A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 489
The artillery shell roared, and a round, solid iron ball came from the Qing army's position. All Tang Tongjun and Ma Kejun, who lined up around the hills, looked at the direction where the artillery shell fell.

With a loud bang, the cannonball hit the hill, stirring up a large swath of soil.Since the cannonball landed on the sloping hills and slopes, although it bounced high and forward, after falling, it rolled down a few times and stopped beating.

The whole army breathed a sigh of relief, and Tang Tong and Ma Ke also breathed a sigh of relief.

The artillery shells were not far from their central army position. According to the arrangement of the two men's army formation, the hills were full of cavalry and cold-armed soldiers from the main barracks of the second town.The interval between one thousand and one thousand, and each thousand are very separated, which was the same as the layout of the military formation at that time.

An army of nearly 2 people, along the top and front of the hill, is covered with small squares one after another. From north to south, there are armor, weapons and flags in black.On Pingchuan under the hill, there are car formations, which surround the hill in a slightly arc shape, guarded by gunners, gunners, and rocketmen.

The northern end of the hill is guarded by a guerrilla under Tangtong's command, and chariots are used to repel horses. The terrain is relatively flat.Of course, these wandering soldiers and reinforcements in the town battalion and participating battalion cannot be treated the same as the regular battalion. Naturally, they will go to the cannon fodder and more dangerous tasks first, so they gather on the periphery.

On the other hand, the northern end of the hill, which may be attacked first by the Qing army from Rufeng Mountain in the north, is a dangerous area, but it is guarded by the Tang Tong Department.Obviously, although Tang Tong and Ma Ke are brothers, it is impossible for the two to enjoy the same treatment, which is due to the effect of strength.

The cannonball landed in the open space in front of the cavalry formation, without hurting either a man or a horse. Tang Tong and Ma Ke laughed, and Ma Ke stroked his two mustaches and said contemptuously: "The artillery of the Tartars is nothing more than that." !"

Tang Tong said flatteringly: "This is also because of Marshal Ma's foresight. He arranged the army formation on the hills, so that the artillery of the Tartars lost its function and power!"

The two pursued each other again, but not long after, the Qing army's artillery roared violently.

On the hilly high ground over there, a large puff of thick gunpowder smoke rose again, and then dozens of huge solid shells whizzed over.The artillery of the Qing army lowered its firing rate at this time, and instead of facing the hills, they aimed at the various vehicle camps arranged in front of the hills.

There was a rumbling sound, big and big cannons fell on the front and back of the car camp, they were either shot in the air, and they bounced without hitting the people or horses.Either they shot directly at or slammed into the chariots of the second town, smashing those chariots into pieces, and the sharp wooden thorns flying horizontally made the gunners behind them roll and howl.

Or the artillery shells were fired into the position of gunners a little behind, or the cold weapon position of the camp of the second town, running and jumping on the dry and hard ground, bringing up bursts of blood mist from stumps.All of a sudden, there were cries and howls, and the soldiers in the car battalion in front were in chaos.

Looking at their miserable appearance, the soldiers of the main barracks of the Second Town who were spread out on the hills were also in a commotion, many of them were ashen-faced, and the Tartar artillery was too fierce.

Tang Tong was stunned and his face turned pale. Then he remembered something and shouted: "Yes, the Tartars have cannons, so we can fire them too!"

Ma Ke lost his composure before, and said: "Their cannons are two miles away, and the Flangji in our car camp can't hit that far. In the Ming army, apart from the cannons of Shenji Battalion, Wang Dou's cannons are most likely to be fired." The barracks can't beat them either."

Tang Tongru caught the straw and said, "Yes, the artillery of the Shenji Battalion, let's quickly go to Hong Du's for help, and let the Shenji Battalion pull the artillery up."

Ma Ke said sadly: "General Tang forgot, the artillery of Shenji Battalion supported Yang Guozhu earlier, and Li Fuming went!"

Tang Tong said angrily: "Yang Guozhu, Li Fuming wants to support, so we don't need it? Could it be that the soldiers and horses in our second town were raised by stepmothers?"

Ma Ke snorted coldly: "I'm afraid in Hong Du's heart, we are raised by stepmothers!"

The two were still arguing, and the Qing army's artillery barrage roared again, and large waves of artillery shells shot over with a terrifying screaming sound.

This wave of shells was even more powerful because the Qing army used Qunzi.

Hundreds of cannons flew horizontally, which meant that the cannons were more or less powerful, and their ranges varied from front to back, but most of them shot into the formation of the Ming army.Countless solid iron balls hit the head and face, shooting, bombing, rolling, jumping, and smashing randomly. From time to time, chariots and army formations were attacked, and blood and debris were flying everywhere.

The Ming army in the front several car camps, where the guns fell, was already crying for their parents and mothers, and the soldiers ran around, causing waves of commotion among others.

In fact, although the Qing army's artillery was fierce, it did not cause many actual casualties to the sergeants of the second town.

Because there are nearly 2 people, the military formations in the second town are lined up several miles away, and there is an open space between each small formation.It's just that in this era, artillery is an irresistible force, especially when you just stand as a target and you can't fight back just by being hit, the horror is magnified countless times.

Especially the misery of other people is contagious. Every commotion in the army will affect countless people nearby, especially when the soldiers cannot strictly observe discipline and their combat power is not sharp.

And obviously, the Ming army's experience of being bombarded is not as rich as that of the Qing army, and its immunity is even lower.

Watching the Qing army's artillery wave after wave, the riots in our own army continued to increase.The generals of the several car camps in front also desperately came to ask for instructions, what should they do, should they just stand like this, waiting to be shot?If this continues, the soldiers will not last long.

The generals of several chariot battalions complained quite a bit, but the main barracks were better, spread out on the hills, and the Tartar artillery did not pose much threat to them, so they suffered disaster.If the subordinates finish fighting, what will they do in Daming in the future?Will these two generals who kill thousands of knives take the opportunity to annex their troops?
Some generals with fiery tempers were even more rude to Tang Tong and Ma Ke in their words.

The two were furious, but at the moment of the battle, it was not easy to deal with them, so they were only thinking about it, and they will settle accounts with them in the future!

Under the strong pressure, the two of them were like ants on a hot pot. Together with their relatives, they thought of one idea after another, and were overthrown one by one, but they couldn't come up with a practical solution.

Fortunately, the artillery of the Qing army came to an end, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then the wailing and crying of the wounded soldiers continued, which made people upset again.

It is unknown how many casualties were caused by these waves of artillery fire by the Qing army. What is even more frightening is that they will fire again after their artillery has overheated.They are calm and unhurried, and they are not so comfortable when they are the target of fire.

The general soldiers of Shanhaiguan and Miyun ordered the Chinese army to treat them and carry the dead and wounded to the back of the hill.Watching the casualties carried up one by one, their arms and legs were broken, or they were broken into pieces. Some were even cut in two, with their intestines and feces flowing all over the floor, which made their stomachs churn.

We must find a way, otherwise the Qing army's artillery will fire again, and the few car camps in front will collapse and flee.

Tang Tong frowned and thought for a while, then said to Ma Ke: "Shuai Ma, the only way out now is to let Che Ying retreat and let them retreat behind the hills!"

Ma Ke shook his head and said, "What if the Tartars attack without a chariot battalion in front? And you know the virtues of these Qiuba, if you let them retreat, what if they take the opportunity to escape?"

Tang Tong was right when he thought about it. Without the chariot battalion, it would be very difficult for his own side to block the attack of the Tartar cavalry with just the main barracks.Moreover, he knew all the generals in his town, and he might still be able to persevere at this time. If he gave the order to retreat, they might collapse as soon as their anger dropped.

Tang Tong said in annoyance: "This doesn't work, and that doesn't work, so what should I do?"

Ma Ke stroked his two mustaches, looked at the Qing army's position, his eyes were deep: "The only way is to seize the cannon!"

Tang Tong was taken aback: "Seize the cannon?"

Ma Ke said: "That's right, grab the cannon!"

He said: "Looking at the Tartar position on the opposite side, most of them are the second Tartars of the Han army banner. Most of them are infantrymen or gunners. There are not many cavalry of the real Tartars. It seems that they will not exceed four thousand. How many cavalry are there in our two towns combined? I'm afraid there are eight or nine thousand, nearly ten thousand, which is several times their number!"

"As long as our cavalry rush over quickly and get in front of the artillery formation, can Ertazi's artillery and bird guns stop us? It will be a rare feat to win the cannon at that time!"

Tang Tong was extremely moved for a moment, yes, it is indeed a rare credit to win the cannon, there are dozens of Hongyi cannons, oh, there are also dozens of Hongyi small cannons.Maybe after this battle, I can go up several levels in a row!
He gritted his teeth: "Starve the timid to death, starve the bold to death, do it!"

But then a shrewd expression appeared in his eyes: "Then who will take the cannon?"

Ma Ke looked at Tang Tong with an expression of great admiration in his eyes: "General Tang's troops are extremely brave, and I admire him very much. The task of capturing the cannon must of course be handed over to General Tang. If the general doesn't come out, what can the people do?"

Tang Tong showed a look of shame in his eyes: "Ma Shuai praised Tang in such a way, I am ashamed and dare not take it!"

He said: "When it comes to marching and fighting, Ma Shuai can truly be regarded as experienced and experienced in seeking the country and doing things well! How dare the last general rob Ma Shuai of this feat of winning the artillery? Make new achievements!"

The two had a lot of wrangling, and finally they could only agree that they would go together.

They urgently summoned the generals of the chariot battalions of the second town to discuss this matter, because the cavalry of the main army battalion of the second town also attacked, so everyone agreed.And after analysis, winning the cannon is much better than just standing and being beaten, and the chances of winning are much higher.

The Qing army was about to fire, and everyone decided to pull out all the cavalry from each battalion, totaling more than 9000 cavalry.It is divided into several waves and arrays, two directions, one for attacking the artillery array, and the other for guarding against possible side attacks by Qingqi.

It was agreed that the Tang Tong Department, led by a general from the main battalion, would lead a total of [-] cavalry from each battalion in the town to defend against the cavalry on the other side of the formation.

The Ma Ke Department, led by a deputy general of the Zhengbing Battalion, led more than 5000 cavalry from each battalion in the town, and attacked the Qing army's artillery formation.

Tang Tong was displeased, it seemed that the chances of winning the cannon were great, and Ma Ke took away most of the credit because he had a large number of soldiers and could not be divided.This is for his troops to attack the artillery formations of the Qing army. When he captures the artillery formations, how many artillery pieces will he give to himself?

However, his strength was insufficient, Tang Tong couldn't compete with Ma Ke, so he had to swallow his anger.Still in front of Ma Ke, he ordered his attacking subordinates to cooperate closely to protect the flanks of the Shan Haijun.To prevent the possible attack of Qingqi, the army successfully captured the artillery and defeated the enemy.

Dense cavalry formed in front of the Hilly Chariot Camp, with Ma Ke's army in front and Tang Tong's army behind.

The cavalry has always been the essence of the battalions of the Ming Dynasty. They have outstanding combat power and well-equipped armor. They are basically professional soldiers. They have experienced battles and do not lack battlefield fighting skills.

Especially in this battle, the cavalry of the main battalion of the second town took the lead, and the cavalry of the remaining battalions did not complain. This battle has a high chance of winning, so everyone is gearing up and can't wait to make meritorious service.

They lined up a huge crowd, and the Ming army was still red. These cavalrymen were all dressed in bright red long body armor and had arms and arms.Coupled with the dense banners, like a forest of spears, knives and sticks, an imposing manner stretched out immediately.

The Qing army on the opposite side was about to fire artillery, but when they saw the cavalry of the Ming army coming out, they couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and the prepared artillery fire was not fired.Obviously, we must be prepared to deal with these coming cavalry.

Both Ma Ke and Tang Tong gave careful instructions to the generals of the main barracks who went to battle.

The second battalion has a general and a deputy general, both of whom are relatives, and they all patted their chests to promise that the two generals will wait for the good news, and they will definitely return after making meritorious service.

They were so proud that they rode their horses to their own cavalry formation.

Ma Zhiyong, the deputy general of Ma Ke's main barracks, is also considered a relative of Ma Ke. He is tall and burly, with a face full of flesh and scars and arrow wounds. He is obviously a veteran general.

He let his horse run wildly in front of the battle, roaring loudly: "My sons, follow me to kill slaves!"

Countless cavalry raised their weapons and roared: "Kill the slaves!"

"Follow me to grab the cannon!"

There are countless roaring voices: "Seize the cannon!"

With a loud roar, Ma Zhiyong rode out first, followed by some of his servants, holding high the banner.

Then there were dense cavalry, they walked slowly at first, and when they got closer for a mile, they galloped wildly.The iron hoof hit the ground violently, and thousands of mountain navy horses gathered into a galloping torrent, rolling forward!

More than 200 steps behind them were Tang Tong's cavalry, as a backup to prevent possible attacks by Qing cavalry.

Tens of thousands of horses were galloping, artillery shells roared, and the Qing army kept firing. From two miles away, the forty Hongyi heavy artillery kept bombarding.

The dense solid iron balls passed by like lightning, and continuously hit the Mingqi shock array, making a crackling sound, and successive Ming army troops were smashed into blood mist.

The screams of people and the screams of horses sounded continuously, but the Ming army continued to advance, especially when they entered a mile, the cavalry charged faster.

If you charge with all your strength, it doesn't take much time for the cavalry to cross a mile. They can run ten meters in a second, and it takes less than a minute to cover a mile!

By this time, in addition to the forty Hongyi heavy cannons on the hills, dozens of Hongyi cannons deployed in front of the hills also fired in the artillery formation of the Qing army. They fired three to five catty cannons.

The artillery roared, and under the interlaced bombardment of the Qing army's cannons, the charging Ming army cavalry suffered heavy casualties.

However, the Ming army was still shouting and charging, and Ma Zhiyong held his horse spear and always rushed to the front.

Cannons, big and small, passed by him from time to time.

Iron hoofs rolled, smoke and dust shot up into the sky, and in a blink of an eye, large groups of Ming army cavalry were about to rush to the front of the clear formation.

It can be seen that there was a commotion in their position.

When they were about to enter the hundred paces, the sound of the cannon was loud. It seemed that everything was covered by the deafening sound of the cannon.

Large streams of sharp gunpowder smoke and flames rose, and all the red cannons in front of the shield vehicles fired shotguns in front of the Han army flag gun array, and the densely packed projectiles shot forward, covering a range of more than 100 meters in front, one to 2000 meters left and right.

Countless people and horses neighed, and an unknown number of Ming army cavalry rushed forward, shooting bloody arrows from their bodies and the horses below.Many people were blown apart by too many bullets.

Ma Zhiyong, who took the lead in the charge, and some servants behind him were killed by those shotguns on the spot.

The many Ming cavalry who followed him also fell down in unison, and as the horses neighed, many cavalry soldiers were covered in blood.Either they were at a loss, or they were shocked by the roar of the huge artillery, and their eyes were straightened, and they rode their horses and stood there in a daze.

Immediately after the sound of the artillery, the sound of a row of guns sounded. On the densely packed shield vehicles, one after another shot out the bird guns. The number of bird guns fired from the front layer reached [-].

In front of the shield vehicle, after all the Hongyi cannons fired cannonballs, the gunners hurriedly hid in the army formation, while the gun formations of the Han army's banners fired immediately.

Thick white smoke rose again, and a volley of two thousand blunderbusses fired. Many Mingqi who were at a loss in front fell down. At this time, they no longer had the momentum to charge, and became a big target for the blunderbuss soldiers of the Han army. .

After the three-layer shooting, I don't know how many Ming soldiers and horses fell down, and the cavalry behind them no longer had the courage to move forward!
They thought that the iron cavalry of the Qing Dynasty was a nightmare, but now they find that their artillery and bird guns are even more a nightmare!

Numerous Ming army cavalry screamed loudly, pulled out their horses and fled back, just wanting to stay away from the cannons and bird guns of those Tartars.

Seeing the cavalry of the Ma Ke army fleeing in front, the cavalry of Tang Tong's department in the back also fled back in a panic.

All of a sudden, the Ming army's vigorous campaign to seize the cannon was declared a failure!
……

And in the rear, watching the countless cavalry screaming back, their expressions seemed to collapse, Ma Ke and Tang Tong on the hill were dumbfounded, this... What's going on?

In fact, Ma Ke could see clearly, and basically saw the battle ahead. The artillery and bird guns of the Tartars were beyond his expectation, and they were really unimaginably powerful.

This time the cannon capture operation, our side failed, a complete failure, and this time the main force of the cannon capture was still the cavalry in his own town.Under the attack of the opponent, how much did the troops lose!These are all cavalry in his town, most of them are cavalry from his main barracks.

Without these cavalry, what are you?Is it still the general of the town?
In particular, his own general, his clansman Ma Zhiyong, seemed to have been killed on the spot. How would he explain this to his relatives?
Ma Ke's face trembled violently, and he was no longer as calm and calm as he used to be, and the hands stroking his two whiskers continued to tremble even more.

Suddenly he let out a scream, beat his chest and howled, and he burst into tears: "It's unreasonable, the Tartar's cannon is more powerful than my Ming Dynasty, God has no eyes, alas!"

(End of this chapter)