Chapter 22 Cannibalism(1/2)
Jiao Yuanpu is capable and has a good official reputation.
He served as county magistrate in two places and ranked first in all examinations. He was later recruited into the court and awarded the title of censor.
Guangzong's illness threatened Xizong's accession to the throne, and there were the "Red Pill Case" and the "Gong Move Case", both of which were related to eunuchs.
Huang Kezuan, the Minister of Punishment, petitioned to show leniency to the eunuchs concerned. Jiao Yuanpu refuted this and advocated severe punishment for Cui Wensheng, the eunuch who was the Superintendent of Rites and was also in charge of the Royal Pharmacy, and others.
Later, Cui Wensheng left the town of Lianghuai. At that time, Jiao Yuanpu was serving as the military deputy envoy in Fengyang, which happened to be under his jurisdiction. Lao Jiao was afraid of being retaliated, so he went home claiming to be ill.
In the second year of Chongzhen, Jiao Yuanpu, Wang Zheng, Ma Fenggao and other former officials organized rural soldiers in their hometown of Sanyuan County, named "Zhongtong". Bingbei Road in Daliang, Henan Province, from Sanyuan, also sent Dusi, garrison and others to assist in the training.
The combat effectiveness of the Zhongtong Army was very good, even better than that of the general army, and its military discipline was even better than that of the official army. However, due to the limited money and food raised, this rural army only lasted four months and had to be disbanded.
In the third year of Chongzhen's reign, Jiao Yuanpu was appointed as the branch patrol officer of Hedong Road.
Later, Jiao Yuanpuhui was promoted many times for his achievements in suppressing bandits, and was appointed governor of Datong for seven years. At that time, soldiers were short of food and wages, and the hungry people had to scavenge horse dung for food. Lao Jiao Shangshu requested exemption from taxes and increased military pay, but the court refused. I stopped working and went home to retire.
In the 16th year, Li Zicheng conquered Shaanxi and "invited" Lao Jiao from his hometown in Sanyuan to be an official in Xi'an, and asked him to donate his salary. Lao Jiao cursed and was killed.
Jiao Yuanpu had been recruiting and training troops in Shanxi as early as the Year of Tianqi, and now he was patrolling the east road of the river. The people he commanded were all veterans of the year. He had fought several battles with the peasant army, and each time he defeated more with less.
But this time he met the revolutionary army.
Li Zicheng wanted to chat with him, but Lao Jiao was disdainful.
"Good words can't persuade a damn ghost! Then you should end early!"
The commander-in-chief sent Yuan Zong's first post to fight, and both sides formed an array by the Fen River.
The reconnaissance cavalry team Zhang Cheng and Wang Gao each led more than ten cavalry to act as skirmishers and went forward to harass.
The army's formations were strict and they had firearms, so the revolutionary army's cavalry bows were ineffective.
Wang and Zhang turned to harass the monk team behind them, and the other party sent dozens of cavalry to drive them away.
Bai Wang, the deputy sentry officer, set out and directed a small team to push more than 20 shield vehicles forward.
The simple shield cart is modified from a pallet cart, with only baffles erected on top, sand and soil piled up, and no people standing on it.
The official army has fourteen guns, eight furlongs and six tigers squatting.
The flange machine has serious air leakage. It cannot shoot far or accurately with solid bullets, but it is disgusting to replace it with shotguns. The body cannot withstand direct impact, so use the safety point of the shield car. 1
When the shield car was forty steps away from the enemy, a cannonball finally hit and hit the mound.
The revolutionary army continued to advance, and a small iron ball fired from the Tiger Crouching Cannon killed a push cart.
There was also a large squatting tiger cannon that broke free of its underground claws and flew up to smash into the ranks of the officers and soldiers.
The Franchise can only shoot straight, while the Tiger Crouching Cannon is similar in usage to a mortar and can shoot in curves.
At this time, dozens of archers of the revolutionary army hiding behind the shield car began to counterattack.
Just shoot randomly at a crowded place with your eyes closed, and you can blindfold one of them. Besides, it doesn't matter whether you kill the enemy or not, the main thing is to disrupt the enemy's formation.
The monks raised their spears to block the arrows, but the armored officers in the front row raised their matchlocks and began to attack in three stages.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Dong dong dong dong dong!"
The gunshots rang out in confusion, causing nothing but a pile of dust to be hit.
Bai Wang breathed a sigh of relief, the "elite soldiers" were nothing more than that.
The two sides were twenty steps apart. After firing, the officers and soldiers did not reload their ammunition. Instead, they took out their short spears and inserted their blunderbuss swords into the muzzles of their guns, preparing for hand-to-hand combat. In the 1st Wanli year, He Rubin's "Military Records" recorded that this guy returned
Firegun has developed a "metal fixed-loading ammunition", which is similar to the flange machine loading method.
The revolutionary army advanced a few steps further. The swordsman and shieldman first threw a wave of javelins, then shouted and started running with the shield car.
Jiao Yuanpu, who was guarding Hedong Road, was a little panicked and ordered the cavalry to attack.
Yuan Zongdi also sent cavalry to counterattack.
The infantry formation of the officers and soldiers here has gradually dispersed. When the shield vehicles approached, they collapsed at the slightest obstruction.
On the contrary, the bald donkeys were quite tenacious, and they kept chanting Uliwala to resist desperately.
On the other side, the cavalry from both sides collided for one round, and each lost seven or eight horses.
Turn the horse's head and fight again...
Li Zicheng couldn't stand it anymore. He was about to face Cao Wenzhao, so he couldn't defeat too many people here.
The Chinese army's flag waved and the cavalry sent out to attack.
Gu Kecheng and Xin Sizhong each led their troops to cover the enemy from both sides.
The dust was flying. Jiao Yuanpu took a closer look, then turned around and ran away.
Li Zicheng recalled the cavalry, saving some face for Xiao Jiao and not pursuing him. Judging from his experience, he was not that stubborn, so he might still be able to surrender in the future.
His brother Jiao Yuanqing is now Shanxi's Zuobu political envoy. Xiao Jiao should be able to protect him even if he loses the battle. 2 This Jiao will not be recruited by Li Zicheng in the future and will go on a hunger strike. Tan Yongzhao, who was "the number one literati in Guanlong" in Tongguang, once
In the Jiaqing year, he went to the Jiao family to read the books for more than ten years, and finally won the imperial examination in his fifties. At least it meant that the Jiao family was rich.
The war is over.
The revolutionary army lost thirty-two people killed and thirty-seven wounded; they wiped out more than eighty enemies and captured more than two hundred prisoners.
More than a hundred monks huddled together in one place.
Li Zicheng stared at the group of bald men and was furious, "You have short hair, I also have short hair, we all have short hair, why are we killing each other?!"
Baldness does not happen every day. A diligent monk shaves his head only once every ten days and a half. Those who are not diligent or devout can have their hair parted.
"The donor has done many evil things..."
"Why do you say I have done evil? Which eye did you see? Are you a true monk? Gautama Buddha advocated universal salvation for all sentient beings, and the revolutionary army stood up for the oppressed people. It can be seen that the inheritance is orderly and there are successors. Monks in the world
Everyone should join the revolutionary army."
"...?...?" The great monk was speechless for a moment.
"Okay, take the money and go back to Wutai Mountain to chant sutras. If you dare to come out and run around again, you will be killed!"
"Good!"
In the end, there were forty or fifty officers, soldiers, and monks who surrendered to the "thieves", and the rest were sent off with a tael of money. By the way, they were asked to bring a letter back to Jiao Yuanpu.
July 25th.
The Jishan City Gate is still not open, but the revolutionary army has harvested sixty or seventy baskets of mahua.
In the evening, the disgraced Zhao Sheng fled from the Luliang Mountains.
"Commander, I regret my mistake. Cao Wenzhao is chasing me..."
Who makes you a scholar? Even the officers and soldiers will take a high look at you. If not, who will chase you?
There were six thousand people a few days ago, but now there are less than two thousand people who are fleeing to the death and surrendering.
After a night's rest, Zhao Shengbu escaped again with dozens of people the next day.
The hungry people are following you to find food to eat, not to be stabbed. Since you can't afford a living, don't blame others for being unjust.
Li Zicheng was determined to try his luck as a revolutionary army and wanted to fight Cao Wenzhao, so he did not run away.
You only have one life, adults all know, either don’t do it, or you must win if you do!
Fighting is easy to say. You just make use of the terrain or city walls to dig trenches and place the horses to collect food and grass. Be fully prepared and wait for you to fight me!
If you finally climb up or run over, I'll give you a severe beating!
Of course, Li Zicheng didn't know how to dig trenches. Although that thing could block the enemy's attack, it also hindered his own feet. What's more, the revolutionary army now has no long-range firepower, nor is it standing still waiting for reinforcements. There is no use hiding behind trenches.
When both sides fight, investigation is very important.
First find a dangerous place to camp, ensure your own food and grass, and ensure there are no problems with your retreat, and then scout the other side.
Constantly investigate; constantly harass; find weak links on the opponent; send elite soldiers to test; and if possible, bribe the opponent to betray him.
Usually before a decisive battle comes, both sides are arranging their troops and looking for each other's weaknesses.
When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, basically one side is sure of victory, or someone forces a group start and the other side has to pick up the fight.
To be continued...