Mang Gurtai nodded and issued the order to withdraw his troops.
The remaining Mongolian soldiers seemed to have been granted amnesty and retreated down the mountain while crawling on the ground. However, there were still muskets chasing them behind them. From time to time, some Mongolian soldiers were hit and fell to the ground.
The exploratory attack did not last long, but six to seven hundred of the more than one thousand Mongolian soldiers had been lost, and less than three hundred of them managed to escape.
Under the intense fire from muskets, the Mongolian soldiers were so frightened that they rarely even carried the wounded lying on the ground, just trying to escape from this hell of blood and fire.
In other words, more than 700 Mongolian soldiers lost their lives in a tentative attack. Don't expect the Dongjiang Army to treat prisoners preferentially. There has never been such a policy. The final outcome is either you die or I live.
If the enemy knew that there were two thousand musketeers behind the defense line, but they only sent one thousand to attack, it would not be surprising that such casualties would occur.
The sound of gunfire gradually subsided, and the Mongolian soldiers retreated down the mountain. The defenders did not waste any time, and sent 200 men out of position. In front of the enemy at the bottom of the mountain, they hacked and killed the wounded soldiers, cut off their heads, and stripped off their armor.
.
Screaming, wailing, begging for mercy, cursing... all kinds of voices sounded, causing a commotion among the Jianlu and Mongolian soldiers.
"This is done on purpose, the enemy is irritating us." Mang Gurtai looked calm, but secretly gritted his teeth, waved his hand and ordered: "Cut down the trees, build a stronghold and build a camp."
After the commotion between Jianlu and Mongolian soldiers subsided, some soldiers were responsible for guarding, and most of the soldiers began to build camps under the command of officers.
Avoiding the front of the southern hillside, Mang Gurtai set up two camps. The camps were more than a mile apart, and each camp would be stationed with a thousand people, forming a pincer attack on enemies who might come down the mountain to harass.
The Acropolis of Jinzhou and the two camps should be able to ensure the safety of the main road, allowing the main force and baggage to pass through, reach the Nanguan defense line, and launch the attack on Jinzhou.
Jianlu's arrangement was not beyond the expectations of Guo Dajing and others. After all, Jianlu's attack was not to occupy territory.
Attacking the Dongjiang Army, pulling out Jinzhou, the thorn in southern Liaoning, and plundering the population and materials were the three goals of Jianlu's launch this time.
Therefore, since Beisha Mountain City does not pose much of an obstacle, it would have no practical significance to capture it at a high cost of casualties.
Mang Gurtai and Dege thought they were very wise and did not shed too much blood or lose too many lives in this meaningless mountain city.
But they never expected that such an arrangement would fall into a trap and they would suffer a heavy blow.
The fortifications on the mountainside are not that simple. In addition to relying on the mountain city to fight against the built captives, it also has another purpose.
According to the range of the mortar, artillery positions are arranged behind the mountainside fortifications, so that they can hit the main road directly.
In other words, the blockade camp set up by Jianlu was also within the range of mortars. But Jianlu did not know that they would be subject to violent shelling at any time.
Now that Jianlu gave up the fight on the mountainside, it paved the way for bombarding the enemy camp.
Moreover, the defenders of Besha Mountain City could also take a detour down the mountain to intercept reinforcements coming from Jinzhou Acropolis, or ambush small groups of enemies.
Zhang Pan walked out of his position, condescendingly observing Jianlu's actions at the foot of the mountain with his binoculars, slightly pursed his lips, and sneered.
The preparations for more than half a year were thorough and meticulous, and almost all possibilities were considered. The combat method was rare for Jianlu, and they were not suitable for it, and they had no way to deal with it.
The soldiers cleaning the battlefield were still busy, and from time to time someone returned carrying large bags.
Whether they were clean or blood-stained clothes and furs, they were all stripped off and collected. Not only did the enemies lose their heads, but they also came and went naked without any worries.
The armor was repaired, the clothes were washed and they were still wearable. At that time, it was not considered unlucky to have something belonging to a dead person. Having multiple pieces of warm clothes could save one's life in the cold night.
"grown ups."
"I've met my lord."
The soldiers passing by all bowed and saluted. Zhang Pan showed a smile and waved his hands repeatedly, "No need to be polite, just finish your work and go to the back to warm up and rest."
With the help of effective fortifications, the defenders suffered very few casualties, but achieved a hearty victory. Undoubtedly, this was an excellent boost to the morale of the army.
What's more, this is not the full strength of the defenders. There are even more powerful weapons that have not been used.
"Sir, look at this knife." A young officer came over and held up a finely crafted sword with both hands. It looked like a sword used by senior officers.
Zhang Pan smiled even more heartily, reached out to take it, pulled out the sheath, waved it a few times, nodded and praised: "It's a good knife."
After saying that, he inserted the knife into the scabbard and said to the young officer: "It will be included as trophies. According to the rules of the army, I can't be an exception."
"Yes." The young officer took the scimitar, with an embarrassed look on his face, and subconsciously pinched his waist. There were several pieces of silver found from the dead.
Other associations may not have such strict discipline, but Guo Dajing's Zuo Xie, which was born out of the Guanglu Island army, has long had strict regulations and severe penalties for those who violate disciplines.
The first is that no one is allowed to snatch heads during battle, and statistics must be collected when cleaning the battlefield. The same goes for snatching and hiding property, and will be punished.
All seizures must be returned to the public, and rewards will be given based on merit after the war. This is a discipline that must be observed.
The troops in Guanglu Island followed Guo Dajing for the longest time and implemented the most stringently. In the beginning, after a few severe punishments, the deterrent effect was obvious, and after that, there were fewer and fewer offenders.
However, Zhang Pan's subordinates, including Lu Dao and the soldiers recruited later, lacked understanding of this discipline and had never had such an opportunity.
Zhang Pan did not notice the expression on the young officer's face. He focused on the battlefield again, raised his binoculars, and observed the enemies at the foot of the mountain.
The junior officer walked past Zhang Pan, secretly took out the broken silver, held it in his hand, and placed the sword and silver in front of the statistical officials at the entrance of the position.
The officer who made the statistics nodded and carefully recorded it in the register with charcoal. There was a price for the total seizure, with one-third going to the army, one-third to the government, and one-third to the soldiers.
The young officer let out a deep breath, and suddenly felt relaxed all over. The uneasy feeling of having done something wrong was swept away, and he took longer steps.
Who among the officers and soldiers has money? For most of half a year, they have all been exchanged for military coupons. Once discovered, no matter how much you quibble, it will be useless.
The military ranks will be demoted, military pay will be deducted, benefits will be reduced, and people will be detained in solitary confinement. Even family members will be implicated. The honor badge of military family members will be taken away, and all preferential policies will be stopped.
Just say whether you are strict or not. If you make a mistake, you won't be able to hold your head up for a long time. It's not easy to get along in the military camp.
The detailed rules of military discipline, including this provision, had been submitted by Guo Dajing to Mao Wenlong and were promulgated and implemented in all associations before the war.
Taking advantage of this war, we should catch a group of examples to serve as a warning to others. Without realistic deterrents, no matter how severe the punishment is, it will remain on paper.
The army must not only be well-equipped, but also must be disciplined. Only then can it be an iron army that cannot be defeated or defeated. This is also Guo Dajing's goal and he continues to work hard.
………………
When Huang Taiji led his brigade to Jinzhou Acropolis, and immediately went to Dahei Mountain, and after observing the defenses of Besha Mountain City, he had no objection to Mang Gurtai's arrangement.
"Besha Mountain City is like Jinzhou, and Nanguan is Ningyuan." Huang Taiji looked at the camp that had been built, nodded repeatedly, and said with a smile: "It is not necessary to capture Jinzhou, our army can also directly attack Ningyuan. Now, but
it's the same."
Turning to Mang Gurtai, Huang Taiji praised: "Three Belles have been in battle for a long time, and this arrangement is excellent. When Jinzhou is conquered, more people and materials will be allocated to the Zhenglan Banner in order to reward the war merits."
Mang Gurtai laughed twice and said: "King Khan has clear rewards and punishments, so I believe it."
Both of them had deeper meanings in their words, and they both knew it well.
Mang Gurtai knew that Zhenglan Banner would be the main force in attacking Nanguan, and Huang Taiji would not give him an easy job, such as leading troops to guard the two camps and blockade the enemies besieging Besha Mountain City.
Huang Taiji also knew that Mang Gurtai wanted conditions. He could work hard to attack Nanguan, but he had to make up for the losses, so as not to let Zhenglan Banner die in vain.
To eliminate dissidents, the first step is to weaken their strength, but Huang Taiji cannot do it too openly, forcing other banner owners, Baylor, to unite against him.
"King Khan, this is the arrow book shot down by the enemy on the mountain." Mang Gurtai waved his hand, and one of his men stepped forward and presented the arrow book to Huang Taiji.
Seeing Huang Taiji reach out to take it and open it to read, Mang Gurtai sneered and said: "I don't know if the enemy is stupid, but he actually offered to exchange his head for silver. He has only been able to live for a few days, and he is still so greedy."
Huang Taiji quickly read the book of arrows, but he didn't think as much as Mang Gurtai did. He muttered: "I'm afraid this is a trick of the enemy to sow discord."
After giving the arrow book to Fan Wencheng, Huang Taiji said: "Xian Dou, take a look at this arrow book and tell me what you think."
Fan Wencheng took it respectfully with both hands, read it at a glance, thought for a moment, and said: "King Khan is wise and can see the enemy's conspiracy at a glance."
It sounds a bit weird to use money to buy back the remains or heads of the dead in war, or redeem them. But if you think about it carefully, it's nothing.
When the two armies are at war, they sometimes have their own practices of gathering and burying the bodies. For example, after consultation, they each send unarmed personnel to clean up the battlefield.
Now, it is a unilateral casualty on the Jianlu side, and the conditions for exchange do not exist. They cannot give it to you for free, so it is reasonable to exchange it for money.
But this is the wrong time. The battle has just begun and the outcome is uncertain. You want to exchange your heads for money?
If you fail in the end, you won't be able to save your head, so what's the use of money?
As for the conspiracy, it was definitely to give Huang Taiji a bad reputation for being unsympathetic to his officers and soldiers. Letting the corpses of the war dead be buried in peace was not only a sign of respect, but also a way to boost morale and enhance his reputation.
You are reluctant to part with even a little money, and you allow the warriors who fought for the country to have their heads removed and their bodies buried in the wilderness. What kind of bad reputation is this?
"I'm quite confident." Huang Taiji looked up at the mountain city and said softly: "When our army wins a complete victory, let's see what you give in exchange for the heads of the Dongjiang Army."
After saying that, he handed down the order and the army marched towards Nanguan. Mang Gurtai's Zhenglan Banner was still the vanguard, and the two camps were guarded by people designated by Huang Taiji.
………………
"Let the slave chief take money to redeem the dead body?" Mao Wenlong looked at Guo Dajing in surprise, blinking, not knowing what to say.
Such a weird idea was put into practice. Mao Wenlong couldn't help but stroke his forehead. He had a headache and was a little confused about whether to laugh or cry.
However, Guo Dajing didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "General Mo did this because he felt that spreading the word would embarrass the court and blame Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao."
Not sending the head to the capital to report the victory, but to receive the reward silver, but the Jianlu took the silver to redeem it. This is a slap in the face of the imperial court, and it makes a slap in the face.
The imperial court cut off the food and salary, or Yuan Chonghuan withheld the money and food, and banned the sea, which put the Dongjiang Army into trouble. Forced and helpless, they could only come up with this trick to get some money from the Jianlu to tide over the situation.
Difficulties.
It's not that I don't want to offer prisoners to the imperial court, but Dongjiang Town is really too difficult and short of money. The reason for the lack of food and salary is that Yuan Chonghuan is obstructing it.
If the court wants to blame it, blame it on Yuan Chonghuan. Since repeated attempts to persuade the court have no effect and Yuan Chonghuan ignores it, let's put it on the table and let everyone comment.
Mao Wenlong rolled his eyes, glanced sideways at Guo Dajing, and teased: "The court's reward for meritorious service is fifty taels of silver. What price did you offer Jianlu?"
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "Fifty taels are not enough. If Jianlu wants to redeem him, he will have to pay more. At least, it should be a hundred taels!"
One hundred taels?! Ten thousand, one hundred ten thousand, one thousand one hundred thousand...
Mao Wenlong quickly estimated that if he could kill two or three thousand enemies, that would be two to three hundred thousand taels of silver. Well, this deal sounds pretty good.
You know, the imperial court not only rewards meritorious service with silver, but also records meritorious service and promotion. If you can't sell it at a high price, then you might as well just give it to the imperial court!
Mao Wenlong stroked his beard, thought for a long time, and said slowly: "Dajing, did you show it to Fang Zhenghua on purpose?"
Guo Dajing nodded vigorously and said: "Whether this deal is successful or not, we must let the court know and let the emperor understand. Negotiating with Jianlu is not a matter of a day or two. We can also delay it and see the court's reaction."
After a pause, Guo Dajing emphasized again: "The head must be sent to the Ji Liao Governor's Yamen for verification, and they will send it to the capital, so they can take some credit, right? Let's make a bigger fuss and make Yuan Chonghuan lose face. It's best to
The imperial court transferred the power to verify the delivery to Denglai Dao or Fang Zhenghua, the eunuch who supervises the army."
The conflict with Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, was irreconcilable. Anyway, Guo Dajing did not take any chances and believed that Yuan Chonghuan could enlighten him, so he strongly supported Dongjiang Town.
If that's the case, then there's no need to be too restrained. It's just like that anyway, it can neither get better nor get any worse.
Guo Dajing's confidence comes from the stability of Jinzhou, the smooth flow of foreign material procurement channels, and the basic realization of self-reliance between the military and civilians in Dongjiang Town.
You can't hold my neck, you can't take away my military glory, and your orders are bullshit. Although you are a nominal boss, you are only in name.