On February 23, the fourth year of Zhengde's reign, at a quarter of the hour, as the sun had just risen above the treetops, Huang Yuan led more than five hundred warriors to the front of the Mongolian outpost.
He and his brothers had left Datong Fucheng for five days, and the emperor issued an order for them to seize Pinglingkou.
Pianlingkou is located in the southwest of Jinping Mountain, connecting Yingzhou and Huairen to the east, Weiyuan and Pinglu to the west. It is an important transportation road in the southern border of Datong Prefecture and the key point of the mountains.
The little prince never fought an uncertain battle. Before he even started to attack, he had prepared several escape routes, and Pianlingkou was one of them.
Wang Shouren was sent to Yingzhou by Zhu Shou, and together with Zhang Yong, he worked as the nail that nailed the little prince's tail. Zhu Shou himself organized all the wealthy servants of Datong Mansion, and more than 10,000 bodyguards.
The army was mixed, and the total number of the Ming army was suddenly expanded to a full 50,000 people!
There was a very strange phenomenon in the middle and late Ming Dynasty: the recruited soldiers were stronger than the guards' soldiers, while the retainers were stronger than the recruited soldiers. Standing at the top of the retainers were the retainers of the major wealthy families. When Wu Sangui was a young man, the great traitor
He was also brave enough to rush into the enemy formation alone to save his father, and he was led by servants.
The emperor's move caught all the wealthy families off guard. Like the little prince, they had several escape routes at any time, but they were suddenly tied to a chariot by the emperor and became toothless tigers.
The flag of the patron king of Weiyuan Town was flying at the top of the city of Datong Mansion all day long. Zhu Shou's imperial edicts were sent one after another from Datong to various places in the border areas in the name of "the patron king of Weiyuan Town".
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not leave!
The news quickly reached the ears of the little prince Batu Munch from the inside line.
"Then we will capture Yingzhou." The little prince sighed and ordered the households to cross the Sanggan River, with the troops heading south towards Yingzhou.
At this time, Wang Shouren and Zhang Yong had already entered Yingzhou in disguise. After crossing the edge of the Mongolian army station and experiencing a thrilling experience, Wang Shouren's first thing when he arrived in Yingzhou was to mobilize the surrounding guard camps and battalions.
All the troops who came were pulled out of the city and guarded in Wuli Village.
The Hunyuan River, which flows backward from east to west, turns a right angle when passing through the east of Yingzhou City and flows northward into the Sanggan River. Wuli Village is located on the peninsula formed by the intersection of the two rivers. The terrain is difficult and it is the ideal location for attacking.
The only way to Yingzhou.
"When the small flag dies, go to the main flag; when the main flag dies, go to the hundred households; when the hundred households die, go to the thousand households; when the thousand households die, the imperial envoy will personally go into battle to kill the enemy!" Wang Shouren stood in the village of Wuli Village.
On the wall, looking at thousands of disgraced guardsmen, behind them were a row of executioners with bare arms and red scarves on their heads. He pointed to the dragon flag beside him that was given by Zhu Shou himself, and said loudly, "No matter what the situation of the battle is,
This imperial envoy will stay under this dragon flag and never take a step back! As for you, if one of you escapes, the entire general flag will be killed! If one general flag escapes, the entire thousand households will be killed! Even if you are lucky enough to escape with your life, your nine tribes will
He will also be beheaded by the court after the incident! Those who died in the battle will be exempted from military service at home for five years; those who are disabled will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver!"
When Saint Wang shouted "Fight to the last man", Huang Yuan also encountered a wandering sentinel of the Mongolian army.
It was a foggy day, and the cold wind blowing from the north filled the entire mountain range with white mist. It was impossible to distinguish the shadows of people from the shadows of trees five feet away.
There were more than five hundred Ming soldiers, all brave men selected from the bodyguards. Looking at the heavy fog in the sky, I couldn't help but feel heavy in my heart.
"One by one, two people in a row, no one is allowed to fall behind." Huang Yuan ordered the officials from hundreds of households who led the team.
There are four hundred households under him, all of whom are temporarily appointed, each with one hundred and twenty people. The remaining people are directly under his command.
The fog is getting heavier and heavier. The north wind will occasionally blow it away, but it will bring more white fog. Even a few people next to each other can sometimes not see each other's facial features clearly...
This kind of weather is a double-edged sword, which is not only conducive to sneak attacks, but also conducive to unified command.
Huang Yuan suddenly stopped because he heard some noises. They were not animals, but sounded like footsteps. They were Mongolian whistles! He raised his left hand and signaled the people behind him to stop. He passed the message one by one, and the whole team knew clearly.
The army stopped.
After listening for a while, Huang Yuan took out the long bow on his back, quickly strung it, pulled out a long arrow, put it on the string, and clasped it between his fingers.
The footsteps became clearer and clearer. There were at least a dozen people, getting closer and closer to Huang Yuan, who was standing at the front of the Ming army.
The long bow was bent into a beautiful curve, full of power. A smile appeared on Huang Yuan's lips. He practiced martial arts at the age of three and was admitted to the Juren Examination at the age of sixteen. This was his first time. He must not let the emperor do anything to him.
disappointment!
After a moment, a figure loomed out of the fog. Huang Yuan saw a Mongolian soldier about twenty years old with a scar on his face. Naturally, the Mongolian also saw the Ming army on the opposite side.
There was a soft "buzz" sound, Huang Yuan loosened his fingers, and the long arrow cut through the fog, and shot it into the mouth of the Mongolian warrior who was about to shout at close range. The powerful power and the super close distance made the tip of the arrow
It brought up a cloud of blood and penetrated from the back of the unlucky man's head.
When this Mongolian fell, more Mongolians emerged from the fog.
Huang Yuan dropped his long bow and said nothing. He drew out the long knife from his waist and struck straight at the Mongolian closest to him without any fancy movements.
Quick, accurate and ruthless, an encounter with a huge disparity in power ended in a few breaths.
The Ming army suffered one death and one injury, while the Mongolian outposts and flags were completely wiped out.
Those who can be entrusted with the important task of patrolling are all athletes in the army. The personal bravery of these eleven Mongolians is not low. Unfortunately, the Ming army has more than 500 people, and the terrain here is open, so the outcome of the battle will naturally be insignificant.
No suspense.
The only thing the Mongols gained was their shrill screams before they died: "Southern barbarians!"
Huang Yuan doesn't understand Mongolian. In fact, even if he did, he would sneer at it. The Han people call the Mongolians Tatars, and the Mongolians call the Han people Nanman. Everyone knows that they claim to be descendants of Yan and Huang, and they will never say it verbally.
Lose to anyone.
Righteousness and reputation are the least valuable things, yet they are something that everyone wants to get quickly.
Huang Yuan was so learned and so brave that when he later understood Mongolian, he told his generals: "We are a sovereign state of heaven, so we must reason with the Mongolian Tatars; if we encounter unreasonable Mongolians,
Tatars, then lock them up first, deprive them of food or water, and make them think about their mistakes. After thirty or fifty years, you can reason with them again. China is a country of etiquette. In short, we must treat them with virtue.
Convince people.”
If a person does not eat and only drinks water, he can survive for three or five days. If he does not drink water, he may not be able to survive even three days. Three or fifty years? This joke of Master Huang is widely circulated, and maybe it is true.
Its matter.
Huang Yuan wiped the blood on his face and didn't know how to tell jokes. He was not an adult at the moment. He was just a soldier leading a sneak attack. He naturally had to continue his mission. He waved his hand decisively: "Each of us will fight on our own."
!”
At this time, the Ming army was less than thirty feet away from the earthen wall at the entrance of the mountain. Under the cover of the heavy fog, everyone rushed forward with shields on their heads, braving the rain of arrows fired randomly by the Mongols, and rushed to the wall.
Down.
There are more than two hundred Mongolian soldiers stationed at Piilingkou. The troops stationed by the little prince on various retreat routes are not his direct lineage, and this one is no exception. They are all from Hetao, and among them there are many Han Chinese wearing Mongolian military uniforms.
The wall of the village is not high, only about five feet, and there are many broken and damaged places. Although the terrain of Pialingkou is dangerous and it is located at a strategic location, the guard system of the Ming army has long been rotten to the core.
It happens to be between the guards of Datong, a no-nonsense zone. The father does not love the mother or the mother does not love. As for the village wall, whoever wants to repair it can do it...
Anyway, as soon as the little prince came, the adults of the hundred households who were responsible for guarding the land had already escaped from the road with their concubines and trusted servants. They didn't even take their yellow-faced woman with them, leaving them behind for the Mongols to use as a camp.
prostitute.
As soon as Huang Yuan ran to a gap in the village wall, he saw several long arrows cutting through the fog and flying towards him. The fog in front of this gap was not that thick, and one could see clearly within ten steps.
Seeing this young Han man rushing towards him, the Mongols were naturally not polite and shot him to death first.
Huang Yuan raised the shield in his hand, and there were several muffled sounds, and the arrows were blocked. Suddenly, a scream came from behind him, and he didn't know which unlucky guy was hit by a stray arrow.
Huang Juren, who was both civil and military, naturally had no sense of historical mission to block the arrows for his companions, and he did not have a huge view of the Holy Mother. He rolled on the spot like a lazy donkey, dodging the second wave of arrows coming towards him, and rolled into the gap.
Unlike the Han heroes known to the Mongols, Huang Juren made a stunning appearance when he broke through the gap and actually cut off the soles of three Mongolians.
The speed of his technique, the precision of his knife skills, his unique vision, and his shameless character were all vividly demonstrated by Huang Juren at this moment.
Huang Juren, who was covered in tattoos and had a face as red as a jujube, had no intention of getting up. He continued to chop off the insteps and legs. His sword and shield were combined into one, and the dozen or so Mongolians near the gap were unable to resist.
"Stand up?" After the war, when Huang Juren was chatting with his companions, he spat when faced with the accusations of some hypocrites and said, "Are you using them as a target for the Mongols? Do you really think they are all standing still?
A wooden stake? Competing archery skills with the Mongols, I really ate too much and was exhausted."
Those who can be selected into the Five Hundred Warriors by Huang Yuan are probably not much better in character. Except for some unlucky guys who have been hit by stray arrows and whose skills are inferior to others, the Ming army is like running water, with many people along the wall.
The gap, under the cover of heavy fog, flows directly into the mouth of the ridge.
The cries of killing, the sound of swords clashing, and the screams before death could be heard endlessly. More than 700 Ming and Mongolian warriors were fighting to the death in a small village, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.
War is never an epic, nor is it romantic at all. An eternal hero like Xiang Yu once deceived hundreds of thousands of Qin troops.
The Mongols' cavalry and archery were very powerful, but in the melee in the fog, they did not have much advantage. In addition, the number of people was small, so the more the Mongols fought, the more they retreated to the back of the village.
"volley!"
Huang Yuan, who had been rushing at the front, suddenly heard the voice of the Han people coming from the opposite side. He quickly used the lazy donkey rolling trick, lying on the ground and protecting his whole body with a shield. With the sound of arrows piercing the air, people on the left and right
Several screams were heard from both sides, and it was unknown which fellow Taoist passed away again.
Under the cover of the soldiers, Huang Yuan rushed into the opponent's crossbowmen and slashed left and right with a long knife dripping with blood.
This is a crossbow team composed of Han people from Hetao. Even the screams of both sides are in the same language. This can be regarded as the only laugh point of the Battle of Pinglingkou.
After the Ming army suffered nearly 30 casualties, the Han crossbow team was completely killed. The Mongols, who were still resisting tenaciously, completely collapsed.
They began to run back crazily, but while the thick fog outside the village covered them, it also slowed down their speed. When the sun was about to rise in the sky, the fog gradually dissipated, and more than a hundred people fled in embarrassment.
The Mongols appeared in front of the pursuing Ming soldiers.
He swung the knife and cut off a Mongolian's head. Watching the man's blood surge out from his neck and flow on the white snow, Huang Yuan waved the broken long knife and stood at the entrance of the ridge.
on top of the village wall.
In the wilderness before his eyes, there were Ming troops chasing the Mongols everywhere. Under his feet was the just-captured Pianling Pass, as well as the head of a Mongolian who refused to rest in peace.
I wonder what the situation is like at Wang Shouren's place? Huang Yuan looked to the southeast, feeling a little worried.
Because whether Wang Shouren could hold Yingzhou was directly related to the emperor's safety, Huang Juren could not care about anyone and anything, but he could not care less about the emperor.