Chapter 94 Confrontation
"Double shot blast." Following the artillery officer's command, two 12-pound mountain grenades were fired at the same time mixed with the rifle's volley. The storm of projectiles swept across the entire formation, and the charge collapsed without any suspense.
Sha Jianbi led the Chinese army to attack the 1st Infantry Battalion twice more, but was repulsed each time. Seeing that the ranks of the officers and soldiers were gradually becoming chaotic, many soldiers were unwilling to attack the gun thieves and contradict the officers. Following the order, some even used knives. One of his generals who wanted to rectify the team was dragged off his horse and killed.
He was breathing heavily and felt that nothing could be done. Now he could only retreat to a safe place and wait for the follow-up troops to arrive. The two sides could join forces and make plans. Immediately, he ordered people to blow conchs, and asked all the troops to retreat slightly and then gather together.
Just when he was about to retreat, Zhu Mingxia, who had been waiting for an opportunity, immediately ordered the 4th Battalion, which was waiting behind the mountain, to repeat its old trick and suddenly charge out, sweeping directly across the flanks of the army.
The army, which was already shaken in morale, was suddenly attacked by such a fresh force. After a little resistance, many people turned around and ran away. This kind of escape was contagious. The organized and orderly retreat of the officers and soldiers ended, followed by There was chaos, scrambling for life, trampling on each other. The soldiers who fled not only left behind their flags and weapons, but also their helmets.
Sha Jianbi killed several soldiers in succession, but still could not stop the terrible situation of the collapse of the whole line. He had no choice but to no longer care about the lives of his soldiers, and had no time to think about issues such as questioning after the loss of the army, and took dozens of soldiers with him. Flee in despair.
The officers and soldiers fled so fast that the 4th Infantry Battalion could hardly encircle them. They only intercepted some of the officers and soldiers. The loudspeaker kept shouting "He who surrenders will avoid death". Many people were exhausted and could only drop their weapons and kneel on the ground to surrender.
Zhu Mingxia personally led his troops in pursuit for two to three kilometers, captured hundreds of exhausted soldiers, and seized many supplies and armor before stopping the pursuit. Gather the troops quickly.
"Play the rally drum to gather the troops."
The drummers quickly stood in a row and started beating the drums. After about ten minutes, the troops that had dispersed began to consider the direction of the military flag from all directions.
The special reconnaissance team was already warning him: the enemy's follow-up troops were not far away from him.
He thought for a moment. The enemy's follow-up troops were approaching. According to the report of the special reconnaissance team, there were 2,000 people. If they continued the defensive counterattack mode just now, the soldiers had been fighting continuously for almost a day since the morning, and their physical strength and ammunition were consumed a lot. Fighting another battle may not be as easy as the first two, and at the foot of Shishan, the battlefield is being cleaned to capture prisoners. Once the officers and soldiers invest in new troops, all these things will be interrupted.
Considering this, he made a prompt decision: he decided to lead the 4th Battalion directly to face the reinforcements, follow the broken troops in pursuit, use the broken troops to disrupt the reinforcements, and then directly go into battle to defeat the entire army.
Seeing that the troops had been assembled, he called Xiong Maozhang on the walkie-talkie:
"I'm going to fight the follow-up troops. Hurry up and take the prisoners to clean up the battlefield."
As he said that, he immediately led the whole battalion, shouted and chased down Sha Jianbi in the direction of the defeat on the post road.
Sha Jianbi pushed his defeated troops down for more than ten miles. He originally thought that the enemy had stopped pursuing him. He was about to pack up his troops to join Li Guang's reinforcements. At this time, he heard another burst of fighting and shouting from the rear troops, especially Among them are the sounds of horns and snare drums unique to Kun thieves. He knew that if he ran away at this time, not only would his entire army be annihilated, but also Li Guang's two thousand men would be overrun by his defeated army. He immediately ordered people to set up his own banner on a hill next to the post road. , personally led the servants and soldiers to gather the troops.
However, the sound of gunfire and artillery fighting from the rear team was approaching, and the officers and soldiers who had no fighting spirit were unwilling to continue fighting and collapsed one after another. Sha Jianbi beheaded several fleeing soldiers but still couldn't stop fleeing. At the last moment, Cao Xiangjiao was seen retreating from behind covered in blood. His forward battalion guards were all in disarray after a short time. He only escaped from the rice field with the desperate rescue efforts of several soldiers. , he finally managed to gather some troops on the road just now. When he heard the sound of the enemy's pursuit, he led his troops back to resist, and was quickly defeated. Cao Xiangjiao was wounded by a bullet and managed to escape here with great difficulty.
"General, leave quickly!" Cao Xiangjiao shouted, "The bandits are catching up with me again, and I will hold off here for a while." He shouted and returned with a wave of his sword.
Sha Jianbi wanted to hold on for a while longer, but the soldiers around him were already in disarray. Regardless of whether he ordered it or not, they directly surrounded him and fled back.
Cao Xiangjiao and his soldiers stood on the post road for a while, watching the tide of defeated soldiers passing by. Until there were no more people or horses on the road. He then led several of his own soldiers and fled into the woods on the roadside, throwing away the flags.
Zhu Mingxia's pursuit prevented the defeated army of officers and soldiers from stopping to reorganize. They were routed all the way for seven or eight miles, and all the 2,000 people Li Guang brought with him were overwhelmed. Li Guang's attempt to clean up his men was also wrapped up by the rogue soldiers and headed for Chengdu. As they retreated towards the direction, Zhu Ming led his troops to pursue him closely. They chased them for another five or six miles and captured a large number of prisoners.
In the series of battles surrounding Shishan, the officers and soldiers suffered heavy losses. Not only did they lose a large number of armor weapons and horses, but only less than 3,000 of the 7,000 men who reinforced Shishan three times were returned. Those who did not come back were either lying dead on the battlefield or captured by the Kun thieves. Also lost a general. This made the original statement that "the thieves are not good at field combat" unanimously agreed by the generals and staff completely bankrupt. A large number of defeated troops fled back to the camp, causing the morale in the Chengmai camp to fall to the bottom. Many generals and officers were already packing their things and preparing to escape. There was a lot of noise and confusion in the camp. He Rubin and Zhao Ruyi tried their best to send people to comfort and suppress them, and they also organized all the defeated soldiers into a separate battalion to prevent them from talking around.
Ye Zhengfang, who was responsible for the suppression, killed more than 20 soldiers and junior officers in each battalion who were agitating to escape. He Rubin's Zhenbiao and his servants remained calm despite their vitality, making the once chaotic atmosphere of the entire camp finally settle down.
All the major generals including General He Rubin gathered in the big tent for a meeting to discuss countermeasures. Some of the generals advocated immediately returning the entire army eastward and opening a road from Shishan back to Qiongshan to camp and rest. Others advocated a confrontation on the spot and sending troops to attack Shishan tomorrow. Sha Jianbi thought that the Kun bandits were not strong enough. The actual number of people guarding Shishan is only 2,000. If 5,000 people are sent out to attack at once, and the remaining troops in Qiongshan are ordered to attack from the front and back, the Kun thieves can be forced to abandon Shishan.
But everyone did not agree with this arithmetic, because a total of 7,000 people were sent out today, and they were all defeated. What good would it do to send another five thousand men?
"Today our army committed the crime of underestimating the enemy." He Rubin said, "General Yan, General Sha and General Li entered the battlefield three times. Each time our army did not gain the upper hand. The enemy used firearms to defend the stronghold and waited for work. , our army traveled a long distance and attacked with hungry and exhausted troops, but it was originally beyond its capabilities, so it was unable to defeat the enemy."
He Rubin was very prepared to judge the battlefield situation. He was clearly aware that he had made the mistake of "adding fuel to the fire" because of his impatience. He was unwilling to retreat. Once he retreated to Qiongshan, the Kun bandits would come back and capture Chengmai. He would lose his troops, territory, and generals, and the consequences would be disastrous.
Therefore, he advocated sticking to the local area and continuing to send heavy troops to open up the connection with Qiongshan. He estimated that the Kun thieves had limited troops and food and could not divide their troops for a long time. As long as the stalemate between the two sides continued, the Kun thieves would inevitably retreat from Shishan.
After taking stock of the grain and grass army, there are still more than ten days of grain in stock, and the grain depot in Chengmai County also has a lot of grain in stock. In total, the whole army can still last for half a month.
"It's just this food and grass..." Zhao Ruyi asked a little doubtfully. Half a month's supply of food and grass is not enough to reassure anyone.
"Within three to five days, we will first make every effort to open up the grain road," He Rubin said. "When necessary, we will then transport grain by sea."
"The Kun Thief Navy is very powerful, I'm afraid I won't be able to do what I want."
"This is a precautionary measure." He Rubin said and shouted:
"General Tang"
Tang Yunwen knew that this "good job" would definitely be found on his head, so he immediately stood up and responded: "The humble general is here."
"Can we be sure that the navy will transport grain from Qiongshan?"
Tang Yunwen did not dare to say "not sure", so he had to say: "This matter can be done, but the cost of repairing the ships under General Bei's command over the years has never been enough, and there are not many available ships..."
"There are still sealed merchant ships and fishing boats in Haikou, you can call them."
"Yes," Tang Yunwen said, "please ask the commander to give you the arrows immediately, and the humble general will send someone back to handle it immediately."
He Rubin said: "No, you go back and handle it in person. I'll give you ten days. The food and grass must be delivered, otherwise don't blame this town for naming strict ginseng."
"Yes, a humble general will live up to his command." Tang Yunwen was both happy and worried. He was overjoyed that he had escaped from this point where defeat was certain. Unlike other generals and staff, he was fully aware of the strong military power of the Kun thieves and that the army would definitely be defeated this time. The worry is that although it is not impossible to supply food by sea, it is not sure whether it can be supplied within ten days. Once the army is defeated, his failure to supply food on time will become He Rubin's excuse to shirk his responsibility. When the time comes, there will be no excuses.
That night, Tang Yunwen quietly boarded a fishing boat in Xiaoyingchang with a small number of his followers, and quietly left along the coastline at night, heading for Qiongshan. His troops were led by Chen Renjie, the general manager of Baisha Village.
In order to supply food and grass from the sea, He Rubin decided to reoccupy Xiaoyingchang. This time the officers and soldiers fully learned their lesson and not only dispatched 2,000 troops, but also strengthened many firearms and prepared to defend to the death.
For the next two or three days, the entire army ceased its activities and did not go out to fight in the stronghold. He Rubin only urged the generals to continuously build strongholds and dig ditches to reorganize the troops. After resting like this for a few days, he was going to personally lead a heavy-duty group composed of Zhen Biao and his servants to defeat the entire army of Kun thieves in Shishan in one fell swoop, recapture Shishan, and rebuild the grain road.
The camp was busy and there was a solemn atmosphere, but there was a different scene in a courtyard in Chengmai County. This was the village of a wealthy family in the county. The owner's surname was Song, and he also had the identity of a supervisor. This time when the Fubo army besieged Chengmai, he contributed the most to defending the city. When the officers and soldiers came, he was also very flattering and used part of his private residence for the high-ranking officials in the army to live. Because the generals wanted to control the army and at the same time show that they "shared the joys and sorrows" with the soldiers, only the civilian officials and staff stayed in. Song Jiansheng also used this group of staff as "talismans" and was very attentive to hospitality and supply.
At this time, Chang Qingyun, Qian Taichong and about a dozen of the usually more lively staff were drinking tea and enjoying the cool in the garden of the mansion, accompanied by the owner of the mansion, Song Zonghui. This Jiansheng master is quite elegant and has a lot of money. The house is also decorated with some spring stones and has a little garden charm, which is very rare in this southern border area.
Because they were on military duty, the staff did not dare to openly invite friends and drink. They just set up a few tables in the garden with some tea, fruits and snacks, and chatted under the moonlit night.
Because the war was unfavorable, several generals were lost in succession, and the food routes were cut off. The whole army was in a very dangerous situation. Except for a few people who could still drink and laugh freely, most of the staff were worried. The optimistic atmosphere in Qiongshan was swept away.
Many people realized that this campaign against the Kun thieves was a failure, but no one dared to say it openly. There are also some people who are still unwilling to admit that Kun Thief's ability is limited to "magical skills". Even if the Fubo Army defeated three officers and soldiers in a row on Shishan in the field battle, they still think that this was purely due to the "danger of Shishan". such objective factors. As for whether Shishan was "dangerous" or how the battle was fought at that time, they were not interested at all.
Qian Taichong is much more pragmatic than these people. He has been listening to military discussions in the big tent recently. He has also personally visited low-level generals who have participated in the battle. He has learned a lot of first-hand information from them and knows about Kun Thief. Not only are their firearms pure, but their ranks are neat and disciplined, and they are no less capable than the official army in fighting. He felt that this was a formidable enemy, because the sea master bandits in Guangdong had never had such troops in the past. The Kun bandits looked a bit like the Folangji people, but whether they were Folangji people or red-haired people, they It is impossible to gather so many troops to launch an offensive and defensive field battle with the imperial army.
At this moment, he grabbed Gou Chengxuan and asked him to talk about the thief. In particular, Qian Taichong and others were more concerned about Kun Thief's firearms. Gou Chengxuan had no choice but to tell everything he knew, especially the muskets and artillery used by the Kun thieves. Because the gap between the times was too big, it had to leave a very impactful feeling on Qian Taichong and others.
"So, most of Kun Thief's firearms are made in Lingao?" Qian Taichong asked seriously.
"Exactly." Gou Chengxuan nodded, "cannons, blunderbuss, sub-powder projectiles, all of them."
"Since the Tianqi period, the imperial court has used red cannons made by Westerners, which are also powerful weapons for the military state. I didn't expect that the cannons of the Kun thieves could be so advanced." One of the staff members sighed, "The projectiles can explode and hurt people. I wrote in " It has also been seen in "Military Preparation", it is not rare, but the projectile that can explode in the air is really unheard of in ancient times."
"Only God knows whether the so-called thunderbolt artillery in the Military Bei Zhi works or not." Qian Taichong sneered, "Except for the military battles during the Jiajing period, we haven't seen them for a long time."
"My brother thinks that these kinds of fireworks are nothing more than 'fierce artillery' in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. I mean 'thousands of enemies' in the Song and Yuan dynasties. But at first they used trebuchets, but now they use cannons." Chang Qingyun also knows firearms. Immediately added, "Taixi's cannon-making is nothing more than the legacy of the Song Dynasty's sudden fire gun..."
"'It's just', 'That's all', after saying it again and again, we still need Westerners to help build cannons." Qian Taichong slammed the table excitedly, "Now the guns and firearms of the Kun thieves are much better than those of the Westerners." Floor. How can I do nothing in my life?"
Everyone found it very strange and didn't know why the scholar was so excited. Qian Taichong probably felt that he had lost his temper, so he took a sip of tea and fell silent.
An older staff member said: "Although the firearms of the Kun thieves are powerful, they are only for one county, so there is nothing to worry about. The most worrying thing is that the fake Kun under his subordinates is actually willing to go through life and death for him and take the risk of an arrow. Such things The art of confusing people's hearts is a serious problem for the imperial court."
At that moment, everyone lamented for a while that "little people seek profit" and "the world is declining".
Qian Taichong said in a firm tone: "However, today's accumulated shortcomings are not limited to this. I still think that instead of trying to cure them one by one, it is better to cure the root cause. The so-called root is 'enlightenment'... …”
He talked for a long time, frothing at the mouth, and there was a discussion among the staff. Someone else talked about "Qi" and "Heart", and someone else talked about Wang Yangming's "Xin Xue". They were chatting enthusiastically when suddenly there was a desolate horn sound outside the county town, which shook the sky. interrupted their discussion. Only then did everyone realize that what they were talking about at this time was not only ridiculous but also absurd.
Chang Qingyun came back and talked about his method of "destroying enemies with water and thunder". In his opinion, any fast iron ship owned by Kun Thief would be wiped out when it encounters the "Hunjiang Dragon" he advocated. Once Kun Thief's navy is destroyed, the food channel will be opened immediately.
"Kun Thief can occupy that place in Shishan if he wants to. When the tens of thousands of kilograms of food are used up, Kun Thief's three thousand troops will be alone and will be in chaos without a fight." Chang Qingyun was frothing at the mouth.
However, everyone knew that his so-called mine camp was somewhat whimsical. If it had been used to besiege Bopu, it would have been of some use. Now the ships of the thieves were only anchored near the shore, not to mention that the current was opposite. Everyone ignored him. Only Qian Taichong sneered:
"Once the sea route and grain road are opened, I'm afraid countless people will float away. By then, the money and grain that can reach Chengmai will probably be good." He said, "I think it is better to open up the grain road."
"Yes, if we can't open up the food route and there is not enough food in the city, we may not be able to support it for many days." Song Zonghui finally found a chance to interrupt. He is different from this group of staff. His family and business are all in Chengmai. The success or failure of the officers and soldiers in recruiting thieves is directly related to his family business and personal safety, so he cannot care less about it.
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