The Ming army's drumbeats became slower and slower and finally stopped.
The army's advance also stopped.
Before artillery was used on the battlefield, using large-scale infantry groups to charge directly at the beginning of a war was a tried and tested method.
When an army of more than 10,000 people, dressed in bright and beautiful armor, march in unison, with slogans resounding through the sky, and advance forward with great momentum.
Many people would be too scared to fight.
After all, to defeat this team head-on, one needs enough courage, strength and strategy.
but...
Things were different from the moment artillery entered the battlefield.
Huge bullets were ejected from the muzzle, and a single attack could penetrate dozens or even millions of people.
The lethality generated by this epoch-making weapon not only changed the form of combat and the use of tactics, but also brought about major changes in the offensive and defensive situation on the battlefield.
Especially the impact on the attacker.
Due to the power of artillery, the attacking side cannot directly launch a large-scale group charge.
Otherwise, they would be directly defeated by the artillery hidden behind the flags.
The correct approach is to first send out a small force to test the opponent's weapons configuration and artillery deployment, and then launch a targeted attack.
This is what Wang Yongji, the governor of Pingliao, did.
He first lined up the main force on the battlefield, and then sent out a phalanx of infantrymen with a thousand men to test the waters.
This infantry phalanx was arranged horizontally with almost no defense in depth.
This move is mainly to deal with the depth killing capability of artillery.
After the phalanx of a thousand men entered the battlefield, they used chariots as barriers and slowly advanced forward.
"Prince Su," the scout ran up to Hauge, "the Ming army has dispatched a thousand infantrymen."
Hauge had been using his clairvoyance to observe the battlefield. He put down his clairvoyance and nodded, saying, "Send a message to the artillery battalion. Once the Ming army enters the range, do not hesitate and fire immediately!"
"Your Highness," Shangshan, the Prince of Fuguo, suddenly said, "Firing will expose the position of our artillery positions. Should we wait a little longer..."
"We can wait, but it doesn't make much sense!" Hauge shook his head. "There are only Ming troops on the battlefield now, so we can fire and kill people without restraint. Once our Eight Banners soldiers enter the battlefield, it will be difficult to fire, after all, there is a risk of accidentally injuring our own people."
"Your Majesty is wise!" After flattering him, Shang Shan passed on the military order.
boom!
In the Eight Banners Army formation, the red cannon hidden behind the flags fired.
As the defenders, they can move the red cannon to the position for defense.
However, for the attacking Ming army, it was almost impossible to carry red cannons in field battles.
First of all, the Red Cannon was bulky and heavy, and it was difficult to move it on unhardened roads.
Secondly, a wide field of vision is required when firing, without any obstructions.
In other words, artillery needs to be deployed at the front.
When the slow-moving Red Cannon appeared on the battlefield, it was a sitting duck in the eyes of the cavalry.
Therefore, the Ming army's strategy was to place light artillery on chariots, so that they could attack or defend.
Boom!
The artillery deployed on both wings of the army fired in succession, with shells hitting the charging Ming army.
Snap!
A shell hit the tank and directly destroyed it.
Another cannonball penetrated into the Ming army's formation and broke through it.
Since the Ming army had no depth, casualties were minimal.
But inevitably there was unrest.
After the commotion, the Ming army continued to advance.
Whoosh.
With the command flag waved, Hauge dispatched 500 cavalrymen to meet the enemy.
The Ming army infantry was forced to stop and form a defense formation on the spot.
While the Jiannu cavalry charged towards the Ming infantry, the Ming cavalry also moved out.
A thousand cavalrymen rushed out from the right wing of the Ming army.
They entered the battlefield very quickly and were behind their own infantry in the blink of an eye.
At this time, the Jiannu cavalry also arrived and the two sides began to fight.
Both sides are elite.
The Ming army dispatched the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry" created by Li Xingzhong.
The reason for the quotation marks is that there are very few soldiers from Liaodong.
The reason why it is called the Liaodong Iron Cavalry is that its tactics and equipment are a one-to-one replica of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry of that time.
This cavalry unit has made great achievements in battle.
He beat Zhang Xianzhong, defeated Li Zicheng, and went north to the grasslands to ravage the Mongols.
They even beat up the Eight Banners soldiers who were good at field combat on the grassland.
The Jiannu army sent out the Zhenghong Banner.
The leader of the troops was Wakda.
The Zhenghong Banner has always been the elite of the Eight Banners Army.
Historically, the Zhenghong Banner had a very high status. After the distinction between the upper three banners and the lower five banners emerged, the Zhenghong Banner has always been ranked below the upper three banners and the first of the lower five banners.
The strength is evident.
After the two cavalry units entered the battlefield and chased each other for a while, the Ming cavalry suddenly changed their formation.
Part of the cavalry continued to fight with the Jiannu cavalry, while the remaining cavalry was divided into two and rushed towards the Jiannu artillery positions on the left wing at the fastest speed.
As we all know, the Jiannu artillery basically belonged to the Eight Banners of Han, and most of these Eight Banners soldiers were surrendered Ming troops.
The Ming army had a very fine tradition: artillerymen did not wear armor.
It’s not that I can’t afford it, but that I can’t wear it.
Moving and adjusting artillery, carrying gunpowder and shells are all physically demanding work. Armor is heavy, so you can imagine how strenuous it is to do physical work while wearing it.
So artillerymen basically do not wear armor.
The Ming army knew this situation, and the Eight Banners soldiers also knew this situation.
"Your Highness, the Ming cavalry is charging towards our artillery positions!" Shang Shan shouted to Hauge.
"Don't panic, I have already made arrangements." Haoge said with a faint smile.
As expected.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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