Dorgon led the Beilles and a dozen Mongol nobles to stand in front of the formation. A dozen magnificent golden dragon flags stood behind them, indicating the location of the central army. In front of the central army were a thousand sturdy wooden bridges. More than 20,000 auxiliary soldiers stood beside the wooden bridge, ready to raise the wooden bridge and charge at the formation at any time.
However, the first wave of the brutal Qing army's attack was not launched from the wooden bridge.
The first wave of attack was the Ming civilians that the Qing army had captured.
Li Zhi looked at the Qing army with binoculars. He saw that behind the wooden bridges, the Qing army was using whips and swords to drive tens of thousands of people to the front of the battle. The ragged Ming people were all holding metal shovels-the Qing army was actually using these unarmed people to fill the trenches.
The commoners were all wearing tattered cotton clothes. Some of them did not even have cotton clothes. They were shivering in the cold wind. The commoners, men and women, old and young, did not dare to resist under the swords of the Qing soldiers. However, they saw the cautious look of the Qing army and knew that the Ming army in front of them was not easy to deal with. This time, the Qing army had driven the commoners to fill the trenches.
Going forward was death, and retreating was also death. Many commoners felt that a great disaster was imminent. They grabbed their tools and wailed in front of the formation.
However, the Qing army showed no mercy and whipped the crying people.
After a while, tens of thousands of people stood in front of the formation. The bugle of the Qing army sounded, and the soldiers urged 30,000 to 40,000 Ming people to rush towards the first trench, wanting to fill it with the tools in their hands.
500 meters, 400 meters, 300 meters, 200 meters away from the riflers, the people rushed to the first trench like a tide. They looked at the silent stronghold with trepidation and began to dig at the edge of the trench. They wanted to dig and fill the steep trench into a trench with a gentle angle so that the Qing soldiers could run through it.
Seeing the commoners swarming up, Zheng Kaicheng looked at Li Zhi with a pale face and asked,""Teacher, what should we do?"
The camp that Li Zhi built was in the shape of a square. The four sides were equally wide, and each side was 750 meters long. Li Zhi's Tiger Troop had suffered some casualties in the battle of the capital region, and now there were more than 400 heavily injured or sacrificed. Li Zhi left 2,000 soldiers to guard Fan Village, while he led 9,600 men to fight in the stronghold of Ma Li Gou.
On each of the four sides of the stronghold, there were 2,400 soldiers arranged in a four-row formation. 140 cannons were placed in front of them.
The infantry at the front of the stronghold consisted of 2,000 riflemen from the Vanguard Selection Regiment and 400 riflemen from the Krupp Breaking Regiment. Li Xing, the leader of the Vanguard Selection Regiment, stayed behind to guard Fan Manor. Zheng Kaicheng, as the leader of the Krupp Breaking Regiment, was appointed as the commander of the frontal battle. He stood at the front and commanded the battle.
Hearing Zheng Kaicheng's hesitation, Li Zhi shouted,""Shoot!"
Zheng Kaicheng was tongue-tied. Commander, those are civilians!"
"I said shoot!" Li Zhi roared angrily.”
Zheng Kaicheng lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and shouted,""Fire!"
The bugle sounded, and the soldiers in the first row aimed at the people who were filling the trenches and opened fire.
600 bullets were fired at the civilians 200 meters away, instantly killing hundreds of trembling civilians. The commoners who were filling the soil felt as if they had been struck by lightning. They looked at their fallen companions in surprise and all stopped what they were doing.
Listening to the Tartars 'confrontation with the government troops, they did not have a good ending…
The second wave of bullets soon arrived, and another few hundred civilians fell to the ground with blood spurting out of their bodies.
Tens of thousands of civilians seemed to have woken up from a dream. They no longer dared to work in front of the trenches and fled behind the array while screaming. More than thirty thousand Ming people lost their order and rushed back to the Qing army camp like a flood.
The soldiers of the Qing army slashed at the fleeing civilians with their swords, but it was useless. No matter how fierce the Qing army was, they could only kill a few civilians. However, the soldiers in the stronghold were able to kill hundreds of them with a single shot. It was obvious which side was more dangerous.
The Qing army's battle formation was very austere. The 30,000 people who had been robbed did not dare to charge into the battle formation. They collapsed on both sides of the battle formation and fled until they were two miles away. They were only afraid to escape after being attacked by 2,000 armored soldiers.
Seeing the newly captured slaves being defeated, Dorgon bit his lips and remained silent.
Although he knew that these slaves would be defeated by the Ming army, Li Zhi's unhesitating firing still surprised Dorgon. This Li Zhi was too vicious and did not show any mercy to the people of Great Ming. If we don't get rid of this person, our Qing Dynasty will suffer!
However, could he get rid of him? He had even blocked his way out of seclusion.
Dorgon inhaled and waved his hand.
The horn of the central army sounded, and a thousand wooden bridges were lifted up, ready to charge into the formation. Tens of thousands of Qing soldiers walked from the back of the Middle Corps to the front of the Middle Corps. They lined up behind the wooden bridge and formed a huge attack formation.
The military flag fluttered and tassels danced. From afar, it looked like a flame.
Abatai looked at Dorgon's face and asked,""Commanded by the Great General to attack Li Zhi?”
Dorgon looked at Li Zhi's stronghold in front of him and hesitated for some reason. The small stronghold was like a small mountain in Dorgon's eyes, seemingly indestructible. After thinking for a long time, Dorgon shook his head and said,"Let's not rush forward yet. Let's try the ten wooden bridges first!”
Abbatai didn't expect Dorgon to suddenly hesitate. He looked at Haug in surprise.
If they were to use ten wooden bridges, they definitely wouldn't be able to charge up. They would have to sacrifice the lives of some warriors. However, using these two hundred soldiers to test the waters, they would know the strength of the Ming army and whether they should launch an all-out attack. This was a very cautious approach. Although it would cause small casualties, it could prevent the army from falling into a trap without knowing the situation.
Abatai secretly sighed in admiration---Duo Ergun was so young, but he was so cautious. The Emperor and the Beilles thought highly of Duo Ergun, especially after Yangguli lost the battle at Fan Village. The Emperor would ask for Duo Ergun's opinion when he made important decisions, and he respected Duo Ergun very much.
This kind of respect was indeed worth it. If the Emperor wasn't so wise and powerful, it would be possible for the Baylors to worship Dorgon as their master.
The banners fluttered in the wind, conveying the orders of the central army. Tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers and servants put down the wooden bridge again and waited for orders.
The ten chosen Mu Qiao stepped out and went to battle!
The ten wooden bridges followed the sound of the horn and walked out of the formation, heading towards the Ming army stronghold in the middle of the Ma Li ditch.
The people holding the wooden bridge were the auxiliary soldiers and servants of the Qing army. For things like building bridges and filling trenches, which did not require any technical skills, Dorgon handed them over to the auxiliary soldiers and the soldiers. This was because Dorgon was worried that Li Zhi had a killer move. If the soldiers who built the bridge were to be killed on a large scale, it would not be so heartbreaking if some auxiliary soldiers and servants died. The wooden bridge was very heavy. There were some wooden shields hanging in front and on both sides. It was very difficult for more than twenty people to walk on the wooden bridge. According to Li Zhi's estimation, these wooden bridges could not move forward by half a meter in a second. After walking for the time for an incense stick to burn, the ten wooden bridges finally reached the front of the ditch.
At a distance of 200 meters, Li Zhi's Tiger Troop Division began to shoot at the wooden bridge. Six hundred bullets were fired at the auxiliary soldiers and followers who were setting up the wooden bridge, hitting the wooden shields in front of the wooden bridge.
However, the bullets of the Tiger Troop Division were unable to kill the Qing army under the wooden bridge.
The wooden shields placed in front of and on both sides of the wooden bridge were very thick, as thick as half a fist. The rifle hit the wood with a series of crackling sounds, sending wood shavings flying, but it did not cause any casualties to the auxiliary soldiers behind the wooden shields. After a round of shooting, the Qing army was safe and sound.
Seeing this, the Qing army cheered.
If Li Zhi's riflers couldn't kill the Qing soldiers who were building the bridge, then the Qing soldiers would be able to build the wooden bridge in a swagger. Then, the Qing soldiers behind them would charge forward. 70,000 of them would be able to kill Li Zhi's 10,000 soldiers. The few Qing Baylors who were watching from behind even felt that this wooden shield hanging on the wooden bridge was not bad. In the future, when they fought with Li Zhi, would they let every soldier charge forward with this wooden shield? Protective Rifle?
The ten wooden bridges slowly walked to the front of the first trench. They placed the front end of the wooden bridge on one side of the trench, then pushed the back end of the wooden bridge together, causing the back end of the wooden bridge to flip over the trench and land on the other side.
Three wooden bridges were erected on top of the moat, and the moat became a passageway.
Once the three wooden bridges were placed, the twenty or so auxiliary soldiers under the three wooden bridges fled back behind the wooden shields, raising them and slowly retreating. After leaving the wooden bridge, the wooden shield could still be lifted by more than 20 Qing soldiers. Although the heavy wooden shields made the soldiers move very slowly, under the protection of the wooden shields, Li Zhi's riflers could only watch as these Tartars slowly retreated.
The seven wooden bridges behind them passed through three wooden bridges and pressed toward the second trench.
In the formation of the Tiger Troop, the second vice commander of the Vanguard Selection Group, Lu Hu, commanded 140 cannons. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the Qing army wooden bridge in front of him. He asked,"General, should we use the grapeshot to blast them?”
To deal with this kind of wooden armor that was half a fist thick, it was indeed necessary to use shotgun.
However, Li Zhi was afraid that a single shot would scare off the 70,000 Qing troops.
Li Zhi shook his head." Don't use the grapeshot first. Use the solid bullets to push back the seven wooden bridges!"”After thinking for a while, Li Zhi said,"Fire slowly. Don't scare them."”
Lu Hu shouted loudly and directed the ten cannons to aim at the seven slowly advancing wooden bridges.
With a few loud booms, the ten cannons hidden behind the clay artillery fired, firing solid shells at the seven wooden bridges more than a hundred meters away.
The five-pound cannonball whistled through the air and smashed into the wooden bridge. The distance was very close, and the accuracy of the ten cannons was very high. Eight of them hit the target. Those wooden shields that were half a fist thick could block bullets, but they were like paper in front of the cannonballs. They were easily torn apart. The solid shells hit the auxiliary soldiers and followers under the wooden bridge, destroying everything in their path.
Even if their hands and feet were touched by these cannonballs, they would immediately lose their limbs. If the body was hit by the cannonball, it would immediately die. At least three or four layers of the Qing army's bodies were penetrated before the shells stopped.
The blood that splattered out of the wound was like paint. It instantly splashed all over the wooden bridge, covering the faces of all the Qing soldiers below.
The auxiliary soldiers and servants under the wooden bridge suffered a heavy blow. Their morale was shaken, and the servants wanted to escape.
Walter, who was commanding the battle, saw that the soldiers had lost their morale and shouted under the wooden bridge,""Charge to the third trench. Everyone, raise the flag!”
Raise the flag! That was the dream of countless soldiers.
When he raised the flag, he would no longer be a costumed Aha. He would be able to be a proud flag bearer, eat his fill, wear warm clothes, and have women!
Hearing " Walter's " words, the soldiers 'morale was boosted. They howled and returned to their posts, pushing the heavy wooden bridge forward.
The seven wooden bridges moved forward for another twenty meters, and the second round of bombardment began.
The ten cannons fired at the wooden bridges, and the ten cannonballs crashed into the seven wooden bridges.
Eight out of ten cannonballs hit their targets. Screams rang out from below the wooden bridge again. Dozens of auxiliary soldiers and servants were hit by the cannonballs and fell into a pool of blood.
A wooden bridge was hit three times in a row. The losses were too great. The Qing soldiers who were still alive could no longer lift the wooden bridge. They abandoned the wooden bridge in front of the trench and slowly retreated with their wooden shields.
There were also six wooden bridge carts that walked to the front of the second trench and put down two wooden bridges.
Seeing that the six wooden bridges in front of them had successfully reached the second trench, the Qing army cheered in unison. "Gushan Ezhen" Gulusi Shabu of the Outer Vassal Mongol Raharqin Tribe said happily,""Great General, this wooden bridge can be used!”
Abatai and Haug looked at each other, their eyes filled with joy. Since ten wooden bridges could push into the second trench under the pressure of ten cannons, then a thousand wooden bridges moving together would be unstoppable against a hundred and forty cannons. Hao Ge's wooden bridge plan was feasible!
Dorgon stroked his long beard and remained silent.
At the front of the battlefield, the four wooden bridges that were still moving forward were hit by another round of artillery fire when they reached the second and third trenches. The two Qing soldiers on the wooden bridge couldn't hold on any longer. They abandoned the wooden bridge and retreated with their wooden shields. The other two wooden bridges pushed all the way to the side of the third wooden bridge, and the two wooden bridges were placed on the third trench.
After setting up the wooden bridge, the Qing soldiers under the two wooden bridges retreated with their wooden shields. They had successfully reached the third trench and could now raise the flag! The Qing soldiers were so excited that their faces turned red.
Seeing this scene, the 70,000 Qing troops in front of the central army cheered loudly. Ten wooden bridges could push them to the third layer of trenches, and with 1,000 wooden bridges, wouldn't they be able to pass through these trenches easily? The Qing soldiers seemed to have seen a thousand wooden bridges erected on the trench under the artillery fire, and 70,000 warriors charging over the wooden bridges to kill the Ming army.
Abatai turned his head happily and said to Dorgon,""Great General, the wooden bridge will work!”
Dorgon didn't know why, but he was unexpectedly nervous. He looked at the Ming army camp in front of him and hesitated.
Seeing that his plan worked, Haug was a little proud and said loudly,"Great General, let the warriors attack. We only need an incense's time to defeat these Ming soldiers!”
Yi Bai, the Banner Lord of the Eight Banners Mongol White Banner, said,""Great General, in order to come out of seclusion, we can only use the wooden bridge to rush over!”
Even Du Du, who had been panicking all this while, stopped saying anything disheartening. He just stared blankly at the wooden bridge over the trench.
Li Zhi's rifles and cannons had opened fire, but Mu Qiao still charged forward. No matter how one looked at it, the situation was in the Qing army's favor.
"Alright, let's charge through the wooden bridge! The Eternal Army and the Tiger Commander opened fire and the Qing army was defeated. Even the reinforcements from Huang Taiji could not save Dorgon and the others. Dorsan had no choice but to escape back to Liaodong.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。