Almost everyone who has a basic understanding of modern military affairs has had a doubt:
Why in ancient wars, nomadic cavalry and archery troops with sophisticated equipment could always suppress the farming civilization that relied on phalanxes of spears, crossbows, and muskets.
But after entering the 18th century, when bayonet musketeers appeared on a large scale, the cavalry units suddenly fell into a disadvantage when they faced off against the densely arrayed infantry in close combat.
When Chen Shuren himself read this piece of military history in his previous life, he was puzzled at first.
Because although he can understand that "the bayonet is indeed very suitable for close combat against cavalry," no matter how good it is, it can't be as good as a professional super-long spear, right?
The total length of a bayonet and musket is only seven feet at most. However, a spear can easily reach more than one foot. Compared with the strength and lethality of cavalry stabs, bayonet and muskets are not as good as professional anti-cavalry spears and halberds.
Let’s compare defensive equipment. Historically, after the emergence of bayonet musketeers, they quickly gave up heavy armor and simply wore military uniforms and dared to go to the battlefield.
As for the heavily armed anti-cavalry infantry before the 17th century, look at the Swiss halberdiers and the Southern Song Dynasty infantry and spearmen. After all, they still had sophisticated armor.
Therefore, regardless of their melee attack power or defensive power, the bayonet musketeers were completely destroyed by the heavy armored halberdier predecessors in all aspects.
But after being pieced together into an organic whole, the overall combat effectiveness of the anti-cavalry showed a qualitative leap, grinding the cavalry to the ground.
It wasn't until he traveled to the end of the Ming Dynasty that Chen Shuren actually witnessed the infantry and cavalry combat of this era, and combined with reading Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Ji Xiao" and other military books, he finally realized the true knowledge——
The phalanx of bayonet musketeers has made a qualitative leap in combat effectiveness against cavalry, not because the phalanx of bayonet musketeers has a better melee combat capability than the heavy armored halberdiers.
The heavily armored halberdiers, until they were crushed by the rolling wheels of history and eliminated in the garbage dump, their hand-to-hand combat capabilities in formation were still very terrifying——
Just like the moment when the Nokia mobile phone was eliminated into the garbage heap of history, its hardness and drop resistance still surpassed those of the new mobile phones that eliminated it.
The heavy armored phalanx of halberdiers only lost in "forcing the enemy cavalry to fight them in close combat" and was far inferior to the bayonet musketeers.
Even if the heavily armored halberdier can be equipped with a crossbow or even a musket, as a long-range output, when the cavalry tries to ride and fly a kite, it will shoot at the cavalry, forcing the cavalry to switch to close combat after suffering heavy losses in the shooting.
However, the efficiency of this kind of "forced battle" is still far inferior to that of all troops with bayonets and muskets.
Because war is not an RTS game, it is not an ideal state in which "tanks in the front row can hold it, and all DPS in the back row can have output positions."
In actual combat, the battlefield is very deep, but the weapon range is very short relative to the battlefield area.
At any point on the battlefield, the long-range firepower that can be invested is very slim, and the firepower cannot be concentrated.
In the "New Book of Jixiao", even if Qi Jiguang attached great importance to firearms, when talking about the tactics of using infantry to fight against the Tatar cavalry, he would only recommend
"A battalion of 3,500 men can be equipped with 700 muskets. When encountering cavalry, the infantry is arranged in a square formation, with 700 musketeers on each side, facing outward, and the 700 musketeers in the center.
When encountering cavalry harassment from either side of the phalanx, all firegunners will support the side being harassed by the enemy cavalry through the corridor, and counterattack with firearms, forcing the enemy cavalry to dare not shoot at them, but to charge forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat."
In other words, cavalry has a mobility advantage. When both sides fight with a battalion of 3,500 men, the side with higher cavalry mobility can concentrate its troops on one side of the battle formation, forming a local advantage to fight with more troops.
The infantry had poor mobility, so they could only respond to the enemy with the 700 melee pikemen and gunmen on the enemy side. When the enemy rushed forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat, the gunmen could only retreat, leaving the pikemen alone to hold the line.
Because of this, there is a surprising consistency in the early proportions of pikemen and musketeers in the war tactics of the Eastern and Western worlds——
"New Book of Jixiao" believes that 20% musketeers and 80% long spearmen are optimal. Coincidentally, the early Spanish Grand Square at that time also believed that one to four muskets and spears was the most efficient golden ratio.
Later, with the improvement of musket technology and the emergence of bayonets, the ratio of musketeers to pikemen gradually became one to one, and eventually evolved to the point where all soldiers had muskets and bayonets.
The emergence of muskets and bayonets actually reduced the infantry's ability to engage in close combat with cavalry, but it greatly enhanced the opportunity cost of "forcing cavalry to engage in close combat with infantry."
Shen Shuren has long understood this simple truth.
Zheng Chenggong hadn't figured it out yet at first, but after today's battle, he will probably figure it out completely.
As for the Tatar cavalry officers opposite Zheng Chenggong, they may never have the chance to figure it out in this life.
…
With the death of Tatar Jia Lazhang Jingyong Gui in the battle, in the bloody battle just now, at least an overwhelming number of Qing troops in Beacon Mountain were killed and wounded by the Ming army in the initial raid.
This kind of fight, with no way out for both sides, is always the bloodiest.
Although the subsequent three Niu Lu have been turned around, the total strength of the troops is already less than four Niu Lu. In addition, the number of troops was not enough due to previous battle losses, and in fact it is only more than 900 cavalry.
The remaining Han and Mongolian flag soldiers totaled four to five hundred. The total strength of the Tatar army at the port of Beacon Hill was less than 1,500.
After the death of Jia Lazhangjing, the cavalry troops also had the problem of not being subordinate to each other and lacking overall unified command.
The IQ and military skills of each Niulu officer are not very high.
Generals at this level basically only know how to strictly implement the orders from the top, lead the team tactically, and resolutely attack and charge. The overall strategy is not an issue they need to think about at all.
Countless Qing cavalrymen just mechanically carried out their usual tactical habits, patrolling and harassing in front of the formation, and when they saw an opening, they pounced on them for bloody melee combat. Once they found that the enemy's melee troops were well prepared, they would temporarily retreat and start again.
Look for the enemy's weak spots.
It's a pity that this time, they didn't find the weaknesses of Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Chenggong at all.
Shen Shuren has been in Huangzhou for two years. At the end of last year, he also occupied Daye Tieshan in Wuchang. Military industry and industry have been booming. Last year, he was able to gather nearly three thousand musketeers, and now he will only have more.
This time, in order for Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Chenggong to be able to deal with the Tatars with confidence, Shen Shuren also spent a lot of money. The musket equipment rate of these five thousand "servants" directly reached 50%! And each musket has a bayonet.
This situation made the Qing army, which had never seen such a high ratio, very uncomfortable.
After fighting with the Ming Dynasty for so many years, the Qing army has become accustomed to "the enemy's firearms are strong in hand-to-hand combat, and the bows and crossbows are weak. Just open a distance and shoot at each other to damage the morale of the Ming army. After the enemy's firearms team is transferred to this direction to reinforce,
Then charge forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the firearms soldiers, use the firearms soldiers' cowardly retreat to confuse the front, and seize the opportunity to rush in and expand the results of the battle."
Zhang Mingzhen's performance at this moment is like a combination of a hedgehog and a porcupine.
If it is far away, the porcupine's flying quills will fly out, stinging the enemy in agony. When it gets closer, it will bite like a hedgehog, with a mouth full of sharp thorns.
Advance is also worrying, retreat is also worrying.
"I can't control that much anymore! The whole army charges! No more retreating and roundabouts, just fight to the death with those barbarians using strange short spears! These short spears are only seven feet long, what's the big deal! You have to rush across the enemy's formation even with a pile of human lives!"
Several Niulu officers finally fully aroused their ferocity to fight to the death, regardless of their lives.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The servants of the Shen family under Zhang Mingzhen were also motionless, letting the Qing cavalry, which was like a stormy sea, become red-eyed, forgetting all tactical detours, and charged straight towards the bayonet array.
"Puff! Puff!" The hearty and bloodthirsty sound of the bayonet sharply piercing the flesh and blood was intertwined with the muffled sound of the huge impact of broken tendons and fractures.
The screams of soldiers and the neighing of war horses resounded throughout the battlefield.
A bayonet with a total length of less than seven feet can only be used to exchange lives between infantry and cavalry. The length of the weapon is not enough to use its own fracture to relieve the huge force of the horse's full charge. Many heavy weapons
After stabbing a Tatar cavalryman to death, the family servant was immediately knocked away. Even some brave Qing cavalrymen were able to knock away two or three Shen family servants before they died.
However, after the battle ended in such a no-frills exchange of lives, the Ming army was no longer so fearful - fear and low morale were often caused by being unable to fight back and being attacked unilaterally, so they flew kites.
If life can be exchanged stably, once the ferocity and bloodiness of human beings are aroused, the idea of "changing one is enough" arises, and the sound of bloodthirsty killings inspires them, they will soon enter an unconscious rage, and fear will be thrown away.
Beyond the sky.
Many of the Shen family servants are also stubborn people who are fed by money. Many of them have heard about the brutality of the Tatars and want to vent their anger that has been accumulated for many years.
After a bloody and bloody battle of just one cup of tea, several Niulu officers of the Qing cavalry went to the head and rushed to the front line in person. They were all killed by the Ming army's muskets and bayonets in turns. The remnants of the Qing cavalry finally had no choice.
Don't calm down.
They couldn't exchange lives one by one! There were thousands of Ming soldiers, and they had no intention of retreating. As long as they offered less than 900 lives in exchange for them, they could exchange them all!
What's more, the Ming army also has Hongyi artillery, which has been pouring firepower at the rear of the formation. Although it takes several minutes for each artillery to fire one shot, several cannons fire in turn, but they can fire two times every minute.
F.
The loud noise of the heavy artillery was like a huge hammer, hitting the hearts of the Qing cavalry again and again.
Although it can't kill a few people every time, and sometimes even fires empty cannons, this kind of death alarm clock will definitely kill a few people in regular draws. It's a complete gamble of life and luck. No matter how good your martial arts is, as long as you are drawn, you will die.
Such intimidation gradually made the Qing cavalry, who thought they were invincible, gradually become timid and disintegrate. After the last Niulu officer was stabbed into a hedgehog, the remaining three to four hundred Qing cavalry finally collapsed completely, like a tide.
Retreat.
"Kill! Charge into the camp! Leave no one alive!" Zhang Mingzhen shouted with his sword. The Ming army saw that they had repelled a fraction of the Qing army's cavalry. Their morale was also boosted and they rushed forward with wild shouts.
.
Not to mention the hundreds of traitors and Mongols who were responsible for guarding the walls of the camp, they were immediately overwhelmed and slaughtered.
"We annihilated the main force of the Tatars! What a great victory! What happened to the Tatars! They have one head and two arms! Even if they are stabbed with a bayonet, they will die with one stab!"
The excited Ming army officers were cleaning the battlefield frantically and excitedly. The soldiers who had not achieved any success in killing the enemy were also holding up their bayonet rifles excitedly, as if to test the actual combat effectiveness of the new weapons.
On the bodies of the Tatar cavalry who were still lying there, dying, or already dead, no matter they were dead or not, they stabbed them with a few more bayonets.
Even if it is a dead body, it has not been dead for a long time, and it can still bleed after being stabbed. This kind of response feedback can stimulate people's desire to try. The soldiers of the Ming army mechanically repeated the last stabbing action, shouting in their hearts:
"Tatars are human beings too! They will die if they are stabbed! Every knife makes a hole! Every hole bleeds! They can even be stabbed wearing cotton armor!"
Children and old men are not deceived!
The corpses of more than 800 elite cavalrymen of the Qing army were stripped off their iron-clad cotton armor one after another, and then all of them were stabbed into hedgehogs. The original phobia of the Qing army in the hearts of all the soldiers who participated in the battle was slightly cured.
About a quarter of an hour after the battlefield was cleaned, it was also the end of Yinshi, and bursts of noise suddenly came from the battlefield in the southeast. Zhang Mingzhen hurriedly organized his team, and asked the troops to occupy the dangerous position of Bijia Mountain Water Village and prepare for the battle.
Fortunately, not long after, the scouts on the opposite side also ventured over to make contact and raised the flag of Tashan guard Li Fuming.
Zhang Mingzhen also expressed his identity, saying that he had captured the Tatar water stronghold, and asked the other party to send officers to the camp alone to verify their identity.
The Ming army on the opposite side did not have Han Hu. Li Fuming trusted this news very much and brought only a few cavalry into the camp. After meeting with Zheng Chenggong, he confirmed that they were indeed friendly troops, and then they all entered the camp in an orderly manner.
Zheng Chenggong did not forget to joke a few words: "Li Junmen is really brave. Are you not afraid that General Zhang is a Tatar pretending to deceive you? Then you dare to enter the camp alone. If there are still Yonggui's troops in the camp at this moment, you
How many lives are not enough to die."
Li Fuming's expression was solemn and sad: "What kind of 'courage' do I have? I don't have to be ashamed to say it. On the way here, we also encountered the Tatar troops who fled from here just now. We fought a bloody battle and killed two more enemies."
There were more than a hundred riders, but unfortunately the remnants of the enemy broke through and escaped.
That's why I knew that Beacon Hill must have succeeded, and there was nothing to worry about, otherwise Yonggui's troops would not have been so scattered.
I feel sorry for my brothers! The night before yesterday, Li Tongtai and Li Shubei, who I sent to the bureau, had already died for their country. I later found out that he had disguised himself as my flag before he died for his country. This made the Tatars relax their guard and put several
Ge Niulu's troops were transferred to the south between Tashan and Gaoqiao to intercept our troops escaping back to Shanhaiguan by land.
The enemy forces we have to deal with tonight are a few fewer Niulu, and the other units are also slower to react, otherwise we may not be able to succeed so easily."
After Zheng Chenggong heard this, he was also in awe, and at the same time he felt a little uncomfortable. He thought that if he had not been caught by the Tatar scouts when he infiltrated into Tashan City that day, and had not killed all the Tatar scouts, maybe this matter could still have happened.
Do it more secretly,
Perhaps it would be possible to save Li Tongtai's idle chess game. In this way, the Ming Dynasty would lose one hundred elite cavalry warriors and one less loyal garrison officer who would fight to the death.
But things in the world are never perfect. Once a war breaks out, everything will turn into a mess. All we can do is adapt to the situation and take advantage of the situation.
He and Li Fuming punched each other as encouragement: "Li Junmen, now is not the time to feel ashamed! Li Shoubei died a heroic death, let's kill a few more Tatars to avenge Li Shoubei!"
We will have to respond to Cao's army in a while, and we need your brothers to do more! I just captured a few Tatars alive and tortured them out. Just now, Yonggui sent three Niulu out of the camp to intercept them.
From Cao Junmen! Cao Junmen probably had a bloody battle with Erbo from Beitun half an hour ago."
Li Fuming said sternly: "This is of course the right thing to do! However, we should first ship out all the wounded and sick from our two armies and float them on the sea to wait. We will only leave the elite soldiers behind to fight for the friendly forces to board one by one.
Boat time!
Also, we should immediately light up all the torches that can be lit in the camp, so that we can guide Cao Junmen from a distance. After detaching an army to attack in a retrograde attack along the road, we should also light more torches to attract the enemy's attention. Once we engage the enemy, we will
Immediately switch to defense, fight and retreat——
General Zhang, Zheng Tiju, what do you think of the arrangement I suggested? After all, we are only out of the camp to support, not to take the initiative to attack.
As long as we bluff and attract some of the enemy's attention to us, we can reduce the pressure on Cao's army. We can't go too far out of camp to respond in the dark, otherwise we may cause chaos."
Zhang Mingzhen nodded immediately: "This method is very good. The retreating troops that break out of the encirclement should be reined in as quietly as possible. To respond to the troops that break out of the encirclement, they should make a big splash to attract the enemy's attention. It is also convenient for attracting the attention of friendly forces. It can also
Boost the morale of the friendly troops and let them know that the way to survive is at the front, so they can do what Li Junmen wants."
The two sides made a calculation, and Li Fuming separated two thousand soldiers whose physical strength was relatively intact, left the camp and went five miles northeast, lit more torches, occupied a high ground, and stood firm on the spot.
Zhang Mingzhen then separated out two thousand fresh troops from the Shen family who had not participated in land battles before. Five miles further, they also formed an array near the sea. He then asked Zheng Chenggong to separate a few warships and return there in a roundabout way.
Artillery is ready to support the shore with firepower——
Except for Beacon Hill Pier, other nearby coasts are shoals, and large ships cannot dock for loading and unloading. However, there is no problem if they sail to a mile away from the shore. Therefore, heavy-duty ships can completely use
The Hongyi cannon has a range of up to three miles and provides long-range support ashore.
Li Fuming originally had more than 8,000 elite troops left in Tashan City, but this time he brought more than 6,000. The remaining troops were either casualties in the bloody battle with Yong Gui's remnants, were scattered and fell behind, or were injured in the first place.
He was seriously ill and could not retreat in Tashan.
Among these 6,000 people, those who had contributed more in the bloody battle, those who were slightly or seriously injured, and those who were carrying a lot of supplies and were exhausted, selected 4,000 people and hurriedly boarded the ship for shipment.
Among the Shen family's servants, as many as seven or eight hundred people were killed or injured in the bloody battle just now, and nearly four hundred were killed or seriously injured.
It has to be said that as the genuine Eight Banners cavalry, which is the most powerful army in the world, their lethality is still very huge when fighting for their lives, and they actually caused so many casualties to the Ming army.
Of course, these wounded soldiers and over-exhausted servants were among those who boarded the ship in advance and evacuated. After some reorganization, the total number of servants and sailors left on shore was reduced to four thousand.
Including the 2,000 men left by Li Fuming on the shore, the two armies totaled 6,000 men, who continued to respond in three levels and hold on to the dock.
…
While Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Mingzhen were fighting bloody battles at the Beacon Hill Pier, another even more brutal bloody battle tonight was actually going on just over twenty miles away.
The protagonists of that battle were La Zhangjing Erbi, the leader of the Xianglan Banner, and Cao Bianjiao, the commander-in-chief of the Ming army.
The remaining troops that Cao Bianjiao gathered in Xingshan were actually much larger than those Li Fuming had in Tashan. Even after such a long period of consumption, he could still bring out more than 12,000 troops.
It's a pity that the encirclement force encountered by these 12,000 people was much stronger.
Although Erbi only had 500 Manchurian cavalry who could fight Cao Bianjiao in a bloody battle immediately, he still had three Niulu who could rush there within an hour and a half.
It's just that these troops have rushed sixty miles to get here, and their physical strength and horsepower will be exhausted, and their combat effectiveness will be sharply reduced. But after all, they are fierce and authentic Manchu Eight Banners cavalry.
His master Azig's main force with the blue flag could also arrive at the battlefield within two hours.
In addition, Prince Jirhalang's two Jia La who were besieging Jinzhou from the rear were also deployed halfway between Jinzhou and Xingshan. They could also reach the battlefield within two hours.
The total strength of the Qing army was definitely quite large, but they could not gather it in a hurry. In order to delay Cao's transformation, they would have to resort to fueling tactics.
Cao Bianjiao is also considered a powerful general in the Ming army. Among the eight generals under Hong Chengchou, his fighting spirit and determination are at least among the top three. Cao Bianjiao has been aware of this situation since the encounter at the end of Chou Shi.
And be mentally prepared.
"Brothers! Tonight the Tatars will definitely divide their troops into several waves to intercept our army! But because of this, our army must not be chaotic and must march in formation! Every time the Tatars come, there will not be many people! This
You are giving us your military exploits for free!
If there is chaos, no one will survive! Keep the front! If you get to Beacon Mountain, you will be prosperous and prosperous, and live in peace!"
During several fierce battles, Cao Bianjiao always boosted his morale and ran forward and backward in person on the front line. When encountering hundreds of Manchu Eight Banners cavalry who were harassing them with cavalry fire, he ordered his bows and crossbows to fire back resolutely. If the enemy troops escaped a little distance, they would
Let the crossbowmen and musketeers line up on both sides of the military formation, and be on alert at all times before retreating slowly.
That posture was just like when Liu Bang withdrew from Baishan Mountain, all the Han army's crossbowmen drew their bows and aimed at both sides of the road at any time, lest Maodun Shanyu would go back on his word and make a false attack.
This way of marching will be slower, but it is most effective when the enemy is biting you.
Erbi's two Niulu, seeing that such harassment could not make the Ming army run away or form an array on the spot, as time went by, Erbi finally couldn't bear it anymore and had to launch a
A brief but heavy-death charge.
Every charge was not to kill many Ming soldiers, but to interrupt Cao Bianjiao's marching plan and delay him from changing to a battle formation on the spot.
And every time they charged, Erbi's men had to pay the price immediately with the lives of at least dozens of Eight Banners' elite cavalry.
The Ming army was exhausted several times. Although they also killed more than 200 Erbi riders, their march became slower and slower, and their morale was also somewhat low.
Some officers couldn't help but began to question Cao Bianjiao: "Military door! Are those southerners trustworthy? Zheng Chenggong was just from a pirate family, do they have any credibility? If the delay continues, our army will not be able to reach Beacon Mountain.
Attacked from both sides, can they take over the Beacon Hill Pier? They won't retreat after a slight setback, right?
If we are so tired and on the road and arrive at Beacon Hill before dawn, only to find that we have to attack the camp and capture the dock ourselves, then when daybreak comes and the Tatars attack us from both sides, we will be doomed! We might as well stay in Xingshan Jiancheng. How many more days can I live!"
Cao Bianjiao was furious: "Anyone who dares to shake the morale of the army will be killed! When fighting with a large army, you should trust your friendly forces! What's more, our army is unable to break out of the encirclement on its own, so there is no use in doubting whether the friendly forces can get off the dock! The matter has come to this, and there is only one way to survive. , it all depends on your hard work and military strength to find this way out!"
Cao Bianjiao repeated this three times, stopping and walking within an hour, and moved ten miles closer to Bijia Mountain. He felt that it was too late, and was afraid of being overtaken by enemy reinforcements, so he finally decided to take a temporary risk and leave a rear force behind. Stay on alert, then let the main force relax a little and move forward at full speed.
Obviously, he was trying to show that he couldn't wait any longer, luring Erbi to launch a powerful attack despite insufficient troops - if you don't attack, I will really run away. He will not keep imitating "the Han army is leaving." The slow and alert posture when Bai Deng"!
As expected, Erbi had no choice. When he saw Cao Bianjiao impatiently trying to escape, he didn't care that he only had 300 riders left, and pounced on them all, trying to cover up Cao Bianjiao from behind.
As long as the morale of the Ming army is low, it is possible for ten thousand people to be killed by three hundred cavalry in the dark until they collapse!
However, he underestimated Cao Bianjiao.
Erbi's all-out charge did temporarily cause heavy casualties among the Ming army, and even cost the Ming army two or three times more casualties than the total number of Eight Banners cavalry.
Erbi's remaining 300 cavalry actually charged into several formations, killing and injuring thousands of Cao Bianjiao's men!
However, the casualties suffered by the Erbi troops should not be underestimated. More importantly, after entering the melee, the Erbi troops were gradually stuck.
But the Ming army was not completely in chaos. The elite main force left behind by Cao Bianjiao immediately accelerated to rush forward to block the gap, and got into a close combat with Erbi. When more than 300 cavalry were surrounded by 10,000 people, 10,000 people were trapped. But it didn't collapse, and the outcome was already obvious.
After a bloody battle, although Cao Bianjiao suffered four times as many casualties as the enemy, he still managed to kill Erbi among the rebels. The two Niulu brought by Erbi were almost completely wiped out, leaving only the unorganized A few stragglers fled and broke through.
After paying a huge price to get rid of this fly, Cao Bianjiao didn't even have time to count the losses of the Ming army. He estimated that after the battle just now, his 12,000 men would only be left with just over 10,000 at most.
But fortunately, without the enemy's personal harassment, the entire army could speed up. Some soldiers even abandoned their heavy armor and ran directly forward. Finally, they saw the lights near the Beacon Hill port ahead.
The lights spread not only within the port area, but also extended to several miles outside the port, and the sounds of killing could even be heard.
Fortunately, because there were many torches, Cao Bianjiao saw a Ming-style battle flag stuck in the middle of the pile of fires closest to him. Although he couldn't see the words on it, he could at least confirm that it was friendly reinforcements.
The other party also recognized him and sent out scouts to respond: "The person coming is Cao Junmen! My general and Li Junmen have been waiting for a long time! My general is still forming a formation outside the harbor to help you hold Er'er down. Force the three Niulu who were transferred back from Takahashi! Quickly kill the enemy together so that we can board the ship!"
Cao Bianjiao was in great spirits, and for the first time tonight he shouted to his back with confidence: "Brothers! Kill the Tatars in front of you! Have you seen the fire in the water village? Once you get there, you can get on the boat and retreat and survive.
!”
After walking all night, the exhausted 10,000 Ming troops saw the brightly lit port in the distance. They heard that the port had been captured and ships were waiting to pick them up for retreat. Suddenly, their morale skyrocketed and they headed towards the country like a mad tiger.
He rushed over with the three Niulu who Erbi had transferred back from the south.
These three Niu Lu are now led by Shi Luhu, the left leader of Erbo's command. They only have a total of more than 600 riders, because they killed dozens of riders in the battle with Li Tongtai the day before. The previous scout battle
Dozens more people died, so the organization was severely lacking.
He and Zhang Mingzhen formed a tight formation, and the two thousand men with Hongyi artillery behind them fought back and forth. It is said that it is not difficult for the elite Eight Banners cavalry to suppress four times the number of Ming infantry.
However, Zhang Mingzhen was flanked by Li Fuming, which prevented Shi Luhu from using his full strength. Moreover, he rushed sixty miles between Tashan and Gaoqiao to get to the battlefield. It was inevitable that he was exhausted and suffered from chronic blood loss.
The situation cannot form a breakthrough at all.
At this moment, Zhang Mingzhen was blocking the front, and Cao Bianjiao was behind, leading ten thousand soldiers of the Ming army who were weak but extremely eager to survive. Under the attack from the front and back, the three Niu Lu led by Shi Luhu,
He finally fell into a turbulent situation and was directly knocked to pieces.
During the bloody battle, when Suluhu tried to distance himself and retreat, he was targeted by Zhang Mingzhen, who ordered the musketry team to focus fire on the big fish. Suluhu was shot several times and died on the spot.
Zhang Mingzhen killed the scattered enemy troops and went forward to cut off the head of Shi Luhu. Only then did he see Cao Bianjiao's flag among the people coming, and stepped forward to greet him: "Cao Junmen, hurry up and enter the port. Let the wounded and the brothers who contributed more just now go in first."
Ship, in addition, you have to leave fresh troops to guard the dock for an hour. We have done so much for your army, we have already contributed enough, and we didn’t even use it originally."
Cao Bianjiao felt grateful and hurriedly patted his chest and assured: "That's natural! Your army is righteous and has traveled thousands of miles to support our army's retreat! In the end, our army and Li Junmen will be responsible for guarding the dock to buy time!"
We cannot let you brothers from the south of the Yangtze River take this risk again. However, I just heard that you actually have red cannons on your ship? We will guard the dock for a while to delay, and we hope to continue to use red cannons to provide support from the sea.
It is estimated that it is impossible to survive safely in an hour. Azig's main force and Jilhalang's two Jia La will definitely arrive within an hour. We fought to the death tonight, and in fact we just defeated the Tartars.
It’s just two armors.”
Two Jia La, the full strength of the cavalry is only 3,000 Eight Banners. In fact, these troops are not full, and there are only more than 2,000 cavalry. So tonight Zhang Mingzhen, Li Fuming, and Cao Bianjiao worked together to defeat more than 2,000 in a bloody night.
The Eight Banners cavalry killed more than a thousand enemy cavalry, plus more than a thousand traitors and Mongolian soldiers.
Azig can bring at least 4,000 Eight-Banner Banner Cavalry over here, and Jilhalang can also send over 2,000. Altogether, there are 6,700-7,000 Eight-Banner Banner Cavalry.
If they really had to fight against the elite cavalry of the Seven Thousand Eight Banners, Zhang Mingzhen, Li Fuming and Cao Bianjiao combined more than 20,000 Ming troops, which would not be enough for the opponent, so they would definitely not be able to engage in any field battle with the opponent.