On October 13, the eleventh year of Chongzhen reign in the Ming Dynasty, at the beginning of Chen hour, the sky was dim, and a trace of white fish belly had just risen in the east, and the faint light shone on the earth.
Qiao Tower is the highest point in Changping. There are copper kettles and drippers used in ancient time in the building. There are also recording points throughout the city. On weekdays, drums can be beaten according to the hour to tell the time to the people in the city. During war, they can be climbed up to command the mobilization of the city. Armies inside and outside.
On the second floor of the Qiao Tower in Changping City, Shang Fang was given the sword. The governor of the world, King Qin’s soldiers and horses, the Minister of War, and the governor of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng, were looking out of the city. At this time, the soldiers and horses of King Qin of Xuanda and Shanxi towns were dismantling the camps in an orderly manner and preparing to move the camps. garrisoned in the eastern suburbs outside Yongding Gate of the capital.
Governor Lu Xiangsheng stood on the Qiao tower and looked at the reinforcement camps of King Qin that were densely scattered outside the city. He couldn't help but recall the time when he first arrived in Changping.
At first, only more than 10,000 elite cavalrymen from the three towns of Xuanda and Shanxi arrived in Changping. As soldiers and horses of King Qin from all over the country gathered, there were also nearly 70,000 elite infantry and cavalry troops from the border towns of the Ming Dynasty, plus Shang from the three major battalions of the capital. There are tens of thousands of soldiers ready to fight.
At that time, he was so complacent, and he had imagined several times that if the imperial court could not hesitate to award rewards, greatly encourage the morale of the soldiers, and take advantage of the cover of night, divide the troops into several groups, and raid the slave camp, maybe a battle would be possible. Defeating the Luqi, even if things don't work out as expected, can at least prevent the Luqi from wreaking havoc on our important land in the capital.
However, he never thought that he would embark on such a path of dividing his troops to fight. In his heart, he had a vague feeling that not only the troops would be divided to fight, but also they might be divided and then fight separately.
Thinking of this, Governor Lu Xiangsheng couldn't help but turn around and look up at the plaque "Huayi Xiongguan" under the eaves, and sighed in his heart.
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On October 13th, the sun was rising slowly from the east.
Outside Changping City, there were waves of people shouting and horses neighing.
With the Chinese army flags in each town, horses were riding back and forth shouting: "Raise the camp, set up the stronghold, and move to the eastern suburbs of Yongding Gate... Break the camp, raise the stronghold, and move to the eastern suburbs of Yongding Gate..."
King Qin's soldiers from Xuanda and Shanxi towns set up their camps one after another. Although it was a little noisy, it was not chaotic. Under the command of generals at all levels, everything seemed very orderly.
Governor Lu Xiangsheng's Governor's Battalion was the first to set up camp. After being fully equipped, they gathered outside the west gate of Changping.
Then, the generals of King Qin from Xuanfu Town arrived with their troops and took up positions on the left side of Lu Xiangsheng's Biao camp.
Then, Hu Dawei, the chief military officer of Shanxi Town, also arrived with the troops of King Qin. They were located on the right side of Du Biao Camp.
Finally, Wang Pu, the chief military officer of Datong Town, hurriedly arrived with the soldiers of King Qin from his town who had come to the rescue.
Together with the Governor Lu Xiangsheng's Governor's Camp, more than 30,000 soldiers from Xuanda and Shanxi towns, including King Qin and other generals, gathered outside the west gate of Changping, like a sea of armor and horses, standing blackly between the sky and the earth, as if covered with late autumn. of the entire earth.
King Qin's troops from the three towns of Xuanda and Shanxi were selected elites from the border towns.
Among them, most of the Dubiao camp of the governor Lu Xiangsheng and the regular barracks of the general soldiers of the three towns were cavalry. Some of the participating generals and guerrillas who came to the aid from each town were also cavalry.
Each of these tens of thousands of cavalry has a horse, and all of them wear armor. In addition to iron armor or cotton armor, everyone also has an iron helmet. At this time, the Ming army was still red, and each cavalry formation had their armor painted with red paint. , looking around, there is a fiery red color, and the feathers of the cavalry are flying in the cold wind.
Moreover, these horse camps that joined King Qin used a high proportion of firearms. Both the Dubiao camp and the Zhengbing camp were equipped with hundreds of common firearms such as bird guns, three-eyed guns, and quick guns, which were easier to move. There are dozens of squatting tiger cannons and more than 10,000 Ming-made rockets.
Behind the cavalry, there is their densely packed baggage of mules and horses, which is equipped with a large number of firearms and ammunition, horse-repelling caltrops and other items. When encountering the enemy in battle or defense in the wild, hundreds of repelling horses, coupled with iron caltrops, can be used. They can be closely surrounded and protected.
Zhang Cheng even saw that there were a large number of artillery placed behind Lu Xiangsheng's Supervisory Camp baggage team. In addition to some Folang machine artillery, there were also several Hongyi cannons.
Zhang Cheng estimated in his mind that they should be some six-pound cannon or three-pound cannon. Each artillery here requires several mules and horses to drag.
He sighed silently in his mind.
At this time, all the military camps in the Ming Dynasty were composed of professional soldiers. The training was certainly not bad, and in terms of weapons and equipment, they were even better than the Qing army. Why did they fight repeatedly in the battle against the Qing army? What about repeated defeats?
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Zhang Chengce was on his horse, looking around at the endless army and horses, with all kinds of flags fluttering in the wind.
On his right are the troops and horses of the Zhenbiao Battalion of Xuanzang Commander-in-Chief Yang Guozhu.
The commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu was now wearing iron armor and a scarlet cloak, riding on a strong war horse.
Beside him, a general's flag was erected high, one foot and five feet high, with a yellow heart and red edges, decorated with a tasseled head and pheasant tail and an eight-foot-five-inch horn belt. The six-foot-long trapezoidal flag was following. The wind was blowing, and a big "Yang" character was faintly visible.
Behind Yang Guozhu's war horse are his general guerrilla Guo Yingxian and his various commanders. They all have their own flags, either with a red heart and blue border, or a black heart with a white border, or a blue heart with a black border. The flags are clear at a glance.
Each Qianzong is riding on a horse, wearing a helmet, and has a strong and powerful body, giving people the impression of being brave and good at fighting.
Zhang Cheng could see that General Yang Guozhu was better than the military. The officers and generals under his command, except for the Chinese guerrilla Guo Yingxian and General Qian, all the commanders below also had their own flags. Armor commanders each have their own back flags and helmet flags, so they must be able to command as easily as their arms and fingers.
He looked to the right again. On the right side of Yang Guozhu's Xuanfu military formation, the general of the governor Lu Xiangsheng was attacking Chen An. He immediately stood under the governor's high-tooth banner. He was also fully armored and neatly dressed. Behind Chen An was the governor. The battalion is also equally densely arrayed, and in terms of strength and order, it is even better than Yang Guozhu's troops.
Zhang Cheng originally thought that he was from a later generation and had hundreds of years more experience than the people here. However, after this experience, he realized clearly that those things were of no real use.
Just like at this time, when all the armies gathered and the stars gathered together, Zhang Cheng realized that there were people outside the world, there was heaven in the sky, and there were still many things he needed to learn.
At the same time, he also secretly made up his mind to work hard and build his own strength.
One day, I will definitely become so powerful and powerful that all forces, both our enemies and ourselves, will not dare to underestimate my existence.
First of all, in this year's battle for King Qin, he must fight bravely, gain fame, and gather military exploits and connections to lay a foundation for his future development.
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On October 13th, at the end of Chen hour, the sun was already slanting in the east. The sunlight shone on my body, making me feel warm and comfortable, but also a little dazzling.
Outside the west gate of Changping City, King Qin's troops and horses from Xuanda and Shanxi towns, who had come to aid Gyeonggi, were assembled.
A rapid sound of horse hooves hitting the ground came from the west gate of Changping.
Governor Lu Xiangsheng and his entourage rode out of the west gate of Changping. He was still dressed in linen and filial piety, riding on an unusually splendid white war horse, but it was his most beloved war horse, Wumingji.
His loyal family members Gu Xian, the shepherd officer Yang Lukai and others, as well as a large group of military aides Zan Hua, all followed him on horseback.
Zhang Cheng saw the governor Lu Xiangsheng holding a fine iron sword in his hand. From a distance, it might have weighed dozens of kilograms.
I couldn't help but say in my heart: "People say that Lu Xiangsheng is very brave. He will take the lead in every battle. He is very brave. He really deserves his reputation."
Governor Lu Xiangsheng rode his horse in front of the military formation and galloped past. Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers remained silent, staring closely at his figure.
Looking at the three-town Qinwang soldiers who were waiting in formation, Lu Xiangsheng's eyes showed emotion. He galloped to the front of the Dubiao camp. Suddenly, he tightened the reins of the five-pointed horse under his crotch, and there was a burst of war horse's movement. The neighing sound sounded, Wu Mingji's front hooves were raised high, and then he stopped steadily in front of the high-toothed banner of the Chinese army.
Lu Xiang stood on his horse, raised his head and slowly looked at Changping City behind the military formation. He turned his head and looked at Changping City behind him. All the past events in the past few days were all vivid in his mind, flashing through his mind like a stream of light. He seemed to be crazy, staring...
After a long time, he turned around, raised the fine iron sword in his hand, and shouted: "Let's go!"
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Lu Xiangsheng's supervisory battalion was the first to break out of camp. They were almost all cavalry. Only the baggage team behind them was slightly slower and headed straight for the capital along the official road.
The troops and horses from the three towns of Xuanda and Shanxi that came to support King Qin were marching in the direction of Yongding Gate in the south of Beijing in accordance with the predetermined marching order and route.
On the Xuanfu Town side, the main barracks of General Yang Guozhu followed closely behind the superintendent's camp of Lu Xiangsheng, the governor, on the official road.
The guerrillas Li Jianming and Wen Hui each led their own troops and horses, marching on the left and right wings of Yang Guozhu, guarding Yang Guozhu's central army, and the baggage teams of various troops and horses in Xuanzhen were arranged behind Yang Guozhu's military formation and marched in an orderly manner.
Zhang Yan, the general of Xuanfu Town, led the troops and horses of his headquarters and served as the rear guard of the entire army. The guards marched behind the baggage teams of each ministry. He personally led the Chinese army's cavalry and infantry headquarters in the front, and Zhang Cheng led the cavalry team in the rear.
Datong Town and Shanxi Town also marched in an orderly manner on the left and right wings of Lu Xiangsheng's Biao Battalion under the leadership of their respective chief military officers, following the established route.
They will gather again at Yongding Gate in the south of Beijing. After giving orders to the generals, they can go to the newly designated garrison areas of each ministry and set up camp.
Zhang Cheng's troops also used two sentries on the left and right to protect the two wings, and the two posts in front and back were the central army. They formed a fan-shaped formation and followed the infantry headquarters of Zhenbiao's right battalion, marching in an orderly direction towards Yongding Gate.
Chen Zhong rode his horse beside Zhang Cheng, and a group of guards surrounded him. Zhang Cheng stared in the direction of Juyongguan, unwilling to leave for a long time.
"Master, it's time to set off." Chen Zhong reminded in a low voice.
Zhang Cheng was still staring in the direction of Juyongguan and asked Chen Zhong: "Chen Zhong, where do you think He Shihui and the others will go now?"
Chen Zhong replied: "I'm afraid we have already passed the Huailai Guard by now. If we walk faster, we should pass the security guard."
"Well, I hope they have a safe journey and arrive in Xuanzang safely."
After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he raised his riding whip, and with a crisp "snap" sound, his horse suddenly sprang out, raised its hooves, and flew away along the official road...
