Fu Shanhe

Chapter 153 Great Defeat

"It seems that your elephant soldiers are not as powerful as the legend says?"

Fu Sanqi, who was watching the game, asked in a puzzled manner.

In this uprising, the White Lotus Sect and the chieftains were in a cooperative relationship.

The White Lotus paid a heavy price to get these guys on board.

But judging from the current performance, it is obviously a wrong investment.

The elephant soldiers, who were praised by the chieftains, did a great job as soon as they came on the stage.

The expected elephants did not appear in the enemy camp, but the number of our own people accidentally injured was increasing.

“Prime Minister Fu, this is completely unexpected.

The puppet government troops are so despicable that they dare not engage in a head-on battle with us and rely entirely on artillery to show off their power.

Once the war elephants adapt, they will be able to..."

Seeing more and more war elephants losing control, Tian Zhichen forced himself to swallow back the rest of his words.

Dozens of war elephants went crazy together, causing enormous damage.

The chieftain soldiers following the elephant herd became the biggest victims.

Faced with such a huge monster as the war elephant, the soldiers could only flee in all directions.

The originally neat military formation suddenly became a mess.

“Lord Tian, ​​these war elephants are out of control and can’t distinguish between friend and foe.

You know the weaknesses of these war elephants best, so quickly give the order to shoot them, otherwise the losses will be even greater."

Fu Sanqi said expressionlessly.

Fortunately, he was cautious and did not send out the entire army, but only sent out the elephant soldiers.

Otherwise, if these war elephants disrupted their own army formation, the enemy would only need to charge and the war would be over.

"no!"

"We have spent a lot of money to train these war elephants. We must not give them up easily!"

The chieftain of the Meng family on the side immediately objected.

Cavalry is expensive, and elephants will be even more expensive.

The cost of raising a war elephant is enough to feed hundreds of infantrymen.

Among the chieftains of Guangxi, the number of war elephants they possess has always been an important indicator for evaluating their military strength.

"You don't need to make a decision. The enemy cavalry is coming out!"

Fu Sanqi said unhappily.

Looking ahead, we saw cavalrymen in groups of three or five attacking the war elephants.

For a while, the sound of musketry continued.

Fire guns cannot kill war elephants in one shot, but bullets hitting elephants will still cause injuries and bleeding.

Relying on the cavalry's high-speed mobility advantage, they would quickly run away after using up their ammunition.

The enraged war elephants chased the cavalry frantically.

Unfortunately, the slow movement speed meant that this effort was in vain.

Instead of catching up with the enemy cavalry, he fell first.

In less than an incense stick of time, the war elephants that were originally rushing towards the enemy camp fell on the battlefield one after another.

The war elephants that turned around and attacked their own camp were still wreaking havoc.

The elephant trainers are trying their best to calm the war elephants, but with little success.

"Pass the order down, throw spears, and deal with these out-of-control war elephants!"

Tian Zhichen gritted his teeth and gave the order.

There was no other way. If these war elephants were allowed to continue causing trouble, the 20,000 soldiers who went on the expedition would be doomed.

At this moment, the enemy cavalry had already approached and was constantly killing lone chieftain soldiers at the edge of the battlefield.

In a short period of time, hundreds of soldiers fell under the enemy cavalry's guns.

Including the losses caused by the war elephants, they have lost thousands of soldiers today.

If we don't deal with these war elephants, we won't be able to send reinforcements.

……

Li Mu, who was watching the battle on the observation deck, was also stunned by the scene before him.

Although he attacked the war elephant's weakness, he was still surprised by the enemy's slow reaction.

You should know that a similar scene occurred once hundreds of years ago.

When the Mongols invaded Burma in the past, the cavalry relied on guerrilla warfare tactics to directly wipe out the Burmese king's army of war elephants.

The current way of fighting is nothing more than adding artillery, and the bows and arrows have become muskets.

Essentially, the tactics are still copied from historical experience.

I thought that this group of chieftains in front of me had already innovated the elephant soldiers tactics and could come up with new tricks.

As a result, they had an extra link, hunting the out-of-control war elephants themselves.

"Pass the order down, the First Cavalry Battalion will leave the battlefield and return to the camp to rest.

The 2nd Cavalry Battalion replaced them, patrolling on both flanks to hunt down lone rebel soldiers.

Order the Huai'an Battalion to attack the enemy from the center and annihilate these defeated troops."

Li Mu immediately gave the order.

After being attacked by their own war elephants, the morale of the rebel soldiers left on the battlefield had already been completely lost.

The time for a decisive battle has come, and he will naturally not let it go.

If the main force of the rebels does not come out, he will eat up the more than 10,000 remnants in front of him.

If the enemy dares to order an attack, then we will fight a decisive battle directly.

After witnessing the combat effectiveness of the chieftain's elite troops, he was no longer worried about the subsequent war.

"Order!"

Jing Yifeng replied, with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

Bullying the defeated soldiers is like seeking military merit.

Although the previous battle went smoothly, it was also fought by the Yangzhou Camp.

If it were Huai'an Camp, it would definitely not be so easy.

There was no way. The previous Lieutenant General of Huai'an Camp was too old and had conservative ideas.

The trained soldiers mainly use cold weapons for hand-to-hand combat.

Not only were there few muskets, but even the artillery they had was bulky and heavy, not at all suitable for field battles.

Cavalry only exists in theory. After all, it is not easy to train soldiers who are skilled in archery and horse riding.

In order to save money, the target is still at the ground training stage and has not yet applied to the court for war horses.

Jing Yifeng made certain adjustments after taking office, but once the foundation of a unit is established, it cannot be changed in a short period of time.

In the era of cold weapons, infantrymen would have to put in a lot of effort when encountering large monsters like war elephants on the front battlefield.

……

"Prime Minister, the puppet government troops are coming to attack us!"

Seeing his subordinates in panic, Fu Sanqi's face darkened.

I was so busy watching Tusi making fun of himself that I forgot we were on a battlefield.

Nominally he had an army of 100,000, but that was just a fictitious number.

The number of troops required by the Holy Emperor's decree does not mean that the chieftains will obediently carry out the order.

The soldiers are under someone else's command, and it is impossible for him to verify them one by one.

The heavy losses of the elephant soldiers actually reduced the military power in his hands.

"Everyone, the enemy has come out.

Let's discuss whether we should send out the entire army to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy!"

Fu Sanqi asked.

As the commander-in-chief, when it comes to the crucial moment of the decisive battle, he must also listen to the opinions of his generals.

Just thinking about it makes me feel aggrieved.

However, most of the troops under his command were chieftains' soldiers, and there were only 10,000 real White Lotus descendants.

On the battlefield, whoever is stronger has more say.

If he cannot gain the support of the people, the only troops he can mobilize are the 10,000 soldiers of the White Lotus Sect.

No matter how arrogant he was, he didn't think that his few soldiers could defeat the pseudo-dynastic army in front of him.

"decisive battle!
Of course we have to fight to the end!
The puppet army has already arrived, and the troops in the front cannot withdraw at all.

Unless you are willing to abandon the soldiers on the battlefield, we must fight today's battle!"

Chief Meng was the first to speak. He spoke toughly, but deep down, he had already backed down.

If he had known that the government troops were so difficult to deal with, he would not have joined in no matter how many benefits the White Lotus Sect promised him.

Unfortunately, he could not resist the temptation at first, and with the Annan people's instigation behind the scenes, he was blinded by the interests.

It's too late to regret now. Even if he is willing to leave, the government troops will not let them go.

If you do things secretly, as long as you do it cleanly, those officials of the Yu Dynasty who are afraid of trouble will most likely pretend to be ignorant.

Today's direct appearance on the front battlefield undoubtedly challenged the bottom line of the imperial court.

Dayu can be weak to any force, but will never compromise with rebels.

If we don't completely wipe out this government army, the imperial army will definitely not let them go when it fights back in the future.

“Fight!
We have an army of 100,000. If we are frightened by the enemy, how can we survive in Guangxi in the future?"

The chieftain of the Tian family on the side followed up and said.

As soon as the two chieftains spoke, the other chieftains who had been hesitant began to express their opinions one after another.

Today's battle is inevitable.

The government troops do have cavalry, and running away with the troops at this moment would be giving the enemy a victory.

"it is good!

Pass on my order, the entire army will attack and fight the enemy to the death! "

Following Fu Sanqi's order, a group of chieftains' coalition forces rushed out one after another, and the shouts of killing reached the sky.

Almost at the same time, the Yangzhou camp also rushed out of the camp.

Closer and closer, until the distance reached a hundred steps.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The sound of muskets rang out, marking the beginning of the decisive battle.

"what!"

In an instant, screams filled the entire battlefield.

Being beyond the effective range of a musket doesn't mean that the bullets can't hurt people.

The effective killing range of fifty steps refers to the armor-piercing ability.

Within range, it can penetrate most armor.

Beyond this distance, the power of the bullets fired from the musket will continue to decrease as the distance increases.

It was clearly out of range at this moment, but among the rebel soldiers, only a very small number were able to wear armor.

Due to the influence of distance, the bullets fired are rarely directly fatal, but injuries are inevitable.

The large number of casualties dealt a serious blow to the morale of the rebels.

He had never received any formal military training, and the biggest fight he had ever taken part in was between chieftain villages.

When cold weapons meet volley gun tactics, it is a naked massacre.

In just one encounter, nearly a thousand people were killed or injured.

Watching their comrades rolling on the ground and wailing after being injured was a huge shock to the rebel soldiers.

It was not only the front army that was stimulated. The rebel soldiers in the rear of the army were not hit by muskets, but were baptized by artillery fire.

More than one hundred artillery pieces were arranged in three rows and began bombing in turns.

As long as the area is targeted, after the explosion, there will be nothing but the cleared ground and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The bloody scene before their eyes exceeded the endurance limit of many people.

"devil!"

"The enemies are all devils!"

Some chieftain soldiers who could not bear the bloody scene were frightened silly on the spot.

Morale collapse is contagious. After the first soldier dropped his weapon and ran away, countless soldiers soon followed.

When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their own safety, not caring about the overall situation on the battlefield.

The soldiers from the same village formed a group and fled for their lives.

The elite chieftains who were in charge of supervising the battle and who were related to the emperor by blood could not bring themselves to attack their own people.

Even if it means killing people to establish authority, it is a tacit choice among people from other villages.

This kind of differential treatment made the situation even more chaotic.

Fu Sanqi, who was commanding the battle from the rear, was dumbfounded at this moment.

The decisive battle ahead was completely different from what he had expected.

In the past, when fighting against government troops, as long as they charged forward in large numbers, they could defeat the enemy with their numerical advantage.

The situation is completely different today. Although they have more troops, they are overwhelmed by the enemy on the battlefield.

Whether in the local battlefield or in the overall situation, they were at a disadvantage.

Looking at the fleeing soldiers, Fu Sanqi immediately gave the order:

"Pass the order down, anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!

Everyone, join me in supervising the battle and kill those fleeing soldiers!"

While giving the order, Fu Sanqi picked up his sword and prepared to step forward with his personal soldiers to stop the fleeing soldiers.

"Prime Minister, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!

The chieftains have already fled, and if we charge forward, we will only die!"

Zhou Damao persuaded in a panic.

Fu Sanqi is his powerful figure in the sect. If anything happens to him, he will be held accountable when he returns.

Staying here and dying is even more impossible.

There are more than a dozen beautiful concubines waiting for him at home, how can he give up his life so easily?

"Let me go now, or I'll kill you first!"

Zhou Damao was slightly stunned when he heard Fu Sanqi's scolding.

I was just persuading him, I didn't pull him aside!

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and Zhou Damao reacted. He immediately rushed forward and grabbed Fu Sanqi's arm, and did not forget to scold the nearby personal soldiers:

"Why are you still standing there? Come with me and take the Prime Minister away!"

After this reminder, Fu Sanqi's confidants reacted one after another and quickly carried the coach away.

No matter how Fu Sanqi struggled, no one was willing to let go.

Although the Holy White Lotus Kingdom is a makeshift team, it has long since developed to the pinnacle in terms of human relations and worldly wisdom.

If the coach deserts the battlefield, it will definitely be a serious crime punishable by death.

If they were forcibly evacuated by their subordinates, then the nature of the situation would become that of loyal soldiers protecting their master.

When the time comes, find someone to do the work, and the original death penalty will be turned into a living sentence.

As a close confidant of the White Lotus Saint Emperor, as long as there is a convincing reason, a big matter can be made small.

Anyway, the main force in this battle was the Tusi army, and there were not many White Lotus troops participating in the battle.

After returning, Fu Sanqi could completely put the blame for the defeat on that group of chieftains.

The commander-in-chief took the lead in running away, and the supervision team that had been working hard to intercept the fleeing soldiers also joined the fleeing team.

A total rout broke out and everyone was trying to escape.

……

"Pass the order down, have the soldiers shout that those who surrender will not be killed!

All cavalrymen were to attack and kill as many enemy leaders as possible.

Notify the temporary battalion that took the detour and ask them to delay the rebels' actions as much as possible."

Li Mu immediately gave the order.

The time has come to expand the results of the battle. Most of the previous preparations were made for this moment.

In order to keep as many rebels as possible, before the war broke out, he asked the temporary battalion to carry kerosene, gunpowder, crossbows and other supplies and land in small boats twenty miles away from here.

At this moment, countless traps have been set on the main road for the rebels to evacuate.

Large-scale combat is not the Jinyiwei's strong point, but they are professionals in setting traps like this.

It is unrealistic to keep all the rebels, but it is possible to slow down their escape and buy time for the main army to capture prisoners.

The war of suppressing rebellion is different from the foreign war. From the very beginning, Li Mu never thought of killing all the enemies.

If the purpose is to kill the enemy, it will not be a quick and decisive battle.

After experiencing the White Lotus Rebellion, Guangxi's population was bound to decrease significantly.

If you want to take root here, you can’t do without labor.

Compared with spending a lot of money to recruit refugees, it is obviously more cost-effective to use prisoners of war.

(End of this chapter)