Chapter 948 Zhang Cheng, I won’t let you go even if I’m a ghost
Ma Baozhong yelled in a panic: "Zhang Cheng, I am a general of Datong Town and a third-grade military attache of the imperial court. Your general soldiers in the Xuanfu cannot kill me... You cannot kill me..."
"Hey hey hey..."
Zhang Cheng laughed ferociously and shouted: "You are not strict in running the army, and you are timid in the face of battle. You even led the defeated troops to attack our Xuanfu army formation, which almost led to a huge defeat in today's battle."
If I don't kill you, how can I convince the people? How can I be worthy of fighting the slaves and thieves without retreating, and I, the great general, will be killed before I die in battle!"
"Zhang Cheng, I am a dignified military attaché of the third rank. I have not been qualified by the Ministry of War. If you are guilty of incompetence, you have no right to kill me..."
Facing Ma Baozhong's roar, Zhang Cheng seemed not to hear it. He shouted loudly and asked: "Where is Lin Fangping?"
Lin Fangping, a guerrilla from the Huwei Camp of the Xuanfu Army, came out of the crowd, cupped his fists and shouted: "The general is here."
"Datong General Ma Baozhong was timid in the face of the battle, led his troops to flee, and even attacked our Xuanfu army's battle formation. How should he be punished according to military law?"
"Return to the commander-in-chief and kill him according to the law!"
Zhang Cheng shouted loudly: "Take Ma Baozhong away and behead him in front of our generals to serve as a warning to others."
"Here!"
Lin Fangping responded loudly to the order, shouted to his soldiers and marched forward to the formation while escorting Ma Baozhong.
The generals in the surrounding Xuanfu and Datong were all stunned. Except for Ma Baozhong's howling, there was no movement at all. Not even the Xuanfu counselor Guo Yingxian, the guerrilla Zhang Guangda, and even the chief general of the Chicheng camp Zhang Guodong and others did not expect that
Zhang Cheng actually knew how to kill Ma Baozhong.
"Zhang Cheng, you can't kill me..."
"I am the General of Datong Town...you have no right to kill me..."
Ma Baozhong struggled hard. Although he kept shouting to Zhang Cheng, his eyes were always staring at Datong Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu, as if begging him to intercede and protect him.
Wang Pu also felt that what Zhang Cheng did seemed inappropriate. He stood next to Zhang Cheng and said, "Shuai Zhang, do you really want to kill General Ma?"
He emphasized the word "general" very strongly, as if he wanted to remind Zhang Cheng to handle things carefully and not to act rashly.
Seeing that Zhang Cheng did not express his position immediately, Wang Pu reminded him again: "Ma Baozhong is a third-grade military attache after all. If he is not qualified by the Ministry of War, he seems to be suspected of killing without permission."
Until then, Zhang Cheng turned his head with disdain and said to Wang Pu: "Commander Wang, it is a taboo for military strategists to be timid in the face of battle. This trend cannot last forever. Today, I am brave enough to face the difficulty and eliminate this scum for Datong Town."
, to maintain military discipline.
Mr. Wang, please don’t talk too much!”
What he said was very convincing. Not to mention Wang Pu, all the surrounding Xuanda generals heard it clearly. Ma Baozhong was always concerned about the reaction here, so naturally he heard it clearly.
Knowing that he would die today, he became completely crazy and roared: "Zhang Cheng, I will never let you go even if I am a ghost... I will never let you go..."
Zhang Cheng ignored Ma Baozhong's shouts. He stood up from his seat suddenly, took off the sword from his waist, and shouted: "Zhang Chengfang, are you here?"
Zhang Chengfang walked up quickly from behind Zhang Cheng, cupped her fists and said, "Zhang Chengfang, here."
"This sword, my commander, is a sword bestowed by the Holy Emperor. Your Majesty wants me to use this sword to kill slaves, thieves and bandits externally, and to kill corrupt officials, treacherous ministers and defeated generals internally."
As he spoke, he held up the sword in both hands and said: "Zhang Chengfang, take this sword and go to kill Ma Baozhong. Remember to let this sword be stained with Ma Baozhong's blood before you return the favor!"
"Here."
Zhang Chengfang shouted in response, took the sword Zhang Cheng gave him, turned around and left in a hurry.
When the generals present heard this, they were all shocked. Naturally, they all knew about the armor and sword given to Zhang Cheng by Emperor Chongzhen.
But the emperor wanted Zhang Cheng to use this sword to kill slaves, thieves and bandits externally, and corrupt officials and traitorous officials and defeated generals internally. This was the first time they heard about it, and they couldn't help but speculate in their hearts.
But at this time, they were all overwhelmed by Zhang Cheng's aura. Although they had many questions in their hearts, no one dared to ask them in public.
After a while, Zhang Chengfang returned with a bloody human head and loudly reported: "Go back to the commander-in-chief. Zhang Chengfang has finished the execution and returned to the commander-in-chief."
After saying that, he raised the bloody human head high and showed it to everyone present before holding it in his hand again, waiting for Zhang Cheng's instructions.
Zhang Cheng nodded with great satisfaction and said to him: "Take ten guards and send Ma Baozhong's head to each camp for public display, to correct military discipline and to serve as a warning to others."
"Here."
After Zhang Chengfang left, a chill flashed through the hearts of all the generals. Most of them were surprised that Zhang Cheng actually killed him at his word. In his eyes, the dignified third-grade military attache of the imperial court was like an ant.
However, this was not the end yet. Zhang Cheng then summoned his deputy lieutenant general Zhang Mingyuan and said to him: "Mingyuan, you and He Kuan will lead the right wing of the Chinese Army, escort the Datong Army's left wing camp to defeat, and return to Huangtu Ridge.
Xuanfu Army garrison.
He Kuan is responsible for escorting and supervising everything, while you are responsible for screening out defeated troops. Generals with more than a hundred households in the left wing camp must be screened more strictly. However, those who are the first to escape will be beheaded immediately after being registered and must not be tolerated.
!”
"Here."
Zhang Cheng went on to say: "For ordinary sergeants, they must be re-registered and guarantor each other. If someone disobeys military orders or obeys military laws, in addition to beheading the person involved, the guarantor must also be killed."
Behead."
"Here."
After Zhang Mingyuan left, the generals of the Datong Army began to speculate. Is Zhang Cheng determined to kill Ma Baozhong just to devour his left wing camp troops?
But after thinking about it carefully, I feel that this is not the case. After all, Zhang Chenggui is now the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town and has tens of thousands of elite soldiers in his hands. How can he defeat the two thousand soldiers of the left wing battalion?
In eyes.
At this moment, Zhang Chengcai turned to Wang Pu and said: "Commander Wang, the left wing battalion in Datong Town is insufficient. I will clean it up for you temporarily and return it to Datong Town after the re-formation and training."
Wang Pu knew Zhang Cheng better than the other generals in Datong Town. He knew that Zhang Cheng had promised to return it in the future, so he would definitely not break up the left-wing battalion and forcibly integrate it into Xuanfu Town.
I saw him smiling and saying: "In that case, Zhang Shuai will have to worry about it."
At this point, the handling of the defeat of the central and left-wing battalion of Ma Bao, the commander-in-chief of Datong Town, has come to an end, but the battle with the slave thieves is not over yet.
Zhang Cheng and the generals discussed the next military strategy again. They said it was a discussion, but only the generals of the Xuanfu Army came out to speak, while the generals of the Datong Army just listened on the sidelines. No one offered any advice, not even the general.
The same is true for the soldier Wang Pu.
Perhaps they are still not used to the form of military discussions held by the Xuanfu Army, or perhaps they were all frightened by Zhang Cheng's decisive attack just now and have not fully recovered yet.
The final result of the deliberations was that the Xuanfu army was still on the left and the Datong army was on the right, forming a fan-shaped military formation to fight against the slaves.
The Xuanfu Army formed the left part of Zhang Cheng's central army and the left part of the chariot, plus the Chicheng Battalion on the far right, next to the Datong Military Standard Camp, while the Xuanfu Army's Huwei Battalion and the cavalry of the Jiading Team formed
Formed behind the central army in Zhang Chengxuanfu Town.
On the left side of the Chicheng Battalion are Guo Yingxian's Zhenbiao Battalion and Zhang Guangda's Cavalry Battalion, while the right side of the Xuanfu Army's chariots is temporarily assigned to the Datong Army and formed together with Wang Pu's Zhenbiao Battalion. Further to the right is Datong.
Army right wing camp, ranger camp.
Just as the Xuan-Da coalition forces were reorganizing and building a new line of defense, the Manchurian white flags and Mongolian yellow flags on the opposite side were also rearranging their formations, and the final decisive battle was about to begin.
…………
It was almost dark, and the battle on the Nerv River in the southwest of Jinzhou City and on the north bank of Xiaoling River took on new changes.
Originally, the Ming Dynasty's aiding Liao Dynasty Division already had all the advantages. As long as they could hold on to the front line on the north bank of the Erhe River, both sides would stop fighting until dark. At that time, they would dig trenches and build walls to further consolidate the defense line. It would not be difficult to break the siege of Jin Dynasty.
But Bai Guangen's Jizhen army and horses failed to withstand the attack of the slaves, bandits and cavalry. It was really like "a dike of thousands of miles, collapsed in an ant nest"!
Jierhalang, Prince Zheng of the Qing Dynasty, made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty in this battle. It was he who was able to ignore Ma Ke's Shanhai navy and concentrate his superior elite cavalry to break through the Ming army's Jizhen with all his strength.
Bai Guangen's line of defense.
Then he led the army to cross the Nvnu River south. This move was really unexpected, catching the Ming army by surprise and almost breaking through the Ming army's defense line on the south bank of the Nvnu River.
Jierhalang almost completely shattered the Ming army's military plan to cross the river and go north!
After crossing the Nvnu River, he immediately divided his troops into two groups, and maximized the results of the victory before the Ming army could react and establish an effective defense line.
Jierhalang first personally led the main force of the Xilan Banner cavalry, repelled the troops of Tang Tong, the commander-in-chief of Miyun, to the west, and recaptured the Twin Mountains. Then he forced the troops and horses of Tang Tong's Miyun army into the breast on the south bank of the daughter river.
In the cliff path of Fengshan Mountain.
He did not delay the military plane at all, but still ordered Du Du to lead his troops and horses to block the entrance of Rufeng Mountain cliff to guard against Tang Tong's sudden return.
He himself led the elite troops of the Xianglan Banner and galloped eastward. Soon he caught up with the Manchuria Zhenghongqi Shuotuo Division. They defeated Shanhai Town's general Ma Ke's military camp on the south bank in one fell swoop.
After that, the Xianglan Banner and the Zhenghong Banner did not return to the north bank of the division to help Wu Lai's Mongolian Zhenglan Banner attack Mako, but continued eastward to sweep away the Ming army on the south bank of the Nuerhe River.
Although Ji'erharang arrived suddenly, and the Ming army left few troops in the old camp on the south bank of the Erhe River, and most of them were old and weak, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, also responded quickly.
Of course, all this was due to the timely reporting by Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong.
When Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, led his troops to cross the river at Jilharang, he knew that it would be difficult to resist. He immediately led hundreds of his own troops to retreat eastward, arranging defenses along the way, and reported the information of the Qing army's crossing of the river to Hong Chengchou in a timely manner.
At this time, the Ming army was indeed in an extremely critical situation. The main force of the army was fighting fiercely with the slave thieves on the north bank of the Nuerhe River. Not to mention that it was difficult to mobilize quickly due to the limitations of the width and number of pontoon bridges.
Even if there are enough pontoon bridges and they are very wide and easy to navigate, what if troops and horses from the north bank are mobilized to return reinforcements at this time? What if the cavalry fighting against them take advantage of the situation and chase them?
When Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, received the message, the only troops he could mobilize were the Dubiao Camp. Although there were more than ten thousand troops in Songshan City, not to mention that they still had to defend the city, and the distance was far away.
Water cannot save fire.
However, the situation was critical and one could not afford to watch the entire Liao army be defeated. Hong Chengchou had no choice but to personally lead the Supervisory Biao Battalion to urgently establish a line of defense between Nuerhe and Xishimen.
After all, Hong Chengchou was the governor of Ji Liao. He personally came to the battle formation to set an example, and nearly 10,000 soldiers of the Biao camp also fought bravely to kill slaves. Only then could they withstand Ji'erharang's surprise attack.
At present, Hong Chengchou can only stick to this line of defense, prevent Jierhalang from continuing to attack eastward, and protect the rear camps of Wu Sangui and Cao Bianjiao, the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment.
As for the camps of Bai Guangen, Tang Tong, Ma Ke and others on the south bank of the Nuer River, he had no time to take care of them and could only leave them to their fate.
Fortunately, the Xianglan Banner and Zhenghong Banner Qing troops who had crossed the river to the south had also been fighting fiercely for half a day. They were already hungry and tired. They thought they would be able to defeat them all the way, so they mustered up the courage to charge forward.
Now blocked by Hong Chengchou's Dubiao camp, the two sides fought fiercely and failed to achieve a breakthrough. The Qing army was actually unable to fight anymore.
In view of the current situation, Jierhalang had no choice but to leave Shuotuo's Zhenghongqi Tatars and continue to station on the south bank of the Nuerhe River to contain Hong Chengchou's Supervisor Battalion and threaten the Ming army's rear defense line.
He himself led the Tatars with the Blue Banner in Manchuria back to the Bai Guangen camp, crossed the river again through the pontoon and headed north, returning to support the Mongolian Zhenglan Banner to fight against the Ming army under Ma Ke.
It was not until this time that the rear of the Ming army on the Nuerhe River front line was finally settled. Although the camps of Tang Tong, Bai Guangen, Ma Ke and other generals were attacked and burned by the cavalry, at least the rear of Wu Sangui's Ningyuan army was protected.
…………
But at this time, on the north bank of the Daughter River, the Ming army changed from an advantage to a disadvantage.
Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, had an advantage in the battle with the Qing army. In addition to the Han army, he only had thousands of captives and cavalry from Zhenlan Wulai in Gushan'e, Mongolia.
Ma Ke and the Cha Yuan Wang Zhizhenbiao Battalion had over 10,000 troops, not to mention that in the early stages there were soldiers and horses from the former garrison commander Wang Tingchen to assist in the battle. Even if Wang Tingchen's troops were later dispatched to the east to support Ningyuan's army, Ma Ke
This side still has a big advantage.
However, Ma Ke and Wang Zhizhen fought against the Qing army. Although they were in the upper hand, they were unable to defeat the Qing army. The two sides were still in a stalemate.
The accident also came too suddenly. Ma Ke, who was fighting a fierce battle with the Qing army, suddenly heard an urgent report that fire was shooting into the sky in the direction of his camp on the south bank of the Daughter River. For a time, the morale of the army was in chaos, and everyone was worried that their retreat would be cut off.
Then, officers and soldiers of Shanhai Town who had escaped came to report that a group of Tatar cavalry appeared on the south bank of the Nuerhe River and made a surprise attack on Ma Ke's Shanhai Town camp.
After some questioning, when Marco learned that the Tatars were actually coming from the west, he couldn't help but angrily cursed Bai Guangen and Tang Tong, saying bluntly that they were useless and couldn't even defend their own defense line.
Although Ma Ke could not accurately judge at the moment whose defense line the Qing army broke through, there was no doubt that it was one of them since they were the only two defending the area to the west of him.
It is precisely because of this reason that the Shanhai Town army was panicked and their morale suddenly became low. This was due to Ma Ke's efforts to suppress it. Otherwise, the Shanhai Town soldiers might have fled long ago.
In the end, Ma Ke, who was worried about being flanked by slave thieves, took the initiative to lead his army to retreat eastward, following in the footsteps of former garrison commander Wang Tingchen to find the Ming army under Wu Sangui in Ningyuan, hoping to join them and jointly resist the slaves.