Ming Empire

Chapter 147 Encounter

Worried about the safety of Datong and the possible disasters that Cao Yue might encounter, Cao Bianjiao's troops marched very fast.

After passing through Shanhaiguan, they rushed to Datong day and night.

Considering the difficulty of the road, Cao Bianjiao's troops did not carry artillery when they entered the pass, but only muskets, dragon cannons, bows and arrows and other weapons.The area around Beijing is mountainous and the terrain is uneven. Fortunately, there are official roads in most places, and Cao Bianjiao's men and horses are not slow every day.

Cao Bianjiao is also a battle-tested veteran. He knows that he can't be careless at any time. Jiannu are cavalry with strong mobility. It is impossible to completely conceal the whereabouts of his troops. Maybe they have been detected by Jiannu long ago, so along the way A large number of scouts were sent to investigate the situation.

After traveling day and night for many days, it is finally not far from Datong. According to the guide’s report, it is only 150 miles away from Datong, and it can be reached in a day and a half at most two days.

Datong was not far away, and there was no news of Datong's fall, let alone a large number of refugees fleeing, Cao Bianjiao was slightly relieved.

He didn't rush forward either, and ordered the whole army to take a good rest, recover their strength, and organize the team before marching.

We are approaching Datong, and we will encounter an army of slaves at any time. Cao Bianjiao dare not be careless.

Just when Cao Bianjiao's team had finished resting and continued to march in the direction of Datong, the scouts in front brought back a few mysterious figures.

After questioning, it was the liaison personnel sent by Cao Yue.

"What? Jiannu retreated, and the siege of Datong was over?" Cao Bianjiao couldn't help being overjoyed after hearing the report from the visitor.

However, he still wasn't completely sure, until the other party showed Cao Yue's personal letter and tokens, he was half-doubtful, a little convinced that after the disastrous defeat, Jiannu retreated without support.He immediately ordered the entire army to stop advancing and set up defenses on the spot.

When Jiannu retreated to the north, he might not immediately withdraw across the Great Wall and retreat into the grasslands. He might be harassed everywhere, or even go to Beijing for a walk before going back, just like last time.They came from the direction north of Beijing. If Jiannu wanted to invade Beijing, they would probably encounter them on the way.

Although Jiannu suffered a disastrous defeat under the city of Datong, the main force of Jurchen did not suffer any losses.

This is an elite army with very strong field combat capabilities, and no one dares to underestimate it. Cao Bianjiao dare not act carelessly.

Soon, the second wave of messengers sent by Cao Yue also arrived in Cao Bianjiao's army. They reported that when Jiannu was retreating, the main force of Jurchen and the Han army and the Korean army were behind the palace to set up an ambush along the way.Cao Yue believes that Jiannu's voluntary retreat must contain a conspiracy, and Cao Bianjiao is asked to be careful. Maybe Jiannu is retreating to advance and seek greater goals.

After receiving several communications from Cao Yue, Cao Bianjiao immediately decided to stop the rescue of Datong and prepare to retreat to Beijing to prevent Jiannu from attacking the capital of Daming.However, just as Cao Bianjiao's troops were preparing to retreat and return to Beijing, there was a report from scouts saying that a large group of Jiannu troops had been spotted ahead and were heading east quickly.

"The main force of Jiannu is really ready to attack Beijing," Cao Bianjiao's heart suddenly rose, and he immediately ordered the whole army to occupy favorable terrain and prepare for battle.

Before Cao Bianjiao received the notification of the encounter, he had already chosen a very defensive hillside to camp.In this place, facing the official road to Beijing, there is a gentle slope, behind it is a cliff with a large drop, and not far in front, there is a pass with a width of only two or three hundred steps.If you keep this pass, you will almost block the official road. If you want to go to Beijing, you can't go to Beijing by this road unless you take a long way from other places or defeat other troops.

Cao Bianjiao's headquarters has a full musket battalion, plus his own guards equipped with muskets, the whole army has about [-] muskets.The army carried a considerable amount of ammunition, and each musketeer could fire at least twenty rounds.There are also a lot of dragon cannons, at least [-]. Unfortunately, there are no artillery accompanying them.

Cao Bianjiao was a very loyal and patriotic general. When he encountered Jiannu in front of him, he never thought of retreating. Instead, he decided to stop Jiannu from going to Beijing at this place.

The Musketeer Battalion immediately entered the position, occupying a favorable position for defense, the archers guarded on both sides, and the pikemen and cavalry guarded the left and right wings of the archers.

Generals who have experienced the power of muskets will naturally think of this method of warfare. Musketeers are the most lethal and must be placed at the front. Archers play the role of protecting musketeers, and can kill those who come from the front within a certain range. If the enemy, the musketeers run out of gunpowder and retreat, their positions can be filled by archers.The cavalry and pikemen on both sides are to guard the musketeers and archers.

If the attacking enemy does not retreat under the fire of muskets, the cavalry can also take the opportunity to chase and kill them.

There are positions to defend, or dangerous terrain to use, such a formation can basically withstand the enemy's attack for a long time.

Cao Yue defeated Jiannu with similar tactics, and Cao Bianjiao also used this formation to repel Jiannu's attack, and when Jiannu was killed and defeated by a large number, he took the opportunity to hunt down and win.

Cao Bianjiao's men and horses were well-trained, and their military quality was far from comparable to that of ordinary Ming Dynasty officers and troops. They had been through battles for a long time, and their formations were organized in an orderly manner without the slightest panic.

But half an hour later, all the horses lined up according to Cao Bianjiao's order, ready to meet Jiannu's attack.

Dorgon set up an ambush, but it didn't work. Cao Yue didn't send troops to chase after him, and fought back. The idea of ​​turning defeat into victory was shattered. Dorgon was not willing to go back to the grassland like this. He left and attacked several places, burned and killed Looting, so that the vast number of Qing soldiers can achieve psychological balance.Therefore, after he withdrew from Datong, he did not cross the Great Wall and retreat to the grassland, but attacked in the direction of Beijing.

Cao Bianjiao's people are not far from Datong.According to the situation analysis of the scouts and detectives, Cao Bianjiao's tribe only had 4 to [-] people, and they came from a long-distance raid, so their physical strength must be affected, and they did not carry artillery.Dorgon thought that the ability of the Qing army to fight in the field was invincible, so he immediately decided to use his remaining strength to eat Cao Bianjiao's troops.

As long as Cao Bianjiao's troops are eliminated, the defeat this time will not be considered miserable.

Dorgon expected that Cao Yue would not dare to lead his army out of the city to pursue, and he might not be able to detect the movements of Cao Bianjiao's tribe.He led an army to attack Cao Bianjiao's tribe and wiped out Cao Bianjiao's troops, but Cao Yue might not dare to rescue them.Even if Cao Yue had the guts to rescue him, it might not be too late.He can also clothe his pockets again, lay an ambush along the way, beat Cao Yue hard, and save some face.

Hauge's defeat in the Battle of Datong was not considered the worst, at least he was much better than Duoduo.In order to show that his ability is superior to Duo Duo and even Dorgon, he asked himself to lead the army in the front, intending to use one or several victories to wash away his shame and overshadow Dorgon and Duo Duo brothers in the limelight.After encountering Cao Bianjiao's tribe, Hauge also personally led the army to launch the attack first.

(End of this chapter)