Both Jianlu and the Dongjiang Army regarded their opponents as mortal enemies.
Since it is a life-and-death fate, no matter when or where, as long as both parties feel it is beneficial, they will only have the consciousness to fight to the end.
Jianlu thought that he had the advantage in terms of military strength, and believed that the Dongjiang Army's cross-sea expedition could not carry many artillery pieces that would frighten them.
In addition, Huang Taiji wanted to transport back the plundered people, livestock, money and materials, solve the problem of the great famine, and pave the way for becoming emperor.
Therefore, not long after the Jianlu forwards began their tentative attack, a large group of troops led by Huang Taiji rushed to the battlefield. After observing the situation, they immediately dispatched troops and launched a more violent attack.
"The whole army is wearing armor and fighting to kill."
"Take turns to attack and defeat the enemy."
At this time, at this point, if the passage is opened, the sea and the sky will be brighter. Otherwise——
Huang Taiji did not dare to think about the consequences of failure, even though as long as there were more than 10,000 troops left, he was sure to turn back and defeat the tens of thousands of Ming troops who were following far away. But only moving forward is the best and brightest outcome.
Therefore, any idea of conserving strength may cause psychological fear, which is what Huang Taiji does not want to see.
The Eight Banners men and horses, plus the Mongolian soldiers forming the left and right wings, took turns attacking, resting and adjusting, and began an almost non-stop attack.
"The fourth prince of the slave chief." Shen Shuoqing stretched out his hand and pointed at Jianlu's flag, his voice trembling.
Although what he said makes sense, Shen Shuoqing only participated in the Battle of Zhenjiang Fort. The scale and scene were completely different from the current one.
"Um, that fat man in yellow clothes?" Cao Huachun asked somewhat stutteringly, but his words were covered up by the noise of the battlefield.
More than 20,000 Jianlu and Mongolian soldiers were overwhelming; the main battlefield of Guandao was filled with smoke, and the shouts of killing shook the sky.
The battle between the enemy and ourselves is fierce and cruel. In the flying of blood and flesh, life is as fragile as grass and flies away all the time.
Cao Huachun and others were speechless, with their mouths wide open and binoculars held up, watching the most shocking and bloody fight in their lives.
Such a fierce battle was also the first time for Guo Dajing.
However, after the defense battle of Lushun Fort, the blocking battle of Xiaoheishan, the defense battle of Nanguan, and the battle of Zhenjiang Fort, the combat power of the Dongjiang Army, especially the fighting will of the soldiers, has been tempered and improved, and it was able to withstand the attacks of the Jianlu
Keep attacking.
Shang Kexi's commanding officer, Liu Xingzhi, who first defended his position to face the battle, also deployed two thousand heavy musketeers to increase the firepower.
The heavy muskets placed on both wings of the position exceeded the range of bows and arrows, and had sharp armor-breaking capabilities, causing great damage to the captives.
General Ubai's howl stopped suddenly, and a heavy lead bullet hit his chest.
Although it did not penetrate the heavy armor, the huge impact shocked his internal organs, and blood mixed with the fragments poured out of his mouth, blocking his throat in an instant.
Bei Yusulu screamed, kept drawing his bow and releasing arrows, shooting at the defenders.
His archery skills were very accurate and his strength was great, but his head suddenly exploded like a rotten watermelon after being hit by a lead bullet.
Each shot of the heavy musket, accompanied by a roar, caused a shower of blood and broken flesh among the captives, and set off a burst of screams and wails.
"What a fast shooting speed!" General Yang Chun swallowed hard, feeling that his throat was so dry that it was on fire, and his heart was beating so fast that it was about to burst out of his chest.
Muskets were a weapon equipped by all branches of the Ming army, but there were not many muskets, and the three-eyed muskets were only so powerful. In terms of power and rate of fire, they were difficult to compare with the flintlock muskets of the Dongjiang Army.
"This is the elite of the Dongjiang Army, fighting bravely and without fear of death, which makes people feel blood rushing to their heads, and also makes people admire and admire them." General Zou Zongwu sighed longly, "Looking at the Ming Dynasty, no army has been so tragic.
The battle can still be undefeated and undisturbed."
Alas, Manku and other generals also sighed with regret. They were finally convinced that the war horses were used by their army in vain.
The fierce and cruel attack and defense had been going on for almost two hours, with almost no time to pause. The scene shocked all the spectators in the city.
When they looked at the figure in front of them, clad in armor and standing like a mountain, admiration, awe, and even some fear flashed through their eyes.
"With such a strong army, the Ping Liao and the extermination of the captives will be just around the corner!" Cao Huachun wiped his chin a little glumly, and opened his mouth for too long, drooling out.
The emperor's dream of pinging Liao had to fall on the Dongjiang Army, and no one else could do it. Cao Huachun put his hand on his chest and wiped his saliva quietly.
"It's not enough, we have to wait a little longer." Guo Dajing's mood was not calm, and he held the telescope for a long time without putting it down.
A thunderous counterattack will cost Jianlu a lot of casualties and he will be almost exhausted. Now it seems that there is still a little bit left.
After hesitating for a moment, Guo Dajing did not issue an order with a flag. Since it was left to Liu Xingzhi to command and he had carefully planned it in advance, he should let it be used freely and not let him tie his hands.
"Charge, kill!" Another row of Dongjiang Army soldiers fired the bullets from their guns, straightened their bayonets, and charged forward, shouting.
The forward positions had already engaged in close combat with Jianlu, and the defenders continued to organize counterattacks to repel Jianlu.
There were clashes of swords and guns, the cries of killing and screams were endless, and fresh lives disappeared one by one, and blood surged and spilled on the land that needed to be defended.
Niulu Erzhen Kang Guli slashed the enemy on the opposite side with his sword, but the ferocious smile was still on his face, but it instantly froze. The opponent used his last strength, jumped and bumped, and plunged the bayonet into Kang Guli's chest.
This——is also a hero who is not afraid of death, just like me!
The corner of Kang Guli's mouth twitched, and he fell to the cold ground together with his respected opponent.
Dozens of catapult bombs were thrown into the enemy group by hand. Even at close range, the defenders did not hesitate to take casualties and frantically used all weapons that could kill the enemy.
Boom! A row of muskets spit out flames, and white smoke rose into the air. Immediately afterwards, the musketeers charged forward again with bayonets drawn.
Jianlu was beaten to death and wounded by musket fire. After the confusion, he was faced with a row of bayonets thrust towards him, and he could only fight with exhaustion.
Braving the flying arrows, the muskets on the flanks kept firing, violently hitting the middle of the Jianlu column, making it difficult to effectively supplement and support the front column.
As the battle continues to this day, the superiority of muskets over bows and arrows becomes more and more apparent.
The Jianlu archers could barely compete with the heavy muskets by using long bows and large arrows. However, the energy consumed quickly made the Jianlu archers' arms and hands sore. However, the musketeers could always maintain relatively sufficient physical strength.
Therefore, Jianlu had to carry out attacks in turns to maintain their long-range firepower.
Jianlu's attack was repulsed by the defenders' counterattack, but they quickly adjusted and charged forward again.
Bodies were scattered everywhere on the front line of the position, with different signs of death. Hot blood flowed on the ground, accumulated in puddles, and quickly cooled and became sticky, which was shocking.
The Jianlu were taking turns to attack, and the defenders were constantly increasing their troops.
The retreat of trench after trench gave Jianlu hope of a breakthrough, but in the process, Jianlu's effective strength was constantly weakened.
If Jianlu could see the turn of the official road and the situation behind the mountain, he would definitely feel a sense of despair. There are also stretches of defensive positions there, as well as two battalions of 6,000 musketeers waiting in full formation, and 3,000 cavalry waiting to charge.
A battalion commanded by Shang Kexi had already suffered more than half of its casualties, and a battalion commanded by Qiu Zhentai also sent reinforcements one after another.
The refueling tactics paralyzed the Jianlu. As they made progress, they became increasingly convinced that defeating the enemy in front of them would be the final victory.
"Retreat two more trenches." Liu Xingzhi put down his telescope, but the flag on the top of the city was still there. Based on his own judgment, he issued the order, "General Zhang, please lead your troops to take over the defensive position."
"General, I obey." Zhang Pan could no longer restrain his enthusiasm for fighting. After bowing and saluting, he turned around and walked down the mountain.
He deliberately retreated so that Jianlu could see the results of his attack, thinking that he would be able to break through after a fierce attack.
Replacement of fresh troops and another attack will not only cause more casualties to the captives, but also allow the two battalions that have fought fiercely to withdraw and take a short rest and adjustment.
Liu Xingzhi looked at the city head again. He knew that Guo Dajing could see the development of the battle situation here and would make corresponding arrangements to prepare for the counterattack.
Guo Dajing did see the mobilization of troops on the main position. Zhang Pan's troops rushed up and launched a short counterattack with the original defenders to repel the Jianlu.
Later, Zhang Pan covered the retreat of the friendly troops. They took over the defensive position and fired fiercely at the Jianlu who counterattacked again.
After a simple calculation, three of the four infantry battalions have been dispatched, and the total casualties should exceed 3,000, and the number of captives would be twice that.
Guo Dajing raised his head and looked at the sky. The battle started in the morning and has lasted for two and a half hours. It should be time to launch a counterattack.
"General Xiang——" Guo Dajing turned his head slightly and looked at Xiang Zuolin.
Xiang Zuolin quickly bowed and said: "I will obey the order."
Guo Dajing smiled. He hadn't given the order yet, but he didn't care about it. He said warmly to Xiang Zuolin, who was blushing with embarrassment: "Act as planned!"
"Yes." Xiang Zuolin bowed and saluted, turned around and strode away.
The battle was still going on fiercely, and Huang Taiji was not aware of the counterattack that the Dongjiang Army was about to begin. His face was stern, and under the protection of his guards, he calmly observed the development of the battle.
In his opinion, all the enemy's reserves have been mobilized. As long as our own army works harder, we can defeat the enemy and win.
The strength of the Dongjiang Army exceeded Huang Taiji's expectations, but he believed that it would not exceed much. It was originally thought to be more than 10,000 troops, but now it is only three to four thousand more.
Of course, the intensity of the battle also frightened Huang Taiji. He even believed that being able to fight to the death with the Dongjiang Army now was his wisdom and Houjin's luck.
Fortunately, the enemy does not have many artillery, such as the powerful Hongyi Cannon and the ultra-long-range projectile cannon. If there were, the casualties of our own army would not be what they are now, and there is basically no hope of victory.
"Prince-in-law Suna was killed in battle..."
“Guerrilla Bakshi Unagar killed in action….”
"Be prepared for Yu Langqiu, be prepared for Han Dai to die in battle..."
"Guerrilla Eshuo died in battle..."
Once again reporting battle damage, Huang Taiji was too lazy to speak and just waved his hand to order the soldiers to retreat.
Daishan took a breath of air. This was not the first time he had made such an action. The casualties were so heavy. The number of generals, guerrillas, guards and other officers killed in battle was shocking.
This is already the record for the most senior generals killed in a single battle since the Jianlu rebellion against the Ming Dynasty.
Daishan was familiar with some names. They were Jianzhou warriors who had experienced hundreds of battles. In just a few hours, they all fell in the cold land of the Ming Dynasty.
"King Khan..." Daishan only said these two words and then closed his mouth. He really didn't know how to continue.
Huang Taiji did not look back, still looking at the battlefield where the fireworks were rising, his voice was deep and firm, "If you can't give the enemy a chance to breathe, and give the enemy time to strengthen their fortifications, it will only cause more casualties to the Jianzhou warriors."
Daishan sighed, he didn't know this truth, but the enemy's firepower was too fierce.
"The enemy has almost reached the limit of support." Huang Taiji continued, "Look at the number of troops they have deployed, there should be very few left. Our army is exhausted, and so are the enemies. Now, the competition is who can persist better."
There should be more than 3,000 troops in Zunhua City, so the number our own army faced would only be 10,000 at most, which was not much different from what Huang Taiji expected.
The Dongjiang Army increased its troops and rotated several times, and Huang Taiji judged that his opponent had no reserve troops. Even if he could mobilize more troops to fight, they would only be a tired army that retreated for a short rest.
"The Dongjiang Army has changed too fast, and I have already felt a great threat. Taking advantage of their foreign territory to fight without carrying a large number of artillery, it is a good time to inflict heavy damage on them."
Huang Taiji kept talking, as if he was looking for sufficient reasons for his decision and strengthening his confidence.
"On Zunhua City is Guo Dajing, the number one general of the Dongjiang Army. He rose from a small soldier to a deputy general in just a few years. Based on the calculation of time, King Khan calculated that perhaps it was his rise that caused the changes in the Dongjiang Army.
Incredible changes and shocking growth..."
Huang Taiji looked at the big flag on the city in the distance and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was stung by the bright red word "Guo".
Dai Shan understood Huang Taiji and felt that what he said made sense and that he was truly considering Hou Jin's future. Others would not have such profound analysis and judgment.
"Report!" A Jianlu flew up on horseback to report the military situation, "King Khan, the south gate of Zunhua City is open. The Ming army takes the lead with vehicles and artillery, and more than two thousand men and horses come out of the city to fight."
Daishan frowned, feeling that a change at this time was not a good thing. Did the enemy want to attack from a flank, or did he pretend to attract the attention of his own army and share the pressure of the attacked friendly army?
Huang Taiji showed a smile, turned to Dai Shan and said, "It can be seen that the enemy in front of us can no longer hold up, so we sent troops from the city, not only to respond, but also to attract our army's attention."
Doesn't it mean that victory is in sight? More than two thousand Dongjiang troops left the strong city, which was very risky. This shows that the enemy on the opposite side seems to be in a critical state.