The roaring sound echoed on the official road, which was the sound made by countless soldiers and war horses as they marched quickly.
Shaanxi has been experiencing a series of severe droughts. Many places are no longer covered by vegetation, and the soil has even been dried and cracked by the sun. Whenever the wind blows, a large amount of dust is kicked up.
Chen Wang narrowed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. The dry loess dust was blown by the strong wind and hit the armor on his body. A lot of wind and sand also blew towards his face.
In Shaanxi in June, although it was not yet the hottest period, he was wearing heavy iron armor and an iron helmet on his head, facing the scorching sun. In just a moment, dense beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. .
The sand blew from the cracks onto the skin and was stuck to the sweat, making people extremely uncomfortable.
But all this did not change Chen Wang's mood much.
Chen Wang heard the military orders issued by Cao Wenzhao very clearly. Cao Wenzhao ordered them to march quickly and ordered Cao Bianjiao to stop. He was afraid that the forward troops would fall into a tight siege alone, so he led his army to respond.
Although there are less than 2,700 people here in total, the number of soldiers is not large but elite. Almost all of these soldiers are experienced soldiers. They followed Cao Wenzhao all the way to the north and south, and they all have the experience of fighting in battles. experience.
The saber and bow and arrow on his waist are Chen Wang's main support.
And these soldiers are the second insurance in this battle.
Although the enemy troops are numerous, they are mostly rabble, and those who can fight are only a few old soldiers.
In a head-on fight, they can defeat ten times more thieves.
Historical records are, after all, just historical records, and Chen Wang did not believe them all.
Records say that the number of thieves who ambushed tens of thousands of cavalry is mostly an exaggeration.
If Li Zicheng really had tens of thousands of cavalry under his command, then Cao Wenzhao would never have been able to fight for several miles and would have been overwhelmed by the sea of cavalry.
There was absolutely no way that Cao Bianjiao could escape from the siege with 500 cavalry, and even collected the defeated troops after the war and reorganized into a battalion.
Being able to reorganize into a battalion proves that in this battle, many soldiers fled after the Ming army was defeated.
Tens of thousands of cavalry, it would take the entire thirty-sixth battalion of cavalry to reach this number.
It is still the eighth year of Chongzhen, not the fifteenth year of Chongzhen. The Ming army is still a strong side.
Chen Wang's eyes flickered and he looked around at the scene around him.
After turning around Qiutou Town, we entered the mountainous area. On both sides of the official road were some fields that had been destroyed, and then there were mountains one after another, and the view was greatly restricted.
The mountains on both sides are steep and not a good place for an ambush to hide soldiers.
But just at the end of the road ahead, the mountains are gradually slowing down, and the official road is between the two mountains.
Cao Wenzhao did not send any more scouts to explore the road that the forward had just walked, because if there was an ambush, the forward and the advancing scouts would definitely discover it first.
If it were Henan, Nanzhili and other places, Cao Wenzhao's arrangement would naturally have no problems, but this is Shaanxi.
Li Zicheng and others were born in Shaanxi, and they know the topography of Shaanxi very well. Entering Shaanxi is like a bird flying into the sky and a fish entering the sea.
This is also the key to its success in successive ambushes.
Cao Wenzhao was worried that the forward would be ambushed, and his mind was drawn to the forward cavalry. However, he did not expect that the target of the ambush was not the forward, but the subsequent infantry led by him.
Along the way, the army kept climbing upwards, and the mountains on both sides slowed down more and more. They were said to be mountains, but in fact they had turned into hills.
Chen Wang's eyes swept across the slopes on both sides. He did not see any clues of an ambush or anything amiss.
They had reached the highest point of the official road. From here, the road began to go down, and the downhill road began to become rugged.
The military order to stop was then conveyed. Cao Wenzhao led the war horse to a slightly higher mound and observed the enemy's situation from a high position.
As a servant, Chen Wang naturally followed Cao Wenzhao.
Standing on the top of the slope, the view is extremely wide. Just below the slope is a large plain. There are no obstructions on both sides of the plain. You can already see the rout of the bandits in the distance.
Those bandits were indeed in a rout, and it could be seen clearly from the top of the slope.
Behind the chaotic thieves, several red fire dragons were jumping back and forth on the plains, dividing them.
There is no doubt that they are the forward cavalry led by Cao Bianjiao. Looking down from a high position, the cavalry formations look like fire dragons.
Chen Wang's heart suddenly dawned. He understood why Cao Wenzhao had been on the battlefield for a long time, but he still fell into the trap.
The bandits were truly defeated in this battle. Cao Bianjiao's pursuit and Cao Wenzhao's response were no problem.
It's just that Li Zicheng used these defeated thieves as bait to lure the Ming army into taking the bait.
The road from the top of the slope to the descent is quite rugged, with gentle hills on both sides and numerous valleys. It would not be surprising to see tens of thousands of troops hiding behind it.
Once Cao Wenzhao led his troops downward, the ambush troops on both sides intercepted from many places, and the battlefield could be divided into dozens of pieces in an instant. The military formation was shattered, and it was difficult to look at the beginning and the end. Save the overall situation.
However, there was nothing unusual between the hills and mountains on both sides of the official road, which made Chen Wang hesitate for a while.
He couldn't make a mistake. It was indeed the best time to issue a warning at this time, but if there were no enemies hidden after identifying the hills on both sides, it would be difficult for him to shoulder this responsibility.
If you delay the opportunity to fight, you should be executed as a crime.
Just when Chen Wang was still hesitating, a black spot on the sky on the left side of his vision attracted his attention.
This body is skilled in horseback riding and has excellent eyesight. He didn't pay attention to it until he thought it was a black spot. When he paid attention, Chen Wang saw clearly that the black spots that were constantly jumping were flying birds.
Because the distance was too far and there were only a few of them, they had been subconsciously ignored before.
Cao Wenzhao in front had already raised his right hand, seeming to be preparing to order the march to continue.
"General!"
Chen Wang kicked the horse's belly and drove the horse one step forward.
Cao Wenzhao froze, and his right hand that was hanging in the air froze.
He turned around and looked around, and happened to see Chen Wang, who was being watched by everyone.
Chen Wang spoke out at this time, which not only attracted the attention of Cao Wenzhao, but also the attention of the servants.
As servants, their duty is to charge into battle, and they will never say unnecessary words on the battlefield.
It is the general's business to make suggestions and suggestions and has nothing to do with them.
Suddenly he was looked at by so many people, and one of them came from Cao Wenzhao.
Huge pressure hit him, and Chen Wang could even hear his own heartbeat.
"There are birds flying over the hills on the left but not landing. I'm afraid there's an ambush underneath them!"
Chen Wang led the war horse and took another step forward. Withstanding the huge pressure, he raised his finger and pointed to the hills on the left and stated his findings.
Everyone was shocked and looked in the direction pointed by Chen Wang. Sure enough, they saw several circling birds.
Although they are far apart, all the cavalrymen who can be selected as servants are skilled in bow and horse, and there is no one with poor eyesight.
"Spin without falling!?"
Cao Wenzhao's heart suddenly suddenly condensed, and his eyes suddenly condensed.
Without any hesitation, he raised his whip and issued the military order immediately.
"Command the entire army to form military formations and prepare for battle to meet the enemy!"
"Blow the trumpet to warn!"
"Woo————"
The next moment, the low sound of the horn sounded on the hillside.
On the official road, all the military academies of the Ming Army standing on the outside of the queue had their expressions condensed.
"Sign up!"
They all heard what the sound of the trumpet meant.
This is the trumpet sound that the army will blow when it is about to engage the enemy, which means that the enemy attack is coming!
But there was no one around, only bare mountains, some scattered trees and yellow weeds, and not a single human being at all.
The order is like a mountain and cannot be disobeyed.
Usually Cao Wenzhao's military orders were strict, and although the military academies did not know what was going on, they all resolutely carried out the general orders issued by Cao Wenzhao.
"Form up!" "Be prepared for the enemy!"
Flags were waving on the official road, and the military academies with bright flags on their helmets were shouting loudly with wild goose feathers and swords, and gathered the surrounding soldiers. They were all doing their best to carry out the military orders they received.
Although it was a rapid march, the Ming army still maintained a basic formation.
After receiving the military order, the "bureau" as a unit quickly began to form a military formation.
