Chapter 661: On the eve of the decisive battle in Huguang
Chapter 661 The eve of the decisive battle in Huguang
Of course, while managing the defense line, Obai has also been paying attention to the specific movements of Daming and Wu Sangui in the Huguang battle!
The current situation in Huguang is no less important than the decisive battle in Jiangnan that took place last year.
A decisive battle in the south of the Yangtze River changed the offensive and defensive positions of the world!
The Manchu Qing lost its strategic initiative!
So much so that Wu Sangui and Ming Dynasty became big!
And this decisive battle in Huguang will also determine the overall situation of the world in Guan.
The future world will be decided by whether the Ming Dynasty and Wu Sangui will compete with each other, or whether the Ming Dynasty will dominate.
The situation that the Manchus wanted to see the most was undoubtedly the first!
For the Manchus, the best outcome would be that the Ming Dynasty was defeated with heavy losses in the decisive battle of Huguang, and Wu Sangui also suffered a tragic victory.
Only when these two sides suffer losses will the Qing Dynasty be able to return to the pass!
…
Huguang!
As Wu Yingqi woke up from his coma, the main force of Guan Ning's army also began to move south.
The mighty cavalry of the Guan Ning Army are constantly advancing towards Huguang!
He Wenxiu also personally directed the Ming army to move north.
As time passed, the forwards of the Ming army had made preliminary contact with Guan Ning's army.
The cavalry from both sides galloped across the vast battlefield!
The main forces of both sides are constantly coming towards the battlefield!
Daming and Wu Sangui were unanimously prepared to decide the outcome of this battle through such a field battle.
Wu Sangui was on horseback, leading a huge cavalry group southward.
Countless war horses almost completely obscured the entire battlefield.
Finally, the sentinels from both sides started to fight.
On the broad plains north of the Yangtze River, countless cavalry were charging and shooting.
The scimitar passed over the human body, and blood flowers bloomed.
Countless corpses fell to the ground, trampled into flesh by countless war horses, and the ground was dyed red with blood.
Gradually, as the sentry riders clashed, the vanguards of both sides also arrived on the battlefield.
The cavalry of the Ming Army quickly formed and adjusted their array on the battlefield, and then prepared to launch a wall cavalry charge against the cavalry of the Guan Ning Army in front of them.
If you want to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, give Guan Ning's army a blow in the head on the eve of the decisive battle!
Accompanied by the harsh sound of copper whistles, the Ming army's array quickly adjusted.
They formed a very tight array among themselves!
The distance between people and horses is almost constant, and countless human hands form a neat array.
Accompanied by the sound of the charge horn, the Ming army's cavalry array was like a moving wall, pressing forward neatly!
On the battlefield, the red armor of the Ming army formed an array and charged forward, like surging red flames.
Dazzling and unstoppable!
Facing the roaring charge of the Ming army, Guan Ning's cavalry would not be foolish enough to face it head-on.
The cavalry from both sides moved towards each other, and the distance became closer and closer.
The horseshoes trampled the ground and made a roar, and even the cavalry on both sides could see each other's faces...
Just when the cavalry of both sides were about to collide, the cavalry formation of Guan Ning's army changed.
Just like the waves hitting the rocks, they diverge to both sides.
I want to avoid the front where the Ming cavalry has the strongest impact.
Collapse! Collapse!
Bang bang bang!
During this process, the bow strings vibrated continuously.
Arrows formed a dense rain of arrows, falling densely towards the heads of the Ming army cavalry.
The cavalry of Guan Ning's army are very good at riding and shooting!
Just at the moment when the two sides passed each other, the Guan Ning Army cavalry could shoot an average of three to five arrows each.
The arrows were flying continuously, really as densely as rain.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding...
The arrow head hit the Ming army's armor, causing a little spark.
But after all, there are only a few arrows that can break armor!
Under the dense rain of arrows, the Ming army also suffered many casualties.
The unarmored horse of the Ming army cavalry was hit by an arrow. It went crazy with pain and neighed, knocking the owner off the horse.
And on such a battlefield, once a person falls from his horse, it is no different than death!
In just the blink of an eye, the fallen soldier will be trampled into a pulp by the horse's hooves.
In the first contact between the two sides, the Ming army suffered a slight loss.
The cavalry commander quickly ordered his own cavalry to adjust their strategies and their formations changed rapidly.
The originally tight wall array instantly dispersed and turned into a line of skirmishers in twos and threes.
The cavalry of the Ming Army also put away their long spears for charging into the formation and took out their muskets and crossbows.
Due to the riding skills of the Ming army, the usage rate of crossbows was much higher than that of bows.
After all, the threshold for using a crossbow is much lower than that of a bow!
Crossbowmen are much easier to train than archers!
The battle on the battlefield instantly turned into a melee. Countless horses ran past, trampling the bodies with their hooves and turning them into pulp.
Blood and fire seem to be burning!
The cavalry battle between the two sides lasted for half a day, with no outcome determined. After the main forces of both sides arrived, they withdrew their troops.
The entire battlefield was covered with flags, and groups of soldiers in armor stood in formation.
They were confronting each other, and the atmosphere was very solemn!
Wu Sangui's banner appeared on the front line of the battlefield, followed by cheers from all over Guan Ning's army.
On the side of the Ming Dynasty, He Wenxiu also ordered people to play the banner of his Western Expedition coach. The Ming army was well-organized and responded to the provocation of Guan Ning's army with shouts and shouts.
"Wan Sheng!"
"Wan Sheng!"
"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"
"Drive out the Tartars and restore China!"
"..."
Although the atmosphere was tense, the two sides did not directly go to war.
The reason is very simple. The main forces of both sides have traveled long distances, and their physical strength and morale have been severely depleted.
Moreover, such a large-scale decisive battle cannot be decided in a short time.
It is inevitable that it will often last ten days and a half month, or even longer.
In such a long and fierce battle, with a total of two to three hundred thousand people from both sides piled on the battlefield, there must be no camp.
Before the decisive battle begins, the first thing both sides must do is to set up camp.
Before the camp is established, the decisive battle cannot break out!
The camps of both sides are not far apart, with only a few miles between them, and they are facing each other.
Overnight, tents appeared on the ground one after another.
Countless flags were fluttering above the camp!
As soon as it dawned on the second day, the main infantry forces on both sides began to walk out of the camp and lined up to launch an attack.
The decisive battle officially breaks out!
…
Field artillery pieces of different calibers were pulled by artillery carts and quickly advanced towards the battlefield.
The infantrymen of the Ming Army began to check the weapons in their hands, preparing to enter the battlefield at any time.
Even in a decisive battle, the first ones to fight are the cavalry of both sides.
The cavalry kept galloping and shooting on the battlefield, covering the battlefield, trying to gain more strategic initiative for their own side.
Judging from the overall situation, the Ming army was at a disadvantage in the cavalry confrontation before the decisive battle.
Although it is not a huge disadvantage, it is also true that the cavalry of the Ming Army was suppressed by the cavalry of the Guan Ning Army.
Guan Ning's army's advantage in riding and shooting is really too great!