Under the extremely fierce bombardment, the three infantry formations of more than 1,000 people on the rebel side were bombarded to collapse. No one was stupid enough to stay in place and was bombed in vain. Anyone who could still run They all ran south desperately.
The originally majestic formation was like a broken earthen jar. The liquid inside flowed out without restriction, causing the entire defense line to disappear in an instant.
"What the hell!"
"One Hundred Thousand" Hei Yunxiang has never seen such a ferocious bullet since he rose up in northern Shaanxi. When it exploded, he was so frightened that his mounts kept neighing and retreating, and almost knocked him off the bridge. Lift it down.
The cavalry was far away from the infantry formation and had not been affected yet. However, as soon as the infantry formation dispersed, the cavalry was also rushed away by the rout. The situation on the scene was extremely chaotic. Hei Yunxiang was not prepared for it, and it was even more difficult to order everyone to start again. organized.
However, this situation on the verge of defeat did not stop the army on the other side from shelling. The third wave of bullets fell from the sky not long after, and at least 30% of the bullets hit the fleeing rebel infantry.
They were all panicking, so everyone just ran for their lives in the opposite direction, thinking that if they ran a few hundred steps, nothing would happen, and they would probably not be bombarded by the army. Unexpectedly, they encountered unexpected disasters.
After the explosion, there were more than a hundred nominal soldiers lying on the ground, including many horse soldiers. Some of them were howled under the weight of their horses and called for people nearby to come to the rescue, but they were ignored.
Seeing how sharp the weapons of the official army were, everyone was even more panic-stricken. Everyone was too busy to take care of themselves. How could they think of saving their companions?
Many people think that armor is too cumbersome and even throw away their shields, leaving only a waist knife to save their lives. His legs were tight, fearing that he would be hit by a bullet if he ran too slowly.
"Ouch~! I'm so angry!"
Hei Yunxiang watched helplessly as more than 3,000 horses under his command were standing on the south bank. He wanted to fight to the death with the army and cavalry coming across the river, but he did not expect that they would be maimed alive by the bullets.
From top to bottom, everyone was just thinking about running away, so how could they think about fighting to the death with the officers and soldiers?
Especially those infantry who can run faster than rabbits. If it weren't for their mounts, I would hardly be able to catch up with them.
I haven't let you run away yet, and you're just acting like a fool. You bastards still don't care about me?
In this case, Hei Yunxiang led his cavalry to run away, quickly surpassing the infantry, and trampling many of them, which at least could relieve their anger.
Disobeying orders and fleeing on one's own is a capital offense on the battlefield. As for whether to chop with a knife or trample with a horse, it is up to the leader to decide as he pleases.
Being shelled by the army and trampled on by one's own cavalry, the infantrymen were so angry that they immediately started to curse, and some with a bad temper even stabbed one's own cavalry directly with spears.
Smart people will soon understand that they can take advantage of the chaos and take advantage of the chaos. If they stab the horse soldiers down, won't they have their own horses running away?
This directly led to scenes of infantry besieging horsemen in some areas. If the horsemen were not busy retreating, the two groups would have fought each other on the battlefield.
"Fuck! Do you all want to make a comeback?"
Hei Yunxiang shouted angrily, but the various sounds on the battlefield were intertwined and seemed too noisy, causing many people to suffer from auditory hallucinations. The leader's order was ignored.
Even if you hear it, it will make people laugh. You confidently rebelled against the imperial court, and you have the nerve to say that we rebelled while we were running away?
At present, even his life is almost at stake. If he can shoot the leader off his horse with one arrow, and then get on his horse and escape, there must be someone who can boldly try.
There are many soldiers around Hei Yunxiang, and no one can succeed in a sneak attack. This idea is just a thought. If there is time, it is better to run away on his own and let this bullshit leader fight the army by himself.
"Master! The other side started fighting! Can we get up?"
"Hey...wait a minute! Let me take a closer look!"
When He Renlong heard General Ya's reminder, he groaned, decided to hold his troops for the time being, and then used his telescope to look into the distance.
Whether this was internal strife or a false defeat, He Renlong was not entirely sure yet. He had to observe more closely to see the general clues.
The young guard has an order to only fight but not to pursue. Since he wants to fight, he must take advantage of the opponent's defeat and start charging. Otherwise, when the rebels gather their troops, it will be difficult for our side to succeed.
However, this timing is very subtle and must be accurately spotted, and the enemy's infantry must be out of the range of one's own muskets before the attack can be made, otherwise the army's horsemen will also be killed by the muskets.
It is impossible for the artillery regiment to stop the fired bullets or even call back. Any person or horse that appears in the range, whether it is the enemy or one's own, has the possibility of being hit.
After Sun Shaobao decided on the tactics, the specific time to launch the attack was left to the four general officers He Renlong, Li Guoqi, Zuo Guangxian, and Zheng Jiadong who were crossing the river to discuss and decide.
The total supply of horsemen and soldiers for the official army is only 5,000. If the rebel army is not defeated, we will not be able to take any advantage. Even if the bandit army is defeated, we must choose the right time to strike, neither early nor late.
The generals knew that the mortar had a range of one mile, but it was difficult to estimate this distance on the battlefield. A slight error would mean the loss of hundreds of soldiers.
"...Is it almost done?"
Li Guoqi put down his telescope. He felt that the rebels had run out of the range of the guns and cannons, so he asked his colleagues around him.
"I haven't heard an explosion in a while!"
Zuo Guangxian watched the situation on the other side and waited for the bomb to explode, but he didn't wait for it recently.
"Then can't we go up?"
The bullets only dispersed the rebel army's formation, but the actual number of surviving troops was still large. Zheng Jiadong did not dare to advance rashly.
"...Go! Shaobao lets us cross the river. Even if we want to kill the bandit army, we can't return empty-handed!"
He Renlong, who was eager to perform meritorious service, first expressed his point of view. The five thousand horsemen were frightened by the defeated ten thousand thieves. If it spread, he would be really shameless.
"good!"
"We did this together!"
"Brothers! Give it to me! Kill all the thieves and infantry!"
Not only for the sake of face, but also for money, the four general soldiers had to fight, and there were no acquaintances on the other side, so there was no taboo about attacking Luo Rucai. If they could take advantage of the chaos and kill Luo Rucai, they could ask for credit in front of Shaobao. .
Since Sun Chuanting had enough money in his hands, especially the reward money in addition to the salary, many of the general officers under his command immediately became extremely obedient. Only the Shaobao Lord obeyed and regarded the incoming bandit army as a Do business.
As long as you find a good opportunity, such as the one in front of you, you will not hesitate to move forward. No matter what the result is, you will lead the team to rush over first. If you can catch a big fish, it means that everyone's work was not in vain.
That kid Bai Liangbi could catch "one dragon". As elders, if they swarmed up, they might also be able to catch "two dragons" or "three dragons" or something like that.
No matter what valuable leaders there are on the other side, they must take action. Otherwise, watching these thieves escape helplessly, wouldn't it be a missed opportunity?
After crossing the river, the officers, soldiers and horsemen lined up less than two miles away from the rebels. They did not rush over and just watched quietly as the opposite side was bombed in vain.
They just wanted to wait until the time was right, strike back, and kill the defeated rebel infantry. This would be considered as completing the task assigned by the Shaobao Lord.
"No! The dog officers and soldiers are here!"
"Run! Master Hei ran away first!"
The rebels had been bombarded and had no intention of fighting. After Bai Gui and Xue Chengcai ran away first, Luo Rucai also fled with his troops.
Zhang Yichuan and Hei Yunxiang's troops became the last rebels to withdraw from the battlefield, and they could not retreat in an orderly manner, which was a veritable rout.
The superiors were unable to give orders, and the subordinates did not listen to orders. The two groups ended up mixed together, each running in his own way. At most, they could be separated into two disjointed parts, one behind the other.
Those who run fast in front are the horse soldiers, and those who lag behind are a large number of infantry. It is best for them to escape from the tiger's mouth of the army. If they cannot escape, they can only resign themselves to their fate.
Hei Yunxiang originally wanted to organize it and let the horse soldiers protect the infantry and retreat, but when he saw that some of his infantry bastards actually had the idea of war horses, he furiously decided to abandon these untrained burdens and just He ran away with the horsemen.
The situation on Zhang Yichuan's side was similar. "Cao Cao", "Little Qin King" and "Yi Long" all disappeared, leaving him and "the whole hundred thousand" to resist the attack of the official army. How could he be happy with this?
Before the war, it was agreed that only the forwards of the army would be attacked. If the main force of the army came and then they would withdraw, this was not the arrangement at all. When the forwards of the army came, they actually started shouting. Is this really a big brother?
This was Luo Rucai's miscalculation. He did not expect that the army could transport the guns to the front line so quickly. However, the "Sweeping King" and "Zheng Shi Wan" had to compete with the army, so they suffered such a big loss.
Zhang Yichuan didn't think so and put all the responsibility on Luo Rucai. When he catches up with his subordinates, he must ask clearly. At worst, he will stop hanging out with "Cao Jun" and start a new business on his own.
"The wind is so tight!"
Now that things have happened, facing the fierce army and cavalry that are rushing towards them, Zhang Yichuan can only choose to cut off his wrists and leave more than a thousand infantry to the opponent, secretly praying in his heart that the opponent will not pursue him after eating and drinking.
Although three of the five leaders ran away, only he and "a hundred thousand" were left behind, with no less than 6,000 troops, but a dozen of the officers and soldiers who came to raid.
If they fought tenaciously, both sides might be killed, but it would be a big loss for the two leaders, as they would have to block the attack of the official army for the three unscrupulous people who escaped.
They agreed to advance and retreat together, but ended up in such a situation. Of course, the "Sweeper King" and "The Whole Hundred Thousand" would not choose to sacrifice their own interests to take into account the overall situation.
You don't have to think about it like this when you are working together in the rebel army. If you have the same goal, you can join forces. If you don't agree with each other, you can go separate ways. You are all fighting against the imperial court. Where can you not just make a living?
It's hopeless. If you can save your life, go to Baokang first to see the situation there, and then decide whether to go to Nanzhang or even Zhongxiang.
Once the cavalry runs away first, the infantry behind them will become a real ghost. If they cannot form a formation to defend against the enemy when facing the official cavalry in a field battle, they will be chopped off by the opponent. .
"Kill all the thieves!"
"Leave no one behind!"
In view of the current situation, especially the unusual dispersion of the rebel infantry, the column assault carried out by the officers and soldiers has lost its due effect.
The four general officers decided to change the formation and arranged their horsemen into three horizontal rows at the front, middle and back, and implemented a wall-mounted advancement tactic.
It swept across the battlefield like a fishing net. Wherever the soldiers went, the thieves were unable to hide, and it was difficult to resist this powerful flat-pushing style. They were all chopped down.
Only the archers of the rebel army were lucky enough to be able to hide in the corner and use sneak attacks to shoot down a few horse soldiers. The rest were captured by the officers and soldiers with spears or bows and arrows.
No less than a thousand people ran into Fangxian County, intending to use the city to defend themselves and try to repel the attack of the army and cavalry, but the opponent chose to go around the city.
Although these people escaped, they became turtles in a urn. The city was surrounded by water and it was impossible for them to escape.
Except for a small number of the more than 2,000 bandit soldiers outside the city who ran to the mountains to take refuge, most of the remaining infantrymen lay dead in the wilderness under repeated raids by the army and horse teams, becoming dinner for all kinds of birds and beasts.
After sunset, the surrounding areas of Fangxian County returned to silence. The officers and soldiers did not launch a direct siege, and the bandits in the city did not dare to break through rashly.
Meng He's mortar regiment camped on the north bank so that they would not have to worry about being attacked by the bandits in the city. The infantry and baggage troops led by Bai Guangen would arrive later.
"Shaobao, the defeated troops of Luo Rucai and others have fled to the direction of Baokang. I wonder if I can pursue them?"
The "fish" were not caught, and all they slaughtered were shrimps. He Renlong and other generals were very unwilling to do so, and wanted to strike while the iron was hot and continue to pursue the bandits fleeing eastward.
"Yeah~! You have to chase, but don't be too tight to avoid being accidentally injured!"
Sun Chuanting spread out the map given by the prince, ran his hands along the direction of the bandit's retreat, and agreed to the pursuit request of He Renlong and others.
"I don't know what Shaobao means by 'accidental injury'?"
Even if they marched at night and fought with the bandits, it would be difficult for them to accidentally injure a large number of their own troops. The officers and soldiers wore scarves with the word "Sun" on their chests, and they also had such items on their arms, and there were signal flares as proof, so it was not easy for them to kill each other.
"According to my commander's inference, if the defeated bandits choose to take the official road instead of walking over the mountains, they will inevitably pass by the ambush place of Long Zaitian's troops. If you pursue them too closely, Long Zaitian will definitely I thought you were also enemies fleeing eastward!"
Sun Chuanting asked his cavalry to drive the bandits eastward, with the purpose of driving the prey into Long Zaitian's pocket. Whether he could win another battle depended on the direction of the prey and Long Zaitian's hunting ability.
After two consecutive victories, the morale of the officers and soldiers was high, and they might underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. Sun Chuanting also had to slow down the pace of the generals' advance to avoid being ambushed in the mountains.
Once they can win three battles in a row, Luo Rucai's group's strength will decline and they will no longer be able to compete with the army.
Sun Chuanting has not yet received the information from Baokang and Nanzhang. He does not yet know whether the bandits recruited by the imperial court in the two places have rebelled again.
If the Baokang rebel army chooses to advance westward at this time after their rebellion, it will inevitably have a great impact on Long Zaitian's ambush. This is what Sun Chuanting is most worried about.
