After receiving the military order from Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, immediately decided to rescue. After learning the news, all the soldiers in his camp cheered in unison.
Most of the family members of Liu Zhaoji's army lieutenants lived in the Songxing forts. Due to the war, except for a few who fled to Tashan, Ningyuan and other safer places, most of the rest hid in Songshan and Xingshan, as well as the surrounding forts.
They thought of their loved ones and their own, and their morale was high. Moreover, after the army crossed the high bridge, they also forced back many slaves and thieves sentries and cavalry along the way, and even beheaded seven levels, which also gave them courage. .
What's even more gratifying is that there are no more than 10,000 Tatars besieging Xingshan at this moment, and their armored slaves are only a few thousand. However, there are nearly 10,000 soldiers in his own camp, including nearly 3,000 cavalry alone.
If we add in the thousands of guards in Xingshan and the more than 10,000 troops from Yang Guozhu's tribe in Xuanzang, even if these Tatar thieves cannot be eliminated under the walls of Xingshan City, there is still no problem in holding them in a stalemate until the whole army comes. of.
Therefore, nearly 10,000 soldiers wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to not only save their loved ones, but also achieve some military merit. Following the order from Commander-in-Chief Liu Zhaoji, the army rolled forward and rushed towards the Xingshan Fort in front, bringing up smoke and dust. All over the sky.
The journey from Gaoqiao to Xingshan is only eighteen miles. Once out of Gaoqiao, the surrounding fields are mostly flat rivers.
It was already afternoon, and the heat wave was rolling in. As far as the eye could see, there were large areas of abandoned land everywhere. There were occasionally small cultivated fields, which had also been destroyed by the invading Tatars. Everywhere was bare, whether up or down the mountain. Hard to see green.
Due to long years of drought, the once turbulent rivers are now no longer even small ditches, and the land has been dried out by the sun. However, it has made it easier for the army to move.
Liu Zhaoji was facing a formidable enemy. He did not dare to neglect at all. He commanded the two infantry battalions to deploy. He also arranged the chariot battalion in front of the formation. He also divided two lines of cavalry to protect the two wings of the infantry formation. He also sent fast cavalry to Yang Guozhu. Department, urging him to come up to meet him as soon as possible.
After Liu Zhaoji's men deployed in a fighting formation, the troops were forced towards Xingshan Fort under the scorching sun. They were all sweating and their armor was soaked, but they did not dare to be disrespectful and only maintained a strict battle formation.
Along the way, the Ming army's sentinel cavalry was engaged in close combat with the captive cavalry. Liu Zhaoji sent out large groups of servants and fine cavalry one after another to suppress the slaves' reconnaissance line and keep retreating.
Liu Zhaoji led the army in formation and had just crossed the Qili River when he received news from the front. Due to their mighty advance and strict formation, the Tatars saw that the reinforcements were strong and had no chance to take advantage of them, so they quietly withdrew. .
The entire Tatar army gathered in a temporary camp beside the road a few miles north of Xingshan, but they did not retreat. Instead, they sent more sentries, as if they wanted to test the true combat power of the Ming Dynasty's reinforcements.
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After successfully breaking the siege of Xingshan Fort, it was considered a success. Liu Zhaoji's army cheered loudly. He immediately sent people to report the victory to Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and reported the true situation here.
At the same time, Liu Zhaoji felt that he still had unfinished business. He led the army to prepare for the attack, but he easily solved the siege of Xingshan without firing a single shot. In this way, he was far from his desire to achieve great success.
He looked at all the officers and men under his command, and they all had such expressions. Even the soldiers and the small army had regretful expressions on their faces, and several of the lieutenants, counselors, and generals in the army couldn't get enough of it.
Everyone suggested that while the morale of the army was at a high level, they should rush forward to start a fierce battle with the Tatar bandits in the north of Xingshan Mountain and capture some heads.
Although Liu Zhaoji also had this intention, he felt that it was somewhat risky. He hesitated for a long time, but finally failed to get the persuasion of the generals around him and decided to fight the Tatars.
When the road ahead was only one mile away from the north gate of Xingshan Fort, Zheng Yilin, the deputy general of the defense camp stationed at Xingshan, saw that the slave army was retreating. He also dispatched 2,000 men and horses out of the city to join the main army, including more than 600 cavalry. With reinforcements, everyone Even more courageous.
So the army gathered in formation and advanced towards the location of the Tartar camp. The infantry still pushed the two-wheeled light vehicles in the center, and the cavalry separated to protect the two wings and advanced slowly.
Just when Liu Zhaoji's Ming army was less than three miles away from the Tartar camp, trumpets suddenly sounded. However, they saw the Ming army approaching from a distance, and they also formed a formation outside the camp to fight.
The armies of both sides moved forward and kept getting closer. Liu Zhaoji saw a low rocky slope not far ahead and to the right. He hurriedly ordered his cavalry to quickly seize the land.
Then, he arranged the cavalry to station their horses on the mountain, the infantry to form a formation with chariots in the wilderness at the foot of the mountain, and another group of cavalry to roam around the outside. In this way, they could attack, defend, and take advantage of the terrain.
Under the scorching sun, beside the handsome flag, Liu Zhaoji rode his horse on the top of the mountain and looked down at the array of Tatar bandits. He saw a sea of flags in their array.
In front of the Tatar army formation, densely packed shield chariots were lined up in a row, and behind the shield chariots were all Tatar cavalry wearing red or red armor with white edges.
"snort!"
He snorted coldly, a look of contempt flashing in his eyes.
I saw slave thieves in the distance pushing a shield cart in front, followed by their archers. Among them were dead soldiers and sharp soldiers. I was very familiar with this trick.
He turned his gaze and looked at his own position, feeling reassured.
The layout of the Ming army included some simple barricades in front of the formation, followed by chariots equipped with small folang machines and rockets, as well as many Baizi guns and other firearms.
In the infantry formation behind, spears, broadswords, and shields formed a dense infantry formation. They were high up, with their backs against the hillside, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack, not to mention the cavalry guarding the rear.
What's more important is that most of the sergeants under his command have experience in fighting slaves and bandits, and they know the Tartar warfare methods very well. As long as the sergeants are brave and united, this battle will be fought with more enemies and fewer enemies, and the location will be advantageous. It may not be impossible to win a great victory and achieve great military exploits.
For a moment, Liu Zhaoji couldn't help but feel very hopeful!
The sound of horns came in waves, and the Tartar shield chariots were also slowly moving forward. They seemed to be conserving their energy and did not push hard. It seemed that they would only push hard when they were in the final charge.
The shield cart was pushed closer and closer. Looking at their shield cart, there were wheels underneath and thick wooden boards in front. They were all covered with thick leather quilts and other materials to cover the bow arrows and bullets fired from the opposite side.
However, Liu Zhaoji was disdainful. Even if the wooden boards in front of the shield chariot were covered with leather and quilts, he could still penetrate these shield chariots with the small Fo Lang machine and the big Bai Zi gun on his own chariot.
The array of Tatar thieves was getting closer and closer. The Ming army was silent and waiting in full formation. The personal guards and servants of each general were also ordered to patrol, reminding the soldiers in the infantry camp that they were not allowed to fire cannons or cannons without any reason without receiving orders from the Chinese army. Violators will be beheaded on the spot.
