Two thousand soldiers were lying in ambush three miles away, preparing to ambush the enemy coming out of Jinzhou Acropolis; two thousand troops were quietly lurking here and launched a sudden attack.
The muskets fired round after round, with three shots, raining down bullets on the enemies on the road.
The long and rigorous training came into play at this time. Under the dim moonlight, the musketeers were able to load ammunition relatively quickly and open fire.
The Jianlu who fled here were still in panic and fear. They never expected that they would encounter a blow more deadly than the artillery bombardment.
Chaos was inevitable, and it was not easy to readjust. Within two or three minutes, Jianlu basically had no power to fight back. He was almost beaten in vain, and suffered casualties in vain.
His ears were full of gunshots, screams, exclamations, and people shouting, and Reni fell under the horse, his head was dizzy, and the scene of blood splattering everywhere seemed to still remain in his eyes.
Before he could get up, a heavy human body fell on him, and warm liquid flowed down his neck.
After struggling to shake it off, Reni saw clearly that it was one of his own soldiers. His chest was bloody and bloody, and his neck was twisted at a weird angle.
Turning around, Reni's eyes widened. Not far away was Gabuha's body. This could be seen from his clothes, because Gabuha's head had turned into a rotten watermelon and he was lying on the ground miserable.
The roar of the muskets continued, with short intervals, but to Rennie's ears, it seemed as if it had never stopped.
He turned to look at the roadside, and under the reflection of the moonlight and white snow, he saw the swaying figures dozens of meters away, as well as the fleeting sparks.
Is this what muskets look like? Reni has experienced many battles and is convinced of his understanding of Ming army firearms. They require an open flame. How could they not be discovered? How could there be only a little flash of light?
Times have changed, and matchlocks have been replaced by flintlock guns, as well as paper-cased fixed-loading ammunition, which have a faster rate of fire, more powerful firepower, and there is no need to light the match in advance and expose the target.
The gun recoiled suddenly, and the shoulder holding the butt of the gun pushed back smoothly. Li Zhangguo retracted the gun and retreated.
He stood his musket at an angle behind the team, pulled out the paper shell from the ammunition box on his waist, bit open the paper shell, charged the fuse cap, then stuffed the paper shell into the muzzle and tamped it down with a purge bar.
The comrades in the two rows in front had already finished shooting and walked behind him. He took two steps forward, picked up the musket, cocked the hammer, took aim slightly, and pulled the trigger.
Mechanical movements and skillful operation are the result of more than half a year of rigorous training. As a Korean martyr sent by Choi Hyo-il to assist in the internship, Li Zhangguo finally had the opportunity to test his combat prowess.
This time, a Jianlu was hit. Li Zhangguo was very sure that Jianlu was shot in the chest and abdomen. He slumped to his knees and seemed to kowtow to him to beg for mercy.
Feeling a sense of pleasure in his heart, Li Zhangguo put away his gun and retreated, continuing to repeat the steps that he could perform without using his mind or even with his eyes closed.
Witnessing with his own eyes the devastation of his homeland and the massacre of his compatriots during the Jianlu invasion, Li Zhangguo's heart was full of hatred. However, he could not avenge himself, which made him depressed and going crazy.
Now, I finally have a chance to take revenge. In the future, North Korea will also have such sharp weapons. The officers and soldiers who dare to fight will sooner or later demand repayment of their blood debts from Jianlu.
Having the same mentality as Li Zhangguo, and also taking firm steps and performing reloading and shooting movements, there were his companions beside him.
Three hundred people are all Korean martyrs sent by Choi Hyo-il. After this battle, they will return to Tamna Island and become officers and backbones of Choi Hyo-il.
This is the most basic requirement. They must not only undergo training, but also participate in actual combat. Those sent by Lin Qingye have also withstood the baptism of war on the Nanguan defense line.
The Jianlu, who were hit hard and continuously, finally recovered after suffering heavy casualties, formed into a group, and launched a counterattack against their opponents.
The bows and arrows were shot out, but not too densely. Jianlu used shields to cover them, howling and launched an attack on one side of the road.
Rows of lead bullets were fired, not only from the front, but also from behind. Amidst the splatter of blood, the brave Jianlu kept falling.
What made Jianlu the most angry and crazy was that their martial arts and bravery were not brought to full use, so they were killed by cheap lead bullets.
After rushing across the road and entering the sparse village forest, Jianlu's feet burst into flames again, and plumes of black smoke rose up.
Although there were no obstructions such as carriages, horses, or deer villages, there were mines. Although they were not carried many, they curbed the momentum of the Jianlu attack.
"Two rows, two rows of volleys..." Under the loud command of the officer, Li Chengguo knelt down on one leg and took aim with his gun without firing.
In just ten seconds, the muzzle of a black gun appeared above Li Chengguo's head.
Two or three rows of salvos can fire several times the amount of bullets, and the power is even more astonishing, and can cause a lot of damage to the attacking enemy at once.
Obviously, the Jianlu who rushed up were exhausted, and two rows of volleys were enough to defeat them.
A few sparse bows and arrows were fired at them, and some musketeers fell to the ground after being hit by arrows, but the musketeers who were ready to fire still did not move at all.
"Fire!" the order was finally shouted.
Li Zhangguo pulled the trigger and felt the push of the gun butt, which seemed to recharge him and make him more powerful. Jianlu's face could already be seen clearly, it was fierce and ferocious, but that was all.
The gunshots superimposed to form a roar. In the rising white smoke, Li Zhangguo vaguely saw that the vicious Jianlu was splattered with brilliant blood.
After standing up, putting away his gun and retreating, Li Zhangguo continued to reload. A row of comrades stepped forward and stood in front of him. Their generous backs became the line of defense that could best stabilize his mind.
Although he crushed this enemy attack, Li Zhangguo still regretted that he did not have the opportunity to stand up his bayonet and fight the enemy face to face.
In other places, such fierce battles have broken out, and the shouts of killing are so loud that they even cover up the roar of muskets.
Dare to see the red with the bayonet, is the sign of an iron army. Li Zhangguo agreed very much with this sentence.
The fighting not far away soon stopped. Under the combined attack of muskets and bayonets, the Dongjiang Army, which had an absolute superiority in strength, wiped out hundreds of Jianlu soldiers who counterattacked.
Further away, gunshots rang out like exploding beans.
The troops on the mountainside rushed down, and some of them entered the Jianlu camp to search and kill the remaining enemies; another thousand people marched over in strict battle formations along the road, blowing out flames and white smoke.
After the artillery bombarded the camp, more than 1,300 captives escaped. Under the fierce attack of 2,000 musketeers, more than half were killed or injured.
Five to six hundred captives resisted desperately, but they fell into a continuous battle with the musketeers, and the casualties continued to increase.
When the three-sided pincer attack was formed, there were only less than three hundred Jianlu left, and many of them were wounded.
Although the desperate counterattack also caused some casualties to the Musketeers, the rope of destruction had already tightened around their necks.
In such a narrow area, Jianlu was like a wild dog trapped in a cage. He could no longer flutter, leaving only his final death struggle.
The ground was littered with corpses of men and horses, bloodstains, minced meat, mutilated limbs, knives and guns everywhere. It was bloodier than a slaughterhouse.
"Kill, rush out!" Reni covered the wound on his left rib, but could not stop the blood pouring out. He screamed and directed the remaining troops to break out to the west.
First, they were beaten heavily by two thousand musketeers and retreated to the west camp. Then, the Dongjiang Army who rushed down the mountain used a strict battle formation to repel the Jianlu.
Now, in order to avoid the annihilation of the entire army, the only way left is to break out of the siege to the west and run back to the Golden State Acropolis.
The opponent is shrinking and encircling them, paying casualties almost every moment. If you can't fight to the death, you can only stay here and be crushed into powder.
A soldier snatched the war horse, put the horse's reins into Reni's hands, urged him loudly, and waved his shield to protect his master dutifully.
"Charge out and kill the blood." Reni led dozens of riders along the road and galloped westward.
In the random gunfire, Jianlu's war horses had suffered all casualties, and they could only rely on their two legs to follow Renni and other men, howling and charging out.
There was no blockade on the road, and there was no need to be surrounded on all sides. In order to reduce casualties, the original plan was to attack the captives on both sides of the road, and those who could escape would have a long life.
What's more, there was an ambush, and it was extremely difficult for hundreds of Jianlu to escape.
The muskets kept ringing, and rows of lead bullets were fired from both sides. With each round of musket fire, men and horses were hit, neighing and screaming.
Until now, Reni had not seen the enemy rushing onto the road. They were just firing continuously with muskets on both sides, constantly taking away the lives of his own soldiers.
In Reni's view, this was cowardice, but the enemy's casualties should be very small, but it was a fact he had to admit.
Obviously, the enemy's strength advantage was obvious, which could be judged from the intensity of gunfire. The counterattacks of several small units did not disrupt the enemy's established tactics, and also caused Reni to lose his final confidence.
The war horse in front suddenly fell down, and a powerful and heavy lead bullet hit its neck, causing it to be seriously injured immediately without even neighing.
The sharp musket can penetrate armor, and even shields are not easily blocked. Reni was not only deeply impressed by this, but also felt chilling and fearful.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of bright lights flashing along the roadside. Regardless of his pain, Reni lay down on the horse, hoping that he could avoid another round of musket fire.
The roar of gunfire was heard next to my ears. The sound was so loud that it was actually a three-row volley of musketeers.
Reni didn't know why, but he felt tight in his heart. They were dense and continuous, and their power was frightening. There was a huge gap between this and other Ming army's firearms.
He thinks too much, but that's all. Reni has gained knowledge and experience, and knows how powerful the enemy is, but he never has the chance to learn his lesson and fight against the enemy again.
The war horse was injured, neighing and jumping up violently, throwing Reni off the horse. He fell straight to the ground, dirty blood gurgling from the new gunshot wound, and he no longer had the strength to twitch and struggle.
Under the sound of farewell gunfire and bullets on both sides of the road, only fifty or sixty prisoners escaped. They only temporarily escaped from the battlefield, but they did not know that an ambush of two thousand people was waiting for them.
Zhang Pan left his officers and soldiers on guard, and sent thousands of men to the main road, and together with the friendly troops rushing down from the mountains, they quickly swept the battlefield.
There is no need to take a detour when returning to the mountain city, just climb up from the south slope.
After this battle, the combat objectives of Besha Mountain City have been exceeded. According to the previous solid plan, the defenders no longer need to fight fiercely with the Jianlu, but only need to hold on to the mountain city.
Liu Xingzhi also went down the mountain, met with Zhang Pan, and held discussions on the battlefield where the battle had just ended.
"Since General Guo wants our army to focus on preserving strength, and this battle is already a great victory, there is no need to block the road and force the Jianlu and our army to fight fiercely." Zhang Pan focused on stability and was quite satisfied with the victory.
Liu Xingzhi was a little unwilling, but he didn't know how much the main force of Jianlu would suffer in Nanguan. If the main road was completely cut off, it would be a fierce battle with Jianlu.
"If it's not completely blocked, it can't be a smooth road." Liu Xingzhi said thoughtfully: "How about moving all the mortars back to the mountain city, relying on the fortifications on the mountainside, and then consuming the Jianlu?"
After a pause, he added: "Of course, if the Jianlu come to attack, we can either fight or retreat; if they don't come, let them go."
For the fortifications on the mountainside, muskets were ineffective, so mortars could only be used to bomb the roads. However, the accuracy was not flattering, and Guo Dajing did not think that the enemy's retreat could be blocked.
Unless the Jianlu were lined up very densely and long on the road, it would be possible to use artillery to cause relatively large damage. Otherwise, it would be a waste of ammunition.
The key point is that Guo Dajing did not intend to completely annihilate the enemy, which is not realistic. He tried to rebuild the captives as much as possible to create a psychological shadow on them and prevent the Dongjiang Army from losing too many troops.
Development and growth will be a long-term task. Without enough troops, it will be impossible to occupy and stabilize too large a territory.
In Guo Dajing's view, the internal and external environments of Dongjiang Town are not optimistic, and a relatively prudent strategy must be adopted to maintain balance.
To put it bluntly, Guo Dajing not only regarded Jianlu as his mortal enemy, but also distrusted the imperial court and Emperor Chongzhen. He had to be on guard, both to attack Jianlu and to resist internal pressure.
The Dongjiang Army is the basis for him to achieve his goals. It must maintain a certain level of strength so that enemies both inside and outside are afraid and do not dare to crush Dongjiang Town, Mao Wenlong, or even Guo Dajing.
Only by maintaining relative independence can you not be fooled by Chongzhen's bizarre thoughts and actions. Guo Dajing even believed that Chongzhen's stupid moves were sometimes more terrifying than Jianlu's.
Zhang Pan still agreed with Liu Xingzhi's opinion. After all, this was not an arrangement to fight to the death with Jianlu. Being able to kill more Jianlu with limited casualties was what he wanted to see.
"This is very good. It can also allow more officers and soldiers to have practical combat experience." Zhang Pan said with a smile: "It is easy to move mortars. It is better to leave twenty or thirty mortars on the mountainside. If there is a chance, blow up a few of them.
Down."
Liu Xingzhi nodded vigorously and said: "General Zhang, this is an excellent proposal, so let's arrange it like this!"
Immediately afterwards, he reminded: "Our army must step up its actions. When shelling the Jianlu East Camp, we cannot rule out that some fish that slipped through the net will escape to Nanguan."
This is indeed something we have to guard against. After receiving the news, Huang Taiji may lead his brigade back to the division soon. With Jianlu's maneuvering speed, there can be no delay here.