Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 496: A -man army, a three-sided net, annihilates the Mongolian cavalry

Zheng Hean shouted:
"Your Majesty!"

More than 200 prisoners knelt down in unison.

"Remove armor!"

Without hesitation, clothes and armor were soon thrown all over the ground, and the naked prisoners were shivering in the cold wind.

People from Anhui said they love to watch it!

but,

Zheng Hean pondered over and over again, how should he trust these prisoners?

suddenly,

The memory of a war horse ownership dispute that I witnessed in Jiangxi a few months ago came to my mind.

……

A volunteer soldier collected a handful of lead bullets from his comrades.

It was put into a crucible, melted into molten lead, and then several seals were cast.

Use a bayonet to carve two large crooked characters on the surface:

Destroy the Qing Dynasty!

Lead has a low melting point and can be produced quickly.

Trouble also ensues.

When the hot seal was placed against the prisoner's skin, two unclear words in blood were immediately burned out: Destroy Qing.

If we scald another prisoner, it would be too late.

The temperature is not enough!

The lead seal cannot be heated for too long at a time, otherwise it will melt directly.

Therefore, after blanching one person, you need to heat it again.

After working hard for a long time, the failure rate is extremely high.

The branding on the captives looked like "Mie Qing" from a distance, "Tian Qing" from a close distance, and "Quan Qing" from a farther distance.

The calligraphy level is close to Xiaoxiaosheng~
……

Zheng Hean's eyes twitched as he watched.

Cursed:

"Don't bother, eat and rest."

"Send someone to ride my horse back to the camp overnight and have the blacksmith make a finished product and send it over. Also, have the Yichang town general named Sun come along."

"At sunrise tomorrow, the entire army will set out for Yichang!"

The 2nd Army was exhausted.

Set up camp quickly and make a fire to cook.

A lot of food was captured from the Qing army's baggage train, and all the injured livestock and horses were slaughtered for meat.

result,

Before sunset,

People from Yidu County on the other side of the Jingjiang River came to entertain the troops in small boats.

The county magistrate took the lead, followed by four local gentry.

After meeting, he bowed his head.

Pigs, sheep, wine, gold, silver and jade are all presented to us, hoping that the heavenly soldiers will accept them.

……

Zheng Hean gave a reassurance:

"Your Majesty has ordered that the city be opened voluntarily. All officials and gentry in the city can be spared, and their property can be retained."

"However, the necessary procedures still need to be followed."

The magistrate was overjoyed.

He immediately patted his chest and said:

"I will immediately organize all the people in the city to collectively cut off their braids and restore our Han and Tang clothing. I will also organize all the gentry in the city to collectively write letters of repentance and pay repentance silver."

This county magistrate insisted on paying several times more than the required amount of repentance silver.
When asked, he burst into tears and confessed his past actions.

……

Ha Rong Town.

A commercial town that prospers because of the river but is in trouble because of the water.

Due to its geographical factors,
Merchants traveling along the Juzhang River often choose to stop here to collect and distribute goods.

Huang Si stood under the eaves of a house in the town.

Looking at the dripping rain, silent.

If it weren't for the rain that made the ground in the surrounding area muddy and difficult to walk on, at least half of the panicked Mongolian cavalry would have broken through and escaped by now.

"how is the situation?"

"We have already set up three lines of defense around the official road. But once the rain stops, it will still be troublesome."

Just chatting,

From outside the town came the sentinel's cry:

"Mr. Lin is here."

Everyone was stunned, then put on straw raincoats and hats and went out to greet them.

……

Lin Huaisheng came in person with his guards.

As soon as we met, we asked:
"Is it blocked?"

Huang Si bowed and replied:

"It's temporarily blocked. Mainly because of the continuous autumn rain, the ground is muddy and the cavalry dare not walk through the fields. The horses' hooves will sink in~"

"Did they launch a breakout?"

"Yes, I have fought them off three times."

Just chatting,

The clouds above dispersed, and countless golden rays of light shone on the earth.

Everyone's face became gloomy~
Huang Si became anxious and asked:
"Where are our reinforcements? Haven't they arrived yet?"

Lin Huaisheng shook his head:
“It will probably take another 4 to 5 days.”

……

Lin Huaisheng patrolled the area around Herong Town wearing a bamboo hat, and then looked at the map carefully.

"Master Huang, do you think it is possible to dig a river to build a siege?"

"what?"

"Look, we are located to the west of the Juzhang River and to the east of the Jianyang River. The plain in between is mostly farmland. Once it is sunny for three consecutive days and the ground is dry, the cavalry can force their way out. There are roads everywhere and we can't stop them. So~"

The atmosphere was silent for a moment.

Huang Si hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Lin Huaisheng glanced at him.
Self-important order:

"There is no one in the area within a hundred miles. The people have already left their homes to avoid the war. After the war, let the government post a notice that the court will exempt the taxes and grain for three years in all the flooded areas."

"Immediately organize people to dig the Juzhang River, and pay attention to the speed of releasing water. What we want is a muddy and difficult isolation zone, not a flood."

Fortunately, it is autumn now.

The water level has dropped significantly compared to summer.
The next afternoon,

The 4th Corps immediately organized personnel and dug five holes in the embankment on the east bank of the Juzhang River.

The clear river water flows through the gaps in the dam into farmland, into ditches, and into villages and towns.

……

While digging the dam,
All members of the 4th Army retreated in large strides, fearing that they would shoot themselves in the foot.

I can only say that it’s fortunately not the flood season.

If the dam is dug in May or June, both sides will suffer.

2 days later,

News came from the Jianyang River area in the east.

confirm,

A wetland of over 100 miles was formed between the two north-south rivers.

The water is deep enough to reach above the waist, and shallow enough to reach above the ankles.

Lin Huaisheng breathed a sigh of relief. Now the trapped Mongolian cavalry could not escape.

When reinforcements arrive on the battlefield,
First persuade them to surrender, then surround them by force.

The Wu army was not interested in the Mongolian knights, but they were extremely envious of their war horses.

After the formation of the Light Cavalry Corps,
Due to losses from warfare, disease and other factors, the number of war horses has been declining and now is less than 3000.

Your Majesty is deeply concerned about this.

……

A centurion from the Khalkha Zhonghou Banner reined in his horse and looked ahead. The water had flooded the ridges of the fields.

He hesitated.

behind,

There were dozens of riders following.

As the leaders were wiped out by friendly forces in Jingzhou, the Mongolian cavalry fell into an awkward situation - they were torn apart.

Originally, the leaders discussed in the big tent.
Come up with a plan that most people agree on, and then each department will implement it.

Everyone belonged to more than a dozen alliances and dozens of flags. They were not familiar with each other and even had grudges and conflicts.

now,

How is it possible to elect a common leader to unify command and issue orders?
They can only fight on their own.

……

The number of horses ranged from a dozen to several hundred.

Some went north and tried to wade back north.

Some fired eastward, looking for a new path.

Some retreated westward, trying to cross the Juzhang River.

Others went south, where there was Jingzhou, and they still had the fantasy that Manchus and Mongols were one family.

More than 5000 riders
It turned into hundreds of armed gangs of varying sizes.

The Wu army compressed them into an encirclement of Juzhang River - Jianyang River - Jingjiang River - Changhu Lake.

The 4th Army remains on hold!

The Imperial Guards Battalion gathered the remnants of the Mixed Battalion and stationed in Jingzhou City.

The main force of the 2nd Corps marched to the west, preparing to trick the gate of Yichang open.
...While the navy was busy mobilizing, General Liu Wu drove his light ships from the Jingjiang River into the Juzhang River to complete further blockade.

And the reinforcements finally arrived in Qianjiang County.

Abandon the ships and enter the battlefield on foot instead.

The troops were led by Zhao Erhu, Director of the Training Bureau.

He was very excited that he could finally lead an army on his own.

Although the Training Bureau was important, it was classified under the civilian sequence, which made him very uncomfortable.

How can a rough guy who came from a miner family be a civil servant?

The 5th Legion composed of miner brothers performed brilliantly, which is my ultimate dream.

……

Wu Jun's plan to persuade them to surrender basically failed, because they could not find anyone who could make the decision.
Lobbyists,

We kept encountering small groups of cavalry hunting in the wild.

Some ran away when they saw them, some took the initiative to attack, and a very small number of cavalry units that were rational and afraid of death agreed to surrender unconditionally~
However, the conditions offered by the Wu army to the surrendered soldiers were never favorable.

It has been like this since the beginning of the uprising.

Nowadays, people are too lazy to promise official titles to officers, let alone ordinary soldiers.

"Hand over your horses and weapons, and you will be guaranteed not to die."

Just 3 of them!
Everything else is off the table.

If you don't agree, just wait for us to surround you from all sides.

The Wu army didn't care about the life or death of these Mongolian soldiers at all, they just felt sorry for the hungry war horses.

……

There are few people in the encirclement.

All the blame was placed on the Mongols' frequent raids on the grasslands.

Now, they are in an awkward situation, short of food!
The man is hungry, and the horse is even hungrier.

Generally speaking,
A war horse needs to consume no less than 15 kilograms of concentrated feed every day.

If there is not enough concentrated feed,
You need to double the amount of grass intake.

In the uninhabited encirclement, it became increasingly difficult to obtain food, and many people began to kill horses to satisfy their hunger.

Most Mongolian horsemen ride two horses per person, and it is a tradition to kill the horses in an emergency.

On the city wall of Jingzhou,

The flag of Wu was flying.

The remaining soldiers saw this from afar and became even more desperate.

……

The Juzhang River, with an average width of 8 to 10 zhang, became an insurmountable natural barrier for the remaining Mongolian soldiers.

The men of the grassland are not good at swimming, nor are they good at making simple boats or rafts.

The small group of cavalry repeatedly patrolled the banks of the Juzhang River but did not dare to go into the water.

If it were the people of the Jianghan Plain, they would have found a way to cross the river long ago. I can't say they would succeed, but swimming across would give them at least a 7% chance of survival.

A Wu army light gunboat passed by.
The sailors immediately fired their guns.
Amid the sound of gunfire,

The cavalry on the shore scattered, two were shot and fell, and their blood flowed into the shallow water.

"Let's launch a small boat. We'll improve our food today and eat horse meat."

A rowing boat carrying four armed sailors came ashore and dismembered the warhorse, which was not yet dead.

After repeated washing in the river water,
Bring it on board to cook ~
Although horse meat is not delicious, it is fresh at least.

During the war, ordinary soldiers had nothing to complain about as long as they could eat meat.

……

3 days later,

All the reinforcements from Jiangnan have arrived.

A part of them crossed the Jianyang River and began to encircle and suppress the enemy from the northeast corner of the encirclement.

A part of them passed through Jingzhou City and started the encirclement from the southeast corner of the encirclement.

The navy mobilized all idle transport ships and civilian ships that could be requisitioned to transport the 4th Corps along the Juzhang River, bypassing the muddy wetlands and starting the encirclement from the northwest corner of the encirclement.

Lin Huaisheng boarded a navy Ji Kang-class battleship and commanded the hunting party~
In order to complete his achievements in one battle,
He ordered the Wu army to form a long snake formation and to spread out to encircle and suppress the enemy in company or even platoon units.

The 1st Expeditionary Army and temporarily recruited brave men also joined the battle.

Considering that the armor was too heavy to be used for long marches, the dispatched troops did not wear armor this time, but marched forward silently with spears in hand.

Wearing dozens of kilograms of heavy armor, you will be exhausted to death after walking for dozens of miles.

……

This is a siege similar to draining the pond to catch all the fish.

The Wu army spread out and advanced across the vast plain.

The various departments are in a position to keep each other informed.

Tens of thousands of trembling brave men were sandwiched between the Wu army's square formations, like ligaments connecting bones.

The number of people is the key!

2000 Green Camp surrendered soldiers in Jingzhou City were also conscripted and sent to the battlefield, their bald short hair fluttering in the wind.

Lin Huaisheng gritted his teeth and even sent the navy marines and servants ashore to join the encirclement and suppression.

On the first day of pulling the net,
Battles occurred frequently and gunfire continued.

The Mongolian cavalry lost their unified command and had their logistics cut off, so their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

Just as Lin Huaisheng expected,

After being hungry for so long, the war horses were all exhausted.

After a few volleys from the Wu army's line infantry formation, the cavalry turned around and fled, fleeing deeper into the encirclement.

……

Qian Fangyang, a former refugee from Shilipu and now a brave soldier in the Wu army, holds a 7-foot-long spear upright, with a red cloth wrapped around his head, and looks very excited.

Shouting:

"Military law is ruthless. If anyone disobeys orders, don't blame me for being ruthless."

behind,

Dozens of brave men, like quails, with pale faces, trembled and huddled together as they moved forward.

front,

A dead warhorse lay on the side of the road.

The knight died more than ten feet away, with multiple bullet holes on his back, and the blood had not yet coagulated.

Qian Fangyang was also very scared, but he wanted to seize this opportunity to become a superior person.

then,

He pretended to be very powerful and poked the corpse with his spear, cursing loudly:
"Dead Tartar."

Looking back,
As expected, everyone looked at him in awe.

……

A soldier in red and black uniform ran over in a hurry with an extremely bad attitude.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up!"

Qian Fangyang was as if he had been pardoned, and he yelled at his subordinates:
"Hurry up, stop being such a sissy."

The quails are collectively speeding up~
When Qian Fangyang saw Qian Yuanwai walking by, he couldn't help but walk up to him and slap him on the back of the head.

The force was so strong that Mr. Qian staggered.

Hard to say,
There is no personal revenge involved.

……

We advanced another 4 miles.
Qian Fangyang saw a scene that frightened him to death.

There are Mongolian cavalry in front, rushing towards us waving scimitars!

In fact, there are only 4 riders.

But to a group of ordinary people, it was like an overwhelming army.

call out.

The leader is far away with 1 arrow~
A brave man holding a spear was shot by an arrow and fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Qian Fangyang's head was buzzing. He could only see the people around him opening and closing their mouths, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

Severe tinnitus~
He yelled:
"Don't run. Put down your spears and poke the Tartars."

……

The team still broke up.

Half of the people threw away their spears and ran back, while a few ran back carrying their spears.

There were only eight people left, barely able to keep their spears level.

afterwards,

He suddenly realized that these eight fellow villagers might not be brave at all, but were just scared and frozen!
……

Qian Fangyang raised his spear, his face turned red, and even phantoms appeared before his eyes.

The ferocious Mongolian cavalry raised their scimitars and avoided the spears.

When passing by sideways,
Throw something over.

梆~
With a scream, an unlucky guy's forehead was smashed open and he fell to the ground twitching.

Behind him, gunshots suddenly rang out.

Qian Fangyang was surprised to find that the heavenly soldiers finally came to support him.

He hesitated for a few seconds.

He raised his spear with ruthlessness and chased after the cavalrymen with a shout.

gunfire,

Very sparse.

However, the shot was extremely accurate.

Rifled gun with Minié bullets!

……

The two riders who tried to break out were hit by bullets and fell to the ground with a bang.

The remaining two riders were terrified and reacted completely differently.

One rider rushed towards the Wu army's scattered soldiers who were reloading, trying to race against time with the god of death.

however,
Unfortunately, the scattered soldiers had hand guns.

He simply dropped his rifle, pulled out his pistol and shot the charging horse.

Boom~
Both men and horses fell.

Another rider turned his horse and fled to the side, then found Wu troops on the flank, so he turned back and thought that it was better to be brave and make a breakthrough.
(End of this chapter)