stubborn thief

There was chaos in the west of Baoji City, and Zuo Liangyu was the first to react.

Because he had been waiting in the east of the city for half a night, the camp gate to the west was sprinkled with caltrops, and he even prepared twelve dogs for the night sentry camp. He only waited for the frustrated Luo Ru to go out of the city to attack at night.

Listening to the chaotic shouts of killing in the west of the city, even Zuo Liangyu couldn't help but admired in the camp: "What a cunning Cao Cao!"

In just a few days, Luo Rucai in Baoji City made Zuo Liangyu remember his name deeply.

Before this, Zuo Liangyu was not familiar with Luo Rucai, and thought he was just an ordinary bandit leader.

After all, although there were many generals in the Marshal's Mansion, they were all hidden under the halo of Liu Chengzong's prudent military use. Even though he was in the position of brigade commander, he did not have the opportunity to display his talents, let alone a general like Luo Rucai.

In comparison, the four generals sent to Monan, Yang Qi, He Huchen, Wang Chengen and Qu Tu Taiji, were more famous in the Ming court.

Among the generals in the commander's office, the only one who was famous enough to scare the Ming army generals was Tianxing Zhang Tianlin.

That can only be regarded as a powerful move in parts of Gansu and Shaanxi.

Luo Rucai was little known. Even the nickname Cao Cao was passed down orally from Shaanxi thieves who were recruited into Zuo Liangyu's army. His knowledge of him was still before Liu Chengzong entered Qinghai.

But these few days of siege made Zuo Liangyu fall into a state of anger and frustration. Now that he calmed down, Zuo Liangyu realized that he had overestimated Luo Caocao.

Although he is attacking and Luo is defending, he has been led by Luo Rucai in terms of tactics.

Luo Ru just asked him to attack the city, and he attacked the city; when you made him angry, he became angry.

In the end, we still couldn't capture the city, so we could only work in panic below the city.

Until now, he was still counted out. It was true that he was attacked at night, but he was not the one who attacked at night!

The first time he heard about the chaos in the west of the city, Zuo Liangyu guessed that it was Luo Rucai who sent the cavalry to camp, so he sent his subordinate Luo Dai to select the best cavalry to support, in order to intercept Luo Rucai from entering the city after robbing the camp. army.

But before Luo Dai came back over there, people came from the east. They were Yunnan soldiers under Long Zaitian. They rode over on furry short-legged Yunnan horses and reported urgently: "Commander Zuo, there is a fire in the east, and there seems to be enemy troops." Raise fire and walk at night!"

"East?"

Zuo Liangyu glared and said, "What does east mean?"

He was not asking the messenger cavalry of the Yunnan soldiers, but himself.

At the same time as he said this, Zuo Liangyu's mind had already entered a fighting state and he was thinking.

The west side had already been attacked, and Zuo Liangyu judged with certainty from the commotion there that it was just Luo Rucai's garrison in Baoji City who launched an accidental night attack.

But if at this moment, there is an army in the east approaching the Yunnan Army in the dark, Zuo Liangyu has to think about the possibility of Liu Chengzong launching a battle at night.

And launching a battle at night?
That in itself is a crazy idea.

Night raids have advantages.

Zuo Liangyu also judged that Luo Rucai would attack at night based on common sense.

After all, if it were daytime and the defenders had just left the city gate, they would have been waiting in the siege camp. Without equal strength, it would be difficult for the defenders to gain an advantage in the field.

At night, the defenders can only send a small number of elites to delay the siege army's time to organize defense, thereby disrupting or even defeating the city.

But technically, Zuo Liangyu could not find a reason for Liu Chengzong to launch a night battle.

In terms of military strength, Liu Chengzong was no less than them; in terms of timing, at this moment they had been alerted by Luo Rucai's night attack and were in a state of preparedness.

The most important thing is the direction. Even if he attacks at night, Liu Chengzong should come from the north.

Zuo Liangyu didn't know the formation of Cao Wenzhao's side in the west of Baoji City, but he knew the formation of his small army of [-].

They formed a long snake from west to east from the Zuo Army's siege camp in the far west, to the Yansui Camp in Aiwannian, and then to the Yunnan Army's front line on the south bank of the Wei River to defend the river.

Of course, their weakness is not the north.

On the one hand, the existence of the Wei River made it difficult for the Ming army to break through even if it crossed the river as long as the Ming army defended its shores.

On the other hand, there is the terrain. Baoji's landmass south of the Wei River is a narrow river beach that is long from east to west and short from north to south. The narrowest from north to south is only three or four miles, and the army can stop it with a battalion.

Therefore, even if the north is no longer a weak point, the marshal's army should not come from the east!

Zuo Liangyu's brain was on fire. He thought that if Liu Chengzong came from the east, it would be almost impossible to defeat them head-on. Then he would have to penetrate their entire army from east to west.

Instead of concentrating on breaking through the horizontal formation, insist on breaking through the vertical formation head-on.

Moreover, the battle was launched at night, and both sides had to attack each other in the dark like a blind man touching an elephant... Zuo Liangyu couldn't figure it out, I really couldn't figure it out.

This is fucking unreasonable!
Since this matter was unreasonable, Zuo Liangyu turned around and said, "General Baolong, the east side is to lure the enemy."

As if he was pretending to be a corpse after being dead for a long time, he slowly retracted his eyelids, returned his widened eyes to normal, and spoke faster and faster, saying: "If there is a big enemy tonight, he will come from the north and cross the river."

The most important reason supporting his judgment is the terrain.

Liu Chengzong's army was unable to maneuver on the narrow terrain and was unable to take advantage of its strength. If it really wanted to come over, it would definitely open a front and cross the river, waiting for an opportunity to make a breakthrough and tear apart the Yunnan Army's defense line.

But even so, Zuo Liangyu still didn't believe that Liu Chengzong would launch a night battle.

Luo Ru was able to conduct a night attack because he had stationed troops in Baoji before and was very familiar with the topography, ditches, fields and ridges outside Baoji County. It could be said that he had conducted on-site surveys many times.

Liu Chengzong's main army did not have this opportunity or the conditions at all. It knew neither the attack route nor the retreat route.

Without surveying the terrain, once a night battle fails, the army will not know where to retreat, and the army will collapse in an instant; even if it wins, the result will be the same. It will not know where to continue the attack, and sooner or later it will collapse in the pursuit.

On this point, Zuo Liangyu's thinking was particularly correct, so correct that it was almost the same as Liu Chengzong's.

Five miles north of the Weihe River, Liu Chengzong's outpost Tangqi dug a few pits in the dark on the abandoned farmland. They were crooked and could only be connected together to form a big check mark.

People put up curtains on the south side of each pit and lit bonfires in the pits as guidance signs for the troops in the rear.

Then the battalions marched slowly, one brigade after another, leading horses, donkeys and mules. They stopped under the command of the general and rested on the spot.

Liu Chengzong later arrived with Wang Wenxiu, Liu Chengzong's Huben, Zhang Tianlin's cavalry, Gao Yingdeng's horse infantry, and Wang Wenxiu's battalion stationed at Fengxiang Mansion.

Four battalions of troops were spread out on the wasteland, listing twelve camps unprotected by wooden palisades and trenches.

The main purpose of forming a camp like this is to prevent night attacks.

The military formation was not subtle at all. It was a simple large camp inside, two small camps outside, four large camps in the middle, and eight small camps surrounding the outside. It was very effective in dealing with night attacks.The principle is: if you hit him, you can't hit me.

Throw the small camp of 500 soldiers outside, and attack the small camp first when the night attack army comes. The resting large camp will have time to put on armor and organize defense, so as not to be cut down by the enemy in its sleep.

It is a matter of organizing an effective defense and then knocking the opponent down.

There has never been a reason in this world that only he can hit others, and others cannot hit him.

He could launch a night attack on the Ming army, and the Ming army could naturally launch a night attack on him.

Even subjectively, Liu Shishi believed that the Ming army was more willing to launch a night attack than he was.

Therefore, he really had no intention of launching a battle at night and moved the army just to save a hand.

After all, Luo Rucai made a big noise in the west of the city, and Zhang Xianzhong's army marched in after hearing the news from the east. The atmosphere on the battlefield was highlighted here.

However, Wang Wenxiu actually tried to persuade Liu Chengzong to stop the attack all the way. The reason was the same as what Zuo Liangyu was thinking.

He said: "Commander, the Lintao brigade led by Zhang Bu is all guest soldiers, and they have never been to Fengxiang. If we encounter chaos again in the night battle, we will not know where to pursue if we win, and we will not know where to retreat if we lose. I think it is better to harass them all night." , and attack the enemy again tomorrow morning."

Liu Shizi sighed: "I don't know this truth, but you can't just think about it."

"I don't know who the Long Zaitian they are facing is, but Generals Zuo and Ai know it. Ai Wannian delayed his sick body to pursue and quell the rebellion in the Shaanxi Mountains, and refused to let go of the peasant army; Zuo Liangyu mentioned Two thousand Changping troops swept across both sides of the Yellow River."

"And my Lintao brigade is only from a military background. Do you really think that if I give the order now, I can pull them all out?"

Wang Wenxiu stopped talking.

In fact, Liu Chengzong had already imagined this scene when he conveyed the order to Zhang Xianzhong during the day.

The reason why he asked Shi Xiang to listen to Zhang Xianzhong before the battle was because he was not sure that he could still control the army at night.

There is a distance between command and it takes time to transmit orders. Flags are not easy to use at night, and across the Wei River, there is a lag in the transmission of military orders.

Not to mention that in the dark night, only a few people from the hidden Lintao Brigade held fire to lead the way. He couldn't see where the army was going even if he stood on the mountain.

Maybe he will ask Zhang Xianzhong to withdraw his troops now. The military order has been passed. Zhang Xianzhong has already started fighting with the Ming army. When the time comes to retreat before the battle, if Zuo Liangyu, Ai Wannian or even Long Zaitian seizes the opportunity, they will pursue with a counterattack. , it is easy to defeat the Lintao Brigade until it loses its command structure.

Night attacks are not easy, nor are retreats at night. They all require pre-battle preparations. At least officers above [-] must survey the terrain and roads during the day in order to maintain the orderly advance and retreat of all units after losing command and contact at night.

They don't have such conditions.

Liu Chengzong saw Wang Wenxiu's worried face and said nothing, so he smiled and said: "But don't worry too much. Zhang's department has been exposed now. If you retreat now, you will be in vain or even suffer losses for no reason."

"I looked at the terrain of Henan during the day. The river bank surrounded by mountains and rivers is only three or four miles north and south. It is not easy for both sides to be defeated head-on. Let him let go and fight first, and we will wait for the opportunity."

But in fact, Liu Chengzong thought he was well hidden, but his movements had actually been detected by Long Zaitian.

Long Zaitian was very radical in his tactics. Although Zuo Liangyu's order was to defend Henan, his Yunnan soldiers sneaked across the Wei River as soon as dark and set up secret posts on the north bank.

On the one hand, he had led his army in Sichuan to force back Feng Shuangli from Xichuan to the south. The Yunnan soldiers under his command not only showed no fear of war against the Marshal's army, but also felt that the so-called Ming army in the north were weak chickens and had grown stupid in vain.

Secondly, the soldiers under his command did not understand and did not want to understand so much. Ten thousand troops came from Yunnan and traveled four thousand miles. They had suppressed their anger and fighting spirit, just to help Long Zaitian serve the emperor. Perform meritorious service in countering rebellion.

The Yunnan soldiers who moved carefully under the night swam across the Wei River and reported to Long Zaitian the news of large-scale enemy troop movements within five to ten miles of the north bank. At the same time, he also received Zuo Liangyu's judgment on the military situation in the east.

Comparing the two, Long Zaitian clutched Zuo Liangyu's letter and nodded slowly under the light of the torch: "Commander Zuo's judgment is correct. The east side is a decoy for a feint attack. The main force of the rebels is still in Hebei. Order all battalions to deploy." No change, fourteen battalions will still be deployed in Henan."

Long Zaitian was a local official at the earliest, and even now most of his soldiers are Yunnan local soldiers, and their organization is different from that of the regular Ming army.

He is a battalion of 500 people, and the battalion will be served by General Tuqian. It is actually equivalent to a general commander in the regular Ming army, but it has higher independent command authority in combat.

This is because he served the imperial court in the past and led troops to conquer Yunnan and Guizhou. With a smaller establishment and higher independent combat capabilities of his officers, he could gain greater advantages in complex terrain and in the face of dispersed and large enemy forces. .

Of course, another important point is the dialect.

Long Zaitian's army of [-] people alone used more languages ​​than Liu Chengzong's Duntaurus.

Therefore, Long Zaitian is not afraid of night attacks and melees at night, and it is more difficult for a small army to be confused.

At this point, he's a sure winner.

The two local garrison commanders in the east received the order and felt more at ease. Each led a battalion of [-] soldiers to prepare for the attack.

Soon on the eastern riverbank south of the Wei River, the distance between the Lintao Brigade, which was marching in the dark, and the Yunnan soldiers who were waiting in full formation was getting closer and closer.

General Tu Qian of the Yunnan Army suddenly noticed something unusual about the situation and murmured to himself: "The torches in the east seem to be too far apart."

There are hundreds of steps between one torch and the next. Dozens of torches cover the valley on the south bank of the Wei River. It seems that there are only 300 people. Even if they are bluffing, there is no need to stand so scattered.

When the fire came closer and closer, people finally saw clearly that what was slowly approaching was not the two to three hundred night attack ghost soldiers gathered near the torches, but... dozens of artillery teams carrying large-caliber short cannons.

In the shadows near these artillery groups, they could vaguely see the formations of men and horses listed in layers.

"Quick, quick, quick, report to the general."

Mr. Tu Qian's face turned pale, and his mouth trembled when he looked at the monster in the shadow: "The east side can't stop it."

Zhang Xianzhong, who was lurking in the dark night, rode his horse into the military formation and looked at the sixty teams in front of the formation carrying camp cannons and holding high torches, showing a cruel smile.

The next moment, soldiers carrying camp cannons pressed the wrought-iron bowl-mouth cannons built during the Jiajing period to the ground one by one, and blasted sixty hollow cast-iron cannonballs filled with gunpowder into the enemy formation in a very short period of time.

This thing is called the Zimu Cannon, also called the Flying Cannon, but the most commonly used name is the Camp Shock Cannon. It was first used to bomb the Mongols during the Jiajing Period.

The usage is very simple. It is difficult to hit accurately when firing large-caliber explosive shells with a short gun. At the same time, it is easy to damage the signal tube if the shot is accurate, and it is difficult to cause a secondary explosion.

Therefore, the simplest way to use it is to use it intensively at night, with five to ten cannons carried by soldiers to approach the enemy's position. One cannon is equipped with a corresponding caltrop.

The soldiers circled and lurked near the enemy camp where they were resting. They first placed the caltrops in front of them, and then placed the camp-surprise cannon at the back.

Then the shells were fired to various parts of the camp, and they waited for the panicked enemy troops to rush out and sting their feet with the caltrops.

However, for Zhang Xianzhong, the purpose of letting soldiers run to the battlefield with old objects collected from Qianzhou and other places was not just to shock the camp.

Sixty cannonballs were arced by short cannons and fell into the formation. After a moment, there were twenty or thirty explosions. The pig iron cannonballs were blown into pieces, as big as bullets and as small as beans. For a while, blood mist was thrown out in the vicinity. , smoke everywhere.

Taking this opportunity, Zhang Xianzhong's front line was at the forefront, and the flag troops of the Lintao Brigade played their waist drums, and the soldiers rushed towards the enemy's formation. (End of chapter)