied Zhang Cheng and led the elite soldiers of the Chinese army under his command to rush to rescue the soldiers of each battalion in the middle road, he followed Zhang Cheng closely and never left.
Don't tell me, this Wang Pu is not simple, he really guessed it right. As the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, the dignified General Zhenshuo, how could Zhang Cheng put himself in danger?
If it really was a mistake and he died on the battlefield, how could he use all his strategies and ambitions?
How can he realize his ideal of changing China, changing the world, and setting standards for all generations?
But there is an exception to everything. Just like what happened today, it cannot be changed by Zhang Cheng's will. He also does not want to personally lead his elite soldiers to rush forward and fight with the slaves and thieves for their lives.
But now that the matter has come to this, is there any better strategy besides this?
The only thing to blame is that Zhang Cheng's official position is not high. After all, the highest military commander in Liaodong is Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, not Zhang Cheng. He knows that the longer the current war in Liaodong, the more beneficial it will be to him.
However, Hong Chengchou could not withstand the pressure from the court, and because there was insufficient fuel in Jinzhou City, he made such an urgent plan to cross north. In order to make this very risky military strategy final, he also specially sent the troops sent by Zhang Cheng outside the discussion.
How could he change all this?
Today, if Zhang Cheng resolutely orders the Xuan army to retreat and cross the Xiaoling River back to the south bank, he can ensure that the main force of the Xuan army is not lost, and he predicts that the Qing army will not dare to pursue it with all its strength.
But in this way, Dorgon could free up his hands to mobilize the slaves and thieves to attack Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao and other Ming troops. Once other towns were defeated because of this, they were even annihilated by the slaves.
Even if all the soldiers of Xuan Army were able to retreat, what could they do?
From now on, not only will the opportunity to understand Jin siege be lost forever, it may even lead to the complete failure of the Liao War. Not only will the siege of Jinzhou remain unresolved, but even Songshan, Xingshan, and even Ningyuan City may not be preserved.
If this is true, all the land in Liaodong will be lost, and the Ming Dynasty's barrier in Liaodong will also be completely lost. The slaves, thieves, and cavalry can approach Shanhaiguan, threaten the Ming capital, and peek into the heart of the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Zhang Cheng did not have to risk his life today, but he had no choice other than that!
Wang Pu actually guessed one more thing correctly, that is, Zhang Cheng did have a backup plan, but his backup plan was no longer here, but in the south of Jinzhou City several miles away.
This is equivalent to a gamble. On the surface, Zhang Cheng is betting on his own life, but the reality behind it is the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty.
Although the process is frightening, once the bet is successful, the benefits obtained are also huge!
In fact, as the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou was not gambling?
Even if he doesn't admit it, who with a discerning eye can't see that his strategy of crossing the river and marching north is gambling on his own future with the fate of the Ming Dynasty!
Not just him, but the elders in the Ming Dynasty were also gambling, weren't they?
However, once the bet is lost, the Ming Dynasty will plummet. From now on, it will no longer be able to suppress the thieves, nor can it compete with the slave thieves. The country of the Ming Dynasty is destined to be surrendered to others.
But the princes in the court may not suffer any loss. In their view, no matter who becomes the emperor, they need the best scholars among them to serve him.
As long as they can keep their own wealth and future, they don't care who the emperor is?
