A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 220 The Battle of Stone Bridge

Guarding Yandun and Shiqiao is Tian Qiming, the official of the C Division A team under Han Zhong's command.

Tian Qiming used to be the head of Dingjia under the command of Qianzong Tian Changguo in the prefectural city. During the tenth year of Chongzhen, after Lu Xiangsheng inspected Baoanzhou City, Tian Changguo made a decisive decision and asked his own general Tian Zhijue to lead his family to join Wang Dou.

Sure enough, Tian Changguo was not disappointed. Up to now, among the three generals under Qianzong Han Zhong, Zhong Xiancai, Yang Tong, and Tian Zhijue.Tian Zhijue is one of them, leading a total of several hundred soldiers. Although most of them are newly trained new troops last year, all of these sergeants in the general army are stronger than his servants and nephews in previous years. The future is bright.

Tian Changguo felt very relieved, and secretly rejoiced that his choice back then was not wrong.

After the training of the new army, Tian Qiming made a lot of contributions in suppressing bandits. He was recommended by Tian Zhijue as the team officer. The team has a strength of 74 people.

During the defense of Yandun and Shiqiao, Tian Qiming discussed with Huang Wei, the deputy of the team. Huang Wei suggested that in a team of six armored soldiers, the four armored soldiers should be placed behind the bridgehead, with one armored knife shield soldier, three armored gunfire soldiers, and the rest Two armored firecrackers are arranged on the fire pier.

On the side of the bridge, several one-wheeled chariots were blocked. The chariots stood sideways. On the side facing the bridge, the poles were inserted with protective hardwood cards, which were strong enough to withstand the sharp arrows shot by the Qing soldiers.From the front of the chariot to the side of the bridge, the ground was still covered with barbed wire, with sharp spikes facing upwards, shining with a piercing cold light.

The terrain on the Yandun side of the stone bridge, from the left to the canal, is steep on both sides and difficult to pass.

Although the right side is gentle and the river is dry, it is easy to pass, but the fire road pier is ten feet behind, and the firepower spreads within a hundred paces around. It will make those daring Tazi soldiers unable to eat and walk around.

Huang Wei used to be a corps leader in the old army, and participated in the fierce battle against the Tartar soldiers. As Tian Qiming was in charge of the team, he should also pay attention to Huang Wei's opinion.Besides, with such an arrangement, he couldn't fault it at all.This kind of protection can maximize the power of Shunxiang Army's firearms, Tian Qiming readily agreed at the moment.

After arriving at Yandun yesterday, the two began to divide and cooperate. Tian Qiming led four armored soldiers to guard the bridge, and team deputy Huang Wei led two armored soldiers to guard Huoludun. They also cooperated happily.

There was nothing wrong yesterday. Early this morning, Tian Qiming got up from Huoludun in good spirits. With the assistance of several guards, he put on his iron armor, put a wool cap on his head, and then Putting on the iron helmet and having the inner cap, the coldness on the head was greatly reduced.

Finally, Tian Qiming put on his woolen coat and gloves, and inserted his back flag representing the team officer.

He shook his fists down violently, and glanced at the four guards beside him majestically: "Boys, are you ready?"

The four guards all raised their chests and bellies, and shouted in unison: "Get ready."

Tian Qiming imitated the appearance of the guerrilla general Wang Dou, with a very imposing gesture, he said solemnly: "Let's go!"

The five people walked out of the room with their heads held high, and a deadly north wind came towards them. The five of them shook together, and a guard cursed in a low voice: "Damn, what the hell is it, it's much colder than Baoanzhou."

"Ok!"

Tian Qiming glanced at him seriously: "As my security officer, what's a mere chill? Not to mention the world of frost and snow, even if the general gives an order, I will not even frown in the face of mountains of swords and seas of fire."

The four guards said in unison: "The field management team is loyal and courageous, I admire it!"

Tian Qiming cursed secretly in his heart, pressed his waist knife with one hand, and swung his other hand quite regularly, leading his four guards, boldly up to the wall of Huoludun.When we got here, it was even more chilly. Some remnants of frost could be seen on the crenels, and the cold wind came and went.

On the hanging tower, team deputy Huang Wei stood motionless in the cold wind like a clay sculpture and wood carving, just staring at Tongzhou.

Around him, some gunfire soldiers were patrolling back and forth on the pier wall.Huang Wei also wore an armored coat, with a flag slightly smaller than Tian Qiming's on his back. When he heard footsteps, he saw that it was Tian Qiming. He clasped his fists and saluted: "I have seen the field management team."

Tian Qiming helped him up affectionately, and said, "How is it, Lao Huang, is there any movement?"

Huang Wei shook his head, and Tian Qiming also looked at the boundless loess field beyond Huodun, with nothing but a few trees trembling in the cold wind.

Tian Qiming was secretly disappointed, thinking: "Why haven't the Tartar soldiers come yet?"

When Tian Qiming was practicing in the new army, he heard a lot of old soldiers bragging about fighting against the Qing soldiers. He couldn't help but feel itchy. He fought horse bandits and bandits many times, but he still didn't know how he was fighting against the Tartar soldiers. He was eager to prove himself. force.Not to mention that Wang Dou's army has the most meritorious service in fighting the Qing soldiers.

He said a few words to Huang Wei, and then led a few guards out of the pier gate.

The pier gate of Yandun is located on the west side, just beside the official road.From the official road to the stone bridge, the Sijia soldiers guarding the stone bridge are densely packed here. They are chatting, watching, or warming up around a few fires by the roadside.The collected dead leaves and branches crackled in the fire, which also drove away some of the chill.

In addition to the sword and shield soldiers of the top three, the firecrackers of the top three, while chatting, are still taking care of their beloved firecrackers, wiping the black and thick gun body with a soft soft cloth.Or wrap the stick with fine cloth to clean and protect the inside of the chamber.

Wang Dou's current firecracker has a fire door device that can be opened and closed automatically on the powder pool, so it can also fight in such cold windy weather.With the use of granular gunpowder, within a hundred steps, all Qing soldiers without armor or with a layer of armor can be killed, and within seventy steps, they can break through the multi-layered heavy armor on their bodies. The long matchlock that gets in the way is really a perfect firearm.

Seeing Tian Qiming striding over, all the sergeants at the bridgehead stood up and saluted Tian Qiming. Tian Qiming looked at his subordinates with satisfaction. These firecrackers, all of them had eight-petal hats and iron pointed helmets, and they were also wearing red cotton wool coats. There is a breastplate inside, and a waist knife is pinned to the waist belt.

Due to good nutrition and strict training, they are all strong and strong, and after many battles against bandits, they are already qualified and elite soldiers.If he went through a few more vicious battles with the Qing soldiers, his temperament would undergo an even more earth-shaking change.

He affectionately patted the shoulders of the sergeants in front of him. This behavior was also learned from the guerrilla general.He said in a loud voice: "Brothers, cheer up, don't let the Tartar soldiers touch you quietly."

All the sergeants laughed: "Tianguan team, we are afraid that the Tartar soldiers will not come, we have been waiting for them for a long time."

Amidst the giggles, the four armor chiefs guarding the bridge also came forward to meet Tian Qiming. Three of them were armor chiefs of firecracker armor and one chief armor of sword and shield armor. Team deputy Huang Wei's flag is smaller.

Tian Qiming took a look at the head of the sword and shield armor. This is a rough man. He was originally a sergeant in the old army. All the soldiers under his command were dressed in full armor and held a big sword and shield. For the main battle.At this time, those sword and shield soldiers were talking and laughing loudly around a fire on the right side of the official road.

After talking to several Jia chiefs, Tian Qiming stared intently at the side of the stone bridge, with a wide field of vision. There were only a few sparse trees on both sides of the official road, and the loess field was on the left and right sides. Some traces of the surrounding villages could be faintly seen. There was no large cloud of smoke and dust when the Qing soldiers came.

Tian Qiming muttered: "Are we going to wait for nothing again today? Leave him alone, let's talk about it after breakfast."

Holding his waist knife, he walked a few times along the official road between Shiqiao and Huoludun. Several fire soldiers in the team came with buckets of hot breakfast food, and the bridgehead immediately became lively.The hot noodles and boiled jerky made everyone enjoy themselves.

Roasting the fire in the cold wind, eating hot meals, everyone felt very comfortable. Tian Qiming sat with several Jiachang and ate several large bowls of noodles, and then he put down the bowl in satisfaction. My little belly said: "It's really comfortable. The noodles are tough and chewy. The firemen in our team are good."

The armor commander of the knife and shield armor was also spitting, and said loudly: "Brothers are full, if the Tartar soldiers come up, it's time to take some exercise after dinner."

The other three armor chiefs also laughed, and suddenly one chief armor stared blankly at the direction of the bridge: "Old Yang, you really hit the mark, the Tartars are here."

Tian Qiming and the others jumped up suddenly, looking far away, they saw a large cloud of smoke and dust rolling towards the other side of the wilderness.This large cloud of smoke and dust, only the rapid galloping of the large cavalry of the Qing soldiers, could create such a cloud of smoke.

Tian Qiming sternly said: "Be on alert, prepare to fight."

The blood in his heart was boiling, and he felt that the blood all over his body was boiling hot. Finally, he waited for this day.

At the bridgehead, the four armored sergeants assembled urgently. After the three armored firecrackers lined up their chariots in the cold wind, one armored sword and shield soldier stood guard on the right side of the bridgehead to prevent the Qing soldiers from approaching from the river bank.At the same time, there was also a warning message from Yandun, obviously they saw the arrival of the Qing soldiers.

Tian Qiming heard the order from Huang Wei, the deputy of the team, and asked the two firecrackers on the Hulu pier to be on guard. With a crack, a cloud of smoke rose from the Hulu pier, but it was Huang Wei, the deputy of the team, who rang the pistol and fired at the fire pistol. The village fort behind him gave a warning, and then the crackling sound of hand guns continued. The sergeants along the way sent the alarm all the way back to the village fort.

……

The cloud of smoke was getting closer and closer, and finally, Tian Qiming saw a large red flag with a white border appearing in front of his eyes, followed by a large group of red and white flags, flying in the cold wind.Under the dense banners, there are all knights in red armor with white borders on the outside. On the top of the pitch-black helmet, the fiery red plume flutters.

"The army of the Tartars with the red flag."

A firecracker armor leader called out.

"Brothers, hold your breath!"

Tian Qiming shouted loudly.

He heard the sound of the soldiers' horseshoes getting louder and louder, as if the ground was shaking under the impact of the iron hooves, his heart beat violently a few times, and he cursed secretly: "Damn it, this Tartar soldier is nothing compared to bandits and horse thieves. It really is different."

He looked around, fortunately, although all the sergeants were surprised, many of them gasped heavily involuntarily, but their expressions were still calm.

Moreover, this stone bridge is the only aisle on the official road. The stone bridge is full of unicycle chariots, and there are barbed caltrops scattered all over the place. Tian Qiming also believes that the firecrackers of the soldiers in his team cannot be rushed by. here.

Those Qing cavalry with red flags roared over, and some sentries rushed forward in front of their army. They seemed to see the situation on the bridgehead. They were surprised and rushed back at the same time. Soon, those Qing cavalry He slowed down his horse gait, and finally stopped 150 steps away from the stone bridge.

At this time, the cavalry of the Qing army could see it more clearly. All of them had bright and dark armor, which should be inlaid with iron leaves. Everyone had thick copper nails nailed to the cotton armor, and there were bright spots on the chest of the general. goggles.Except for the tall iron helmets and red tassels, everyone's armor is bright red, inlaid with white cotton fringes.

They are all stout and stout, riding steadily on their horses, and their hostile faces can be faintly seen, full of arrogance.It seemed that they were tired from running, and in the cold weather, the horses under them kept snorting, with thick white gas from their mouths and noses.

Tian Qiming made a rough estimate, and based on the information sent from the pier, those Tartar soldiers with red flags should all be sergeants from the Aliha Chaoha Battalion.Before dispatching troops, the Shangguan had explained to them the new military system of the Tartar soldiers. Now the Tartar troops are no longer carried out according to the Han Niulu, but are divided into three battalions, the Ba Ya La Battalion, and the Ali Hachao Battalion. Haying, Gabusi Xianying, etc.

This name is 柪口, a Tartar is a Tartar, he is uneducated, and the name is so weird, Tian Qiming curled his lips.

But he was scolding in his heart, but his eyes were watching carefully, there were about five to six hundred Tazi soldiers facing him.Seeing that they don’t have many troops, but they are flying the official banner of Jia Lazhangjing. The Shangguan once said that now that the Tartars are going on an expedition, those who are led by Niu Luzhangjing will be given the title of Jia Lazhangjing. It seems that there is a title on the opposite side Niu Lu Zhang Jing is gone.

Tian Qiming estimated that there were only two to three hundred armored soldiers on the opposite side, of which there were at most a hundred vest soldiers.After the Tartars unified the military system, 17 Baya soldiers were sent to the Baya camp every day, a few Kabush soldiers were sent to the Kabush camp, and dozens of infantry and vests were sent to the Alihachaoha camp. The original Niu Luzhangjing and Jialazhangjing of each banner led the troops.As large as a team of 50 people, the officers still call it the allocated Shiku, and the ten people set up a Shichang, which is called Zhuang Da.

There are at most [-] armored soldiers on the opposite side, and the rest are auxiliary soldiers. It is estimated that one step armor has one auxiliary soldier, and one vest has two auxiliary soldiers. Although the man also held a knife to grab, but under the fierce blow of his own firecrackers, he could only die.

There are also some military slaves, such as Aha and Baoyi, who are only used as handymen and cannon fodder, and have no combat effectiveness at all, so they can be ignored.

Thinking about this, Tian Qiming calmed down. He had a team of more than [-] soldiers, all of whom were warriors, one against three, with bridgeheads, chariot obstacles, and sharp guns. Take a look at the color.

He also looked at the Qing army cavalry opposite with some surprise. Not to mention the armored soldiers all had horses, and even the miscellaneous soldiers behind them all had horses. These Tartars are very rich.

……

On the village castle, Wang Dou also watched the movement on the other side of the bridge intently.

Wen Fangliang said: "General, there is news from Huoludun that hundreds of Tartar cavalry are coming. Do you want to send some reinforcements?"

Wang Dou shook his head and said: "There are only a few hundred slaves in the area, don't worry about it, I think the soldiers guarding the bridge and pier can handle it."

Han Zhong stood next to Wang Dou, deeply convinced.

Wang Dou told Li Guangheng who was beside him: "General Manager Li, get ready. After the slave cavalry attacking the stone bridge are defeated, you immediately lead your knights to chase after them."

Li Guangheng was overjoyed, and took his orders loudly and left.

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Old White Bull: There is another chapter tonight.

(End of this chapter)