Chapter two hundred and seven fierce counterattack
Behind the formation, Sorno could no longer clearly observe the situation at the front of the battlefield, but the smoke gradually dissipated and he was still shocked by the sight of corpses and wounded soldiers everywhere on the battlefield.
Except for the lack of Hongyi artillery, the blocking enemy's firepower was not much worse than that of Port Arthur Fort, which shocked and astonished him.
Seeing that the three attacking Niu Lu had suffered heavy losses, even if a small number of troops rushed forward, it might be difficult to form a breakthrough. Sorno was cruel and sent the reserve team up.
"Jianlu's reserve team is rushing towards the flank." The lookout post, located in a tall tree, quickly grasped Jianlu's movements with a telescope and conveyed it to Guo Dajing.
Guo Dajing breathed a sigh of relief and immediately mobilized his troops to support the flanks.
When his boots hit the ground, all his tricks were exhausted, and the initiative had completely fallen into the hands of the defenders. Although Jianlu still had troops, Guo Dajing judged that he would not dare to invest any more.
Even if the whole army launches a fierce attack, with equal strength and superior firepower, they will still be able to fight against Jianlu.
Moreover, there is a backup plan to block the attack, which is to open up the main road and concentrate troops to defend Xiaoheishan and the flanking hills.
If Jianlu wanted to retreat or escape from the road flanked by two sides, they had to pay a price. Whether they were men or horses, death or injury were the results of the battle.
In order to completely defeat the blocking force, Jianlu would have to pay greater casualties, which may not necessarily achieve the goal.
The choice is left to Jianlu. No matter what, failure is doomed, but the size of the loss is different.
Guo Dajing had just sent reinforcements, and the infantry left behind at Shiheyi had already arrived to re-strengthen the defense in the middle.
There was no sign of Liaoyang dispatching reinforcements at all. It was probably because they were not yet aware of the changes in the battle situation. The cavalry led by Liu Xingzuo and Liu Qishi were almost able to deal with minor accidents.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
In the hilly areas on the flanks, the battle became more intense. The officers' roars were somewhat hoarse, but they were still passionate, and the swords they swung were still powerful.
The three hundred light musketeers who had just arrived were ordered to enter the right wing of the position. They took up their muskets and launched a fierce counterattack against the Jianlu on the battlefield with a three-row firing strategy.
Jianlu's heavy armored soldiers were almost exhausted, and the few who rushed to the position were eliminated by the spearmen, sword and shield soldiers who were waiting in advance on the position.
The heavy casualties suffered by the heavy armored soldiers made the light muskets very lethal. After all, not everyone among the Jianlu soldiers was heavily armored, most of them were wearing ordinary armor.
Three rounds of rapid fire immediately stabilized the battle situation and provided time for the artillery guns to be reloaded.
The ejector was loaded with bombs at maximum speed and launched again. The violent bombardment of dozens of bombs caused another gap in Jianlu's attack team.
The Franco machine gun roared and sprayed shotgun shells, sweeping across the enemies within a range of dozens of meters in front of it.
The ten Fran cannons also fire in turns. The rate of fire was already fast, but now it is even more shocking.
The muskets roared again, and the heavy lead bullets that made the Jianlu trembled with fear cracked the shields and pierced the armor. Blood and flesh spattered, and each Jianlu was killed and injured, and fell in front of the nearby obstacle.
The pikemen, sword and shield soldiers on the position were in a tight formation, consisting of a small team of ten, staring at the battlefield with wide eyes. Any prisoners who crossed the obstacles would be attacked and killed by them.
In terms of military strength, the defenders already had an absolute advantage. Except for Liu Xingzuo and the 600 cavalry led by Liu Qishi, everyone had gathered on this small battlefield.
The thickness of the troops on the position was far beyond Jianlu's imagination. Even if they broke into the position and formed a small-scale melee, it would be impossible to defeat the continuous influx of defenders.
But Jianlu obviously didn't realize this yet. They couldn't believe that the Dongjiang Army could send so many troops across the sea, plus a large amount of combat equipment and food and grass supplies.
Of course they didn't know that the battle plan to regain Jinzhou had been prepared for half a year. A large amount of supplies had been stored in Xiaoheishan in advance, which did not occupy ships and transportation capacity.
The combination of strong troops, favorable terrain, prepared battlefields, built fortifications, and powerful firepower formed a solid defense that was difficult for the invaders to break through.
The Jianlu who attacked the mountain retreated in embarrassment. Although it was a feint attack, they suffered a lot of losses. The two Niu led 600 people, and the casualties reached half.
The two Niu Lu Jian prisoners in the middle were even worse. Under the command of Guo Dajing, they were bombarded by artillery, muskets, crossbows, projectiles, and charged by heavy armored spearmen. Only less than a hundred of them escaped intact.
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The battle on the flanks was the most intense. In some areas of the position, spearmen, sword and shield soldiers fought with the insurgents who rushed in. Swords and guns exchanged, blood and flesh splattered, and people fell every moment. It was bloody and cruel.
However, the defenders' melee soldiers relied on their numerical superiority to successfully resist the Jianlu and trapped the enemies who rushed into the position within a small area.
In this way, the muskets, artillery and projectiles were not greatly affected, and they still exerted their power, knocking down the prisoners one by one in front of their positions.
"Move the position and fire from the side." Zhang Xifan ordered loudly, leading his team of fifty people to move positions.
Heavy musketeers can be divided into parts. The smallest unit is thirty people plus twenty sword shield soldiers for protection.
In the formulated defensive response, in order to prevent too many musketeers from being blocked by the enemy and ourselves in close combat, such a flexible configuration was created.
Wherever the shooting range is wide, the musketeers will rush there and will not stop shooting because of the shooting range problem.
The effect of this was quite obvious. From the beginning to the end, the roar of muskets did not stop, leaving their figures firing everywhere in the position.
The light musketeers also used mobile shooting. All fifty of them carried muskets, and the additional bayonets gave them the capability of close combat.
Over time, according to Guo Dajing's development plan, light musketeers will become the mainstream of the army, and even pikemen will gradually be eliminated.
Quickly moving his position, Zhang Xifan directed his men to load their guns and once again fired a round of dense lead bullets at the Jianlu in front of the position.
Two more captains of spearmen rushed out with shouts and started fighting with the Jianlu in front of the position. With their spears firing, they advanced and collected together. Compared with the scattered Jianlu who rushed in, they were even more powerful.
"Charge forward and kill all the enemies." Zhang Pan swung his sword forward and commanded his men to move out to kill the enemies.
A dozen crossbowmen fired their crossbows first, making the approaching Jianlu more chaotic. The pikemen, led by the junior officers, rushed forward with shouts.
Jianlu's attack was unable to continue. It did not stop or retreat, but it could hardly pose a threat.
But Sorno still persists. He has already suffered so many casualties. Perhaps if he works harder, he can defeat the enemy. If he withdraws his troops now, he will lose casualties in vain and all his previous efforts will be wasted.
He organized the Jianlu who had retreated from the attack on the mountain and in the middle, added another Niulu, and continued to attack the flanking hills.
Jianlu sent more troops to the flanks, and Guo Dajing also made adjustments, dispatching men, horses and weapons to the flanks for reinforcements.
By now, the Jianlu troops had shown signs of decline, and their attack was monotonous, which was completely expected. Under the fierce firepower of the defenders, they had already suffered heavy casualties before even approaching the position, and their formation was in chaos.
The defenders not only have sufficient strength, but also retain a considerable number of reserves, which can go into battle, counterattack, or reinforce at any time with ease.
Seeing that Jianlu had given up attacking the mountain, Chen Jisheng left only 2,000 troops on the mountain to continue the defense, and sent another 1,000 troops to wait for Guo Dajing's dispatch.
Guo Dajing observed the battle situation with a telescope from a high place, and sent a thousand elite troops to attack diagonally from the main position, giving the Jianlu who were attacking the hilly areas a hard blow on the side.
At the same time, he also conveyed orders to Liu Xingzhi to prepare for a counterattack.
Three hundred light musketeers were in front and suddenly appeared on Jianlu's flank, raining bullets on Jianlu with forward shooting. The pikemen and sword and shield soldiers followed closely behind, ready to charge.
This was a decisive blow. Jianlu, who had rushed into the battlefield, was struggling to attack despite artillery fire, but was intercepted from the waist and fell into chaos.
A dense roar of musketry suddenly erupted on the battlefield, and countless lead bullets shot out, causing blood and flesh to explode on the prisoners' bodies.
Several Fran cannons also roared, raining lead bullets on Jianlu.
As soon as the roar of guns and artillery stopped, war drums rumbled, and the armies on both sides shouted almost at the same time. Lancers, sword and shield soldiers stepped forward, like a stormy sea, sweeping towards the enemies on the battlefield.
Zhang Pan and Yu Liangtai commanded their troops, and a thousand hand-to-hand melee soldiers, coupled with crossbowmen, rushed out of the position and launched a counterattack from the front and side.
The ferocious counterattack from three sides instantly killed the Jianlu on the battlefield into chaos.
"Kill!" More than a dozen spears were spitting out and stabbed towards the target. Even San Huilan, who had experienced hundreds of battles and had extraordinary martial arts skills, was unable to parry and retreated continuously.
Before he could get a firm footing, a crossbow arrow came at him very close to him, only a dozen meters away, and hit him right in the face.
Screaming, Sanhuilan covered her face, waving her scimitar randomly with blurred vision, trying in vain to parry the spear that stabbed her again.
Poof! The sharp spear point penetrated into the chest, ending Sanhuilan's croaking and pain. The body was kicked down by a big foot, like a dead dog.
Wei Haishan quickly cocked his arrow and followed the pikemen forward. He found another target and raised his crossbow to shoot.
This is a pretty tricky attack, but no one likes it.
In a fierce fight, a single arrow can kill or injure a brave opponent. For spearmen, it may save one or two lives and injuries.
You must have quick hands, quick eyes, accurate and ruthless shooting, and a brave mentality. After all, there are no weapons for melee combat, so it is extremely dangerous for a prisoner to get close.
But Wei Haishan believed in his comrades and the companions beside him. When Jianlu rushed over, he would bravely stand up to block it.
When Jianlu attacked and the defenders only defended on their positions, Jianlu had the initiative and the upper hand even though they had fewer people.
However, when the defenders invested an overwhelming amount of troops and launched a fierce counterattack, Jianlu discovered that their opponents did not have the strength to fight against them, but were deliberately on the defensive to lure them to death.
Momentum is invisible and intangible, but it is one of the key factors that determine whether the two armies can win a confrontation.
No matter how good the defense is, it does reduce casualties and trap and kill a large number of enemies, but it is passive and somewhat depressing.
Therefore, a fierce counterattack must be used to inspire the confidence and will of the troops, fill up the momentum of victory, and put heavier pressure on the Jianlu.
Sorno gave the order to retreat, feeling devastated.
The enemy's strength is very strong, not the four or five thousand as estimated, but at least equivalent to our own army.
If it were in the wilderness and flat areas, Sorno would be confident of defeating several times the enemy.
But now, the enemy occupies a favorable terrain and has powerful and ferocious firepower. Even if the entire army is pressed, it may not be able to defeat the enemy and achieve a breakthrough.
Sahalian had a sullen face, and he was not dissatisfied with Sorno's withdrawal. He just hated his opponent for being cunning and insidious. Although he was obviously very powerful, he insisted on adopting a passive defensive posture.
Without casualty statistics, Sahalian also estimated the approximate figure. The three thousand men and horses who attacked had to be withdrawn, not even five hundred.
The wounded soldiers are still alive and can barely be regarded as members of the army. But they have become a burden. Not only are they not helpful to the army in fighting, but they are also a drag on the army.
If the casualties under Port Arthur Fort and the losses caused by enemy interceptions on the road were added, Sahalian was horrified to find that nearly half of his troops had been lost.
This is definitely a terrible thing. Before they have even exited Jinzhou and even further away from Haizhou, the two banners are already in such a panic that they are even in danger of being annihilated.
If the enemy comes to attack, this is what Saharian hopes. But will the enemy be so stupid? As long as they successfully block the attack and run out of food and grass, the army will be in disaster.
There is still enough to last for three days. Saharian knows the amount of food and grass. If there is no obstacle, there is absolutely no need to worry, we will definitely be able to withdraw safely.
but--
Saharian was hesitating, hesitating, whether to launch the entire army and attack with all his strength to carve out a passage.
According to the results of today's battle, there will be at least two to three thousand casualties, or even more, before we can achieve our goal.
In other words, only three to four thousand people were able to retreat safely and safely. And the total losses added up to almost all the men and horses of Yiqi.
This was a result that Saharian could not accept at all. Even if he defeated the enemy in person and inflicted a large number of casualties on the enemy, it would be enough to make up for the serious consequences of the heavy damage to the two red flags.
The enemy has heavy troops here, so there shouldn't be too strong a blockade on the other route.
After all, Saharian also saw that those standing in front were the elite of the Dongjiang Army, with sophisticated and sharp weapons and brave and skilled soldiers.
Having fought against the Dongjiang Army, Saharian was very sure of the combat effectiveness of the Dongjiang Army, so he confidently led ten thousand cavalry to attack Lushun Fort and destroy the Dongjiang Army's attempt to occupy Jinzhou.
But the facts dealt a heavy blow to Sahalian. Just like Amin in North Korea, he did not expect such a huge loss.
Even so, Sahalian still did not believe that the combat power of the entire Dongjiang Town would increase so quickly. Lushun Fort relied on Hongyi cannons and sharp muskets, but the fighting momentum was not as good as the enemy in person.
Therefore, Saharian made a judgment that the enemies who blocked the attack face to face were the elite of the Dongjiang Army. Dare to set up positions in the wild to block the attack, and dared to take the initiative to counterattack, all of which verified his conclusion.