Chapter 452 - End of the Second Year of Apocalypse
The winter in the south of the Yangtze River is not only bitterly cold, but also bone-chilling. The river network system that crisscrosses the Jiangnan plain seems to be completely frozen at this time. The tree trunks on the river banks are bare, and there are boats moored in the water. .It’s almost like an ink painting of Jiangnan in winter.
More than 2,300 troops from the Third Regiment of the Second Division of the Chinese Army gathered in the rice fields outside Suzhou Fucheng. These infantry troops, mostly composed of local farmers, formed four battalion-level small square formations. Behind them and on the river banks to the left and right, In the rice fields and cotton fields, more than 4,800 people from two regiments of the Fourth Division of the Chinese Army are forming formation. To the north of them, on the calm water of Yangcheng Lake, the Jiangnan Militia and Self-Defense Force organized by the Chinese Army are driving hundreds of small boats to the west. .
The new commander of the Fourth Division, Luo Quanxiu, was riding on a maroon Arabian horse. He was looking around with a telescope.
Luo Quanxiu is considered an "old man" in the Chinese Army. Not only because he joined the Yiwu Bird Gun Sentinel of the Guard very early, but also because he is fifty-one years old this year. In the Chinese Army, the average age is less than forty. He is also considered an old man among the officer corps.
During the expedition to the Satsuma Domain, he was the commander of the Yiwu Bird Gun Post. A year ago, he was the lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of Yan Siqi's 5th Division. He had just been transferred to the commander of the 4th Division. According to internal legend, he was about to be promoted to the rank of major general.
The former commander of the 4th Division, Mai De, resigned a few months ago because of the naval commander Mai Dahai's involvement in personal appointments and corruption. He took up the post of commander of the Marine Corps in the Taiwan Fleet.
The Mai Dahai incident is a precursor to Yin Feng's internal purge; now, those who complain about the internal purge have a hard time to speak of; Yin Feng, Captain Yin, in order to clean up military discipline, even his earliest direct subordinates and his brother-in-law Appeasement. What else can you say?
Luo Quanxiu thought in his heart: If there was no Mai Dahai, he would not be able to serve as the commander of the Fourth Division. It was just a fluke. However, he was still very happy. He planned to offer an immortal tablet to Yin Feng at home. Originally, he was just a He was an insignificant soldier in the Ming army. Since he joined the Chinese army, he followed Yin Feng in the south and north. Not only did he go on an expedition to the Satsuma domain, he personally killed many "Shimanzi" (the Chinese transliteration of the surname of the Shimazu family, the leader of the Satsuma domain) and reported it to the family. The hatred of the previous generation; and it also spanned thousands of miles. He fought in thousands of mountains and rivers and defeated countless enemies. He became a legend in his hometown of Yiwu. Among the tens of thousands of Yiwu soldiers who appeared before and after the Ming Dynasty, no one can compare with him. .
At this moment, his attention turned to a river embankment to the north: on a narrow river embankment that only allowed four people to walk abreast, the 2nd Regiment of the 4th Division was deploying its troops. The soldiers were busy and unhurried. They lined up their guns in a regular manner. Round shooting formation. The leader of this regiment is Yu Zigao. Now it is temporarily renamed Yu Zhiyuan.
Yu Zigao finally joined the Chinese Army. With his qualifications and the appreciation of Yin Feng, the president of the Chinese Army, he could have served as deputy division commander or left the town of Nanyang and served as a fortress garrison in Liaodong. Yin Feng originally intended to let Yu Zigao He went to North Korea to guard the country. He believed that Yu Zigao was suitable for a place in North Korea that required officialdom. However, he resolutely refused. He insisted on serving as a front-line commander of the Chinese army on the front line. He would rather command a battalion than be able to personally command operations. He It seems that he wanted to avenge his past humiliation in the Chinese army and vent all the anger he had suffered in the Ming Dynasty officialdom over the years so that he could truly defeat the enemy on the battlefield.
Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Yu Zigao served as the commander of the second regiment of the fourth division.
"Lieutenant Colonel Yu is a bit cautious in his work. He is too harsh. It seems that the soldiers of the Second Regiment don't like him."
The speaker was Mai Yangtian, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Division. He was the former supervisor of the cavalry brigade. He had also just been transferred to the fourth division. He was seriously injured by an arrow in the chest during the Battle of Hetuala in Liaodong. He recovered from his injuries in Taiwan for nearly half a year. Doctor He was told that he was not suitable to go to Liaodong, where the weather was so cold. So he was transferred to the Fourth Division, which had just arrived in Jiangnan from Taiwan, as the director of military law.
Luo Quanxiu put down the telescope, shook his head and said: "After all, we are new here. His situation is not a special case. Our fourth division is undergoing a major change of mid-level officers. It will take time for the chief officers and soldiers of each regiment to get used to each other."
Mai Yangtian sneered and said: "A general who was demoted by the imperial court was appointed as regimental commander all of a sudden. The soldiers below were naturally dissatisfied. Many of the original junior non-commissioned officers and veterans of the Fourth Division had fought in Nanjing and Hainan. Compared with him, regimental commander Yu Those who have fought against opponents."
Luo Quanxiu's face immediately became hesitant and he said in a deep voice: "Don't mention this again. The ship owner has something to say: let bygones be bygones. As you said, I was also a soldier of the imperial court..."
Mai Yangtian was a little embarrassed: "Sir, what I mean is..."
Luo Quanxiu waved his hand: "Forget it. I know what you mean. Captain Yu was recommended by the captain of the ship. Now without a battle, it is impossible to see his ability." He turned around and ordered loudly: "Send the order. Send the order. I order: the artillery is ready to fire." Several messengers surrounding him galloped away on horseback.
On the other side of the canal, beside the low city wall of Suzhou Fucheng, groups of Ming troops were leaving the city. The Ming army group leaving the city was divided into two groups. There were fewer people on one group and headed north towards Xushuguan to intercept the Chinese army militia and self-defense forces advancing through the waterway: The other group consisted of tens of thousands. They joined the officers and soldiers from all around Suzhou City and came to defend the canal.
Their enemies are the more than 7,000 people from the Fourth and Second Divisions of the Chinese Army.
The supervisor officer Mai Yangtian held up his telescope and looked at the other side. After looking at it for a while, he said: "Now there are 180 Baihu flags. The officers and soldiers have a company of soldiers and generals under the command of a Baihu. The real number should be one hundred and twenty people. So. It seems that we should have more than 20,000 officers and soldiers in front of us."
Luo Quanxiu nodded and shook his head: "It's hard to say. The intelligence from the Ministry of Military Intelligence said that too many officers and soldiers were underpaid. A few days ago, the officers and soldiers mutinied and ran away. Many people died from internal strife. Even now in person There are indeed more than 20,000 enemies. How many of them are new recruits? It is difficult to say. In short, the officers and soldiers in front of our army are not worth mentioning. This move of the ship owner King will definitely scare these naughty officials in the court to death."
Speaking of Yin Feng, Mai Yangtian's eyes immediately lit up: "Your Majesty is a genius. Using offense instead of defense is a move that the Zhu family's court would never have imagined."
Luo Quanxiu chuckled: "That's almost it. The troops have been deployed. The attack can begin now."
A staff officer beside him suggested: "It is better to wait until the officers and soldiers are in position before fighting. One shot can defeat them."
Luo Quanxiu thought for a while: "It makes sense. Let's do this. Order the second regiment and the third regiment on both wings to send a battalion each to cross the canal immediately and insert it directly into the north and south wings of Suzhou City. Notify the water militia to block Suzhou's back road. Frontal Troops, stand still."
…
The Chinese Army originally stationed troops from the Second Division in the south of the Yangtze River. However, the land of plenty and plenty in the south of the Yangtze River is also a gentle land. The water is clear and the people are beautiful. They have been stationed in Jiangnan for only a year. Many soldiers of the Second Division of the Chinese Army have lived with local families. Marriage, intoxication in the gentle countryside, and declining combat effectiveness. Chen Zhongji had to report to Ming Yinfeng, requesting the implementation of a troop rotation system in Jiangnan. One troop could not be stationed for too long. Therefore, the Chinese Army infantry units stationed in Jiangnan were rotated many times. Navy warships were also replaced in turn. Chen Zhongji even established a local militia, self-defense force and security force. The personnel were mainly farmers who had newly acquired land.
The Jiangnan water system is criss-crossed and extends in all directions. The tributary water network is connected everywhere. The local militia, riding on the officers and soldiers, is busy dealing with the Chinese army in front. It has bypassed Suzhou City through several waterways and reached the west of the city, which is behind the Ming Dynasty official army.
When more than 20,000 Ming troops were in formation, the Chinese army was rushing to cross the canal on the north and south wings. Officers and soldiers sent troops to block it. The sound of gunfire was continuous. To the surprise of the Chinese army, this Ming army had a large number of matchlock guns. It also knew that "three "Duan She" - the tactic of rotating salvos. When the two sides competed for the bridgehead, this part of the Ming army showed good combat qualities.
"This army has a lot of firearms. Where does the banner come from? Shi Ling Tusi's white-armed army. No way. All such troops have been transferred here." A staff officer muttered behind Luo Quanxiu.
Luo Quanxiu said while holding up the telescope: "It's strange. It is indeed the flag of the white-poled soldiers. But where are their white-poled spears."
"White-pole soldiers" are also known as stone-plated chieftain soldiers. They are the old rivals of the Chinese army. The stone-pillar soldiers all hold a special spear with a hook-shaped tip and a ring at the end. When climbing steep mountainous terrain, The front and rear joints should be overlapping, and they were as agile as apes. Because their spear shafts were all made of unpainted white poles, people at that time called them "white pole soldiers".
In the 26th year of Wanli, Yang Yinglong, the Xuanfu envoy of Bozhou, united with nine local tribes to raise flags and rebel, and besieged Chengdu. They attacked everywhere, burned, killed and looted. Bozhou was later known as the Zunyi area. The terrain was steep, with high mountains and dangerous rivers. The rebels Relying on the natural barrier, they were rampant for a while. The imperial court sent Governor Li Hualong to local troops from Sichuan, Guizhou, and Huguang to join forces to suppress the rebel bandits. Ma Qiancheng and Qin Liangyu led 3,000 white pole soldiers among them. Due to the special equipment of the white pole soldiers, and long-term rigorous mountain training. Therefore, they were very handy in the war in Banzhou. They often dealt unexpected blows to the rebels. No matter how high the mountains were, the White Army Army could arrive unexpectedly, like magic soldiers falling from the sky, making the rebels frightened. From then on, the white-pole soldiers became famous throughout the country.
The Xuanfu Division of Shili was the female general Qin Liangyu. Although Qin Liangyu was a chieftain, she was Han Chinese and a typical believer in Confucian loyalty to the emperor. In August of the 41st year of Wanli, Qin Liangyu's husband Ma Qiancheng offended the eunuch Qiu Cheng due to mining. Yun died of illness in Yunyang Prison. According to the system of a chieftain's husband's death and his wife's death, Qin Liangyu succeeded him as Shili Xuanfu envoy.
In June of the forty-fifth year of Wanli, the Chinese army's anti-sea ban campaign began. The army attacked the important areas of Beijing and Quzhou. The imperial court issued an order to recruit troops to aid Beijing. Qin Liangyu did not hesitate to send his brother Bangping, and his brother Minping led 5,000 white soldiers. Go first. Then he will command three thousand elite soldiers. Together with his son Ma Xianglin and deputy general Zhou Guozhu, they rush to the battlefield in the capital.
The Baigan soldiers then fought against the Chinese army in Hexiwu. Only about 2,000 of the more than 8,000 soldiers were able to return alive. After that, Nurhaci attacked Liaodong. The Baigan soldiers attacked again. The result was another defeat in Liaoyang. Only more than 1,000 of the 10,000 soldiers were left alive. Return to camp.
But this time, the imperial court was preparing to counterattack Jiangnan. White-armed soldiers once again appeared on the front line.