You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 296 Chiang Kai-shek's Military Theory Shines Brightly!

After replenishing their supplies of water, rations, and arrows at Niangziguan Pass, the army continued their journey despite their exhaustion.

The journey from Niangziguan to Taiyuan is 300 li!
Jiang Qingyun ordered the army to march 80 li a day and divided the army into 5 groups, maintaining a certain distance between them to prevent ambushes.

For safety reasons, he dressed no differently from an ordinary soldier.

The march proceeded extremely smoothly, with the Jin army encountering few obstacles.

Until the majestic city of Taiyuan came into view~
By this time, Jiang Qingyun was so exhausted that he was almost collapsing. In the days before highways, riding a horse for seven hundred miles continuously could really wear out a strong man.

"Pass the order."

"Set up camp and rest."

"Build weapons and prepare to attack the city."

"Tell the local gentry and common people that anyone who is willing to assist the army's logistics will be rewarded afterwards."

……

An exhausted army should not attack a city.

The Qing army camp was quiet. Apart from routine patrols and the forging of weapons, the other bannermen were only responsible for eating, drinking, and sleeping to recover their energy as quickly as possible.

Seeing the flags flying everywhere outside, the Taiyuan garrison was terrified.

Take the initiative?

Even if the imperial merchants had eight times the courage, they wouldn't dare.

Shanxi merchants had one distinctive characteristic in doing business: they were willing to take risks!

But in military matters, they dare not gamble at all.

For three consecutive days, not a single soldier from the Taiyuan garrison left the city.

Jiang Qingyun knew perfectly well that the Jin army was now fighting on three fronts: the Chahar tribe in the north and the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army in the southwest. Their forces were severely insufficient.

After deducting the necessary defenses of cities and passes, Fan Yongdou really didn't have many soldiers left.

He gazed at Taiyuan City, which seemed on high alert, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Summon the imperial guards into the tent."

"As ordered."

……

Afterwards, according to a member of the Imperial Guard's recollection:
On the fifth day after we arrived in Taiyuan, the commander-in-chief had just returned from surveying the terrain outside the city. Despite his severe exhaustion, he solemnly instructed us to perform our duties as military police.

The sabotage forces of the Ninth Banner still exist.

There are still soldiers who disobey military discipline.

The imperial guards must keep their eyes open, be alert, grip their swords tightly, dare to enforce the law, and dare to kill.

On the day.

Jiang Qingyun sent people to persuade Taiyuan City to surrender, but the city remained silent.

The next day.

Attack the city on time.

The first probing attack was aimed at scouting the city wall's firepower configuration.

Hundreds of shield carts slowly drove toward the city wall, while cavalrymen ran slowly, creating an imposing presence.

……

The cannons roared from the city walls, smoke billowed, and solid shot was fired one after another towards the outside of the city. Most of them missed, and only a very few hit the shield carts.

Jiang Qingyun and a group of officers used binoculars to observe the position of the muzzle flashes of the cannons on the city wall.

Limited by their own weight and gun mount technology, moving and changing the direction of the city defense cannons at this time required the coordination of many people and took a long time.

So, after several rounds of artillery fire.

The Eight Banners soldiers launched their attack from the blind spot of the artillery fire. They had no formation, no shields, and just rushed forward at high speed, shooting arrows as they reached the city walls.

High-level warfare often only requires elite soldiers.

This is also in line with Chiang Kai-shek's art of command, sending the most elite troops to the front!
The city walls of Taiyuan.

General Gang Atai was filled with indescribable frustration. Putting aside the fall of the country and the loss of his family, the enemies outside the city were all Manchu soldiers. Why was reality so surreal?

Jiang Qingyun nodded slightly.

The officer next to him shouted:

"Ladder, up!"

……

The garrison in Taiyuan City numbered only 4000, including 1000 former Green Standard Army soldiers and 3000 armed merchant corps soldiers.

Four days ago, a group of imperial merchants recruited another 6000 able-bodied men from the city at great expense.

However, Taiyuan is a large city with long city walls, and the defensive density of the garrison is insufficient, so it must be heavily guarded.

This will be a critical problem!

As the swarming attack on the southern city wall reached its most intense point, Jiang Qingyun took a deep breath.

"Zhou Cang, that's enough, let's beat the drums."

"Yes." A few breaths later, ten huge cowhide drums sounded simultaneously.

As if by magic, some of the soldiers who were attacking the city quickly changed direction, carrying ladders and rushing towards other parts of the city wall.

……

The city walls of Taiyuan.

Atai's expression changed drastically.

"This is bad, they're attacking the north city. Quickly, recall the troops to defend it."

Under his orders, a large number of arquebusiers ran along the city wall toward the north wall, where the troops were not deployed.

"General, where are our cannons?"

"Don't move the cannons."

Lacking cannons, they had to add more men, so the Jin army's archers and arquebusiers gathered in droves on the north city wall.

Gauss once said: The farther away from the center of a circle, the longer the arc.

Therefore, the Taiyuan garrison arrived at the north city wall first, while the Qing troops outside the city were still on their roundabout way.

But~
The drums sounded again outside the city, and a large number of Qing infantrymen turned around and continued their attack on the south city wall.

……

at the same time.

Inside the Qing army camp.

Four hundred young flag bearers picked up their wine bowls, drank them down in one gulp, and then smashed the bowls.

"Seven lives dedicated to the country, eight directions under one sky."

"Come on~"

A group of young bannermen, all under the age of 14 and wearing no armor, with encouragement bands tied around their foreheads, quickly mounted their horses and charged toward the Taiyuan city wall.

With a sword and round shield, he climbed lightly.

The city walls of Taiyuan were in even greater chaos.

A Jin army officer shouted, "Return to defend the south city!"

Some Jin army officers shouted, "No, we can't move!"

The officers' commands were divided, which further confused the soldiers.

It should be understood that Taiyuan is neither Jiangning nor the capital. The width of the city wall is relatively limited, and cannons and various other weapons need to be deployed. The result of such reverse movement is that one wall knocks over another, and the other blocks the other, making the city wall a complete mess.

……

Sun Simiao once said: Traditional Chinese medicine is very effective!

After drinking the medicinal wine, the young bannermen were as light as swallows and in high spirits. Holding round shields, they climbed the ladders with great speed and fearlessness.

At the foot of the city wall~
The Qing archers drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and aimed at the crenellations halfway down the drawbridge.

The enemy is instantly killed the moment they show their face!

These archers are all elites, handpicked from the best!

Jiang Qingyun never hesitated to fight, even though the number of Eight Banners troops in the capital was in dire straits. He was determined to send his elite troops to the front line, even if only one Bayara remained.

This is what they call "a merciful general cannot command an army"!
In the 17th century, Chiang Kai-shek's rare political and military theories shone brightly!
In the telescope~
A group of adrenaline-pumping teenagers finally climbed onto the ramparts and engaged in a fierce battle with the defending troops. In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail.

The local militia guarding the city fled.

Most of the new recruits guarding the city were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly.

Only a few Green Standard Army veterans and old guards from the merchant corps were still resisting.

Gang Atai, spear in hand, saw an enemy appear at the nearest crenellation. Without hesitation, he immediately thrust his spear forward.

puff~
The spearhead easily pierced the enemy's chest.

This was a boy who still looked very young, with bloodshot eyes and an incentive band tied around his forehead. He was gripping the spear shaft tightly.

After a struggle, Gangatai let go, letting the enemy and the spear fall together.

"kill!"

Two more boys wielding swords and shields jumped down from the nearby battlements, attacking from both sides.

Gang Atai drew his sword and slashed repeatedly, forcing the enemy back. He roared angrily in Manchu, "I am also a Manchu!"

The effect was exactly the opposite.

"Heaven will punish the traitors! Kill them!"

……

Gang Atai, a lone wolf, was no match for the pack of dogs. In the relentless fighting, his throat was pierced, and blood gushed out, which he could not stop no matter how hard he tried.

A young boy excitedly swung his sword, chopped off his head, raised it, and roared loudly at the city below.

"The Ninth Banner of Heaven's Punishment for Traitors!"

Suhetai, who was climbing the ladder, was startled and slipped, falling and knocking down a string of people behind him.

(End of this chapter)