"Rumble, rumble————"
The heavy horseshoes struck the cold ground, making a low roar like a dragon's roar.
The ground seemed to tremble slightly with the sound of horse hooves.
Among the series of dark red flags fluttering against the wind, a fiery red flag standing at the front that was one foot and five feet tall was particularly eye-catching.
There is a pearl tassel on the flag, followed by a pheasant tail. The eight-foot-five-inch-long blue flag is constantly fluttering in the headwind.
Chen Wang, wearing a three-flag moonlight helmet, waist-length fish scale armor, and a golden and vermilion war skirt, held a spear and jumped on his horse in front of the other riders.
The armored cavalry behind them were all wearing burqas, high-top helmets, long body armor with rivets, and iron armbands.
The twenty or so cavalrymen at the front were all holding three-eyed blazing guns, waiting for the opportunity to strike. After that, the forty or fifty cavalrymen on the periphery were all approaching with their swords drawn, leaning against their shoulders like a wall. The more than twenty or thirty cavalrymen in the cavalry formation were Draw the bow and nock the arrow, buckle the string and prepare to go.
Chen Wang held the spear in his right hand and the rein in his left hand, with cold eyes as he galloped his horse into the rout of troops.
Wherever the banner passed, the fleeing team composed of broken soldiers was separated like tofu with a knife.
Those defeated soldiers who had no time to escape either died under the horses' hooves or fell under the sharp sword.
The rout echoed violently, and the screams of hurt and desperate cries echoed in Chen Wang's ears.
But none of this affected Chen Wang's mood at all.
He was in the midst of thousands of troops, surrounded by swords and swords, but Chen Wang's heart was calm.
As an ordinary sergeant back then, although he had been on the battlefield for a long time, he still had fear in his heart.
Now as the commander-in-chief of an army, when facing battle, Chen Wang had no fear in his heart.
As a general, he can see the overall situation and clearly see the situation on the entire battlefield. Whether he wins or loses, he has a calculation in his mind.
As an ordinary soldier, in the middle of a large formation, he cannot clearly see the development of the situation. He wonders whether he will be the abandoned son, the cannon fodder to be sacrificed...
Following others into battle and leading others into battle are two completely different experiences.
Chen Wang clenched the horse in his hand, and looked past the group of defeated soldiers who were only focused on fleeing, and then past the rifle formations of the rogues, and finally stopped at a large black flag in front of the central formation of the rogues. .
According to the information passed through the Hanzhong Mansion, Lu Shi's flag had an ocher yellow background with feathers on it, while Zhang Yuan's flag had white characters on a black background and a vermilion horn ribbon.
Zhang Yuan, the thief in charge of the central part of Hanzhong Mansion, should be under that dark black banner.
Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the dark black flag not far away.
Not long ago, he saw an ocher-yellow banner running towards the north, which should be the Golden-winged Penglu.
It seems that the troops of the Golden Winged Penglu are all on the right side of the rogue formation. Considering the combat power of his subordinates, his guess is correct.
There were about three to four hundred riders under the banner, guarding the surroundings like stars holding the moon.
In front of the big banner, there were only two thin formations.
There were only four to five hundred people in the two groups of bandits.
These troops, which don't even have much armor or are fully equipped, are not a threat at all.
At such a close distance, he could charge through with his cavalry at this time.
If Zhang Yuan retreats, the whole army will be defeated.
On the battlefield, an army general's banner retreating will inevitably cause the morale of the army to fluctuate.
And if Zhang Yuan does not retreat, it will be easy to kill Zhang Yuan.
If Zhang Yuan is killed, the rogue army will naturally collapse.
Chen Wang's eyes were fixed on the dark black flag not far away. He now had the ability to end this farce directly.
Now that the defeated troops are rolling back, as long as they break through, whether they can kill Zhang Yuan or not, the battle situation will instantly become one-sided.
With just a sound of the horn, a group of cavalry rushing to support the Hanzhong Guards in the south could turn around.
When the time comes, by using the power of the Chinese army to defeat them and chasing them all the way, they can easily disintegrate the two coalition forces of Zhang Yuan and Lu Shi.
It's unbearable for a group of dragons to be without a leader, let alone a ragtag group like rogue bandits?
Chen Wang's mind was spinning. He was now thinking about whether to go ahead with the original plan.
He really wants the guerrilla position in Hanzhong, but if he follows the original plan, he will inevitably experience many twists and turns, and whether he can get what he wants is in between.
And the most important thing is that in the ninth year of Chongzhen, Gao Yingxiang will be forced into Hanzhong Mansion.
Even if they succeed in becoming a guerrilla in Hanzhong according to the original plan, they will inevitably face Gao Yingxiang when the time comes, and it is difficult to predict what will happen then.
But now if we can defeat Zhang Yuan and Lu Shi in one battle, then what we get will be real things.
Black Killing Tiger Zhang Yuan, Sky Harrier Wang Cheng, and Golden Winged Peng Lu Shi are now the three most powerful bandits in Hanzhong.
If Zhang Yuan can be captured and killed, the two coalition forces of Lu Shi and Zhang Yuan can be defeated in one battle, and the siege of Hanzhong can be lifted. In addition, in addition to the previous victory over Li Zicheng in Chunhua City, and the achievements of capturing and killing Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan in Ningqiang.
As long as the merits are discussed normally, it is enough to be promoted to the rank of general.
It is not uncommon for there to be 25-year-old generals in this era. Cao Bianjiao was only 22 years old when he was promoted to generals.
The dancing flag not far away circulated in Chen Wang's eyes. He knew very well that his background was far less profound than Cao Bianjiao.
However, as a close servant of Cao Wenzhao, officials who judged his merits would at least not deduct too much for the sake of Cao Wenzhao's face, and his military exploits would not be swallowed up.
Civil service promotion requires a step-by-step process, which is about ability, connections, experience, and the most important thing is qualifications.
But from Qingpao to Feipao, it is the life of many people.
Many people even wear green robes all their lives and have no chance to wear scarlet robes.
But the military attache is different. Qualifications are not important to the military attache, nor is experience. Military merit is everything.
Compared with civilian officials, it is much easier for military attaches to be promoted.
In the 12th year of Chongzhen, Wu Sangui was appointed as the chief training soldier of Ningyuan regiment at the age of 27.
Although the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty did not have any rank strictly speaking, he had real power in his hands, and the imperial court would also provide him with official positions of corresponding rank as a supplement.
As long as you have military success in your hands, it is not an illusion to achieve success.
Becoming a general is actually the first step into the rank of senior general.
Generally, the number of guerrilla troops is only about 1,000, not more than 2,000. The tasks they perform and the responsibilities they shoulder are often as partial divisions and support.
The guerrillas have very low autonomy. They usually fight with the town's general, deputy general, and general.
The reason why Hong Chengchou let him lead the guerrilla battalion to attack alone in the first place was actually because the troops were stretched thin and there were no extra troops to deploy.
The general is the one who truly leads the battalion alone, walking alone and guarding one place.
Becoming a general means having greater autonomy and more troops.
Subordinates can also have better equipment, more military pay and higher status.
As the turmoil continued and Liaodong deteriorated, the status of military attachés was quietly changing.
At this time in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, generals were still valuable and had not become widespread.
Although he may lose his guerrilla position in Hanzhong, becoming a general can copy Zuo Liangyu's action trajectory and continuously expand his troops and auxiliary barracks during the campaign.
The advantage of staying in Hanzhong is that you can have a stable development environment, but due to the special nature of the camp, neither farming nor making ordnance can be blatantly put on the table.
After that, we still need to manage the relationship from top to bottom, and both of these things are inseparable from Hanzhong Wei.
Only the guards have the right to make ordnance and farm fields. Anyone who dares to touch these two things without orders will be dead.
There was an organization in Dongjiang Town that specialized in making and repairing ordnance, but that was approved by the Ordnance Bureau and was directly affiliated with the military town.
There is only one guerrilla in Hanzhong. Even if it becomes a guerrilla in Hanzhong, it is not qualified to set up an ordnance bureau.
The weapons and equipment needed by a mere two to three thousand soldiers can be directly dispatched or can be made and delivered by the local garrison. There is no need to set up an ordnance bureau.
Originally, Chen Wang's original plan was to become a guerrilla in Hanzhong and then attack the Hanzhong defenders, and then rely on profit to drive the Hanzhong defenders to his advantage.
However, now there is a better opportunity in front of him.
Reality has proven that the Qing army's tactics of heavy armor, heavy arrows, shields and artillery were invincible in the period of alternation of hot and cold weapons before flintlock guns were popularized.
Using the tactics of the Qing army, in many battles, the casualty ratio between the enemy and ourselves was extremely disparate.
Although it was not as good as the Qi Jiajun who killed thousands of enemies without any casualties, it was terrifying enough.
Queuing to shoot is a good tactic, but the prerequisite is that the army needs to equip flintlock muskets.
But it is not a simple matter to mass-produce flintlock guns. If it were simple, countries around the world would not use matchlock guns that are several times more complicated to load and fire for a long time, instead of simpler flintlock guns. Fire the gun.
Chen Wang is very clear about his strengths, and his ability to reach where he is today relies on his understanding of history and his personal bravery.
Chen Wang didn't know much about industry, iron smelting and other engineering subjects. It could even be said that he knew nothing about it.
Even if he became a Hanzhong guerrilla, he would not be able to mass-produce flintlock guns in a short period of time.
The Ming Dynasty during this period did have countless skilled craftsmen.
They can imitate the same weapon in a short time just by relying on the salvaged weapon remains, even better than the original.
But Chen Wang knew that these people could not be used by him.
Recruiting craftsmen extensively and spreading a lot of money will inevitably attract the attention of all parties.
Shortly after Chongzhen ascended the throne, a large number of factory guards were indeed recalled, and the factory guards' control over the local area had weakened to the bottom.
But this does not mean that governors from various places cannot discover such things. Once the news leaks out, all it takes is a memorial to be handed in, and even this little guerrilla will be killed.
Privately forge weapons, gather people to farm, but want to rebel? !
Heavy armor, heavy arrows, shield vehicles and artillery are currently the best and most compatible tactics, whether against upper-class bandits or against the Qing army in the future.
Staying in Hanzhong, the situation is unpredictable and full of difficulties.
Ordnance is rare, but becoming a general can legitimately get more and better armor and weapons.
Heavy armor and heavy arrows, if you become a general and are trusted by Hong Chengchou, it will be easier to obtain them.
First he defeated Li Zicheng, captured and beheaded Li Guo, captured and killed Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan, and if he could break the siege of Hanzhong again, it would truly leave a name in Hong Chengchou's heart.
Although Hong Chengchou had bad personal ethics and acted arbitrarily, he could not get rid of the sand in his eyes.
But for one's own people, there should be no less care.
After Cao Wenzhao lowered his attitude and bowed his head, all the military merits Cao Wenzhao gained were reported to the temple, and there were no more discrepancies in the previous inspections. Food, grass, pay and silver were all paid in full, without any arrears.
Chen Wang also benefited a lot from this.
During the Battle of Chunhua, not only did they receive additional soldiers, but they also received a lot of assistance in food, wages and weapons.
Chen Wang's thoughts turned around, now was the time for Hong Chengchou to hire people.
During the Shaanxi campaign, three deputy generals were killed and one was wounded. Ai Wannian, Liu Guozhen, and Zhang Waijia were killed in battle, and Liu Chenggong was wounded.
Commander Tian Yinglong died in the Battle of Zhangjiachuan, Yu Chongxiao, the commander-in-chief of Yansui Town, died in the battle of Anding, and Zhang Quanchang, the commander-in-chief, was defeated and captured.
Zuo Liangyu and Zu Kuan both went to serve under Lu Xiangsheng.
Currently, Hong Chengchou only has six battalions under his command: Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, He Renlong, Liu Chenggong, Sun Shoufa, and Gao Jie.
The rogue bandits are powerful, and they have lost troops and generals in successive campaigns. Now they are in a stalemate west of Hancheng.
The fact that Hong Chengchou hurriedly summoned him back to Xi'an Mansion was not only because he was suspicious of himself, but more importantly, Hong Chengchou really had no troops under his command and no one to use.
With this thought, Chen Wang already had a plan in mind.
Lu Xiangsheng was transferred to the north in June of the ninth year of Chongzhen. Zuo Liangyu and others did not follow him north, let alone his turn.
It was not until the eleventh year of Chongzhen that the Qing army broke through Qingshan Pass and destroyed the Great Wall and entered. The two armies met in Tongzhou on the outskirts of Beijing. During the Wuyin Incident, King Qin issued an order and the troops responsible for the invasion gathered in the capital...
Chen Wang slowly raised the horse spear in his hand, pointing upwards at the dark sky, and the low horn sounded immediately behind him.
"Woo——————"
The horn sounded loudly, and all the armored knights following Chen Wang looked solemn and calmed down.
The reason is simple, because what sounded was the horn sound that heralded the upcoming charge.
"Drive!" "Drive!"
The dozen armored cavalrymen who were closest behind Chen Wang waved their whips and whipped the horses beneath them, increasing their horse speed.
They had already held the three-eyed gun in their hands, clamped the horse's belly tightly with their legs, and drove the horse past Chen Wang's position, consciously blocking Chen Wang's front.
There are eighteen armored cavalry in the front, six in a row, forming three rows in total, moving away like a wall.
The armored cavalry who were still following behind them had already changed into long spears or light knives.
Since they are charging into battle, beheading generals and capturing flags, long-range weapons are secondary to them. What their prime minister has to consider is how to break through the enemy's military formation and assist their own generals.
The dark red flags fluttered and spread out in the headwind, making a sound like the wind blowing in the woods.
The war horses puffed out white air from their noses, and their whirring sounds were mixed with the rumble of horses' hooves, hitting everyone's eardrums.
Under the banner of Dahu, Zhang Yuan had already seen the armored cavalry of the Ming army that suddenly accelerated and rushed towards him.
An inexplicable fear appeared in his heart.
That feeling... just like...
While walking in the mountains and forests, I was watched by the tiger...
