latelenovela Chapter 751 Lure the enemy deeper
Chapter 751 Lure the enemy deeper
Taktan, with the remaining vests, began a frenzied charge, disregarding the horsepower.
In past battles, such a charge was a major taboo, often exhausting the warhorses after just a few rounds and leading to an premature withdrawal from the battle. The usual approach was to approach in batches at a low trot, luring the enemy's muskets to fire from a hundred paces away, then quickly closing in while they were reloading, unleashing a volley of arrows to disrupt their formation, before dismounting and engaging in foot combat, relying on superior melee skills and a stronger fighting spirit to completely overwhelm the enemy.
Today, we obviously can't use the old tricks. The range of the arquebuses in the hands of this group of Ming soldiers who appeared out of nowhere is beyond imagination, and their rate of fire is also far superior to that of other Ming arquebusiers. The trick of slowly approaching and shooting arrows from horseback has been rendered useless. We can only charge with our lives, exchanging flesh and blood for the opportunity to get close to the enemy.
"Luckily we have horses," Taktan thought from his horse. "If we charge on foot, those musketeers will retreat while fighting. With the range and firing rate of their muskets, we could wipe them out before we even get a hair on their heads." As they drew closer, Taktan spurred his horse on, urging it to accelerate, and then raised his halberd high.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The second volley of fire began, bullets whizzing through the crowd. The speed of the galloping horses and the relatively sparse formation of the cavalry made the volley less effective, with a low hit rate. However, horse armor continued to fall from their horses, and the cavalry formation became even more sparse.
After suffering 30% casualties, Taktan finally led his men close to the small, hollow square formation. His pent-up emotions were finally released; he raised his sword and roared, "All of you, charge! Don't fire arrows, just charge in!"
The soldiers in vests habitually reached behind their backs for their bows and arrows, ready to fire a shot—a tried-and-true tactic in the past. A single volley of arrows would shake the Ming army's seemingly solid infantry formation, followed by a charge and a brutal slaughter, ending the battle.
Startled by Taktan's shout, the aliases realized that their opponents were not the weaklings they had encountered before, and that this tactic was ineffective. So they drew their swords, maces, long-handled axes, and other weapons, and charged forward with howls.
Captain Lu saw it clearly; there wasn't enough time to fire another shot with his rifle. He ordered, "Front row, fix bayonets and form ranks! Rear row, fire freely with your pistols!"
Following orders, the soldiers in the first rank crouched down, pointing their rifle bayonets diagonally towards the sky and placing the butts of their rifles on the ground, forming a defensive line. The soldiers in the second rank slung their rifles diagonally behind their backs, took out their pistols, and began loading ammunition.
The handgun was much easier to load than the rifle, allowing the soldiers to fire before their opponents could close in.
"Bang bang bang," although the short gun had a much shorter range, its power was not much less than that of the long gun, and it still had a strong killing power at a distance of several dozen paces.
Taktan was going crazy. This Ming army was incredibly tenacious, like cockroaches. They had charged right up to him and were still able to calmly open fire. It was unbelievable.
Amidst the hail of bullets, the Qing cavalry crashed into the square formation. The massive warhorses were pierced by countless bayonets, collapsing with mournful cries, throwing their riders off their backs, and simultaneously pinning several marines beneath them.
The Qing soldiers who were thrown off their horses either fell into a hail of bayonets, becoming pincers, or tumbled into the enemy ranks, dazed and confused, only to be stabbed to death by quick-thinking soldiers. The soldiers crushed under their horses also suffered greatly; the weight of one or two thousand pounds crushed them, leaving them either dead or crippled. Some had their ribs broken, bones piercing their internal organs, causing them to spit out mouthfuls of blood that could not be stopped.
In fact, this was not a tactic commonly used by the Qing army. Most of them were infantrymen on horseback, and they were more skilled at fighting on foot after dismounting. This suicidal charge was mainly because they couldn't stop.
Taktan was fortunate enough to dodge three volleys of fire from both long and short guns, and was able to enter close combat. His horsemanship was better than his men's, so he certainly wouldn't charge into the bayonet charge to his death. He dismounted ten paces away and charged forward, brandishing his weapon, with the other Qing soldiers following behind him.
In the distance, Hauge witnessed all of this, his brow furrowing. This Ming army force numbered only a couple hundred men, yet they remained calm and composed under the onslaught of cavalry several times their size. Several waves of ranged attacks inflicted heavy losses on Taktan and his men. Even when engaged in close combat, they retained their fighting spirit, firepower, and versatility—a level of fighting spirit rarely seen before. They were truly a formidable opponent. And this was only a couple hundred men; imagine if it were thousands or tens of thousands…
Hauge shook his head. If such elite arquebusiers numbered in the tens of thousands, it would take several times the manpower to defeat them, and they would surely become a formidable enemy of the Qing Dynasty in the future. He suddenly recalled the descriptions given by his two uncles, Ajige and Abatai, after their defeat. The army they encountered in Shandong and Beijing, skilled in using firearms, looked very similar to the one before him. Could it be the same group? No wonder Ajige and Abatai, those two proud men, returned dejected. They had encountered such a formidable opponent that their confidence had been shattered.
Seeing Taktan dismount and engage in a fierce battle with his opponents, Hauge, driven by his competitive spirit, shouted, "We know a little about our opponents now. We don't need to keep these people alive. Everyone, attack together and cut off their heads!"
The orders were relayed down by the Niru Zhangjing (military officers), and thousands of cavalrymen began to move, slowly advancing. The various weapons in their hands reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, preparing to launch a fierce attack and crush this small group of Ming soldiers in one fell swoop.
The Marines fought the Qing soldiers with difficulty, using bayonets to engage them in close combat. Their hollow square formation had been compressed into a shapeless mass, gradually becoming just horizontal lines. The Qing army's melee combat skills were formidable, and coupled with their numerical superiority, the Marines were forced to almost abandon the square formation they had used to defend against the cavalry.
Captain Lu saw the change and also the approaching main force of the Tartars in the distance. They had already suffered heavy casualties from fighting this vanguard; being surrounded by the main army now, they had no chance of survival. He sighed inwardly; it seemed he was going to die here.
Amidst the thunderous sound of hooves, thousands of Qing cavalrymen, like a dark cloud, slowly approached the two sides engaged in fierce combat. It seemed that they were about to engulf the remaining marines, and the annihilation of this small detachment was only a matter of time.
On a distant hillside, Borchu, holding a telescope, observed the young general surrounded by a retinue of guards under the blue flag. He concluded that, judging by the imposing presence, this must be the Tartar Prince Hauge.
The others asked, "Boss, one of our squads is stuck over there. Should we go and rescue them?"
Borchu calmly analyzed: "They retreated too slowly and failed to rejoin the main force. Now they are surrounded by several thousand cavalry and are in a very dangerous situation. If we rush to their aid, we will be trapped as well, as two legs cannot outrun four. The Tartars are all cavalry, able to move freely and control the initiative. We might be worn down to death. The only option now is to use a strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.' Pass on my order to advance and approach the Tartars. Then, each detachment will open fire in turn to attract the Tartars, retreat in batches, lure them deep into the sea, and then use the firepower of warships and cannons to launch a fierce attack on them."