The camp of the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army was once again filled with people. This time, it was the real Jian Province soldiers.
The fifth son of Nurhachi, the third of the Great Jin's Four Great Bayrets, the Flag Master of the Blue Banner, Aisin Gioro Mangurtai, sat in his tent, breathing heavily with a gloomy expression. Torches were lit in the tent, and dozens of generals were lined up on both sides, not daring to breathe too loudly. Outside the tent, miserable screams of whips could be heard, heart-wrenching.
Mangurtai stared at a crudely drawn map behind the table, frowning. Beside him was the defeated Engde, who was scolding Gao Hongzhong, who was kneeling on the ground. "It's this trash, he couldn't even hold on for one night. Fifty thousand men were lost because of him. If he wasn't so useless, I wouldn't have suffered such a great loss today.
Those Han soldiers didn't have many men, and if they had been focused on defending, they would have been able to hold on until my army arrived. As long as they could hold on for half a day, half a day would have been enough. But he actually abandoned the tens of thousands of men and fled. Our Great Jin spent so much money on these men, just a dozen heavy cannons cost tens of thousands of taels, and now it's all gone to waste. "
Gao Hongzhong knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. His arms seemed to be unable to support himself, bending and going limp from time to time. He didn't dare to argue, and could only beg for mercy. "Third Bayrets, please show mercy and spare me. I really tried my best, but that 'revolutionary army' was too strong, and our 'Heaven's Blessing' Army couldn't stop them at all.
Everyone saw the battle before the sky turned dark. That Zhou bastard's cavalry was too fierce, daring to charge into our formation of six thousand with only two thousand men, killing countless people and then leaving. But now that Master Bayrets are here, the Zhou bastards have retreated back into the pass, so we don't have to be afraid anymore. "
Although Zhou Qingfeng's National Defense Army didn't have many men, whether it was the structure or the weapons, they were a modern army, and their fighting strength was off the charts. A mere brigade could mobilize a dozen heavy cannons, and the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army was no match for them.
Gao Hongzhong knelt on the ground and cried, tears streaming down his face. He had been busy since yesterday and hadn't slept a wink. Not only was his body tired, but his heart was also tired. However, he still forced himself to kowtow to his master. But no matter how he expressed his loyalty, Mangurtai never said a word. When he mentioned the defeat before dark, the expressions of the Nuzhen generals became even more unsightly.
Outside the tent, the screams gradually turned from high-pitched to weak, and finally died down completely. A few Nuzhen soldiers in white armor opened the curtain and walked in with blood-stained whips in their hands. They reported, "Master Beiler, those slaves who disobeyed orders and ran around without permission have all been whipped to death."
Hearing this, Gao Hong felt as if his heart was being stabbed by a knife, and he almost fainted.
Before dark, Gao Hongzhong rushed to Shanhai Pass with three thousand cavalry vanguards, intending to be the last straw that broke the camel's back when the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army and the 'Revolutionary Army' were entangled. But who would have thought that Gao Hongzhong's' Heaven's Blessing 'Army' was not well organized at all, and with an advantage of fifty thousand men, they were actually beaten by a mere brigade of five thousand men.
When Ngodric arrived in a hurry, he was unexpectedly beaten head-on by the National Defense Army's cavalry brigade, which was waiting for the exhausted soldiers. A good show of the weak defeating the strong was played out, and Mangus' thousand men were completely scattered, suffering heavy losses. When Mangurtai arrived with the main force, the Han cavalry had already swaggered back to Shanhai Pass, and the losses were minimal.
After the count, more than four hundred of Mangus' men died on the spot, and more than three hundred were seriously injured. Most of the injured couldn't be saved, and could only wait for death. Those who could be saved were useless, unable to fight or do work, and were just burdens. Even Mangus, Nurhachi's in-law and Hwang Tae-gil's father-in-law, lost a hand and lost a lot of blood, and no one knew if he could still live.
Encountering such a big defeat was equivalent to slapping the face of the powerful Jin Kingdom. Ngodric, as Nurhachi's son-in-law, dared not take the responsibility, so naturally, he had to find a scapegoat. There was no need to think too much, it was the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army's slaves.
Mangurtai was full of expectations for a big victory, but he didn't expect to see such a gloomy face. Han Shi's cavalry brigade drove the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army to attack Ngodric's cavalry. Mangurtai caught hold of this matter, and in one breath, he caught many officers of the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army and executed them. Now, among those who were whipped to death was Gao Hongzhong's son, so it would be strange if he didn't feel sad.
Disposing of Gao Hongzhong's slaves was just a matter of convenience, and now Mangurtai was in a dilemma. He brought 30,000 elite soldiers to attack, and originally thought that the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army would have 80,000 soldiers. With such an army, why couldn't they attack Shanhai Pass? But now, they were in trouble, and the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army was finished. Should Mangurtai's 30,000 soldiers go or stay?
Logically speaking, Mangurtai should take advantage of the fact that his losses weren't too big, and immediately turn around and run. If the 'Heaven's Blessing' Army's slaves died, then so be it, he could just go back and recruit more. But early in the morning, he sent the news to Shenyang, and Nurhachi was also tricked by Gao Hongzhong, and ordered to attack the other three routes. Once this army was mobilized, it wouldn't be easy to withdraw.
That brat Zhou Qingfeng was getting more and more difficult to deal with. He was originally very good at infantry, but this time, he actually brought out more than 2,000 elite cavalrymen. What would he bring out next time?
Mangurtai didn't dare to think about it!
Moreover, the Jin Kingdom couldn't afford to wait any longer. If they couldn't kill their way into the Han territory in the first half of this year, the Female Daoist who had already displayed her full potential would collapse. Grain, tea leaves, cloth, salt, everything would be used up. The Female Daoist tribes had gathered under Nurhachi because of benefits, and the entire group would also fall apart because of benefits.
"Master, we've brought the horses of the Han people over." One of the guards opened the curtain and reported.
"Bring it in, let everyone take a look." Mangurtai shouted.
More than a dozen servants hurriedly carried a dead horse into the military tent and placed it on the ground. Inside the tent, a group of Nuzhen Belle and Beizi Zizi exclaimed in amazement. The horse on the ground was taller and stronger than any horse they had ever seen before.
"It's this kind of horse, the Zhou bastard's cavalrymen all ride this kind of big horse. Our 'Heaven's Blessing' Army's formation was scattered in a single breath, and we couldn't even defend against it. " Gao Hongzhong pointed at the dead horse and shouted, "Master, it's not that this servant didn't put in enough effort, but we really couldn't win."
"Shut up." Mangurtai waved his hand and knocked Gao Hongzhong unconscious with a burst of energy. He stood up and walked to the dead horse, frowning as he personally touched the muscles and bones of the horse.
Han Shi's cavalrymen had defeated the enemy's thousand-man cavalrymen in a single breath, but they had also suffered some losses. This dead horse was left behind by the cavalrymen who died in battle, and Mangurtai and the other Female Daoists felt as if they had found a treasure.
"Those Han cavalrymen all ride this kind of big horse?" Mangurtai was also shocked after inspecting the horse. He turned to Ende and asked, "This kind of big horse is rare in the world, it should be a warhorse that only a small number of generals are worthy of, right?"
"No." Ende shook his head bitterly. "Those Han cavalrymen all ride this kind of big horse. These horses can run very fast, we can't catch up to them. They can also wear horse armor, and with the support of the military formation, ordinary people can't even cut through their armor. When the Mangus' thousand-man cavalrymen encountered those Han cavalrymen, they were defeated in the blink of an eye. It's like adults bullying children. "
As he spoke, the servant below also held up a large-caliber shotgun. This was picked up from the bodies of the dead Han cavalrymen. Ende sighed and said, "The craftsmen of the 'revolutionary army' are quite ingenious, to be able to make this kind of gun. When we first got it, we didn't know how to use it, and only after fiddling with it for a long time did we understand how to use it. "
Ende ordered a servant to load the shotgun. Although he was just making a blind guess, anyone with a discerning eye could see the advantages of this gun. After loading, the servant tested the shotgun outside the military tent. The dozens of Female Daoists were amazed by the effectiveness of this large-caliber shotgun. Only now did they know that there was actually such a lethal weapon in this world. Even the tough generals who had tempered their muscles and bones for many years couldn't withstand it.
Gao Hongzhong seemed to have been awakened by the gunshots, and he also came over and said, "Master Baylor, those Zhou bastards all use this kind of powerful gun, and they shoot quickly and accurately. When our 'Heaven's Blessing' army fires one shot, they have already fired ten. We really can't beat them. "
"Shut up." Mangurtai scolded again. He was very angry with Gao Hongzhong. He was very envious of this flintlock gun, so he quickly ordered, "Quickly send this gun back to Shenyang, and order the craftsmen to make it. Also let our cavalrymen have this kind of good weapon. This Han weapon is very useful, we can just use it to make our own copy. "
Ende only knew that this flintlock gun was very useful, but he didn't know how difficult it was to make it. He also felt that as long as he had this sample, it shouldn't be difficult to make the same weapon. Therefore, he ordered his men to install the gun, and chose a servant who knew how to use it to quickly send it back to Shenyang, so that Nurhachi would also be happy.
These good horses, good guns, and good portable artillery, when put together, showed that the Han army under Zhou Qingfeng's command was completely different from the Ming Army. The Ming Army's treatment was poor, their morale was low, and they only knew how to defend the city. Daming's officials only needed to defend the city, and they would win, no matter how many casualties they suffered. But this' revolutionary army 'dared to fight in the field, and they were not afraid of the Female Daoist at all.
"The current situation is not good, what does Third Bailey think?" Ende asked in a low voice.
"What else can I think? Let's fight! " Mangurtai looked up at the dark night sky outside the military tent, and looked in the direction of Shanhai Pass. "Now we have no way to retreat, we can only attack to the end. We will stay here and order the rear to send more soldiers to protect the supply route. Then we will send those heavy cannons made by the Taisi people to bombard Shanhai Pass. "
"But the 'Revolutionary Army' has more cannons than us, and they also have heavy cannons on the city walls." Ende had interrogated many of the cannon fodders of the 'God's Bless Army', so he knew more about the situation. "The 'Revolutionary Army' also has ships to transport troops, they can go around to our rear. I'm worried that they will use this trick again. "
What a headache.
Manggu Ertai scratched his bald scalp and said in a vexed tone, "If only I had given the order to go south last night. I was just half a step slower, but now I'm in such a mess. "
"You can't blame Third Bailey for this, who would have thought that the 'God's Bless Army' is so useless?" Ende advised, "The only thing we can do now is to ask for help from the Great Khan and attack with all our strength. Since we have to fight with our lives on the line, then let's fight to the end, otherwise we won't be able to survive. But the terrain of Shanhai Pass is really not good for our Nuzhen army, maybe we should change to attacking Hai Prefecture and Gai Prefecture. "
"That's Old Eighth's territory, I can't intervene." Mangurtai thought for a while. "I'll report to Father and let him decide. I heard that the 'Revolutionary Army' has made Liao Nan extremely prosperous, it's better if we can open up Hai Prefecture and Gai Prefecture and rush in. It's better than being trapped in front of Shanhai Pass.
As for this Shanhai Pass, if Zhou Qingfeng dares to come out and fight, I will fight with him. If he cuts off our retreat route by sea, then he will also send troops from Jinzhou. Furthermore, Father won't just sit and watch my 30,000 troops get trapped. Yesterday, he sent a message to me via flying crane to let me go all out. If Zhou Qingfeng wants to go around my retreat route, it's hard to say who will attack who at that time. "
"Who's in charge of Jinzhou?"
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