There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 176 Infantry vs. Cavalry

Mingliang wasn't a gambler who had completely lost his mind. He had been observing through his telescope for a long time and had keenly noticed that the Han army had very few cavalry and was almost entirely composed of infantry.

This makes perfect sense, because the Han army originated in Huguang and expanded its territory very quickly, leaving no time to develop horse breeding grounds or acquire a large number of horses from other provinces.

Horses are not like salt; they are genuine strategic military supplies.

During the Qing Dynasty, almost all horse-breeding areas were under the control of the government. Even if the government refused to sell to you, you could still smuggle a few horses to satisfy your cravings, but it was virtually impossible to form a proper cavalry force.

The Han army's current cavalry horses are still from the spoils of previous battles. The number of captured horses is very limited, and after being distributed among several Han army land divisions, there are not many left.

Take Bai Nan's Second Division, for example. The entire cavalry force numbered only a little over seven hundred, and that was exactly seven hundred warhorses. Not a single one more could be lost, and the death of one meant one less cavalryman. Therefore, warhorses were a strategic resource in the hands of the Han army, as precious as artillery.

Meanwhile, the three thousand Qing cavalry were all overwhelmed by Mingliang's wave. As the last trump card to turn the tide of the battle, these cavalrymen trotted out from the rear and then did not charge into the frontal battlefield, but went directly to the already defeated left flank.

Although the Qing army's left wing was routed, and routed very quickly, the Han army's left wing troops also pursued and charged forward in order to expand their gains.

In the back and forth, the left wing of the Han army was led away from the main force by the Qing army. The Han army was not large, with only more than 10,000 regular soldiers. Including the 3,000 Dangyang militiamen who served as laborers, the left wing that was sent out to pursue could not exceed a few thousand at most.

A few thousand infantrymen against a few thousand cavalrymen—let alone ordinary rebels, even a regular army would have a hard time winning.

That's three thousand cavalry!

Bai Nan also saw through his binoculars that although he felt pressure, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he calmly made preparations for battle: "Order the left flank troops to immediately form ranks and meet the enemy. All heavy artillery pieces of the artillery battalion should turn around and support the left flank troops. Mortars should be used as needed to bombard the Qing troops attacking from the front!"

"The musket and crossbow battalions are moving to the left flank, ready to engage in battle at any moment!"

"Cavalry battalion, prepare to attack!"

A series of military orders were issued, and with real-time communication via walkie-talkies, the Han army was able to mobilize its forces very quickly.

As soon as the Qing cavalry appeared on the battlefield, the Han army immediately began to mobilize troops from their camps. All the cannons that were still firing rapidly stopped almost simultaneously, and then turned their positions to target the three thousand Qing cavalry who were jogging towards them.

The infantry formation on the left wing of the Han army had already stopped before Bai Nan gave the order.

Even if three thousand cavalrymen were to trot, before they even began to accelerate, the commotion would be considerable.

The Han army wasn't blind; they immediately spotted a large group of Qing cavalry emerging from the left flank, trotting towards them through billowing dust.

This is still the Qing Dynasty. Although the equipment of the Han army has undergone several reforms, it is still too difficult for infantry to withstand cavalry.

Fortunately, the Han army's daily drills emphasized discipline, so even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of them, they were still able to maintain the basic formation of the army when a large number of cavalry approached.

"General, although the Han traitors are elite in battle and their firearms are quite formidable, their unorthodox methods ultimately cannot withstand three thousand elite cavalry fighting on an honorable basis. The outcome of this battle has already been decided!"

The one who said this was the deputy general who always played along with Mingliang, and one of the few Manchu generals among the Qing army officers.

Despite their disdain for such blatant flattery, the officers couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of confidence and hope.

This is a cavalry force of three thousand men. The Han traitors may be capable of fighting, but when infantry fights cavalry, the cavalry will definitely have the upper hand.

Perhaps, the originally unfavorable situation in the battle can really be reversed because of this?

The Qing generals felt a surge of confidence and anticipation, while the high-ranking Han officers stationed in the rear were on tenterhooks.

Many of them were newcomers who had never participated in the original Chenzhou battle. It was precisely because they were newcomers that Bai Nan led them north to train and hone their skills through actual combat.

Can infantry really win a direct confrontation with cavalry?
Or, to put it another way, could the Han army's left-wing infantry phalanx really withstand the charge of three thousand Qing cavalry?

Under the watchful eyes of the high-ranking officers on both sides, even the two main generals, Mingliang and Bainan, used binoculars (telescopes) to observe the cavalry's direction throughout the entire process.

Three thousand Qing cavalrymen first moved out of their rear formation, then found the left flank of the Han army and quickly rearranged their formation. They gradually increased their pace from a slow, leisurely approach to a trot, with the front cavalrymen speeding up and the rear cavalrymen following suit.

The three thousand cavalrymen quickened their pace at a trot, and although they hadn't fully charged yet, their formation was rapidly changing, and many cavalrymen even fell behind.

This wasn't because the Qing army was too poorly organized, but rather because of a major problem with the composition of its forces. The Qing cavalry came from the Green Standard Army, but a single province's Green Standard Army didn't have that many cavalrymen; these cavalrymen were pieced together from Green Standard Army units in several provinces.

Although the main force of the Qing army has been annihilated, and only these cavalrymen have survived, the inherent differences still exist. Dialectal and regional differences will always be an insurmountable barrier.

"Boom boom boom!"

The Han army's heavy artillery opened fire without warning.

The Qing cavalry had approached the range of the Han army's heavy artillery. The gunners, who were very experienced, immediately launched a salvo of heavy artillery fire.

The formation of three thousand Qing cavalrymen was already quite dense, and the Han army's cannonballs hit several of them almost without needing to aim.

The solid cannonballs fired from the cannons traced beautiful parabolic arcs through the sky before crashing headlong into the Qing army's cavalry ranks with tremendous kinetic energy.

Humans and horses, being flesh and blood in the midst of a charge, could not possibly withstand the impact of cannonballs.

In an instant, dozens of cavalrymen were smashed to pieces by cannonballs because they had no way to dodge. Even their horses were not spared, and their heads were smashed to pieces!

Seeing such a terrifying scene, the Qing cavalry did not panic or collapse. Instead, the front-line cavalrymen gripped their saddles tightly with their legs, increasing their charging speed once again.

Because the distance was getting closer and closer, the straight-line distance between them and the Han army formation was approaching several hundred meters.

For a cavalry charge, a distance of several hundred meters is almost nothing.

Bai Nan, who was in the rear, had stopped giving orders. The cavalry and infantry were about to collide head-on, and it was up to the officers on the left wing to decide how to react.

"Archery battalion and crossbow battalion, prepare!"

"Spearmen, advance! Swordsmen, raise your shields, prepare for the charge!"

The officers quickly issued military orders, and the left-wing Han army formation also made final adjustments to the details.

The musketeers and crossbowmen had already loaded their bullets and bolts, and were all raising their guns at top speed. They then focused intently on the approaching Qing cavalry, including their galloping, panting warhorses.

"boom!"

A cannonball fired by the Han army's heavy artillery struck the Qing army's cavalry formation directly.

Several spearmen at the very front witnessed several Qing cavalrymen being smashed to pieces by cannonballs, and even their warhorses were torn to pieces by the high-speed charge, their heads flying everywhere.

Closer, closer, almost there!

"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm, don't panic!"

"May the Great Han Dynasty prevail! May the Great General prevail!"

The officers would shout from time to time to boost morale.

His eyes were also fixed on the Qing cavalry opposite him, watching as they charged rapidly from a distance of several hundred meters, braving the bombardment of cannons.

The Qing cavalry at the front were getting closer and closer to him, and the officer could almost see their uniforms clearly.

Four hundred meters, three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters...

One hundred meters, fifty meters!

"Fire!" the officer shouted excitedly.

Both the musket battalion and the crossbow battalion received orders; they were to use guns, one musket and one crossbow.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

A dense barrage of gunfire, mixed with the clicking of arrows, as bullets and steel arrows with the power of bullets rained down on the Qing cavalry opposite them.

(End of this chapter)