Chapter 1145 Dilemma
The soldiers of the Ming Army could not clearly see the movements on the Haihan position from a distance. They saw several gaps in the wall and thought that the opponent was about to come out to fight. They waited carefully for a long time but there was no movement, so they had to continue marching.
The Haihan artillerymen had already calibrated their firing range two days before the war started, and had made a number of hidden distance markers outside the position. There was no need to make sighting calculations before the battle, and they only had to wait for the opponent to enter the pre-calculated fire strike range. That's it.
Chen Yixin held up his telescope and confirmed that the Ming army infantry had entered the area where the artillery was pre-aimed, and then decisively issued the order to fire. Although the artillery deployed by the military to the mining area this time are all small-caliber artillery, when equipped with grapeshot specifically designed to deal with dense formations, this small artillery is equivalent to a large-caliber shotgun. Even a single artillery The lethality is no less than that of dozens of muskets.
Every cannon shot on the Haihan position was accompanied by entire rows of Ming soldiers screaming and falling to the ground. The copper-covered wooden shields in their hands could be used to block ordinary bows and arrows, but the grape bullets fired from the artillery were absolutely unstoppable. Projectiles the size of soybeans flew over the sky, covering the shields with the Ming army hiding behind them. The soldiers were fighting like a hornet's nest.
The infantry on Haihan's side were naturally not idle. After the artillery started firing, the soldiers immediately fired back at the Ming army that had lost the protection of their shields. The combined attack of gunfire and artillery fire dealt a heavy blow to the Ming army in a very short period of time. Of course, this inevitably exposed Haihan's true strength to the Ming army, making the opponents realize how terrifying the enemy they faced this time was.
The gunfire just now made Guo Xingning's eyes pop out. Although he also knew that the Haihan people would be very difficult to deal with, he did not expect that the other party actually deployed several artillery pieces on the position. The Ming army was caught off guard, and the casualties caused by this shelling were quite heavy. Even if it is a conservative estimate, Guo Xingning believes that the casualties should have reached three digits.
Although there were several Fo Lang machine guns in the Ming army's formation, the infantry in front had already been defeated before they had time to transport them to the firing line and set up gun emplacements. The artillerymen who lacked cover naturally did not dare to go forward and fight on their own. They could only follow the broken troops and drag the artillery back into the formation.
Guo Xingning's current situation is a bit embarrassing. In less than half a day, his attacks have been frustrated one after another, and more than 10% of his combatable troops have been lost. However, he has not been able to gain many actual results, and has only destroyed part of the opponent's position. The outer fortifications were not even touched by the hair of the Haihan people. Of course, Guo Xingning could urge his men to continue attacking the Haihan position, but he could no longer think of any better means to counter the Haihan people. If he attacked forcefully, the result would most likely be an even heavier casualty figure.
Guo Xingning was also puzzled. He had a complete set of infantry and cavalry, as well as artillery assistance. They were all veterans who had experienced battles. Logically speaking, it should be easy to deal with a group of armed merchants. Before he came, he had even thought about how to accept it. The Haihan people surrendered and asked them to get out of Fushan County, but unexpectedly they suffered a bloody blow in the first battle in this wilderness. Guo Xingning was caught in a dilemma as to whether to continue fighting or to retreat to preserve his strength.
At this moment, the cavalry he had sent out to sweep the back roads hurried back to resume their duties, but their number was already reduced by nearly one-third. This group of cavalry fought with the Haihan people outside Guxian Town, but the result was obvious. They did not take advantage. Instead, they became a living target of the other party. After several people were shot down by the Haihan soldiers, they panicked. Withdrew in panic. As for the task of opening up a way out, naturally we can only forget about it for the time being.
After witnessing the battle between his men and the Haihan people just now, Guo Xingning was not so surprised by what happened to this group of cavalry. With the way the Haihan people fought, it was indeed easy for this team to be caught off guard if they lacked vigilance. What he is more concerned about now is how many troops the Haihan people have deployed on their back road, and whether they can successfully withdraw to Dengzhou City along the official road.
However, the feedback from his subordinates poured cold water on Guo Xingning's head. The Haihan people had obviously calculated the Ming army's movements in advance, and their actions in the rear were not harassment at all, but real attacks. It is necessary to cut off the Ming army's retreat route. According to what his men saw, there were at least two to three hundred Haihan soldiers in the area, and they occupied favorable terrain. There were even several Haihan armed sailing boats on the seashore as water cover. Guo Xingning and his group wanted to return to Dengzhou City via the original route. I'm afraid it will take a fierce battle.
Fortunately, Guo Xingning was quite cautious. He studied the map carefully before setting off and made solid preparations. Although the official road along the coastline was cut off by the Haihan people, he still remembered at least two roads that crossed the mountainous area and returned to Dengzhou. The route to the city was only due to the rugged terrain, and it would take more than twice the marching time to return to the base camp. Of course, the premise of this plan is that the Haihan people will not rush out from their stronghold to pursue. Otherwise, it is difficult to judge how the situation will develop. After all, the Haihan people still have an unknown number of cavalry on hand. If they seize the opportunity to pursue them in tandem, it will be It will be a difficult trouble for the Ming army to get rid of. As for where this cavalry is now, Guo Xingning has no idea at all.
At this time, Guo Xingning had realized that the opponent's pre-war preparations were far better than his own. He had simply set up a trap and waited for his team to exploit it. Judging from his action of transporting troops by sea and cutting off his own retreat, the sea was The Han people obviously did not intend to defend the mining area, but wanted to fight a war of annihilation and try to wipe out their own Ming army in Fushan County.
At this time, the casualty situation has been roughly calculated. More than 130 people who had just rushed into the formation failed to retreat. Most of them had died on the spot. The few wounded who had lost the ability to move could not escape from the battlefield. Got it back. Coupled with the loss of lives in the rear, the current casualty situation is still within the tolerable range, but after repeated setbacks, morale has become unsustainable.
And this is not the most terrible thing. Guo Xingning discovered that until now, apart from knowing that the enemy has cavalry and is equipped with firecrackers and artillery, Guo Xingning seems to have no other valuable information, including how many troops the opponent has, how to deploy them, and who is responsible for them. He didn't know anything about his command, but the other party had been approaching for reconnaissance not long after he left Dengzhou City, and he had a clear idea of his own troop strength and movements. In this situation of information asymmetry, it is not surprising that the Ming army suffered successive setbacks.
His own strength and movements have been exposed early, but his opponent has always been hiding in the fog, making it impossible for Guo Xingning to figure out his strength. This passive situation is already very dangerous. Guo Xingning has now put away all luck and contempt, and began to think about how to get out of this mess.
At this time, the atmosphere on Haihan's position was relatively relaxed. The several waves of offensives by the Ming army just now failed to really threaten Haihan's defense line. The price paid for Haihan's attack so far was only some ammunition. , there have been no casualties in terms of personnel, and the degree of damage to the position is still tolerable. According to Chen Yixin's estimation, even if the Ming army's cavalry came out in full force, they probably wouldn't be able to clean up the fortifications outside the Haihan position. This means that it is basically impossible for this Ming army to attack the Haihan position from the front.
"Okay, okay, it's easier than expected." Morgan finally sat down to rest and took a sip of the hot tea that had just been brewed. The last battle he commanded was against the local indigenous tribes in Miaoli, Taiwan. The opponent's strength was far inferior to that of the regular army of the Ming Dynasty in Shandong this time. Although he said it was easy, when he was commanding the battle just now, he could not stand it for a second. Haven't even sat down.
"Look, it's worth stopping work for three days to repair the fortifications, otherwise these bastards would probably just rush up and kick the door down!" Tian Yeyou said proudly.
Due to the limited labor force in the mining area, the military originally did not want to build such a deep three-dimensional defense fortification. However, Tian Yeyou believed that since it was necessary to build a semi-permanent defense line in one step, he persuaded the military to allow all other infrastructure projects in the mining area to be completed. It stopped and spent three days specifically building the defense line. Now it seems that this decision was obviously very wise. The Ming army's offensive was completely blocked outside the defense line, and it also left enough space for the firearm attacks that the Haihan army was good at. This Chen Yixin has also withdrawn from the first line of defense to meet with them to discuss the next plan of action.
"I think the Ming army has no intention of attacking anymore. It's time for us to take the initiative." Chen Yixin suggested: "There are still our infantry and cavalry to the north of the enemy, so we can give them a north-south flanking attack!"
Haihan deployed his troops in advance to cut off the Ming army's retreat. Of course, it was not for show. Since this time he wanted to fight, Haihan's army was determined to eat this Ming army. After gaining the upper hand, Chen Yixin was already a little restrained. Can't stand it anymore.
The only troublesome thing is that in order to make the defense line impregnable, the defense fortifications built north of the mining area did not leave an attack channel in advance, so the Haihan Army had to go around from the east if they wanted to attack, which took almost two miles more. Only then can we get around to the frontal battlefield in the north.
It is precisely because of this that the Ming army found a glimmer of hope. While the Haihan commanders were still discussing whether they should take the initiative immediately, Guo Xingning had already made a decision.
Due to the war in Dengzhou, strong men have become a scarce resource, and the people seriously lack trust in the government and military. It is difficult for foreign generals like Guo Xingning to recruit local troops. If they fight too hard here, their strength will be greatly reduced. , when the time comes, as a general, he might become just like the official and the public, and become a nominal position with no soldiers available.
The experience of fighting the Haihan people this time was very important information for the Ming army. Guo Xingning believed that the Dengzhou Prefecture and even the Shandong Dusi must understand the true situation of Haihan, otherwise he would send troops to deal with Haihan next time. Most likely you will still suffer a big loss due to lack of sufficient intelligence.
Whether it was for overall considerations or to ensure his future status, Guo Xingning believed that he had to evacuate this place immediately. As for the Fushan Copper Mine, Guo Xingning couldn't care less about it now. If Zheng Fan wanted this place so much, just let him bring his own people to grab it.
Guo Xingning knew that he was now being attacked from both sides. If he delayed for too long, his troops would be stuck here and unable to leave. Before the Haihan people took the initiative to launch an attack, the Thirty-Six Strategies were the way to go.
Guo Xingning did not choose to return to the original route and confront the Haihan army in the rear. Instead, he ordered the army to turn west and directly enter the mountainous area. He planned to go all the way west through the mountains, and then turn northwest to Dengzhou City to avoid the Haihan army waiting to intercept him in the north. This marching route is nearly half longer than when we came here, and most of it is in mountainous areas. The return journey will undoubtedly be much harder than the journey here. However, only this route can get rid of the opponent's pursuit as soon as possible.
There was nothing wrong with Guo Xingning's plan, and he had accurately grasped the timing of the retreat, but what he never expected was that the Haihan people actually deployed a small group of elite troops in the mountainous area west of the mining area. Although this elite group has less than two hundred soldiers, they are led by Gao Qiaonan, the commander of the Haihan Army and the commander of the special operations battalion.
Chen Yixin asked Gao Qiaonan to lead a team of people to ambush outside the mining area. The original purpose was to interfere with the Ming army's offensive operations when necessary, and to coordinate with the strongholds in the mining area to coordinate with each other. However, the intensity and effect of the Ming army's attacks were very limited. Gao Qiaonan did not receive the order to attack, so he witnessed the Ming army's successive setbacks in the mountains and forests.
When he saw the Ming army suddenly breaking camp and marching towards the west, Gao Qiaonan seemed to have taken stimulants and immediately issued combat orders to his soldiers. Although the strength of the opponent is four or five times that of the troops led by Gao Qiaonan, Gao Qiaonan is full of confidence. After all, the terrain nearby is the mountainous jungle environment where the special operations battalion is best at. In this kind of field combat, The combat effectiveness of the special operations battalion will be enhanced by the environment.
Guo Xingning's sudden withdrawal really left the Haihan Army unprepared. After Chen Yixin observed this movement through the telescope, he could only helplessly shake his head and sigh: "It's still a step too slow!"
After Tian Yeyou heard what he said, he quickly stepped forward and picked up the binoculars to look around. He sneered and said: "These guys have a very sensitive sense of smell! It depends on whether they are lucky enough to escape!"
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Morgan made a cross on his chest with his hand and said sincerely: "Takahashi Nan will greet them well. We just need to send people to follow behind to collect the bodies."
Guo Xingning, who was on horseback in the distance, suddenly shuddered. He looked up at the sky and saw snowflakes slowly falling from the sky. The first snow in the Jiaodong Peninsula in the seventh year of Chongzhen came so quietly.
(End of chapter)