Dai County has always been a strategic location in Shanxi.
Because going north from here is Yanmen Pass, which has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.
Now, this place still touches the hearts of countless people.
When he learned that Nikan and Meng Qiaofang were coming on horseback, Yu Lichun became furious.
"Order all ministries to arrive at Dai County first, and the first victory will be achieved!"
After giving the order, the Ninth Division was like a wild horse running wild, and its speed suddenly accelerated a lot.
"The brothers' troops have already entered Liaodong and captured Jinzhou. They will soon regain Shenyang and Liaoyang and completely eliminate the Tatars. If the Tatars here run back, it will increase the difficulty for the brothers' troops. Is that okay?"
Guo Dongwei, the leader of the 35th Regiment, stood on a high ground with a trumpet to boost morale.
Under his feet, the soldiers of the 35th Regiment were already running like steam.
But no one complained about tiredness or suffering. Everyone gritted their teeth and quickened their pace.
Fight to Dai County and don't let Duduo go.
This is the slogan of the entire army.
Everyone makes it their mission.
"no!"
The team rolled forward, kicking up dust and smoke all over the ground. In this world, no force can stop it.
From Pingxingguan to Daixian, the 35th Regiment never slowed down regardless of day or night, or the fatigue and danger of the road.
I was really tired and hungry, so I took out the chocolate and took a few bites.
The calories provided by high-sugar foods are the best supplement for the soldiers.
Two hundred miles away, the 35th regiment, relying only on their feet, had already seen the city wall of Dai County in just one night and one morning.
At the same time, the cavalry led by Meng Qiaofang himself also arrived to the west of Dai County.
Both sides discovered each other almost at the same time.
"No, speed up and enter the city immediately!"
Meng Qiaofang's soul is in danger.
He couldn't figure it out anyway, how could the National Defense Forces, which walked only on two legs, reach Daidai County at the same time as their own cavalry?
But now is not the time to think wildly, capturing Dai County is the top priority.
The Qing army also knew that life and death were at stake, so they beat their horses one after another and rushed into Dai County from the west gate.
Guo Dongwei was not worried at all when he learned that the Qing army was rushing towards the county town.
"Let's not go into the city, but go around and block the Guanyin Temple."
The 35th Regiment received the order and rushed along the plain north of Dai County without stopping.
Meng Qiaofang was determined to seize the county seat and capture Miaojue Temple, the commanding heights in the city.
He knew that the firepower of the Qing army was not as good as that of the National Defense Force, so it must have the advantage of terrain. Only in this way can we stay in a stalemate and wait for Nikan to catch up.
When he arrived at Miaojue Temple and found no trace of the National Defense Forces, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Two legs cannot outrun a war horse.
Okay now, the advantage is mine.
Facts have proved that anyone who thinks this way will end badly.
"My Lord Governor, the Chinese army has not entered the city. They have gone north."
Meng Qiaofang was a little confused.
What kind of evil is the National Defense Force doing?
But he reacted quickly and even fell off his horse.
"No, hurry over, we must not let the enemy occupy the Guanyin Temple!"
Why is Guanyin Temple so important?
Because this is the only way to Yanmen Pass.
If Duduo wants to join Datong and Hauge, he must go from here.
Once this place fell into the hands of the National Defense Forces, the Qing army became a turtle in the urn.
Meng Qiaofang simply made the mistake of habitual thinking.
He just thought that the National Defense Forces were going to compete for Dai County, so he planned to seize it.
As a result, Guo Dongwei made a false shot and seized the Guanyin Temple instead of Dai County.
Now that things are fine, what will happen even if Dai County is in the hands of the Qing army?
They can't go east from here and go around Yanmen Pass to Datong.
The large National Defense Force troops from the east are on their way.
If they go east, they will fall into a trap.
Meng Qiaofang didn't even feel hot in Dai County, so she quickly ordered all her troops to attack the Guanyin Temple.
However, the opportunity has been lost, and it would be wishful thinking to try to reverse the situation.
Guo Dongwei looked at the topography of Guanyin Temple with satisfaction and full of confidence.
Guanyin Temple is the gateway from the Fenhe River Valley to the Yanmenguan Mountains. The terrain transitions from the valley to the mountains, rising all the way up.
The most important thing is that there are only two roads into the mountain, and they are extremely narrow.
It was easy for more than 5,000 people from the 35th Regiment to guard these two passages.
It is useless to use infantry against cavalry in plain areas. Now guard the key points and wait for the Qing army to attack.
Guo Dongwei was confident that he could block all of Duduo's troops with his own regiment.
Meng Qiaofang was so anxious that she didn't even care about the terrain and rushed towards them after leaving the city.
Although the 35th Regiment did not have time to build defensive fortifications, because it was at a high place and had a wide field of vision, the difficulty of defense was infinitely reduced.
The cavalry rushing towards them were no different from targets in the eyes of the soldiers of the 35th Regiment.
The light infantry fired first, weakening the enemy.
This was followed by mortars, creating chaos for the enemy.
When the Qing cavalry entered the musket range, the terrain suddenly became higher and the horses had to slow down. In addition, the formation was also scattered, and there was no power at all.
The soldiers of the 35th Regiment opened fire at leisure, pouring firepower on the Qing army wantonly.
Under the attack of thousands of muskets, Meng Qiaofang lost nearly a thousand troops in the first battle and had to retreat in embarrassment.
The Qing Dynasty's proud cavalry and archery skills were completely useless in the face of the four to five hundred meter range of the Migne musket.
Only then did Nikan lead the follow-up army to catch up.
Nikan's face turned green when he saw the situation on the battlefield.
"Hmph, let's see how you explain to the prince?"
Meng Qiaofang's old face was stern, and the anxiety in her heart could not be increased.
Duduo strictly ordered him to protect the passage for the entire army, but now that the most important Guanyin Temple was lost, Duduo might be able to chop off his head.
But it is the unfavorable situation that is the most fatal.
After Nikan looked at the terrain, he couldn't come up with any clever ideas for a while.
He could only give instructions to Meng Qiaofang.
"You attack the right wing, and I'll attack the left wing. Even if everyone is killed, we will never stop. We must defeat the Guanyin Temple before today, otherwise, if the main force of the enemy army comes up, you know the consequences."
What else could Meng Qiaofang say?
After nodding sullenly, he planned to go back to clean up the troops.
He decided to fight for his life.
It would be better to die on the battlefield than to be engaged in Duduo military law.
Otherwise, the family's prosperity and wealth will not be preserved.
But what Meng Qiaofang didn't know was that a crisis was waiting for him.
"Brother Zhang, are we really going to fight our lives for the Tatars?"
Someone in Meng Qiaofang's army had different intentions.
The leading general looked gloomy.
"If we break through the defense line in front of us, we will have a way to survive."
"Oh, Brother Zhang, you have also seen how powerful the Chinese army is. To put it bluntly, even if Prince Yu comes in person, he probably won't be able to defeat them."
"Yes, Brother Zhang, the two of us have always been the most convinced by you. Whether it's life or death, you should make up your mind quickly."
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