The fourth watch has passed and the sky will be bright.
Jia Lian rode his horse on the flat ground of Tienwang Mountain.
Although the white horse's hooves were very careful, they still inevitably stepped on some weapons and bones.
The bones were lying next to each other, some of humans and some of horses.
Princess Zhaoyang rode her horse and came to Jia Lian's side. Seeing his downcast expression, she couldn't help but say:
"The Heroic Cavalry Battalion is a military force built by our Imperial Grandfather with all the efforts of his country. It is recognized as the strongest combat force of the Imperial Guard.
Rumor has it that even if they are just light cavalry, the armor of all soldiers is carefully made of rhinoceros skin. Ordinary swords cannot cause fatal injuries to the cavalry of the Xiaoqi battalion.
It can be said that if an ordinary army encountered the charge of the Xiaoqi Cavalry on the plains, it would be nothing more than a one-sided massacre.
Erlang was able to defeat thousands of soldiers from the infantry battalion with just two thousand musketeers without relying on the power of artillery, and also annihilated hundreds of light cavalry battalions. Such a record is already glorious enough."
Jia Lian sighed, looked at Jia Yu, who had arrived at his side at some point, and asked, "How is it?"
Jia Yu's expression was even heavier than Jia Lian's, and he said in a deep voice: "Reporting to the Marquis, a total of 234 people from the Musketeers died in this battle and 408 were injured..."
Although he had expected it, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel nervous when he actually heard the number of casualties.
Although the firearms battalion he worked hard to build has a strength of 5,000, the actual order of battle is only 4,500.
Among them were three thousand musketeers.
It can be said that these three thousand people were carefully trained and trained by him step by step.
It is conceivable that in the future, it will be difficult for him to spare so much time and energy to personally train lower-level soldiers.
Therefore, these three thousand people are fire seeds!
Perhaps in the future, each of them will be an instructor-level figure.
However, this time he lost more than 20% of his value in just one battle...
The situation was so urgent that he could no longer follow the previous plan and slowly push the mountain with a hundred Zhenyuan cannons.
Therefore, he could only leave a thousand musketeers to protect the artillery troops going up the mountain, while he led two thousand musketeers and several thousand soldiers to climb the mountain quickly.
After separating from Princess Zhaoyang, he was actually very cautious and did not rush to attack the enemy troops surrounding Emperor Ningkang's palace.
After a simple sneak attack and attracting the enemy's firepower, he began to retreat, pulling the battlefield to a relatively flat place with enough room for "pull", and then began to confront the enemy head-on.
The situation of the battle at the beginning was indeed similar to what he expected. As a member of the imperial guards, the horse infantry, even though they were more elite than the Beida camp, were limited.
Moreover, the same lack of fighting spirit!
When they encountered the magic weapons such as "flintlock muskets" arranged in formation, they were as confused as the soldiers of the Beida Camp.
Even though they charged several times with the encouragement of the generals, they were all killed by ordinary but unbreakable tactics such as "the enemy advances and we retreat" and "the enemy retreats and we advance".
As a result, the infantry battalion almost lost its fighting spirit.
Just when all the Musketeers felt relaxed and felt that the Praetorian Guards were nothing more than this.
A wave of feint attacks, accompanied by hundreds of fine cavalry coming from both sides...
Although the Musketeers were already prepared for such surprise tactics, they quickly changed their formation and fired.
But they were soon surprised to find that after several rounds of shooting, the enemy troops were defeated in fear and trampled on each other. The scene did not appear.
The cavalrymen under the night sky were like corpse mandrills, galloping towards them despite the hail of bullets!
If it weren't for the critical moment, the generals would shout "shoot the horses, don't shoot the people". They were afraid that they might not be able to shoot many people when the opponent came to kill them.
But how fast is the cavalry? Such a stunned effort gave the enemy an opportunity to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
As a last resort, the musketeers in front could only follow the final plan, throw away their muskets, pull out the sabers at their waists, and fight hand-to-hand with the enemy with the same sophisticated equipment.
Almost all casualties occurred in this short period of less than half a quarter of an hour.
If it weren't for the hundreds of lancers wandering around the periphery who came to join forces to kill each other, and if Princess Zhaoyang hadn't arrived with reinforcements in time and cut off the following enemy troops, if it hadn't been for the limited cavalry strength of the Xiaoqi Battalion...
The casualties of the Musket Army will definitely increase exponentially, and there is even a risk of the entire army being annihilated.
Taking a deep breath, Jia Lian felt secretly vigilant but did not feel discouraged.
Through the battle with the Beida Camp and the Guard Infantry Battalion, the combat effectiveness of the Musketeers has been proved.
As for the huge losses caused by the Xiaoqi Camp...
How many armies are there in this world that have the sophisticated equipment and the courage to fear death like the Qiaoqi Battalion?
Perhaps it can be said that the Xiaoqi Battalion did not know the characteristics and strength of the Musketeers this time. Next time, if they equip the horses with armor of the same quality, it will be difficult for the Musketeers to provide sufficient lethality at long distances.
Or just replace the heavy cavalry with the musketeers, so they are no longer the enemy of the heroic cavalry battalions?
But don’t forget, this time the Xiaoqi Battalion didn’t use its full strength, so why didn’t the Firearms Battalion do the same?
Night fighting is not the firearms battalion's strong point. The lack of long-range vision gave the Xiaoqi battalion the opportunity to make a surprise attack.
Moreover, the strongest form of the firearms battalion is the musketry army combined with the artillery army to push forward!
After learning this lesson, future generals of the Musketeers will not easily give the enemy such an opportunity again.
"Princess, the Marquis of Zhenyuan has been summoned by Your Majesty." A eunuch came to deliver the oral instructions of Emperor Ningkang.
Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang nodded. They both knew that the battle at the palace was over, otherwise they would not be so leisurely counting the battle damage.
…
"It's all rubbish!"
In the palace of the Supreme Emperor, the old Supreme Emperor looked extremely angry.
Bad news came one after another, but no good news, which could not help but make the old emperor angry.
Normally, being so angry, he would have already issued an order to push out the defeated generals who were kneeling with His Highness and behead them as a warning to others.
Your Highness and several generals also feel aggrieved.
Originally, the military strength was not as good as others, and the prince was still so incompetent. The defense line was broken through so quickly, and thousands of enemy troops were released up the mountain.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The key is that the two or three thousand musketeers who appeared behind them all mobilized almost one-third of their combat power to destroy them, but they only hurt them a little.
The fur was then wiped out in turn.
The fighting power is so fierce that it is intimidating.
In such an extremely unfavorable battle situation where they were flanked from both sides, it was a blessing that the few of them could survive.
In order to save their lives, they naturally did not dare to hide it. They explained all the situations and details on the previous battlefield to the Supreme Emperor.
At this time, they did not dare to criticize each other, and even covered each other, saying how they tried their best and so on.
The Supreme Emperor took a deep breath. Although he suspected that Shi Ding and others were exaggerating to avoid responsibility, he finally listened to some of it.
"You mean, the first one to attack the mountain was Jia Lian, the Marquis of Zhenyuan? Moreover, the firearms battalion in his hands is extremely powerful in combat?"
"Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, it is indeed the case.
The original ministers and others worked together to break through the palace and capture... His Majesty was brought to plead guilty to the Supreme Emperor.
Unexpectedly, Jia Lian suddenly led his troops to attack from the rear, which not only interrupted our offensive, but also put us in a position of being attacked from both sides.
When we saw that Jia Lian only had thousands of soldiers and horses, we originally wanted to concentrate our elite troops and defeat them in one fell swoop, but who knew..."
"Who would have thought that you would be defeated by the other party?"
The Supreme Emperor sneered, but felt a little more convinced in his heart.
Although he was very dissatisfied with the prince, he had more than ten thousand soldiers and horses, but he couldn't even defend a mountain, and people rushed up so quickly!
But the fact that Jia Lian was able to break through the prince's defense line so quickly can prove his strength...
After thinking for a moment, the Supreme Emperor asked: "What's the situation outside now?"
"Back to the old prince, since the defeat of the Xiaoqi Battalion and the Infantry Battalion, a large army was quickly dispatched to guard the palace. They said it was to protect the old prince's safety."
"Haha, this traitor doesn't even bother to cover up now?"
The Supreme Emperor sneered.
Yesterday, when Emperor Ningkang launched his campaign to force the emperor to imprison him, he did not dare to be disrespectful to him at all. He just wanted to trick him into imprisoning him.
Now, he dared to openly send troops directly to his palace.
"Who are the troops and who leads them?"
"Reporting back to the old prince, they are mainly the troops from the military camp, led by Feng Sheng, deputy commander Tian Qu, and some troops from the pro-military camp, as well as the firearms camp..."
The Supreme Emperor began to ponder.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he understood that he had lost the battle on the mountain.
Now there were only two ways before him, either to stop fighting, and he expected that the traitor would not dare to do anything to him.
Or, just rely on the only combat power in the palace to cover his descent...
He had even thought about the direction of retreat, and the only option was to go from the west. Because the prince in the west should still have a certain number of troops and horses, and if they were united together, they would be able to delay the retreat.
As long as we wait half a day for the first troops to come to the rescue to suppress the rebellion, we may be able to reverse the situation again!
After thinking for a long time, the Supreme Emperor suddenly raised his head and looked at Shi Ding: "I heard that the four major families of King Jia Shi and Xue are closely related. I guess you and Jia Lian are also familiar with each other?"
Shi Ding, who was kneeling on the ground, was stunned and said quickly: "Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, the Jia and Shi families have been on good terms with each other since Taizu. Even in these years, the two families have been in close contact.
After all, Jia Lian should call Wei Chen uncle.
However, Wei Chen and his brother have separated a long time ago, and they have not been in contact with each other for many years... Therefore, the minister and the Marquis of Zhenyuan are not close to each other."
The Supreme Emperor snorted. As one of the deputy commanders of the Xiaoqi Battalion, he naturally knew about Shi Ding's past.
Isn't it because the two brothers are not getting along, or even have a grudge?
He was too lazy to pay attention to these, and just said softly: "Since you are my uncle, you can convey a decree for me."
…
The sky is getting brighter and the smoke from the mountains has temporarily dispersed.
But the chaos is not over yet.
Putting aside the frightened princes and nobles on the mountain, there are also more than a thousand elite warriors and a large number of defeated troops in the palace of the Supreme Emperor.
At the foot of the mountain, the prince also had thousands of troops.
However, these remaining powers are naturally nothing in front of the current Emperor Ning Kang.
Originally, even if he entered the palace of the Supreme Emperor in one fell swoop, it would not be a big deal. Anyway, his face was completely torn apart, and even the fig leaf was torn off by the Supreme Emperor himself.
But perhaps Emperor Ningkang didn't want to waste more military power.
When he learned that Jia Lian had brought a hundred Zhenyuan cannons this time, he immediately ordered Jia Lian to transport them up quickly.
He wants to give his father a big one.
Jia Lian did not dare to neglect.
He also knew that the Supreme Emperor had ordered soldiers from all over the country to come to Beijing to serve the King yesterday.
No one knows when the opponent's first wave of troops will arrive, so it definitely can't be delayed.
"General Jia! Lord Zhenyuan, help me..."
While he was directing the placement of the anti-far-reaching cannons in appropriate positions, he suddenly heard a shrill cry.
When Jia Lian heard the news, he went out and saw several miserable-looking scholars being escorted away by Pei Fengnian's officers and soldiers.
The shrill cry was made by one of them.
Jia Lian glanced at him, turned around and explained the matter, then slowly rode over.
"Master Hou, I am Han Zhe, I have met Zhan Shi in the Prince's Mansion. We have met him! When Master Hou made a bet with the eldest son of the Zhou family, he asked the prince to be his guarantee, and won 10,000 taels of silver. However, he despised his position and personally delivered the money to Hou.
From my father’s house…”
Seeing that Han Zhe really knew Jia Lian, the Peking University camp officer who originally wanted to slap him stopped immediately, trotted to Jia Lian's horse, and said flatteringly:
"Reporting to the Marquis, these are all people from the Prince's Mansion. They tried to escape during the chaos, but were captured by the young men.
I am about to send him back to General Helian for punishment...but if the Marquis knows him..."
The principal winked, and the subordinates around him nodded in understanding. The meaning was self-evident.
They are just a few minor characters of no importance.
If the Marquis wanted to protect him, they would naturally be willing to play nice and pretend that no one had been caught.
Jia Lian looked at Han Zhe, who was full of hope, and said with a smile: "It's natural to know each other..."
The smile on Han Zhe's face suddenly brightened, and he was about to say something nice when Jia Lian continued: "However, the prince's rebellion is a treasonous act. All those involved should be punished by your majesty personally. How dare I do it myself?"
As soon as Jia Lian said these words, Han Zhe's face turned pale, but all the soldiers in the Beida camp showed admiration.
As expected of the person whom Your Majesty relies on and trusts the most, this realization is beyond words.
At the same time, I couldn't help but feel happy. Fortunately, my deputy commander was wise and changed his banner in time. Otherwise, they would be like Han Zhe and others, anxious about their gloomy future. How could they be like now?
The winner can even dominate?
Jia Lian smiled and ignored Han Zhe.
This was just an insignificant role, and Jia Lian was 80 to 90% sure that the two thousand taels of silver that disappeared from him were swallowed up by this person.
It is impossible to save him.
The reason why he came here was because he saw another person.
However, after hesitating for a moment, he ignored it and rode away directly.
Among the prisoners, there was a man with a poor complexion and mediocre appearance. Looking at Jia Lian's majestic back, the glimmer of hope that had just risen in his eyes quickly fell away.
He is the daughter of a truly noble and famous family, and he has graduated from several Hanlin schools!
He himself also gained the reputation of a scholar, so he was lucky enough to fall into the prince's eyes and be able to often walk around the prince.
He originally thought that it would be an honor to follow the prince to Tienwang Mountain to participate in the hunt. Who knew that he would be involved in such a turmoil and become a rebel for no reason?
He knew Jia Lian, and he even knew that there was some connection between the other party and him.
He has a fiancée who is rumored to be living in the Jia Mansion now. It seems to be because the Xue and Jia families have been friends for many generations.
He also heard that although his fiancée was still young, she was extremely beautiful.
He was actually interested in meeting her, but the elders said that the Xue family's family status was in decline, and she was a concubine in a side house, completely unworthy of their Mei family's family status!
She traveled all the way to Beijing to discuss marriage, but her family didn't even allow her to see her.
Knowing that he was wrong, he was naturally embarrassed to take the initiative to befriend Jia Lian.
Especially after seeing that Jia Lian was too lazy to pay attention to Han Zhe, he even gave up the idea of struggling and followed the officers and soldiers honestly.
The young and naive young man may not even know what kind of trouble he has gotten into. He still thinks in his heart that if he feels aggrieved for a while, his father and the elders of the clan will definitely save him...