Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 216: Cavalry Formation Restarts
Soon, Wu Sangui, who was originally watching the battle at the foot of the mountain on the west side of the valley and waiting for Yue Le's order, received an order from Yue Le to immediately concentrate his troops and attack the Ming army's rear.

After hearing this order from the messenger Bayala, he did not hesitate at all and immediately began to dispatch his officers to gather troops. But as soon as the other party left, he immediately spat at Bayala's back and started cursing.

Yue Le's deployment clearly meant that he wanted him to lead thousands of his brothers to die, using their flesh and blood to carve out a bloody path for the Eight Banners to break through.

Wu Sangui did see the chaos in the Ming army's pursuit troops, but he was not as optimistic as Yue Le. He knew that unless Yue Le and he concentrated all their troops and fought to the death, it would be absolutely difficult to turn the tide of the battle.

However, Yue Le's current deployment was not intended to fight to the death, but rather to lead his troops to retreat directly from the north if he was unable to defeat the Ming army.

After all, he had left support troops at Luyang Pass. As long as he broke out, he would be able to escape and would not be afraid of the Ming army's pursuit.

Of course, Wu Sangui cursed behind Yue Le's back not because he felt sorry. He had never intended to fight to the death with Yue Le from the beginning.

But he also knew the importance of opening up a retreat route, because once the mountains on both sides were completely controlled by the Ming army, the Qing army in the valley would be attacked from both sides and be in a deadly situation.

You know, the terrain on both sides of the watershed is not very steep. As long as the Ming army controls the two wings, they can send troops to rush out from the many mountain roads on both sides and launch a surprise attack on the enemies trapped in the valley.

In other words, Wu Sangui actually preferred to lead his troops to turn around and break out. If he was a step late, his life would be in danger!

"Yang Kun, you will lead the troops out from the eastern mountain road. As for Alashan's side, I will call it a roundabout encirclement. You must find a way to break out. If you encounter the Ming army, do not fight to the death, but retreat directly." Wu Sangui whispered.

"Your Highness, if we can get around to the rear of this Ming army, we..." Yang Kun asked cautiously.

"By the time you get behind them, I'm afraid my head will have already fallen to the ground. Can you guarantee that there are no Ming troops there to stop you for an hour or two?" Wu Sangui shook his head.
"If they can't stop you, then the Ming army will be attacked from both sides. It would be a good thing if the whole army is annihilated, but if you are pinned down and can't escape, then we will all die here."

Upon hearing this, Yang Kun knew that Wu Sangui was angry, and immediately nodded in agreement. Now that the situation had changed drastically, he actually didn't know what to do.

"Remember what I said. If you find a passage from the side, come back and report it immediately. If the Ming army chases us, you must stop them." Wu Sangui continued.

Upon receiving the order, Yang Kun immediately rode out, leading his troops to prepare to bypass the mountain pass. Although Zhu Cilang had assembled an army of 40,000, he did not have the manpower to block every mountain pass, otherwise his offensive would be greatly weakened.

Wu Sangui then led other troops to attack. In addition to his personal cavalry, there were also elite firearms units and some combat soldiers. These were all intended to deal with the Ming army's infantry phalanx.

Although the power of firearms was still insufficient in this era, the Ming army, relying on the geographical advantage and the coordination of infantry phalanxes, was able to completely stop the charge of large numbers of cavalry.

Therefore, Wu Sangui had to use the combined tactics of infantry and musketeers to disrupt the Ming army and thus find opportunities for the cavalry to break through.

Of course, he was not sure about breaking through the Ming army's infantry formation, but he could not put all his hopes on Yang Kun.

"Boom! Boom! Boom"

The Ming army's four-pound cannons deployed on the mountains began a new round of firing, and after Wu Sangui assembled thousands of soldiers under his command, he immediately led them to the north. The sounds of thousands of horse hooves stepping on the ground in the valley merged together, like muffled thunder.

At this time, on the edge of the foothills on both sides, more than a dozen troops were fighting fiercely. Countless flying flags were rustling in the wind with a strong smell of blood. The armored soldiers of the Palace Army and the Eight Banners Army roared and rushed towards each other, fighting desperately.

Although most of the ambush troops of the Palace Army had not experienced hard fighting at the beginning, the armored soldiers on the foothills on both sides had consumed a lot of physical strength. At this time, facing the elite armored soldiers of the Eight Banners, it was difficult to make a breakthrough even if they had a slight advantage in manpower.

As for the elite Qing troops, although they were very powerful, they were constrained by the Ming army and could not escape. They did not achieve Yue Le's strategic goal of defeating the Ming army, and the rough mountain roads even affected their attack speed.

However, under Yue Le's command, the hundreds of elite Eight Banners cavalry quickly dismounted and launched a surprise attack in the direction of the western foot of the valley, catching the Palace Army on the western hillside off guard. The hundreds of Palace Army armored soldiers who had originally had a slight advantage were quickly repelled by the Qing army.

On the battlefield on the west side of the valley, shouts of killing rang out again, shaking the earth. Under the fierce attack of the Qing army, the flank line of the Palace Army quickly retreated.

However, the Qing army was attacking from the bottom up, so its attack power was naturally insufficient, and the armored soldiers in the front had great difficulties in retreating. This meant that the Palace Army would not be in danger of being quickly disorganized by its own defeated soldiers and losing the ability to fight back under the Qing army's surprise attack.

Under the attack of these elite Qing troops, the defeat of the Palace Army was inevitable. The armored soldiers in the Qing army's raiding force continuously divided into small teams and attacked the Palace Army's line, which had no time to form a solid military formation during the defeat, like tentacles entangled in it.

The contact area between the two armies became larger and larger. The Palace Army continued to retreat, while the Qing army continued to press forward. Dense helmets, flying flags and waving weapons covered the western foothills.

However, the soldiers of the Palace Army were not like the Green Camp soldiers and civilians led by Aljin, who collapsed at the first blow. After the initial chaos, they quickly took advantage of the terrain at the foot of the mountain and formed into small, solid square formations on the halfway slope.

This was a formation that every unit of the Palace Army, even the artillery, had to practice. Relying on a stable formation and mutual coordination between the soldiers, they quickly blocked the Qing army's fierce and sudden attack.

Of course, the Qing army was no pushover, especially those sent by Yue Le, who were his elite troops. The Palace Army at the foot of the mountain on the west side also suffered heavy losses, and it was difficult for them to launch such a fierce offensive as at the beginning.

Yue Le looked at the battle situation on the foothills on both sides and felt very anxious. Although the Ming army had slowed down its offensive due to its own chaos and the situation in the valley had temporarily eased, his troops had only stabilized their position temporarily. The situation was still not optimistic and they could be defeated by the Ming army at any time.

Now, the only troops Yue Le could mobilize were the thousands of Eight Banners cavalrymen in the central region. If he fought with all his might, his entire army would be annihilated if he failed. He was deeply hesitant and had yet to make a decision.

This was Yue Le's last reserve force, and although he wasn't decisive enough on the two wings, he knew very well that he couldn't gradually increase his troops on the front line. Otherwise, he would be completely defeated.

In other words, Yue Le clearly understood the importance of the mountains on both sides and the front. His biggest problem now was insufficient troops. In addition, he had just missed the best opportunity to retreat due to the chaos in the Ming army, and he was even more panicked now.

Meanwhile, on the valley floor, the Palace Front Army had gradually regained its organization. Most importantly, the Heavenly Cavalry and the Valiant Cavalry were forming a cavalry formation, preparing to move out. Their target was the remaining 10,000-plus troops currently trapped on the valley floor.

"How is the battle situation on both sides of the mountains?" Zhu Cilang asked anxiously when he saw Chang Denggui receiving the military report from the scouts.

"Your Majesty, the Qing troops on the mountains on both sides have now been repelled, but the Tianwu Left Camp is no longer able to pursue and directly attack the Qing army's line in a short period of time." Chang Denggui took a look at the military report, and his face no longer had the initial excitement.

They had not expected that Yue Le did not break out directly, but instead sent so many elite soldiers to block the assaulting army from the foothills on both sides.

However, although seizing the initiative on the battlefield is important for the development of the war situation on both sides, once the war reaches a stalemate, the final decision of victory or defeat will still be made on the front battlefield.

"Well, I understand!" After hearing this, Zhu Cilang immediately put down the telescope in his hand, nodded, and then ordered:

"Pass on my military orders. The Heavenly Cavalry will form a cavalry formation and attack directly to defeat the remaining Qing troops. The Xiao Cavalry will wait for an opportunity to surprise attack the Qing army from the mountain passes on both sides. There must be no mistakes."

"Yes!"

After confirming that the mountains on both wings were basically under his control, Zhu Cilang made a prompt decision and planned to use the cavalry formation again in the valley. He had just ordered the infantry to suspend the pursuit in order to make room for the cavalry on both wings.

As for the Right Army of the Palace, which was blocking the Qing army in the valley to the north, he had not yet mobilized troops to reinforce them. From the moment Wu Sangui's flag went north, he was no longer worried about the situation there.

You have to know that in the Qing court, the Manchus' use of Han soldiers would have meant that if they had encountered the historically weak Southern Ming army, they would have basically won every battle, and there would have been no problem with that.

But now, facing the powerful Ming army, these Green Camp and vassal army soldiers are very reluctant to be cannon fodder.

If Wu Sangui led his army to break out from the north regardless of the consequences, the right army in front of the palace would indeed be difficult to resist, and the situation in the north would be out of control.

But now, under such circumstances, Yue Le can hardly protect himself, and Wu Sangui will definitely be cunning and treacherous, so this part of the reinforcement will definitely not be effective.

In the valley, the ambushed Qing troops, including the Eight Banners, were already struggling to hold on. Any unexpected event would have easily led to their formation collapsing. Wu Sangui, having fought for so many years, couldn't have failed to see this. However, both sides were now locked in a bitter struggle. While the Palace Army had stabilized its flanks and achieved initial success on the front, and the cavalry had begun to mobilize, it would still take considerable time before they could form a cavalry formation.

In the valley, Yue Le and Wu Sangui were personally leading their troops, desperately defending and attacking in the center and north. They both chose to go to the front lines in person so that they could respond to various emergencies in a timely manner and make decisions as quickly as possible.

Of course, the two men had different goals. Yue Le wanted to reverse the situation, while Wu Sangui wanted to lead his troops to escape at a critical moment.

Facing the Ming Dynasty Dingwu Emperor Zhu Cilang, who had defeated Duoduo and Dorgon successively in the past three years, it was impossible for both of them not to feel wary.

After all, it was not just Duoduo and Dorgon, but also Geng Zhongming and Tunqi who were defeated by Zhu Cilang, and the latter two even died on the battlefield.

Moreover, they now saw with their own eyes that the combat power of Zhu Cilang's army was indeed extremely powerful, and even the elite Eight Banners could not defeat it quickly.

Yue Le and Aljin, who rushed back from the front line, soon met in the center of the battlefield. Hundreds of personal guards under their command protected them inside and outside in layers.

But looking at the battlefield ahead, where the soldiers of the two armies were still engaged in a melee, especially the Ming army's cavalry who were rapidly gathering, and the cavalry they sent out to harass them were entangled again, both of them felt extremely anxious.

"Emperor Ming must have another army behind the valley. He always has a backup plan when he goes to war, and this time will definitely be no exception." Aljin frowned and said in a very dull voice:

"The Ming cavalry in the south of the valley is now gathering. Although Beile has also sent out horsemen to harass them, the Ming army has sufficient manpower. It is estimated that they will join the battlefield in less than half an hour. We must break out as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Emperor Ming probably has tens of thousands of cavalry now. Although it is difficult to see clearly, with such a big noise and smoke, there are probably no less than 30,000 war horses in the valley." Yue Le nodded and said with a serious face.

"The situation on the western foothills is not optimistic. Although we have not been defeated, we are unable to defeat the Ming army." Aljin took a deep breath and said to himself.

Although he had just returned from the front lines, he already had a good idea of ​​the situation on both wings. Faced with the overwhelming military superiority of the Ming Emperor, they had little room for maneuver. If they couldn't seize the only opportunity to break through quickly, they would probably be killed without a burial place.

Aljin had already seen from today's battle that the Ming army and the Eight Banners army were now evenly matched in terms of combat effectiveness, but the Ming army's soldiers lacked sufficient battlefield experience. Otherwise, their combat effectiveness would have been even greater.

You must know that in the more than three years since the establishment of the Palace Army, Zhu Cilang has carried out comprehensive reforms in many aspects, including the officer system, training methods, material supply, and weapons and equipment. His soldiers are now completely standardized and professional, and can be turned into war machines that can be quickly mass-produced.

Behind this army lay the entire civil administration, commerce, and bureaucracy of the Dingwu court. This was the core of the Palace Army's combat effectiveness and the key reason why traditional Ming armies like the Left and Right Regiments, the Loyal Camp, and the Western Army, as well as the reorganized rebel forces, were unable to achieve the same combat effectiveness.

"We must now open up the passage to the rear before Emperor Ming's cavalry attacks, otherwise we won't be able to fight this battle." Yue Le nodded and continued.

"Beile, you sent Wu Sangui. Does that mean you have a way to break through the Ming army?" Upon hearing this, Aljin raised his eyebrows slightly and asked expectantly.

However, Yue Le simply shook his head and said:
"There's no good solution for now, but I believe in Alashan's abilities. With Wu Sangui's cavalry, as long as he can find a flaw in the Ming army, he will definitely be able to break through the Ming army's formation."

Of course, he understood why Aljin was so excited. The development of the war at this time had completely exceeded their expectations. As the Ming Emperor began to assemble cavalry, the situation further deteriorated. Yue Le's joy, which had just been caused by the chaos in the Ming army's offensive formation, was instantly wiped out.

"The Ming army just urgently retreated, and they definitely can't launch an attack for a while. We can take this opportunity to distance ourselves from the Ming army, concentrate our troops, and complete the infantry formation's preparations for battle. Once Alashan achieves a breakthrough, the cavalry will immediately turn around and break out."

At this time, Aljin had no hope of defeating the Ming army. After realizing that there was no way to defeat the Ming army head-on, he finally chose to place his hopes on Wu Sangui, just like Yue Le.

Soon, he stood up in the stirrups and turned to look at the army behind him. However, the dust raised by the galloping cavalry of Wu Sangui in the valley greatly affected his vision. He could only vaguely see the outlines of the two armies' formations.

On the north side of the valley, in front of the two armies, where the air was filled with smoke and shouts of killing, Wu Sangui, under the coercion of Alashan, had to deploy all of the more than 1,500 cavalrymen who had not yet been deployed to the battlefield into the army formation on the west side of the valley. Both of them were in a posture of making a last-ditch effort at this time.

Wu Sangui's plan went well, but he underestimated the strength of Alashan, an old Manchu general, and finally had to send all the last thousand or so soldiers in his hands to the battlefield.

Not only that, after Yang Kun led hundreds of cavalrymen around the western mountain road, he had not sent back any news, which made Wu Sangui very uneasy and he dared not disobey Alashan's orders.

Under Alashan's deployment, more than 2,000 Green Camp soldiers and Baoyi soldiers had already taken the lead on the battlefield in the north of the valley and successfully consumed most of the firepower of the right army in front of the palace.

These Green Camp soldiers and Baoyi soldiers were not the remnants of the defeated troops commanded by Aljin in the south, but the elite of the Green Camp soldiers and Baoyi soldiers. They were actually capable of fighting against ordinary Ming troops, but facing the Right Army in front of the palace, they were unable to break through the latter's formation.

However, their previous multiple attacks had already greatly consumed most of the firepower of the right army in front of the palace, especially the volleys of musketeers, which now had lost its initial power.

Moreover, after Wu Sangui led a large group of infantry to reinforce, Alashan's attack became more and more bold. He did not even wait for the infantry in front to withdraw, but sent out cavalry to charge directly, forcing the infantry in front to continue charging.

Under the pressure of the Eight Banners horsemen who were rushing forward wielding swords and guns, the Green Camp Army, the feudal soldiers and the bannermen had to continue charging, which left the Right Army soldiers in front of the palace who were forming a formation to block the attack in the valley with no chance to breathe.

The right army's line in front of the palace had already shown signs of fatigue under the continuous and fierce attacks of the Qing army. Now facing the charge of the cavalry, it seemed even more difficult to withstand.

After all, there are only two combat battalions deployed in the right army in front of the palace. Although their equipment and training are not inferior to those of the central army in front of the palace, they also have a large number of new recruits. In the absence of firearms cover, their flaws are gradually exposed.

After all, they are not heavenly soldiers and generals. How can they withstand the joint attack of Alashan and Wu Sangui for long?
Alashan now led Wu Sangui into the attack, intending to use all his forces. In fact, it was because he saw that the Ming army was weak, and the Green Camp soldiers and the Baoyi soldiers were almost exhausted, and realized that this was his last chance.

Wu Sangui also had rich battlefield experience. When Yang Kun had not sent back any news for a long time and the situation in the south was precarious, he had to harden his heart and give it a try.

“Woo, woo, woo~~~”

Soon, bursts of military bugle calls representing the order to charge were sounded in the armies of Alashan and Wu Sangui.

The more than 2,000 elite Eight Banners cavalrymen under Alashan and the nearly 2,000 Guanning cavalrymen under Wu Sangui, completely ignored the thousands of Green Camp soldiers, Baoyi soldiers, and even vassal soldiers in front of the battle, and they accelerated their horses and rushed forward.

As for the right army line in front of the palace in the north, after continuous fighting and repelling three rounds of attacks by the Qing army, the formations in many places had become chaotic. At this time, there was no time to reorganize them before they were immediately hit by the Qing cavalry.

Under such a swift attack, the right army formation in front of the palace, which was already in chaos, collapsed and exploded, becoming fragmented. The sword and shield soldiers and spearmen in the front row either died tragically in the charge of the Qing cavalry or were scattered and fled in groups of three or five.

The musketeers, who had retreated to the rear of the army early in the morning, could no longer effectively strike the Qing cavalry after firing a round of scattered shots. They simply raised their guns and fired at the Qing cavalry that rushed in front of them. The chaotic sound of gunfire echoed throughout the formation, and the ranks were filled with white smoke. In the end, they only caused casualties of over a hundred Qing cavalrymen.

But the cavalry under Alashan and Wu Sangui had a total of 4,000 people, so this loss was nothing. However, the right army in front of the palace had lost its formation and was unable to hold on when it was hit by such a powerful force.

This is the fatal flaw of the infantry phalanx. Once it is broken through, it will be completely unable to withstand the cavalry.

However, any infantry that can form a formation to withstand the attack of cavalry is actually the elite among the elite. In the nine frontiers of the Ming Dynasty in the past, this was the level of field army servants.

Under the charge of the Qing cavalry, the east wing of the right army in front of the palace began to fall into chaos first. Faced with the galloping war horses and the Qing soldiers wielding swords and guns, the soldiers of the right army in front of the palace instinctively retreated in panic.

However, the right army in front of the palace had more than one layer of formation. Between the two layers, there were military soldiers supervising the battle who were killing the fleeing soldiers to prevent them from disrupting the formation of the next layer, or even forcing these fleeing soldiers to turn around and meet the enemy again.

But compared with the Qing army's subsequent attack, these counterattacks that had already lost their organization and were ineffective were nothing but futile. Even a considerable number of the military law soldiers who were supervising the battle were killed in the battle by the Qing cavalry.

In this critical moment, Tian Jianxiu had no intention of retreating. He immediately drew his sword, led his personal guards, and personally commanded the second formation of infantry to attack forward. The fearless soldiers of the right army in front of the second formation also raised their swords and guns to attack the Qing army rushing in front of them.

(End of this chapter)