The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 489 Deterrence Tactics
"Jianchang Bo is just bluffing. He will never lead troops to fight the Tatars head-on."

Li Wei made a conclusion based on his previous understanding of Zhang Yanling.

joke.

Zhang Yanling led the troops into the battlefield, so he said he dared to lead the troops to charge?

If he had [-] to [-] soldiers and horses, he would have to charge. At most, he would be ignorant and fearless. But now he only has [-] soldiers. Even if he has the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard, he would not dare to risk his life against the Tatars, right?
The generals suddenly felt that it made sense.

That was Jianchang Bo...

At this time, are you worried that he will charge into the battle and grab the credit?Are we too worried?

"Report, Marquis Wu'an sent a sentry to deliver the message."

"Call someone in."

……

……

Zheng Ying and Li Tao need to work together secretly, at least to "advance and retreat together". If there is no agreement, then neither party will move forward.

But while they were still standing still here, Yang Yiqing's troops were already fighting with the Tatars in the north of Shigou City.

When Cui Yuan came out of the Zhongjun camp, the generals next to him didn't dare not take him seriously.

In front of Li Er, the generals must show respect for the coach, but in front of Cui Yuan, they still have to show enough humility. After all, Cui Yuan is now also a "red man" in the eyes of the emperor.

"General Cui, now is indeed not the opportunity to send troops. Maybe Uncle Xiangcheng is right, we should wait. As long as Baoguo Gong's men reach our rear, we can send troops. By then, the Tatars will definitely not fight with us. If they have a head-on confrontation, they will retreat, and then we can pursue them all the way.”

The general's words made Cui Yuan frown.

Cui Yuandao: "So the mission of this battle is just to force the Tatars away, not to annihilate them?"

A general next to him reminded: "The Tatars can never be defeated. Since ancient times, from the Xiongnu to the Xianbei and the Turks, there have been so many messy Tatars in the middle. This has been the case since ancient times. Once one wave has been wiped out, there will always be others. Rise up, get them out and don’t let them come back, is the best.”

Cui Yuan said angrily: "No wonder the Tatars are unscrupulous, and everyone has this mentality? Why can't the grassland be completely wiped out? Even if other tribes rise in the future, at least it can ensure the stability of the northern Xinjiang of the Ming Dynasty in the next hundred years. "

The generals had never seen an "angry young man" like Cui Yuan, so they naturally felt that the eldest princess's consort could talk while standing without pain.

"Report..."

Just as he was talking, another news came from the battlefield on the front line of Shigou City.

The generals did not go away. They all wanted to know how the battle was going on the front line. Cui Yuan shouted: "Now it is time for everyone to perform their duties. What are you waiting for here? If the Tatars are suddenly killed, you are ready to fight at any time. ?"

Many generals left in anger.

Some were still murmuring and complaining to their companions: "Who does he think he is? He's just a counselor accompanying the army. He's so angry even if he doesn't lead the army. Sure enough, the emperor's relatives are not easy to serve."

……

……

The war in the north of Shigou City is ongoing. Yang Yiqing's troops have more than 1 troops, and the Tatars have more than 1 troops in the north of the city. In terms of paper strength, there seems to be not much difference between the two sides.

But the actual battle was not as intense as imagined.

The battle of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses was suddenly turned into a back-and-forth battle between hundreds of soldiers and horses. The main reason was that both warring parties were afraid of each other... The Ming Dynasty was afraid of the charge and crossbows of the Tatar cavalry. , while the Tatars were afraid of the Ming Dynasty's firearms.

Yang Yiqing initially asked his soldiers and horses to attack the Tatars' defensive formation, but he was forced back by the opponent's crossbows several times.

The artillery was fired from a long distance, because the formation of the Tatars was very loose. Dozens of artillery fire did not seem to kill a few people. Then the vanguard troops on the front line withdrew again, and the two sides re-entered a stalemate.

Guo Jun came back from the front line of the charge and brought back his own opinions: "Mr. Yang, the Tatars deliberately spread out their formations. They are almost a long snake formation. There is no thickness, and the cannons cannot shoot so accurately. , even if you shoot accurately, you can hit three or two people at once. And we don’t have enough artillery shells here..."

Guo Jun and other generals showed bravery and fearlessness in front of Yang Yiqing, but when they actually led the troops, both the upper-level generals and the lower soldiers were a little unwilling to fight.

I also know that there is a gap in the number of soldiers and horses with the Tatars.

Yang Yiqing asked: "Is it because of the battle at Huamachi that the soldiers thought they had achieved merit and could slack off in this battle?"

Zhang Xun said: "Oh, Yang Zhongcheng has no need to ridicule them. This is not like in Huamachi. They gathered together and rushed forward, exploding artillery and explosives at will. Now they are well prepared. This terrain is not easy to fight, and There are gaps in all directions, and we can't form a big ambush with just a few people, so we can't surround them."

Yang Yiqing raised his sword and said, "In that case, I will personally lead the charge."

Gao Pi, the deputy commander-in-chief on the side, hurriedly persuaded: "Sir, think twice. We just reported that Chang Bo has led more than 4000 soldiers and horses on the flanks. He will kill them at any time. As long as the people from the east come to kill, there will be tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Two We will definitely win if we attack together."

Yang Yiqing said: "This battle is my own, how can I leave the variables to others? What's more, he is an unlearned and unskilled relative of the emperor! At this time, it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself. Only we, the generals of Tartar, can Only when the Tatars' vigor is suppressed can the rest of the troops come in for reinforcements. Listen to the order, and the Chinese army will press forward, and prepare the firecrackers!"

Gao Pi looked at Guo Jun with a questioning look.

When they were about to charge to death, Gao Pi and others also hoped that the commander-in-chief Guo Jun would come out and persuade the "reckless" coach in front of them.

However, Guo Jun still kept in step with Yang Yiqing, cupping his fists and saying, "I am willing to listen to Mr. Yang's orders."

……

……

The Tatars did not want to engage in a full-scale war with the Ming Dynasty. Instead, Yang Yiqing led the troops and charged directly.

The Tatar formation was very loose, and they obviously did not expect that the strategic goal of the Ming Dynasty would change from "forcing the enemy to retreat" to "fighting to the death." Therefore, when Yang Yiqing personally led the cavalry to charge, the Tatar formation was obviously in a panic.

However, the Tatar side immediately reorganized their troops and horses. The cavalry lurking behind the shield formation saw the opportunity and prepared to complete a close combat with the Ming side.

We have long been displeased with the Ming Dynasty. Wang Shouren did not rely on bows or swords on the grassland before, but only played with firearms. This time, we will take advantage of the fact that you have few firearms in the Ming Dynasty to show off our advantages and let you Know what "a nation on horseback" means.

The Tatar cavalry formed a formation quickly, and then more than 4000 elite heavy armored cavalry were deployed in a long snake formation, preparing for a head-to-head contest with the Ming Dynasty's charging cavalry.

"kill!"

The Ming Dynasty side was the first to launch its momentum, and various cavalrymen rushed toward Shigou City, causing dust to fill the sky.

The Tatar side seemed unhurried. All they sent were heavy armored cavalry. Even if they were sent from behind, they obviously had certain advantages. Moreover, this kind of heavy armor had been modified, that is, the armor was reinforced in front of them. The hardness and thickness of the armor are higher, so it seems to be able to withstand the attack of the large open fire gun.

As the soldiers and horses of both sides approached, the Ming side had begun to "disrespect martial ethics" and launched an offensive with artillery with a longer range, and covered the forward charge of the cavalry, while the musketeers in the front row of the Ming cavalry had already fired their muskets. Carrying it in the hand, the Lancer has been redefined and can fire muskets at the enemy while galloping on horseback.

Both in terms of accuracy and lethality, it was much better than the Tatars' mounted archery. However, mobile combat used to be the exclusive domain of the Tatars, and the Ming Dynasty soldiers were not good at archery.

The two black currents will soon converge.

After the Tatar cavalry launched their offensive, they immediately discovered that their improved iron armor still had limited resistance to the Ming Dynasty's improved fire guns, and the direct lethality turned into impact force. Even the Tatar cavalry wearing heavy iron armor was unable to resist the Ming Dynasty's improved fire guns. After being hit by a fire blunderbuss, they will still be knocked off their horses, and once the cavalry leaves their horses, they are like lambs waiting to be slaughtered at this time.

What's even worse is that the Tatar cavalry still have to brave the cannonballs flying overhead, many of which are shotguns.

Even if the Tatar cavalry has a heavy iron helmet on its head, it still cannot stop the fragments of the cannonball. If it happens to be around the place where the cannonball landed, even the iron armor will be blown to pieces. After all, this is not just a black powder cannonball. Explosives mixed with lead shot and yellow gunpowder can leave a deep or shallow pit on the hard ground with each shot.

"Boom boom boom..."

"Bang bang bang..."

The battlefield was initially dominated by cries of death, but as the war progressed, the sound of cannons and firecrackers overwhelmed the cries of death.

In other words, the soldiers on both sides of the war had no intention of shouting for death. Both sides were thinking about how to fight the enemy and seemed to have no other thoughts. The Tatar side could be said to be rushing forward in a hail of bullets, while the Ming side was The position was stabilized with firearms, and after the initial charge, the formation began to be formed, and the position was stabilized by arranging guns and artillery.

"Yang Yiqing, the soldiers are coming to kill!"

At first, the soldiers on the Ming side were extremely wary of charging when they did not have superior strength.

As the war progressed, they found that even if their own side lacked troops, horses, and even firearms, and the Tatar side had improved its iron cavalry, the Ming side could still stabilize its position in this seemingly unfavorable situation.

As more Tatar cavalry came outflanking from both wings, the Ming soldiers no longer needed to charge into the battle. They only had to wait for the Tatars to come up and die. Although the Ming soldiers also knew that their own ammunition was being consumed rapidly, this kind of The feeling of being able to kill the Tatars from a distance... is still great.

That's the difference in weapons. It's like a magic trick. You only need to complete basic shooting movements, and the Tatar can fall off his horse or even be killed two or three hundred steps away. If he is hit by artillery, It even happened a mile or two away.

Yang Yiqing initially presided over the charge, but he was the commander after all, not a vanguard officer, so after the war progressed, he had already guarded the almost central position in the formation, using his command flag to inform the surrounding Ming Dynasty and Tatars Soldiers are the core of the Ming Dynasty's army.

If you have the ability, just rush here.

……

...In the dusty sky, the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars started an almost head-to-head contest.

Both sides suffered casualties, but it was clear that the Ming side had gained a foothold, while the Tatars suffered heavy losses. The first to withdraw from the war were the Tatars' two-wing troops who had not yet charged forward, especially the east-route troops, because they Encountered a problem that was a hundred times more troublesome than the people on the west road...

There is actually a group of Ming soldiers and horses coming from the northeast. Although they have not reached within five miles, they are expected to kill them in less than half an hour. The Ming side is coming menacingly... If they are attacked by the Ming side, Then all their troops would have to be wiped out.

After all, the Ming side has guns and cannons, while the Tatar side can only rely on primitive bows and crossbows. They can't even count on the swords in their hands, because the battlefield does not give them the opportunity to fight hand-to-hand.

If they can really fight to the point of hand-to-hand combat, the Tatars will not have an advantage.

It is exactly that sentence, seven steps away is fast, within seven steps it is accurate and fast.

After all, it is no longer the original firecracker with front-loaded projectiles. It no longer even needs a fuse to ignite. As long as the projectiles are loaded and the finger is hooked, the projectiles can be launched. The lethality at close range is greater, and the Ming Dynasty also has a shield. For defense, compared to the thick iron armor that protects against projectiles, the iron shield on the side of the Ming Dynasty obviously does not need to be so thick. The lethality of bows and arrows at medium and short range is just that, at least it is much easier to defend against.

What the Ming side needs to be more prepared for are those arrows that luckily pass through the gun array and are within the range of the bow and arrow. The Tatar cavalry shoots arrows into the sky in a "blind shooting" method. It is uncertain where they will land. It depends on who is more unlucky. .

As the troops outflanked by the Tatars on the east road retreated southward, the Ming army's situation of being surrounded on three sides collapsed instantly.

The scouts on the east route also brought exciting news to Yang Yiqing, Zhang Xun and others: "The report...has thousands of cavalry from our army, supported by artillery carriages, etc., coming from the left wing, and the one hanging is the Zhang family of Jianchang Bo." Shuaiqi is less than eight miles away from here."

"So fast?" When Zhang Xun heard this, he immediately beamed.

Before, he had thought that this battle was a battle of his own life, even if he lost less and won more, he was a bit desperate to seek death, and he was even ready to run away at any time if the situation went bad.

Who would have thought that their own side would be able to gain a foothold when they came up. The Tatars were waiting for work, but they still suffered heavy losses. Judging from the situation, the losses were even greater than in the battle at Huamachi, and reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty actually came. It was Jianchang Bo Zhang Yanling who even Yang Yiqing and Zhang Xu looked down upon before.

"Who wouldn't grab the credit that's so easy in front of you?" Yang Yiqing didn't show any excitement about Zhang Yanling's help. Instead, he was sarcastic.

Zhang Xun smiled and said: "Uncle Jianchang is different from those people. He has the courage to dare to come. Since he is here, Marquis Wu'an and Uncle Xiangcheng will definitely come with their troops."

This is “official experience”.

If even Zhang Yanling led the charge, and Wu'an Hou and Xiangcheng Bo stood by and watched, then they really would not have to mix in the Ming military circles in the future. Even if the emperor gave them a chance, they themselves would be ashamed of the military uniforms they were wearing, and The official hats and titles on their heads.

"That's not wrong."

Yang Yiqing agreed with Zhang Xun's words this time.

In Yang Yiqing's view, it doesn't matter whether Zhang Yanling sincerely comes to fight. His four thousand troops may not play a strategically decisive role, but he plays a "setting role".

If Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren represent the "upper limit" of the Ming Dynasty's military strength, then Zhang Yanling represents the "lower limit". If even the most incompetent and even the reviled and misbehaving relatives lead the charge at this time , then if anyone still holds on and does not rush, it is tantamount to creating his own "lower limit". There is no minimum, only lower.

No one wants to be looked down upon, so in the end... Zhang Yanling rushed, so we had to rush too.

Otherwise, wouldn’t we be inferior to Zhang Yanling?

……

……

"Uncle Jianchang, is he crazy?"

When Li Ao heard the news before two thousand of his troops had been reorganized, he thought he had heard it wrong.

Li Hao finished arranging his two thousand soldiers and horses. He did not intend to attack the enemy's position, but was prepared to "advance, attack, retreat, and defend." This is a nice way of saying it, but a bad way of saying it...is to run away at any time.

But now as Zhang Yanling led his troops to join the battle, he was forced to have no choice but to join the army.

Cui Yuan rode on his horse and asked for orders: "Uncle Xiangcheng, if we don't attack now, when will we wait? Shouldn't we enter the battlefield later than Uncle Jianchang?"

Many generals looked at Cui Yuan, as if waiting for him to give the final answer.

You can still run now, or you can continue to stand still, but now you need someone to come out and give the order. In the end, the blame needs to be borne by the person who gave the order.

"Is there any movement on Marquis Wu'an's side?" Li Na now focused on the "friendly forces".

Let’s ignore Zhang Yanling’s crazy criticism. Who makes it difficult to judge the logic of this kind of person’s behavior?Now let's talk about Wu'an Hou... As long as he is like us, we can still have an explanation afterwards.

No one can answer Li Er.

When the war started, the intelligence system was not that perfect. Now everyone's attention was focused on Zhang Yanling, who was about to join the battlefield. Whether Marquis Wu An was marching... He was already in the rear, who would care?
Cui Yuandao said: "If Uncle Xiangcheng still has any concerns, he might as well send troops first to coordinate with Uncle Jianchang to send troops. At this time, we should cooperate sincerely."

"Impossible!" Li Bo said, "I can't entrust the lives of our soldiers to people like Jianchang Bo. What's the benefit of working with him? He's looking for death, are you looking for death too?"

Someone suggested: "How about we march in from the south?"

Cui Yuan asked for instructions again: "We should send a group of troops to go into battle first."

"Consort Cui, it is not honorable to let others go into battle to kill the enemy." Li Tao said, "Now send out the front army with 400 troops to contain the Tatars in Shigou Post. Cui Consort rectifies the troops and goes up with the army!"

……

……

Cui Yuanzai was sent to the front line because of his "offense".

First Zhu Hui, then Li Tao, couldn't stand his talkative character. Even Cui Yuan felt aggrieved. He was just using the formations and tactics he learned to remind the military that he had actual authority. Man, why did you let me go to the front line?

Becoming a vanguard in one leap?

Who provoked whom?
Cui Yuan obviously had no experience as an official or leading soldiers. He didn't know that his uprightness was actually a quality that was incompatible with his colleagues in the army.

However, even if Cui Yuan was sent to the front army, he was not too depressed, because in his mind, since he came to the northwest to make contributions, he should not hide in the rear and watch others die.

He was even thinking that the princess asked me to make great achievements and had high expectations for me. If I didn't achieve what she expected, how could I have the face to see her after I went back?I was even ashamed to meet Wang Shilang and Cai Guogong, and I failed to live up to His Majesty's expectations of me.

Cui Yuan was so passionate now that even if he only charged into battle with four hundred soldiers, he didn't complain in return.

But for him... this battle was not very "friendly".

Because even if there were [-] soldiers, he was still not the commander. The leader was Xu Shen, a general transferred from Yansui.

Xu Shen was given a total of three light cannons along the way, but all the four hundred soldiers were equipped with flint muskets. The biggest difference between Xu Shen and Zhu Hui and Li Wei was that he did not dare to offend Cui Yuan, and he did not want to take responsibility. , even a little afraid of death. When the 400 troops walked three or four miles to the west and were only three or four miles away from the Tatar vanguard camp, Xu Shen already regarded Cui Yuan as the coach of this group of troops.

"General Cui, even His Majesty praised your ability in running the army, so don't be humble. How should we fight now?"

Xu Shen and the surrounding soldiers looked at the dark Tatar cavalry on the opposite side, ready to attack, and felt like a sheep falling into a tiger's mouth.

Although the Tatars were fighting with the local soldiers and horses of Ningxia in the north, they still deployed more than [-] soldiers and horses east of Shigou City, and the defensive formation was very complete. The cavalry could rush out at any time, and the distance of two or three miles was in In this almost wilderness environment, there is no distance at all.

If the other party is willing, the two sides can complete the battle in a very short period of time.

The Tatar cavalry could even quickly engulf their four hundred soldiers and horses.

"Look north!"

Someone pointed in the direction of true north.

There is a lot of sand and dust, and you can see the dust moving towards the north of Shigou City from a distance.

When Cui Yuan saw this scene, he became more energetic. He clenched his fists and said, "Jian Changbo's men are here!"

"Then we..."

Xu Shen asked for instructions, probably saying, should we wait here, or choose to outflank, or charge... Of course, the option of charging can be eliminated. The [-] soldiers and horses of Xiangcheng Bo and Wu'an Hou did not dare to charge. The enemy's formation, let us charge four hundred soldiers and horses...are we looking for death?

Cui Yuandao: "Tatars are also afraid of death. What we can rely on is the gun in our hands. Even if we are defeated, those who get close to us first and are hit by the gun will die! Are you afraid?"

Xu Shen asked: "Is this the case when you are about to die? Do you need someone to support you?"

Cui Yuan asked back: "Do we have any other choice? Do we need to withdraw to the headquarters camp? Or move to the north and get out of the way? Our momentum is strong enough, but the Tatars are actually weak. If we attack, they will have to retreat... No need to gallop. ! Let the soldiers line up and push forward little by little!"

When Xu Shen heard this, he didn't understand.

The cavalry does not rely on charging, but relies on slow advancement?Then why ride a horse?Just go down to the ground and lead the horse away.

Cui Yuandao: "With 400 people, no matter how we fight, they are still not as good as the other side, so rely on intimidation! As long as we advance, the Tatars will not retreat. When they reach our shooting range, they will be the first to die!"

(End of this chapter)