Chapter 117 The brave who meet in a narrow road wins
Su He came to Zitong, which had been completely controlled by the army.
He asked Su Yanyan: "Is the damage caused by this siege heavy? How is the situation inside Zitong City?"
Su Yanhui reported: "Commander Su and Zhang Ling, the defender of Zitong, were killed by explosive bombs. After the Ming defenders of Zitong were bombarded, they lost the will to resist.
We entered the city and the remaining Ming army surrendered just like us.
The battle went smoothly and we suffered very few casualties, only over fifty.
Now the people of Zitong are hiding at home, and we have the government offices and granaries under control.
There is very little food in the granary, and the people in Zitong City may need us to use military rations to support them."
Su He was very satisfied when he heard that the casualties were so small.
There were more than fifty casualties, which were very minor casualties for a siege battle.
He ordered: "Zitong is not a grain-producing area. Your brigade will send a regiment to surrender with the Ming army and take military control of this city.
Waiting for Li Zhisheng and others to follow from behind and officially take over the city.
Let's take a rest tonight and continue the attack on Mianzhou tomorrow."
Su He was walking on the street in Zitong City, he was very happy.
After capturing Zitong and then Mianzhou, we will be not far from Rongcheng.
Du Shengwen ran over with several letters.
He held the letter in front of Su He, took a few breaths, and said quickly: "Commander Su, this is a letter found from Zhang Ling's mansion.
This is a letter he exchanged with Zhang Erqi, deputy commander-in-chief of Sichuan.
The letter states that Zhang Erqi will be able to lead his troops to Zitong today or tomorrow."
Su He took the letter and read its contents carefully.
After reading the letter, he felt that it was very dangerous. They were marching very fast and did not delay on the road.
If we were a step slower, we would not be facing more than 4,000 people, but more than 20,000 people.
There are more than 20,000 people defending Zitong, so it cannot be captured so easily.
Once time delays for a long time, there is no way to predict what changes will happen in Hanzhong.
Zhang Lun, the governor of Sichuan, could also easily dispatch the Ming army in Sichuan.
Defend Rongcheng and send a large army to encircle and suppress them.
Su He handed the letter to Li Fengming.
"We can't rest, so we mobilize our troops to Jinniu Road south of Zitong.
Large army operations cannot be carried out on the Taurus Road, which tests the individual quality and organizational skills of the soldiers.
We will directly defeat Zhang Erqi if they are allowed to escape back to Mianzhou.
Attacking these people in Mianzhou will cost several times more casualties, and we don’t know how long it will take.”
Su He was very confident in the physical fitness of the soldiers under his command.
Soldiers had three meals a day and meat every week.
In order to overcome night blindness, soldiers can eat fish every month and carrots every day.
None of the soldiers under Su He's command suffer from night blindness, and they are not afraid of night battles.
The army trains every day.
The food of the Ming army was very poor. Su He interrogated the prisoners and found out.
In the morning he only had a bowl of porridge, in the evening he ate sorghum rice with pickles, and his servant Dingbing had a salted duck egg to eat every once in a while.
The military household did not have a meal at noon, and only the servants and soldiers had three meals a day.
The military households of the Ming army basically did not train, and the servants did not necessarily train once a month.
Su He mobilized heavy logistics troops and the main force to enter Zitong City to rest and recuperate.
Li Fengming came to Zhang Ling's room to check more detailed military maps.
He also asked the local elders in Zitong about the conditions of the road from Zitong to Mianzhou.
After getting this information, Li Fengming came to the room and led a group of staff to make a sand table.
After he made the sand table, he brought the sand table to Su He's room.
Many generals are striving for the main offensive task here.
Li Fengming put the sand tray on the table. He pointed at the sand tray and said: "I don't expect Zhang Erqi to be fast. They carry baggage and cannons.
Judging from the exchange of letters, he will be able to lead his Ming army out of the narrow Jinniu Road and enter Zitong during the day tomorrow.
We must seize this opportunity and start now.
We may collide with the Ming army led by Zhang Erqi tonight.
On such narrow roads, the heavy armored infantry of the Fourth Division can exert a strong effect.
We are prepared and have sent our most elite soldiers to the front.
The Ming army was unprepared and would not gather all the servants together.
Fighting in such a narrow area relies entirely on the strength of the soldiers at the front.
As long as the heavy armored infantry defeats the enemy, the Ming army cannot quickly form a unit to deal with the heavy armored infantry.
The artillery here is not very effective and it is easy to accidentally damage friendly forces.
There were no cannons, and the Ming army's cannons were not powerful enough to deal with heavy armored infantry.
After Zhang Erqi's defeat, the road was blocked by the rear baggage team, and they could not escape easily.
Our goal is to defeat the Ming army led by Zhang Erqi and turn them into a rout.
The road is too narrow, there is no way to encircle it, and total annihilation is impossible."
After Su He heard Li Fengming's plan, he agreed.
Li Fengming's plan was very simple. He sent out the most elite heavy armored infantry for infantry combat.
With them as the core, directly kill the Ming army.
The Ming army's team was on a narrow road and the queue was very long.
The message cannot be delivered effectively, the front has collapsed, the back has not received the message, and is still moving forward.
If they continue to exert pressure, the Ming army will collapse directly.
A broken army is much easier to deal with than an organized army.
Su He stared at the sand table and said: "I would like to add one more thing, let the second battalion of the guard regiment and the heavy armor troops be dispatched together.
This kind of close-range hand-to-hand combat relies entirely on the command of brave generals.
Directly use rifled guns to snipe all the brave Ming troops."
Su He looked at the generals who had been waiting for a long time, their eyes full of desire for meritorious service.
"Wu Jie, Qi Gangyi obeys the order."
Wu Jie and Qi Gangyi stood up, saluted Su He and waited for Su He to give orders.
"Wu Jie led the fourth division, using the heavy infantry regiment as its strength, to attack the headquarters of Sichuan Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Erqi.
Qi Gangyi commanded the Guard Regiment, led by the Second Battalion of the Guard Regiment, and assisted the Heavy Infantry Regiment to snipe at key Ming army targets.
If you start now, you can act cheaply as the situation changes.
Your goal is to defeat Zhang Erqi's tribe and seize Mianzhou."
Wu Jie and Qi Gangyi received Su He's order, and they took their men out of Zitong in the south.
……………………
Wu Jie was walking on the Golden Bull Road, with the Flying Tigers' hot air balloon above him, constantly observing the situation ahead.
He looked at the general wearing heavy armor beside him, and the heavy armored infantrymen sat in groups of five on a mule cart.
Walking in heavy armor consumes physical strength extremely quickly.
They don't know when the war will begin, and wearing heavy armor is very complicated.
There was no time to wear heavy armor during the war.
We can only put on heavy armor in advance and ride on a mule cart on the road.
"Yu Erlunzi, you must show your authority this time and not lose the reputation of our fourth division.
The commander of the heavy infantry regiment and the chief of staff were all killed during the battle at Jianmen Pass.
Our division also set a precedent, being the first division to have a senior officer killed in action.
This name is not nice to hear, so you must use real military achievements to silence others."
Yu Tianyou's voice was rough and he said angrily: "This is a non-war crime. With such a record, we cannot blame our third brigade for its disadvantages in combat.
The heavy infantry regiment is the main regiment of our third brigade.
Division commander, don’t worry, with me as the brigade commander personally leading the team, we will definitely achieve brilliant results."
Qi Gangyi called all the officers above the squad leader in the second battalion to come over for a lecture.
"You must have been very jealous when you saw the Flying Tigers making great achievements a few days ago.
Commander Su personally ordered that, not counting meritorious service rewards, each member of the Flying Tigers would be awarded an additional one hundred silver coins.
The money has now been deposited into their bankbooks.
Many people took the opportunity of sending letters to send money home.
Now you have a chance to perform. Whether you are a dragon or a worm depends on your performance.
The opportunity has been given to you, whether you can seize it depends on your strength."
After Qi Gangyi finished speaking, he looked at the soldiers of the guard regiment.
"Answer me loudly, do you have the confidence to fight this battle well?"
The soldiers of the guard regiment shouted in unison.
"Have confidence."
When Qin Shanshui heard that he would be rewarded with one hundred silver coins, his eyes lit up.
This is one hundred silver coins, a huge amount of money that he will never earn in his lifetime.
With this money, he can buy a house in Hanzhong City and let his wife and daughter live in Hanzhong.
My daughter is almost at the age of primary school, and I heard that women in Hanzhong can be officials.
……………………
Qi Gangyi came to Wu Jie's command camp to discuss matters together.
"Commander Wu Jie, the soldiers are eating now, and it will be dark soon. We continue to move forward, and let the soldiers rest at night."
The battle plan formulated by Li Fengming was to attack during the day.
If there is no Ming army encountered during the day, the soldiers should rest and recuperate, find a favorable terrain, and wait for the Ming army to collide.
The combat goal assigned by Commander Su was very simple, which was to destroy the Ming army and occupy Mianzhou.
These generals are outside and can make certain adjustments to military orders based on specific circumstances.
Commander Su granted them the right to act expediently, and they did not need to abide by the staff's combat plan, as long as they completed the combat objectives.
When Commander Su was giving lectures, he often said that he should read more of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
He specifically talked about how generals would be subject to military orders abroad.
A qualified general must learn to make adjustments to his advantage based on the ever-changing situation.
Talking on paper and executing military orders dogmatically is not advisable.
Wu Jie also understood what Qi Gangyi meant. He wanted to try to launch an attack at night.
A leader like Su He who knows his troops well makes it easy for him to lead troops.
The generals leading the army have a high degree of freedom and do not need to arrange things within strict rules.
"After the soldiers have finished their meal, I will send the main heavy infantry regiment to continue moving forward.
The third brigade rode other soldiers and followed the heavy infantry regiment.
The First and Second Brigades are repairing in camp and will launch an attack on Mianzhou tomorrow morning.
In this kind of hand-to-hand combat in a narrow area, if we attack directly and the soldiers don't have night blindness, the chances of winning will be very high."
Wu Jie expressed his opinion, and Qi Gangyi also agreed with him.
After the soldiers finished eating, they went back to mobilize the soldiers.
……………………
Qin Shanshui had just finished dinner when he touched the rifled gun in his hand.
This old friend will soon be able to exert its powerful power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A rapid drum beat sounded, and everyone immediately became nervous.
Qin Shanshui quickly completed the loading of the rifled gun.
The ammunition used in rifled guns is minnie bullets, a kind of lead bullet with a trumpet-shaped bottom.
After Qin Shanshui loaded the gunpowder, he took out a lead bullet and stuffed a small piece of wood into the bell mouth.
Put the bell of the lead bullet downward and insert it into the barrel.
Use a purge to push down hard. The bell mouth is originally slightly smaller than the barrel.
The process of pushing the rod down allows the wooden block to open the bell mouth.
In this way, the lead bullet can jam the rifling of the barrel.
When the musket is ignited, the bell mouth is impacted by the gunpowder, which will directly cause the lead bullet to expand and stick tightly to the inner wall of the barrel.
Ensure the air tightness of the barrel and allow the lead bullet to fly far.
This knowledge was all acquired through lectures at the Qinshan level.
Qi Gangyi soon arrived at their camp.
"We launch an attack at night and will use our full strength in a while.
Now follow my orders, go to the front line in batches, and line up.
You must cooperate with the team and find opportunities to snipe the enemy's key targets."
Qin Shanshui lined up the soldiers of his squad and waited for the regiment leader's arrangements.
Yu Tianyou looked at the more than 400 heavy armored infantry in front of him.
"Brothers, we lost the battle at Jianmen Pass. More than 400 brothers were injured or killed and withdrew from the heavy infantry regiment.
We are also called the Noodle Army by others.
Sichuan Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Erqi is about to contact us.
We must all show our strength in our usual training and crush the Ming army to prove our strength.
We can also defeat our enemies at night with the help of firelight and moonlight.
When Commander Su was giving me a lecture, he said something.
'The brave will win when we meet on a narrow road.'
Now I tell you this to prove to the world that we are not a noodle army."
Yu Tianyou raised the sharp steel knife in his hand and shouted loudly: "The brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road."
The soldiers of the heavy infantry regiment shouted in unison: "The brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road."
Yu Tianyou saw that his morale was ready, so he took the lead and walked to the front.
"Follow me and kill the enemy."
A squad of heavy armored infantry platoons marched to the front.
The terrain of Jinniu Road is narrow and can only accommodate a single squad of soldiers walking side by side.
There is a large gap between them, allowing them to maintain a distance that allows them to wield a long sword.
On both sides of them, there was a gap where a person could barely stand.
Two large groups of the team were followed by soldiers from the Second Battalion of the Guard Regiment wearing only linen clothes.
They walked on the edge with rifled guns on their backs, ready to snipe the enemy at any time.
Qin Shanshui carried a gun on his back and stood behind the heavy armored infantry.
He looked at these heavily armed heavy infantry.
He wears a steel helmet with only his eyes exposed on his head and full body armor.
Only the joints are wrapped with steel sheets.
This kind of heavily armored infantry cannot stop cannons and muskets.
But they completely crushed unarmored or lightly armored infantry.
"Squad leader, it's too dark here. I can't see the target clearly in front of me."
Qin Shanshui looked at the surrounding scene and found that his eyes were not affected. With the moonlight, he could easily see targets two to three hundred meters away.
He asked other people in the class and found that they couldn't see the target in the dark clearly.
Only the target under the torch can be seen more clearly.
Qin Shanshui discussed with his comrades that in the event of a war, they would not need to alternate firing.
He is responsible for sniping targets, and his companions are responsible for loading ammunition for him.
The comrades knew squad leader Qin Shanshui's marksmanship, and they all agreed with Qin Shanshui's proposal.
Yu Tianyou took out the steel knife and threw the scabbard aside. He held the steel knife with both hands and walked forward slowly.
"Everyone, put out the torches. News just came from the Flying Tigers. They saw fire ahead, and the Ming army camp is ahead."
All the heavy armored infantry extinguished their torches, held steel knives in both hands, and followed Yu Tianyou to the front.
Not long after they walked, they saw the light of fire, and many crossbowmen and several musketeers standing guard in front.
Against the backdrop of the firelight, they could clearly see that only a few generals holding bows were wearing armor, while most of the others were wearing leather or cotton armor.
These Ming soldiers heard heavy footsteps coming from the front, and there were also some vague figures.
"Master Qianhu, is this haunted?
Who among you can see what is ahead, my eyes can’t see it at all.”
Qianhu reprimanded directly: "What the hell, this must be some bandits attacking the camp, they regard us as ordinary merchants.
I will use my bow and arrows later to teach these thieves a lesson."
Yu Tianyou saw that they were approaching the Ming army. If they took a few steps forward, their figures would be illuminated by the torches in the Ming army camp.
He shouted: "The brave will win when we meet on a narrow road."
He raised the steel knife and approached the Ming army step by step.
The heavy armored infantry who followed him also shouted slogans and maintained formation with Yu Tianyou.
Qin Shanshui and other guardsmen raised their rifles and pointed them at the Ming army in front.
Slowly follow the heavy armored infantry, looking for high-value targets.
Yu Tianyou walked forward step by step with firm eyes.
He saw the expressions of fear on the faces of the Ming army in front.
As soon as they took a few steps, the Ming army's archers started shooting arrows.
The Ming army also picked up the shotguns they were equipped with.
When the arrow hit the heavy armored infantry, there was only a clanging sound of metal.
These full-body armors are made of steel tempered in graphite crucibles and cast by hydraulic forging hammers.
Heavy armors are all uniform in size, and heavy armored infantry can only choose people of similar height and weight.
Qin Shanshui saw the Ming army raising large-caliber cannons.
This type of firearm poses a great threat to heavy armored infantry.
Qin Shanshui took advantage of the weak firelight from the Ming army's camp and fired directly at the cannon soldiers.
The lead bullet flies out of the gun bore and is affected by the rifling. The lead bullet rotates in the air and maintains a stable flight trajectory.
Qin Shanshui saw the cannon soldier fall down directly, and he hit the target.
After he fired, he immediately handed the gun to his comrade in the rear and got a loaded rifled gun from him.
Aim again at a Ming army general and shoot directly.
He handed the empty gun to his comrade and took from him a loaded rifle.
Behind Qin Shanshui, a squad of soldiers helped Qin Shanshui load ammunition.
His killing speed is very fast, and his main targets are the gun soldiers and the generals under his command.
Qin Shanshui fired more than ten shots in a row, which directly attracted the attention of the Ming army.
A Ming army general was hiding in the shadows, looking for the enemy's location.
Secretly bending the bow and setting up an arrow, one arrow is aimed at Qin Shanshui.
He has discovered that these are not bandits at all, but well-equipped thieves in yellow.
He did not expect that the thief in yellow would move so quickly, and that Zitong City would be lost in such a short period of time.
When he shot the arrow, his position was directly exposed, and a big hole immediately appeared in his chest.
The lead bullets rolled inside his body, directly destroying his internal organs.
Before dying, the Ming army general said in disbelief:
"How could this happen? I have been observing for a long time. The only musketeer among the thieves in yellow is this one with extremely accurate marksmanship.
Why are there hidden musketeers in other places?"
Qin Shanshui saw a heavy armored infantry rushing toward him and threw him to the ground.
With a ding sound, a powerful arrow hit the heavy armored infantryman on the back, making a small crater in the armor.
Qin Shanshui was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat.
He quickly helped the heavy armored infantry man up.
"Thanks brother."
"You're welcome. I think you're mainly killing the cannons for our safety."
Qin Shanshui saw this heavy armored infantryman carrying a knife and rejoining the battlefield.
He also looked in the direction where the arrow was shot and found that a Ming army general had been killed by other comrades.
Yu Tianyou led the heavy armored infantry and braved the rain of arrows from the Ming army, and finally reached the front of the Ming army's formation.
He waved the steel knife and slashed forward.
The servants of the Ming army waved their swords to block him, and at the same time, there were also servants who took the opportunity to chop at Yu Tianyou.
The steel knife in Yu Tianyou's hand directly cut off the servant's long knife and cut open his armor.
The long sword that the Ming army slashed at him didn't even leave a trace, and Yu Tianyou killed the servant without hesitation.
"Monsters, these people are monsters, let's run, they are invulnerable."
The servant soldiers collapsed and fled directly to the rear.
But it is night now, and most of the Ming army has already rested.
They generally suffer from night blindness and cannot see their surroundings clearly.
After hearing the cry of killing, they knew they were under enemy attack and noticed someone approaching them, so they attacked the people around them.
The deserters who were killed and collapsed could not see clearly due to night blindness, so they rushed around and slashed at those in front of them with knives.
Night blindness and the chaotic situation directly caused the Ming army camp to roar, and the rebel soldiers and the Ming army who had just woken up killed each other.
Yu Tianyou kept waving the sword in his hand, killing the Ming army in front of him. He saw that the morale of the Ming army completely collapsed.
He led the soldiers and shouted loudly: "Throw away your weapons, surrender without killing."
Many Ming troops retreated but had no choice but to retreat. Looking at the monsters in armor, they lacked the courage to resist.
They could only throw down their weapons and kneel down to surrender.
Yu Tianyou led his troops across the surrendered people and allowed his comrades in the rear to capture them.
He continued to lead his troops and attacked the Ming army behind.
The sun had not yet appeared, but it was gradually getting brighter, and they spent the whole night fighting.
After Yu Tianyou kills for a while, he will switch teams with the soldiers in the rear, and they will rest for a while in the rear.
By constantly changing formations, you can keep your physical strength from running out.
Yu Tianyou felt that his arms were sore. He looked up and saw a flag standing in front of him.
Unknowingly, they had reached the place where Sichuan Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Erqi was.
The results achieved this night were great, and he didn't even know how many Ming troops were defeated.
Most of the Ming army surrendered directly when they saw them.
A small number of die-hards will be killed directly by them.
Yu Tianyou put his knife on the ground and observed the situation of the Ming army in front.
The Ming army had many vehicles transporting baggage, and they were blocked in the middle of the road.
This is already the rear area of the Ming army. They killed the Ming army that night.
Many Ming soldiers were frightened and hurriedly fled back. They were crowded together.
In the small space, the crowd began to crowd, and there was no way to effectively direct them.
Many Ming troops fled here, leaving their vehicles and baggage here.
Zhang Erqi gritted his teeth in hatred as he looked at the heavily armored thief in yellow.
Unexpectedly, all of his more than 10,000 people collapsed overnight, with only a few thousand people fleeing to the rear.
When he was escaping last night, he was attacked by rout soldiers for robbing a donkey and fainted.
The servants tried their best to protect him, so he was not hacked to death by the insurgents.
When the servants reorganized their troops, chaos broke out in the rear, and the Golden Bull Road was completely blocked.
They could only hide with Zhang Erqi.
As soon as Zhang Erqi woke up, he saw that the thieves in yellow had quickly attacked his location.
Looking at the Hongyi cannon beside him, he ordered his servants to load ammunition for the Hongyi cannon.
He couldn't escape, and even before he died, he had to take away several thieves in yellow clothes.
Zhang Erqi will never surrender. Based on what he did before, if he falls into the hands of the thieves in yellow, he will definitely be cut to pieces.
"Open it for me..."
Qin Shanshui saw a general wearing gorgeous armor. He was commanding the servants around him and preparing to operate the Hongyi cannon.
He immediately aimed at the general, and some of his comrades also aimed at the general, and more people aimed at the servants beside the cannon.
Qin Shanshui pulled the trigger, and with a bang, the lead bullet flew out of the gun chamber.
Zhang Erqi was shot in the chest, his eyes gradually lost their luster, and he fell into a pool of blood.
The servants next to the cannon were also shot. When the remaining servants saw Zhang Erqi's death, they immediately ran away.
The Ming army became more chaotic.
Yu Tianyou led the heavy armored infantry and attacked the Ming army.
The Ming army was no match for heavy armored infantry.
……………………
"Quickly, increase the speed. The victory that the heavy infantry regiment has won for us must be maintained.
Catch up with the deserters and capture Mianzhou."
Wu Jie urged Han Shuliang, the commander of the first brigade, to march quickly and run to Mianzhou to capture the city.
Through interrogating the prisoners, it was learned that Mianzhou only had 3,000 old, weak, sick and disabled people defending it.
Mianzhou must be completely captured before the Ming army gets the news and sends more troops to Mianzhou.
The Ming army numbered more than 10,000 people. They captured 6,000 to 7,000 prisoners, and most of the remaining people escaped.
Han Shuliang led his troops and ran all the way until night. He finally caught up with these people before dark.
When the deserters saw them, they had no will to resist and immediately fled. If they could not escape, they would surrender.
Han Shuliang led his troops to quickly eliminate these deserters.
Leaving some people to guard the prisoners, he continued to advance with a large army, preparing to capture Mianzhou.
……………………
Han Shuliang looked at a large city in front of him.
This city is larger than Zitong, but its military strength is not as strong as Zitong.
Han Shuliang looked at the Mianzhou city wall and saw only a few Ming troops defending it.
They did not carry heavy artillery, so they cut down the surrounding trees and built ladders.
Han Shuliang led his soldiers to conduct a tentative attack.
He did not expect that in this attack to test the strength of the Ming army, the soldiers climbed directly onto the city wall without encountering any large-scale resistance.
The Great Wall military flag was planted on the wall of Mianzhou, and they officially captured Mianzhou.
