Hao Yaoqi and Zhang Pizhu led the attack first. Although the Yulin cavalry was very tired, because the morale and fighting spirit of the Dashun army were very high, and Jin Wang Li Laiheng was holding the battle from the rear, everyone was confident about the victory in the Xuzhou battle.
The prospects are full of optimistic confidence.
Therefore, the physical fatigue could not cover up the spirit of the Shun army.
As for Xuzhou City, the key town gate in the Grand Canal section to the north of Xuzhou City has been occupied by the Qing army. Therefore, Gu Kecheng abandoned all camps in the Weishan Lake area and completely gathered the defenders inside Xuzhou City.
The Qing army took advantage of the situation and set up a base camp at the gate of Dongzhen, where Dorgon's military tent was set up. With this as the center, the Qing army implemented a firm defense to the west and north, and most of the Manchus who dared to fight and were good at fighting
All the elite soldiers were mobilized from Xuzhou City to this direction to prepare for the attack of Dashun Army reinforcements.
Bohetuo was personally responsible for commanding the defensive operations. He fought against the Shun army many times and was one of the generals in the Qing army who best understood Chu Chuang's cutting-edge tactics. Therefore, Bohetuo attached great importance to the galloping attack of the Shun army's reinforcements.
While the trench digging project was slackened, wooden fences were built with heavy troops, and guns, cannons, and crossbows were arranged for strict defense.
The total distance of more than ten miles between the Tea City and the Zhenkou Gate has been isolated by two trenches, an earth wall, and two wooden walls of the Qing army.
The trench was winding and winding, with a considerable space left between the earth wall and the village wall, which was used for Bohetuo to deploy firepower and mobilize troops. When he discovered the sudden movement of the shun army cavalry, he immediately mobilized troops from the northern defense line
, fully deployed in the west, preparing to attack the cis army cavalry troops with intensive long-range firepower.
The Qing army's tactics were to defend the exhausted enemy externally and to intensify their attack on Xuzhou City internally.
Among the two, the elite Manchu soldiers were mostly deployed outside, while the Han soldiers were mostly used for siege operations inside the city. Artillery fire continued under Xuzhou City, and the Qing army's siege operations became more intense.
The army's strength is quite limited, and even if there is talent like Xu Du to set up a garrison, the overall situation is quite critical.
Moreover, Dorgon also sent Man Dahai and others to supervise Qingqi to bypass Xuzhou and continue to penetrate to the southeast in order to join forces with the Nanming Navy. They also acted as guides for the Nanming Navy and brought them to the vicinity of Xuzhou City.
effect.
Although the Qing army's internal and external deployment could not be truly lasting due to limited supplies and supplies, in terms of the rigor of the deployment, it was indeed a pretty perfect plan by Dorgon.
Zhang Pizhu has a sharp nature, no less than Liu Fangliang. He has long been unable to restrain his enthusiasm for attack, and has been frequently begging Hao Yaoqi:
"Hurry up and order an attack! Although the Donglu are on guard, they have come from afar, but our army is fighting to defend the territory, and their morale cannot be compared at all. A few attacks will definitely yield huge results."
It's just that Hao Yaoqi is no longer just a cavalry commander. He needs to consider the overall situation of the battlefield and cannot look at the problem with passion and blood.
As the commander-in-chief of the former enemy appointed by Li Laiheng, Hao Yaoqi had to bear the primary responsibility for the victory of the vanguard battle between the two armies. He had to be more cautious, suppressing Zhang Pili's excited thoughts and not allowing the Yulin Knights to attack the Qing army's building under construction
Instead, they kept a certain distance from the Qing soldiers and maintained the military presence of the Dashun Army.
"Our army detachments are harassing, and we are not allowed to fight with the enemy... Each team is spearheaded by people who are skilled in bows and horses, and they use mounted archers and muskets to disrupt and attack the enemy's formation. Without my order, you must not conduct a phalanx charge without permission."
Hao Yaoqi's order was extremely strict, and he emphasized it again: "Without my order! Even if the Qing army takes the initiative to send cavalry troops to counterattack me, they are not allowed to launch a Phalanx charge without authorization."
Under Hao Yaoqi's strict order, the cavalry team of the Dashun Army changed from a tightly gathered team to a dispersed one. The enemy's firepower was quite intensive, and Hao Yaoqi judged that the Qing army was still unable to figure out the full strength of the Dashun Army's reinforcements arriving on the battlefield.
At this time, cavalry troops will never be easily dispatched to counterattack.
What he was worried about mainly was the fierce firepower of the Qing troops.
Although the firepower of the Dashun Army has actually gradually surpassed that of the Qing Army, before more than 60,000 infantrymen led by Fang Yiren arrived on the battlefield, the firepower of the Dashun Army was obviously not enough to rely solely on spring wheel pistols and some light cannons.
It is comparable to the heavy artillery units of the Qing army.
Under such conditions, a Phalanx charge would undoubtedly result in a bloody head-on collision in front of the enemy's preset position.
The Shun army quickly dispersed in all directions, forming a rather scattered formation. Zhang Pizhu could only suppress his enthusiasm for attack. He restrained his own soldiers, completely obeyed Hao Yaoqi's request, and ordered everyone to
No one is allowed to charge or engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy without permission.
Zhang Pizhu was reckless and reckless, but he also experienced half his life as a soldier in Chu Chuang's army. Li Laiheng always emphasized the discipline of the army, and Zhang Pizhu always regarded Li Laiheng as a "man of heaven" and would never violate the Jin Dynasty
Any request from the king.
Even if he did not obey his tactical style, Zhang Pizhu would not slack off at all in response to Hao Yaoqi's military orders.
In terms of the execution of military orders, Zhang Pizhu can be said to be the general who is closest to steel casting among the Dashun Army.
The Yulin knights were also controlling their strong offensive spirit. Everyone kept a distance from the Qing army's defense line and only used riding bows and handguns to harass.
However, the Qing garrison under the command of Bo Hetuo also repeatedly launched counterattacks. The range of infantry bows and heavy artillery clearly far exceeded the firepower of the cavalry.
Fortunately, the Yulin Knights of the Dashun Army had the advantage of mobility and could focus on attacking the weak links in the enemy's defense line - galloping war horses, piles of dust, Hao Yaoqi's chosen attack targets were almost all protruding from the enemy's winding trenches.
part.
But even so, the Dashun Army's harassment activities were quite unsatisfactory.
Hao Yaoqi gritted his teeth and swung his horsewhip repeatedly. He rushed through a trench that the enemy had not dug yet. He raised his spring revolver with both hands flat and fired a few shots. He could only retreat in a hurry with his soldiers.
Went back.
Bohetuo's defense was very sophisticated and rigorous, and the discipline of the Manchu soldiers was also meticulous.
The Shun army did not launch an intensive large-scale attack, and the same was true for the Qing army. The battlefield fell into a brief silence and silence, while a large number of Green Camp soldiers stepped up their efforts to dig trenches, preparing to establish the Qing army's advantage.
Hao Yaoqi cursed and said: "In this situation... we still have to wait for His Highness's high goal to catch up! We need those grenadiers to break through the defense line."
Zhang Pili was silent for a while. He only obeyed the Jin King's military orders infinitely:
"His Highness asked us to contain the enemy, and we must do it! Hao Shuai, I can't wait any longer. I saw that the accuracy of the artillery fire of the Qing Army was far inferior to that of our army. At the speed of the Yulin Knights, we launched several intensive charges.