The Nerv River flows from west to east through the south of Jinzhou City. It was originally a city defense barrier to the south, but now it has become an obstacle to the Ming Dynasty's army to aid Jinzhou.
On the south bank of Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge, the armies of the Ming and Qing Dynasties had been fighting all day long. All the armies were very tired and the war was coming to an end.
The Qing army was retreating steadily and saw that the two important places of Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge were about to be lost.
The army and horses of the Shanhaiguan General Troops and Horse Section of the Ming Dynasty's aiding Liao Division have also been ordered to rush down Rufeng Mountain, cut off the Qing army's rescue channel along the south bank of the Nuerhe River in Shimen Mountain, and clear the Tatar camp to the east to connect with Bai Guang'en's officer in the west Shimen.
military.
As expected by the Ming generals, the Qing army indeed had elite cavalry hiding on the banks of the Nuer River.
The right-wing battalion led by Shanhai Town Counselor He Youren had just set up a defense line when thousands of Qing cavalry galloped towards them. They did not launch a direct charge, but sent nearly a thousand Mongolian cavalry, filling up the Ming Dynasty in just an instant.
The trench in front of the military vehicle array.
However, the momentum of the charge of the Mongolian cavalry actually caused panic in the Ming army. Not only who started the attack, but also the large and small artillery on the Ming army's tanks "crackled" and fired randomly.
The roar of artillery was as loud as thunder, and the roar of large and small artillery was also mixed with the crackle of firecrackers. Some soldiers were affected by this and even ignited their rocket boxes.
The big rocket also flew out in an instant, like thousands of meteors blooming. The smoke from various firearms filled the air and covered the sky in the blink of an eye, covering the front of all the car camps.
General He Youren was first shocked when the Beibei cavalry suddenly threw earth bags to fill the trench. After being stunned for a moment, he remembered to pursue the gunner who fired the artillery without following military orders.
He Youren woke up and roared angrily: "Who is having sex? Who asked you to have sex?"
However, the response he got was more violent roar of artillery fire and the sound of "cracking" firecrackers.
Large plumes of gunpowder smoke rose into the sky, and the gunners of the left wing battalion seemed to fire out all the artillery in the battalion in an instant.
Even the few fire gun soldiers in the camp, under the influence of the gunners, shot out the fire gun powder in their hands.
Especially those rocket cars, nearly half of which were ignited. The rockets flew through the sky dragging dazzling flame tails, and the momentum was truly astonishing.
However, after the Beilu cavalry running from the opposite side threw their earth bags, they galloped back from both wings with their horses. Although the artillery fire roared and the rockets flew, the damage caused to them was not serious.
More than a thousand Beibei cavalry rushed in, resulting in more than a hundred casualties, and most of the bodies of the dead and wounded were taken back by them. On the battlefield just now, there were only some wounded horses and a few wounded Beibei soldiers mourning and wailing.
.
Finally, the rumbling sound of artillery and the crackling of gunfire gradually became less frequent. He Youren hurriedly brushed away the thinning smoke with his hand and looked towards the west.
I saw that the Mongolian cavalry just now had retreated from both sides, and then waves of Manchu cavalry with two white flags came rushing towards them.
Neither the Manchu Eight Banners cavalry, nor the previous wave of Mongolian Eight Banners cavalry, were meant to charge directly into the Ming army's vehicle formation.
The light cavalrymen of the two white flags leaned on their horses, and when they rushed towards the car formation about forty paces away, they used the power of their horses to charge forward, shooting a wave of arrows, as well as large swaths of javelins, throwing axes, and throwing arrows.
Throwing weapons such as knives.
However, the accuracy of horseback shooting is inherently insufficient, and javelins and throwing axes thrown from this distance can hardly injure Ming soldiers.
As expected, this wave of charging cavalry fire from the two white flags of Manchuria only hit a dozen Ming army gunners and gunners in the front row, but their purpose was not that.
Under the temptation and stimulation of the Qing soldiers' cavalry shooting, those Ming army gunners and gunners who had never fired muskets at this moment also shot all the remaining artillery and muskets.
Only the remaining nearly half of the rocket cars were not shot out together because of He Youren's strict order, so they were left behind.
Seeing that the Qing army was so strong and clearly prepared, He Youren was already panicking. He turned around and shouted: "Go quickly, and ask General Ma for help again, and ask him to rescue our division quickly."
Several flag soldiers had already been waiting under the central commander's platform. After hearing the order, they responded with a loud voice and hurriedly galloped away.
At this moment, less than 200 steps away from the opposite side, about 3,000 Tatar soldiers with two white flags and two yellow flags from the Eight Manchurian Banners were forming a team, as if they were about to launch a charge.
He Youren shouted loudly: "Quick, send the order quickly. Prepare artillery fire, load me quickly..."
He knew in his heart that after the Tatars' repeated temptations, the artillery advantage in his camp was gone. If he could only rely on his chariot formation, it would be impossible to withstand the full blow of the Qing soldiers.
He knew very well the level of the soldiers under his command. If the troops were superior to the Tatars on the opposite side, and coupled with the advantage of the chariot formation and guns and artillery, he might be able to hold on for a while.
It's just that the gunners of each tank fired the artillery without permission. Now that the ammunition has been used up, it is not easy to reload again.
Moreover, under the threat of the cavalry brigade on the opposite side, the gunners and loaders in the front row were already anxious and in a hurry, and they were unable to complete the loading for a while.
Even if there is an occasional bombardment by one or two unfired artillery pieces, facing so many Qing cavalry, how can they withstand their rounds of charges and waves of cavalry fire?
He Youren was worried: "Now that I no longer have the advantage, how can I hold on to it?"
The Tatars with two white flags were separated on the two wings, and the Tatar elite cavalry with two yellow flags was in the center. They slowly approached in a fan-shaped crane wing formation. The Tatar soldiers with two white flags on the left and right wings were far ahead, giving great pressure to the Ming army.
feel.
For a moment, He Youren couldn't help but feel anxious when he saw that all the soldiers under his command were panicking and their fear was palpable. He kept shouting and yelling, but it had no effect at all.
His eyes dimmed, and he looked back at the camp where Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhai Town, was stationed, and thought to himself: "Ma Ke, you are so vicious. My left wing camp has collapsed, how can you survive alone?"
At this moment, the flag soldiers who had previously been sent to ask for Ma Ke's reinforcements rode back, came to the central general's platform, and loudly reported: "General, Commander Ma has an order to hold the general firmly. Reinforcements will be here immediately."
Hearing this, He Youren felt as if he had suddenly grasped a life-saving straw in despair, and he suddenly became full of vitality.
He shouted loudly: "Form up the team, quickly form the team. Load the artillery and muskets, prepare the bows and arrows, the shield soldiers come forward, and the spearmen behind. Quick, quick, form a formation behind the chariot, form a formation to defend against the enemy!"
Although everyone is equally afraid of the Tartars, they are still people who have been in the camp for a long time. They have some camp training on weekdays. In the current crisis, as long as there is a clear military order, they can still organize a defense.
After hearing the order, the officers of the Thousand Corps also shouted loudly, and the morale of the soldiers in the left wing camp of Shanhai Town calmed down a little.
Just hearing the "rumbling" hoofbeats from the opposite side getting closer and closer, the artillery loaders became even more panicked. Even the gunners hiding behind were generally panicked and at a loss, and they couldn't finish loading the ammunition in a long time.
However, the officials organized the shield soldiers, and they formed a shield formation behind the chariot defense line.
With the two-layer protection of the vehicle array and the shield array, the spearmen felt a lot more at ease. They lined up in a dense array behind the shield array, and then slightly poked the tip of their spears out in front of the shield array.
Rows of iron spear points were illuminated by the afternoon sun, reflecting a cold light. However, many of the spear points inside were trembling slightly for some unknown reason!
At this moment, He Youren had placed all his hopes for survival on Ma Ke's timely rescue. He stepped down from the general platform and personally visited the first row of shield array to command and dispatch.
His central general, He Zhong, has been leading 30 servants beside him. In addition, there are less than 200 servants who are guarding the central commander's platform with more than 300 cavalry.
Guard the war horses and respond at any time.
He Zhong is He Youren's cousin. He may not be smooth in character, but he is born with strong martial abilities and is good at riding and shooting. He has been practicing in the army since he was a child.
He has been with He Youren since he was twenty years old and became the leader of the servant team. Now in his thirties, he has become He Youren's military officer, responsible for commanding more than 200 elite servants and 300 elite cavalry under his command.
Now seeing the large number of Tatar thieves, although He Zhong was not afraid, he was very worried about He Youren's safety, so he led thirty servants to protect his uncle.
Seeing that his side's shield formation was relatively tight, He Youren felt a lot more at ease. He even firmly believed that the Qing army on the opposite side might not attack in the first wave if they saw that their side's defense was tight and there were no weaknesses.
As long as the Tartar thieves and cavalry test two waves, you may be able to wait until the main barracks of the General Army and Horse Division arrives for reinforcements. At that time, your own troops will outnumber the Tartar thieves, and you will have nothing to fear.
What's more, Mako's main camp has more tanks, cannons, and rockets than he does, and they can be used to keep the enemy out of the formation.
But everything was beyond He Youren's expectation. He might be able to withstand the charge of Qingqi from the opposite side, but God did not give him this chance!
He Youren stared intently at the Qing cavalry formation charging across from them, as if he didn't even dare to express his anger. He calmly estimated the distance of the Qing army and the intensity of the impact.
The shield formation is about fifteen steps away from the chariot formation in front. When the Qing cavalry rushes forward, they will definitely slow down in front of the chariot formation. Even if they ride over the chariot formation, the impact of the war horses will be weakened, and they will not be able to break through their own side in one fell swoop.
's shield formation.
Moreover, although the trench originally dug in front had been filled in and trampled by the Mongolian Beibei cavalry, it was still somewhat uneven, which might have allowed some Qing cavalry horses to get stuck in it.
"Listen to me. If the Tartars come up, you will die if you try to escape. How can two legs outrun four?"
As he spoke, he drew out his sword and shouted loudly: "Today, I will accompany you to fight to the end. Let's kill the Tatars together and live together.
I have heard it all true, now it is a battle of life and death, and the only way to survive is to hold on and refuse to retreat.
If you defend, you will live, if you escape, you will die!"
"If you defend, you will live... if you escape, you will die... if you defend, you will live..."
Under He Youren's encouragement, the morale of the soldiers in the left-wing battalion improved significantly, and they seemed to be filled with a firm fighting spirit in an instant.
He Zhong was still very worried about He Youren's safety. He approached and said softly: "General, I'm here to guard you. You go to the general stage to take command. How about that?"
He Youren waved his hand: "I am right here, living and dying with the soldiers!"
Seeing that the Qing cavalry on the opposite side had approached to a distance of 150 steps, it was obvious that they began to speed up their horses. The smoke and dust were billowing, and the sound of hoofbeats was like thunder, which was deafening.
He Youren's palms were full of sweat. He was not afraid, but he could hear the heavy breathing of the sergeants around him and couldn't help but feel worried in his heart.
As the Qing Cavalry on the opposite side got closer and closer, the invisible sense of oppression became stronger and stronger. Just when the Qing Cavalry ran within a hundred steps, smoke and dust rose up like mist, almost obscuring the Qing Cavalry.
The deafening sound of hoofbeats, accompanied by the roars of the Tatar soldiers, made even He Youren feel panicked. He was about to shout some slogans to boost morale.
He heard a commotion coming from behind his own formation, and before he could look back, he heard "Run away...the man-eating Tartars are coming..." and the shouts became louder.
He Youren's face turned pale in an instant, and there was a large amount of cold sweat on his forehead. He said to himself in his heart: "It's over, it's all over!"
The morale and military morale that he had finally built up were actually destroyed by the civilians and military leaders behind the formation.
It turned out that the left wing battalion went into battle with more than 1,500 civilian soldiers. After they dug the trenches, they helped build a defensive line of chariots, horses and earth walls.
After that, they were all driven to the back of the formation, where hundreds of people gathered in groups or groups, waiting for the fighting to end before they could help push chariots, lift horses and other labor services.
Since the Qing cavalry attack, almost all Ming officers and generals have been here to deal with the Qing attack, completely ignoring the existence of these civilians and military men.
And because they were far away, the initial charge of the Mongolian cavalry, although there was the sound of hoofbeats, was not as powerful as the thousands of horseback galloping now.
What's more, at that time, the Ming army also fired cannons and cannons, and the momentum was even more alarming. They all thought that the Ming army had won a great victory, and they were excited about driving away the Tatars.
The deafening sound of hoofbeats came from afar. They had never seen such a battle before, and they immediately panicked.
A few who were more daring volunteered to go to the left wing camp to have a look. When they saw the billowing smoke and dust, coupled with the thunderous sound of hoofbeats.
Already heartbroken, before returning to the crowd of civilians, he ran towards the east, shouting wildly.
As a result, the civilians, husbands, and soldiers who were originally sitting peacefully in the crowd waiting for the news, although they did not know the truth, could clearly hear the deafening sound of thundering hooves.
At this moment, I heard several of them shouting again: "The Tatars are coming, run away..." "If you don't run away, it's too late... the Tatars are eating people...".
For a moment, people were in panic, as if the camp had been blown up. More than a thousand civilians and soldiers fled without their lives, and the sound of shouting and screaming reached the troops in the left wing camp.
At this critical moment of the battle between the two armies, what is most feared is this situation. The morale of the military, which had been somewhat settled, instantly collapsed.
First, the Ming army behind the formation was lured into running away, and then the Ming army soldiers everywhere turned around and fled. The entire left wing battalion defense line collapsed before the Qing army could attack!