Dalinghe Fort was built in the third year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty (1428) and was named for its proximity to the Daling River.
The Dalinghe Fort, three li and thirty paces around, was a fortress for the Ming army and the Qing army in their offensive and defensive battles in western Liaoxi.
For the Qing army to enter the pass, they had to take Dalinghe Fort first.
Similarly, for the Ming army to counterattack, they had to ensure that the sun and moon banner hung over Dalinghe Fort, otherwise they could be ambushed by the Qing army from the side at any time.
Dorgon stood on the city wall, looking at his Eight Banner subordinates hastily digging trenches outside, his worries growing heavier.
"Has the messenger sent to reinforce Yizhou left the city?"
He casually asked the deputy general beside him.
"Replying to fourteenth master, he left about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn,"
The deputy general replied with cupped hands.
The Dalinghe Fort now housed the White Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner, who had retreated from Jinzhou, along with Dai Shan's two Red Banners. This convergence represented 40% of the Manchu Qing's main force.
If this battle went poorly, the Manchu Qing would inevitably suffer a fundamental blow!
Dalinghe Fort was only forty li from Jinzhou, and Wang Xuance and his men arrived outside the city in just half a day.
The army had to halt two li away. Looking at the retreating Qing soldiers entering the city in a sorry state, and the dense, deep pits they had left behind, Zu Dashou cursed in indignation.
"The Qing army is cunning, using such methods to hinder the tanks."
In his view, tanks were vehicles, and any vehicle would find it impossible to move when faced with these deep pits.
Dorgon had never witnessed the long-range capabilities of tanks. Outside Jinzhou, when facing cavalry directly, they had fired at close range, with shells exploding after knocking over a string of cavalry.
Therefore, he did not have a profound understanding of the tanks' effective range.
The pits dug a kilometer outside the city were estimated based on the range of the "Hongyi Cannons" (red-barbarian cannons).
The Hongyi Cannons had a range of two to three li, but when attacking a city, they had to be fired at close range, otherwise, who knew where the projectiles would land.
For the Ming army to bring their tanks to the base of the city, they would have to fill the pits first.
This would be enough time to wait for reinforcements from Yizhou.
Wang Xuance sat in the turret, glanced at the scattered deep pits ahead, and smiled dismissively.
"Duke Zu, do not worry. This distance is nothing."
After speaking, he leaped down from the tank and motioned for the non-essential personnel to move away.
Once they were a safe distance away, he took out his walkie-talkie and casually issued his orders.
"Target, Dalinghe Fort ahead, commence bombardment!"
"Received!"
As the reply came through the walkie-talkie, the tank's turret adjusted its angle, its five dark gun barrels pointing directly at Dalinghe Fort in the distance.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Five consecutive cannon shots, and five shells spun at high speed towards Dalinghe Fort.
The momentary high pressure from the gun barrels kicked up dust from the ground, and the sky filled with yellow earth, soon engulfing the tanks.
The moment Dorgon heard the cannon fire, his heart sank.
"Not good!"
"The Ming army dares to fire from such a distance, they must have some reliance!"
"Beware of bombardment!"
"Retreat from the city wall!"
He issued a warning to those around him.
But almost simultaneously, the shells had already struck the city wall.
Boom!
The continuous explosions caused the meter-thick city wall to tremble.
Before he could recover, another volley of cannon fire echoed from the distance.
"Damn it!"
"How can the Ming army's bombardment be so dense!"
Dorgon felt like cursing.
Not only was the artillery fire dense, but its accuracy was astonishing.
When he had given instructions to dig the pits earlier, he had consulted soldiers who had experience firing cannons. Their answer was that the possibility of hitting the city wall accurately from a kilometer away was extremely low.
But now, the cruel reality slapped him hard.
One cannon shot, followed by a hit on the city wall.
"Retreat! Hurry and retreat!"
"Retreat towards Yizhou!"
Looking at the gaping holes blown in the city wall, Dorgon directly issued the order to withdraw.
He was brave, but he was not foolish!
If they didn't retreat now, staying here would only make them live targets for the Ming army, and they would eventually be blown into a pile of minced meat.
He couldn't die here before seeing Fulin grow up.
Recalling the things he and Da Yu'er had done behind Huang Taiji's back, a hint of recollection appeared in Dorgon's panicked expression.
The Qing troops within the city were stunned by the dense artillery fire.
"These cannons are even more powerful than the Hongyi Cannons!"
The Hongyi Cannons could only fire solid iron balls, but these were shells that exploded upon impact!
Just now, two shells had landed within the city walls, instantly clearing out an area of tens of meters around their impact points.
Within the blast radius, people and animals were injured; no living creature could have remained standing after the explosion.
The city gate on the Daling River side was opened, and countless cavalry surged out, fleeing wildly northward.
Abai and Tang Gudai were in a miserable state.
One had injured his buttocks, and the other had blisters all over his thighs.
While they could have ridden their horses out of the city like others, they had to be evacuated on carts.
From the first shell fired to the Qing army abandoning the city and fleeing, it took less than half an hour.
Zu Dashou grinned as he watched the fleeing Qing soldiers.
"Hahaha, General Wang's soldiers are truly invincible!"
"And these artillery vehicles, no, tanks!"
"These tanks are truly good things. I wonder if your Duke would be willing to part with them."
He said, looking at the tanks with pure longing in his eyes.
With such things, who would dare to provoke the Great Ming again?
"Damn!"
"If he's not killed, then he's lucky!"
Wang Xuance ignored him and beckoned Cao Bianjiao to his side, pointing at the retreating Qing soldiers.
"Commander Cao, it's time for you and General Wang to go!"
Compared to the bearded Zu Dashou, he preferred to communicate with the similarly aged Cao Bianjiao, and this was also someone the Duke had instructed him to look after.
After speaking, he called over a squad leader and had him lead fourteen special forces members to join Cao Bianjiao's contingent.
The tanks, after the continuous firing, had turrets so hot they could kill a person, making it impossible to sit in them.
These fifteen extra brothers, rather than riding horses with the main force, were better off with Cao Bianjiao, helping him accumulate military merits.
Wang Xuance had instructed these men to try not to aim for headshots when firing.
After all, the Ming army's merits were counted by the number of heads.
Cao Bianjiao was very excited. These days out of the pass had been the most exhilarating battles.
After mounting his horse, he let out a loud shout to his soldiers.
"Brothers, follow me to kill the Tatars!"
"Kill!"
Thousands of men shouted in unison, then spurred their horses forward, following him around Dalinghe Fort to pursue the Qing army.
The Commander of Liaodong, Wang Tingchen, also led his generals to pursue.
The tanks' bombardment had stopped. The Qing army had already begun to flee, and further bombardment would only be a waste of shells.
Each vehicle was equipped with only forty-three shells. Fang Er had only provided fuel, not ammunition, so they had to be used sparingly.