In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, it was night, November 18th, cloudy, dark moon and high wind.
In the north of Dingzhou, beside the Tang River and under the loess hills, there is the camp of guerrilla general Zhang Cheng.
In Zhang Cheng's Chinese army tent, all the sentry commanders under his command gathered together. Everyone gathered around a big pot, eating, drinking and chatting. The atmosphere was very harmonious and the scene was extremely lively.
Since Zhang Cheng was promoted to guerrilla, there have been several gatherings like this.
Everyone in the tent knew clearly that Zhang Cheng was now a guerrilla general. When building a new guerrilla camp in the future, he would have to promote a group of mid-level officers such as Qian Commander, Sentinel Commander, and General Commander.
Now among the four sentry commanders in the account, one will definitely be promoted to the position of commander-in-chief. Then the vacant sentry commander-in-chief, as well as the new ranger battalion and infantry commander-in-chief, there will be four positions for the sentry commander-in-chief. Eight of the eight sentry commanders in the military account
Every current boss has a chance.
These people will be the core of Zhang Cheng's army recruitment in the future. As long as they are loyal to him and perform well, they will have the opportunity to be promoted. Moreover, everyone knows very well that Zhang Cheng will never stop at guerrilla warfare.
In the future, there is great hope for him to be promoted to the rank of general, deputy general, and chief soldier. As long as everyone in the tent follows Zhang Cheng wholeheartedly, there will definitely be several generals among them in the future.
Whether they will eventually be promoted to guerrilla level, or whether they will be promoted all the way to deputy commander-in-chief, or even commander-in-chief, depends on their performance.
These people are the foundation for Zhang Cheng's start and his foundation. However, if they don't work hard enough, no one can guarantee whether they will catch up from behind.
Zhang Cheng has been thinking about this issue in his mind. Everyone in the tent is like an old brother. If anyone falls behind in the future and cannot keep up with his pace of development and progress, he must find a suitable seat and arrange it properly.
Help the old brothers who are fighting for their lives together.
Zhang Guangda was a generous man. After eating a big meal and drinking a bowl of wine, he said to Zhang Cheng: "General, what do you mean by this emperor? Gao Yang killed the Tatars and let it go like this. He didn't even get a reward?"
Wu Zhizhong, who was sitting next to him, was using a small blade to cut the newly roasted horse meat. Although it had been marinated, it was still extremely delicious when eaten at this time. He carefully cut off a small piece and picked it on the tip of the knife.
He said to Zhang Guangda: "Be careful, is this something you and I can talk about now?"
After he finished speaking, he elegantly brought the knife to his mouth, opened his mouth and bit off the piece of roasted horse meat on the tip of the knife, chewing it carefully.
Zhang Guangda seemed a little unconvinced, drank another bowl of warm rice wine, and then said: "Let's just talk here, we are all our own family members, and we are afraid of my mother."
Wu Zhizhong was chewing meat and turned to look at Zhang Guangda. Before he could speak, Hu Dake, who was sitting opposite, had just finished a sip of warm rice wine and said, "Old Zhang, if your words spread, what will happen to the general?"
It’s not good for me.”
Zhang Guangda's eyes widened, but he did not dare to speak anymore. He quietly turned his head to look at Zhang Cheng who was looking up. Seeing that he was eating roasted horse meat with relish, he carefully picked up a piece of horse meat and put it into his mouth.
Chew up.
Tong Shoushan, the commander-in-chief of the right sentry, who was sitting behind Wu Zhizhong, interrupted: "General, the Tatars in Dingzhou only have more than four thousand. We have twenty thousand troops and can just rush over."
Outpost Chen Zheng spoke at this time: "There are not many Tatars. There is only one stone bridge on the Tang River, so the army cannot deploy quickly. At this time, the Tang River has not yet frozen solid, and the water is too cold for both men and horses.
Swimming is difficult."
Zhang Cheng had just finished eating a piece of roasted horse meat and said to everyone: "The stone bridge is very wide and difficult for the Tatars to defend. Capturing the stone bridge is not a problem. It depends on the generals. Since King Qin of our department, we have made great achievements. Today
This time we must also let the Tiger Army Sect show its power."
"Hahaha……"
Everyone in the military tent laughed heartily.
After a while, Zhang Chengcai said again: "Tomorrow, Hu Junmen will lead his troops to capture the stone bridge. We will serve as the rear guard. The generals will be on duty in front of the formation. Don't let the captive cavalry harass our army when it crosses the bridge."
The generals chatted with Zhang Cheng for a while. The battle was about to begin, so they did not dare to drink more. After everyone had eaten, they returned to their camps and inspected it again before resting in their tents.
According to Zhang Cheng's instructions, the officers under his command must patrol their respective sergeants every night after dark before entering their tents to rest. This instruction has since become a military order in Zhang Cheng's army and is strictly implemented by everyone.
With.
…………
On November 19, the sky was dark and the moon was still slanting in the western sky.
A group of knights wearing helmets and armor were marching along the official road, covered with stars and moon, and the sound of horse hooves on the ground shook the earth, like bursts of muffled thunder.
For several miles, the water was red, but there was only the rumble of hooves and no shouts of people. Occasionally, one or two orders were heard, and groups of knights were seen galloping down the official road and disappearing into the dark night sky.
Chen Zheng, the sentry commander of Zhang Cheng's guerrilla army in Xuanzhen, estimated that the stone bridge was within three miles of the road ahead. With a whistle, he led his knights to gallop down the official road and towards a small road in the northwest.
Zhang Guangda, the left sentry, led his knights and followed Zhang Cheng's horse. About one mile north of the stone bridge, they galloped onto another official road and ran towards the north. They stopped a mile away. More than ten of them rode
As a small team, they kept a certain distance from each other. Within this area, they searched and alerted for possible captives.
Hu Daweigang led his troops to less than two miles away from the stone bridge, and received a report from the sentry cavalry in front. The stone bridge was only guarded by more than a hundred Qing soldiers. He hurriedly urged his men to speed up and fight.
Then go down the stone bridge.
More than a thousand fine Shanxi town cavalry urged their horses to gallop forward, and soon they arrived in front of the stone bridge. However, the Qing army's captive cavalry did not engage with them. Seeing the mighty Shanxi town cavalry, they only urged their horses to cross the bridge.
went.
General Hu Dawei led the troops to form a team in front of the stone bridge. Opposite the stone bridge there were about 180 Qing soldiers riding horses. They rode two horses, and some even rode three horses. They rode horses opposite the stone bridge.
Watching.
This stone bridge is called "Dingzhou Bridge" and connects the official roads on both sides of the Tang River. It is about four feet long and more than twenty feet long. It is the only north-south passage within dozens of miles.
Hu Dawei selected dozens of archers who were good at shooting, dismounted, and came to the stone bridge, holding bows and arrows in preparation. Dozens of knights in heavy armor also dismounted and stood in front of the stone bridge.
On the official road, he was moving his body and seemed to be preparing to rush across the bridge.
More than a hundred steps behind these heavily armored sergeants, there were more than two hundred light-armored knights, riding horses on the official road and waiting. The horses under their crotches kept pawing the ground with their hoofs, snorting "Xi Lv Lv"
, think of it from time to time.
Hu Dawei gave an order, and the two generals went into battle in person. They led two rows of heavily armored sergeants, holding large shields, and marched slowly on both sides of the stone bridge. Behind them were selected archers who were good at shooting, holding strong bows and heavy weapons.
The arrow followed, and the middle of the stone bridge, about a foot wide, was empty.