Dominate the Country

Tong Dali's prediction was correct. The battle in Liji really attracted the attention of the Fu Han Army. Gao Yuanhou, who had just been caught off guard by the Qing army cavalry outside Chenzhou City, immediately ordered a regiment of the Imperial Guard Brigade to rush to reinforce after hearing the news.

This was an order with a hint of anger! A bit rash, but also normal.

The two thousand Qing army cavalry just killed a circle in Chenzhou and then fled to the north, so the Qing army cavalry that attacked the transport team was naturally not them. Besides, the battle had been going on for a long time, which shows that the attacking Qing army was not strong. Otherwise, the transport team would have been finished long ago.

The power of an infantry regiment is enough!

Gao Yuanhou never thought that the sound of gunfire and fighting there was deliberately made by Agui.

Gao Yuanhou didn't expect that the Qing army troops and horses that attacked a small transport team would be more than 7,000 Qing army cavalry led by Agui himself. So he only sent one regiment. Now the attack and defense of Chenzhou has entered a critical moment. The Fu Han army has climbed to the top of the city wall and is about to take down Chenzhou City.

So taking Chenzhou City is his first priority. A large number of troops are deployed by him to guard the four directions to prevent the past events from happening again under Chenzhou City.

The Fu Han army of this regiment was frightened by the Qing army cavalry that rolled in as soon as they passed Li Shiyuan.

The galloping of the 7,000 cavalry, the smoke and dust were rippling, and the sun in the sky was about to be covered. It was impossible to hide their whereabouts on the vast plain.

The regiment commander immediately fired a distress signal flare, and then asked the signalman to go back and report urgently. He immediately led the troops to move into the farmland beside the road, but it was impossible to withdraw from the village again. The Qing army did not give them that much time.

On the yellow land, the Fu Han army had formed a square formation as straight and strict as a knife cut.

Three battalions plus the regiment headquarters, 1,700 to 1,800 people, no cannons, only some mortars belonging to each battalion, a total of only 16, and most of them are small-caliber mortars. They launched too hastily!

The soldiers looked resolute! The officers were in high spirits.

They were the guards brigade, they were the troops closest to the King of Han.

"Order each battalion to prepare for battle!"

"The Han army is mighty--"

"With me, we are invincible!"

"The Han army is mighty--"

The high-pitched roar was heard from afar.

The Qing army was scattered in formation, and they were also shouting with high morale. The Fu Han army had fallen into the trap. As the Qing army designed, they were naturally in high spirits, urging their horses to slowly rush towards the bayonet jungle-like square formation formed by the Fu Han soldiers.

The Fu Han army was in a state of awe. Any experienced Han army officer could see that the Qing army cavalry in front of them was an elite unit. Soon, the speed of this cavalry had been raised to a trot, but they were still as ‘disorganized’ as before. In other words, the cavalry had been standing in the same position in the formation since the trot started. It can be said that there was no disorder between the men and the horses.

The Qing army suffered a great loss in the process of attacking the transport team. There were only 200 transport soldiers in the transport team, but the Qing army suffered nearly 300 casualties in that battle. In addition to the stupid attack by Chang'an, there was the last big explosion. The Qing army was completely unprepared, unlike the previous explosion, when they had already taken precautions, but this time they were hit directly. The grenade thrown by Xiong Wenbing detonated the entire grenade box, and the grenade detonated the gunpowder barrels close at hand. The continuous explosions shattered hundreds of Qing soldiers into pieces...

The Qing army suffered a great loss in the previous battle, and this time Agui wanted to get back to the original.

Looking at the approaching Qing army cavalry, Tuan Zheng drew out his saber and raised it high, gritted his teeth: "All have... aim!"

"Tiger--"

All the muskets were equipped with bayonets and pointed forward. As soldiers of the Royal Guard Brigade, their first duty was to protect Lushan. They could not be compared with the experienced instructors or the Royal Guard Brigade, but they were not so scared that they wet their pants when they saw the original cavalry. They are the Royal Guard Brigade, the imperial army of Chen Han!

It is the first batch of all-firearms-flintlock-teams in the entire Fu Han Army!

It is also the most loyal unit of the Chen family in the entire Fu Han Army!

This regiment at the moment, from the chief and deputy regiment, instructors, chief of staff to the battalion officers and instructors below, is a water of three surnames.

"200 steps! Mortars fire!" The battalion officer on the front line shouted loudly.

"Boom boom boom..." Shrapnel shells were fired one after another. Although most of the sixteen mortars were small-caliber mortars and had limited ammunition, they were divided into two teams to fire, and clouds of gunpowder quickly and continuously filled the ranks of the charging Qing army cavalry.

Screams rang out, and broken limbs and arms were scattered on the fields with blood. But the Qing army cavalry still charged!

"150 steps!"

"100 steps!"

"70 steps, fire!"

A neat stream of white smoke gushed out from the first battalion of soldiers protruding in front of the Fu Han Army, and four or five hundred elliptical lead bullets quickly crossed a distance of one hundred steps and shot into the charging Qing army cavalry. Hundreds of blood lines immediately splashed in the Qing army cavalry array facing the first battalion of soldiers.

Whether the lead bullets hit the horses or the people, it was a fatal injury.

But the volleys were not over yet. After the first battalion fired a volley, the second battalion on the left followed, and then the third battalion on the right...

The firing of the two battalions on the left and right was at a 45-degree angle.

The three battalions fired a volley in succession, killing and wounding 1,400 to 1,500 bullets, and almost all of the Qing cavalry's front convex part was shot out.

Chang An continued to shout, Charge, Charge!

He did not care how much casualties there were in the front army, and continued to urge his cavalry forward. Because there was a sharp machete waiting for him on his head. Agui said that if he was as cowardly as last time, he would chop off his head even though he was the deputy commander of the Cavalry Battalion.

In order to avoid being chopped off by Agui, Chang An didn't care how many casualties there were in his cavalry.

Besides, this was a charge, an attack on the infantry phalanx that had been arranged in formation, which itself would require huge sacrifices. The relatively soft fields and ridges made the Qing army's horse speed unable to reach the peak.

The three battalions of the Fu Han army were arranged in an arc, with the first battalion at the top, the second and third battalions on the left and right, and the three battalions were not arranged in a line, so the cross-fire between the left and right battalions caused the greatest casualties to the center point of the horizontal plane of the Qing army's cavalry, which directly wiped out a piece of cavalry that rushed forward. Stimulated by their three volleys, the cavalry on the left and right sides of the Qing army's charge, which suffered the least casualties, all whipped their fast horses like crazy. They had their hands free to take out their muskets to fight back, and then outflanked the two wings of the Fu Han army.

The Qing army was originally a central convex assault array, and it was a head-on confrontation with the Fu Han army, but now it has been beaten into a pincer shape with a small depression in the middle and protruding on both sides!

In the distance, there were also two Qing army cavalry units outflanked the Fu Han army array from the left and right.

Agui was a veteran on the battlefield, and of course he knew what the best way to fight this kind of square formation was, but because Li Shiyuan was too close to Chenzhou, he was afraid that the Fu Han army outside Chenzhou would send people to rescue. So he ordered Chang'an to start the charge directly, and then ordered two troops to outflank the Fu Han army from the outside.

"Damn it, Chen Ni's firepower is too..." Qing'an was right next to Agui. He saw three formations of the Fu Han army firing three times in a rigorous manner, and the mortar troops were always firing rapidly. Even the charge was enough to cause casualties. The men and horses became extremely vulnerable in front of gunpowder.

The momentum of the Qing army's cavalry suddenly stagnated. Two or three hundred cavalrymen were beaten and blown to pieces. How could the remaining Qing army cavalry not be frightened? In addition, the road to the charge was blocked by the bodies of the lying men and horses, or the horses that had lost their owners, or the cavalrymen who had lost their horses and the cavalrymen who had not died. Their speed of attack was undoubtedly slowed down.

However, the Qing army cavalry was still charging, and the distance between the two sides was quickly shortened. Then the mortars were no longer loud, and the gunners who were still operating the mortars just now carried the mortars and dragged the ammunition carts into the small hollow formation. The Fu Han Army soldiers of the two battalions, which were in four rows on both sides, quickly changed their formation after firing a round of volleys, from a large square formation at the battalion level to a small hollow formation at the team level. The first battalion in the middle took a longer preparation time and formed a large hollow formation after joining the regiment headquarters.

"Boom boom boom..." A series of grenade explosions sounded.

"Pah pah pah..." Then came the last gunshot, which was the second shot fired by some soldiers with fast hand speed. There was no need to talk about volleys or volleys, volleys or volleys. One shot is one shot.

"Raise your bayonet and hold on!"

"I am invincible!" Such shouts rang out in the formation, from the team officers, battalion officers and even the regiment commander. "Tiger--"

Except for the gunners who can continue to operate the mortars with one mind, the other Fu Han Army soldiers will face the most severe test!

The sprinting war horses, the dazzling spear tips and sabers in the sun, the endless sound of horse hooves like thunder, the collision between the infantry bayonet phalanx and the cavalry, this is the most cruel and classic scene of land warfare in this era.

No phalanx has the absolute restraint attribute of cavalry. The hollow formation is only relatively better.

The roar of the Fu Han army officers sounded, and the competition of wills arrived.

The cavalry and the crowd collided suddenly, and the shouts of people and horses resounded through the sky.

The musket with a bayonet is much longer than the saber, so the biggest reliance of the musketeers against the cavalry is their long attack distance in addition to the phalanx. Of course, there are large-scale lance cavalry in the West, which can completely restrain the infantry bayonet phalanx from a theoretical point of view-because their long spears are much longer than the rifles with bayonets in the hands of the infantry.

There are also some people in the Qing cavalry holding long spears and lances, especially some officers.

In the traditional Chinese concept, using long weapons on horseback is almost a mark of traditional military generals.

In addition, the impact of the cavalry, the small hollow formation of the Fu Han army, which was organized as a team, was immediately torn apart by the Qing cavalry. The cavalry is not only equipped with spears and sabers, but the impact of the warhorse is their greatest and most powerful weapon.

Once it rushed, it was simply not something that could be stopped by human power. Blood splattered, and the clear sound of broken bones went straight into the eardrums. Especially on the two sides that were least injured in the previous volley, several small hollow formations collapsed immediately.

However, the scattered Fu Han army musketeers did not lose their souls and flee in panic, but leaned against each other, quickly gathered together, or directly merged into the nearby small hollow formation.

Rushed in!

Chang An seemed to see the hope of victory, his spirits soared, and he loudly ordered the remaining cavalry to follow up!

The entire Qing army attacking the cavalry was like a big iron brush, and the sharp iron teeth brushed away the layers of flesh and blood of the Fu Han army. The Qing cavalry on both wings also increased their speed, and the Qing cavalry quickly turned their horses back and reorganized their formation after charging in the front. Chang An wanted to use the huge impact of the cavalry to completely defeat the enemy in front of him, and then kill them without leaving a single piece of armor.

Except for the first battalion in the middle, the small hollow formations of the second and third battalions collapsed one after another, and then the Fu Han army and the Qing army cavalry that came back to kill, and the scattered infantry and cavalry on both sides were in a melee.

The Qing soldiers on horseback waved their sabers vigorously, and the Fu Han soldiers on the ground bravely fought back with bayonets in their hands. Some Fu Han officers and soldiers hung hand guns on their waists, aiming and shooting at close range, hitting one by one. The most ruthless were the middle and grassroots officers. For these officers who came from generally poor backgrounds, all their current wealth and status were far more important than their own lives, and their fighting will was even stronger than that of ordinary Fu Han soldiers. When a sergeant deputy team officer trapped in the siege pulled the grenade on his waist, it was like a start. The Fu Han officers and soldiers who were trapped in despair would occasionally make a sound of "glory"!

Therefore, the soldiers of the second and third battalions in the chaos, relying on their breastplates and their brave fighting spirit, fought desperately with the Qing cavalry. Although they were retreating step by step, they were also resisting step by step, and they were not driven by the Qing cavalry to break up the large hollow formation in the middle.

With the arrival of the Qing cavalry from the left and right, the number of Qing troops quickly exceeded that of the Fu Han Army. The remnants of the second and third battalions were pressed step by step to the front of the large hollow formation by the Qing cavalry.

The large hollow formation composed of the first battalion and the regiment was still shooting rows of bullets-the scale became much smaller, and the artillery inside was also firing shrapnel bullets with all their strength. They were always using firepower to cause damage to the Qing cavalry. When more and more remnants of the second and third battalions were forced to the front of the large hollow formation of the first battalion by the Qing cavalry, a scene that stunned the Qing army appeared. The large hollow formation was not dispersed or squeezed by these defeated soldiers at all, but the latter merged into it without any obstacles, just like raindrops into a river.

Cavalry must be in motion to be powerful. Even in a melee, the Qing cavalry did not stand still. However, the Qing army's offensive on the battlefield has been used up. Unless Agui withdraws the cavalry on the battlefield and sends new cavalry units to attack the remaining Fu Han army, otherwise the melee on both sides can only continue to exchange lives for lives, causing the number of casualties to rise sharply.

Agui closed his eyes helplessly. He was wrong. He miscalculated this battle.

He thought the Fu Han army was too fragile!

He should not have prepared only one wave of attacking troops. There should be a second and third wave of attacking troops after Chang'an. Use wave after wave of attacks, and use fast cavalry groups to attack the infantry without formations. Even if the later teams still can't rush the big hollow formation in the middle, they can still eat up the Fu Han army on the left and right. Instead of like now...

Agui really regretted it.

A battle that should have been a refreshing annihilation, because of his mistakes, it became what it is now.

Cavalry without fast speed is a tiger without teeth. The Qing cavalry on the battlefield now certainly did not fall into the situation of a tiger with its claws and teeth pulled out, but it was also a tiger that had entered its "old age".

Speed, they lack speed!

Of course, even so, the Qing army was still dominant.

More and more Qing soldiers fell in a pool of blood, and even more Fu Han soldiers fell on the ground. With infantry against cavalry, even if the Fu Han soldiers of the Royal Guard Brigade were extremely tenacious and all wore breastplates, they really suffered. Cavalry really had an advantage against infantry, and the impact of war horses was not something that human power could resist, even if the speed of war horses was far from reaching its peak.

The Qing army's lost troops and horses during the attack were quickly recovered by them. However, until now, although the Qing cavalry had a great advantage in the melee, they still failed to defeat the two battalions on the left and right. In the close combat between the two sides, the remnants of the two battalions were always resisting strongly.

Agui frowned, he did not dare to easily order the attacking troops to withdraw, because if the two sides reorganized their troops and fought again, the impact of the Qing cavalry would certainly increase greatly, but when they rushed to the Fu Han army, they would have to bear a heavy wave of casualties. Agui found it difficult to judge the Qing army for doing this - did they gain an advantage? Or did they suffer a loss?

The most important thing is that the Fu Han army under Chenzhou City made a move.

Then the bloody battle lasted for another quarter of an hour, and the battlefield finally quieted down. The Fu Han soldiers, who had more than half of their casualties, stood in the battlefield full of corpses, watching the Qing cavalry go away quickly.

Gao Yuanhou outside Chenzhou City personally led tens of thousands of Fu Han soldiers to reinforce. Agui took the opportunity to lead his troops away.

With the rolling yellow dragon, this infantry and cavalry battle outside Chenzhou City ended. Gao Yuanhou's actions completely fell into Agui's calculations, but the Qing army failed to win a perfect victory. With cavalry against infantry, even the overall casualties were not much less than those of the Fu Han army. That was because Agui did not know enough about the speed of the Fu Han army's military reorganization and its tenacious will in the field battle.

It was also the Qing army's bad luck to encounter the troops of the Royal Guard Brigade. This is one of the most loyal and reliable troops in the entire Fu Han army. No matter whether their combat effectiveness can match that of the main division.

Only four or five hundred people of the 1,700-800-man regiment could stand up in the end. This was a fierce battle with heavy losses. But they also left large areas of Qing cavalry with their huge casualties.

No matter how unwilling Agui was, seriously speaking, such a field battle where the Qing army could still gain a little advantage was the best record achieved by the Qing side against the main force of the Fu Han army in the past two years.