Yang Yanchang is very grateful to Ma Shilong, Prime Minister Qin Wangjun.
Ma Shilong had long discovered this elite force under Wu Zimian.
Those who were sent to serve as King Qin were all elites from each town. Especially after the great mutiny of the Western Army, those who were left behind were all hardcore elites.
When it comes to fighting, everyone has the best military skills, but the elites of the Yan'an Battalion have different directions.
For a regional warrior like Yang Yanchang, once he leaves Yan'an Prefecture, no matter which army or army he comes from, he will be beaten to pieces.
When it comes to the morale of the soldiers, they are not good at it; when it comes to the execution of orders and prohibitions, they are much worse.
But only in terms of discipline towards the people, no Qinwang troops from the border areas such as Changping Jizhen, Baoding Shanhai, Shanxi Guyuan, Yansui Lintao, Ningxia Gansu could compare with the Yan'an camp.
Prime Minister Ma Shilong saw the characteristics of the Yan'an Camp. No matter where it was stationed, it could do no harm to the local people. After thinking about it, he asked Wu Zimian to separate this unit and asked him to be promoted as a militiaman and responsible for the military operations in Gyeonggi Province. to recruit militiamen.
The only requirement is to find a way to let the people bring their own dry food and join the army, and recruit as many as they can.
Ma Shilong's order saved Yang Yanchang.
Otherwise, his troops from Yan'an Guard would mutiny.
The discipline of the Yan'an camp did not come from Yang Yanchang's strict restraint. There were less than 1,000 households of 500 men and horses, and 100 households had general banners and small banners. Seventy percent of them were surnamed Liu, and most of the banner troops were also surnamed Liu.
In other words, while King Qin's frontier troops generally experienced starvation for more than half a year, the soldiers of the Yan'an Battalion only suffered from hunger for a few days.
They have always been accustomed to being self-sufficient, so they have never robbed the people, and they don't bother to commit petty theft.
But when we stationed troops in Jizhen, we were really hungry.
In this regard, they are not as good as Qin Wangjun. When people are hungry, they will think of a warm home. Basically, the frontier soldiers do not have a warm home and have to go hungry when they go home. They are different.
Their Yan'an Guard was supplied with sufficient food and grass by Master Liu, so everyone was thinking, if that doesn't work, why don't they just go home?
Yang Yanchang tried to dissuade him again and again, but when he was about to lose his persuasion, Ma Shilong sent him an order, which made him extremely happy.
When I approached Wang Ziyong, Wang Ziyong was also very happy and said that the matter was easy to handle, so he went to Tongzhou alone.
Tongzhou is the terminal station of water transportation. In a few days, Wang Zi used Lao Shaan to obtain a booklet half a person tall. Caobang Luo believers and Xu Hongru Wenxiang taught more than 3,000 people in an instant.
Later, through this group of people, they incited people in the Shandong area of North Zhili.
Within half a month, Yang Yanchang had just built a camp west of the Liusha River in Yutian. Wang Ziyong brought his own guns, sticks, and food, and gathered nearly 20,000 people outside to camp in eight camps.
Monk Wang had already put on a bare-shouldered robe outside his battle armor and a purple gold crown on his head. He casually took out a piece of talisman and pasted it on Yang Yanchang's green face.
"Who are you recruiting?"
Wang Ziyong knew these people very well, raised his hand and whispered in a low voice: "The first, fourth, fifth and third camps are the disciples of Cao Gong Luo Jiao, honest and reliable; the second and third camps believe in Huang Tiandao, a Taoist figure; the sixth, seventh and eighth camps It's the people who escaped from Luanzhou, and they are the best at fighting."
Seeing that Yang Yanchang didn't believe it, Wang Ziyong sighed and said: "Okay, let me tell the truth. There are not only people from Luanzhou but also people from Shandong in the 6783rd Battalion. They are mainly Wenxiang disciples."
Yang Yanchang was ready to commit suicide.
Fortunately for Luo Jiaocao Gang and Huang Tiandao, neither of them had ever considered rebellion.
But the Wenxiang Sect, a rebel leader like Liu Chengzong, was only at the level of prenatal education compared to the Wenxiang Sect in terms of qualifications for rebellion.
Everyone has a lineage. Wang Sen, the leader of the Wenxiang Sect, rebelled in the 42nd year of Wanli.
After Wang Sen's death, his tribe was divided into two groups. One was led by his son Wang Haoxian and his disciple Yu Hongzhi, accumulating strength in Hejian Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture; the other was led by his disciple Xu Hongru and was active in Shandong.
In the second year of Tianqi, the two forces met to rebel. Xu Hongru declared himself Emperor Fulie of Zhongxing and captured half of Shandong to cut off water transportation, which lasted for 190 days.
The group of people now recruited by Wang Ziyong are all Xu Hongru's apprentices or former close comrades-in-arms. For example, the Sixth Battalion comes from Zhending, Haobangchui Society. The founder is Zhou Yin, who also followed Xu Hongru back then. It took a long time.
This camp gave Yang Yanchang a chill on the back of his neck.
He came closer and asked in a low voice but eagerly: "How did you get these people together to help guard the gate of the imperial court?"
"Knock."
Wang Ziyong cleared his throat, stood up straight, raised his chin slightly and said: "Wang has three academic disciplines: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. He has also practiced the White Lotus Sect. He also has the official job of co-organizer and promotion. Is it difficult to recruit people? ?”
"You are still proud. What are you going to do with these lunatics attacking the capital?"
Wang Ziyong waved his hand and said: "You don't understand, they are farmers, they are not stupid. When the church incites them, they come here to cheat the imperial court with weapons. When they are done here, they all go home. Why are they attacking the capital?"
"I don't know how many people there are religious. They are all protecting the village and attacking the capital. Who do you expect to die?"
With that said, Wang Ziyong raised his hand and pointed at Yang Yanchang: "They are just here to cheat with weapons. Don't expect to be able to command them to die for you. It's impossible. You will die as a common man."
A few days later, Ma Shilong, who came to inspect the work, entered the camp and his face turned green.
Among the eight camps, some were burning incense and worshiping Maitreya Buddha, and some were sitting cross-legged and meditating neatly in the camp. The only camp that looked normal was practicing guns and sticks, but everyone was like a crazy person, shouting that good things are not going to happen. Far.
Ma Shilong was stunned and wished that Yang Yanchang would disband the Eighth Battalion on the spot.
Prime Minister Qin Wangjun looked at Yang Yanchang and showed no temper at all.
This mission cannot be accomplished poorly.
Ma Shilong asked to bring their own dry food, and it was done. No problem. Not only did they bring dry food, many people also brought weapons.
And the results were not bad. Several of the men sent by Ma Shilong to recruit civilian husbands have now recruited three to five hundred people each. Together, they can make up two battalions. Yang Yanchang has recruited eight battalions by himself.
All I can say is that it’s not quite the same as what I imagined.
Ma Shilong just felt that something was wrong with Yang Yanchang, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
In the end, General Ma had no choice but to sigh: "That's it, restrain them."
Yang Yanchang chased him out of the camp: "Commander, when will we send out troops?"
His group didn't have much food. He would be lucky if he could finish the food he brought and disperse.
"Hurry up, we have to listen to Governor Sun on this matter."
Looking at Ma Shilong's back as he left the camp, General Yang looked back at the Noisy Eighth Battalion and felt deeply that the world was uneasy.
In the evening on such an endless plain, he suddenly began to miss the sunset in Yan'an Wei.
I miss the days when I was still trying out a hundred households.
Living at that time was really carefree.
Although I am a little poorer, it is better to be poor and don’t worry about being poor.
Wherever it is like now, it is a tightrope walk in Yan'an Guard, and a knife edge walk in Beizhili.
He didn't want to make meritorious deeds, he just wanted to finish the battle quickly so that the court could release him back to Yan'an Guard as a commander.
If the situation forced him to perform a meritorious service... Yang Yanchang prayed to heaven. No matter where the court asked him to go, he hoped that God would allow Wang Ziyong to stay away from him.
On May 4th, Sun Chengzong swore an oath at Shuangwang in the east of Luanzhou, summoned the generals to give military intelligence, and stationed He Kegang at Shuangwang Mountain to control the Hou Jin army stationed in Yongping. Immediately, the army, headed by Zu Dashou, advanced westward.
As for Ma Shilong in the west, King Qin's army from various tribes has been advancing eastwards since ancient times. Yang Yanchang led 20,000 civilians who had prepared their own dry food to accompany the army.
Their goal is Zunhua and Luanzhou.
The situation of the war changed. After Huang Taiji returned to Shenyang, there were still four cities in the west of Shanhaiguan: Yongping Fucheng, Zunhua, Qian'an, and Luanzhou in the hands of Hou Jin.
The guarding generals were Abate and Qilharang. In the earlier battle, Abate repelled the Ming army that attacked Luanzhou, and then led the army back to Shenyang.
The governor of Yongping Prefecture who succeeded him was Amin, and the governor of Luanzhou was Namutai, the general manager of Zhenghuang Banner. They led the three banners of Zhenghuang, Zhenghong, and Xiangbai to guard the city.
Wu Zimian and Xie Shangzheng went to Zunhua, and Yang Yanchang was left with Ma Shilong. The only difference was that the others led the army to enter the siege camp, while General Yang led the army to build the siege camp.
On May 8, two groups of soldiers and horses, one from the east and one from the west, surrounded Luanzhou.
The guns and artillery of the state-building army were rearranged on the city, and the flags in the camp below the city were in the air. Ma Shilong was still convening his generals to discuss the attack on the city. Zu Dashou in the east had already launched an attack on the city trench.
Amidst the loud shouts of killing, Yang Yanchang received his mission.
"Cut down a tree?"
Wang Ziyong, who wore a purple gold crown, was particularly dissatisfied with this task: "There are more than 20,000 people, and General Ma just wants us to chop down trees?"
"How can you fly across such a wide moat using Taoism?"
Yang Yanchang said angrily, then looked at the officers and soldiers in the siege camp in the distance, and whispered: "Zu Dashou's side has almost filled up the trenches. Learn some tricks. Return to Shaanxi and follow General Liu. These tricks It works too.”
The king had no choice but to order the Eighth Battalion to cut down trees and willows.
That afternoon.
Yang Yanchang personally led the eighth battalion in formation outside the city, staring at the dark muzzle of the cannon at the head of the city and sniffing.
The eight battalions of militiamen behind him didn't care whether they believed in Maitreya or Huang Tian. They didn't dare to make any noise, and they lined up obediently, carrying branches, earth and rocks on their backs.
When the Chinese army's flag changed, Yang Yanchang strode out of the camp.
The artillery shell was shot down not far away from him. He was so frightened that he trembled all over. He cursed the defenders who had rebelled and surrendered to the enemy, and then continued to move forward.
Now that Hou Jin is holding on to these four cities, there are large-scale army mutinies. Because the imperial court has massively reduced its army in Ji Mi Yong in order to save military pay. This time Huang Taiji invaded the invaders and was almost ushered in by surrendered troops.
The weapons and equipment in the city also became the property of Hou Jin.
Being bombarded by such artillery fire gave Yang Yanchang a special and magical feeling in his heart.
At least during the process of filling the trenches, the bows, arrows and shotguns of the Jin army behind the city could not reach him. Only these gunners could hit him.
So this is a battle between the officers and soldiers who surrendered to the rebels in Shaanxi and the officers and soldiers who surrendered to the prisoners in Yongping.
As the cannon roared, Yang Yanchang took a deep breath, held his head high, his chest and legs trembling, and walked step by step towards the trench with a stiff and timid attitude.
He didn't dare to run because the people behind him were carrying supplies and couldn't run.
I could only turn around and yell again and again: "Move forward steadily, throw things into the trench, and run back from the two wings!"
The siege battle was different from Wang Ziyong's imagination. There were not as many mountains as Northern Shaanxi. There was a huge city standing alone on the entire large plain, but it had a wide moat that could not be compared to Northern Shaanxi.
The shells fell into the frontmost formation, and the two soldiers were smashed into a pool of flesh and blood, but the formation did not disperse. These were Xu Hongru's old troops from Shandong, and they had fought with Yang Yufan, the current deputy commander-in-chief of Tongzhou.
Next to the military formation were the White Lotus cultists from Luanzhou. Their hometown was occupied by Hou Jin, and their morale was even higher. They could walk faster than Yang Yanchang.
Two hundred steps closer to the trench, the shells became denser. Yang Yanchang began to walk forward quickly, and the speed of the entire team increased.
They fired artillery fire at the city head towards the trench, filled the trench with earth, rocks and tree trunks, and then filed away from both sides of the military formation. Fireworks began on the city. Some militiamen dropped the earth and rocks and fell into the city with lead bullets. In the trench.
Then he moved the ladder and assisted Ma Shilong in attacking the city.
Things became even more bizarre because the vanguard chosen by Ma Shilong to attack the city was Yang Zhaoji's army. This army came from Yizhou City and consisted of Yang family servants and Yizhou Xiangyong.
Guns and cannons are like slag, bows and arrows are like rain.
The White Lotus cultists held up ladders under the city, and Yang Zhaoji, who had dealt with the White Lotus cultists, climbed up the ladder to attack the city.
Naturally, they didn't capture it, so the White Lotus cultists wanted to pull out the ladder.
When Yang Zhaoji returned, he cursed Yang Yanchang in the siege camp.
Ma Shilong saw that something was wrong. At the same time, Zu Dashou's siege also suffered setbacks. The troops stormed the city and burned the gate tower. However, the east city was Namutai's main defense direction. He fought hard to defeat the siege troops and captured the siege general. feather fan.
The two sides discussed and exchanged the militia units. The west city used the militia recruited by Zu Dashou, and the east city used the militia recruited by Yang Yanchang.
They attacked again the next day. This time they cooperated well, but still failed to capture the city. The defenders sent messengers to break out of the siege and rush to Yongping Amin for help.
That night, hundreds of reinforcements from the Yongping direction broke through and entered the city.
On May 12, the siege became more urgent.
The camps in the two cities were filled with mourning, and various rumors and reports reached Yang Yanchang's ears and eyes.
Ma Shilong in the west city was hit by several arrows and wounded the governor's troops in the attack; the Huanglong tribe in the east city suffered more than half of their casualties in consecutive days of attacks, and the entire camp was crying.
Corpses piled up like mountains under the city, and soldiers who were wounded but not dead were screaming miserably everywhere.
Yang Yanchang was transferred to Huang Long's command by Zu Dashou. The general's face was still wet with tears and his eyes were red, and he gave him a mission to transport artillery.
More than sixty heavy artillery pieces were borrowed from various ministries and transported by Yang Yanchang from the west city to the outside of the east city, where they dug positions overnight.
In the early morning of the next day, Huang Long did not lead the crowd to climb the city again. Instead, he stood at the artillery camp, divided the artillery into three formations, and directed the artillery to bombard a battlement at the top of the city while the infantry carried ladders to attack the city.
Several heavy cannons fired simultaneously, and the sound of the cannons made Yang Yanchang's head buzz.
The battlements were shattered, and the soldiers east of the breach were killed or injured. The defenders nearby also retreated. The ladders were opened in the gap, and the infantry began to climb the city to attack.
Huang Long sent the order again, ordering the artillery team to bombard both sides of the gap.
Rows of cannonballs fired directly at the city head. The shells spread out to both sides of the siege troops, shattering the battlements one by one. They repelled the Eastern soldiers who wanted to block the gap time and time again. The officers and soldiers finally stood on the city head again.
Then the army set up ladders from all directions.
On the fourth day of the siege, the east city of Luanzhou was declared lost.
Yang Yanchang could no longer hear the sound. He just pulled Wang Ziyong and ran out of the smoke in embarrassment.
The hair on the back of his neck had stood up. He pointed at the city and opened his mouth wide, speaking words that no one could hear.
He said gun! Siege the city!
