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

Chapter 895
At this time, he rode on the horse, and beside him were various officials of the military department, the chief guard, the Tang horse team, and the first-class battalion of the army, the hussars, the hunting cavalry, the loyal horse team, the Shaanxi-Gansu generals' horse team, and so on. With [-] riders, they formed a huge formation and also marched on the two wings behind the infantry.

The Special Loyalty Battalion and the Shaanxi-Gansu cavalry gathered on the two wings. They were very deep and worked hard to protect the infantry, resembling an "H" shape.

There is also the supply department and engineers in the army who are always busy carrying and replacing equipment for the army. When they have nothing to do, they will also carry the wounded for the medical and health general.

They also have hundreds of grenadiers inside, each carrying tens of thousands of enemies. If necessary, they can also attack the enemy together with the infantry.

Seeing that the two wings of the bandits' central army had dispatched cavalry, about two to three thousand cavalry each, and a few more were preparing behind, Wen Fangliang ordered the cavalry on the two wings to fight. Kill these harassing soldiers and horses.

In the wilderness, some sentry cavalry were fighting and chasing. After the two sides lined up, the two sides basically returned to their original formation. The cavalry moved out.

Eliminate those small groups of thieves and cavalry rushing to the infantry, cover the infantry, and the artillery and archers who marched in front of the formation are safe.

Looking ahead, he saw about 1 cavalry on each side of the bandits' central army, and about [-] cavalry at the core of the rear formation, including Li Chuang's [-] cavalry of the Zhongquan pro-army. There are Li Yan as Shuaibiao Deputy General, Dang Shousu, Xin Sizhong, Gu Kecheng and others as General Mighty and General Guoyi.

Including the more than 1 old battalion soldiers who went to the two wings to monitor the battle, that's all they have. As long as these old battalions are eliminated, the bandits who have plagued Ming Dynasty for many years will disappear completely.

However, they originally lined up for about four miles, the battalion of chariots and gun camps occupied a depth of one mile, the depth of the three walls was about one mile for every [-] riders, and the depth of [-] riders was three miles.Now the car battalion, the artillery battalion, and the gun battalion were defeated, they hurriedly gathered to the back of the formation to regroup, and the distance between their infantry formation and their cavalry formation was less than five li.

……

A Hongyi six-pound cannon shook violently, and thick smoke spewed out from the muzzle. In the fierce flames, a solid iron ball weighing five catties fiercely rushed towards the horse team in front of it.

The sound of crackling and cracking bones, broken limbs, broken arms, flying flesh, human legs and horse legs, the lethality of solid shells is really terrifying. Even if the bandits and cavalry are scattered and the queue is not dense, if the iron ball hits past, it will still open. An alley of flesh and blood was formed, and all kinds of limbs took off.

The gunpowder smoke filled the air, and the sound of cannons rumbled one after another. It wasn't just this cannon that fired. There were a hundred ordinary Hongyi cannons in front of the Azure Dragon Army's formation, with a range of two to three miles. Fifteen of them were placed on two wings. A total of [-] Hongyi cannons opened fire violently, hitting the old cavalry battalion that was charging.

Not only that, but at this time, the heavy artillery on some forts behind the formation also roared and roared, smashing the heavy artillery shells weighing more than ten kilograms viciously on the heads of the running bandit cavalry.

You Shilu stared at the tragic situation there. The rockets of the Jingbian army had opened his eyes. The artillery was even more accurate, ruthless, and faster than the Hongyi cannon he knew. farther.

Judging by the speed at which they fired, they were afraid that they would fire one shot in less than ten breaths, and they could fire ten consecutive shots before stopping to take a rest to cool off.

Under the impact of the cannonballs like a rainstorm, You Shilu was stunned to see the bandit cavalry rushing from that side.

At this time, You Shilu and the others were on the right wing of the central army, and their [-] riders were divided into three waves by You Shiwei, with You Shilu in the front and leading the battle.

Don't miss the opportunity, You Shilu shouted: "Soldiers, let me kill the thief!"

He swung his sledgehammer and rushed out first.

"Wan Sheng!"

Not only his servants, but also Li Changling, Gao Ruli and other general soldiers in the formation roared and shouted, each of them urged their horses to charge out.They were all in red and gold-edged livery, with rolling momentum and thunderous hooves, more than 3000 riders rushed towards the enemy without hesitation, even if they were facing the old camp of thieves, they were not afraid.

"Kill the thief!"

The fierce confrontation between the two sides, the rumbling hooves seemed to cause a strong earthquake on the ground, the charging of thousands of troops, the galloping of thousands of horses, the shaking of the ground, and the fluttering of countless banners, which made people feel a sense of relief. The heart is about to jump out, and the timid even close their eyes and dare not watch.

"The fighting of cavalry is always so exciting."

Wang Dou on the Daner Ridge watched, the situation in front of him reminded him of the past, when he rode his horse and charged like this, he will never forget that exciting and masculine scene, he saw the two cavalry getting closer and closer, It was as if the surging waves collided fiercely.

At that moment, Wang Dou almost closed his eyes. The cavalry battle was very cruel, and the life and death of both sides was only in an instant.

Wang Dou could see clearly that after the two sides collided, the soldiers and horses along the way were thrown up with flags and weapons, and then when the two sides rushed past and separated, there were mourning horses all over the ground, fallen soldiers who were trampled into flesh, and wailing soldiers one by one. Wounded soldiers.

The battle of cavalry is so cruel.

However, it can also be clearly seen that the cavalry has the upper hand.

In addition to their own extraordinary combat power and resolute fighting will, it is also an important factor for their own artillery to destroy their ranks in advance.

Wang Dou said: "Let's fight like this, the cavalry covers, the infantry approaches, the arrows and artillery follow, stay one mile away from their position, the rocket artillery is fully fired, and carpet bombs their rear formations on both wings."

Zhong Tiaoyang, the chief general of the Chinese army and guard, hurriedly passed his order to Wen Fangliang, the chief general of the other side.

……

After a volley of guns, the ruffian cavalry on the opposite side rolled over a large area. They rolled on the ground and screamed. The pain of being shot made them all agonize over their lives.

Dozens of hussar soldiers flitted past their wings. At a distance of twenty or thirty steps, each of them pulled out their pistols and pulled the trigger on them. Another group of people neighed, and some thieves continued to bleed. Hua screamed and fell off the horse.

Or their horses were shot, frantically frightened, and knocked off their riders.

Or from time to time, Jingbian army cavalry rode past them not far away. They held ignited fragments in their hands, and with their fast horsepower, they threw them viciously into the crowd, causing all the thieves to ride ghosts and howl like wolves. of.

There are still few bandits who can ride and shoot on horseback. Even if they have the ability to ride and shoot, they usually use horse bows. The bow is weak and the shooting range is very short. contend for supremacy.

They were called out by the chasseurs' guns from a distance, and they were shot one by one at a distance of fifty or sixty steps. Then the hussars attacked them from both wings. After the first battle, the exchange ratio was extremely amazing, even with the same number, The thieves on the opposite side are all in a situation where they can't fight back after being beaten.

The battlefield was filled with white smoke and the sound of gunfire continued. With the efforts of the Hussars and Chasseurs, the bandits who came to harass the infantry were soon driven away by them.

……

"How to do?"

Seeing that the Jingbian army's infantry is still approaching, it is about to enter four miles, and our cavalry keeps attacking, but they are tightly entangled by their two-winged cavalry. This is our most elite old battalion, but they are fighting with their horses. Evenly matched.

Oh, not only that, the cavalry they gathered on the left wing of the infantry formation is estimated to be only about 1 cavalry, and the cavalry gathered on the right wing of the central army has more than [-] cavalry, but they are still evenly matched. amazing.

The Xiaoqi they rode on horseback and shot guns were even sharper. No matter how many teams they harassed their cavalry, they were all driven out tenaciously, and they could not hinder their marching pace at all.

what can we do about it?

Li Zicheng and the others frowned as the Jingbian army's Qinglong army formation on the opposite side was getting closer and closer. Only then did they feel that although their own troops were large, they seemed to be useless, and they couldn't bring out any elites to resist at critical moments.

They looked at the two wings of the formation, the sound of guns was loud and the artillery roared, the two sides were fighting inextricably, it seemed that no one could do anything to the other.But the most important thing is to look at the Chinese army. This is what determines the outcome of the battlefield.

"Heavenly King, the last general thinks that we still need to continue to invest in the old battalion of Xiaoqi. Now that the two wings of the center formation are stalemate, maybe if we invest another [-] cavalry, we can break through their two wings and go around behind their formation."

Li Yan watched it for a long time, and finally put forward his own solution.

Li Zicheng was noncommittal, Liu Zongmin glanced at Li Yan, and said in a strange way: "What if you can't break through? Donkey ball, what will Mr. Li say?"

He said: "The fight just now was very clear. They put a lot of artillery on the two wings of the infantry. My brothers from the old battalion rushed forward, but they were scattered by them halfway. Then their cavalry rushed out. There was a team against no team. Every horse formation has been defeated by them. Mother shit, who knows if they will do this again? Even with that weird rocket that can hit a long distance, my old battalion brother may lose his shape halfway through the charge .”

He said: "Besides, their infantry is very thin. Even if we get behind their formation and they turn around or form a square formation, my tens of thousands of horsemen will not be able to win."

Li Zicheng, Li Guo, Liu Xiyao and others all changed their faces. When they mentioned this phalanx, they couldn't help but think of the attack on King Cao back then.

That year Cao Bianjiao also formed a phalanx, and their cavalry rushed into the formation. The painful lesson is still fresh in their memory. They don't believe that Wang Doujing's frontier army didn't know this. A thunder strike, the consequences are disastrous.

Moreover, they still have thousands of cavalry behind the formation, which may be stronger than the cavalry on the two wings, which must also be taken into account.

Li Guo said in admiration: "Jiang is old and spicy, this war strategy still needs to be planned by Master Liu, the commander-in-chief."

Liu Xiyao also said: "How to deal with it, Ru Hou will explain it clearly."

Li Yan was silent. After entering Beijing, Liu Zongmin had a lot of ambitions. He often intentionally or unintentionally squeezed out his influence in the Zhongquan pro-army, and even targeted him from time to time. The old-fashioned kindness and intimacy were all gone, which always made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

However, he had to admit that what Liu Zongmin said was very reasonable, whether it was not being able to rush through, or Jie Shijing's frontier army forming a phalanx, it was not an easy matter to deal with.

Li Zicheng also looked at Liu Zongmin, wanting to hear what he could do to deal with it.

Liu Zongmin rubbed his beard full of cheeks. It was difficult for this veteran in the camp to make up his mind. He pondered for a long time, and finally said: "The only way is to march towards them!"

He said: "It is also a team of [-] cavalry charging into battle. As long as they can get past the bombardment of artillery and rockets and get close to them, their thin rows of infantry will definitely be defeated, and then drive them to break into battle. We will win this battle. , the key is to rush over."

Li Guo and Liu Xiyao's expressions changed, they couldn't move their wings, otherwise what would they do if the Jingbian cavalry rushed over to flank them?As for the [-] cavalry to attack, they had to use the first two of the three walls, and the Zhongquan pro-army would not go out casually.

Looking at the formation ahead, they instinctively feel that it is not easy to rush, and many people will die in time.

But just now, after the Jingbian army's strange weapon attack, and the defeat of the previous battle is vivid, even the old battalion in their formation is quite fearful. , their array barely collapsed.

Now I want to break through their formation, I don't know if the brothers in the formation have this determination.

But they also had luck in their hearts. In the fight just now, the cavalry came out after their artillery fired. The combination of cavalry and artillery was amazing.

But facing the infantry, the infantry must wait in place after their artillery hits, and with the advantage of the cavalry over the infantry, it seems that they can also rush over.

In their bones, they believed that there were more cavalry, and the facts also proved that very few infantry did not collapse during the earth-shattering charge of the cavalry.

Do you want to rush?They all looked at Li Zicheng, and Li Zicheng was silent and hesitant.

……

"Do you want to start?"

Lao Hu looked around and whispered to Kong San.

At this time, they were on the right wing of the central army, with about [-] cavalry around them.

There are 5000 people in their mountain patrol camp. Although everyone enjoys the treatment of the old camp and everyone has a horse, it does not mean that everyone will ride on the horse and kill them. Some people only know how to ride a horse, so in this pure old camp They also carefully selected three thousand riders from the assembled formation.

In the fight just now, they were in the third team. After dealing with it, they came back and sent some damned people to death. They fought bravely and tenaciously.

"Not urgent."

Kong San looked at the opposite position, his eyes flashed with excitement: "The general has more and sharper soldiers and horses."

He said: "Wait until the thieves are more chaotic, and their losses will be greater, that's the time for us to do it."

……

"The Tartars are about to start charging."

Han Chao put down his binoculars and thought silently.

He saw a large group of foreign Mongolian soldiers gathered four miles away. It seemed that they would launch an attack soon, and judging by their actions, this was just the beginning.

Zheng Zonghui, the chief of staff of the army beside him, said: "Outer Mongolian Aohan, Naiman, Karaqin, Tumed and other departments, according to information, they sent out [-] bannermen and [-] armored soldiers. In the middle position, they are ranked first. Judging by their arrangement, the ten thousand riders are divided into two waves. Based on one wave of five thousand riders, the slave chief may arrange ten to twenty waves of continuous attacks. "

The battalion generals Lei Xianbin, Xie Shangbiao, Tian Qiming, Zhang Tanggong, Xu Youyu and others beside him are all solemn, the slaves are coming in menacingly.

Wang Pu was listening, and couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva. Looking at the large number of artillery in front of the battle, and the large number of rockets on Zhu Xinzhuang Ridge, he felt relieved.

Han Chao nodded silently. He looked at his army formation. Two B-battalions of the Xuanwu Army, Wang Puxin’s battalion, and two C-class battalions were the front formation. Their 6000 infantry soldiers were divided into eight rows, and the inner four rows were guns. Soldiers, four rows of spearmen.

Then 150 ordinary Hongyi cannons, 250 general Frang machine guns, and [-] small and medium-sized Frang machine guns were placed in front of the formation.

There are also forty Hongyi heavy artillery, forty heavy mortar guns, three light rocket battalions, and two and a half heavy rocket battalions on the mountains of Zhuxinzhuang.

Defensive firepower is no problem at all.

Moreover, there are also their own first-class battalions in the front and back, hussars, chasseurs, new attached battalion cavalry, and [-] horses attached to the Mongols.

He looked solemn: "All the officers are in their positions, and we will fight in a dense formation. Tell Zhao Xuan on the mountain that all the rockets and artillery will be bombarded after the slave cavalry enters Erli."

As he said that, the ground trembled faintly, and the Mongolian soldiers from the Outer Domain had begun to advance.

They surged like a tide, and at the end of their line of sight, there were dense and endless cavalry.

(End of this chapter)