The number of soldiers and horses in each camp of the bandits has always been a mystery, because most of them are civilians who were held hostage, called dead soldiers and infantry, and there is only an approximate number.
It was not until Li Zicheng reorganized the strength of each battalion that the exact number of soldiers and horses in each battalion was obtained.
In today's battle, the strength of each battalion was severely damaged. Gu Junen led hundreds of people to wander among the camps of each battalion. They were busy from dusk until dark before getting a more accurate number of casualties for each battalion.
After Li Zicheng finished asking, Gu Junen stood up and said solemnly under the gaze of everyone: "Would King Chuang take a rest and see you again tomorrow..."
Li Zicheng said: "Tell me, what are the casualties of each battalion?"
Gu Junen cupped his fists and bowed, and then reported the statistical results.
In this battle, the Rogue Middle Camp was the last to participate in the battle, but the casualties were not small. Two hundred thousand infantry troops were divided into two groups to support the two wings. He Jin's troops lost more than 23,000 people, and General Xin Sizhong of Zuo Wuwei was killed in the battle. General Quan Tian Jianxiu's army lost more than 2,000 men, and most of the infantry were brought back.
The 40,000 Xiaoqi led by Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin suffered considerable casualties. The Zhongying Xiaoqi who gathered back only had more than 21,000 people, and the remaining eight or nine thousand people either died in battle or fled.
The front battalion led by Li Laiheng suffered the most casualties. More than half of the 20,000 knights were lost. In the end, only more than 8,000 people were gathered back. The 50,000 armored soldiers also lost nearly 20,000, and finally recovered around 30,000. As for the remaining 80,000 infantry army, there are only more than 30,000 left, and the rest are scattered!
The rear camp led by Li Guo suffered relatively few casualties. In addition to losing more than 20,000 dead soldiers, most of the infantry, 25,000 brave cavalry, and 30,000 armored soldiers suffered basically no damage.
The Zuoying led by Liu Fangliang was similar. The losses were basically dead soldiers and infantry. The main force of cavalry and armored soldiers were not sent to the battlefield in an organized manner. The losses were not much. In the end, they only lost more than 20,000 dead soldiers.
As for the firearms battalion led by Li Dingguo, it was basically crippled. There were basically not many 5,000 gunmen and 5,000 knights left. Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi gathered together and only managed to gather 20 or 30% of the troops.
As for the 30,000 spearmen led by Sun Kewang, more than 12,000 people were lost, and the remaining 10,000 people were also shaken in morale.
At this time, the right battalion led by General Yuan Zongdi was not outside Kaifeng City and was not engaged in combat, so it was not included in the calculation.
Calculated in this way, in just one day today, each camp of the bandits lost 170,000 to 80,000 soldiers and horses, and many of them were elite troops such as Xiaoqi and armored soldiers. They also lost the mighty generals Zhang Nai and Youweiwu. General Li You, General Xin Sizhong, General Zuo Weiwei, Li Zicheng lost one eye, and Liu Zongmin injured his shoulder.
It can be said that the army of bandits suffered a terrible defeat in today's battle!
Everyone here looked very ugly at this time. Almost everyone knew that Liu Yan's tribe was strong, but they didn't expect it to be so strong. Tens of thousands of people fought hard all day long. Facing the repeated attacks of hundreds of thousands of troops from each battalion, if they could fight to the death without retreating, they would be able to fight to the death. The Ying Rebel Army caused huge casualties. Such a strong army is rare in the world!
Then Gu Junen said: "In addition, there are many wounded soldiers in each battalion, but there is a lack of medicine in each battalion. It is estimated that many rebel soldiers will not be able to survive. The final number of our army's casualties may exceed 200,000." !”
Li Zicheng's face became even more ugly. He lost 200,000 horses in one day's battle. Even if the rebel army had one million troops, it could not afford such consumption.
"Instruct all battalions to be on alert."
Li Zicheng endured the pain and said: "Liu Yan is extremely treacherous. Our army has suffered a setback today. There is no guarantee that we will not send troops to rob the camp. The armored soldiers and knights of each battalion must be on guard. We must not take it lightly."
Everyone took orders one after another.
"Okay, let's all disperse."
Then Li Zicheng waved his hand. He had no energy to make any arrangements tonight, so he could only let everyone disperse first.
After everyone dispersed, Li Guo and Li Laiheng sat there without moving. After everyone left, they came over to check on Li Zicheng's injury.
"Don't worry, King Chuang will not die."
With the support of Li Guo, Li Zicheng lay down on a tiger skin bed and said, "This battle has just begun. I, King Chuang, must avenge this eyesore!"
Li Guo did not speak. Li Laiheng hesitated for a moment and said, "King Chuang, Liu Yan's troops are strong. Although we don't know what the casualties of his troops are today, it seems that they will not exceed 10,000 people, or even only a few thousand casualties. In this comparison, Our army cannot defeat Liu Yan's tribe. It is better to withdraw temporarily, or send troops south to attack Jiangnan, or return to Shaanxi and Shanxi, wandering around Henan to replenish our troops. After our army has enough money and food, we will not seek revenge from Liu Yan's tribe. Late."
Li Zicheng's right eye suddenly widened and he said angrily: "Our rebel army still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and King Chuang will never withdraw just like this!"
Li Laiheng wanted to say more, but was stopped by Li Guo: "You should retreat first. Tonight you will lead your troops to patrol the camp to guard against possible raids by the army."
Li Laiheng clasped his fists and retreated.
Li Zicheng closed his eyes and said: "This King Chuang will never withdraw his troops!"
Li Guo smiled and said, "If my foster father doesn't want to retreat, then we will fight to the bitter end."
"well!"
Li Zicheng sighed and said, "You still understand King Chuang with your heart."
Li Guo said: "Now we have too many rebels and horses, but not much food and grass in the army. If we cannot capture Kaifeng City in time, our army will be in danger of running out of food. Naturally, I support my adoptive father."
"The rest of the generals want to capture money and grain elsewhere to avoid Liu Yan's troops, but now in Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, where can such a huge amount of money and grain be captured? The only city is Kaifeng."
Li Zicheng smiled bitterly and said: "Yes, they all thought they could avoid Liu Yan's troops without opening the city blockade, but will Liu Yan let us withdraw? He will pursue us all the way until our rebel army falls apart!"
Li Guo comforted him: "Father, don't think too much. It is only right to recover from your injuries first. Our army only lost the first battle in this battle. There are still many battles to be fought with Liu Yan in the future. There is no need to rush and there is no need to worry too much." , after opening the seal this time, it’s still unclear who will win!”
"Um."
At the same time, Li Yan returned to his tent with a frown, and his wife Hong Niangzi came up to him and asked with concern: "How is the situation with King Chuang?"
Li Yan sat down and said worriedly: "King Chuang lost his left eye."
"What!"
The red lady was extremely shocked. The rebels were injured in today's battle, and Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, was seriously injured. The situation was very critical. At this time, the red lady was as sad as Li Yan.
The Red Lady is originally from Henan. She has been living on the streets with acrobats since she was a child. She is good at "rope skills." She is a female juggler who performs acrobatics. She got her name because she wore red clothes when performing. People in the world called her "The Red Lady". Over time, she became known as "The Red Lady". No one knows what her real name is, but she is known as the Red Lady.
As early as the early years of Chongzhen, the Red Lady gathered a team of troops in Jigong Mountain in Xinyang, Henan Province, and began to kill corrupt officials, landlords and gentry. They burned government offices everywhere, broke prisons and released prisoners, and opened granaries to provide relief to the hungry.
Later, Li Yan was arrested and imprisoned by the government. The Red Lady led her troops to attack the city to rescue him. The two got together and defected to Li Zicheng together.
At this time, the red lady was silent for a long time and said: "In today's battle, King Chuang ordered me to lead my five hundred strong women's army to stay in the old camp. All the food and grass for the army are also in the old camp. According to what I saw today, there is not much food and grass in the army. , there is no way we can support the hundreds of thousands of rebels for a long time!"
The worry on Li Yan's face became even more intense, and he said: "I know about this matter, but I am just worried that the morale of the army will be shaken, so I only reported it to King Chuang and did not tell anyone else. At the military meeting today, King Chuang was determined not to withdraw his troops. , not only because he wanted revenge for the defeat in the battle, but also because the army was short of food and grass, and King Chuang was eager to capture Kaifeng City to replenish the army's supplies!"
"But……"
The red lady said worriedly: "The combat power of Liu Yan's tribe is too terrifying. There are only tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and they have come from as far away as Liaodong for an expedition. They can go into battle after only one night and fight fiercely all day long! "
"In the evening, I asked many wounded soldiers who were sent to the old camp and found out that those officers and soldiers were not only well-equipped, but also extremely tenacious. Even when they were with Lu Yan Wang, He Kuaishou, Cao Wenzhao and other troops, they were not so strong! Let's continue the fight. , can our rebel army really take over Kaifeng City?"
"I have no idea……"
Li Yan had been watching the battle with the Chinese army. He had witnessed the powerful combat power of the new army in Qinglai Town. At this time, he no longer had the confidence he had in the past. He shook his head and said: "Liu Yan's troops are too strong. They deserve to be defeated outside the pass several times." The powerful army of the Tatar cavalry, our rebel army has encountered difficulties this time, a huge difficulty!"
"That……"
Li Yan stretched out his hand to stop the red lady and said: "I know what you are going to say. King Chuang can no longer persuade you. What we can do now is to fully support King Chuang and try our best to win this battle. Other than that, There is no other way!"
"well!"
The red lady sighed, then stood up and said: "In that case, I will go to the old camp. The wounded soldiers from each battalion have been transported there one after another. However, there is an extreme shortage of doctors and medicine in the camp. Over time, trouble will occur."
"Okay, just go and keep an eye on it."
Li Yan stood up and said: "I went to the firearms camp. After today's battle, I always feel that the key to defeating Liu Yan's tribe lies in firearms. I want to have a long talk with General Li."
Late at night, the late-night cool breeze of mid-September was blowing. The summer heat had dissipated and was replaced by bursts of coolness, just like Li Yan's mood at this moment.
Arriving at the Central Military Tent of the Firearms Camp, Li Yan met Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Ai Nengqi. He explained his purpose of coming, and the four of them started discussing.
Li Dingguo said: "I originally thought that after being reorganized and trained, the five thousand gunmen in the firearms battalion would be able to shine on the battlefield, but after today's battle, I learned what firearms warfare is!"
"Liu Yan's tribe does not have many types of firearms. All kinds of firearms are used intensively. All the gunmen are shotguns. There are only a few types of artillery. But when used intensively, the firepower can be maximized."
"Moreover, the soldiers and horses of Liu Yan's tribe are well-trained. On the battlefield, our gunmen fired at them. The soldiers of Liu Yan's tribe were not afraid. Even when faced with the fire guns, they remained motionless. This kind of attitude of looking at death as if they were home, our firearms battalion soldiers A horse can’t do that!”
"So I think that if you want to defeat Liu Yan's tribe, you must not only rectify the equipment of the firearms camp, but also all the firearms must be unified. It is best to recruit craftsmen yourself and build firearms on a large scale. In addition, the soldiers and horses of the firearms camp must also be strict Practice, otherwise no matter how many people the firearms camp has, it will never be a match for Liu Yan’s tribe!”
Sun Kewang and Ai Nengqi nodded frequently. It was obvious that in today's battle, Liu Yan's tribe had subdued the three of them, and the three of them had begun to change their minds.
Li Yan smiled bitterly and said: "What General Li said is true and reasonable. But it is unrealistic in practice. Our rebels are wandering everywhere, living in no fixed place, just like duckweeds. The court will not give me the rebels." Seizing the opportunity for the city to grow and develop, where can our rebels recruit craftsmen and where can we build sophisticated firearms with peace of mind?"
Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Ai Nengqi all sighed after hearing this. The four of them were at a loss at this time, and they all vaguely realized that the rebels should find a place to stay and can no longer wander around!
Some people died, but not completely...
