Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 206: You fell down before I even used any strength?
Bao Chao glanced at Lu Ping out of the corner of his eye and said.

"There's no need for you to be so polite, County Lieutenant Lu."

"Now that the Tang Dynasty is marching eastward and sweeping across the world, Jiangxia City will be the first to bear the brunt."

"The result is self-evident!"

"Although you surrendered after the city was breached, you did not resist the heavenly soldiers. The court will make proper arrangements for you."

"And the military discipline of our Tang Dynasty has always been strict. If anyone dares to rape and plunder, military law and discipline will not let him off. The people of Jiangxia County can rest assured..."

After comforting Lu Ping and others, Bao Chao began to give orders.

"The most important thing right now is to find a way to restore order in Jiangxia City and take down those who are taking advantage of the situation to rob and cause trouble."

"Then, we will prepare to reward the troops and prepare for the arrival of the main force of the army."

"Can County Magistrate Lu do it?"

Although there was no instruction to organize a reward for the troops.

However, just because you haven't been told to do something doesn't mean you don't have to do it.

When you are told to do something, it is called your duty.

Even if you are not instructed to do it, it will make it more valuable if you do it.

Rewarding the troops can definitely help boost the morale and inspire the military spirit of the Tang army.

If Bao Chao could accomplish this, it would definitely be a huge plus for him.

Bao Chao is not a soldier under the command of others who only needs to think about fighting on the battlefield.

He is an official, and he has to consider much more things than his subordinates.

Hearing this, Lu Ping's expression straightened and he made a solemn promise.

"Don't worry, General. I will organize people to maintain order in the city. I believe that Jiangxia will soon be able to return to stability."

"As for the matter of rewarding the troops, all the gentry in Jiangxia are loyal to the Tang Dynasty, so this will naturally not be a problem."

Of course, he is not bragging when he says this, but he can really do it.

The current chaos in Jiangxia City is because the Qing army has fled and the Tang army is coming. People in Jiangxia are worried that war may break out, so some people dare to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble.

Then, Jiangxia became chaotic.

However, when Lu Ping brought all the officials and gentry who were willing to serve the Tang Dynasty to meet Bao Chao, the representative of the Tang army, Bao Chao accepted their surrender and guaranteed that the Tang army would not burn, kill and loot in Jiangxia, and Jiangxia would not suffer from war.

If everyone feels reassured, order in Jiangxia will naturally be restored soon.

As for rewarding the troops, there is no need to say more.

Jiangxia had just surrendered, and the gentry were all vying to show off in front of the Tang Dynasty, so rewarding the army was naturally not a problem.

Bao Chao heard this and nodded.

"Very good, Lieutenant Lu, do these things well, and I will report to the higher-ups for your commendation later."

Listening to Bao Chao's statement, everyone's faces were filled with obvious excitement and excitement.

……

Outside Yinma Town, the Tang army camp!
"What? Jiangxia City was taken?"

Zhao Xiang said with a confused expression.

"Or was it shot down by a reconnaissance company of our army?"

Bai Yuanqin was equally confused.

Li Shixian, who was in front of him, nodded immediately.

"Commander-in-Chief, this is indeed true."

"How dare I joke about something like this?"

Zhao Xiang nodded and said.

"It's true!"

Bai Yuanqin said with a smile.

"I originally thought that the army would be held back by the Qing army from Hubei for a while in Yinma Town when we marched eastwards. Unexpectedly, the Qing army collapsed before the Tang Dynasty even put any effort into it."

The Qing army in Hubei set up camp at Yinma Town outside Jiangxia City, the capital of Wuchang Prefecture, preparing to block the Tang army's eastward expedition.

Bai Yuanqin originally thought that the Tang army might have to work hard to defeat the Qing army in Yinma Town, and then capture Jiangxia and Wuchang Prefecture.

Open the way for the eastern expedition to Jiangxi.

Unexpectedly, before the main force of the Tang army had time to launch an offensive, they successfully captured Jiangxia with only a reconnaissance company.

The Qing army is really vulnerable!
Although the Qing army still has a large number of troops stationed in Yinma Town.

However, since Jiangxia has fallen, the Qing troops in Yinma Town are like turtles in a jar.

It was only a matter of time before the Tang army devoured them.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Xiang spoke.

"Pass the order down, order all units of our army to immediately prepare for war and launch an offensive against the Qing army in Yinma Town."

"In addition, we will draw two more elite troops from the army. One will go around to reinforce Jiangxia, and the other will set up an ambush at Xiaogushan."

"Didn't the Qing army set up an ambush on Xiaogu Mountain to ambush our Tang Dynasty? Today, I will give them a taste of their own medicine!"

If the Tang army wanted to completely wipe out the Qing army in Yinma Town, it would definitely not be enough to rely on just Bao Chao's company to block the Qing army's retreat in Jiangxia.

Sending troops to reinforce is a natural thing to do!

In a war of annihilation, only by tying your pockets tightly can you truly annihilate the enemy.

Among them, Xiaogushan was where the Tang army set up its trap, while Jiangxia City was more of a precautionary measure.

After Zhao Xiang made arrangements, various units of the Tang army began to actively prepare for war.

The Tang army that was sent to reinforce Jiangxia County and set up an ambush at Xiaogushan rode out of the camp, carrying all the military equipment and supplies with them, bypassing Yinma Town and heading towards Jiangxia City.

At the same time, the Tang army pulled a number of artillery pieces outside Yinma Town, ready to aim at Yinma Town and launch firepower to provide fire cover for their own infantry's attack.

Soon, the shelling began.

boom! Boom boom!

The deafening sound of artillery fire echoed across the battlefield.

Shell after shell fell towards the Qing army camp in Yinma Town. The solid shells hit the ground, tumbling forward, tearing open the Qing army camp, splintering wood and sand.

The new type of explosive bomb fell on the Qing army’s position, and amid the rumbling sound of the explosion, thick yellow smoke spread.

Many Qing soldiers hiding in their positions were killed by the shock waves generated by the explosion of artillery shells.

The whooshing sound of breaking through the air was heard again.

Rockets were fired one after another towards Yinma Town.

The rumbling explosion made a group of Qing soldiers cry for their parents.

Zhao Xiang and Bai Yuanqin stood together, looking at the situation on the battlefield, and commanded the army to carry out micro-management based on the battlefield situation.

The pre-war artillery preparation lasted for an hour, and the Tang army did not stop the shelling until the gun barrels turned red.

Soon, the shrill sound of charge rang out across the battlefield.

One by one, the Tang army soldiers raised their muskets with bayonets and charged towards Yinma Town.

"Kill! May the Tang Dynasty win forever!"

"Kill the demons and divide the land!"

"..."

On the vast battlefield, the Tang army soldiers were like a surging wave, carrying the momentum straight towards Yinma Town.

……

In Yinma Town, the Qing army’s central camp.

Xiangyang General Hao Shangwu and Yunyang General Liu Quande listened to the faint shouting and screaming outside, their faces becoming extremely solemn.

"As soon as the cannons stopped firing, the Tang thieves launched an attack."

"Besides, now even Jiangxia County has been lost. What should we do?!"

Hao Shangwu asked in a panic.

According to Guan Wen's original plan, Hao Shangwu and Liu Quande would lead their troops to Yinma Town to attract the Tang army's forces, and then at the right time the army would pretend to be defeated and retreat to Xiaogushan.

Then they cooperated with Hubei Admiral Zhao Zhongyong, who had ambushed the Tang army pursuers in Xiaogushan in advance.

This was used to give a severe blow to the Tang army on its eastern expedition and to stop their offensive.

To some extent, the arrangement of official documents is reasonable and feasible.

However, the final outcome was completely different from the official arrangement.

The fundamental reason is that Guanwen mistakenly overestimated the fighting effectiveness of the Qing army.

The ambush he had arranged in advance on Xiaogushan was discovered and defeated by a Tang army of about a hundred people.

This is a bit ridiculous!
Not to mention Guanwen, including Zhao Zhongyong, Fang Zhijing, and even Hao Shangwu, Liu Quande and others.

Who the hell could have thought of that?

As a result, Hao Shangwu and Liu Quande's troops are now in a desperate situation.

Liu Quande took a deep breath and spoke.

"The only option before us now is to withdraw our troops."

Even Jiangxia was lost, and now Liu Quande really didn't have the courage to fight the Tang army again.

Running away was his only option.

But when Hao Shangwu heard this, he spoke immediately.

"No, we can't retreat!"

"At least we can't retreat now."

"The Tang army is now fiercely attacking Yinma Town. If we withdraw our troops at this time, the Tang army will chase us and our army will be defeated."

"If this is the case, wouldn't it be giving the Tang army a chance to chase us down for nothing?"

"Even if we want to withdraw our troops, we must first stop the Tang army's offensive."

Upon hearing this, Liu Quande thought for a while, but still nodded in agreement.

"General Hao's words make sense. We really can't just withdraw our troops like this."

"Since we have to fight first before we can retreat, let's fight!"

The two generals quickly reached a consensus and began to command the Qing army to fight against the Tang army.

However, facing the Tang army's attacking forces that came like a wave, the Qing army had a very hard time resisting.

Every time the Tang army launched a charge, the Qing army would rush to retreat after the slightest contact.

The Qing army suffered defeat after defeat and was completely unable to withstand the offensive of the Tang army.

The current gap between the Qing army and the Tang army is not only in armament and combat effectiveness, but more in morale.

Before the two sides even started fighting, the Qing army was already intimidated and naturally was no match for the Tang army.

The Tang army's attacking force chased the Qing army all the way and killed their way into Yinma Town.

Hao Shangwu and Liu Quande were completely stunned when they saw this.

Damn it, I can’t beat him, I really can’t beat him!

Amid the deafening shouts of killing, the Qing army began to collapse. Hao Shangwu and Liu Quande had no choice but to abandon their chariots to save their kings, leaving the ordinary Green Camp soldiers on the battlefield to cover the rear, while they led their own soldiers to prepare to withdraw from Yinma Town.

However, the Tang army would never let them have their way.

Zhao Xiang and Bai Yuanqin had already arranged cavalry to ambush outside the battlefield. Seeing that the Qing army wanted to escape, they immediately ordered the cavalry to attack.

On the battlefield, there were sounds of horse hooves.

The Tang cavalry rode forward on their horses, galloping and whistling on the battlefield, like a sharp arrow, shooting straight at the fleeing Qing army.

The knights on horseback drew their lances or shotguns, and while galloping on their horses, they loaded their weapons and prepared to shoot.

As the distance shortened, the Tang soldiers on horseback began to pull the trigger.

Snapped! Bang bang!

Gunshots rang out, and chaos broke out among the fleeing Qing army, with casualties everywhere...

(End of this chapter)