national surname chiming

Chapter 220 We thief have never fought such a rich battle
"The king is awake! The king is finally awake!"

A few days later, Zhang Xianzhong finally woke up again in Hengzhou City, in the original Guiwang Mansion. The guards and maidservants next to him were overjoyed, and hurriedly informed the generals of the good news, and soon some generals came to visit.

After half of his pockmarked face was covered with lead dust and gravel that day, and one ear was cut off, Zhang Xianzhong insisted on not allowing his subordinates to make any noise at first, and even patrolled the defense line around the north gate tower with injuries to stabilize morale. Just go back to heal.

He originally wanted to imitate the story of Liu Bang clamoring "I have my toe in the captive" to stabilize the morale of the army after the arrow was shot, and he even had a moment of pride in his heart: We do the same thing as Liu Bang, can we be like Liu Bang in the future?

It's a pity that in the end, due to excessive bleeding, after holding on for a cup of tea, he fell into a coma when he returned to the tower.

This sleep lasted for two days and two nights, and he regained consciousness under the treatment of several doctors who were captured from Prince Gui's mansion.

Zhang Xianzhong woke up for a while, and immediately felt a little nervous, trying to get up, but the sharp pain on his left cheek forced him to fall back on the bed again.

The pain seemed to constantly remind him that his left ear had left him.

"My lord, be careful! Lie down quickly, don't move rashly, and don't burst the wound!" At this time, the two generals Bai Wenxuan and Feng Shuangli had already entered outside the door, and they quickly helped Zhang Xianzhong to remind him.

They are also the most trusted generals of Zhang Xianzhong in Hengzhou City.Li Dingguo is still being treated coldly, and his status has been demoted to that of Bai Wenxuan.

Zhang Xianzhong grinned his teeth for a while, quickly forced his majestic expression, and hurriedly asked the military situation: "How long has Gu been in a coma? Did the officers and soldiers attack the city? How is the current situation?"

Bai Wenxuan replied: "Your Majesty, you have been in a coma for only two days, and the officers and troops have not fully attacked the city yet. Every day, we only destroy traps, forge equipment, and reinforce the besieged camp.

They will also send Francophones and the heavy firecrackers of the day before yesterday to occasionally fire at the city to suppress our army's crossbowmen and sentries. Although there are not many dead in our army, the morale of our army is really low.

As for the Hongyi cannon, it did not appear. It should be that the cannons of the government and army were transported slowly and had not yet reached the front of the army, so they could not fully attack the city.

In addition, within these two days, Shen Shuren had expanded the siege camp to the north, east, and south of the city, leaving the west of the city aside.Moreover, because General Wang Shangli's troops are in the eastern counties, Shen Shuren seems to have left the main force in the east of the city in order to avoid being attacked by the enemy. He also fortified the camp there very strongly. . "

"The Hongyi cannons haven't arrived yet? Haven't started a full-scale siege yet? That's good..." Zhang Xianzhong heaved a sigh of relief, his mind turned quickly, and he said to himself after a while,

"It must be the part of the river where the Xiangjiang River crosses Hengshan. The water is deep and the current is fast. When the large ships originally used by the officers and soldiers arrived at Hengshan, they could no longer go upstream. They had to pull the fibers by land through the steep and steep places, and after turning over the ridge, they looked for small boats to reload. It will take more time.

It seems that our army chose to retreat to Hengzhou to fight again, which is the way of strategists!If they stayed around Changsha, Shen Shuren's Hongyi cannons could gather anytime and anywhere. "

Zhang Xianzhong's geographical knowledge is not rich, but fortunately, he himself had just fought here a while ago around Hengzhou City, so he was very impressed with the terrain features.

Hengzhou City, Changsha City, and Xiangtan County are all along the Xiangjiang River.But if you just think that "these cities are all along the same river" and think that ships can go all the way, then you are very wrong——

Just as both Jiangling and Chongqing are on the banks of the Yangtze River, but only boats going down the river from Chongqing can "return a thousand miles to Jiangling in one day", and it was very difficult in ancient times to expect to go upstream from Jiangling to Chongqing. It is very difficult to overcome, and every time you pass a gorge, you have to pull the fiber.

Although the position where the Xiangjiang River crosses Hengshan Mountain is not as steep as the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, it is also obvious that it is difficult to go against the current.

After figuring out that the officers and soldiers chose the tactic of besieging the city on three sides, Zhang Xianzhong also had to face this new situation and make countermeasures.

Under the service of the guards, he drank some porridge water to restore his strength, sorted out his thoughts, and then continued to talk to himself:

"Officer Shen Gou made it clear that he wanted to encircle the three and lack one, and he didn't plan to attack and fight to the death with my army. He just wanted to hit our army's fighting spirit. When the Hongyi cannons come in the future, he will definitely concentrate his artillery fire on the east of the city. If the East Gate or the East City Tower is blown down and there is a gap, and the officers and soldiers enter the city again, our soldiers and horses may not have the courage to fight the officers and soldiers to the end.

At that time, we can only hold on for a few days, and wait for the officers and soldiers to relax their discipline and vigilance, and then our army will send dry soldiers out of the city to fight in the field, sneak attacking the officers and soldiers' Hongyi cannon positions and camps, and fight against the enemy!Win in chaos!
Otherwise, we can only hope that Wang Shangli is not afraid of death, and will take the initiative to send troops in the past few days to attack and cut off the army's food road.

At that time, you can stay in the city and spend time with Shen Shuren. He doesn't have heavy artillery, and he may not be able to attack Hengzhou, which is guarded by our army, if he sieges the city for a month. "

After Zhang Xianzhong finished speaking, Feng Shuangli and Bai Wenxuan looked a little more relaxed. He obviously admired the king's strategic vision, so everyone arranged their own defense without mentioning it.

……

Shen Shuren outside the city didn't know whether Zhang Xianzhong was caught by the intensive sniping of turtledoves or guns that day.

After all, Xiang Yu hit Liu Bang directly back then, and there was no way to confirm it. What's more, today Zhang Xianzhong is still through the window of the tower, and no one can directly see it.

However, Shen Shuren could at least confirm one thing. In the next two days, the guarding troops of the thieves became more cautious. Anyone who heard the roar of Ming army guns outside the city and dared to shoot arrows from behind the battlements would at most hide Slanting behind the perforation and shooting sideways——

In fact, the design of the battlements of the ancient city walls originally had slopes, the purpose of which was to facilitate crossfire from the defenders.It's just that the coverage range of this side shot is not far enough, which can be understood by anyone with a little knowledge of geometry.

The firearms team of the government army stood at least two hundred paces away at the beginning, and the cross-flank fire was completely unthreatening.

Fighting, when Jin Shenghuan, the general in charge of the frontal siege, noticed this, he dared to let the firearms team continue to advance, approaching 150 steps, or even the last [-] steps, and opened fire on the top of the city.

Although a few people could not be killed, the number of wounded soldiers caused by the flying debris was still increasing day by day. The key was that Zhang Xianzhong's army had never been so demoralized before, and the defenders were so guarded that they dared not poke their heads out, dare not aim and shoot.

After two days of preparation, perhaps because the ammunition was consumed too quickly and the logistical pressure to suppress the enemy was too great, Jin Shenghuan adjusted some tactics step by step, and began to use the newly built nest car to cooperate with the musketeers to suppress.

The nest cart is a tall device similar to a siege tower and a well rail.

The city wall of Hengzhou is not too high, at least about a foot shorter than Changsha, so only a wooden cart three or four feet high can ensure that the musketeers in the watchtower at the top can look down on the city wall.

With the advantage of height, relying on precise and direct shooting, the defenders at the top of the city were suppressed even more.After being suppressed several times by the officers and soldiers, they went up the ladder and tried to climb the city quickly with the Death Squad.

Zhang Xianzhong's army reacted quickly, and immediately invested a large number of reserve troops, and gathered at the top of the city to resist.And the firearms team on the watchtower car of the officers and soldiers in the distance seized the opportunity to fire wildly at the left and right sides of the target wall section, killing and injuring a large number of bandit soldiers who gathered densely and wanted to reinforce the breakthrough.

It's a pity that this kind of melee often results in heavy casualties on both sides, and there are not many death squads available on the government and army side. After paying a certain amount of casualties, this attrition tactic was stopped——

The sources of soldiers for the Death Squad are actually very humane. They were all thieves who were defeated and captured in the previous Changsha Battle, and they were incorporated into Death Battalions and Hard Labor Camps by the officers and soldiers.

They were told that as long as they performed the first mission, even if they were repulsed and defeated and fled back, they would be pardoned for their crimes, and they would be incorporated into the official army according to the treatment of ordinary soldiers.

In actual combat, these death-death battalions who were forced to rush up must have climbed to the top of the wall and knelt down to beg for mercy and surrender to Zhang Xianzhong's army again.

But it doesn't matter, it is very difficult to surrender before the battle anyway, and the melee battlefield is so chaotic, if you really dare to put down your weapon, you may be chopped down by the enemy before you finish speaking.Two or three out of a hundred were able to join the bandit again, and it had no effect on the Shen family army, but it eliminated some stubborn and unstable factors.

After being so exhausted by Shen Shuren, Feng Shuangli, who was guarding the city, discussed with Bai Wenxuan and asked Zhang Xianzhong to agree to deploy all the Franco cannons accumulated in the army to the front line to nest with the firearms of the officers and soldiers. Cars against each other——

This tactic is also very correct. As long as the firepower of the Franji can hit the wooden siege weapon, it is definitely possible to blast a big hole.

When Yuan Shao used the watchtower to shoot arrows at the Guandu camp, Cao Cao used the thunderbolt chariot to fight back. Today, both sides have upgraded.

It's a pity that the theory is correct, but the actual combat effect may not be good.Why did Yuan Shao not have a Perak car back then, and the Perak car was exclusive to Cao Cao.However, Shen Shuren's subordinates had a lot of Francophones, and the bandits wanted to fight back. Although they knocked down a few nest cars of the army for a while, they did not cause many deaths in battle——

The officers and musketeers on the nest car were all required to wear fluffy clothing instead of heavy armor.Once the nest car is bombed, the soldiers will fall from a height of three or four feet at most, and there is still a cushion under their feet. As long as they don’t get hit by the roof of the car, they will basically not die. At most, they will break their legs and go back to recuperate. Little half a year.

Moreover, the nest carts at the end of the Ming Dynasty were more advanced than those of the previous dynasties. The nest carts of the Shen Shuren Army were based on the lifting nest carts of the Song Dynasty, with some labor-saving pulley structures added, which could twist the carriages up like an elevator. Put it down again.

So even if Zhang Xianzhong's army collapsed the nest car, those soldiers would just follow the elevator car and fall from the fourth floor.As long as the nest car is not collapsed in an instant, the officers and soldiers can quickly cut off one or two of the locking cables in advance when they are on the verge of collapse, so that the "elevator car" can be lowered in advance, with a buffer.

And because the officers and soldiers have a large number of observation nest vehicles, it is impossible to destroy them at the same time. Zhang Xianzhong's Francophone will be located soon after firing, and the officers and soldiers have a set of orderly coordinate notification passwords, which can allow the various ministries to coordinate information as soon as possible. Then the Franco cannon array of the government army outside the city can also launch counterattacks immediately,

Although it may not be possible to directly destroy Zhang Xianzhong's Franglers, Shen Shuren's Franglers have more than ten times the number of Zhang Xianzhong's. It is not destroyed, and the manpower who knows how to use cannons is also rapidly drying up.

Soon, Zhang Xianzhong could only rely on the surrendered Ming army under Yin Xianmin and He Yide to control the remaining Frang machine.Although these former officers and soldiers have poor fighting will, at least in terms of technical arms, their level is still better than that of the illiterate bandits.

It's a pity that He Yide and Yin Xianmin were Zhang Xianzhong who surrendered because they were afraid of death. They didn't really work hard, so they didn't work hard and fooled a few shots casually. The gunners didn't dare to show their heads and look around to observe the enemy's position. They were completely blind beat.

The difference in the quality and morale of the technical arms of the two sides has made this confrontation more and more one-sided.

A few days later, Zhang Xianzhong finally realized that he must not compete with Shen Shuren to consume each other's technical arms!His subordinates are all illiterate mud legs, isn't it a big disadvantage compared to this!
These uneducated people like them are just as good as punching to the flesh with a knife and a gun!
But after a few days of delay, the siege positions of the officers and soldiers have become stronger and stronger. If we go out of the city to counterattack at this time, I am afraid that we will not get good results.

Fortunately, when the senior generals of Zhang Xianzhong's army gradually realized this and were in a dilemma,

The officers and soldiers changed their tactics again, so that they didn't have to make up their minds to go out of the city to fight a decisive battle and destroy the officers and soldiers' firearm positions.

On the fifth day after the siege, the bombardment density of the official army dropped sharply, and they no longer sent death battalions to try to climb the city for consumption.Zhang Xianzhong and all the generals were puzzled and at a loss what to do.

In the end, Li Dingguo, who had been marginalized, said disheartenedly in a discussion with his boss Bai Wenxuan:

"The advantage of the officers and soldiers with firearms is bound to be short-lived. It has been four days since the attack, and the morale of our army has been severely damaged in this way, and the consumption must be very high. Could it be that the ammunition of the rear army cannot be transported to Shen Shuren?

Is there any way for our army to contact General Wang in Hengdong County?If there is really a shortage of ammunition, General Wang should be asked to sneak attack Hengshan Guards, sentry in advance the timing of the passage and transfer of the government army transport fleet, and then rob it and burn it in one go. "

After hearing this, Bai Wenxuan felt that it made sense, and told Zhang Xianzhong about this conjecture.But for fear of offending Zhang Xianzhong, he didn't say it was Li Dingguo's idea at first.

When Zhang Xianzhong felt that it made sense, he wanted to adopt it, and tried to send death-defying cavalry from the side of the city that was not under siege to contact Wang Shangli to deliver a letter, so that Wang Shangli could intercept it.

Bai Wenxuan waited for his order to be issued, and then tactfully hinted that this was Li Dingguo's guess.

After Zhang Xianzhong learned about it, his expression twitched slightly, and his pockmarked face, which was wrapped in white gauze bandages like a mummy, also felt a burst of pain.

"What kind of heart does the second child have? Forget it, even if he wants to do good for our army, he wishes Gu Gu would never see Wang'er and the third child again! He will just inherit my army! Fight against Wang'er! He is He has already treated this team as his own private property in advance!"

Zhang Xianzhong drove these annoying thoughts out of his mind, and didn't ask people to chase the messenger back just because Li Dingguo thought of it.

More than a day later, Wang Shangli's Department in Hengdong County, eighty miles to the east, also easily received Zhang Xianzhong's order, as well as Zhang Xianzhong's assessment of the material loss of Shen Shuren's former army.

Wang Shangli hasn't worked hard for the past few days, keeping a low profile.After seeing the king's request, he also felt that it was a bit unreasonable not to obey orders at all.Besides, if there is a real chance, and the main force of the army is in the siege camp outside Hengzhou City, then the Hengshan Guard's food road is weak, and there must be not many troops.

If he could snatch all the ammunition transporting fleet of the tree sinkers, he would be able to change his shotguns by then.

As a bandit army, although Wang Shangli's army also has a certain number of firearms, they are often in a broken state like fire sticks.Who made them lack ammunition production capacity? They can only fire if they can grab the ammunition.

After some calculations and planning, Wang Shangli decisively ordered the main force of the entire army: "Leave 1 people in the camp and be on guard at any time. Once there is an order from the front, reinforcements will be sent immediately. I will bring the main force. I will leave the city this evening to go to Hengshan to rob ammunition.

Our military scouts have found out that Shen Shuren has built a new transshipment wharf on the Weixiang River in Hengshan. The large ships coming from the north of Hengshan are all unloaded on the north side, and the human carts are transferred over the mountain pass before reloading on the small boats on the south side.

Therefore, there must be a lot of materials piled up at the pier that cannot be reloaded. Let's rob those gunpowder and bullets, and let's make a wealth stick! "

-

PS: There are almost [-] words today, and [-] words yesterday.I'm going to drive back to Hangzhou tomorrow, so it's reduced to a big change, and it's the same when I start work the day after tomorrow.Then back to normal.

(End of this chapter)