Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight: Shili Xuanfu Division
Sun Jie's retrieval of Baoning was almost without bloodshed. The losses of the "Ming Army" in this battle were minimal: only about a hundred people were dead or disabled, and none of them were his subordinates. Well, these people can only be called the Ming Army in theory. In the "Army Book" of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that they don't even have names, or even unit numbers, let alone any food, grass, military pay. .
However, this army enjoys a great reputation in real history - if the Qi family army of the military god Qi Jiguang is the overall champion in the history of the Ming army, then this army is a well-deserved runner-up, no matter how arrogant it is The military leader will never have any objection to this!
Because, their name is...
White soldiers!
The white-armed soldiers of Qin Liangyu, the only female general in the Ming Dynasty, the only white-armed soldiers of Qin Liangyu, the heroine in the three thousand years of national history, who once beat the so-called bloodthirsty Eight Banners to the bone, and the old and weak remnants of the army. Zhang Xianzhong, who was so frightened that he massacred all the people in Sichuan, and the white-armed soldier who never dared to cross the thunder pond of the little stone until his death!
However, their commander at this time is not Qin Liangyu, but Qin Liangyu's husband Ma Qiancheng. After Ma Qiancheng was killed by the eunuch Qiu Chengyun, Qin Liangyu became the commander-in-chief of this army and left a mark in history that has been passed down to this day.
Shidui, located in eastern Sichuan, is famous for Shitong Pass and Dibokuan Pass. In the eighth year of Hongwu's reign, the Shidui Appeasement Department was renamed the Xuanfu Department and was placed under the jurisdiction of Chongqing Prefecture. When Yang Yinglong in Bozhou was in rebellion, the Shili Xuanfu Department was appointed by a female local official, Qin Shi, to do the Xuanfu affairs. Her choice almost brought disaster to the Shili Ma family.
Ma Qiancheng is the eldest son of Ma, but Qin prefers the second son Ma Qiansi. She mistakenly believed that Yang Yinglong could succeed, so she hired his daughter to be Ma Qiansi's wife. Ma Qiansi went to Bozhou to help her father-in-law in the rebellion. The newlywed Ma Qiancheng seized the opportunity to express his loyalty to the Ming Dynasty: Ma Qiancheng led 3,000 white pole soldiers to cooperate with the army to put down the rebellion, while Qin Liangyu* brought 500 warriors from her natal family's dowry. "Wrap the food and follow it".
On the second day of the first lunar month in the 28th year of Wanli, Yang Yinglong's rebels took advantage of the official army's New Year's Eve banquet to make a sneak attack. After all, the Ming army, which was a majestic and powerful army, blew up the camp on the spot and ran all over the mountains and plains. The overwhelming formation of wolves and wolves frightened the attacking rebels so much that they almost died of laughter...
Unfortunately, at this time, Ma Qiancheng and his wife arrived!
On the one hand, in order to protect the Shilima family, and on the other hand, they also wanted to vent their long-simmering grievances. The 3,500 white-armed soldiers not only defeated the rebels, but also went straight to the rebels' lair in one go, destroying them in succession. Golden Building Qizhai!
The White Spear Soldiers got their name from their main battle weapon: a hooked spear made from the strong and tough ash tree, with a ring at the end - history books record: the spear tip is thrust and the tail ring is hammered, making it invincible. Well, it's best not to believe it. What is serious nonsense? This is. This is nonsense made by a scholar who has never been on the battlefield and sits in his room with his eyes closed. Not to mention wearing armor, even without armor, how much damage can be caused by being hit by an iron ring? And you have to turn the spear around and hit it? Are you tired? If you have the time, you could just stab him and that would be the end of it! The true purpose of this iron ring is to "connect end to end": whether it is attacking a stockade on a mountain or climbing a wall, the hooked spearhead hooks into the cracks between stones and bricks, and the people below use the spear hook to hook the iron ring at the end of the spear in front. , several guns put together form a simple ladder, and warriors can quickly climb up! In other words, this kind of main battle weapon is completely tailor-made according to the unique geographical environment of the local rocky mountains. Therefore, the white-pole soldiers in the army can be regarded as a mountain warfare special forces.
When the officers and soldiers collected the defeated troops and followed the white-pole soldiers with a shy face and showed off their power to Sangmuguan, which was guarding the key point of Yang Yinglong's throat, they were all dumbfounded again: This requires building siege equipment - if it is placed in the interior, this It was a good opportunity to rob the people, but there was no one in the backcountry, so we had to cut down the trees. When a group of generals were worrying about the city wall, thinking about how to use foreign workers to repay military expenses and collect rewards, Sangmuguan was unexpectedly captured by white soldiers again! I saw them rushing to the city, in groups of several people, using white pole spears to hang on the city wall. Dozens of spears were connected end to end. In an instant, a climbing net was set up on the city wall like an ivy! Every warrior who had hung up his spear jumped down, rolled on the spot and stood up again. He had taken off the bow and arrow from his back, knelt on one knee and fired at the city head! The people behind were as agile as apes, following their spears and climbing up the city wall in the blink of an eye. Within a moment, that section of the city wall was filled with white soldiers! The warriors who ascended first did not rush to charge, but formed a spear formation to firmly control that section of the city wall and cover the backup. The scope of the gun array was slowly expanding. In less than two moments, there were already thousands of people climbing the city. There was a rapid bang - this was Qin Liangyu's invention. There were no flags, cannons, fireworks, and golden drums like those of the Ming army on the southwest border. Waiting for communication tools, Qin Liangyu invented bangles with different rhythms as a means of issuing various orders - the whole army of white-pole soldiers attacked, and the so-called natural danger Sangmuguan was conquered in half a day!
Once Sangmuguan was lost, Yang Yinglong knew that the situation was over and committed suicide soon after. Ma Qiansi also died in the rebel army, and the Bozhou rebellion ended. After the war, the white-pole soldiers ranked first in military exploits on the Nanchuan Road! Ma Qiancheng became the chief of the Shili Xuanfu Department.
However, when the world is at peace, Ma Qiancheng, who is loyal and has made great achievements, will be in trouble - seeing that the white-pole soldiers are so good at fighting, the court must be worried! what to do? Send eunuchs to supervise the army.
This eunuch is called Qiu Chengyun.
The supervisory army is responsible for distributing food, wages and supplies, and is a fat man. However, if there is no war, which army will be in charge? Besides, the white-pole soldiers are "barbarian soldiers" - even though they are useless, the officers and soldiers still look down on them, so that's what they call them - the court will not allocate food and salaries to them, so how can they make a fortune?
Qiu Chengyun then started to think about "looking for minerals".
Shidui produces zinc, and the locals habitually refer to zinc as "hairy silver." Qiu Chengyun used the topic and pretended to have discovered a silver mine, and asked Ma Qiancheng for 10,000 taels of sealing money. Otherwise, all the villagers of Shidui would be killed. The whole family must be relocated to free up space for "mining". The upright Ma Qiancheng believed that he had made great contributions to the court and had received many awards from the emperor, so he naturally refused on the spot...and then was accused of "rebellion"!
Despite the fact that the group of "gentlemen" in the government and the public can find fault with you over trivial matters, eunuchs who accuse heroes of "rebellion" and other major matters are collectively silent. Without him, the father-in-laws are the emperor's domestic slaves. Who can be offended and who can't be offended? This group of "gentlemen" know it in their hearts!
Ma Qiancheng, who thought that he was not afraid of skewed shadows when he was upright, made a miscalculation because he did not understand that the prevailing rule of the game in the Ming Dynasty was actually "If your shoes are crooked, you will not be afraid of your feet being upright"!
Qiu Chengyun used the provocation method: "Do you dare to go to the capital to confront him?"
Ma Qiancheng dares.
So he died.
After learning that the leader was about to be transported to the capital, the villagers and white-armed soldiers surrounded Qiu Chengyun and his minions with weapons! At this time, Ma Qiancheng has N ways to solve the problem:
The best idea is to find a way to kill Qiu Chengyun secretly to avenge the death of a thief. In the name of avenging Eunuch Qiu, kill any enemy that he usually dislikes, and the Ma family's power will be further expanded.
The middle strategy: kill on the spot, support the troops with self-respect, and submit a letter to defend yourself. As long as he can save face, the emperor can clearly distinguish between the life of an eunuch and the risk of another Bozhou rebellion. At most, it is a symbolic punishment - in order to "appease" and avoid "changes", this punishment will not be too severe and will be revoked after a while.
The next best thing: ignore it. Anyway, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, so what can you do to me?
However, Ma Qiancheng took the next step: he dispersed his subordinates himself and got into the prison car.
One and three years.
Three years in prison.
From the day he was imprisoned until his death, no one said a word to him for three years.
Finally, he died in the imperial edict, and his death was unclear. Of course, these are things for later.
Speaking of Sun Jie, facing the impregnable Baonyeong Prefecture, he thought of Shili Xuanfu Si, whom he had met once on the way to Sichuan. At that time, Ma Qiancheng had not yet been imprisoned. Sun Jie went up the river and passed by Zhongzhou (today's Zhongxian County). ), he once paid him a visit. And Sun Jie had also heard about the reputation of the Baigan soldiers for a long time, and in order to deal with the She'an family, he even wanted to recruit them. Heroes value heroes, and after a big drink, both of them felt that they had met at a late date. At this time, Sun Jie sent his personal guard Shi Erlei to ask Ma Qiancheng for help with the idea of trying to wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Nanjinguan. According to Sun Jie's idea, a sneak attack on Nanjing Pass would put pressure on the Sichuan Third Division to mobilize personnel and grain, and then forcefully cross the Jialing River and launch a strong attack on Baoning Prefecture.
Unexpectedly, Ma Qiancheng came in person. He also brought 3,500 white soldiers!
Sun Jie was deeply moved and didn't know what to say when he saw Ma Qiancheng.
Ma Qiancheng, who was even less eloquent, laughed and patted Sun Jie on the shoulder, saying, "Since we are brothers, why can't we just say these two words? Take your brother to see the affair. "
Li Song went to Baoning Mansion these days, and the person guarding the gate was Wu Dazhuang. Sun Jie, who only brought a few personal guards, led Ma Qian and others to Nanjinguan. Wu Dazhuang saw that the visitor was neither wearing armor (the white-poled soldiers were equipped with rattan plates and rattan armor), nor did he push back. I didn't think much about the siege equipment. Unexpectedly, just as I was relieved, I heard a rapid banging sound in my ears, and then the group of guys rushed over like they were desperate!
There is not even a ladder, how can you climb the wall? Are you all monkeys? Wu Dazhuang, who had not woken up at all, was stunned. The white-pole soldiers in front had already rushed to the bottom of the city. Using their momentum, they directly kicked off the straight wall and rushed up four or five steps. Then there were a series of "pop, pop" sounds, and several Ten spears set up a half-high wall. The spear hook made a harsh scraping sound against the wall bricks, followed by another "click, click" sound. Most of the spear hooks were firmly caught in the cracks in the bricks on the way down. Wu Dazhuang couldn't help but want to look down. To see what happened, as soon as he put his hand on the wall, an arrow flew into the sky, grazing the tip of his nose and almost touching the door!
Wu Dazhuang, who had never seen this kind of fighting style before, reacted and yelled at the archers to concentrate. Unfortunately, it was already too late! More and more feather arrows flew under this two-foot-wide city wall. In less than a cup of tea, the density had far exceeded all the archers Wu Dazhuang could muster. Wu Dazhuang only had more than 200 archers, and these archers had to take care of the entire Nanjing Pass - the main force guarding the pass were the common people who assisted in the defense, and they were responsible for throwing stones. But without seeing the siege equipment, Wu Dazhuang did not order the people to climb the wall!
In fact, even if all the people climbed up the wall, the battle situation would not change at all: of course it was impossible for the people to wear armor. Among the 3,500 white pole soldiers, 500 were the vanguard responsible for climbing the wall, and the others ran halfway They all took off the bows and arrows on their backs and shot at this section of the wall! At this angle and the density of the arrow rain, anyone who gets close to the wall will turn into a hedgehog in an instant!
The defenders on the wall were as stupid as Wu Dazhuang. In the blink of an eye, several strange barbed spear points appeared between the wall stacks, stabbing the surroundings aimlessly, and then several The savage-like guys jumped up, shouting savage words that were completely incomprehensible, and formed a small gun formation!
It’s over! It was broad daylight and we encountered a mountain ghost! Wu Dazhuang thought with fear. Just after turning around and running a few steps, I felt a strong push. Looking down, I saw an inch-long spear tip showing through my chest.
"This weapon is so powerful. The barb on the back of the spearhead can not only hook onto the city wall, but also prevent the spearhead from being pulled out after it penetrates the human body..." The large amount of adrenaline secreted made Wu Dazhuang feel no pain. This was actually what he had done before his death. One last thought.
* According to legend, Qin Liangyu was fond of the art of war since he was a child, and his dowry included more than a dozen volumes of military books. The white pole soldiers were the troops of the Shilima family. Qin Liangyu later made improvements. Not only did he formulate various orders for bangzi signals, he later equipped the white pole soldiers with a large number of firearms. Regarding the legend of the white-pole soldiers, we will have more descriptions in the third part of this book, "Tianwen".
By the way, the average height of men in the Ming Dynasty was about 1.6 meters, and Qin Liangyu, based on his armor, was 1.86 meters tall! Of course, it’s just a saying, believe it or not, hehe.
[Welcome to repost, thank you for your vote. 】
