Chapter 064 Forced to defend the city
Chen Cao's analysis made sense. Song Che nodded repeatedly: "Then let's go to the city?"
"Go..." Chen Cao said decisively: "Although we have been betrayed, fortunately, the loss is not big. As long as we defeat the Tatars, we can still make up for our mistakes. The battle in Guangning is still very beneficial. Go After the city, let’s take stock of the troops, horses and supplies first, and then talk about other things.”
Li Waner's beauty turned pale when she learned that Chen Cao had been repelled and fled. As soon as Chen Cao left, the remaining commanders of the three guards on the island panicked, because there was no person in charge left on the island, and now they were equivalent to their three guards. Fighting on their own.
In addition to Han Shun, the commander of the Zhenjiang Guard, Pang Zhihuan of the Yangzhou Guard and Lin Guodong of the Guanhai Guard were both Chen Cao's men. Pang Zhihuan, who had been in officialdom for a long time, immediately handed over his hands and said: "In terms of hierarchy among the people present, I am afraid that only the Lord of Tieling Township is the most noble. Now, My uncle is trapped, we and the three guards are not familiar with the terrain of Liaodong, but Xiangjun is from Liaodong, so I will ask Xiangjun to temporarily command us to rescue uncle."
Zhang Da, the commander of the Zhenjiang Guards, said: "The general thinks it is impossible. The township king has no experience in battle formations."
Seeing this, Lin Guodong also felt that Pang Zhihuan had premeditated it, so he understood: "The final general also feels that what Commander Pang said is true. Guanhaiwei is willing to obey the commander of the township."
The commanders of the two guards expressed their stance. Although Han Shun did not speak, he still felt that he was riding a tiger and it was difficult to get off, so he reluctantly handed over: "The Zhenjiang Guards are willing to obey the Xiangjun's dispatch."
Among the female generals of the Ming Dynasty, there was Qin Liangyu in this dynasty. She did not have the identity of a woman at all. In addition, Li Wan'er was the granddaughter of Li Chengliang. The emperor personally named the Lord of Tieling Township and also belonged to the high rank of the first rank. The commander The commanders of the Zhengsanpin present were completely adequate.
"Since all the adults think highly of the little girl, I won't be polite to you anymore." Li Waner, dressed in military uniform, handed over to the commander present: "The little girl has been in Liaodong for a long time. Although the Liao Dynasty was corrupt, she has also experienced After several battles, I am familiar with the Tatar tactics. This time my uncle was attacked. In my opinion, it is a common trick of the Tatars. They besieged the uncle and then attacked the reinforcements.
If we directly lead the army to rush over, the Tatars will definitely gather heavy troops to raid our army's formation. Once a rout occurs, our army will be completely annihilated. "
The people present did not know the Tatar tactics, but they all showed admiration for Li Waner's eloquent words.
"I dare to ask Xiangjun, what if the Tatars don't attack halfway, but directly steal our army's retreat?" Han Shun couldn't help but ask.
Li Waner said solemnly: "The Tatars' target is the reinforcements on the island now, not the uncle. The uncle is just a bait to attract them. Therefore, they will not only attack by surprise, but also take advantage of the navy."
"If we, the young cavalry, come to rescue, the entire Tatar cavalry force will fight against us. Although the distance is only thirty miles, these thirty miles are enough for the Tatars to drive us all away." Pang Zhihuan also said coldly.
Is that a dead end?
The scene was terribly quiet. They all knew one thing. If Chen Cao, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army, was defeated, each of them would be held responsible for the defeat. The military law of the Ming Dynasty divided the defeat very carefully. Severe, plus Pang Zhihuan and Lin Guodong were promoted by Chen Cao, that is, they are members of the eunuch party. When the time comes, they will be liquidated and their skin will be shed unless they die.
"Xiangjun, why don't you lead the troops of the army to attract the attention of the Tatars, and then Xiangjun will lead the remaining two guards to rescue the uncle," Lin Guodong said solemnly.
Seeing this, Pang Zhihuan also handed over his hand: "Xiangjun, since Commander Lin is willing to use bait to attract the Tatars, and I have three hundred cavalry, I am willing to take my guard as a cover for the left and right wings to ensure Commander Lin's safety."
Han Shun was the most embarrassed. The two guards expressed their attitude. It was because they were just competing for credit in front of Li Waner. If they succeeded afterwards, Li Waner would definitely tell Chen Cao about the process. This was political capital. He was not Chen Cao. The fucked up people are now caught in the middle, neither the left nor the right.
"Since the two commanders are willing to do so, then I will take the Zhenjiang Guards and follow the Xiangjun."
When Li Waner saw this, she said: "I remember that my uncle brought a lot of firearms. Come and send a message to the navy, asking them to transport the Hongyi cannon and all the firearms to the shore." He stared at the crowd and said : "The plan is very simple. The army moves together, with Guanhai Guard as the vanguard, Yangzhou Guard as cover, and Red Yi cannon in the center. If the Tatar cavalry attacks, use Red Yi artillery to attack it. Each guard commander must remember not to cause chaos. Once the formation is broken by the Tatars, you will have no choice but to become the Tatars' sheep. You are soldiers, so you must be disciplined."
A group of grown men blushed when the young woman Li Waner spoke to them, and they all looked embarrassed.
Li Waner said again: "Every guard, please land one after another."
...
"Uncle," Zhao Xin stepped onto the wall of Gaizhou Acropolis and walked up to Chen Cao who was looking into the distance: "As you said, there is nothing in the city, even the wells are full of stones. "
"Which high-ranking Tatar official are you talking about?" Chen Cao asked casually. He had expected Zhao Xin's words.
"Ah?" Zhao Xin thought for a while: "My subordinates are not very clear about Tatar officials."
"Uncle..." Xu Kaixian walked up to the city wall: "There is a man dressed as a Tatar outside the city. After comparing the seals, he is the brother of Fusi in Beizhen. He wants to see you."
"Bring it up."
The visitor was in his thirties, with pigtail braids and tanned skin. He walked up to Chen Cao and saluted, "I have a humble position, Jin Yiwei Bei Town, Fusi General Banner Wan Qing, and I have met Uncle Dingwu."
"Uncle Ben asked you, how did you know that Uncle Ben is here?" Chen Cao frowned.
Wan Qing bowed his head and saluted again: "The news that my uncle landed in Gaizhou on a sea ship has spread throughout the Tatars."
"What?" Chen Cao was shocked. He knew that his whereabouts had been betrayed, but he didn't expect it to be so exaggerated: "Tell me carefully what happened?"
"In the forty-seventh year of Wanli, he infiltrated the Tatars and became a servant among them. The person who followed him was Eyidu, one of the so-called five ministers of the slave chief Hachi. At the end of June, Eyidu suddenly took over. Upon receiving the order from the slave chief Hachi, he ordered his troops to go to Gaizhou and annihilate all the southern troops from the imperial court who were aiding the Liao Dynasty." Wan Qing raised his head and said, "Uncle killed the slave chief's brother a few years ago, so he pays special attention to him. This time, there are 3,000 troops from the Banner Banner, plus 500 elite armored cavalry from the Zhenghuang Banner, and 40,000 Han troops from the Zhenglan Banner led by our rebel general Li Yongfang. They are attacking on the road;
The enemy's secret order was passed on to Liu Aita, the deputy general of Gaizhou, Yongning and other places, who was appointed by the slave chief Hachi, and ordered him to send 30,000 Han troops to assist Li Thief in attacking the southern army led by Bo Ye. "
Chen Cao took a breath. Not only was his whereabouts revealed, he was tricked before he even touched the opponent's fire door: "So this Gaizhou City is a bait?"
Wan Qing nodded: "Not only is it a bait, but according to Edu, the slave chief is determined to be in Guangning, so he mobilized heavy troops. It is said that the three guards of Duoyan have agreed to send troops. The news of the uncle's siege is expected to spread soon. By then, The imperial court will definitely send troops to rescue. If Commander Sun's troops leave Guangning City, they will be divided and annihilated using roving tactics. If they cannot, then they will be completely annihilated by Uncle Sun's army to frighten the Guangning defenders."
"Huh..." Chen Cao let out a long breath: "It seems that someone in the imperial court has an affair with Jiannu An."
"There is indeed someone," Wan Qing nodded: "I once drank with the servant of the slave chief. The guy said that someone sent the detailed marching route of the Southern Liao Army." Wan Qing stared at Chen Cao: "I don't know. Who specifically did you give your marching route to?"
Chen Cao sneered and said: "Huh, what? My uncle's route is a secret. When I was in Bohai Bay, I only sent a secret letter to Sun Chengzong, the governor of Liaodong, informing me of my specific plan."
Wan Qing was horrified: "Could it be that someone in the governor's palace had an affair and became a slave?"
"It's not a guess, but a certainty." Chen Cao turned to look at Wan Qing: "Does Mr. Wan Qi have a way to find out who that person is?"
Wan Qing frowned: "Not now, the battle of Guangning is imminent. If the troops of Duoyan's three guards have not arrived, it can be delayed. Otherwise, even if they cannot completely wipe out the uncle's army, the Tatars will definitely attack Guangning, and the slave chiefs will be defeated more than once. It was said that the Liao River would be used as the boundary, and the east of the river would belong to Da Jin, and the west of the river would belong to the imperial court, but the purpose was that the imperial court would not set up defenses in the western part of the river."
"Shanhai Pass is the boundary," Chen Cao muttered silently: "General Banner Wan, it is up to you to find out the collaborators, otherwise it will be a big disaster for the court."
Wan Qing nodded: "Uncle, I will do it even if I have a humble job. Please don't worry, uncle."
"By the way, why are you here suddenly?" Chen Cao became curious.
Wan Qing said: "To be honest, I came here to convey military information to Ha Sihu and Da Qi, but secretly I came here to contact Liu Aita, the deputy general of the fourth town."
Chen Cao felt that the name seemed familiar: "Isn't it?"
"Yes," Wan Qing nodded, and then whispered: "Yuan Keli, the governor of Denglai, secretly contacted Liu Aita again. Our Northern Town Fusi people in Liaodong are also trying hard to persuade this person to surrender. This person is not only the deputy general of the fourth town, He is also the adopted son of the slave chieftain and the consort of Zhenghongqi. If we can persuade him to surrender and submit to the imperial court, it will be of great help to the situation in Liaodong."
"Reliable or not?" Chen Cao frowned.
Wan Qing added: "This man's real name is Liu Xingzuo. He was originally a Han. He lived in Jianzhou Wei and was forced to surrender to the slave chief. The slave chief Hachi admired him very much. This person couldn't stand the slave chief's treatment of us Liaodong Han people." Due to the oppression, Lushun was able to survive, not because of Zhang Pan, but because of his private planning."
"In this siege, can we find a breakthrough in him?" Chen Cao asked.
Wan Qing shook his head: "I'm not sure yet. We suffered some losses in Shenyang and Liaoyang and lost a lot of people. The court is extremely sensitive to this now. This person is still in contact. There are some things that cannot be fully believed. What if? It’s fake, didn’t I deceive you, uncle?”
"It makes sense," Chen Cao nodded: "More than 70,000 people surrounded and suppressed 30,000 of us. It seems that Nurhaci still values me very much. Mr. Wan, do you know who is attacking us this time?"
Wan Qing said: "Eyidu's cousin Hasi leads 3,000 men from the Xianghuang Banner, and Eyidu's second son Daqi leads 500 people from the Zhenghuang Banner and more than 1,000 Mongolian Karakha cavalry."
"No wonder, the fighting power is so fierce. Wang Xiaojie said that his people were defeated not long after they blocked it." Chen Cao murmured: "Mr. Wan Qi, what's their plan?"
Wan Qing frowned: "I don't know much about my job, but I am on my way to Gaizhou."
Although Chen Cao didn't know E Yidu, he could tell from Wan Qing's words that this person was not just a simple commodity under Nurhachi: "Are you here for me too?"
Wan Qing nodded: "Originally I didn't need it, but remembering that you killed Mulhaqi, Nurhachi sent Edu Yidu to personally come and take charge."
"What kind of blow would it be to Nurhaci if he died here?" Chen Cao was a little curious.
Wan Qing, who had a crazy tone, had seen too many things, but this was the first time for him to see Chen Cao like this. He was full of expectations: "The slave chief also sees the forehead as the humerus. If he dies, the slave chief will have captured Guangning." , but also kills one thousand enemies and damages eight hundred."
Chen Cao had a smile on his lips: "It seems that if you want to make up for your past mistakes, you have to take action on your forehead."
Wan Qing had heard a lot about Chen Cao, but he was still surprised to see him like this. He was in such a difficult situation that he was still plotting against the enemy general: "If uncle really wants to kill Yidu, he only needs to kill him during the war." Recognize clearly where the humble position is, and the humble position is his servant, follow closely behind, then the uncle will be able to distinguish the true from the false."
"It makes sense." Chen Cao patted Wan Qing on the shoulder: "If this battle is successful, I will definitely recommend you as the person in charge of Liaodong in front of Tian Ergen."
"Uncle and Tian Zhenfu still know each other?" Wan Qing quickly handed over his hand: "I would like to thank my uncle in advance for my humble position."
"More than just knowing each other, the two of us are sworn brothers." Chen Cao said, looking into the distance.
As soon as Xu Kaixian saw off Wan Qing, Song Che walked up to the tower: "Yao Zhong, the count is over. There are still about 3,000 people left in Dahe Guard. One of the commanders and colleagues was killed in the battle; Songjiang Guard commander Tian Xiaonian I came here in a panic just now, saying that there were Tatars driving behind me. After arriving not far from the Acropolis, I rode away again and wandered around the outside. There are less than 2,000 Songjiang Guards left."
"Where is the right guard?" This is the focus of Chen Cao's concern.
"More than three hundred people were killed and more than seventy were injured."
"The casualty ratio is so high?" Chen Cao frowned: "Are the Tatars really that strong?"
"Most of them were caused by thrown bolas and axes." Song Che replied: "Our army also shot and killed many Tatars, more than 300 of them."
"Too few. The main reason is because at night, the right guard faced the enemy for the first time. To be able to do this is considered the best result," Chen Cao said and told Song Che what Wan Qing had just said.
"There are so many Tatar soldiers and horses. I think it is the last word to break out before dark. It is only thirty miles from here to the beach." Song Che said: "I will break up the rear."
"The sneak attack is E Yidu's cousin and second son. We have to kill these two people before Li Yongfang's army arrives." Chen Cao hammered the female wall fiercely: "I will kill them myself."
Song Che was shocked when he heard this: "You can't be reckless. I sent scouts to investigate earlier. These wandering Tatar cavalry rushed forward when they saw a small number of people, and retreated when they saw a large number of people. When our people retreated, they came back."
"Typical wolf pack tactics." Chen Cao stared at the small black dots appearing on the skyline, which were Tatar rangers: "They just don't want us to evacuate."
