mtl008 Chapter 542 Luring the wolf into the house
Chapter 542 Luring the wolf into the house
The heavy arrows of the Later Jin soldiers and the flintlock muskets of the Qionghai navy represent the highest level of mid-range attack capabilities of cold and firearms on the Asian continent in this time and space. As each side pulls the trigger (releases the bowstring), deciding the life or death of the other, they also await fate's judgment on themselves.
The clatter of gunfire drowned out the whistling of arrows, and the battle was decided in an instant.
As the distance closed, over a hundred heavy arrows struck with near-perfect accuracy. The cavalrymen, unarmored and vulnerable, were pierced by the powerful arrows and fell heavily backward, seemingly beyond saving. Meanwhile, facing ten times the firepower, the Later Jin armored soldiers had no way to avoid the bullets. Each of them was simultaneously struck by lead bullets fired from three, four, or even five or six short guns. Even the thickest armor could not withstand the kinetic energy of the lead bullets, and the dense hail of bullets turned them into bloodied figures riddled with bullet holes.
After the smoke cleared, Ma Wei saw that there were no living people standing on the other side. He made a quick decision and ordered, "Mount up and retreat eastward!"
He knew how much it would provoke the enemy commander to kill more than a hundred real Tartars, and that he would definitely face a frenzied retaliation and pursuit. Therefore, the only option was to retreat.
The soldiers put away their pistols, not even having time to take away the bodies of their comrades, and hurriedly mounted their horses and headed east, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Abatai and his men watched the battle from the rear, feeling as if a metallic storm had swept away their hundred-plus men. They were stunned for a moment, then roared in fury: "Damn Nikan, we can't let them get away! Chase them!"
Arslen advised, "Your Highness, there's a Han Chinese saying, 'Don't pursue a desperate enemy.' These people's muskets are powerful; too few men won't be enough, and too many are not worthwhile. Besides, we've entered Shandong without authorization, delaying our journey north to join forces. Prince Wuying will blame us..."
Abatai was heartbroken over the loss of half of his elite troops and had nowhere to vent his anger. Just then, Arslen, a defeated general, delivered himself to his doorstep. Without thinking, he drew his whip and lashed it hard across Arslen's arm, tearing the fabric of his sleeve and leaving a bloody welt.
"These Ming dogs have powerful muskets. Why didn't they say so earlier? Why did they only speak up after the warriors of the Plain Blue Banner went up?"
Arsleng sullenly clutched his arm and retreated, not daring to utter another word. In his heart, however, he was very indignant. If someone wanted to find fault, they would always find a reason. He had clearly warned him, but this prince did not take it seriously. Only after suffering a loss did he get angry and then used him as a scapegoat.
Gartu was initially distressed; these men were his direct subordinates, each a seasoned warrior. Losing them meant he didn't know when the gap would be filled. However, seeing Abatai whip Arsleng, he felt it was inappropriate. The Great Khan valued relations with the various Mongol tribes, not only forging a marriage alliance with the Khorchin tribe but also incorporating early-submitting tribes into the Eight Banners. Arsleng was the Mongol commander of the Bordered White Banner; beating him was a minor matter, but being punished by the Great Khan was a serious matter.
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Abatai's whip, advising, "Your Highness, now is not the time to pursue this. Ming Gou has already escaped. Whether to chase him or not, and how many men to send, we need to make a decision..."
Although Abatai held a lower status among Nurhaci's many sons due to his status as a son born out of wedlock, his military command skills, honed through years of warfare, were among the best of the princes, dukes, and princes. From the small-scale battle just now, he saw the problem and said without hesitation, "Pursue! Pursue them with the entire army!"
Gartu was startled: "The whole army is in pursuit? It's just over a thousand Ming dogs, is that really necessary?"
"What do you know! Our Great Jin has invaded the pass many times, and the Ming army inside is nothing but chickens and dogs, none of them can withstand our advance. How come such a force suddenly appeared in Shandong? Although these people are few in number, they are by no means an isolated army. They have powerful backers. We must find out who trained such a force. This army is disciplined and obeys orders without question. They can exchange fire with our army without flinching. Every soldier rides a horse and can come and go freely. Today, only a thousand men were able to slaughter a hundred of our soldiers and then retreat calmly. What if ten thousand men came?"
Gartu understood his meaning. Previously, Ming arquebusiers would indiscriminately fire from a distance whenever they saw the Later Jin army approaching. Their matchlock muskets were slow to reload, resulting in a one-sided slaughter when the Later Jin armored soldiers charged. This strange mounted arquebusier unit, however, remained calm, waiting until the appropriate distance to fire. They even had the courage to engage the Later Jin armored soldiers in close combat, and after firing, they could immediately escape on horseback. Combining powerful firepower with excellent mobility, if such a force numbered in the tens of thousands, they could both attack the Later Jin army head-on and use their mobility to cut off their retreat route out of the pass. Would the Later Jin still dare to calmly enter the pass and plunder?
He seemed to be deep in thought: "Does Your Highness mean to eliminate this army before it grows too strong?"
Abatai revealed a ferocious expression: "Such an army will not be allowed to exist within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Apart from those cowards who only dare to watch us pass by from the city walls and dare not come out to fight, all the troops who can fight and dare to confront my Great Jin must die, without exception!"
Gartu was filled with respect: "Your Highness has considered everything carefully and has a long-term vision. I'm sure Prince Wuying wouldn't say anything if he knew your good intentions."
Abatai called over Arslen, who was bowing his head and remaining silent: "I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. I just saw that those men's horses were exhausted and couldn't run fast. You take your men and follow them, guiding the army. Remember, you don't need to attack them along the way, until you find their lair."
Arslen replied in a muffled voice, "Yes, sir!" and went to gather his men.
A moment later, a large group of Mongol cavalrymen left their main camp and pursued the retreating cavalry battalion.
Dengzhou, a military construction site.
Liang Xiaoming looked at the nearly completed bastion with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
This bastion before us is not the hastily constructed imitation of the old one; it's a true star-shaped, concave polygonal castle. Whoever attacks will be exposed to the firepower of two or three bastion faces. Defenders can use crossfire to engage attackers, and there are no blind spots in the traditional sense. With the support of the Qionghai Navy's weaponized forces, the combination of crossfire and consistent output is virtually unstoppable for any enemy without heavy artillery.
From a certain perspective, the original design intention of the bastion was not solely to pursue defense, but rather to better output firepower and suppress the attacking side. In siege warfare, attacking a traditional square city requires several times more troops, while the powerful firepower of the bastion is enough to withstand an attack from an enemy force that is 10 times or even 100 times stronger in terms of cold weapons. It is no exaggeration to say that the fortress-like barracks that Liang Xiaoming meticulously built, covering an area of 10,000 to 20,000 square meters, can tie down a force that is comparable to or even exceeds that of Dengzhou City, which has strong walls and a radius of dozens of miles.