After the Qing army continued to set off, it took more than an hour to meet the second blocking force of the Shang army.
However, after the first experience, the Qing army reacted quickly. The vanguard immediately retreated, and the main force in the middle lane fought hard again. Both sides used muskets to shoot, and another fierce gunfight. After almost an hour, the merchant army retreated again. This time, the Qing army suffered nearly 200 casualties. After two blocking delays, it was too late, and Zhenzhu Mala also ordered camping and resting. The Qing army's journey was no more than twenty miles on this day.
In the following three days, the Qing army encountered two or three blockings from the Merchant Army every day, but the force of each blocking was about 1,500 people, and the time did not exceed an hour. Although the Qing army continuously broke through the Merchant Army's blocking defense line, because marched in the hilly areas, almost every place could become a blocking place, so the Merchant Army could continue to organize new defense lines. Moreover, the soldiers and wounded soldiers of the Qing army had reduced nearly two thousand people, and the ammunition carried by the Qing army was consumed by nearly half.
Although the distance to advance every day is not large, the Qing army has advanced nearly 80 miles forward, less than 30 miles away from Macheng County. Moreover, as they penetrated into the areas controlled by the Merchant Army, several villages have been discovered along the way, most of the villagers have evacuated, and a large number of earth fields that have planted seedlings. From the few people who stayed in the village, they learned that the Merchant Army had mobilized them to evacuate four or five days ago.
Moreover, through the battle situation in the past few days, it is correct to judge that the merchant army has not had much force. Because the merchant army can only dispatch about 1,500 people per blockade, which can only delay its advancement to Macheng, and cannot completely block its own advancement. As long as it continues to move forward, it will force the merchant army to concentrate its forces and fight with itself.
Of course, it is not ruled out that the merchant army wants to slowly consume their troops, physical strength and morale. Since the Qing army only advances about twenty miles a day, the physical strength is not consumed much; and it has continuously broken the defense line of the merchant army, and its morale is still maintained well. Before sending troops, there is no fear of the merchant army. And its own losses are not yet at the level of being damaged, so overall, the Qing army is in a pretty good condition. Zhenzhu Mala also feels that he has the strength to fight the merchant army to decisively.
It was not dark all day, and the Qing army was stationed in an abandoned village early on, and Zhenzhu Mala also recruited Qing army generals to arrange the next tactics. Because it was less than 30 miles away from Macheng County, the merchant army might strengthen the blocking force tomorrow, or not block at all, and retreat directly to Macheng County to defend. No matter what choice the merchant army made, they must strive to fight to kill Macheng County. If the main force of the merchant army is stationed in Macheng, then they will divide their troops to capture Huang'an and Luotian counties, and then concentrate their forces to attack Macheng. If the merchant army is stationed in subdivided troops, then they will first capture Macheng and then attack the other two counties.
After resting for a night, the Qing army's physical strength was restored, so when they set off, they were all full of energy, which made Zhenzhu Mala feel very satisfied.
The army still garrisoned a V-shaped formation and advanced forward, but for a few months, it did not encounter any obstacles from the merchant army. This also made Zhenzhu Mala firmly believe that the merchant army must have retreated to Macheng County to defend.
Because there was no blockade, the Qing army was moving much faster. In just one afternoon, it took nearly twenty miles to reach the intersection of the Qianhe River and Jushui River. Zhenzhu Mala estimated that if he continued like this, he would not have to wait until late to kill Macheng County.
But at this moment, gunfire sounded in front of the Qing army's vanguard, and the merchant army finally appeared. However, after these days of fighting and encountering the merchant army, the front of the Qing army was not panicked, and immediately stopped moving forward and began to retreat. Everything was carried out according to the combat mode of the previous few days.
However, this time an unexpected incident happened. The merchant army did not defend and block the attack on the left and right wings of the Qing army, but held up a rifle and launched a fierce attack on the left and right wings of the Qing army. It was a complete plan to fight in close combat. Because it had now entered the decisive battle scheduled by Li Dingguo, all the soldiers of the 14th Regiment launched an attack directly in front of the Qing army.
In fact, in the past, the Qing army had always been unsuccessful in the battlefield, but this time it was different because the left and right wings of the Qing army did not have such ideological preparations at all. Because according to the combat experience of the previous few days, the Shang army should have blocked on the spot, so that the left and right wings of the Qing army could retreat calmly, and the middle army would soon be brought up to attack the defensive front of the Shang army. The Qing army had always prepared for the war according to this idea, but the Shang army suddenly changed its moves and immediately disrupted the Qing army's position.
Because the merchant army charged too quickly, it was impossible to allow the Qing army's left and right wings to retreat calmly. In a blink of an eye, it rushed to the front of the Qing army with only a dozen steps away, and it was dispersed into an offensive battle formation in units of companies. The soldiers in the front immediately raised their guns and fired, and the soldiers immediately threw out a row of grenades. The gunshots sounded almost at the same time. The Qing army's left and right wings were caught off guard, and the soldiers in the front immediately died and injured.
Then the various combat squads of the Merchant Army rushed into the Qing army's queue. The soldiers in the front row held bayonet rifles and fought with the Qing soldiers. The soldiers in the back row still shot or threw grenades to attack.
Although the Qing army's left and right wings had a total of 10,000 troops, they were all temporarily gang-ups, with little combat power and lacked the ability to respond to the battlefield. When they found that the current battle was not as they expected, they were also a little at a loss. As a result, they were hit by the merchant army with a stick and turned toward each other. Seeing that the situation was not good, they immediately turned around and ran back. This time, they did not retreat calmly and orderly like they did a few days ago, but were defeated in a comprehensive manner.
In fact, only a few minutes before the two sides contacted and started the war. The left and right wings of the Qing army were quickly defeated under the fierce offensive of the Merchant Army. The Qing army's central army was still the same as before. Zhenzhu Mala immediately ordered the position of the Merchant Army, and planned to calmly attack the Merchant Army's defense line like a few days ago.
As soon as the Qing army's central army set out, the defeated troops on the left and right wings in front had retreated. Because it was a complete defeat, many defeated soldiers appeared in front of the central army, and this was exactly the situation that the merchant army wanted to appear. Therefore, they followed the defeated soldiers and chased them. The soldiers of the Qing army's central army were also at a loss and didn't know what to do. They were all their companions in front of them, and it was impossible to kill them. But if they were to rush into their own array like this, they would have to chasing the array, and they would still follow the merchant army behind them?
Zhenzhu Mala couldn't help but be surprised. It was really not a waste of time. Why did the process of fighting well the past few days suddenly change? What should I do now? Should I order an attack or temporarily retreat?
However, the process of the battlefield did not allow Zhenzhu Mala to think repeatedly. Just when Zhenzhu Mala hesitated, the defeated army rushed into the Qing army's formation and immediately rushed into chaos. The merchant army then rushed in, fired, and threw grenades one by one. Amid the sound of gunfire, the front of the Qing army's middle army was beaten into chaos in a blink of an eye, and could not resist the fierce attack of the merchant army, and was killed and retreated repeatedly.
At this time, Zhenzhu Mala knew that she could not hesitate and immediately ordered the Qing army in the back of the middle road to launch an attack. Finally, Zhenzhu Mala ordered the second half of the Qing army's middle road army could still fight with a complete formation. Although some of their own people were accidentally injured, they finally stabilized their position.
The Qing army's musket soldiers had no room to calmly leave bullets and attack, and also held bayonets to fight. The merchant army could only use one regiment of troops to fight 20,000 troops. The two sides immediately met and fought fiercely.
However, the Qing army was a large number after all, and in hand-to-hand combat, the advantages of the Shangjia Army were greatly weakened. Moreover, after the central army of the Qing army stabilized its position, the soldiers who had previously defeated turned around and killed them one after another when the Shangjia Army's attack was frustrated. The Qing army was gradually turning around the situation.
Zhenzhu Mala also wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and she kept shouting in her heart, "So Xuan, So Xuan." Fortunately, she made a quick decision and made the right choice. Otherwise, this battle would be hard to say. Who knew that this time the merchant army would change its tactics and take the initiative to attack. It seems that fighting with the merchant army should not be taken lightly at all.
Now the Qing army has generally understood the military organization of the Merchant Army, so Zhenzhu Mala has also generally estimated that the military strength of this Merchant Army is the organization of a regiment, which is about 3,500 people, which is probably the main force of the Merchant Army. Judging from the current battlefield form, it is also developing towards a side that is beneficial to the Qing army, so Zhenzhu Mala finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, it finally resisted. If the main force of the Merchant Army is defeated here, then maybe today we can take over Macheng County.
Just as Zhenzhu Maren was just relaxing, gunfire suddenly sounded loudly from the left and right sides of the Qing army, and countless merchant soldiers rushed towards the Qing army from the mountains and forests.
Zhenzhu Mala felt a "buzzing" in her mind, and there was only one reaction in her heart: "It's over."