A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 361 Conspiracy

Chuzhou.

The broken city walls surrounded countless bricks and corpses, and the strong smell of blood permeated the entire battlefield.

Heavy artillery broke through the city, and then the army rushed in. The battle ended soon after.

Moreover, unlike the 36th Division, Qu Yuanju also had a cavalry division under his command, which made the battle smoother.

At this time, the military commander was riding on a horse, his legs gently holding the horse's belly, driving the horse under his crotch, and slowly entered the city cave that no longer had a gate.

There was a mess in front of him.

A cavalryman galloped towards him, stationed his horse not far in front of him, and said respectfully:

"Commander, Chuzhou City has been completely occupied. There are more than 16,000 defenders. Only more than 2,000 people have escaped. We have captured more than 5,000 people. The prefect and county magistrate have surrendered."

"However, the defender of this city was unwilling to surrender. Instead, he led his army to fight against us, and was killed by our army."

Qu Yuanju nodded:

"Let his body be buried alive."

In addition to Chuzhou and Hezhou, Taiping and Huizhou were also attacked by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang armies. Among them, Huizhou was attacked by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang First Division, while Taiping was attacked by another division under the Seventh Army.

Loyal ministers are always worthy of admiration.

The defense line he had worked so hard to build was torn open with several big holes.

For example, in the attack on Chuzhou this time, the defender led the army to resist tenaciously. After entering the street fighting stage, their advantage in firearms was greatly weakened. The opponent relied on complex buildings and terrain to attack. The casualties of the soldiers of the Seventh Army began to rise. The total casualties this time were approaching two thousand.

The armies were divided into many groups and launched simultaneous attacks on Hezhou, Chuzhou, Taiping and Huizhou, making them invincible.

"Soldiers are valuable and quick... You need to know that there is Yuan Chonghuan commanding a heavy army to the west. If this army is not annihilated, I will feel uneasy."

The Jiangsu and Zhejiang military governments transferred three No. 2 heavy artillery pieces from overseas, in conjunction with the one that had landed with the Seventh Army, for a total of four.

After the heavy artillery blasted through the city wall, they also could not hold out for long. The city fell on the spot, and the generals were either killed or captured.

This is exactly Yuan Chonghuan's plan, to use the persistence of each city to consume the opponent's strength and vigor. When the strength of the Seventh Army is sharply reduced and morale is frustrated, then it will be the time for a decisive battle.

Then he issued a military order:

However, he did not expect that there was such a thing as the No. 2 heavy artillery. Similarly, not every guard was as tenacious as the Chuzhou guard. Like Zuo Liangyu, he immediately abandoned the city when he saw that the situation was not harmonious. There are quite a few.

Hezhou, Chuzhou, Taiping, and Huizhou are all fortified cities that have been "reinforced". According to the plan, they will be the "bloodletting" places for the Jiangsu and Zhejiang armies.

In Anqing City, all the generals gathered together.

The purpose of sending troops this time was to force Yuan Chonghuan's army to fight with them in the field and finally defeat them.

The news of the fall of Huizhou came last. When the news reached everyone's ears, Yuan Chonghuan's expression became extremely gloomy.

It may take some effort to attack a fortified city like Beijing, but it is definitely enough to attack various cities on the defensive line.

"Leave two battalions to garrison in this city, and the rest of the soldiers will quickly clear the battlefield, reorganize the ranks, and continue to march north tomorrow."

As for the natural dangers of the Yangtze River...the Ming Dynasty's navy in the south has been abolished. The Yangtze River is like a sieve. Find a ferry and cross it as soon as you think about it.

……

Yuan Chonghuan's tactics actually had a certain effect. He mainly defended and then fought. Such battles brought some trouble to the Seventh Army.

"Don't you want to take a rest?" an adjutant asked beside him.

However, all these cities were destroyed in one blow, and almost none of them could defend for a day after the enemy attack began.

The battle plan he had planned did not work at all.

Could it be that the opposite party is really so powerful?

"How did it fall so quickly? What kind of magical weapon is it that can knock down such a city wall in a few cannons?" A general asked in a trembling voice.

No matter it's the Grand Cannon, the heavy-duty Furlong machine, or their newly minted heavy artillery "Shenwei Grand Cannon", they don't have this kind of power!

The atmosphere in the hall became even colder. Suddenly another horse came galloping up, its head and face covered with blood, its armor in tatters, and a few arrows stuck in it, and reluctantly reported:

"Superintendent, my subordinates discovered that after the main force of the rebels broke through Chuzhou, they headed north and entered the territory of Fengyang Mansion!"

After saying that, he fell to the ground. The attendants carried him out to treat his injuries, and everyone in the hall couldn't help but think.

"Supervisor, the bandits are afraid that the drunkard is not interested in drinking." A general stood up and said:

"On the surface, they are approaching Fengyang with a large number of troops, but in fact, their intention is to lure the snake out of its hole. The other party wants to lure our army into fighting with them in the field!"

"I'm afraid that even the Sentinel Cavalry was deliberately released by the opponent! Where the opponent's army is marching, the Sentinel Cavalry is surrounded by them. Even our elite troops cannot escape from their hands at night, let alone this Sentinel Cavalry? I'm afraid it is. There is fraud.”

Yuan Chonghuan nodded slightly, and then shook his head.

"Zhongdu!"

Such a word slowly came out of his mouth.

Fengyang, the central capital... is right in front of the opponent's front.

No one doesn’t understand the importance of Zhongdu.

Not inferior to Nanjing at all.

There is absolutely no room for error.

The key is that Zhongdu's defense is not as strong as that of Nanjing. Zhongdu's garrison only has more than 10,000 people.

Once it falls... the generals suddenly shudder.

Without the opponent's attack, even with Yuan Chonghuan's current level of favor, he would at least end up in jail or even beheaded.

None of the senior generals in the army can even think of escaping.

"This is a conspiracy." Yuan Chonghuan said softly.

He knows the other party's purpose.

However, he had to go.

……

The roar of artillery fire resounded throughout the wilderness, and the smoke of gunpowder almost obscured the sky.

The bugles on one side were playing rhythmically, and the drums on the other side were roaring.

The projectiles penetrated the protective iron pieces and embedded themselves in the flesh. The shells blasted large blanks in the battle formations of both sides.

The soldiers walked towards the bullets, and those who were shot fell like wheat.

Neither side has retreated. Whichever side retreats first at this time will face a heavy defeat.

"Xilulu."

The Liao cavalry were roaming the battlefield, and their three-eyed muskets had already completed a round of firing. At this time, relying on their superb riding skills, they bent their bows and rode their horses, wandering around the edge of the battlefield, and continued to project heavy arrows at the infantry phalanx. arrow.

The cavalry division mounted their horses and rushed out diagonally. They raised their muskets and fired at the Ming cavalry. Then they took out their pistols and fired again.

When all three pistols were fired, they suddenly drew their sabers and started the charge with a shout.

The horses collided hard together, the sabers swung and splashed with blood.

The battle starts from sunrise to sunset.

(End of this chapter)