In the minds of ordinary people, the charge of cavalry like thousands of galloping horses should be the most powerful means of attack, especially against infantry, and it is the trump card for victory.
In fact, this identification is not comprehensive. For example, the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, known as unparalleled cavalry and archery, rarely used cavalry to attack the opponent's strict infantry array. And the tactics they used most often were the weakest point of the Ming army in the past.
, which is melee combat.
During the battle with the Ming army, the Eight Banners either used cavalry to feint to invite the battle, luring the Ming army's musketeers to fire, and took advantage of the opportunity to reload to attack fiercely;
Rush to expand your victory.
Therefore, the conditions usually required for cavalry to attack the enemy's formation are that the enemy's formation is chaotic and dilapidated. Otherwise, relatively simple anti-horse rifles, chariot formations, etc. can also pose a threat to the cavalry. Or, when the enemy is defeated, the cavalry is thrown in, leaving the fleeing infantry at all.
Unable to resist, nor willing to resist.
This is the reason why Zu Zepu, the governor of Shandong, has not sent in cavalry for a long time. He could not see the signs of chaos and dilapidation in the Ming army's formation, and could not see the ideal direction for a breakthrough. In this case, it would not be better to invest cavalry.
A normal tactic, but a desperate risk.
Of course, if it succeeds, it is possible to defeat the Ming army's phalanx and drive the defeated troops into other formations, causing a chain reaction like an avalanche; but if it fails, it will suffer heavy losses, the morale of the army will be severely damaged, and there will be no comeback victory.
opportunity.
The Ming army was also well aware of the hidden danger of the enemy's cavalry not moving. The square formation maintained a strict state and advanced slowly, not giving the enemy any opportunity to take advantage of it. Although the casualties were disproportionate, they were inevitable, especially in the prominent center.
The square formation. In order to make up for the gap, the square formation is advancing and slowly shrinking. This gradually widens the gap with the two square formations on the left and right.
The cavalry must be dispatched! Zu Zepu narrowed his eyes. The infantry was retreating step by step. Signs of collapse had appeared. If a chain reaction was caused, the consequences would be disastrous. The prominent phalanx of the Ming army seemed to have exposed the weaknesses of the flanks.
Perhaps there was only this chance. Zu Zepu decided to send out his cavalry to give it a try, taking advantage of the fact that the two wing phalanxes of the Ming army had not yet leveled with the central phalanx, and that the central phalanx of the Ming army had also suffered a lot of damage...
For a flank assault, Zu Zepu ordered the cavalry to dispatch, avoiding the front where the firepower seemed to be the most intense, and attack diagonally on the left side of the Ming army's protruding phalanx. At the same time, he ordered the infantry to press forward from behind, stabilizing the position while preparing to attack in the Ming Dynasty.
When the military formation is shaken and chaotic, they will attack from a flank.
Smoke filled the air. The view on the battlefield was not clear, but the shaking of the earth and the rapid thunderous sound of hooves announced in advance that the decisive battle was coming.
Du Biao, Fu Biao, as well as the Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners who came with reinforcements, thousands of cavalry rushed out from behind the formation and inserted themselves diagonally towards the Ming army's formation.
Countless horse heads surged to the left and right of Azil, the rider's pigtails swung left and right in the air behind his head, and the screams around him were deafening. Several artillery blasts, and the screams of iron bullets tearing through the air joined the sound of hoofbeats.
The roar of the horse. The miserable neigh of the horse being shot rang out from the left and right, and it was quickly left behind in a moment. In the midst of thousands of troops galloping, Azil felt that nothing could stop his cavalry.
The riders controlled their horses skillfully and took out bows, javelins and other weapons one after another. Their formation was not dense, but more overwhelming. The square formation stood firmly in front of them, but Azil had no doubt that they would
Defeated by the cavalry. In his impression, he had seen countless Ming army infantry formations collapse in advance and be defeated in the earth-shattering charge of the cavalry, and then be trampled to death by the cavalry like running ducks.
The cavalry's charge was earth-shattering, and they were quickly approaching the Ming army's formation. The things placed in front of the square could already be seen clearly. Azil recognized on the shaking horse that it was the Ming army's artillery carriage, which was turning and charging towards him.
The cavalry. The Ming soldiers behind the artillery carriage were raising their bayonets. One row squatted and the other stood, forming a row of gleaming sword formations. At this time, the blood in his head made Azizai fearless. He did not
I feel that the bayonet is more capable of blocking the advance of the cavalry than the horse rifle.
Just as a feeling of pride arose, a dazzling fire suddenly erupted from the Ming army's chariot. White smoke rose instantly. Countless lead bullets were fired at the cavalry group. The screams of the horses and riders were heard together. Franji's
The shotgun fire was so violent that Azil felt that his vision ahead was blurred.
The ferocious cavalry wave was in chaos, and the horses hit by lead bullets rolled and fell on the ground. The riders behind them slowed down to avoid them, and those who couldn't avoid them also crashed into the injured horses. The offensive in the middle was stalled, and those in front were
The riders who were not hit continued to move forward, and the formation became somewhat fragmented.
Azil struggled to identify the road ahead in the white smoke while adjusting his horse's head. The power of the impact was still there, but his heated head also calmed down a lot. Because he did not see the panic of the Ming soldiers,
I didn't see the chaos and crowding of the Ming army's formation.
There were still a lot of cavalry running around, and the artillery fire in the Ming army's formation began to turn towards bombardment. Azil slowed down and hid behind them. After running for a moment, his eyes suddenly became clear. He had run away from the explosion of the artillery shells.
Smoke was created and appeared on the left wing of the hollow phalanx. The front row of the Ming army squatted half-crouched, while the rear row stood with bayonets extended.
The cavalrymen who were the first to rush out of the smoke screamed strangely again, controlling their horses to run along the right wing of the hollow phalanx. The riding bows in their hands fired a barrage of arrows at the Ming army. Azil saw a Ming army musketeer being shot.
hit, but the Ming army did not shoot.
A swan sound sounded, and the hollow phalanx fired a volley of firecrackers at the Qing cavalry. During this period, there were also bombardments from cannons and cannonballs from Franchise machines.
Azil felt a wave of air suddenly rise up beside him, and the loud noise made him unable to hear all the sounds for an instant. After stabilizing his horse, Azil found that his mount was still running, and the blow suffered by the forward did not stop him.
Thousands of cavalry surged across the battlefield like a tide.
Muskets were firing continuously, bows and arrows were flying in the air, both sides were desperately attacking their opponents, and more and more corpses of men and horses were piled up inside and outside the phalanx.
A round of screaming sounded in the air, dense artillery shells fell to the ground, rolled, and then exploded. Among the Qing army's cavalry, clouds of black smoke rose, people shouted and horses neighed. This was the artillery fire from the left wing phalanx starting to support
, the Tianwei artillery bombardment was hitting the middle part of the Qing cavalry. At the same time, the left wing phalanx accelerated forward, forming a flank attack on the Qing cavalry.
Have you been fooled? Have you fallen into the enemy's trap? Zu Zepu's face was ashen. He was not sure and could not order to stop the attack. Because once the cavalry lost speed, it would become the target of the muskets. And the chance of defeating the Ming army had not yet been completely destroyed.
As long as the central phalanx is defeated before the left wing phalanx of the Ming army comes forward, the situation may be reversed.
The battle became more intense. The Qing cavalry who heard the sound of war drums slammed into the Ming army's phalanx regardless of the casualties and obstacles caused by the artillery fire. The sound of artillery, gunfire, shouts of death, and the neighing of horses were mixed together, and flesh and blood were mixed.
Flying horizontally, guns and knives flying.
However, under the Ming army's artillery fire, the speed and density of the Qing army's cavalry had been greatly reduced, but the Ming army's casualties also surged.
When one soldier fell, another soldier immediately stepped in, raised his bayonet, fought with the enemy, and blocked the cavalry charge. The muskets behind fired, retreated, reloaded, stepped forward, and fired...
The muscles on Zu Zepu's face twitched twice. Although the cavalry's attack caused heavy casualties, the Ming army's front seemed to be wavering. Both sides exchanged people for people and lives for lives. The fight was extremely fierce.
The Ming army's artillery fire continued to bombard the central phalanx and the left phalanx, killing and injuring the Qing cavalry and destroying the continuity of the cavalry's impact. The ownerless horses were jumping and screaming, and the Qing troops who fell off their horses fell.
He raised his weapon and charged towards the Ming army with a roar.
The left-wing front of the central phalanx was squeezed and twisted, but soldiers transferred from the rear and right joined the battle group and tried their best to maintain the deformed front. On the front, soldiers from both sides fought and shot, and then——
The grenades with green smoke passed over the heads of the Ming army soldiers fighting in the front row and landed on the crowd more than ten meters away. Explosions occurred one after another. Before the sound dissipated, there was another round of projectile bombardment...
Since the grenades are filled with black powder, they are larger to ensure the power, and the projection distance is short, only more than 20 meters. Therefore, the grenades are not a must-have weapon for the Ming army soldiers. They are only equipped with the army and must be trained by
The commander decides when to use it.
Obviously, this situation made the Ming army commander think it was necessary. Groups of soldiers reinforcing the left wing picked up grenade bags from the baggage trucks, rushed over, and threw them one by one, with a dense rain of bombs.
Hitting the enemy.
This kind of intensive and continuous bombing showed a very good effect. The Qing army that was charging was blocked, and those who were fighting with the Ming army were stabbed and shot to death by the superior Ming army. Time is precious, and only a few dozen
A second's pause was enough for the Ming army to reorganize their front lines and restart the firing of muskets.
The pressing distance of the left wing phalanx has given the formation's sky-blasting cannon enough range, and the artillery fire has become more intensive and fierce. The bodies of the men and horses are lying on the ground, and the smoke fills the surrounding area, which seriously hinders the impact power of the Qing cavalry.
What is pressing forward is not just a left wing phalanx, but also the right wing and rear guard. Rows of soldiers in the rear guard phalanx run quickly after receiving the order. There is no need to keep the front line neat. They will soon enter the central phalanx.
Become a reinforcing force.
When the Fran cannon pushed in front of the left wing square began to roar, a rain of lead bullets swept across the Qing army in front of them. The entire back of the Qing army's cavalry assault formation was bombarded by artillery fire. The battle situation had become impossible.
reverse.
It's over, it's over! Zu Zepu closed his eyes in pain. This was not just a defeat. Jinan behind him would be difficult to defend, the canal would be cut off, and the passage to Zhili would also be opened. (To be continued, please contact us.)
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