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

Chapter 201 Harassing the Qing Army
Ho Kuo-kui was an old subordinate of Cen Dan-chu, and the two had a special relationship. Two years ago, Dan-chu was recruiting soldiers from the captives, and he took a fancy to Ho Kuo-kui at first sight and took him in as his personal soldier. Ho Kuo-kui lived up to the expectations and made many outstanding achievements, attracting attention.

Later, Jiao Lian expanded his personal army and asked He Guoju to join him. He Guoju had made many military achievements under Jiao Lian and had accumulated merits to the rank of deputy general, and was in charge of Jiao Lian's cavalry battalion. His cousin He Guozuo was the commander of the Red Army's personal cavalry battalion.

"Not too late, not too late. You came at the right time. How many soldiers did you bring?" The reinforcements had arrived, and Dan Chu asked with a sense of relief.

"One thousand two hundred cavalry. The Marquis of Xinxing said that the commander is extremely wise and brave, and never asks for help easily. This time, the Marquis of Xinxing did not neglect it and ordered me to bring all the elite cavalry."

"Thanks to the blessing of the Emperor, the planning and strategizing of the Marquis Xinxing, our army was able to defeat the Tartars."

Looking at the Qing army again, they have begun to retreat eastward. There are also about a thousand bannermen holding blue-bordered flags, forming a formation to guard the rear and support the remnants. They should be the elite Qing army - the Manchu blue-bordered flag of Jirgalang.

There were still a few Qing troops lingering near the main camp on Leigong Ridge, some of them were injured, and some had just withdrawn from the main camp. The Ming army pursued them relentlessly, searching and killing the Qing troops who were left alone.

The rain gradually subsided and the sky darkened.

The Ming army infantry continued to advance eastward, approaching the Red Army square. The Eight Banners of the Bordered Blue Banner were not far away, and the Ming army did not dare to slack off.

Soon after, another group of cavalry came galloping, led by Commander Kuang Shi of the Second Infantry Battalion.

He dismounted and bowed, then prostrated himself on the muddy ground, saying, "General, I deserve to die for leaving the camp without permission to lure the enemy..."

"Hurry up, hurry up," Danchu dismounted and helped Kuang up, then asked, "Just now, when the battle was at its fiercest, you led your team to abandon the camp to lure the enemy. Was it intentional or was it an accident?"

Kuang Shi stood up and answered, "I dare not hide it from you, Marshal. I had a flash of inspiration at that time. I could see from afar on Leigong Ridge that reinforcements were coming, and the Tartars were all cavalry with sufficient manpower. In order to disperse the Tartars' forces and to welcome the reinforcements across the river, I decided to risk abandoning the camp, firstly to lure the Tartars into the camp and disperse their forces, and secondly to concentrate our forces to welcome the reinforcements across the river."

"Well, that's right. On the battlefield, the power of one side increases while the other decreases, and the situation between the host and the guest can also change accordingly." Danchu praised: "You are not bound by the conventions. You can come up with such a unique move. You dare to make a quick decision and disobey the military order and risk abandoning the camp. You are really a great general."

"It's all thanks to the Marshal's cultivation." Kuang Shi was afraid that Dan Chu would blame him, but now he felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

Soon, the chieftain's army commander Cen Xun rode over and said, "General Jue, the Tartars are already defeated, why don't you send troops to pursue them?"

It was getting dark, which was not conducive to fighting. Night battles had always been a problem. The Ming army had few cavalrymen and had just fought a fierce battle, so they could not pursue the enemy easily.

However, the Tartars came with great determination, but were defeated by the Red Army, and had nowhere to retreat to, with low morale. If we don't pursue them relentlessly, we should at least teach them a lesson.

"How many cavalrymen do you have in each of your divisions?"

"The second infantry battalion has two hundred cavalrymen."

"The chieftain has five hundred cavalrymen."

"The Dubiao Horse Battalion has 1,200 cavalrymen."

The Red Army's personal guards still had more than 700 cavalry, adding up to 2,600 cavalry. They were inferior to the Eight Banners in both quantity and quality. If they really wanted to engage in cavalry fighting, the Ming army was no match for the Manchurian Eight Banners.

However, these more than 2,000 cavalrymen could closely pursue the Qing army, advance with noise, scare the Qing army, and search and kill the Qing army that were alone.

The Qing army had just been defeated, it was getting dark, and their bows and arrows were no longer effective. I don't think they would dare to continue fighting.

"I have also ambushed a thousand Tusi soldiers on Lion Ridge, but they have not been deployed yet. When the Tartars pass by Lion Ridge, it will be almost dark. Notify these thousand ambushed soldiers, and as soon as the Tartars arrive at Lion Ridge, they will make a noise and launch a surprise attack.

"All the infantry should go back to their camps, repair the camps, and prepare to close the camps for rest. There are still more than 2,000 cavalry left, escort the personal guards back to the Suoyidu camp. Follow the Tatars on the way and respond to the ambush of the Tusi soldiers from a distance. There is no need to fight them to the death, just scare them." The generals received the order and got busy. After fighting for half a day today, the soldiers were exhausted, but fortunately they repelled the Qing army, and the soldiers were in high spirits. While nervously packing up their weapons, they boasted about the battle just now with a beaming face.

As the sky gradually darkened, the Ming army of more than 2,000 cavalry, with the Red Army on the left and the Gui Army on the right, looked quite majestic. The personal guards of more than 1,000 musketeers and artillerymen were all on foot, following the cavalry, marching towards the Suoyidu camp.

The Qing army gradually moved away from the Leigongling area and retreated towards Huangsha Town. The cavalry behind them had a strict formation and were like a forest of iron cavalry, which should not be underestimated.

In contrast, whether it was Kong Youde's Eight Banners of the Han Army or Xu Biao's bandit army, victory or defeat was often determined by one battle, and a defeat would result in the entire army retreating.

The Manchu Tartars failed in their attack on Leigong Ridge, but were able to retreat so calmly. They are truly elite warriors who have fought in many battles.

What tactics should be used in the future battles against the elite Tartars? During this expedition, the Red Army fought several fierce battles with the Tartars and accumulated a lot of experience. Danchu gradually had the answer in his mind.

Whenever a battle is about to begin, one must first build a strong camp, dig deep trenches and build high ramparts to be invincible. If a battle is to be fought in the field, one can form a hollow square formation and use musketeers and pikemen to resist the Tatars' attacks.

There are still many areas that can be improved. For example, the deer forts can be placed outside the square formation and set up in a circle to slow down the enemy's speed and better exert the power of firearms; additional musketeers can be added to increase the firepower of the square formation.

In the future, the Red Army will certainly face more complicated situations. For example, if they suddenly encounter the Tatars during the march, how should they respond?
Dan Chu secretly decided that when he was free tomorrow, he would organize discussions and exchanges among the officers, review and analyze today's battle, compile experience materials, and distribute them to the Military Academy, the Training Team, the Camp Night School, and various units for study and understanding.

It was already dark, and shouts were heard from the direction of Lion Ridge. The Tusi soldiers who had been lurking for a long time finally received the order today and launched an attack on the passing Qing army.

The Qing army was unaware of the strength of the ambush and as it was getting late they did not dare to fight. The front team charged forward and the rear team was also affected, causing a commotion and gradually disrupting their formation.

When Danchu received the report, he made a prompt decision and ordered: "The entire army should march forward with drums beating, and launch a feint attack as planned."

The Ming cavalry followed the Qing army's rear guard, about a mile away, and at this time quickened their pace. Each unit blew the swan trumpet, and the officers and soldiers shouted in unison, making loud noises. This was a common signal used by the Ming army, meaning an all-out attack.

The Qing army was in a panic and became even more terrified when they heard the swan trumpets. The elite troops in the rear team also gradually wavered and accelerated their retreat.

The Tusi soldiers cheered at Lion Ridge and threw javelins at the Qing army from time to time to create chaos.

It was dark and they could not tell the difference. When the Qing army looked at Lion Ridge, they felt that every tree and grass looked like an enemy. They did not know how many Ming troops there were, so they fled eastward. The troops became more frightened and unconsciously wanted to get closer together. People trampled on horses, and wounded soldiers and baggage fell off horses from time to time. They trampled on each other and were in a mess.

The rain had subsided and the sky was getting dark. Danchu was not confident of a night battle, so he chased the enemy to Lion Ridge and ordered his troops to retreat.

The cavalry of each regiment returned to the camp. Danchu wanted to keep He Guoju at the Suoyidu camp to rest, but He Guoju declined politely, saying, "The Tartars have retreated. My mission has been accomplished. I will return to the camp as soon as possible to report. If the Tartars come to attack again tomorrow, Marshal Jue will send them at any time."

He Guoju was Jiao Lian's subordinate and had to obey orders in everything, but he did not dare to come and go as he pleased.

"Well," Danchu pondered, "Luckily you came to our rescue today, otherwise the Red Army would be in danger. The Tartars suffered a setback on the east coast and might switch to attacking the west coast. You should go back quickly. I'll treat you to a drink another day when you're free."

"I will repay you for your kindness, Marshal, someday. How can I thank you?"

"Haha!" Danchu laughed, a trace of fatigue flashed across his face, and he said, "You and I have a special relationship, there is no need to say these empty words. Go ahead, see you another day."

"Yes." He Guoju smiled knowingly, a trace of fatigue flashed across his face. He mounted his horse and was about to leave, but he was a little reluctant. He told his cousin He Guozuo, "Guozuo, you should serve well under the command of Marshal Jue, practice martial arts diligently, study military tactics diligently, and bring honor to our He family in the future."

"promise."

(End of this chapter)