Chapter 244: Zhang Cheng is here, Bijiashan is safe
Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, said anxiously with tears in his eyes: "Ah, Zhang Shuai, it's over...it's all over...my Liaodong town...was...killed by the Tatars...all of it..."
Before Zhang Cheng could react, Liu Zhaoji grabbed him suddenly and said urgently: "Quick... Zhang Shuai... hurry up and move in, the slave thieves are going to attack Beacon Mountain."
When Zhang Cheng first met Liu Zhaoji, he had already roughly guessed the outcome, but there were some things he still had to ask the person who had experienced it.
At that moment, he immediately sent out a large group of sentries to continue to strengthen reconnaissance in the surrounding area, especially in the direction of Beacon Mountain, and at the same time asked about Liu Zhaoji's experience.
It turned out that Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, had been stationed at Gaoqiao, but he was responsible for guarding the safety of Bijia Mountain. Therefore, he had a battalion of 2,000 troops stationed at Bijia Mountain for a long time.
In addition to the soldiers and horses stationed in other important places, Takahashi only had more than 2,000 elite cavalrymen in his standard battalion and 5,000 men and horses in the infantry camp, making the total number less than 10,000.
However, it was more than enough to hold on to Gaoqiao. However, what he didn't expect was that the Tatars did not fight at the gate of Gaoqiao. They only attacked for one day. When they saw that it was difficult to conquer, they immediately sent their troops south.
At first, Liu Zhaoji didn't seem to care. He even suspected that the Tatars were using this to lure him out of the city to pursue him, and also used this to defeat his troops in the wild.
But on the second day, when the sentinels confirmed that the Tatars had really left Gaoqiao and headed south in a hurry, Liu Zhaoji suddenly woke up. From then on, he was heading south in the direction of Beacon Mountain.
At this time, he did not dare to delay any longer. In addition to sending sentries and cavalry to take a shortcut to Bijia Mountain to notify the defenders there to prepare, he also sent letters to the two fortresses of Tashan and Xingshan.
He personally led the cavalry under his command and hurriedly pursued him. Before leaving, he did not forget to order the generals under his command to push and pull the chariots and hurry up.
Liu Zhaoji said that if he caught up with the Tatar bandits, he would definitely try to hold them back. After the soldiers from the infantry camp arrived, they would then join forces to fight the bandits to prevent them from attacking Beacon Mountain.
That's where the entire army's food and grass are stored. If the Tatars attack it, even if they can't transport the food and grass away, what will happen if it's all burned down?
Can we still ask the soldiers on the front line of Shuangshan to eat dirt?
However, Liu Zhaoji never thought that their every move at Gaoqiao would be watched by Tatar sentry spies. After Manchuria Zhenghongqi Gushan'e Zhenmandahai believed it, he planned and laid an ambush.
Although Liu Zhaoji's more than two thousand cavalry were ambushed by as many as three thousand Tatars, they still rushed left and right. After leaving behind hundreds of brothers, they finally got rid of the Tatar siege.
But Liu Zhaoji did not dare to retreat to Takahashi, because he knew that if Beacon Hill fell, he would be doomed to die!
Therefore, he had no choice but to lure him with heavy benefits, and led more than a thousand of his elite cavalry to pursue him again, but this time, he learned to be smart.
Liu Zhaoji did not pursue the whole army together, but divided his cavalry into three teams. One had more than 300 cavalry scattered around to support the sentry cavalry, the other had more than 300 cavalry as the front team, and he led the rest.
Thousands of cavalry officers and soldiers form the central army group.
With such an arrangement, if there are Tatars ambushing around, the sentinel cavalry can force them to be exposed in advance. If the Tatars attack the front team, he can lead his large group to attack. And if his large group of cavalry is really ambushed by the Tatars, the front team and the sentry cavalry will
Can still be rescued.
They continued to pursue them, constantly encountering the Tatars along the way, but did not engage in combat. They only harassed them on the periphery, delaying the march of the Zhenghongqi Tatars.
Liu Zhaoji's idea was to hope that the defenders on Bijia Mountain could deploy their defenses in advance after receiving the trust, and that the defenders in bunkers along the way could quickly gather to set up defenses in dangerous places to block the enemy.
In this way, even if the Tartar thieves cannot be repulsed in one fell swoop, they can at least hold off the Tatar thieves for a few days. When their subordinates set out to camp, they can then fight against the slave thieves.
But he never thought that all the sentries sent to deliver the letter to Bijia Mountain had been intercepted and killed by the Tatars. Not only that the letter was not delivered to Bijia Mountain, but there was no one to report back to him.
Moreover, the sentries he sent to deliver messages to Tashan and Xingshan were all intercepted and killed by Tatar spies on the way!
Although Liu Zhaoji fought this battle very hard and fought alone, he also exerted his combat power to the extreme. For this reason, he even rewarded his soldiers with all the property and property he had accumulated in Liaodong for many years.
It was precisely because of their united efforts that Liu Zhaoji and the soldiers of Liaodong Town under his command unleashed unprecedented fighting power, and finally succeeded in holding back Zhenghong Banner until the infantry battalion under his command arrived.
However, it was the participation of the infantry camp that caused Liu Zhaoji to lose the advantage of mobile warfare. The cavalry he led was dragged down by the infantry camp, and gradually turned a mobile battle into a positional offensive and defensive battle.
Finally, at the beginning of today, Liu Zhaoji's Ming army was broken through by the Manchurian Zhenghong Banner Tatars. Under the protection of more than a hundred servants, Liu Zhaoji was able to escape the Tatar siege.
But as the soldiers under his command gradually died in battle and fled, only twenty-six riders were left with him in the end, and all of them were injured and covered in blood.
Fortunately, they met Zhang Cheng. If they encountered another group of Tatar soldiers, I'm afraid they wouldn't even be able to fight.
Zhang Cheng comforted Liu Zhaoji and said: "Liu Shuai, this battle showed the might of the Liaodong Army and the momentum of our Ming army. Zhang Chengcheng admires him endlessly.
Since I, Zhang Cheng, have led the army here, leave the rest to me. With me, Zhang Cheng, there will be no loss in Beacon Mountain!"
Looking at Zhang Cheng's firm eyes, Liu Zhaoji nodded feebly. He lay on the stretcher and could no longer get up. He could only let Zhang Cheng's soldiers carry him and went to the medical camp behind.
Zhang Guangda's cavalry camp is equipped with an auxiliary force of 500 people. They form a battalion of their own and are usually trained as combat troops.
However, in the cavalry camp, they were more often used as carriage troops, responsible for guarding the army's food, fodder, gunpowder, arrows and other military supplies and weapons, as well as setting up camp and building horses and other items needed for camp defense.
Of course, many chores such as cooking, medical rescue, etc. are also fully handled by the auxiliary battalion. They are only used as a reserve force when the war is at its most intense, when there may be opportunities to participate in the war.
In fact, the officers and soldiers of the auxiliary barracks are just candidates for the cavalry battalion. Once the cavalry battalion is reduced in number due to fighting, the best among them will be selected to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the cavalry battalion is not reduced.
Now, according to Zhang Cheng's arrangement, the infantry battalion is temporarily stationed here, guarding this section of the river bank and setting up a camp to take care of the army's military resources, as well as the Liaodong general Liu Zhaoji and his twenty-six warriors.
…………
On a hillside, Zhang Cheng and his generals were planning how to fight against the slave thieves.
Zhang Cheng was sitting on a saddle, holding a piece of dry branch in his hand, and drew some circles and squares on the ground, with some curved roads connecting them.
He clicked on a slightly smaller circle and said: "This is Bijia Mountain. As General Liu said, there were originally 700 guards here, but now there are 2,000 infantry sent by General Liu, who are stationed along the coast.
Everywhere along the shore, even if the Tatar bandits rush to the beach, they will not be able to disembark immediately."
Zhang Cheng moved the wooden branch in his hand and nodded as he said: "Our army is now located. It is only more than ten miles away from Bijia Mountain. We can get there in less than half an hour.
The Tatars are closer to me, so I ordered the army to have lunch on the spot, and in the early afternoon, the whole army will march to Beacon Mountain to fight the slaves."
However, Guo Yingxian said: "Commander, our soldiers have thousands of mules and horses. It is difficult to hide their whereabouts. We are so close to the slave thieves now. It will not be difficult for them to detect the movement of our army. But we still have no confidence. There is a conspiracy."
Zhang Cheng curled his lips and said: "The slaves are slightly stronger than me, but they are attacking from a long distance and are not based here. They dare not stay with me for a long time. Therefore, their fighting spirit may not be firm. As long as my soldiers are brave, they can resist it."
If you hold on to its offensive, it won't be difficult to make it retreat!"
When he said this, he raised his head and looked in the direction of Bijia Mountain, and said: "Even if it refuses to retreat, so what? Our army has five thousand elite and brave cavalry. Is it possible that they are afraid of the slaves and thieves and dare not
Do you want to fight it?"
Zhang Guangda continued at this moment: "Commander, even if you say so, the slave thieves are more powerful after all. Now is a time when the spirit is strong and the morale is high, but they should not be underestimated."
Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "I do not look down upon the Tatars, but they have been attacking for a long time and have not had a good rest. They first defeated the Dongqing and Daxing Forts, and left one to attack Wudaoling. The first few
Ricai experienced another battle in Gaoqiaopu.
After that, these Tatars holding the red flag fought fiercely with the pursuing Liu General's troops for many days. At this moment, they were exhausted. It was the fact that Bijia Mountain was in sight that supported them to continue to fight bravely.
.
Now that our army has just arrived, it is at a time when its energy is at its peak and its mind is ready for war. It should immediately go to find the Tatars and fight. As long as their dream of raiding Beacon Mountain is shattered, their morale and morale will be greatly reduced.
So, how can the Tatars be invincible?"
The generals were silent, and a few people thought carefully. The facts were indeed as Zhang Cheng said, and everyone was now more confident.
…………
While Zhang Cheng's troops were having lunch, the Manchurian Tatars with the red flag rushed towards Beacon Mountain like a raging fire.
In fact, they had discovered Zhang Cheng's cavalry a long time ago, but they were too focused on fighting Liu Zhaoji's Ming army to care about it. After defeating Liu Zhaoji's troops, they also had a heated argument.
In the end, Gushan's forehead was so full that it reached the sea. Against all objections, he insisted that the whole army rush to Bijia Mountain and attack it in one fell swoop. Even if they couldn't take possession of the food stored here, they still had to burn it all with fire.
The army ran out of food, which caused instability in the morale of the army.
The reason why Mandahai insisted on his opinion was entirely because of Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Army of the Ming Dynasty. Mandahai had previously insisted that the main force of the Ming army was gathered outside Songshan Fort, while the troops between Xingshan and Tashan were weak, and most of them were native locals.
Guard.
As for the combat power of these guards, Mandahai could not even raise an eyebrow. This is also true. Since he went south by the Nuerhe River, except for a small hit at Wudaoling and Gaoqiao, it can be said that
It's overwhelming.
How many big fortresses and small shops were uprooted by it, and the Ming army's fortresses that even he didn't bother to capture were like turtles, and they were allowed to swagger past the city without even shouting.
Not even scolded.
Perhaps in their view, no matter where the Manchu Tatar goes, as long as he is not here to beat them or has nothing to do with them, they find it troublesome to even take a look at him.
But when Mandahai rushed towards Beacon Mountain, Liu Zhaoji actually led troops to pursue him. At first, Mandahai was shocked, but after the battle, he didn't take it seriously.
After defeating Liu Zhaoji's cavalry, he originally wanted to rush all the way and attack Bijia Mountain while the Ming army defenders were unprepared.
But he really underestimated Liu Zhaoji. He didn't expect him to be so ferocious. He was like a sticky cake, clinging to him and constantly harassing him, causing him to be frightened three times a day.
In desperation, he could only stop and deal with it seriously, but Liu Zhaoji refused to confront him head-on. For this reason, Man Dahai became furious many times, but there was nothing he could do.
It was not until Liu Zhaoji's infantry camp arrived that he found an opportunity, set up an ambush and surrounded the infantry camp tightly, luring Liu Zhaoji's cavalry to come to the rescue, and finally completely defeated it.
But since then, Mandahai has become more convinced of two points. The first is that there are Ming troops hoarding food on Bijia Mountain. The second is that there are no Ming troops in Xingta who dare to fight.
But when the Tatar soldiers chasing Liu Zhaoji reported back, the Qing army generals were also anxious. What they were worried about was that if the newly arrived four to five thousand Ming army cavalry could fight as bravely as Liu Zhaoji's troops, what would happen to them?
I'm afraid it will be difficult to cope with it.
After all, this can be said to be the heart of the Ming Dynasty. If there is a stalemate with the Ming army, how should we deal with it when the Ming army from all over the country gathers?
Moreover, our own army has been rushing all the way here, and the troops and horses are already exhausted. If we work hard and take advantage of the victory, it will be fine. But once we are held back by the Ming army, the consequences will be disastrous.
But no one dared to bring up the idea of withdrawing their troops. In the end, they just wanted to set up an ambush, defeat the incoming Ming army cavalry first, and then attack Bijia Mountain, so that they would have no worries.
However, the commander-in-chief of the army, Gushan, was so full that he could not defeat the following Ming army in one fell swoop because he was afraid of setting up an ambush. Instead, he fell into a state of anxiety and was unable to divide his troops to attack Bijia Mountain.
Therefore, he insisted on attacking Bijia Mountain first. If it could be captured, it would not only replenish the military rations consumed by the army these days, but also destroy the food and grass stored by the Ming army here, causing chaos in the morale of the army.
This is a great achievement!
If this happens, then Huang Taiji will definitely be very happy, and the reward for himself will be extremely generous. It is impossible to say that his prestige will greatly increase because of this, and there is no chance that he will be crowned a prince in the future.
Although the generals were a little dissatisfied in their hearts, they did not dare not to carry out Mandahai's military orders, so they rushed towards Bijia Mountain like wind and fire.
However, things are unpredictable. If Liu Zhaoji had not sent those two thousand soldiers to assist in the defense, Man Dahai would have really got his wish and attacked Beacon Mountain in one fell swoop, making great contributions to the Qing Dynasty.
The Ming army in Songshan would also be deprived of food, and its morale would be in chaos, which would lead to a huge defeat in the Jinzhou War, and the Ming would no longer have the power to resist.
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