There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 295 Torment
As expected, the Qing army was defeated.

It couldn't be stopped, it really couldn't be stopped.

The Han army had mortars, rockets, and rifled guns. Although they were small, with only about two hundred soldiers, more Han soldiers were crossing the river and landing later.

Even if they manage to swallow this Han army, how can the Han army behind them stop them?
Moreover, the problem is that they cannot defeat this mere two hundred Han soldiers.

Wang Bing had no choice but to order his army to retreat to the main camp. It was too close to the ferry crossing, and it seemed impossible to stop the Han army from landing. He really didn't have the confidence to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Han army at the ferry crossing.

After a brief skirmish, the Qing army simply fled back to their camp.

The Qing army was truly willing to retreat, and the Han army was truly willing to pursue.

Seeing the Qing army's vanguard routed and the main Qing army retreating towards the main camp, the two hundred-plus Han soldiers in the vanguard abandoned the main force and chased after several thousand men.

It shouldn't really be considered chasing, because Wang Bing did intend to withdraw to the main camp for defense, but he couldn't overcome the low morale of his Qing troops.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the military commander and the general had actually led them away, with Han traitors still in pursuit.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang's personal guards and garrison troops were alright; they could still maintain their formation. But the remaining ordinary Qing soldiers were completely out of control.

"The military commander has been defeated!"

"The general has been defeated!"

"Run!"

It's unclear who started it, but soon there was a cacophony of shouts.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang had no time to distinguish, nor could they distinguish; by the time they heard the shouts, it was already too late.

When an army retreats, the worst thing is for them to lose their composure.

Once chaos erupts, even Sun Tzu himself couldn't save the situation.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang were quite lucky; as subjects and generals, they were able to experience the treatment of emperors.

Yes, the Battle of Fei River under Fu Jian, the Heavenly King of Qin, was similar to their current situation, with 500,000 troops fighting against 30,000 Northern Army soldiers from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Theoretically, it was a crushing defeat.

However, the surrendered soldiers gathered by the Qin army took advantage of the night to shout "The Great Qin has been defeated," and then the 500,000 Qin soldiers really did fall into chaos on their own.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, 30,000 Northern Army soldiers marched north and defeated 500,000 Qin troops in one fell swoop.

Thus, the Former Qin dynasty collapsed and never recovered, and the only time during the Northern and Southern Dynasties that it came so close to unification came to an end.

"Don't panic! Don't panic! We haven't been defeated! We're just retreating to our camp!" Wang Bing tried his best to calm the troops.

But once morale is low, it's not so easy to quell it.

Chen Anbang quickly gathered his more than a thousand garrison troops, then advised Wang Bing, "General, let's go! Let's retreat to the main camp first. We still have tens of thousands of troops in the main camp, as well as the Governor's elite troops and the Red Cannons. We can still fight!"

After saying that, no matter what Wang Bing said, she pulled Wang Bing and retreated together.

They brought with them a nearly full complement of the Langshan Town Green Standard Army, but after fighting for less than an hour, they not only had to retreat to their main camp, but also lost almost all of their troops.

When Lee Bong-han saw the two men fleeing back in such a disheveled state, he could hardly believe his ears.

He desperately wanted to kill those two idiots in a fit of rage, but unfortunately he still needed men. If he really killed them, he would have to lead the army into battle himself.

Regardless of whether his body can withstand it, even if it can, he has no confidence that he can win. In the event of defeat and loss of territory, the dying Li Fenghan would not be able to bear the blame.

Li Fenghan suppressed his anger and coughed, "You two...cough cough...immediately lead your garrison and command troops to suppress the enemy in each camp. This news can no longer be kept secret. We absolutely cannot allow the army to collapse without a fight. Do you understand?"

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang dared not say anything more, obediently following orders to lead their respective soldiers down to quell the growing unrest in the camp.

After a great deal of effort, and after beheading dozens of soldiers, the unrest of the troops was finally quelled.

But the defeat is already decided. Even if we suppress it, what good will it do?

Two hundred Han soldiers pursued the Qing army all the way to the outside of the Qing army camp before retreating and ceasing their pursuit.

The Han army merely despised the Qing army; they weren't truly stupid. Two hundred men could defeat a thousand, and in a narrow encounter, the brave would prevail. But to fight tens of thousands was a joke.

The Qing army retreated to their camp, but the Han army did not remain idle and seized the opportunity to land on the beach.

In just one morning, more than 6,000 Han soldiers had landed.

They also used sampans to transport ten red-coated cannons and one hundred and fifty mortars.

The three giant cannons cannot be transported over the time being. They are too heavy and must be transported by warships using ziplines, otherwise the laborers simply cannot move them.

However, this was enough. Ten red-coated cannons and one hundred and fifty mortars provided enough firepower to raze the Qing army camp to the ground.

Li Fenghan was uneasy and sent out scouts to gather information.

The Qing scouts had barely left the camp when they encountered Han cavalry.

The two sides started fighting as soon as they met.

After a few exchanges, one Qing cavalryman was killed, and the rest fled in disarray. The Han scouts did not pursue them further.

These scouts had just arrived by boat, and their warhorses were still getting used to it. They weren't afraid of being attacked, but they couldn't catch up with the pursuers.

The Qing scouts returned to camp and immediately reported the situation: "Report! The main force of the Han rebels has landed!"

"How many of the Han traitors have landed?"

Li Fenghan frowned and asked in detail, wanting to know exactly how many Han rebels had landed and whether he could leave the camp to fight.

The scout replied, "At least several thousand, even tens of thousands of bandits..."

"Is it several thousand or tens of thousands?" Li Fenghan pressed.

The scout stammered, "This...should be..."

Li Fenghan understood, but he couldn't delve into it further, so he could only coldly order the man to leave.

Unable to obtain intelligence on the Han army and unwilling to engage in direct combat, Li Fenghan could only grit his teeth and remain in his camp, waiting for the Han army to attack.

The Han army did not launch an attack immediately, but instead rested temporarily at the Xiazhongshan ferry crossing to recover its strength and assemble the cannons.

It was as if both sides had made an agreement to wait for each other, waiting for the Han army to finish resting at the ferry crossing, while the Qing army remained huddled in its camp, completely unwilling to take the initiative to fight.

After waiting another half hour, around 1 p.m., the battle finally broke out.

Yang Fang personally led more than 6,000 Han soldiers to a place several miles outside the Qing army camp. Instead of setting up camp there, he prepared to decide the fate of the country in one battle.

From his vantage point, Li Fenghan could finally see how many Han soldiers had arrived.

All told, it's less than 10,000 people.

The Qing army camp, after deducting the several thousand Green Standard Army soldiers from Langshan Town who were sent away by Wang Bing and Chen Anbang, still had nearly 40,000 Qing troops.

It seems that the advantage is in our hands, but the Qing army's fighting strength is no longer guaranteed.

Of the 40,000 Qing troops, after removing the remnants of the troops from Susong Town and Langshan Town, as well as their respective elite guards, at least 30,000 were local militia and laborers.

Can village militia and laborers still be considered human?
Li Fenghan himself didn't even include these guys in his battle report's casualties, so there's no way to expect these local militia to be able to put up any fighting power.

Just the fact that he didn't cause trouble during the war was a blessing from God for Li Fenghan.

"What do we do now? The Han bandits only number a few thousand. Should our army take the initiative to fight or... cough cough!" Li Fenghan coughed violently before he could finish speaking.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang were both hesitant. Rationally, they did not want to take the initiative to fight. They did not have a clear understanding of the strength of the Han traitors in the previous battle across the river.

But the battle that morning, in which two hundred Han bandits chased after several thousand of them, had already left them with psychological trauma.

They were even starting to believe the rumors that had been circulating in the military.

The Han traitors number less than ten thousand, but are invincible if they number ten thousand!
They've already fought like that even though they're not even ten thousand yet. What will happen to the six thousand Han soldiers outside the main camp, who are almost ten thousand?
Wang Bing and Chen Anbang dared not make a decision. They dared not take the initiative to fight because they were really no match for the enemy, but if they did not fight, simply defending the city was not an option either.

If the Han traitors bypass them, they will be doomed whether they march north to attack Anqing or south to attack Raozhou.

Anqing and Raozhou are unlikely to be able to stop the Han traitors.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang remained silent, which fueled Li Fenghan's anger, but he still dared not make a decision easily.

He deliberately coughed before finishing his sentence, wanting the two of them to make a decision so that if they lost, he could shift the blame to them.

There was no other way; the three of them remained silent.

The Governor-General of Liangjiang, the Commander-in-Chief of Jiangnan, and the General of Langshan stared at the Han army outside the camp, exchanging wide glances.

They stared at each other blankly, but the Han army wouldn't give them any more time to stand there dumbfounded.

"Report!"

"General, the artillery battalion reports that all fifteen cannons have been installed and are ready for test firing."

"Yes, pass on my order: the artillery battalion is to test the cannons!"

Yang Fang nodded slightly, and then gave an order.

Upon receiving the order, the artillery battalion quickly adjusted the direction of the gun muzzle, then loaded the shells with gunpowder. The shells were all solid shot, and the range was checked again.

"preparation!"

"Ignite the fire, fire!"

The gunners lit the fuses in unison, then squatted down and covered their ears tightly.

"Boom boom boom!"

Fifteen cannons fired simultaneously at close range, the sound of their cannons shaking the heavens and the earth.

In the first test firing, they were very lucky; four shells hit the Qing army's camp wall.

"Snap~ Clap~~!"

The wooden stockade walls were no match for solid artillery shells; they exploded instantly, shattering into pieces of rotten wood.

Li Fenghan was startled by the Han army's unexpected test cannon fire. He finally disregarded his hesitation and hurriedly ordered, "Cough cough... Quickly, engage the enemy, kill the enemy! Bring out all our red-coated cannons as well."

(End of this chapter)