Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 166 A fierce blow
In the early morning sunlight, the densely packed swords and spears of the Ming army were raised one after another from left to right in the square formations, and finally the entire formation grew much taller.

These swords, spears, weapons, armor and helmets together reflected the dazzling light, making the broad and orderly Ming army formation look like a churning, sparkling lake, majestic and imposing!

Amid the sea-like shouts of the soldiers, Zhu Cilang, clad in shining gilded armor, rode his horse from south to north, slowly galloping past the army's formation. The dragon flag representing his status as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the flags of the Central Army, the Left Army, the Heavenly Cavalry Army and the Loyal Camp fluttered in the wind.

Wherever he rode his horse, the morale of the soldiers in the Central Army, the Left Army, the Heavenly Cavalry Army and the Loyal Camp reached a climax.

"Drive out the Tartars, kill the enemy and serve the country! Drive out the Tartars and revitalize the Ming Dynasty."

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

This battle was the first time since the Qing army entered the pass that the main force of the Ming army and the Qing army composed mainly of the Eight Banners had a grand decisive battle on the plains. The officers and soldiers of various units had been looking forward to it for a long time, and they all longed to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds!
While cheers like surging tides came from the east, constantly impacting the morale of the Qing soldiers, Junta was riding on his horse, holding a telescope in his hand, observing the terrible enemy opposite motionlessly.

He squinted his eyes and looked carefully for a long time, until Zhu Cilang disappeared at the northern end of the Ming army's formation. Then he put down the telescope with a complicated expression, his eyes full of surprise.

Ever since Duoduo returned to Beijing after his defeat in the last battle in Jiangbei, he has said more than once that the troops under the Ming Emperor were different from any other Ming army he had seen before.

Like most other Manchu nobles, he originally did not believe these words and thought that they were all deliberately exaggerated by Duoduo in order to avoid the blame for his improper command.

After all, Bolo, Tulai, Baiyintu and others all had complaints and even resentments about a series of strategic mistakes made by Duoduo in the battle against the Ming army after his southern expedition to Jiangbei.

But looking at everything in front of him, especially the military appearance and formation of the Ming army, Junta now had to believe Duoduo's words. He even felt that the other party was covering up some of the facts.

Zhunta was indeed a veteran who had been on many battlefields. At this time, he had already understood Zhu Cilang's real intention of launching this war. He knew that the other party wanted to defeat him fairly in a field battle, or to defeat the Qing Dynasty fairly.

He knew very well that if the Ming Emperor really won, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the Qing Dynasty, and even the northern provinces would riot.

Although he had only 7,000 to 8,000 Eight Banners cavalry and armored bannermen under his command, and less than 10,000 Green Camp troops, if an army of this size was defeated in a head-on decisive battle, the strength of the Ming army would be demonstrated unprecedentedly.

After all, Zhunta was a general of the Qing army. His perspective on the problem was no longer limited to the surface. He knew the situation of the entire Huguang battlefield. Once Jingzhou was lost, Dorgon would not be able to continue to besiege Changsha.

At this time, Bahana, who was standing behind Zhunta and also looking at the Ming army formation in front of him, swallowed his saliva and couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"Emperor Ming really should not be underestimated!"

"But we are not pushovers. These Ming troops are certainly different, but those Nikan soldiers are absolutely no match for the Qing cavalry!"

After Zhunta finished speaking, he turned to look at the Eight Banners Army that had already formed up behind him. The troops under his command were equally neat and mighty, and were in no way inferior to the Ming army on the opposite side.

Moreover, except for the Green Camp troops, the Eight Banners soldiers on the battlefield did not show any expression on their faces in the face of such a powerful enemy, as if they were completely fearless.

However, Zhunta felt a certain unease. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that the cavalry behind him was inferior to the Ming army on the other side.

But what exactly it was, the battle-hardened Junta couldn't tell, and Bahana couldn't tell even more. They looked at each other for a while, and could only look with complicated eyes at the army opposite that had now bared its terrifying fangs, and shook their heads helplessly!

Because of his previous brilliant battle records and outstanding military achievements, although Junta knew that the Ming army had certain strength, deep in his heart, he still had strong confidence in the Eight Banners.

Not to mention Bahana, the performance of the Ming army in front of him was indeed surprising, but he still firmly believed that victory belonged to the Qing Dynasty!

Zhunta withdrew his gaze from the Ming army formation in the east, looked at Bahana, and said:
"Before this battle, I thought the southern Ming army only had the advantage of artillery and navy, which was of little use in plain battles and not a threat.

But now it seems that this Ming army's cavalry is also quite fierce and can be considered a strong force, otherwise they would never have such momentum. Fortunately, their cavalry is not large enough. Relying solely on infantry, they are ultimately at a disadvantage on the plains."

Upon hearing this, Bahana's tense expression relaxed slightly, and he said proudly:
"The Emperor Ming's military presence and imposing manner have truly exceeded our expectations. However, upon closer inspection, perhaps it's just an intimidating display!"

"That's right. The Emperor Ming's 30,000-strong army is arranged in a long formation. It looks very powerful, but it actually has a fatal flaw. If the center is broken, the entire army will collapse."

Zhunta said this and turned to look south. The Ming army's cavalry was basically deployed at the north and south ends, covering the flanks. It was self-evident what Zhu Cilang's intention was. This was completely something he could use to his advantage.

"Emperor Ming's deployment may seem flexible, but it's actually self-defeating. The troops deployed in the north and south cannot be mobilized at all, otherwise the flanks are likely to be unstable."

"General, you are right. Emperor Ming's army is mainly composed of infantry. There are dozens of square formations arranged in a continuous line from north to south. In front of the formation, muskets and spears are intertwined. There are also dozens of artillery pieces deployed in the center and on both wings. The defensive capability is very strong, but as soon as it is mobilized, problems will arise.

Such a dense phalanx is difficult to mobilize, and the musketeers are unable to fight in close combat. With a line of several miles long, if our army's cavalry breaks through just a little, the entire Ming army will be defeated.

The Ming Emperor deployed his cavalry on both wings, originally intending to take care of the north, south, and center. However, if the troops are not strong enough, the entire army will inevitably be unbalanced. Unless those Nikan infantry are very strong, they will never be able to withstand the attack of our Eight Banners cavalry."

After hearing this, Zhunta nodded in agreement. In order to prevent the collapse of the central route, Emperor Ming's deployment had obvious loopholes. He was already full of confidence in the Eight Banners, and now with Bahana's approval, he was even more reassured.

"That's right. Emperor Ming's formation is primarily defensive, and its offensive power is severely lacking. This is precisely our armor's advantage. On the battlefield, any deployment is inferior to having a strong army!"

"That's right, General." Bahana said excitedly:

"As soon as the fighting starts, the eastern front of the Ming army will definitely be in chaos. As long as our armored personnel charge forward a few times, the entire Ming army's front will quickly collapse.

We will take advantage of the horse armor's speed and quickly deploy our troops. We will attack the center from both wings, sweeping away the infantry phalanxes there. This will push the defeated soldiers into the Ming cavalry formation. The Ming army will inevitably be thrown into chaos, and the cavalry formation will naturally be unable to perform. Then we will surely win this battle."

Bahana grew increasingly excited as he spoke. The strength of the Ming army was indeed beyond his expectations, even rivaling the Eight Banners in momentum. But that was only relative to his original impression. Now that he had discovered a loophole in the enemy's deployment, he was even more confident.

"Hahaha, this general thinks so too." After saying this, Zhunta waved his hand and immediately gave the order:
"Bahana, gather your troops immediately. Wang Guangtai will lead his troops up to conduct a preliminary test. If the Ming army's deployment is compromised, you must attack immediately. But be careful of the Ming cavalry."
.
Amidst the sea of ​​cheers, Zhu Cilang quickly rode his horse back to the observation tower where he had just been, his face filled with joy and excitement.

The morale of the officers and soldiers far exceeded not only the imaginations of Zhunta and Bahana, but also his own expectations. The Ming Dynasty's efforts in military system reform and ideological training contributed to the complete transformation and overall improvement of the officers and soldiers.

For two years, Zhu Cilang devoted all his efforts to build this powerful army. As long as they win this battle, the military might of the Ming Dynasty will once again shock the world!
He looked at the dark and neatly-organized Qing army in the west, without a trace of fear in his heart. Instead, he became even more excited for the battle.

Zhu Cilang also noticed the deployment of the Qing army. Judging from the military intelligence obtained by the scouts, the Qing army obviously wanted to use the Green Camp army as cannon fodder to lure the Ming army to counterattack, and then seize the flaws to achieve victory.

But now, the troops under his command are no longer the same as before. The reason why he placed the cavalry on both wings is to stabilize the front line and to mislead the Qing army, consume the first batch of attacking Green Camp troops, and weaken the strength of the Qing army.

Of course, the Tianqi Army can now take on the main responsibility, and the mobility of the cavalry is the most important guarantee for maintaining the balance of forces among all parties on the battlefield.

What Zhu Cilang needs to do now is to carry out effective strategic deception, take advantage of the favorable battlefield environment created in a specific direction and at a specific time, concentrate superior forces in the movement, quickly annihilate local enemies, and ultimately form an overall advantage.

During this process, the Central Army in front of the Palace, the Left Army in front of the Palace, and even the elite of the Loyal Camp will play an unexpected role for the Qing army.

Among them, the central army in front of the palace and the left army in front of the palace are all strong soldiers trained in the Mandarin Duck Formation. In battle, they can form a thick large formation to fight against the Qing army and become an unshakable force, or they can quickly separate and use the high flexibility and maneuverability of the Mandarin Duck Formation to quickly attack and launch a counterattack against the Qing army.

Although the Loyalty Battalion's training wasn't as rigorous, Li Guo dispatched the elite of the elite, and their combat effectiveness in field battles was equally impressive as long as they had the support of cavalry. In other words, both Zhunta and Bahana had misjudged Zhu Cilang's deployment, not for defense but to lure the enemy. They had underestimated Zhu Cilang's confidence and determination, and they had also greatly underestimated the strength of the Ming army.

After all, Zhu Cilang had long been prepared for a fierce battle. What he was most worried about was that he would fail to lure the enemy. With such a cavalry advantage, it was not impossible for the Qing army to withdraw.

Soon, on the vast plain, the two powerful armies, which had completed their battle array under the cover of their respective cavalry, began to use the artillery deployed in front of the formation to continuously fire at the opposite side.

Amid the rumbling sound of artillery, shells streaked through the air, carrying white smoke, and smashed into the square formations, causing varying degrees of chaos in the square formations on both sides. Many injured soldiers were dragged to the rear, but the vacant positions were immediately filled.

After several rounds of artillery fire, under Bahana's deployment, hundreds of Eight Banners cavalry rushed out from both wings. On the plain, the muffled thunder-like sound of horse hooves rumbled from far away.

Chen Fu looked at the plain in the distance. Countless Qing cavalry rushed out, surging like a black tide, with flags of various colors flying above. On the side he was facing, there were thousands of densely packed Green Camp troops mobilizing behind him. He couldn't help but frown.

He was riding on a horse with an excellent view. The offensive of the Qing army was completely exposed in front of him. At this time, the large crowds of people in front of the formation showed that the troops currently mobilized by the Qing army were definitely not a simple test.

As Zhu Cilang's order came, the drummers of each battalion of the left army in front of the palace blew the battle horns almost at the same time. When officers at all levels heard the bugle calls, they immediately ordered their soldiers to check their equipment and ammunition for the last time, even though they had already checked them many times before.

On the other side of the army, Zhao Zhengdong heard the sound of a horn in the distance. Without looking up, he knew that the Qing cavalry had launched an attack. They still needed time to adjust their formation. This was the Ming army's last chance to judge the enemy situation and adjust their defense.

In the Ming army's formation, the armored soldiers on the lookout cars were in a commanding position, which allowed them to quickly observe and judge the Qing army's strength and deployment. As the military reports they observed were transmitted, the flags on the lookout cars kept waving, and the phalanxes of soldiers on the front line quickly began to mobilize and enter the battlefield.

Amid the continuous sound of drums and trumpets, teams of Green Camp troops were slowly advancing in the Qing army formation under the supervision of armored baoyi soldiers and Eight Banners armored soldiers. Those Green Camp troops were also replenished with equipment. Their shining iron armor, neat formations, and forests of swords and spears all showed their strength.

Not only that, at this time, on both wings of the Ming army's formation, several groups of dozens of Eight Banners cavalrymen tried to advance from the flanks, constantly disrupting the Ming army's line.

Under the command of Wang Guangtai, thousands of attacking Green Camp soldiers advanced forward in an orderly manner to the beat of drums. The sharp tips of the spears in the rows in the array swayed as they marched, which was a daunting sight.

Zhunta is indeed a veteran, and Wang Guangtai is also experienced in the battlefield. They saw from the deployment of troops that the central army in front of the palace was stronger than the left army in front of the palace, so they directly set the main direction of the harassment in the direction of the left army in front of the palace.

However, the camps in front of the left army in front of the palace had completed all adjustments at this time. The three thousand captains in front of the formation had now returned to their command positions, and they were all keeping a close eye on the advance of the Qing army's formation!
"Woooooooooo~~~" The sound of the bugle quickly flew across the Ming army line.

"Kill the Tartars!" When the two captains heard the bugle call, they simultaneously raised their spears and shouted loudly.

Before they finished speaking, thousands of spears and clubs were raised high in front of the formation and swung forward in unison. The soldiers of the left army in front of the palace howled and shouted, their morale high.

"Kill the Tartars! Kill the Tartars! Kill the Tartars—"

The Qing army quickly advanced to within 300 steps. Seeing this, the artillery officers in front of the Ming army line immediately ordered the bugles to be blown, and then waved the flags in their hands.

"Boom! Boom! Boom——"

On the south side of the battlefield, in front of the left army of the palace, eight four-pound cannons and fourteen tiger squat cannons were fired almost simultaneously. Thick white smoke rose up instantly and filled the entire front line.

The roar of twenty-two cannons firing resounded across the plains. Six three-pound iron bullets and thousands of lead bullets smashed into the dense ranks of the Green Camp Army with unstoppable force, bringing up hundreds of swords, guns, and helmets, bursts of shrill wails, and the crackling sound of armor and weapons breaking.

The Qing army formation, which was originally advancing, suddenly stopped under such a fierce attack. The shields that were originally blocking the front were smashed to pieces, and the Green Camp soldiers holding the shields suffered heavy casualties.

However, the Green Camp officers in the formation seemed to have been prepared for this. They immediately shouted loudly and ordered the soldiers in the rear to fill in the broken formation, and then continued to advance to the chaotic drum beats.

After all, behind these Green Camp officers were the Eight Banners cavalry and armored baoyi soldiers who were supervising the battle. Those baoyi soldiers were even more ferocious than the Tartars. How could they dare to slack off?
The dense formation of the Qing army during the attack left the soldiers in the array with nowhere to escape. The soldiers in the rear could only force the soldiers in front to continue advancing despite casualties. They had to fight in a tight formation, otherwise it would be useless even if they rushed to the front of the Ming army.

As the Green Camp troops continued to advance, the sixteen French cannons deployed on both wings of the Ming army began to fire intensively. The orange-red flames formed a line, and thousands of lead bullets, with pressure bullets, rushed out from the muzzles of the guns that were emitting white smoke, and then quickly dispersed.

These lead bullets concentrated on the flanks and shot obliquely, fanning out and causing the attacking Green Camp troops to suffer a fierce attack on their flanks. More than a hundred soldiers on the flanks fell in an instant.

As the attacking side, the Qing army was almost unable to exert the offensive power of its artillery except for the scattered red-coated cannon shells weighing more than ten pounds from the rear. By the time they advanced their formation to within two hundred steps under the dense fire of artillery shells from the Ming army, the vanguard had already become very chaotic.

After the first round of artillery fire stopped, Chen Fu looked again at the advancing Qing army, especially the Eight Banners vests who were maintaining the formation behind the formation. He grinned and laughed coldly twice.

Except for the Eight Banners cavalrymen in the back who were specifically responsible for supervising the battle, the rest of the attacking Qing army were all Green Camp troops who were used to consume guns and serve as cannon fodder.

However, the flat and open terrain east of Jingzhou City was actually very advantageous for the attacking Qing army. Although the Ming army concentrated more than 30 artillery pieces on one side of the battlefield, which dealt a heavy blow to the advancing Qing army, a round of volleys could not do any harm to the thousands of marching troops.

The artillery of this era certainly seemed powerful and played a huge role in attacking strongholds, but its too slow rate of fire and the limited power of its solid bullets made its role in field battles very limited.

Soon, the front line of the Qing army, which had just been disrupted by the artillery fire, quickly reorganized itself and then began to advance significantly faster. The sound of armor plates rubbing against each other and vibrating could be heard again on the plain.

The Green Camp soldiers came rolling in again with shields on their heads, and countless spears and weapons were waving above the formation. The archers in the square formation shot round after round of dense arrows, trying to interfere with the counterattack of the Ming army, but with little effect.

Immediately afterwards, the eight four-pound cannons and fourteen crouching tiger cannons in front of the left army formation in front of the palace, as well as the sixteen French cannons on both wings, roared one after another. The Green Camp army formation, which had just suffered a heavy blow, suddenly flew with blood mist. Even many officers in the formation were knocked down one after another. The corpses were scattered on the ground, and screams and wails rang out again.

By the time this round of shelling was over, the Qing army had advanced to a distance of less than a hundred steps from the Ming army formation. The Eight Banners cavalry and armored baoyi soldiers supervising the rear suppressed the chaotic Green Camp soldiers and quickly killed the twenty or so soldiers who turned around and wanted to flee, deterring a possible collapse.

"Musketeers, get ready!"

In the Ming army formation, as the bugle sounded, the officers who were closely watching the marching Qing army shouted in unison. In the front two rows of the left army formation in front of the hall, more than 1,500 muskets were lowered at the same time, with the black muzzles aimed at the Green Camp army that was gradually advancing to within 80 steps.

“Woo, woo, woo~~~”

"shooting!"

"Bang, bang, bang--"

On the left army position in front of the palace, more than 1,500 muskets fired at the same time. The light of the gunpowder explosion instantly merged into one. Under such a fierce attack, the Green Camp soldiers in the front row fell down in a large number like grass swept by a strong wind. The front row of the army was instantly shortened a lot. Shields and armor crackled, fragments were scattered all over the ground, and wailing screams rose to the sky.

At such a close distance, the power of more than 1,500 muskets firing in unison was greater than that of dozens of cannons. The entire front row of the Green Camp army was almost cleared out in the blink of an eye. The heavy losses caused chaos in the front row of the Green Camp army, and even the officers suffered heavy casualties.

The Eight Banners horsemen and armored baoyi soldiers who were supervising the battle behind the formation were also stunned when they saw this, and then quickly swarmed out from the gaps in the formation, holding long spears and broadswords, and rushed forward to stab and kill the retreating Green Camp soldiers.

However, at this time, the Green Camp soldiers were unable to continue their attack due to the huge casualties and the resulting chaos. The aggressive attacks of the Eight Banners cavalry and armored baoyi soldiers were completely ineffective.

But the Ming army's musket fire did not end there. Before the Green Camp army, which was in complete chaos and struggling to reorganize its troops, could react, a desperate explosion sounded again in the third row of the Ming army formation, accompanied by flashes of fire in the thick smoke.

(End of this chapter)