Dozens of vehicles and artillery lined up in a row, advancing slowly. Behind them were several infantry formations, pressing towards the camp with sonorous steps.
Azig narrowed his eyes slightly and looked solemn. He ordered the infantry to push the carriage forward, with the archers behind. Thousands of cavalry stopped their horses, holding weapons, and went forward to confront the enemy.
He did not expect that the enemy would take the initiative to attack, and the reinforcements from Lianshanguan had not yet arrived. He thought that the enemy might be aware of it and wanted to strike first while his own strength was still small.
Leaving the strong fortifications and fighting in a relatively wide field was what he originally wanted. However, the enemy's menacing approach made him hesitate and wanted to observe it again.
Moreover, in Azig's view, the enemy's location was not open enough. If they were to attack, they could only launch frontally. A little further forward, the cavalry would be able to circle around and gallop in all directions.
"Sir, the artillery said we are still more than a mile away from the camp." The messenger quickly conveyed the message.
Shang Ke nodded happily and said: "The Jianlu won't let our troops get close, so we can only fight them. Give me the order and let them fire artillery to bombard the enemy's formation."
The messenger rode away, and Shang Kexi raised his telescope again and observed carefully.
Regarding Jianlu's active attack, Monk Guo Dajing was pleased to have already made plans to deal with it.
Vehicles and artillery blocked the enemy's cavalry attack, musketry fired rounds to injure the enemy, and mortars and rockets behind the formation violently bombarded the enemy's troops in depth.
It's that simple, but it's effective. Shang Ke is confident, and Guo Dajing is even more confident.
The current weapons and equipment of the Dongjiang Army are hundreds of years ahead of the Jianlu two generations.
Cold weapons, matchlocks plus cold weapons, flintlocks plus bayonets. Such a huge gap made it difficult for Jianlu's cavalry, archery, and hand-to-hand combat to compete with the Dongjiang Army.
Of course, weapons and equipment are only one aspect. If it were other Ming armies, their fighting will was weak. Even if they changed their weapons, they would still be no match for the fierceness of Jianlu.
The Dongjiang Army stopped advancing. After a moment of preparation, a dozen field guns in front of the formation roared first. The solid shells, second only to the Hongyi cannon, passed in front of the formation and hit Jianlu with a trajectory visible to the naked eye.
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Among the weapons and equipment of the Dongjiang Army, artillery was the most important to Guo Dajing, and the amount of manufacturing and equipment was also very large.
Especially artillery, a large number of mortars and rockets were favored by Guo Dajing for their long range, and are becoming the largest type of equipment in the army.
The Fran cannon is no longer in production and will be gradually replaced by field artillery. The field artillery is lighter than the Hongyi cannon and has a slower rate of fire. However, the solid shells it fires can both destroy carriages and kill personnel.
The artillery shells fell into the enemy group without the brilliant and loud noise of the explosive bombs. Several carriages were smashed to pieces by the artillery shells, and the artillery shells also struck long blood channels among the prisoners.
Mortars roared behind the formation, and dozens of shells flew through the air. Immediately afterwards, the screams of hundreds of rockets flew up, and the sun was dimmed.
Explosions came one after another, and fireworks shot up in the Jianlu array. People screamed, horses neighed, and screamed, all of which were covered up by the continuous loud noise.
The sudden blow was so violent that it was completely beyond Azig's expectation.
Retreat without a fight? This idea flashed through Azig's mind, and was immediately rejected by him.
More than a thousand Jianlu cavalry on each side rushed out and rushed towards the front of the formation. Azig did not want to be passively beaten, so he sent out cavalry to shoot, and the carriages also accelerated forward to cover the archers and infantry behind.
Only by reaching the range of bows and arrows, or even engaging in melee combat with the enemy, can our own troops cause damage to the enemy.
Azig could see clearly and made decisions quickly. While counterattacking, the Jianlu troops dispersed their formations to the left and right sides to reduce the losses caused by bombing.
If the Dongjiang Army continues to advance, it is possible for a flanking attack to occur.
The Franchise, which was mixed in with the field artillery in front of the formation, opened fire fiercely when the enemy cavalry approached, spraying out thousands of canisters.
The heavy muskets also roared, using a longer range to attack the captives.
With the people on their backs, the Jianlu cavalry passed by the formation tenaciously, shooting
The dense arrows are missed.
Artillery and muskets roared continuously, and arrows flew through the air. Both the enemy and ourselves were paying casualties, but the Dongjiang Army clearly had the advantage.
Jianlu's infantry rolled forward pushing carts, filling the gap left by the cavalry. Arrows missed and lead bullets fired, making the battle more cruel and fierce.
If it was just such a battle, Jianlu could still withstand it. But the mortars and rockets behind the Dongjiang army adjusted their angles and launched another overwhelming bombardment.
Amidst the continuous explosions, the vehicles and artillery in front of the formation also emitted their final roar, destroying the carriages and causing casualties to the prisoners. At the same time, the contact between the two sides was already close.
"Charge, kill!" A row of musketeers fired the bullets in their guns, straightened their bayonets and shouted, charging forward.
Jianlu, who was hit by artillery head-on, was in chaos. Under the counterattack of the Dongjiang Army, the forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.
Weapons clashed, swords and guns penetrated flesh, shouts of killing, shouts, and screams continued to sound amid the splatter of flesh and blood.
The second row of musketeers rushed out, fired at a distance of only a few feet, then picked up their bayonets and continued to charge, fighting with the enemy.
Guo Dajing stood at a high place, holding a telescope and looking at the battle situation with a serious face.
Although the fighting on the contact line was fierce, the Dongjiang Army was not at a disadvantage when firing guns and stabbing with bayonets, and even had a slight advantage.
However, the middle zone of Jianlu, which had been subjected to intensive bombing, seemed to be evacuated, showing signs of being unable to succeed.
On the contrary, the Dongjiang Army's battle formation is still thick and has sufficient strength to fight the enemy.
If the fight continues like this, Jianlu will soon be defeated. Because in terms of troop consumption, they are much higher than the Dongjiang Army.
The roar of artillery again and the dense rockets blocking out the sky made Azig's penis tighten. He realized that he could not continue fighting like this.
The enemy's firepower output was too fierce, it was a three-dimensional strike, covering a large area, which caused the casualties of our own army to be almost double that of the opponent.
When the strength of the troops is about the same, when our own army has suffered all casualties, the enemy still has half of its troops. In other words, if we fight like this, our army's defeat is certain.
Artillery is the enemy's most powerful weapon to win, Azig fully understood.
If it were just a confrontation between muskets and bows and arrows, the casualties on both sides would be very close, and our own army would be able to sustain it. But if you add in the damage from artillery, it would be a completely different story.
Although the fighting at the front was fierce, the follow-up troops were almost blocked under the indiscriminate bombardment. This resulted in the front not being able to effectively supplement, and would be in the unfavorable situation of using less to attack more.
In addition to artillery, the enemy's fighting will is also staggering.
Being able to remain undefeated in melee combat, persist for such a long time, and gradually gain the upper hand, although relying on the numerical advantage, also gave Azig a sense of foreboding.
Not to mention the casualties of one to one, even if our own army can achieve a record of one to two, it will be difficult to compete with the Dongjiang Army, which continues to greatly expand its strength.
Azig shook his head vigorously, shook off his troubles, and issued a series of orders.
The sound of sobbing horns echoed over the battlefield, and Jianlu used bows and arrows as cover and began to retreat before the formation.
This was a painful decision. Calling it a retreat, it was not much different from a rout. Under the pursuing firepower of the Dongjiang Army, the retreating Jianlu were constantly killed and wounded.
Three thousand cavalry were on the left, and three thousand cavalry were on the right. The retreating Jianlu soldiers returned to the camp and stood firm, forming a three-sided attack posture.
The Dongjiang Army's pursuit was very limited. They recovered their own wounded and the bodies of the dead, and slowly replenished their troops, reorganized their ranks, and loaded their muskets and artillery. It took a long time before they resumed their slow advance.
Azig's combat intention was very obvious. He first distanced himself to avoid the enemy's artillery bombardment. After the Dongjiang Army advanced to a more open area, he would then use his cavalry to launch a counterattack.
With fast speed and strong impact, the cavalry can also rush left and right, and attack in a roundabout way. The characteristic of infantry battle formations is that the front is usually the strongest, while the flanks and rear are the weak points.
Obviously, Azig has realized that the battlefield is not yet
If it is open enough, attacking only from the front will not only fail to win, but may also be exhausted by the enemy.
He expected that the enemy would continue to move forward, whether they divided their forces to deal with three directions, or entered an area conducive to cavalry galloping, the result of another battle would be very different.
As expected, the Dongjiang Army moved forward, and the distance between the infantry formations gradually widened, as if they were trying to fill the new, more open battlefield, leaving no room for the Jianlu cavalry to move on the flanks.
Azige watched from a distance and took the Dongjiang Army's arrangement as a given. It was no problem if the distance was appropriate, but if it was too far, the cavalry could still penetrate it and attack.
"Sir, artillery report, the Jianlu camp has entered the maximum range of the rocket." The messenger came from behind and bowed to report.
Shang Kexi pursed his lips slightly, revealed a smile, and gave the order for the troops to advance another thirty meters.
When the Dongjiang Army stopped advancing, Azig frowned slightly and noticed something strange. He looked around, and when his eyes stopped at the camp, his expression changed a little.
But everything was too late. The loaded rocket launcher was quickly fixed and launched fiercely towards the Jianlu camp.
Nearly two hundred rockets covered the sky, blocking out the afternoon sun, and pierced into Jianlu's camp one after another with flaming tails.
After a while, the sound of explosions was like New Year's firecrackers, sounding silently and becoming one continuous sound.
Most of the rockets were explosive bombs, and the splashing flames ignited tents, grain, and even fences, causing flames to spread and smoke to rise.
Azig clenched his fists and almost ordered another counterattack. But looking at the camp with fireworks spreading and the Dongjiang Army that had stopped advancing, he finally sighed and issued an order to evacuate the camp.
It is impossible to put out the fire. The more densely populated the camp is, the greater the casualties will be if the enemy bombards you again.
Attacking again was impulsive and unwise. The enemy did not enter the new battlefield that Azig had expected, and he was unwilling to compete with the enemy at a loss.
"Today it is a camp, but in the future it may be Anshanyi or Liaoyang." Azige said slowly in a low voice: "The trenches in Liaoyang are no longer able to block the enemy's artillery bombardment. They need to be greatly strengthened to resist the enemy within three miles.
Outside."
Yin Letu sighed helplessly. Although it is worthy of praise, Azig's pessimism about the future has been revealed.
Defending the city is different from the past. It is no longer safe to hide in the city. Under the fierce bombardment of the enemy, personnel can build bunkers. But how to protect the houses, warehouses, and food and grass supplies?
A city that was burned to ashes, with only the walls remaining, still has the meaning of holding on, and how long can it be held?
Just as Azig summed up the experience and lessons, if you want to hold on to the city, you must fight with the enemy outside the city, blocking the enemy three miles away, making it difficult for the artillery to use it.
But such a style of play is back to the war of attrition that Jianlu wants to avoid. As manpower and military strength become increasingly tense, the Daikin Association will become weaker and weaker. Isn't the final outcome already doomed?
Ma Guozhu also felt desolate in his heart. The decline of Hou Jin Dynasty was irreversible, and the fate of him, a Han woman, would be even more miserable. When the time came, Jianlu would not welcome him, and the Dongjiang Army would not forgive him.
I heard that Guo Dajing hated Han women the most. After the Battle of Zunhua, those who surrendered to the Jianqi were either killed by him or escorted to the capital to be punished.
But he was already on the pirate ship, and since he couldn't jump off, he had no choice but to float and sink with the ship.
Bracing his scalp, Ma Guozhu bowed and suggested: "Master Beile, when our army sets up camp again, we can imitate the enemy and freeze the enemy's army with wooden stakes and branches that stretch for several miles."
Azig glanced at Ma Guozhu, turned back expressionlessly, and said calmly: "This is a very good idea, so let's arrange it like this!"
Seeing that the camp was already on fire and Jianlu had also made the move to abandon the camp, the Dongjiang Army did not waste any more ammunition. The artillery was reloaded in preparation for another battle, and the infantry formation began to retreat slowly.
Jianlu suffered successive blows and had no intention of fighting anymore, so he watched helplessly as the enemy retreated calmly.
If he continues to attack, Guo Dajing will
It is possible to defeat the enemy, but the losses will not be small, and it is not necessary.
Having already demonstrated their combat power through the attack, Jianlu still dared to divide his troops to rescue Amin's troops? Jianlu's guilty conscience can be seen from the fact that Jianlu camped here instead of going directly to Fengcheng.
Azig is supposed to be a reckless and reckless man, but why doesn’t his fighting style match his character?
Guo Dajing was very confused, but he also guessed some clues. It should be the battle in Zunhua, where he was frightened and fell ill.
However, when we attack the city in the future, I am afraid that the fierce battle will take place under the city instead of around the city wall.
Trench warfare is a battle of flesh and blood. Although the Dongjiang Army will suffer heavy casualties, so will the Jianlu. In a war of attrition, the Jianlu can no longer afford to fight, but they have to fight.
Well, after this battle, they tried their best to annex Liao Town. In terms of military strength, they already had the conditions for a decisive battle.
After more than half a year of training and integration, the final general offensive was launched in the autumn to complete the great cause of pacifying Liao and exterminating the captives.
Guo Dajing's eyes moved to the west, as if traveling thousands of miles away, he saw the useless small town - Ningyuan.