"More than 40,000 bandits fled from Jitou Pass and attacked Jitou Pass... There were many hungry troops in his army and few elite horsemen. Although they fought like scorpions and deserved the banner, they were actually little red wolves and gangsters. One hundred thousand copies..."
"In recent days, the rogue bandits have been active in the Lueyang area. They have gathered a large army. The bandit leader Li Zicheng, the Sixth Division, General Manager Qi, King Zhengyi, King Renyi, etc., with a total of six battalions of nearly 60,000 troops, jointly attacked Mian County..."
Sun Chuanting frowned and led the war horse to the side of the official road.
Some time ago, Chen Wang sent a letter from Pegasus in Hanzhong Mansion. After reporting clearly the situation in Hanzhong Mansion, he also wrote a conjecture.
"...We are unable to divide our troops to protect Yangping and Ningqiang."
"Northern Sichuan is in constant turmoil, and Sichuan soldiers are increasing to support Huguang and other places. As a result, Sichuan is very empty..."
"The intruders were apparently attacking Hanzhong, but they actually intended to go south to Sichuan..."
For these days, Sun Chuanting had been presiding over the suppression campaign in Fengxiang Mansion, while Hong Chengchou was in charge of Gongchang Mansion. The two of them moved east and west, constantly shrinking into the encirclement net.
Sun Chuanting knew the situation at Chen Wang's side very well.
The total number of regular troops under Chen Wang and Zhou Yumao in Hanzhong Mansion was only 5,000.
Now the Chuang army has nearly 100,000 troops divided into two groups to attack Hanzhong Mansion. There is a huge disparity in the strength of the two sides. Chen Wang is facing huge pressure. Chen Wang even transferred back all the troops stationed in Xing'an.
It is indeed impossible to divide the troops to defend Yangping and Ningqiang.
Currently, the only people stationed in Xing'an Prefecture are the hundreds of regular troops from the Qianhu Station in Xing'an, and more than a thousand militiamen.
Therefore, in response to Chen Wang's letter, Sun Chuanting responded with a letter of relief, asking him to guard Mianxian and Jitou to prevent rogue bandits from entering Hanzhong Mansion, and not to worry too much about the rest.
Regarding Sichuan, since the seventh year of Chongzhen, the rogue bandits have always kept a distance.
In the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, Zhang Xianzhong was at his peak, and he once had the potential to surpass Gao Yingxiang.
At that time, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops to march westward and captured Kuizhou, an important town in eastern Sichuan.
Qin Liangyu led his army to help, but Zhang Xianzhong's troops were defeated and fled. Then Qin Liangyu led his army to pursue him, and he and his son Ma Xianglin attacked Zhang Xianzhong from front to back and defeated Zhang Xianzhong.
Zhang Xianzhong was able to retaliate with only a thousand cavalry, but tens of thousands of cavalry were lost in one fell swoop.
The Sichuan soldiers were ferocious and dared to fight, and the white-pole soldiers were the most adept at fighting. The bandits feared the Sichuan soldiers even more than they feared the Liao soldiers.
Because although the Liao soldiers are powerful, as long as they burrow into the deep mountains and huge valleys, the Liao soldiers will not pursue them and are helpless.
However, when they met the Sichuan soldiers and burrowed into the deep mountains and giant valleys, the Sichuan soldiers' combat power actually became a few points stronger.
Sichuan is mountainous. For Sichuan soldiers, the deep mountains and giant valleys are like returning home. Among the winding mountains, Sichuan soldiers often feel as if they are walking on flat ground.
The authorities are confused but the bystanders are clear. Sun Chuanting really did not think that Li Zicheng might plan to march towards Sichuan.
But after seeing Chen Wang's detailed explanation of the current situation in northern Sichuan in his letter, Sun Chuanting also began to think about whether this possibility was possible.
After some deductions, Sun Chuanting came to the conclusion that it was not only possible, but the possibility was still huge.
Sun Chuanting knew that the rogue bandits had a method of gathering information, and he also knew the moral character of the Ming army in some places.
Raising bandits is self-respecting, partners with thieves, sells information, collects money to let them go, and even sells armor and weapons.
Why Sun Chuanting felt that Yang Sichang's idea of four righteousnesses, six corners and ten sides of the net was undesirable? It was precisely because he clearly knew what these things were.
The plan is good, but there is a problem with the people who can't carry it out.
The rogue bandits don't even need to fight. They can just use the looted gold and silver in exchange for a way to survive and break out of the encirclement net.
Gao Yingxiang was originally located in Yunxiang, but he knew the situation in other prefectures very well. He got the information from the Ming army in various places because of bribery and dispersing money.
Northern Sichuan has been empty for a long time, and there is no concealment of troop mobilization.
Now Li Zicheng probably knows as much about the strength and defenses in northern Sichuan as he does.
Hou Liangzhu only had more than 2,000 soldiers and horses to mobilize, and there were too many places to guard against, so he had no time to spare.
And even if they set up defenses, they can't stop the many troops under Li Zicheng's command.
Sichuan is mountainous and rugged areas are difficult to navigate. There is a lot of miasma in the valleys and hills, and there are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants. Now that summer is approaching, once Li Zicheng leads the bandits into Sichuan, the difficulty of suppressing them will suddenly increase.
The most important thing is that as soon as a rogue bandit enters Sichuan, he has crossed the border. He does not have enough authority to send troops across the border to suppress him. He also needs to report his appearance and wait for the court's permission.
On the official road, a group of soldiers wearing hats and green clothes and carrying spears on their shoulders were walking slowly forward.
Different from the general army, although the uniforms of these soldiers are also covered with dust, they are not old and dilapidated.
Their eyes were filled not with indifference, but with vitality.
They are the elites selected from various camps in Shaanxi. They are the Dubiao Battalion directly under Sun Chuanting.
[In view of the general environment,
Since the establishment of the camp, they first killed King Zheng, then killed Sai Chao, surrounded and killed King Shuntian, and annihilated Gao Yingxiang. They made immortal contributions.
The setback outside Jingyang City did not defeat them, but the rebellion triggered by Deng Zhong made them more united.
"The vanguard of our army has reached the north of Feng County. The rogue bandits are stationed in Feng County, and there are about ten thousand people..."
Tang Ma's report came from the front, and Sun Chuanting retracted his slightly divergent thoughts.
Now that the situation is critical, all he can do is to do his best and obey fate.
…
In the west of Mian County, the shouts of killing shook the sky.
"Winter!" "Winter!" "Winter!"
The thick sound of the Ming army's war drums echoed over the wilderness.
If you want to go from Hanzhong Fuxi to Mian County and enter the Hanzhong Basin, there is only one way to go at this time of year.
And this line must pass through the west side of Mian County, and the west side of Mian County is where Yangping Pass was located in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Hanzhong launched large-scale military campaigns around this pass.
As time has passed, everything has changed. Although the ruins of ancient Yangpingguan are still there, they have long lost their defensive role.
Nowadays, the places defended by the Ming army have newly built defensive measures.
Chen Wang stood on the observation deck. From here, he could see the situation on the entire battlefield.
The defense of Jitou Pass has been handed over to Hu Zhiyi to take charge of him.
Chen Wang left two infantry units for Hu Zhiyi and deployed 1,500 guards as supplementary defense.
These 1,500 guards are the regular troops in the newly built Qianhu Stations on the right and back. They have already undergone three months of training, although the total training is only thirty days.
It might be barely enough for field battles, but it's more than enough for defending a city.
Chen Wang also left Hu Zhiyi twenty squatting tiger cannons, fifteen French cannons, the three-eyed blunderbuss in the general's inventory, and the three-eyed blunderbuss that had been replaced, all left at Jitou Pass.
Jitou Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. There are two people, Little Red Wolf and Hun Shiwan. One is the leader of the 24th Battalion, and the other is the leader of the 24th Battalion. They are not very famous and have mediocre abilities. The people under his command are not elite either.
The two of them had so many troops under their command because they were all mobilized by Li Zicheng, and they did not have the ability to command so many people. The attack has always been based on the simplest human sea tactic, ants attacking the city.
As long as Hu Zhiyi doesn't go out to fight, Jitou Pass will be as stable as Mount Tai.
Therefore, Chen Wang's order to Hu Zhiyi was to guard Jitou Pass tightly.
Hu Zhiyi has always been steady and meticulous in everything he does and does. While guarding Xing'an Prefecture, he took care of the entire city's defense in an orderly manner.
Along the way, not only Chen Wangqian, but also Hu Zhiyi, Hu Zhili, Chen Gong, Tang Shiping and Zhao Huailiang were also moving forward together.
Chen Gong is the youngest among them all
, also has the worst temper. Many times Chen Gong is informal, seems frivolous and idle.
But in fact, no matter when, he never forgot to practice martial arts and hone his skills. He even patiently read military books that he had never read before.
Even if Chen Gong is like this, the rest of the people are naturally working hard to move forward.
Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position.
Money and silk attract people's hearts, while power fascinates people.
Opportunities are rare, and they all know that if they cannot keep up with Chen Wang, someone will eventually take their place, and their career and development will also come to an end.
"kill!
! "
The tsunami-like shouts came from the distance again and penetrated Chen Wang's ears.
The swarming bandits and hungry soldiers came like waves, shouting wildly, venting, and roaring.
The crowd came in a dark and pressing crowd. Most of them were originally ordinary farmers and hunters, obeying the law and doing their duty honestly.
But at this moment, they all looked ferocious, crazy and twisted...
Hunger has already turned them into evil spirits...
A large group of bandits and hungry soldiers swarmed in. They seemed to want to use their roars to arouse the remaining physical strength in their bodies and dispel the fear in their hearts.
"Bang! Bang! Bang bang bang!
"
Waves of rogue bandits and hungry people continued to attack, but without exception, they were all crushed to pieces in an instant.
The explosion of the cannon echoed in the sky above the Han River, and merged with the sound of the water rushing towards the East Han River to play a funeral song of death.
Smoke filled the air, and the sound of cannons was deafening. The hungry soldiers who were charging forward fell down like wheat fields blown by strong winds, and the dead and wounded were among them.
Wherever you look, there are corpses and blood everywhere. The morale of the hungry soldiers is not high. This matter has suffered a big change. Which one still has the will to fight?
All the hungry soldiers panicked and tried to run back, but as soon as they turned their heads, they were stabbed head-on in the face and fell to the ground on the spot.
"Don't retreat! Charge forward!
"
After experiencing countless battles, the rogue bandits have developed their own set of tactics, and those in the army are even more proficient in how to use hungry soldiers.
Generally speaking, rogue bandits drive hungry soldiers to attack. Generally speaking, they are only followed by a small number of formation troops or horse troops, or a mixed group of old bandits, driving hungry soldiers into the formation, consuming the ammunition and physical strength of the officers and soldiers.
The fighting method of the invading army was to gather a large number of archers behind the hungry people, and then arrange a large number of sword and shield soldiers to charge into the formation.
They used hungry civilians as human shields to weaken the Ming army's firepower. After taking over, the archers in the rear fired back with diffuse fire, suppressing the Ming army's gunners and archers.
They don't worry about accidental injuries, because it doesn't matter even if they are accidentally injured. In this battle, they are paying for it with human lives.
The sword-and-shield soldiers serve as guards and supervisors. Once the Ming army's array is shaken, they will immediately charge away, looking for an opportunity to open a gap.
"Ugh——————"
Accompanied by a high-pitched horn sound, the rogue archers closely arranged behind the hungry soldiers suddenly let go of their bowstrings.
On the hundreds of meters long front line, there suddenly sounded the sound of countless bowstrings vibrating like cotton.
The next moment, countless arrows flew into the air, and the dense arrows rose into the sky almost at the same time, flying over like a swarm of locusts during a drought.
"hidden!"
On the wall of the village, the generals of the Ming Army shouted loudly.
All the soldiers lowered their heads, crouched down, and raised their shields. Without shields, they pressed their bodies as close to the wall as possible.
Arrows rained down, and although warnings were issued early, there were always people who didn't have time to react, or who were unlucky enough to be shot through the narrow gap.
On the wall of the village, the wounded man who had been shot by an arrow was wailing in pain.
but
Their wails were soon overwhelmed by the killing cries outside the wall that were almost breaking through the clouds and rocks.
A large number of arrows poured from the sky in waves. At this time, the hungry soldiers in the bandit queue were driven forward by the troops holding swords and shields in the queue.
At this time, the Ming army on the wall was being suppressed, so it was the best opportunity to get close to the wall.
"Peng!" "Peng!" "Peng!"
In the rogue formation, streams of white smoke rose into the sky, and the explosion of the unique Fran cannon reached everyone's ears in an instant.
The caliber of most Fran cannons is not large, but no matter how small the gun is, it is still a cannon.
Many of the weakly built walls were penetrated or damaged.
Behind the village wall, screams erupted again, and many soldiers were injured by the flying pieces of wood.
"Ugh——————"
In the formation of the rogue bandits, the horn sounded again. This horn was the signal for the entire army to attack.
However, as several loud noises resounded in the sky above the pass, the horn sounds in the bandit formation also stopped abruptly.
The eight cannons arranged by Chen Wang on the high ground were already roaring.
The cannon, which weighed more than four kilograms, drew beautiful arcs in the air, and then hit hard in the formation of the bandits. In an instant, it brought up countless blood mist and countless broken limbs.
Under the telescope, Chen Wang saw everything clearly.
In the camp, all the soldiers were encouraged by this, and the drums became louder again.
The group of bandits who were about to swarm to the side of the village wall were finally defeated once again as they finally mustered up the courage.
The large number of rogues retreated toward the rear again like the ebb of the sea.
Chen Wang also moved his gaze away from the telescope in front of him.
Li Zicheng was indeed just bluffing. After so many days of attacking, he only invested two fine cavalry in the attack.
Li Zicheng’s real goal has always been Sichuan...
Chen Wang took a step forward, holding on to the railing in front of him with both hands, looking further north.
There are too few soldiers under his command, and most of the new recruits are not very powerful.
Chen Wang could only hold on to Mianxian and Ningqiang, so he had to make a choice.
But even though he chose to give up on Ning Qiang, Chen Wang did not choose to just sit back and wait.
He had already handed over all the information he knew to Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou.
History may change as a result, or it may move toward an unknown end, causing him to lose one of his great advantages as a prophet.
But all this is not terrible, everything will eventually change, it is just a matter of time.
Change it earlier and change it later, but the impact is actually not big.
The Ming Dynasty had too many shortcomings. Even if Li Zicheng didn't stir up the world, there would be other people who would cause turmoil.
