PS: Thanks to book friend Cao Gen Dang Cai Cai for the tip.
"Report!" A flying cavalry came to Zhao Zhijiao, raised his hands on horseback, and said, "Report to the general, a large number of rebel sentry cavalry are sent from the front."
"How's Huailaiwei doing?" Zhao Lejiao asked.
Feiqi said: "Huailaiwei is still in the hands of the imperial court. The rebels just surrounded Huailaiwei and blocked the entrance and exit of Huailaiwei city."
Zhao Shujiao frowned slightly.
"It seems that the rebel bandits want to finish dealing with us first, and then attack Huailaiwei. It seems that the rebel bandits think they can defeat us." Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zuo Fu said.
Zhao Shujiao snorted coldly and said: "Send all the sentinels out. I want to see how these rebel bandits can defeat this general's army."
A group of outpost detectives left the army and began to explore the front.
"The army will stop and rest first, and make sure there is no ambush by the rebels ahead before continuing on its way." Although Zhao Shujiao did not take the soldiers and horses of the Tiger Flag seriously, he was very cautious in his actions.
Encirclement and reinforcements had happened too many times in Liaodong, and he would never let this happen to him again.
At this time, the army was very close to Huailaiwei.
Today's Huailaiwei is not Huailai County in later generations, but in the Guanting Reservoir area.
The soldiers spread a thick animal skin blanket on the ground, and Zhao Shujiao and Zuo Fu sat on it, eating warm dry food handed over by the servants.
The freshly heated hot water was brought to the two of them in bowls by the soldiers.
Ordinary camp soldiers did not receive such good treatment. They ate dry food that was so cold that they could only drink some ice-cold water.
Less than a stick of incense passed.
The sentinels sent out returned to the camp where the army was located.
"General, no ambush of the rebel bandits was found around Huailaiwei. Only the camp of the rebel bandits was found on the edge of the Hun River." A flag officer in the sentinel came to report.
The Hun River was called Shui Zhi in the past, and later it was called the Lugou River. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that it was changed to the Hun River. This river was exactly what people in later generations called the Yongding River.
Zhao Shujiao swallowed the food in his mouth and said to Zuo Fu on the side: "This rebel bandit is a bit interesting. They neither set up an ambush nor attack Huailaiwei. They just stayed on the bank of the Hun River. This is to prepare to fight with us in Hun." A decisive battle near the river,"
"This is a good thing. If the rebels were scattered everywhere, it would be a troublesome thing for us." Zuo Fu said with a smile.
Teacher Zhao held his beard in his hand and nodded.
He is not afraid of a decisive battle with the rebel bandit army, but he is afraid that the rebel bandits will know that he can't defeat them and run away. In this way, not only will the local area be harassed by the rebel bandits, but it will also become troublesome for him to clean up all the rebel bandits.
"General, it's almost time to rest. Do you want the army to move out?" Zuo Fu asked.
Zhao Shujiao nodded and said, "Send the order and order the army to march out of Hunhe River immediately."
The army had only taken a temporary rest before, and it was not as complicated as setting up camp, so the soldiers and horses of each battalion quickly packed up and continued on the road.
The army was not far from the Hun River.
The sentries of the Tiger Flag also brought back the news of the presence of officers and soldiers nearby early.
Chen Xunping put down the charcoal in his hand and said to the ordering soldier: "Send the order and order the army to assemble."
The messenger ran to deliver the order.
Soon, the high-pitched sound of the suona was heard over the camp.
The suona has extremely strong penetrating power and can be heard from a long distance away. Especially on the battlefield, the sound of the suona can be clearly heard.
In the past, war drums were used for the Tiger Flag in the military. Because they were too large and inconvenient to carry, they were gradually changed to suonas and bronze whistles.
Generally, bronze whistles are used for command below the brigade level. When the army charges or assembles, the unique sound of the suona is used.
When Zhao led his army to appear at Huailai Guard City, the Tiger-Character Banner army was already waiting on the banks of the Hun River.
boom! boom! boom!
As soon as the army led by Zhao approached, the artillery array on the side of the Tiger Flag began to fire.
A steady stream of cannonballs flew out. Although many of them were wasted, some still appeared above the heads of the officers and soldiers walking at the front.
Dozens of cannons from the artillery team directly under the First Battle Division were fired continuously.
Since Tiger Flag had the ability to build iron cannons, iron cannons soon began to be mass-produced. Although iron cannons were not as durable as copper cannons, they were cheaper because of their low price. Tiger Flag also had its own iron yard, which further reduced expenses.
"Where's our cannon? Push it up and fight back." Zhao Shujiao shouted loudly.
The people on the edge ran to pass the order.
Not long after, more than a dozen cannons brought by the government troops were pushed up. However, as soon as they entered the range of the Tiger Flag cannon, they immediately became the target of artillery fire.
The distance between the two sides was far enough, and even within the range, they might not be able to hit the target accurately. Therefore, after one round of shelling, the official army only lost two cannons and some gunners.
When the second round of artillery fire from the Tiger Flag side fell, only a few cannons from the official army were fired.
By the time the third round of shelling by the artillery team at the Tiger Banner ended, less than a third of the dozen or so cannons of the government army were left. In addition to the remaining cannons being damaged by the guns from the Tiger Banner side, there were two more cannons. Because the gunner who loaded the gun was too nervous, he loaded too much gun, which caused the barrel to explode, killing several gunners around him.
All the remaining gunners also ran away, leaving only a few cannons and ammunition that seemed to be still intact.
After Zhao Shujiao witnessed all this, his face turned pale.
"Drag those who escaped back and kill them all!" Zhao Shujiao cursed angrily.
He hated deserters on the battlefield.
"General, calm down and kill them. No one will be able to use those cannons. It's better to leave them alive temporarily and give them a chance to redeem themselves and make meritorious service." Zuo Fu persuaded from the side.
So many gunners on our side have been killed, and only a few gunners have escaped.
Zhao Shujiao said coldly: "What are these deserters doing if you don't kill them? You saw it just now. Even if you keep them, you won't have the guts to go over and fire at the rebels."
"That's what the general said." Zuo Fu followed suit and then added, "These rebel bandits in front of us are just one of the rebel bandits under Liu Thief's command. In the future, we will inevitably use cannons to deal with the cities occupied by the rebel bandits. These The gunners have all been killed, so even if we have cannons, we won’t be able to use them.”
After some persuasion, Zhao Shujiao looked thoughtful.
He said: "Death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be escaped. Take these people down and give them thirty lashes each. No food is allowed tonight."
The gunner who was supposed to be taken away and beheaded was taken down and whipped.
Zuo Fu breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the person is not killed, it is fine. As for receiving some punishment, it is indeed a violation of military law to return without being recalled.
"This bandit army is more difficult to deal with than you and I expected. Not only can the bandit's gunners fire accurately, but their cannons can also hit farther than ours." Zhao Shujiao said with an ugly face to Zuo beside him. Assistant said.
