The 15,000 Dashun Army's vanguard cavalry troops, led by Li Laiheng himself, had rapidly approached the Qing army's positions to the west and north of Xuzhou.
The huge and long team of war horses can cause the earth to shake and smoke to fly every time they step forward. The huge cavalry troops surge in like dragons. Near the tea city north of the Yellow River, the Shun army has been able to
I could clearly see the flags and battle lines of the Qing army.
Half of the ice and snow had melted, and Li Laiheng dismounted. He stepped into the muddy soil and his soles sank several inches. The change in weather was quite detrimental to the cavalry's attack.
On the other hand, the Qing army, because the ice and snow melted and the earth returned to spring, the Eight Banners soldiers dug trenches faster than Dorgon himself imagined.
The Manchus, who were full of doubts and uneasiness, were building strong and solid barriers to protect themselves.
The land of Xuzhou was covered with winding trenches, and countless more winding trenches were added to the devastated land. The Qing army even destroyed the gates on the Grand Canal and diverted the river water into some of the trenches, forming a more powerful double
defense.
From the time when these fifteen thousand cavalry set out in Yanjin until they arrived near Xuzhou City, the entire army, from King Li Laiheng of Jin to the most ordinary soldiers, all said they were working day and night without sleep.
The King of Jin himself had not taken off his clothes and armor, and had not left his saddle for several days. Everyone's eyes were bloodshot, and a sense of exhaustion pervaded the entire army. The horses were panting, and the soldiers were staggering, often feeling a little lustful.
Feeling of lethargy.
"Your Highness, Dorgon's actions were too fast." Gu Junen gritted his teeth and said, "The Qing army has deployed its defenses in advance. This tactic of digging trenches around the city is exactly the same as the Battle of Daling River where the Ming army outside the Pass was destroyed."
Since the war between Shun and Qing Dynasty, the Military Academy has conducted detailed and thorough research on the past several battles between the Ming and Qing armies outside the Pass. Gu Junen knew the brutality of the Battle of Daling River, so he saw the Manchus
When he dug trenches around the city and made a posture of holding on inside and outside, his face became serious and ugly.
Guo Junzhen disagreed: "The Ming army in Dalinghe City only has food for a few days, but the food in Xuzhou City can last for a month or two without any major problems."
Guo Junzhen also looked very tired like Li Laiheng after a long-distance forced march. But the unruly look in his eyes did not weaken. After seeing the situation on the Qing army's front, he immediately laughed at Dorgon's use of troops.
:
"Chief Rui is not as far away as Huang Taiji. He copied the tactics of the Battle of Daling River mechanically, but completely ignored the specific changes in the situation of the enemy and our armies.
Today, it is not the Ming army that has only half a month of food, but the Qing army that packs a few days of rations and heads south. The one who leaves its nest and advances into the wilderness today is also not the Ming army, but Dorgon, who goes south regardless of the rear.
When Dorgon dug internal and external trenches in Xuzhou City, did he intend to have a long-term confrontation with our army? But does he have the qualifications?"
Li Laiheng laughed out loud at Guo Junzhen's bold words, but then his face darkened and he said seriously:
"Dorgon had no food, but Nanming had food. As long as Dorgon held on for a while, and the Nanming army met with him at the foot of Xuzhou City, the food problem could be solved.
If your plan, Xiongli, is to have our army camp on the spot and have a long-term confrontation with the Donglu, causing Dorgon to collapse without a fight like Sun Chuanting did because of lack of food, I'm afraid you've made the wrong calculation."
"Dorgon is, after all, the famous king of the Donglu and one of the most famous generals in the world. He cannot be underestimated!" Liu Fangliang added, "We have no opportunistic methods. The next step must be an unprecedented tough battle."
"Master Liu is right! We are not here to bring down Dorgon, but to defeat the Manchus head-on and eliminate them, to avenge the king and father for Lao Long Live, and to prove that destiny should shine on Dashun."
Li Laiheng looked to the southeast of the Tea City, closer to Xuzhou City. Where the Qing army's flags were erected like a dense forest, many Green Camp soldiers were digging trenches and building walls under the protection of the Manchurian soldiers.
He did not wait for the main force of 65,000 Dashun infantry under the command of Fang Yiren and others to arrive on the battlefield. He ordered Hao Yaoqi and Zhang Piliu to immediately select elite men from the vanguard cavalry troops to attack the enemy's diggings.
The trench project launched diversionary harassment operations.
In order to make up for the lack of troops, Li Laiheng also mobilized the Yulin Army from the ace palace of Dashun Army, and assigned more than half of the troops of this ace card that could never be used to Hao Yaoqi and Zhang Pizhu.
Although the exhausted knights looked haggard, their eyes were full of desire for victory.
Zhang Pizhu has grown a lot in age compared to the child back then, but objectively speaking, he is still an extremely young general. But because of this, his vigor and lively vitality also attract people's attention.
I feel that this is a general who can break through the enemy's siege no matter what situation he faces.
As for Hao Yaoqi, he is exactly the opposite of Zhang Pizhu. Several years of experience have eliminated Hao Yaoqi's generous temperament, allowing him to possess the majesty and magnanimity of a true general.
This harassment vanguard has Hao Yaoqi as the main enemy front commander and Zhang Pizhu as his deputy.
Li Laiheng made this arrangement entirely out of his trust in Hao Yaoqi's ability to control the overall situation.
King Jin took Hao Yaoqi's hand and said with great joy, "I hid a piece of your meat alone back then. Do you still remember it?"
Hao Yaoqi touched his head: "How can I remember such a trivial matter? Back then, I never made big mistakes, but kept making small mistakes. There were always conflicts with the generals. It makes sense for Your Highness to deal with it, let alone such a trivial matter?"
"Haha." Li Laiheng laughed heartily, "Yue Wumu had a saying, 'Aspirations are hungry and they eat Huns' meat, and they laugh and talk about thirsty and drink Huns' blood.' After today's battle, the bodies of the Manchus under Xuzhou City will be scattered for hundreds of miles.
At that time, the lonely general will drink the blood of the captives with you and others!"
Hao waved his flag and made two clanging sounds, and patted his chest. The sound of metal armor echoed loudly from the strong armor, and then all the knights of the Yulin Army raised their swords and guns and patted their chests, like Huang
Zhong Dalu seems to be nothing more than that.
The feathers on the Yulin Army's helmet were swaying in the wind. The black and white helmet feathers looked more colorful at this time than the red tassel on Li Laiheng's felt hat.
Just because this color is not seen through people's eyes, but completely realized through the strict formation and fierce murderous aura of the cavalry soldiers.
How could the strength of the golden sword and iron horse be as great as this moment?
Hao Yaoqi turned his horse's head roughly, facing the enemy's troops who were eagerly building barriers, and sang loudly:
"A certain man rode alone and trampled the enemy camp, killing only his sons and men in grief. The wilderness was filled with blood, and the bones were piled up in mountains with nowhere to bury them."
This is a piece of opera often sung by storytellers in Guanzhong. It tells the story of a battle involving Shan Xiongxin, who marches on horseback to an enemy camp. He sings and works at the same time, and is so impassioned that the Qin Opera's generous and tragic style fully embodies this section.
Originally the song was about a very sad past event, but Hao Yaoqi's joyful and cheerful voice filled the entire army with incredible self-confidence.
Seeing this, Gu Junen looked at the backs of Hao Yaoqi and the knights of the Yulin Army shining in the morning sun, full of elegance and melancholy, and finally recited:
"The setting sun is far away over the green mountains, and the clouds are floating in the day. Clothes and clothes are in full bloom, but the liver and gallbladder remain..."
Li Laiheng held the Huama Sword tightly in his hand and said with confidence about the future of the Dashun regime:
"China's most elegant and courageous people are now in Dashun."