Chapter 110: Double attack
At first, when the troops were first divided, You Futian was very proud. The two battalions of Tianyi and Nutao were deployed in Jishui and Baihe respectively, facing each other from a distance. They named it the situation of forming horns with each other.
Don't forget that General You is illiterate. I heard Mr. Shu talk about "Three Kingdoms" before, and I thought the phrase "the two armies are each other's horn formation" is very popular. When I was working as a personal guard for Lu Yong, I secretly thought that one day I could persuade my benefactor to hand over two troops to me, and I would definitely set up a horn formation to give the Mongolian Tatars on the opposite side a taste of their power! As for being able to command two fully-staffed combat barracks with first-class equipment, Xiaoyou at that time could not imagine at all - how many beggar-like soldiers did his benefactor, whom he looked up to as a god, lead? Let's look at the weapons and equipment, food and drink... that's what the auxiliary troops in Guoqinglin look like. Oh, not only that, they have to be of a middle-to-lower status! Now, if we really take action, not to mention our two battalions, even Zhang Ding's Thunderbolt Battalion can easily defeat the "mighty division" of the "mighty border guard" General Lu...
After expressing his emotion, You Futian called all the battalion officers over and explained the "Horn Formation" to them in a serious manner. When he got to the exciting point, he sprayed spit foam all over his face. What's more, the illiterate officers admired General You greatly at first, but finally understood after hearing this: Isn't it just you who stopped in Baihe River and Tang Fu stopped in Jishui River? But no one dared to say it openly, nor did they dare to wipe the saliva on their faces. They all muttered and cursed after getting off You Futian's boat.
In the next few days, You Futian's feelings could be described as days passing by like years.
In order to facilitate the two battalions to coordinate with each other, the auxiliary soldiers had to build a road between the two rivers. This is not difficult, because there is already a road, just widen it a little; what is difficult is to keep the road open, that is, to deploy warning forces, which is definitely not possible: for a distance of three to five miles, it is completely impossible to rely solely on auxiliary troops to defend - -If they can do it, they will be soldiers. Relying on soldiers is not enough. There are not enough manpower: even if two combat barracks are suddenly attacked and fight independently, they can persist for a long time with the support of auxiliary soldiers. Sooner or later, one of them will find a flaw and come out to join forces. But if one part of the army is divided On the bank between the two rivers, it's hard to say. What's more, his most important task is to block the escape route to the south. If the road is not blocked and he is attacked by a dog officer, it will be extremely embarrassing. You Futian, who couldn't figure out a way in the end, decided to just let it go! I sent a few of my horse guards to Tang Fu to ride over. If something really happened, I hoped that one or two of them would be lucky enough to risk their lives and come out to report the news.
You Futian has memorized the storyteller's famous stories such as "Burning Bowang Slope", "Burning Red Cliff", "Burning Xinye"! Mr. Zhuge's Wollongong was close at hand, so he was deeply afraid that the dog officials would send death squads out at night to burn the fleet. Youfu Tianbe stayed on the boat at night. The raft built in a hurry cannot be very big, and a group of men will die of suffocation every night sitting in a cramped space. You have to keep your nerves tight at all times during the day. From time to time in the southwest direction of Wollongong, you can see people traveling in groups of one to two hundred or three hundred people to Nanyang Mansion. Don’t look at the rags on their bodies. The wind was blowing, but everyone was still in high spirits, and there were always people throwing stones at the boat! Of course, the archers were not willing to give in, and naturally fired back. When the archer officer came to You Futian for arrows, he remembered to take stock of the supplies he carried - there were not many arrows left!
The other party's dog officials are confident, not to mention Ximen. Under his nose, the south gate opens and closes like this every day, endlessly absorbing these gangs of people who don't know how to die, and then throws them to the commander in the north the next day. direction.
Unable to stop the reinforcements, and the dog officers did not flee south, a group of elite soldiers who had no fear even against the Beijing camp, stayed on the boat all day long and were hit on the head and face by groups of passing civilians with dirt and rocks. The damage was not great. Extremely insulting! But he couldn't fight back yet - he didn't have enough feathers and arrows. You Futian also tried to send one or two troops to fight, but let alone go ashore, as soon as the boat moved to the other side, the people dispersed and they couldn't catch them! If you stay like this for a long time, your prestige in the army will plummet. How can you lead the army? Who else wouldn't be so angry?
So when Luo Shifan came over and finished talking about the plan to break the city, Yu Futian couldn't be more excited. The young military advisor tried his best to stop him from sneaking into the city in person, but when he saw the fire lit by Tang Fu in Nanyang Mansion, Lao You was the first to rush into the south gate with a pair of swords.
This group of people fought thousands of miles from the frontier to the Central Plains. Not only were they extremely powerful, they also had rich battlefield experience. In the morning, Tang Fu had arranged his backup team before entering the city. When the front team suddenly broke out and started killing people and setting fires everywhere, the last group of twenty or so people who had mixed with the people entering the city were able to walk near the city gate. Several city gate guards just felt something was wrong with the movement in the city, and they were all knocked to the ground. Then they did not go up the wall, and picked up the long soldiers abandoned by the city gate guards on the ground. In the blink of an eye, they formed a small double layer. line of defense, firmly controlling the south gate in their own hands.
The first two teams to sneak into the city were the A and B teams of Nutao camp. The defense of the south gate was handed over to the two teams Bing and D and the 500 auxiliary soldiers accompanying the camp. The other 500 people stayed to watch the ship. After the auxiliary soldiers used local materials to pull out several fortifications on the walls and in front of the door openings, Team C and Team D did not encounter any decent resistance. Various people who were running around like frightened rabbits saw the defense line composed of tables, chairs and benches. The swords and guns gleaming behind them all turned around and ran away. The people were unorganized and without command. The fighting spirit that they had been full of to serve the imperial court not long ago disappeared in the blink of an eye, and all they could think about was running for their lives.
You Futian only sent Team A of the Tianyi Battalion toward the wall, and rushed up from the horse path to the east. Team B followed along the base of the wall to support him. As soon as he burned incense, the east gate, which had always been closed, opened, and the people who had already sharpened their knives were busy. Gu Baihua's Gangfeng Battalion shouted and rushed in. Teams C and D of Tianyi Battalion did not expand to the west, but headed north under the command of You Futian, heading straight towards Nanyang Fuyamen.
At this moment, Nanyang Mansion was filled with billowing smoke and raging flames. In order to achieve the purpose of the raid as quickly as possible, You Futian's main force only wore half armor, while Tang Fu's group was completely dressed like ordinary people. In order to distinguish them, They all tied black cloth strips on their arms and gathered in small groups, charging and killing while setting fires everywhere to create chaos. How could the panicked people know this? They were all from the same village. They would identify anyone they didn't recognize as a thief. If they couldn't escape, they would beat each other with the wooden sticks in their hands. They didn't realize it until both sides were injured. A large group of guys carrying bright steel knives gathered not far away and looked at me with a vicious sneer...
Not long after Qian Yuchuan lay down, he heard a big commotion outside. At first, he thought it was a dispute between the people who had just entered the city over sharing steamed buns or something - the main force of the thieves was still far away in the north, being chased and beaten by the "righteous people", and two people in the south. The thieves in the river have never come ashore. If there is anything they can do, they can only do it in a hurry. The east gate is closed tightly. It is impossible for the thieves to build a ladder in the river... Mr. Qian only thinks about the countless lives he has done here. Gambling money, I never thought that my opponent could sneak into the city!
Thinking that he must severely punish the unruly people who took the lead in making trouble, he cursed and put on his official uniform and walked out of the back hall quickly. When he looked up, he saw black smoke filling the air.
Qian Yuchuan himself had a guard of two hundred people. Among prefect-level officials, this scale is definitely considered luxurious. Even a fourth-grade prefect in a border area cannot afford to be as strict as your lord. Mr. Qian is not short of money, and the weapons and equipment are all the standards of the Beijing camp, even armor! Of course, on the books, these armors belong to the Nanyang Guards - if you raise the guards, the court can turn a blind eye. Anyway, you pay for it out of your own pocket. In theory, the court is not responsible for paying wages; but the armor and crossbows are important weapons of the country, and private Absolutely not to have! This is what the saying goes, "One armor carries three crossbows, and three armors enter the underworld." Because things like armor are usually useless: you will definitely not wear them when fighting with your neighbors, because if you win, you can’t catch up, if you lose, you can’t run away, and the production cost is high (Xu Guangqi calculated that a pair of armor costs twenty taels of silver, and the quality Full of official money. Of course, Lao Xu works in the Ministry of Industry, so the salary will be higher, which is normal, you know. But even if half is deducted, it is still so high that it hurts), and he still has to spend money on maintenance on weekdays. ...What is the purpose of keeping such things privately? The Xiliu Camp was famous all over the world, but Zhou Yafu was killed in prison for hiding his armor--it still had to be buried with him. Master Qian is very meticulous in his work. Not only are the armored weapons on Nanyang Guard's account, but also the people! It's just "borrowed". Of course, most of the expenses are paid by the prefect's Yamen in various other names.
Because he felt that he could almost defeat the thieves today, Qian Yuchuan sent half of his guards out of the city to suppress the formation. There were about a hundred people resting in the wing. When they heard something wrong, they all ran into the courtyard. Although he still didn't fully understand what happened, Qian Yuchuan reacted quickly: "Close the door quickly!" Before he finished speaking, someone among the guards shouted "close the door" and ran outside.
When it comes to closing the door, it actually closes the side doors on both sides. Not only the prefect's yamen, but also the county yamen, the middle gate will not be opened on weekdays. The middle gate, which represents the majesty of the imperial court, will only be opened for the angels who read out the emperor's imperial edict, for the arrival of superior officials, or for the newly appointed palace.
"You, you, and you," Qian Yuchuan pointed, "go and guard outside!" The dozens of guards who were called out just ran out carrying armor and weapons, and there was a "clang" from the second door behind them. The latch was lowered, followed by the sound of heavy objects banging and banging, blocking the door. The guards looked at each other, with a trace of despair flashing across their faces. The remaining guards in the yard helped each other put on their armor, and as soon as they poked their heads out of the wall on ladders, tables, chairs and benches, there was a burst of noise and banging outside the gate.
After only about twenty steps, the side door of the prefect's Yamen closed heavily in front of You Futian's eyes. You Futian hurriedly explained a few words and waved his hand. Team D divided into two groups and moved forward from behind, leaving Team C to gather around and be on guard. The auxiliary army officer stopped and looked at the surrounding houses for a while, then raised his hand, and the auxiliary soldiers immediately ran towards the target pointed at, and then there was a chaos! Not long after, there was a loud "bang" and the house collapsed. A few auxiliary soldiers appeared in disgrace holding heavy beams in the smoke and dust. A heavy banging sound was heard from the door of the prefecture's Yamen... At the same time, Other auxiliary soldiers carried tables, laid boards, and even removed door panels from the surrounding houses. The soldiers hid behind them, avoiding the sparse arrows shot from the wall, waiting for the moment the door was broken.
The original plan was for Gu Baisong's cavalry to rush towards the sparsely crowded area and seize the north gate as quickly as possible. However, the first batch to rush into the north gate was Gong Derun's Zhenyong Battalion.
This guy was really lucky. The injured in the previous two days were driven to a nearby field by the government officials according to Qian Yuchuan's order, so as not to dampen the morale of the "thief-chasing righteous people". When a large number of people passed by, they supported each other until they reached the city gate. Of course the gatekeeper would not let them enter the city. The group of people were injured and had been hungry for a day or two. They thought that they had been injured for the government and Master Qian, so they should be rewarded with food. A dispute broke out between the two parties, and the gatekeeper Hit someone. These people were usually extremely afraid of the officers and soldiers. Now, one of them was relying on their injuries to prove their merits; Taking the opportunity to cause trouble, the city gate was blocked tightly. When they saw the many ferocious spirits rushing out of the water boat, the guys who were limping and struggling to move forward ran faster than rabbits and directly threw a few city gate soldiers to Gong Derun.
Gong Derun didn't have the time or the mood to contain the guys who were kneeling to ask for surrender. In a blink of an eye, they were all dead on the spot. The Zhenyong Battalion shouted all the way and surrounded them from the top of the city and the base of the wall to the west of the city. Over at You Futian, the beams of the house were still fighting against the gate, while a "Gong" flag had been raised high on the Ximen Tower, fluttering in the wind.
Gao Tengdou's three flying beast battalions and Guan Shengyun's Poxiao battalion entered the city and headed south, heading straight for the Tang Prince's Mansion - the Tang Prince's Mansion was a little to the north and west of the prefect's Yamen. Because of the royal palace's protective army, it was expected to be bigger than the prefect's Yamen. It was much more difficult to fight, so Guan Shengyun was determined to attack all four main battalions.
Zhang Ding's Perak Battalion, supported by a large number of auxiliary troops, hastily built a small stronghold outside the north gate. The defensive front was very narrow, and they only had to block in front of the city gate and then return, most of the common people holding a stick in their hands. Can. Gu Baisong's cavalry team, which was originally going to grab the door, was overtaken by Zhenyong Camp, so he simply stayed outside the city to support Zhang Ding. However, the group of people who had been so heroic earlier did not pose any threat. When they returned to the nearby area exhausted, they saw that Fucheng had fallen into the hands of thieves. They all fled home crying.
Knowledge points in this article: Huozhezi.
There were two main ways of making fire in ancient times. One is to use flint to create sparks to ignite combustible materials such as char cloth (keep a piece of cotton cloth at a certain distance from the fire source and bake it slowly until it is charred, and it will start to burn if it touches the sparks). However, this method is too slow and not suitable for use in fierce battles. The other is faster - setting fire directly with a fire breaker.
Pick off the mugwort vines and beat them with a mallet, break them up thoroughly and soak them in water to dissolve other substances and only retain the fiber. After drying, mix it with cotton or reed tassels, continue to beat it until it is integrated, and finally spread it on hard paper, sprinkle in saltpeter, sulfur, rosin, camphor and other flammable powders, and roll it into a tight stick-shaped fire starter.
Another piece of moso bamboo of appropriate length and thickness is made into a bamboo tube, and a small hole is opened at the connection between the tube cover and the tube body. Insert the rod-shaped ignition strip into the barrel, light it and then blow it out to keep the fire head smoldering. Twist the cylinder cover so that the two small holes are aligned to provide the minimum amount of oxygen to the smoldering fire head, and a fire breaker is ready.
When in use, remove the lid of the cylinder and wave it vigorously or blow it a few times. When the smoldering fire head encounters enough oxygen, it will immediately burst out into flames. After ignition is completed, cover the cylinder cover directly. The open flame will turn to smoldering state again and you can continue to use it. A well-made fire seal can even last for more than ten days.
In the late Ming Dynasty, after sweet potatoes were introduced to China, potato vine gradually replaced mugwort because of its better properties.
Before matches were invented, fire coins were hard currency and could be used as currency.
