Chapter one hundred and ninety seventh first setback
The smell of blood and gunpowder still wafted in the air, but the Qing army had retreated, leaving corpses everywhere in the trenches and in front of the parapet fortifications.
The battle that attracted the attention of both the enemy and ourselves finally kicked off in Zhangping, northeast of Longyan. On the one hand, there was the continuously strengthened Ming army, and on the other hand, there were the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia, which were known to be invincible in cavalry and archery, and more than 10,000 Geng vassal soldiers.
Although the Ming army had a two-to-one numerical advantage, the Qing army was not afraid of the enemy and attacked with confidence. Once upon a time, the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia were symbols of invincibility, creating countless victories with less.
There are many battle examples. Two or three thousand cavalry are enough to change the situation on the battlefield and defeat the overwhelming Ming army.
Today, the Qing army still has such self-confidence. The Geng Fan troops mobilized under orders are also elite and carry nearly a hundred large and small artillery pieces, which makes the Qing army have no doubt about victory.
General Jingnan is the commander-in-chief of Mulima, and General Dingnan is the deputy commander-in-chief Tuhai. They are all sons of nobles. They used to serve in the Eight Banners of the Forbidden Brigade. They are also full of ambitions in this expedition, eager to make achievements and live up to the glory of their ancestors. In
Their minds are still full of the glorious deeds of the Eight Banners cavalry, which swept the world from a corner of Liaodong. How exciting it is.
For these two Manchu generals, even if the King of Jin Li Dingguo killed Prince Nikan, it was not enough to explain anything. Nikan was the result of underestimating the enemy and ambushing him, and the Eight Banners force he led was not very large, so it was not like this
Second majestic.
The road was not going fast. From Gunzhou in Shandong to Nanjing and then to Zhejiang, there were places to supply food and grass. However, along the way, the Eight Banners soldiers and generals stationed in the army needed to be constantly mobilized. They also collected artillery and ammunition, large and small, and finally formed a unified army in Fujian.
A powerful force. Five thousand Manchu and Eight Banners, ten thousand Geng Fan vassal soldiers, plus artillery, baggage and other soldiers, it is also a mighty force of nearly 20,000 horses.
After this effort to draw troops south, the number of Eight Banners garrisoned in Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places was greatly reduced, and they no longer had the ability to attack. If it were not for the strong momentum of the joint attack by the Zheng family and the Ming Navy, Geng Fan would have to defend Fuzhou
If enough troops are left, the Qing army's southward attack will be stronger this time.
One battle will determine victory or defeat, and one battle will reverse the situation. From the Qing court to the leading Qing generals, they all come with this belief. If it fails, the Eight Banners troops stationed in various places will be weak and the green camp troops will not be able to fight, and it will be difficult to fight again.
Resist the Ming army and take advantage of the victory to advance.
He was fierce, but he also fought with all his strength. In the south of the Yangtze River, the Eight Banners generals stationed there were not many and scattered. They mainly played a role of supervision and deterrence. In history, every emerging dynasty had military
A process from prosperity to decline. The Qing Dynasty was no exception. Moreover, the process from prosperity to decline of the direct line army that the Qing rulers regarded as competing for and consolidating the world happened particularly quickly.
With a fierce appearance but a weak heart, few people may have noticed that the invincible scene of the Eight Banners of Manchuria that swept the world would never appear again like a flash in the pan four years after Shunzhi. Attacking the south of the Yangtze River and unifying the whole country was just the Qing court's strategy of using the Han Dynasty to control the Han Dynasty.
Success, and the reason why Nan Mingtai failed to live up to expectations.
Zhu Yongxing is probably the most sober person in understanding this, but he also knows that the impression that the Eight Banners are fierce and invincible in cavalry and archery is deeply rooted in people's hearts. It must be broken through a hearty victory. Therefore, he is extremely cautious about this battle.
Pay attention. Victory on the battlefield is of course important, but it is even more important for the Ming army to gain a psychological advantage from now on.
In a sense, Jin King Li Dingguo's battle at Hengyang did break the myth of the Eight Banners' invincibility. But so long has passed, and the decline of the Southern Ming Dynasty after that, as well as the losses of the soldiers who participated in that battle, have not been achieved so far.
Generally speaking, the influence has weakened a lot. Although after leaving Burma and entering Yunnan, under the leadership of Zhu Yongxing, the Ming army achieved a lot of achievements. However, there were not many battles against the Eight Banners soldiers. The small victories were also watery and not sensational.
Effect.
Especially after the Ming army changed its equipment on a large scale, this battle was also a test to see whether the muskets and bayonets could withstand the Eight Banners' cavalry fire attack in the field. Of course, the number and power of the various artillery pieces of the Ming army also needed to be increased.
There were many super-Qing troops. It can be said that the Qing troops were all elite, and the Ming army was also the main force to fight, and they were quite well prepared in terms of personnel, materials, equipment, etc.
As for tactics, after repeated discussions and studies, Ma Bao and others finally chose a safer approach. That is not to rush into large-scale field battles first, but to use defense to demoralize the enemy and consume their effective strength, and then
After the enemy has suffered a certain amount of losses, wait for the opportunity to use field battles to win the final victory.
The Ming army was still cautious when dealing with the most powerful cavalry in field battles, but when it came to position defense, it was full of confidence. The battle of Tengchong, the battle of Yuanjiang, and the battle of Guangxi, the Ming army can be said to have started from
In position defense, it is possible to achieve victory step by step. Breast walls, trenches, muskets, bayonets, artillery, grenades, from fortification construction to weapons equipment, the Ming army can be said to have rich experience and complete means.
In fact, the goal of Ma Bao and others was achieved. During the two days of fighting, the Qing army took turns to attack and bombard the Ming army with artillery, but they still could not break through the Ming army's defensive position. Relying on the advantages of position defense, the Ming army killed and wounded the Qing army.
There were more than 3,000 people, but the losses were only 700-800.
By consuming its effective strength and frustrating its fierce arrogance, the Ming army achieved its goal. At the same time, it also gave the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia the illusion that the Ming army was afraid of field battles and had to defend passively. The emergence of such an illusion would have a negative impact on the Ming army in the future.
It is very beneficial to win the field battle.
Field battles are not brutal battles. The ultimate goal is to win, so it is natural to pay attention to tactics and tactics. If the enemy is aggressive, defeat it first; if the enemy has many troops, consume them. Choose a favorable time, a favorable battlefield, and favorable conditions before proceeding.
Defeat them in field battles. This was the strategy and tactics suggested by Zhu Yongxing. Ma Bao and others implemented them faithfully. The specific details will test the planning and command skills of Ma Bao and others on the front line.
Facing the strong defense of the Ming army, the Qing generals felt that the temptation was over and finally had to change their tactics to break the deadlock.
"The troops were divided and detoured, and the cavalry attacked in detours. The enemy's defense was defeated without attacking, and the morale of the troops was greatly confused, and they were defeated immediately." Jingnan General Mulima was not extremely upset about the failure of the two-day attack. Anyway, there were many casualties.
They were all Geng Fan soldiers and generals. To put it bluntly, they were all Han troops. The Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia were unscathed. At this time, he looked aggressively and confidently put forward his own strategy.
"The enemy's defense is indeed very tight and their firepower is very strong. It is obvious that the main force is here." Pingnan General Tuhai and Mulima had a tacit understanding for a long time and said in response: "Avoiding the real and attacking the weak is exactly what the commander-in-chief has done.