Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine: Close and Close
When Yu Ziwang led the sergeants of Sanjia to attack, two brothers were shot by Tatar bows and arrows. One of them had an arrow in his left eye, and the tip of the arrow penetrated the back of his head, killing him on the spot, while the other was hit in the throat, blood gushed out, and he fell to the ground.
Struggling, roaring and wailing.
He and the brothers in Jia Zhong are almost all farmers in Dengfeng County, Henan Province. Because Henan is a remote and remote area, it was a place of the Fourth World War and has been plagued by bandits in recent years. Therefore, the people's customs are fierce and it is close to the Shaolin Temple, which makes the local martial arts group more popular.
The wind is extremely strong.
Therefore, most of the gangsters Li Ji met had some martial arts skills and were brave. However, very few of them had been exposed to firearms. Even among Yu Ziwang's armor, almost all of them started to be exposed to firearms after arriving in Yongning.
pistol.
Because of the friendship between fellow villagers and the fact that they have been camped in the First Army for more than half a year, now that the whole army has marched into Liaodong and they have been fighting on the battlefield for several months, the friendship between everyone has become even deeper.
But now that he saw two brothers from A-Zhong died on the spot, how could Yu Ziwang not be heartbroken? This was the first time since the Liao War that his A-Zhong brothers had been killed in action!
However, as the commander of the armor, Yu Ziwang also knew the heavy responsibility of his own. He shouted loudly to the brothers in the armor to follow him closely, leaned down, took aim at the Tatars, and fired.
And he quietly took aim at the Tatar Fende Bashiku, and while he was fighting with a cold soldier, he pulled the trigger of the musket in his hand.
"boom!"
There was a roar, a flame appeared at the fire door, and then a large plume of thick smoke spewed out of the gun's mouth.
In the flash of lightning, Yu Ziwang saw an arrow of blood spurting out from the throat of the Tatar head. He didn't even let out a scream, and the huge and strong body collapsed suddenly.
Yu Ziwang suddenly felt extremely angry and roared in his heart: "Brother Guanghan, brother Zhanjiang, have you seen this? I will avenge you!"
However, he couldn't think too much at this time, so he shot the Tatar in the head, squatted down, and loaded the screwdriver on the spot.
The three musketry soldiers behind him immediately stepped up and squatted down in front of him. At the same time, they raised the muskets in their hands and aimed at the Qing army defenders behind the stone wall.
At this moment, six of the top three of them had fired muskets. Under such circumstances, it was too late to retreat and reload the gunpowder, so they followed the method of camp drills, with three people squatting in front and holding muskets to protect them, while the people behind them
Fill the medicine immediately.
In fact, there was no need to go to such trouble. The Korean soldiers behind the stone wall had already collapsed, and the Tatar soldiers were killed by the fire cannons of the Dengfeng camp. More than ten people were killed, and Bashiku, who added another point, was also killed.
In their leaderless state, although they fully demonstrated the bravery of the Tatars, they still fought to the death, but it did not help the progress of the battle, and they were soon strangled to death by cold soldiers and killers.
Yu Ziwang had also filled up the medicine at this moment. He came to the bodies of Qi Guanghan and Wang Zhanjiang, squatted down, reached out and gently touched Wang Zhanjiang's eyes, which had not yet closed, and then let out a heavy sigh and said softly:
"Rest in peace, brother, I will avenge you!"
This battle was almost the one with the heaviest casualties for the Dengfeng camp on the mountainside.
Because the artillery of their group failed to advance in time, although soldiers from the Dengfeng battalion in several surrounding areas came to support them, seven brothers were killed and eleven were injured.
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At this moment, Abatai, who was taking command on the Loess Ridge, also received Goshiha's reward.
It is said that Prince Su Hao said that he will lead his troops to attack the other side of Xiaoling River in Mingguo to stock up on food. Now he has left a force to garrison the pontoon bridge of Xiaoling River to support his withdrawal.
Moreover, Hauge also ordered Abatai to hold back the Xuanfu army and horses attacking the mountain no matter what, so that they could not escape before dusk and must not go south to support them.
After Abatai heard the news, he was so angry that his liver was about to burst!
Hauge regarded him as an abandoned son, leaving him here to hold off Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu army, while he rushed to the lower reaches of the Xiaoling River to seize the Ming army's grain reserves.
Although it was also within the Qing army's plan, Hauge should have cooperated with Abatai to defend Huangtuling until dusk. After Abatai's troops withdrew across the Xiaoling River, Abatai would then lead his troops to garrison the Xiaoling River.
pontoon.
The Hauge tribe took advantage of the night to go south, cross the Xiaoling River early tomorrow morning, and attack the place where the Ming army stored grain.
But no matter how angry he was in his heart, he still endured it and did not curse out loud, but secretly spit in his heart: You ignorant little beast!
After all, Hauge is the biological son of the slave chief Huang Taiji. He is very likely to succeed Huang Taiji and become the emperor of the Qing Dynasty in the future. How could he leave himself with such a controversial fact at this time?
But Huangtu Ridge was now extremely critical. In his original plan, he was confident that he could hold on until dusk and then lead his army back to the east bank through the pontoon bridge on the Xiaoling River.
But how could you imagine that the Xuanfu army was different from the past. Their attacks were no longer conservative. Artillery opened the way all the way. Dozens and hundreds of iron cannons violently bombarded the small defense lines where the Qing army was stationed.
And in those large positions, there were not only hundreds of iron cannons, but probably thousands of cannons flying around. Once the bombardment was over, the Ming army's artillery soldiers rushed up, with dense bursts.
Bullets hit the Qing army's position again.
No matter how brave and brutal the Qing army was, there was only one Tatar soldier of the Zhenglan Banner in the entire Loess Ridge. They had to be stationed in various places to monitor the Korean and Han troops to prevent them from not working hard in front of the battle.
But in this way, as the most powerful military force, they were artificially scattered everywhere. Instead of being able to display their bravery, they were defeated by the Ming army one by one.
Nowadays, Abatai still has one Niulu Zhenglan Banner Tatar soldier beside him. This strength is completely unable to withstand the Ming army's attack. How can he hold on until dusk.
If it is true what Hauge said, Abatai will probably be heroic on this loess ridge!
Abatai looked up at the sky helplessly. Although it was past noon, there were still a few hours until dusk. If he wanted to continue to hold on, he could only change his original defensive strategy.
The Ming army's mountain attack tactics gave him a direction!
Abate was worthy of being a veteran on the battlefield. He also followed the same instructions and collected all the remaining artillery pieces of the Qing army on the Huangtu Ridge.
He also wanted to learn from the Xuanfu army and concentrate all the artillery and fire a volley.
No matter what, after all, Abatai followed his old slave Nurhachi to fight in all directions when he was young. It can be said that he has fought against his grandmother, and his battlefield acumen is still there.
He knew that although Huangtu Ridge could not hold out until dusk, he did not dare to lead his troops to withdraw to the east coast immediately.
But if you are not careful, there is a high possibility that you will be trapped on the top of the mountain by the Xuanfu army attacking the mountain. Even if you don't die, you will not be able to escape.
Moreover, he also knew that if he were captured alive by the Xuanfu army, it would be more uncomfortable than dying on the battlefield, and it would be a journey that would be worse than death.
Therefore, Abatai made a decisive decision to immediately abandon the position on the top of Huangtuling!
There is a position at the eastern foot of Huangtu Ridge, which is stuck on the mountainside. To the east is a passage going down the mountain, to the south is a cliff, to the west is a mountain cliff, and only the north needs to be defended.
He thought that as long as he was still on the Loess Ridge, it would not be considered as disobeying Emperor Huang Taiji's order.
The position here only needs to be defended on one side. He has collected more than thirty artillery pieces of various types, and they can all be concentrated on the stone wall in the north. If the Xuanfu army dares to attack, they will not even be able to bombard him.
Your mother doesn’t even know you?
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Outside the Chinese army's large tent in Shanhai Town on the mountainside of the northern foothills of Rufeng Mountain, Commander-in-Chief Ma Ke leaned on his sword and looked down at the Nvnu River at the foot of the mountain and the scattered Qing army tents.
He had just received a military order from Governor Hong Chengchou, asking him to lead his troops down the mountain and attack eastward along the south bank of the Nervhe River to meet Bai Guangen who was about to break through West Shimen, and then continue to attack eastward in order to join forces with Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun.
Complete the outflank of the Shimenshan garrison.
Although Marco was not very willing, he also knew that this moment was no different than usual. If the military plane was delayed, Governor Hong Chengchou might really chop off his head on the spot as a warning to others.
For this reason, he immediately gathered the generals to assign tasks to each battalion.
Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, joined the Jinzhou front line this time, bringing a total of more than 13,000 troops. In the previous battle of Shimen Mountain, he occupied Rufeng Mountain almost without bloodshed.
Although he was not recorded as a great meritorious deed in the final discussion, he still had meritorious deeds, and whether the soldiers under his command suffered any losses, he was still an extremely powerful force at this time.
Among the soldiers and horses in Shanhai Town, there are nearly 5,000 men and horses in the main barracks. Among them, there are nearly 2,000 miscellaneous auxiliary services, which are dedicated to serving the soldiers in the main barracks. Most of them are responsible for raising horses, cooking, transporting, and building various buildings.
service.
In addition, there is a staff general, two guerrilla members and a captain commanding four battalions of soldiers and horses respectively.
The left wing battalion of General He Youren had more than 3,000 troops, but this time the reinforcements only brought 2,500 troops. Excluding miscellaneous soldiers and auxiliaries, there were only less than 2,000 men who could fight.
There are also two guerrilla generals, Zhao Junchen and Bao Guangfu. Both of their guerrilla battalions have a strength of 2,000, but the number of people capable of fighting is less than 1,500.
The only exception was the commander-in-chief Hu Zhongxin, who had a full force of 1,500 soldiers and horses under his command, and 300 auxiliary soldiers who accompanied the army as reinforcements.
Among the entire army from Shanhai Town that came to Jinzhou's aid, Hu Zhongxin was an outlier. Only his battalion had a full strength of 1,500 soldiers and horses, which meant 1,500 soldiers.
According to Ma Ke's wishes, the soldiers and horses of General He Youren were the first to fight out, establish a position at the foot of the northern foot of Rufeng Mountain, and continue to rush south to the south bank of the Nerv River to prevent the Qing army's cavalry from returning to the Nerv River in the west.
The guerrilla Zhao Junchen's troops broke through to the east, aiming at the north entrance of the West Shimen Mountain Road. They went to join Bai Guangen's troops in Jizhen, and then formed a formation and headed north to attack the Qing army's camp along the Nuer River.
Another member of the guerrilla group, Bao Guangfu, will attack northeastward after descending Rufeng Mountain, where there is a Qing army camp guarding a pontoon bridge.
Bao Guangfu's mission was to wait for an opportunity to capture the Qing army's camp and seize the floating bridge. Of course, this was just talk. Bao Guangfu's main role was to contain the Qing army here and prevent it from rescuing elsewhere.
The troops and horses under the command of Hu Zhongxin, the commander-in-chief, attacked eastward along the northern foot of Shimen Mountain, with the target at the north entrance of the East Shimen Valley Road, to meet Miyun Tangtong's troops.
He personally led the main camp as the central army, guarding the safety of the rear for the generals, and supporting the battlefields of each battalion.
This situation was very common among the Ming army.
That is, whenever there is a war, those officers and generals who hold the power of command and dispatch often assign dangerous and difficult tasks to people who are not close to them.
Tasks that are easy to accomplish, or are not dangerous, are often taken care of by one's own people, or assigned to generals who are close to one's own.
In this way, everything is judged on the basis of closeness and distance, how can it not chill the hearts of the officials and generals? Those who think they are smart often form cliques and curry favor with the superior officials in order not to wear small shoes for themselves, but also to make money.
It only suffered those officers and generals who were not good at moving around, but most of them also developed a certain degree of inertia, and their desire to perform meritorious service was not so strong.
Everyone has the same goal, trying their best to preserve their own strength so that their hard-earned status remains unchanged!
Just like the distribution of Ma Ke today, it is clear at a glance the distance and distance between people.
General He Youren, who did not have a very close relationship with him on weekdays, was sent to intercept the Qing army's cavalry in the upper reaches of the Nvnu River who might return for reinforcements.
The two guerrilla generals, because they were close to Marco and usually moved around frequently, were assigned to lighter military duties.
The most rare one is the Dusi Hu Zhongxin. He is dull, doesn't like to make friends and move around, and keeps a certain distance from everyone.
It was only because the Hu family was an old military household in Shanhai Town, and their ancestors were among the first batch of veterans to move to Liaodong, and their highest military rank was that of a general, so they had quite a solid foundation in Shanhai Town, so no one tried to take advantage of him.
.
What's more, although Hu Zhongxin is dull and does not interact with others, he does not harm other people's affairs, and naturally he will not be deliberately targeted by others.
However, he adhered to the ancestral precepts in the military and always managed the army strictly. He almost never deducted military pay and never drank the blood of soldiers. Therefore, his camp had the largest number of troops and was also the most able to fight.
However, precisely because his troops were capable of fighting, the most difficult task this time was given to him!
…………
At the foot of the northern foothills of Rufeng Mountain, a Ming army in red armor was forming and heading north.
About two miles away to the east of them, there was another Ming army with a slightly larger number of soldiers and horses, stationed in formation. Outside the military formation, there were also some sparsely placed chariots and horses.
It was Shanhai Town's military commander He Youren's left wing battalion and the commander-in-chief Ma Ke's main battalion who were stationed here.
General He Youren's troops also brought more than 1,500 civilians and soldiers, so the number of people was almost equal to that of Ma Ke's main camp.
The distance between the two military formations was also getting wider and wider. He Youren's troops continued to move north. There were no Qing army camps in this section, but he needed to move to less than a mile from the south bank of the Nuer River.
Build a trench line of defense.
Soon, He Youren's troops arrived at the designated position. He lined up his soldiers in formation. Similarly, he alternated chariots and horses in front to form a chariot formation to protect his soldiers.
In front of the vehicle formation, there was a dense army of civilians and soldiers, who were desperately digging trenches in the Pingchuan River Valley.