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

Chapter 199 Reinforcements have arrived
The Qing army circled the Red Army's formation several times but found no opportunity to attack and did not dare to charge rashly.

Soon, the horn sounded, and the Qing army received the order and gradually broke away from the Red Army's formation and regrouped a hundred steps away from the Red Army's formation.

Yang Yuqi felt relieved, rode up to Danchu and said, "Marshal, the Tartars seem to be retreating."

Danchu noticed that Yang Yuqi's face was stained white by the smoke, and his lips were stained black by the gunpowder from biting the bullet. It was obvious that the battle was fierce just now, and Yang Yuqi had fired a gun.

"How many shots did you fire? How many shots did the musketeers fire?"

"I fired ten shots; the other musketeers must have fired twenty."

The Qing army had been circling the formation for about ten minutes, so the number of bullets consumed should be accurate. This firing rate showed that the musketeers had already opened fire at full speed.

According to the Red Army's military system, in wartime, each gun and each cannon must be equipped with 300 bullets and shells, 100 of which are kept by the musketeers and artillerymen, and the other 200 are kept by the auxiliary soldiers.

This time, Cen Danchu attached more importance to the field battle and equipped the musketeers and artillerymen with 50 more bullets and shells. At this rate of consumption, the ammunition would be used up before dark.

The Qing army retreated, proving that the phalanx tactics were effective. The Red Army took a breath and stepped up to check their guns and weapons. Danchu also breathed a sigh of relief and carefully observed the battlefield situation.

The Tusi soldiers were located on the left wing of Leigong Ridge, forming a Yanlin formation to fight against the Qing army. The Qing army only sent a small number of troops to contain the Tusi soldiers, and the two armies were roughly in a stalemate.

The second infantry battalion was still in the camp, and the pressure was relieved. The Qing army sent troops to block the east gate of the camp, and the second battalion could not get out for a while. The mines in front of the Leigongling camp also played a miraculous role. The Qing army's war horses were often trampled and killed, and the offensive was slowed down.

On the right wing of Leigongling, the Second Infantry Battalion built a small wooden fort to protect the nearby ferry bridge. Perhaps the Qing army was frightened by the wooden fort and did not send troops to attack the right wing.

On the west bank of the Xiang River, no Ming reinforcements were seen yet. However, smoke was rising from the other side of the Suoyi Ferry in the rear, which must be the Chu division fighting with the Qing army.

For the time being, the focus of the battlefield is still on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The focus of the battlefield on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River is still on the Red Army's personal guard.

The Red Army had its first field battle with the Eight Banners of Manchuria, and they actually had the upper hand. Danchu felt a sense of pride and confidence.

But the Eight Banners soldiers began to dismount and line up in battle array under the Red Army's artillery fire.

"It's bad!" Cen Danchu groaned inwardly. The Tartars were not going to retreat, but to form a battle array and attack.

In most cases, whether attacking or defending, forming a battle formation is the most important and effective tactical means on the battlefield.

The Manchu Eight Banners were best at archery on foot, not on horseback. They had multiple horses, and although they were called cavalry, they were actually heavily armored infantry on horseback. To break the Red Army's infantry formation, it was better to use heavily armored infantry in close combat rather than using cavalry to charge.

"Change to a horizontal formation!" Dan Chu ordered calmly.

The Red Army received the order and quickly changed its formation. The musketeers deployed from a square to a horizontal formation to better exert their firepower. The mountain-splitting artillery and cavalry remained where they were.

The Qing army took the opportunity to speed up its pace and advance towards the Red Army.

"Fire!"

The front row of Red Army soldiers stayed where they were and opened fire in advance. "Bang, bang, bang," although the firepower was not dense, it still posed a threat to the Qing army.

At a distance of 100 steps, the Red Army's new matchlock guns could not penetrate two layers of armor. However, only a few soldiers wore two layers of armor, and most of the Qing army wore only a single layer of armor, and some even wore cotton armor or rattan armor.

The further they advanced, the more powerful the matchlocks became, and the casualties of the Qing army gradually increased. They were worthy of being the Eight Banners who had experienced many battles. They were not afraid of the Red Army's new matchlocks and marched forward bravely.

The Qing army had no long-range weapons, so they could only continue to advance under the fire of the Red Army's muskets. When they were 40 steps away, the Qing army stopped and began to shoot bows and arrows.

The air was humid during the rainy season, and the bowstrings were soft and weak. The Qing army tried their best to shoot arrows, which rained down like rain, but they were erratic and weak. Some of them fell on the open ground in front of the Red Army, and some hit the Red Army's armor, which was soft and weak and could not penetrate the armor at all.

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter came from the Red Army's formation, and a smile also appeared on Dan Chu's face.

Bowstrings are afraid of fire and water and need to be kept dry. More particular warriors will carry a small copper stove filled with charcoal and store the bowstrings next to the stove.

The Eight Banners led by Jirgalang left Beijing last autumn, first suppressing the Liuyuan Army in Shandong, and then traveling thousands of miles to Hunan. It has been nearly a year, and the soldiers are already tired. How many warriors have the leisure to pay attention to bowstrings? Bows and arrows are not easy to use, and the combat effectiveness of the Qing army will be reduced by half. Although the firing rate of the Red Army's matchlock guns has decreased, it is generally usable. God is blessing us, so why should we be afraid of the Qing army?
The Qing army was experienced and their tactics changed quickly. Bows and arrows were no longer available, so they quickly adjusted their formation. Spearmen came out, formed a horizontal array, and began to advance towards the Red Army. The cavalry followed on both wings, ready to attack at any time.

At some point, it started to drizzle again. The drizzle was as fine as silk and had a great impact on the matchlock guns, reducing their firing rate a lot.

Damn it, I was just thanking God for his favor, but my good luck ran out immediately. The weather is bad, we have to fight the Qing army before the rain gets heavier, otherwise the Red Army will be even more passive.

"Restore the hollow square formation!" Danchu shouted loudly. In terms of hand-to-hand combat, the Red Army had no chance of winning against the Eight Banners, not to mention that the enemy was outnumbered.

The soldiers also realized the danger, their expressions became more solemn and their movements became more rigorous.

"Look, Marshal! The Second Infantry Regiment has left the camp!"

Sure enough, on the left wing of the Leigongling camp, a flag of the Second Infantry Battalion gradually approached the chieftain's flag from high to low.

There were bursts of strange cries coming from the Tusi soldiers, which was the signal for them to attack enthusiastically.

It turns out that the Tusi soldiers in Guangxi are best at using the Yanling formation. If the soldiers in the front die in battle, the soldiers behind will take their place. If the soldiers in the front retreat, the soldiers behind can kill them on the spot. This way, they can only advance and never retreat, which is extremely fierce.

The Qing army had no intention of dealing with the Tusi soldiers and only sent a small number of troops to contain them. Now they had no choice but to send reinforcements.

Soon, Yang Yuqi rode up to Danchu and exclaimed, "Marshal Jue, the Second Infantry Battalion has left the camp again!"

"What?" Danchu was shocked. He really saw the troops of the Second Infantry Battalion moving quickly from high to low towards the wooden city on the right wing of Leigong Ridge.

"Damn it, what the hell is Kuang Shi doing! He left the camp without permission, how can he still defend the camp?" Yang Yuqi was furious. If Kuang Shi wasn't Dan Chu's trusted and beloved general, he would have cursed Kuang Shi's ancestors for eighteen generations!
Danchu was also very annoyed. At the critical moment of the war, Kuangshi failed again. I thought he was very talented and promoted him to the position of infantry commander, but he turned out to be so useless. He ruined my overall situation at a critical moment. He was really a hopeless case!
"Marshal! The Tartars have invaded the Leigongling camp!"

Cen Danchu could hardly believe his eyes. He saw Tatars and their battle flags crossing the wooden wall in front of Leigong Ridge, from low to high, from few to many, and gradually entering the Leigong Ridge camp.

His eyes went dark and he almost fell off his horse.

"Marshal! It's time to fight!" Secretary Yang Yunqing reminded him.

Indeed, the Qing army's spearmen gradually approached, their spear tips like a forest, shining like silver snow. The Red Army's spear cavalry also dismounted and went into battle, advancing in front of the musketeers.

"Next time I see Kuang, I will chop him off with my own hands!" Yang Yuqi said viciously, with a red tasseled spear in his hand, as if he was ready to die together with the enemy.

Field battles were not the strengths of the Ming army, nor were they the strengths of the Red Army. The personal guards went out to fight in the field, relying on the Leigongling camp. In case of defeat, they could hide in Leigongling. Now that Leigongling had been lost, the personal guards had nowhere to rely on, and there seemed to be no good plan except to break out to the Suoyidu camp.

"Kuang Biaotai has always been cautious and not the kind of person who fights recklessly." Yang Yunqing said in a low voice, as if he had no confidence and his voice was quite small.

Although the Leigongling camp was lost, the Second Infantry Battalion's formation remained tight and there was no sign of defeat.

"Marshal Jue! Reinforcements have arrived!" Cavalry Battalion Commander He Guozuo was extremely excited and said, pointing at the Leigongling Bridge.

Indeed, a large group of cavalrymen were wearing bright armor. The vanguard had reached the center of the bridge, and the rear guard was still on the west bank of the Xiang River. There must be a thousand of them.

A large flag of the Second Infantry Battalion was flying at the bridgehead. The group of infantrymen who had just come down the mountain had swarmed to the wooden city in front of the bridge, attempting to meet the reinforcements who were crossing the river.

The Qing army then realized the importance of the bridge and tried to send reinforcements to the right wing of Leigongling.

The second infantry battalion had already taken the lead and would rather give up the main camp than not protect the wooden city and receive reinforcements across the river.

Although Jiao Lian's 1,000 reinforcements seemed few in number, they arrived at the right time and were enough to break the balance on the battlefield.

"Reinforcements are here! Reinforcements are here!" Cen Danchu shouted loudly, and was extremely excited. This Kuang Shi was really a good boy, and he lived up to his usual high regard. Today, he actually had the courage to do such a strange thing.

"Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!" The personal guards rushed to sing the praises, and their morale was boosted.

(End of this chapter)