Although Dong Shixiu was young, he was very skilled in martial arts. He fought with Jiang Cai for seven to eighty rounds, with neither victory nor defeat.
"This Jiang Cai is worthy of being the commander of the Polu Army. His marksmanship is exquisite. No wonder he is known as the number one master in the Yangzhou Army." Dong Wenbing secretly praised.
"Dong Shixiu is very skilled in swordsmanship. He showed no flaw in Jiang Cai's spear. He is a master." Li Tingzhi, Xie Daolin and other generals of the Song Army also secretly claimed that it was strange.
Guns and knives were going back and forth. Everyone was dazzled by the sight. In the blink of an eye, the two men cheered up and fought for more than fifty rounds. But they were still equally matched. It was hard to tell them apart. Jiang Cai got excited about the fight and swung his spear to hold Dong Shixiu's sword. He said: "General Dong, you and I will return to the battle each other. After we have exchanged horses, we will fight another three hundred rounds."
Dong Shixiu was born with extraordinary talents and outstanding martial arts skills. After mastering his skills, he rarely encountered a master like Jiang Cai. He immediately agreed: "Why not?"
The two of them were about to change their horses, but they heard the sound of war drums ringing out from both camps at the same time. Although they still felt unfinished, they could only turn their horses' heads and go back to their camps.
When Jiang Cai returned to the formation, Li Tingzhi stepped forward slightly and said to Dong Wenbing: "General Dong, we have a battle today. There is no difference between you and me. Tomorrow morning, I will lead an army to attack the city. I will leave it to you and your Han people." My subordinates’ time is running out. It’s hard to think about it. Since ancient times, how many traitors have met a good end. They will only leave a legacy of infamy and infamy for thousands of years.”
The word "traitor" comes from the Qing Dynasty. It has not yet appeared in this era. But its meaning can be easily seen from the literal meaning. Li Tingzhi, who learned this term from me, scolded Dong Wenbing in public for the first time not to be a traitor with a long-standing reputation. This made people feel uncomfortable. Dong Wenbing had a lot of thoughts. Although his expression remained the same, he always seemed to feel a little uneasy.
Compared with yesterday, the Northern Expeditionary Army camp advanced more than thirty miles. After returning to the camp, Li Tingzhi said: "General Xie, Commander Xia. Then Dong Wenbing has a good command of the army. His army has a neat lineup and is full of murderous intent. You can tell by looking at them that they are elite soldiers who have been on the battlefield for a long time. Without the help of firearms, even if our army captures Yizhou, we will lose our troops and generals."
Xie Daolin smiled and said: "That's right. Since artillery was used to siege the city, no matter how strong the city wall is, it can't hold on for long. Once the city gate is broken, the enemy will have only one way to retreat."
The next day, Li Tingzhi led a large number of Song troops to the outside of Yizhou City again. In the middle were two groups of infantry soldiers. The Polu army was divided into two. They were listed together with the only cavalry corps in the East Route Army. On both sides of the army, the soldiers of the Imperial Guard were mixed with the infantry.
Dong Wenbing and others on the city wall silently watched the Song army in the distance.
Since following Kublai Khan 16 years ago, Dong Wenbing has been sieging cities and territories, destroying Dali, attacking the Southern Song Dynasty, and quelling Li Fen's rebellion. Later, he guarded Shandong for several years, leaving the famous Song Dynasty general Li Tingzhi to only defend with all his strength and unable to attack. Now he has It was putting the cart before the horse. Learn the Song Army's consistent tactics, relying on the city to defend and waiting for opportunities to counterattack.
"Father, the Song army today is more than double that of yesterday. It seems that they are about to attack the city."
Dong Wenbing nodded. He turned around and said, "Shixiu, pass the order. All armies are on alert. Prepare rolling stones, wood, bumping poles and other defensive equipment."
"Dong Shuai, look. What is Song Jun doing?" Dong Wenyong said suddenly.
Dong Wenbing hurriedly looked down. He saw the Song army separated to the left and right, with twenty straight iron pipes exposed in the middle.
"Could this be artillery?" Dong Wenbing muttered involuntarily. Although he had never seen an artillery piece with his own eyes, as a high-ranking general of the Yuan army, Dong Wenbing naturally knew that the most powerful weapon of the Song army was artillery. These iron pipes were in front of him. The appearance is exactly the same as the artillery drawing provided by the Privy Council.
"Why does Li Tingzhi's army have artillery?" Dong Wenyong said in surprise.
Dong Wenbing's heart sank. A bad premonition arose spontaneously.
As the commander-in-chief of the Yuan Army's East Route Army, Dong Wenbing was both civil and military. He was a calm man and had always been quite self-aware. The most elite middle route army in the court was mainly composed of Mongolian and Semu cavalry. They were also defeated steadily in the face of the Song army's firearms. There was little resistance. Not to mention the Eastern Route Army, which was weaker than the Central Route Army.
"Wen Yong."
"The end will be here."
"You leave the city immediately. Lead three thousand elite cavalry to attack the enemy's central army. I hope to prevent the firing of its artillery."
After Dong Wenyong left, Tian Yingdu whispered: "Dong Shuai, the artillery of the Song Army is two hundred and fifty steps away from our city wall. This is beyond the range of bows and arrows. Could the artillery... "
"General Tian, I know what you mean. According to information from the Dadu Privy Council, the Song Army's artillery has a maximum firing range of more than three hundred steps."
"Three hundred steps." Tian Yingdu said in surprise.
The Yuan army's cavalry moved quickly. A group of cavalry that had been waiting inside the city gate rushed out of the city gate one after another under the leadership of Dong Wenyong.
As soon as he saw the gate of Yizhou City opened, Xie Daolin, who responded quickly, immediately ordered: "Master Zhang, musketeers, prepare."
After receiving the order, the Imperial Guardsmen immediately took a few steps forward and lined up with guns raised to stand by. The infantry soldiers mixed in among them all retreated.
"Muskets." Dong Wenbing vaguely saw that thousands of soldiers holding muskets appeared in the Song Army formation. At this moment, Dong Wenbing suddenly felt as if his head was going to explode. The ground was empty.
"Two hundred steps, one hundred fifty steps, one hundred and twenty steps." When Xie Daolin counted to one hundred and twenty steps, Zhang Shijie waved his right hand and gave the order to ignite. It would take several breaths from ignition to launch. When the Yuan army's forward troops advanced another five or sixty steps, muskets rang out.
The sound of "bang, bang, bang" muskets shocked Dong Wenyong. Then he saw gunpowder smoke everywhere. The neighing of war horses was everywhere. Most of the soldiers at the front fell from their horses.
The Mongolian Eastern Route Army had seen the power of thrown bombs, but this was the first time they saw musket fire. The Eastern Route Army had strict military discipline. Although everyone was frightened, they did not hear the order to withdraw their troops. They marched forward bravely.
After several battles, the soldiers of the Royal Forest Army did not panic. Although they saw the Yuan army getting closer and closer, they still lit fires, loaded ammunition, and pulled the trigger in an orderly manner according to the procedures. Occasionally, someone from the Yuan army at the front rushed two or thirty years away from the Song army. Within a few steps, he died under intensive fire from thousands of muskets. Dong Wenbing saw that his cavalry could not rush into the enemy's formation. He was also worried about the Song army's missiles, so he had to order: "beat the drums and retreat."
At this time, twenty artillery pieces had been prepared. When they saw the Yuan army retreating, the Imperial Guardsmen in the middle immediately fell to the ground and gave up their gun positions.
Xie Daolin pointed to the city gate in front and said: "Artillery camp. Target. Yizhou city gate. Fire."
The sound of the artillery was deafening. In an instant, it annihilated all the sounds on the battlefield. Those Yuan army cavalry who had not had time to retreat to the city quickly separated left and right. Under the command of Dong Wenyong and other generals, they took a detour.
After half an hour of continuous shelling, Li Tingzhi saw the incomplete city wall and said: "At most two or three more rounds. The gate of Yizhou City will be destroyed by our army's artifact."
At this time, Xie Daolin had also given the order to stop shooting. He smiled and said: "Commander Li, this is the power of artillery."
Li Tingzhi was in a good mood. He ordered: "The artillery battalion withdraws its troops. The remaining armies slowly retreat. The enemy forces are cut off."
Xia Guidao: "It seems that future siege battles will be completely changed. The attacking side will no longer sacrifice more soldiers."
"Well, your Majesty is wise and can invent such a powerful firearm. It is really a blessing for our government. Our army will take Yizhou City. It will be just around the corner." Li Tingzhi seemed quite excited. After smiling, he changed the subject and said to Xia Song. " General Xia Song ordered the scout battalion to select a few capable people and go to Dadu and Jinan respectively. He said that General Dong Wenbing was unwilling to be a traitor and conspire with our army to retreat without a fight in the battle of Yizhou."
Xia Song said: "Yes, Commander-in-Chief. I will make arrangements right away."
An hour later. In the Shuai Mansion in Yizhou City.
Dong Wenbing said to several of his trusted generals: "Li Tingzhi's troops not only have fire bombs, but also muskets and artillery. Based on the destructive power of the artillery fire, I estimate that the city gate will be breached in a few days. By then, I will Should the army engage in street fighting within the city or withdraw northward?"
Tian Yingdu was the first to say: "Commander Dong, if we engage in street fighting, it will definitely be a hard battle. The outcome is difficult to know. What's more, in the face of firearms, Marshal Ashu's center army also chose to retreat. Therefore, the general thinks. Return to Jinan Mansion and make plans again."
Tian Yingdu was scheming and loyal to Dong Wenbing. Most of what he said was for Dong Wenbing. You must know that as a general in the court, the strength of his troops is the real guarantee of his status in the court.
As for the Yuan Dynasty or Mongolia, it seems to have nothing to do with him. Tian Yingdu's view may represent the views of most northern Han people. For these Han people in the north, the Song Dynasty was already a hundred years ago. History has passed. And as a Han Chinese, it is impossible to have a sense of belonging to Jin and Meng. Therefore, no matter who is in power, he must first protect himself. That is the right way.
The generals here are all Dong Wenbing's cronies. They are all Han Chinese. Naturally they agree with Tian Yingdu's suggestion.
Dong Wenbing also had the idea of preserving his strength. Although Emperor Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty valued him very much. When he deprived the Han princes of their power three years ago, only the Dong family remained untouched. But because they were Han people, it was inevitable. There will come a day. It is undeniable that Tian Yingdu's plan is completely feasible. Since Ashu's Middle Route Army can do this, the East Route Army also has reason to withdraw.
Hesitation and contradiction. The emperor has always been very fond of the Dong family. He only cares about preserving his strength and does not care about the country. This does not seem to be Dong Wenbing's character.
After thinking for a long time, Dong Wenbing finally waved his hand and said: "Generals, please step back first and let me think about it for myself."