Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Almost at the same time, Zhang Shikang also saw the arrow piercing the clouds from the northeast.

That was a new type of signal arrow improved by the General Manufacturing Bureau specifically for the three armies of the Ming Dynasty. Unlike traditional signal arrows, this type of signal arrow was improved based on fireworks.

Once lit, it will make a sharp sound and fly into the sky. Different colors represent different meanings, and messages can be delivered as usual even at night.

"Pass on my command. All combat troops must immediately withdraw their lines. Immediately!"

Zhang Shikang issued the latest orders to all the messengers and flag bearers, and his tone was more urgent than any other order in this battle.

However, as early as two hours ago when the battle just started, all the generals at the level of lieutenant general had actually received the signal to retreat, but Zhang Shikang was just worried that someone would forget.

At the front line of the battlefield, the Guards were fighting a desperate battle with the numerous Tatars. Wang Jingduo was already wounded, but his sword moves were still insidious, focusing on the lower three routes.

He took advantage of a Tartar's unpreparedness and stabbed a knife into the Tartar's buttocks. Then he and several of his men rushed forward and stabbed the Tartar soldier in ordinary military uniform to death.

Wang Jingduo was of small stature, but he always ranked among the top in terms of the number of enemies killed in every battle. The reason for this was that he knew both himself and the enemy, and did not seek to be a hero.

After killing this Tartar, several people immediately began to look for the next target. At this time, one of them pointed to the northeast and said in surprise:

"Commander Wang, look over there."

Wang Jingduo turned his head and immediately remembered Zhang Shikang's reminder. He slapped his thigh and said:

"Everyone, leave here immediately and retreat towards the trench. You must retreat inside the trench. Spread out and notify everyone, quickly!"

On the other side, Cao Bianjiao was fighting a desperate battle with a Tartar Melezhangjing. Cao Bianjiao was a man who had emerged from the sea of blood and swords, but the Tartar general was not a pushover either. The two sides had been fighting for half a minute and both were injured, but they still refused to retreat.

Na Meilerzhangjing was panting and about to launch a new round of attack, but at this time Cao Bianjiao suddenly looked towards the northeast in confusion.

"Brothers, the wind is blowing!

Return to the trenches immediately. Anyone who dares to continue fighting will be subject to military law!"

Perhaps there is no need for military law at all. This is Cao Bianjiao's true psychological activity.

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't even look at Melezhangjing, and ran away with a dozen personal guards.

Heavy armored soldiers, due to their high health and defense, have always been the backbone of the guards, rushing to the front and being the farthest away from the trenches.

After being caught in a melee, they were forced to dismount their horses, and now they had to run frantically while dragging heavy armor weighing dozens of kilograms.

He still remembered what the Grand Marshal had told him: once he saw the signal arrow, it meant he only had three minutes at most.

Three minutes, that is, three minutes.

The Guards had strict military discipline. Even if the grassroots soldiers did not receive the news in advance, as soon as they heard the generals' orders, they all abandoned their opponents and ran away.

Meilezhangjing was completely bewildered for a moment, and he chased after him with a knife in hand, saying in Manchuria as he chased:

"Don't run away, thief! The outcome is still undecided!"

"Give it to your mother!" Cao Bianjiao ran even faster.

Wang Jingduo and Cao Bianjiao were just a microcosm. On the battlefield within a radius of two miles, all the guards were frantically shrinking their front lines, as if something big had happened.

The Tatars, unaware of the situation, thought that the enemy army had finally collapsed, and they shouted and chased after them.

Dorgon, Daishan and other main generals were extremely excited. Although they didn't understand why the Guards suddenly collapsed, they immediately entered the scene to enjoy the upcoming massacre feast.

Only Huang Taiji, who was at the very edge of the battle line, was worried. He also saw the strange firework in the northeast direction, and his intuition told him that it might be a signal of some kind.

But the guards were indeed fleeing frantically. Huang Taiji had an ominous premonition and could only wait and see what would happen.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable. This war might not be that important to the Ming Dynasty, but for the Qing Dynasty and for Huang Taiji, he had already placed all his bets.

He cannot afford to lose.

I only have a bad premonition, but I don’t know what has happened or what is about to happen. It is really painful.

But he did not sit idly by and wait for death. He immediately ordered his scouts to go to the northeast to investigate.

On the other hand, he sent people to pass on the message to Daishan, Dorgon and others, asking them to fight with caution.

However, the bad premonition did not make him wait too long. Before the person in charge of delivering the message even found Dorgon and other main generals, Huang Taiji saw thick white smoke and patches of white smoke in the center of the Guards.

“White smoke…”

Huang Taiji muttered to himself.

Only black powder used in firearms will produce such white smoke when ignited.

But he had fought all his life and had seen countless firearms. Even the red cannon would only produce a small puff of white smoke when it was lit.

But in the center of the Guards, what formed was not a single flower, but a very, very large one.

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji's pupils dilated instantly.

"Send the order immediately, let..."

Boom—boom boom boom boom—boom boom boom boom boom boom—

Boom boom boom — boom boom —

He had barely finished his words when the ground began to shake, flames began to flicker, and then there was a huge, incessant roar of artillery that hurt his ears.

It was a grand spectacle created by the concentrated fire of 300 heavy artillery pieces. It was the first time in thousands of years of human history that 300 large-caliber artillery pieces were used in a war.

Zhang Shikang had already put on special earplugs and covered his wife's ears with his hands.

Zhu Cilang, who was standing by, was a little slow to react. He looked at Zhang Shikang with a painful expression on his face.

Almost all of the 300 artillery shells fell within the designated area. It took the artillery battalion commander Qi Dazhu two days to calibrate the landing points for the 300 artillery pieces.

All artillery pieces were bounded by trenches and fired in all directions in a circular array. The height of the artillery pieces was used to control the distance where the shells landed. It could be said that the artillery pieces were all-round and had no blind spots.

Through the telescope, Zhang Shikang saw the horrifying scene of three hundred shells being fired at the same time.

Although solid shells are not as explosive as shrapnel shells, which can not explode a large area, but with their invincible impact force, one shot is like a line that no one can stop wherever it passes, and can often penetrate more than a dozen people at a time.

Some Tartars were hit in the thighs, their legs were gone, and they flew away.

Those who were less fortunate were hit directly in the chest, their simple leather armor disintegrated like paper, and their bodies were torn into pieces.

The moment the shells landed, the Tartars on the entire battlefield were like they had seen a ghost. Their faces were filled with fear, so much so that they forgot to chase or escape.

At the artillery position of the Guards, the artillery battalion commander Qi Dazhu was like a madman, commanding his subordinates to reload ammunition immediately.

His comrades in the Guards have waited for this moment for too long, and he must not let them down.

Time is precious for the artillery battalion, so he required all artillerymen to complete the loading work within one and a half minutes, which is almost the limit for muzzle-loading smoothbore guns.

At this time, a purple firework also lit up in the northwest sky.

The stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and the corners of Zhang Shikang's mouth finally rose slightly.

He picked up the monocular and searched for the bright yellow figure of Huang Taiji at the farthest point of the battle line, muttering:

"Wall-Facing Emperor Huang Taiji, I am your wall-breaker."

……