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Facing the Chu Empire's army pressing in from all directions, the Dongji people simply couldn't resist.

Not to mention the current remnants of the Dongji people, even the Dongji people at their peak last year could not have blocked such a large-scale offensive by the Chu army.

You know, the Chu army's investment in the Northeast this year will exceed last year's in terms of quantity and quality.

In terms of cavalry, the independent cavalry invested in the Liaodong region last year only amounted to more than 10,000 cavalry.

But this year, in the northeastern region alone, the Chu army deployed three cavalry corps.

This does not include the numerous divisional cavalry. The strength of these divisional cavalry has also increased greatly compared to last year. Last year, the divisional cavalry regiments that participated in the Northeast war, except for the two Guards cavalry regiments, were special.

, other divisional cavalry regiments are actually very average in strength, and the quality of the horses and cavalry attached to them is slightly worse.

After a year of replenishment, especially after acquiring a large number of war horses from the Mongolian region and capturing a large number of war horses from the Eastern captives, these divisional cavalry also exchanged shotguns for cannons. All divisional cavalry regiments participating in the war in the Northeast were basically

Completed it.

Each divisional cavalry regiment is equipped with four large-scale cavalry posts, and is also equipped with an additional two-and-a-half-pound cavalry artillery post.

The weapons and equipment of these divisional cavalry and even the tactics and tactics are also close to that of today's hussars. Although they still mainly fight in formation with their horses, after hard training, they can more or less be able to charge in formation with sabers.
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According to the plan of the cavalry director of the Da Chu Empire, in the future the cavalry units of the Da Chu Empire Army will only have two types of cavalry units. One is heavy cavalry, which is equipped with heavy breastplates dedicated to cavalry, tall horses, and mainly uses hollow lances as weapons.

, supplemented by a saber, is a typical heavy lancer, mainly used against those who rush to kill.

There is also the light cavalry. These light cavalry are equipped with light breastplates and ordinary Mongolian horses. Their weapons are cavalry muskets and sabers. They can dismount and line up to fight with muskets, or mount and charge.
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The hussars in the Chu army today actually belong to this kind of cavalry. The hussars in the Chu army are not limited to charging immediately. They can also dismount and line up in formation.

These divisional cavalry regiments are basically trained and reorganized in this direction, and their performance in the Northeastern operations was pretty good.

These division-affiliated cavalry, together with the independent cavalry, gave the Chu army a superiority in cavalry strength for the first time in this year's Northeastern battlefield, and it was also a huge strength advantage.

The comparison of cavalry strength between the two sides has increased and decreased. The comparison of cavalry between the two sides is almost reversed.

Under such circumstances, the Dongji people could not even defeat the Chu army in cavalry maneuvers.

Not to mention the infantry and artillery. On the northeastern land, the artillery of the Chu army beat everyone who refused... The Dongji people couldn't stop them last year, let alone now.

As for the infantry, the infantry in the Chu army are now reduced to artillery protection and logistical escorts on the northeastern battlefield... They have nothing to do with the front-line battlefield.

You have to know that the hundreds of thousands of troops invested by the Chu army in the northeastern region are larger than the population of the Eastern captives themselves...

With such a huge force, the only frontal battles were basically solved by the cavalry at the front. When the infantry came up, they could only attack small towns where there were not many Dongji people.

Under such a fierce offensive of the Chu army, the Dongji people led by Hauge were naturally unwilling to be completely destroyed. They thought of many ways, by spreading their forces to attack, and various ambushes, which also caused some casualties to the Chu army, but they were unable to do so.

Turn the tide on the battlefield.

One and a half months after the war started, Hauge was forced to retreat northward with only more than 20,000 remaining main troops, covering a population of more than 200,000.

However, the reason why the Chu army dispatched the First Cavalry Army and the Third Cavalry Army to engage in a left hook and strategic encirclement was to prevent the Eastern captives from escaping on a large scale like they did in the Liaodong area.

If Hauge is allowed to run away with more than 200,000 people, the Chu army may have to organize a large-scale offensive later.

And as the battlefield gradually extends northward, the Chu army's logistical supply pressure will become greater and greater, and military expenditures will also increase.

Under such circumstances, it was impossible for the Chu army to let the captives flee in large numbers.

On July 4th, the Chu Army's Third Cavalry Corps caught up with Hauge's troops. Hauge had no choice but to abandon more than 200,000 old and weak people and quickly break out to the north with only more than 20,000 troops.<

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The Third Cavalry Corps is in hot pursuit!

Soon after, the nearby First Cavalry Corps also followed.

A total of 40,000 cavalrymen chased Hauge and his companions all the way north, and kept trying to take a bite.

Under such circumstances, Hauge's troops are getting smaller and smaller.

On July 18, Hauge's troops fled to the south bank of the Songhua River, but when they wanted to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river, the Chu cavalry behind them chased them again.

In panic, Hauge's troops could only continue to flee eastward!

However, the next day, they discovered the Chu cavalry ahead!

That was the first cavalry corps of the Chu army, and it went directly to the front.

Hauge, who looked tired, looked around on horseback, his face full of despair!

To the north is the rolling Songhua River!

To the east are more than 10,000 Chu cavalry blocking the road, and from the rear there are more than 10,000 Chu cavalry approaching!

At this time, he has no way to escape!

They can't even defend the place, because the troops around Haug are already less than 8,000, and they are exhausted, and even the food is insufficient.

Hauge had no other choice but to bite the bullet and break through. Otherwise, if he stayed for half a day, he would be overtaken by the main force of the Chu cavalry in the rear.

This battle is tragic and tragic for the Dongji people!

Under the bombardment of dozens of cavalry cannons from the Chu Army's cavalry division, they attacked the Chu Army's cavalry array over and over again, trying to open a gap.

But their efforts were in vain.

Not to mention that flesh and blood cannot resist guns and artillery, even if the equipment of both sides is at the same level, the Dongji people are still at an absolute military disadvantage.

On July 18, the eighth year of Chengshun, the last main force of the Eastern captives was annihilated by the Chu army. On the banks of the Songhua River, the Eastern captive puppet Qing emperor Hauge died in battle. A group of Eastern captive dignitaries and Eastern captive soldiers accompanied Hauge in fleeing.

Most of them were beheaded or drowned in despair.

Only a handful of people jumped into the Songhua River when the army was defeated, and then swam across the river to escape, and these people were only a few hundred people.

From this day on, the puppet Qing regime has been officially declared dead.

Even in the huge Northeast region, there are still many Dongji people fleeing or resisting, but this can no longer change the fact that the Dongji people are completely finished.

The Dongji people did not even have an organized remnant of more than a thousand people. All the cities and even villages they occupied were swept away and captured one by one by the Chu army.

Only a few people are left hiding in the mountains and forests to survive or fleeing all the way north!

After wiping out the last main force of the Eastern Captives, the Third Army was broken into pieces and began to conduct a dragnet-style clearing operation in the vast Northeast region. They hunted down and killed the remnants of the Eastern Captives. At the same time, they established settlements at important transportation nodes or suitable for settlement.

Build a fort and garrison in the place.

This type of land reclamation and clearing operation is expected to continue for a long time, possibly within a few years.

They wanted to completely turn the vast northeastern region into the actual control area of ​​the Chu Empire, instead of just maintaining some military control over these places and maintaining suzerainty through canonization like the previous Ming Dynasty.

The Great Chu Empire wants to turn this area into an area under actual control of the empire, or even its hinterland!

Therefore, the Army's purge operations in the Northeast region were not limited to the remnants of the Eastern Captives, but also included all kinds of other chaotic barbarians.

If these barbarians are not wiped out, how can the empire be assured of moving a large number of people to these places in the future?

And without the people, how can we actually control these places and establish effective rule?

In September in Jinling, Luo Zhixue also received good news from the Third Army.

"It went more smoothly than expected. The main battle was able to end in August. It shows that the soldiers of the Third Army have worked hard!"

Xu Zhixian on the side said: "No, it's only a few months, let alone fighting. Even if there is no need to fight, it will take a long time to march directly."

"In order to maintain the speed of the advance, the soldiers on the front line tried to end the main battle before the temperature in the north cooled down and complete some of the preliminary clearing operations. However, they did not rest at all, which made the soldiers very tired."

"Even more than 20,000 mules and horses collapsed from exhaustion."

After hearing this, Luo Zhixue nodded slightly: "It is normal for mules and horses to be unable to withstand such high-intensity combat. However, the Northeast is vast and sparsely populated. The follow-up troops to clear up and garrison cannot do without mules and horses. The troops performing tasks on the front line must fight with mules and horses."

Damage must be replenished in time.”

Xu Zhixian said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured that there will be no large-scale wars in the Northeast now, and the number of troops required will not be too large. The subsequent local garrison and clearing operations can be based on the local garrison headquarters, and the field army can rest for a while."

Second, if there is no large-scale war, the demand for mules and horses will not be too great."

Luo Zhixue said: "When the situation in the Northeast stabilizes, the staff will formulate a plan to gradually transfer some of the main forces in the Northeast, especially the cavalry units, to Mongolia and the Western Front!"

"Nowadays, several tribes in the western part of Monan are still unwilling to submit, Mongolia in Mobei is also restless, and Moxi is even more bold, Da Baotian dares to peek into the snowy areas and Xinjiang areas. There will be a battle in the above-mentioned places, and the staff must prepare a strategy in advance

Planning, you can’t wait for others to knock on your door before hastily dispatching troops!”

When Xu Zhixian heard this, his face was overjoyed: "I obey the order, and I will work with my colleagues to formulate corresponding plans later!"

Xu Zhixian was very happy with Luo Zhixue's instructions. What is the military, especially the Army, most worried about now?

It’s not a foreign enemy, but after the war, the horse will be released in Nanshan, and even the rabbit will die and the dog will be cooked!

Although Luo Zhixue has never done this before, he has always been kind to his heroes. Even the bandit generals during the Funiu Mountain period were able to end up with an official position or even a title and enjoy the glory and wealth.

However, even if they are not cooked by rabbits and dogs, the military is still worried about disarmament without the Dongji people as a foreign enemy behind the enemy lines!

This kind of worry is not in vain. You must know that last year, the imperial high-level officials have decided to reduce military expenditures in the eight years of Chengshun. The military expenditures will be reduced from 45 million taels in the seven years of Chengshun to 40 million taels.

And now that the Dongji people have been defeated, I can tell with my toes that military expenditures will definitely drop next year.

A simple reduction in military expenditures is not bad. The Army has long been mentally prepared for this. After all, the empire cannot always maintain such high military expenditures.
To be continued...