The call to retreat sounded mournful, like a cry of pain. The Jiannu archers continued firing at the Ming camp, covering their comrades' retreat from the dangerous area.
But the Ming army had already opened fire at full force. From nearly 100 meters to 1,800 meters, muskets and artillery opened fire fiercely, pouring down lead bullets and shells mercilessly.
Dazzling flames flashed continuously, and in the rising black smoke, shrapnel flew everywhere, causing continuous casualties to the Jiannu.
The field artillery spewed out flames and smoke, and fired solid bullets horizontally, which flew over the trenches, bounced on the ground, and beat the Jiannu into a bloody mess.
In the near distance, there was dense musket fire like exploding beans. The lead bullets fired from light and heavy muskets hit the Jiannu people, causing blood to spurt out and flesh to fly everywhere.
The sound of war drums rumbled, and the Ming army soldiers leaped forward, closing the distance with the enemy, and from time to time mercilessly shooting lead bullets into the enemy's backs.
The smoke and dust flew up and drifted in the wind, occasionally blocking the sight of the Jiannu generals such as Lao Nu. But they could still see the enemy's firepower intensity that they had never seen before.
Nurhaci's mouth opened slightly, his eyes widened, his heart filled with awe and a bit of despair. This was the enemy's true strength, countless times stronger than during the Battle of Ningyuan.
Fan Wencheng and Li Yongfang looked at each other in shock. Although they saw that the Ming army was at ease in defense, they never expected that they had such a strong hidden strength.
This is a trap, a real trap!
They besieged the city but did not attack it. They waited for the arrival of the Later Jin reinforcements, then launched a feint attack to lure them into attacking to break the siege.
This did not fully achieve their goal, so they launched a fierce attack on Haicheng, which soon put Haicheng in extreme danger, forcing the Later Jin reinforcements to launch a full-scale attack.
The casualties were at least three or four thousand, and with the addition of the Han soldiers, even five or six thousand would not be enough to defeat them.
"The Ming army is invincible!" Li Yongfang finally couldn't hold back the shock and sadness in his heart, and concluded in a deep voice.
Fan Wencheng frowned, thinking that Li Yongfang's words were too absolute and too discouraging.
What does it mean to be invincible? Does it mean that we can only allow the Ming army to advance northward, occupy Liaoyang, and attack Shenyang without coming up with any strategy to resist?
The Ming army’s firepower was powerful, so powerful that it was terrifying, but they only relied on positions and fortifications for defense.
In open-field battles, with ample room for maneuver, the Later Jin cavalry could demonstrate their strengths, maneuvering and harassing the Ming infantry, making it difficult for them to move smoothly and making it easier for them to exploit their weaknesses and defeat them in one fell swoop.
Moreover, Fan Wencheng was inspired by the Ming army's defensive operations and believed that the Later Jin army could also use trench fortifications to hinder the Ming army's attack and advance.
In Fan Wencheng's impression, close combat was still the Jiannu's forte. Their bravery and martial skills should have far surpassed those of the Ming army.
The rumbling sound of horse hooves interrupted Fan Wencheng's thoughts. When he turned around, he saw that the Later Jin cavalry, who were tied up in the Ming army camps on both sides, had launched an attack.
This was an order issued by Nurhaci because he saw that the Ming army's musketeers had crossed the trench and were still chasing the retreating Jin army.
There are no fortifications to rely on, and although the artillery fire is powerful, the speed of the cavalry should be able to effectively evade it.
If the Ming army that is chasing them can be wiped out on the plain, it would be a way to vent our anger and deter the Ming army, letting them know who is the king of field battles.
The roar of the Ming army's artillery fire weakened, the short-range and direct fire stopped, and the Ming army's heavy attack gradually subsided. The horn sounded the retreat, and the Ming army musketeers who had chased across the trench stopped pursuing and withdrew in an orderly manner.
Nurhaci shook his head and immediately issued another order, not allowing the cavalry to get too close.
The sound of gunfire stopped, the smoke was blown away by the wind, and both sides returned to their pre-war state.
The difference is that corpses can be seen everywhere in front of the Ming army camp, inside and outside the trenches, indicating that a bloody battle had just ended.
In the sight of the Jiannu, the swordsmen of the Ming army appeared. They were harvesting heads, holding them high from time to time, and shouting in protest to the enemies in the distance.
The old slave narrowed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and clenched his fists with such force that his nails were completely bloodless.
Hur, roar - another burst of cheers and shouts came from the Ming army. A corpse was held high on the top of a pole, swaying slightly miserably, like a scarecrow.
"Shuotuo, dead dog!"
"Dead dog, Shuotuo!"
………….
For fear that the Jiannu army could not see clearly because they were too far away, the Ming army issued rhythmic shouts to tell the Jiannu whose body was on top of the pole.
"King Khan..." Yuetuo had already returned to his camp, but upon seeing this scene, tears welled up in his eyes. He ran to Nurhaci and knelt down to beg for his life, "Please allow me to lead the army to fight again and avenge my second brother."
Nurhaci's eyes were also a little moist. This was his grandson, who died in battle in front of him, and even his corpse was insulted by the Ming army.
Shuotuo ran away from home because he could not bear the abuse from his father Daishan. Daishan then insisted that his son had defected to the Ming Dynasty and rebelled against the Jin Dynasty. He asked Nurhaci to execute Shuotuo five or six times. After finding out the truth, Nurhaci released Shuotuo and forced Daishan to divide the family, giving the Red Banner to Yuetuo.
In other words, although Shuotuo was never liked by Daishan, Nurhaci still took good care of his grandson.
Daishan also looked sad, and it was not known whether it was true or false. Perhaps after so many years, his mentality had changed.
"Get up now." Nurhaci extended his hand to support him, saying sadly, "Generals are bound to die in battle. Shuotuo sacrificed his life on the battlefield, yet he remains a true warrior. The Ming army's firearms are powerful. If they continue to attack forcefully, how many more Jurchen warriors will be killed? Revenge is certain, but we must not rush into it and fall into the Ming army's trap."
Yue Tuo stood up helplessly, knowing that his grandfather was right. Fighting again out of anger would only result in more deaths and nothing else.
But he didn't know that his brother Shuotuo didn't die like a warrior. Before he could rush to the front of the Ming army, he was shot to pieces by random bullets. In the entire battle to defend the city, he didn't kill a single enemy.
"Tong Yangxing, a big traitor!"
"Big traitor, Tong Yangxing!"
……………….
Another bloody corpse with torn armor and clothes was lifted onto a high pole. The Ming army shouted rhythmically, telling the Jiannu who this was.
Shi Wuli was the son-in-law of the Han army, and Tong Yangxing was the highest general in command of the Han army. When the old slave rebelled against the Ming, he loyally followed him and made many contributions.
"Brother..." Tong Yangzhen fell to the ground crying, beating his chest and stamping his feet, tears and snot all over his face.
"Withdraw the troops and return to the camp." Nurhaci could no longer bear such stimulation, so he pulled his horse's head away, out of sight and out of mind.
There was no need to think about collecting the bodies. The Ming army's provocative demonstrations were simply hoping for another attack from the Later Jin army. The more fierce the attack, the more people would die. This old slave had seen it clearly.
If the offensive and defensive forces were reversed, even though defense wasn't the Later Jin's strong point, offense wasn't the Ming's either, right? Wouldn't using deep trenches and ramparts to hold off the Ming army be a good strategy?
The old slave's brows were furrowed as this thought came to his mind.
……………….
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