Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 366 Caught off guard
"Feign defeat and retreat to lure the enemy with your troops."

Although Chen Fu knew that a large number of soldiers would be sacrificed for this, only by paying the price of blood could this plan of "luring the enemy deep into our territory" induce the Qing army to attack with all their might without any concerns, and ultimately open up a way of survival for the entire army.

After all, if they didn't let the enemy see their main force's counterattack, if they didn't let them see real resistance, how could they convince the Qing army that their first army was on the verge of collapse? Without this abandoned and disastrous appearance of a defeated army, how could they attract the Qing army's determination to launch an all-out attack and give them the opportunity to strike a fatal blow?

Chen Fu's heart was filled with helplessness. He gritted his teeth and watched those brave soldiers fall under the enemy's butcher knife without even a chance to fight back.

"If I don't make such a sacrifice, I'm afraid today's battle will end with greater casualties on our side." Chen Fu warned himself in his heart, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

Every second on the battlefield is filled with life and death decisions, and only through extreme sacrifice can victory be achieved in the end.

The ultimate goal of the Ming army was to lure the Qing army into deep trouble and completely annihilate this huge main force of the Qing army at the lowest cost.

As the last few cavalrymen under Chen Fu passed through the remaining gaps in the shield formation, the atmosphere on the battlefield subtly changed.

At this moment, the rapid sound of war drums rang out again from the Ming army's ranks, as if it were some mysterious command, stirring the soldiers' deep-seated anger. Immediately afterwards, thousands of Ming army musketeers began to quickly form up, forming a neat vertical formation under the protection of dozens of shields.

With a loud bang, the shields quickly closed, making it airtight. The musketeers placed their muskets on their shields, staring with bated breath, as if waiting for the final decisive moment.

"As long as the Qing army takes this step, it will be the beginning of death." Chen Fu knew in his heart that as long as the musketeers' line was stable, the Qing army would definitely pay a heavy price.

The Ming army's shield line was like an unbreakable wall, and was not moved at all by the Qing army's attack. Looking at the Qing cavalry rushing in like a tide, Chen Fu's heart couldn't help but tighten.

By this time, the Qing cavalry was only thirty paces away from the Ming positions. Thousands of them galloped forward, sending clouds of dust billowing and the clatter of hooves deafening. The cavalry's impact was unparalleled, practically sweeping across the enemy lines. Each horse bore a skilled warrior, their spears and scimitars flashing with cold light. Arrows flew in from time to time, piercing the air and hurtling towards the Ming positions.

However, the Ming army's musketeers remained as steady as a rock, not wavering for a moment, their shield lines firmly supporting the entire formation. At this moment, the arquebuses of thousands of musketeers began to burn quietly, gradually approaching the moment of ignition.

The momentum of the Qing cavalry was like a huge wave, and the deafening sound of horse hooves made the entire battlefield intense, but the Ming army's musketeers still maintained a cold silence. They were not in a hurry to open fire, and everyone was patiently waiting for the best opportunity.

This blow must be fatal.

Just as the Qing cavalry was about to break through the Ming army's defense line, the musketeers' eyes became more determined, and almost no one dared to look back.

At the command, the musketeers pulled the triggers in unison, and fiery flames spurted out of the black muzzles of their guns. Thousands of fireballs quickly flew towards the enemy camp.

Suddenly, the Qing cavalry was hit by fierce fire. Countless Qing knights were hit and fell to the ground. Their horses lost control due to injuries and fled in all directions. The whole battlefield was filled with the smell of blood.

The decisive moment has quietly arrived.

"Return and counterattack!" As Chen Fu's order resounded like thunder on the battlefield, the Ming army soldiers who were originally in retreat quickly changed direction like an activated torrent.

Under the command of generals at all levels, thousands of Ming army soldiers adjusted their formation in just a few seconds and rushed to the two wings of the battlefield.

The archers and two ambush teams that had remained in the army immediately reorganized into columns and rushed forward to deploy. The archers quickly adjusted their formation to a horizontal formation, fully preparing for the upcoming confrontation.

The reason why Chen Fu dared to take the risk and deliberately created the illusion of a retreat, luring the enemy deep into his territory and then suddenly counterattacking was precisely because he had an army composed of veterans under his control.

These veterans have weathered countless battles, their courage and composure almost reaching a preternatural level. For them, remaining calm even in the face of imminent collapse isn't an exaggeration; it's the norm. Facing the chaos of the battlefield, their mental fortitude remains as steady as a rock.

If it were any other army, facing this highly mobile and powerful cavalry attack, they would likely suffer a real defeat if they were not careful.

However, the elite soldiers of this unit possessed the ability to find opportunities to counterattack in dangerous situations. Without a well-ordered and disciplined army, such a high-risk strategy would be impossible to execute. If the battlefield situation changed slightly, defeat would be easy.

But if this move succeeded, its effect would be immeasurable - once the Qing cavalry fell into the Ming army's ambush and severely damaged these Eight Banners soldiers, the baoyi soldiers would surely quickly collapse due to the loss of their support, and victory would be just around the corner.

Chen Fu also knew that if he only relied on the existing troops and the tight defense formation, the worst that could happen would be a situation where both sides would suffer losses.

Faced with the Qing army's large number of baoyi soldiers, elite Green Camp troops and even more valiant Eight Banners cavalry, without tactics that could directly strike the enemy's core, it would be impossible to stop the Qing army's advance.

Therefore, he must give it a try in this battle, as he only has one chance to succeed.

At the same time, the Qing cavalry, which was pursuing frantically, had no room to retreat. The closer the Eight Banners cavalry rushed, the more clearly they could feel the shield phalanxes and the black muzzles of guns that suddenly appeared in the Ming army's position.

At this moment, the Qing cavalry commanders finally realized that the Ming army in front seemed to have made sufficient preparations long ago, and it was obviously impossible for them to simply retreat. However, their charge momentum was unstoppable.

With the cavalry now less than thirty paces away, they couldn't stop. Their only option was to charge forward with all their might, hoping to resolve the crisis by breaking through the enemy's defenses. The cavalry's momentum surged like a torrent, the clatter of their horses' hooves tearing the air, sending whirlwinds of sand and rocks whirling through the air, a deafening roar.

In this situation, any hesitation could lead to failure. The Qing cavalry gritted their teeth, gripped the reins tightly, and charged towards the Ming army positions without hesitation. As the horses accelerated, the air seemed to be oppressively distorted, and the atmosphere of war became increasingly intense.

At this moment, Lin Changfeng, the commander of the ambush troops hidden in the Ming army formation, stared intently at the Qing cavalry before him, his eyes fixed on the gradually approaching cavalry formation. He had already heard the roar of horse hooves and felt the shaking of the earth, and a strong desire to fight rose in his heart.

However, his inner tension and anxiety did not affect his decision-making. He knew that now was the perfect time to strike back. Taking a deep breath, Lin Changfeng swung his knife without hesitation, striking fiercely, and the drums of war sounded.

"Boom!" The sound of war drums was like thunder, deafening.

As the war drums sounded, the Ming army's shield phalanx immediately erupted in a violent explosion, and orange-red flames instantly rose into the air, with strong flames drawing tracks in the air.

The first and second rows of musketeers opened fire almost simultaneously. With a volley of brutal gunfire, the charging Qing cavalry was instantly torn apart. Nearly a thousand cavalrymen were knocked to the ground, blood splattering, horses neighing in pain, and the entire battlefield fell into chaos. The air was filled with the smell of blood and gunpowder.

At the same time, the cavalry following closely behind were swarming in due to the inertia of the charge. Even though they did not suffer fatal injuries, many horses and cavalrymen fell to the ground and were shot. Before they could stand firm, they were trampled into a pulp by the following cavalry. The cavalry were forced to stop their charge in this chaos, but by then they were powerless to turn the tide.

The clatter of horses' hooves and the shouts of the cavalrymen blended into one, the air thick with smoke and dust, and the order of the battlefield had long been completely disrupted. All of this changed extremely quickly. The Qing cavalry's original fierce momentum was instantly suppressed by the Ming army's firepower, and their formation completely collapsed.

With the explosion of the Ming army's shield phalanx, the Qing army's cavalry attack has been effectively curbed. Although a small number of cavalry still maintain their combat effectiveness, most of the cavalry have lost their ability to fight.

What followed was the rapid defeat of the baoyi soldiers and the remaining Eight Banners soldiers.

At this time, the situation on the battlefield had completely reversed, and the balance of victory finally began to tilt towards the Ming army.

On the battlefield, a cavalry charge was like a thunderbolt; once launched, it could not be easily stopped. Especially when this powerful impact force gradually reached its limit, and the warhorses, fully armored, heavy and swift, became extremely difficult to control.

Once chaos broke out at the front, the charge would be difficult to contain, and the result would likely be a continuous stream of men and horses falling. The collapse of hundreds of heavily armored warhorses not only caused immense damage to the dead cavalry and horses, but their struggles and tumbling quickly became a fatal obstacle to the advancing cavalry.

The horses struggled to twist their bodies in a pool of blood, using their last bit of strength to grab everything around them, causing chaos. The following cavalry rushed forward, but seeing the horses in front of them fall, they were unable to stop and were directly tripped by the fallen horses.

Several cavalrymen, unable to stop their horses, were thrown by the violent impact, their bodies tumbling for more than a dozen steps before finally coming to a stop against a pile of fallen horses. The ground was stained with blood, and the tangled remains of limbs and horses' hooves left countless chaotic traces. Despite this, the advancing Eight Banners cavalrymen did not stop.

Although the falling horses caused a momentary chaos, it failed to halt their charge. The hundreds of fallen horses were quickly trampled by the following cavalry, becoming a barrier to their rapid advance, but it was only temporary. The cavalrymen who followed closely behind rushed in like a tide, continuing to press the Ming army's positions, the force of the attack undiminished.

At the same time, the firepower of the Ming army's position did not weaken. The Ming army musketeers on the shields took advantage of the gaps when their horses fell to the ground and fired in unison. The dense artillery and musket fire instantly hit the center of the Qing cavalry.

As the front ranks of the Qing army were repeatedly struck, many horses fell, their bodies pierced by arrows and bullets, blood splattering everywhere. This volley once again caused heavy casualties for the Qing army. With hundreds of horses falling, the once tight cavalry formation began to loosen, and the Qing army's momentum slowed slightly.

On a battlefield littered with corpses and rivers of blood, the Qing cavalry once again faced a formidable challenge. With hundreds of horses falling, the Qing army's charging formation fell into disarray. The front cavalry suffered heavy casualties, but the rear cavalry followed closely behind, maintaining a strong offensive.

However, the huge losses and the chaos caused by the stampede obviously slowed down the Qing army's advance. At this time, the Ming army's position still seemed to be unshakable. Although the musketeers and archers in the front had suffered heavy casualties, they still resisted the pressure of the Qing army with tenacious determination.

At this time, Chen Fu had already seen the situation on the battlefield. He quickly commanded most of his cavalry to begin to encircle the enemy from both wings.

At the same time, the soldiers who had just feigned defeat and retreated also restored their formation. More than half of the retreating army quickly reorganized, followed by the cavalry, and formed neat columns, ready to advance at any time.

After this period of adjustment, the Ming army's formation gradually regained its stability. Although it suffered heavy firepower losses, it still had the potential to counterattack. The Qing cavalry's charge had been slowed by the fall of their horses, and their once sharp offensive seemed to have become somewhat sluggish.

As the commander-in-chief of this charge, Hermu was furious when he saw the heavy casualties among his soldiers. He finally couldn't help but snatch the flag in his hand and raised the Jala flag himself, intending to boost morale and lead the cavalry charge himself.

This move was not accidental, but Hermu knew that only by personally leading the charge could the soldiers avoid fear and hesitation. Although the Qing cavalry suffered significant losses due to the fall of their horses and the speed of the charge was slowed, they were still in a relatively advantageous position.

The Ming army's formation seemed solid, but Hermu had no idea how long their firepower could last. Facing such a dense cavalry charge, the Ming army's musket volleys, while sufficient to inflict casualties on hundreds of horses, could only delay the attack for a while, not completely halt it.

Hermu confidently judged that if he charged again, the Ming army's musketeers would be unable to maintain their formation due to fear and pressure. Even if the musketeers could fire another volley, the damage they inflicted would no longer be enough to stop the cavalry's attack.

The Ming army position in front of him was only a temporary line of defense, and what he had to do was to break this line of defense and completely destroy the enemy's will.

(End of this chapter)