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

Chapter 202: A sudden downturn
It was already midnight when Danchu returned to the Suoyidu camp. He still couldn't stop, he had to inspect the camp, listen to the battle reports of various units, review the documents from Nanning and Zhaoping, and examine the battle reports from the Operations Bureau, he was exhausted.

Fortunately, the Red Army fought tenaciously today and repelled the Qing army's attack. Although it cannot be called a great victory, it at least ended in a draw.

In the battle of Leigongling, the Red Army killed more than 600 enemies and lost more than 600 people, which was equal to each other. On the other side of Shiziling, the results of the battle have not yet been counted, but the casualties of the Qing army must be greater than those of the Red Army. Therefore, judging from the comparison of personnel losses, the Red Army won a small victory.

At midnight, Danchu reviewed the victory report and set the number of enemies killed at 1,000. The day's work was finally over. He was so tired that he fell into a deep sleep before he had time to wash up.

But in the early hours of the morning, Intelligence Bureau Director Feng Jiali came knocking on the door again.

Danchu was sleeping soundly, and was woken up by his personal guards, which made him angry. When he heard that Feng Jiali wanted to see him, Danchu knew something was wrong, so he had to get up, dress, and go out to meet him.

"Commander, excuse me for disturbing you so late at night..."

Yesterday morning, Feng Jiali had urgent information and had to wake Danchu up. This morning, when it was still dark, he received bad news again and had to come and bother her again.

"It's okay, what's the matter?" Thinking that Feng Jiali got up earlier than him, Dan Chu's anger subsided a lot.

"A secret report came from Huangsha Town. The Tartars have crossed the river!"

"What? So fast? When?" Dan Chu couldn't believe his ears and asked repeatedly.

He subconsciously looked at the clock, and the hands pointed to 4:30 a.m. It would be dawn soon.

"Yesterday, the Tartars built two floating bridges in Huangsha Town, and attacked Leigong Ridge with their main force, and crossed the river with a small force to test the Chu army. They were all defeated and retreated to Huangsha Town. Jirgalang led his army to retreat to Huangsha Town last night, and the soldiers rested for an hour or two. Around the beginning of the morning, the Tartars began to cross the river. The scout noticed it and immediately rode back to report it. I just received the news and immediately came to see the commander-in-chief."

According to this, the vanguard of the Qing army had probably reached the other side of Suoyifur.

What a great Tartar! They can endure so much hardship, attacking and fighting for days on end, and only resting for an hour at night before continuing to fight.

I have long heard that the Eight Banners of Manchuria originated from the bitter cold of the Northeast, and that the soldiers and horses were able to endure a day and night without food and rest, and could fight again the next day. Today I saw that it was indeed as good as the rumors say.

In this respect, agricultural peoples are indeed inferior to nomadic peoples. But marching and fighting are extremely dangerous, and God doesn't care whether you are an agriculturalist or a nomad.

In this regard, the Red Army still has to learn from the Tatars and must master this fighting style of continuous combat, fearlessness of hardship, and perseverance.

The rain stopped, the air was damp and smelled of blood. The river breeze blew gently and frogs croaked everywhere.

Danchu had no intention of enjoying the night view. He hurriedly put on his boots and went up to the watchtower with Feng Jiali.

"Is there anything unusual on the other side?"

The lookout soldier said confidently: "I just checked it once, everything is normal."

Danchu was worried, so he took a telescope and looked at the other side. The Chu army camp opposite was completely dark, with only a few lights, which seemed to be sentries.

Moving the telescope to the left, the outline of Quanzhou City can be seen in the distance. There are torches at intervals on the tall city walls, like a winding fire dragon. Outside the city, on Fangshan Ridge to the northwest, the Gui army is stationed, and on the flat ground to the east of the city, the Yunnan army is stationed, with faint flashes of fire in the camp.

The other side was quiet, with no sign of the Qing army. Danchu felt relieved and put down his telescope. He saw the sky gradually brightening in the east. The Xiang River was flowing northward, the water level was rising slightly, and a faint white light was visible.

"Marshal, there is movement in the Chu army camp!" The lookout soldier, who had excellent eyesight and hearing, pointed in the direction of the Chu army camp and said. Danchu took the telescope and saw the fire in the Chu army camp. He also heard the sound of shouting and killing. It looked like the fire bricks, blowtorches and other firearms commonly used by the Ming army.

These firearms were all melee weapons, usually deployed around the camp. The Chu division's use of fire bricks and blowtorches indicated that the enemy had already penetrated the edge of the camp and that the camp was in imminent danger.

Soon after, the Yunnan Army’s camp also caught fire.

Danchu suddenly felt something was wrong. Who could have thought that the Eight Banners, after a long journey and yesterday's failure, could launch an attack without sleep at night? If they attacked the Red Army camp at night, would the Red Army be able to withstand it?
"Notify the Second Infantry Battalion and the Tusi soldiers to hold the Xiangjiang and Guanjiang floating bridges. The Royal Guard Battalion must assemble urgently and prepare to cross the river to reinforce the friendly forces."

By the time the guards had assembled, it was already daybreak. The Chu army camp changed its flag, and the Qing army occupied the Chu army camp, which was clearly visible across the river.

Except for the auxiliary soldiers who stayed in the main camp, all the other soldiers of the imperial guards left the camp and rode to Leigongling. When they arrived at Leigongying, the main camp of the Yunnan Division was also breached by the Qing army. Danchu had no choice but to order the demolition of the floating bridge to prevent the Qing army from crossing the river.

The Chu and Yunnan divisions were defeated, and Jiao Lian led the Guangxi division to gather the defeated soldiers and try to stabilize the situation. However, the Guangxi division's horse battalion had the strongest combat effectiveness, but it was still no match for the Qing army.

The Qing army was composed of armored cavalry, and they were unstoppable. They fought more and more bravely, as if they wanted to vent their anger for yesterday's defeat on the Ming army. The Quanzhou defenders also used the same trick, opening the city gates and fighting, and attacking from both inside and outside with the reinforcements.

The Gui army was unable to hold out, and their camps were broken. By noon, the Gui army was shaken. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Jiao Lian had to lead his army to retreat.

"General, the Tartars have chased us to the west bank of the Guanjiang River, intending to seize the pontoon bridge and cut off our retreat. The chieftain's soldiers are fighting hard." A scout came hurriedly to report.

Dan Chuzheng led his personal soldiers to Leigong Ridge, watching the fire from across the river, feeling depressed.

The Guanjiang floating bridge was less than two miles away from Leigongling, and the imperial guards were all on horseback, and they arrived suddenly. However, Guanjiang was located east of the Xiangjiang River, so how did the Qing army cross the Xiangjiang River?
There is only one answer, it must be that the Qing army in Quanzhou provided the ferry and the Qing army crossed the river by boat. How could Jirgalang be so meticulous that he could attack the Ming army on the west bank while contacting the garrison to provide the ferry and cut off the retreat of the Red Army?
Danchu was furious when he heard the news. Jirgalang had a big appetite. Did he really think the Red Army could not withstand a fight? He immediately led his personal troops to the east bank of Guanjiang River to rush to the rescue.

The Qing army had already broken through the fortifications of the Tusi soldiers on the west bank of the Guanjiang River. The remaining Tusi soldiers on the west bank retreated to the floating bridge, set up defenses at every step, and fought hard. The Qing cavalry had already surged onto the floating bridge and had the upper hand in the battle against the Tusi soldiers.

The chieftain soldiers on the east bank were already on full alert at the pontoon bridge, continuously sending troops forward to block the Qing army and try to save the pontoon bridge.

When Danchu arrived in person, Cen Xun was terrified. He rode over and said, "General, I am incompetent and neglected to guard the camp, allowing the Tartars to breach it."

"It's okay," Danchu said in a deep voice, "Order the Tusi soldiers on the bridge to retreat, and the Red Army will engage in battle."

Cen Xun was unwilling to give in, but he had no choice but to call off the troops. The Tusi soldiers on the shore also retreated, leaving the battlefield for the Red Army.

The three squads of musketeers of the musketeer battalion were arranged in a horizontal formation, with the battle line covering the width of two pontoon bridges. In the past few months, the Red Army's musketeers have become famous and have become the Red Army's trump card.

The Tusi soldiers on the floating bridge retreated upon hearing the order. The Qing army also noticed the musketeers on the other side and after a little hesitation, decided to follow the Tusi soldiers and charge forward.

The musketeers were ready to fight, leaving a passage for the Tusi soldiers, and when the Qing army came into range, they first used crossfire to shoot at the rear of the Qing army. The pontoon bridge was narrow, and the Qing army was crowded, making them perfect targets.

For a moment, the Qing army was thrown off their horses and retreated in a hurry. There were indeed dozens of wooden boats lined up on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The Qing army boarded the floating bridge and retreated to the west bank of the Xiangjiang River.

The situation was clear: the Chu, Yunnan, and Guangxi divisions collapsed one after another. The Red Army could not hold on alone and had to retreat as soon as possible.

The guards crossed the Guanjiang River on a pontoon bridge and set up a guard position. The Red Army troops broke camp and withdrew to the east bank of the Xiangjiang River and the west bank of the Guanjiang River via the pontoon bridge, then dismantled the pontoon bridge and withdrew towards Xing'an.

(End of this chapter)