Huailaiwei was changed to Huailai County in later generations, and the old site has been submerged in Guanting Reservoir.
Huailaiwei already existed during the Yongle period. After so many years, the number of military households and civilians living in the city was no longer the same as before.
However, more people does not mean more soldiers and horses.
Tiancheng Guard is nominally one of the guards under the jurisdiction of Wandu Si. Like other guards in various places, there are not many soldiers left, only a group of military households who only know how to farm.
Each guard official only has a small number of personal servants around him, and the number is far less than the number of personal servants adopted by the border army generals.
Without enough elite soldiers and generals, officials of all sizes in the city knew that the Huailai Guard could not stop the army of rebels who were coming all the way from the Huai'an Guard.
Without the Liaodong soldiers and horses brought by Zhao Lijiao to be stationed in Yanqing Prefecture, Huailai Guard would have fallen into the hands of the rebels like those acropolis captured by the rebel army.
There is a large army from Liaodong in Yanqing Prefecture, which gives some hope to the officials of the large and small guards in Huailai Guard City. The strong soldiers and generals of Liaodong who can fight the slaves and thieves in Liaodong will be better than the rebels who emerged from Xuanda. The bandit must be powerful.
The guards in Huailai Guard City did not dare to open the city gate, so they could only send people out of the city in hanging baskets to spread the news.
The people who left the city never came back. The many guards officials hiding in the city did not know the situation outside the city. They could only see the rebel cavalry appearing around the outside of Huailaiwei City from time to time.
Outside Huailai Guard City, there is a large camp with the Tiger Character Flag.
"Shi Zheng, when shall we take action?" Deputy Shi Zheng and Sun Chuang came to Chen Xunping's tent.
Chen Xunping looked at the makeshift sand table in front of him, pointed to one of the villages with his hand, and said: "The cavalry army from Liaodong is hiding here. Once we attack Huailaiwei, the other side is likely to take this opportunity to make a sneak attack. Our base camp.”
The cavalry near Huailaiwei gave him a headache.
If you can't fight well, you can't run with two legs and you can't run with four legs. Failure to fight is always a hidden danger.
"We have sent people to notify the Third Battle Division in Xuanfu Town. I believe that cavalry will come to support soon." Staff Qin Rong said.
The cavalry battalion led by Tan Zaiwang has arrived in Xuanfu, but it has not come to Huailai to defend with the First Battle Division.
Chen Xunping shook his head slightly and said: "Tan Zaiwang's cavalry will take a few days at the fastest to arrive. We can't wait such a long time."
"Then let's fight. At worst, we can dedicate a military camp to guard against sneak attacks by this horse army." Qin Rong said.
The daily consumption of food and fodder by tens of thousands of troops is a huge amount. It is impossible to waste time waiting for cavalry support here in Huailaiwei.
Sun Chuang said: "I can take the First Battle Battalion as the vanguard. As long as you give me twenty cannons as support, I guarantee to capture Huailaiwei."
After beating so many guard posts, I couldn’t ask more about what the defenders in the acropolis were like. The border troops could barely fight against the Tiger Flag army. The defenders in the acropolis were not even qualified to fight. Often, after several rounds of shelling, The defenders on the top of the city ran away and scattered. The soldiers who attacked the city only needed to climb up to the top of the city to capture the acropolis.
"Wait a minute, I have already sent people to find out about Zhao Shujiao's troops. When they come back, we will decide whether to attack Huailaiwei or not." Chen Xunping said to the two people.
Sun Chuang said: "Zhao's troops are in Yanqing Prefecture. It will take two days at the fastest to reach Huailaiwei. Now one day has passed. If we don't attack Huailaiwei today, I'm afraid the other side will have them tomorrow. Might make it there."
"What I want is for them to come over," Chen Xunping said.
The two people in the tent looked at him in confusion.
Chen Xunping pointed to a village on the sand table and said: "The cavalry army here is determined to escape. We don't have enough cavalry and can't stop it at all. But it's different when Zhao Shujiao arrives. Zhao Shujiao If you dare to come, you must be rushing to destroy our army. When the time comes, there will definitely be a decisive battle here in Huailaiwei. The cavalry army of the official army will not run away anymore, but will follow Zhao Ledjiao. Take this opportunity to eat them all in one bite.”
His open palm suddenly clenched into a fist.
"Zhao led the army to come from Guanning. It was an army raised by the imperial court at a great expense of money and food. It is more powerful than the Xuan Da border army we dealt with before. We cannot be careless." Qin Rong reminded.
The combat effectiveness of the frontier army depends on the money and food given by the court. The more money and food the soldiers below receive, the stronger their combat effectiveness will naturally be. On the contrary, even the money and food are often delayed, so don't expect ordinary soldiers to work for the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Xunping chuckled lightly and said: "I came from Liaodong. I am very familiar with what the frontier army in Liaodong looks like. Even if they have money and food, they will only be stronger than Xuanda's frontier army. If it weren't for this horse With the army here, I dare to bypass the Huailai Guard to find Zhao Lijiao and take the initiative for a decisive battle."
Others were worried about the troops coming out of Liaodong, but he was not worried.
The Ming army is already like this. It cannot be too strong, otherwise the civilian officials will try every means to restrict it until it collapses.
If it weren't for the threat of slaves and thieves in Liaodong, how could the civil servants be willing to spend so much money to send food to Liaodong.
When the Ma Army arrived at Huailaiwei, the Tumu Fort had been captured by Chen Xunping and the First War Division, and the army was staying in the Tumu Fort area for repairs.
The news that Zhao Lijiao and the Guan Ning soldiers and horses led by him appeared in Yanqing Prefecture had long been known to the First Battle Division and the Third Battle Division.
Chen Xunping left Xuanfu to the Third War Division, and led the First War Division to Baoan Prefecture, seeking a decisive battle with the Liaodong army led by Zhao.
The Tiger Character Banner had defeated the soldiers and horses of the guard station, the border troops of Xuanda, and the border troops of Taiyuan and Yulin Town, but it had not fought against the most elite soldiers and horses of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Xunping didn't want to miss this opportunity.
He was also from the Liaodong frontier army, so he wanted to see whether the soldiers and horses of their Tiger Flag were more powerful, or the so-called most elite Liaodong soldiers and horses of the Ming Dynasty.
"Report."
A fast rider who dispersed the tiger flag came to Chen Xunping at a gallop.
"Reporting to the commander, the official cavalry was found outside Huailai Guard City, numbering between five and six hundred, carrying three small cannons, and the leader was a guerrilla."
The sentries of the Tiger Flag are equipped with monocular binoculars.
You can clearly see the enemy's situation without getting too close to the enemy, which greatly ensures the safety of your own sentries.
"The enemy has too many cavalry. Division Zheng, do you think we should retreat to the earthen fort first to avoid their sharp edges and look for the opponent's infantry for a decisive battle." Staff Qin Rong said.
He has cooperated with Chen Xunping for many years. When Chen Xunping was still the commander of the First Battle Barracks, he was the staff officer of the First Battle Barracks. The two of them are old partners, so they don't have too many scruples about what they say.
Chen Xunping shook his head and said: "We can't retreat. The army has been strong all the way and its morale is at its peak. Retreating to Tumu Fort at this time will damage the morale of the soldiers below."
"The cavalry we brought is only about a hundred or so. They are mainly used to deliver messages and serve as sentry cavalry. They are not suitable for fighting with enemy cavalry." Qin Rong frowned.
