Zhangjiawan, located in the southeast of Tongzhou, was the main road to the capital and Tianjin.
As one of the transit stations of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the erosion of the river all year round created the unique geographical features of Zhangjiawan. It was like a dustpan, with three sides protruding high. Only one side was low and flat, but it was blocked by the canal.
Experienced generals could tell at a glance that this kind of terrain was beneficial for defense and ambushes in battle.
As the main battlefield chosen by Monk Gelinqin, Zhangjiawan had already used the original favorable terrain to build many fortifications. Although Li Qing didn't take the monk's advice, he still agreed with the monk king's opinion. In Tongzhou, the most suitable place for a siege was Zhangjiawan. Therefore, before the decisive battle, Li Qing ordered Sheng Bao to lead the 5,000-strong capital camp to lie in ambush.
And Sheng Bao had relied on these fortifications to avoid the artillery fire of the alliance army.
"Ke Shuai! Do you think his highness 'plan will succeed?”
"Who cares? Soldiers were loyal and obedient to the Holy Decree!”Sheng Bao said impatiently.
"But our brothers all said that the emperor abandoned us! Only the Gong Prince shares weal and woe with us, so…"
"Nonsense! His Majesty is only going to Rehe for the autumn hunt! Moreover, the Gong Prince was sent by the emperor. If the emperor abandoned you, why would he send a prince to such a dangerous place?”As the commander-in-chief of the capital camp, he was Xianfeng's trusted general, but recently he felt that the capital camp, which had been under his command in the past, had undergone a subtle change.
This widespread worship of the Gong Prince by the soldiers of the capital camp made Sheng Bao, who had always been very controlling of the army, feel restless.
Just as Sheng Bao was feeling frustrated, a scout ran over.
He shouted excitedly,"Commander Ke!" A mile ahead, they discovered the allied cavalry chasing after our army!”
After Sheng Bao heard this, he stood up excitedly and thought," No matter what, he had to win this battle first.
Thus, under his orders, the five thousand soldiers of the capital camp held their muskets and lay in ambush, waiting for the order to attack.
......
"Qimuge, Zhangjiawan is in front!”Mu Lebulang said to the gathered Qimu Ge as he rode his horse.
Qimu Ge, who had been serious all the way, only relaxed when he saw that his plan was about to be realized. This was an opportunity that he had exchanged for with the lives of Commander Bala and 500 of his comrades.
Qi Muge's eyes were filled with the fury of revenge. He held his saber and said,"Yeah, this hour is really too long!”
At this moment, the allied cavalry that was chasing the Mongolian cavalries did not realize that danger was approaching them. They charged into the embrace of the Grim Reaper step by step with a ferocious expression on their faces.
"Felix! Can you wait for a moment?" The captain of the Royal Dragon Cavalry urged him to dismount and go to Jack, the captain of the Sikh Cavalry.
"What's wrong? The noble Earl of York!" Phillips said with a smile.
"Phillips, I feel that this place is a little unfriendly! Do you feel awkward?"
"Oh! God, Earl York, are you afraid?”
"I'm not afraid. I just feel that if the Qing army has an ambush here, it will be very difficult for us to come back up if we charge down! The entire Zhangjiawan was like a pocket!”
"That's true, but we've already been here before! General Grant also ordered our artillery regiment to fire two rounds of bombs. As you can see, other than the frightened birds and a few wild boars, there were no traces of the Qing army!”
"But…Heavens!"
"Earl York, it seems that we can kill the enemy in peace now. Our most loyal partner has made a decision for us!”Phillips smiled as he stroked his horse.
"That's the only way. I hope that this battle won't bring shame to my family, which has enjoyed a thousand years of glory.”York drew a cross on his chest and chased after him.
When Muller Bulang and Qimu Ge saw the 2,000 cavalrymen enter Zhangjiawan, they quickly moved towards the canal.
Immediately after, the 2,000 soldiers from the capital pushed nearly 20 bronze cannons and fired at the allied cavalry.
"Boom, pa!" His voice rang out endlessly.
York and Phillips quickly stopped their horses.
"Phillips, looks like we've been ambushed?”
Phillips looked at the horses that were shocked by the gunfire. They either turned around and galloped or raised their hooves. The allied forces were in chaos.
"Earl York, it looks like we have to break out of the encirclement. The slope in the north is the lowest.”
The two men who had reached a consensus took out their commanding sabers. Immediately, the allied cavalrymen with long spears rushed toward the North Slope.
When the allied forces were less than 50 meters away, gunshots rang out.
Sheng Bao led nearly a thousand men from the capital camp and fired at the allied cavalry.
Caught off guard, nearly 200 cavalrymen of the allied forces were hit by the concentrated ammunition. What was even more disadvantageous was that the injured and dead horses directly blocked the follow-up cavalrymen of the allied forces.
Under the continuous charge, the allied cavalry had no choice but to give up on the idea of breaking out after paying nearly 500 casualties.
The allied army was a modern army that had been baptized by the Napoleonic War, the African War, and the Silver Capital War. Everyone's combat skills were extremely high.
Even though they suffered repeated setbacks, they did not break the will of the allied cavalry.
"Phillips, it seems that we can only have a head-on confrontation with these Mongolian cavalries!”The Earl of York raised the spear on his back and said seriously.
"I can't ask for more!"
Then, the remaining 1500 cavalrymen charged at the Qing army by the canal.
The cavalrymen of the allied forces formed a dense formation and galloped forward. Other than the deafening sound of hooves, no sound was made from the formation, including the voice of command. All of them obeyed the silent command of the military flag. The allied forces also displayed their high discipline and bravery.
Knowing that there was no way out, the allied forces unleashed unprecedented combat power. Even against the Qing army's artillery fire, their formation was as scattered as before. Of course, this was related to the power of the Qing artillery.
If Li Qing was here, he would have discovered that the allied artillery at the Baliqiao front line was at least 200 years older than the Qing artillery, and was 20 times more powerful.
As for the soldiers of the capital camp, their hands and feet trembled when they saw the tall horses galloping towards them like a steel wall.
If it wasn't for the fact that the military officials were trying their best to calm the morale of the soldiers and the 4,000 Mongolian cavalries behind them were intimidating them with their shiny sabers, they would have been killed.
The capital camp probably ran away in fear before they even made contact. When the enemy cavalry was only 50 meters away from him, the Qing general gave the order to fire!!!
After a round of archery, the Jing camp hurriedly retreated, while the 4,000 Mongolian cavalrymen brandished their sabers and charged forward.
......
The Qing army at Baliqiao.
Li Qing looked at the sun that had already risen to the top of his head and was extremely anxious.
At this moment, a scout galloped over, jumped off his horse and knelt on one knee."Reporting to King Gong and King Monk, Zhang Jia Wan has achieved great victory!”
Li Qing and the others were overjoyed.
"Where are the captives? How many captives were captured in this battle?"
This was what Li Qing was most concerned about. As long as there were enough captives, he did not believe that the alliance army would not obediently surrender.
"Reporting to Prince Gong, this battle has captured more than 500 cavalrymen of the alliance army. Most of them are cavalrymen in red. Right now, Commander Ke and Vice Domain Chief Mu Lei are escorting the captives back to camp.”
After Li Qing heard this, his heart finally relaxed.
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