Crowds of people surged on the wall of Dong'a City, and the people outside the martial arts field fled to the four fields, turning into groups of small black spots in the wilderness. Thick smoke billowed in the martial arts field, and several fires came out. Many soldiers chased and killed each other in the tents.
, in the east racecourse, frightened horses collided and stampeded on each other.
There was a bang at the south gate, and several Qing soldiers who had fled to the door screamed and fell to the ground. Debris flew from the wooden door. The Qing soldiers behind had no time to pay attention to these comrades, and continued to run around the corpses and wounded on the ground.
Seeing the Qing troops running out, the people on the top of the city pointed at them and shouted curses, as if they could kill these Qing troops with their voices. After going out, the Qing troops panicked and chose their way, some going east and some going west. They were not in a queue.
He fled in despair.
The red cavalry from the north came along the post road and split into two routes north of the martial arts field. One went off the road and went around to the west, while the other continued to the north gate.
The cavalry quickly cleared the road outside the north gate, and the queues swarmed in. The martial arts field was gradually filled with red. The red cavalry bypassed the west side and chased the Jiannu who fled west. Whenever a Qing army fell, the city began to collapse.
There was a roar of joy.
The red cavalry queue chased the Qing army and rushed towards Dongchang Mansion in the west.
…
After a while, there were more and more people on the Dong'a city wall, and there were still people holding "avoid" signs at the city tower.
Chen Rulie stood at the south gate of the martial arts arena. Broken limbs and pieces of meat were scattered in front of the door. A group of prisoners were escorted from the martial arts arena, numbering about twenty people. Their hands were tied, and their hairstyles were either money rat tail or Mongolian style.
A head full of pigtails. .??.
The Anqing soldiers who drove away beat and kicked the prisoners, and some used knives to cut the prisoners' faces. These Qing soldiers did not dare to resist at all. They looked exhausted and squatted on the ground outside the south gate in silence, showing off their power like before.
The appearance is completely different.
As these prisoners appeared, the shouts and curses at the top of Dong'a City began to boil again.
"One hundred and thirty-seven people were killed, and a total of twenty-three people were captured. Most of them were Mongolian and Han troops from outside the vassal state. They reported that there were 200 people outside the city of Dongchang Prefecture. The ratio of Zhenyi, Mongolian, and Han troops was almost the same as here.
The order given to them is to detect whether there is a large group of officers and soldiers in the south, station in Dong'a until tomorrow, and then go to Pingyin... There is no large group of slaves in the south."
In the midst of the commotion, Qian Headquarters' combat officer was reporting loudly beside Chen Rulie. He stepped on a section of his arm and almost fell into a pool of blood.
Chen Rulie asked as he walked, "What are the losses of the Rangers?"
"Fourteen people were killed and twenty-two were wounded. Only about forty more are still usable. Two of the captains were among the dead. The team must be reorganized today, otherwise it will be incomplete again."
Chen Rulie frowned after hearing this. The sneak attack went better than expected. The rangers alone defeated the Qing army in the martial arts field. Most of the remaining troops inside were Mongolian and Han troops from outside the vassal. There were not many true barbarians, and a small number of true barbarians finally ended up.
The counterattack still caused Ranger losses, and the reconnaissance force continued to weaken.
After a long while, Chen Rulie turned around and said to Zhan Hua beside him, "Send Tang Ma to Tongcheng Station and report the situation to Pang Pang. Since Zan Hua wants to go south, there is still half a day left today.
, the carriage can reach Dong'a before dark."
After Zan Hua left, Chen Rulie called the flag officer, "Go and tell the city tower that the Anqing camp beheaded two hundred people at Tongcheng Station and more than a hundred people at the martial arts field. We need the county government to send someone to verify the merit report and let them
Send someone over quickly and ask them to report it to Dongchang Mansion after checking it."
"Mr. Qian, the person who beheaded more than two hundred people was in Sansanlipu."
Chen Rulie waved his hand, "Sanlipu is from Chiping, but Dong'a can't test it, so let's talk about Tongchengyi."
The chess and card hall responded. Before he went to the city tower, a ranger had already rushed over. He said loudly, "Sir, Mr. Qian, the man on the city tower over there asked us if it was the Nanzhi Nan that we passed by some time ago."
Bing, he also said that the magistrate is on the top of the city tower, please come over and talk..."
Chen Rulie was stunned for a moment. Ever since they left Beixia Pass, they had never been seen by the prefecture or county. They were all on guard against thieves. It was considered a favor to allow them to send people into the city to purchase.
Dong'a now took the initiative to talk to him, explaining that there was a possibility of purchasing, but this was of little use to the Anqing camp. The army was not short of food now. If Dong'a could open the city gate, it would be a timely help to the Anqing camp.
The Dong'a city wall is four miles and ten paces. The wall is 2 feet and 5 feet high. There are no collapsed gaps. The size is very suitable for the current size of Anqing Camp. If it can enter Dong'a County, Anqing Camp will not have to continue to retreat south. With such a complete city wall,
With artillery and armored heavy infantry to defend the city, attacking such a city would be very difficult for any army.
However, judging from the previous experience, the possibility of the magistrate allowing the army to enter the city is very low, especially since there are no civilian officials in the Anqing camp to lead the troops, because such decisions usually have to consider the opinions of the gentry in the city, and most of the gentry are very disgusted with the guest troops.
However, Chen Rulie still planned to give it a try. He stepped on the bloody stumps on the ground and walked out of the south gate. As soon as he passed the prisoner's position, he suddenly heard Zhan Zanhua shouting from behind.
He stopped and waited for Zan Hua to catch up to him. The battle Zan Hua's face was red, and before he could stand still, he hurriedly said, "The Chinese army issued an urgent order. Around the first quarter of the hour, about a thousand Tatar cavalry surrounded the training ground. In the third round,
More than 40 people were lost during the retreat, and the rest returned to Tongchengyi. Jiannu had arrived in the north of Tongchengyi. When he sent the message, he was detouring to the south. The number of forwards was 200, and the army ordered a large number of people. Due to the unknown enemy situation, Dong'a
The cavalry does not need to return to Tongchengyi immediately. General Chen Qian will lead the battle on his own and find the enemy's weak points to attack."
Chen Rulie's expression changed from gloomy to bright, and people around him did not dare to disturb him. The flag bearers heard nearby all looked nervous. They had just won the victory in Dong'a. In just half a day, the Anqing Battalion could get rid of the embarrassing situation of being attacked from both sides and break away from the Qing army.
After contact, they will be able to fully grasp the initiative in subsequent operations. Now that the Qing army is besieging Tongchengyi, the previous victory over the Qing army in Dong'a has been wiped out, and the situation of the garrison has deteriorated sharply.
"Cut off the thumbs of all the prisoners and order the cavalry to assemble." Chen Rulie looked up at the ranger just now and said, "Take me to see the county magistrate immediately."
…
In Tongcheng Station, Pang Yu looked at the telescope from the west gate tower. About a hundred Jiannu cavalry were scattered in the fields to the west. Several generals pointed at a gap on the north side.
Even though Zan Hua Fang was aware of the Qing army, he still underestimated their mobility. The Qing army probably completed its mobilization at night. Their cavalry came with great force and directly besieged the outpost's training center. In the third game
Suffered heavy losses during the breakout.
Because Chen Rulie led troops to attack Dong'a, there were only three regular cavalry bureaus left in the post, one of which had just retreated from the training ground with only half of its men left. This made Tongcheng Post's defense even more stretched, especially the light infantry.
Looking towards the cross street from the west gate, a continuous stream of people are rushing from the south city to the north city.
On the west gate tower, heavy infantrymen of a flag team are being deployed. More than a dozen civilian workers are stacking the barricades. There are bamboo baskets stacked in front of the barricades, and the civilian workers are loading bricks and stones into them. On the city ladder facing north, seven or eight civilian workers are pushing a
Mopan Ladder to the City.
On the wall section thirty steps south of the Ximen Tower, five or six millstones were placed crosswise to disrupt the Qing army's offensive formation.
The two artillery pieces were placed at the north and south city ladders respectively. Pang Yu only defended the north city, involving three city gates. These three towers were the core positions of the defense and controlled the city walls and city walls at the same time.
Inside and outside the city, the weak point is the city ladder.
Therefore, a barricade was built under the city tower. Bamboo baskets filled with bricks, stones and soil were stacked to raise the ground by three feet, and bamboo baskets were used to build parapets on top. The city gate openings were also guarded by barricades, and the outer parts of the inside were blocked.
Full of bricks and stones, with various supplies stored in the inner position, this barricade not only controls the streets but also guards the city ladder.
Zhuang Chaozheng's Qianzong Banner was set up on Cross Street. This time, the Guards Division was the absolute main force, and the remaining cavalry could only serve as light infantry to cooperate with them. Cross Street was the focus of the city's defense, and the barricades were piled with various materials. A bureau's heavy infantry was deployed
There, groups of peasants were still carrying bamboo baskets.
Tongchengyi is a long strip from north to south. Towns and cities are built on the post roads. The defense of Anqing camp is also deployed along the post roads that pass through the city. There are five large barricades from the cross street to the north, which have been built to
Under the north gate, even though the slaves had arrived, construction was still in progress.
In terms of overall deployment, there is one heavy infantry bureau each at the West Gate, Cross Street, East Gate, and North Gate, with the remaining one serving as a reserve. The cavalry can only be used as auxiliary light infantry.
Another reliance for defending the city is the small bronze cannon of the Anqing Battalion. Since the heavy armored troops have fewer long-range strike forces, the artillery establishment of the Guards Division is twice that of the regular infantry. According to the establishment, each division has four guns, and the Thousand Headquarters has eight guns directly under it. In total,
Sixteen courses, 14 of which were completed in actual training before departure, two of which were left behind in Anqing.
On the way, due to the collapse of the carriage frame, one gun barrel was damaged, leaving eleven guns. The cavalry headquarters organized a total of eight artillery guns. Four guns directly under the artillery department went to Dong'a, and there were actually four guns left in Tongchengyi.
Anqing camp has a total of fifteen two-and-a-half-pound bronze cannons, carrying 1,100 pieces of ammunition, 60% of which are live ammunition and 40% of shotshells. Each cannon has an average of seventy rounds.
Each of the three city gates is equipped with two cannons on the towers, which can be used to go up and down the city walls through city ladders. They are mainly equipped with solid ammunition. Four cannons are equipped at the cross streets, and the rest are distributed in subsequent barricades.
It is nearly two miles from the west gate through the city wall to the south gate, and several places have collapsed. Due to too many collapsed places, it is impossible for the Qing army to attack along the city wall. Pang Yu planned to abandon Nancheng directly, but at this time there were still cavalry on guard in Nancheng.
, the Qing troops outside the city did not dare to enter the city, after all, they were ambushed in the town yesterday.
All the barricades are still under construction, and the gaps in the north wall have just been repaired and are not yet complete. The civilian workers organized by the baggage team are working hard to compete with the Qing army for time.
The Qing army's forward shows signs of continuing south, and may head to Beidingpu to encircle the Anqing camp in Tongchengyi. This Qing army's forward will definitely be very cautious, and it is impossible to defeat them by ambushes and sneak attacks. Pang Yu
The cavalry in hand was divided into two places, and Tongchengpu's scattered defense made it impossible to assemble. If there was a regular battle, Dong'a's three rounds would not be able to defeat the Qing army's forward.
About a thousand Qing troops raided the training ground. I wonder if there will be more follow-up. Cao Cao's hundreds of old battalions were defeated by the Qingliu River until Pang Yu was disgraced. Now facing thousands of Qing cavalry, they dare not force their way under their threat.
To retreat, the only option left is to stick to Tongchengyi.
Pang Yu put down the telescope and heard Tu Dianli next to him whisper, "The villain made a mistake in his prediction and the army was besieged. Please punish me."
"The Tatars surrounded Xuan's army all night. We all underestimated the enemy. The responsibility lies with me." Pang Yu shook his head. After yesterday's battle, he should have sent out cavalry to attack Dong'a immediately. If everything went well like today, he could have retreated to Dong'a overnight last night.
Ah, today we have crossed the Daqing River and entered the mountains. It will be difficult for the Qing army to catch up. "When will the barricades be completed? How is the progress of making fire mines?"
"If the Tatars don't attack, it can be completed tonight. Huolei has recruited enough people. It's just a waste of time to borrow firecrackers and polish bamboo tubes. Now we're looking for another batch."
Woman, just use cloth to wrap gunpowder and iron nails, and you can finish two thousand tonight."
Pang Yu nodded, "There are still not enough light infantry for combat. It would be good to recruit some strong ones from civilians, transport officials, and ordinary people to do some auxiliary work."
Tu Dianli came closer and said, "Most of the people in the Dunbao are raised by wandering bandits. These people can only be used as laborers. The mule and horsemen recruited by Anqing to make a living can actually bring out some people. There are escorts here in Tongchengyi
There are many people there, many people practice martial arts, and more than a hundred people have been recruited, including two people who are practicing martial arts."
Pang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "Give them the spare weapons of the Guards Division, and give the strong ones armor to cooperate with the heavy armored soldiers in combat. Make arrangements as soon as possible."
"My subordinates will take care of it immediately." Tu Dianli turned around and hurried towards the cross street.
After he walked far away, Ponting's voice said beside him, "Master, there are no ships here, but there are only a dozen Jiannu outside the south gate. Lead a cavalry bureau to rush over. When you reach Dong'a, continue walking south. Jiannu
I won’t be able to catch up.”
Pang Yu turned and looked towards the cross street, frowned and said, "If I leave, what do you think the remaining people here will think?"
"I just said we were going to mobilize troops."
Pang Yu glanced at him, "Do you believe it?"
Ponting shook his head, "I don't believe it."
"I should lead my troops to Dong'a by myself. Leaving in the morning is completely different from leaving now." Pang Yu finished speaking bitterly and turned to look at the city, "If I leave now, everyone will know what's going on.
The morale of those who stay behind will be low, and some may follow them to escape. Everyone will have their own plans. Once the military morale is lost, the city will collapse without a fight. The Jiannu will conquer this place and kill all the people in the city. Anqing
After the camp, when I saw Jian Nu, I had no intention of fighting to the death."
Pang Ding waited for a while and then said, "Young Master always says that risks should be equal to rewards. There is no escape here. Young Master, is it worthwhile for you to take such a big risk?"
"This is the edge of Jiannu's offensive. No matter how hard Tongcheng Station is broken, there is still a wall. It is not that easy to fight. There are heavy infantry and artillery guarding the small town. The Tatars need to mobilize troops from other parts of the front. The direction of the army is completely different.
Changes, logistics and supply have to be rearranged, their plans are completely messed up, and the slave army invades the invaders. I think they are not tolerant of casualties. Now they have grabbed things. The Tatars are also human beings, and they have no shortage of food.
Wear it, even grab a coat, and go back to Liaodong to live a good life. Who is willing to risk everything. So I think the risk may not be as big as it seems. If we can defend this place, our Anqing camp will not be afraid of the Tatars in the future.
"
Pang Ding glanced at Pang Yu secretly, "What if the young master guesses wrong? Master, you have guessed correctly several times about fighting."
Pang Yu chuckled, turned around and walked towards the city ladder, "I have decided to stay. You go to Dong'a and tell Chen Rulie not to fight Jiannu head-on. You don't have to go back to Tongchengyi to make him bolder and more flexible.
some."
Pang Ding hurriedly followed behind, "Then I will stay with the young master. If the young master is gone, I will not be able to go back to see the master."
Pang Yu stopped and looked at Pang Ding. Pang Ding buried his head and said nothing. Pang Yu smiled and said, "Then you go with the young master."
"Master, where are we going?"
Pang Yu said seriously, "Every section of the city wall, every barricade, every place where fire mines are made, every place where wounded soldiers are placed, let everyone know that Anqing Deputy Commander Pang Yu is guarding this city with them."
.”
…
Note 1: Tongcheng Yi has a tradition of escorting. Martial arts training became popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties. More than 20 people have won the top prize in martial arts and won martial arts exams. It is famous for Tongcheng Erlang Boxing, which originated in the Chenghua period. There is a saying that "boxing does not hit Tongcheng."