The rainy season is over, whether the Qing army will start a major offensive again, or the Ming army will launch a counteroffensive, which is not an uncertain question in Guangxi and for Ma Bao, the king of Ruyang.

In the vicinity of Chongming County, the main force of the Ming army relied on Daqing Mountain, Gongmu Mountain and the remaining veins of 100,000 mountains to resist the attack of the Qing army of Sun Yanling and Ma Xiong in Guangxi. Under the continuous attrition of positional warfare, the Qing army showed a declining trend and retreated to Chongzuo for rest.

Although the Ming army had surpassed the Qing army in terms of numbers after adding a large number of warriors of the Gu, Yao, and Miao tribes, these recruits were excellent in mountain raids, but it was difficult to defeat the Qing army troops composed mostly of the old troops of Kong Youde, the king of Dingnan, in the field. Therefore, in the eyes of Ma Bao and others, it is indeed a very smart strategy to adopt a defensive strategy, improve the combat power of the recruits through combat training, smooth organization and orders, and consume tired enemies.

As the war in Yunnan Province came to an end, weapons, equipment, personnel, and materials began to tilt towards the Guangxi Theater, and Ma Bao and others knew that the time for a counteroffensive in Ludao was coming soon.

In the wide field, flags were waving, drums and trumpets were sounding, and the newly formed first regiment was conducting a hot drill. The three small phalanxes are arranged in an inverted zigzag, the spears are like a forest in front of the formation, the artillery is pushed forward and rolled out from time to time, and the musketeers change back and forth in a row, and in the sharp whistle of the officers, they make the shape of aiming and firing with the end guns.

“…… For the enemy's dense attack, the two phalanxes first fired rapidly from the Franco, then the spears were charged into formation, the muskets were fired, and the sky-bombing cannons were intercepted in the formation, causing confusion in the enemy's formation...... The main formation in the center can use six-pounder guns to attack the enemy position from a distance, use Franc rapid-fire guns and muskets to block the gap between the two formations, and use Tianwei cannons to carry out fire support on the first two phalanx......"

At present, in the Ming army, he was born in Wutang, and the highest military rank was Wei Junzhong, the son of Wei Yong, Marquis of Mengjin, who was appointed as the head of the first regiment of the new formation, and was exceptionally awarded the rank of trainee major by Zhu Yongxing. As a junior. There is no official title, but Wei Junzhong, who has the rank of major on his shoulder, is not stage frightened, pointing out the formation that is being rehearsed, and giving a detailed introduction to Ruyang Wang Ma Bao and others.

Ma Bao kept bowing his head, and he was not arrogant towards Wei Junzhong. He saw very clearly that the future of an officer from the martial arts hall was immeasurable. This form of army formation will also gradually become the main force in the Ming army. Therefore, when the officers of the 1st Regiment and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion arrived in the Guangxi Theater, he immediately selected the elite from the whole army and transferred weapons, and soon the new regiment was expanded and training was intensified.

In addition to his awe and respect for Zhu Yongxing, as well as his high regard for Wei Junzhong, Ma Bao also realized that the combination of flintlock pistol and bayonet would become the main equipment of the Ming army. Shoot with guns at a distance, fight with bayonets at a distance, and the soldiers of the future will have the dual nature of musketeers and hand-to-hand combatants. The pattern of war will change.

What if the more than 20,000 troops in the Guangxi theater were armed with flintlock pistols and bayonets? Ma Bao thought he could sweep through Guangxi and push into Guangdong......

"Lord Wang, my subordinates are going down to command the formation change." Wei Jun bowed heavily and asked Ma Bao for instructions.

"Go ahead!" Ma Bao put away his thoughts, smiled and nodded.

Wei Jun walked away again, and Ma Bao still looked at his back thoughtfully. It took a long time for him to turn his head, but he saw the Winged Country Male Ma staring at the battle formation that was being rehearsed.

"Self-morality." Ma Bao reached out and patted the child left behind by this old comrade-in-arms. He has always regarded Ma Zide as his son and nephew, and he is not taboo in speaking. "If you are anxious to make meritorious contributions, let's go to the martial arts hall first!"

Ma Zide was a little puzzled and looked at Ma Bao with blinking.

"Look at Junzhong, now he is a midshipman major, the commander of a regiment, and the highest-ranking general in the army." Ma Bao said earnestly: "His Royal Highness Min has a good eye for the generals from the martial arts. The younger generation of generals may all come from this in the future. Jun Zhong saw far, always followed His Royal Highness, studied in the lecture hall for several periods, and recognized the name of His Royal Highness, the monarch. The first regiment will be the first division in the future. The First Army, His Highness has regarded him as a confidant. You should also go and show your closeness to His Highness, otherwise, relying on this military exploits alone, you can keep your wealth and nobility, but it is difficult to be trusted. ”

Ma Zide thought for a while, nodded lightly for a long time, and said: "Uncle taught me, nephew remembers, but does His Royal Highness really want to replace the official with a military rank?" ”

"That's the case with the younger generation." Ma Bao said very firmly: "The back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, His Royal Highness Min has far-reaching vision and immeasurable ambitions. ”

"But my nephew has heard that His Highness has the intention of claiming the title of king overseas?" Mazide frowned slightly, and shook his head without hesitation.

"No matter if the Central Plains is chasing the deer, or whether you are the king overseas, you will never be forced to retreat by the Qing army." Ma Bao pursed the corners of his mouth slightly, and said with a faint smile: "It's just that according to His Highness's eloquence, I am afraid that the king overseas is the choice of the subordinates, and His Royal Highness will not do it unless it is a last resort." ”

Ma Zide's brows slowly stretched, smiled self-defeatingly, and said: "Even if it is a last resort, it's not bad to go overseas, right?" ”

"It's really good." Ma Bao also laughed and said, "Your Uncle Gao Qilong just came to write a letter and told me about overseas scenery. Hehe, he said that it was very easy to fight there, and he also saw a lot of exotic beauties, and when the situation was stable, he would take a beautiful concubine and enjoy Qingfu. ”

………………

Shuixi.

Horsehair Ridge is an east-west mountain range. It stretches for thousands of miles, and the mountains are full of primitive forests of vine and ravine; On the ridge is a brown cliff with a brushed brush, which looks like the mane of a horse from a distance, hence the name Horsehair Ridge.

Horsehair Ridge is the southwest barrier of the city where the Shuixi Xuanfu envoy is located, once this barrier is crossed, dozens of miles of hills and flat rivers, there is no danger to resist the enemy, and the Qing army can reach the city directly. Therefore, Horsehair Ridge is an important place for soldiers.

There are three roads that can cross the Horsehair Ridge: Rooster Ridge, Rhino Rock, and Monkey Pass. The distance between the adjacent ones is ten miles. Among the three roads, the middle road rhinoceros rock is a post road opened up in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the stone steps are paved, and the sedan horse can be passed widely. The west and east sides of the rooster ridge on both sides are the small roads that the local people of Lingnan and Lingbei have traveled since ancient times, which are narrow and difficult to walk, but they are much closer. In addition to these three roads, it is necessary to pass through the primeval forest and the Baizhang cliff. It takes months of hard work to cut through thorns and thorns, and to drill rocks and stones.

Rooster Hill is named after a hill on the ridge that resembles a rooster. A sparsely planted gravel slope with steep slopes, and a mountain road winds its way from below. Condescending to build a position here, it is a key pass that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

A few days ago, the Eight Banners of Manchuria were carelessly defeated, and more than 1,000 soldiers were besieged by the absolute superiority of the Shuixi native soldiers in the deep army, and were completely killed in the melee.

Wu Zhimao had already followed Wu Sangui's "order" to transfer troops to him, and hurried back after hearing the news, and in order to cover up his merits, he hurriedly led the army to attack Mamanling Ridge.

A bloody battle ensued under this rooster rock......... (To be continued......)