Jianlu's generals were also carefully observing their opponents' defensive positions, and they also showed expressions of confusion or surprise.
Sahanlian behaved very calmly. After the two battles at Lushun Fort and Xiaoheishan, he knew better. As for the fort that he had never seen before, it was easy to guess that it must be where the Hongyi cannon was installed.
The two red flags were defeated, and the losses were considerable. His own brother was disabled, which was a heavy blow to Sahalian.
In the past, the two brothers led the troops in the war, and it seemed that there had never been such a failure. But after it was replaced by him, the first battle ended like this, which was really unacceptable.
This time he followed the army to attack Jinzhou again. Saharian wanted to avenge his previous humiliation, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy in his heart.
He did not have much confidence in how to break through the enemy's defense. Although he had a large number of carriages, he was not sure how effective they could be.
The same person who was not sure whether he could break through the defensive position was Azig. He was imparting his experience and insights to the two brothers in a voice that could not be heard by others.
"The tall wooden frame on the enemy's position is a trebuchet, which can throw stones and explosive thunder. Even with the cover of the catapult truck, it cannot be completely defended. There should be a Hongyi cannon on the fort, and one shot is enough. Destroy the carriage..."
"Don't underestimate the seemingly neither high nor dense wooden pile formation. It is difficult for people to move quickly in it, and they will become targets for muskets and crossbows. You also know that the enemy has a kind of musket that is extremely sharp and can break heavy objects. First……"
"When we were in North Korea, the enemy used similar fortifications. It was difficult to attack and the casualties were not small. There might also be mines underfoot, which could stir up pieces of gravel, leaving no place to hide..."
Dorgon nodded repeatedly and said with some confusion: "Why not build a city wall? Isn't that more difficult to attack than fortifications on flat ground?"
"It must be because there is no money, right?" Duduo guessed: "Dongjiang Town has always been poor, and the army is like beggars."
Azig pondered for a moment and said: "It may not be because of poverty. This arrangement may be more powerful, but we didn't see it."
"No matter what, we must attack." Dorgon said: "I don't believe that such fortifications will be more powerful than Ningyuan."
Azig smiled faintly and said no more. Let the actual combat speak for itself! It was not that he had no confidence, but he was more wary of the Dongjiang Army than others.
Four or five miles away from the defense line, Jianlu had begun to set up camp. Huang Taiji and other generals were still observing and studying how to attack.
In fact, there is no special method. If there are trenches, fill in the passages. If there are obstacles, cut them down and level them. Then enter the enemy's position to engage in close combat and form one or more breakthrough points to shake the entire defense line.
But the work that should be done before the war cannot be left behind, such as measuring distances.
Several Jianlu riders galloped away, heading straight for the wide trench. They changed direction halfway and prepared to pass diagonally in front of the trench.
The captives on horseback picked up their bows and set up arrows. When they approached the trench, they had to open their bows and release arrows to determine the range of the bow and arrow and whether they could shoot into the defender's trench.
The battle of Jianlu also had a relatively fixed tactical style, with infantry, cavalry and bows cooperating with each other. It was not the usual impression of iron cavalry impact.
Especially for the carriages, Jianlu relied heavily on them.
During the battle, the Jianlu soldiers rushed to the front with carts and heavy armored infantry holding shields to provide cover for the soldiers at the rear. The infantry with bows hid behind the carts and shot arrows to suppress the enemy (they also carried small carts to fill the city during the siege).
The cavalry stood behind the infantry, divided into left and right wings, relying on carts or heavy infantry with shields to push down or clear obstacles on the impact route, creating opportunities for the cavalry to launch a charge.
Jianlu also had another cavalry style of play, using carriages to approach the enemy's formation to cover their own cavalry, and the cavalry surrounded and shot at the enemy with mounted fire, causing the enemy to collapse amid constant casualties.
The garrison position was quiet, and they seemed to turn a blind eye to these Jianlu cavalry. Also, a few small mosquitoes bumped their heads against the wall, and this was the feeling when they looked at it.
Although the trench is also within the range of heavy muskets, the distance of nearly a hundred meters cannot be praised by accurate leaders. It is not worth wasting ammunition for a few clowns.
The cavalry passed diagonally in front of the ditch, bowed and fired arrows, and used their greatest strength to shoot the arrows as far as possible.
A few sparse arrows hit the roof of the shed, posing no threat to the defenders. It just wanted to let Jianlu know that he could use bows and arrows to carry out long-range attacks on the defenders.
Several Jianlu soldiers returned safely, with proud expressions on their faces, as if they felt that their bravery was worthy of pride and pride.
Huang Taiji smiled and showed his appreciation, then waved his hand and ordered: "Go back to camp."
Jianlu retreated, and the depressing atmosphere relaxed. Although he knew that Jianlu was only conducting reconnaissance and was unlikely to launch an attack immediately, he would naturally feel nervous when he saw the enemy.
Tomorrow, there will be a big battle.
Guo Dajing withdrew his gaze, turned around and got off the fort, and his relaxed and gentle smile returned to his face.
The general's mental state will affect the officers and soldiers. How can a commander who is frowning and sighing expect the soldiers to cheer up?
Standing on the fort, Guo Dajing was observing the enemy formation and the troops in the position. He was unhurried, nervous but orderly. The Zuo Xie, who had been trained in several battles, was already very calm when facing the Jianlu.
I hope other troops will be equally brave and brave to fight. Guo Dajing believes in the importance of weapons, but also believes in people's quality and fighting will.
Jianlu's attack will not change much, but what they see is only the superficial phenomenon. When the firepower of the Nanguan defense line is fully unleashed, they will definitely be surprised and even lose the will to attack again.
Yang Daman took a long breath and put away the musket. Although it was cold, his palms felt as if they were sweaty and wet.
The dark cavalry appeared in the field of vision, their armors, swords and guns shining brightly, which really gave people a sense of oppression. Even though they knew that there were trenches and wooden stake formations in front of them, Jianlu couldn't rush through.
He quickly put his hand into the thick handbag hanging around his neck. The soft skin inside seemed to give him warmth. The chatter and laughter of his comrades around him also made Yang Daman feel relaxed.
In order to cover up his nervousness, he quickly interrupted and joined in the chat.
The hatred for Jianlu was the same, but Yang Daman had also served as a slave, but he was not as mentally strong as other soldiers.
No matter how fierce you are, it's useless, you'll still die if you get hit by a musket.
Yang Daman kept giving himself psychological comfort, which is what the officers often instilled. Jianlu was also a human being, he could be beaten to death, and he would die miserably, even worse than a wild dog.
"Each person prepares thirty rounds of ammunition, don't be lazy." The officer's loud voice rang out again. With his full beard, he looked very fierce. In Yang Daman's opinion, he was no worse than Jianlu.
The use of flintlock muskets and paper-cased fixed-loading ammunition has greatly increased the rate of fire. But it is still a muzzle-loading musket, with three rounds per minute, which is already quite fast.
Therefore, usually after a battle, the musketeers can fire more than a dozen shots, which is already a high consumption of ammunition. But it is not like the later generations, who shot out twenty or thirty bullets in one shot.
Of course, for positional defense, the ammunition consumption will be more, but thirty rounds per person is enough.
When the officer's eyes happened to fall on Yang Daman's face, he quickly straightened up, patted the box on his waist, and said, "Sir, I have prepared forty rounds."
The officer smiled slightly, which was rare.
In the army, this guy is known as a cold-faced guy. When it comes to training, he is extremely strict with new recruits, and they can't pass without peeling off their skin.
"The training is okay. Don't tremble and your hands are shaking when fighting. You can't even load ammunition." The officer glanced at the soldiers and said loudly: "Hide behind the breastworks of the trenches. There are trenches, roadblocks and heavy armored spearmen in front.
Are you scared? Show your courage and don’t be such a coward."
"Yes, don't be a coward."
"Don't worry, sir."
There were noisy voices, including Yang Daman. In his eyes, the officer was more terrifying than Jianlu, and his eyes were so wide that his legs felt weak.
Guo Dajing walked through the position, smiled and nodded at the officers and soldiers who saluted him, and asked a few casual questions from time to time.
"General." An officer bowed and asked for instructions: "If the plan remains unchanged, mines will be laid tonight."
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "You don't have to wait until night, start now while it's still dark. Pay special attention to safety."
"Yes." The officer saluted and left after taking the order.
The pits for laying mines have been dug, mainly concentrated near the trenches. They are all large and set up in a series, with five or six mines in a series, stretching for more than 20 meters.
When Jianlu pushes the cart close to the trench, he will detonate the main mine. Continuous explosions will cause considerable damage to the first wave of attacking enemies.
A large number of mines will also be laid in the wooden pile array. A single small prisoner who is injured by the bomb will be difficult to retreat safely and escape under the fire of bullets.
These are only auxiliary killings. What really hits Jianlu are artillery and guns. As long as Jianlu launches a full-scale attack, the defenders must also use full firepower to inflict real heavy damage and shock to Jianlu.
………………
As night falls, the cold moonlight, cold air, and pale snowy fields give people an ominous feeling of being covered in mourning cloth.
On the southern slope of Dahei Mountain, the artillery pieces were pushed out of Beisha Mountain City one by one, slid down the snow slope that had been repaired long ago, and were arranged behind the fortifications on the mountainside.
More than a hundred mortars were fired from a commanding position on the mountainside, which could cover the main road and hit the camps set up by the prisoners.
Liu Xingzhi and Zhang Pan stood on the battlefield, observing the Jianlu camp with binoculars, and discussed the artillery attack and the dispatch of troops to ambush tomorrow night.
"Two thousand soldiers sneaked out from the west and set up an ambush between the Jinzhou Acropolis and the mountain city. They will wait for the enemy to come for reinforcements so that they can ambush on the road." Liu Xingzhi asked Zhang Pan for his opinion, "Brother Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Pan thought for a while and said: "There are about two thousand captives in Jinzhou Acropolis, and there are also two thousand here. If it is an ambush, I think it is appropriate to add more troops."
Liu Xingzhi pondered for a moment, then agreed, and said: "Then send out four thousand troops to ambush the enemies in Jinzhou all the way and intercept the retreating enemies at the foot of the mountain."
Zhang Pan said with a smile: "Let Zhang lead the troops. Brother Liu, can you rest assured?"
Liu Xingzhi hurriedly handed over his hands and said: "General Zhang is leading the army, which is great. It's just that General Zhang has to work hard."
"This little bit of hard work is nothing." Zhang Pan waved his hand and said, "It is estimated that Jianlu will attack Nanguan tomorrow. If the attack is not successful, they may have to retreat the day after tomorrow. If we don't seize the time, I'm afraid we won't have such a good opportunity again.
.”
In the defense battle of Lushun Fort, the two red flags suffered heavy losses after only one fierce attack and had to retreat sadly.
Although there were many men and horses dispatched by Jianlu this time, the defense of the Nanguan defense line was more solid, and the counterattack became more sharp. It is entirely possible that after a day of fighting, Jianlu could not bear the casualties and lost confidence in attacking.
Therefore, time must be seized. After attacking Jianlu, the troops must return to the mountain city and be on full alert to prevent Jianlu from becoming angry and attacking the mountain city again when the troops withdraw and return.
There were four thousand musketeers, and Jianlu had a similar number. In addition, it was an ambush, so the chance of victory was very high. There were still five or six thousand people left in the mountain city, which was enough to hold on and deal with possible attacks by Jianlu.
Obviously, both Huang Taiji and Houjin generals underestimated the strength of Besha Mountain City. They thought that the defenders could only retreat and did not dare to go down the mountain to fight, but they did not know that their arrangement was falling into a trap.
Know yourself and the enemy and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.
Dongjiang Town knew almost everything about Jianlu's tactics, as well as its troops and supplies; but Houjin obviously lacked an accurate understanding of Dongjiang Town's development and growth.
The defeats of the defense battle of Lushun Fort, the blocking battle of Xiaoheishan, and the two red flags did not make the Jianlu be as vigilant as they should be.
The attitude of the Ming Dynasty and Ji Liao Governor towards Dongjiang Town also caused misunderstandings for Jianlu. How strong will the fighting capacity of Dongjiang Town be, which has been cut off from food and salary since March?
"General Guo wants to exchange his heads for money. This time when I lead the troops in battle, I will try my best to grab as many heads as possible." Zhang Pan said helplessly: "I wonder if he is serious about this?"
Liu Xingzhi didn't care about this and said: "It doesn't matter whether we take it seriously or not. Wouldn't it be better if Jianlu could afford the price and let them lose their money and money?"
Zhang Pan lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice: "What will the imperial court think? What will Governor Ji Liao think? It's just the immediate benefits. In the long run, it seems that the harm will outweigh the benefits."
Liu Xingzhi shrugged his shoulders and said: "Can the attitude of the imperial court and Yuan Chonghuan towards Dongjiang Town be changed now? Since this is already the worst outcome, what is there to be afraid of and worry about?"
Sure enough, these guys have completely believed in Guo Dajing and will agree to anything he does.
Zhang Pan smiled bitterly and no longer struggled with the matter. After all, Jianlu's attitude was not yet certain, and success or failure was a matter of choice.
Perhaps, Guo Dajing only deliberately made the imperial court and Governor Ji Liao look bad, and did not really mean to sell his head. Even if the imperial court and Yuan Chonghuan were displeased, it could be said to be a ploy to play tricks on the rebels.
Well, that should be the case. Guo Dajing is not so courageous, and Mao Shuai will not allow him to fool around. Even if the court is unjust, Yuan Chonghuan is unjust.
Thinking of this, Zhang Pan felt relaxed again.
In fact, this is also the common mentality of the generals of the Dongjiang Army. Resentment is resentment, but there is no idea of independence or rebellion.
On this point, Guo Dajing is different. He lacks respect for the court and the emperor. He believes that you are benevolent and I am righteous, and you are not benevolent and I am unjust.