If there were more manpower, Long Zaitian would be able to annihilate the four to five thousand horsemen in front of him in this valley, or severely damage them, and capture most of them in one fell swoop.
If you are lucky, you might be able to kill Luo Rucai, the leader of the thieves, on the spot, similar to how Zhuge Liang shot Cao Wei general Zhang He in the Mumen Valley in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Long Zaitian believed that he could not compare with Zhuge Wuhou, but although Luo Rucai was nicknamed "Cao Cao", his ability to lead troops in battle was far inferior to Zhang He.
Since it was a night battle, he couldn't tell whether there was Luo Rucai in the opponent's formation. He could only guess based on the opponent's previous pretense of congratulating Renlong. It might be possible.
The most important thing is that Long Zaitian only has more than 3,100 soldiers and only 500 horsemen under his command. He can't stop him from the front for a while. If he can't stop him from behind, the rear team of the rebel army will become the front team and they want to escape. , our troops are determined and unable to pursue them.
This is the main reason why Sun Shaobao sent his men to ambush in the valley. Long Zai Tian's men had few horses, and they could not stop them on the plains when faced with the brigade of thieves and horsemen who were coming and going at a fast pace.
Not only Long Zaitian's department, but also all the government and army departments generally lacked war horses. The ratio of horses to infantry was generally only 30-70, which was completely incomparable with the rebel army who often had 46, or even 50-50.
Sun Chuanting brought nearly 35,000 men and horses, and they were patched here and there. In addition to Bai Guangen's troops, the total number of horsemen was less than 8,000. This was still in the capital, and a certain prince added a lot of them. Otherwise the number of pawns would be even lower.
Long Zaitian had limited troops and few horsemen. If he wanted to win without losing too many men and horses, the only way was to set up an ambush in the valley. At best, he would just sit back and wait.
From here, Baokang to the east is the territory of Wu Ziqiang, the "King of Hunshi". To the west is Fang County, which is occupied by Hei Yunxiang, the "hundred thousand people". The place where Zhushui and Hanshui meet is Gucheng, where is " The location of "Eight Kings" Zhang Xianzhong.
That's why Long Zaitian chose such a transportation hub to set up an ambush. If you go around the mountain, he will accept your fate. Otherwise, even if the leader of the thief survives the ambush, his troops will be skinned by the officers and soldiers here!
"The dog officers and soldiers are on the mountainside! Give them to you!"
The horsemen of "Little King of Qin" Bai Gui were all veterans who had fought with him for many years and would not be intimidated by a temporary ambush. Soon, under the orders of the little leader, they launched an attack on the official archers on the mountainside.
Hundreds of horsemen, organized into a team of twenty or thirty, rushed towards the mountainside. For them, it was impossible to capture them like this. After being ambushed, it didn't take long for them to attack. The army launched a counterattack.
Although it was a smear campaign, due to the frequent flashes of gunfire, coupled with the illumination of torches and moonlight, the valley was not completely dark, and the visibility was relatively high, at least thirty or forty steps above.
"Pfft...ah..."
A black shadow passed quickly in front of the eyes. In an instant, someone couldn't react in time, screamed, and fell off his horse after being hit by an arrow. He couldn't see the exact location where the cold arrow hit.
Night battles are a test for the eyesight of both sides. If a large number of soldiers there suffer from night blindness, they will suffer a big loss.
A daytime ambush is actually beneficial to the party being ambushed, because it can determine the opponent's approximate strength and location, as well as the type of firearms from the direction of the attack, and it is also easier to find weak breakthroughs in the opponent's defense line.
And at night, the ambush party can attack the prey as they like without worrying that the prey will turn against the visitor, especially if the opponent has a large number of fire blunderbuss in time, and they will be bombarded before they are fully loaded.
The officers and soldiers located halfway down the mountain each had a tree or a stone as a bunker. If there was no bunker, they could dig a hole to hide. Anyway, at night, the opponent was nearly a hundred steps away and couldn't see clearly.
This is also a huge headache for the rebel cavalry. There are many trees on the mountain. Even if the angle of the hillside is not high, it is difficult to rush to the officers and soldiers.
The opponent has a bunker to rely on. If you don't get close enough to kill, but instead shoot at each other, the rebels will definitely be the losers.
Because the army not only has a large number of bows, arrows and muskets, but also many small Folang machines with a range of more than a hundred paces. The most terrible thing is that this musket has an extremely high rate of fire, and it can basically hit dozens of numbers. once.
At this time, the shooting area of the Folangji was still the cavalry group in the valley, which had no response to the hundreds of enemy cavalry rushing up the hillside. However, there was a supplementary role, that is, the tigers who specialized in dealing with enemy soldiers at close range. Crouching gun.
"boom……"
After a crisp sound, the five war horses and the pawns on them were instantly knocked to the ground by dozens of tiny bullets scattered towards them like fireworks.
This was the firecracker most used by the Qi family army when they were suppressing Japanese pirates. It was especially suitable for bombarding enemy troops attacking in dense formations during mountainous operations. The effect is still impressive decades later.
Since the Tiger Crouching Cannon weighs only thirty or forty pounds, and its barrel is thick, making it easy to clean and load, its rate of fire is only slightly slower than that of the Folang machine, which can use sub-guns.
"Do it! There's a blunderbuss!"
"withdraw!"
The rebel horsemen did not expect that the government troops deployed tiger squatting artillery halfway up the mountain. Five or six of them opened fire at the same time, killing and wounding more than thirty riders in one fell swoop.
Coupled with the attack wave formed by cannons and bows, most people were unable to parry, and those who survived could only flee on horseback, which directly destroyed the small-scale counterattack they had launched with gritted teeth.
During the retreat, they were killed and wounded another thirty or forty cavalry by the officers and soldiers, but the result was almost negligible. The officers and soldiers had bunkers and would hide behind them when they were beaten, and would carry out sneak attacks when they had the opportunity.
No matter how bad the eyesight is, officers and soldiers can see such a big target swinging in front of their eyes. They just need to aim at the approximate location and shoot. If they can't hit people, they can't hit horses either?
As long as you are not a new recruit, it is easy to succeed at a distance of about twenty steps. Without the mount, the horse pawn becomes an infantry. Trying to leave this place on two legs is nothing more than a daydream.
In response to this kind of terrain with two mountains sandwiched between a ditch, Long Zaitian deployed ambushes on both sides of the valley, especially at the exit. The Franco machines on both sides can form cross fire, thereby massively killing enemy cavalry trying to break through.
"The wind is tight... pull!"
Bai Gui grimaced in pain, and his facial features were already distorted to the point of ferociousness. He didn't want to die in this hellish place. He must lead his troops to escape from here immediately, otherwise the remaining wealth in his hands would be taken away by the army. No.
General Ya simply bandaged the injured part of his master and put him on his horse. It was easier for two people and one horse to escape. His mount was used as a spare horse, and he was led by his own soldiers, and they ran away together.
In a short period of time, our troops lost no less than five or six hundred cavalry. If we stayed here any longer, our entire army would be annihilated. Besides, Bai Gui was in unbearable pain and couldn't bear the pain. He had to find a place to stay and receive treatment as soon as possible.
Breaking forward seems to be unfeasible at the moment. I don't know how many people need to be filled in to successfully break through. The easiest way is to turn around and go back. No matter how many pursuers are behind me, I have to fight my way out to survive.
After Bai Gui's men turned around, they found that Xue Chengcai and Luo Rucai had already been like this. They were smarter than monkeys and knew they were encountering an ambush when they heard the sound of cannons ahead.
After fighting for a quarter of an hour, Bai Gui's troops failed to move forward. Xue Chengcai understood that the road ahead was unworkable and had to find another way.
Luo Rucai's troops behind him were no less than three or four times his own. Even if the reward was quite high and he could absolve himself of his guilt, he wouldn't be able to act rashly for a while.
Xue Chengcai could only turn his horse around and find another way out with less than 500 horses. It would be too embarrassing if he met Sun Shaobao's pursuers.
It would be easy for him to take advantage of the chaos and sneak away with his troops, but once he loses contact with Luo Rucai or Bai Gui, it means that he either has to go to see Sun Chuanting empty-handed, or he has to spend time looking for it, which is not worth it.
For the current plan, I can only hang out with Luo Rucai. No matter where he runs, I will fall near him. I want to see people alive and see his body dead. If his life is desperate, then try to find a suitable opportunity to kill him. …
"Brother! What to do?"
Xue Chengcai was eager to know what "Cao Cao" was thinking. Once separated, he might run away dozens of miles away, making it difficult to find him.
"Go back first! If there are no pursuers behind you, go to Xingshan. If there are pursuers, kill them first!"
Since there was an ambush before reaching Baokang, it means that the defenders in Nanzhang area have already learned the news of the rebel uprising, and if they go any further, they will be asking for trouble.
Luo Rucai could only give up the plan to attack Zhongxiang, return along the original road, and then find a branch road into the mountains, taking the road Xingshan to see if he could take the opportunity to enter eastern Sichuan and perform a tooth ceremony in the Bashu area.
Soldiers are very fast and must leave immediately. Once Bai Gui's troops are gathered and wiped out by the army, the opponent's next target will be his own troops, so Luo Ru immediately took Xue Chengcai to carry out the transfer.
They didn't run very far when they ran into the troops of "One Hundred Thousand" Hei Yunxiang and "Sweeper King" Zhang Yichuan. They were all routed from Fang County and ran in an extremely embarrassed manner.
What made everyone most anxious was that they also attracted a large number of elite soldiers and cavalry. After hearing the news, the troops and horses were very determined. It was really raining all night long.
"Do it! When will this end! Why don't we turn around and kill all the dog officers and soldiers who are chasing us!"
Hei Yunxiang felt that he was a coward in Fang County. He didn't even wait for a close encounter with the army. After just a few shellings, tens of thousands of troops fell apart.
He started running as soon as the sun went down and ran until the moon was high in the sky. There were many pursuers behind him. I heard that he was ambushed by officers and soldiers in front of him. Is there anything more frustrating than this?
"That's right! We have a lot of troops, at least four to five thousand. Why are we being chased like rabbits by dog officers and soldiers?"
Zhang Yichuan was also very angry. If there were few rebels and many officers and soldiers, he would have to run away. There would be nothing to say. Now that the two sides are evenly matched, the firearms of the Dog Officer Army will not be transported for a while, so why should they run?
The official army has no muskets and is surrounded by pawns on both sides. Are the rebels still afraid of a ball?
Otherwise, would they have survived if they were driven away from dusk to dawn by the dog army?
"Brother Xue, what do you think?"
Luo Rucai didn't want to go head-to-head. At the moment, preserving his strength was his top priority. With only a few men left in his hands, he still fought hard with the army, fearing that even if he won, it would be a tragic victory.
"...So what if we win? Why don't the army continue to pursue us? Even if we win five thousand against five thousand, at best, we will only be left with three thousand in the end. At worst, we will all die. This place is broken!"
At night, swords and guns were blind, but Xue Chengcai didn't want to be accidentally injured by He Renlong and the others. That would be such a loss. It would be better to wait until daybreak to argue, so he tried his best not to start a fight.
"What's going on? Are you afraid of 'a dragon'?"
Hei Yunxiang just looks down on people who get cold feet when they see the officers and soldiers. If the leaders of the rebel army want him like this, then why are they revolting? Just be caressed and that's it.
"Afraid? Haha! Aren't you afraid of Bai Gui in front of you? You should go and support him!"
Facing General Hei Yunxiang, Xue Chengcai didn't argue and directly turned his army around, intending to choke this ignorant common man to death.
"you……"
Hei Yunxiang was speechless for a moment. Everyone knew that the troops of "Little Qin King" in front were ambushed. Everyone was discussing whether to run or fight. Everyone wanted to go to the rescue.
"Okay! Since the two brothers want to fight, the one who is not talented will risk his life to accompany him. If he can fight, he will fight. If he can't fight, he will run away. It is not difficult to escape from the night battle!"
Luo Rucai didn't want to split the various ministries that had finally gathered together due to differences at this time, so he had to make compromises and concessions, and temporarily agreed to join forces with the two men who came up later to fight the incoming officers and soldiers.
"Now that Brother Luo has said it, there's nothing to say. Just hit him. We've already reached this world anyway, so it doesn't matter anymore!"
Now that the matter has come to this, Xue Chengcai can't let the other three see his flaws, so he doesn't dare to refuse. He can only follow the general trend first, and then act according to the opportunity.
Hei Yunxiang and Zhang Yichuan each have 1,1200 cavalry, but Luo Rucai currently has the most men and horses, no less than 1,500 cavalry. Counting the troops withdrawn by Xue Chengcai and Bai Gui, the total strength of the rebel army is nearly 5,000. Ride left and right.
There were only so many pursuers behind them, so Hei Yunxiang and Zhang Yichuan thought of a "turnaround" to defeat the dog officers who came to chase the rebels. Only in this way could they run away with peace of mind.
In fact, their estimate of the enemy's strength was very close to the actual strength. The total number of officers and soldiers who came to pursue the bandits was only more than 4,000 cavalry, which was not as many as the bandits that had escaped earlier.
If Luo Rucai's head was not worth 50,000 taels of silver, and the heads of other leaders were also worth a lot of money, the four general officers who led the pursuit would definitely not have this enthusiasm.
Seeing the frequent fires in the valley ahead, it must be that the rebel army has encountered an ambush. They can go there and join in the fun. Maybe they can block the rebel army in the valley and annihilate them.
But when they caught up with the rebels, the officers and soldiers suddenly discovered that the rebels did not intend to escape, but chose to turn their horses around and plan to fight their own side.
"this……"
He Renlong didn't expect that the result of chasing for a long time would be like this. It seemed that there were still a lot of pawns left in the rebel army, and the black formation was spread out over a large area. This battle is really difficult to fight, and if you are not careful, you will be defeated. Sinking sand.
After watching for a while from half a mile away, the four general soldiers made a major decision not to fight but to withdraw first and keep a safer distance from the rebels to avoid damage to their own troops.
The Qin army has always shown no restraint in its campaigns. What they did was comparable to Zuo Liangyu, who was nicknamed "General Bandit" by the people. It was normal for him to flee if he couldn't defeat him.
Therefore, only Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou, who had great prestige and qualifications, could suppress these Qin Army general officers who were just looking for cheap opportunities. If it were anyone else, these general officers would not be convinced.
Both sides were mostly people from Shaanxi, and they were from fellow villagers meeting fellow villagers. However, when the rebels saw the officers and soldiers, they got cold feet and all retreated, seemingly not wanting to start a war with themselves.
I've been chasing me for a long time, but when I catch up, I don't dare to come over and fight with each other. Are you kidding me?
So he started yelling and swearing...
