stubborn thief

A cannon sounded under Baoji City.

The lifeless Fengxiangyuan came to life.

There were [-] defenders in Baoji City and [-] Ming troops outside the city. Such a huge disparity in strength resulted in a stalemate, which was deliberately done by generals such as Liu Chengzong, Zuo Liangyu, Cao Wenzhao and Luo Rucai.

Liu Shizi had not seen the fighter plane before.

During the battle, both the enemy and ourselves will choose the right time to fight in order to seek greater battlefield advantages.

At this point, Liu Shizi knew very well that although his main force returned quickly enough, it arrived at the battlefield later and had relatively fewer troops, so it was still inevitably at a disadvantage.

Because the Ming army arrived on the battlefield earlier, had repaired their forts, and set up defense lines, it was no longer in a state of being defeated in one blow.

On the contrary, the Ming army, which had the upper hand, should have launched an attack on him as soon as they saw him. Even before they saw the main force of the marshal's army, they should have assembled superior forces and killed Luo Rucai, Wang Wenxiu and others first.

The situation on Fengxiang Plain is obviously not like this.

The side that launches the attack first in a war cannot be crudely defined as an advantage or disadvantage, but there is one rule that is always certain.

The party that attacks first must think that now is the best time, and there is no better time to wait.

Therefore, before Liu Shizi returned to help, Liu Shizi could not understand if Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and others did not beat Luo Rucai.

When he first arrived at Fengxiang Plain and the camp was not yet stable, Cao Zuo and others did not pounce on him and beat him, which he could not understand.

However, Liu Chengzong had fought for so many years and fought against the Ming army so many times that he was used to the Ming army's behavior that he could not understand.

Liu Chengzong, who only had two fists and two hands, had already accepted the setting that the Ming army had three heads and six arms. It would not be surprising even if the three heads bite him.

So it doesn't matter!
No matter what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd of the Ming Army, he can use his rich experience in specializing in the Ming Army to restrain it: remain unchanged and cope with all changes.

Ever since he landed on the Fengxiang Plain, he could see that the Ming army's joint operations had well-organized positions and were undoubtedly impregnable.

Liu Shizi knew the Ming army just like he knew his own dick - he didn't know how many there were, but the rough length was very clear.

He not only knew the weaknesses of the Ming army, but also knew the strengths of the Ming army.

Extremely high armor coverage, ferocious mobility, terrifying firepower, strong fighting spirit and strong toughness.

At the same time, there is a lack of maintenance of weapons, a shortage of food and grass, non-existent logistics, difficult supplies like outbound operations, and coordinated operations under dream-like command.

The Ming army is like a lean tiger and a hungry wolf, a sharp knife that can kill people.

They cannot afford to hesitate. When they see the enemy, they should pounce on them as soon as possible and tear the enemy into pieces.

It shouldn't be impregnable, just like no one would use solid to describe a good knife.

What is strong is scrap iron.

To deal with the hesitating tiger and hungry wolf, there is no need to do anything. Just wait, and it will starve itself to the point of weakness.

There is no doubt that Liu Chengzong's plan to deal with such an impregnable army is not to attack hard, but to ignore them.

Leave them alone for a day or two and they'll develop problems on their own.

Unless they have food.

Sure enough, Zuo Liangyu fired!

When Liu Chengzong heard the sound of cannons, he rushed out of the camp and muttered: "So you are short of food! I thought there was no shortage!"

From the beginning of the siege, he and Luo Rucai had not exchanged letters.

Nearly [-] Ming troops surrounded Baoji City, and there were four battalions of Ningxia border troops on the outside. Even the most courageous and skilled horsemen in the Marshal's Mansion could not break through the siege and deliver the letter to the city.

Therefore, Liu Shishi had no idea about Luo Rucai's crazy taunting on the city wall.

In fact, even if someone passed through the siege camp and told him the news, it would be difficult for him to believe that Luo Rucai, surrounded by [-] Ming troops, was going crazy.

But this does not prevent the Ming army's attack from Liu Chengzong's view, which is a matter of course.

All it takes is a few powerful Ming army generals to get together, time, place, and attack, and at least one of them can always go wrong.

As for the moment, Liu Chengzong is hard to say. This is probably... the wrong time, the right place, launching the right attack.

Of course, before this, Liu Shizi did not think that the Ming army would suddenly attack Baoji.

This is like raining today. It is indeed possible, but the probability is so small that it is almost non-existent.

After all, the Ming army had suffered two consecutive defeats on the east road, so the commanders on the west road still gathered their forces to fight with him?

The probability is too low.

Liu Shizi guessed that they gathered here because they had planned to fight when they came, but when they arrived on the battlefield, they found that the plan had changed, and they were overwhelmed by the arrival of [-] of his elite troops.

But in fact, attacking him now is the best opportunity for the Ming army.

Liu Chengzong knew about his affairs, and the army led by Zhang Xianzhong to besiege Qianzhou was still on the way.

On the surface, with his arrival, the Marshal's Mansion had [-] troops in Fengxiang Mansion, but Luo Rucai was besieged in Baoji City, Wang Wenxiu had to manage the city in Fengxiang and look after the troops and supplies, and Yang Chengzu also had to guard Mianyang City in the north.

His [-] main magic soldiers descended from the sky to suppress the Ming army, but in fact, he only had [-] elite troops at his disposal.

If the Ming army is really suppressed, it would be the best opportunity for Liu Chengzong to confront him for a few days and find an opportunity for each battalion to evacuate Fengxiang Plain in an orderly manner.

Firstly, he was not sure of victory when he stormed the Ming army's camp, which was well prepared. Secondly, it would be too costly to let Zhang Tianlin and Gao Yingdeng forcefully attack the camp.

As for the Huben camp running to rush into the camp... Even if Hong Qi's hoof kicked him three times on the head, Liu Shishi would not be able to give this order.

Even if he wins, he will have to go back to Lanzhou and cry for half a month.

For no other reason, even if all the dozen battalions of the Eastern Expedition were buried in Guanzhong, their ambition to conquer Shaanxi would be dashed.

As long as the [-] officers in the Huben camp are still there, and they return to Lanzhou for a winter, Hehuang will be able to get out of the [-]-strong army.

Although this may not be that easy, and there will be various surprises. For example, the [-] troops may be Khan's powerful army speaking Mongolian dialect, or they may be Zanpu guards speaking Kangzang dialect, but he separatized the western frontier. The dominance remains unshakable.

Although the road to send Master Chongzhen to the old crooked neck tree is tortuous, the future is still bright!
There may even be a loss of military and food pressure, and maybe the stability of the Commander's Mansion will improve.

But if the four thousand officers of the Huben Battalion were gone, Liu Chengzong would return to Lanzhou for six months to train to the death to create a young version of the Lion Battalion.

At that time, let alone resisting the Ming Dynasty's army who came to attack, the Daiqing Khitan Khan on his forehead alone, Batur Hutaiji would dare to come back and plunder, and the three brothers Huo Luochi would also be able to make him See what it means to be the Lord of Snow!

Therefore, the Ming army did not move, and Liu Chengzong was unwilling to move.

He was more willing to take advantage of the retreat and transfer of the Ming army to attack the moving army. Even if he could not win a quick or big victory, with the force he had, it would not be a problem for the Ming army to leave two battalions of heavy firepower and equipment.

Then, in the following pursuit battle, it will be easier to accumulate small victories into big victories.

However, Zuo Liangyu's sudden attack on Baoji City is not a bad thing for Liu Chengzong.

When you attack a city, you create a camp. After leaving the camp, the troops from the Marshal's Mansion are drawn over to fight, not a fortified battle but a field battle.

The field battle was supported by other battalions of the Ming army. It was a battle. Wang Wenxiu's three battalions defended the city, and the Ming army had to watch at least three battalions. The field strength of both sides was equal.

If the Ming army does not support, then Liu Chengzong will use [-] troops to fight five or six battalions, but he will have a slight advantage in strength and have the opportunity to annihilate the enemy with more troops.The disadvantage just disappears.

Therefore, for Liu Chengzong, it was not important why the Ming army moved. What was important was that it moved. As long as it moved, it would be much easier to fight.

The marching drum music played every inch of the Fengxiang Plateau, and on the Fengxiang Plateau where people were shouting and shouting, groups of sergeants from the Marshal's Mansion, led by officers, galloped out of the camp and rushed to the river.

During the mighty march, several cavalrymen with green turbans on their heads from the east rushed over under the guard of Tang soldiers.

They were panting and looking anxious. One look at the cuckold and they knew they were the cavalry accompanying the Minister of Rites.

"Report to the commander-in-chief that Zhang Butang has arrived at Jiedao Village thirty miles away. He has sent us to ask where the Lintao and Mongolian brigades and the Yan'an and Zhenyu battalions are attacking?"

Here we come, the follow-up troops are here!
"Hu Ben camp piles up mountains of earth, you come with me!"

Liu Chengzong suddenly rode out of the marching column, moved to a low mound, ordered Yulinqi to sweep the ground on the spot, and used a knife as a pen to draw a terrain map. The third battalion of the Lintao Brigade must cross the Wei River at..."

Liu Shizi looked up at the sky and said: "After crossing the Wei River in an hour, Zuo Liangyu and Ai Wannian's troops threatened to attack Baoji before evening. If we can attack at night, we will attack. If we can't attack at night, we will fight tomorrow."

"If the two commanders have different grasps of the timing of the attack, then Brother Zhang, the Minister of Rites, should take priority."

After saying that, Liu Chengzong raised his hand to Yu Linqi who was recording the military order. A military order over there had been written and handed over to Tang Bing.

The young Zhang cavalryman who is cuckolding on one side is Zhang Xianzhong's son Zhang Kewang.

He watched General Tangqi put away his order, his eyes rolled in his sockets, he shrank his neck unnaturally, and his brain had already begun to execute the Chinese-Chinese order.

'The timing of the attack is most important to Brother Zhang, the Minister of Rites', which is naturally translated as 'the most important thing to punish the defeat is Zhang Xianzhong, the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Brigade'.

Liu Chengzong didn't care so much. His mind was no longer in this desolate red land. He was like a Qinghai vulture gliding in the sky, looking down at the dusty battlefield with hungry eyes.

"Send it again!"

Yu Linqi took up his pen and wrote a big message on a new piece of paper.

"The Mongolian Brigade defeated the two tigers and Mo and Jing, led the headquarters westward to Fengxiang Plateau, collected ten days' rations at Fengxiang Zhicheng, set off tonight and turned north out of Shiyaoguan, passed through Jingzhou in Pingliang Prefecture to Huating, crossed Liupan Mountain, and headed south along the Hulu River , arrived in Qinzhou five days later, intercepting and killing Ming army Tangqi, messengers and a small grain collection team along the way."

"If you encounter a large part of the Ming army, you don't want to attack and annihilate it, just tire it out. The rest of the actions will depend on the battle situation in Guanzhong. I'm sure Xie Erhu will do whatever it takes... pass it on again!"

Another military order was handed into the hands of Tang soldiers.

"Ming Ren and Yang were stationed on the spot, and summoned their deputy generals Zhang Shangxuan and Zu Chengyong to rush to the central army."

After issuing multiple orders in succession, Liu Chengzong turned around and saw Han Shiyou, the deputy general of the Huben Camp, already stepping forward and clasping his fists: "Commander, the mountain of earth has been piled up."

He climbed up the mountain, raised his telescope and looked to the northwest. He saw smoke and dust on the banks of the Qianhe River more than ten miles away. The Ningxia border troops stationed there were crossing the river in large numbers.

Looking to the south, towards the Weihe River more than 20 miles away, we can also see a piece of earthy yellow rising from the ground.

Liu Shizi couldn't help but reveal such a triumphant smile on his face.

The familiar dreamlike command of the Ming army made its debut again.

As long as they had some coordination, the Ningxia army should be the first to cross the river and occupy favorable terrain to watch Liu Chengzong's army, while Zuo Liangyu and Ai Wannian would then launch an attack on the city.

Now, the order is reversed.

Zuo Liangyu and Ai Wannian fired artillery to attack the city first. Liu Chengzong immediately moved upon hearing the sound, and made great movements, which immediately attracted the Ningxia border troops.

They were so loyal that they were forced to abandon their stronghold on the mountain plateau, crossed Qianhe River, and came to Fengxiang plateau to try to contain Liu Chengzong's main force.

As for the army in the south, seeing Liu Chengzong's large-scale march south, they could only detach a group of troops. Whether it was to defend along the river or to cross the river for support, the strength was ultimately limited.

"It is said that with Gao Yingdeng as the vanguard and Zhang Tianlin as the rear, they marched five miles southwest and built camps and fortresses on the plateau to separate their two armies."

"I will then send an order to Brigadier Wang who is in charge of the city in Fengxiang. If the camps in Ningxia come to attack me, Fengxiang will go out of the city and attack their abdomen and back. When Qianyang goes out of the city, they will attack all the camps in the mountains and burn all the rags in the camps."

A moment later, the three battalions of Marshal Zhang Tianlin, Gao Yingdeng and Hu Ben formed a large formation provocatively on the Fengxiang Plateau in full view of the public, built camps and fortifications inside the ditch, and waited eagerly for the Ming army to attack. .

Long Zaitian in the south realized that the Marshal's army had stopped moving south, and immediately ordered his nearly [-] troops to stop crossing the river. The turbulent dust on the riverside soon fell, and the Yunnan soldiers, wrapped in thick scarves and leather armor, began to build defenses on the south bank of the Wei River. The position was prepared for a sneak attack across the river by the Marshal's army during the siege.

The Ningxia Army in the north was also at a loss by Liu Chengzong's provocation.

Bu Yingdi and Shen Guangxian crossed the Qianhe River. They thought they could take advantage of the marshal's army to forcefully cross the Wei River and launch an assault. Unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong only heard loud thunder and light rain. The army moved less than ten miles to the southwest and adjusted. The position stopped again.

At present, the favorable terrain on Fengxiang Plateau has been occupied. The two Ningxia battalions crossing the river can neither advance nor retreat at the same time. They can only stand on the spot stupidly and send people to ask Cao Wenzhao on the west bank of Qianhe River about tactics.

Cao Wenzhao was even more scratching his head at this situation.

He saw Liu Chengzong's purpose of moving the camp, and inserted an army of less than 3 people between him and Zuo Liangyu, Ai Wannian, and Long Zaitian, dividing their army of more than [-] people into two parts.

However, he was unable to know the deployment of troops in the eastern part of Guanzhong. He could only judge from this that Liu Chengzong had an extremely strong character. He moved his camp to intimidate the Yunnan native soldiers in Long Zaitian to set up defenses along the river. In fact, he had given up on Baoji City in his heart.

Going south was just a feint, but in fact the sword was aimed at the Ningxia Fourth Battalion. They wanted to wait for an opportunity to attack the Ningxia army under their command at the expense of the Baoji defenders.

He and Zuo Liangyu, who was born in Guan Ning, could not be trusted, let alone Long Zaitian, who came all the way from Yunnan to help. Cao Wenzhao did not believe that he and Liu Chengzong were risking their lives, and Long Zaitian from the south could cross the river to support him.

The key is that even if Long Zaitian wanted to support him, the [-]-strong army only had [-] horsemen, so it would be difficult for him to support him quickly.

Therefore, Cao Wenzhao judged that as long as they did not rush into the battle, Liu Chengzong, who was strong on the outside and weak on the inside, would not dare to take the initiative.

Then he gave orders to Shen Guangxian and Bu Yingdi to withdraw to the west bank of Qianhe River, and ordered Bai Guangen to go to Longxi to collect grain as planned. The remaining three battalions went south via the relatively safe west bank of Qianhe River, close to Baoji City.

In order to avoid being isolated and helpless, Liu Chengzong defeated them one by one.

At the same time, Baoji City was captured first, and the fulcrum of the Marshal's Army on the south bank of the Wei River was cut off, and then a full-scale battle was launched.

When Liu Chengzong saw that the Ningxia border troops had withdrawn, he couldn't help laughing on the mountain. He said to himself that if I don't attack, I'm waiting for reinforcements. If you don't attack, what are you waiting for?

Of course, he couldn't just sit back and watch Baoji City, but in order to achieve a comprehensive battlefield victory, Luo Rucai had to defend alone for a day.

Half an hour later, Zu Chengyong and Zhang Shangxuan, who were summoned, galloped from Jiedao Village to the Chinese Army.

The two of them were walking along, both looking at each other with livid faces and speechless, guessing that the commander's urgent call was to send their troops into tomorrow's critical battle.

The Liao Barracks and Zhenyu Camp had already known Liu Chengzong's position on surrendering troops during the earlier battle against Qianzhou.

However, he did not expect that Liu Chengzong took the two men to Tushan, let them see the situation on the battlefield, and then said: "The situation is like this at this time. It is not difficult to see the general trend of victory or defeat. If the Ming army does not attack me now, then After tonight, there will be no chance to attack me."

"How fast can the two of you lead, one a Guan Ning cavalry and the other a Zhen Yu infantry, in the mountains and plains?"

Both of them were confused by the question and looked at each other. In this extremely narrow battlefield, mobility seemed... not important.

Seeing the hesitation of the two, Liu Chengzong urged: "Tell me the number."

Zu Chengyong looked at Zhang Shangxuan again and wondered how fast the Liaodong cavalry could run, depending on what mission it was performing.

Profitable, three hundred miles in two days was just the standard emergency march requirement of the Guan Ning army; marching thirty miles a day in a hurry was probably beyond the maximum limit of the Liao army.

On the contrary, Zhang Shangxuan was much more honest and answered with fighting spirit: "Commander, our Zhenyuan athletes can walk on the mountain roads as if they were on flat ground. If they can drive eight hundred mules and horses, they can march three hundred miles in three days."

"it is good!"

Liu Chengzong was very satisfied with this figure: "Then I will give you [-] mules and horses, and go back to find the generals. Tell the two generals Ren and Yang to set off immediately and arrive at Pingliang City in five days. No Ming army is allowed to enter Pingliang Mansion!" (End of chapter)