On the shore south of Jiangpu, hundreds of horse soldiers were walking on the shore in a rather scattered formation. A huge fleet came up the river. It seemed to be everywhere along the river. Whether they were old bandits or slaves, most of them came from the north.
The whole country has never seen such a scene. The appearance of these officers and soldiers brought a sense of mystery and brought extra fear. The camp south of Jiangpu was in chaos, and various elders were suppressing it.
The place where the horse soldiers roamed was called Xinhe. It was dug by manpower during the Hongwu period. It was three miles away from Jiangpu County. It was used to berth the horse boats of Jianghuai Guards and led directly to the river. Due to the nature of the military port, the bottom of the Xinhe River is wide on the shore side.
, used for warships to turn around in the harbor.
Among the seven ships, there were three small sentinels and four canoes, anchored fifty steps away from the river bank. The ships were buzzing with gongs and drums, the officers and soldiers on the deck were holding shields, and a small number of archers behind them were shooting into the sky.
Scattered arrows fell towards the shore, and the nearby horsemen rode away one after another.
A red flag from Xiying stopped a hundred steps away, and several large flags came quickly from a distance and stopped next to Zhang Xianzhong.
"I have never fought against the officers and soldiers who came by boat!" Zhang Xianzhong touched the scar on his cheek, "The fewer officers and soldiers who come by boat, the more boats we need to cross the river."
The sweeper king who had just arrived narrowed his eyes and said, "I just said that hundreds of warships came to Puzikou. What do you mean by the seven ships here?"
"Hundreds of warships? The few ships in the pond in front have about twenty people in each ship. The hundreds of ships in Puzikou are tens of thousands of soldiers. Where did so many people come from?" A broad-faced and big-eared leader next to him hesitated.
He asked, "Is it possible that this is how the water camp in the south fights?"
King Sweeping laughed and said, "Since when has She Tuantian been so afraid of the officers and soldiers? No matter how he fights, the wooden boat will never get to the shore. King Gao Chuang will come as soon as he says it. We will set up a camp on the shore and see if they can get ashore."
On the other hand, the leader of the thieves in Big Er was Shooting the Sky. He didn't care about being teased by the Sweeping King, and said calmly, "If we weren't afraid of the officers and soldiers, why did we break up camp and set out as soon as we heard that Lu Xiangsheng had arrived?"
The Sweeping King's mouth was crooked, with an inexplicable smile. She Tuantian looked back at him and said, "This river is so wide, and there are so many chief secretaries to the south. How do you know there are no more troops coming from behind?"
"Is this what the soldiers and horses in the south of the Yangtze River look like? The small town of Jiangpu could not be captured for a long time, but it attracted so many officers and soldiers." Zhang Xianzhong's cold eyes roamed the river for a moment, then turned back to a young man behind him and said, "Wenxiu, how many soldiers are there in Puzikou?
Can you tell where the horse came from?"
The young man's face was fair, and compared with the surrounding bandits, he looked soft and cautious. He replied calmly, "Just now, Wang Gaozhao's army of boys came and said that they saw the officers and soldiers landing with their own eyes, but they haven't asked in detail yet."
"Bring him to talk."
The young man turned around, and the little boy followed him. When he saw Zhang Xianzhong, he knelt on the ground.
"I've met the master."
Zhang Xianzhong took a closer look and probably still remembered this boy army.
"What is the situation of the dog officers and soldiers in Puzikou?"
"We counted fifty-three large ships, with more than 300 armed servants, and more than thousands of soldiers. There were horses on the ships behind them, and the official flag was in the middle."
Hearing that there were horses on board, She Taotian and King Sweeping glanced at each other. This was their first encounter with the officers and soldiers transporting horses by boat.
"That's the commander-in-chief of a certain family. Did you see him ashore?"
"Don't go until we are fifty steps closer." The little boy lowered his head and said solemnly, "We haven't finished counting the boats behind us."
"Are the officers and soldiers vicious?"
"He was a bit vicious. He chased the little one all the way after getting off the boat."
Zhang Xianzhong glanced at the little boy again, and suddenly smiled at the sweeper king, "Officials like to say that strange things and good things come together. The people in this pond are all strange soldiers, and the good ones are over there. When I returned to Yinding Bridge, I left one
The hundred horses are here, how about we go to the east and weigh this group of people."
Sweeping King and Shetaotian agreed, and the three of them turned their horses and left.
The young man named Wenxiu said from behind, "Do you have anything else to ask this kid?"
Zhang Xianzhong hit the stock market and said, "Promotion team, you take it with you!"
…
One mile east of the Yinding Bridge, the First Division was marching quickly on the official road. According to Pang Yu's plan in Dangtu, the First Division did not need to worry about loading and unloading other supplies, and went straight to the Yinding Bridge after disembarking.
The distance from the pier to the Yinding Bridge is about five miles, which is only half of the armored attack journey. On weekdays, the march has a water break, but this time Yao Dongshan is not going to let the soldiers stop. He hopes to seize the Yinding Bridge before the rogues react.
.
The surrounding rice fields are desolate, with leftover grain stubble remaining in a few fields, densely planted in the dry fields. To the south, there are vast polder fields, which are still full of water.
Rogue bandits are not a good place to fight.
They have already crossed the Puzikou River outside the city. The Yinding Bridge they are going to is on the Wangjiatao River and is the main transportation route from Jiangpu County to Puzikou.
The Wangjiatao River comes from the north, collects small rivers all the way, and finally enters the river through the polder fields near Bazidu. Most local agricultural products are transported from here. At this time, the Wangjiatao River is empty, but in peacetime it is full of various small boats.
Jiangpu’s local blood.
Yinding Bridge, like other important bridges at this time, naturally formed a market because of the connection between water and land.
The crooked-faced Zheng Saner led the team at the front. Yinding Bridge was not far ahead, and there were rogues in the houses there.
After Wu Tac Choi's report last time, he was investigated by the suppression team for a long time. In the end, there was no solid evidence, and he was only made acting captain. The first division was the forward of the entire battalion, and the first flag team was the forward of the first division. And he left again.
At the front of the first flag team.
"Assault into the street, the spearmen must not leave the avenue."
The roar of the commander-in-chief came from behind, but there was no command trumpet. The garrison battalion only had drums and trumpets at the division level. Command at the bureau level relied on the officers' loud voices. This was not in line with all the military books at this time, just because Pang Yu
Simplifying the training process is the same as keeping only the sword, shield and spear. Everything is for the sake of simplicity.
Behind them were the sounds of chaotic footsteps. In addition to their first flag team, there was also a flag team of marines. Crooked Face didn't like them very much. These people didn't even have armor and used a variety of weapons. They were originally used to clear the docks.
But they rushed outside Wanfeng Gate in a swarm. Just because their weapons were suitable for close combat and their load was relatively light, they were assigned to cooperate with the First Division to seize the Silver Ingot Bridge.
Crooked Face maintained its approaching speed. The Yindingqiao Market Town in front was getting closer and closer, and the figures of the bandits became clearer. There were many people in the streets and alleys, but Mr. Qi didn't stop. It seemed that he was about to run into them.
After taking off the shield from the back, the nine-pound weight does not feel heavy when it is put on the left arm. During daily skill training, a nine-pound iron pendant is added to the left hand and five pounds to the right hand. When not wearing it in war, the left hand feels much lighter.
"Attack formation!"
Following the howl of the flag captain, the three squads of the first flag team lined up with six people in front, just covering the official road. Six swordsmen and shields advanced together, followed by twenty-four spearmen, and at the end of the team were three people in reserve.
The flag team advanced at a fast pace.
He held the shield in front of him, and looked ahead between the shield and the brim of his hat. Fifty steps away was the market town, with roars in the streets and many bandits pouring out.
Wai Lian began to breathe rapidly, and his hands and feet were filled with uncontrollable impulses. He was a little nervous in his excitement. This time they did not go through any investigation. How big the street was and how many bandits there were in it. Wai Lian had no idea. When they left, Yao
What Dongshan told them was to defeat all resistance, capture the market town at the west end of the bridge and form a defense.
A whine pierced the air, arrows flew in one after another, and the shield in his hand vibrated and made a popping sound from time to time.
Crooked Face's eyes were still exposed. The gangsters in the street in front were getting denser and denser. Archers also appeared on the walls of the houses on both sides. It seemed that there were quite a few people. A black shadow quickly enlarged. Crooked Face quickly lowered his head, and the upper part of the shield followed.
After a collision, when he looked up again, a light arrow was stuck on the edge of the shield.
The arrows became more and more dense, and Crooked Face's shield was pierced like a porcupine. There were groaning and screaming sounds behind him, and the arrows coming from the side hit the back row, just like the battle of Beixiaguan, but Crooked Face knew that it might not be able to cause
Casualties, the equipment of the First Flag Team far exceeded that of the Battle of Beixiaguan. All spearmen were equipped with scale armor or zha armor, and all auxiliary armor were available. These soldiers had to face a real arrow throwing test once a month, and they were afraid of bows and arrows.
The number has been greatly reduced, and most of those screaming are unarmored marines.
The First Flag Team was like a moving fortress, approaching at a fast pace despite the dense rain of arrows. The muscle memory formed day after day allowed Crooked Face to maintain a mechanical pace and frequency.
From the narrow field of view from the edge of the shield, the bandits gathered in the streets were retreating, their formations were disorderly, and they were crowded together in front and back, and their shouts became panicked.
The crooked face was breathing heavily, the adrenaline brought by the danger was stimulating his limbs, and the urge to slash people with a knife became more and more intense.
When I stepped into the street, bones and flying axes flew from the opposite side. The shield shook violently, and the arrows stuck on it were smashed and flew in all directions.
From behind came Mr. Qi's violent shout, "Come on!"
The flag team howled at the same time, and the spearman flattened his spear. Two spearheads appeared on each side of the crooked face, like wings growing out of him. Six sword shields carried twenty-four spears and headed towards the street ahead.
The gangsters gathered in the alley were attacked.
The attack covered the entire front, and the bandits facing the front retreated one after another. The bandits congested in the street were unable to retreat and fled into the open shopping malls and alleys. The frontal resistance disappeared in an instant.
Several bandits in front of him fled into the alleyway on the left. Crooked Face had completed his cover mission. Street fighting was the responsibility of the sword and shield. He broke away from the formation and chased into the alleyway to prevent them from attacking the spearmen from the side. The spearmen behind him swarmed from the alley entrance.
And then, continue the attack along the street.
With a crooked face, he took a few steps to catch up with the last bandit. With a fierce desire, he pointed his sword straight down and slashed at the side of the man's neck. The bandit fell to the left with flying blood.
A bandit holding a stubbed line gun appeared in front of him. This man had a thick and sinister face. He extended his line gun to seal the alleyway, looking like he was eager for a fight.
There was nowhere to move in the alleyway, and behind them were spearmen rushing past. This was the sword-and-shield duel with spears that Wanlian was familiar with on the school field.
With a trace of excitement on his crooked face, he kept walking and handed the sword to his left hand. With his right hand, he pulled out a short-handled javelin behind his back. He took a fierce step forward, ducked and turned around, and the short-handled javelin came out of his hand.
The bandit's vision was blocked by the shield, and he dodged the javelin coming towards him in panic. The gun in his hand was pointed crookedly, and he stepped forward with a crooked face. At the same time, he took out the knife in his right hand.
The waist knife in the "New Book of Jixiao" is a familiar movement that Wai Lian usually practices. He can kill the spearman as long as he penetrates the spear body. However, something went wrong at this time. He did not hold the handle of the knife with his right hand, and the shield was there.
The barrel of the gun bumped against him, and his feet were immediately confused.
The bandit reacted quickly. After panicking, he immediately took a step back, and the shortened line gun in his hand had an attacking range.
With a crooked face, he grasped the handle of the knife, assumed an active offensive stance with sword and shield, stood up and stretched forward, with the knife on his waist standing upright in front of him. Without giving the bandit time to fully prepare, he followed the footsteps and moved forward.
The bandit hurriedly thrust out his gun and stabbed fiercely towards the right side of Tengpai.
The shield tilted violently to the right side of the crooked face. This is a common scene when swords, shields and spears are played. After thousands of trainings, the crooked face immediately turned sideways to the left. After rolling the card, it quickly moved along the barrel of the gun, forming a
In the situation of riding a dragon with a saber on his waist, the bandit couldn't close his gun in time. He only took one step back, his crooked face had already caught up with him, and the bandit slashed straight at the front door of the bandit with his saber. (Note 1)
…
Note 1: Most of the changes in waist knife tactics recorded in "Jixiao New Book" come from the style of opening and tying clothes. There are also equations such as pantou, rolling cards, riding a dragon, and diagonal movement, which ordinary soldiers can learn and use. The most difficult one is
The low-profile type that doubles as a javelin is difficult for ordinary soldiers to use proficiently, and they make many mistakes in battle.