Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

Lunch had just begun when a golden arrow flew over the campfire and past a thousand horses, arriving in Li Yuanheng's hand.

After reading it, he returned to his military tent alone. When he came out again, he was already wearing black armor, a precious sword at his waist, and clutching a helmet without a single feather in it. His sharp eyes swept around the surroundings.

"The left and right wingmen ordered the army to march straight south for twenty miles to engage the enemy."

In an instant, soldiers surged about, the sound of horses' hooves like an unstoppable barrage of firecrackers, mixed with human voices, making it resemble a farmers' wholesale market, completely out of place in a military camp.

Once everything was ready, Hu Wu's battalion was at the forefront, the third battalion followed behind, and the second and fourth battalions, leading the front, middle and rear armies, were positioned in the middle, ready to maneuver at any time.

In reality, this kind of march, which looks like a single battle line, is actually at least three battle lines. This is because whether it is the head, the waist, or the tail, it is actually a stepped marching posture. It looks like support, but it is actually three arrows arranged on the left and right, one in front and one behind, which can turn from support to general attack at any time.

If the frontline battle is won, these three arrows can be split into three or even more, attacking in all directions to reap the rewards after the war.

------

What were the Turkic soldiers like?

"I heard these barbarians have deathly pale faces, high noses, deep-set eyes, and green eyes—they look like ghosts!!"

"If it really looks like that when the time comes, I'll run away."

Shh, keep your voice down, or you'll lose your head.

The long procession carrying the banner of Yansui Garrison consisted of infantry and cavalry in a ratio of about three to one. The cavalry was mainly composed of cavalrymen from Yulin City and other military garrisons, numbering about four thousand, while the infantry numbered twelve thousand, for a total of sixteen thousand troops.

Originally, there shouldn't have been so many troops; at most, there would have been just over ten thousand, around twelve or thirteen thousand. The reason there were several thousand more was because a lot of "conscripted soldiers" had been added. These conscripted soldiers were actually men temporarily conscripted by constables from various places. The constables were the leaders of the soldiers, and they were mixed in with the regular army to create a show of force.

If you add the cooks who came from county offices all over the country to prepare the food, the whole team earned the reputation of "an army of 50,000".

It's not that I didn't want to shout 100,000, it's just that no one would believe it at this time. 50,000 is more for reassuring myself and the people. After all, in ancient times, the most important thing in war was momentum. If the momentum was strong, the people would be united. If the momentum was weaker than the enemy's, then let alone fighting, we would collapse on our own.

At the heart of the army headquarters, Wang Tingji, the deputy general of Yansui Garrison, riding a chestnut horse, looked troubled as he calculated the amount of silver in his hand.

"Giving each person even one tael is difficult enough; they were only given initial funds for departure. With a major battle imminent, without funds, morale will likely be low!"

"You can send it first, saying that you'll get double back after returning to the city."

The Eastern Route Military Commander Gao Tianxi proposed a compromise, which Wang Tingji, though somewhat reluctant, complied with.

With the second wave of silver being distributed, the marching speed of the troops obviously increased significantly.

After all, in the Green Standard Army of the Qing Dynasty, money is everything. There is a mobilization allowance for the start of a war, and there is also a reward before the battle. Without money, even if the Heavenly King himself came, this army would not be able to be commanded.

This was during the Qianlong era, when the Qing Dynasty was still relatively strong. The deduction of soldiers' pay was not so severe, and the requirements for various mobilization funds were not high. However, during the Taiping Rebellion or even the late Qing Dynasty, the one-time expenditure was enough to make many places unable to recover for several years.

Where is Dasser now?

"Reporting to Commander Wang, he is currently redeeming himself through meritorious service."

"To atone for one's crimes with meritorious service is laughable. Even if we win this battle, he will still be dismissed from his post. It's just a matter of whether he lives or dies. He is still in the army now, just trying to survive."

When the topic turned to Dase, the scoundrel from the Bordered Yellow Banner who lost the Hongshixia water source and ultimately caused Yulin to run out of water, Wang Tingji, who came from the Bordered Red Banner of the Han Army, launched into a tirade against him in front of Gao Tianxi and his other subordinates.

They wished they could bring the other person down to the bottom.

After all, the one who got into trouble this time was a genuine Manchu bannerman. If he, a Han bannerman who had previously suffered discrimination, had defeated the Turkic bandits and relieved the crisis in Yulin, then he would have gained recognition within the Eight Banners.

Giving face to the Eight Banners is secondary; the important thing is to showcase oneself to the Emperor. Then, who knows who will get the position of Yansui Garrison!

--------

Light cavalrymen zipped through the water in the pool, while infantrymen fetched water from the bank. As the distance between the two sides drew ever closer, Li Yuanheng ordered his troops to rest for a moment, leaving only three battalions on guard.

"Ahead lies the Shenmu Kuye River Valley. The Qing army is advancing, intending to emulate the Battle of Kuye River two years ago, severely cripple our army, and regain the initiative over the Yulin River."

The war of the third year of Qianlong's reign two years ago is still fresh in my mind. At that time, the Dzungars also came to Yulin along the same route of this grass-grass-digging, also wanting to cut off the water supply. However, before they could fully cut off the water supply, they were led into the battlefield of the Kuye River and suffered a "false victory" with about 3,000 casualties, which was less than half of the Qing army's casualties. Later, due to the overall situation, they withdrew from the Yulin area.

Zhou Kaijie, a mediocre talent who killed three thousand enemies but lost seven thousand of his own, was kept in the position of commander of Yansui Town.

"General, please be careful. Although the valley is large, it is not a plain. Even if we deploy all our forces, if the vanguard suffers a defeat, it will be difficult for the rear to withdraw completely. The Dzungar Khanate suffered the same fate."

Luo Guisheng's words made sense. Although the entire Shenmu Kuye River Valley was eight or nine miles wide, it contained seven tributaries, including the Kuye River, and the Erlang Mountain, which was over a thousand meters high. If the situation became too tense, the enemy might surround them from both sides, making it difficult to retreat.

The valley is three to four and a half kilometers wide.

"Back then, the Jungar only lost three thousand soldiers. Now that the Yu River is cut off and the morale of our army is on our side, we should launch a fierce attack to seek victory. Delaying the battle is the worst thing we can do."

"But----"

"The army sets off, with artillery bringing up the rear—"

Before mounting his horse, Li Yuanheng bowed his head and gave instructions to Luo Guisheng below:

"Leave twenty riders for your safety, sir."

Luo Guisheng stared blankly at the departing figure, feeling as if his soul had been ripped away, unsure of where to go or what to do next.

"The cavalry has entered. Do not engage them. Let's see what happens next."

With the news of the Turkic cavalry entering the valley, the atmosphere in the Qing army in Yansui Town reached its peak. Although they had fought a battle with the Dzungars two years ago, they had taken advantage of the terrain and even planned to ignite oil at the bottom of the riverbed. But this time, there was not enough time to store the oil.

Even if they did, how could the Turkic bandits who were allied with the Dzungar Khanate not know? In that case, they would not only waste oil and time, but also expose their weaknesses.

The best way is to look at each other across the river, which ensures safety while maintaining a relatively safe distance.

However, the battle cannot be won by imagination. Before long, the enemy's vanguard cavalry began to advance towards the upstream dam, which frightened Wang Tingji so much that he hurriedly dispatched cavalry to block them.

As soon as they engaged, the Qing cavalry sensed something was wrong. The opposing cavalry did not employ the probing maneuvering typical of steppe cavalry. Instead, they immediately opened fire with arrows. The Qing cavalry organized to return fire, but before they could fire for long, the opposing cavalry charged.

Yes, through Wang Tingji's monocular telescope, a grayish-brown cloud was relentlessly hurtling forward. Its ferocity was so terrifying that he could barely hold the telescope; his hands trembled uncontrollably.

"The Turks are even more barbaric than the Dzungar Khanate. What should we do if all the enemies are like this?"

Not long after he finished speaking, his hundreds of cavalrymen had already fled in disarray, and the upstream dam had been captured in the blink of an eye, right in front of Wang Tingji's telescope.

"Quickly dispatch a large army to block their path and set up artillery positions, with muskets and firearms at the forefront. I refuse to believe that these Turkic barbarians can withstand the might of Heaven!!"

Although Wang Tingji verbally expressed disbelief, his heart was pounding as he issued orders. He was simply hoping that this group of Turkic barbarians, who had appeared out of nowhere, were just a bunch of wild, uncivilized mountain barbarians unaware of the power of firearms, and that they would lose their composure under the continuous barrage of cannon fire.

"ignition!!"

After lighting the fuse behind them, the Qing army artillerymen, wearing cotton armor, immediately covered their ears.

With several loud "booms", seven of the first dozen or so cannons fired. As for the remaining cannons, the fuses failed to ignite on the first attempt, either due to dampness or for various other reasons, and only lit on the second attempt.

The shells exploded hundreds of meters away, creating a splash and dust. When the smoke cleared, the chaotic scene of warhorses that Wang Tingji had hoped for never appeared. Instead, the hundreds of riders at the front were very cautious, but just outside the range of the cannons.

"This is----"

Wang Tingji's voice trembled. Even if he didn't want to believe it, he had to believe that the group of Turks who had come from afar were not the Dzungars who would make a quick getaway or try to find a way out when they encountered difficulties. Instead, they were a group of well-trained "true Hu" who were familiar with firearms and whose warhorses were not afraid of cannon fire.

In fact, Wang Tingji was overthinking it. The so-called well-trained troops actually referred to the four battalions that were originally part of the Eagle Division and were later transformed. The number of warhorses that were not afraid of artillery was only seven or eight hundred. Most cavalry horses would panic when they heard the sound of artillery fire and even trample their masters' horses.

"The entire army defends against the enemy, with archers positioned behind muskets—"

Wang Tingji was not exactly a coward; after a few moments, he realized what was happening and issued the most appropriate deployment at the moment.

"The archers and gunners aren't exactly mediocre."

Li Yuanheng put down the binoculars he had been holding and then gave the order:

"The second and third battalions will engage the enemy head-on, while the first and fourth battalions will flank and break in, under artillery cover. The remaining cavalry will accompany me to reinforce the enemy lines."

"Cut off that son of a bitch's manhood!!"

At a single command, the army of over four thousand men split into three groups, bringing the entire battle to its climax.

"My lord, the Turks have moved out in full force and are heading towards the front, middle and rear of our army."

"The Turkic traitors have gone too far in bullying us. Order the entire army: whoever kills one of their heads will be rewarded with three taels of silver; whoever kills ten heads will receive the same reward and be promoted one rank."

With the war at this point, even if Wang Tingji wanted a war that would result in mutual destruction, the Turks on the other side would not agree. So they might as well fight it out and see who had the tougher head.