Before Zhang Cheng received the military order from Governor Jiliao, the Xuanfu army had been preparing for war. Although there was no plan to dispatch the Xuanfu army to fight before, how could Zhang Cheng be willing to be lonely?
He firmly believes in one sentence: "Success is always reserved for those who are prepared!"
Regardless of whether the governor's palace will mobilize the Xuanfu army to fight, the Xuanfu army must always be ready for battle. After all, this is a war zone, and the battle may start at any time.
The reason why a wolf is a wolf is that he always maintains the strongest fighting spirit.
The marching regulations of the Xuanfu Army clearly stipulate how to march and camp in their own rear areas, and how to march and camp in enemy-occupied areas.
However, within the scope of the war zone, one should always be prepared for combat, and both marching and garrisoning should be carried out according to combat standards, because the consequences of an oversight are often difficult to estimate.
Just after receiving the order from the flag officer at the governor's camp, it took only a quarter of an hour for the Xuanfu Army's Chicheng Camp, the right side of the chariot, the Tiger Guard Camp, the servant team, and the veteran Guo Yingxian's Supervisor Camp Cavalry to assemble.
.
Zhang Cheng rode his horse and stood in front of the army. Due to his tall stature and the majesty of his horse, he was actually nearly two heads taller than the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi and the soldier Zhang Dou beside him.
Even the generals behind him, such as Guo Yingxian, He Biao, Zhang Guodong, Wei Zhice, Lin Fangping, Huang Baozhong, etc., were a whole head shorter than him.
In addition, Zhang Cheng is wearing a bright golden armor given by the emperor, and he really stands out from the crowd!
This time, Zhang Cheng knew in his heart that this battle was of great importance, and he did not dare to take it lightly. He made such a decision after some thought.
Wei Zhice and He Biao stayed at Huangtu Ridge, while the soldiers from Li Jiyu's Dengfeng Battalion and He Zhenxiong's Zhenbiao Zuoying Battalion, as well as two troops and chariots, also stayed at Huangtu Ridge to garrison, and were commanded and dispatched by Wei Zhice and He Biao.
.
At the same time, Zhang Cheng also left a bronze military talisman to He Biao. With this bronze talisman, he could call upon the Xuanfu troops of Kuang Yongzhong and Tang Xiancheng stationed at the river mouth at any time.
This allows the Huangtu Ridge and Hekou defense lines to be under unified command. As for Li Fuming's Shanxi town troops, they naturally follow the lead of the Xuanfu army.
Although there are more than 10,000 troops from the Zhenglan Banner of the Tatars stationed opposite Huangtu Ridge, after removing the coats and soldiers, there are only six to seven thousand soldiers, not to mention there are more than a thousand Han troops and hundreds of Korean troops among them.
With just under 10,000 Tatar soldiers, if they wanted to cross the river to attack, Zhang Cheng estimated that he would rely on nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Dengfeng camp and the Biaozuo camp, plus the 200 artillery pieces and 2,000 pieces from the two chariot divisions.
If there are many soldiers, the attack may be insufficient, but if you stick to the river bank, you will have no worries.
What's more, if the slaves and thieves risk their lives to attack, He Biao can use the bronze talisman left by Zhang Cheng to call in two troops from Kuang Yongzhong and Tang Xiancheng to return reinforcements, or even call in troops from Li Fuming's troops to return reinforcements.
With this arrangement, Huangtuling will definitely be safe!
Although Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, had ordered Zhang Dou to lead his Biao camp to garrison at Huangtu Ridge in Ningqian, Zhang Dou's Biao camp, although very capable and brave, only had two thousand soldiers.
Moreover, Zhang Cheng believed that one should not rely on others for everything, and it was impossible to completely entrust an important place like Huangtu Ridge to others, so he stationed several battalions of soldiers and horses here.
The Dubiao Battalion, the Tiger Guard Battalion, the Jiading Team, and the Chicheng Infantry Battalion, which are mainly cavalry, will all be assembled and on standby, ready to follow orders to fight against the slave bandits.
Of course, in order to increase the firepower of the army, Zhang Cheng even ordered the right side of the chariot to be assembled and ready to go into battle with the army.
Gou Changsheng is now Commander Qian on the right side of the chariot. I remember that during the Battle of Julu, he was just a small armor commander in the army, and Wang Sanhu, the guard at the time, has now grown into a commander in the middle of the chariot.
Chief Qian.
At the beginning, most of the veterans who followed Zhang Cheng, Zhang Yan, uncle and nephew to the capital to serve the king, as long as they are still in the Xuanfu army, have been promoted and used to become middle and lower-level officers of each battalion, or even the commander-in-chief of the first battalion.
Let's just say that the current commanders of Zhang Cheng's battalions, except for Wei Zhice, Jin Yong, Li Jiyu and a few others, are mostly old brothers from the Julu War.
And the positions of generals in each battalion are almost exclusively filled by old brothers who had participated in the Battle of Julu.
It can be said that Zhang Cheng's starting point was not the Battle of Mafang, where he was promoted to guerrilla duty after the Battle of Shiqiao, but it was the first Waterloo in his life.
The Battle of Julu was Zhang Cheng’s real starting point. It was the Battle of Julu that allowed him to gain a group of loyal subordinates, and also allowed him to lose the shackles of his uncle and his supervisor Lu Xiangsheng, so that he could show his talents and succeed.
Ambition in mind.
Today, the core backbone of Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu army is still mainly composed of old brothers who survived the Battle of Julu, supplemented by the first two batches of soldiers recruited in Xuanbei.
It can be said that it is the right time for people like Li Jiyu, Guo Yingxian, He Zhenxiong, Kuang Yongzhong, Tang Xiancheng, Huang Baozhong and others to join Zhang Cheng's command at this moment.
They will help Zhang Cheng successfully control the entire town of Xuanfu. They are the icing on the cake, rather than a timely help.
However, depending on their performance and loyalty to Zhang Cheng, they will gradually enter Zhang Cheng's inner circle in the future, but there will inevitably be a difference in order.
And the generals and officials who have now entered Zhang Cheng's inner circle will be eliminated one after another if they forget their own interests and have disloyal intentions, or if they are unable to keep up with the progress of Zhang Cheng's Xuanfu Group due to their limited talents.
History is like this, it will not stop moving because someone is missing, it will just slow down a little.
As time goes by, as everyone's status changes, their hearts will also undergo such and such changes. Some will become better and better, and some will indeed become more and more swollen, dominated by their own greed.
They will eventually be eliminated.
There are also people who will stop moving forward when they reach a certain status and cannot move forward any further. Of course, these people are still loyal to Zhang Cheng, but they just cannot accompany Zhang Cheng to continue to strive for higher ideals.
For this group of people, Zhang Cheng will naturally find a suitable position for each of them, so that they can live in peace in their old age and continue to be the guardians of their great cause.
Just like now, the servants of Yang Guozhu, the former commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu Mansion, have been fully integrated into the Tiger Guard Camp. However, Zhang Cheng has not yet spared the energy to fully integrate the servants into the Tiger Guard Camp, so they are still an independent army.
horse.
Guo Yingxian's supervision camp has also been integrated into the atmosphere of the Xuanfu Army. After all, the treatment is here. Even if the military rules and regulations in the Xuanfu Army are extremely strict, it is still everyone's duty.
Since ancient times, it has been a natural thing for soldiers to eat food, but it is also natural for them to abide by the rules of being a soldier. In fact, as long as they can manage their food and pay on time, the soldiers in the border towns of the Ming Dynasty are not useless.
Don’t you see, those Ming officers and soldiers cannot fight against the bandits, nor can they fight against the Tartars, but once they are absorbed by the bandits or Tartars, they can fight against the Ming army in turn.
Zhang Cheng believes that what the bandits and Tartars can do, he can also do!
Although money and food are rare, it is not impossible. As long as you are willing to use your brain and be bold and careful, there are always various ways to get money and food.
What's more, he doesn't have to raise the entire Ming Dynasty army in Xuanfu Town. He only needs to raise tens of thousands of soldiers who are loyal to him, and that will be enough to dominate the world and stand out among the heroes!
Just like the soldiers and horses under Guo Yingxian, He Zhenxiong, Kuang Yongzhong, and Tang Xiancheng who had taken refuge with him before, they cheered loudly when they learned that he was going to clear up their pay arrears.
Just like the voice of all the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers!
Of course, although Zhang Cheng brought a lot of money to aid the Liao Dynasty, it was not enough to make up for the salary arrears of these thousands of people. But even if he only paid part of it in advance, it would be enough to make them excited.
You know, how many months have these big-headed soldiers not seen any money?
After they received their salary as they wished, thousands of commanders from each camp and officials from hundreds of households came to Zhang Cheng in groups and bowed down, expressing their willingness to follow him to the death and repay him with their lives.
Everyone knows that being a soldier is not a good place to be. It is like licking blood with the tip of a knife. You may die on the battlefield at any time, and even your bones cannot be returned home for burial.
Therefore, these big-headed soldiers are not actually afraid of death, but if they are allowed to work in vain, their hearts will naturally be full of resentment, not to mention military morale, and their combat effectiveness will definitely be gone.
But now Zhang Cheng promised them that he would make up for the arrears of his previous pay, and pay half of it before the battle. The morale of the army soared, and everyone shouted: "I am willing to fight with Marshal Zhang, and I am willing to die for Marshal Zhang!"
"Man perishes for money, and birds perish for food!" This is an eternal truth.
After former Xuanfu Commander-in-Chief Yang Guozhu took refuge with Zhang Cheng, in addition to being paid regularly, they were also fed well and had one meal of meat every three days. This was a treatment that only Yang Guozhu's servants could enjoy in the past.
Therefore, stimulated by various changes, all the soldiers from top to bottom in the Xuanfu army who came over wanted to repay their kindness and bravely killed slaves in front of the battle line, so that they could be worthy of the food and salary rewarded by Marshal Zhang.
"Kill the slaves...kill the slaves...kill the slaves...kill..."
Waves of shouts rang out in the military formation, and even the officers and soldiers of the Xuanfu Army stationed up and down the Huangtu Ridge cheered in unison.
After a long time, Zhang Cheng waved his hand to signal the soldiers to stop. He galloped out and galloped back and forth in the military formation. Then he reined up his horse and stood still in the middle. He shouted loudly: "My fellow soldiers, the governor has an order.
My Xuanfu soldiers will go north to cross the Xiaoling River and fight fiercely with the slaves at the foot of Jinzhou City."
"Kill the slaves...kill the slaves...kill the slaves..."
Another high-pitched roar sounded.
After all the soldiers had finished shouting, Zhang Chengcai shouted loudly: "The commander-in-chief of Jinzhou City has been here for more than a year. Now there is no fuel and we have to eat grain every day. The situation is very miserable.
We have been assisting the Liao Dynasty for several months under the emperor's order. Now is the time for us to serve the country and drive out the Tartars. You will follow my commander to kill the slaves. You must be brave in front of the battle and must not be cowardly and timid.
But those who are timid in the face of battle will not be spared and will not be pardoned immediately!"
"Kill the slaves...kill the slaves...kill..."
The soldiers roared in response to Zhang Cheng's orders.
After a while, after the shouting stopped, Zhang Chengce drew out the sword given to him by the emperor on his horse and shouted loudly: "The whole army is marching forward, aiming at Xiaoling River, where we will meet up with the general soldiers of the King of Datong Town."
He raised the sword in his hand high and shouted: "Kill the slave!"
"Kill slaves... kill... kill..."
The nearly 10,000 troops in Xuanfu Town marched out one after another amid roars. They headed north along the Xiaoling River, towards the Datong Town military station in the north and the bend of the Xiaoling River from west to south.
…………
Looking at the slowly advancing military formation, the teams of fine cavalry, the rows of majestic infantry, and the rows of mighty and domineering chariots, together they formed the battle formation for the Xuanfu army to go out.
Although thousands of steps are taken together on bicycles, they are still in an orderly manner.
Veteran general Guo Yingxian led the cavalry of the Zhenbiao Battalion to advance rapidly, followed by Zhang Guodong leading the infantry formation composed of soldiers from the Chicheng Battalion, and finally the right section of the chariot led by Chief Qian Gou Changsheng.
The most majestic formation is also the formation on the right side of the chariots. Their two chariots form a horizontal column and march side by side. Each vertical row has thirty chariots, and each chariot is accompanied by twenty sergeants.
The entire vehicle array was actually much longer than the Zhenbiao Battalion and Chicheng Battalion combined.
These side-chariots are slightly smaller than baggage chariots. When fully loaded, they weigh more than 600 kilograms. They require two strong mules and horses to pull them. Each chariot is also equipped with two light Buddha doors.
Wolf machine gun, and loaded with corresponding muskets, powder bags, lead bullets and other items.
In this way, a tank battalion of 60 tanks has 120 Fran cannons, which can provide continuous and powerful artillery support to the army.
Each chariot is also equipped with twenty sergeants, who are divided into the second team of Zhengqi. The main team has ten people, namely the commander, deputy commander, bargeman, deputy bargeman, gunner, loader, etc.
The ten members of the surprise team are all gunners and killers with guns, sticks, swords and shields. Their duty is to protect the safety of the chariot. Of course, if necessary during war, they can also be deployed to the front to act as soldiers.
purpose.
The Chariot Battalion has a total of 1,300 officers and soldiers, including 600 soldiers from the Qi Brigade. There is also a cavalry team of nearly 100 people, which is the mobile force of the Chariot Battalion. It is responsible for battlefield reconnaissance tasks in peacetime and can also be used as a cavalry team when necessary.
Assault force use.
Therefore, the chariot battalions of the Xuanfu Army were not only able to form formations based on their chariots and fire artillery; they could also go out as combat soldiers and engage in passionate battles with the enemy.
Even for the soldiers of the main army of the Chaoying Camp, if all the muskets of the Fo Langji are used up, they can still go into battle and fight with muskets against the enemy, and even fight hand-to-hand bloody battles with swords and spears. It is not difficult, although it cannot be compared with the infantry of the Chicheng Battalion.
.
But it may not be inferior to the infantry under the command of the general soldiers of other towns!
Zhang Douce rode next to Zhang Cheng and said with a heavy face: "After all, the governor is a little anxious about today's battle."
Zhang Ruoqi looked thoughtful when he heard this. Since Wang Chengen's arrival, he has a clear tendency to be marginalized.
As for Hong Chengchou's military strategy, even if Wang Chengen did not object, he could not say much, so he stayed at the Empress Temple to deal with the transshipment and supply of grain and grass.
But Zhang Cheng didn't take Zhang Douzhi's words seriously. He smiled and said: "The crisis in Jinzhou is imminent. If we don't rescue the siege as soon as possible, once Jinzhou falls, it will be difficult to achieve anything in the Liao affairs, and the aid to the King's Division of Liao will become a temporary issue."
laughing stock."
He finally said: "This crossing of the Hebei River to attack the slave thieves was really a last resort. The governor had no other choice, so he marched in danger. When the slave chief Hongtai left, the Tartars suffered successive setbacks.
, and when the morale of the army is not there, we should strive to resolve the siege in one battle."
Zhang Cheng stopped his horse, looked at the advancing military formation, and said: "Now that the matter has come to this, we can only fight hard and kill the slaves bravely. Even if we fail to break the siege, we will not be defeated!"