As a result, letters asking for help continued to be sent to Wuzhen. The continuous letters asking for help annoyed the young prince Xu Wenjue. Ordinarily, Xu Wenjue should lead the army and stationed near Tongling at this time, but the rogue bandits were powerful, and Xu Wenjue was afraid that something would go wrong.
, trapped themselves in, and stayed in Wuzhen. At present, the Xuanfu army has defended Luzhou City, and has recaptured Shucheng, Gushan, Lengshuiguan and other places. The possibility of the rogue bandits forcing their way across the Wujiang River is almost zero. The Beijing camp troops are stationed there.
Wuzhen is completely meaningless, but Xu Wenjue is still unwilling to leave for Tongling. Xu Wenjue also wants to conquer the battlefield, but when he makes a real move, his legs tremble, and he is helpless!
Now that Wu Shixun wants reinforcements again, Mr. Xu is very embarrassed. He keeps trembling with his letter and complains: "What does Wu Shixun want to do? He will not give up until all the soldiers and horses around me are gone? Most of the troops have been transferred to Tongling, and he still needs me."
How are you, Master?"
The faces of several generals and guerrilla generals nearby were distorted when they heard this. Some of them even suppressed their laughter. Fortunately, they tried their best to hold it back. The young man was really speechless. The old man threw him into the army for training.
, just hoping to sharpen up a bit so that the young master can take over. It would be better for the younger master to retreat if there is danger. Is this still a bit of experience?
Nowadays, defending Tongling is the most important thing. Even if all the troops are invested, it is still worthwhile. As for the young prince, he will not be able to sleep well without an army of 20,000 to 30,000 people protecting him. The young prince actually wants to return to Nanjing.
It's a pity that he was afraid of his old man's killing stick and didn't dare to go back. As a result, the soldiers also stayed in Wuzhen to watch the scenery. This situation has made many people unhappy.
Another day passed, and another letter was delivered to Wuzhen. Xu Wenjue had to take this letter seriously, because this letter was sent by his father Xu Hongji. After reading the letter, Xu Wenjue put on a
With a bitter face, Xu Hongji spoke harshly and ordered the Wuzhen Jingying troops to rush to the aid of Tongling. He put the letter on the table and snorted unhappily, "Wu Shixun, you...
The old guy is so shady in doing things that he actually went to the old man. Huh, isn't it just to help Tongling? Why don't I go? The old man is the same, and he doesn't cherish his son's life at all."
The generals all looked at each other, no one dared to answer. The young master was always confused, so what should I do? He didn't even think about it, could Wu Shixun not understand what was going on? Today in Tongling
The war is urgent, and Wuzhen has not sent troops yet. He must think of other ways. Besides, even if Wu Shixun doesn't tell, the old man doesn't know about Wuzhen? The young man is still too naive, he really thinks he is hiding in Wuzhen
, my husband doesn’t know anything?
With Xu Hongji's strict order, Xu Wenjue could only order all the ministries to march out and send troops to Tongling. Luo Yangxing, the commander of the avant-garde battalion, led the troops, and the ministries followed one after another, but Xu Wenjue's headquarters lagged behind.
Wuzhen is not far from Tongling. In half a day, the vanguard arrived at Nijianghe Town in the north of Tongling. Now Nijianghe Town has completely fallen into the hands of the peasant army. In order to prevent reinforcements from the Beijing camp from continuing to pour into the Tongling battlefield, Li Zicheng even
Li Yan sent troops to Nijianghe Town. The arrival of Wuzhen soldiers and horses naturally could not be concealed from Li Yan. Li Yan had already ordered several soldiers and horses to ambush on the south bank of Nijiang River, waiting for the officers and soldiers to arrive.
At three quarters in the afternoon, the warmest time of the day, Luo Yangxing's troops entered the peasant army's ambush formation. Although the vanguard battalion led by Luo Yangxing was not as good as the Tuishan battalion, it was also a very capable soldier among the 16th battalion in Nanjing.
In addition, Luo Yangxing had already been mentally prepared, and quickly ordered his soldiers to maintain a compact formation. Relying on firecrackers and shield walls, he actually fought back and forth with the peasant army, which was several times his own size.
Luo Yangxing responded calmly, while Li Yan, who had always been at the rear, was also mature and steady beyond his years. Seeing that Luo Yangxing's troops were not in chaos, he was not in a hurry, but said to his subordinates who were sending orders: "Tell the people on the left and right wings,
There is no need to fight, just retreat and wait on the shore. Also, the archers who were ambushing us before are not allowed to fire a single arrow without my order."
"Yes." The messenger walked away in a hurry. Li Yan hugged his arms and observed the battlefield in the distance. Beside him, there were several Nongming County chiefs. The youngest of these people was thirteen years older than Li Yan, but
They did not dare to have any dissatisfaction. At the beginning, when Li Zicheng asked them to take orders from Li Yan, everyone saw that Li Yan was young and dissatisfied, and even made things difficult many times, but Li Yan easily handled them all.
In the confrontation with the officers and soldiers, Li Yan managed the situation well and did not panic, which made them, the old guys on the battlefield, feel ashamed. Gradually, the resentment in his heart also subsided. No matter where he is, as long as he is in the military camp, as long as he has real ability,
It is easy to gain respect from others.
Li Yan ordered the left and right wings to withdraw from the battlefield. Luo Yangxing quickly noticed it. He did not let his troops deploy their formations, but still maintained a dense defensive posture. However, Luo Yangxing still had some doubts in his heart.
I don't know what the other person wants to do.
At the other end, Wuzhen soldiers and horses have arrived at Nijiang River one after another. Even Xu Wenjue's central army is less than five miles away from Nijiang River at this time. Subsequent soldiers and horses crossed the river, but this time they were not as strong as before.
It went well. Halfway across the river, we saw many heads popping up from the other side, followed by a hail of arrows, and everyone was caught off guard.
The generals obviously did not expect to encounter such a situation. Luo Yangxing's vanguard camp had been in front for most of the day, and there were still a large number of ambush troops hiding by the river. This was too strange. Under a hail of arrows, the speed of crossing the river dropped rapidly.
.
Xu Wenjue drove his horse over and saw the army lying on the north bank. He couldn't help but said angrily: "Why are you stopping? Hurry up and cross the river. Are you blocking the cold wind here? Do you want to make some fires for you?" Xu Wenjue was very angry.
, I was already tired enough, so I just wanted to cross the river and have a good rest. Unexpectedly, when I came to the river, a group of people stopped moving forward.
Someone hurried over and told what had happened. When he heard that a large number of peasant troops were ambushing on the other side, covered with arrows, Xu Wenjue was immediately startled. In fact, if Xu Wenjue had enough experience in leading troops, he would definitely be able to
It was judged that there would not be too many ambush troops on the other side, because Tongling City was the main battlefield. But Xu Wenjue was inexperienced, and he was a bit stubborn and did not listen to other people's advice.
Sensing the danger ahead, Xu Wenjue immediately ordered: "Go around to the east and go around from the northeast. We are all thinking hard. The bandits in front are blocking us. Do we have to go from here? The whole army obeyed the order and aimed at Digang. They detoured to aid Tongling.
.”
Several generals and guerrilla generals were all dumbfounded. One general was so anxious that he almost smoked. He raised his hands and said: "Young Master, you must not do this. If you go around Ogi Port from here, it will take two extra days to travel."
.You say that soldiers are valuable and quick, so it will be fine if we run more legs, but the general is afraid that the Tongling side will not be able to hold out for so long."
Xu Wenjue stared at each other and said angrily: "If Wu Shixun can't last even these two days, then he is useless. Huh, besides, do I listen to you or to me? Do you want to give me the command? I will be happy and free."
Woolen cloth!"
Seeing that Xu Wenjue was really angry, everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and no one dared to say anything. The army took a detour, which was fine, but this made Luo Yangxing suffer. Luo Yangxing fought on the other side for a long time,
When he found that the follow-up troops had not yet arrived, and then the messenger sent an order to retreat, Luo Yangxing was confused at the time. He was a good vanguard, so why did the young master have to make a detour? This detour, he
This vanguard becomes the lone army at the rear.
Luo Yangxing knew his young father-in-law too well, and it was almost certain that the young grandfather was cowarded again. Seeing that the situation was not good, Luo Yangxing immediately ordered his troops to retreat. With his move, Li Yan naturally would not let go of the opportunity, and ordered the left and right wings to fight again
Pressure came up, and this time, Luo Yangxing's avant-garde battalion fell into a hard fight. The avant-garde battalion fought and retreated. With the support of the rear troops and horses, they finally withdrew to the north bank. The battle damage could be inventoried, and one-third of the casualties were lost. Luo Yangxing almost
Didn't cry.
The young master is so good at deceiving people, how can he lead troops to fight like this? Changing the plan easily is like child's play. Luo Yangxing was unhappy, but he couldn't say anything at this time. No matter how dissatisfied he was, he had to wait until he returned to Nanjing to express his dissatisfaction.
The old man's reaction. There is no reason to argue with the young man. This young man can do whatever he wants and knows nothing about military affairs.
Under Xu Wenjue's order, the Wuzhen soldiers and horses chose to detour to Digang. After learning the news, Commander-in-Chief Wu Shixun stared up at the sky and sighed. It would take at least two days to detour to Digang. Wu Shixun didn't know how much longer he could defend under the current situation.
Two days?
In contrast, Wuzhen reinforcements were forced to reroute, but the morale of the peasant army was greatly boosted. They no longer had any worries, and Wang Yan's troops joined the Tongling battlefield, which made the dilapidated Tongling city even worse. At this time, Li Zicheng changed again
He not only increased the intensity of the siege, but also separated the waves of attacks, one after another, never stopping, even after nightfall, the attack continued without interruption.
Attacking the city at night would be beneficial to the defenders, but Li Zicheng didn't care. He seemed to be more willing to sacrifice more lives to take down the hard nut of Tongling.
Attacking the city continuously at night, the Tongling defenders did not even have time to rest. At this point, all the tung oil and other materials used to defend the city were used up, and all the holes were filled with human lives. To this extent, the nerves of both sides were exhausted.
It's so tight, it all depends on which side can't hold on first. Obviously, it's harder for the Tongling garrison to hold on.
The soldiers were exhausted after fighting until now, and now they had to fight fiercely at night. In the second half of the night, many soldiers couldn't hold it anymore and took a nap against the city wall, unable to wake up even if they shouted.
The Tongling garrison's mental and physical strength had reached its limit. Even if Wu Shixun could boost morale, it would not be able to change the overall situation at this level.
Finally, the east city of Tongling began to loosen up, and the peasant army once again attacked the city. This time, the gap was no longer filled as quickly as before, but was torn open wider and wider. The speed was so fast that people could not react in time. But this time
It was still the strong man Liu Zongmin who led the troops to the city.
It didn't take more than an hour from the opening of the gap in the east city wall to the collapse of the entire east city wall. The biggest impact of the collapse of the east city wall was the collapse of morale. The atmosphere that I had been holding on to finally collapsed, and morale was like the tide breaking the embankment.
Can't take it back either.
The east city was in chaos, and then came the south city, which the peasant army had been attacking. Suddenly, Tongling was in panic everywhere, smoke and dust billowed, and the sound of fighting came from far to near.
Wu Shixun's long sword was on the ground, his long hair was disheveled, and his helmet had already rolled down somewhere. At this moment, he knew in his heart that Tongling could not be defended.
A long spear in Gu Changhe's hand was like a Shura on the street, covered in blood. Finally he came to Wu Shixun's side, and he shouted loudly: "Commander Wu, withdraw. Tongling cannot defend it. If we don't withdraw, it will be too late."
Wu Shixun looked up to the sky and sighed, two lines of thick tears streaming down his face. The night wind was so cold that his heart stopped suddenly. He clenched the handle of the knife, but his voice was extremely sad, "Tongling cannot be protected, you and I are both sinners..."
.... When the Japanese pirates were rampant, they were still standing strong at the same age, but I didn’t expect that they would fall in the hands of you and me today..."
Gu Changhe was shocked. He clearly felt that Wu Shixun was ready to die in battle. He was even more anxious now, "General Wu, don't think too much. We will discuss whether this matter is right or wrong in the future. There are still people in the city."
More than 30,000 brothers are fighting, but it’s all looking at you. Not for yourself, but for the sake of these 30,000 brothers, please cheer up Mr. Wu..."
These words fell into his ears, like an enlightenment. Wu Shixun was a determined person. When he came to his senses, he drew his sword and walked to the south gate unwillingly.
"Send a signal and all the ministries in the city will gather towards Nancheng and break out in the direction of Diggang..."
Ogang, when I talk about this place, I feel a sense of sadness in my heart. Should I blame the young father-in-law? Or should I thank the young father-in-law?
Wu Shixun gathered the remaining soldiers to break out from Nancheng. In order to survive, all the soldiers under his command took the lead. Li Zicheng was not a greedy person. Since Tongling City was already within easy reach, there was no need to chase the officers and soldiers. Now the officers and soldiers still have the strength to fight, and they are desperate.
, you may not be able to get any benefits.
By the early morning of the next day, Wu Shixun retreated all the way, and when he arrived near Diggang, there were only more than 20,000 troops left in his army. At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds and mist, driving away the cold, Wu Shixun's defeated army also encountered a delay.
Reinforcements arrived from Wuzhen.
Facing the bewildered Xu Wenjue, Wu Shixun didn't want to say a word. If it weren't for the sake of her husband, he was afraid that he would not be able to help but stab someone with a knife.
After the fall of Tongling, Li Zicheng quickly deployed heavy troops to Tongling and built fortifications on both sides of the Nijiang River. There was a tendency to use Tongling as a stronghold and radiate in all directions.
When the news reached Yingtian Mansion in Nanjing, the officials of the six departments in Nanjing all changed their expressions. The news was so shocking and too big that they couldn't cover it up even if they wanted to. The news of the fall of Tongling quickly spread throughout Southern Zhili.
In response to the turmoil in Tianfu, local gentry and dignitaries petitioned the court to quickly stop the rogue bandits. Many people had already begun to pack up their belongings and prepare to go north along the river to take refuge in Yangzhou.