"Dog officers and soldiers! Don't be arrogant!"
When Dou Mingwang saw Zhang Jun's horse stumbled and surrounded by a group of officers and soldiers, he realized that the situation was not good and that his companions might be captured alive by the officers and soldiers, so he shouted loudly and charged forward with his horse, brandishing his sword.
Along the way, he slashed left and right, slashing down two officers and soldiers who were blocking the way. When he rushed closer and used the huge body of the war horse to disperse a dozen officers and soldiers who were as annoying as flies, he realized that the situation in front of him was too bad. .
Zhang Junyong was not only unconscious and unaware of his life and death, but was also pinned down by his mount. It was impossible for him to rescue him, so he could only turn his horse's head, intending to destroy the nearby firecrackers, and then led his troops to retreat.
"Brothers, come together! Capture and kill these thieves!"
The officers and soldiers of the artillery battalion are not easy to mess with. We can bully the few with more, and they are not afraid of this thief who broke into the sight single-handedly. This guy just threw himself into a trap, which will make you regret it.
The gun is equipped with a bayonet that is more than a foot long, and it is no longer a wooden stick that is worse than a fire stick without firing. However, it is still difficult for a group of people to easily defeat the thieves holding long-handled swords.
Although they formed a circle, it seemed that the prey would not be able to escape easily, but it was only a formal siege. As long as Dou Mingwang looked in one direction and charged with all his strength, he could still quickly and successfully break through.
Each of the dozen or so officers and soldiers tentatively feinted forward with a blunderbuss, and were frightened by the opponent waving a broadsword. Once they were provoked by this object, it was no joke.
They were wearing thick armor, but that didn't mean they were invulnerable, and they didn't intend to die together with the thieves. On the contrary, everyone was preparing to receive rewards and buy wine after the battle.
"Master Dou, leave quickly!"
Two soldiers rushed to the vicinity on horseback, shouting loudly for their masters. As the offensive weakened, there were not many rebel horsemen left.
There were now less than ten of the thirty or forty horsemen who originally rushed to the firearm formation. The others either died on the spot or were injured and escaped. If they don't leave, they may never be able to leave again.
"I will save your life for now! If we meet again in the future, I will definitely take it!"
Seeing that a general was surrounded here, the nearby officers and soldiers quickly gathered around. Since Zhang Junyong could no longer be rescued, Dou Mingwang was also afraid that he would really be surrounded by officers and soldiers, so he did not hesitate to fight. With a harsh word, he headed south The horse galloped wildly.
The two of them's strategy of outflanking from both wings was not successful. Instead, they lost no less than five hundred fine cavalry, and Feng Shuangli, who led the main force of the cavalry in a frontal charge, did not take much advantage.
The two sides were still engaged in a confrontational strangulation battle. The situation was similar to that of bullfighting. Due to the small space, the horsemen at the front could not turn around at all, let alone retreat. They could only choose to kill the enemy in front of them or be killed by the opponent.
When the rebels came to charge into the formation, they were first attacked by a hail of arrows, and then the weapons of the two sides clashed. The weapons of the rebels were shorter than the spears of the officers and soldiers, which was another big loss. Luo Dai used this method of positional warfare to successfully consume the rebel army's offensive.
According to visual estimates, the official army has killed no less than 1,2300 horse soldiers, and at least 30% of the rebel soldiers have been shot or injured and have lost their combat effectiveness. However, the official army's loss of strength is less than half of the opponent's.
Ding Liang's side behind him was dangerous, but a powerful enemy was right in front of him, and Luo Dai had no time to be distracted. With the horse pawns sent by Yang Shi'en, and Liu Zian leading his troops to protect him, there was no way to remedy the situation if he went on a business trip.
No matter what, you must first repel the enemy in front of you before rescuing, otherwise this strategy of using defense as offense will be in vain.
"Master Feng! The wind is blowing hard~!"
When Dou Mingwang ran past the flank of his army, he did not forget to greet Feng Shuangli, who was in the middle of a fierce battle. Since he had been defeated, he should withdraw his troops in time to avoid being gathered here and annihilated by the army.
"...Withdraw your troops! Rahu!"
Feng Shuangli thought that his two deputies had taken away the firearms positions of the officers and soldiers. He felt very uncomfortable with the heavy casualties among his troops. If he persisted for a while, hundreds more casualties would be added, so he immediately issued an order to retreat. .
It bought a lot of time for Third General Zhang Wenxiu's troops. They should have run out quite far. If they were caught up by officers and soldiers again, there would be nothing they could do.
The elite cavalry troops relied on by the eight kings were well-trained, no less than the main force of the official army. These horsemen dared to charge into battle and fight to the death, but would retreat like a tide after hearing the order to withdraw their troops.
"Fire arrows! After three shots, the whole army will pursue us! All the way to the foot of the mountain!"
But this is not a place where they can come and leave whenever they want. Luo Dai has fought with the bandits for many years and knows their ways well. If he lets the tiger return to the mountain, he will sooner or later become a serious problem for the court.
Feng Shuangli was worried that his entire army would be wiped out, so he chose to turn around and run away at the last moment, which was more rational. However, such a decision made logical sense, but it did not work in actual operations.
Exposing one's back to the enemy is a taboo for military strategists, and if you don't pretend to be defeated, you will have to pay a heavy price. Even if you use the method of pretending to be defeated to lure the enemy on the plains, the price will be high.
While running away, his troops were hit by another seven or eight thousand heavy arrows fired by the army. The number of casualties naturally increased sharply. Just by running through the range of the arrows, no less than three or four hundred people were shot dead by the enemy. So many.
For Feng Shuangli and his men, more frightening things were yet to come.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Suddenly, a familiar explosion sounded in everyone's ears, and soon everyone realized that the officers and soldiers had begun to use those extremely powerful firearms again, and the targets were them, the horsemen.
A fireball produced by an explosion could knock four or five nearby horsemen to the ground. It was not that they were burned by the flames and fell off their horses, but that the bodies of the rebel soldiers were hit by the flying nails.
Don't underestimate a small nail. It depends on where it is used. Once it is suddenly inserted into a person's body, especially the internal organs or brain, its killing effect is no less than that of a much larger arrow cluster. How many.
Generally speaking, the flying speed of nails when sputtering is much faster than that of arrows, and the unit pressure generated is much greater. What is even more frightening is that there is almost no warning for such an explosion, so it is completely impossible to prevent it.
It takes roughly forty to fifty seconds for a horse to run a distance of five hundred meters, which means that the rebels will have to be bombed at least twice.
However, since Ding Liang only pulled out an artillery battery, the number of mortars was limited, including only twenty-four spare guns, and the explosive packs he fired were also limited.
Moreover, it can only be fought in areas with a large number of thieves. It is also necessary to preview in advance, estimate the lead time, and achieve regional fire coverage in order to blow up the fast-moving thieves' pawns.
Due to the low accuracy of hitting moving targets, the actual damage caused by the explosive packets to the rebels was far less than the psychological deterrent, but it also scared everyone out of their wits and ran away as fast as possible in the direction of Yanghu Mountain.
"stop!"
The entire artillery battery only fired two rounds, and Ding Liang ordered a ceasefire, because Luo Dai had already led the officers and soldiers to pursue him, and if he fired any more explosives, he would hit his own people.
"Check the condition of the cannons used on the spot! Count the number of remaining cannonballs! Send someone to be on guard, and the rest will clean up the surrounding battlefield!"
At this point in the war, the unit's mission out of the city was basically completed. Ding Liang asked everyone to clean up and see if they had caught any big fish.
"Battal Commander! Just now, I led my brothers to knock down a thief general. It seems that his armor is of high level. This guy was pinned under the horse and was knocked unconscious."
The platoon leader named Yu Er came over and reported the results of the battle with a flattering expression. Who exactly the guy who was caught needs to be further verified, otherwise the superiors will find out that the report was false and he will be severely punished. .
"Oh? Take me to see it!"
Ding Liang recalled a little in his mind, and it seemed that two thieves had led their troops to charge up just now. In the end, it seemed that one of them escaped with others. The whereabouts of the other one was not clear to him.
"Look! It's right there!"
The prey was dragged out from the side of the horse, and had been tied into rice dumplings. Yu Er pointed at it, and Ding Liang looked the thief general up and down. Judging from the attire, he seemed to be a valuable person.
"Have you searched me? Is there a seal?"
The identity of this guy must be confirmed first, and then he can be sold at a price. Otherwise, if he is an imposter, he will be worthless. As the battalion commander, Ding Liang does not dare to report his military exploits rashly.
"Platoon commander! They're all here!"
A soldier held a big red satin package with his hands, which contained items found from the prisoners.
"Bring the other prisoners over one by one to identify this guy. If there is any collusion in the confession, he will be severely punished!"
Ding Liang saw the name "Zhang Junyong" engraved on a private seal, but it was unclear whether it belonged to the person in front of him. He had to use prisoners to further confirm.
He took out a reward order from his arms and scrolled down the list. There was indeed this person, and he was worth five thousand taels of silver, but it was not low. If he was really the prey on the list, as the battalion commander, he could get it. As many as five hundred taels.
"Come here! Do you recognize this person?"
Seeing the possibility of receiving the silver reward, Yu Er, who was secretly happy, immediately grabbed a prisoner by the collar, brought him close, and shouted at him.
"I recognize it! I recognize it, villain! This is righteousness... the thief general... Zhang Junyong!"
This prisoner no longer had the same vigor as before. There were not many ordinary soldiers who continued to resist in the hands of officers and soldiers. It was better to die than to live. It was best to survive as long as you could hang out with whomever you wanted.
"Seriously? If you dare to tell a lie! I will punish you, the thief, on the spot!"
Yu Er showed a ferocious look on his face and threatened him with a big mouth. It was about the ownership of the silver reward, so he couldn't be careless in the slightest.
"My lord, sir! It's a matter of life and death for me! I'm determined not to speak nonsense! I beg you, my lord, to spare my life!"
After identifying the prisoners, they knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Whether they were killed or not was probably based on what the other party said.
"Take him down first and keep him under guard. Don't let him starve!"
After getting the good news, Yu Er waved his hand and led the soldiers to take the guy away. It was not enough for one person to say it was Zhang Junyong. A group of people had to say so.
Afterwards, I asked several prisoners one after another, and all of them unanimously said that this person was Zhang Junyong, and the thief who ran out was called Dou Mingwang.
These two men were ordered by Feng Shuangli to destroy the official and military firearms positions. Feng Shuangli's army had a total strength of no less than 3,000. They came down from Yanghu Mountain to rescue the troops of the third general Zhang Wenxiu.
Now Ding Liang figured out the ins and outs of the war. It turned out that it was Zhang Ni's third son who was bombarded before. No wonder this guy would use so many horsemen to come to the rescue.
There is only one valuable big fish, and the others are just shrimps that are not worth mentioning. As long as you take good care of the big fish and don't let it escape, that's it. In fact, one of Zhang Jun's legs was crushed by the war horse and he couldn't run away at all.
"Brother Ding, is the gun camp okay?"
After the rebel army retreated, Liu Zian came over to greet the person under his protection, but he felt a little guilty for not taking good care of him before.
"Our troops are fine, the casualties are quite small, but the injuries of the soldiers are worrying, so we should return to the city for treatment as soon as possible!"
When Ding Liang saw an arrow stuck in Liu Zian's shoulder, he understood that the other party had also gone through a fierce battle before, and it was not easy, and he almost lost his life, so he took the opportunity to greet him.
"Skin and flesh wounds are nothing to worry about. Brother Laoding needs to worry about it!"
After receiving relatively good news, Liu Zian was relieved. If the artillery camp's position was overthrown by bandit soldiers under the protection of a thousand horsemen, he would not be able to absolve himself of the blame.
While I was happy, I didn't care so much about the injury, and it wasn't a vital part, nor was it a poisonous arrow. As long as I went back to see a doctor later, it would be fine.
The fierce battle just now left Liu Zi'an with lingering fears. After counting, it was found that of the 500 horsemen under his command, nearly 90 people died in the battle and about 80% were injured. The price was really high.
However, the troops and the cavalry sent by Yang Shien jointly killed no less than 300 thieves, captured as many as 100 people, and escaped less than once. It was considered a tragic victory.
Since everyone from the officers to the soldiers in the artillery camp were wearing heavy armor, only five people died due to excessive blood loss or blunt blows. The others were injured. When they returned to the city, they had to apply medicine and bandages first, and then they could recover after a period of recuperation. .
A certain prince has already made arrangements for the pension. The injured and disabled people can be placed in appropriate positions after arriving in Beijing, without having to worry about being deprived of food and clothing.
Most of the corpses of bandit soldiers and war horses are nearby. The soldiers can choose some decent mounts and go back later to eat horse meat and beat them as sacrifices.
These war horses have just died, so it would be a pity to just feed the flies. You can select the strongest horse legs and cut them. If you can't finish them, you can pickle them and save them for later consumption. It is much better than just eating wild vegetables and rice.
The war horses that can still be used will naturally be selected by the horsemen first, and they will return to the artillery camp after they select the rest. After all, they have fought bloody battles to protect the artillery camp and sacrificed a lot of Paoze brothers. They must be compensated. .
More people are searching for money from thieves in Mao Yao. This is a process that must be followed after victory. Even if you have a full annual salary for a year, you may not have as much money as you can by searching for it on the battlefield.
For ordinary soldiers, not to mention twenty or thirty taels of silver, even two or three taels of silver is still a huge amount of money, which can fill a table of meat and vegetables!
Now, although the above said that the salary was paid in full, Hong Shaobao also made up for everyone's previous shortfall, but if you change the search, you still have to search, otherwise wouldn't you miss a big meal in vain?
This band of thieves just didn't expect that Hong Shaobao gave the soldiers a lot of money, so that their morale was high. Every time they won a battle, they were beaten by eggs.
The battle is about who has more money and food. The soldiers around the general are so loyal and brave because they receive more money than ordinary soldiers, so they can work for them with peace of mind.
Hong Shaobao satisfied everyone's inner demands and allowed the soldiers to eat and drink well. Everyone would naturally repay their kindness and be much more attentive than before when they went to suppress the bandit army.
Zhang Ni's attack on Xiangyang was naturally intended to seize all the money and food in the city, but he was unable to succeed for the time being due to the desperate obstruction of the government and army.
