lcionline Chapter 753 Please enter the urn
Chapter 753 Please enter the urn
Faced with their opponents who turned and ran, the leader of the charge, Bayala Daozhangjing, was stunned and speechless. What happened to the promised decisive battle?
"These shameless Nikan!" the Bayara Banner Commander roared. "To flee on the battlefield is the act of a coward! Warriors of the Plain Blue Banner, follow me and chase after them!"
Hauge wasn't bothered by the enemy's actions. Since their retreat was organized, rather than a chaotic scattering, there was nothing to fear. This was a coastal area with relatively flat terrain, lacking the dense forests and deep mountains for hiding. The enemy was entirely infantry; no matter how they ran, they couldn't escape his grasp. Catching them was only a matter of time. He leisurely rode forward, leading the remaining men in a slow pursuit, instructing his men: "Pass on my order to Dartu to spread out the ranks a bit, take it easy, and don't waste your horses too early. These Ming soldiers have powerful muskets; a frontal assault would result in heavy casualties, so a direct attack is not advisable. However, they all walk, so they can't outrun horses. We'll hunt them down like a hunter, let them run for a while, and exhaust them." Dartu was the commander of the entire banner's banner, known as the First Baturu of the Plain Blue Banner.
Those around him chimed in, "Master, this place isn't far from the sea. We mustn't drive them all into the sea and let them drown. If we don't even have a few heads, how will we go back to the Emperor to claim credit?"
"Hahaha..." Haug laughed heartily, the joke pleasing to his eye. In his view, the enemy's orderly retreat to the sea was suicidal; they were better off scattering and running in all directions, at least offering a glimmer of hope. Annihilation was only a matter of time.
In the distance, Borchu remained calm and observed his opponent's movements.
Although he had become Sinicized due to his long-term residence in Han Chinese society, Mongolian blood still flowed in his veins. He was intimately familiar with the characteristics and tactics of cavalry and quickly discerned that the enemy's elongated semi-circular formation and slow movement were a tactic to avoid a direct assault on the infantry, slowly wearing down the marines' stamina and waiting for an opportunity to annihilate their two thousand men. Since he also intended to lure the enemy into the range of the warships' firepower, he decided to play along, ordering his marines to fight and retreat, dividing into four detachments to form an echelon of blocking fire, rotating and withdrawing to draw the enemy into the trap.
"Bang bang bang," the gunshots rang out continuously.
The rifled muskets had a significant range, causing considerable trouble for the pursuing Qing cavalry. At a distance that was originally safe, the Qing soldiers now had to endure the harassment of bullets; even at this distance, with a low hit rate, casualties were inevitable. Many spies, though silent, complained inwardly, saying that using a hunting tactic to wear down the enemy was pointless—what prey could bite at such a distance? It was easy for them to say that. With this in mind, the Qing troops in front spontaneously increased their distance from the enemy, trying to avoid the muskets' range, while the Qing troops on the flanks silently advanced, forming a semi-encirclement from the sides, ready to close in at any moment.
Even though the Qing cavalry slowed down at Hauge's signal, the speed of the warhorses was far greater than that of walking, and the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer. The Qing soldiers on the flanks were almost at the same level as the marines covering the rear.
Borchu turned his head and looked around. The sea had come into view in the distance, and the sails of ships on the surface were faintly visible. The final step was to lure the enemy in.
He raised his sword and shouted, "On my command: cease firing, all men turn around, run forward, and take cover on the beach under the cover of the warships' cannons, form ranks and meet the enemy!"
At a command, nearly two thousand Marines slung their rifles over their backs and ran.
The Qing army had been waiting for a long time, hoping that their opponents would abandon their tight infantry formation and "flee in panic." How could they let that opportunity slip by? Compared to charging into a square formation of muskets and bayonets, pursuing infantry from behind and easily reaping lives was their favorite way of fighting.
The seasoned cavalrymen, without waiting for orders from their officers, spurred their horses and gave chase. It must be said that these cavalrymen, honed through countless battles, constituted one of the most powerful armies of the era of cold weapons; their battlefield awareness and ability to seize opportunities were first-rate. If this were a different, open battlefield, whether ancient or modern, abandoning a tight formation and exposing their backs to the enemy would only lead to defeat.
As Borchu ran, he prayed incessantly: "Master, now it all depends on our teamwork. If you understand my meaning, this surprise attack will succeed and deal a heavy blow to Hauge and his Plain Blue Banner; if you don't react in time, then these two thousand marines could very well be slaughtered by thousands of Qing troops before they can even establish a foothold."
How could human strength possibly withstand a warhorse running at full speed? As the Qing army accelerated, the thunderous sound of hooves shook the earth. The massive cavalry, like a dark cloud, surged towards the desperately fleeing marines, the distance closing rapidly. Six hundred paces, five hundred paces, four hundred paces…
As the two armies raced towards the beach, a mountain-like warship slowly came into view on the distant sea. The Qing soldiers, heads down in pursuit, glanced up and saw it, letting out a soft "Eh!" and instinctively slowing their pace.
At first, only a few people noticed, but as they slowed down, the rest sensed something was wrong and looked ahead, seeing the fleet on the sea ahead.
The warhorses, galloping at full speed, could not stop immediately. Although some people saw the warships, they did not know how to deal with them. Without their masters' orders, the warhorses continued to run forward, and the distance between the thousands of Qing soldiers and the marines and fleet was slowly closing.
Haug saw the large ship from behind, and his heart skipped a beat. Could it be that everything Taktan said was true?
He reacted quickly and immediately ordered: "Go and spread the word immediately, don't stop, catch up with this group of Ming infantry, kill them all. No matter how powerful the ships are, don't let them go ashore. We'll fight and run."
This strategy is undoubtedly correct. Once they catch up with the enemy infantry and engage them in a fierce battle, even if the large ships have cannons, they will be hesitant to fire. After killing everyone, they can retreat, and given the speed of warhorses, the large ships' cannons will barely hit any of their men.
At the crucial moment, the tacit understanding between Li Fei and Boerhu came into play. After all, they had been master and servant for more than ten years, and they could tell what the other wanted to do and how to cooperate just from each other's actions.
"Boom boom boom," five or six shells landed on the beach, splashing up a cloud of fine sand that soaked the pursuing marines. This test firing caused all the pursuers to slow down involuntarily—after all, shells are more terrifying than bullets, and no one wants to risk their lives to withstand them. Taking advantage of the enemy's slowing down, the Marines ran as fast as they could, creating some distance between them.