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.
On July 28, two thousand people from Cao's tribe came out of the mountain.
Cao Wenzhao pursued Zhao Sheng in Shaanxi, crossing mountains and ridges, and now crossing the Yellow River and drilling into ravines, so Li Zicheng concluded that he would not be able to carry field artillery. Some tiger squatting artillery was exhausted.
What's more, the logistics of the army has always been a mess.
The money and food allocated from above are not enough to begin with, so all levels have to work hard to collect the wool. It will be considered good if the front-line generals can get 50%.
Then the generals have to save some private money and maintain elite servants. As for the other soldiers, it's fine as long as they don't starve to death.
For example, in the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, the emperor ordered Zhang Yixian, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, to hook up with the school household, enter and exit the Second Ministry of Work, and sign himself as "Prime Minister of Household Workers". His authority was regarded as the governor-general outside and the commander-in-chief of the regiment camp inside.
"The Yi Xian is divided into two parts, which are listed in the Shangshu, and the following doctors are ordered to pay an audience..."
When he was in office, he often seized military supplies and demanded kickbacks. Sun Zhaoxing, the head of the Ministry of War, impeached him, but he was fined and exiled by Chongzhen; Jin Xuan, the head of the Ministry of War, was impeached by Zhou Biao, but he was dismissed; Zhou Shipu, the minister of the Ministry of Works, did not go to his appointment, and was fined by Chongzhen.
He was criticized and dismissed; his successor, Lao Cao, the Minister of Industry, could not continue his job, so he had to beg to return...
Chongzhen was sitting in the palace drinking tea. He only wanted to report good news frequently, but he never thought that the soldiers had to be fed and equipped with weapons before they could fight.
If the Ming Dynasty's border troops could have sufficient food and pay, perhaps the Tatars outside the Pass would have died three hundred and sixty-five times - except for the Liao generals and Liao soldiers, who had too much interest behind them.
Therefore, all officers and soldiers who are poor in food and pay but can fight have one thing in common, that is, they "eat" wherever they fight.
Li Zicheng believed that Cao Wenzhao did not have much food, and it would consume him to death.
Halfway through the 28th, the two armies faced off at Liujiazhuang.
Except for the baggage train, the army's armor rate is 100%.
Cao Wenzhao wore a golden lacquered mountain armor with shiny tiles; a tiger-headed shoulder-devouring beast hung on the left and right shoulders; a breastplate covered his chest; he wore a helmet with phoenix wings on his forehead and a vermilion hairpin on his head, which made him look heroic.
Elite soldiers wear white fish scale armor; soldiers wear red cloth-covered iron armor.
The messengers running around holding blue triangular flags also had waist-length armor.
Li Zicheng was extremely envious.
Armor is of course important.
Qi Jiguang once said: If the armor on my body is strong, I will be stabbed and slashed by him without being hurt. I am clumsy in my skills, and I will kill him with the second blow. I think about it.
There is a poem from the Ming Dynasty:
Don't join the army from outside the army, carrying eighty kilograms of war equipment on your body.
Helmet brain bag accounts for seven, and Dunxiang covers five theories.
Only the armor is forty-five, and the sword and bone on the waist are twenty-four and six.
Fine workmanship and fine iron are just beginning to combine, and they are polished and quenched day and night to shine brighter than silver...
Of course, that was more than a hundred years ago.
Nowadays, "The factory warehouse brings out the armor, and only the helmet can be used. The dark armor can only be worn for drills, and it can only be used to carry heavy loads, but there is no one to rely on in the event of an emergency."
Look at the fat jacket again——
"The fat coat is under the control of various provinces, and the assistant leaders and other officials are trying to control it. The inside is yellow and flossy, and cannot be exposed to the wind."
"Recently, I have seen those who take advantage of the situation. They charge a lot of money, but the workmanship is extremely rough. The fat coats have sand in them, and they will rot over time."
"The fat coats of the frontier army were made by Su Song, and they were paid an official price of twenty taels each. They also went to the ministry to pay them, which was almost three taels. However, these silver taels were mostly paid by traitors, and they were only seven or eight taels in practical use.
When we reached the losing side, nineteen people died, and the soldiers had no real relief."
For this kind of junk goods, the customs are paid every three years, but often they are not allocated for ten years.
Therefore, looking at the attire of Cao's army, they are indeed elite.
Li Zicheng looked tense and did not dare to be careless.
The two sides faced each other in horizontal formations for a moment, and the sun began to set in the west, making Cao's army dizzy.
Cao Wenzhao could not wait any longer.
Although this was the first time he encountered such a well-formed bandit, he should be cautious, but it was uncomfortable to have dozens of kilograms of armor weighing down his body. He had to move.
Cao's army changed into a convex formation and prepared to attack.
Li Zicheng is forming a concave formation. If you have the ability, come in and try?
Cao Wenzhao sent out his left-wing troops to attack; the revolutionary army was led by Xin Sizhong to fight.
Cao Wenzhao sent the right-wing cavalry to attack; the revolutionary army Gu Kecheng led his troops to fight.
The two sides draw an arc and pass by each other.
Ai Wannian, on the left wing of the Ming army, had sharp eyesight. When he saw Zhao Shengbu's loose formation behind him, he immediately turned his horse's head and rushed over.
Cao Bianjiao on the right wing had a clear understanding of the situation and immediately outflanked him.
Zhao's minions were instantly defeated. They could still resist in mountain battles, but arraying on the plains would cost them their lives.
"I am your ancestor! If you fail to succeed, you will fail!" Li Zicheng was so angry that he yelled.
Fortunately, I didn't count on Touko from the beginning and only arranged for him to make soy sauce. Otherwise, this would have been dangerous.
Gu Kecheng and Xin Sizhong found no chance on the opposite side and returned to rescue.
Cao Wenzhao advanced the right-wing formation beyond the protruding head and formed a diagonal formation. (▂▄▇)
Li Zicheng turned upside down. (▇▄▂)
Cao Wenzhao cursed angrily: "Xiao Naiqiu!"
Li Zicheng retorted: "You have sores on your head and pus on your feet - you are so bad!"
At this time, Cao Bianjiao charged and returned victoriously, but Ai Wannian led his team and ran away.
Cao Wenzhao ordered the supervisor to march forward more than ten steps in the formation. When he saw that the formation of the rogue bandits was not chaotic, he stopped again.
"You're too damn careful!"
Li Zicheng took out his pocket watch to check the time, and then wrote a letter to Lao Cao——
"Your tears are tender and hurt. Who tied up your long hair and made you a wedding dress." This chapter has been completed!