The Ming Dynasty heavy mortar was simple and easy to manufacture, light in weight, and its air tightness was enhanced after the bullet was mounted on the buttstock, so its maximum range reached more than one thousand meters.

The Jiannu still had the impression that the Ming army's artillery was the Red Cannon, and they were unaware that the Ming army already had projectile artillery with a similar range.

The wrong intelligence led to serious consequences. Not only was the Jiannu battle formation within the range of the Ming army, but even the command post where Daishan was stationed was also subjected to concentrated fire from the Ming army.

This battle was initiated by the Jiannu. After receiving the report from the scouts, the Ming army vanguard used chariots as a barrier on the field and formed six square formations, with 600 people in each formation.

The main force of the central army also arrived soon after and quickly set up a heavy fortress. When the two armies were facing each other and before they broke into battle, they first dealt a heavy blow to the Jiannu.

In fact, Daishan only led a banner of troops to support Sahalian, and had no intention of fighting a bloody battle with the Ming army.

Daishan’s idea was to arrive suddenly and wait for the opportunity to act.

If the Ming army was slow to react and their battle formation was loose, he would have certainly attacked relentlessly. However, the Ming army reacted quickly, and the vanguard battle formation quickly formed, which also dispelled Daishan's idea of ​​attacking as soon as he arrived at the battlefield.

But Daishan did not retreat immediately. Instead, he deployed his troops to observe the reaction of the Ming army and to find the flaws in the Ming army's battle formation to see if there was still a chance of winning.

But he never expected that the Ming army did not attack rashly. He was listening to Sahalian's introduction and observing and thinking about the Ming army's combat methods when the artillery shells came crashing down on him.

Such a long range really scared Daishan. He couldn't help but stare at Sahalian with wide eyes, "Didn't you mean that the Ming army doesn't have red cannons?"

Sahalian was also a little confused, but soon realized that the Ming army was holding back. It was only when they saw his father's flag that they suddenly launched an artillery attack.

The shells landed, tumbling and emitting wisps of smoke; or they struck soldiers and horses, causing immediate casualties. But then, something happened that shocked and horrified the Jiannu.

Amidst the constantly flashing flames, shells exploded, sending up clouds of black smoke, stirring up dirt and sand, and spurting out countless shrapnel.

The Ming Dynasty heavy mortar, formally known as a mortar, has a short barrel, uses a fixed-quantity gunpowder propelling bag, and has a shell support, so it is much faster to load than a long-barreled cannon.

During the bombardment, the Jiannu were not in a serious state of confusion, but they suffered heavy casualties. This was because they did not know that the shells fired at them would explode, and they thought they were solid iron balls similar to the Red Cannon.

After the second round of salvos, even the most fearless Jiannu soldiers looked terrified at the smoking shells rolling on the ground, and hurriedly shouted to get away.

Even before the shell exploded, the Jiannu army's ranks were already in even greater disarray than they had been the first time. Horses and men were jostling against each other, and a large, empty space formed around the impact point.

Delays were inevitable, as the technology at the time made it difficult to create a trigger fuse. To prevent accidental detonation, the fuse was delayed for more than half a minute.

One effect of the delayed explosion was to cause confusion among the enemy. No one was ready to die, and no one took the smoking and exploding shells seriously.

Just as the Jiannu army's formation was in chaos, the Ming army's battle formation advanced forward amid the rumbling sound of drums.

At this time, the Ming army formed five more square formations, just behind the six square formations, blocking the gaps between the square formations. If the Jiannu tried to break through between the six square formations, they would be met with gunfire from three sides.

Daishan reined in his horse and stood under the general's flag. Feeling the commotion in his own battle formation, his brows were twisted into a knot, and he watched the Ming army's battle formation advance step by step.

Under the heavy bombardment of the Ming Dynasty, his general flag had been moved several times, and the strict formation also collapsed in the chaos of dodging artillery shells.

Continuing to waste time like this would be too disadvantageous, but Daishan lacked the confidence to launch an attack. As for retreat? Daishan shook his head.

Huang Taiji was capable of retreating without fighting, but he was a great beile, commanding two flags of troops and shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending southern Liaoning.

If the Ming army occupied Xinjin and continued to advance towards the three guards of southern Liaoning, Daishan would only have Luan Gu Pass as a barrier. However, pinning all hopes on Luan Gu Pass was obviously a bit risky.

There was another fierce volley of bombardment. Looking at the thick smoke rising from behind the Ming army's battle formation and the artillery shells flying through the sky, Daishan finally made a decision - retreat.

This was not a sudden retreat to Luangu Pass, but an idea that suddenly came to Daishan, who thought it could be used against the Ming army.

Retreat without fighting? Humph, how do you know my plan?

"Send the order, retreat!" Daishan issued a wise order. For the Eight Banners troops, which were all cavalry, the casualties would be very small if they retreated, which was different from the defeat of the infantry.

The clatter of horses' hooves resounded as the Jiannu turned their horses and retreated. This was also the advantage of cavalry; otherwise, retreating in the face of battle would be an impossible task for any army.

Daishan looked back, but the smoke and dust raised by the successive explosions obscured his vision. He did not see the Ming army. He could only grit his teeth in hatred and ride away, as if to leave behind all the regret and resentment.

……………………

A large number of Ming troops suddenly appeared at the foot of Fuzhou City, with shining helmets and armor and an imposing manner.

But the panic and chaos were quickly contained after Liu Xingzuo, the general of Fuzhou, opened the city and surrendered.

The resistance of a small number of Zhenyi and die-hard elements was like a pebble dropped into a pond; the ripples were barely audible and quickly subsided.

The news was successfully blocked, thanks to Liu Xingzuo's timely closure of the city gates under the pretext of an enemy attack, trapping all the target individuals in the city.

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