Nanming Engineer

Chapter 405
Outside Shiling Pass, there is a huge plain with more than [-] mu of land. There is a piece of land in the middle of the high mountains. It seems that a giant has cut off a mountain peak in the mountains with an axe. The fertile yellow land has fed countless mountain people in the south of Xinzhou.

The trees on the mountain are verdant, the mountain streams are clear, strange peaks rise, and the clouds are majestic. There are rugged rocks and dangerous peaks, as well as beautiful mountains and clear waters, and a bright moon and clear breeze. If you are in a leisurely and elegant mood, you can go up with your friends and enjoy wine and tea. There is a special interest in the dangerous and beautiful mountain scenery of Luliang and Wutai.

On weekdays, with gentle mountain breezes and bright sunshine, residents from inside and outside the Guan Road come and go like crucian carp crossing the river. Cars and horses gallop endlessly, connecting Jinzhong and North Shanxi, and turning it into a prosperous link between the two places.

But on this day, there were no humans or animals, no one walked on the roads, and the villages and houses scattered in the wilderness had long since fled. In the fields, the crops were left unattended, and the cypresses were criss-crossed, but only the breeze caressed them, and it was as bleak as autumn. leaf.

In front of the stone-built Guanlou, rows of white soldiers are like frost on the ground. They stand quietly according to the positions of their respective thousand-man teams. The long spears and bright knives in the forest reflect the sunlight and shine on the white sky. On the iron armor like snowflakes, there is a large area shining brightly, eye-catching and dazzling.

In front of each group of thousands of soldiers, Chief Qian stood proudly in front of the formation wearing iron armor, wrapped in a red cloak, carrying a crossbow, and holding a long knife, while the three battalion generals all wore the same military uniform and reined in their horses at the front of the formation.

Wang Huan did not go down to the pass city. He stood on the pass city, condescending, staring coldly, watching the intersection of mountains and plains in the distance. There was no trace of waves on his delicate face, and his indifferent expression made people wonder if he was in Watch a military parade.

But Ma Wannian who was standing beside him had a serious face, and the hand clutching the handle of the knife at his waist rattled nervously, as if he wanted to crush the handle of the knife wrapped in cotton cloth made of solid wood.

The green, cyan and red flags fluttered in the wind, like another flag wall in front of the Guancheng. Under the flags, many white-armored soldiers of the Kuizhou army, like the Qianzong and Battalion commanders standing side by side, had the same dignified complexion. His muscles were tense, and the solemnity in his eyes could make the hairs stand on end.

All eyes were looking into the distance. On the not-so-distant side of the mountain, a cloud of smoke was rising up, covering the sky and covering the sun.

The Mongolian soldiers serving as reconnaissance scouts and Ding Guodong's Gansu soldiers have been fighting for several days. In the not so wide mountain forest, the chances of scouts colliding head-on are very high. Group fights happened almost every day, and there was even a method of setting up traps on the official roads, which showed the density of people on both sides here.

Today, the Qing army finally arrived outside Shiling Pass. According to spies, Nikan's golden tent had been put away. He and Bolo personally led an army of nearly 4 people and were speeding on their way. They could reach Shiling before the sun set. Outside Lingguan.

The smoke and dust in the distance is rising day by day, gradually getting thicker and getting closer.

More and more horsemen and armored men appeared on the plain. These people were skilled in riding, manipulating the horses to gallop past from a distance. When they saw the Kuizhou army formation that was waiting to be organized, they were obviously stunned for a while, and then quickly He ran backwards, apparently not expecting that the Ming army would dare to go out of the city to fight, and even lined up with their backs behind the city. It looked like they were going to fight the Qing army to death.

Nikan and Boluo rode horses side by side in the army, and walked slowly under the protection of several Baiba Yala soldiers inside and outside. When they received the news from the Mongols who were fighting in the front line, they ate for a while. shock.

Nikan squinted his eyes, looked in the direction of Shiling Pass, and frowned in disbelief: "The Ming army dared to go out to fight in the field, or back the city to form an array. Is this going to sink the boat?"

Boluo also said strangely: "If you stand behind the city, unless you are sure of victory, once you are defeated and the defeated soldiers attack the city gate, unless those who close the gate abandon all the friendly troops outside the city, otherwise the gate will be broken. Let's attack the city and follow the defeated soldiers to rush into the pass."

Nikan smiled in vain, shook his head and said: "This Pingliang hour, he is a bit brave. Unlike the southern barbarians we met before, he didn't even have the courage to fight. I just don't know if this person is a stupid boy or if he really has it." How good is it?"

Boluo also laughed, and his words were full of contempt: "Don't worry about it, even if he is a warrior, his soldiers may not be. Marching and fighting alone is not enough. What's the point of being brave among thousands of troops? Use? The southern barbarians are all embroidered pillows, which are not useful, but you can see that they are all white armor, and they look majestic. If they really fight, I'm afraid it's not like that!"

The two laughed loudly, full of arrogance in their roughness, that momentum, as if the Kuizhou army in front of them was just a group of dead people who were about to take the lead.

"You two lords, Nanman is so bold that he dares to block our army's way. This servant is willing to be the vanguard, to open the way for the lord, and take down Shiling Pass!"

Behind the two, someone shouted loudly, the sound was like thunder, and it shook people's ears.

Nikan and Bolo looked back and recognized that the person shouting was the Mongolian prince Karchuhun. This man had always been brave, but was overshadowed by Ma La at the pre-war meeting. Now he was eager to win back, so he stepped forward to ask for a fight. .

Nikan and Boluo were of course happy when someone wanted to play forward. They readily agreed and ordered him to lead [-] Mongolian soldiers to act as a forward and go to the front first.

Kaer Chuhun left excitedly. At this time, the Qing army had walked out of the mountain road and arrived at the plain in front of the pass. The Mongols who were fighting in the front line had already raced and encircled the plains, marking a large piece of ground. Thousands of cavalrymen Separate the two sides to prevent the Ming army from suddenly charging while the Qing army's formation was not stable.

If the Ming army did this, the marching Qing army would immediately line up on the spot, confronting the Ming army on the front, and the Mongolian soldiers on both sides would circle around, run to the back of the Ming army and charge on the two wings, holding the Ming army's tail in their mouths. beat.

Based on the Qing army's understanding of the Ming army, they did not dare to do this. Therefore, the Mongolian soldiers were arranged just in case. The result was as expected. The white-armored Ming army stayed in place quietly, with nothing going on. reaction.

The only thing that can be regarded as coping is that the Ming soldiers who were sitting on the ground started to stand up.

The Qing soldiers quickly took their positions. According to the usual rules, they lined up one after another, and set up several square formations. The Han army was still at the front, the Jurchen Eight Banners were at the back, and the Mongolian cavalry were at the two sides.

Surrounded by all the generals, Nikan and Boluo rode their horses to watch the battle.

The brave generals gathered together, shouting and embracing, and the two Jurchen princes came to the front of the battle like stars holding the moon, not at all worried about the hidden danger of exposing the position of the main general.

In the final analysis, this is the embodiment of strong self-confidence accumulated over the years.

Taking a cursory look, Boluo couldn't help laughing dumbfoundedly. He stretched out his hand and pointed forward and said, "Haha, the Nanman is indeed strong outside but capable inside. This formation is very powerful, but it is vulnerable to a single blow!"

He laughed happily, and said again: "Look, the three rows of bird commanders in front of the Nanman are stretched extremely long and wide, loose and loose, and there are two rows of sword and shield hands behind them. This is obviously because we are worried about our bows and arrows. The backhands covered by the Bird Commander are so cowardly, how can they face the enemy? Look at the back, there is a row of sidecars, when those Bird Commanders and Sword Shield Handlers retreat, won’t they destroy the car? The long spear array is thick, but it reaches the banner of the Chinese army. When the chariot formation is broken, our warriors can directly attack the Chinese army. Once the Chinese army is broken, the whole game will be lost. How can the Nanman be undefeated? Looking at the two sides, the cavalry actually Hiding behind, those heavy guns are pushing forward again, what is this for? Are you bombarding us?"

"Although the cannon is ferocious, its disadvantage is its slow rate of fire. It is a sharp weapon to destroy the city, but it is extremely unwise to use it in field battles." Gu Shan Ezhen Dasu echoed, with a sneer on his face: "The Nanman is probably in a daze. I figured out such a way, when the Ming army opened fire, our cavalry would have rushed up, how could the cavalry behind the Ming dog be our opponents, we could deal with it like chopping melons and vegetables!"

"Master Hou, I can't stand the itching of my hands anymore. This weak army dares to be a chariot with its arms. Hurry up and blow the trumpet to go to the battle. The boys below can't stand it anymore!"

The generals were laughing, not serious about facing the enemy at all, even Nikan, who was known for his calmness, couldn't help but smile, and lightly beat the horsewhip in his palm, thinking about the tactics of battle.

A gust of wind blew by, blowing the peacock feathers on the cherry gun above Nikan's head and swaying gently.

The same wind, crossing the distance of several miles between the two armies, gently lifted up the red tassel on the top of Wang Huan's helmet from the Guan Tower, waving it slightly in the air.

"Send the order, prepare the whole army, the gunners and commanders load the ammunition and charge, the crossbowmen buckle the strings, the Tatars are about to move!" Wang Huan's tone was still indifferent and awe-inspiring, but his bright eyes were full of light, Flashing with a biting cold light.

A loud and rapid sound of the horn sounded, but the sound of the horn was not the ox-horn horn commonly used in the army, but the sound of the suona. The white-armed soldiers had this kind of instrument, which was used to convey messages. When Wang Huan saw this thing, It reminded me of the charge, so the sound of the horn was stipulated, and it was used as a tool for sending letters in the army.

Several phalanxes of white-armed soldiers immediately started to move when they heard the sound. At the same time, on the side of the Qing army, a group of thousands of Mongolian cavalry began to slowly march out along the edge of the battlefield, as if taking a walk. leisurely walk.

(End of this chapter)