On the evening of November 13th, fifteen miles southwest of Ruishan County, the palace capital, the First Division of the Fengwu Army camped.
Although it has not yet reached the coldest time of winter, the cold wind at night is still whistling. Although Liaoyang's finances are still not very good, Ye Mingsheng knows the importance of logistical supplies when marching and fighting... ··········
Even though they were cobbled together, Ye Mingsheng equipped each soldier with a three-piece set of cotton clothes, cotton shoes, and cotton hats. In addition, he also dispatched thousands of civilian men from Fengzhou to push wheelbarrows into the palace. troops, transporting food, ammunition, and charcoal for heating.
At this time, the charcoal in the brazier in the Chinese military camp was burning, releasing heat to drive away the cold wind. Under the orange light of the candle, Yuan Song, with a solemn expression, was sitting alone on the commander's seat with his eyes closed. Yang Shen seems to be waiting for something.
Yuan Song did not wait too long. After a cup of tea, there was a rush of footsteps outside the tent. Hearing the footsteps, Yuan Song, who had closed his eyes to rest, immediately opened his eyes and stared expectantly. Where the tent door is.
According to the previous plan, Ye Dong's vanguard troops should have reported the situation an hour and a half ago, but now there is no news. Although he has confidence in Ye Dong and the soldiers of his first division, Yuan Song I couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Under the gaze of Yuan Song, Ma Zhongjun, the deputy general of the first division, walked into the camp. When he saw Yuan Song staring at him, he also knew what Yuan Song was waiting for, so he immediately saluted and said:
"I'm telling you, sir, news from Ye Dong's vanguard has arrived!"
"They encountered the advance team of Gongdu's new army at the foot of Ruishan County. The two sides fought an encounter, so it was delayed for a while. At present, Ye Dong has defeated the opponent, but the remaining enemies of the opponent have also entered Ruishan County. ·················”
Hearing Ma Zhongjun's words, Yuan Song felt reassured and couldn't help but feel happy. He deliberately slowed down the progress from Xianxing County to Ruishan County just to wait for the new army from Gongdu to come out, and now the fish finally took the bait!
"Where are the people sent by Ye Dong?" Yuan Song asked immediately:
"Just outside the tent, waiting for your summons at any time!" Ma Zhongjun replied:
"Let him in quickly!" Yuan Song said without hesitation:
"yes!"
Under Yuan Song's order, a man in uniform with a very tired face walked into the camp. When he saw Yuan Song, he immediately bowed and said:
"Zhu Gaoping, the sentry commander under the humble Commander Ye Dong, has met the general!"
Yuan Song waved his hand and went straight to the topic and asked:
"No courtesy! How strong is the new army of Gongdu that is fighting against you? Do you know how many there are?"
Regarding Yuan Song's inquiry, Zhu Gaoping thought for a while and said:
"Sir, according to the prisoners we captured, they sent a total of 5,000 troops this time. However, I judge based on experience that the other party should not have 5,000 troops. The specific number should be around 4,500..." ·········”
"As for the combat power of Gongdu's new army, it is far stronger than the Gongdu army we have encountered before, but it is still not enough to face our army!" When Zhu Gaoping said this, a trace of emotion appeared on his face. The color of confidence.
After he finished speaking, he seemed to have remembered something and continued:
"By the way, sir! When we fought against our army this time, some firearms appeared among the new army in Gongdu, such as three-eyed blunderbuss, bird blunderbuss, and Japanese iron cannons. These firearms brought our army There were some casualties.”
"When I came, the battlefield had not been cleaned up, and the specific casualty figures had not yet been calculated. However, according to Commander Ye Dong, our army probably lost less than 200 people and injured 300 people. The enemy soldiers died. More than 300 people were killed, and we don’t know the number of injured. In addition, our army also captured more than 100 prisoners of war..."
Yuan Song's expression became serious when he heard this number. A battalion of Ye Dong's team had about three thousand people. Two hundred people died and three hundred were injured. The total number of casualties was five hundred. The number of casualties was less than 3,000. 20% of people
According to the usual practice, if the enemy kills 300 people, then the number of injured people is probably between 300 and 800 people. If you take a middle number, it will be 600 people. If you also count the more than 100 prisoners of war captured, then the enemy's number will be between 300 and 800. The number of military losses was approximately one thousand.
This means that the casualty ratio between the enemy and ours is about two to one. Although this is undoubtedly a victory, this casualty has never been achieved by the Gongdu army encountered before!
Previously, his first division had been unstoppable in Gongdu, and the casualty ratio between the enemy and us had been maintained at five to one, or even ten to one. Therefore, this is enough to prove that the strength of this new army in Gongdu is indeed impressive!
"What other information have you dug out from the prisoners?" Yuan Song continued to ask:
Zhu Gaoping shook his head and said:
"The prisoners we captured are all ordinary soldiers who have not become officials, and they know very little information. At present, we only know that this unit is an advance unit of the new army in Gongdu. It is not clear whether there will be others behind them. The main force of Miyato’s new army·················"
Although he was a little disappointed, Yuan Song glanced at Zhu Gaoping's tired expression, nodded and said:
"Go down and have a rest, eat something and sleep. Get up early tomorrow and send a message to Ye Dong, telling him that I will arrive with my army at noon tomorrow!"
Zhu Gaoping declined politely and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, General. However, as the commander of a sentry post, I should return immediately after reporting to you, General. I will go back after I have something to eat!"
Although he was rejected by Zhu Gaoping, Yuan Song was not angry. When he saw that Zhu Gaoping had made up his mind, he nodded and said:
"That's fine!"
"General, I'm resigning from my humble duty!"
"Yeah! Go ahead!"
After Zhu Gaoping left, Yuan Song's attention was focused on the sand table in the camp. After a while, he suddenly asked Ma Zhongjun beside him:
"Is there any news from the Coordination Office?"
Ma Zhongjun nodded and said:
"After Wang Xuecheng asked Li Xuanren to leave, he heard that he and his father Ruiyangjun Li Zaitong had a good chat, and Wang Xuecheng even let Li Xuanren go back... ·”
When Yuan Song heard this, a smile appeared on his dark face and said:
"Wang Kangxin, this thief can't sit still any longer. He's going out of the city to fight me decisively!"
As soon as these words came out, Ma Zhongjun also said with understanding:
"General Yuan, you mean...?"
"Yes! It should be the people from the Coordination Office who fanned the flames in their backyard and made them uneasy, so this bitch Wang Kangxin was finally willing to get out of their turtle shell!" Yuan Song said with a smile:
Ma Zhongjun nodded and asked:
"In that case, General Yuan, what are you going to do next?"
Regarding Ma Zhongjun's question, Yuan Song did not answer but asked with a smile:
"Zhongjun, what do you think?"
Feeling Yuan Song's expression, although he didn't say anything, Ma Zhongjun knew what he had in mind!
After hesitating for a moment, Ma Zhongjun reminded:
"Before leaving, Lord Governor, I reminded you not to underestimate the enemy..."
After Ma Zhongjun finished speaking, Yuan Song's smile faded and he said calmly:
"But your Excellency also said that you want me to take back the heads of Shen Jianzhong and Wang Kangxin!"
Seeing that Yuan Song was very determined, Ma Zhongjun frowned, not knowing what to do.
Seeing Ma Zhongjun's appearance, Yuan Song said in a deep voice:
"Zhongjun! I, Yuan, joined the army at the age of fifteen and have been in the army for more than twenty years. I still know how to advance and retreat. Don't worry, I won't act recklessly knowing that something cannot be done!"
Hearing what Yuan Song said, Ma Zhongjun was also a little moved. In the final analysis, Yuan Song is the commander in chief of the First Division. With Yuan Song's position in the Fengwu Army and the First Division, it is considered very important to be able to discuss with him like this. Give him face as the deputy general.
If you change to someone who is domineering and domineering, tell him to just make a decision and settle the matter without asking whether you agree or not.
So if he had disagreed with me earlier, he would have been somewhat shameless and disrespectful!
And the most important point is that although the new Gongdu army has stronger combat power than the ordinary Gongdu army, it can still be within the range of the first division. There is definitely a risk, but after careful calculation, there is no risk. How big, after all, there is support from Guo Zhiping and his 30,000 troops...
Seeing that Ma Zhongjun's attitude was a little wavering, Yuan Song's expression softened again and he said in a deep voice:
"Zhongjun! Our Fengwu Army is now in financial difficulty and Su Ri'an has been forced to disarm and only has five divisions left!"
At this point, Yuan Song paused and raised his hands in the direction of Dongning and continued:
"But with your lord's great talents, military skills, and civil and military skills, our Fengwu Army will definitely have more soldiers and horses in the future. Zhongjun, your abilities are known to everyone in our Fengwu Army. You are just a transitional person here. In the future You must be on your own,
"But... Zhang Meng, Zhao Han, and Xun Ke are not vegetarians. If you don't do something and achieve results, I'm afraid the opportunity will come. Zhongjun, you will also be in the heart of the military governor." It may not be the top priority!”
As soon as Yuan Song said these words, Ma Zhongjun's expression changed slightly. He was twenty-seven years old. Although he was very young, he had become the deputy general of the First Division and became one of the few senior generals in the Fengwu Army.
But as a young, promising and energetic young general, what he wanted was not to be a lieutenant and assist others, even if that person was Yuan Song, who was known as the number one general of the Fengwu Army.
What Ma Zhongjun wants most is to form an independent army, take charge of the army on his own, lead his men across the battlefield, and kill all enemies for the grand cause of the Lord Warlord. Sometimes when he dreams at night, Ma Zhongjun can dream of leading the army alone.
If Yuan Song really succeeds, he will definitely get most of the credit as the commander-in-chief, but as a deputy general, he can also get a lot of credit, and it will be easier to win the favor of the governor. When the army expands, he can also take the lead. One step for others···············
Thinking of this, Ma Zhongjun gritted his teeth, bowed to Yuan Song and clasped his fists, saying:
"The last general will obey General Yuan!"
Seeing this, Yuan Song patted Ma Zhongjun on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"Zhongjun, you're right. As warriors, our job is to lick blood from the tip of a knife!"
"If you don't have any courage! How can you earn credit?"
After deciding on the general policy, Yuan Song took Ma Zhongjun to the map and said:
"If nothing else happens, Wang Kangxin will lead the main force of the new army in Gongdu to Ruishan County tomorrow. He is eager to eat me now to relieve the pressure inside their palace, so in order to save time, he will definitely eat me as soon as he comes. Will charge hard and hit hard!"
"I plan to set up camp at Wushupo, five miles south of Ruishan County. In order to completely entangle us and prevent me from running away with my troops, Wang Kangxin will not be stationed in Ruishan County. He will Form a stronghold not far from me and keep an eye on me!"
"Zhongjun, I will hand over Sun Lei's battalion of 3,000 men to you, and I will also transfer 500 cavalry from Cai Zhongyuan to you. You can go and hide in the valley to the west tonight, and then wait for three days. !
"After three days of attacking Walled City King Kang Xin's new army in Gongdu, the vigor of the new army will definitely be damaged, and the men and horses are exhausted. The most important thing is that they only have me in their eyes at that time, and they will relax their vigilance towards others..." ······,"
"So when the time comes for Zhongjun, you take advantage of the darkness of night to make a sneak attack and rush out from behind him with men and horses. If you can disrupt his camp, that would be the best. If not, you have to burn his food and grass for me. Once the food and grass are gone, Without him, the morale of the army will be shattered, so as long as you, Zhongjun, succeed in this job, then Wang Kangxin’s head is yours and mine!” Yuan Song said decisively:
What Yuan Song's plan said was that Ma Zhongjun was very excited. He thought Yuan Song's plan was so crazy and risky, but now it seems that Yuan Song's plan is much more reliable than he imagined... ·······
"General Yuan, don't worry. Leave this matter to me. I won't let Wang Kangxin's head escape!" Ma Zhongjun said with confidence with a flash of light in his eyes:
Seeing that Ma Zhongjun was so confident, Yuan Song nodded and said:
"Go do it!"
"yes!"
Looking at Ma Zhongjun's hurried away figure, a faint smile appeared on Yuan Song's dark face.
Although after disarmament and reorganization, some of Yuan Song's old subordinates in the Fengwu Army, such as Zhang Meng and others, were transferred to other places, but because of his trust in Yuan Song, Ye Mingsheng still served as Yuan Song's first division. About half of the old subordinates have been retained, so Yuan Song's prestige in the First Division is still very strong...
Therefore, although he could obviously rely on his own prestige to make the First Division his own voice, not allowing others to have other voices, and making Ma Zhongjun, the deputy general who was transferred to get in the way, become a decoration, Yuan Song never did it. On the contrary He respects Ma Zhongjun very much whether openly or secretly!
