"No, there is a spy." Xu Da said angrily.

Spies, similar to later generations of agents, sneak into the enemy's country or army, and some of the Imperial Guards also have similar responsibilities.

Judging from the screams, the Qing army spy who fired the arrow and shouted had been killed.

However, it was enough to attract the attention of the Qing army.

The light cavalry of the Qing army suddenly became commotion, shouting to warn the people behind them.

"Retreat, retreat quickly!" Dorgon's face changed drastically, he issued a retreat order, turned his horse's head and ran back.

at the same time,

Zhou Lu decisively ordered: "Close the city gate and kill!"

Can't let in the light cavalry, eat as many as they can.

The attack horn sounded at Shanhaiguan, and a golden dragon flag suddenly rose and fluttered in the wind.

All Ming soldiers heard the trumpet and all launched an attack.

suddenly,

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The roar of cannons shook the heaven and the earth!

On the hillside, in the windows of rooms, and in the bushes, the three-eyed cannons and fire cannons that had been aimed at them for a long time almost ignited the fuses at the same time, pouring out firepower.

The heavy crossbowmen also fired thousands of arrows.

A wave of long-range attacks beat the two thousand light cavalry who entered the pass to pieces. They screamed in agony and fell off their horses one after another.

The remaining light cavalry of the Qing army were unable to evacuate from the closed city gate and could only use their shields to parry.

"kill!"

The four generals Xu Da, Lu Xiangsheng, Li Chengliang, and Li Wenzhong roared with war roars. Each led his own troops and launched a charge. They were extremely brave and crushed them.

While attacking the light cavalry in the pass, the Hongyi cannons and general cannons on the walls of Shanhaiguan also opened fire.

The difference is that the artillery was used against the Qing troops outside the city.

Some Qing troops were unable to escape and were killed by artillery shells.

When it comes to a dense array of troops, the artillery doesn't need to be aimed too much, it can just kill them directly.

It's just that with current cannons, it's extremely time-consuming to reload the shells after firing one round.

The Qing troops approaching Shanhaiguan were mostly elite cavalry, well-trained and quick-responsive. After the cannons fired two waves, most of them were out of range.

At a glance, there are probably more than a hundred corpses left outside the city.

The two thousand Qing light cavalry in the city were caught in a jar.

In a short time, they were all wiped out.

The original plan of Zhou Lu and the generals was to wait until at least 20,000 Qing troops entered the city before taking action. It would be best to kill Dorgon and his main army directly.

Unfortunately, things backfired and the integrity of the plan was destroyed by spies.

Dorgon and his main heavy cavalry did not come in. When they heard that the situation was not good, they ran as fast as they could.

But at least he won the first battle, biting off a piece of the Qing army's flesh and killing more than two thousand Qing troops, while the Ming army did not lose a single person.

Although light cavalry is not the main combat force, it is also a very important part of a legion.

Light cavalry has the highest mobility and can outflank, attack weak points in the enemy's formation, attack infantry, or roam around and shoot, and its tactics are flexible and diverse.

Therefore, Dorgon was heartbroken to lose more than two thousand high-quality light cavalry for nothing.

"How shameless! Fortunately, you are a country of heaven and a land of etiquette, but you have done such a despicable and cunning thing. Do you despicable people dare to fight with me head-on?" Dorgon was so angry that he beat his chest and feet, with veins on his forehead.

He broke out violently, pointed at Shanhaiguan and cursed loudly.

The Qing army was a minority, and their population had not grown much during successive campaigns. Such losses were not considered small.

Dorgon was now on a small hill, out of the range of Shanhaiguan's cannons, so he dared to stop and turn around to curse and provoke.

Fan Wencheng echoed: "Wu Sangui is a thief! How dare you betray your trust and pretend to surrender to the Qing Dynasty? Once Shanhaiguan is captured, our regent will cut you into pieces!"

They were outside the city and did not hear the spy's words "Wu Sangui is dead" clearly. When they saw the situation changing, they hurriedly evacuated, thinking that Wu Sangui was pretending to surrender.

What's funny is that as an aggressor, he actually calls the resisters shameless and despicable.

When Zhou Lu heard this, he felt it was time to show off.

Holding the Star Sword, he appeared on the city wall. The surrounding torches were lit, and the golden dragon robe reflected the shining light, which was as bright as the rising sun in the darkness.

"This, this is..."

Dorgon and Fan Wencheng looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

The Qing soldiers who saw this scene were also stunned and confused for a while.

Zhou Lu quickly solved their doubts and said loudly and loudly: "Dorgon, you are a bastard. If you want to fight head-on, you can, I will challenge you to a duel!"

At present, the total number of troops in Shanhaiguan is not as good as that of the Qing army.

The Qing army was about 100,000, and the available Ming army at Shanhaiguan was only over 50,000, including more than 30,000 Guan Ning cavalry.

The Ming Dynasty was on the defensive side and needed to disperse its forces in various border fortresses. The Qing army was on the attacking side and could concentrate its forces to attack a certain place. This was their advantage.

The morale of the Ming army in Shanhaiguan has been greatly improved, but after all, the commander has just been changed and it still needs some time to rectify.

If he were forced to fight to the death, he might be able to win with his own strength and the four generals, but the Ming soldiers would definitely suffer serious casualties.

There is no need for this.

One hundred thousand reinforcements are about to arrive, and the navy led by Qi Jiguang and Li Rusong will soon reach the mouth of the Yalu River.

In war, you have to calculate the cost. It is best to defeat the opponent at the minimum cost.

Killing a thousand enemies and injuring yourself eight hundred should be done as little as possible.

But if you go it alone, it's a good choice.

"Ah, it's the Emperor of Ming Dynasty... It's impossible..." Fan Wencheng said in shock, "Prince Regent, I can't agree, I'm afraid there's fraud."

Dorgon asked suspiciously: "Are you really the Ming Emperor Zhu Youjian? Do you want to challenge me to a duel?"

"Exactly." Zhou Lu gave an affirmative answer.

There was an uproar!

The Qing army could not imagine this.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty suddenly appeared, took command of Shanhaiguan, and planned to trap more than two thousand Qing troops. This was hard to believe. Now, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually proposed to challenge Dorgon to a duel.

Simply unbelievable.

This Ming emperor is crazy.

The Qing army advocated martial arts, and Dorgon was superb in martial arts, brave and good at fighting. How dare a frail emperor who had been sitting in court for a long time challenge him to a duel?

The Ming army in Shanhaiguan had similar ideas to the Qing army.

They were worried, confused and in crisis. They finally won a victory. Just when everyone was happy, the emperor actually proposed to challenge Dorgon to a duel.

Not to mention whether we can win against Dorgon, what if something goes wrong and the emperor cannot come back?

But they are not qualified to offer opinions. They can only look at you and me and worry about it.

"Okay! Let's challenge each other."

Dorgon was secretly happy. If he could kill the Ming Emperor or capture him alive, the loss of more than two thousand would be nothing in comparison.

then,

Dorgon took the initiative to make the army retreat, vacating a piece of flat land that neither side could reach with long-range weapons.

Dorgon holds the reins of the war horse in one hand, holds a dragon-tail sword in the other, and wears white cotton armor, giving him quite the majesty of a king.

The Qing troops cheered and cheered.
Chapter completed!