Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 480: Joining the Battle
The east bank of Hongze Lake is only thirty or forty miles away from Huai'an. This journey takes about half a day, so it is no exaggeration to say that we have already encountered the enemy.

With the military situation at this point, Generals Chang and Mei would certainly not underestimate the enemy and advance rashly.

They first set up a camp twenty miles west of Hongze Lake, and only headed towards Huai'an after making sure the surroundings were safe.

According to common sense, when the enemy army was at the gates of the city, the Huai'an defenders should have sent out a large number of scouts even if they did not send troops to stop them. But who would have thought that when Generals Chang and Mei were on full alert, the Huai'an defenders did not react at all, as if half of them had abandoned the city and fled.

Of course, this is just a description. Generals Chang and Mei would not really think that this city is within their grasp.

The logic here is not difficult to understand.

Regardless of the considerations, the Qing army in Huai'an did not launch an effective counterattack against the Ming army in the Northern Expedition during these months.

If Hong Chengchou did not fight a good battle in Huai'an, the questioning of the nobles would be nothing. If the local forces thought that the Qing court had lost the will to fight, the situation would be disastrous in an instant.

The Hongguang court had already verified this matter, so there was no need to elaborate. Although Generals Chang and Mei, who understood the key points, were full of doubts, they did not dare to let down their guard.

Afterwards, they successfully set up a large camp five miles outside Huai'an City, and the attack on Huai'an began.

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"Everyone, be alert! Huai'an is not like Yangzhou, but the Tartars will not sit idly by and watch us build a high platform!"

"Yes!"

After saying a few words to his subordinates, Xu Wenjue cast his gaze towards the camp gate. After half an incense stick of time, all the troops leaving the camp were ready. Then, a sharp creaking sound was heard, and several thousand-household teams and the accompanying soldiers and civilians headed towards Huai'an.

Although the Tatars had no reaction, the Ming army could not disrupt its rhythm because of this strange situation.

The camp was set up yesterday, and this morning the people from the Imperial Observatory had already calculated the location and height of the artillery positions.

The reason why these thousand-household teams left the camp at this time was to build a high platform to set up artillery positions.

Of course, Generals Chang and Mei would not think that everything would be fine as long as they could successfully reach the outskirts of Huai'an City. Although they were not sure what arrangements the Tartars had made, they had deployed elite troops in the key steps.

Just like this time, Xu Wenjue's troops were responsible for protecting the left wing of the fire musket soldiers, while another thousand-household team of the front army was located on the right wing of the fire musket soldiers.

As for the two thousand musketeers present, needless to say, they are both elite soldiers who have been using muskets since Relangche. As long as they do not encounter an enemy that is several times their number, this configuration can safely protect the soldiers and civilians.

In about one or two incense sticks of time, these four thousand soldiers and horses escorted the militiamen to the designated location. Then each unit returned to its position, and in just half an incense stick of time, they had set up a defensive formation.

Seeing this, Xu Wenjue's face showed a rather smug look.

After all, he was born into a noble family. Even if he lacked some experience, he could still tell who was elite and who was not.

Although the speed of forming an array alone cannot determine the outcome of a battle, having such discipline is the foundation for a strong army in the world. As a general, he is proud of the performance of his men.

"Captain, could it be that the Tartars in the city have escaped?"

Just as Xu Wenjue was looking at the formations of the surrounding armies, the centurion closest to him came over.

As a mid-level officer, he was not very clear about the various calculations of the top leaders, but if the Huai'an defenders really fled, they would have already entered the camp with a letter of surrender.

Since the generals had already ordered them to enter the stage of preparation for the siege, they had to fight this battle no matter what.

But then again, the Tartars have not made any moves so far, and their will to resist is probably very limited. Otherwise, based on the experience outside Yangzhou City, the Tartars should not have allowed their own artillery positions to be built. "When facing the enemy, the most important thing is to underestimate the enemy. No matter what Huai'an plans, we must ensure that the high platform is built firmly."

"Master, you are wise! Meng Lang has been selected."

"It's okay," Xu Wenjue replied calmly, and then he turned his attention to Huai'an. But at this moment, he felt that his attitude seemed a bit stiff. He sorted out his words in his mind before continuing, "You also know that our front army missed several major battles. Although the Marshal didn't say anything, we have to know it in our hearts. Otherwise, the other four armies have outstanding military achievements, but we are on par with the others. No matter how easy the Marshal is to talk to, we will not get any good results."

"What the commander said is correct. I will remember it."

Although Xu Wenjue's words were polite, they also contained some reprimands. However, after hearing these, the captain looked convinced and seemed to have benefited greatly from the lecture from his superior.

After all, the two are both superiors and subordinates, as well as colleagues, and they have a bond of life and death. Saying something less formal can naturally bring the two sides closer.

Afterwards, the two chatted for a while, and after a long while, the centurion planned to return to his own team. At this time, there was a commotion in the team. When Xu Wenjue turned his head, he saw teams of Qing troops walking out of Huai'an city one after another.

"Enemy troops appear! Get ready!"

Perhaps it was because the Ming army's formation was facing Huai'an, the Qing army's movements were seen by all the thousand households in a flash, and then shouts with the same content kept spreading, and the soldiers who were originally quite lazy immediately perked up.

In the early years, when the Ming army and the Qing army faced off, there was always some tension and panic, but now the 4,000 troops who are about to take over the battle are somewhat impatient.

On the one hand, this is the confidence brought by one great victory after another, and on the other hand, it is also the confidence in the powerful weapons.

This is not surprising. Although the Ming army was equipped with a large number of firearms at that time, it was unable to fully utilize their advantages due to various reasons.

By this time, not only were firearms explosions rare in the Ming army, but the discipline of ordinary soldiers was also much higher than before.

Under such circumstances, it was reasonable for the Ming army to make up for its initial decline.

"Load the medicine!"

As time went by, Xu Wenjue had a rough estimate of the number of Qing troops. However, when military orders came from the musket array, he was not nervous at all because the enemy troops far outnumbered his own. Instead, he felt regretful that his own troops might not get a chance to join the battle.

"Qianhu, something is wrong."

"Why?"

"Don't the Tartars usually have cavalry patrolling around? Why are they all infantry today?"

While Xu Wenjue was still thinking about it, the question of the captain beside him reached his ears. Then he squinted his eyes and carefully examined the opposite formation. In less than four or five breaths, he discovered the peculiarity of the Qing army in front of him.

"Raise the gun!"

"The Tartars have muskets!"

"Bah!"

"Bah!"

"Bah!"

(End of this chapter)