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

Chapter 197 Extremely Passive
Why did Jirgalang send his main force to the east bank of the Xiangjiang River to attack the Red Army's detachment?

Perhaps, Jirgalang wanted to avenge Jueluo Guoke. Perhaps, he took the idea of ​​Tian Ji's horse racing and used a small army to fight against the main force of the Ming army, taking a defensive position, and using the main force to fight against the small army of the Ming army, which would have a better chance of winning.

This was also a common tactic of the Eight Banners. The biggest characteristic of the Southern Ming army was that it was disorganized and commanded incoherently. If they failed in one place, they would fail everywhere, just like dominoes. Sometimes, even before the two armies engaged in battle, if the Qing army made a slight move, the Ming army would spread rumors, panic, and then the entire army would collapse.

Cen Danchu had no time to consider Jirgalang's intentions, and ordered all troops to close their camps and defend themselves, and not to fight recklessly.

He and Xiong Zhaozuo were tasked with blocking the Qing army, and they were unable to take care of themselves and reinforce each other. The floating bridge on Suoyi Ferry became a decoration and had no place to use.

At noon, the sky was cloudy, the air was stuffy and the ground was damp.

The Qing army approached Suoyifal, and the scouts were clearly visible. The scouts of the two armies fought from time to time, which marked the beginning of the battle between the two armies.

The solitary peak of Lion Ridge stands out from the sky, and it is the commanding height of the area around Suoyifur. However, the armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties did not have naval forces, so there was no need to build a fort on Lion Ridge.

The Red Army ambushed a thousand Tusi soldiers on Lion Hill. These Tusi soldiers were really amazing. They lay in ambush on Lion Hill for two days and nights without seeing any smoke or sound, which made the Red Army very impressed.

The Qing army also sent scouts to Lion Ridge for reconnaissance, but the scouts did not go up the mountain, but only walked around the foot of the mountain. The Tusi soldiers were ambushed very secretly, and the Qing army did not find their traces.

At about three quarters after noon, the Qing army formed a battle array at Suoyi Ferry and launched an attack on the Red Army's Suoyi Ferry camp in an orderly manner: clearing the caltrops, sweeping the road, and the death squads dismounted and formed a battle array to advance forward.

The Red Army also fought back in an orderly manner, first ordering the artillery battalion to bombard, and then when the enemy soldiers approached, the musket battalion ambushed on the chevaux de frise opened fire.

All of this was exactly the same as the last battle at Leigong Ridge. The only difference was that the weather was humid, the firing rate of the Red Army's matchlock guns was reduced, and the terrain at Suoyidu was not as favorable as Leigong Ridge, making it difficult to take advantage of artillery, and the Red Army's firepower was weakened. The Qing army was even more affected, and the density and strength of their bows and arrows were significantly reduced.

Danchu felt relieved. Although the Qing army had more people this time, their offensive was weak. As long as the imperial guards held the camp to the death, the Qing army would never be able to capture the Suoyidu camp.

Just as he was secretly delighted, his secretary Yang Yunqing said, "Marshal, there is a Tartar wearing a yellow helmet, maybe it is Jirgalang."

Through the telescope, Danchu saw a blurry figure in the rear of the Qing army. The faces of the Tartars were unclear, but there was indeed one man wearing a yellow helmet. Who else could it be but Jirgalang? Looking around him, there were bright flags and strict guards, which seemed to be the Tartar center army.

The Yellow-Helmets were about two miles away from the Red Army camp, which was well within the range of the rockets.

Danchu came up with a plan and said, "That yellow-helmeted Tartar must be Jirgalang. Yunqing, go find Ferreira and have him use the sky rockets to attack Jirgalang at the same time."

The rocket weighed 500 to 600 kilograms and needed to be carried by a four-wheeled gun carriage, which was quite heavy. The Royal Guards Artillery Battalion had a rocket team with six rockets, which were the Red Army's powerful artillery weapons.

Soon, the artillery battalion received an order to adjust the target of the rockets. The Red Army's firepower was weakened, and the Qing troops on the front line were relieved and accelerated their advance, gradually approaching the trench.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound of cannon fire, and six shrapnel shells fell into the rear of the Qing army one after another.

The rear troops were caught off guard and fell to the ground. Two shells landed near the yellow-helmeted Tartars, and shrapnel flew everywhere, causing panic among the Qing troops.

The air was filled with smoke and the yellow-helmeted Tartars could not be found through the telescope.

The Qing army sounded the retreat, and the heavily armored soldiers withdrew from the trenches to their positions. What was going on? Did those shots really hit Jirgalang? Did Jirgalang die?

Danchu was secretly delighted. It was said that Nurhaci and Huang Taiji were both injured by the Red Barbarian Cannon and died of their injuries. This Jierhalang might also follow in their footsteps. Once Jierhalang died, could the Qing army still reinforce Quanzhou?
Just when Danchu thought he had figured it out, the Qing army had already restored their formation. They did not retreat, but instead adjusted themselves into a column, with about ten horses running side by side, bypassing the Red Army camp from the east and heading straight for the Leigongling camp!

What was going on? Did the Qing army see that the Red Army's main camp at Suoyidu was well defended and wanted to avoid the strong and attack the weak, and instead attack the second infantry battalion? They were advancing alone, weren't they afraid that the Red Army at Suoyidu would cut off their retreat?
But Yang Yuqi sighed: "Jirgalang is not dead, and the yellow helmet is still there."

Through the telescope, Danchu really saw the yellow-helmeted Tartar. The guards around him were even more strict, so it must be Jirgalang.

What a pity! Danchu was upset and blamed himself for his rashness just now. On the battlefield, as a commander, you must always prepare for the worst and make full considerations. You must not pin your hopes on unrealistic things or make rash assumptions. You have just been promoted to Dinglubo, so you must not be proud and careless.

The Eight Banners cavalry marched in a mighty force, heading straight for Leigong Ridge, leaving only a few hundred cavalry at Suoyifur to monitor the Red Army's personal guards.

Jirgalang's intention was obvious. He wanted to bypass the Red Army's personal guards and attack the second infantry battalion. Once the Leigongling camp was breached, the Suoyidu camp was threatened and fell into chaos without a fight.

Perhaps he wanted to feint an attack on the second infantry battalion to lure the personal guard battalion out of the camp for a field battle. The Red Army had only been formed not long ago and could only close its camp to avoid fighting. In terms of field battles, how could it stop the Eight Banners, which were at their peak?
Regardless, the Qing army disregarded the Suoyidu camp and marched alone into Leigongling, which was a clear sign of contempt. The hundreds of cavalrymen left in Suoyidu often sent people to the trenches to insult and challenge them, which was very embarrassing.

"Damn it, Jirgalang has gone too far in bullying me!" Danchu was full of hot-bloodedness and could not withstand such a provocation. He was so angry that his veins bulged.

The generals were filled with righteous indignation and came over to ask for battle:
"Marshal, the Tartars have advanced deep into our territory alone, intending to attack Leigong Ridge. The personal guards should go to rescue them, and the cavalry battalion is willing to be the vanguard."

"Otherwise, the Tartars may be feinting an attack on Leigong Ridge to lure our troops into battle. We might as well take advantage of their trick and attack them from both sides with the Second Infantry Battalion."

"Our troops are scattered and the Tartars are numerous. We might as well ask for help from the Yunnan Division so that we can wipe out the Tartars in one fell swoop."

……

Faced with a powerful enemy, all the generals were talking at once, but Danchu was surprisingly calm.

Jirgalang was indeed a famous king of the Qing Dynasty, and his ability was much better than Lekedehun. The Qing army abandoned the Suoyiding Crossing and attacked Leigongling, which was quite unexpected by Danchu and put the Red Army in a very passive position.

The Red Army was weak and could only passively defend. Passive defense easily put them in a passive position. Watching the Qing army attack the infantry was really infuriating.

The Second Infantry Battalion was not well-equipped with new firearms, and its number of troops was not as large as that of the Qing army. It could only rely on trenches, chevaux de frise and other defensive fortifications. With the strength of the Second Infantry Battalion, it was difficult to defend the Leigongling Camp.

If reinforcements were sent, they would be forced to engage in a field battle with the Qing army. Using one's own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths would give them little chance of winning. The only Red Army troops that could engage in a field battle with the Qing army were the personal guards, numbering less than 2,000 soldiers.

If he asked for help from the Yunnan Division, Hu Yiqing was his sworn brother and would not refuse to help. However, the Yunnan Division was located on the side of the Chu Division. The Chu Division was blocking the Qing army's detachment on the other side of the Suoyi Ferry. If the Yunnan Division moved, the Chu Division would be shaken. There were too many lessons in this regard. If he wanted to ask for help, he had to ask Jiao Lian for help.

Danchu had made up his mind and said resolutely: "When the Qing army begins to attack Leigongling, the personal guards will go out of the camp to reinforce. Inform the chieftain's soldiers to follow orders and go out of the camp to fight. Then send someone to ask Xinxing Hou for help and tell him that I plan to fight a tough battle with the Tartars at Leigongling."

(End of this chapter)