Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 494: Everything is in chaos, abandon the plan and deal with it as it happens~
"Captain, who shall we fight first?"

Zheng Hean raised his whip without hesitation:
"Attack the Mongolian cavalry first."

Hard to say,
Is it because the bloodline of the Anhui people who are conquering the grasslands is awakening at this moment?

of course,

Looking at the battle situation intuitively, the Mongolian cavalry was indeed a greater threat.

Therefore,
He was right to give such an order.

……

"fire!"

The 2nd Corps' field artillery opened fire first.

More than a dozen 6-pound shells flew in an arc and hit the hesitant Mongolian cavalry.

The shelling caused limited casualties, but had a great psychological deterrent effect.

After 2 rounds of artillery fire,
The Mongolian cavalry gave up their plan to besiege Jingzhou and seize the leaders of various tribes.

Now we are being attacked from both the Manchu and Han sides, and our leaders are absent. How can we fight this war?
Run for your life!
All the tribes fled northward in large numbers!

obviously,
The all-infantry 2nd Corps could not possibly catch up.

Zheng Hean looked at the battlefield suspiciously.

Order:

"Leave 4 battalions to defend against the Mongol cavalry's surprise attack."

"The rest of you, prepare to attack the city."

"Requesting heavy artillery support from the navy."

……

A Jiangnan-class battleship cruising in the Jingjiang River responded to the request of friendly forces.

Unload three heavy shipborne guns.

It is not easy to unload and transport the guns.

This process took 2 hours.

But worth it!

In particular, there is a 1-pound long gun, whose power is unmatched by ordinary field guns.

Actually,
The entire Jiangnan-class ship has only this one heavy cannon, and the rest of the large-caliber artillery are carronades.

Caron Cannon~
A powerful weapon in naval warfare, but weak in land warfare.

Facing the artillery fire of the Wu army,

The Jingzhou city wall also launched a full-scale counterattack, and the fighting between the two sides was filled with smoke and excitement.

……

Half a day of artillery battle,
The 2nd Legion successfully blasted the arrow towers and battlements on the east side of Jingzhou City to pieces.

The service battalion is working hard to produce trench vehicles and ladders.

If nothing else,

It is only a matter of time to capture Jingzhou City, which may take 2 days at the shortest and 4 or 5 days at the longest.

however,
It's like a chain reaction of dominoes.

The Wu army in the north was under great pressure.

……

Zhangjiawan,
Li Ergou's hair stood on end when he saw the sky rockets exploding one after another.
"Quick, set up the formation."

There is no village in front and no shop behind.

There are no hillsides or rivers around.

The mixed battalion's several supply carts rumbled forward as the drivers whipped the mules hard.

The rear cover is opened.

"start running."

"drive."

The caltrops connected by thin hemp ropes flowed onto the ground in strings.

This arrangement is the quickest.

Barbed wire takes too much time to install, as you need to hammer down wooden stakes first, which is not a given.

……

The knights of the scout team lay on their horses and ran for their lives.

Behind is the dust that covers the sky~
Thousands of horses galloping, it is so terrifying.

The reconnaissance team bypassed the frontal obstacles and returned to the team from the flank.

The knight shouted before he could dismount:
"The main force of the Qing army is attacking."

In fact, he didn't need to say it.
Everyone also realized what was happening, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.

……

Li Ergou stood on the roof of a supply cart and looked through a telescope.

quickly,

Turning his head, he shouted:

"Riflemen, fire freely behind the convoy."

"The rest of you form two hollow square formations."

"Load all the artillery with shotgun shells! Load all the artillery with shotgun shells!"

After the order is delivered,
Li Ergou felt his feet begin to shake.
Within the field of vision~
The overwhelming cavalry line came like a sandstorm.

He just felt bitter in his mouth.
Pointing at the cavalry squad under his command, he shouted:

"We don't need cavalry here. All of you retreat. Remind the Guards Battalion to be careful. Remind the 4th Legion to deploy defenses."

……

then,

More than 100 cavalrymen mounted their horses, discarded the excess supplies beside their saddles, and ran north.

There is no point in the cavalry staying here.

Li Ergou's reaction was correct.

What we need to do most now is to remind the main force behind us and set up layers of defense to stop these crazy four-legged beasts.

He jumped off the baggage cart and disappeared into the hollow square.

He took a flintlock rifle, loaded it with bullets, and pulled out the bayonet.

Twist it left and right a few times and the bayonet clicks into place.

Under the UFO helmet,

A pair of eyes filled with fear and bloodthirsty.

……

The ground shaking intensified.

The mixed battalion experienced what an iron hoof is for the first time~
The Mongolian cavalry rushing in the front stepped on the caltrops unexpectedly, causing their horses to stumble and their riders to die.

Li Ergou even saw a knight being thrown into the air by the huge inertia and then falling to the ground with a loud bang.

I am secretly happy~
The caltrops performed great service.

The Mongolian cavalry paused for a while, then bypassed the chariot formation in front and escaped from both wings.

When the two sides passed each other,
That's when the Grim Reaper's scythe reaps.

……

White smoke rose from the hollow square formation. The cavalry had a large side area and a high probability of being hit.

visible to the naked eye,

People and horses were thrown to the ground, the place was in chaos and dust was rolling.

but,

The Mongols' counterattack also came.

Arrows flew into the air and headed towards the square formation.

The person who was shot by the arrow screamed and fell to the ground!

The artillery deployed in the hollow square space also began to bombard.

Looking down from the air, it looks like the Chinese character “川”.

The vertical line in the middle represents the Wu army.

On the left and right are endless streams of Mongolian cavalry.

Both sides fired at each other.

It was obvious that the Mongols' counterattack fire was more intense.

The knights who were sweeping across the hollow square at high speed from both wings could fire at least two arrows when passing by.

The mixed battalion suffered serious casualties!
The hollow square array was constantly reduced and reduced.

The ground was covered with arrows, densely packed!

From a distance, it looks like a wheat field that has grown overnight.

……

Li Ergou was hit by two arrows and had to hide behind the artillery cart with difficulty.

With a shield in hand, and a flint in hand,
If the cavalry rushed over, he would pull the trigger to attract more people to follow him.

The arrows clanked,

It hit the barrel of the cannon, leaving a grayish-white mark.
"Cao him~"

Before he could even curse, the flying saucer helmet was hit by two more arrows.

This moment.

He suddenly realized that in the face of the absolute superiority in cavalry numbers, a small group of field infantry would not be able to withstand it even if they had a greater firepower advantage.

……

The mixed battalion has been scrapped.

The arrows above my head are still falling~
The Mongols were really cruel and went crazy trying to escape.

More than 800 bodies were left behind, but the mixed battalion was completely destroyed.

Looking at the smoke and dust rolling away,
Li Ergou felt a sense of sadness in his heart. There were dead bodies everywhere and the wounded were wailing.

He couldn't figure it out.
What happened in Jingzhou?

……

5 mile away,

Li Xiaowu, commander of the Young Guards Battalion, saw the scout team riding their horses in panic.

It's not good to scream secretly.

In a split second, he made the decision.

"Everyone move to the right and form a formation along the river bank."

"The big cart is outside, forming a semicircle!"

There is an unnamed small river on the right, with limited width, only 3 meters, and limited depth.

But enough!

The Guards Battalion reacted quickly and the teenagers responded promptly.

Give way to the main road and the official road.

Just as some of the baggage carts were in place, the Mongolian cavalry arrived.

The soldiers held their muskets, trembling slightly with excitement.

Li Xiaowu's tone was calm and high:
"Let the cavalry ahead go, and don't shoot."

"Stand on the cart, wait for my order to shoot, hit the horse, hit the horse, hit the horse!"

"Everyone get down, get down."

……

Get out of the way,

It means being able to avoid the most violent impacts.

By defending on one side, the amount of enemy arrows you receive is reduced by half.

The order to release the front team is even better.

As the Mongolian cavalry galloped by, they also continued to shoot arrows.

But it’s a lot sparser!

Only a few were hit by arrows, and the soldiers either hid behind the baggage carts or lay low on the river bank.

The Mongols, who had lost their unified command, only wanted to escape, and both sides just watched silently.

Passing by
The smoke and dust billowed, choking people and noses.

Li Xiaowu muttered to himself that most of the Mongolian cavalry should have passed by.

get up,

Raise the sword:

"Guards Battalion, everyone line up and fight~"

……

Climbing up from the low place on the river bank, the soldiers quickly lined up and lowered their guns.

The officer's sword was pressed down,

A stream of white smoke came out.

The Mongolian cavalry, who were thrown to the ground on their horses, stirred up even more dust.

"fire!"

The Guards Battalion was equipped with five newly developed 5-pound howitzers that had not yet been deployed on a large scale.

The barrel is only 1 foot 6 long, which is very small. It looks a bit funny when placed next to normal artillery.

The shells are cylindrical, with an iron shell and hundreds of shotgun shells stuffed inside.

The amount of powder in the chamber is higher than that of cannons of the same caliber.
Because of the short barrel, it can withstand higher chamber pressure.

……

After the cylindrical grenade is fired, the thin iron shell is instantly crushed by the sudden change in pressure difference.

The shotgun shells are in the shape of a shower.

Spread around.

Li Xiaowu held a sword in his hand and stared at the effect of the bombardment.

He was surprised to find that

The 4-pound howitzer is simply an infantry artifact, and its close-range suppression effect is surprisingly good.

The 2-pound cannon currently commonly equipped by the Wu Army Field Corps has a slightly shorter barrel than a normal cannon and can fire both solid bullets and shotgun shells.

but,

It can never replace the position of howitzer.

……

The mixed battalion suffered heavy losses in exchange for the rich gains of the Guards Battalion.

On the official road,
The bodies of people and horses overlapped, and the blood gathered into a stream~
The smell of gunpowder and blood mixed together.

The smell of the battlefield is sickening.

Li Xiaowu captured several wounded prisoners and found one among them who could barely speak Chinese.

The trial learned that

There was a sudden change in Jingzhou City, and the Eight Banners suddenly attacked the Mongols.

What is the reason?
The prisoners didn't know either.

"Notify the Second Legion to come and contain them."

"The Guards Battalion is following in pursuit."

……

The soldiers of the Guards Battalion were very young and of impeccable background.

The daily live-fire training is very sufficient.
But this is the first time we have fought a real big battle.

The total number of casualties was more than 80.

Li Xiaowu observed carefully and saw that many of his soldiers were shaking uncontrollably, their voices were breaking, and their movements were distorted.

I know this is a normal reaction after killing someone for the first time on the battlefield.

All you need to do is rest well and fight a few more battles and you'll become a veteran.

but now,
We must march quickly and follow the trail of the Mongolian cavalry.

Until the remaining thousands of cavalry were completely annihilated in the Jianghan Plain.

……

evening,

The west gate of Jingzhou City suddenly opened~
More than 6000 bannermen and their families, armed with gags, began to break out.

To conceal,

They even did not light torches, and discarded all their flags, drums, and trumpets.

Hengling was riding on his horse, his face pale.
He silently chewed a piece of ginseng from outside the Great Wall given to him by an old friend, hoping to add some energy to his weak body.

Everyone around was silent.

This is a frustrating breakout.
I don’t know how many people can enter Daba Mountain alive, and how many people can cross Daba Mountain alive and finally reach Sichuan.

……

The defense of the city was handed over to the Green Camp soldiers.

Sun Zhengying, the general of Yichang Town, did not hide the contempt on his face at all.

Hengling is ashamed,

Nothing to say, I can only bow silently~
Sun Zhengying has 2000 Green Camp soldiers under his command. Although not many, he really can't afford to offend them at this moment.

After leaving the city,
suddenly,

The silence of the night sky was broken by a gunshot.

in the team,
There was a scream and some unlucky guy was shot and fell off his horse.

Even more terrifying is,
The shot came from the city wall of Jingzhou.

……

Suddenly,

The covert breakout has lost its meaning.

Heng Ling gathered his strength and yelled:
"Run!"

So, 6000 troops began a chaotic escape.

Inside the big tent 5 miles away,

Zheng Hean ran out of the tent barefoot.

"what happened?"

"Not sure. We are sending out scouts."

1 quarters of an hour later,
The scout brought back a man holding a white flag.

Kneel down as soon as you meet:
"More than 6000 Tartars in Jingzhou City have fled westward. Lord Sun, the general of Yichang Town, fired a warning shot decisively, and asked the heavenly soldiers to enter the city!"

……

Zheng Hean put on his armor and gave the order:
"It's good that General Sun can recognize the current situation."

"Go back and bring a message, asking Lord Sun to lead the Green Camp brothers in the city out of the city unarmed. The military situation is urgent now, you build a camp by the river, and I will report the merit for you when I return victoriously."

"Whoo."

The man who reported the news went back happily.

Zheng Hean tightened his belt.

Continue to issue orders:

"Send out two battalions to follow and pursue the Eight Bannermen of Jingzhou. It's dark, be careful not to hurt your own people by mistake."

"Settle the surrendered Green Camp soldiers. Wait until dawn and the main force will pursue them."

……

Late-night pursuits are very dangerous.

such as:

Accidentally hit friendly forces, fall behind, fall to death or drown.

The two battalions that were chasing with torches joined together.

Take your time along the way.

Hengling turned his head and looked at the long line of torches behind him.

Sweat broke out on my forehead.

He found a flag bearer who was in his 50s.

"Mr. Jin, we can't get away like this. Please, bring some people to cover the rear and stop us."

"do not worry!"

Master Jin Sanye was a ruthless man. After falling behind in a battle in the northwest, he killed three horse bandits with his own hands, cut off their ears, and quietly returned to the team.

He stood beside the team and stopped people of his age when he saw them passing by.

"My lord, stay and fight to the death."

The people who were stopped did not make any noise, but stood by the roadside, silently checking their weapons.

……

In the cool night breeze,
More than 100 old guys, holding bows and arrows and swords on their waists, squatted in the wilderness far away from the official road.

Watching the pursuers holding torches like a long dragon getting closer and closer.

Raise your bow and arrow~
A row of arrows broke through the air.

Screams were heard instantly, and four soldiers were hit by arrows, with the torches in their hands falling to the ground.

Then, gunfire split the night sky.

but,

Whoever is in the open will suffer.

This group of old guys hid in the darkness and shot arrows at the figures in the light with a very high hit rate.

Wu Jun, who had suffered a loss, also came to his senses.

The commander stood up suddenly and drew his sword:

"Put on the bayonets and charge forward."

……

During the charge, more than a dozen people were shot and fell.

then,

They fought with the old flag soldiers who were lying in ambush in the dark.

1 quarters of an hour later,
The Wu army suffered more than 40 casualties and killed these stubborn old bannermen one by one.

It's not enough to relieve the hatred,
Then he stabbed all the corpses one by one.

Then, everyone learned their lesson.

First, a platoon of scouts walked in front without torches, and each person had a white cloth tied on his arm for identification.

The main force follows behind!

The Eight Banners of Jingzhou were carrying the elderly and children, and the food and fodder were heavy, so they could not move fast at all.

and,

They couldn't travel light if they wanted to cross the Daba Mountains.

Without food, even if thousands of people go into the mountains, they will eventually become fertilizer for the mountains.

Although the Daba Mountains are not as steep as the Ailao Mountains and the Qinling Mountains, they are not something that carbon-based life can easily conquer.

……

The next day at Yin time,

The cooks started to make a fire and cook.

The breakfast is very rich, mainly high-fat and high-sugar foods.

in addition,

A large amount of portable dry food was also prepared.

The soldiers finished eating and drinking.
Take 2 days of dry food and fill it with clean water.

Before the Huguang Campaign began,
Officers at all levels repeatedly reminded their officers not to drink raw water.

There is really no other way.
Try to find some clean, flowing, impurity-free water to drink~
In some areas, there are even wire worms in the water, which is creepy.

If people drink unclean water, they will develop all kinds of terrible diseases.

For example:

Echinococcosis, malaria, schistosomiasis, gastrointestinal diseases~
Any one of these can make a strong man so weak that he has to lie in a coffin within a few years.

……

(End of this chapter)