On October 23, twenty miles east of Zhangqiu County, Zhang Xiang led 5,000 soldiers and horses of the Tiger Division to march on the south side of the official road. They formed a zigzag formation and walked east of a small river, heading towards the three-level army six miles away. Wan Shandong's soldiers and horses kept approaching. Shandong Xuanwei envoy Wang Yongji and Denglai Xuanwei envoy Liang Fengchun led 30,000 troops to attack Jinan Prefecture. Wang Yongji and Liang Fengchun had never seen the combat effectiveness of the Huben Division. They only felt that their number of soldiers and horses was six times that of the 5,000 Huben Division, and they would be able to defeat the Huben Division no matter what.
Wang Yongji even imagined that he would lead 30,000 people to surround Jinan and attack the city wall to defeat the Huben Division. However, his intention to attack Jinan failed to materialize. Zhang Xiang rushed to Jinan according to Yang Peng's arrangement, led five thousand soldiers to fight out, and found Wang Yongji in Zhangqiu who was marching towards Jinan.
What surprised the Shandong civil servants was that the 5,000 Huben divisions refused to give way and swaggered towards the 30,000 Shandong soldiers and horses. Denglai Xuanwei made Liang Fengchun stand on the top of the carriage, frowning and saying nothing as he looked at the murderous Huben Master in front. He looked at Wang Yongji next to him and said: "Master Wang, King Yan's tiger army has the strongest army in the world. Although our strength is six times greater, we cannot underestimate him."
Wang Yongji smiled and said: "Master Liang, don't worry. I led the army to conquer the Mingjiao twice, and they were both big battles with tens of thousands of people fighting. Yang Peng's five thousand thieves, I have not paid much attention to them." inside."
Liang Fengchun was very worried and said hurriedly: "This..." Wang Yongji said loudly: "Don't worry, Mr. Liang, this battle will be won. The art of war says that if you encircle five out of ten, attack them. Our army is six times that of Yang Peng. It can be divided into three groups to attack Yang Peng's front and left and right wings, which will definitely make the thieves tremble in fear and defeat them thousands of miles away."
Liang Fengchun had a meek temper and was not as powerful as Wang Yongji in the army. Over time, the generals all listened to Wang Yongji. Liang Fengchun still wanted to speak, but Wang Yongji had already issued the order. The ordering soldiers galloped quickly to convey the order. Soon, the 30,000-strong army was divided into three groups and attacked Huben Division.
Master Huben laughed when he saw Wang Yongji's troops attacking in three directions. "Jiang Chong, what do you mean by this Wang Yongji? Why is it that we have no weaknesses on all sides of our formation, and he still attacks the flanks in three ways?"
Jiang Chong was a native of Cangzhou. He joined the Huben Division in the third year of Zhidao and was originally the company commander of the Trap Regiment. Because he performed well in the Yingzhou War, the Huben Division expanded to 10,000 people and needed new officers, so Jiang Chong was promoted to battalion commander. He led a thousand men to garrison in Shandong, this time under the command of Zhang Xiang.
Zhang Xiang saw that Jiang Chong was a bit arrogant on weekdays and was a little curious about him. At this time, he asked a question to see Jiang Chong's knowledge. Jiang Chong put down the telescope and said: "My subordinates thought that Wang Yongji was a civil servant who had never seen our combat effectiveness. He thought that he had more soldiers and wanted to surround us on three sides and crush our morale. He left one side behind and did not attack. According to the principle of the art of war, when an enemy is surrounded, he wants our Huben Division to collapse faster."
When several battalion commanders heard Jiang Chong's analysis, they found it interesting and burst into laughter. Zhang Xiang smiled, looked Jiang Chong up and down again, and said loudly: "The artillery troops came out and blew him up!" Twenty-five 18-pound cannons were pushed out, and the gunners skillfully cleared the barrels of the charges. , loaded the ammunition, and aimed at the Shandong soldiers and horses five or six miles away.
Only a deafening roar was heard, and twenty-five heavy artillery spit out tongues of fire, throwing the shells towards the enemy in the distance. Thirty thousand Shandong soldiers and horses occupied a large area. Although the twenty-five artillery shells were scattered within a few hundred meters, they all hit the local army's queue.
Zhang Xiang and the officers held up their binoculars, waiting for the moment when the shells exploded. None of the 30,000 local Shandong troops had seen ammunition. Although the soldiers were surprised by the shells flying from five or six miles away, the shells hit the ground and killed a few unlucky people before sinking into the ground. It did not cause panic among the soldiers. Including the officers, they all walked straight past the cannonballs without any hesitation.
Then after a few seconds, huge sparks appeared in Zhong Feng's telescope one after another. The projectiles fired from the ammunition swept across the ground like a storm. The soldiers a few meters away from the shells were blown to pieces and fell into a pool of blood, screaming. The local soldiers in Shandong have never been on the battlefield a few times. Where have they seen such a posture? The soldiers near the cannonball seemed to have seen a ghost and ran wildly to the outside. They suddenly fell into a queue.
The general's servants rushed out, brandishing their swords and forcing the soldiers to return to their ranks. It took half a minute for the frightened 30,000 local troops to finally gather together again. However, what awaited them was more ammunition. The shells were like the god of death, making a huge scream in the air and shooting towards the 30,000 local army artillery pieces. This time the local army had seen the explosive effect of ammunition, and ran away as soon as they saw it falling nearby, for fear of being killed by the shell. Even if no shells landed nearby, fear made the soldiers run away with their heads in their hands. The team of thirty thousand people was in chaos again.
Twenty-five cannons fired at the Song Army at a rate of one round per minute. After six rounds, the Song Army in front was almost destroyed. Although the soldiers knew how to avoid the shells, not many people died. But the exploding shells almost destroyed the morale of the local army.
Zhang Xiang used a telescope to look at the approaching Song army, and saw a force of more than a thousand soldiers and horses suddenly lowering their flags and running away into the distance. At the front of these thousands of defeated troops were several generals running wildly on horseback. It was obvious that the local generals were panicked by the bombing and fled with their troops and horses.
Zhang Xiang laughed loudly and shouted: "Blast him three more rounds!" The heavy artillery fired three more rounds at the Song Army in front. At this time, the Song Army had entered the direct range of the cannon, and the heavy artillery fired directly. The bouncing shells tore apart the bodies of the shot soldiers mercilessly before exploding, and the Song army's formation was filled with howls of ghosts and wolves.
The soldiers in these places are usually very exploited by the officers. Although they are still considered as camp soldiers, their morale cannot be compared with that of the border troops, and they may not be able to win against the bandits. The power of the dense explosion of ammunition is very terrifying, even the Khitan soldiers will be confused after being hit. The local army on the front was bombed nine times and was completely demoralized. Only a loud bang was heard. After receiving 225 rounds of ammunition, the 10,000 local troops in the front no longer had the courage to rush into the formation. One by one, they turned around and fled to the back, collapsing.
The 20,000 local troops attacking on both wings were stunned when they saw that the friendly troops in the middle were blown apart so quickly. The battle hasn't even started yet, but one-third of the troops have collapsed? The 20,000 soldiers who had not yet collapsed did not dare to rush forward anymore. They stood hesitantly two miles away from the soldiers of the Huben Division, unable to advance or retreat. Seeing that Wang Yongji's men were in fear and did not dare to attack, the ten six-pound cannons placed on both sides began to throw shells at the enemy more than a mile away, and the Huben Division's firepower became even more intense.
Wang Yongji stood on the carriage behind and observed the battlefield. He was dumbfounded. The confidence he had just now was completely gone. He never imagined that the battle would end like this. Thirty thousand people rushed forward, but ten thousand people collapsed before they could even touch Master Hu Ben's formation. Although there are still 20,000 people who have not collapsed, they obviously have no morale and have no ability to charge into the battle again.
"It's impossible..." Wang Yongji was speechless. The firepower of this Tiger Master was so fierce that he had never seen it before. Five thousand people are equipped with thirty-five Hongyi cannons, and the shells will explode. Doesn't it mean that only the Beijing camp has ammunition? Moreover, it takes a long time for the ammunition of the Beijing camp to fire a single shot, which is not as continuous as Yang Peng's troops.
The Huben Division invaded Jinan City without a single blow. Wang Yongji had never seen the combat effectiveness of this unit. If Wang Yongji had known about the firepower of the Huben Division, he would not have dared to mobilize troops to attack Jinan if he had been given a hundred courages.
Liang Fengchun, the envoy of Denglai Xuanwei, turned pale and murmured: "It's over! It's over this time! Yang Peng's five thousand heavenly soldiers have shown their power, and they will definitely not let us go..." Wang Yongji was also heartbroken when he heard Liang Fengchun's words. shock. He has repeatedly taken the lead in attacking Yang Peng. If Zhangqiu is defeated this time, how will Yang Peng deal with him? Will Yang Peng kill himself? Wang Yongji felt a sudden chill all over his body and his hands shook.
He originally thought that 30,000 people were foolproof against 5,000 people, and he never thought of a way out. At this time, the situation on the battlefield became like this, and he began to feel scared. At this point, the only thing left to do is to burn the boat. He waved his hand suddenly and shouted loudly: "Let the cavalry from the main barracks charge into battle!"
The command flag was fluttering and Wang Yongji's order was conveyed to the front of the formation. Three thousand cavalry in cotton armor rode out from the chaotic infantry. The Song Dynasty attached great importance to horse administration, and the general's command was often equipped with cavalry, usually horses with four steps and six steps, or half horses and half steps. These three thousand cavalry are the knights of the main barracks under the command of Shandong General Soldier and Denglai General Soldier. They are the most powerful soldiers and horses under Wang Yongji's command.
Three thousand cavalry rushed out of the queue, gradually accelerated, surrounded them from both sides at the same time, and rushed towards the Huben Division. Wang Yongji's eyes were bloodshot, and he was holding on to the guardrail of the carriage, staring at the three thousand charging cavalry. Three thousand cavalry rushed to the 300 meters in front of the Huben Division's formation, and twenty-five artillery pieces on both sides of the formation opened fire. Amidst the loud noise that shook the sky, thousands of shotgun pellets were shot towards the three thousand Shandong cavalry like a thick bloodthirsty fog. As soon as the thick fog touched the cavalry in the front row, it exploded into countless sprays of blood.
The projectiles penetrated the poor cotton armor of these cavalrymen and penetrated their bodies. Blood and flesh flew out, falling like rain on the battlefield. The shot cavalrymen didn't even let out a scream before they plopped down on the dirt. How could the inland soldiers and horses who had never fought a few battles have seen such a massacre-like scene? The reputation of the Huben Division as one of the most powerful soldiers in the world has spread widely, but so many people have died before even charging forward. Can this battle be won? Looking at the more than 200 fallen horses in front, the cavalry behind them turned pale and slowed down their horses one by one, wanting only to move the others behind them to the front to block the cannonballs.
It took a long time for the frightened three thousand Song Army cavalry to cover the next one hundred meters. The soldiers of the Huben Division were really impatient to wait. Before the Song Army's cavalry entered the 200-meter firing range, an impatient infantryman pressed the trigger and fired a bullet at the Shandong cavalry.
The sound of a gunshot sounded on the battlefield, extremely loud. The effective range of a flintlock rifle is not more than two hundred meters, but at longer distances the target looks too small and difficult to aim. The shot fired by the Tiger Soldier did not miss. A Song Army cavalryman was hit by a flying bullet, blood arrows spurted out of his chest, and he fell from his horse with a scream.
Although the local soldiers and horses in Shandong also knew that the Huben Division was a fire gun soldier who could kill people from a hundred steps away. But seeing this scene with one's own eyes and facing such an enemy in person, the impact was far stronger than hearsay. The fragile morale of the Song Army's cavalry was shattered by this shot. The cavalrymen watched with wide eyes as the shot cavalryman fell to the ground and died, losing their fighting spirit. They no longer considered the general soldiers and servants who were supervising the battle behind them. They howled and roared to vent their inner fear, and ran away one by one to both sides, trying their best to escape.
The three thousand cavalrymen turned into a rout and fled on horseback like crabs desperately escaping on the beach. Behind the cavalry, the already panic-stricken infantry lost any confidence in victory when they saw this scene, and fled to the rear one by one. It only took a few minutes for the 20,000 people to become defeated like the 10,000 people who collapsed first.
Wang Yongji, the envoy of Xuanwei in Shandong, saw the collapse of the army. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning and stayed on the carriage speechless. Liang Fengchun, who was usually gentle, reacted quickly at this time. He got on the horse next to the carriage and ran away to the east.
Wang Yongji came to his senses when he saw Liang Fengchun running away several hundred steps to the east. He gritted his teeth and mounted a horse to escape. But he was really in a panic, and his riding skills were not good. He stepped on the horse iron but failed to get on the horse, and fell to the ground again with a thud. He looked in the direction of Master Huben in panic, tried hard again, and finally got on the horse.
On the Huben Division's position, a thousand cavalrymen from the Selected Front Regiment had already mounted their horses and rushed out. Zhong Feng rushed to the front and shouted: "Seize Wang Yongji! Don't let him escape!"
Wang Yongji rode a war horse and fled eastward in a panic. At this time, the army was defeated like a mountain. When the soldiers and generals around him saw that Huben Division was eyeing Wang Yongji and chasing him, they all left Wang Yongji and fled for their lives. There was no one following the Shandong governor, and he didn't know the road, so he just kept his head down and rushed forward.
One hundred cavalrymen from the Selective Regiment focused on Wang Yongji's target and were determined not to let him go. He didn't know how long he had been running away, but Wang Yongji's horse couldn't run anymore, but the panicked Wang Yongji still beat the horse desperately. The war horse was frothing at the mouth, its speed was getting slower and slower, and finally it fell limp and fell to the ground.
Wang Yongji was thrown to the ground by the fallen horse, and his black gauze hat also fell off. A large piece of skin was rubbed off his hand, dripping with blood. He glanced at the pursuers on the horizon behind him, and didn't have time to pick up his black gauze hat, so he just ran eastward.
But how can a two-legged man outrun a four-legged horse? Wang Yongji only ran a mile before being chased by the Chosen Front Group. A cavalryman from the Selective Regiment slowed down his horse and bullied Wang Yongji, and gently knocked Wang Yongji on the back with the butt of his rifle.
Wang Yongji was knocked to the ground immediately, and he was so shaken. He turned over and shouted loudly: "Soldier, spare your life! Catch me alive! Don't kill me!" The cavalrymen of the Selection Regiment looked at each other and laughed.
On October 29, the streets of Jinan City were crowded with people, who came to Caishikou to watch King Yan kill officials. Six men from the Shandong Xuanwei envoy Wang Yongji's family and Denglai Xuanwei envoy Liang Fengchun were all captured by Zhang Xiang and tied to the execution ground. Previously, the Dali Temple announcement had reported in detail the illegal behavior of Wang Yongji and Liang Fengchun in mobilizing troops to resist the "Dali Temple Court". People all knew why King Yan wanted to kill the two Xuanwei envoys.
The Dali Temple Court has been in Shandong for two months. The judges enforce the law impartially and impartially, and have a very good reputation. Whether it is a powerless commoner or a wealthy businessman who is coveted by others, the court protects everyone according to the law. The excellent quality of the court and the positive publicity of the Dali Temple announcement made the people of Shandong fully support the court.
Except for a few powerful people who can bully others, who would want to go back to the original period of judicial chaos? An Lian said that the announcement said: A fair court protects a fair social order, allows people to invest in production without any worries, and will ultimately make the entire Shandong Province more prosperous.
King Yan made decisions for the people and set up courts to do practical things for the people. King Yan was welcomed in Shandong. The two Xuanwei envoys wanted to protect the interests of corrupt officials, wanted to destroy the court of Dali Temple, and also mobilized troops to attack King Yan's Huben division. This behavior was so hateful.
Thousands of people gathered around Caishikou, but no one interceded for the two governors. The common people stared at the death row prisoner kneeling on the ground and regarded the two Xuanwei envoys as enemies. Zhang Xiang wanted to kill two Xuanwei envoys at one go. He was originally worried that the gentry would cause trouble during the execution, so he sent 500 soldiers to maintain order at Caishikou. But when the execution was about to take place, Zhang Xiang discovered that the people watching the excitement around the execution ground were all ordinary people. Everyone under the execution platform was wearing coarse cloth, and almost none of the gentry in brocade came.
After the great battle in Zhangqiu, how could the Shandong gentry still dare to show off at will? Zhang Xiang walked up to the execution platform, looked at Wang Yongji and shouted: "Wang Yongji, the envoy of Xuanwei in Shandong, you first published a newspaper and spread rumors to attack King Yan, and then boldly mobilized troops to attack Division Huben. Do you regret it now?"
Wang Yongji looked pale, glanced at Zhong Feng, closed his eyes and said nothing. Zhang Xiang went up and kicked Wang Yongji, and cursed: "Wang Yongji! If you hadn't led the troops to attack, how could our Huben Division have killed so many local Shandong soldiers? You mobilized soldiers and horses for your own gain alone, and you harmed How many soldiers died?"
Wang Yongji opened his eyes and said: "You let my family go. My family will burn incense and worship these soldiers every day..." Zhang Xiang kicked Wang Yongji again and cursed loudly: "The dog officer knows It's just superficial. You have killed so many people, do you think I will let you go?" Wang Yongji closed his eyes in despair when he heard this. But his tears couldn't stop and flowed from his closed eyes.
Zhang Xiang walked up to Liang Fengchun again and said with a smile: "Liang Fengchun, do you have anything to say?" Liang Fengchun kowtowed desperately on the ground and said loudly: "General Mingjian, Liang Fengchun was coerced by Wang Yongji. All matters in the army, big and small, are Wang Yongji made the decision, and Liang Fengchun was forced to obey him."
Zhang Xiang smiled and said, "In order to mobilize the troops in Denglai Town, you wrote a lot of letters to the generals everywhere!" Liang Fengchun was choked by Zhong Feng and was speechless. He looked at Zhong Feng and suddenly He changed his color and cursed: "Zhang Xiang, you are a little general, don't think that you can do whatever you want in Shandong by following Yang Peng. The official army of hundreds of thousands is in Xianghe, and sooner or later they will send troops to Tianjin to capture the Yang thief! I have seen it It’s time for you to be executed by the clan!”
Zhang Xiang pursed his lips and said, "You heard me clearly, Shacai. King Yan is a hero of the country and the mainstay of the Song Dynasty. The official family will not break up with King Yan because of you petty ones." Zhang Xiang stopped talking to him. The two dog officers talked a lot, waved their hands and shouted: "Execution!" Seven soldiers walked behind the condemned prisoner and pointed their guns at the back of the prisoner's head. There were crackling gunshots, blood splattered everywhere, and seven condemned prisoners fell into a pool of blood.
The onlookers were silent for a long time as they watched the two largest officials in Shandong being shot. It took more than ten seconds before someone started shouting. That cry was like a spark falling into the long-drought grass, igniting a fire all of a sudden. Thousands of delighted people raised their fists in the air and cheered loudly outside the execution ground.
"Well done!" "Kill the dog officials who oppose the court!" "The corrupt officials in Shandong have oppressed the people for long enough, and finally they have waited for the court!" Anyone who opposes the court will be killed! "
On the third day of November, official Zhao Heng stood by the window of the study room of Qianqing Palace, looking at the palace outside the window with his hands behind his back. After a long time, Zhao Heng asked: "Wang Jin, how long have the 130,000 border troops been stationed in Xianghe County?" Wang Jin cupped his hands and replied: "Guan, the border troops have been stationed in Xianghe County for more than a month, but Yang Peng is still The court was not withdrawn from Shandong."
"Because we were hoarding grain and grass in Cangzhou, digging trenches, and pretending to defend Cangzhou. If my army surrounded Cangzhou, it would be impossible to capture Cangzhou within a year and a half..." After sighing, Wang Jin added: "Shandong Xuanzang The 30,000 local troops summoned by the powerful envoy Wang Yongji and the Denglai Xuanwei envoy Liang Fengchun were also defeated by Zhang Xiang's 5,000 men and were routed. The two Xuanwei envoys not only failed to capture Jinan City, but were also captured and killed by Zhang Xiang. "
"Your Majesty, Zhang Xiang did not flinch at all in front of 130,000 border troops." Zhao Heng stood by the window and thought for a long time, and finally said: "The soldiers in this place are really careless. In front of the Huben Division, It's just like paper. What I can rely on are these hundreds of thousands of border troops."
Shaking his head, Zhao Heng said: "Pass on my decree, let the border troops retreat." Wang Jin was stunned and asked: "Your Majesty, are you retreating now?" Zhao Heng said: "What I was originally worried about was King Yan went one step further and collected taxes and troops in Shandong, turning Shandong into the second Yanjing. Now under the heavy pressure of 130,000 frontier troops, King Yan should understand that my tolerance has reached the bottom line. If King Yan goes one step further, Thirteen The Wanbian Army will not be stationed in Xianghe, but will invade Cangzhou."
"Although there is no war, King Yan should understand the situation and will not impose commercial taxes and land taxes on Shandong." "Any further delay will only waste food and wages, which is not good for the overall situation of the country. The Khitan is resurrected in various places, and it is the time when border troops are needed. ." "If the border army cannot suppress the traitors even if they go south, they may have to dispatch soldiers and horses from Tianjin to quell the traitors. You can fight with King Yan, but you can't tear your face apart." "According to my decree, King Yan is strictly prohibited from entering. Shandong levies commercial taxes and land taxes without authorization, so King Yan understands my bottom line. As for the courts in Shandong, I won’t mention it in the imperial edict, let’s talk about it later.”
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
