On February 2, the dragon raises its head.
Shang Kexi has been cold for twenty-four hours, but Li Dingguo, Luo Hu and the 45,000 soldiers under their command are all on fire.
Because another big victory is already within reach!
Since there were five Ming armies invading Hanzhong, after the Battle of Mian County on the 30th, Li Dingguo did not even bother to let the troops rest and ordered the troops to fight again. There were approximately 50,000 troops left after the war in Mioxian County (Li Dingguo gathered a total of 60,000 troops before the Battle of Mioxian County, 10,000 of whom did not participate in the battle as a reserve force, and among the 50,000 who participated in the battle, 30,000 troops More than a thousand people were killed or wounded) and he divided them into two parts. Chen Yongfu led more than 10,000 people to pursue the defeated troops led by Kong Tingxun and headed towards Lueyang. He and Luo Hu led the remaining about 45,000 people and marched 50 to 60 miles in a hurry. They arrived at the east bank of the Bao River more than ten miles northwest of Hanzhong Fucheng, waiting for Wu Guogui's troops coming from Malingguan.
Different from the last battle in which they formed a formation to fight, this time Li Dingguo dispersed 20,000 of the 45,000 people he brought with him into a dozen very strong villages and towns on the east bank of the Bao River. Then, 25,000 troops were placed behind these dozen villages and towns and deployed in a concealed manner. This created the illusion that Dashun's army was preparing to resist and defend Hanzhong Fucheng.
Wu Guogui brought as many as 20,000 troops to the south of Hanzhong Fucheng, and there were also three Guards infantry divisions commanded by Yan Yingyuan who were coming through Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road and Tangluo Road. If the four armies can be combined, the total strength can reach as many as 65,000!
In addition, he didn't know that Shang Kexi was already cold. He thought that General Shang was fighting in the Mian County area and would soon arrive near Hanzhong Fucheng.
So when Wu Guogui saw the Dashun Army putting up a posture to defend Hanzhong Mansion, he naturally thought that he had the advantage. Immediately, a plan was formulated to attack along the Baoshui River, seize the villages and towns held by the Shun army, and open up a channel to attack Hanzhong Prefecture.
The battle between the two sides began in the early morning of February 2. Wu Guogui's troops felt very good and had high morale because they had won consecutive victories and received enthusiastic support from the working people of southern Shaanxi along the way. They were able to fight at night like the Guards.
Under the cover of a small number of 3-pound artillery, Wu Guogui dispatched twenty battalions of infantry, divided into three teams, and began to attack three villages and towns heavily guarded by the Shun army. At the same time, he also sent cavalry to guard his left flank, and also sent seven battalions to fortify along the Baoshui River to prevent his left flank from being attacked by surprise.
The battle started at midnight on the second day of February. Under the cover of artillery, the Ming army with high morale first entered Lijiayingzi, which is next to Baoshui. You can tell from the name of this place that this is a village where soldiers gather. , built like a military camp, very difficult to chew. There are trenches and earthen walls on the outside, and there is a chessboard layout inside, so you have to fight for each square.
At the same time that the fierce battle in Lijiayingzi began, Shijiabao and Hewan Village were also attacked by the Ming army! Among them, Shijiabao is also a Fubinghu village. It is very strong and difficult to chew down. However, Hewan Village is a village belonging to local farmers in Hanzhong. When the Ming army invaded, there were still many ordinary people living in the village. I was so excited when I saw that Master Wang, who I had been waiting for for 20 years, finally arrived. Many young people who dreamed of joining the army did so because of the Dashun Army defending them. As a result, the Shun Army was in chaos, and the village quickly Captured by the Ming army.
Seeing the victory in the first battle, Wu Guogui became more enthusiastic and invested six more infantry battalions plus eight of the nine battalions that had just captured Hewan Village, and then divided them into two groups to attack the other two villages. One of those two villages is Fubing Village, and the other is a village where poor farmers in Hanzhong live. Therefore, the Ming army quickly captured the village where farmers lived, and fell into a bitter battle in another Fubing village. The victorious Ming army soon fell into a bitter battle in a Fubing village called Andingying.
The fierce battle on the front line continued until the early morning of February 2, when the generals on both sides sent reinforcements. Li Dingguo invested ten battalions, while Wu Guogui had limited troops on hand, but he still cobbled together three battalions and put them into the Lijia camp where the battle was launched first. And his investment finally paid off at noon on the second day of February. Relying on the absolute advantage in military strength, the Ming army of the 11th Battalion finally drove Dashun, who was much smaller than them, out of Lijiaying.
But Wu Guogui's victory ended here!
When he ordered the victorious tenth battalion of infantry (one battalion was left to defend the Li family camp) to carry six 3-pound cannons and launch an attack on another village where the Dashun army was entrenched, what awaited them were 10,000 Da Shun troops commanded by Luo Hu himself. cis infantry and 9 6-pound guns!
The two sides launched a decisive battle on the plains on the east bank of the Bao River. The Ming army, which was smaller in number and had no cavalry support, set up a circular defensive formation with its back on the Bao River, relying on matchlocks and flintlocks (of which the flintlocks accounted for Twenty percent of the total number of rifles) and grenades and javelins repelled three attacks by the Dashun Army, but they were unable to break out and evacuate.
Wu Guogui, who already knew that the number of enemy troops was far greater than his own, gathered up the seventh battalion of infantry and the third battalion of cavalry that were covering the flanks, and went to reinforce the tenth battalion of infantry who was fighting a decisive battle with the enemy. As a result, they were only halfway through when they were blocked by 15,000 cavalrymen led by Li Dingguo himself!
Facing an enemy three times his own, Wu Guogui had no choice but to order his troops to abandon their positions, break away from the enemy as soon as possible, and then retreat to Baocheng - he also wanted to hold Baocheng and wait for Yan Yingyuan's guards.
Even if one division, no, half a division of the Guards could arrive, Hanzhong Fucheng would still be within easy reach!
However, Li Dingguo would not give Wu Guogui a chance. When he saw the Ming army beginning to retreat, he made a prompt decision and invested all his troops in pursuit. At the same time, Luo Hu, who had trapped four to five thousand Ming troops by the Baohe River, was ordered to give the enemy a "way to survive" so that they could be completely defeated in the pursuit battle!
At Shenshi on the second day of February, the winner of the Battle of Baohe had already been decided, and shouts and cheers in Shaanxi accents resounded over the entire Baohe battlefield. Looking north from the height where Jin King Li Dingguo stood, he saw the blue Dashun army officers and soldiers rushing towards the red Ming army like a flood, smashing them into pieces and fleeing in all directions.
"Your Majesty, Baocheng has been recaptured by us!"
"Your Majesty, the remnants of Zhu Ni's army are fleeing towards Jitou Pass!"
"Your Majesty, one of the general flags and the three-army command flag of General Zhu Ni were captured..."
The good news also reached Li Dingguo's ears like a stream of water, which greatly relieved the suffocation in the chest of His Royal Highness the King of Jin, who had been frustrated on the battlefield in Shaanxi for several years.
It seems that I haven’t decided who my subordinate will be today!
Luo Hu, who had just led his troops to recapture Baocheng, also came over with dozens of soldiers on flying horses and climbed up the high slope where Li Dingguo was riding.
"His Royal Highness King Jin, this is another great victory!"
Luo Hu hadn't been so happy in many years. He seemed to have returned to the time when he followed Lao Longzai Li Zicheng to conquer the east and west and beat the Ming army in panic.
"What are the casualties of each department?" Li Dingguo's question was like a basin of cold water, which immediately made Luo Hu sober up.
"The casualties are not small," Luo Hu said. "The Ming army here is the direct descendant of Wu Sangui. They are more capable than the Shang Kexi troops we encountered before. I am afraid our army's casualties will not be less than 6,000!"
In the previous battle of Mianxian, the Shun army lost more than 3,000 people. In addition to this battle of Baohe, the losses may have exceeded 10,000!
Although the Ming army suffered greater losses, their gains were not small!
Both the Mioxian and Baohe battles were fought in the Hanzhong Basin!
This means that the entire Sanguan Road and the entire Qishan Road will be occupied by the Ming army. The situation of Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road and Tangluo Road is unknown, and they will most likely fall into the hands of the Ming army.
In other words, the tactical victory in the Mioxian and Baohe battles was achieved by giving up five strategic passages and strongholds in the Guanzhong Plain.
Even if 30,000 Ming troops could be wiped out in these two battles, Dashun would still lose.
Because of the loss of Qishan Road, Sanguan Road, Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road and Tangluo Road, Hanzhong Basin will not be defended sooner or later. If Hanzhong is lost, Yunyang Prefecture will also be lost!
"Your Majesty," Luo Hu said, "Who shall we fight next?"
There are four more targets, three groups of enemy troops coming from Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road and Tangluo Road, as well as Wu Sangui who stayed in Lueyang. Through interrogating the prisoners, Li Dingguo and Luo Hu already knew that Wu Sangui had arrived in Lueyang. !
"Of course it's Wu Sangui!" Li Dingguo said with a sullen face, "It's Wu Sangui's turn next! Luo Hou, lead your troops to chase the current Zhu Ni army to attack Malingguan and cut off Wu Sangui's retreat. I will attack Lueyang!" "
"Your Majesty, what should we do about Hanzhong?"
"Don't be afraid. There are two fortresses at Dingjun Mountain and Nanzheng to defend. The enemy troops coming from Baoxie Road, Ziwu Road and Tangluo Road can't do anything to Hanzhong for the time being!"
