Explosions blazed one after another, sending clouds of dust and snow flying into the air. Amidst the thick smoke, Yue Tuo could vaguely see the flames of musket fire.
The smoke rising from the thunder bomb was quickly blown away and faded by the cold wind, revealing a tragic scene in Yue Tuo's sight.
The ground in front of the chevaux de frise was littered with the bodies of the Later Jin army, their bodies in all shapes and sizes, their flesh and blood a blur.
The blood was still hot when it flowed out, but it quickly cooled and became sticky on the ice-covered ground and lost its fluidity.
The land around the corpse was no longer white snow or black soil, but a glaring bloody red.
The Ming army's muskets were still spewing flames, and the defeated Jiannu were hit by lead bullets shot from behind from time to time, screaming and falling to the ground.
The injured but not dead Jiannu soldiers howled and screamed, some rolled and twisted on the ground, and some struggled and crawled in great pain.
Yue Tuo looked gloomily at the retreating soldiers. Due to fear and exhaustion, many soldiers looked terrified and frightened.
Looking up at the position held by the Ming army, the several rows of watered chevaux de frise frozen to the ground, and the Ming army array ready for battle behind the chevaux de frise, Yue Tuo hesitated.
Since following his father's orders to lead his troops through a secret path to attack the Ming army's rear, Yue Tuo's troops have encountered three similar ambush attacks, each more fierce and with more troops than the last.
Now, the Jiannu have launched three attacks, but still cannot break through the Ming army's main defenses, and their casualties have exceeded a thousand.
Taking a detour and copying the enemy meant pursuing speed and concealment. The 6,000 troops led by Yue Tuo did not carry any shield carts or artillery, and even had very few heavily armored soldiers.
In this narrow area, the Jiannu had no room to display their cavalry and archery skills, and were firmly blocked by the Ming army, unable to advance.
Yue Tuo hesitated. He had seen similar situations before. When he accompanied his father to reinforce Manpo and Changcheng, he was repeatedly blocked by the Ming army. The trenches, breastworks, muskets, and thunder bombs were extremely lethal.
Obviously, the Ming army used this tactic again. Yue Tuo was almost certain that even if they broke through this barrier, there would be one or more lines of defense behind it.
Continuously attacking and constantly being consumed, how many troops will be left in the end, and how many wounded will they be dragged down?
Yue Tuo frowned, and thinking of the result, he decided to give up the plagiarism and stop attacking.
This was a trick of the Ming army, making you feel hopeful and keep advancing at a cost. But in the end, there would be no gain except casualties.
Turning to look at the troops regrouping for the attack, Yue Tuo waved his hand, calling off the attack. He then called his personal guards and had them report back to Daishan on horseback that the circuitous plan had failed.
Yuetuo's decision was wise. The Ming army would not give the Jiannu any opportunity to make roundabout moves or plagiarize.
The troops of Zhang Pan and Kong Youde defeated Sahalian's troops and occupied Shiheyi. However, after only one day, the troops retreated quietly at night.
From deployment to retreat, it is not determined by the size of the results or the difficulty of the attack, but by a fixed time.
The plan for this diversionary operation was modified and approved by the Dongjiang Town Headquarters, and it was a coordinated action in which Mao Chenglu's frontline assistants came to support and assist in the battle.
Mao Wenlong also determined the duration of the battle, six days. No matter what the battle situation was, they had to retreat to Lüda to ensure the safety of this southern Liaoning bridgehead.
The ambush that Yue Tuo's troops encountered was carried out by the front team commanded by Mao Chenglu.
This arrangement was obviously beyond Daishan's expectations. He personally led the Red Banner to support Sahalian, but he did not move very fast, hoping to buy time for Yuetuo's detour and let the Ming army advance further.
However, things went against their wishes. While they were on the march, they received a report from Sahalian that the Ming army had retreated at night. Then, a messenger from Yuetuo arrived, and the plan of a roundabout attack was thwarted.
Daishan was puzzled and sent someone to recall Yuetuo. He also urged his troops to march quickly. After joining forces with Sahalian's troops, they pursued the Ming army.
The distance from Luda to Shiheyi was very short, and although Daishan led his troops in pursuit, it was too late.
The freezing weather made it difficult to construct trenches and breastworks. Heavy snowfall could significantly reduce the effectiveness of matchlock muskets.
These were the two main factors that limited the Ming army's ability to fight for a long time. Mao Wenlong also took into account the support of other Jiannu troops, such as Huang Taiji and Amin.
Over the course of six days, the Zhenghong Banner led by Sahalian and Yuetuo suffered defeat, suffering nearly 2,000 casualties. The Dongjiang Army, however, succeeded in its containment mission and achieved considerable success.
As Nurhaci led his troops to withdraw from Ningyuan, the Jiannu winter offensive was declared a disastrous defeat, and the Ming army once again won an unprecedented victory.
………………………………Dividing line………………………………
Although the news of the Eastern Tartars' renewed attack in western Liaoning had long since reached the capital, the atmosphere was not as tense as during the Battle of Guangning.
Perhaps it was the joy of the New Year that diluted people's tension and fear, or perhaps it was the repeated victories of the Ming army that gave people some confidence and made them believe that the army could repel the invading enemy.
The Spring Festival was the most important festival at that time, but the most lively one was undoubtedly the Lantern Festival.
In terms of the length of the festival, the Lantern Festival lasted only one day in the Han Dynasty, three days in the Tang Dynasty, and five days in the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, lanterns were lit from the eighth day of the first lunar month until the night of the seventeenth day, the so-called "Ten Nights of Lantern Festival."
Nanjing is known as the land of gold and powder, and the Qinhuai River Lantern Festival is the most famous. I don't know whether it is the lanterns or the beauties that are better.
According to historical records, Beijing's Lantern Festival was also a very grand event.
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