Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 362 Cavalry Group

"Herm, lead your troops to attack!" Dorgon's order spread throughout the Qing army like thunder.

With a wave of his hand, waves of vibrations came from the Qing army formation, flags fluttered in the wind, and military bugles resounded through the sky.

On the other side, Zhu Cilang stared at the distant horizon. Suddenly, he saw a black line gradually emerging on the sky, becoming clearer and longer.

That was the sign that the main force of the Qing army was about to attack, and Hermu's cavalry had already begun to move.

"Respond!" Zhu Cilang's voice was decisive and firm, and his order was quickly conveyed to the ears of every soldier.

Immediately, all military departments responded quickly, marching in unison, holding flags high, and quickly raising the military formation. In an instant, flags were flying, drums were thundering, and the momentum was magnificent.

"Attention all troops, check your equipment!"

Soldiers from all units immediately began to check their weapons and equipment in their respective formations to ensure that every weapon was in the best condition, especially the artillerymen and musketeers. Their weapons were relatively complex, and any operational errors would have a huge impact on the battle.

Artillerymen need to ensure the accuracy of their artillery, and musketeers need to ensure that their muskets do not malfunction. These details are crucial.

Chen Fu also issued an order again at this time. Almost at the deafening sound of the bugle, tens of thousands of soldiers stood up at the same time. The entire Ming army formation rose several levels with this order, and the momentum was like a rainbow.

Zhu Cilang looked down at his army from the high ground of the military formation, feeling both anticipation and worry. The enemy's movements were becoming more and more intense, the Qing army's attack had already begun, and the two sides were about to engage in a fierce battle.

"Prepare for battle!" With Zhu Cilang's repeated orders, all the generals quickly took their positions according to the established tactical deployment.

The Ming army's formation was already neat, with the cavalry lined up at the front of the team, the infantry quickly distributed according to needs, and the artillery positions had also been arranged, ready to immediately counterattack if attacked by the enemy.

All preparations were being carried out in full swing. Zhu Cilang's mood became extremely calm at this time. He knew that the real test was about to come.

He did not rush to react, but quietly watched the movements of the Qing army. Even though the situation was complicated and severe, he had to remain calm and find that decisive breakthrough.

As the Qing army gradually approached, Zhu Cilang felt a sense of tension in his heart. Even though he was riding on a horse, far away from the noisy battlefield, he could still feel the slight vibration from the earth.

The deafening sound of countless horse hooves trampling the mud was deafening. Thousands of cavalrymen surged forward like a tidal wave, their dense clatter blending into one, echoing like thunder in the ears, menacing and imposing, as if a violent storm were about to strike.

The Qing army finally stopped about two hundred steps away from the Ming army's front. Hermu looked at the Ming army's position in front of him with a serious expression.

As Dorgon's capable general, Hermu had been through hundreds of battles and participated in countless battles of all sizes. He knew very well that facing such a strict military formation, the difficulty of fighting would be extremely high.

Every row and column of the army was perfectly aligned, its ironclad formation impervious to any glimpse of a flaw. Hermu's intuition told him that the Ming army before him was no sloppy force. This formation was clearly the product of rigorous training and meticulous planning, demonstrating a combat capability that should not be underestimated.

However, while the Ming army's formation was flawless, this did not necessarily mean they possessed true combat capability. Recent battles showed that despite the Ming army's rigorous and orderly formations, their infantry clearly dominated, while their cavalry's performance was less than satisfactory, and their field combat capabilities were even far inferior to their formations.

Hermu analyzed secretly: This Ming army is at best arranged in neat formations. When it comes to a real fierce battle with the cavalry, they may not be able to withstand a few rounds of attacks.

He looked up and took another look at the opposing army. Despite the dense shield array forming an iron wall, Hermu still sensed a certain arrogance and underestimation of the enemy. From his observation, apart from the shields, the enemy had no other defensive fortifications. There were no trenches, chevaux de frise, or even a strong line of defense like a breastwork.

This seemingly tight defense only made Hermu more convinced that facing such a force, the enemy general must have underestimated his foe, perhaps simply overconfident due to the neat formation. He wasn't blindly confident; while observing, Hermu didn't overlook the Ming army's cavalry and firearms.

The Ming cavalry on both wings clearly occupied key positions within the formation, especially the artillery array at the front. This made Hermu even more wary. He could see that the placement of those crouching tiger cannons and four-pounders was definitely not simple. In a field battle, their power would be enough to pose a huge threat to the Manchu cavalry.

The same was true for muskets. Although the Ming army's infantry seemed small, they had strong firepower support. Regarding these firearms, Hermu knew that if the battle unfolded quickly, these artillery would likely become a deadly threat to his troops.

But even so, Hermu remained undeterred. His mission was not to attack with force, but to lure the Ming army into a trap, letting the Baoyi soldiers charge forward several times to lure the enemy into attacking and disrupting their formation.

As long as the enemy was lured into his trap, the Ming army's formation would inevitably be disrupted, and the artillery and muskets would become ineffective. Once the Ming army's formation was disrupted, the Qing cavalry would be able to catch up, directly break through the defense line, and completely destroy the enemy's resistance.

Thinking of this, a sneer flashed in Hermu's eyes. The outcome of this war seemed to be in his hands.

After several days of probing, the enemy's weaknesses have been exposed, and the opportunity for battle is about to come.

He gave the order to attack without hesitation, commanding the baoyi soldiers to raise their shields, and the neat team began to advance slowly. At the same time, the Qing cavalry also got ready, jumped out on their horses, and quickly approached the front of the Ming army.

The sound of horse hooves shook the earth again. With heavy steps, the Manchu cavalry roared like wild beasts. Hermu's cavalry rushed forward swiftly, agile and fierce. The Qing army's formation was exceptionally neat, and the cavalry spread out in front of the two armies, a dazzling display.

However, to Hermu's surprise, when his cavalry was about a hundred paces from the Ming position, there was still no movement. Despite the thundering sound of the Qing horse's hooves, the Ming army's position remained calm and unwavering. The enemy's apparent indifference to him alarmed Hermu: Were these Ming troops truly so bold, or was there some larger conspiracy behind them?

At this moment, Hermu's cavalry had shortened the distance and entered the range of sixty or seventy steps, and began to adjust their formation to prepare for an attack.

Several groups of cavalrymen charged towards the enemy formation, galloping horizontally along both sides of the army. As they galloped, they drew their bows, bent over their horses and quickly fired arrows, each one aiming at a gap in the enemy formation. The arrows cut through the air and flew straight into the air with a roaring sound.

The purpose of these long-range attacks from the cavalry archers was to disrupt the enemy's formation and break their defenses. However, this was just a test. Although the enemy's shields were thick and heavy, they could withstand several rounds of cavalry attacks. Hermu was not sure.

At this moment, he was waiting for any flaw in the enemy's formation so that he could decide the outcome in one fell swoop. From Hermu's point of view, this was a battle of psychology and patience, and the initiative of the war seemed to be in his hands.

But he also understood that the enemy's reaction would directly determine the outcome of the battle, and if he made a wrong judgment, the consequences would be disastrous. This was a classic tactic commonly used in cavalry attacks during battles between two armies.

Its core purpose is not to directly attack the enemy, but to force the enemy to expose the location of firearms in the formation through provocation and harassment, and induce the enemy to open fire.

When the enemy's firepower was the most intense and the ammunition had not yet been reloaded, the Qing army could take the opportunity to launch a sudden and fierce attack to consume the enemy's firepower and physical strength, and thus gain a strategic advantage.

However, this tactic did not always work against the well-organized and well-equipped Ming army. On the battlefield before them, the Ming army's formations were meticulously arranged and the soldiers' equipment was also extremely complete.

Following the Qing cavalry's provocation, thousands of arrows streaked through the air like a torrential rain, flying towards Zhu Cilang's army. Most of these arrows were light and not specially reinforced, so even in large numbers, they were not enough to shake the solid Ming army's defenses.

Arrows flew past, and several screams of pain were heard. When the arrows hit the exquisite iron armor of the Ming army, crisp metal collision sounds were made.

The Ming army's armor and equipment were very sophisticated, and these arrows could not penetrate their iron armor protection at all, and the damage caused was extremely limited. Even in the face of such a fierce rain of arrows, the Ming army's formation remained as solid as Mount Tai and did not waver at all.

After several rounds of arrow rain, seeing that the enemy did not move at all and remained as steady as a rock, several brave soldiers among the Eight Banners cavalry commanded by Hermu decided to try again.

They approached on horseback, ready to continue their provocation. But just as they came within fifty steps, they were met with a fierce counterattack from the Ming army's crossbowmen.

A dense hail of arrows enveloped them almost instantly, some piercing the Eight Banners cavalry's defenses and striking the unarmored horses' legs. Two warhorses fell with screams, thrashing their hooves in the cold earth and neighing in agony. Seeing their horses fall, several cavalrymen struggled to dismount, but the relentless hail of arrows left them powerless to fight back.

At this time, seeing this, the other Eight Banners cavalrymen did not dare to rush forward to provoke. Faced with such firepower and the precise strikes of the archers, any attempt to break through would only make themselves a target.

In just a short moment, the once overwhelming provocative momentum disappeared instantly, and the Eight Banners cavalry retreated one after another, maintaining a safe distance of about one hundred steps from the Ming army position.

A trace of solemnity crossed Heermu's face, but he quickly regained his composure. The Ming army before him was no easy foe to deal with. A reckless attack would only lead to self-destruction. Therefore, he ordered an immediate change of tactics, advancing in a more cautious manner.

Hermu whispered a few instructions to the guards around him, and then the military bugle sounded from the command center. Thousands of Eight Banners cavalry in the Qing army quickly began to retreat and successfully returned to the army.

Then, Hermu turned around and issued a new order to his subordinates: 6,000 Baoyi soldiers began to advance in the form of a square formation. These Baoyi soldiers were not ordinary infantry. They were well-trained and experienced in combat. Although their equipment was not as sophisticated as the Eight Banners cavalry, they should not be underestimated.

In the Baoyi formation, the first row consisted of densely packed shield bearers, who firmly protected the back row of archers, spearmen, and sword and shield bearers. The shield bearers' role was to use their sturdy shields to block any possible enemy arrows and firepower, providing ample cover for the back row.

The back row is the main force of the Baoyi soldiers, including archers, spearmen and sword and shield soldiers. Their task is to consume the enemy's strength through long-range attacks and close combat support.

In addition, several Baoyi soldiers armed with firearms were assigned to the flanks to harass and provoke the enemy lines. This tactic aimed to draw the enemy into attacking their flanks, thereby exposing their weaknesses. Although these Baoyi soldiers were not elite, under Hermu's command, they quickly formed into formations and advanced in unison toward the Ming positions.

From afar, the baoyi soldiers under Hermu's command marched in neat steps and formed a tight formation, like a slowly advancing chariot. As the baoyi soldiers advanced, the Ming army remained silent, standing still, seemingly waiting for the baoyi soldiers to get closer before launching a counterattack.

Despite the Qing army's increasing challenge and its formation gradually pressing against their defenses, the Ming army did not rush to act. Faced with the Qing army's strength, they had to wait patiently for the best opportunity to strike the enemy. Once the Qing army entered the range, it was the best time for them to counterattack.

As time went on, the formation of the Baoyi soldiers gradually approached the Ming army's defense line. Hermu also knew that the rhythm of the war was quietly changing, and the silence of the Ming army might mean that they were waiting for some opportunity.

What he could do was to maximize the consumption of the Ming army's physical strength and crossbow ammunition in the shortest possible time, paving the way for the next assault.

When the Qing army advanced to within about 120 paces of the Ming army's formation, the atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly became tense. As the Qing army's formation gradually approached, the Ming army's flags suddenly began to wave, and the sound of drums and bugles resounded through the sky. As the drums sounded, the Ming soldiers nervously adjusted their formation, preparing for the impending attack.

At this moment, the Qing army's offensive formation also began to reveal their tactical intentions. As the vanguard of the Qing army, the shield bearers braved the scorching sun and marched forward resolutely, their steps coordinated like a machine.

As they advanced, the figures of the musketeers gradually appeared, and hundreds of muskets were exposed from the gaps in the shields. The muzzles were like black holes, which was chilling.

However, the Qing commander, Hermu, knew that facing the Ming army's firepower, they had to proceed steadily and without compromise. After years of experience, the Qing army had a fairly accurate grasp of the range of their firearms. They knew that the optimal firing point was about 70 or 80 paces from the Ming army's formations. This was when the crossbowmen could effectively release their arrows for cover and the musketeers could fire accurately.

(End of this chapter)