Early June.
There is a distance of more than 100 miles from Ningyuan to Songshan Fort. In order to guard against an ambush by the Qing army, Hong Chengchou led the army very cautiously.
Liu Zhaoji, the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, led his army as the vanguard, less than forty miles away from Yang Guozhu's troops. The two armies, one behind the other, opened the way in front.
Yang Guozhu's soldiers and horses were less than 30 miles away from the various departments of the Chinese army. The more than 200,000 troops marched slowly all the way, and all the troops were dispersed at night, constantly patrolling and searching within a dozen miles around the army. In every place where enemy troops might be hidden, various information was continuously sent back to the army for detailed reference by the chief military officers of each town and Hong Chengchou and others.
In the marching queue, soldiers from all over the Ming Dynasty marched north together. The governors of each ministry strictly inspected the military discipline, and no one was allowed to make loud noises. The various ministries of the Ming army did indeed strive for success and maintained a high degree of discipline along the way.
At the same time, each ministry had a lot of baggage accompanying the army, and behind most of the Chinese army were countless civilians, transporting a large amount of food and baggage. Behind the army, a baggage team consisting of donkey carts, horse-drawn carriages, mule carts, handcarts, and even camels, meandered all the way from south to north, with no end in sight.
Liu Yan rode his horse to accompany the guards camp. Not only could he see sentry soldiers from various departments, but also flag officers wearing green cotton waist-length armor, wearing Ming helmets, hanging orders and holding order flags running back and forth. Those were all Chinese soldiers. soldiers.
Hong Chengchou had given an order in advance. All ministries should not close their posts at night and report back every hour. There should be no delay, otherwise military law would be followed. The fact that all the ministries stayed up all night was considered an extraordinary performance, and they worked extremely hard to gather information. Hong Chengchou continued to receive information about the situation at the front and surrounding areas, and he was very satisfied with it.
At noon on the second day, Hong Chengchou received news that the forward troops had passed Gaoqiao Fort, and the supporting troops led by Yang Guozhu had also passed Tashan Fort.
In the Gaoqiao Fort area, the vanguard troops led by Liu Zhaoji encountered interception and harassment by some slave thieves and sentries. They were defeated one by one by the outpost army and beheaded eleven levels.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Zhaoji, the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, sent someone to report that there were tens of thousands of slaves with red and white flags, including thousands of armored slaves, equipped with shield carts, ladders and other equipment, and were storming Xingshan Castle. .
General Xingshan asked for help from the forwards. The slaves and soldiers had already rushed to the city several times. Xingshan Fort was in danger. Liu Zhaoji sent someone to ask the Chinese army if they would go to the rescue.
Hong Chengchou thought for a moment and ordered Liu Zhaoji to lead the army to rescue. At the same time, he sent someone to order Yang Guozhu to speed up and join Liu Zhaoji's troops.
Hong Chengchou thought very well. If this group of slave thieves only had a few thousand armored soldiers, and Liu Zhaoji and Yang Guozhu had 30,000 to 40,000 troops, they could definitely fight it. At least they could force the slave thieves to retreat first and save Xingshan Fort.
Liu Zhaoji's forward force has about 15,000 men, including 4,000 cavalrymen in the main barracks. Their equipment mostly uses cold weapons, such as horse spears, boring palladium, lances, knives and sticks and other weapons. Even the hot weapons used by cavalry often use three-eyed blunderbuss.
These three-eyed blunderbuss are equipped with iron spikes on the outside of the blunderbuss body, just like a three-eyed mace. When facing enemies wearing heavy armor, they are sometimes more useful than knives and sticks.
There are two more chariot camps, with a number of people ranging from 2,000 to 3,000, and a total of 200 chariots. There are twenty people in each car, divided into two teams, Qizheng. They are all two-wheel light vehicles with a cover plate on the front. There are several long guns under the front plate of the car. It can resist war horses, and there are many weapons such as rockets and Buddha-Wolf machines on the car.
The Liaodong Army liked to use hundreds of lead guns, like the large squatting tiger cannon and the nine-headed bird. It contained hundreds of lead guns and could hit a hundred and fifty steps. It was difficult to withstand thick hard plates and armor. Therefore, there are still a large number of guns in Liu Zhaoji's car camp.
In addition to the gunner, the gunman on the vehicle used to use rockets, three-eyed guns and other weapons, and bird guns were rarely used.
Liu Zhaoji himself was very skilled, and he was very good at working on horseback. He could also draw his bow from left to right and shoot many arrows in one breath, which was quite brave. Moreover, as the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, he was also eager to perform meritorious service at this time. Although he was the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, his headquarters only had 15,000 men. Even if these 15,000 men were newly trained by Liu Zhaoji, most of them would It's a new recruit.
Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, had 20,000 Liao soldiers under his command, including 2,000 powerful servants, more than Liu Zhaoji's servants. He was also highly regarded by the governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou. If he didn't show off, he would probably lose his Liaodong power The position of the town's commander-in-chief is no longer guaranteed.
It is said that after Liu Zhaoji received Hong Chengchou's affirmative reply, he immediately led an army of 15,000 under his command to attack Xingshan Fort.
Originally, the Ming army in Liaodong was afraid of the Qing army, but at this time, there were only about 10,000 Qing troops besieging Xingshan Fort, and thousands of them were wearing armor. At this time, there were tens of thousands of guards in Xingshan Fort. , coupled with the fifteen thousand elite soldiers under Liu Zhaoji's command, with the internal and external cooperation, the chance of winning this battle is still very high.
In addition, Liu Zhaoji also knew that Yang Guozhu's 20,000 elite troops were three to forty miles away behind him, and they would arrive quickly under a hasty march. This also gave Liu Zhaoji courage.
It's only about twenty miles from Gaoqiao to Xingshan. Once you get out of Gaoqiao, there are many plains and rivers in the surrounding areas. It was already afternoon, and the heat wave was overwhelming in the wilderness. There were large tracts of abandoned land everywhere, and it was almost impossible to see green, whether on the mountains or down, and the scenery was desolate everywhere.
Under the long-term drought, the big river that used to have rolling waves is now not even a small ditch, and the land is cracked by the sun, making it easier for the army to walk. When the soldiers stepped on the land, dust was flying everywhere, as if they were marching in the desert. Average. 33
This battle was the first battle of the Ming army rushing to Jinzhou. Liu Zhaoji was holding back his energy to get off to a good start, so he did not dare to neglect. He directly ordered the deployment of the car camp battle formation, and used cavalry to protect the two wings. He also sent Ye Bushou to the rear. Contact Yang Guozhu's department and ask them to hurry up and prepare to respond.
Liu Zhaoji's 15,000 elite soldiers were fully deployed. The soldiers were sweating under the scorching sun. Their clothes and armor were already soaked.
The army was marching in a hurry, and the Ye Bu Shuu in front had already begun to encounter Qing army scouts. The two sides continued to fight. In order to clear the road ahead, Liu Zhaoji sent out his servants and elite cavalry one after another. In addition, Ye Bu Shuu's soldiers were suppressed by the Ming army. The army's reconnaissance line continued to shrink.
Soon Liu Zhaoji led his army across the Qili River. At this time, he suddenly received news that the slave thieves who were besieging Xingshan Fort in front had withdrawn their troops and were now gathering a few miles north of Xingshan.
When Liu Zhaoji saw that he had directly driven back the army of slaves and thieves, he was very happy. He secretly thought that the 15,000 troops in his hands had been practicing for a long time, and finally their efforts were not in vain.
At this time, Liu Zhaoji sent people to seek victory from Jiliao Governor Hong Chengchou, but he felt a little regretful. He only drove back the slave bandit troops, which was not a great achievement. He only beheaded a dozen slave bandit scouts. This small amount of credit obviously does not satisfy Liu Zhaoji, nor can it calm Liu Zhaoji's eagerness.
So Liu Zhaoji looked at his subordinates. Several generals and guerrilla generals were all very motivated to fight. He thought that the slaves and thieves were nothing more than this. Now that the Ming army was powerful, the slaves and thieves were also afraid.
Everyone agreed that they should take advantage of the military morale to start a fierce battle with the army of slave thieves north of Xingshan and capture more heads.
When Liu Zhaoji saw that everyone was asking for a fight, he thought carefully and weighed it. After all, these fifteen thousand people were his capital. However, Liu Zhaoji saw that the generals were highly motivated to fight, and this time was also a great opportunity, so he ordered to go to war.
Soon, Liu Zhaoji led his troops to two miles outside Xingshan Fort. Zheng Yilin, the deputy general stationed at Xingshan, also mobilized 3,000 troops to join the army.
Liu Zhaoji was overjoyed when he saw this, and the morale of the generals was also boosted. So the army gathered to attack the Qing army. The chariot and infantry troops were still in the center. The cavalry protected the two wings and pressed against the Qing army north of Xingshan.
Not long after, large groups of Qing troops also began to form to meet them. The armies of both sides continued to approach, and they saw a low rocky slope not far to the right. Liu Zhaoji ordered his men to seize the area, and deployed cavalry on the mountain, while infantry from car camps gathered there. In the wilderness at the foot of the mountain, such attacks, defenses and mergers occupy all the terrain.
Under the scorching sun, Liu Zhaoji rode his horse to the top of the mountain and erected his flag here, so that he could command the entire army from a high position.
At this time, Liu Zhaoji looked towards the Qing army's position and saw that in front of the army of slave thieves were densely packed shield chariots, followed by knights wearing white armor with red rims and red armor with white rims. These are the slave soldiers and horses with white flags and red flags.
Liu Zhaoji looked at it for a while and then snorted. The slave thieves' fighting style was still the same, using a shield chariot in front, with archers and gunmen behind, as well as dead soldiers and sharp soldiers. He was very familiar with this trick.
At this time, the Liaodong Army's deployment was also completed. They set up resisting horses in front of the army formation, followed by a large number of chariots. The chariots were equipped with a large number of firearms such as Folang machines, rockets, and Baiziguns. Behind them are the supporting infantry of the brigade, with layers of spears, swords and shields. They are close to the hillside, with no worries in the rear, and there are cavalry guarding the two wings.
Liu Zhaoji saw that the 18,000 troops under his command were in strict formation, and there was nothing missing in such a defense. He couldn't help but feel confident: "Our army will win this battle!"
Then the horn sounded, and the Qing soldiers' shield carts were pushed closer and closer. Those shield carts had wheels underneath, thick wooden boards in front, and were covered with thick leather quilts to cover the bullets. However, Liu Zhaoji was disdainful. The Folangji and Baizi gun from his own car camp could penetrate these shield cars.
The large group of Qing soldiers was getting closer and closer. The Ming army officers could even see the ugly faces of the Tatars with red and white flags, so they all prepared themselves in the position. The generals' personal guards were also ordered to patrol, and did not hear the news. In accordance with the army's order, no one is allowed to fire guns and artillery in advance. Anyone who disobeys the order will be beheaded on the spot.
Not to mention the officers and generals giving orders, many of Liu Zhaoji's soldiers had many years of combat experience and had fought many battles with the Qing Dynasty. Although most of the prisoners were forced to come, they did not panic and most of them looked calm.
When the large group of Qing troops approached 300 steps in front of the formation, suddenly a cannon was fired from the center of the Liaodong Army. As the commander-in-chief of a town, he watched the flags and listened to the orders, and was not embarrassed by the flag-bearer of the lieutenant general. Countless flag-bearing officers immediately turned their heads to the top of the mountain, waiting for the commander's next decision.
At this time, passionate war drums sounded from the Qing army's position, countless shouts in nonsense were heard, and densely packed shield carts, with countless flags behind them, rushed toward the Ming army's position.
Liu Zhaoji's burly figure was riding on a horse. He was wearing thick iron armor and had a sullen face. He just stared at the slave army formation and hesitated to give orders. Countless Ming officers and generals looked at the position of the central army, just waiting anxiously for their own fate and the fate of the army.
Soon the densely packed shield chariots rushed past two hundred paces. The Chinese army's flag suddenly became more urgent, and a shrill swan sound sounded, spreading throughout the entire Ming army's front.
Guns and artillery fired in the Ming army camp, and a large amount of thick white smoke produced by the burning of black gunpowder suddenly filled the front of the entire camp under the hot sunshine.
In an instant, the sound of artillery shells and lead bullets breaking through shield cars was heard endlessly. Liu Zhaoji saw blood mist rising everywhere in the Qing army's formation, mixed with the howls of the injured, and it was very lively. The oncoming Qing army's shield vehicles were hit by Folang machine bullets, causing debris to fly everywhere, and many shield vehicles were instantly penetrated.
With a loud noise, the cover of a shield car suddenly exploded, and an iron ball directly opened the heads of two Qing soldiers. The remaining force was still left in the chest of one Qing soldier, and rolled him out.
The spray of minced meat and blood, the high-speed moving iron balls, and the large amount of sharp debris produced after exploding the shields also swept away the surrounding Qing soldiers behind the shield vehicle, causing constant chaos in the Qing army's formation.
These Qing soldiers were either lightly armored archers, unarmored flagmen, or some were coated slaves. These people's protection was low, and the sharp debris flying around was like flying arrows, knocking out those Qing soldiers. Many people were shot in the head, face and body. Many people covered their heads and faces, howled in disbelief, or knelt on the ground convulsing and shaking in agony.
The ones who shoot on the first floor of the car camp are Zhongfa Lang machines, which shoot one or two kilograms of marbles. These Franco guns are almost always aimed at the shield vehicles and fired flatly.
If the shield car is hit, no matter how thick the shield wood is and how thick the leather quilt is, it will still make a big hole. Many of the shields will be damaged and incomplete, and debris will fly. The Qing army was either dead or injured and was in a mess.
"good!"
Liu Zhaoji cheered loudly and excitedly, feeling very happy in his heart.
Some people died, but not completely...
