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Chapter 893 Queuing up to be shot
"Ahhh... Ahhhh..." It was the first time that Gulandam flew to a height of dozens of meters. He was really scared at first. He held the rope of the hanging basket tightly with his hands and closed his eyes tightly, as if he was going to bungee jumping.

But as time went by, she gradually opened her eyes a little, and then opened them a little wider. She had already adapted to the balloon before it was even launched, and not only was she not afraid, she also gestured to Hong Tao, wanting to go higher, and she didn't even bother to cover up the veil that was blown open by the wind.

"Come, take it and watch carefully how the Sun and Moon Khan defeated them. Raise the flag and blow the attack horn!" Looking at the little girl jumping around happily, Hong Tao handed over his telescope and turned to issue orders to the lookout.

This time there will be no more defensive counterattacks. The army led by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty must win in a fair, face-to-face confrontation.

This arrangement was definitely not made to show the man's strength in front of Gulandam, but to let the Eight Banners Army, which had always been dissatisfied, see that the Ming Army was not only capable of digging trenches to ambush enemies, but could also be unstoppable if it deployed its forces and pushed forward.

At the same time, it was also necessary to leave a deep impression on the officers and tribal leaders of the Yarkand Khanate, so that every time they thought of or mentioned the Ming army, they would tremble in their hearts and restrain their small thoughts as much as possible.

"Tick-tick... tick-tick..." As the lookout waved the small flag, bursts of sharp trumpet sounds resounded through the sky. The army soldiers wearing toad skins immediately moved, trotting and forming rows of horizontal lines under the command of the sergeants, captains, and centurions.

Every four hundred households formed a four-layer horizontal square formation, with four square formations arranged horizontally more than ten meters apart. This formed a long horizontal formation with four hundred people in each row and a span of more than a mile. There were four rows in depth, with a distance of about five meters between each row, which was a bit thin compared to the span.

But it doesn't matter, there is a second row a hundred meters behind this row, with the same layout, the same span, the same depth, and the same number of people. If you look down from the sky, it is a standard two-character formation.

The Yarkand Khanate did not take the opportunity to launch a quick attack. They probably didn't know what the Ming army was doing, and they had never seen anyone arrange the central army in this state in a head-on confrontation.

It was too fragile. One charge could penetrate it, and then it would all fall apart, leaving no chance to fight back. If something was abnormal, it must be a demon. You must see clearly before you act, and don't act rashly.

Without much explanation, the audience can understand that the horizontal row is the formation where the musketeers can exert the greatest lethality. However, since the establishment of the army, this formation has rarely appeared in any of the battles it has participated in, big or small.

Why? Two words: terrain; three words: no need; four words: adapt to local conditions.

The army had rarely encountered such flat terrain in any of the battles it had participated in. Only the vast Liaohe Plain when it went north to attack the White City of Kong Kong could be compared to it.

But at that time, there was Shaolang City to rely on, and he could stand behind the city wall and aim and shoot steadily. Why did he have to go to the prairie to fight the enemy? No matter how powerful the formation was, it was not as safe as a thick city wall. Hong Tao felt it was a crime to kill one more soldier just to show off.

Now the opportunity has come. We encountered a battle during the march. There is no city to rely on, and it is too late to build temporary fortifications. Although the Gobi Desert is full of sand and dust when the wind blows, it is quite difficult to dig half a meter deep.

At this time, waiting for the enemy to attack and actively launching an attack are almost the same in terms of difficulty and results. Since they are the same, Hong Tao has to find some extra gains from it, such as deterrence!

Pretending is not a good habit, but never pretending is not a good habit either. You must pretend when it is time, and you must pretend well, pretending better than anyone else. If you can pretend anytime and anywhere, you will almost reach the ceiling of pretending. "Chief of Staff Ding, there must be a deep meaning behind the Sun and Moon Khan's formation. How should we act?" In addition to confusing the enemy, Huang Taiji, who led the Eight Banners Army to cover the two wings, also did not understand. Fortunately, he had Ding Shun by his side to ask at any time.

"You don't have to do anything, just watch quietly."

Ding Shun's answer was as calm as water, but there was something thoughtful in his eyes. Although this formation is rarely used in actual combat, it is the basis of army training, and its advantages and disadvantages must be clearly understood.

Generally speaking, when facing the enemy head-on, the formation should only have one horizontal line, except for a small number of reserves. Depending on the number of enemies and their types, the depth can vary from two to four rows.

But today the emperor arranged two lines, not for safety, but for another purpose. The line behind seemed to be protecting the line in front, but in fact it was protecting the left and right wings, that is, guarding against the Eight Banners Army.

If the Eight Banners Army suddenly turned against them at this time, the horizontal column at the back could quickly turn into two vertical columns on the left and right, and then the reserve troops would move forward, either reinforcing the two wings to form a gate shape, or blocking the back to form a mouth shape.

As long as the soldiers were well trained in shooting, had sufficient ammunition, and had good visibility, and there was no rain, enemies within ten times their number would not be able to break through the formation. Moreover, there were dozens of field guns placed in the middle of the gate or the mouth shape.

That thing is simply the natural enemy of cavalry. No matter how good their riding skills are, how strong their armor is, or how fast their horses are, they are all fragile in front of the shells. Solid bullets hit them in a bunch, and shrapnel shells explode in a large area. The denser the formation, the greater the damage. If the formation is loose, the infantry will target them one by one.

"Can the army resist the charge of cavalry without digging trenches?"

As a defeated general of the army, Huang Taiji still had some say. In the two or three battles he personally led against the army, the most troublesome thing was the trenches.

The army soldiers huddled in the trenches, out of reach of arrows and swords, but they did not stop shooting. Even if the cavalry broke through the trenches regardless of losses, they could not reach the enemy unless they dismounted. If they dared to dismount, they would be shot by the army soldiers with pistols.

Without the support of the trenches, Huang Taiji believed that the Eight Banners Cavalry would still have a chance. As long as they could get close to the horizontal column, the army soldiers had neither strong armor nor shields to protect them, and they would most likely collapse in the face of the horses' collisions and the knights' hacking.

The horizontal column behind seemed to be able to play a protective role, but in fact it had no effect. The fleeing soldiers were difficult to control and would become the enemy's vanguard to break up the horizontal column. The remaining cavalry was in a duel with cavalry. In terms of numbers, the Eight Banners Army was completely at a disadvantage. Even if they could win, they would have to pay a huge price.

"Not only can it defend, it is also the most powerful formation for attack. If the Eight Banners Army had a better grasp of the timing of its attack, no more than 30% of the people on the other side would have survived, and no more than 10% would have escaped. Your decision back then saved the lives of many people in your clan. It was very wise!"

Ding Shun's tone was full of confidence and he answered very affirmatively. He put down the telescope and handed it to Huang Taiji, and mentioned a past event meaningfully.

(End of this chapter)