Chapter 411: All out
Upon learning that the Red Army had captured Jinkou, there was a commotion in Aobai’s central army camp.

“General, Jinkou is the gateway to Wuchang and must not be lost. If the Red Bandits seize Jinkou, they can use Jinshui and Shiliang Lake to transport food and fodder, and can also attack our main force from the side.” Banbulshan, a close confidant, said, “This is a serious threat. We should reorganize the army and fight again to counterattack Jinkou.”

“Well,” Aobai frowned and said, “Look at the flags. The Red Bandits are sending their elite troops to Jinkou. If I don’t transfer the firearms battalion there, it will be difficult to capture Jinkou.”

“The firearms battalion cannot move.” The person who spoke was named Murima, Aobai’s younger brother.

He remained calm and continued, “The Firearm Battalion is the pillar of the Heshengqiao Camp. If the Firearm Battalion moves, the Camp will be shaken. If the Camp is shaken, Xianning and Tongshan will be in danger. Big brother, I am willing to lead the troops to counterattack Jinkou. If I fail, I am willing to accept the punishment.”

“Okay!” The brother took the overall situation into consideration and volunteered. Aobai was very happy and told him: “I will give you 2,000 bannermen, together with the defeated soldiers yesterday, a total of 4,000. The Red Bandits are powerful. If you cannot defeat Jinkou in your counterattack, you don’t have to fight to the death. You can build a camp outside Jinkou to contain and monitor the enemy in Jinkou and take care of my retreat.”

“Yes!” Murima took the command arrow, ordered his troops to march towards Jinkou in a swift and decisive manner.

Oboi watched his brother go away, then went up to the stage and looked towards the city of Xianning in the southwest, feeling deeply worried.

“I originally planned to wait for the Red Bandits to tire themselves out in Xianning and Heshengqiao and then engage in a decisive battle with them. Unexpectedly, the Red Bandits avoided fighting and instead sent troops to fight for Jinkou.” Oboi said hesitantly.

Banbulshan analyzed: “Although the Red Bandits have deployed elite troops in Jinkou, Jinkou is bordered by the Yangtze River to the west and the Jinshui River to the south, and is in a desperate situation. Xianning is located between Jinkou and Tongshan, and is the gateway to Wuchang. The Jinshui River can be crossed without a foot, and the conditions are unique. The Cen bandits attacked Jinkou fiercely, and their purpose was still to attract our troops to split up, so that they could fight a decisive battle with us in Xianning.”

“I feel the same way,” Aobai stroked his beard and said, “The red bandits are the best at deceiving people, and they have the advantage of the navy and sufficient food and grass. The Han slaves do not understand the general situation of the world and frequently start rebellions. The longer the two armies fight, the more disadvantageous it will be for me. I will lead the troops myself and drive the red bandits across the Jinshui River first.”

Banbulshan nodded and sighed, “Tunqi was afraid to fight and was unwilling to move forward. He wanted to preserve his strength, but his morale declined. He not only lost his troops and territory, but also was stripped of his title and punished. The general is wise and powerful. He is in control of Xianning and Heshengqiao. He can fight hard to defeat the bandits and show his power.”

These words sound like praise for Oboi, but they mention Tunqi as well, which is obviously a warning to Oboi to take Tunqi as a warning and not to be cowardly and avoid fighting.

Oboi did not take it as an offense and asked, “Did the princes and nobles give you any instructions when you left Beijing?”

Oboi had asked this question many times, so Banbulshan had to repeat his previous answer and said, “Everyone always asks the general to fight hard and eliminate the bandits. The emperor has been in power for a short time and hates the thieves Cen even more. He hopes to use the general’s reputation to recover the south and avenge Zhang Cunren, Bashan, Zhumala, and Tongtulai.”

Aobai was very conceited and said, “After Dorgon’s death, I was trusted by the emperor. I was first appointed as a minister of state and then as a general. The emperor’s grace is so great that I will sacrifice my life for him. In this battle, my army will advance bravely and never retreat.”

On March 8, the Red and Qing armies launched attacks at the same time.

The Red Army, with the First Brigade of the Red Army as its main force, set out from Jinkou and launched a fierce attack on the Qing army camp outside Jinkou Town.

Upon hearing the news, Oboi ordered Murima to defend the camp to the death, and he personally led the main force to leave the Heshengqiao camp and attack the Red Army in the direction of Xianning.

At this time on the Xianning battlefield, the positions of the two armies were intertwined.

He Guoju led the second and third brigades of his personal guards, totaling 24,000 men, and used two days to clear the outposts outside Xianning. They then stationed to the east of Xianning, separating Oboi’s camp from the Xianning garrison.

Ma Jinzhong led the 11th Infantry Brigade with more than 10,000 troops and stationed them on the east, north and south sides of Xianning City, forming a loose encirclement of the Tunning defenders.

Under the protection of Ma Jinzhong, the Artillery Brigade launched a bombardment on the east city of Xianning, preparing to attack the city.

Zhou Yiming’s cavalry brigade was stationed south of Xianning to prevent the enemy from Tongshan from coming to reinforce.

The Qing army defended Xianning County to the death, like a nail stuck in the path that the Red Army had to pass.

“Aobai can’t sit still anymore.” Upon hearing the news, Cen Danchu also led 3,000 soldiers across the river to supervise the battle at the front. At noon, the two armies formed a battle array and marched forward. The front team was less than a mile away. The scouts had already engaged in battle, and the sound of gunfire could be clearly heard.

The Red Army went out in full force, with Ma Bao commanding from the front, and deployed in a three-fold formation to fight, with the artillery brigade in the front, the second brigade in the middle, the third brigade in the back, and the cavalry brigade on both wings.

Cen Danchu led 3,000 soldiers to the Huben Town camp and observed the battlefield from the watchtower. His 3,000 soldiers and Ma Jinzhong’s cavalry battalion would serve as the reserve force for this battle.

Including the reserve forces, the Red Army had 40,000 troops participating in the battle.

Oboi also went out in full force. Although he tried his best to concentrate his forces, there were warnings everywhere in Jinkou, Tongshan, Hanyang and even Nanchang, so Oboi had to divide his forces for rescue. In addition to the troops left behind in the camp, Oboi only concentrated 40,000 bannermen for this battle.

The two sides were evenly matched in strength. The Bannermen were experienced in battle, had a high rate of armor, and were good at physical restraint. The Red Army had powerful firearms, and after so many years of experience, they were also capable of hand-to-hand combat with the Bannermen.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the two armies approached each other and bombarded fiercely with their ten-gun and sky rockets.

The Qing army also invented the Ten-Skill Artillery and began to carry heavy artillery in field battles. Fortunately, the Qing army’s artillery team was small and belonged to the Firearms Battalion, called the Artillery Armor, which was actually a mixture of artillery and musketeers.

Unlike the Red Army, they directly organized an artillery brigade, which brought together various light and heavy artillery such as the Ten-Century Cannon, the Red Cannon, the Sky-Splitting Cannon, and the Mountain-Splitting Cannon.

The Red Army had more artillery and the fire was more intense, while the Qing army suffered greater casualties and was at a disadvantage in terms of firepower.

The Qing army had experience in this. This time, as usual, they stopped every ten steps and fired cannons, then continued to move forward a dozen steps and stopped again to fire cannons. This was probably the prototype of the “Nine-in-Ten Chain”.

The Red Army took advantage of its rest to wait for the Qing army to tire itself out. The artillery fired from where they were, fully utilizing their firepower advantage to force the Qing army to advance.

When they were within 100 steps, the Qing army’s musketeers began firing, increasing their firepower. The Red Army’s riflemen also began firing, advancing in alternating steps with the Qing army.

After the Battle of Ganzhou, the armor-wearing rate of the Huben Town’s personal guards increased significantly. Although not everyone was wearing armor, at least every soldier was wearing armor.

As the two armies approached, in addition to firing muskets at each other, the Qing army added long-shouldered bows, and the Red Army added mountain-splitting cannons. The battle was extremely brutal. The front team suffered heavy casualties, but they all vowed to fight to the death. It was really a match made in heaven.

The musketry exchange was evenly matched, and both sides decided to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The Qing army’s vanguard was the Firearms Battalion, which was composed of the elite Manchurians selected from the soldiers of each banner. It was equivalent to the “elite soldiers” of the Eight Banners.

The front team of the Red Army was the Second Brigade of the Imperial Guards, which was reorganized from the Fourth Brigade of the Infantry. The Fourth Brigade of the Infantry was originally composed of Tusi soldiers from western Guangdong, mainly composed of Tusi soldiers from Si’en and Tianzhou. They had been in the army for a long time and had long since grown into the elite of the Huben Town.

The Tusi soldiers were more flexible and more skilled in martial arts. The Manchu soldiers were more robust and had more complete armor. In the hand-to-hand combat, the two armies were still evenly matched.

The rear troops gradually surged forward, and the cavalry also fought on both wings. The Xianning defenders once opened the east gate to join the battle, but were forced back by Ma Jinzhong’s infantry.

The two armies fought in a melee from noon to evening, and they were evenly matched and exhausted.

As it grew dark and it became unfavorable to engage in battle, the two armies broke contact and retreated to their respective camps.

(End of this chapter)