Dashun Yongchang

Wu Wenwen also nodded in praise and said: "Huang Degong is not a kind person. You can see that the Tianchang Army has been unwilling to go south. I am afraid that the two armies may not trust each other so much. The Tianchang Army entered Yizheng and Huang Degong from the west. United, this possibility is unlikely, but we have to be on guard, if the Tianchang army and Huang Degong's army join forces to attack our army, we will be in a desperate situation."

Yin Zhirong and Yang Dafu said timidly: "Commander, since Tianchang's army is going south, it doesn't make much sense for us to stay here. Why don't we go south as soon as possible and persuade Jieshuai to cross the river."

Wu Wenwen immediately retorted: "Will Jieshuai spare us if we withdraw if we don't fight a battle? What's more, it's not up to Jieshuai to decide if we can't cross the river now. The South Bank navy won't let us cross the river. Can we still fly?" In the past? I have to block here for a few days to give Jie Shuai some time to ask for help, right?"

But Du Yonghe said coldly: "We have been stationed here for almost half a month, but Nandu has not even given an answer. Either today will explain tomorrow, or tomorrow will be delayed. The group of rotten scholars in Nandu may be thinking Shall we fight for them on the North Shore? State affairs are corrupted by these literati."

Yin Zhirong, Yang Dafu and others all nodded in agreement, and Wu Wenwen could only keep his mouth shut.Their troops were different from the rest of Gao Jie's army. It was originally Henan officers and soldiers who surrendered to the peasant army, and then followed Li Chengdong to betray Li Zicheng.The resentment towards Li Zicheng is actually not that great, but the resentment towards the Ming court is serious.

Seeing Li Chengdong's expression, Li Zhizhen suddenly said hesitantly: "Actually, we have no personal enmity with Emperor Yongchang. Nandu treats us like this. Do we still have to sacrifice our lives for Nandu?"

Li Chengdong looked up at the silent expressions of one of his subordinates, and immediately scolded Li Zhizhen, "Are you out of your mind? Just as the Tianchang army went south, we knelt down and begged for mercy. Do you think Emperor Yongchang will let us go? You take a The team went to the east to observe the movement of Meihua Ridge, if the Shun Army really appeared in Meihua Ridge, come back and report to me immediately..."

Li Chengdong suppressed his subordinates' eagerness to move, but he also knew in his heart that it was really difficult to fight this battle.If they had had the guts to fight Li Zicheng's army, they would not have fled back from Shanxi in the first place.

What's more, although Li Zicheng withdrew from Beijing, his two armies went south and easily killed Liu Liangzuo and Liu Zeqing's troops. He also received the support of Huang Degong and Zuo Liangyu, which shows that the morale of Li Zicheng's army was not damaged by the loss of Beijing.In a situation like Yangzhou where they are unfamiliar with people and Nandu still refuses to let them cross the river, everyone doesn't want to fight even more.

However, after so many years of chaotic wars, Li Chengdong also realized one thing. His security and power come from the army under him. As long as there is still a chance, he will not hand over the army, otherwise he will really To be slaughtered.

First defend the earthy mountain of Shugang, try the combat power of the Tianchang Army by the way, and then wait and see the situation to make a decision. This is Li Chengdong's final determination.However, his good idea was ruined by a piece of news in the afternoon.The two groups of cavalry who broke through the cordon of Li Chengdong's outpost bypassed the east and west sides of Shugang respectively, and then with the help of Yangzhou people, they easily expelled Li Chengdong's troops who were less than a hundred people on the sweeping mountain outside the west gate of Yangzhou.

Then seven or eight hundred Shunjun cavalry and more than a thousand Yangzhou township soldiers set up a camp on the sweeping mountain, cutting off the passage of Li Chengdong's troops to Guazhou.Sweeping Hill is just a slope more than ten feet high, but now it is blocking the surrounding passages.If Li Chengdong's department can't take this hillside, they have to go far away, and they may be blocked by Huang Degong's department.

Only then did Li Chengdong realize that he had made a mistake.The Tianchang army with the support of Yangzhou people is the main army, and they are just guest troops without foundation.They had a deep grudge with the Yangzhou people, and it was impossible for the Yangzhou people to stand by and watch when the Heshun army fought.

Chapter 164 Yangzhou II

Li Chengdong whipped the general who had escaped severely, and then summoned the generals around him to take back the sweeping mountain, but at this moment, his subordinates came to report to him that the cavalry of the Shun Army was in the north of Shugang. appeared on the avenue.

Although there were only a few hundred Shunjun cavalry on the northern avenue, they nailed the pace of Li Chengdong's army.Because Gao Jie's army fled from Shanxi to the south, there are many more mules and horses in the army than the southern army.

Assuming that the number of mules and horses in the southern army is one-tenth of the infantry, then Gao Jie's army is at least three or four tenths. However, Li Chengdong's troops are not the core troops of Gao Jie's army, so the number of mules and horses is smaller, with a total of 3 Among the more than 4 soldiers, there are only about [-] cavalry.

At this time, there were at least 500 cavalry soldiers from the Shun army occupying the sweeping mountain. With the assistance of Yangzhou soldiers, Li Chengdong was not sure that he could take back the sweeping mountain with a few troops.But now if he transfers most of the troops in the battalion to attack the sweeping mountain, then the cavalry of the Shun army in the north can easily break through the Shugang camp, and then flank himself with the cavalry of the Shun army on the sweeping mountain.

Although Li Chengdong still has an advantage in numbers, cavalry is king in field battles.What's more, Li Chengdong didn't think that his subordinates would be able to fight until the last moment when the troops who had been cut off from the rear were caught in the dilemma of attacking from both sides.

Faced with this situation, Li Chengdong could only tentatively ask the subordinates around him: "Or, leave some people behind to guard the camp, and I will take the main force to take down the sweeping mountain, and then come back to respond?"

The generals all looked down at the ground and said nothing, obviously none of them wanted to stay and guard the camp.Li Chengdong finally said annoyedly: "The big camp blocked the passage of the Shun army going south, and the troops of the Shun army brigade going south must first seize the big camp.

If we voluntarily give up here, the south is flat land, what can we do to stop the pursuit of the Shun army?It is more than 30 miles from Shugang to Guazhou, even if it is 20 miles to our army's defense zone, do you think you can run a horse? "

Relying on being Li Chengdong's confidant, Du Yonghe of the Chinese army boldly said: "Or, we can retreat directly before the Shun army reacts? The Shun army has just occupied the sweeping mountain at this time, so it should be fully committed Build fortifications to prevent our army from attacking, and you will never think that we will retreat directly."

Li Chengdong looked at Du Yonghe very annoyed and retorted: "Now that the whole army is retreating, it is equivalent to leaving all the family property behind. Do you think that after we flee back, will Jie Shuai give us supplies? Besides, the brothers below Are you willing to leave your belongings and run away with the woman?"

Du Yonghe shut his mouth immediately. Although the strength of Li Chengdong's troops was only more than 400, each soldier had at least one master to pick out his belongings, and one or two captured women did laundry and cooking. There are at least nearly [-] non-military personnel.He thought about letting the soldiers flee and throwing these non-military personnel to the Shun army, but Li Chengdong was obviously reluctant.

Not only Li Chengdong was reluctant, but his colleagues also voiced their opposition to Du Yonghe's proposition.These colleagues have said a lot, but the central point is that these property and women cannot be looted at any time and place, but are accumulated by the soldiers below who have plundered the people since they crossed the Yellow River. It's simple, but can it be accumulated in the future?If not, what if the soldiers below rebel?

In the midst of the dispute, Wu Wenwen finally couldn't help but stand up and said: "If the commander-in-chief can leave 800 people for the general, the general can work hard to support until dark. After dark, we will withdraw again." Going to Guazhou will be much safer."

Li Chengdong looked at the other people, then at Wu Wenwen, and could only say to this confidant and beloved general: "Alright, you just need to stick to it until dark, and I will send someone back to meet you..."

Li Chengdong immediately brought Du Yonghe, Yin Zhirong, Yang Dafu and other generals and 2400 horse infantry, and he left 200 more for Wu Wenwen, for fear that this beloved general would not be able to withstand the impact of the Shun army.

The moat of the old city in the Song Dynasty is on the edge of the sweeping mountain, so this place has a wild landscape. Many rich people in Yangzhou dislike the small space in the city, so they built many gardens here, as well as the residence of salt merchants on Hexia Street in the southern suburbs of the city. They are all well-known wealthy residential areas in Yangzhou City.

Unlike the abundance of water near Hexia Street, there are many willow trees and grasslands in the area of ​​​​Saugou Mountain, which is a place where you can walk around on horseback outside Yangzhou City.However, after Gao Jie's army arrived in Yangzhou, Gao Jie's army forcibly entered the area around the sweeping mountain because they could observe the situation on the city wall.

Even if the officials and rich people of Yangzhou City live here, it is difficult to resist the harassment of these rebellious troops.Compared with ordinary people, the personal safety of these officials and rich people is still guaranteed, but they only lost some property and maidservants.But for the Yangzhou people who have been in peace for more than 200 years, the brutality of Gao Jie's army has exceeded their imagination. Even the Japanese pirate rebellion during the Jiajing period did not make Yangzhou people so panicked.

Therefore, almost all the families living here moved into Yangzhou City, leaving only some servants to guard the mansion.The reason why Gao Jie's army was collectively boycotted by Yangzhou officials and gentry is precisely because Gao Jie's army looted not only ordinary people, but even these privileged official families were humiliated.

When the cavalry of the Shun army bypassed Shugang and came to Meihualing in the north of Yangzhou City, a mountain of earth piled up by excavating the moat, Ma Minglu, the deputy city defense envoy of Yangzhou, went out of the city at the appointment, took hundreds of cavalry from under the city of Yangzhou, detoured to the west gate, and dispatched As a guide, the town soldiers captured the sweeping mountain and blocked the passage to the west of the sweeping mountain.

After the Shun army expelled the garrison of Li Chengdong's department on the Mount of sweeping dirt, Ma Minglu not only dispatched more than a thousand township soldiers to assist the army in defending Mount sweeping, and also recruited more than a thousand slaves guarding the mansion of Mount sweeping. They were assigned by the Shun army to dig trenches, make horses, boil water, cook, and collect fodder.

Therefore, when Li Chengdong led his army to the foot of the sweeping mountain after spending more than half an hour, what he saw was not an exhausted Shunjun cavalry, but a cavalry that had recovered most of its energy.And with the help of Yangzhou township soldiers and these other courtyard servants, a fence, a trench and an earth barrier have been built on the gentle slope leading to the sweeping mountain.

Hao Xiaoquan, the general of the Shun Army who led two cavalry regiments to attack Yangzhou, saw Li Chengdong's army forming formation at the foot of the mountain, and said to Ma Mingpao, "Master Ma, the battle is about to begin. According to our army's According to regulations, non-military personnel should leave their positions to prevent intervention in operations.”

Ma Mingpao looked at Li Chengdong's military appearance at the foot of the mountain, and then at Shunjun's military appearance, and immediately said: "I have also commanded village soldiers and high-ranking thieves in battle, so I can't be regarded as a non-military personnel?"

Hao Xiaoquan shook his head and said, "If the snake had two heads, I wouldn't know where to go. Our army can only have one voice when fighting. Please, Mr. Ma, bring those who don't want to fight back to the west gate."

Ma Mingpao looked at the fearful subordinates around him, and he could only nod in agreement with Hao Xiaoquan, and agreed that Hao Xiaoquan would pick and choose the local soldiers and servants here, and bring those who could not fight back to Ximen.

Hao Xiaoquan immediately summoned the officers above the township sentry chief and the temporary leaders of the servants, and he said frankly to these people: "I think you have seen that Gao Jie's army has arrived at the foot of the mountain, and their number is larger than ours." Therefore, we need some people to take the initiative to stay to help us fight and rescue the wounded and some auxiliary work.

In accordance with the regulations of our army, I would like to inform you about the treatment of personnel recruited by our army: first, in this battle, you will enjoy the same reward regulations as our soldiers; second, in return for your acceptance of our army's enlistment Yes, Emperor Dashun will pardon you for the criminal crimes you committed before. Anyone who is a slave to others will be free after this battle, and if he died in this battle, he can choose one of his close relatives to be free..."

Hao Xiaoquan explained in detail what kind of benefits can be obtained by accepting recruits. This is not the first time he has made such a political speech. Starting from Xuzhou and going south to Suzhou and Linhuai, every time he arrives, the generals of the Shun Army will first do is political propaganda.

Tell the local people what rights they have, and tell the defecting officers and soldiers what rights they have, and then study how to fight.If we say that at the beginning, the soldiers of the Shun Army were a little disapproving of this. They felt that after fighting for so long, the knife had the final say, and when it was time was up to the lip.

Soon, they realized the benefits of political propaganda.In the past, whenever they arrived in a certain place, although there were propaganda slogans of exempting them for three years, the local people would not immediately vote for them.Those common people who saw the arrival of the Shun Army took the initiative to come to seek refuge, almost all of them were brought back from other places with the policy of the Shun Army, and thus spontaneously promoted it for the Shun Army, so that after the arrival of the Shun Army, some people took the initiative to seek refuge come over.

Most of these places are in the disaster-stricken areas of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and northern Huguang. When the Shun Army enters Hebei and Shandong, where life can be lived by the Grand Canal, the people will rarely surrender to the Shun Army. up.So after the Shun Army withdrew from Beijing, the people in these areas quickly betrayed the Shun Army.

Especially in the south and west of Xuzhou, the people here are almost all attached to the local gentry, and there are very few people who desert the gentry and join the army, except for those small landlords who cannot bear the oppression of the local prominent families.

However, after the Marshal's Mansion issued various regulations and made the individual rights of the common people and officers and soldiers the first target of propaganda, the monolithic local forces in these places finally disintegrated.After understanding the rights of ordinary people and officers and soldiers granted by the Marshal's Mansion, most of the people gave up the idea of ​​working for the local gentry.

Because these gentry tricked them into fighting the Dashun army, in addition to moral preaching, the main purpose was to scare the people. The Shun army would inevitably loot the local area when they came. His family property will also be robbed by the Shun army.The Shun Army publicized the protection of the rights of the people, which tore through the deception of the gentry, and the people naturally lost the idea of ​​​​resisting the Shun Army.

As for the officers and soldiers in those places, Shunjun promised to pay them in full and gradually solve the problem of their arrears. Most of the officers and soldiers immediately moved closer to Shunjun.Yang Zixiu and Cao Ying just went around with more than 300 horse infantry to give a lecture, and the officers and soldiers of Fengyang, Luzhou, and Anqing immediately put on the banner of Dashun.

Chapter 165 Yangzhou III

When he heard Shun Jun promise to those slaves that he would be released from slavery if he made meritorious service, Ma Mingpao wanted to stop him.In the Ming Dynasty, slaves and maidservants were the private property of the gentry, just like the gentry's privileges and exemptions, they could not be moved.

Especially in the south, because the gentry invested not only in fields but also in business, the demand for slaves and maidservants was more urgent than in the north.After all, the slaves in the gentry's homes in the north are still serving themselves, and they don't need so many slaves in farming. However, land mergers in the south are much more powerful than in the north, and the commodity economy in the south of the Yangtze River is also more developed than in the north.

For example, Xu Xiake's family opened a cotton cloth workshop, and the maids he bought weaved day and night, so he had the money to travel around.In the south, slaves and maidservants are not only property, but also property that can continuously make money for the master family.Therefore, the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River controlled the slaves quite strictly, and the slaves' resentment towards the master's family was beyond words.

Shunjun mobilized these servants of the gentry, in fact, it was no different from mobilizing their privileges.However, looking at Gao Jie's army at the foot of the mountain, Ma Mingpao finally did not make a sound to stop him.Compared with a few servants in the area, keeping Yangzhou City is the first priority.

Moreover, the Shun Army is not an official army of the Ming Dynasty, and it is impossible for him to give up as soon as he hears it.To be honest, although Emperor Yongchang gave preferential treatment to the Jianghuai gentry, Ma Minglu still hasn't figured out what Emperor Yongchang wants.He would not expect that Emperor Yongchang would protect Yangzhou City for free without asking for anything.

The arrogant and domineering Gao Jie army was so terrified of the Yongchang Emperor's capital. After hearing that Yongchang Emperor brought his army southward, Gao Jie's army's attitude towards Yangzhou City changed, and he no longer tried to force Yangzhou people to open the city.Perhaps those ordinary Yangzhou citizens would think that Emperor Yongchang was a living Bodhisattva, but an official like Ma Mingpao would not be so naive.

And in Ma Mingpao's silence, those Yangzhou soldiers and servants of big households who had been requisitioned also heard Hao Xiaoquan's announcement, and soon they were eager to try.The soldiers from the village already had a grudge against Gao Jiejun, so the treatment given by the Shunjun army was just icing on the cake, so only 2 adults retreated timidly, and those untrained slaves heard that they could get out of slavery In the end, 4 adults decided to stay and join the war.

Looking at the 8 township soldiers and more than 4 servants who stayed behind, Ma Mingpao couldn't help asking Hao Xiaoquan before leaving: "General, are you sure you want me to take these people back? Actually, they stayed in the It’s good to have a strong momentum here.”

Hao Xiaoquan shook his head and said: "We are not robbers. If we are robbers, the more people the better, because we can run away if we can't win. We are the army now, and we want to guard this place. We can't let those who are not determined Nobody can shake the morale of the rest of the army. Rather than let them flee in battle, let them go now.

What's more, I have given them a chance to choose. Those who are willing to stay and participate in the war should naturally not refuse to fight, and those who violate the contract will be punished.In this way, our army has implemented military discipline, and there is nothing to criticize.Mr. Ma, please take them away, this place will become a battlefield, and I will not show any mercy on the battlefield. "

Under Hao Xiaoquan's tough posture, Ma Mingpao finally left with the town soldiers and servants who did not want to join the war.Here, Hao Xiaoquan also immediately assigned tasks. He divided 800 township soldiers into four teams, A, B, C and D, and divided the servants into three teams, Wuji and Geng. The six cavalry squadrons he led were divided into two parts, and three squadrons Dismounted to fight, 6 squadrons served as reserves.

The fences, ditches and earth barriers set up by the Shun Army on Sogou Mountain are actually between the outer walls of two gardens. The width of this passage is about 400 feet, and there is a 35-foot-wide stone step path in the middle of the passage. Between the passage and the wall are trees, lawns and drainage ditches, and the height of the wall is about one foot and three feet.

Of course, there is not only one passage to go up Saogou Mountain, but this is the only gentle road leading to the northwest. The other directions are either too steep and narrow, or it is difficult to form a formation near the river.And going south under this passage is a stone bridge across the canal. If you don't take this stone bridge, Gao Jiejun will have to go west for 5 or 6 miles to find the bridge across the river.This is the canal from Yangzhou to Yizheng. The river is wide and the water is deep. It is impossible to wade directly across the river.

Hao Xiaoquan asked Team A and a squadron to guard behind the earth barrier in place, and divided the other squadron into two teams with Team B and C to enter the passage on both sides to guard the walls, and another squadron led Team D to defend the others behind. aisle.Divide the three teams of servants into three teams of rescue, transport, and resettlement; he himself sits on the top of the sweeping mountain, with three squadrons of cavalry as backup.

Li Chengdong at the bottom of the mountain finally organized his team at this time. He ordered Yang Dafu to lead 500 people to monitor Yangzhou City, Yin Zhirong to lead 300 people to attack Shougou Mountain from the north, and Li Jianjie and Zhang Yue to lead 50 people each to attack the two sides of the passage. In the manor, Dong Fangce led 300 people to attack from the front of the passage, while he and Du Yonghe fought down the mountain.

The distance from the foot of the mountain to the wooden fence erected on the passage will not exceed half a mile, and the height is about 4 to 5 feet. This slope is already quite gentle.Therefore, Dong Fangce, who was in charge of the frontal attack, was not in a hurry at all. He divided his subordinates into three teams. The front team and the squadron were very close, but the squadron and the rear team were 30 steps away.

The front team and the squadron walked faster, while the rear team was slower but more orderly.When the front team first went up the mountain, it was a column of 10 people in a row, but gradually it opened up into a horizontal team of 50 people in two rows, and the squadron behind the front team became a three-row horizontal team. shape.

Dong Fangce, standing in front of the rear team, originally thought that when the front team approached the fence, they should be attacked by the defenders.After all, this was an excellent shooting opportunity, and the defenders were able to fire at least two rounds before they breached the fence.

The wooden fence built by the defenders on the mountain road is actually not high, only reaching the waist of a person, and the gap in the middle is also wide and narrow, and the wide part can even pass sideways directly.Looking at this simple wooden fence, Dong Fangce felt that the defenders must have had no time to strengthen their defenses, which made them look like they are now.

Therefore, he quickly ordered his subordinates to let the squadron shoot arrows to cover the front team to demolish the wooden fence.Soon the defenders also shot back with bows and arrows, but seeing the light arrows passing over the heads of the front team, he finally said with a smile on his face: "It turns out that there are only some archers, so just rush over to disperse them."

While speaking, the front team finally opened a few holes, and the sound of bird guns shooting came from further ahead.Dong Fangce finally couldn't bear it anymore and said to the subordinates behind him: "Because I have shot the blunderbuss once, rush up and kill the scattered blunderbuss soldiers..."

Encouraged by Dong Fangce, the team behind him immediately crossed the squadron and the front team under the cover of the rattan players, divided into left, middle and right and rushed into the three gaps that were opened.

On the other side, the squadron leader of the Shunjun Cavalry Squadron who was guarding behind the earth barrier kept shouting to his subordinates: "Calm down, calm down, don't move without my order. Don't look up, the arrows are not so easy Penetrate your helmets...[-]st team stares at the gap to the left, [-]nd team stares at the right gap, and [-]rd team continues to stare at the front...fire."

When the three enemy troops rushed into the gap in the wooden fence and the rattan players in the front could already see their faces clearly, the squadron leader finally gave the order to fire.Li Long and Xu Chunren, the leaders of the Yangzhou township soldiers standing on both sides of the passage, watched the soldiers of Gao Jie's army rushing in front of them, and they almost rushed out. When they heard the order to fire, they ignored them and ordered His men fired with all their might.

In fact, the Yangzhou soldiers did not lack firearms, but they were more willing to use bows and arrows than government-made firearms.It's not that firearms are not powerful, but it's safer to use bows and arrows, because government-made firearms will explode.Therefore, Yangzhou soldiers who use firearms will reduce the amount of gunpowder. In addition, Ming officials always have an unrealistic idea that the bird gun must be fired far away, so that when the enemy runs to the bird gun player, they can fire two more shots.

But in fact, the reduced charge and long-distance shooting made Daming's blunderbuss soldiers really only able to hit a dozen birds, and they couldn't kill the dead forwards holding rattan cards and wearing double armor at all.In particular, native soldiers like Yangzhou township soldiers who have not experienced a major war basically regard combat as hiding behind the city wall and firing guns, as long as they are fired, they do not pursue hit and kill rates.

Therefore, Gao Jiejun has a mysterious confidence in the bird guns and bows and arrows in the south, and he can win only if he rushes to the front.In fact, they did win many times, fighting all the way from the Yellow River to the Yangtze River.Although they were still a little afraid of the Dashun Army, the Dashun cavalry actually trapped themselves on the mountain, so the soldiers of the Gao Jie Army were not afraid to fight the cavalry on the ground.

What they didn't expect was that half of the cavalry sent by the Dashun Army were equipped with muskets.Compared with the bird guns, which can only fire three-dollar heavy lead and charge less than one and a half cents, the reduced-weight matchlock guns in their hands can charge 3.5 cents and shoot 7.56 cents heavy lead bullets.Although it cannot penetrate double armor within 300 feet like a heavy musket, it is still no problem to penetrate double armor within 100 feet.

Not to mention, the distance between the two sides is now almost only 30 feet.Different from the relaxed feeling when the soldiers from Yangzhou on the side fired the blunderbuss, the Musketeers of the Dashun Army would have to recede when they fired. Hold it against your shoulder, this shot will definitely fly into the sky.

However, compared with the soldiers who were able to continue to charge after being hit by the lead of the bird gun, those soldiers who were hit by the lead bullets of the Shunjun muskets fell down quickly.A small group of the Shun Army had 25 muskets, and Gao Jie's army, who charged in a dense column, was immediately taken aback by this sudden blow.It was like when a snake was moving fast, a shovel suddenly hit the snake's head, and then the snake stopped moving immediately.

The soldiers of Gao Jie's army charging from the left and right suddenly found that the front was empty, and the heavy armored infantry who were supposed to stand in front of the assault almost all fell down. They subconsciously moved closer to the middle team, because the middle team still had rattan plates in front of them. The heavy armored infantry blocked the front, but at this time, there was another burst of gunfire on the front of the middle, and then there were louder explosions from both sides.

The Shun army's arquebus guns on the front and the tiger squat guns on the side formed a cross shot at the Gao Jie army gathered in the middle. Although the rattan soldiers of the Gao Jie army in the front had already stood on the earth barrier, his rattan soldiers could already hit the opposite side. Shun Jun's muzzle was fired, but he still couldn't stop the opposite Shun Jun's shooting. What was worse than his compatriots behind him was that at least 4 to 5 lead bullets passed through the rattan plate and hit him on the body, which immediately hit him hard. pushed back into the ditch.

Two gun shots killed more than 50 of Dong Fangce's most elite heavy-armored forwards. He only had fifty or sixty dead soldiers who could wear heavy armor. The core strength of the hand was disabled.Dong Fangce still didn't know what happened ahead, the retreating subordinates had already wrapped him up and ran back down the mountain.

Chapter 166 Yangzhou IV

The leaders of the village soldiers, Li Long and Xu Chunren, chased Gao Jiejun out of the wooden fence for dozens of steps, and they retreated under the order of Shunjun.After returning to the fortress, the two saluted sincerely to Captain Shun, who commanded the battle, and said: "We have fought against high-ranking thieves many times, but we have never won so easily. Your command is determined, and you have the demeanor of a famous general in ancient times. "

The lieutenant replied with some surprise: "What's so difficult about commanding? Bring the enemy closer before attacking, and obey the command in all actions. If you can't do these two things, can you still call it an army?

Of course, your weapons and armor are not complete, so it is difficult to fight head-on with those well-equipped enemy troops.The armor and iron helmets worn by my subordinates cost 16 taels for a set, and the musket cost 6 taels. In addition to other ordnance and horses, the equipment for one person needs 48 taels.

Except for the infantry that rushed up first, the equipment on their bodies is still on par with our soldiers. How can the infantry behind them in tattered cotton armor defeat us? "

Li Long and Xu Chunren didn't know what to say for a while, but they quickly realized that what the Colonel Shun Jun said was true. The cost of the blunderbuss in their hands was only more than 2 taels. If the cut corners were deducted, It is less than 2 taels, and an ordinary step bow is only a tael or so, but the dead soldier rushing to the front must have an armor Kato card worth more than 10 taels, and wants to use cheap bird guns and bows It is obviously impossible to kill the opponent at once.

Just when the Yangzhou soldiers began to think about the relationship between the cost of weapons and victory, Li Chengdong at the foot of the mountain felt incredible about this failure.Although he expected that the first attack would be unlikely to be successful, this attack was just to test the reality of Shan Shangshun's army, but Dong Fangce's defeat was so ugly, he had never expected it.

Holding his whip, he pointed at Dong Fangce who was kneeling on the ground furiously, and said, "This is the soldier you brought? He was kicked out as soon as we met each other. Haven't we fought against the Shun army before? When did we fight so badly?" battle? Are you trying to intentionally disturb the morale of our army?"

Dong Fangce, who was kneeling on the ground, defended himself with a pale face: "Commander, I am wronged. The last general sent the soldiers around him to the front. He wanted to break through the soil barrier of the Shun army. But the Shun army's firearms It was really violent, and killed the forward warriors of our department in one face-to-face, and the rear army was terrified by it, so they had to retreat, it must be the last general who refused to try his best."

Du Yonghe, the Chinese army standing by the side, glanced at the faces of his colleagues, and finally stood up to intercede for Dong Fangce: "Return to Commander, what Dong Gueran's subordinates returned were indeed ordinary infantry armor, under the jurisdiction of his subordinates. Few of the elite soldiers fled back. It seems that the soldiers dispatched by Shunjun this time are elite soldiers, not ordinary cavalry."

Li Chengdong looked at the subordinates around him sullenly, and finally said: "Since Zongbing Du begged him, I will give him another chance. Yuan Yin, Zhang Youde, you follow Dong Guerizhan with your troops and urge him to charge If you dare to run away again, you will be punished immediately on the spot."

Dong Fangce's heart sank, and he raised his head to look at his boss Du Yonghe, only to see that Du Yonghe had turned his head away. He knew that he couldn't escape this disaster, so he could only cup his fists to Li Chengdong and salute: "Dr. If you can't break the formation this time, you won't dare to survive."

Du Yonghe and the others silently watched Dong Fangce get up and leave. These people were all rolled out of the sea of ​​blood and corpses, so they naturally knew what Li Chengdong's order meant just now.Dong Fangce's department, which has lost its core strength, is unlikely to break through the Shun Army's position, but these people can attract the Shun Army's firearms.The more powerful the firearm is, the more difficult it is to load it, so as long as people are used to trigger the first round of design of the opposite firearm, then the elite soldiers hiding behind them can approach the enemy's formation. Incompetence in melee combat is the biggest flaw of firearm soldiers.

Dong Fangce's subordinates suddenly became uproarious about the order Dong Fangce brought back. In the past, they used to capture civilians or captives to consume the bows and arrows or firearms of the defending enemy, so they quickly understood that this order was essentially asking them to As a meat shield.

However, Li Chengdong, who had already made up his mind, did not condone these sergeants who resisted his orders.In his opinion, he had allowed these soldiers to plunder the people and rape women on weekdays, and now it was time for them to repay themselves.So Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde's troops immediately surrounded Dong Fangce's subordinates, and immediately killed several of the most vociferous sergeants, and Dong's troops suddenly fell silent.

Under the supervision of Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde, Dong Fangce led nearly 200 men to attack the mountain road guarded by the Shun Army again.Seemingly knowing that he had no way out, Dong Fangce walked up to the front of the army with a knife in his hand, cheering up his subordinates along the way: "Damn Yangzhou guy actually colluded with the burglars, let's go after we drive away the burglars." Wash the houses in the city of Yangzhou and get some interest back. There are only a few hundred thieves above, and we exchange lives for lives, and we win in the end..."

Encouraged by Dong Fangce, his subordinates finally aroused some recklessness, and shouted to fight with the Shun army.Compared with the previous attack, this time Dong Bu hardly formed any formations, and everyone rushed forward in a swarm. Obviously, they gave their lives to the heavens, and it was up to the heavens who could survive.

Faced with the chaotic formation of Gao Jie's army attacking again, this time the school lieutenant commanded by the Shun army did not choose to close the volley, but divided the Yangzhou township soldiers into two teams, and the Shun army into three teams. Rotate the way you shoot.Although this method of alternately shooting front and rear rows cannot pour a large amount of projectiles at one time, it is expensive and durable.

Dong Fangce, who was hiding among his subordinates, heard that the gunshots from the defenders were rarer than before, so he immediately let his soldiers overwhelm the ordinary soldiers and began to attack the shallow moat behind the wooden fence. When most of his subordinates lost, Dong Fangce's The personal soldiers finally broke through a section of the earth barrier and broke the defensive circle of the Shun army.

Seeing that the Shun army started to break away from the earth barrier and retreat, Dong Fangce was overjoyed and shouted to the friendly troops behind: "The Shun army has escaped, escaped, everyone hurry up and follow."

Although Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde couldn't believe that they broke through the Shun army's earth barrier so easily, they still commanded their subordinates to rush up to meet them.When Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde led their men over the earth barrier, they suddenly felt the ground shaking.The two raised their heads and looked forward, and suddenly shouted to their subordinates with a broken heart: "Fix the formation, form the formation..."

However, their reaction was still a step slow.Gao Jie's army, which lost its formation because of the rapid attack, could not stop the condescending cavalry cavalry charging down. The retreating cavalry soldiers were separated on both sides, and the cavalry rushed straight down from the center, like a black waterfall.The courage that the sergeants of Dong Fangce's troops had finally mustered up quickly collapsed under the charge of this cavalry.They didn't even want the weapons in their hands this time, just turned around and ran with empty hands, for fear of being swept to the ground by the horse's hooves.

The subordinates of Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde were dispersed by the friendly army before they saw the Shun army. At this time, a group of people's heads suddenly appeared on the courtyard walls on both sides. The sergeant of Gao Jie's army threw it, so Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde's subordinates also turned and fled.

It is undoubtedly the most comfortable thing for the cavalry to chase the fleeing soldiers with sabers, so Li Yuanyin and Zhang Youde also retreated, while Dong Fangce disappeared. The two stopped the retreating soldiers at the foot of the mountain and questioned them for a while. He said that he seemed to see Dong Guerrilla being stepped on by a horseshoe.

The two offensives failed and nearly 300 troops were lost. Now Li Chengdong also lost the interest in reprimanding the generals.Yin Zhirong and Yang Dafu winked at each other, and persuaded Li Chengdong again: "Commander, it's getting late, and it's meaningless to continue fighting today. Why don't we guard the passage at the foot of the mountain, and wait until night to take Shu Let the troops from the Gang Daying Camp withdraw. Even if you lose some people and property, at least you can keep most of them.”

Li Chengdong also became a little hesitant. He looked at the Shunjun position on Sweeping Mountain, and couldn't help asking Du Yonghe, the Chinese army: "Do you think we can attack again?"

Du Yonghe looked at him cautiously and said, "The morale of the brothers below has already dropped. It might not be a good thing to force them to attack at this time. Besides, even if we take down Shougou Mountain, it won't change the overall situation."

Li Chengdong fell silent. Although Du Yonghe's words were harsh, they made sense.Whether or not the Shun army can defend the sweeping mountain is irrelevant to the overall situation, and they are desperately trying to save a little loss, but if the overall situation of their army trapped in Guazhou does not change, what they can keep now will be in the end. Can't keep it.

Li Chengdong's attitude finally softened, and he said to Du Yonghe: "You can find someone to ask who is the brother on the mountain. Maybe we used to be old acquaintances. Ask them what they want, so that the two families can separate themselves. Alright, don't fight anymore."

Although Du Yonghe didn't think that the generals of the Shun Army on the mountain would regard them as old brothers, it was still a good thing to dispel Li Chengdong's desire to continue attacking.