Wang Shouren led his troops deep into the grassland alone, without any support, let alone humans, animals and property. Even the Ming Dynasty soldiers recorded their merits, that is, they could not bring back the enemy's head.
Most of those who came with him were elite soldiers who accompanied him in Nuergandusi to fight against the Jurchens. This group of troops can be said to be the most experienced in actual combat in the Ming Dynasty, especially in tough battles and encounters. A group of cavalry, when Wang Shouren's military order is issued, this group of people can be guaranteed to the greatest extent in terms of execution ability.
"Hu"
Three thousand cavalry were in the vanguard. When the sound of horse hooves was accompanied by the sound of wind, the cavalry rushed down from the high slope. In front of them, the Chahar tribe looked like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. The people of the tribe are still in a daze.
No one would have thought that the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty would appear in the grassland hinterland more than two thousand miles away from the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
Even Weininghai is only about four hundred miles away from Guancheng in Datong Town.
So when the Ming cavalry launched a charge and were discovered by the Tatars, they could not even form an effective organization and resist. A small market transaction was going on within the tribe, which was almost like bartering. Even the men left behind in the tribe were in a hurry to find their own weapons, and many of them couldn't even get to their stables in the first place.
They initially thought that this might be an attack from another tribe.
Anyone who dares to attack when the main force of the Chahar tribe is out on an expedition will inevitably encounter revenge from Batu Monk. They don't even think that any tribe has such courage.
"Bang bang bang"
But when the distance between the two sides was already two to three hundred steps, the sound of fire cannons sounded, and the men, women, old and children in the tribe were hit by fire cannons and died. When they fell to the ground, they realized that these were not the Duoyan Three Guards or the cavalry of those small tribes at all, but the Ming Dynasty's army.
Three thousand cavalry rushed into the tribal territory without encountering any decent resistance.
Not even a few arrows were fired from the opposite side.
Because this was the first battle after Wang Shouren led his troops into the grassland, the soldiers were all ready to fight hard. Yes, even the livestock must be slaughtered. If the animals are dead, just set them on fire.
A completely one-sided massacre. Some tribesmen mounted their horses and saw that they could not resist, so they wanted to flee eastward. However, several other groups of troops sent by Wang Shouren also completed the encirclement of the tribe's territory, and added flint guns. With the blessing of such long-range weapons, almost no tribesmen can escape the encirclement.
"Boom"
As the second-line artillery was in place and the artillery sounded, about a hundred Tatars had formed on the edge of the tribal territory and were preparing to counterattack. Under the suppression of artillery fire, It collapsed almost instantly.
The well-trained training of the Tatars is limited to their ability to charge on horseback. When encountering the almost unreasonable long-range firearms of the Ming Dynasty, all they can do is to spread out as much as possible to avoid The regiment was destroyed and Ming's cavalry immediately launched a frantic pursuit and massacre.Killing
The blood dyed the grassland red, and the sunlight reflected on the grass covered with blood. It was unclear whether it was human blood or animal blood. The color was quite coquettish.
And this battle did not take less than half an hour, and the Hundred Years had completely flamed out.
The only living animals that could still move in front of Ming Dynasty were some animals that had not had time to be slaughtered. The people of his tribe had been slaughtered in one pot, and the remaining animals would also be selected. Those that could be slaughtered alive were also Part of the meat will be used as fodder for the army to complete the necessary reserves to support war.
"Young General"
The generals Han Zheng and Guan Jing appeared in front of Wang Shouren's horse.
Guan Jing is a general who followed Wang Shouren and made contributions in the battle of Weininghai. He now follows Wang Shouren as the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaobei and Nuergandu Division. As for Han Zheng, he was brought out by Guan Jing Generals, the two were responsible for the critical battle in the grassland battle.
"After counting, 352 bandits were killed. No one of our soldiers was injured, only one horse was hit by an arrow."
Guan Jing mentioned this as if he was mentioning a A very trivial achievement.
In the past, this would have been a huge achievement. During the Chenghua and Hongzhi periods, only Wang Yue in his heyday had achieved such a feat.
Not all of those killed were elite Tatar soldiers. In the Ming Dynasty, even the heads of Tatar tribe babies could be used as military merits, but they needed to be specially marked.
Just like when the Tatars plundered the frontier, they would not show any mercy because of the old, weak, women and children in front of them.
But Wang Shouren was not proud of this. He said, "Many of the people who gained military exploits were old, weak, women and children. Cut off the left and right ears at the same time, with young men on one side and the rest on the other side, and seal them with lime." "We will leave it for detailed verification after returning to the pass."
Wang Shouren's tactic was not to keep any prisoners. "As for the knives, armor, tents, wooden objects, etc. in the enemy camp, they were destroyed on the spot, and valuables could be selected." Take it away, and leave the rest in the wilderness without cleaning it up."
Guan Jing asked, "The bodies will not be buried."
"With no time to care," Wang Shouren wiped the sword of Wang Weining that he cherished. After wiping, he returned the scabbard, "leaving a few horses to carry things and continue heading northwest."
Not only to the west, but also to the northwest, which is the direction away from the Ming Dynasty.
Han Zheng said, "It seems that some Tatar scouts have escaped and have not been recovered."
"No need to force it." Wang Shouren didn't seem to care much, "Now that they are here, then Don’t be afraid of others knowing, and don’t expect to be able to take advantage of others’ unpreparedness in every battle. Instead, let the entire grassland know that we, the Ming soldiers, can also overwhelm the grassland, and use this as a hunting paddock for the Ming soldiers.”
"Deling"
Guan Jing and Han Zheng were very encouraged after hearing this.
As a general of the Ming Dynasty's frontier army, in the past, I could only stay in the pass and watch the Tatars wreak havoc outside the city. It felt very aggrieved.
Now not only can we compete with it head-on, but we can also take the initiative to break out of the grassland, and even penetrate two thousand miles into the grassland.Here, just this kind of heroic spirit can make them feel proud.
"Stand and rest, and continue westward after an hour."
Wang Shouren's troops had just completed the first battle, and then encountered the second battle that night.
Before nightfall, the scouts discovered the location of the Tatar camp. When the Tatars began to withdraw their tribes to the north, Wang Shouren ordered the vanguard of three thousand soldiers and horses to pursue them quickly. They must pursue them before dawn. superior.
A battle during the day is just an appetizer for the Ming soldiers.
Six thousand people could not cope with three to four hundred Tatars, many of whom were old, weak, women and children, and there would be no great honor in winning.
What we are pursuing this time is a relatively large branch of the Chahar tribe. The number of tribesmen on the other side is over a thousand. This does not include the herdsmen who may be wandering around and not gathered together. There are also They sent out cavalry to patrol around.
Wang Shouren originally planned to catch up with the Tatars before dawn.
But the Tatars were dragging their families with them, and they also had to bring all their livestock and belongings. Their marching speed was obviously not comparable to that of the Ming Dynasty light cavalry who were chasing them in light armor. It was not yet midnight that day. By then, the vanguard of three thousand cavalry was less than three miles away from the Tatar tribe's camp.
"We will be there in one charge."
Wang Shouren did not sit in the middle of the army. His character was to be at the forefront in tough battles.
At this time, some light could be vaguely seen in the distance. It was not fire, but it seemed that someone was setting fire to grass along the way to disrupt the sight and hearing. However, due to the scout's exploration, the direction of the main force of the Tatar tribe could be determined.
"Reported that Hu Lu had gathered hundreds of troops"
"Charged to kill"
Wang Shouren was not polite either.
At this time, you must take the initiative to attack. If you are attacked by hundreds of people from the other side, rush to your own side first and disrupt your own formation. Even if you do not cooperate with the Tatar reinforcements, the Ming side's The loss will also be much greater than expected.
Wang Shouren now not only wants to win, but also to achieve a complete victory, and to use his power to achieve as zero casualties as possible, because he knows that it is absolutely impossible to have reinforcements on his side, and all the living forces will be injured. With one less fighting power, even if he dies, he may not be able to bring back the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
"Boom, boom, boom"
The sound of artillery broke the silence of the long night.
On the main battlefield, the Tatars gathered four to five hundred cavalry to engage in a head-to-head contest with the Ming Dynasty. On the other side, the Tatar tribesmen were still struggling to escape to the northwest. Try to get as close as possible to the larger tribe so that you can escape before reinforcements arrive.
The Ming Dynasty’s vanguard troops were also divided into three groups.
Wang Shouren launched a charge with 2,200 cavalry from the center, while another 400 cavalry each flanked the two wings.
The number of artillery used in this battle was less than one hundred.
In Wang Shouren’s view, before actually encountering the main Tatar force, artillery shells can still be saved as much as possible, and artillery shells are also impossible to obtain on the grassland.With supplementary strategic resources, Wang Shouren is not only good at fighting such head-to-head encounters, but also knows how to "calculate carefully." He can be regarded as smug, or very ambitious.
In his view, the next battle will always be more important than the current one, requiring more strategic resources.
Our own side cannot show all its strength as soon as it comes up. It will always give the Tatar remnant soldiers the illusion that "the Ming army is nothing more than this".
The war begins.
Because the Tatars have long known the power of the Ming Dynasty artillery and firecrackers, even when their cavalry charges, they no longer attack in a long snake formation, but are dispersed to the greatest extent and prepared. With the iron shield and the blessing of iron armor, it is necessary to resist the artillery and fire projectiles fired from the front.
But the artillery on the Ming side basically fell from the top of the head.
Even if the two sides are in an offensive posture, the Ming Dynasty side is still light cavalry. It seems that as long as the Tatar cavalry can charge close and the two sides engage in hand-to-hand combat, the Tatar side will regain the advantage.
But this so-called "opportunity" is just an illusion.
Wang Shouren also knew where his own side's disadvantages lay. If it really got to the point of hand-to-hand combat, what would be the use of artillery and flint guns?
"Boom, boom, boom, bang, bang, bang"
The artillery fire became more intensive. After the Tatar cavalry had rushed to the 200-step range, but before it was within the range of the Tatar bows and arrows, the Ming's fire cannons had already been fired.
Even if the impact of the fire projectiles cannot directly penetrate the Tatar shields, their horses do not have enough shield protection, and the powerful impact will make many The Tatar cavalry were knocked upside down, not to mention the huge impact caused by the artillery shells falling in mid-air, which made them unable to parry.
Because the Ming Dynasty had an absolute advantage in the number of men and horses, and the vanguard men and horses were all equipped with flint muskets.
So much so that the Tatar side knew that there was no chance of winning this battle.
Their purpose may just be to delay the pursuit of the Ming army, but it is obvious that they also misjudged the strength of the Ming side.
Firearms played a huge role in this kind of frontal battle. As the Tatars fell to the ground in large numbers, Wang Shouren also ordered the messengers to fire signal flares. When the red signal flares pierced the night sky, the follow-up The three thousand Ming soldiers who caught up were able to bypass the battlefield and charge into the Tatar headquarters less than three or four miles ahead.
Wang Shouren rode in the formation.
The vanguard of the Tatar cavalry was less than fifty steps away when they were closest to him, and they were completely within the range of the Tatars, but Wang Shouren was not afraid at all.
Because this kind of Tatar can rush over alone, when he reaches a distance of fifty steps, the projectiles of the fire gun no longer just shoot towards him from one direction, but form a double team.
When Wang Shouren rode forward, he pulled a Tatar who was still crawling on the ground.The Tartar man chopped off his head, and this war, which had a huge disparity in strength and could be said to have no comparison, was almost over.
The rest were just massacred.
Another massacre.
At dawn.
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty had cut off the ears of more than 400 Tatar cavalry corpses, slaughtered more than 600 tribesmen, and used the last remaining livestock as the Tatars themselves. Even so, having to kill so many animals at once made the Ming soldiers feel tired.
We simply built a circle behind, lit fires around it, drove all the animals in, and then gradually narrowed the fire circle to burn all the animals to death.
"The meat is quite fragrant"
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty did not lose their appetite because of the bloody killing last night.
This is also the difference between veterans and recruits.
The soldiers on the side of the Ming Dynasty followed Wang Shouren in the north and south. They had experienced many fierce battles. Even if they had never killed Tatars with their own hands before, they had seen piles of dead people.
In order to quickly replenish their physical strength and face the main Tatar force that may attack at any time, so that they will not become one of the dead bodies, even some new recruits are not used to the bloody scenes and burning corpses. Even with the smell of burning, I know how to eat more food and drink more water quickly.
"Ten miles to the west, there is a river. Station on the river bank and be ready for war at any time."
Wang Shouren is different from ordinary generals.
He did not engage in any last-ditch battles or desperate measures, because he led his troops into the grasslands and had no retreat, so there was no need to worry that the Ming soldiers would become deserters.
Death in the grassland is much more glorious than escaping back. Not everyone is qualified to follow Wang Shouren deep into the hinterland of the grassland.
What he wants to pursue now is to ensure the survival resources of the soldiers. On the grassland, water resources are the most important thing to guarantee. They also need to be replenished at any time. It is easy to have major strategic problems because of the team. In order to travel quickly, it is impossible to carry water for more than two days. Compared with food and grass, water reserves are a weak point.
The battlefield has just been cleared, and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have to set off early in the morning.
When they set off and had not reached the river bank, a battle report came from the front line scouts. Guan Jing personally reported to Wang Shouren, "Major General, yesterday's two battles have alarmed all the Tatar troops. There were at least three Tatar reinforcements heading this way before dawn, but after our victory, they all retreated. It is not yet clear how many Tatar troops there are, but it is expected to be less than 5,000 troops."
Wang Shouren stood on horseback high on the hill, took out his binoculars, and looked at the direction in which the Tatars were retreating. The distance seemed to be at least ten to twenty miles away.
Wang Shouren said, "This is close to the Khan's court of Chahar tribe. If they haven't been able to assemble their troops until now, it only means that their defenses are too empty. We can kill them." Here, it is enough to intimidate the Tatars to garrison the river bank. The company and camp are two miles away, and the artillery is ready at any time.Deal with incoming enemies. ”
Guan Jing asked for instructions, “There are at least two thousand Tatars in the west. Do we need to gather troops to pursue them?”
A pursuit battle last night made Guan Jing’s blood boil.< /p>
Killing more than 300 people during the day and a thousand at night is such an enjoyable way to gain military merit.
What’s more, this is a feat accomplished in the hinterland of Tatar. , if you can return to the Ming Dynasty alive, you can brag about this awesomeness, and no one in the army will be dissatisfied.
"There is no need to pursue him forcefully. "Wang Shouren said, "They have nothing to worry about. However, once our light troops pursue us, we will lose sight of both ends. The lengthening of the front will give them a chance to divide themselves. From this moment on, people from all walks of life must not be more than five miles away from each other. They must respond to emergencies at any time and provide reinforcements and cooperation everywhere. ”
When Wang Shouren discovered that the Tatar tribes began to gather on his side, it can be said that he had no fear.
Because he knew.
The Tatars No matter how large the number of troops is, there are only 40,000 to 50,000 troops left behind, and they are still scattered over thousands of miles. Most of them are still wandering around the Daming Pass in the south. It is impossible for them to gather more than 10,000 troops and horses to return to the hinterland in a short period of time. Come on.
If the Ming side fights 6,000 against 10,000
With Wang Shouren’s confidence, the Ming side’s winning rate in this battle is almost 90%.
The right time, location, and people are not important at all. The most important thing is that we have enough artillery and artillery shells, from artillery volleys to gun volleys, we can fight continuously.
As long as the formation is maintained, you will be able to fight. The Tatars invade at will.
There is more than a 90% chance of winning a battle, so why worry?
Just send the army to your hinterland and fight whoever dares to attack. Just ask the Tatars who dare to fight head-on
Just as Wang Shouren expected
When the Ming army set up camp on the riverbank and strolled around, the Tatars went all out. The reinforcements also retreated thirty miles away
And they retreated five miles one way and ten miles the other way.
It doesn’t matter who retreated further. It seems that the Tatars are greedy for life and afraid of death because they also realized that the Ming Dynasty did not just have one or two thousand troops who could be manipulated at will, but six thousand regular troops came, and the number of artillery and muskets was so great that They did not expect that the leader of the army would be Shouren, the new king of the Ming Dynasty who was famous for his ruthlessness.
Wang Shouren only had 2,000 troops in the battle at Weininghai.
Now give him 6,000 troops, artillery and horses. The number of fire muskets has increased several times
Whose advantage will be counted among the lost soldiers? Dayan Khan Batumengk, who has the ambition to unify the grassland
Probably unless it is the little Tatar prince Batu Meng personally led his troops back, otherwise no one would dare to fight Wang Shouren head-on. Please remember to bookmark the latest and fastest website for free reading without anti-theft