The fundamental reason why the rebel army failed to successfully charge into the formation with so many horsemen was that Sun Chuanting was extremely cautious in his campaign, requiring all ministries to fight steadily and not to rush forward.
The officers and soldiers with few horses naturally cannot engage in long-distance mobile warfare with the rebel army with many horses. It would be great if they could form a formation battle like a battle.
The imperial court asked the two major commanders to march in and suppress the bandit army, but the word "campaign and suppress" was actually two words, which also represented two steps.
"Advance" means advancing troops, advancing towards the location of the rebel army, and shortening the attack distance of one's own side. No matter how the troops advance, they must reach the target area according to the set time.
"Suppression" refers to an attack. The court does not care how the attack is carried out, but after investing so much manpower, material and financial resources, it cannot be defeated.
Different from the previous suppression of bandits, although Sun Chuanting had very abundant food and salary, he also felt that he was under great pressure. When the army did not have an advantage, he could not suffer defeat first, and then he had the opportunity to defeat the bandit army.
The prerequisite for not losing the battle is not to let the other side take it, especially to curb the rebel army's advantage of cavalry and pawns. A targeted deployment is to form formations to defend against the enemy.
Even if the rebel army gallops with thousands of horses, it will be difficult to break through the official army's infantry formation in a short period of time. Only after they have withstood a heavy blow from the opponent can they switch from defense to offense.
This requires that the formation cannot be loose and must be in a dense formation. The distance between the left, center and right armies cannot be too large to prevent them from being exploited by the enemy's cavalry.
In order to be able to withstand the impact of enemy cavalry head-on, many of the carts used at the front were grain carts. The grain was on the mountain behind and guarded by five thousand soldiers.
Sun Chuanting believed that even if the bandit army knew the location of the official army's baggage and was cunning and brave, they would not dare to rashly bypass the official army's formation and attack the grain storage area on the mountain.
As a backup plan, Sun Chuanting was also prepared to fight to the death. If the bandit army really wanted to drain the fire, he would lead the main force of the official army directly to the city of Yun County.
Even if there is no food and grass for a while, the food needed by the army can still be transported from Xiangyang and southern Shaanxi. If more than half of the bandit army is killed, there will no longer be a need to grab food.
This is a strategic game, and it is also a tactical game. The dense formation means that once the rebel army has a large amount of long-range firepower, it can cause extremely serious casualties to the official army.
If the infantry formation wants to avoid the opponent's firepower, it must spread out, which is equivalent to a defeat. Therefore, Sun Chuanting still wanted to bet on his luck. If the rebel army was not equipped with Hongyi cannons, everything would be fine.
According to intelligence, the nearest city equipped with Hongyi cannons on the battlefield here is Xiangyang City, which is Hong Chengchou's defense area. Unless Zhang Xianzhong captures Xiangyang and then attacks, it will be difficult for the rebels here to possess such weapons.
Therefore, after shrinking the scope of our own defense on the battlefield, the more than 10,000 enemy cavalry were helpless against the dense army infantry formation, just like wild wolves eating hedgehogs, unable to bite them.
They could choose to take a roundabout way, but when every second counts, their brains tend to get overheated, leading to very fatal errors in judgment, which were restrained by Sun Chuanting's static play.
Sun Shaobao believed that when the rebel army is not weak in strength and morale is acceptable, but his own strength is weak and it is difficult to win quickly, it should be noted that "advance" precedes "suppression", "stability" should be at the forefront, and "formation" should be the basis, and advance slowly .
The first battle does not require a huge victory over the traitor army, but it is important to ensure that one's own side is not defeated. Only after finding out the traitor army's background can one launch a killing move to eliminate the root cause.
However, the situation on the battlefield was very different from what he imagined. When the rebel army came up, they wanted to fight to the death with the official army and had no intention of escaping elsewhere.
Fortunately, the steady advance tactics deployed by Sun Shaobao before were very wise. Although the officers and soldiers coming from afar wanted to take the initiative to attack, as long as the formation did not break up, they could choose to switch from offense to defense at any time.
As long as the entire army is not ordered to charge and fight, the officers and soldiers can take advantage of the mortar. This is a fairyland firearm that the rebel army has never imagined.
The actual combat effect of this firearm was extraordinary. It forced the rebel army to let the horse soldiers come to rush into the formation. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers were prepared for it, so they did not let the enemy succeed.
The four generals on the left wing, including He Renlong, Li Guoqi, Zuo Guangxian, and Zheng Jiadong, were all old subordinates of Sun Chuanting. Their troops were brave and well-trained, and they had replaced a large number of firearms. They were able to defend against enemy cavalry. There were no major casualties.
The performance of the four general troops including Li Shourong, Sun Xianzu, Xue Minzhong, and Zu Dabi on the right wing was somewhat unsatisfactory. Zu Dabi's troops were relatively better, with only about 500 infantry casualties.
The other three groups of troops failed to completely guard against the impact of the enemy's cavalry, allowing the rebel cavalry to rush into the infantry formation. As a result, our own infantry were in dire straits when competing with the enemy's cavalry. The total casualties were about 2,500.
The total number of troops under these three generals reached 9,000, and the number of officers and soldiers participating in the battle also exceeded 7,000. In one battle, no less than 30,000 men were lost. To put it bluntly, they were crippled by the bandits.
The combat effectiveness of various government and army units is uneven. Even within the Qin army, there are differences in combat effectiveness. However, the combat strength of the Fourth General Army Corps that had newly joined the suppression operation was too weak, which made Sun Chuanting quite unhappy when he saw this.
The right wing is already paralyzed, and it is doubtful whether it can continue to fight. This means that before attacking, one of his own arm has been cut off. If he advances forward, he can only rely on the strength of the left wing and the central army.
Fighting was a must. You couldn't get up early and rush to the market late. Sun Chuanting chose to send troops early in the morning in order to achieve maximum results in one day.
When the sun sets, even if the officers and soldiers win a complete victory on the battlefield, they can only let the thieves slip away from the corners. It is almost impossible to catch thieves in a night battle in the wild.
"Fifty steps forward!"
Even though he used artillery to disperse the enemy's infantry, and used formation to withstand the strong impact of the enemy's cavalry, Sun Chuanting was not dazzled by the results, but still steadily chose the tactic of short-distance advancement.
Anyway, behind the rebel army is the Han River, and they won't be able to escape in a short while. So the officers and soldiers will move forward little by little. If everything goes well, they will move to the riverside in less than an hour. It will be up to you where you go!
At present, the army is less than four miles away from the riverside. This trick may look like a turtle crawling, but it actually works. It is harmless on the battlefield. As long as it can force the opponent into a corner, it is a good method.
And there is no need to go to the riverside, because the range of the mortar is close to one mile, and it is enough for the infantry formation to advance three miles. When the time comes to set up artillery and bombard the riverside, the scene will definitely be exciting.
Sun Chuanting also had doubts about whether he could win by continuing to advance. Among the four general officers on the right wing, only Zu Dabi sent someone to express that his army could continue to fight. The other three all sent people to convey the main reasons implicitly. Willingness to repair the land.
After excluding the wounded and the soldiers who took care of them, Zu Dabi could only mobilize about 2,000 troops, so Sun Chuanting asked the troops to move closer to the Chinese army, because the Xiasan General Military Station was responsible for taking care of all the wounded soldiers on the spot.
As a result, the number of officers and soldiers who continued to attack was less than 30,000. Although the rebel army on the opposite side had just suffered a defeat, the main force could still fight to the death with the officers and soldiers, and it was not just about crossing the river to escape.
"This Sun Gou thief is really powerful, and his methods are still ruthless even after he came out of prison!"
They didn't get any advantage by charging forward, so everyone immediately chose to retreat in large strides. However, there was not much room for further retreat, and they were almost back to the riverside.
Chang Guoan lost a lot of soldiers, but he was heartbroken. No matter whether Sun Chuanting could hear it or not, he would curse him and make him angry.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Wang Guoning and other leaders hurriedly gathered together to discuss countermeasures, especially the advice of his wise elder brother Luo Rucai, otherwise the rebel army might not be able to defeat the menacing Sun Gou thief.
"I didn't expect that the Sun Dog thief had such a sharp firearm, so the brothers suffered a big loss. For the current plan, if we fight, we must use the city as a basis to defend and repel the enemy. If we leave, then The troops must be divided into two groups, one must go down the river, and the other must go up the river. I wonder what you brothers think?"
Luo Rucai, known as "Cao Cao", really miscalculated this time. He had never encountered an army that fought in this way. He first gathered into a group and then bombarded them with artillery. His own cavalry could not move away. Array.
If the officers and soldiers are allowed to use such despicable tactics to advance to the city, I am afraid that the county seat of Yunxian County will be difficult to defend. After all, the city is not strong in the first place. It is still unknown whether it can withstand the kind of explosive bullets that fall from the sky. .
Luo Rucai's original intention was to leave immediately, but the loss of his men and horses was minimal, and the casualties were almost all borne by the other six families. He just slapped his butt and left, which would have chilled people's hearts.
The other leaders were beaten by the Sun Gou thieves and lost their troops. They could hardly find a place to stay. Naturally, their moods were not much better. They had to make their own choices as to where to go.
"Brother, can't we cross the river?"
"Little Qin King" Bai Gui also planned to cross the river first, and then take his men and horses into the mountains to deal with the Sun Gou thieves. At least he would not be chased away by others and could not even breathe.
"Crossing the river is very time-consuming. There is no cover. Facing the attack of the army, there are many dangers, not to mention the troops on the opposite side. You have to think carefully, brother!"
Luo Rucai has no intention of crossing the river. If he cannot transport a large number of people quickly, it will be like breaking his own arm. The remaining troops remaining on the north bank will definitely be captured by the Sun Gou thieves.
His men and horses had not been assembled to begin with. If he lost half of his troops across the river, he would only have a few hundred men left. If he encountered Long Zaitian's thousands of officers and soldiers, they would be dead, with no chance of survival.
After being reminded by Luo Rucai, the leader who wanted to cross the river also gave up the idea. In a life-or-death moment, others will not cover for you.
If you want to cross the river, you have to let your troops fight to the death to block the officers and soldiers who come to cover up the attack. At that time, nearly half of the soldiers will really be abandoned. This is not much different from having a battle with the officers and soldiers and being beaten away in the end.
Except for the two leaders in the central army, the other four leaders only lost some of their troops when the cavalry rushed into the battle. At other times, they did not receive the care of the official firearms, so they still had the capital to fight elsewhere.
Now that the Sun Gou thieves have the upper hand due to their sharp firearms, the rebels can avoid his sharp edge and avoid engaging in combat. When they arrive at other places, they can attack the city and seize territory, making the Sun Gou thieves unable to take care of both sides.
"Aren't there still our brothers in the south? Then the whole hundred thousand people and others are not moved when they see me waiting to start a rebellion?"
"One-stop" Xue Chengcai knew that there were many rebels like them in Fangxian, Zhushan, and Baokang who had been recruited by the imperial court at the beginning of the year.
For example, "One Hundred Thousand" Hei Yunxiang, "Sweeping King" Zhang Yichuan, "Hunshi King" Wu Ziqiang, "Zhang Fatty" Zhang Zixiu and others have a combined strength of tens of thousands, and they are not afraid of the imperial court's large-scale actions. Into the suppression.
Some of the soldiers in their hands were deposited with them by "Cao Cao". Because Luo Rucai chose to remove his armor and return to the fields, the tribe could no longer exist.
In order to deceive others, Luo Rucai came up with the strategy of building plank roads openly and crossing Chencang secretly. Although his tribe was broken up by the court and scattered across several counties, it could still be managed through this method.
As long as Luo Rucai doesn't die, relying on "Cao Cao's" reputation in the rebel army, the leader who entrusted his troops will have to return it out of face, but if "Cao Cao" dies, he can take advantage of the situation and take it for himself.
"It depends on whether we win or lose, whether we die or live, then they can act!"
Yang Youxian understood that this matter was spearheaded by Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong. If Luo Rucai was killed by the army before he even crossed the Han River, and there was no news about the "Eight Kings", the group in the south would have said otherwise. .
In name, they are working in two boats, using official and military attire to hide their identity as rebels. In fact, they are working in two boats. Whichever side wins, they will go to that side, and each of them is smarter than a monkey.
It was previously agreed that on the fifth day of May, the "Eight Kings" would lead their troops to start the attack first, and then go north to join the crowd, and then the group in the south would respond.
Fortunately now, the imperial court heard the news in advance and sent a large number of officers and soldiers to suppress it. Someone must have betrayed the rebels, but it was too late to investigate.
At present, the seven of their troops combined have not yet defeated Sun Gou's army, and they are about to be cornered. He has no time to control whether the group of people over there will resist or not.
"Half-hearted guy!"
Feeling that what they did was a bit like watching the fire from the other side, Xue Chengcai couldn't help but cursed in a low voice. Although the rebel army had fought independently before, they surrendered one after another. Against nature, they had to act bravely.
My brothers are here in Yun County trying to hold off the Sun Gou bandits' officers and soldiers, but the guys south of Hanshui are watching the show. If the fight here ends with both sides losing, won't they gain an advantage in vain?
"It's useless to say more. If the 'Eight Kings' rebel, they will most likely lead their troops to Fang County. We must also be prepared. Now that the army of the Sun Dog Thieves is coming from the north, the east and west directions may be empty. We and others We can advance troops in both directions, wait for the opportunity to cross the river, and then join together, so as to avoid Long Zaitian on the other side."
Luo Rucai didn't want to waste too much time on this matter. Sun Chuanting's soldiers and horses were not far away. If he lingered for a while, he would have to fight if he didn't want to.
"Yi Zhangqing, Xiao Qin Wang, Yi Yilong and Brother Luo are going together. The three of us will go down the river and cross the river at a chosen place to go to Fang County. If we can meet up, we can achieve great things!"
Yang Youxian thought it would be better to go back to the Junzhou area and let these four groups attract the Sun Gou thieves so that they could take the opportunity to escape, otherwise no one would be able to escape.
"It's so good, brothers, please be careful, see you soon!"
There was no choice but to separate at this point. The troops must be divided at the moment in order to disrupt the powerful offensive of the army. Luo Rucai gave some final instructions and made arrangements.
Now it is a planned and organized retreat and transition. If we want to fight to the death with the officers and soldiers, the infantry casualties will increase sharply after a few shellings, and the horsemen will not be able to break through the infantry formation. The so-called turning defeat into victory can only I'm afraid that even my capital will be lost.
