With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

Xianxia Pass.

Within the Qing army camp outside the Great Wall.

Lekedehun had been blocked by the small Xianxia Pass for more than half a month.

It is common for it to take several months, or even more than half a year, to attack a fortified city or pass.

After all, going to the battlefield could mean losing one's life, and soldiers wouldn't die in vain. Every siege required careful planning, and after the siege, morale had to be maintained.

The most direct and effective way to appease the troops was to let them vent their frustrations at the camp prostitutes.

The cruel and brutal Qing soldiers, under immense pressure, were ruthless, and every day, mutilated corpses were sent out of the camp.

Lekedehun would also find a few pretty Han women to play with when he had nothing to do.

But he wasn't in the mood for it today.

He received several pieces of bad news.

Fujian Governor Zhao Guozuo and Babutai suffered a major defeat in their attack on Shaowu Prefecture. Zhao Guozuo died in the chaos of battle, while Babutai was seriously wounded and was desperately carried to the rear by his personal guards. Both of their armies were wiped out.

Chen Tai, Dong Alai, Shang Kexi and others attacked Shanguan. The new army suddenly launched a night attack. Upon hearing the cannon fire, Chen Tai led his troops to flee immediately. Shang Kexi escaped into the mountains under cover of night and his whereabouts are still unknown. Dong Alai was killed by a cannon shot and his body was never found.

Bashan, Tantai, and Helu were on high alert, anticipating the New Army's counterattack. They wanted to lead their troops to retreat, but their retreat route was surrounded, and they were now trapped. They wanted Lekedehun to send troops to their aid.

Of the four armies, two suffered crushing defeats, one was surrounded, and now only his Lekedehun unit remains intact.

This infuriated Lekdehun.

"They're all a bunch of useless trash!"

"How long has it been! The hundreds of thousands of troops in Jiangxi have suffered a complete and utter defeat!"

"what!"

Lekedehun shouted and overturned the table.

At this moment, the generals who had been summoned to the meeting entered the tent one after another. When they saw Lekedehun’s fierce appearance, they were all startled, shut their mouths and went to their seats.

He was afraid that if he spoke too much, Lekedehun would seize the opportunity to vent his anger on him.

At this moment, Hong Chengchou and other Han generals walked in and realized that something was wrong.

Hong Chengchou, being experienced enough, asked, "General, what has happened?"

"Grand Secretary, you should read them yourself." Lekedehun handed several battle reports to Hong Chengchou.

The latter took the book and immediately frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

The new army seemed to be even stronger than he had imagined.

They were powerful enough to easily engage the Qing army in open battle.

"The rebel army has actually launched an attack..."

"General, regardless of Chen Tai's defeat, I have a feeling that the new army will also launch a preemptive attack on our army."

"Our troops will likely be attacked immediately."

Lekedehun immediately let out a cold laugh;

"They're just a bunch of cowards who only know how to cower inside the city walls. It's good that they've come out."

"Bring the new army! I want to fight them in the open field!"

Just as Lekedehun uttered those words.

A fast horse galloped straight to the camp, and the soldiers dismounted and knelt on the ground.

"General! The enemy is attacking!"

"What!?" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

"Good, you've come at the right time! General, give me three thousand men, and I will surely annihilate the enemy!" Duke Gong Adai volunteered for the battle.

Lekedehun immediately agreed.

"I'm allocating three thousand men to you. This place isn't very spacious, so find a wide-open area to ambush them. As soon as the enemy arrives, attack immediately!"

However, just as the order was given, an explosion occurred in the camp.

"The enemy has already reached the gates of my army's camp?!" Hong Chengchou was immediately shocked.

That's incredibly fast! The scouts have only just reported the news!

Could it be that the enemy troops are chasing after the scouts?

Soon, Hong Chengchou had a startling guess.

This guess is surprising, but it's also the closest to the answer.

The new army launched a sudden attack, chasing down Qing scouts and following them all the way before finally finding the Qing army's main camp.

The pursuing Ninth Army of Longxiang consisted of two companies from the vanguard battalion and two companies from the reinforced battalion.

By this time, the two companies of the reinforced battalion had found several high points and set up two machine guns and two artillery shells.

They began shelling the Qing troops not far away.

The vanguard cavalry were positioned on the flanks, ready to charge at any moment.

This is a relatively wide valley, where cavalry can launch raids.

The Qing soldiers who were hit by the shelling reacted quickly.

Lekedehun and others immediately donned their armor and led the Qing soldiers to the front. Anyone found wandering around and shouting in the camp was immediately killed with a single blow.

Such ruthless methods quickly stabilized the morale of the troops.

"Jueluo Langqiu led the shieldbearers at the very front."

"Gong Adai led the cavalry in reorganization, ready to charge at any time."

"Commander Hong, I trouble you to lead the Tianyou Army to fight against the enemy's artillery fire."

Having fought for many years, Lekedehun immediately calmed down and directed his generals to lead their respective units to do their jobs well.

Soon, the Qing army camp, under the bombardment of the New Army's artillery, quickly reorganized its troops and began combat.

A line of shield-bearers and spearmen rushed out of the camp, placing large, round shields at the front, some even pushing out shield carts to block the new army's fire.

Then Hong Chengchou immediately directed the firearms troops to prepare firearms such as muskets and bring out light cannons such as breech-loading cannons.

However, while the Qing army was preparing, the follow-up troops of the Longxiang Army also arrived one after another.

Zhang Biao, commander of the Ninth Army of Longxiang, rode out of the gap and saw a wide valley ahead.

"This place has good feng shui, it's just a pity that such a good place is being used to bury this garbage."

"The entire army moves forward and stops 500 meters from the enemy."

Thousands of soldiers moved forward, with the Shenji Battalion in front, the rearguard battalion in the middle, the reinforced battalion at the rear, and the vanguard cavalry on both sides.

Before long, the two sides closed in on each other, and Zhang Biao immediately noticed the enemy's rear movement, which seemed to be launching artillery fire.

"Have the gunners start bombarding immediately and destroy the enemy's cannons. The rest of you spread out and find cover."

Zhang Biao ordered that the valley was relatively flat, but there were also many bunkers to be found. Soldiers who could not find bunkers should lie down on the ground and prepare to fire.

Meanwhile, the reinforced battalion's gunners readjusted the parameters, and more than a dozen mortars fired simultaneously.

The New Army's cannons were not only lightweight, but the gunners were also more professional, and they could start firing cannonballs in about a minute. In contrast, the Qing Army's cannons were heavy, and the gunners did not have professional measuring tools, so they mostly relied on their sense of touch to aim.

It takes at least ten minutes to load the ammunition, ignite the fuse, and fire the first inaccurate shell.

Meanwhile, they were already under intense bombardment from the reinforced battalion of the new army.

Instantly, the Qing army's front-line soldiers were thrown into disarray by the bombs, and several cannons were destroyed on the spot.

"That's right, that's how it is. It's easier to kill when everyone's gathered together." Zhang Biao smiled as he watched the bombing from behind a large rock.

On the Qing side, Lekedehun was utterly horrified when he saw the New Army's powerful artillery.

But when he thought about the narrow mountain path behind him, he realized that he had nowhere to retreat. He had chosen this valley in the first place so that it would be convenient for his army to be stationed and for attacking Xianxia Pass.

Who would have thought that the enemy would dare to come out of the city to counterattack! With nowhere to retreat, Lekedehun immediately decided to fight to the death.

"The enemy's artillery fire is formidable, but our close-quarters combat is equally formidable. Once we engage in close combat, victory is assured!"

"Order Duke Gong Adai to lead the Manchu, Mongol, and Han cavalry in a charge!"

"The Jurchens are invincible, if they number ten thousand, then ten thousand! Kill!"

The thunderous sound of hooves suddenly rose from behind, emerging from the flank of the Qing army camp and charging directly towards the New Army. Their momentum was fierce, like a torrent of steel, ready to engulf everyone in front.

The Qing infantry followed closely behind and launched an attack.

"Heh heh, charge! Charge! Shoot me!" Zhang Biao shouted, walked up to a heavy machine gun, aimed, and unleashed a barrage of fire.

He brought all eleven heavy machine guns from the Ninth Army of Longxiang. At that moment, eleven fire snakes spewed out, and the cavalrymen charging in front were immediately torn to pieces.

In addition, there were six thousand dark gun barrels pointed forward.

In just one charge, Qing soldiers fell in rows like wheat being cut down.

The once invincible Jurchen cavalry fell at this moment.

"Impossible!" Lekedehun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw this.

Hong Chengchou saw this horrifying scene from afar and broke out in a cold sweat.

These are the weapons of the new army!

If you can't win, run!