() The thieves landed on the middle left side. The only ones who met the enemy were the Zhejiang soldiers. The rest were afraid and left without any rescuers. So they were defeated. At the second watch of the night, General Yu's soldiers fled across the city and sneaked outside Tong'an City.
The warships, new and old, were burned and dragged, and no one survived. The houses were burned down and people were displaced. It was sad to witness it. At present, everyone is united and defended with all possible means. Fortunately, the local people still have faith and trust, and they respond to calls. However, we are alone.
, hoping to rescue the enemy. However, Taitai quickly mobilized reinforcements and gave instructions on strategies to relieve the burning eyebrows.
——Book of Zhu Futai
A river meanders in front of Huang Chen. On the other side of the river, there is a mountain with the appearance of a crouching lion. The sky is as blue as blue, the mountains and rivers are picturesque, and the scenery is infinitely beautiful. Huang Chen's face slowly blooms.
Smile, halfway through Haicheng County, cross the Nanxi River in front of you, and walk a little further, you will reach Yuegang. From the old town to here, Huang Chen walked hundreds of miles for three days. On the one hand, he waited for the center left
As a result, on the other hand, he was wary of ambush by officers and soldiers. Facts have proved that he overestimated the courage of his opponent. The officers and soldiers of Zhangpu retreated into the city, and the officers and soldiers of Haicheng retreated to the north of the river. Huang Chen's journey was unobstructed.
Not long after entering the boundary of Haicheng, Huang Chen found Chen Peng, Zheng Zhilong's subordinate, and ordered him to take his 500 men to Xitou in the east of Nanxi River, the floating palace and other places, and pretend to cross the river to attract the attention of Haicheng officers and soldiers on the other side.
When he arrived, Zheng Zhilong told Chen Peng not to be fooled by Huang Chen and use the lives of his brothers to pave the way for him. Therefore, Chen Peng was always wary of Huang Chen. Unexpectedly, Huang Chen had no intention at all.
Treat them as spearmen, and even look down on them a little, not letting them go into battle to kill the enemy, and only give them the task of being a suspect.
After all, Chen Peng was considered the number one figure in the sea. Being looked down upon so much made his lungs almost explode. However, it was not easy to argue about this matter, and it was useless to argue. Chen Peng led others away with a livid face.
Huang Chen didn't care about Chen Peng's feelings. He had already decided on this matter. Not to mention whether it would suit him to fight side by side with Zheng Zhilong's men. If he used it lightly, it would have little effect. If he used it too hard, it would make Zheng Zhilong unhappy. It would be best if he didn't use it.
"Suspicious soldiers and dividing the enemy's strength" was their only value. After that, Huang Chen sent Zhuang Mo to lead a hundred or so barbarian archers and hundreds of spearmen and swords to Fanglin in the middle of Nanxi. Like Chen Peng, he was also a suspected soldier. In the end,
Being one of our own, Zhuang Mo was much happier than Chen Peng. He just took orders and left, acting vigorously and resolutely.
Zhuang Mo and Chen Peng arrived at the middle section and the east section of Nanxi River successively. They captured many people on the road and carried them along. They were quite impressive and immediately attracted the attention of the officers and soldiers on the north bank.
Huang Chen received the news from the front and quickly led his troops to the northwest. As he expected, there were no officers and soldiers guarding the place. He immediately ordered to cross the Nanxi River, cross Bijia Mountain, and go straight to Hudu Fort.
Hudu Fort is a typical Fujian earth building architectural style. It is built on the mountain. It is more than 100 feet around, with only one door and a first floor to house firearms. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Similar earth forts can be found all over Zhangzhou Prefecture.
Because most of the earthen forts only live in one family, they have a very strong cohesion. They usually provide water, land, mines, people, and animals. They fight with other people for all interests, and develop a strong folk custom. During the Japanese war,
Few people are willing to chew such hard bones.
Huang Chen didn't pay attention to it, his target was Yuegang.
"Boss, something is wrong! Something terrible is going wrong...! We have been completely fooled by the bandits! At this moment, the other side of the river is surrounded by suspects arranged by the bandits. The main force of thousands of thieves has crossed Nanxi from the northwest and entered Hudu.
Fort, head straight to Moon Harbor."
"...!" Cai Yifan, the commander-in-chief of Haicheng Camp, heard that the bandits had appeared behind him. He was stunned for a moment. Then his face showed anger. Cai Yifan is about thirty years old. His figure is not as tall as that of Fujian people, and his face is resolute.
He has a profound temperament. He is a native of Quanzhou. He is a tough man and good at riding. He has made many military exploits since he joined the army. He was highly regarded by the governor Zhu Yifeng and entrusted him with the important places of Haicheng and Yuegang.
"Fujian's treasury is short of silver. In the past few months, officers and soldiers from Tingzhou have returned one after another. Yuegang has very few troops left. Once the army of thieves approaches... Yuegang is the southern treasury of the emperor, and there is no room for failure. Commander, I
We can't waste a moment, we must intercept the bandit army." Sentinel Cai is less than thirty years old, of medium height, good-looking, and powerful. He can be called the most powerful general under Cai Yifan. He is a native of Haicheng.
Compared with Cai, who regarded the vassal as a public servant, he had a more selfish interest in Hai Cheng. When he thought that his hometown might be ravaged by pirates, he felt burned inside, so he seemed particularly anxious.
Cai Yifan took a deep look at the shaking heads on the other side of the river. His chest and abdomen were filled with a sense of humiliation. Thousands of officers and soldiers were actually treated like monkeys by the opponent. If this matter spreads, he will definitely be reduced to an officialdom.
The laughing stock. Cai Yifan sent an order: "Send orders to all the troops on the river bank to return north immediately to intercept and kill the bandits." After saying this, he led a thousand officers and soldiers, and more than a thousand local warriors turned around and headed north quickly.
To the relief of Cai Yifan and others, they successfully caught up with the rebel army not far northeast of Hudu Fort. At the same time, they were suspicious in their hearts. No matter how slow the rebel army was, they should not have only walked a few steps in such a long time.
Li Lu, the other party seems to be waiting for them?
Huang Chen was indeed waiting for Cai Yifan's troops. There must be many officers and soldiers in Yuegang. He couldn't capture Yuegang in a hurry. Cai Yifan's troops would rush back by then and join forces with Yuegang officers and soldiers. It would be a bit troublesome to solve. It would be better to go to Yuegang.
Here, Cai Yifan's troops were annihilated. More importantly, he needed time to wait for the artillery team behind him. Artillery was the capital he relied on to deal with several times the number of officers and soldiers.
Officers and soldiers from all over the country returned one after another, bringing the total strength of Cai Yifan to more than 3,300, which was 30% more than Huang Chen's troops. However, due to the rush, he did not bring a single general cannon and only carried a dozen light cannons.
Weiyuan, destroying the captives, and the French cannon. Seeing Huang Chen's artillery team composed of dozens of artillery pieces, the officers and soldiers from Cai Yifan on down were all dumbfounded and chilled in their hearts.
Huang Chen placed most of the artillery in the front of the formation, and a small number on the left wing. The use of artillery in the east and west was similar, it was just about placing it in the center in front of the formation or on the left and right sides. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it all depends on the leader.
.
Regarding the formation, Huang Chen gave full authority to Zhao Hongyi. Zhao Hongyi chose to lean against a creek in the north and stand facing the south. He formed a mandarin duck formation, excluding officers, and had ten spearmen. The swords were for one team, and the three teams were for one flag.
The distance between the teams is ten feet, and the distance between the flags and the flags is three feet. The six flags and eighteen teams are lined up in the front, with a total of 180 people, and the six flags and eighteen teams are the same as in the front.
There are 180 people in total, with a distance of 20 steps in front and behind. In the middle are 12 teams of 120 firecrackers with four flags, for a total of 480 people. The two full formations of the old and new army camps are in the front.
The two formations with insufficient numbers of soldiers were at the back.
Originally, Qi Jiguang's army only had nine teams, three flags, and ninety gunmen. Zhao Hongyi added three teams of thirty people to increase the firepower. However, in William's eyes, it was still insufficient, far from enough, and he complained to Huang Chen: "Baas, I can't
Not to mention, this formation is very, very, very outdated. It is far inferior to the Spanish infantry phalanx in terms of its potential to develop muskets, let alone the Dutch army. Baas, you must understand that today is the age of firearms.
, the age of firearms...Only a formation that can effectively exert the power of firearms is a good formation. Otherwise, it will be eliminated into the garbage heap of history."
"..." Huang Chen understands the development trend of history better than William, but he is not a military expert. He is just an ordinary person in modern times. Military training does not rely on just talking. There is only a military talent like Zhao Hongyi around him, so of course everything is
It has to be based on the other party's ideas. What's more, Huang Chen is still severely constrained by the lack of matchlocks until now. Just buying from coastal merchants or Spaniards will never be able to meet his needs. Maybe it's time to consider establishing a firearms workshop, Huang Chen
I thought to myself.
"Baas..."
Seeing William's unfinished expression, Huang Chen hurriedly threw him a pie and blocked his mouth: "I know, I understand, I understand, I also need an army that can keep up with the times. So, William, I
I am carefully considering whether to increase your company from two to six and upgrade your organization to the battalion (regiment) level."
Sure enough, Huang Chen successfully diverted William's attention, and the latter said happily: "Baas, this is really a great idea, you can do this."
Huang Chen smiled like a fox: "If you behave well enough, I will give you a legion of tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of people in the future."
"It's a very tempting prospect. But baas, you know, it's definitely not easy." William shrugged.
"Of course. If you want more, you need to pay more. This is the eternal truth." Huang Chen said while raising the telescope. Suddenly, Huang Chen's pupils facing the mirror shrank slightly and whispered for a long time.
Said: "It's mine..."
Cai Yifan was riding a majestic maroon war horse. The horse was low and brittle. It was obvious at first glance that the horse was a moustache. Looking at the opposite side, Cai Yifan frowned tightly. The bandit artillery team could actually have such a large scale.
He was shocked. Even if he brought all the general's artillery, he would still be no match for the other party. Moreover, the enemy's bandit leader seemed to know the art of war. The bandits were neatly arranged and silent, and there were few officers and soldiers who could compare.
Riding his horse, he came to Cai Yifan's side and said worriedly: "This group of thieves is definitely not a mob. We are afraid that there will be a fierce battle."
A leader of the local soldiers said with a frightened look on his face: "The thieves are so powerful that they are not as powerful as us retreating to Yuegang and relying on the city to defend against the thieves."
Another sentry officer Wu Zhaoxuan said: "It's too late to retreat now. If there is a slight mistake, the whole army will be defeated. The only way is to fight with the thieves." Wu Zhaoxuan is in his forties, a native of Tong'an, Quanzhou. When he was young,
He fought many battles in Western Guangdong, and even General Cai Yifan was inferior to him in terms of combat experience. In the past, Governor Nan Juyi tested his talents and was ranked second. However, after Nan Juyi resigned, his future changed.
He was in the dark, and he had been standing still for several years, unable to make any progress. He didn't know which great Bodhisattva he had unintentionally offended. He immediately said, "He is his number one general, and he doesn't want him to use his flesh and blood body to attack the opponent's formation. Guns and cannons have no eyes."
If there is an accident, it is tantamount to losing an arm. Cai Chun is good at riding and is brave and invincible. If he leads a group of elite men and horses, wait for the two sides to get entangled, and then send him to attack from the side, it will definitely have miraculous effects.
, and said: "Boss, I'll go."
Cai Yifan nodded and said: "Okay, Sentinel Wu is worthy of the important task. I will allocate a thousand people for you to command."
Wu Zhaoxuan nodded, quickly rallied his men and horses, reorganized the army, and ran towards Huang Chen's formation.
There are several blond and red-haired Dutch gunners in Huang Chen's artillery team. They are obviously more accustomed to fighting at sea, but even on land, they are still better than the Chinese gunners, much better. Even Zhao Hongyi cannot deny the difference between the two.
Huge gap. Although they don't understand the language, they only need to aim and fire, and the loading of ammunition is left to the Chinese gunners.
Slowly, Wu Zhaofu and his officers and soldiers walked into the range of Hongyi Artillery.
"put--!"
"Dong dong dong dong dong..."
Two four-pound field guns, one six-pound field gun and four Hongyi small guns sounded in sequence, and the shells flew out of the barrels with a roar. They shot straight forward. All the officers and soldiers on the opposite side, including Wu Zhaofu, were stunned.
, can the opponent's cannon shoot so far?
Huang Chen held the telescope and saw that one of the seven artillery shells missed the target. Three artillery shells fell in front of the officers and soldiers. Then they bounced off the ground and rolled into the crowd. The number of injured... was estimated to be in single digits. Only the other three shells were accurate.
The target was hit, but due to the relatively loose formation of the officers and soldiers, the lethality was not optimistic.
Huang Chen slowly shook his head. In this era, both the power of artillery and the accuracy of gunfire are so-so. According to William, after a battle in Europe, the kill ratio of artillery was less than 10% of the total, and muskets were the absolute best.
The protagonist. The precise standard is: in an area of 1,000 meters, the impact points of artillery shells will be concentrated in the 100 meters in front and back. In the range of 50 meters left and right, it cannot be better. Huang Chen was speechless for a while, thinking that there is more
What does a gunner do? Who is different? Of course, he was just complaining. The fact is that using a gunner is not reliable, but using an ordinary person is completely unreliable.
If Wu Zhaofu knew that Huang Chen was dissatisfied with the results of the bombardment, he would have to go to him alone to argue with him. The scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere, the heart-rending screams, was like being in the Asura Hell, and the officers and soldiers were horrified, and they started to move incessantly.
.
Wu Zhaoxuan stood at the back of the team, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Don't panic, don't panic...! Spread out, don't get together, speed up, and keep rushing forward."
After some comfort and scolding, the nervous mood of the officers and soldiers eased slightly. They ran forward at different paces and quickly approached while the field artillery and Hongyi artillery were reloading ammunition. However, the Huangchen artillery team did not only have field artillery.
and Hongyi artillery, as well as more than a dozen general artillery pieces, Dafangji and others. At this time, the officers and soldiers stepped into the range. More than a dozen artillery pieces opened fire in unison.
Since the distance between the two sides was already very close at this time, accuracy was no longer an issue. Large cannons came out one after another, flying into the enemy group as fast as meteors, carving out a path of blood, and the killing effect was extremely impressive. More than a dozen shots were fired.
Not long after the cannons fell, three field guns and four Hongyi cannons were prepared and fired again. The seven shells lived up to expectations and produced better results. The officers and soldiers almost collapsed. If Wu Zhaofu hadn't been behind to suppress the formation, they might have been fired immediately.
It will run cleanly.
The artillerymen were working hard to attack the enemy at the front. Two hundred and forty artillery soldiers from the two formations on the left and right came to the front of the formation at some time and lined up in two rows. Naturally, William couldn't help but started to complain. Huang Chen helplessly said that the Ming Dynasty also had five
The problem with Duan's attack method is that he doesn't have that many muskets, so arranging them in two lines is already pretty good. The officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty lined up in one line, and even used three-eyed muskets instead.
"put--"
"put--"
"Bang bang bang bang bang..."
Nearly eighty heavy musketeers were the first to pull the trigger. The officers and soldiers did not expect that the pirate artillery could fire far, and the range of the fire was also beyond the norm. The dozen or so officers and soldiers in front immediately screamed and fell to the ground after being shot.
Wu Zhaoxuan's face was ashen and his eyes were bloodshot. He had joined the army as a young man and had been a soldier for more than 20 years. He had traveled through several provinces and was supposed to be quite knowledgeable. However, he had never encountered an enemy with such sophisticated firearms.
Never heard of it.
After the smoke filled everywhere, a towering formation stood in front of him. Wu Zhaofu felt an indescribable coldness all over his body. The bandits' firearms were so powerful. He really wanted to lead a group of soldiers who were almost frightened to touch it.
it?
"At least find out how strong your opponent is." Wu Zhaoxuan gritted his teeth and made a decision in his mind, shouting: "The fire gun soldiers can't stand close combat, I'll rush up and fight with him!"
"put--"
The gun team consisting of more than a hundred Western-style matchlocks and cannons fired almost instantly. At the same time, two formations in the back row of 360 spearmen and swordsmen from the Thirty-sixth Team of Twelve Flags moved forward in unison,
Cross the cannon position, cross the artillery position, erect guns and shields, and prepare to engage the enemy in close combat. If they are repulsed, all the artillery will fall into the hands of the enemy. This is one of the shortcomings of front-mounted artillery. Huang Chen believes that the Ming Dynasty must have
Someone who can defeat his spearmen will definitely not be the enemy in front of him.
When Zhao Hongyi set up the formation, he not only considered the terrain, but also the wind direction. The gunpowder smoke blowing in the face caused a lot of trouble to the officers and soldiers.
Wu Zhaoxuan completely gave up all other thoughts. Just waiting to test out his opponent's reality, he immediately retreated and never stayed.
"kill!"
The approaching two sides shouted loudly at the same time, and an intriguing scene appeared on the battlefield. The pirates were arranged in an orderly manner, and their movements were uniform. They were more like officers and soldiers than officers and soldiers. The real officers and soldiers were in a loose formation and had chaotic attacks, more like a rabble.
.
Cai Yifan didn't have many armored soldiers, so he couldn't bear to waste them on testing. Therefore, the officers and soldiers Xiang Yong who fought against Huang Chen's team were all wearing uniforms, fighting short, and had no defense. They collided with their own flesh and blood.
A wall with spikes, no matter how flexible and strong you are on a normal day, you will have nowhere to escape in front of the densely packed spears.
There was a muffled sound of "Puff" and "Puff", and the screams suddenly became one. The officers and soldiers who rushed at the front were almost assassinated. The people who followed behind were stunned. Before they could react, they were killed by those who were further behind.
People pushed forward.
"Puff, puff...!"
The bloody spear thrust out again, and the piercing screams sounded again. In the blink of an eye, the spearmen's feet were covered with corpses, and the ground was dyed red with blood. All the officers and soldiers were shocked by the horror before them. Wu Zhaoyu was so horrified that he lost his voice for a moment.
, but someone did what he had to do on his behalf. "Oh, run for your life!" A young country soldier finished howling, turned around and ran away, moving like a rabbit running away.
The escape of the young soldiers immediately triggered an "avalanche". The officers and soldiers were furious and scrambled to run back. Some were so frightened that they lost their will to fight and were unwilling to return to Cai Yifan's team.
Escape from the battlefield on both sides.
Hundreds of people crowded into one place, and for a while, people fell on their backs. I don’t know how many people were pushed to the ground by their colleagues behind them, and were trampled on. There were cries, shouts, and curses. Wu Zhaoyu was almost squeezed by the crowd, but fortunately he was kissed by someone beside him.
Wei's eyesight was quick and he was able to catch him in time.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Wu Zhaoxuan sighed. After more than 20 years of military service, today's battle was the most useless. He was actually defeated by his opponent in front of him. How could he have the dignity to call himself a general? Wu Zhaoxuan shook his head.
Under the cover of the personal guards, he fled towards the rear with the flow of people.
After all, the spearmen were all pirates. They obeyed orders and abided by laws and disciplines during battle. But now they no longer had to. They laughed, cursed, taunted, provoked, and even made very obscene moves at the embarrassed figures of their opponents.
Huang Chen ignored the soldiers' temporary indulgence and held up his binoculars to peek at the opposite side. He seemed to have overestimated the combat effectiveness of the officers and soldiers. To be honest, if all the officers and soldiers had this kind of character, not to mention the more than 3,000 people in front of Cai Yifan, twice as many.
He is not afraid either.
William shook his head and said: "It's so ugly! It's so bad! It's unbelievable. They have no equipment, no fighting spirit, no fighting skills, no sense of honor, they have nothing...! Baas, this is really the army of a country
?They simply do not have the ability to defend the country. Is the huge Chinese Empire supported by them?"
Huang Chen tried to explain to William: "They are only equivalent to local armed forces and militias in Europe."
William shrugged and said: "Believe me, baas, I'm not exaggerating. The worst militia in Europe is ten times better than them."
Huang Chen had no intention of dwelling on this issue and instead asked, "What do you think of the performance of my spearmen?"
William said: "They have reached the level of ordinary European armies. The gun is more flexible and versatile than the spear. Compared with the spear, its defensive function is slightly inferior, but its offensive ability is outstanding. This is a pretty good weapon and is worth retaining.
Arms."
Huang Chen sighed: "It's not easy to get a compliment from you."
"Baas, I am not a stingy and well-intentioned person." William pointed out.
"You seem to have something in your words?"
"I can't say yes or no, you can interpret it however you want."
"..."
Wu Zhaoxuan returned to Cai Yifan with a bit of embarrassment. He sighed in front of everyone and said: "Withdraw the commander-in-chief. We have no chance of winning. Our opponents are capable of both long and close combat and are extremely powerful. We do not have three times the number of troops. It is not appropriate to confront them head-on."
Cai Yifan's face darkened when he heard this, and all the generals looked at each other. (To be continued...)