Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 181: Resisting the Enemy with a Trench
As the Qing army approached Tangjiapu, the Tang cavalry shuttled back and forth, trying to get close to the trench to scout the enemy situation.

The Red Army was ready for battle. All the Tang cavalry had been withdrawn. The suspension bridge at the trench had been dismantled to prevent the enemy from falling. The artillery battalion of the personal guards, the second infantry battalion firearms battalion, and the firearms sentries of each battalion had already moved forward and were deployed on the chevaux de frise wall, commanding the enemy from a high position. Behind the wall was the main force of the second infantry battalion, with archers, spearmen, swordsmen, and rattan shield soldiers lined up.

The imperial guards were lined up to the east of Qijialing as a reserve force.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Gunshots were heard from the barricade from time to time, and the Red Army's sharpshooters began to snipe and kill the enemy's Tang cavalry. There were very few sharpshooters, and they had to go through a strict assessment. On average, there were no more than three per musketeer team.

The accuracy of smoothbore guns was not as bad as later rumors said. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, a well-made matchlock gun could hit whatever was pointed at it at a distance of fifty steps. The new matchlock guns produced by the Red Army were even more accurate, and the bullets could still maintain accuracy at a distance of seventy steps.

Although there were not many sharpshooters in the Red Army, they posed a great threat to the Qing Army's Tangqi.

Through the telescope, Danchu clearly saw that the Qing army was lined up outside the trench and seemed to be about to pass through the trench.

"Master, it's a miracle. The Tartars are really going to storm the trenches."

The person who spoke was Cen Yong, Danchu's cousin. Danchu was used to placing young officers with potential in the personal guard camp and focusing on their training. Cen Yong had already accumulated merits and became the captain of the second personal guard team. After some more training, he could be sent out to serve as a battalion officer.

"Nothing special, just experience." Pre-war conversations can ease tension. Danchu smiled and said, "There are many hills and forests from Yumi Mountain to Qijialing, which are prone to ambush. The Tartars are all cavalry, so it is not convenient to pass through. If we go to the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, the Tartars have no navy and it is not convenient to cross the river. Even if they cross the river, they will have to cross the river again when attacking Xing'an, which is easy to be taken advantage of by our army. The safest route is still the section from Qijialing to the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. Even if our army focuses on defense here, the Tartars will have to attack by force."

Cen Yong was impressed, while Yuan Ping said, "This Jueluo Guoke is really arrogant. He dares to attack us without a trench-crossing vehicle or a shield vehicle."

Yuan Ping performed well in the Battle of Nanning and was promoted to the commander of the personal guard battalion. He was nearly 40 years old and a taciturn old soldier from northern Shaanxi.

"The Tartars look down on the Red Army, so we can make them suffer."

At noon, the sun was blindingly bright. The Qing army came from the north, advancing against the sun towards the trench.

The Red Army was fully prepared for the first battle with the Eight Banners of Manchuria, with strict fortifications and waiting for the enemy to tire out. With trenches and horse-blocking walls, the Eight Banners' cavalry and archery advantages would be greatly weakened, and Danchu felt relieved.

The lookout reported the distance between us and the enemy from time to time:

"The Tartar vanguard is two hundred steps away from the trench!"

"One hundred and sixty steps!"

……

The Red Army marked the distance in front of the trenches in advance so that they could grasp the timing of firing more accurately.

"One hundred steps!"

Danchu then gave the order: "Artillery fire!"

With a sound of gunfire, the central army raised two red flags, which was the signal to fire. The mountain-splitting cannons and sky-rocketing cannons deployed on the barricades opened fire one after another, causing a brief commotion in the Qing army camp, with dozens of cavalrymen falling.

Through the telescope, Danchu closely watched the enemy's movements.

This white-banner Manchu army was very well equipped. The front team was all wearing iron armor, which shone brightly in the sun. Since they were all cavalry, the formation was relatively loose, with a front width of more than a mile. The rear team was covered in dust, and their armor was not as bright as the front team, and most of them wore cotton armor.

Judging from the armor-wearing rate alone, the armor-wearing rate of the Eight Banners was almost 100%, much higher than that of the Red Army.

The intelligence collected by Feng Jiali was very accurate. There were about 1,500 cavalrymen, and it was difficult to distinguish between bannermen and baoyi. They rode lightly and fast, without carrying any artillery. They were extremely brave, and even under the bombardment of the Red Army, they remained unmoved and continued to advance.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, field artillery was not yet developed and could not play a decisive role on the battlefield. The Red Army was equipped with a large number of light artillery such as mountain-splitting cannons, but it still could not stop the advance of the Eight Banners Army. Although the sky rockets were powerful, they were heavy and difficult to carry, and their number was very limited.

When they advanced to 80 steps, the Eight Banners soldiers began to shoot from foot. The Red Army had a wall of chevaux-de-frise for protection, and the main force was behind the wall, so the Eight Banners soldiers had no choice but to use projectiles. "Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh", the arrows rained down. The Manchurian bow with heavy arrows was more effective, with great power and high accuracy, but a shorter range. Therefore, the Manchurian bow was more suitable for close combat, and its power was comparable to that of a matchlock gun within 30 steps. Projectiles were aimless, and the shooting effect was greatly reduced.

Despite this, many Red Army soldiers were still hit. Fortunately, the power of the arrows had been greatly reduced and it was difficult to cause fatal injuries.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, cold and hot weapons were used alternately, and there was a blind spot in close combat. At this time, the Red Army and the Eight Banners lacked more suitable attack weapons and had to get closer. In general, the Red Army had artillery, and the sky rockets could fire shrapnel, which gave them a slight advantage.

The Qing army suffered even greater casualties, mostly from shrapnel. This was common before a battle, but Jueluo Guoke did not take it seriously and drove the Qing army forward. As long as the Qing army was within thirty steps, they could use the long-pointed bow and shoot, and they would rarely be able to defeat them.

The Qing army put away their bows and arrows and marched on foot, as the projectiles did not gain any advantage. The front row was mostly composed of death warriors, who were wearing two layers of armor as usual and moved slowly.

"Sixty steps!"

Heavy matchlock rifles could penetrate armor within sixty steps. In actual combat, the Red Army often fired at a distance of sixty steps.

Facing a strong enemy, Danchu was surprisingly calm. He was still observing the battlefield dynamics and hesitated to give the order to shoot. Everyone around him looked at him anxiously, hoping that he would give the order quickly. The flags and drums of the starter were ready and could convey the order at any time.

"Not close enough." Danchu muttered to himself. When the Eight Banners fought, the front line soldiers often wore two layers of armor. The Red Army's new musket barrels were very strong and could withstand high chamber pressure. With a larger charge, it might be able to penetrate two layers of armor at a distance of sixty steps.

However, the production of new muskets was limited, and only a small number of them were equipped in the musket battalions of the imperial guards and the infantry battalions. Most musketeers still used old matchlock muskets, which had limited armor-piercing capabilities.

"Forty steps!"

The Qing army's vanguard had advanced to 40 steps. At this distance, the lead bullets from the mountain-splitting cannons were very lethal. The Qing army kept falling, and people kept coming up. Many people had already drawn their bows and reached for arrows, but the commander had not given the order, and the flag soldiers had not yet released their arrows.

"Damn, what a formidable enemy." Dan Chu cursed in his heart, "This group of soldiers from the Bordered White Banner are really tenacious. They have advanced under the artillery fire and have endured until now without firing a single shot."

"shot!"

The Red Army musketeers had been restrained for a long time, and upon receiving the order, they opened fire.

"Bang bang bang bang!" Dense rain of bullets fired at the Qing army, and the Qing army fell down immediately.

Judging from the direction, it should be the direction of the musket team of the Second Infantry Battalion. The new muskets are really powerful, and they can give the Tartars a taste of their power.

The Qing army panicked and began to fight back with bows and arrows. The Red Army had a low armor rate, and the musketeers had an even lower armor rate, and were repeatedly killed and wounded by the Qing army's bows and arrows.

The Manchurian bow was indeed worthy of its reputation, and the Eight Banners soldiers were even more skilled in archery. Using bows and arrows against muskets, the Qing army was able to hold its own.

Jueluo Guoke also noticed something unusual, but remained unmoved and drove the bannermen forward.

Bows and arrows shoot quickly, and the closer the two armies get, the greater the enemy's advantage becomes, gradually approaching the trench.

The depth and width of the trench were beyond the Qing army's expectations. The Qing army gathered at the trench and could not move forward.

Since entering Hunan, Jueluo Guoke had never experienced a hard battle. Wherever he went, the Ming army was often shocked and fled. Even brave generals like Ma Jinzhong, Li Chixin, and Hu Yiqing could hardly withstand the rain of arrows from the Qing army. The Red Army was different. They could use matchlock guns to shoot at the Qing army across the trenches.

He was immediately furious and drove the Eight Banners soldiers forward. He also ordered the rear team to bring bedding, tents and other items to fill the trenches.

Danchu was secretly impressed by the bravery of the Qing army. The Red Army could still fight the enemy with trenches. If there were no trenches, the consequences would be disastrous. He also responded quickly and ordered the personal guards' musket battalion and the personal guards' musket team to fight.

(End of this chapter)