The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 295 The Great Destruction of Chashan Ferry

At Shao Yong's command, the main force on the north bank immediately sprang into action.

The first wave of attacks was led by five hundred elite soldiers from the right wing.

Their mission was to use themselves as bait to draw the attention of the garrison on the south bank, creating an opportunity for Li Dingguo's detachment to launch a surprise attack.

In order to maximize the chances of survival for these vanguard troops, Shao Yong moved all the artillery accompanying the army to the front line on the north bank.

Thirty heavy cannons were lined up in a row, their dark muzzles pointing directly at the Ming army's positions on the south bank.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), with the resounding beat of three deep war drums, the vanguard officially began their forced crossing of the Wujiang River.

"put!"

With a command from the artillery battalion commander, countless tongues of fire erupted from the positions on the north bank, accompanied by a deafening roar that continued unabated.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

Heavy cannonballs whistled across the river, crashing down like hailstones onto the Ming army's carefully constructed fortifications, watchtowers, gun emplacements, and barricades on the south bank!

In an instant, huge clouds of mud and smoke erupted on the south bank, with wood and stone debris flying everywhere.

The foremost stockade wall along the riverbank collapsed amidst the roar of cannons, and the Ming army's artillery positions next to it were also blown into the air.

"Quick! Board the boat! Cross the river!"

Almost at the same time the shelling began, the officer in charge of the crossing also gave the order to attack.

Dozens of boats and rafts of various sizes, moored on the north bank of the river, suddenly shot out like arrows!

Every boat was crammed with soldiers from the Right Wing Battalion, all clad in full armor. The oarsmen rowed with all their might, struggling against the surging river towards the south bank.

Lu Mingzhe, the Ming army garrison commander on the south bank, had already been alerted by the cannon fire. He rushed to the front line amidst the gunfire and saw the Han army fleet swarming towards him on the river. His face turned ashen.

However, he did not panic too much, after all, there were three thousand soldiers guarding the ferry, as well as strong fortifications and natural defenses to rely on.

"The enemy troops are about to launch a forced crossing! All gunners and archers, prepare!"

"Once the enemy soldiers are within range, give them a good beating!"

"Don't be afraid, the Wujiang River is a natural barrier ahead of us, the enemy soldiers can't fly over here!"

Lu Mingzhe roamed the battlefield, constantly issuing orders to the surrounding defenders to boost morale.

On the north bank, the Han army's heavy artillery continuously increased its elevation angle, extending its fire coverage in an attempt to hinder the Ming army's counterattack.

However, Lü Mingzhe had already taken precautions and spread out his firepower.

Seeing that the Han army ships had reached the center of the river, the Ming army immediately fired the cannons deployed on the cliffs and behind the fortifications and began to retaliate.

Although the Ming army's artillery was far inferior to that of the Han army in both quality and quantity, its superior position still posed a significant threat.

A solid shot whistled as it struck a speedboat struggling forward, and with a sickening crack of breaking wood and a piercing scream, the speedboat instantly disintegrated.

The seven or eight soldiers on the boat fell into the middle of the river like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, and were instantly swallowed by the swift and icy river.

Another, slightly larger sand barge was hit by a rocket, and flames spread rapidly along with the burning oil.

The soldiers on the ship tried to scoop water to put out the fire, but the rain of arrows coming at them made them afraid to show their faces, so they could only jump into the water to survive.

A barrage of arrows and projectiles rained down from the south bank fortifications, striking the ship's deck with a thud.

Han soldiers were constantly hit by arrows and bullets, screaming as they fell into the river, gradually staining the water red.

The Han soldiers on the ship either shielded themselves with shields or retaliated with bows, crossbows, and muskets, but their counterattacks were ineffective against the upstream attack.

A brutal race against death is unfolding on the river; for every zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) the Han army advances, they pay a heavy price.

While the defenders on the south bank focused their attention on the Wujiang River in front of them, Li Dingguo had already led his troops to quietly sneak up to the ridge behind Chashan Ferry.

He looked at the ferry crossing not far away, suddenly drew his sword, and growled:

"General Shao has already sent the vanguard to cross the river; it's our turn to move in!"

"All troops, listen to my command! Charge towards the enemy camp's flank and rear!"

"Today is the day to defeat the enemy and achieve victory!"

There was no need for further mobilization. After resting for more than an hour, the soldiers checked their weapons and armor one last time and responded in unison.

Li Dingguo nodded, took the lead and rushed out of the woods, charging down the steep slope.

Behind them, 1,200 soldiers formed a mighty torrent and strode toward the Ming army camp not far away!
At this moment, the Ming army's attention was entirely focused on the river ahead, and they never expected that the enemy soldiers would have a backup plan.

"Bomb it!"

"Send all these peasants to the bottom of the river to feed the fish!"

Ming army commander Lü Mingzhe was still desperately directing the battle, but he was repeatedly interrupted by his personal guards who arrived on the scene.

"What?!"

"Can't you see I'm busy?!"

The guard, breathless, hurriedly reported:

"Commander Lü, something terrible has happened! A band of bandits has suddenly emerged from the woods behind us and is charging straight towards us!"

When Lü Mingzhe heard this news, his jaw almost dropped.

"Where did these bandits come from?"

"Aren't the enemy soldiers still on the other side of the river?!"

Before they could react, Li Dingguo and his team had already rushed up to them.
"Break the fence!"

Several burly vanguards immediately stepped forward, wielding long axes and iron hammers, and smashed and hacked at the wooden fence behind the Ming army camp!

Crack! Crack! Wood chips flew everywhere, and several gaps were quickly breached in the thin fence. "Swordsmen and shieldmen! Charge!"

The vanguard soldiers, armed with rattan shields and waist knives, immediately swarmed in through the gap and engaged in fierce fighting with the Ming army that had rushed in.

A Han soldier with a sword and shield parried the thrusting spear and then hurled a javelin with his right hand.

Taking advantage of the Ming army spearmen's momentary lapse in attention as they dodged their javelins, he suddenly lunged forward and plunged his waist knife into the spearman's abdomen, killing him instantly.

On the other side, several Ming soldiers roared and swung their short hammers at a Han recruit who tried to raise his shield to block the blow, but was blown back several steps by the wind, his hands going numb.

Fortunately, his comrade-in-arms was quick-witted and swiftly swept a spear across the room, forcing back the pursuing Ming soldiers.

Li Dingguo, carrying a waist sword, led the charge, hacking and slashing left and right in the battle, his ferocity unstoppable.

His personal guards surrounded him closely, constantly deflecting the open and hidden attacks from all sides.

Zheng Zhifeng also charged in with Zhao Laoba's team.

The strong smell of blood and gunpowder hit us, and we could hear the frantic shouts of the Ming army and Zhao Laoba's desperate roar.

He took a deep breath, and instead of fear, a long-lost sense of excitement welled up from the bottom of his heart.

After running for so long, it was finally his turn to pick up the knife and chop people down.

Seeing that Zheng Zhifeng was still in a daze, a Ming soldier with a sword and shield immediately rushed towards him, slashing down with his waist knife.

Zheng Zhifeng immediately came to her senses, stepped aside half a body length to the right, and at the same time, used her waist knife to cleverly bypass the Ming army's rattan shield from below and slash towards the inside of the opponent's thigh!

"Pfft!"

With a muffled thud as a blade pierced flesh, the swordsman let out a wail as blood gushed out.

"what--!"

He suddenly lost all strength, screamed and rolled to the ground, and was immediately taken down by the Han soldiers who surged up from behind.

Zheng Zhifeng flipped her wrist, and the blade flashed back, deflecting a short spear thrusting from the side.

The immense force transmitted through the blade caused a slight numbness in his arm.

The Ming soldier wielding the spear missed his first strike and tried to stab again.

But Zheng Zhifeng had already rushed closer, her left hand reaching out to grab him.

Instead of grabbing the gun barrel, he directly grabbed the other man's wrist holding the gun and pulled him sharply into his arms!
Caught off guard, the spearman was pulled forward, his body lurching open.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zheng Zhifeng thrust her right hand with her waist knife forward, instantly piercing the enemy's armpit.

The spearman, struck by the blow, stared wide-eyed, blood gushing from his mouth, and slowly collapsed to the ground.

As the vanguard continued to advance, the second wave of Han soldiers quickly deployed at the breach.

"Twenty paces ahead! Fire a volley to suppress them!"

At the captain's command, the musketeers split into two lines, skillfully aimed at the Ming soldiers not far away, and pulled the triggers.

"Bang bang bang!"

The sound of gunfire, like popping beans, rang out one after another. Amidst the smoke, bullets rained down on the Ming soldiers who were trying to form ranks and launch a counterattack, instantly felling several men.

Meanwhile, the archers in the back row drew their bows, nocked arrows, and hurled them over the heads of the Ming soldiers.

Arrows rained down from the sky with a whistling sound, landing behind the Ming army and eliciting screams of agony.

In the ensuing chaos, the Ming army suffered repeated defeats and could only retreat to their fortifications.

Seeing that the Ming army wanted to retreat and hold their ground, Li Dingguo immediately summoned the artillerymen in his army:
"Tiger Crouching Cannon! Quickly!"

"Bomb the garrison around the watchtower!"

Several gunners immediately followed, carrying the Tiger Crouching Cannon to the front and securing the gun mount.

The loader quickly stuffs the gunpowder and cannonballs into the barrel and compacts them with a push rod.

With a loud bang, a large amount of lead pellets and iron shot were sprayed forward in a fan shape.

The Ming army that attempted to resist from the watchtowers was wiped out in an instant.

While Li Dingguo's troops were wreaking havoc in the Ming army camp, Shao Yong was intently watching the battle situation on the opposite bank through a telescope on the high ground north of the Wujiang River.

Through the telescope, he could clearly see that a cloud of smoke suddenly rose behind the Ming army camp on the south bank, and the garrison on the riverbank seemed to have been drawn to it as well.

"it is good!"

"Dingguo has succeeded!"

"Issue my order: the entire army shall launch an attack and capture Chashan Ferry in one fell swoop!"

Upon seeing this, Shao Yong immediately issued the order for a general offensive.

Woo——woo——woo——

The deep and powerful sound of the horn instantly resounded throughout the valley on the north bank, signaling the start of the general offensive!
The next moment, the heavy artillery on the north bank, which had been poised to fire, opened fire again, unleashing its full force towards the opposite bank.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the second wave of ships immediately followed and rushed toward the south bank.

Suddenly, thousands of sails raced and hundreds of boats competed on the river.

The sounds of oars striking the water, the shouts of officers urging them on, the cries of soldiers, and the cannon fire from the opposite bank all blended together, creating a magnificent and stirring scene.

The Wujiang River was surging and turbulent, and boats were constantly being hit by artillery fire and sank to the bottom of the river.

But the Han soldiers had already disregarded their own lives, and the following fleet did not hesitate to cross the sunken ship and continue to rush forward.

(End of this chapter)