Dominate the Country

The sound of gunfire rang out at the foot of Coffin Mountain.

From the moment the two sides met, Shi Liang immediately launched a fierce attack. The resistance of the Fu Han army at the bend and fork at the foot of the mountain was not very strong, but the performance of the Qing army was also average. They just relied on the large number of people and guns to force the small number of Fu Han soldiers in front to retreat. Gao Qiao left the main force at the foot of Coffin Mountain. Shi Liang used the cavalry in his hands to hold the line. The remaining five or six hundred Jingzhou flag soldiers were piled on the battlefield by him. It can be said that they fought desperately.

However, the Fu Han army, which performed averagely at the bend and fork, performed like a reborn at the last pass of Coffin Mountain. The main battalion was as powerful as ever, and even the two non-main battalions performed like wolves and tigers.

Shi Liang used the banner soldiers and the Jingzhou Green Camp as the main force to charge the Fu Han Army. Although the Fu Han Army did not have many muskets, and not all of them were flintlocks, the volleys fired neatly. There were also many tiger squat cannons and mortars in the formation, but Shi Liang did not have a decent cannon, only a few sky rockets and sub-cannons, and the rest were large-sized guns.

The range of the sky rockets was short, and the sub-cannons and large-sized guns could hit the Fu Han Army's front line, but the accuracy was not reliable. The Fu Han Army's snipers specifically hunted the sub-cannon operators and large-sized gun operators.

In the face-to-face battlefield without trenches or breastworks, the Qing Army's two attacks were very ineffective. The Fu Han Army's grenadiers did not even have a chance to show off, and the Qing Army was defeated. The third charge was carried out by the Exi militia as the main force. As a result, the Fu Han Army only fired a few gunshots, and the militia training warriors retreated in disgrace.

The embarrassment of reality made Shi Liang a little crazy! Shi Liang wanted to kill Wang Lei with a knife! Even if he was the brother-in-law of the prefect of Yichang, so what? Fortunately, he recommended him to be a thousand-man commander. He led more than a thousand people to attack, and forty or fifty people were killed and injured, but he didn't touch an inch of land under the feet of the enemy. What's the use of keeping such a waste?

"General! The firearms of the rebels are really... too sharp! Brothers really can't kill them!" Wang Lei, who didn't realize that Shi Liang's anger value had reached the critical point, complained. When the previous two attacks failed, he saw the Green Camp and the Banner Soldiers said so. He is now also reading from the script.

"You are a coward, and you are a thousand-man commander of the first battalion! Why do I have a waste like you under my command? Come on, drag him out and chop him up!" Shi Liang roared, his face full of a grim smile, his eyes staring at Wang Lei, whose face was changing color rapidly, like a knife.

Wang Lei's face suddenly turned pale. Shi Liang looked like he was not joking. "Sir! Sir! Spare my life..."

"Sir. Give me another chance. Give me another chance. I will definitely take down Coffin Mountain! I will definitely take it down!" Wang Lei was dragged outside by Shi Liang's personal soldiers. He was so scared that his soul was out of his body that he begged at the top of his lungs.

After venting his anger, Shi Liang calmed down a little. He still couldn't kill Wang Lei. Not to mention that he was the brother-in-law of the prefect of Yichang, his current identity - the battalion commander of the Yichang militia - was not something he could kill lightly. At the moment of war, killing a commander of the Green Camp was nothing, but the militia was different. If he killed Wang Lei, the Yichang militia would be in chaos on the spot, and the militias in Jingzhou and Jingmen would also be shaken when they knew about it. "Bring him back."

"Sir! Give me another chance! I will definitely charge forward! I will not return to see you until I take down Coffin Mountain." After walking through the gates of hell, this feeling was really heart-pounding. Wang Lei had really felt Shi Liang's killing intent just now. His pants were wet and he was scared to pee. Now that he was brought back, he was afraid of angering Shi Liang again, so he just kept begging for mercy.

"For the sake of Lord Zhao, I will give you another chance. Now you take your people to attack again! If you retreat at the first blow..." Shi Liang's eyes were red, and he stared at Wang Lei. "You know the end..."

The Fu Han army actually took advantage of the rainy night to get behind him. Shi Liang didn't think they were disdainful of the hot weather and came to cool down in the heavy rain. He was holding a string now, not knowing when the Jingmen and Jingzhou militias left behind by him would send an urgent report-the Fu Han army is attacking...

"Go down and prepare quickly." Shi Liang didn't care how Wang Lei felt at the moment, and waved his hand at him angrily.

"Charge..., kill..."

"Boom boom boom..."

"Pah pah pah..."

The sounds of fighting and gunfire at the foot of the Coffin Mountain continued until half past noon. When the Jingzhou and Jingmen militias that Shi Liang had placed behind him were defeated by the large force of the Fu Han Army and fled to the foot of the Coffin Mountain, Gao Qiao's troops were also defeated by Shi Liang.

The victory report reached Chen Ming at 11:15. At that time, Chen Ming was playing with his pocket watch, an exquisitely made enamel pearl pocket watch. This was the spoils of the Fu Han Army when they entered the Governor's Office of the Two Rivers in Nanjing. The gold shell inlaid pearl yellow enamel pocket watch was only one inch in diameter and three points thick. It was made by the British. The yellow enamel cover was inlaid with a circle of white pearls on the outer edge and a sapphire in the middle. It was exquisite and gorgeous. The Western-style flower and figure enamel pocket watch is bright and eye-catching. It depicts a couple in love, with beautiful maids and innocent children not far away, and colorful flowers around.

It is said that this pocket watch is Gao Jin's favorite and was awarded to him by Emperor Qianlong. Chen Ming cannot deny that this pocket watch is really beautiful, but he prefers the shell with landscape Chinese painting. Although he often plays with this pocket watch now.

Shi Liang really did not live and die with his soldiers. At the last moment, he led 3408 Bannermen out of the battlefield. The remaining Qing troops, regardless of whether they were Manchu, Han or Green Camp, were all captured in one fell swoop.

When the army surrounded them, the militia in western Hubei and the Green Camp in Jingzhou all chose to surrender. Only the Jingzhou Bannermen abandoned on the battlefield by Shi Liang chose to resist firmly. Only over 300 of the 500 or 600 people were captured alive, and most of them were Han Bannermen and new Bannermen from Shaanxi.

"Push these prisoners to the battlefield, and strip the armor of the dead Bannermen and let the militiamen wear them. No, don't we have a lot of cotton armor seized in our army?" The Fu Han Army soldiers were reluctant to wear it, and it would be a pity to destroy it, so Chen Ming threw it all into the logistics. "Choose a few hundred and add them together, so that the defenders of Wuchang can have a good look..."

Chen Ming didn't think that doing so would be of much use, but it could at least suppress the morale of the Qing army. Moreover, when Chen Qi received the victory report, he also proposed to seize Hongshan. You know, the trenches in the Hongshan position are now full of water. In March, if people are soaked in water for a long time, no one can withstand it. He thinks this is a good opportunity to seize this place. Besides, the rain in the sky has not dispersed yet. According to the local elders, the rain will continue to fall, so take advantage of the rain and pounce on Shuangfeng Mountain. After opening Shuangfeng Mountain, the artillery of the Fu Han Army can directly bombard Wuchang City.

"Give me the map." Chen Ming was silent for a long time and said to Liu Wu. He put down Chen Qi's letter and paced in the command post, his mind spinning rapidly.

Take down the Hongshan position! If this heavy rain continues to fall, it is indeed necessary to take down Hongshan, and then take down Shuangfeng Mountain while the rain falls as Chen Qi said, and when the sun comes out again, the artillery of the Fu Han Army can be set up on Shuangfeng Mountain to bombard Wuchang City. But this is just a prediction. Who knows if the rain will continue? It is not a good decision to charge the Qing army position on a battlefield full of water and mud after a heavy rain.

Chen Qi also sent Gao Qiao's battle report to the headquarters. His troops did not lose many soldiers in the battle. After discovering that the retreat was blocked by the Fu Han Army, the fighting will of the Qing army's Green Camp and militia was significantly weakened. Although the fighting will of the Eight Banners soldiers was firmer, it did not mean that their combat effectiveness became stronger. However, Gao Qiao's troops also lost hundreds of soldiers due to colds, fevers, diarrhea [drinking cold water]. Such heavy rain has a great impact on the army.

The Qing army's troops in Wuchang City certainly have an easy life, but what about Hongshan? Those Qing soldiers had spent the night in the trenches before. The tents and houses built before the trenches had been flattened by the Fu Han Army's artillery. As for the heavy rain last night, the conditions of the Qing army were not necessarily as good as those of the Fu Han Army. The latter at least had tents to live in, and some of them even lived in empty houses in the surrounding villages. Even if a small house could fit 10 or 20 people, it would be much more comfortable than hiding in the trenches in the rain.

"Grand Commander, I have asked the reconnaissance troops. Since dawn today, the Qing army has not mobilized troops to change guards..."

A map of the Wuchang area has been spread on the table. On Chen Ming's right hand are several charcoal pencils and a ruler. This map is what he uses to figure out the battle situation. It is painted with lines and many numbers are marked on it.

The distance from Hongshan position to Shuangfeng Mountain, the distance from the Fu Han Army artillery position to Hongshan, many numbers Chen Ming has memorized, but he still needs to calculate again before making a decision.

"Order the artillery to advance two miles, disperse the cannons, add gunpowder, and bombard Shuangfeng Mountain and Sheshan Mountain..."

The cannons on Shuangfeng Mountain can be directly aimed at Wuchang City, and can also be directly aimed at Hongshan positions. Chen Ming has already decided to capture Hongshan, so he has to consider the threat of the Qing army's cannons on Shuangfeng Mountain, including the cannons on Sheshan Mountain, to the Fu Han Army...