In the infantry formation that was about to go into battle, Kong Youde, the historical King of Dingnan in the Qing Dynasty, let out a long sigh and stared with fear at the green-skinned short-haired army position opposite that did not look very majestic.
Damn it, this is the third time!
——For the third time, he was forced to face the artillery fire of the Short-haired Army and fight them face to face.
The first time I was in Dengzhou, when I was still the boss of the army, I had no idea about the power of the short-haired army, so I just fought, and then I lost completely. Fortunately, I escaped quickly without any danger.
The second time at Lushunkou, I was acting as a deputy general of the Derge class, so fortunately I still had some autonomy. Especially with experience, I know how powerful short-haired dogs are, so I used some tricks to hide behind them. Then he watched Ten Beile, who relied on his bravery, lose everything in a daze, even losing his life.
Now, for the third time, Kong Youde faced those greenskins again. Although he still maintained the title of Daikin's third-class general soldier, this time he was unable to cheat and was forced to stand in the attack array with his subordinates.
The only thing better than his men is that he can ride on horseback and has a good field of vision - so he can only watch tens of thousands of people in front of him being bombed to pieces. He was also so confused that he couldn't even get close to the enemy array.
Kong Youde was not surprised by this. He had experienced similar incidents twice, but this time, he could not avoid it. He didn't even dare to have the slightest idea of ??slacking off.
——These military formations are not just composed of people under their Han banner. Instead, it was mixed with several teams of authentic Manchu Eight Banners. Those short, stout men with flat noses, small eyes, and standard money rat-tailed heads blend in inconspicuously among the crowd. But when they glanced around, the beast-like look in their eyes looked at everyone as if they were looking at livestock - including their companions.
“Obviously, as long as necessary, the axes in their hands can chop at anyone without hesitation, enemy troops, friendly troopsit doesn’t matter, as long as it hinders their victory, or in other words, if it is considered to be an obstacle, they will be killed. Even though he was riding a tall horse and had a much higher status than him, he could not escape death.
This type of "supervisory army" is much more terrifying than the eunuchs stationed in the army by the Emperor of Heaven. The key is that they themselves go into battle themselves and follow closely behind them. Don't even try to hide it from them by pretending to be dead.
Kong Youde took a deep breath and turned his gaze to both sides of the military formation. The neighing of war horses could be heard faintly from both sides. It was obvious that he was preparing to respond with cavalry on the flanks.
It’s this move again - using the cavalry on both wings as a hammer and the central infantry formation as an anvil. It was used against the Ming army in the past with no disadvantages. But used to deal with short hair
"If Kong Youde could still see Huang Taiji at this moment, he would have to call out with all his heart and loyalty: "
"Dear Khan, this formation is useless!"
——The Ten Beileders had used similar tactics before when they fought against the Shorthairs in Liaodong. Of course, the strength of both sides was not that large at that time. Ten Beile had more than 200 elite cavalry under his command, but the Shorthairs on the opposite side were not that big at that time. No artillery!
Today, the strength of the Short-haired Army has increased tenfold compared to that time, and it is backed by countless cannons. On the Great Khan's side, the number of soldiers and horses has almost increased tenfold. Among them, there are many more cavalry, which is an advantage.
But in Kong Youde’s mind, he didn’t think that this change could offset the short-haired’s absolute firepower advantage. After all, the Great Khan had never had a head-on collision with the short-haired army, and he had no intuitive concept of the terrifying fire hell.
Although he showed extreme caution and made complete preparations, deep down in his heart, the Great Khan probably still felt that the opponent's cannon fire net could be broken through, as long as the soldiers were braver and rushed faster. , the number is largerthat's why they set up this formation.
But Kong Youde, who has experienced it personally, knows: This is impossible to do. No matter how strong the human will is, it cannot defeat the gods of iron and fire. If Dahan starts the fight like this, he will probably lose again in a daze. But this time I am among them!
…When he was thinking of this, he suddenly saw Huang Taiji coming out with his guards. Kong Youde couldn’t help but take a few steps towards that side, wondering whether he wanted to risk his life to make a comment.
I just moved two steps when I saw a burly man next to me approaching him. It was Dutong Houjin, who was standing in the same military formation with him, commanding a group of elite soldiers to assist in the battle. But at the same time, of course, there were also Responsibility for guarding the formation.
Nadutong saw Kong Youde trying to retreat, thinking that he was timid, and immediately moved forward to block his way. At the same time, he rubbed his fingers on the sharp blade at his waist a few times, with a hint of cruelty in his eyes.
It was obvious that if he dared to take a step back, the ax would hit his head. Even if his official position is higher than that of the other party, he cannot save his life - Kong Youde is keenAfter understanding the meaning of the other person's expression, he smiled helplessly and quickly returned to his original position. He could only turn his head and look in the direction of the sweat.
I saw Huang Taiji hugging the Mongolian Taijis who were about to go to war one by one, and he could say a few words to each one, as if to encourage them.
As expected of the profuse sweat, after a few idle words, the Mongolian Taijis, who had just seen the fate of the previous phalanx and were clearly cowering, became excited again. They patted their chests and rolled up their sleeves to express their gratitude. Show great courage.
Maybe this was just a sign of helplessness when facing the Great Golden Khan, but at least, after they returned to their own tribal team and rode on their horses, they still assumed the posture of attacking the short-haired army on the opposite side.
Kong Youde couldn't help but recall that when he had just crossed the sea to go to Dajin, the Great Khan had also greeted him so warmly. He also greeted him with a hug and held a special banquet for him. At the banquet, he also raised a toast and said that he had brought the truth and reality of the Southern Dynasty to Dajin and opened the eyes of Dajin Dynasty!
The treatment given at that time was really good. Not only did he retain all the subordinates he brought over, he also assigned a group of Han military slaves to join his command, and asked him to be responsible for forming the "Wuzhenchaoha" firearms army, which can be said to be reused. It was only later that the Lushun Company in Liaodong was defeated, the Dongjiang Army was defeated, and the plan to pacify the rear area failed to be realized, so he gradually lost the trust of his superiors.
But Kong Youde has nothing to complain about - even if the Aixinjueluo family's own Lord Beile was defeated, he would still be punished. Ten Baylor died in that battle, and Yue Tuobele, who fled back, was also punished. As a Han surrendered general, he not only saved his life, but was still able to lead the army. He already had to thank the Great Khan for his kindness in acting fairly and not showing off his anger.
At this point, he has no way out. He can only bite the bullet and move forward bravely to see if he can find a way to survive.
…Recalling the past, Kong Youde couldn’t help but sigh inwardly – ??he was a poor man from a miner who was precarious, and he joined the army just to have a mouthful of porridge and to survive. Even though I have struggled so far, I still cannot escape fighting to save my life.
And the most ridiculous thing is: it was the Manchu Tatars who forced him to break up his family, lose everything, and have to join the army to survive. But now, in order to save his life, the person he worked for was also the post-Jin Manchu regime. Moreover, he must do his best and show off a desperate energy that he had never seen in the Ming Dynasty camp before he could gain a chance of survival.
"What's wrong with me……"
Thoughts surged through Kong Youde's mind like waves. But soon, the "woo woo" sound of the troop dispatching horn blocked all his thoughts.
…………
Opposite, on Qiong Haijun’s position, he also heard the horns of the Hou Jin Army. At the same time, he also saw the enemy’s army formation churning like a sea wave, and waves of “waves” swept towards them.
" However, Qiong Haijun was not in a hurry. It was still early for the other party to come over. It would take half a day just to enter the artillery range. During this period, they could take a break.
"Black tea or coffee?"
Looking at the plate brought by the orderly, the young master Zhang Shize casually ordered a cup of black tea and added some milk and sugar cubes according to Shorthair's habit. He also picked up a few small cakes from the temporary dining table placed next to him and placed them on the table. Put it on your plate.
…I tasted it and it tasted really good. If it weren't for the fact that the current atmosphere was really wrong, the smell of gunpowder smoke in the air was too strong, and the tableware was too crude. The taste of the food and drinks alone really gave him the feeling of a buffet in a garden or outdoors, which was just recently popular in the capital and also originated from short hair.
The officials of the Ming Dynasty were all gathered together, and they had similar feelings about the quality of food. Zhang Fengyi and Zhang Shangshu were very satisfied with the black tea:
"This tea is really good. It doesn't look like the finely chopped leaves from the army. It has the flavor of old tea from ancient temples in central Guizhou and southern Sichuan. It's just a waste of natural resources if it just adds milk and sugar."
In this regard, Cao Huachun, Chief Manager Cao, has the most say. Although he is now in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, he also grew up from managing detailed affairs such as firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Moreover, he also has a godson who cooks at Short Hair's place. As for the "Prisoner", he is the most well-informed about all kinds of information:
"This should be a better grade among Qiongzhou's tea products. It's not the best, but it's also top-grade. In short hair's own big market, it sells for more than ten taels of silver a box. I guess the trade is cut off and it can't be shipped. Capital, they just used it for themselves."
As he spoke, Cao Huachun pointed to the small cake on the plate:
"The pine nuts embedded in the heart of the dessert are large and fragrant. They should be the red pine seeds from northern Liaoning that were newly produced this year. They must have been brought to Tianjin together with the giant trees tribute from the Dongjiang Army in Liao Town, but they were also detained by the Short-haired Army. Come down and use it yourself"
When speaking of this, Cao Huachun couldn’t help but sigh:
"The emperor in the palace still uses Chen Songzi from last year."
Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment, this sentence was not easy to interpret. After a while, Zhang Shize laughed and said:
"No wonder I heard several Qiongzhen military commanders joking with each other the day before yesterday, saying that after this battle to pay the debts, the Jiejunmen might have to kneel on the washboard in front of Madam's door. I think that's why I came here."
All the Ming court officials present burst into laughter. Due to the tip-off from Jin Yiwei, Wang Pu and others, they knew the position of Mr. and Mrs. Jie Xi in the short-haired group very well. They knew that the man of the couple controlled the army and the woman controlled the money. , it’s really a rare anomaly that it hasn’t been tabooed yet.
"But the short-haired people themselves don't care, and the Ming Dynasty certainly doesn't care about it. It's just spread as gossip.