Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 129 Attack on Bolo

Morning, sunny.

The Meng army had already marched out of the camp and formed a battle array. However, this battlefield was not an ideal place for either side. On the left was a towering mountain, and on the right was a turbulent river. Under such terrain restrictions, the three military towns of the Meng army could only deploy the military strength of one town in front.

In contrast, Bolo took a defensive posture. The Eight Banners were stationed on a slope, and the Eight Banners soldiers were arranged horizontally, like a barrier. Although it could not be said that one man could block a thousand men, they did have a certain geographical advantage. However, under such terrain, Bolo's cavalry could not play its maximum role. It was impossible to outflank the enemy from the rear, nor to launch a surprise attack from the flank. The total number of Bolo's Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners soldiers was no more than 8,000. Only by relying on the terrain could they stop Meng Jun.

Tulai frowned, staring at the surrounding terrain, and couldn't help but sighed: "What kind of hell is this place! It's just mountains, stretching endlessly. Even the most elite cavalry can't run here."

The Meng army had already lined up neatly and was ready for battle. Kewu Town was the vanguard, standing in front of the battle. Meng Jun looked up at the sky, but he did not say too many inspiring words to boost morale. After a long pursuit, every Meng soldier was filled with desire, and they were all silently waiting for this decisive battle.

The soldiers of the Meng army were full of confidence. They firmly believed that they would never lose. They had experienced countless fierce battles without any defeat! And the so-called Eight Banners Warrior Bolo was just a stray dog running around.

Meng Jun just waved his arm to signal the attack. After the order was given, the army of Kewu Town advanced forward like a surging torrent. The majestic momentum made all the soldiers feel heroic.

The attacking Meng army soldiers had determined eyes, with shields in the front row, spearmen and archers following closely behind, and approached the Eight Banners' defensive line step by step. The Eight Banners Army was on high alert.

Once upon a time, the powerful Eight Banners Army actually had to defend one day! Since the Liaodong War began, the Manchus had always firmly controlled the battlefield initiative. They could defeat the Ming army when they wanted to attack, and could retreat unscathed when they wanted to retreat. However, now the situation has changed dramatically... Thinking of this, Bolo couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable anger in his heart.

Seeing that they were only an arrow away from the Qing army, the soldiers of Kewu Town rushed towards the Qing army at a high speed at the order of the officer. When the Eight Banners soldiers saw that the Meng army was within range, they shot arrows at the Meng army like locusts. The shieldmen in the front row of the Meng army worked closely together, raising their shields to try to block the arrows that rained down.

However, some arrows still passed through the gaps in the shields and hit the Meng soldiers. Some of them fell to the ground in pain, while others gritted their teeth and continued to move forward.

Then the distance became closer and closer, and the archers of the Meng army also began to draw their bows and shoot arrows. For a moment, the arrows flying in the sky were extremely dense, and some arrows could even hit each other.

The front rows of the Eight Banners soldiers and the Meng army were all shield bearers, and the back rows were all spearmen. Both sides were madly thrusting their spears outwards, and the spears hit the shields, making a sharp sound of "da...da...da". The Meng army was at the bottom, and the place where they stood was a slope. From time to time, Meng army soldiers slipped and rolled down the slope.

Shouts of killing and the sounds of weapons clashing resounded throughout the battlefield, and the Meng army soldiers bravely advanced, trying to break through the Eight Banners Army's defense line, while the Eight Banners Army relied on the terrain to tenaciously hold their positions.

Qian Biao was watching anxiously in the rear. The Eight Banners soldiers were standing still like turtle shells. They had been fighting for almost an hour, but the front line had not moved at all. Meng Jun was also a little impatient. The battlefield was actually at a stalemate.

Qian Biao couldn't help it any longer, so he quickly walked up to Meng Jun and said, "Commander-in-chief, we can't get through here, should we prepare for the heavy infantry to break through a point first?"

Meng Jun looked at the entire battlefield, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes. He slowly shook his head and said, "It is too difficult for the heavy infantry to walk on this slope. It is not appropriate."

Meng Jun frowned and pondered for a moment. He suddenly raised his head and said quickly: "Concentrate all the small cannons in front of the formation! We are going to use the small cannons to tear open a hole!"

As Meng Jun's order was given, the soldiers quickly pushed dozens of small cannons to the front line, and the soldiers in front made way for them. The cannons were even pushed under the noses of the Eight Banners soldiers.

Through the gaps in their shields, the Eight Banners soldiers were horrified to find the black cannons pointed at them. Their faces turned pale instantly, and beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. These cannons had been pushed so close! Even if they were just small cannons, their power was definitely not something that their thin shields could withstand!

Suddenly, the cannon roared with a deafening roar, and heavy solid bullets rained down on the Eight Banners soldiers. They penetrated the air with great force, and set off a gust of wind. No matter how many Eight Banners warriors were blocking the way, they were left in neat rows like plowed fields after being hit by the cannons, leaving behind only broken limbs and blood on the ground.

Meng Jun watched all this from behind the battle line, and could not help but feel joyful. He clenched his fists and cheered secretly, while the Eight Banners Army's front line was inevitably in a state of confusion. The officers in the front immediately waved their flags and shouted loudly: "Charge! Charge in!"

The morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted, and they shouted as they rushed up the slope and poured into the enemy camp. The shield formation of the Eight Banners soldiers was easily broken by artillery fire, and the Meng army that rushed up the slope immediately engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Eight Banners soldiers. For a while, the sound of killing was deafening.

Like a chaotic battle, the two armies had no rules to follow. They held all kinds of weapons, shouted, fought, and were intertwined in chaos. Swords and sabers flashed and crisscrossed, and blood splattered, dyeing the ground beneath their feet red. The skills of Meng Jun's soldiers were still slightly inferior to those of the Eight Banners. The fallen corpses were obviously mostly those of Meng Jun in black armor, but the number of Meng Jun's soldiers was not comparable to that of Bolo. Meng Jun dared to waste time, but Bolo did not dare to continue.

At this point in the battle, whether it was Bolo or other Eight Banners generals such as Tulainikan, all had solemn expressions on their faces. The rebel army before them was so powerful that it was comparable to the White Spear Army in the Battle of Hunhe River in the past.

Tulai said with a grim expression: "When we retreat to Fujian, we should immediately submit a petition to the regent king, asking him to do his utmost to encircle and suppress the Meng thief and never let him grow stronger."