When Huang Taiji led the brigade to arrive at the foot of Beisha Mountain City, the two white flags had already sent a small number of troops to clear the roadblocks. Only the road was a little narrower, but it no longer hindered traffic.
"Report to King Khan." Dorgon stepped forward and bowed to report: "The enemy retreated on the mountainside and had no intention of blocking the road. I did not send troops to attack to avoid increasing casualties."
Huang Taiji nodded and asked: "Can the enemy launch artillery bombardment?"
Dorgon said: "No. I think the accuracy of this cannon is not very high. It will not be easy to hit if the people and horses pass through sparsely."
Huang Taiji lowered his eyes and thought for a long time, but still felt unsure.
Who knows whether the enemy thinks it's not worth wasting the shells because the artillery fire is inaccurate or because there are few people on the road? Or is it just waiting for a big boss to walk by and launch a heavy bombing?
If it is the latter, there is no doubt that he will be the number one target. Unless he puts away his flag, even changes his clothes, and pretends to be an inconspicuous little officer to sneak past.
It’s so embarrassing!
Huang Taiji felt that doing so was tantamount to embarrassing himself in front of the troops and officers, and was a sign of cowardice. Once word spread, his prestige would be compromised.
It's like it's stuck in the throat, I can't swallow it, and I can't spit it out. It's really uncomfortable.
Fan Wencheng saw Huang Taiji's hesitation and bowed to the side: "King Khan, can you send Mongolian soldiers to pretend to attack the mountainside to contain the enemy?"
Huang Taiji glanced at Fan Wencheng and expressed his admiration. This slave is really good at getting things done. He can kill some Mongolians but still save his own face.
Dorgon further suggested: "After our troops have cleared all the obstacles and ensured that the road is open, King Khan will lead his troops forward again."
"Go!" Huang Taiji waved his hand, turned his head, and looked at the fortifications on the mountainside and top of the mountain, as if he was observing carefully.
In terms of danger, Beisha Mountain City was built on the mountain, making it easier to defend and harder to attack than the Nanguan defense line. Because of this, heavy troops were gathered at the Nanguan defense line to resist Jianlu's attack.
Thinking of the defeat at the Nanguan defense line, Huang Taiji had lost confidence in attacking Besha Mountain City, which was more dangerous and difficult to attack.
Thinking further from this, Huang Taiji couldn't help but sigh secretly.
The weakness of Dajin's army in attacking fortresses will certainly not change in a short period of time.
Ningyuan, Ningjin, Lushun Fort, Xiaoheishan, Nanguan, plus Besha Mountain City, the bloody lessons have been enough and profound enough.
If you want to capture a fortified city, you first need to besiege it for a long time, and secondly, you need red barbarian cannons.
A long-term siege requires sufficient money and food. As for the Hongyi cannon, there is no sea route. Where can I get it?
Huang Taiji raised his eyes and said to Fan Wencheng in a deep voice: "Our army also needs a Hongyi cannon, and we must do everything we can to get it. Or, we may offer a heavy reward in the hope that some craftsmen can imitate it."
Fan Wencheng looked embarrassed. Although this was not his task, he had no choice but to do it and it was quite embarrassing.
Huang Taiji didn't expect Fan Wencheng to have a solution right away. This was unrealistic. If he had, he would have advised him long ago.
"Although our army was defeated, the Dongjiang Army and Guan Ning Army were also the same. They could only rely on strong defenses." Huang Taiji saw that the Mongolian soldiers had climbed up the mountainside in full and said slowly: "In this way, we are not afraid of them.
Take the initiative to launch an attack."
Fan Wencheng bowed and said: "The Dajin Iron Cavalry is still invincible in the field."
Huang Taiji smiled lightly, but his mood was very heavy.
If the Dongjiang Army was just a nuisance in the past, like annoying flies or mosquitoes buzzing around you, now the Dongjiang Army has posed a considerable threat, entrenched in southern Liaoning, like a sharp knife reaching the abdomen and chest.
He does not have the strength to fight in the field or take the initiative to attack on a large scale. This is just his analysis and judgment. Who knows whether it is accurate or not?
When he came to attack Jinzhou, wasn't he also full of confidence that he would defeat Dongjiang Town in one fell swoop and completely solve his worries?
From this point of view, if we want to take a detour to enter the pass, we must have more troops left behind to avoid being stolen by the Dongjiang army because of underestimating the enemy.
But it may not be easy to get those Baylor banner owners to agree to the plan to plunder the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Especially if this attack fails, some people will question their decision.
The sound of gunfire interrupted Huang Taiji's thoughts. He focused on the battlefield again, feeling helpless.
The Mongolian soldiers were soldiers too. They were fighting for the Jin Dynasty, and their casualties were heartbreaking. There was no way to choose the lesser of two evils.
The psychological bottom line during the expedition had been exceeded, and the casualties reached an astonishing more than 7,000. Almost all the men and horses of one banner were lost in Jinzhou, which made Huang Taiji heartbroken.
And the battle damage has not stopped yet, and there will definitely be a price to pay to return to Liaoshen.
Huang Taiji gritted his teeth, feeling an impulse that he might as well spend all his 20,000 to 30,000 troops and fight the enemy to the end.
But the intensive gunshots and booming explosions made Huang Taiji calm down again.
No matter how strong the enemy is, it is impossible to break through the enemy's well-prepared defenses. Using all the 20,000 to 30,000 troops will only increase casualties for the enemy, and will not achieve the goal of breaking through Jinzhou.
Moreover, Daikin really cannot afford the manpower. Impulsive decisions may very well bring about ruinous consequences.
"King Khan, please let some of the guards raise their flags and go first!" Fan Wencheng bowed and said, "Your bow is made of gold, and your body is made of gold. Safety is the first priority."
Huang Taiji put away his thoughts, waved his hands and said: "No need. This king just wants to walk in front of the enemy in a grand manner, so that they dare not underestimate me."
The team can be thinner to reduce the casualties caused by possible bombardment. But it is already a defeat, so why be cowardly and afraid of death and make your own troops and the enemy laugh?
The road has been cleared, and the Jianlu have begun to move forward. Those with carts will line up in one line, and if they are cavalry, they will line up in two lines, keep some distance, and pass through the one or two miles of the south slope as quickly as possible.
"Jianlu is smart!" Both Liu Xingzhi and Zhang Pan were observing the enemy on the mountainside. Seeing such a formation, they couldn't help but hesitate.
Liu Xingzhi thought about it and said: "Look, it's better not to shell out. It's a waste of ammunition. Let Jianlu find out that the accuracy of the artillery is not high, which may be detrimental to future operations."
Zhang Pan looked at the enemy's long snake formation at the bottom of the mountain and couldn't help but shake his head and said: "If the shells fall and roll around, they may not be able to kill a few. Forget it, if there is no chance, let them go!"
Liu Xingzhi nodded and ordered the artillery officers to be ready. More than twenty mortars were aimed at the road, ready to fire at any time.
The feint attack of the Mongolian soldiers continued. For such a painless attack, the defenders did not use all their firepower and used heavy muskets and trebuchets to attack.
Even so, the casualties are continuing to increase. You have to attack even if you are pretending to attack. If you are far away, you will be blind.
"That's Huang Taiji's flag." Liu Xingzuo held up the telescope, observed carefully, and said, "order the artillery to prepare for bombardment."
Regardless of whether it can be exploded or not, when the shells hit the ground, they would always frighten the Jianlu into chaos. Seeing the embarrassment of the slave chief Huang Taiji was undoubtedly a very satisfying thing.
Zhang Pan chuckled, still holding the telescope in his hand, and said, "Okay, scare him so much that he will pee."
Boom, boom, boom...
The mortar roared, and more than twenty shells shot out of the barrel almost at the same time, drawing beautiful arcs in the air, carrying sparks of death, and falling one after another.
"King Khan, hurry up!" Several guards urged loudly, surrounding Huang Taiji, suddenly speeding up, and galloping forward.
Huang Taiji was not afraid of death, of course not. He laid his body on the horse's back and held the horse's belly tightly, hoping to get out of danger quickly.
Amid the exclamations, the loud noise of the explosion made the ears ring. A cannonball exploded not far ahead, and the flying shrapnel and air waves overturned several riders.
Under the protection of his guards, Huang Taiji rushed through the explosion point, filling his nose with the pungent smell of nitrates and sulfur.
The shells exploded in front, back, left and right, but fortunately they were far away, and some even landed outside the road, causing no harm to Jianlu.
This is the disadvantage of the delayed fuse. It does not explode immediately when it falls to the ground, but often gives the enemy time to dodge. If it is a dense queue, it will naturally make up for this shortcoming.
Even so, a round of shelling still caused great chaos to the Jianlu troops, killing both men and horses and injuring some.
Liu Xingzuo put down the telescope and smiled, as if he really saw Huang Taiji running away in embarrassment.
In fact, he only saw a chaos among the Jianlu troops and the men and horses lying dead or injured on the road.
The accuracy of the mortar is indeed not very ideal!
In addition to being happy, Liu Xingzuo, Zhang Pan and others also felt a little regretful.
………………
When people are never satisfied, it is normal to think long and long.
The combat power of the Dongjiang Army, if we only consider the equipment and power of firearms, is not only the first among the Ming army, but also the best in the world, far ahead.
Whether a detonation fuse can be made is not a big problem for Guo Dajing.
However, considering the cost and large-scale manufacturing issues, the simple and easy-to-make delay fuze is still his first choice. It will also be the mainstream ammunition used by artillery for a long time.
Jianlu must have really retreated, but they were not in a hurry to capture Beijinzhou.
It is not very suitable to build fortifications, cultivate fields, build houses and immigrate to other places when the weather is cold and freezing.
Having already contacted Besha Mountain City, Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing were very excited when they learned the details of their operation. This time, they gained more than two thousand more.
There has been no news from the special operations camp in Xiaoheishan, so there may have been results, but they are not very big or important.
After the statistical results came out, Guo Dajing could completely confirm that Jianlu had no strength to fight anymore and must have retreated to rest and recover.
At the Nanguan defense line alone, the enemy left more than 6,000 corpses. Adding the results of the battle at Beisha Mountain City, the number of heads was more than 8,000.
Although there were more than 3,000 Mongolian soldiers among them, the casualties among the captives must have greatly exceeded the number of heads harvested.
"There are almost one banner of men and horses." Mao Wenlong was very sure and said: "Thousands of cannonballs were fired alone, and those who were killed or injured were all collected by the Jiannu slaves."
Thousands of them are just mortar shells, thunderbolts thrown by trebuchets, and solid projectiles fired by Hongyi cannons, plus Fran cannons and light and heavy muskets, not counting them yet!
The results of this battle were huge, and a detailed calculation of the consumable ammunition and supplies would be distressing enough. After half a year of full preparation, more than half of it was used in less than one day of fighting.
Guo Dajing sighed secretly in his heart. If he could defeat Jianlu with money, he would have to spend two or three times more to get it by selling iron.
Regarding Mao Wenlong's judgment, Guo Dajing agreed, saying: "Jianlu only has so many people, so he must have a bottom line that he can bear. The general is a little surprised to suffer such a huge loss."
"They didn't expect it either." Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and said, "The firepower of our army is so strong that I was also surprised."
Mainly due to the musket, the flintlock and fixed paper shells more than doubled the rate of fire. In the same period of time, the density and intensity of the firepower projection were indeed unimaginably violent.
Think about it, there are tens of thousands of musketeers on the battlefield alone, and each of them must have fired ten shots. The Jianlu soldiers suffered over 10,000 casualties, which is actually not too many!
But Guo Dajing was not satisfied with this and said with a smile: "We will go all out in the end and strive to have all the troops weaponized within six months. The spearmen and sword and shield men will all be eliminated depending on the situation."
If a fully firearms unit engages in close combat, it must rely on a combination of light muskets and bayonets. Regarding this, Mao Wenlong and many generals expressed doubts.
A light musket with a bayonet is definitely not as lethal as a long gun or a spear, mainly because it is shorter and has no advantage in melee combat.
But in Guo Dajing's view, once entering hand-to-hand combat, a musket with a bayonet is no worse than a machete.
As for the long spear, which is more than ten feet long, it is not flexible to use in close combat. Its main function is to form a forest of spears, which has a psychological advantage in resisting the impact of cavalry.
"With muskets and bayonets, as well as some simple obstacles such as blocking horses, I will eventually think that they are enough to withstand the impact of the Jianlu cavalry."
Guo Dajing once again emphasized his reasons and said more confidently: "Muskets can be used at both distance and close range. Once fully equipped, our army's firepower will be further strengthened."
Mao Wenlong pondered for a moment, nodded reluctantly, and said: "Since you are so confident, I'll let you do it. However, the troops must be strengthened in training. They must also be equipped with more elephant carriages, horses, etc."
The van is better, as it can not only load ammunition, but also be arrayed to block the enemy. It can even be made into a vehicle-mounted cannon, which increases the firepower of the attack.
Firepower leads to victory. Guo Dajing believes that his idea is correct. Even in ancient times, covering fire with bows and arrows was also a type of firepower.
"To report to Marshal Mao, the eunuch Fang Zhenghua has examined the head and returned to write a report of victory to the court." A soldier came and reported, "Vice Marshal Chen is accompanying Eunuch Fang to return to Lushun, so he will not come to the Marshal."
Farewell."
Mao Wenlong waved his hand, pursed his lips slightly, and gave a faint sneer.
It would be best if Fang Zhenghua, the eunuch in charge of the army, left. Mao Wenlong didn't want to see him. Letting him see the Dongjiang Army's victory with his own eyes would also let the court know. Similarly, Mao Wenlong also had to write a memorial to report the victory.
However, it is not certain whether the head will be escorted to Jueyuan, where it will be verified by Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, and then sent to Yaowu, the capital.