In the first two days when the Ming Dynasty Expeditionary Force retreated south, the situation was relatively stable. With the power of the Weining Sea Battle, the pursuers from all sides did not dare to approach.
However, as the grassland tribes gradually figured out the situation of the Ming army, they found that the Ming army was struggling to drive herdsmen and livestock southward, and when they divided their troops for garrison and could only ignore the front and rear, there were more raids and sporadic local battles.
Even though Ma Yi received Wang Shouren's instructions to send troops to drive away the pursuers, he found that the effect was not good.
The main force of the Mengoljin tribe did not flee in panic due to the attack by the Ming Dynasty soldiers and horses, or in other words, they had no way to retreat. All their own people were captured by the Ming Dynasty. Seeing that the Ming army was gradually approaching Maoerzhuang, they were at most only in the Ming Dynasty. When the cavalry came over, they were broken into pieces. When the Ming cavalry retreated into the formation, they surrounded them from all directions and broke into pieces again.
After several attempts to drive him away, Ma Yi finally had to inform Wang Shouren of the dilemma at the rear.
But at this time, Wang Shouren's headache was not the chasing troops in the rear, but the Mengoljin troops and horses retreating from Maoerzhuang in front.
"Preliminary inspection...should be more than five thousand soldiers and horses."
At the pre-battle meeting, all the generals who could attend the meeting looked solemn.
They are very aware of the actual situation of the Ming Expeditionary Force. With the remaining 2,500 to 600 active forces, it is almost impossible to win against the 5,000 prairie tribe cavalry.
When Cao Shun heard this, he panicked and asked: "Where are the artillery? Zhang Zhitai gave us so many artillery, didn't he mean that Ningyuan only used twelve cannons in the first battle and killed the Tatars and fled in all directions? No matter what, we can't return it. There are fifty or sixty cannons..."
The surrounding generals looked excited.
At the critical moment, they were not strong enough, but they still had artillery and various muskets. During the previous surprise attack on Weininghai, these firearms played an overwhelming advantage and were the key to victory.
Wang Shouren said: "Transport all the firearms in the formation forward. If the Di Yi cavalry comes, gather your troops and fight them! Leave two hundred cavalry in the rear for raiding and harassing purposes."
Everyone present heard it.
Wang Shouren was preparing for the strategic focus, moving from the pursuing troops in the rear to the men and horses of the Mengoljin Front Banner who were about to face them in the front.
A war is likely to break out again.
…
…
After the military meeting dispersed, the generals from the artillery battalion came over, as well as Sun Shangqi and Liu Gui, two people sent by Zhang Zhou to supervise the army.
"Master Wang, we don't have many artillery shells at the moment. Coupled with the bumps along the way, there are only forty-nine artillery pieces left. It's good if one cannon can fire one shot."
Wang Shouren had long known what the artilleryman said.
The artillery given by Zhang Zhou was originally used for a surprise attack on the Weining Sea. Now that the strategic purpose has been achieved, if it were not for the purpose of continuing to frighten the grassland tribes, he could have discarded most of the artillery and left only about 20 as a basis. The basics can also lighten the team's luggage and speed up the advancement slightly.
Twenty cannons, one cannon firing two shots, is not much different from forty-nine cannons firing simultaneously.
After all, with the reloading speed of the light cannon, two rounds of shells can be fired before the enemy is within range and before fighting in close combat.
Sun Shangqi said: "Of the 200 flint muskets given by Mr. Zhang earlier, even if the ammunition has been reloaded, only more than 120 are still usable. They may not be able to be fired twice."
Because the flint gun is the latest research, the technology is not yet complete, just like a disposable fire gun.
After the Weininghai battle is used up, if you want to reuse it, the effect will be greatly reduced.
Subsequent reports revealed that even weapons such as matchlocks were obviously insufficient. From projectiles to the current state of the army, it was impossible to fight another hearty battle like the surprise attack on Weininghai.
Wang Shouren said: "Don't leak the situation of the Shenji Battalion, and be prepared for war! If we can't fight a bloody path on the front line, we will all perish!"
…
…
The army continued to move south.
Then came even worse news, that is, a team of more than 2,000 cavalry was found in the rear. It seemed that the troops from the Fire Sieve Headquarters had withdrawn after hearing the news.
At this time, four days had passed since the Battle of Weininghai, and it was already the ninth day of June.
The expeditionary army is still more than forty miles away from Maoerzhuang. In terms of the speed of travel, it may not be possible to complete the journey in one day, but it seems that it can no longer move forward.
There are fierce tigers in front of us and hungry wolves behind us. When we attack the enemy's lair, we have a hearty fight, but it is not that easy to escape unscathed.
From the evening of the eighth day of the lunar month to the morning of the ninth day of the lunar month, the team marched less than ten miles. The team's progress was greatly hindered by wind and rain.
"Report..."
"Five miles ahead, there are Tatar cavalry gathering!"
"Report..."
"Twenty miles away on the right wing, there are cavalry gathering!"
"Ten miles away from the rear army, there is a cavalry attack on the camp. The horse commander leads the troops to meet the enemy..."
At this time, Wang Shouren discovered that they had almost fallen into a trap surrounded by Mengoljin troops from three sides.
Only their left wing, that is, the east direction toward Xianxuan Mansion, was not approached by Tatars, but this seemed to be in line with the so-called tactical concept of encircling three groups by military strategists.
Didn't trap them all to death.
"It is impossible for the main force of the Fire Sieve Army to withdraw so early. It is just a cover-up. If the opponent's troops were several times larger than ours, they would have sent troops long ago. Why should we be so secretive?"
Wang Shouren mobilized before the war.
But his words didn't seem to have the desired effect.
Just the early troops of the Huoshii headquarters that Maoerzhuang had withdrawn to block their way southward included at least 5,000 cavalry, and these were not the old, weak, sick and disabled who stayed behind in Weininghai. The Ming Dynasty sent troops from Datong to attack the main force of Weininghai, and their combat effectiveness was extraordinary.
It’s not that we believe Wang Shouren’s enemies just because they are paper tigers.
What we want is to use firearms to deter them. Now they don't dare to launch a full-scale assault. Not only are they afraid of us escorting the hostages, but also because we have firearms to guard them. Once they find a flaw, they will kill them without mercy.
At the pre-military meeting, everyone looked solemn.
Liu Gui, who belongs to a hundred households, suddenly said: "Isn't there a mountain to the east? Why don't we use the mountain as our back and fight against it?"
Cao Shun said angrily: "Who do you think you are? Are you qualified to speak here? By relying on the mountain, does that mean we are waiting to die there?"
Liu Gui didn't know what was going on. In his opinion, having his back against the mountain could only prevent him from having any threats behind him and allow him to concentrate on dealing with the enemies in front of him.
Now that we are trapped in a tight siege and surrounded by three people, shouldn't we also block our escape?
But doing this is to tell Cao Shun and other people who are afraid of death that we are not going to break out to the south, and we will just stay where we are, in order to make ourselves look like a trapped beast still fighting.
Wang Shouren looked at Liu Gui with a burning gaze, and suddenly there was a hint of appreciation in his eyes. At about this time, Liu Gui's suggestion was considered to be the best one...
Why continue to go south...
Since there is no way to break through the barrier formed by the five thousand soldiers and horses in front of the Fire Screen Headquarters, we must first think about how to preserve our vitality, or more importantly.
Wang Shouren said: "What Liu Baihu proposed is also the right choice. Using the steep and dangerous peaks that cannot be climbed as a support, with your back to the mountains, you can also take advantage of firearms to temporarily build forts and fortifications, and you can also use firearms to fight against the enemy. The barbarians resist."
"You..." Cao Shun was unhappy when he heard this, "Master Wang, do you also want to wait for death?"
Wang Shouren shook his head and said: "We have tens of thousands of men, women, and children from Di Yi as hostages. If they want to attack the mountain, we will use these people to stand in front of the formation, plant mighty sky gunpowder, and blow them up all together!"
As the executive deputy general, Guan Jing immediately took the order and said: "I have the order!"
"etc!"
Cao Shun immediately stopped Guan Jing, "If you want to station your troops and horses high on the mountain, how can you ensure water supply? Isn't that asking for death? Besides, the Tatars haven't come to kill us yet!"
Cao Shun didn't want to wait to die.
Wang Shouren was resolute and took advantage of Cao Shun's doubts to explain to the soldiers present: "Listen carefully, now is a good opportunity for us to wait for help. Our water bags can last for more than three days. If it lasts for three days, The Ming reinforcements still didn't arrive, so they had no choice but to blow up the Tatar herdsmen, and the whole army broke out to attack. There were no worries about water sources and food... What's more, we still have tens of thousands of cattle and sheep..."
He just wanted to remind Cao Shun's soldiers.
This is not the Battle of Tumu Fort.
It doesn't matter what kind of water source problem it is. The water on my body is enough for three days. If the reinforcements don't come for three days, there is no need to look for water. You can directly kill the captured prisoners, cattle and sheep, and lead the troops. Charge out and see how many can break through.
Sun Shangqi said: "There are currently more than 10,000 Tatar herdsmen, plus so many cattle and sheep, as well as army officers and soldiers. The battle array is indeed a bit big. It is easy for the army to focus on one thing and lose another. Major General Wang's suggestion is very good. .”
Although the Battle of Weininghai was won by Wang Shouren's proper command.
But after all, Wang Shouren had no actual experience in leading troops before, and his prestige was not high. In such a matter of advancing or retreating, life and death, many generals actually set their sights on Cao Shun.
We had to fight in Weininghai, and we had to fight when we arrived.
But now Mao'erzhuang is right in front of us. After more than a hundred miles from Mao'erzhuang, we can reach the Datong border of Ming Dynasty. If we give up the prisoners of grassland herders and cattle and sheep, and attack with fast horses, we still have a chance to kill them back.
At this time, you must have enough confidence to put yourself in a desperate position.
Sun Shangqi's words can be regarded as the "final word" in disguise.
Because behind Sun Shangqi is the firearms camp, which is the artillery battalion in the army, and because Sun Shangqi is the supervisor sent by Zhang Zhou, the Ming Dynasty Jinyi Guard Qianhu is equivalent to the person who supervises the battle team, even Sun Shangqi thinks it should be done now After shrinking the defense line and gathering the migratory team that had been dragged for three, four or even five or six miles back and forth to one place, the lieutenant general thought again. The king had no objection to the breakout in three days, so it would be better to move the troops first. Soldiers and horses gathered in one place.
Or do Ming reinforcements arrive without breaking out?
A general asked from behind the crowd: "Can the soldiers and horses from Datong Town come?"
The generals present were all embarrassed.
None of them are fools.
If the Ming Dynasty's frontier troops were so efficient, it would not be so difficult for Datong's army to pass through Mao'erzhuang after so many days of dispatching troops. It stands to reason that when they get here now, they should not be facing the Fire Sieve Headquarters. The soldiers and horses in front of the banner will not be attacked from three sides, but should be the army welcoming their triumphant victory.
Not now...and probably not in three days.
Only a fool would expect that the situation would be completely different in three days.
Wang Shouren saw the morale of the army was low, and he said sternly: "Everyone, no matter whether Datong Town sends troops or not, Zhang Zhitai's men will definitely come, and they will come with the divine long-range artillery and divine heavy artillery. By then, the Tatars will You will retreat without a fight! Do you want the credit you have gained to fly away, and when you return to the border town, you will be laughed at as a coward who cannot fight to the death? "
Now we can only use various methods to cheer up these generals.
After all, Wang Shouren couldn't summon all the soldiers to talk one by one. He first had to make the group of soldiers confident in order to fight this battle.
The reasons he gave were, first, Zhang Zhou's "awesomeness".
You don’t trust the soldiers in the border towns, don’t you trust Zhang Banxian who can pinch and calculate?
Have you forgotten who came up with the previous strategy of surprise attack on Weininghai? Zhang Zhou said he would open a way for us to go south. Could it be that he just paid lip service and left us alone? So what good will it do him if we annihilate the entire army?
As for the second point... it is to act with emotion and understand with reason.
Now that you have gone back, you are considered a deserter at best. You said you had killed many heads but you did not bring them back. Who would believe it?
If the herdsmen are caught by you, no matter whether they are killed or abandoned, they will just go back and be ridiculed as cowards for the rest of their lives.
It's better to stay and fight to the death. If the Ming Dynasty's reinforcements come, not only will you not be ridiculed, but everyone will be a hero... I ask you, do you want to be a coward or a hero?
"war!"
Guan Jing waved his arms first.
"Fight! Fight!"
Encouraged by Wang Shouren, the morale of the army was stabilized.
Before the men and horses of Huoshan's various ministries formed an encirclement, they quickly headed towards the unknown mountain peak to the east. It was not a famous mountain, and it only relied on the foot of the mountain to block the retreat to the east.
Cao Shun looked at the soldiers below being bewitched by Wang Shouren, and cursed: "You still want to imitate Han Xin and fight against the enemy? You have to bear the mountain while others carry the river! You are just a fledgling, but you are so fearless of death... What a fool!"
Even though he was scolding, he still admired Wang Shouren in his heart.
At least he has never seen a young man as daring as Wang Shouren. His execution ability and his seemingly awesome momentum are quite intimidating...
Thinking about it more carefully, it seems that there really is one, and that is Zhang Zhou.
…
…
The expeditionary force led by Wang Shouren drove the 16,000 to 7,000 prisoners and nearly 100,000 cattle, sheep, and livestock into the area near Tushan, and then found that... there was not enough space.
Originally, more than two thousand cavalrymen could easily fight on their backs, but with so many prisoners and animals, they couldn't even place them.
It was the first time for everyone in the expeditionary force to see the full picture of the "trophies" they had captured.
Just watching countless cattle and sheep driving up the hillside...that scene...
What a spectacle.
I can't help but think about it... If I take this back, how much military merit can I get in exchange for it?
There was also a carriage and a carriage's heads, which were symbols of their military merits. They were also carried up the hillside, and they were waiting for the attack of the fire-sifted troops from a high position.
Before nightfall on the ninth day of June, all the soldiers and horses were assembled. Some cattle and sheep that were too late to go up the mountain were killed directly by Wang Shouren's order, and then slaughtered into beef and mutton and sent up to the soldiers on the mountain.
No matter what happens tonight or tomorrow, at least the officers and soldiers will eat meat first, even though many of them have almost vomited the beef and mutton in the past few days.
When guarding such a herd of cattle and sheep, there will always be lame people or those who die accidentally.
After nightfall.
The three armies reorganized.
Wang Shouren changed his troops and horses into two squads, and the garrison was rotated day and night. He also stipulated that all soldiers should be on guard and ready for battle at any time.
"I don't know what will happen tomorrow."
Cao Shun took out the wine to warm himself, and while warming himself by the fire, he drank and ate meat.
This kind of treatment... made the surrounding generals envious.
Drinks are not available to everyone. As the eunuch guarding the Xuanfu, Cao Shun has a high status. In fact, he has the highest status in the army, but now he is suppressed by Wang Shouren. He feels a little aggrieved. Now After listening to Wang Shouren, I was driven to this dead end place and felt that my life was about to decline. That feeling...
Great joy and great sorrow.
If I don't drink and complain, am I still my old Cao?
Wang Shouren came back from an inspection and sat in front of the bonfire. He said: "Even in the hot summer on the grassland, the temperature difference between day and night is large. It will rain at any time at night. Let the soldiers keep warm. There is no need to hide the bonfire. You can light as many as you can." !”
If it is a normal march, be careful when starting the stove, but now the strength of their army has long been under the control of the grassland tribes. The main reason is that the expeditionary force was too embarrassed due to lack of manpower during the two days of retreat south.
There is no need to hide now, what should be done, first ensure the daily needs of the soldiers, especially to eat and drink enough, but also to keep warm and even recharge their batteries.
Standing still and waiting for help is an extremely physically demanding job.
There was a mountain of earth behind them on the hillside, and the atmosphere among the soldiers was a bit depressing, but Mengoljin's troops did not move closer immediately... Mainly because they were frightened by the Ming Dynasty's artillery.
Who knows if the Ming Dynasty might have lured the enemy deeper into the area? If they came up to surround them, the Ming Dynasty soldiers would rush down with carriages and artillery and bombard their camps indiscriminately. Wouldn’t that be a disaster?
As a result, even if the Ming expeditionary force huddled in front of a mountain in a very irregular shape, the Tatars still had to camp about ten miles away and sent a large number of cavalry to patrol around, especially to prevent the Ming cavalry from suddenly attacking. Coming...
When Wang Shouren learned about the Tatars' arrangements, he smiled in front of Cao Shun and others: "This is called deterrence. It is no longer the case before. Wherever the Tatar cavalry goes, the border troops can only hold on and be unable to move out. Let them wreak havoc in our Ming Dynasty."
Cao Shun asked: "Master Wang, do you think Zhang Zhitai will come?"
Wang Shouren said coldly: "How can a person who knows the secrets of heaven break his promise? We have completed our mission. We are just following Zhang Zhitai's instructions to lead the troops to withdraw south. We have done our best and the remaining It’s all up to God’s will!”
(End of chapter)
