Dashun Yongchang

In the gazebo by the lake, Wu Sangui listened to the news that Duoduo got from Li Xiaozhong and Li Yingpin, and after pondering for a long time, he said to Duduo: "The officers and soldiers of the Tianjin Acropolis want to surrender us. Of course it is a matter of course." It's a good thing, but these people are capricious and cannot be trusted easily. I also ask King Yu to give me some time, and I will send people to check their situation around Tianjin.

In addition, even if these people really want to join us, it is impossible for them to fight against the Shun army in Tianjin.Therefore, if we want to capture Tianjin Acropolis, we have to rely on ourselves, and they can only lead the way for us. "

Duoduo nodded in agreement and said, "General Wu is right. We can borrow them, but we can't fully trust them. But if they are really willing to surrender to us, and the Shun army does not guard against them, we will have a surprise attack on Tianjin Wei." opportunities in the city."

Wu Sangui was a little hesitant. If he was sitting in Shanhaiguan, relying on the protection of the city wall, he still wanted to have a good relationship between Dashun and Daqing. After being driven out, he lost his way.

When he was planning in Shanhaiguan before, he felt that as long as he set up the banner of restoring the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army on the nine sides and the people in the pass would all vote for him, and in order to enter the pass, the Qing army would also support him.But when the Qing army settled in Shanhaiguan, Gao Di, Bai Guangen and other Ming army generals all directly joined the Man Qing, without any intention of leading him and Guan Ning army, which made him feel half cold.

The battle at Huangtuzhuang slightly restored Wu Sangui's morale, and he felt that the Qing army was nothing more than that, and he seemed to think highly of them in the past.But after the Qing army infantry brigade caught up, the Shun army was still defeated after all, which made Wu Sangui feel fear again.There is no way, the Qing army's general cannons and red cannons are too powerful, no matter how strong the city is, they can't stop the bombardment of these artillery.

Therefore, the Shun army relied on a series of small towns along the canal to reach their vanguard troops, but when they saw the Qing army's cannons arriving in front of the city wall, the Shun army abandoned the city and evacuated without hesitation.Wu Sangui thought for a while, and realized that if he were in the city instead, he might have to escape for his life.

Therefore, in the past two days, Wu Sangui showed respect to the Qing army again, because he felt that he could not fight against the Qing army now.However, he was not so active in the pursuit of the Shun Army, and just marched step by step every day.Now he just hopes that the Qing army can wipe out the main force of the Dashun army, and he also hopes that the Shun army can severely damage the Qing army, so he doesn't have to look at the faces of the two families anymore.

Hearing that Duoduo wanted to sneak attack Tianjin Acropolis, after hesitating, Wu Sangui expressed his objection: "Our army is fighting steadily, and the Shun army can only be defeated. Why should King Yu be impatient? The morale of the Shun army is high, but we The army is supported by firearms, even the strongest city will be smashed by cannons, and I have been to Tianjin Acropolis, it has been in disrepair for many years, and there is not much defense capability. Our army can win without a sneak attack."

Originally Duoduo was not firm about attacking Tianjin Acropolis, but at this moment he made up his mind and said: "Push flatly, our army can win, but Zicheng retreats all the way south, where are we going to chase..."

Duoduo suddenly stopped and looked at Wu Sangui suspiciously: "Or is General Wu planning to force Zicheng to the south so that he can reconcile with the southern gentry?"

Chapter 77 Opportunities

The North Canal comes from the direction of Tongzhou, joins the South Canal under Hongqiao and then flows into Bohai Bay, and the official road from Beijing to Tianjin Acropolis is on the right bank of the North Canal, that is to say, between the North and South Canals north of Tianjin Acropolis.

Hu Xinshui, dressed in the attire of a low-ranking Ming army officer, stood on the watchtower at the southwest corner of the barracks at the southern end of Hongqiao, openly spying on the situation around Tianjin Acropolis.It is about 3 miles from the watchtower to the north gate of Tianjin Acropolis. The surrounding area of ​​Tianjin is low. Except for some miscellaneous forests and reed marshes along the river, it can be said to be unobstructed in such clear weather.

After looking at it for a long time, Hu Xinshui asked the followers around him: "Guogui, what do you think?"

However, Wu Guogui, who is in his early 20s, said without hesitation: "The rivers around the Acropolis are full of puddles and ponds. The only place that can be attacked by a large army is the area surrounded by the North-South Canal in the north. In the past, Yongle The emperor built the Acropolis here, which is indeed unique.

If the Shun army occupies the Acropolis and then guards the North and South Canals, our army must first control the North Canal and the Haihe River, and then seize the South Canal before attacking the Acropolis.But if you fight like this, you won't be able to win Tianjin Acropolis within three to five months.

But fortunately, Shunjun made a mistake in his busy schedule, revealing two major flaws, which gave us a chance to make a quick attack.One is that the Shun Army was obviously wary of the Tianjin Guards, but still sent them to guard the defense line of the North Canal, which is shooting itself in the foot.Although the North Canal is on the outskirts, we will not be able to attack the South Canal defense line without removing this stronghold.

The second is that the Shun Army's ambitions are too great. They set up defense lines on the north and south canals, which is enough to delay our attack on the Tianjin Acropolis.But the Shun army tried to build a long fort between the north and south canals to connect the camps between the north and south canals.But the Shun army dismissed the surrounding residents again. Although the long fortress was only about three miles long, it could not be completed within a few days with the Shun army's own manpower, so it was only half completed until now.

In this way, most of the manpower of the Shun Army was spent on building this long fort. Once the Tianjin Guards rebelled and seized the two pontoon bridges on the South Canal, the Shun Army in the Acropolis would become a minority instead.If our army can directly attack the north gate of the Acropolis after capturing the pontoon bridge, there is a half chance of taking the north gate directly. Once the Tianjin Acropolis falls, the Shun army trapped on the north bank of the South Canal will have to surrender. "

Hu Xinshui turned his head to look southwest again. Thousands of soldiers of the Shun Army were digging a long trench and piled the soil on one side to build a wall of earth, although from his side the wall reached up to his chest. position, but if you want to attack across a long trench, it will become a trench wall as high as one person.

He also noticed that the reason why Shunjun was so slow in building this earth barrier was because they dug the trench so wide and deep that even the cavalry couldn't cross the trench at once, and they had to dismount and fight in the end.If the Shun army were to complete this earth barrier, it would cost thousands of lives just to penetrate this line of defense.

If so many lives were lost in every siege battle with the Shun army, then the troops leading the Qing army would probably be exhausted soon.However, he quickly turned his gaze to the direction of the Acropolis. When he passed through the densely packed buildings on the south bank of the South Canal, he could see a black line, which was the north wall of the Tianjin Acropolis, and he couldn’t see anything further north. arrive.

Hu Xinshui, who has always been cautious, still hesitated at this time and said: "If the strength of the Shun army is here, it would be a good idea to raid the Acropolis. However, everyone has seen the scene of the Shun army evacuating the soldiers and civilians, but The passages inside the Acropolis and south of the Acropolis are firmly blocked by the Shun Army, if the Shun Army leaves and returns, it will be a trap."

Wu Guogui, who grew up beside Wu Sangui, respects Hu Xinshui but is not afraid of Wu Sangui's right-hand man. Hearing Hu Xinshui's worries at this time, he couldn't help but open his mouth to answer: "It doesn't matter if there is an ambush in the city or not, as long as we take it down At the north gate of the Acropolis, the Shun army was divided into two parts, the inside and the outside. There is still a large army behind us to support us. Will the Shun army want to bring back the army that went south to fight us? Even if that is the case, this is what we are most looking forward to Is the situation right?"

Hu Xinshui froze for a moment, and finally turned the corner in her mind. Right now they are chasing the Shun army, compared to these Shun army, they can be regarded as the main army.Therefore, if the Shun Army really wanted to defend the Tianjin Acropolis, it would be in their favor.For the Guan Ning army, fighting against the Shun army in Hebei is better than fighting against the Shun army in Shandong and Henan, because many of them are from Hebei and are more familiar with the geography here.

On the contrary, the Shun army is mainly composed of people from Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan. If they are allowed to cross the Yellow River, they will have a geographical advantage.After taking a long breath, Hu Xinshui let go of all the thoughts in his head, and said to Wu Guogui: "It's almost the same, go down and talk to the two generals Jin and Yang, and you can talk to the ordinary soldiers in the camp. Let’s talk, ask the Shun Army to evacuate the residents from that day on, and whether Li Zicheng is still in the Acropolis..."

On May 24th, Wu Sangui's Department entered the northeast of Wuqing County, while Duoduo's Department entered the northwest of Wuqing County. The distance between the two armies was more than 30 miles, and Wuqing County, where the Shun Army was stationed, was sandwiched in the middle. .

In the past two days, the coalition forces have adopted a step-by-step advancing strategy, coupled with the fact that the coalition forces are divided into two and echoed on both sides of the canal. The marching speed of the army is less than 30 miles per day.

But for Wu Sangui, it's okay to march slower, the Manchus' wariness of him is his biggest headache now.Although after Zu Dashou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, the Guan Ning Army became the Wu family's dominance, but the foundation of the Guan Ning Army was still outside the pass. The biggest root cause of delay.

After Wu Sangui surrendered to Li Zicheng, he brought his army to Sanhe County, but he was able to bring his army back to Shanhaiguan after receiving the changes in the capital. It was not how loyal the officers and men of the Guan Ning Army were to him, but because of the loyalty of the Guan Ning Army. The soldiers couldn't let go of the fields and houses outside the pass.Although there are Manchus looking at them outside the pass, but after fighting the Manchus for so long, the Guan Ning army has not reached the level of fear that the Ming army in the interior has for the Manchus.

In contrast, the scene of Nurhachi's rebellion against the Liao people entering the pass and being squeezed out by the people in the pass was deeply remembered by the Guanning army.They were very worried that after entering the customs, they would repeat the experience of these Liao people, and eventually become a group of lonely ghosts with nowhere to go.Therefore, when Wu Sangui proposed to return to Shanhaiguan, the Guan Ning army was elated. They thought that Wu Sangui would take them back outside the pass.

However, Wu Sangui from Shanhaiguan led the Manchus into the pass, which immediately disappointed some officers and men of the Guan Ning Army, and some officers and men of the Guan Ning Army simply moved closer to the Man Qing. Only a small half of the officers and men of the Guan Ning Army remained united around Wu Sangui.But Wu Sangui knew very well that it was impossible for the remaining officers and soldiers of the Guan Ning Army to remain loyal to him without complaint or regret. If he didn't take back the land outside the pass or find a new garrison, then what would he do to support these soldiers?

If you want to take back the land outside the pass, you must gain the full trust of the Manchurians; to find a new Guanning Army garrison, you must first prove the strength of the Guanning Army, and no one will distribute land to powerless forces.Therefore, on the premise that the advantage can be ensured, Wu Sangui doesn't mind fighting with the Dashun army, but he is reluctant to fight the Dashun army because Guan Ningjun is dying now. One, it is difficult to replenish without a garrison. Looking at the posture of the man, I am afraid that he will not be able to replenish him with any troops.

However, the more he wanted to preserve his strength, the more worried the Manchus were about him. At this time, all the family members of the Guan Ning Army were sent back outside the pass by the Manchus. The Manchus held a group of hostages from the Guan Ning Army. Naturally, they didn't dare to gamble whether the soldiers of the Guan Ning Army loved their families more or loved themselves more.

His conversation with Duoduo in Hexiwu finally ended with him surrendering.Although he himself did not think of taking advantage of the opportunity of chasing Li Zicheng's army to go south to contact the officials and gentry in the south who were loyal to Ming Dynasty, he had to admit that this was an extremely tempting idea.

Now he is pressed by the Manchus step by step, mainly because the Manchus' force is too strong, and he can't resist the Manchus' suppression at all.But if you go to the south, it's not necessarily the case. The further south you go, the more scattered the power of the Manchus, and the stronger the power loyal to Ming Dynasty.At that time, even the Guan Ning army whose family members are still outside the customs can only be a loyal minister of Ming Dynasty, instead of trying to serve the weak Manchus.

When Wu Sangui was sitting by a small river next to the big tent to enjoy the cool air and think, the guards beside him came to report to him that Hu Xinshui had returned, and he immediately said, "Bring him to see me, no, take him to the big tent." , and invite three adults, Engetu, Geng Zhongming, and Kong Youde, to come and listen to the news brought back by Hu Xinshui..."

Wu Sangui quickly came to his senses, whether to fight this battle or how to fight it, in fact, he had already made up his mind, so there was no need to make people suspicious, why not ask the three supervisors who watched him to listen to the news brought back by Hu Xinshui , and then obey the orders of these supervisors.

Engetu is Gushan Ezhen, Zhenghongqi, Mongolia. Although he is only in his early 40s, his qualifications are very old. He is a Horqin tribe who joined the Manchus during the Nurhachi period, so he is no different from the Manchus now.Needless to say, Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde were the horse bones used by Huang Taiji to recruit Han heroes. Although Huang Taiji didn't ask them to do anything, he treated them quite politely.

Duoduo sent these three people to Wu Sangui, nominally to strengthen Wu Sangui's forces, but in essence to further control Wu Sangui's army.After hearing the news brought back by Hu Xinshui, Engetu said without hesitation: "Since it has been confirmed that the news brought by Li Xiaozhong and Li Yingpin is good, and the Tianjin Guards do have the intention to join our army, then we will There should be no more hesitation, and you should send troops to Tianjin as soon as possible to receive the defense line of the Tianjin Guards.

As for whether we want to take down the Acropolis in one go, we already have more than 3 troops along the way, and according to news, the defenders of the Acropolis are no more than 2 at most, and more than half of them are outside the city. Can we not let such an opportunity come to our door?

In my opinion, we can prepare first, and then send Hu Dusi to report to the ten kings overnight, and let the ten kings make a decision..."

Chapter 78 Launch

In the early morning of the 25th, Duduo sent about 5 men from Hetuo and Kong Xigui with a red flag inlaid with the red flag to join Wu Sangui's army. The Shun army outside the city should be blocked outside the city, and they should not be allowed to escape into the city.

So on this day, Wu Jun pulled out his camp and continued to go south along the canal, but on the way he kept separating hundreds of troops to leave. Under his leadership, he marched away from the canal, avoiding the eyes and ears of the Shun army sentry, and rushed directly to Tianjin.

On that day, the Wu army traveled to Tianjin Acropolis for more than 20 miles, and it was less than a day away from Tianjin. On the other hand, the main force of Duoduo was entangled with the Shun army in Wuqing County for a day. Although it succeeded in occupying this small county, It is still fifty or sixty miles away from Tianjin Acropolis.

Lou Guangxian, Jin Bin, Yang Weihan and others who were stationed on the front line of Hongqiao on the North Canal received an order from the Marshal's Office in the city, asking them to strengthen their guard against Hongqiao. If the situation is critical, they can abandon the defense line on the north bank of the North Canal and retreat to the south bank to hold on, but the wooden bridge should be demolished .

Lou Guangxian, Jin Bin and others said to the staff officers sent to the city that Hongqiao is an important traffic route between the north and the south of the Haihe River, and it is also the daily necessities of the nearby merchants. Lou Guangxian and Jin Bin decided to move to the north bank that night.Taking advantage of the chaos created by the relocation of the Tianjin Guards' camp, more than 2000 horse infantry led by Chen Shideng, Xia Dengshi, and Hu Liang took the opportunity to sneak into the North Shore barracks, and then took control of the wooden bridge.

Both sides were still wearing the costumes of the Ming army, so the infiltration of the Guan Ning army did not attract the attention of the officers and soldiers of Tianjin Guards at first. After the Wu army controlled the wooden bridge and the entry and exit of the barracks, the officers and soldiers in the camp also lost the ability to resist.Under the persuasion of Lou Guangxian, Jin Bin, Yang Weihan and other generals, the nearly 4000 officers and soldiers stationed on the North Canal decided to return to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Chen Shideng, Xia Dengshi, and Hu Liang did not let down their vigilance. After incorporating more than 2000 direct subordinates of generals such as Lou Guangxian, Jin Bin, and Yang Weihan into their own team, the remaining 1000 officers and soldiers were sent to the army. They were isolated in a corner of the camp, and they were only required to defend their own camp.

On the morning of the 26th, Yang Weihan took 600 people to the warehouse on the south bank of the South Canal to fetch grain, rice, arrows, gunpowder and other military supplies.During the collection process, Yang Weihan was very picky about the grain, rice and military supplies issued to him, entangled with the officials in charge of the warehouse all morning, and did not lead the team back until almost noon.

There are two pontoon bridges on the South Canal, one directly leads to the street outside the North Gate, which can accommodate two horses in parallel, and is the main passage on the South Canal; Accommodates 2 people in parallel.

The river bed of the South Canal is more than 200 steps wider than that of the North Canal Hongqiao, which is nearly one-third wider. Without these two pontoon bridges, it would not be easy to cross this river.Therefore, the Shun army set up special guards for the two pontoon bridges, and 50 people were stationed on both sides of each bridge.

Near noon, the soldiers of the Shun army guarding the bridge were also preparing to eat. Emperor Yongchang made a lot of changes in logistics. As long as the army did not leave the camp, each army would have to set up a special canteen instead of cooking by itself.

After all, it was easy to distribute rice and noodles, but it was difficult to distribute vegetables and meat. Moreover, there was a large population in the military camp, and one sick person could easily infect a whole group of people.The use of a dedicated canteen to serve meals not only prevents soldiers from harassing the people around the camp, but also ensures the cleanliness and sanitation of meals.Of course, the canteen system will also cause some minor problems. For example, soldiers want to eat their meals first when they eat, and they are unwilling to stay on guard.

Taking advantage of this, Jin Bin, Yang Weihan and others proposed to Hu Xinshui a plan to launch a raid on the Acropolis at noon.When Yang Weihan directed his subordinates to dawdle across the bridge, he was also very nervous, because he hadn't heard the signal until now.

It takes more than 1100 steps from the north of Hongqiao to the north gate of the Acropolis. The infantry needs a quarter of an hour to complete the journey, the cavalry needs a third of a quarter, and the movement of closing the city gate should not take more than a half of an hour.

Therefore, the actions of seizing the bridge and raiding the city gate must be connected, otherwise the Shun army guarding the city would realize that something was wrong and close the city gate, and then summon the troops stationed on both sides of the south bank of the canal to seize the bridge. There are a large number of buildings on both sides, and they are not allowed to deploy troops to hold on.In this way, the army crossing the river will be forced to abandon the pontoon bridge and retreat to the north bank under the attack from three sides, and the battle will be in vain.

Although it has nothing to do with Tianjin Guards like them whether they can defeat the Tianjin Acropolis, but Yang Weihan felt that he had at least made a great contribution if he could succeed in the surprise attack. A duke and an earl should be done.

With such a mentality of worrying about gains and losses, Yang Weihan kept running back and forth on the pontoon bridge, cursing these soldiers for not doing their best, which delayed his lunch, and he must starve them when he went back.The transportation team, which was already procrastinating, became even more chaotic under Yang Weihan's rectification, that is, it was time for dinner, and no one was competing with them for the right of way on the pontoon bridge, so the soldiers guarding the bridge still persuaded them a few words .

However, at this moment, three trumpets sounded suddenly from the north, and when the soldiers on the pontoon bridge were attracted, Wu Guogui, who was disguised as a guard soldier, drew out his dagger without hesitation, cut his throat first and stood The soldiers guarding the bridge who were chatting with him, then shouted in a low voice: "Do it."

The officers and soldiers of the guards who were scattered at the bridgehead all attacked the Shunjun soldiers around them one after another. In an instant, seven or eight defenders at the southern end of the pontoon bridge lay on the ground.

After Wu Guogui checked that there were no fish slipping through the net, he looked up at the north bank again, and found that there was no peaceful settlement but a fight broke out there. Looking at the tower, I felt that there seemed to be no movement above it.

A bold idea suddenly came up, he turned his head and said to Luo Shiqi and Fu Sanyi behind him: "I will take 10 people to the city gate, and Sanyi will point out 50 people to meet me, Shiqi, you take the rest to guard Bridge."

Luo Shiqi and Fu Sanyi showed embarrassment on their faces, Fu Sanyi said: "We only brought short soldiers, which alarmed the large army in the city, and we couldn't stop it at all. You are too risky."

Luo Shiqi also said: "The Shangguan's order is for us to capture the pontoon bridge and then hold it for a while. We have already completed the task, so why bother? If we don't succeed in capturing the city gate, then it will be useless."

Wu Guogui's character has always been stubborn, and he will try life and death when he decides. After being persuaded by the two, he cast aside his worries, so he widened his eyes and said fiercely: "Since a man has joined the army, naturally We should win a fortune. It is no credit to seize the pontoon bridge. We can't hold the pontoon bridge without taking down the Acropolis.

I am not going to seize the city gate, but to prevent them from closing the gate.We can't just stand here and watch Shun Jun close the city gate, can we?In that case, even if the follow-up troops come up, they will not be able to raid the city gate.If there is any crime, I will bear it myself, Li Jiu, bring your brother and follow me. "

Luo Shiqi and Fu Sanyi looked at the back of Wu Guogui walking towards the city gate, and didn't know whether to step forward to stop him. After Li Jiu and others walked past them and chased Wu Guogui, Fu Sanyi could only turn around and sighed to Luo Shiqi: "What the hell is going on?" It's the people around Zongbing Wu, we can't really let him die here in vain, you guard the bridge, and I'll take people to meet him..."

When the three trumpets sounded, Tian Hu and Ma Zhongxi on the north bank of the South Canal were having dinner in the office of the Governor's Department. What is your lord thinking about defending this ruined city of Tianjin?"

Tian Hu frowned and said: "It's nothing to defend the city, but since the Lord has withdrawn all the people from Tianjin City, what else is there to defend in this city? Now we don't even have enough manpower to build camps. The soldiers have to dig the soil, and the people below complain about it.”

Ma Zhongxi nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, General Quan and the others probably have already passed Cangzhou. If our guard continues to hold on here, won't we become a lone army? In my opinion, when Hou Hou comes back, we should ask Hou Hou to help him." Let's persuade the Lord a few words... Where is the sound of the cannon..."

Tian Hu and Ma Chongxi threw down their bowls and chopsticks and ran out of the courtyard, and soon an officer came to report to them: "The vanguard of Wu Sangui's department has appeared on the north bank of the North Canal, and the three blasts of the horn just now came from the Hongqiao barracks." alert."

Ma Chongxi immediately said to Tian Hu: "Wu Sangui's strikers should not be many in number, but the strength of these Tianjin Guards is worrying. Let me take a team over there to help them stabilize their morale."

However, Tian Hu said hesitantly: "Your Majesty has ordered that our army not intervene in the defense of the North Canal. If the Hongqiao camp is attacked, our first priority is to ensure the safety of the camp near the Yamen of the Ministry of Finance and Payment. There is no room for loss here."

Ma Zhongxi was a little angry immediately, he said: "If the Hongqiao camp cannot be defended, wouldn't our long fort these days be in vain? Did your majesty listen to the opinion of some bastard..."

Tian Hu interrupted him and said: "Don't be too impatient, we really can't afford to make mistakes here, otherwise Bohou will have nowhere to go. His Majesty may be worried about this, so he doesn't allow us to interfere in the defense of the North Canal Well. In this case, I'd better send someone to ask Lou Guangxian to see if they have the confidence to hold on, and you go to organize the troops, and I will give you orders if you need anything."

Ma Chongxi finally had no objection when he heard that he wanted to protect Bohou's rear. Compared with Tianjin Guards, Bohou's rear was of course more important.Now that Wu Sangui's army has appeared, it is conceivable that the first army of Bohou should not be far away from them.If the opponent is pursued by the Qing army, then of course their vital strength will be used to meet Bohou.

After dismissing Ma Chongxi, Tian Hu immediately called his staff officer, and according to the previous plan, began to gather troops to protect the two pontoon bridges on the South Canal.

Chapter 79 Seize the Door

Hu Liang and Chen Shideng, who were standing in the camp at the southern end of the Hongqiao, watched nervously the movement of the Shun army at the Changbai. Liang suddenly said with some disappointment: "It seems that we can't take this opportunity to wipe out a part of the Shun Army and create more chaos for them. Send a signal to Vice General Xia to let his cavalry attack. I will urge Jin Bin's troops to attack." The yamen of the Ministry of Finance, you guard the bridge."

Chen Shideng nodded in agreement and said, "That's it. The pontoon bridge on the left has been captured, but the Shun Army seems to have sensed something is wrong. If we continue to hesitate, the chance of raiding the city gate may be gone. San Chong, send a message to Vice General Xia." Signal, let them attack."

Chen Shideng turned his head and shouted to an officer behind him, and the officer immediately shouted to the soldiers on standby behind the flagpole: "Raise the red flag."

On Hongqiao North Road, half an hour ago, [-] Guanning cavalry had formed a team and guarded the roadside. Lieutenant Xia Dengshi even stood in front of the team with his helmet on, so that the soldiers behind him could see that he was leading the way. Everything is ready to wait for the signal to attack.

Only half an hour later, Lieutenant General Xia, who was standing at the front of the line, had already taken off his helmet and hid in the shadow of the roadside buildings, drinking water to relieve the heat.Hu Xinshui, who came to take over the camp in the morning, looked at Xia Dengshi, who was sweating profusely, and at the soldiers behind him who were almost sticking themselves into the shadows, and asked worriedly: "Vice General Xia, are you all right to attack?" ?”

Xia Dengshi suppressed the irritability caused by the sweltering heat, and replied to Hu Xinshui: "My lord, don't worry, as long as you get on the horse and run, you will cool down. Damn, I didn't expect the summer sun in the pass to be so poisonous. It’s better to raid early in the morning.”

Although the officer's armor is well-made, it is mainly made of iron sheets and leather. In order to pursue defense, such armor is not ventilated, and it is naturally unbearable when the sun is exposed, not to mention that Xia Dengshi is still wearing it inside. A piece of inner armor, sunbathing in such a summer noon, is as uncomfortable as a crab being cooked in a steamer.

Hu Xinshui could understand Xia Dengshi's mood at this time, because he was already feeling extremely hot even when he was only wearing a light armor. As for the cavalrymen who were still wearing cotton armor, he didn't want to think about the feelings of these people.He can only hope that this army can survive until the time to attack, but this also makes him have some doubts about this raid on the city gate.

At this time, the soldiers looking upstairs suddenly shouted to them: "The red flag is raised on the opposite side, one red flag, one red flag..."

After hearing the signal for the assault, Xia Dengshi immediately felt a burst of relief in his heart. At this moment, he even felt that the stuffy heat on his body was relieved a bit, and he could finally escape from being tormented by the heat of the sun. On the body, it is a good thing to finish this battle as soon as possible and go to the river to take a shower.

Xia Dengshi put on the helmet and fixed it, cupped his fists towards Hu Xinshui and said, "Master Hu, I'm going now, and please ask Master Hu to urge the follow-up people to come and support us as soon as possible."

Hu Xinshui looked over the cavalry team in front of him, looked at his own family and horses who were coming in through the gap in the demolished fortifications, and turned to Xia Dengshi and said: "Vice General Xia, go at ease...well, I mean, I wish Vice General Xia Ma If you succeed, you will win the first victory in this battle."

Although he felt a bit unlucky, Xia Dengshi could only pretend that he hadn't heard the slip of the tongue from his boss, and clasped his fist at Hu Xinshui again, then turned around and got on the horse with the support of his servant.Because of the preparations, the [-] selected Guan Ning cavalry got on their horses within a few tens of breaths and formed a long snake formation with two horses running side by side.

After Xia Dengshi gave an order, he rushed towards the south bank of Hongqiao in the first place.When Xia Dengshi's cavalry team rushed to the east pontoon bridge of the South Canal, the Shun army officers and soldiers above the north city gate really realized that something was wrong and began to ring gongs to warn. solid wood doors.

But at this moment, ten people including Wu Guogui, who pretended to enter the city to handle errands, approached the city gate slowly. Seeing the move of the Shun army in front of the city gate entering the city and closing the gate, Wu Guogui immediately pulled out his waist knife and shouted: " Our army is approaching, why don't you all follow me to fight for wealth. Zhang Han, you take 3 people to move away from the horse, and the others follow me."

After Wu Guogui yelled, he rushed to the city gate without hesitation, and killed the Shunjun soldiers who were about to close the gate. These soldiers threw their weapons aside in order to close the gate. Facing Wu Guogui who was rushing with a waist knife, they could only attack Backing away, this immediately caused chaos in the city gate.

While Wu Guogui was fighting hard at the city gate, Yang Weihan and Luo Shiqi at both ends of the pontoon bridge also began to order their subordinates to overturn the vehicles and food on the pontoon bridge to Hanoi to make way for their own troops.At the same time, the Shun troops on both sides of the pontoon bridge also realized that the pontoon bridge was not an ordinary military brawl, but an enemy attack, so they organized people to retake the pontoon bridge immediately.

All of this seems to be a long reaction process, but in fact it is a very short gap. Here, the Shun Army sent some soldiers to the East Road Floating Bridge, and the Guan Ning Army’s cavalry had already arrived at the East Road Floating Bridge. the northern end.

Without Xiadengshi's order, 50 cavalry from the end of the cavalry team rushed to the hundreds of Shun army infantry who were trying to seize the northern end of the pontoon bridge, and then stabilized the defense on the north bank of the pontoon bridge.Although the cavalry was slower when crossing the pontoon bridge and could only advance in a single column, the cavalry after crossing the river still effortlessly dispersed hundreds of Shunjun infantry who had surrounded the south bank.

After dispelling the Shunjun infantry in the south of the pontoon bridge, Xia Dengshi also noticed the battle breaking out at the city gate and the increasing number of soldiers on the city wall. He no longer worried about the Shunjun troops that were still assembled not far away, but turned his head to face behind him His deputy shouted, "Ma Chun, you gather the brothers who have crossed the river here, Huang Yuan, you take the brothers who have already crossed the river and follow me to seize the city gate."

When Wu Guogui heard the sound of horseshoes behind him, there were less than three comrades left beside him. Although Fu Sanyi had more than 40 people with him outside the city gate, they could not support him without long soldiers. Inside, fighting with short soldiers and several spears has almost no chance of winning.Although Wu Guogui was outstanding in martial arts, he even knocked off his helmet under the random poking of several Shunjun soldiers armed with long soldiers.

After hearing the sound of horseshoes and shouts behind him, Wu Guogui dodged to the side and shouted to his comrades: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, our cavalry is coming..."

Before Wu Guogui's words fell, a horse had already rushed into the city gate, and a soldier of the Wu army who couldn't dodge was slammed into the opposite side by the galloping horse. While covering his sight, the soldier of the Wu army entered the interior of the soldiers of the Shun army.

Under such a violent impact, the 3 to 50 Shunjun soldiers blocked in front of the city gate were suddenly rushed out of a gap, and then the cavalry behind continued to rush in along this gap, and immediately wiped out the small city. The opening of the gate was blocked, and the soldiers of the Shun army with long soldiers lost the space to fight. The knights on horseback began to abandon their long soldiers and use swords instead, and soon defeated the Shun army's defense at the city gate.

All this happened very quickly. When Wu Guogui was still annoyed that his own cavalry didn't even care about his own people, the corpses and wounded had already fallen all over the city gate.As the cavalry from the rear filed in, Fu Sanyi, who had been hiding outside the city gate and did not dare to step forward, patted him on the shoulder and said to him: "Brother Guogui, don't stay here, let's enter the city quickly." , This is your hard-earned feat, and these cavalry cannot be robbed."

Wu Guogui subconsciously turned his head and glared at Fu Sanyi. Looking at these hostile eyes, Fu Sanyi put down his hands embarrassingly, and explained to himself: "I also kindly remind you that we must not let the brothers die here for nothing."

After Wu Guogui took a deep breath, he said to Fu Sanyi: "Find some people to carry out the bodies of the brothers, and the others will follow me into the city."

Fu Sanyi looked at the back of Wu Guogui walking into the city, and could only spit on the ground, thinking in his heart that he had something to be proud of, isn't it the family member next to Wu Zongbing, forget it, and I don't bother to argue with him .

Turning around, he called several subordinates to carry out the corpses and wounded in the city gate, and Fu Sanyi led the rest of his subordinates into the city.There are about a hundred people guarding the city gate, but there is also a small military camp with hundreds of people near the city gate as support for the city gate defense force.It's just that, as Jin Bin and others heard, half of the camp was transferred outside the city to build a long fort, so there were only a hundred people in the camp guarding it.

The incident happened suddenly, neither the defenders at the city gate nor the garrison in the nearby barracks had expected their surprise attack this time, so after Xia Dengshi's cavalry team entered the city continuously, they quickly defeated the troops near the city gate. The barracks came to help.When the supporting army was defeated, the soldiers of the Shun army on the north gate retreated towards both sides of the city wall.

Starting from Hongqiao North to the north gate tower, Xia Dengshi estimated that it took about a quarter of an hour.Standing on the north gate and looking at the situation outside the city, I saw that our army has been crossing the river from the Hongqiao in a steady stream, attacking all the way towards the Yamen of the Ministry of Finance and the West Road Floating Bridge, and all the way along the East Road Floating Bridge towards the North Gate. Come.

He glanced at the city again. Although the Shun army temporarily retreated from the north gate, there were signals to gather troops from all over the city. Obviously, the Shun army did not give up the idea of ​​taking back the city gate.Xia Dengshi then ordered to his subordinates to raise his own banner at the north gate, the infantry went up to the city, and the cavalry gathered below the city to resist the subsequent counterattack of the Shun army.

At the same time, Li You, Song Xiance and other generals of the Shun Army came to the Inspector's Yamen to the west of the Tianjin Guard Office. Two days ago, Li Zicheng moved his residence from the Governor's Yamen near the north gate to the Inspector's Yamen near the south gate. , this place became the new Marshal's Mansion of the Shun Army.