A tall Iron Man Army soldier brandished a long-handled sword. The sword flashed and a Qing Army green soldier was split from the shoulder, split in half.
Blood and guts gushing out!
The Liberation Army in the center and left wing also launched bayonet charges almost simultaneously.
Amidst the loud shouts of killing, the Qing army was continuously pressed back.
Shang Kexi waved his hand and said.
"Instruct the cavalry to attack and block the Ming army's offensive!"
Infantry is no match, so Shang Kexi's solution is to use superior cavalry to make up for it.
Seeing the Qing cavalry move, Zhang Meng also swung his riding whip, and the riding whip made a crisp sound when it was drawn out on the horse's buttocks.
The Ming army's cavalry roared and rushed towards the Qing army's cavalry, and the Zheng army's cavalry quickly followed suit.
The cavalry from both sides collided head on on the battlefield!
As the horses clashed, their bones were broken and their tendons were broken. Countless people fell off their horses and were trampled into a pulp by the horses.
Bang! Bang!
Collapse! Collapse!
The sound of musket shooting and the trembling of bowstrings were heard one after another.
The cavalry on both sides ended their confrontation and began to shoot on horseback.
The Ming army was clearly at a disadvantage, but its will to fight remained undiminished. Their strategy of exchanging lives for lives barely managed to maintain the battle situation.
Taking this opportunity, the Ming army infantry who took Shang Kexi's first attack violently charged forward, killing the Qing army's green battalion soldiers and retreating again and again!
Shang Kexi even ordered the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing army to advance to the front, but he also failed to take advantage.
Speaking of close combat, the heavy steps of the Ming army are worthy of the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing army!
The two sides fought fiercely, until the sun rose to the center of the sky, and the fighting stopped for a while.
The cavalry on both sides retreated!
The infantry also broke away from contact, each cleared the battlefield, collected the corpses, and retreated to their own camp.
Due to the timely support of the Qing army, the Ming army was not able to form a breakthrough situation in this battle!
Although the infantry gained an advantage in the battle, the cavalry was suppressed by the Qing army!
The situation is neither too good nor too bad!
In any case, the Ming army suffered a loss in terms of strength in this battle.
The Qing army had 40,000 soldiers, but the Ming army only had a little over 20,000 soldiers.
Originally, the total strength of the Ming army for this battle was around 25,000.
However, there were casualties during the attack on Guangzhou, and some soldiers and horses needed to be left behind in important towns along the route to protect our own food routes and keep an eye on some Qing troops in Xinhui City.
The number of troops that the Ming army could use on the battlefield in this battle was actually just over 20,000!
The military strength comparison between the two sides reached a level of one to two, although the Ming army's soldiers were more elite, well-trained, and superior in armament.
But the Qing army had the advantage of cavalry and numbers!
This battle is quite easy to fight!
…
Shang Kexi's face twitched as he listened to the casualty figures reported below, and then he spoke.
"We can no longer fight with the Ming army. We can't continue fighting like this. Prepare to build fortifications and wait for reinforcements!"
"I will ask the imperial court for help now!"
Since they were fighting on the frontal battlefield, they were obviously no match for the Ming army, so Shang Kexi prepared to take a defensive stance.
A large-scale retreat is impossible!
If they dare to retreat, the Ming army will dare to pursue them!
If the army collapses during the retreat, Guangdong will be completely finished.
Shang Kexi did not intend to take this risk and decided to wait for help.
He had a steady stream of grain and grass support from the state capitals behind him, and with the entire Qing court behind him, he had the capital to delay the war.
…
Zhu Hongyu received a report from an outpost that the Qing army had built fortifications in the camp and seemed to be preparing to hold on.
His eyes instantly narrowed, and a sense of crisis arose in his heart!
It's good to have the capital to stand still and wait for reinforcements, but the Ming army cannot!
Over time, things changed. If the war dragged on, the Qing government mobilized reinforcements from all over the country to reinforce Guangdong.
At that time, the Ming army may have no choice but to withdraw from the mainland in despair and continue to wait for the opportunity to fight.
This is absolutely unacceptable to Zhu Hongyu!
After pondering for a while, Zhu Hongyu spoke.
"If the Qing army wants to hold on, then knock off their turtle shells!"
"Send the order to the army to bury the pot and make rice immediately and prepare to launch an attack!"
"After lunch, some of the troops who fought with the Qing army this morning were reorganized and the rest of the troops were transferred to the front for the battle!"
"From now on, the army will attack the Qing army's camp with all its strength!"
"Day and night!"
The Ming army began to bury pots to cook rice, and wisps of smoke rose, followed by strong aromas of rice and meat.
The Logistics Department relies on water transportation to deliver boatloads of grain, rice, and meat to the army!
Everyone in the Ming army can eat and drink freely!
In the past, we could only eat meat and meat once every three to five days. During the war, in order to boost morale, we had three meals a day, with meat every meal.
Although we can’t let the whole army let go of eating meat!
But a small piece of matchbox-sized, oily pork belly per person per meal is still okay.
Even troops who have made great achievements in battle are allowed to drink a little alcohol!
…
Qing army camp!
A large group of civilians sent by the rear prefectures and counties to escort grain and grass were forced to stay in the camp by Shang Kexi.
Under the supervision of the green battalion soldiers, they vigorously wielded their hoes and dug trenches.
After a short pause, the green battalion soldier in charge of supervising the work came over with his whip.
Enduring the hunger in my belly, I worked hard.
The expression on Gao Qi's face was almost filled with exhaustion.
Gao Qi's stomach protested even more fiercely as the aroma of rice and meat wafted in the air from the direction of the Ming army's camp.
Waves of acidic water kept rising!
He didn't dare to stop moving his hands, but the thoughts in Gao Qi's heart were quite complicated and confusing.
The hungrier I get, the more I can't help but think about random things to distract myself.
Smelling the aroma of meat in the air, Gao Qi couldn't help but complain to the person next to him.
"The Ming army on the opposite side is so kind to Qiu Ba below that he can actually eat meat!"
"I can't even remember the last time I ate meat. I just know that the last time I ate meat was the last time."
Wu Gao, a fellow countryman who was short and slim but was very good at work, said in a low voice with envy on his face.
"No wonder the Ming army attacked so fiercely today. If I could have a bite of meat, I would be willing to die on the battlefield that same day."
Another fellow named He Tie on the side said.
"But pull it down. I just saw it. The Ming army on the opposite side all had buns on their heads."
"If the Ming army wants to recruit soldiers, it will definitely want loyal and good people with long hair. But if we shave our tails, we can be considered traitors."
"How can the Ming army still want us?"
Gao Qi couldn't help but retort.
"How many people have died in Guangdong over the years for the Ming Dynasty? No one can count it, right?!"
“Who dares to say that we Guangdong people are not the great Ming Zhongliang?”
"..."
Several common people talked in low voices, and in their words, they did not regard the Manchu Qing Dynasty as the orthodoxy of the world.
Not only in Guangdong, but in the hearts of people all over the world in this era, money has not yet become a matter of course.
Being forced to keep a money rat tail is considered a shame by everyone.