King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 492 Planning Zhu Jinghong

Speaking of the northern location, Zhu Jinghong was already at the Habayashi Left Guard Barracks, and intelligence from all over the place was still gathering at him rapidly.

At present, all the Jurchen tribes in Qinghai Xingdu Division were under attack, and the news transmission was even more delayed during the battle, making it difficult for him to judge where the enemy's main attack was.

The sound of artillery coming from the south easily convinced Zhu Jinghong that the Junggar people's purpose was to attack grain and grass.

"Immediately send an order to Zhenwei Zhongwei, the Tibetan tribes, and the Mongolian tribes to rush to the aid of the two guards of the Beijing Camp as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!"

"Instruct all the guards in the army to form formations and move closer to the south. If they encounter enemy troops, they will be wiped out!"

The battle has begun, so there is no need to hold back, so Zhu Jinghong began to mobilize the army on a large scale.

The zero-rate elites tore a hole and rushed in, but as long as the hole was closed, there would be a pocket, and their group would be a turtle in the jar.

But it is not easy for the Ming army to form this pocket formation and trap No. 0 in it, and the most important thing is to seize the time.

Besides, the two guards of the Beijing camp are on high alert on weekdays because they are responsible for escorting food and grass. In the past two days, they were reminded by Zhu Jinghong that they were even more prepared for war.

They set up their camps securely and built a tight defense network around the perimeter.

First, there is the tripping rope on the outside, and then there is the blocking horse on the inside.

Of course, on the innermost side, there are the soldiers of the Beijing camp who are waiting in full formation. The firecrackers have all been loaded. Looking at the formation, you can tell that it is a standard three-stage shooting.

Seeing the enemy cavalry gradually approaching, Hou Jing, as a general, was not afraid, but came to the artillery position excitedly.

As a semi-firearmed army, the Beijing Camp also had artillery in addition to musketeers, but the firearms were not as good as those of the pro-army.

"Wait...wait until you are closer and then fire!"

"hold on……"

The cavalry's attack speed is extremely fast, and it will cover a lot of distance every second. If it does not fire in time, there may not even be a chance to fire later.

After confirming that the enemy vanguard had entered a distance of 300 steps, Hou Jing immediately ordered: "Fire!!"

The scene suddenly heard the roar of artillery. They also used explosive shells. When they flew out, there would be a lot of explosives, which had maximized the damage.

In addition to Hou Jing, other ministries are also effectively defending, using artillery to attack the cavalry in front of them from a distance.

The two guards in the Beijing camp had hundreds of artillery pieces. They fired together to great effect, killing four to five hundred people in just one salvo.

This is not due to their accurate shooting, but because the density of cavalry on the opposite side is too high, and they are charging head-on.

The artillery is being reloaded, and the artillery soldiers in front are also waiting for the enemy to enter the range before firing.

Again, the cavalry attacked very quickly. In less than five seconds after the artillery fired, these cavalry entered the firing range.

So the first volley of muskets was fired. After firing, they retreated to the rear to reload, and the people in the second row started firing again...

The soldiers with muskets and artillery were busy loading, while the Junggar cavalry on the opposite side had their bows and arrows ready to shoot.

Unfortunately, the guys they have have short range, so they have to get closer to shoot.

But after only a second or two delay, the people in front of them started shooting.

The purpose of the Junggar people was to break through the military formation and burn their food and grass, so even if there were many obstacles ahead, they could only force their way out.

"kill!"

"Young Master, if I rush to kill you, stay back and don't hurt you!" the guard around Zero shouted.

Di Zero angrily said: "Then the children of the Zhu family who have grown up in the deep palace can come to the front line in person, but I have been in battle for a long time but can't fight in battle?"

If the army wants to win this time, it must attack the Ming army head-on. It requires the army to have the courage to move forward. This requires Zero to charge the battle in person.

"He Zhu Jinghong can kill generals and capture flags, why can't I try?" Di Zero said secretly.

While they were talking, the Jungar vanguards were already charging into the formation, and these people were also the ones who died the fastest.

Even after crossing the horse tripping rope and crossing the horse-rejecting stake, he escaped being shot by muskets. There were also spearmen of the Ming Army behind him.

These spears were more than five meters long and were a powerful weapon against cavalry. A small number of cavalrymen who got past the obstruction were eventually killed by the spears.

Of course, as long as more and more cavalry rush in, the Ming army will always be unable to kill them in time, and the balance of victory will tip to Junggar.

However, there is not much time for the Junggars to charge and kill. They must complete it within a quarter of an hour, otherwise Ming army reinforcements will arrive one after another.

Zero is the commander after all, and eventually returns to the commanding position.

Seeing that several attempts to kill had no results, he ordered: "Order to shoot with rockets!"

The ordinary arrows they are using now are difficult to break through the defenses of the armored Ming army. It is a waste of manpower and material resources. It is better to shoot the food and grass directly with rockets.

"Yes!"

The military order was conveyed, and the cavalry in the front put on rockets and rushed towards the front fire network again.

As he watched the people in front of them falling continuously, Di Ling's heart was bleeding. They were his direct troops and the pillars of the Junggar Khanate.

In a large-scale army charge, there are always people who can rush in. These people are brave enough to gallop forward, and they try their best to shoot forward with their bows and arrows.

Some of the rockets missed, but some still hit the grain, especially the hay, which quickly caused a fire.

However, all the food and grass of the Ming army were in the car, and it was impossible to catch fire in one place, so they had to continue shooting arrows.

However, the troops on the inner defense were not just a vegetarian. They came up with firecrackers and spears to greet them, and they were soon able to strangle the Junggar cavalry that rushed in.

Even so, new Junggar cavalry came in, repeating what happened just now.

The Beijing camp was defending vigorously, and by zooming the camera higher, you could see that Shi Chong and his men were already engaging the Junggar flank.

The cavalry of the Beijing camp were also elite. They were like an awl, directly defeating the Junggar soldiers.

"These rubbish!" Zero shouted angrily.

Shi Chong approached him and mentioned that he knew the news, and even sent twice as many troops to intercept, but now he was still rushed in.

"I'll lead the troops and charge in personally!" Zero shouted.

However, No. 0 did not go to stop Shi Chong, but chose to lead his troops to attack the Beijing camp infantry. Obviously, the purpose was still to burn the food and grass.

"Young Master, you must not..."

Seeing that Zero is about to set off, the guards next to him want to stop him, for fear that he will really rush into the formation.

Everyone knows that the cavalry attack on the infantry position is completely based on human lives, and the zeroth going forward will not have much effect.

"If we lose this battle, it will be difficult for our army to attack. How can I survive in this world with dignity?"

His frontline command was defeated again and again. As the young master of Junggar, he was incompetent, but as the frontline commander, it was a capital offense.

Zero is a proud man. If he loses this battle, he will not live in this world.

"If you are afraid of death, I will go alone!"

Di Ling's attitude was decisive, and for the sake of his words, everyone knew that they could not persuade him.

"Young Master, I am willing to join you in the charge!"

"I must protect the young master to the death!"

Drawing out his saber, Zero looked around and said: "To protect our cattle and sheep pastures, and protect our parents, wives and children, all warriors... come with me and charge!"

"kill!"

Number Zero galloped away, leading the clan warriors howling at him, and rushed straight towards the front military formation.

Hou Jing happened to be in charge of defending the breakthrough point he was targeting.

"Damn it, you just fought back, why are you targeting me again!" Hou Jing jumped in anger.

As a staff general, Hou Jing did not have to visit the front line in person, but he still came to the military formation to boost morale. He was seen holding a spear in person, keeping an eye on any enemy troops that might break through the defense line.

"put……"

As Hou Jing's military order was issued, the musketeers pulled the trigger, and the fierce air pressure rushed the projectiles out of the barrel and fired towards the approaching cavalry in front.

At the same time, the artillery in the rear was also roaring, and each shot would take away a large number of cavalry.

In fact, both sides are now struggling to support each other as they suffer casualties.

Besides, in Zhu Jinghong's "command headquarters", a large amount of information was gathered to him, and the battlefield situation was clearly marked by the staff.

In general, there are now three battle groups, namely Qinghai Xingdu Division, Jurchen tribes and Jingying garrison.

Now Zhu Jinghong has fully confirmed that the zero target is to attack grain and grass, so he has revised the military order again, but the general support plan will not change.

At the same time, he gave each guard commander sufficient power to respond to the situation, so he basically had nothing to do next.

"Come with me to the front line!" Zhu Jinghong walked outside the military tent.

The place where he is now is almost twenty miles away from the Beijing camp where the fighting is fiercest.

"Commander, there is a strict decree from the Holy One, saying... you are not allowed to be on the front line!"

It was Feng Ziying who spoke. Among the several staff officers, he had the best relationship with Zhu Jinghong, so he was the first to speak at this moment.

"Do you still need me to teach you how to accept your orders?"

After speaking, Zhu Jinghong said no more and walked directly outside the military tent.

Since everyone could not persuade him, they could only follow him out of the military tent, mount his horse and rush to the battlefield of Beijing Camp.

Zhu Jinghong's guard has now expanded to 300 people, and it is also a very powerful team. The Junggar cavalry does not even have a thousand men, and it is difficult to even pose a threat to them.

After galloping all the way, about a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at a hill.

This place is only four or five miles away from the battlefield. If you go further, you will be easily discovered by the Junggar people.

On the hillside of Zhuma, Zhu Jinghong could see the battlefield ahead.

The situation is chaos. The Beijing cavalry and the Mongolian cavalry have been reinforced, and the two sides are fighting each other in a melee.

On the other side of the battlefield, Junggar was still attacking the Beijing camp, trying to burn more food and grass.

It has to be said that Zhu Jinghong felt distressed by the fire in the Beijing camp.

According to his visual inspection, nearly 20% of the grain trucks were burning, which was particularly dazzling in the evening.

But fortunately, the Junggar side is already exhausted, and there is basically no possibility of continuing to charge.

It has been almost half an hour since the war started. The sky is actually getting dark now, and it will be dark in half an hour at most.

In fact, Zero also knew that he was defeated, so he became even crazier, attacking the Beijing camp again and again, hoping to die directly here.

But the guards around him would not let him do so. After all, if he died, these people would also be buried with him.

He can die, but not on the battlefield.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

"You cowards...cowards..."

Seeing the guards pulling him, Zuo Zuo cursed in anger, and he understood the intentions of his men.

"Young Master, you can't fight anymore. If you are good or bad, what will happen to the tens of thousands of troops on the front line?"

"The sons and daughters have to rely on you to take them home!"

While explaining, the guards surrounded Number Zero and retreated to the southeast. No matter how much he whipped and scolded him, it was of no avail.

The breakout was a foregone conclusion, and although Number Zero was extremely unwilling to do so, he could only escape with the guards.

His retreat shook the morale of the troops nearby, but these troops were indeed elite, and they did not flee immediately.

But they didn't last more than a few minutes before someone inevitably escaped, triggering a wider rout.

On the hillside, Zhu Jinghong noticed the collapsed area, so he took out the monocular telescope he carried with him.

The staff officers accompanying him also noticed the escape area, and those who had the conditions took out their binoculars to check.

"Commander, that's the banner of the Young Master of Junggar. That guy from No. 0 is over there!" Feng Ziying reminded loudly.

In fact, he didn't need to remind him, Zhu Jinghong had already seen it himself.

"Very good, very good!" Zhu Jinghong laughed.

The kid Ling had already escaped, and victory in this battle was a sure thing.

To be honest, Zhu Jinghong wanted to rush over with his troops and arrest this guy Ling Di.

But he endured it after all. First, with a large number of troops gathering around him, it was not easy to win over Zero.

The more important reason is that the emperor has issued a strict decree not to allow him to go to the battle in person. He may be able to run to the front line, but he absolutely dare not go to the battle in person.

Even if the emperor could forgive him and regard him as Ma Baonan's queen, he would never be able to forgive him.

Although Zhu Jinghong couldn't move, there was someone who was eyeing the escaping Ling Ling like him. This person was Zhao Ying, the right commander of the Zhenwei Central Guard.

Zhao Ying has just turned thirty this year. Among the young generals in the Beijing camp, he actually seems mediocre, but this does not mean that he is not outstanding.

Zhao Ying was similar to Yang Renzhong in that he came from a low-level military household. He passed the military examination and was promoted to an official.

Ten years ago, Zhao Ying served as General Commander. Five years ago, he was appointed Qianzhong. Three years ago, he participated in pacifying the unrest in Annan and was promoted to Staff General.

He has been in the position of general for three years. This expedition to the northwest is another time for him to gain military glory.

Although many achievements have been made in the past, who would think that there are too many military achievements.

Although he is now a fifth-grade military attache and his son is qualified to be elected as the Dragon Guard, if he can squeeze into the ranks of nobles, even the lowest second-class male, his son's path will be much easier.

"Brothers, there is a general in charge of the enemy army in front of you. That's a lot of money. Come and grab it with me!"

"Come on!"

Military merit is money to the soldiers. With the money, they can improve the lives of their families. They are naturally happy to hear that they can use the money.

Therefore, war is indeed very expensive. In addition to the expenses of eating, drinking and sleeping with the army, there are also rewards for military merit and compensation for soldiers who died in battle.

Of course, these are things that the emperor has to worry about.

With the cavalry under his command, Zhao Ying broke away from the battle group and rushed towards the direction of No. 0.

Because the Junggar people were in defeat, the battlefield was even more chaotic at the moment.

The sky became darker and darker, and after about a moment, the battle at the Beijing camp was over.

When Zhu Jinghong arrived, the fire here had been extinguished.

Although there was a loss of food and grass, it was not really a big loss. Zhu Jinghong could accept this result.

So when the two Beijing camp commanders apologized, Zhu Jinghong directly praised their contributions in public.

After checking the specific loss of food and grass, and receiving the latest battle report, Zhu Jinghong was already smiling.

An hour later, the battle was completely over, and all the ministries had gathered back to repair.

In the three battlefields of this battle, it is conservatively estimated that tens of thousands of Junggar people were killed, and they lost even the most elite troops.

Of course, the Ming army also suffered losses, but according to rough statistics reported by various ministries, the number of casualties was about three thousand.

It can be seen that this battle can definitely be regarded as a great victory. After this battle, the threat of Junggar cavalry will drop sharply, and it will be difficult to pose much threat to the Ming army marching north.

(End of this chapter)