Fu Shanhe

Chapter 529 Unquiet Night

"Pass down the order to allow the frontline commanders to act freely."

"I don't care how they fight, my priority is to break through the enemy's defenses as quickly as possible."

Li Mu then gave the order.

The enemy general was more cunning than expected, knowing to deploy multiple lines of defense.

Unfortunately, the plan was perfect, but the people who were responsible for its execution were not up to par.

If the troops responsible for blocking the attack were all elite Liaodong troops, a single defensive line could easily delay the enemy for several days.

When a mixed force was replaced, the situation changed.

The battle report clearly stated that, apart from a few enemy troops who put up a stubborn resistance, most of the rebels chose to surrender.

The first to surrender were the soldiers of the Beijing garrison who had been incorporated into the Shi family.

Many of them didn't fire their muskets at all during the entire operation, clearly indicating they didn't want to serve the Shi family.

The Liaodong Army expanded too quickly, and Shi Jiaguang was busy recruiting soldiers, neglecting the internal affairs of the army.

It's true that ordinary soldiers receive rations while serving in the army, but that doesn't mean they don't have their own thoughts.

Especially in a place like the capital, where you receive all sorts of news every day, even the most naive person will develop their own thoughts.

In today's Confucian-dominated society, the concept of "the ruler and his subjects as the guiding principles" has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

The Shi family, who had repeatedly murdered emperors, were seen as traitors and rebels by outsiders.

Even within the Liaodong Army, some people were dissatisfied with the Shi family, let alone the sons of the Beijing Garrison.

Given the overwhelming strength of the Liaodong army, these were just some of the things people would mutter to themselves at most.

Unfortunately, this time the situation was special, and they encountered Li Mu, who had the highest prestige in the army.

The soldiers of the Beijing garrison, who had no desire to serve the Shi family, surrendered when they saw that the situation was not going well.

Li Mu already had a plan in mind regarding the fate of these surrendered soldiers.

The Beijing garrison suffered heavy losses but was not completely wiped out; several regiments and battalions were still operating in Shandong.

After the war, once the people were screened, they were sent there to replenish the troops, which was also a way of doing them a favor.

……

How many people were evacuated?

After retreating to the second line of defense, Shi Jingming inquired with concern.

This battle was a resounding success, but unfortunately, the success was achieved with the blood of our own soldiers.

He accepted the losses and setbacks, but the key issue was that the expected results were not achieved.

The harsh reality proved that the defensive lines deployed in front were hardly enough to slow down the enemy's advance.

To complete the appointment, even stronger measures must be taken.

He didn't have a clear idea of ​​what to do at the moment.

But no matter what measures are taken, people are needed to implement them.

There were about three hundred people who came with us.

More than 500 soldiers were withdrawn one after another.

The main problem was that the enemy pursued too quickly; otherwise, we could have gathered some more fleeing soldiers.

The middle-aged general, Yun Yanchang, reported tremblingly.

A fully-staffed town was reduced to less than a thousand people in just a few hours.

As the commander-in-chief, he cannot escape blame.

Although Shi Jingming was the one who actually commanded the operation, he was a core member of the Shi family and couldn't possibly take the blame.

"Why did you only evacuate so few people? What are you all doing?"

Shi Jingming couldn't help but curse angrily.

For Shi Jingming, as long as the blocking mission was completed, he would accept even if several towns were wiped out.

But the mission is not yet complete, and the troops of an entire town have already been wiped out, which exceeds his limit.

"My lord, the troops under my command are mostly new recruits."

It also included various government troops who had been incorporated into the army; those men lost their will to fight as soon as they heard the name of the Marquis of Hanshui.

It was already extremely difficult to stabilize the troops and fight to the death against the enemy.

When the order to retreat was received, the troops collapsed, and I, the humble general, was powerless to stop them.

Yun Yanchang hurriedly explained.

If you don't dare to shift the blame to your superiors, then you can only shift the blame to your subordinates.

Anyway, everything I said was true, so I wasn't afraid of being investigated by my superiors.

From the time the Liaodong Army rose up until now, only half a year has passed, and the army has expanded from 60,000 to more than 600,000.

On average, each department expanded tenfold, and many generals were forced into promotions, passively completing round after round of advancements.

The reality is even more serious than that.

The Liaodong Army is most famous for its cavalry. Of the original 20,000 Liaodong cavalry, only a few thousand have been added to its current size.

It wasn't that the Shi family didn't want to expand their cavalry; the main problem was that cavalry first needed high-quality warhorses, skilled horsemen, and the necessary equipment.

One person with two horses is the most basic configuration, and the consumption of cavalry is several times that of infantry.

Excluding the cavalry, the infantry actually increased fifteenfold in six months.

Such a rate of expansion is rarely seen in history, except for peasant uprising armies.

"waste!"

After uttering a curse, Shi Jingming was forced to accept reality.

Deep down, however, he harbored serious doubts about his own country's military expansion policy.

The Liaodong Army did indeed grow stronger, but this growth was more like something on paper.

Besides the increase in numbers, the organization, management, and training of the troops have all declined by more than one level.

The Marquis of Hanshui, who was facing him, clearly had more resources, but he did not follow suit and expand his army.

Not only was there no expansion of the army, but even the reorganized provincial allied forces were only used as laborers.

While the available troop strength may seem to have decreased, it is precisely because of this reduction in troops that command becomes more flexible.

Being aware of a problem does not mean you can solve it.

The Liaodong Army's massive expansion was, in fact, a result of being forced into it.

After capturing the capital, the failure to issue a proclamation to pacify the country left the Liaodong army with a severe lack of security.

To alleviate their inner unease, the Shi family chose to expand their military.

This move, while appeasing morale within the army, also made the Liaodong Army large but not strong.

Before Shi Jingming could take any further action, the roar of artillery fire rang out once again.

"Third General, the enemy is attacking!"

Ma Zhixing, who was in charge of the second line of defense, stepped forward to report.

Judging from the way he addressed her, he had a closer relationship with the Shi family than with Yun Yanchang.

Only members of the Shi family and officials who entered the decision-making level were qualified to call him the Third General.

In fact, Shi Jingming's current situation is also very awkward.

After taking control of the capital, the Shi family's peers have all been promoted to official positions and titles.

Because of his great achievements in the early stages, Shi Jingming had planned to be enfeoffed as a marquis and was waiting to return to the capital to go through the procedures, but he suffered a defeat in Xuzhou.

This is nothing. Victory and defeat are common in war. At worst, we can win next time.

However, upon returning to the army, he made another huge mistake—forcing Emperor Yongning to commit suicide.

Even though the Shi family forcibly suppressed it, his hopes of promotion and advancement still vanished in order to appease his internal faction.

As a result, he, as the commander-in-chief, was a general, and his subordinates were also generals.

Imagine a general leading a group of generals in battle – the image is undeniably awkward.

"According to the plan, we resisted step by step and systematically blocked the enemy's advance."

No matter how you fight, the second line of defense must be held for three days!

Upon receiving Shi Jingming's order, Ma Zhixing felt like cursing.

The first line of defense couldn't even hold out for three hours, but with him, the time was suddenly increased to three days.

"The general will get the order!"

Ma Zhixing suppressed his dissatisfaction and accepted the order.

The military is not a place for reasoning; once a military order is issued, you can only obey it.

It's already late afternoon; if we hold out for another two hours or so, it will be dark soon. Normally, the enemy won't launch an attack at night.

Having survived today, no matter what happens tomorrow, he will not be the worst performing general.

It doesn't matter if we can't defeat the enemy, as long as our achievements surpass those of our colleagues.

Even if they are held accountable after the war, it's impossible to kill them all; they just need to not be used as a warning to others.

Plans can never keep up with changes. As soon as the sound of gunfire rang out, the retreating soldiers who were withdrawing from the front lines instinctively chose to run away.

Since it wasn't their own troops and they weren't on any combat missions, the supervisory team didn't immediately step forward to intercept them.

This hesitation triggered a chain reaction.

Many new recruits couldn't withstand the pressure on the battlefield and ran away as well.

Fortunately, the supervisory team reacted in time and stopped the person.

However, this disruption made the already low morale even worse.

By the time the generals realized something was wrong and reported the news to Ma Zhixing, the loyalist army had already sounded the charge.

"Pass down the order that all units must hold their positions."

"Have the supervisory team keep a close watch; anyone who undermines morale—kill!"

In the midst of the chaos, Ma Zhixing hurriedly issued orders.

This scene, witnessed by Shi Jingming and his group, instantly gave them a sense of foreboding.

"Sir, it's no longer safe here. Let's move immediately!"

After watching Ma Zhi walk away, the captain of the personal guards immediately whispered something in Shi Jingming's ear.

It wasn't that he was afraid of death, but he genuinely found the battle frustrating.

If you lose in a firepower contest or are outgunned, there's not much to say.

The problem is that they lose even more miserably in close combat.

The loyalist army attacked them, just like they had led their troops to attack the peasant army a few years ago.

Basically, with one charge, the enemy would scatter and flee.

The bulletproof shields that had been prepared in advance collapsed before they could even be used.

"Wait a minute, let's see how much of the enemy's power Ma Zhixing's volley tactics are."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Jingming said.

Qualified military commanders can learn and improve through war.

As a traditional army, when faced with a transition between the old and new, the high command of the Liaodong Army also realized that there were problems with the previous tactical concepts.

Once a problem is identified, it's natural to try to find a solution.

On this issue, we can only proceed by trial and error.

In the past, they learned from the Tatars.

Since the Battle of Xuzhou, the focus of study has shifted from the Tatars to the loyalist army.

They dug out and studied all the fighting tactics that Li Mu's troops had used in the past, including volley fire tactics.

"Sir, our muskets are inferior to the enemy's, and the chances of winning by using the same tactics are slim."

The captain of the personal guards offered a tactful reminder.

Using volley fire tactics when the enemy charges can theoretically yield considerable results.

But theory is just theory; in reality, they are still students with only a superficial understanding.

Even he, a seasoned captain of the personal guard, was hesitant about facing off against the enemy with muskets.

Whether an ordinary soldier could withstand the psychological pressure is anyone's guess.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Shi Jingming scolded him impatiently.

He knew perfectly well the chances of winning with the troops he had trained.

Given the current situation, even with the risks, we must take the plunge and try.

By examining the problems that are exposed within ourselves, we can also determine the potential weaknesses of our enemies.

These practical experiences will be the most valuable asset for the Liaodong Army.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The classic volley fire tactic appeared for the first time on the land of China.

In the brief exchange, the Liaodong army suffered heavy losses, and the horrific scene was too much for Shi Jingming to bear.

"Idiot, close the distance!"

In a fit of anger, Shi Jingming couldn't help but throw down the binoculars he was holding.

As the defending side, they had practically set up their camp, waiting for the enemy to come to them.

Unfortunately, the enemy wasn't stupid. They stopped eighty paces away, raised their guns, and pulled the triggers.

The enemy troops did not enter the firing range of their muskets, but their position was already within the enemy's firing range.

In this situation, the normal choices are either to lie down on the spot and wait for the enemy to get closer before fighting, or to run away as fast as possible.

Between the two options, the Liaodong army chose to engage the enemy in a direct firefight, which ultimately led to the tragic scene that Shi Jingming witnessed.

While their own soldiers suffered heavy casualties, the enemy remained unmoved.

The moment he threw down his binoculars, the soldiers who were engaged in the direct firefight were also demoralized by the fall of their comrades.

Without the slightest hesitation, he threw down his weapon and ran.

The collapse was so rapid that even the enemy was almost stunned.

They fired several rounds in succession, and only launched a pursuit after the enemy had run out of firing range.

Without wasting any time, Shi Jingming embarked on his escape once again.

Compared to the first time, his temper was even more intense.

Losing two lines of defense in a single day is less about blocking the enemy and more about handing them lives.

The army was collapsing so quickly that he began to doubt whether his plan to divide his forces and resist step by step was flawed, and he was hesitating whether to concentrate his forces and fight a major battle against the enemy.

Fortunately, this self-doubt didn't last long, and he soon recovered from the emotional state.

The plan is definitely correct; the purpose of the ambush is to buy time.

When the enemy is strong and we are weak, betting everything at the outset makes it easy for the enemy to wipe us out in one fell swoop.

If we do that, what we lose today is not just two lines of defense, but a declaration that this blocking operation has failed.

They retreated in a sorry state to the third line of defense. Just as they stopped to catch their breath, the familiar sound of artillery fire appeared in their ears again.

From the panicked looks in the eyes of the soldiers around him, Shi Jingming noticed the problem.

Defeated soldiers are natural morale killers.

Allowing them to come into contact with soldiers would accelerate the spread of pessimism.

"Ruan Dalengzi, you are in charge of leading the defeated soldiers to find a place to camp in the northwest."

At the same time, an order was issued forbidding any retreating soldiers from entering the defensive positions.

Shi Jingming decisively gave the order.

In the face of absolute power, all struggles are futile.

Where the routed soldiers go is not something that can be decided by a single order from a general.

Even if everyone was willing to follow orders, the soldiers couldn't tell which way to go, and in their panic, they just randomly picked a direction to run in.

The collapse of two consecutive lines of defense created a sense of pessimism that quickly spread throughout the army as the fleeing soldiers moved about.

Before nightfall, the painstakingly constructed third line of defense was breached by the loyalist army.

Once again on the run, Shi Jingming was completely disoriented, as if he had lost his soul.

The generals following behind him were in no better shape.

The series of defeats left them feeling lost and confused.

The Liaodong army was not as strong as expected, and its renowned commander seemed to be an incompetent fool, completely helpless against a powerful enemy.

Unless a miracle occurs, the subsequent blocking battle will certainly end in failure.

With the blocking battle failing, the Liaodong army was unable to take Xuzhou first.

If we fail to capture Xuzhou, a strategically vital location, we will be at a strategic disadvantage in the subsequent major battles.

Even if the loyalist army doesn't launch an attack, it could wear down the Shi family in a year or two.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If the Shi family is destroyed, what will become of them?

(End of this chapter)