Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 305: Annihilation of the Qing Army Again
At the end of January in the first year of Chengwu, Zhu Yuanzhang crossed the Yellow River, and his massive army continued to advance slowly northward.

At that time, Hebei should have been called Beizhili.

As a strategically important location near the capital, it is of paramount importance and has a large garrison force.

Although Ao Bai took most of the troops with him, his entire army was wiped out.

However, the Manchu Qing dynasty urgently summoned back a large number of troops from outside the Great Wall and the border, and also requested reinforcements from the Mongols.

Although the Mongol tribes were scattered at the time, with the rise of the Later Jin dynasty, a large number of Mongol tribes began to align themselves with the Manchu Qing dynasty and became its vassals.

The most typical examples are the sixteen tribes of Southern Mongolia, as well as the various tribes of Northern and Western Mongolia that joined later, such as the Dörbet, Khalkha, and Khoshut tribes.

By the end of the Shunzhi reign, even the Dzungar Khanate, which later opposed the Qing Dynasty, paid tribute to the Manchus and became their subjects.

Therefore, during this period, it was still quite easy for the Manchus to summon reinforcements from Mongolia.

In addition, the Qing Dynasty recruited a large number of Green Standard Army soldiers in Hebei, Shanxi and other areas currently under its control, and in a very short period of time, the Qing Dynasty amassed hundreds of thousands of troops.

The exact number should be around 400,000.

This included 40,000 Manchu Eight Banners soldiers who remained in Beijing, Manchu, Han, and Mongol Eight Banners soldiers stationed in Shengjing and other places, and more than 30,000 wild Jurchen soldiers captured from the Northeast.

There were also about 100,000 troops from various tribes in southern Mongolia, and about 200,000 Green Standard Army soldiers recruited from Hebei and Shanxi.

However, the Green Standard Army soldiers have only been recruited and trained for less than a month since last year, so sending them out now would only be a hindrance. Therefore, they are temporarily left to guard the capital and defend the city.

Yue Le led 30,000 Manchu, Han and Mongol Eight Banner troops to harass the Ming army in the front.

Both Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan's troops were later replenished. Li Dingguo had about 30,000 infantry and cavalry, while Bai Wenxuan's troops, which were originally larger than Li Dingguo's, now numbered over 40,000.

After the Thirteen Families of Kuidong, due to underestimating the enemy and advancing recklessly, retreated to their right flank, Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan's two forces continued to advance northward, supporting each other as they slowly moved forward.

The two sides met at Gaochuan Town. Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan formed a pincer movement, with their infantry arrayed in the field to fight against the cavalry.

Yue Le then dispatched light cavalry to harass them.

Ancient cavalry were a nightmare for infantry, but equally well-trained infantry could also defeat cavalry.

Prepare shields and spears. If you encounter cavalry archers, use your shields to block them. If you encounter cavalry charging, use your spears to intercept them.

Throughout history, both the East and the West have dealt with cavalry in this way, and Yue Fei's army was no exception.

But doing so is ultimately a passive approach.

Moreover, although the Manchus were a fishing and hunting tribe, they were also very skilled in horsemanship and archery. In addition, the Eight Banners army had light cavalry, heavy cavalry, and even firearms troops, making them very powerful in combat against infantry.

Therefore, although Yue Le's light cavalry raids did not pose a significant threat to the Southern Ming army's infantry shield formation in the initial encounters, Yue Le's subsequent heavy cavalry assaults still caused them huge losses.

no way.

The heavy cavalry of the Eight Banners were fully armored, with cotton armor covering their armor.

It could be described as cotton armor, but it was actually two layers of cotton cloth with an iron plate sandwiched in between, and then an inner layer of iron armor. Its defensive capabilities could withstand attacks from spears, and even matchlock guns used by the Ming army.

Only a fierce general in the army could possibly inflict some damage on them with a hammer.

Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan relied on their years of experience dealing with the Manchus to barely repel Yue Le's heavy cavalry by using long spears to stab the Eight Banner soldiers in the face and cutting the horses' legs.

In the Battle of Gaochuan Town, Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan suffered losses of approximately 7,000 men before managing to kill just over 900 Manchu Eight Banner cavalrymen, demonstrating the vast disparity between the two sides.

In this battle, Yue Le demonstrated a high level of tactical skill. He saw that the Ming army was difficult to deal with, and that the troops of the Thirteen Families of Kuidong had also rushed to his aid.

Although he was not afraid of the attack of more than 100,000 Ming troops with his 30,000 cavalry, he also knew that there was still Zhu's main force in the rear. Once he got into a fierce battle, if Zhu's main force caught up with him, his entire army would be wiped out.

Therefore, once they had made a profit, they left without any hesitation.

a few days later.

In early February, Lao Zhu's main force finally arrived at Gaochuan.

Gaochuan Town is actually located southwest of Cangzhou, Hebei Province, and a little north of Botou City. It is adjacent to the North Canal and is right on Zhu De's marching route.

Old Zhu's fleet sailed along the canal, with the motorcade clearing the way on both sides and in front.

Even though it was wartime, there were still merchants on the canal who were unaware of the situation, and their fleets had to be cleared away.

Moreover, the Manchu Tartars sank many ships along the way and piled up sand and stones to slow down Zhu Yuanzhang's march.

Therefore, in addition to serving as the vanguard, Li Dingguo's Southern Ming army also needed to help Zhu Yuanzhang deal with any special situations that might arise on the canal ahead.

However, they are currently blocked in Gaochuan, and Yue Le has retreated back into Cangzhou City, preventing the Ming army from advancing.

When Lao Zhu arrived in Gaochuan, they rushed over to pay their respects.

It was February 6th. Although spring had arrived in the north, the withered weeds on the plains and fields were slowly turning green. Villages and farmland could often be seen, but hills and small mountains were rare.

There are not many people left in the town. Originally, the town was located along the canal, where some goods were distributed and canal workers gathered. But now, in the era of war and chaos, that has long since disappeared.

It was still morning, and apart from the occasional person coming out to fetch water, every household kept their doors tightly shut and cautiously watched the outside of town.

The Southern Ming army was stationed a few kilometers outside the town.

The tents of more than 100,000 people were so numerous that they blocked out the sky. Every day, countless wagons transported grain and supplies. The dark mass of people was unsettling to look at.

It's just that there are only some elderly and weak people left in the town who can't walk anymore; otherwise, they probably would have run away long ago.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to die ten thousand times!"

Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan, and more than ten other generals, looking somewhat apprehensive, knelt and kowtowed before Zhu De's carriage.

Old Zhu had just finished watching a video of their battle in the car.

Yes.

The Southern Ming army even had people recording videos during battles.

To test their capabilities and military skills, Zhu De specially sent several drone pilots and Hongwu soldiers to observe the battle.

They would use drones and tablet cameras to record the battles, but they themselves would not participate in the fighting.

if not.

Although Old Zhu didn't send many men, those dozen or so assault rifles alone were enough to give Yue Le a run for his money.

Even the thickest cotton or iron armor can't stop assault rifle bullets.

"Ah."

Old Zhu got out of the car and replied, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone stood up tremblingly.

In particular, the thirteen families of Kuidong, including Li Laiheng.

They underestimated the enemy and advanced recklessly, resulting in the loss of many men.

If it were during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, he would probably have been beheaded long ago.

But Old Zhu wasn't angry. He simply said, "It's normal to have wins and losses in military campaigns. But what you must remember is to always learn from your failures: why did you fail, and where did you fall short? Only then can you win battles. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Old Zhu hadn't gotten angry.

What they didn't know was that it was actually the last remaining resistance force of the Southern Ming who saved them by refusing to surrender even at the cost of their lives.

In ancient times, emperors were suspicious of their generals, and if a general suffered a defeat, they would find a reason to execute him, because of issues concerning military power.

Emperors didn't know whether their generals were truly loyal or would rebel, which is why, from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, emperors would find various reasons to reclaim military power, often resulting in a situation where soldiers didn't know their generals and generals didn't know their soldiers.

After all, since the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, there have been too many examples of generals rebelling, killing emperors, and seizing power for themselves. It could even be said that all the emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were former powerful ministers and generals who rebelled and killed their emperors. The Tang Dynasty also granted excessive power to regional military governors, leading to the chaotic state of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. This forced the Northern Song Dynasty to overcorrect by implementing the "banquet to release military power," which significantly weakened the army's combat effectiveness.

However, Li Dingguo and others proved their loyalty with their actions. Although they were slightly less capable, loyalty was more important than anything else to the emperor.

Therefore, just like in the Chongzhen era, those officials who died for their country were given important positions, while those who surrendered to the Manchus were killed.

This has nothing to do with personal ability; it's simply a matter of choice being more important than effort.

"I have seen your battles with the Tartars. The Tartars have indeed become formidable in recent years. Their soldiers and horses are all heavily armored, and their armor provides amazing protection. It will not be easy to kill them."

Old Zhu slowly gazed into the distance and said, "In the end, it's still a gap in weaponry and equipment, so you can't be blamed. Besides, I saw your courage to fight the Tartars in this battle, so even though we didn't win, I won't blame you."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty. Thank you for your great kindness."

Everyone knelt down again.

"All right."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "You all go back and break camp. Immediately follow me to Cangzhou."

"Yes."

Everyone rose, bowed again, and returned to their respective camps.

Zhu's army continued its advance.

By the afternoon, the army had reached the southern outskirts of Cangzhou, more than 20 kilometers away.

Surprisingly, the Tartars did not cower in the city.

Judging from the drone's view, the garrison inside the city should only number three or four thousand infantrymen, all of whom are on the city walls.

Further north of Cangzhou City, densely packed cavalrymen stood silently waiting in the spring breeze.

This is also a classic use of cavalry.

If the enemy attacks the city, leave a small number of infantrymen to defend it.

When the enemy launched a full-scale attack on the city, the hidden cavalry suddenly attacked, catching the enemy off guard.

However, this tactic is clearly useless from the perspective of a drone; in fact, it's practically tantamount to suicide.

Upon seeing the Qing army's deployment, Zhu De pondered for a few seconds and quickly devised a solution.

He ordered the Southern Ming army to begin a siege attack, cutting down trees and building siege ladders. Tens of thousands of troops, seen from the sky, surged toward Cangzhou City like countless ants.

Before the few cannons in the city could fire, they were shot down by mortars. Explosions rang out, and shouts of killing, cursing, wailing, and the clash of weapons filled the air.

With fewer troops and their artillery destroyed, the Qing army could only rely on bows, crossbows, swords, and spears to fight back. However, faced with the Ming army's fierce encirclement and suppression, their counterattacks were extremely weak, and they had been breached multiple times. The desolate bugle calls echoed across the land.

Yue Le didn't have any drones in the distance, and the Ming army had completely surrounded Cangzhou City. Scouts could only see the Ming army constantly rushing towards the city walls from afar, and they couldn't witness the power of guns and cannons.

Seeing that the city walls were already in imminent danger, Yue Le realized that he could not wait any longer. With a command, countless cavalrymen launched a surprise attack on the flanks of the Ming army.

"hehe."

On a small hill in the distance, Old Zhu gazed towards the city of Cangzhou.

Beside him, Zhu Yunfeng was holding a tablet that displayed a scene of thousands of troops galloping across the land.

Countless cavalrymen are rapidly approaching. The light cavalry in front have already accelerated, while the heavy cavalry behind are walking slowly to conserve their horses' strength. The heavy cavalry will only charge when they are close enough.

Although the Qing army selected the best and finest warhorses for its heavy cavalry, the Qing army's armor was too heavy; both the rider and the horse weighed over 100 jin (approximately 50 kg) in their armor.

Ordinary horses simply cannot withstand it.

Even the best warhorses would be ruined after a few charges, so heavy cavalry could only charge once or twice, and once they were trapped in the enemy lines, they would surely die.

Old Zhu saw that Yue Le's tactics were quite methodical, and if he were in the late Yuan Dynasty, he would definitely be a fierce general.

What a pity.

Old Zhu shook his head and said, "It's like an ant trying to shake a tree; it's overestimating its own strength."

Below the drones, a dark mass of cavalry surged toward the battlefield like a torrent.

When the two sides were less than two kilometers apart, the Qing army's light cavalry suddenly accelerated. They planned to get within seventy or eighty meters, use crossbows to scatter the Ming army's formation, and then charge with their heavy cavalry.

At this time, the Ming army was besieging the city, and under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to complete the defensive cavalry formation in a short period of time.

People panic when they are suddenly attacked.

Even if the enemy general reacted quickly, it would be impossible for him to redeploy his tens of thousands of troops within ten minutes of a cavalry charge.

Throughout history, there have only been a handful of people like Han Xin.

Therefore, this strategy of disrupting formations, which is most common in ancient warfare, is extremely effective in large-scale battles.

Fighting with one's back to the river can also be described as this kind of fighting style.

To the surprise of the Qing cavalry, the Ming army did not panic at the appearance of the cavalry; instead, they remained in place and watched them quietly.

However, the order to launch a surprise attack had already been given, and the cavalry had completed their charge, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging.

Then, when the two sides were less than four or five hundred meters apart.

"kill!"

Then the words came through the walkie-talkie.

Gunshots rang out from the crowd in an instant, accompanied by the sound of "whoosh whoosh whoosh".

A large number of cannonballs fell from the sky and landed in the rear of the heavy cavalry.

The light cavalry in front were struck dumb.

A large number of Hongwu soldiers emerged from the Ming army crowd that had been watching the battle from the outside, wielding rifles and firing at the front. They even charged forward while firing, as if afraid of missing out on kills.

Many of Hongwu soldiers were extremely excited when they fired their guns, bursting into wild laughter.

In an instant, Qing soldiers fell to the ground, bullets piercing their cotton armor and the iron armor underneath, bursting into brilliant sprays of blood.

The most terrifying thing was the machine gun.

Old Zhu wasn't just carrying rifles; he also had machine guns.

my country's domestically produced LM8 12.7mm Gatling gun has a low-velocity rate of 1000 rounds per minute and a high-velocity rate of 3000 rounds per minute.

Blue flames were shooting from the muzzle of the gun.

Stop talking about people.

The man and his horse were torn to shreds.

On the battlefield, the Southern Ming army watched all of this in stunned silence.

They only saw that as soon as the gunfire started, the Qing army, which had been advancing in a mighty, torrent-like manner, quickly fell in droves.

Soon, the entire battlefield was reduced to countless pieces of minced meat, with hardly any intact corpses left.

Even among the heavily armored cavalry in the rear, almost none survived.

Yue Le was killed instantly by artillery fire.

Under the bombardment of machine guns and mortars, the heavy cavalry in the distance also suffered heavy casualties.

The heavy armor of men and horses is as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of modern heavy firepower!

(End of this chapter)