Chapter Thirteen Destroy the Front
The sound of war drums on the tower gradually stopped.
The magistrate of Song and Ming Dynasty, who was wearing a red official robe, leather armor and military uniform, was exhausted and was almost lifted off the drum stage by his family members.
Seeing the heroic figure of Sun Jie leading his troops to counterattack with his horse and sword raised, Magistrate Song felt a fire burning in his chest, and suddenly he felt a surge of pride: If he could gallop alongside his brother, ride his horse and sword to chase and annihilate him, Stubborn enemy, how happy! He lifted up the hem of his official robe and was about to tell the horses to be prepared. Suddenly he remembered that he couldn't ride a horse at all, so he walked angrily to the drummer and said, "Give me the drumsticks. I will personally beat the drums to cheer for the soldiers!"
How dare the drummer disobey? He looked at the team officer and handed over the drumstick respectfully.
Accompanied by the impassioned drumbeats that suddenly sounded, the Golden Drum Team Officer and the drummer were sweating profusely and trembling, almost paralyzed on the ground: What are you beating this for... The army is attacking, just banging it randomly is going to cut off your head. Yes...
However, they all worried too much.
From Sun Jie down to the auxiliary soldiers who were the most courageous and ambitious, who wanted to take advantage of the situation and kill them with their first-level skills, they could eat battle food and rush out, no one cared about the beat of the drums - the battle. The situation has turned into a one-sided pursuit and slashing. At this time, there is no need to use drum beats to control the rhythm of the attack. Sun Jie laughed loudly afterwards and pulled up the flag and drum team officers and drummers who were tremblingly asking for forgiveness: "No guilt, no guilt! If the sound is loud enough, it is a good golden drum!"
Song Mingyi, who was almost exhausted, could not stop trembling with his arms holding on to the railings of the south gate gate tower. Magistrate Song was completely unaware of this. He was still in excitement and watched with ecstasy this unforeseen and even more unexpected event. A chaotic battle of principles.
Hearing that thieves from all walks of life were scurrying about, Song Mingyi asked his family to walk around the wall on their backs. Wherever you can see, in every direction, there are one thousand, two thousand, or even thousands of enemies. The enemy who was so arrogant yesterday is scurrying in front, followed by more than a hundred, two hundred, or at most no more than three hundred like fierce gods. The madman possessed by evil spirits chased and slashed with howls and screams all the way!
Song Mingyi saw with his own eyes that a thief was tripped by a piece of armor that was abandoned on the ground and fell to the ground. Before he could struggle to get up, the guy who was chasing after him was beheaded with a knife, followed by a series of perverted stabs. The big head was chopped to pieces...wait a minute, why is this guy wearing a cloth? It turned out to be an auxiliary soldier! Oh my god, the auxiliary soldiers chased the soldiers away and chopped their armor to pieces! If you don't see it with your own eyes, who can believe it?
"Although Mr. Song saw it with his own eyes, there is really no way to calculate the merit of the head after it was chopped like this!" Magistrate Song felt sorry for the head in his heart, and was thinking about how to come up with a clever name to represent all the heads. When the reward was awarded to the head that failed to pass the court inspection, the auxiliary warrior was already running on the road of pursuit again with a knife in his hand - the head that was almost cut into pieces was treated like a worn-out shoe by him. Abandoned and ignored...
This, this, this is clearly the blessing of Buddha and the appearance of King Yue!
Magistrate Song's lips trembled like his arms, and he squirmed a few times, but he didn't say anything. His eyes were sore, and two lines of hot tears flowed down his cheeks.
Song Mingyi prayed silently and made a decision: Although he said nothing about the strange power and chaos, tomorrow, no matter what, he must pay tribute to the Buddha of the West, the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Laojun, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Grandpa Yuewang, and the City God... Each one kowtows properly and offers a few sticks of incense—didn’t Zi also say, “Sacrifice is as good as the present”! It's all like this, where is "such as being", this is clearly "really here"!
Although the city wall blocked the view and could not see the battle situation in other directions, Guan Shengyun relied on his many years of military experience and judged from various signs such as momentum and dust. Although he did not know the reason, the entire line must have collapsed. There is an idiom called "Knowing the enemy by looking at the dust": Large plumes of smoke suddenly rose up from both the north and south sides, indicating that a large number of people were running in these two places at the same time. The smoke on each side was divided into two groups a hundred feet apart. , indicating that the people in front are running and those behind are chasing. The small group seen first is behind, and then a larger group rises in front, indicating that the retreating troops have discovered the pursuers and started to flee... It seems that, Just like Ximen, the dog officers and soldiers guarding each gate began to counterattack at the same time!
The siege of the city lasted so long. Judging from the flags and the number of battles, the dog officer army could only survive with only two thousand soldiers - but that was wrong! Not counting the less than a thousand infantry and cavalry in front of me, how many soldiers are left? Can there be hundreds of people divided among each department? How could you chase down men who were several times the number of the enemy like this?
However, the urgent situation did not allow Guan Shengyun to think too much. Looking at the increasingly approaching crowds of defeated troops who turned a blind eye to the diversion order, Guan Shengyun knew that the situation was over: the command system no longer existed in the chaos. The soldiers could not understand the flags, but even if they could, they would just run away without looking up at the orders. The officers had already lost control of their subordinates and could only be carried away by the flow of people...
The rebel soldiers being chased by the enemy cavalry were like a herd of wild horses being driven by wolves, running left and right, forming a torrent, more like a huge wave, rushing towards them!
Right now, there are only two options:
Or run away immediately. Even so, he and his subordinates only had a 30% to 40% chance of escaping - because everyone's power had not been restored after several reconnaissances in the morning.
Either go all out and fight with all your might: transform into a wedge-shaped triangle formation to separate the flow of people. But if you do this, you will be trapped in a tight siege.
The garrison soldiers are composed of new recruits with little experience, and they cannot be counted on at this time. The view from the camp wall is better. Seeing how the battle situation has developed, I estimate that at least half of them have escaped by now. Although there is a guard camp around me, these few hundred people will definitely not be able to stop this large group of defeated troops. Now, accept your fate and take a gamble!
Guerrilla Guan Jianlin from the pro-barracks camp picked up the reins of his horse and leaned over and said hurriedly: "Commander, please get out of the way! Leave the green hills behind..."
Before he finished speaking, Guan Shengyun shouted: "I won't leave! I will die here today! Stop me!"
Guan Youyi turned his head and looked at the approaching torrent of defeated troops. He said nothing and his eyes gradually turned from anxious to determined. Having followed the Marshal for twenty years, he knew Guan Shengyun's temper.
With a wink, several personal guards could not help but move their horses to clamp Guan Shengyun from both sides. Someone reached out and grabbed the reins of the horse.
Guan Shengyun was furious: "A dog! You are so brave!"
Guan Jianlin clasped his fists on the horse and smiled miserably: "Father, take care, you can punish me again in the next life."
He turned over and dismounted, and handed the reins to a guard: "My horsepower is not bad, let the commander take him away and ride instead."
Then he shouted sternly at the guards: "If you don't have a horse, follow me. If you have a horse, please protect me, commander. Move quickly!"
The roar is as shrill as an owl.
Watching dozens of cavalrymen forcefully hug Guan Shengyun and go away, Guan Youyi straightened his iron helmet, turned around and ordered: "The spearmen come out! Fifteen steps forward, form a spear formation to stop the retreating troops. Anyone who rushes into the formation will be killed without mercy." ! Form a circular formation with swords and shields to protect the general’s flag!”
The large shield was driven deeply into the ground.
There are thirty people in each row. The first row of spearmen is standing on the ground, with his left shoulder firmly against the shield wall. He holds a gun in his right hand. The tip of the gun is at a forty-degree angle with the ground and sticks out of the shield wall. The rear end of the gun is pressed against the ground and in the middle. The platoon kneeled down on one knee holding the gun, stepped on the tail of the front row's spear with their feet, put the gun body on the front row's large shield, and the back row lunged, with the spear flat and pointed in the direction of the broken troops.
Behind the three-layered gun forest, surrounding the general's flag, the guerrillas, a dozen thousand soldiers, and more than a hundred cooks and miscellaneous soldiers were in the center. Hundreds of sword and shield soldiers formed a small three-layered hollow circular formation - the closer the formation, the better. Easy to defend.
But - it's also easier to be surrounded.
The chance of escape was cut off.
Everyone knows that Guan Guerzhi wants to protect the commander.
The enemy's army is like a stream of iron, and the general's flag is a magnet.
The commander's flag raised high will attract the attention of all enemies. If you hold on for a while longer, the commander will be closer to safety.
The mass of broken troops was getting closer and closer.
The man running in front suddenly looked up and discovered that there was a shield wall not far away. The white spear tip poked out from the gap, as if it was a sharp tooth trying to choose someone to bite! So they all tried desperately to get around to both sides. There were also some brave ones who tried to stop and turn back to join the resistance again.
However, there were too many defeated troops, and these people were immediately submerged in the torrent: the bravest died first!
The people behind could not see the situation in front at all. They were just instinctive and involuntarily pushed forward by the crowd. Once they fell, countless pairs of big feet would immediately trample on their bodies, and the dust would choke their cries for help in their throats. inside.
The life that disappeared did not even have time to let out a whimper.
In troubled times, the lives of ordinary people are like dust.
boom!
Pushed by the back row, the crowd finally hit the shield wall and the gun forest.
The sound of flesh hitting the shield, the pop of the gun blade piercing the flesh, the sound of the gun barrel breaking, screams, and cries... are endless.
Although the spear formation only had three levels, the spear formation of over a hundred people still held back the crowd for a while before being engulfed. It is because of this lag that most of the defeated troops behind were able to bypass it.
The outer arc of the front of the circular array is squeezed deeply inwards. The armored soldiers in the formation used small round shields to hold back their companions in front of them. As they staggered back, the front of the same three-layer defense line was stretched into a thin and sparse line, as if it would collapse soon...
After all, it was a well-trained soldier battalion. The Poxiao battalion finally withstood the impact before the line broke and collapsed, and gradually restored its formation. The large group of defeated soldiers, whose kinetic energy was exhausted by the gun array, finally dispersed and fled across the mountains and plains without any direction.
Sun Jie led the charge on the left wing with his cavalry, and his field of vision was slightly wider than that of the infantry.
It was soon concluded that although the small circular formation in front of them could still defend itself for a moment, it no longer posed a threat: even if the general's flag was still there, such a small circle would not be able to brew a counterattack anyway. The pursuit must continue, the enemy must not be allowed to gather, and the camp must be taken advantage of - success or failure depends on this, failure means success.
He waved his sword to signal the cavalry on the right to complete the encirclement of the circular formation. After they stabilized the encirclement, his own barracks almost arrived. The two to one advantage of the infantry and cavalry combined, especially Ruhong's morale, was enough to crush any enemy. resistance.
The sword was raised high, and after stagnating for a moment, he made a powerful stroke in a semicircle towards the front of the enemy star - which was also the enemy's camp!
After receiving the order, the left-wing cavalry shouted in unison like thunder: "Kill!"
In an instant, the left column fanned out in all directions, rushing towards the broken troops all over the mountains and plains.
Kill all around!
*First level skill
Starting from the Qin Dynasty, military merits were mainly based on head-level merits. After all, miraculous feats such as beheading generals, capturing flags, and being the first to ascend the city were not available to everyone. For ordinary soldiers, the most innocent way is to surrender their heads after the war.
A very important point in the Qin Dynasty's sweep of Liuhe is this head-level military merit system: as long as you hand over an enemy's head, regardless of origin, you can be awarded a first-level title (a title is a wine cup, and you have to go through "drinking to give a title" to get the reward) (hence the name "noble title"). After obtaining the title, you can be exempted from land tax and labor service. Those with high titles can also obtain fields, slaves, and even be able to pay for their sins! The violent Qin Dynasty, which is famous for its harsh punishments, also has regulations on joint sitting. For example, if one person in the "Yiwu" (the most basic combat unit, composed of five soldiers) is killed in battle, the remaining four will each be considered guilty. ! Unless... well, you can hand over an enemy's head - then it'll be fine. Of course, there will be rewards for those who exceed the quota! Therefore, most of the peasant soldiers recruited from the six countries were frightened out of their wits when they saw a group of ferocious figures with bloody human heads tied around their waists coming towards them. There are records of some Qin soldiers charging with four or five human heads tied to their waists with bared teeth... That scene, let alone a head-on collision, is terrifying to think about.
Later, when the Qin army conquered the world, the military merit of the head-level system was not enough, so stricter regulations were made: only the head of an "armored soldier" was counted as a head, and migrant workers who participated in the war as auxiliary soldiers did not count. Well, the other is to carry forward the continuous sitting system: it is true that you chopped off a dozen heads and got a knighthood, but your brother-in-law got food poisoning and had diarrhea in the street... This is "abandoning the market" (that is, beheading. Daqin's environmental protection is really good - -The oxen and horses pulling the carts urinate in the street, which is also the crime of the owner cutting off their heads), stop talking nonsense, you have been fined!
A few days later, your neighbor made arrogant comments about the court in the middle of the night and was reported by another household. Don't say anything about how you slept so hard. You didn't report it, right? So you are guilty too! What, taking a title to pay for the crime? you forgot? Your brother-in-law has lost your prince! Pack up and go to Mount Li to build the tomb of the First Emperor. From now on you will be a glorious member of the 700,000 prisoners!
Don't want to go? Okay, pick up a knife and join the army again, and chop off a few more heads to exchange for coupons free of labor. Oh, by the way, remember that this time only the head of the "armored man" counts.
By the Tang Dynasty, officials were divided into three types. One is called casual official, which is today's job level, such as county and regiment level, department and bureau level, etc., which determines your salary but does not have specific positions. One type is called Zhiguan, also called Zhishiguan, which has specific positions, such as county magistrate, magistrate, etc. There is another type called a decorated officer, which is somewhat similar to a casual officer, but the honorary title often needs to be obtained through military merit, regardless of origin. For example, Xue Rengui in the storytelling drama was originally a small soldier. He followed Taizong in the conquest of Goguryeo. He rode alone and killed the enemy generals, and then he won the honorary title. Once you get the honorary title, you will have "Eternal Field", and your descendants will be hereditary, and they will be exempted from school service. Later, Xuanzong was busy having a mandarin duck bath with Yang Guifei, and no longer participated in such trivial matters as reciting merits, and left it to the local governor to retaliate. So the latter took the opportunity to use this loophole to promote and cultivate his own power, and soon he became the leader of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It became a fleeting thing.
The wise Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang deliberately emphasized civility and suppressed military force in order to prevent his army from becoming bigger. His ideal military commander was best to be an illiterate barbarian who only knew how to go into battle and kill people and knew nothing else. This was best and would not endanger future generations. Civil servants, you are responsible for guarding the territory. If you lose the place, don't behead your head. If you are a general, regaining the lost territory, it will not count. It will only be based on victory or defeat. The specific bonus will be calculated based on the head. You can have your head in one hand and cash in the other.
The head has to be handed over to the Ministry of War for inspection and a reward will be given. Naturally, the gentlemen in the Ministry of War will try to make things difficult for him. In those days, soldiers who served in the army were often not good citizens. Many of them were criminals who had violated the king's laws and were sent to the army. Therefore, many people had the attitude of profiting if they could get through, but not losing even if they could. Both men and women have full and half-length ones. Of course, the court is not easy to fool. The final rule is: it must be a complete head, and it must be proved to be a mature man - the head must have an Adam's apple (there used to be high-tech identification methods: if thrown into a bucket, the one with the face up is The one with the man's face down is the woman, but this method always causes disputes and has to be given up), the ones without it don't count! Even when there was a war with the Manchus, in order to prove that you were not killing Han people who had surrendered, and whether your hair was shaved after death or shaved first and then chopped off, you had to prove your identity before giving you money.
