Chapter 120 The First Battle

Author: rising stone

Chapter 120 The First Battle

Under the waning moon, the sky and earth were filled with hazy darkness, and the torches held by the people were the only light left on the battlefield.

The moonlight shone coldly outside Gucheng and outside the former camp.

The Ming army and the soldiers of the front camp were fighting together, shouts and screams could be heard endlessly, and on a high slope in the distance, there was unprovoked darkness.

In the darkness, a cold light occasionally flashed out, proving that there was something disturbing in this darkness.

I don’t know since when, dark clouds began to spread in the sky, gradually becoming thicker. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning pierced the sky, and the darkness and denseness of the night were instantly brightened.

The blood-red smell permeated the battlefield, which was silent for a moment but noisy at the same time. The black flags were intertwined with the Ming army flags. Under the flags of both sides, there were the hideous and terrifying faces of their respective soldiers, and with the appearance of daylight for a moment

.

Everyone tried their best in this face-to-face fight, especially the more than 3,000 soldiers in the front camp.

They knew that if this night battle failed to gain momentum, once daylight came and the cover of night faded away, only death would be waiting for them.

Wails were accompanied by the flash of swords and the shadows of swords. The piled corpses had inadvertently filled the ditch in front of the camp. The ferocious and thick smell of blood made people almost suffocate.

The recruits held swords and guns in their hands and wore black arrow jackets, which did not give them the slightest courage to rush forward.

The intuitive feeling on the battlefield cannot be compared with any prior practice.

If Wang Guangen hadn't been tempted this time, he didn't have many men to rob the camp, and it was a feint attack, these new recruits would have collapsed if they encountered each other.

Neither side knew the other side's reality, so neither Wang Guangen nor Wu Zhaosheng dared to make any big moves rashly.

For the more than 6,000 front camp troops besieged outside Gucheng, Wang Guangen's caution gave them a glimmer of hope to survive.

Although the number of the Ming army was small, in the eyes of the soldiers on the battlefield, it was still dark in front of them, and the Ming army rushed towards them brandishing swords and guns.

The unknown number is breathtaking. No one on either side knows how many people there are on the other side. This is the most frightening thing about the night attack.

The soldiers and horses of the front camp besieged outside Gucheng are mainly new soldiers recruited from the last expansion.

The training in the front camp was already relatively rigorous, with marching formations and daily drills happening every day, but this still could not stop the fear that kept rising in the hearts of the soldiers.

Some people's pupils shrank suddenly and their legs trembled uncontrollably; others, taking advantage of the darkness, threw down their swords and guns and ran away, escaping back to the camp to enjoy the warmth.

But those who greeted them were only those few old and powerful soldiers, with swords in their hands that were colder and more decisive than the night.

The arrangement of Dashun's old camp to follow the army worked wonders at this time.

The soldiers of the front camp, whether old soldiers, elite cavalry, or new recruits who had just joined the camp, and their families all stayed in Xiangyang City at this time.

On the battlefield, the moment the recruits who wanted to escape raised their legs, they could not help but think of their families who were still in the city.

The captains and sentry commanders, who were old soldiers, also spared no effort to give them advantages and disadvantages.

"If you run away, you will be removed from the establishment roll!"

An old soldier who followed Li Zijing from Tongguan and is now the sentry commander clutched the steel knife in his hand.

There was also fear in his eyes, but more of it was perseverance.

With saliva flying everywhere, many recruits unconsciously stopped retreating.

"Tongrentang's medical insurance, your families settled in the city, the houses and fields Dashun provided for you, everything will disappear with your desertion!"

The commander had a sneer on his face, and his sword was not hurriedly swung at the deserters, but what he said in his words was a sharp blade that was more deadly than the sword.

"Think about it!"

"In this troubled world, how long can your family survive without Xiangyang and the protection of my former camp!"

"Without the Tongrentang medical insurance benefits in Qianying, your family members will fall ill and suffer disasters. Who will be willing to spend money to buy medicine for you?"

"Run, run!"

The sentry commander's words were like invisible sharp blades cutting into these deserters who were about to escape or had already taken steps.

"I am saving you! In the dark, no one will know that you have deserted! Go back and cut off the heads of these dog officers and soldiers!"

"Are you willing to be deserters on the battlefield and watch the flag of Dashun fall, and watch those dog officers, soldiers, and landowners ride on your heads again?"

In fact, when they heard it halfway, many deserters gradually stopped fleeing, and the confusion in their eyes gradually became firm.

Yes, that’s right!

They raised their heads and looked at the black paper fluttering in the wind under the waning moon.

Once this flag falls, they and their families will be greeted by bullying by officers and soldiers, oppression by landlords and bureaucrats, and perhaps trampling and massacre by Manchu soldiers.

In the world today, this flag is the only one that truly represents the common people and farmers, and represents the resistance of the people at the bottom to the exploitation by the upper class.

If this flag falls, poor farmers like them will have no chance.

While the sentry commander was preaching, he saw more and more deserters stopping, gathering together with swords and guns in their hands, and heading towards the bloody battlefield ahead.

He was also full of passion at this moment and raised his saber.

"Brothers!"

"Kill the officers and soldiers!!"

In the distance, on a high slope.

Wang Guangtai stood up on his horse, and a general wearing Qianzong's standard armor galloped back, fell off his horse, and said in embarrassment.

"Defending the troops, the rogues are counterattacking fiercely. We don't have many men brought by our army, and our brothers are about to be unable to withstand it!"

Wang Guangtai also kept looking at the battlefield, and frowned when he heard this.

"The reaction was so strong?"

Mr. Qian was breathing heavily, still feeling frightened.

"Yes, Shou Rong. The last general led the men to attack the front. Before they could reach the camp, they were harassed by a small group of cavalry."

"Before we even took a step forward, there were loud shouts in the rogue camp, flags were rising in the sky, and the number of people was like a tide, there was an endless stream!"

"The general estimates that there will be at least 10,000 people!"

When Wang Guangtai heard the last part, he immediately scolded him.

"Nonsense!"

"Li Zijing's front camp only has a total of more than 20,000 people. Are you saying that just outside the north gate, he has more than 10,000 people stationed?"

"You have been broken by them and deliberately exaggerated with me so that you can get away with the crime!"

Mr. Qian was shocked and fell to his knees on the ground.

"The general will not dare!"

"What the general said is absolutely true!"

"Those rogue bandits stood in front of the army with their old soldiers. They were extremely tenacious in fighting. The army was arranged in a well-organized formation. They shouted and fought wildly. It would take less than ten thousand people to achieve such a momentum."

An army counselor behind him looked at the front camp, thoughtfully.

"Shou Rong, President Song Qian has been fighting for many years, so he may not be able to see things in a blur."

"There are still thousands of flags waving in this bandit camp, and the sky is filled with dust, almost blocking the moonlight. Even if there are not ten thousand people, the number of people at the north gate will definitely not be less than five thousand."

On this point, Wang Guangtai agrees.

Judging from the capabilities of these bandits, it was impossible for the front camp, which was mainly composed of new recruits, to have less than 5,000 soldiers to repel their night attack while creating such a huge momentum.

It can be seen that Li Zijing should have placed the main force outside the north gate, and the other gates were all feints, and the number of people could not be too large.

While I was thinking about it, a horse came from afar.

"Reporting to Shou Rong, all Ye Bushuang sent by the military sect to the mountains have turned back. There are only empty soldiers in the mountains. There are only some rogue riders holding torches and wandering around."

"There is an order from the military gate, and the guards are ordered to turn back immediately. There is a lot of dust in the camp of the remaining three rogue gangs, and they seem to be encircling them!"

Wang Guangtai was shocked when he heard this and immediately pulled up the reins of his horse.

"Send my military order and withdraw the troops with gold!"

Thank you brothers for your support through rewards and comments. I am very touched. I will definitely finish it, at least I will finish the story of Li Zijing.
Chapter completed!