After listening to the conversation between A Shu, Boyan and others, Shi Yuqi felt very deep in her heart. She thought to herself, "Back then, when I left the country for Lin'an, the Mongolian army had no chance before the battle. When the situation was unfavorable, they could do so at any time.
The idea of retreating. Now, before the war begins, we first consider the retreat when an unfavorable situation arises. Obviously, compared with the Song army, our army is already in a psychologically weak position."
However, Shi Yuqi, who knew the power of firearms, understood that this was indeed a helpless move.
The quality of the Yuan army was extremely high. After the order was issued, only a quarter of an hour later, Ashahan led 10,000 cavalry troops to set off from the camp. In addition to the 5,000 Yuan army infantry left behind, the remaining 50,000 cavalry troops
Under the personal command of generals such as A Shu and Boyan, the army also left Nanyang one after another.
Although the rain was not heavy, the muddy road also made the Yuan army's war horses only reach half the speed of normal times. More than four hours later, the Yuan army reached about 300 meters east of Dengzhou City.
"General Atahai, you go back to the city directly. According to the plan, your troops will launch an attack from north to south." Boyan ordered. "Tell General Zhang to be flexible."
"Yes. General Boyan." Atahai shouted "Come on" and then left to the west.
It took about half an hour for the 60,000 troops to gradually gather in one place. After being wet in the light rain for such a long time, even the strong Mongolian cavalry felt a little uncomfortable.
Ali Hague said: "I didn't expect it took so long. It's already a quarter past three o'clock (3:45 in the morning). Commander, do you want to rest for a while before launching the attack?"
Ah Shu shook his head and said: "The soldiers have been exposed to the rain for a long time. The rain will not stop for a while. Once we stop to rest, our bodies will become sluggish. At present, we can only strive for a quick victory. Ah Shu
General Assassin Hai."
"The end will be here."
"You lead your troops as the vanguard. Set off immediately. Attack from the southwest."
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief. I will obey the order."
"General Ali Hague. You will follow immediately with 20,000 troops."
"Yes. Marshal."
"General Guo Kan and General Kong Yuan. You each lead 10,000 troops to assist the attack. Attack from both wings."
"Yes. Marshal."
Boyan said: "My generals, although rainy days are not conducive to horses, bows and arrows, it is much easier to deal with than firearms. Our army is in the rain, and the enemy is also in the rain. This is a battle of wills. And
This is also the strength of our army. Okay, let’s go.”
Generally speaking, in ancient times, they only marched on rainy days and basically did not fight. If nothing else, it was not something ordinary soldiers could bear if their armor was soaked by rain. Although the Yuan army cavalry all went into battle lightly. And
It's raining again. It's still very uncomfortable.
A large-scale military operation cannot be hidden from the Song army's scouts. When the Yuan army from Nanyang arrived outside Dengzhou City, I had already ordered all the armies to stand ready. Although the number of cavalry troops was far less than that of the other side, for more than a hundred years.
The Song army has been training the tactics of defeating the cavalry with their feet. Coupled with the great victory in the Battle of Xiangyang, their morale is high. The fear of the so-called invincible Mongolian cavalry is much less.
The distance was getting closer and closer. A trench eighty meters away temporarily slowed down the Yuan army cavalry. Yuan Ji, who had excellent eyesight and hearing, stood on a high platform in person. He kept talking about the Yuan army to Wanyan Tianlei.
trends.
Hundreds of soldiers of the Yuan Dynasty, under the command of a captain, placed long wooden boards on the trench. The first batch of cavalry immediately rushed through the trench.
At this moment, the sound of artillery suddenly sounded. It was like thunder on this rainy day.
"What? Can we still fire in rainy days?" Arakhan was shocked. However, at this time, he could not allow him to think too much. The military orders were overwhelming. The 10,000 cavalrymen in the vanguard battalion did not care about the explosion of the artillery, although they were quite scared in their hearts. Still rushing forward bravely.
It was difficult for artillery to hit the target in the rain, and the explosive force was much weaker. However, the wooden planks on the trench could not withstand the repeated explosions of the artillery. After being blown to pieces, they fell into the trench one after another.
The more than 2,000 cavalry troops rushing in front soon encountered the Song Army's blockade. Nearly 5,000 infantry troops led by the 20th Army rushed out of the camp outside Shangying Village with weapons in hand. The heavy-armored infantry troops They swung heavy weapons and smashed them at enemies or war horses. For convenience, the Yuan army cavalry wore simple armor. In addition, their speed was limited in the rain. It was basically impossible to avoid a blow from the heavy armored army. The Yuan army was knocked off their horses by the heavy armored army before they could react. Then they were attacked by the swords and guns of the infantry soldiers beside the heavy armored army. They were immediately in a panic.
At the same time, more than 20,000 Yuan troops directly north of Shangying Village, under the command of Zhang Hongfan and Atahai, also began to launch an attack.
The visibility was already very low on rainy days. Plus it was early in the morning. Crete could only give the firing order based on his feeling. With one order, the fifteen artillery pieces of the third artillery battalion roared in unison.
Most of the Yuan troops in Dengzhou City had participated in the Battle of Guanzitan. They knew how powerful artillery was. At this time, they saw the roar of artillery again. They couldn't help but panic. However, due to the strict military regulations of the Yuan army, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward. Rushed forward. Although not many soldiers died under the artillery fire, they were divided into two parts. The soldiers in front were intercepted by the Song army who rushed out. The two sides fought in one place with the help of weak light. The one responsible for the defense of the north The main force is more than 20,000 soldiers from the 18th and 19th divisions of the Xiangyang Military Region. They are personally commanded by Lv Wenhuan, the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army in the middle.
During this melee, the rain suddenly intensified. Crete had no choice but to order the artillery to stop firing temporarily. Taking this opportunity, the Yuan troops behind them rushed up one after another.
At this time, the movements of both sides slowed down as the rain intensified. Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether the person in front was an enemy or a friend. From the outside, it looked like a slow motion in a TV show. It could clearly be stabbed with one shot. It hit the opponent's target, but it couldn't hit it accurately at all.
The Yuan army had no experience in fighting in heavy rain, and the Song army also had no experience. The battle situation to the north of Shangying Village was intertwined. The battle situation to the northeast was slightly different.
As the number of the Yuan army continued to increase, all the soldiers in the 15th and 16th compartments of the Xiangyang Military Region also participated in the melee. The Song army's goal was very clear. That was the opponent's war horses. Although people could not distinguish them clearly, the war horses only had The Yuan army owned it. The Song army's war horses did not appear on the battlefield in front of the camp.
Once knocked off the horse, the advantage of the Yuan army's cavalry was lost by more than half. It was like a normal man competing with a blind man. If he suddenly arrived in a dark room, the blind man would naturally have the advantage.
As the commander of both sides, like Ah Shu and Boyan, I can't figure out the advantages and disadvantages on the battlefield. Even Yuan Ji, the supreme master, can't see clearly. In the face of nature, human power will eventually become insignificant.
Even the Yuan Army's Qingxue, who later joined the battle, or our army's Black Carbon Regiment and other elite troops, had no effect in the heavy rain. Outside of Shangying Village, except for the Yulin Army, all the soldiers on the battlefield combined There were no less than 100,000 people, but most of every soldier's energy was spent fighting against the heavy rain.
If the heavy rain does not stop, then the competition between the soldiers of both sides will be perseverance and endurance. As Boyan said, it is a contest of wills. However, today's Song Army is no longer what it used to be, and its willpower is not inferior to that of the Yuan Army.
I don’t know how long it took. The sky suddenly lit up. After a flash of lightning, three thunders appeared in succession. Whether it was the Song Army or the Yuan Army, all the soldiers agreed that this was the will of God and that both sides were not allowed to continue. The fight went down.
This concept has a long history. Ancient soldiers wore iron armor and were easily struck by lightning. Therefore, they would never fight on rainy days when there was thunder.
"Your Majesty, withdraw your troops." Jiang Wanzai said.
"Okay, withdraw the troops." I knew that if this continued, we wouldn't be able to gain any favors. Besides, I don't like this kind of close combat.
The sound of golden drums sounded together. The soldiers of both sides retreated a few steps in unison. The soldiers of the Yuan army were unwilling to continue fighting. After a long journey, their physical strength was very exhausted. Coupled with the bursts of thunder, they naturally followed the current and retreated.
This battle may seem grand in scale, but in fact it is far inferior to the Battle of Guanzitan.
At noon, the heavy rain finally stopped. At this time, A Shu and others just returned to the Nanyang camp.
"My generals, although there is no winner or loser in this battle, for our army, it is not without gain." Boyan said. "As General Shi said, the muskets and fire bombs of the Southern Dynasty cannot be fired on rainy days. The artillery can't be fired on rainy days." The effect is also greatly reduced. This shows that firearms are not perfect after all. Marshal and generals, according to Boyan's judgment, firearms are suitable for positional warfare. Therefore, our army can give full play to its advantages in field battles. One target is undoubtedly Nanyang. The area from Dengzhou to Nanyang is open. According to the speed of the infantry, it will take about a whole day. Our army should discuss carefully and use the strengths of our cavalry to severely attack the opponent in the wild. firearm."
A Shu said: "Yes. General Boyan is right. This is the best opportunity for our army at the moment. If our army attacks the enemy from all directions, then the Southern Dynasty's firearms will have to be scattered. Moreover, during the march, the Southern Dynasty army It is also impossible to build good fortifications. Therefore, our army's victory rate must be very high."
Azahan asked: "Commander, General Boyan, there are two roads from Dengzhou to Nanyang. How should our army judge? Once the judgment is wrong, it will also lead to insufficient strength of our army."
Ah Shu smiled and said: "This is not difficult. We need to cross the Beihe River from Wadian Town. Without the assistance of the navy, it is difficult for the artillery troops of the Southern Dynasty to cross. As long as we burn down the bridge on the river, there will only be one for the Southern Dynasty. The road is open. About fifteen miles west of Lianhe Town, there is an abandoned temple called Shifo Temple. The terrain in that area is the most open. We will set the attack point there."