Putting aside those complicated thoughts, Zhang Dingyuan knew very well that his only task at this time was to guard the stone bridge.
The number of cavalrymen crossing the river by the Xuanfu army was very small, and they were not enough to pose much of a threat to his own thousand men, which made him feel more at ease.
The loud sound of firecrackers coming from the rear was enough to prove that his arrangement was correct. Zhou Zhanpeng and the others must have been attacked by the enemy cavalry, and they also fought back. At least their side did not lose in this battle. The Eagle-billed Guns
The power of this heavy-duty firecracker can still be trusted.
A series of orders were quickly issued, and the fire rifle soldiers began to deploy along the bridge. The bridge was only a few feet wide, leaving ample room for defensive response.
At Zhang Dingyuan's urging, the fire gun soldiers began to form a formation fifteen steps away from the last railing at the bridge head. A slightly semi-arc shooting formation allowed the firepower to cover the north bridge head. As long as the Xuanfu army was in the north of the bridge.
Once they begin to assemble, they will be shot down mercilessly by their own side.
Zhang Dingyuan still has great trust in the situation of his fire gun soldiers. Within forty steps is the most lethal range of his fire gun soldiers. After fifty steps, both the lethality and shooting accuracy begin to decrease.
After fifteen steps, the lethality against armored soldiers will be greatly reduced, but if Zhou Zhanpeng's hawk-billed musket soldiers come up, it will be another matter.
The power of the eagle-billed gun is far beyond that of our own fire gun soldiers. Its lethality is still astonishing even from a distance of 120 steps. It can easily penetrate the cotton armor worn by soldiers and cause fatal injuries.
Within eighty steps, even ordinary plate armor cannot withstand the shooting of this heavy firecracker, which is enough to illustrate the power of this firecracker...
These were all things they had personally practiced when they started to equip these fire blunderbuss, so that the soldiers could have the most intuitive experience and understanding, and also allow them to exert their maximum power at the most appropriate distance in battle.
According to Zhang Dingyuan's idea, he could completely use this stone bridge to conduct a blocking battle, use the fire cannon soldiers to form a semi-circular arc shooting surface at the head of the bridge, and then arrange the eagle-billed cannons on both wings of the fire cannon soldiers to fully
Take advantage of the long range of the hawk's beak.
The power of the eagle-billed musket can completely cover the entire north of the bridge, and can even extend further, allowing the Xuanfu army to be hit when they start to gather and when they are on the bridge. Such staged shooting is enough to cover the entire distance from the stone bridge to the north of the bridge.
Everything within a hundred steps of Duan completely turned into a Shura field.
Of course, Zhang Dingyuan also knows that this can only be a short period, and the Xuanfu army is not a fool. If they charge twice and encounter massacres like this, they will probably change their methods, but this is enough. All Zhang Dingyuan has to do is to buy time.
, allowing the army behind to react quickly.
The enemy comes quickly.
Obviously, the Xuanfu army on the other side of the river also realized that the number of troops on the south bank of the river was not large. Although the constant sound of firecrackers on the south bank made them aware that a confrontation had begun on the south bank, they had no way of knowing the specific situation.
However, those who had already crossed the river were all the elite cavalry sent out. Although the number was small, the harassment tactics could be fully utilized.
These current sounds also seem to prove that our vanguard cavalry is implementing this strategy. Now we need to seize this opportunity to quickly break through the stone bridge and control the south end of the bridge.
Li Daming held the horse's rein tightly in his hand and looked back to see if the rest of the army had followed.
As the vanguard of this eastward march, he shouldered the important task of capturing Gonghua City.
The scouts came back with news that there were only a few hundred Jizhen Guards in Gonghua City, and he was confident of capturing them in one fell swoop, so he sent a vanguard across the river to control the situation.
Who would have thought that in just one hour, the situation suddenly changed, and a large army came from the capital and took control of Gonghua City. Now even the stone bridge of the Yu River, which is the chokepoint, may fall into the hands of the enemy.
This made him a little anxious.
In fact, the Yu River is not wide, and it can even be said that the water is very shallow. In winter, some areas may even stop flowing, but now it is late autumn.
The rainfall some time ago caused the river to swell, and now it has become a shackle.
He had sent his horse down to test it out, and found that the shallowest section was as deep as one person deep, and the river channel was silt-accumulated.
It is difficult for both men and horses to cross the river, especially baggage and carriages.
If there is plenty of time, it is not difficult to build a pontoon bridge on such a river that is only forty steps wide. But the problem is that time waits for no one. The army has already crossed the Red Bridge and will arrive here in two or three hours.
, where can I get it in time?
Therefore, Stone Bridge has become a battleground.
Although he knew that the enemy on the other side of the river must have begun to form troops to block the stone bridge, Li Da clearly had no choice. Even if he wanted to go there, he would still have to find his way out.
"Xu Mengda, you lead the army up first! Pay attention to the opponent's muskets!"
Originally, he wanted to wait until they formed a formation before launching a charge, but Li Daming was worried that the other party would also take advantage of this period of time to perfect the formation, which might put his own side at a greater disadvantage. Instead of doing that, it would be better to take advantage of the opportunity to charge for a while and give it a try.
It would be best if we could break through in one fell swoop and gain a firm foothold in the south of the bridge. Even if the opponent was prepared and could not move, the loss would not be much if they retreated.
Xu Mengda's troops are his elite men. There are not many troops on the other side of the river, and it may not be that fast to form a team in the dark. There is still a chance for such a charge.
Seeing the six hundred soldiers quickly completing their formation, with their uniform foreskin shields forming complete protective lines, Li Daming nodded with satisfaction.
The shield bearers of Xu Mengda's tribe were all veteran soldiers who had experienced many battles. They were all made of high-quality poplar wood and covered with thick cowhide. Even the Mongolian arrows could not penetrate them. He also tried to use three-eye fire blunderbuss and clip-handled guns.
If a gun is fired at a shield at a distance of thirty to fifty steps, it will take a gun to penetrate the shield within a distance of twenty-five steps. If it exceeds thirty steps, it will be difficult to penetrate the shield.
And the distance of twenty-five steps is enough to achieve a breakthrough as long as it can withstand one round of shooting.
"Sir, get ready." Xu Mengda's rich voice sounded.
"Very good, keep your distance, charge at twenty-five steps, and defeat the opponent in one fell swoop." Li Daming warned: "The opponent may be covered by spears and shield hands, but I believe you can deal with them."
"Don't worry, sir. Even if the gang in the Beijing Camp doubles, they will still be cowardly. In just one stick of incense, sir, you can lead your troops to follow up!" Xu Mengda said, waving the shield in his hand high-spiritedly.
"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Li Daming nodded with satisfaction. His morale was very high and his military morale was ready!
South bank of the river.
Zhang Dingyuan watched helplessly as the shield bearers of the Xuanfu Army were gathering on the bridge on the other side, feeling anxious.
If you can strike at the opponent at this time, it will definitely disrupt the opponent's gathering rhythm, which can not only effectively kill the enemy, but also gain time.
But the formation change speed of the hawk-billed gunslinger was too slow. Zhang Dingyuan was originally very satisfied with Zhou Zhanpeng's successful defeat of the enemy's attack, but now he was a little bit complaining.
They had fallen behind and finally caught up, but now it was too late. The Xuanfu army on the opposite side was about to launch a charge.
"Brother Zhan Peng, hurry up. The Xuanfu army is about to attack. Immediately arrange for your people to set up attack formations from both sides and block the area under the bridge in the north. Yes, that is the area where they are gathering..."
Zhou Zhanpeng hurriedly ran up and saw Zhang Dingyuan stamping his feet anxiously. Taking a closer look, it was no wonder that the other party was anxious.
It's at least seventy steps away from here, and it's still thirty steps away from the south end of the bridge. Although the ordinary fire cannons here can reach that distance, their lethality is not enough, and all the opponents are protected by shields. This
Ordinary fire cannons cannot penetrate these shields. They have to travel at least thirty to forty steps before these fire cannons can penetrate these shields.
"It's too late, they are about to charge." Zhou Zhanpeng took a glance and knew that it was too late for the people on his side to prepare.
"I know it's too late. You all should prepare immediately. There will definitely be more than one wave of Xuanfu troops. Look at the torches behind the opponent. There are at least three thousand people. This wave is only about a thousand people. I can handle it. The ones behind are
You have to disrupt them for me..."
Before Zhang Dingyuan finished speaking, the formation of the Xuanfu Army at the head of Henan Province had already begun to move. He didn't have time to say anything else. He just waved his hand and Zhang Dingyuan hurriedly stepped forward to take command.
The Xuanfu army was very powerful, well-protected, and marched neatly. You could tell at a glance that this was an elite force that had experienced battles for a long time.
The entire formation seemed to be shorter. The soldiers all bowed their heads slightly, shields next to shields, and they pressed towards the bridge in a dense manner.
The soldiers' pace was not fast, but they were extremely strict and uniform. The tan cowhide bags were protected on the wooden shields, and under the light of the torches, they flashed with a calm color as if soaked in oil.
There was no sound at all, only the sound of footsteps tapping on the bridge was heard, which merged into a dull and dull sound that swept over the bridge.
At this moment, Zhang Dingyuan only felt that his tongue was dry and he swallowed his saliva subconsciously. The soldiers beside him were also trembling with nervousness. This was the first time they encountered such a large-scale enemy attack head-on. The blades and spears hidden behind the shields were vaguely visible.
, it is conceivable that once they break through this stone bridge, they will forcefully insert themselves into their formation, and can the spearmen on both wings withstand it?
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Dingyuan tried his best to make his voice cold and steady, but he sounded a little dry: "Don't be anxious, wait for them to come over, and listen to my orders! No one is allowed to open fire without my orders."
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"..., wait a minute, wait a minute, there are still thirty steps left, they can't fly over,..."
"Very good, everyone, hold on tight, don't be anxious..."
"Listen to my command, one or three formations, and you can fire!" Seeing the enemy's pace gradually getting faster, Zhang Dingyuan's eyes became bloodshot, and he couldn't help but take a step forward and wave his hand violently!