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The fire bursting out of the muzzle was like the bloody mouth of the god of death, and countless iron balls as big as fingers spurted out, forming a barrage of death. Hundreds of tigers rushed forward and sprayed arrows at the same time, like a sandstorm rolled up by a hurricane, sweeping in;
The terrified Tatars were swept down like rice and wheat, the horses neighed sadly, the wounded howled miserably, it was a horrible sight...
Tong Dai, who was flying past with his musketeers from both wings, was shocked by the tragic scene of the spearmen.
After years of fighting the Ming army, they had never encountered such a fierce attack. Qin Mu was too ruthless. So many Hundred Tigers were concentrated on one side, and all the Portuguese cannons were loaded with terrifying shotgun shells. They waited until the Qing army approached a hundred steps before firing at the same time.
The blinding fire, like a curtain of marbles and rockets, weaved a web of death in the front. The Tartars in the front had no time to react and were hit by the marbles in droves, and both the men and horses were shattered.
It was a bloody massacre, with brains splattered and limbs mutilated, a horrific sight that made one's heart tremble and one's hands and feet go numb.
But Tong Dai did not have the extra time to feel sad for the spearmen. Before this round of devastating blow had subsided, the musketeers lined up in several rows in the Qin army's formation had already launched an attack at the same time. Rows of bullets whizzed in, as dense as a rainstorm. The horses that were hit fell to the ground with a bang and rolled over. The scene was in full swing.
Tong Dai and his men were on horseback and could only fire one shot. After that, they had no way to reload ammunition and could only shoot with bows and arrows, but the armor-piercing ability of bows and arrows was much poorer after all.
Many people are shot by several arrows and still act like nothing happened; but a whistling bullet can basically make a person lose his combat effectiveness just by hitting one.
The heavy casualties forced Tong Dai to give up any longer. Just then, a horn sounded to call back the troops. The surviving Tatars could not help but flee in a hurry, and their speed was no slower than when they charged here.
The Qin army burst into cheers like a wave, and their morale was soaring into the sky.
After getting permission from the front army commander Huo Sheng, centurion Zhang Da Gong rushed out with a hundred men, chopped off the heads of all the dead and wounded Tartars in front of the battle, and built a tall Jingguan on the spot.
The bloody heads piled together, with their wide-open eyes and sharp white teeth, were horrifying to look at, but the Qin army never got tired of the Jingguan. This was the case of "what the superiors like, the subordinates will like even more."
The Tartars in the distance watched helplessly as their dead companions were beheaded, but they were powerless to do anything. They were angry, but also filled with a sense of grief for the loss of their loved ones.
Since entering the Pass, the Qing army has been invincible and swept across half of China. However, when they encountered the Qin army, they suffered repeated setbacks. This strong contrast made them feel a strong sense of frustration in front of the Qin army.
In one round of charging, more than 200 people were killed or injured. That was a whole Niulu! Although the Manchus called themselves "Great Qing", they did not have many Niulu.
The casualties were heavy, and Ajige had to watch helplessly as the enemy cut off the heads of the dead and piled them up to form a memorial. The cruel Ajige was naturally furious. He immediately ordered the three remaining red cannons to be brought in, ready to retaliate against the Qin army.
Ajige originally had ten red-coated cannons, which were specially used for attacking cities and strongholds. During the days of bombardment with the Qin army under the city of Hanyang, the Qin army's shells became more and more accurate, and they actually destroyed seven red-coated cannons of the Qing army. In addition, there was not much ammunition left, so Ajige originally wanted to keep them for attacking cities, but now he could not take care of them.
Three red cannons were mounted and began to bombard the Qin army. Huge projectiles fell down. The sound was amazing, but the actual killing power was not great. If you were lucky, one shot could kill or injure a few people, but it was also possible that no one would be killed or injured.
Just that thunderous roar could cause a serious blow to the opponent's morale.
The Qin army was not to be outdone, and the two red cannons also fought back as much as possible. The ten thousand-jin Portuguese cannons were of no help at this time because of their relatively short range.
Qin Mu was happy to see such a bombardment. He wanted to buy time. Even if Ajige's three red cannons were fired ten times with solid bullets for ten days, they would not cause fatal damage to the Qin army.
Perhaps Ajige was stalling for time. According to intelligence, Wu Sangui's troops were on their way and would arrive tomorrow. By then, Ajige's force would exceed 50,000, twice as many as Qin Mu's.
Moreover, if Wu Sangui were to lead the charge, Ajige would not feel sorry for any casualties. The Qin army would then face an extremely brutal battle.
Qin Mu was standing on a mound and observing the enemy with a telescope. Yan Gaofei hurriedly crossed the river and ran up to the small mound. When he saw his anxious look, Qin Mu immediately had a bad feeling.
"Sir, on April 26, Duoduo's vanguard crossed the river from Guazhou. That night, Emperor Hongguang, Ma Shiying and a few eunuchs fled in panic. Later, Nanjing, led by Qian Qianyi and others, opened the city and surrendered. Emperor Hongguang came to Huang Degong's army in Wuhu, and the Qing general Tu Lai followed him. Huang Degong's generals Tian Xiong and Ma Degong rebelled. Huang Degong was caught off guard and shot by a hidden arrow, and then committed suicide. Emperor Hongguang was captured alive by Tian Xiong and presented to the Qing army for credit."
Qin Mu put down the telescope without much expression. Hongguang was captured and Donglin surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. These were already recorded in history books. History has not changed now. It's just that he is unable to save them, nor does he want to save them.
Now 20,000 troops are trapped on the east bank of the Ju River and are about to have a life-and-death battle with Ajige. It is better for them to finish this battle first and save their lives.
Seeing that Qin Mu did not say anything, Yan Gaofei said, "Emperor Hongguang has been captured. How should we decide whether to support a new emperor? Mr. Sima and others ask you to return to Wuchang immediately to discuss it."
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I am already riding on the tiger's back. If I leave now, the morale of the 20,000-man army will surely plummet, and I am afraid that the entire army will be annihilated. You go back and tell them that now is not the time to discuss who to support. Once Nanjing is lost, Duoduo's eastern army will most likely attack Jiangxi, so let them set up a defense line as soon as possible."
Yan Gaofei said hesitantly: "Sir, Mr. Sima and his men are very unhappy. They will definitely come to you to argue with you someday..."
"theory?"
"This... Mr. Sima said that such a large battle would almost exhaust all our troops, but you did not inform the General Staff in advance and made the decision on your own. Moreover, you used yourself as bait and put yourself in danger. What if..."
Qin Mu couldn't help but frown after hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that he had gone a little too far this time.
No matter what kind of system it is, it actually needs a system to maintain it. This system is the prerequisite for ensuring the normal operation of the entire system. Even the emperor cannot destroy this system at will, otherwise it will be chaotic sooner or later.
According to the military system previously drawn up by Qin Mu, such a major combat plan must be discussed by the General Staff to determine its feasibility and formulate a detailed and optimal combat plan. The final combat order must also be issued by the General Staff before it can be implemented.
This system can prevent top decision-makers from acting rashly and doing things without considering the consequences.
This time, Qin Mu bypassed the General Staff and issued such an important combat order, which undoubtedly destroyed the system he had established.
If you make a mistake, there will be endless troubles. The reason is simple, because it is equivalent to you denying the system you have established, how can you expect your subordinates to abide by it
Qin Mu covered his aching head and said to Yan Gaofei, "Go back and apologize to Mr. Sima and the others on my behalf. I know I was wrong and I won't do it again. If they don't believe me, I am willing to shave my head and take responsibility for my crime."
"Sir, you can't..." Yan Gaofei hurriedly dissuaded him.
The Book of Filial Piety states at the outset: Our bodies and hair are given by our parents, and we should not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety.
In this era, people attach great importance to their hair and skin. Shaving one's head is definitely not a matter of show. It involves the issue of filial piety or unfilial piety.
After the Tartars entered the country, most people were willing to accept slavery, but when they were asked to shave their heads and change their clothes, the Han people rose up in resistance and shed their blood. This shows how important hair and skin are to people.
"Go back to Wuchang and tell them what I said. It's hard to change the strategy in this battle. Let them cooperate with us first and win this battle. For the defense on the east front, I mean to transfer Cui Feng to Chizhou and block the enemy layer by layer. I would rather give up some cities and wait until we can decide the outcome before sending reinforcements. And Li Guo's army should not be taken lightly. The specific measures will be formulated by the General Staff and implemented. The situation is special and there is no need to report to me."
"Yes, sir."
At this time, Su Jin ran up to the small earthen mound, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, the situation has changed. Ajige is sending people to plunder civilians everywhere. I guess he intends to use these civilians as shields to make our army afraid to attack..."
"What?" Qin Mu was shocked. He had never expected Ajige to use such a vicious trick as a human shield. He could not help but fly into a rage, "Ajige, how dare you!"
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.(To be continued..)
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