The situation on Yang Guozhu's defense line was also critical. He was as powerful as Hu Daozhu. The cavalry accounted for nearly half of the men in the camp, and most of the weapons they used were three-eyed blunderbuss.
Those three-eyed muskets have an effective range of only thirty steps. Generally, cavalry use them to shoot at more than twenty steps. After that, they can be used directly as hammers. There is no need to change other cavalry weapons, but it is very convenient.
But now the Qing soldiers no longer rushed in recklessly like yesterday, but slowly filled the trenches and pressed in steadily under the heavy protection of a shield car. This also made him very anxious.
There are three or four trenches in front of the earthen wall, and each person's three-eyed blunderbuss can only show its power when shooting at least after the Qing soldiers have filled in the last trench.
This is still aimed at the auxiliary soldiers of the Qing army and the coated Aha. Even at a distance of thirty steps, the three-eyed blunderbuss is not a great threat to the Qing army archers wearing cotton armor.
However, if they reach a distance of thirty steps, the Qing army's archers will pose a greater threat to them.
Layers of shield trucks were approaching, and planks had begun to be laid on the third trench. The three-eyed gunmen in his camp were all staring with big eyes, and they were all as anxious as ants on a hot pot, but they didn't know what to do.
good.
Yang Guozhu hurriedly ordered Guo Yingxian to take command, then he rode his horse and rushed to Jiazhuang where Lu Xiang was ascending.
…………
Today, from morning to afternoon, the Qing army's fierce offensive continued. They had a large number of men and horses, and they could constantly replace them to rest and eat, and then replace them with another wave of men to attack immediately.
Moreover, although most of their archers were throwing arrows densely, some archers who were good at shooting would duck out from behind the shield carts from time to time and shoot arrows straight at them, posing a considerable threat to Xuan's army.
Not to mention the light-armored archers in the Qing army who were good at shooting, they were the auxiliary soldiers in their various banners. Although they were not qualified to wear armor, they still practiced archery and horse training in urination, and their combat abilities were not bad.
When the Qing archers jumped out from behind the shield vehicles to shoot, the heavy armored soldiers of each flag guarded the sides of each shield vehicle to prevent the Ming army from rushing out of the passage to attack again.
The Qing army that attacked Xuan Dajun's defense line finally filled in another trench. The stacked shield carts had already pushed them about forty steps in front of the earth wall. In front of them, there was only one trench left.
Compared with the Ming army's bows and arrows, the bows of the Manchus and Mongols were weaker, but they had an effective range of seventy steps and only had obvious damage to the target after entering fifty steps.
To break through the opponent's armor, leather armor, cotton armor, iron armor, etc., it is necessary to close the distance of about thirty to forty steps, but their arrows are also vicious.
The arrowheads are extremely long and shaped like chisels. The arrowheads are often soaked in horse dung. Not only are they difficult to remove after hitting a human body, but they are also likely to spread toxins and cause infection. Many people have lost their lives as a result.
At this distance, the threat from the Qing army's bows and arrows increased greatly. Their arrows were fierce and accurate. Waves of sharp arrows came over, and many Xuan army's gunmen were hit by arrows.
Although the power of the fire blunderbuss is fierce, there are many steps to load the gun, and there is no room for confusion. Therefore, in terms of shooting speed and accuracy, it is far inferior to the bows and arrows of the Qing army.
The Qing soldiers kept raining down fierce arrows, and there were too many archers. The gunmen of the Xuan army behind the earthen wall had to lower their heads lower. After firing a shot, they quickly lowered their heads.
Quietly, step back and slowly reload.
The whistling waves of arrows came over, and there were always soldiers who could not escape. Many people's helmets were shot through. Even so, the Xuan Army's firecrackers behind the earth wall still did not stop, but the deafening sound of firecrackers became rarer.
Lost a lot.
Despite this, there were still Qing archers and auxiliary soldiers filling the trenches from time to time. The coated Aha were hit and rolled to the ground, and the casualties on both sides continued to increase.
Looking at the fierce battle in front of him, Lu Xiangsheng looked calm on the outside, but he was secretly worried in his heart. The battle has become difficult. From yesterday to now, especially today, the casualties of Sergeant Xuanda have continued to increase.
Although he killed and wounded many Qing troops, Lu Xiangsheng's Xuan army could not withstand such consumption.
Although the Qing army also suffered constant casualties, most of the dead were the cannon fodder of the coats, auxiliaries and servants who filled the trenches under each banner. Although the vests and infantry of each banner also suffered many casualties, they were not serious.
, after all, there are many people.
There are also the Eight Banners of Mongolia standing in front, sharing most of the casualties. If this continues, the prospect is not optimistic.
…………
Lu Xiangsheng was on the watchtower and saw that the Qing troops were still attacking in layers. Although trenches were a powerful weapon to block the enemy, at this time, two trenches had been filled in by the Qing army.
Moreover, the Qing army's artillery fire east of Jiazhuang was also more intense today. The shield vehicles in front of them slowly advanced to fill the trenches, and the artillery roared in the back. Many of the earthen walls outside the village had been destroyed.
Even the village wall was also bombarded. Fortunately, it was reinforced based on the original village wall. Otherwise, many holes would have been opened by the bombardment.
As the shield car advanced, long wooden planks were laid out in the trench again. He sighed in his heart: "If you rise high and dive, you won't come after all?"
He could hear the rumbling of cannons from the north, one after another, it was almost half an hour later, and he couldn't help but worry about whether Jiang Mingwu could hold on due to the might of the tiger.
The Qing troops outside the city numbered at least 50,000, and he only had more than 10,000 on his side. It was only possible to hold on because of the strong fortresses and sharp cannons. Now, listening to the roar of artillery fire from the north, it was clear that it was not Zi Hu Dawei and others.
came from the defense line.
At this time, the stairs were "treading", and Hu Dawei's general, Guerrilla Hu Zichen, walked up quickly. Before he could speak, Lu Xiangsheng took the lead and asked: "How is the situation at General Hu's place?"
Hu Zichen clasped his fists and reported hurriedly: "Master Governor, there are many artillery pieces by the slaves. Many of the earthen walls outside the camp have been destroyed. The camp walls are also damaged in several places. The soldiers have been injured..."
As soon as he said this, Yang Guozhu also came up quickly. As he went upstairs, he said: "Supervisor, Supervisor, the casualties are too great. This is not the way to go!"
Lu Xiangsheng looked at the continuous incoming Qing troops and said in a deep voice: "Get ready to attack. If we repel this wave of attacks, we should be able to hold on until dark."
Zhang Cheng rode his horse to the foot of the watchtower where Lu Xiangsheng was. Before he could dismount, he saw a fast horse galloping towards him. He shouted from a distance: "Tatars are attacking. There is a large group of Tatar cavalry attacking in the west..."
Upon hearing the sound, Yang Guozhu hurried downstairs and shouted: "Zhang Cheng, little tiger, quickly gather the troops and kill the Tatars back."
After they galloped away, Lu Xiangsheng also hurriedly came down from the watchtower.
He first sent an order to Commander-in-Chief Zhang Guodong to lead 300 elite cavalry and go to the Western Front to repel the intruding Tatars.
Then he strode towards the east wall of Jiazhuang. Chen An trotted over with a disgraced face and said hurriedly: "Master Governor, it's dangerous here..."