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

Chapter 290 Strong Attack
Xuan Dajun camped outside Liuhe Fort, felled trees, dug deep trenches, and before sunset, a strong camp was established.

Cooking smoke billowed up, and the entire Xuanda camp exuded a smell of food and tempting meat.Within a radius of more than ten miles, in addition to many fortresses and villages, there are also many horse fences and cattle fences in the wild, in which countless cattle, horses, pigs and sheep are imprisoned.

Xuan Dajun was not polite, he captured hundreds of cattle and sheep, killed them for reward, and the whole army let go of their stomachs to eat meat.Everyone was beaming with joy, they all said not to mention beating the Tartars, but because they came to Zhuozhou with so much meat to eat, it was worth the trip.

At the same time, under the escort of some soldiers, Mr. Qian, the general of the Shun Township Army, drove out many carts and horses from the camp, carrying grain and rice, and went to several people's relief points.Those captives had been starving and cold for a long time, and the military doctor suggested to Wang Dou not to let them overeat, lest some people would stay alive.

Wang Dou nodded in agreement, and let them cook some rice porridge to replenish their calories.

The officers and soldiers gave relief as promised, drinking hot rice porridge, coupled with the joy of being saved, all the people everywhere were boiling.All the soldiers who pulled food enjoyed star treatment, and countless people kowtowed to them to thank them.The officers and soldiers strictly ordered them not to run around and move around, and they followed suit.

Only some young and strong men, under the urging of the soldiers of the Shun Township Army, went outside the gathering point to pick up some dry firewood and dead branches, and lit fires one by one, so that the people inside could spend the cold winter night.A lot of bedding and clothes were also pulled from the vehicles of the soldiers, so that the people could wear them to keep out the cold.

The Tartars who killed thousands of knives even snatched the clothes, quilts, bowls and chopsticks of the people in various states and counties.

Seeing the thoughtful consideration of the soldiers, the people were even more grateful and excited. They asked the soldiers of the Shun Township Army one after another, which branch of the officers and soldiers they belonged to, and especially who their general was.After they go back, they can enshrine longevity tablets to the soldiers.

Wang Dou had already made up his mind to bring all these people back to Baoan Prefecture, and he had earlier ordered those soldiers to be kind to the common people.Those soldiers understood it, and at this time they even boasted, saying that their general is the emperor's personal title, the guerrilla general of Baoan Prefecture in Xuanfu Town, Wang Dou, who has won the three armies.

After his old man was ordered to enter the guard, he fought from the capital to Tongzhou, from Tongzhou to Dingzhou, and after a circle from north to south, he fought back to Zhuozhou.Wherever they went, the Tartars all fled, not daring to fight a little bit.Presumably it would not take long for the Tartar soldiers who attacked Zhuozhou this time to wipe them out with one blow.

It's a pity that few people among the common people have heard of the Shunxiang Army, which is the champion of the three armies, and even fewer people have heard of Wang Dou's name.After they were rescued, they were still anxious, worried that the officers and soldiers would not be the opponents of the Tartars.If the officers and soldiers retreated, they would be taken captive by the Tartars again and sent to the Tartars' den.

But hearing what these military masters said with certainty, and that they dared to take the initiative to attack the Tartar soldiers in Zhuozhou, those Tartars also stayed in the camp obediently and did not dare to move around.It is indeed different from the useless officers and soldiers who are fleeing elsewhere.Drinking hot rice porridge, wearing bedding, and roasting a warm fire, although the winter night was still as cold as ever, but infinite hope was ignited in everyone's hearts, and many people had no sleep that night.

……

Wang Dou had an agreement with Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others before they dispatched troops, and all the captured people belonged to Wang Dou.Yang Guozhu and the others did not participate in how Wang Dou helped and arranged for those people. They only greeted them politely when some village elders and soldiers came to the camp to thank them at each gathering point.

That night, Wang Dou discussed military affairs with Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others, and the layout of the Qing military camp in Zhenghongqi had already been detected and compiled into a detailed map.

Looking at this map, Wang Dou and the others fell into deep thought.The Qing army's camp was quite large, with camps on all sides, and the length of each wall was two to three hundred paces.The tree trunks of the wooden wall are closely arranged, and the front row of tree trunks also forms a parapet about half a person's height.A hundred steps ahead of the camp, there are some low walls and ditches.When I saw it in the daytime, those low walls and trenches were not too many and not deep, but it is possible that the Qing soldiers worked overnight to perfect their layout.

But to be honest, such a camp is well protected against cold weapons. If Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei lead their men to attack, it is very likely that they will suffer heavy casualties and be difficult to capture.However, when the Shun Township Army attacked, the situation was quite different.

It had been agreed before the troops were dispatched that Wang Dou would be the main attacker, and Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others would be on the side guards. The look in the eyes of the two of them at this time clearly meant this.

Wang Dou didn't say anything, and carefully discussed the matter of attacking the stronghold with everyone.

"Our army surrounds three buildings and one, and we can attack from three sides..."

Yang Guozhu set the overall strategy.

"They shouldn't have artillery..."

Hu Dawei pondered.

During the Battle of Julu, the main force of the Qing army had to transfer some Hongyi cannons captured from the Ming army from Tongzhou and other places because they attacked the Xuanda camp.Now these artillery should either follow Dorgon's army to attack Shandong, or abandon them on the spot.

Yue Tuo stayed in Zhuozhou, because they were skilled in field warfare, even if the bold Ming army came to attack, they would be able to defeat them in the field, and it never occurred to them to deploy fire artillery in the camp.What's more, they didn't expect Xuan Da's army to approach suddenly. Presumably, Yue Tuo's army by the Liuli River now not only has no artillery, but also doesn't even have a trebuchet, so they have to rely on bows and arrows to defend.

Their bows and arrows can only be lethal at fifty paces, and to break through the iron armor of the Shunxiang army, they have to be shortened to twenty or thirty paces.However, most of Shunxiang's army are firecrackers, who can kill the enemy with a hundred steps, break heavy armor with seven or eighty steps, and have dozens of cannons.No matter how you look at it, the odds are great.

Even if the Qing army had some ditches with low walls, there were 220 single-wheeled chariots accompanying the Shunxiang army this time. The front of each chariot or the shaft on the right can be inserted with protective cards to effectively prevent Bow shooting.

Covered by the fierce shooting of artillery and blunderbuss, the sword and shield soldiers and pike soldiers will attack their camps quickly.

After listening to Wang Dou's words, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei and others became even more excited. Wang Dou asked Yang Guodong, the supervisor of the standard battalion in the room: "Mr. when?"

In Wang Dou's army, there are a lot of ammunition for the Buddha wolf machine guns, and even when they are resting in Liujing Village, the ammunition for the guns and guns in the army is effectively replenished.Some firecrackers replaced their firecrackers with new ones after firing dozens of firecrackers in their hands.Wang Dou was only worried about the remaining four Hongyi [-]-pound guns in the Supervision Battalion, and there was not much ammunition left.

Yang Guodong said: "There are four cannons in the last general's battalion. If there is a fierce battle, each cannon can fire twenty cannons, and the medicine can be used for two days."

Wang Dou nodded: "Two days is enough."

Yang Guodong saluted Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu, and looked even more respectful when facing Wang Dou: "The two military sects, General Wang, the last general invites you to fight. Tomorrow, I would like to lead the brothers who supervise the standard battalion to attack the slave camp with the Shunxiang army brothers. .”

Wang Dou was very happy, the Supervising Biao Battalion had a good fighting force, although there were only 300 people left, but all of them were good men, and most of them were firearms soldiers.The self-generated fire blunderbuss and Lumi blunderbuss they use are well-made and can be used in cold weather. The Lumi blunderbuss has an effective range of 150 steps, high accuracy, and strong armor-piercing ability. Wang Dou has long wanted it.

The self-generating firecrackers they use are the flintlock guns of later generations, and Wang Dou is also eager.There is a supervising battalion attached to him, and his army is even more powerful.Yang Guodong asked for a fight, apparently with the idea of ​​making a nomination certificate before surrendering to himself.

Seeing Yang Guodong's demeanor, Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu had complex expressions, they did everything possible to win over Yang Guodong, but Yang Guodong was unmoved, but seemed to want to submit to Wang Dou.Wang Dou's military power had already expanded to the extreme, and after Yang Guodong joined him, his strength became even stronger. What will happen in the future...

Guo Yingxian, the Chinese army general behind Yang Guozhu, also cracked his mouth in regret, only Xu Yue'e, who was sitting quietly, looked at Yang Guodong and Wang Dou's faces.

……

"General, the last general is willing to lead the general's sergeant as the vanguard of the first wave of attacking the bandit camp."

In the tent of Yang Guozhu's central army, the general situation of the strategy has been decided, and the result of the discussion among the people is that Wang Dou led the Shunxiang Army and the Dubiao Battalion to attack the front of the Qing army's camp, while Hu Dawei, Yang Guozhu and others surrounded the two wings, only attacking, not attacking .It is used to encircle the siege and protect the rear on both sides of Wangdou.

After tomorrow's battle, Yang Guozhu's troops will stay at Liuhebao camp with 300 soldiers, Shunxiang army will stay with 300 soldiers, and Hu Dawei and Xu Yue'e will each have more than [-] people left behind.Within a few miles, there was a sneak attack on the camp, and the Xuanda army had a large number of cavalry, so they could not be rescued in time.

The strategy was decided, Wang Dou returned to his camp, and summoned his subordinate officers to discuss the matter.

Gao Shiyin was the first to stand up to challenge, his face trembling uncontrollably, his eyes full of longing, whether he could be promoted to Chief Qian after returning home depended on this battle.Afterwards, all the generals also called for battle one after another, with high spirits, especially Han and North Korea's most resolute expressions.

The army's morale is available, and Wang Dou is also satisfied. In this battle, he dispatched seven thousand generals under his command, and only Zhong Tiaoyang's Ding Department was left guarding Liujingzhai by the deputy thousand general.In the past few months since I have been fighting, the Han and Korean troops have been staying in Baoan Prefecture. Most of his subordinates are veterans. In the ninth year of Chongzhen, he also fought fiercely with the Qing soldiers. After reorganization, the overall strength is the strongest among the Han and Korean subordinates.

It is time to let them focus on the main attack and hone it better.If he wants to promote Shi Yin, he must be right in this first wave of battles.

He smiled and affirmed the determination of the generals to fight, and then emphasized Gao Shiyin a few words.

He pointed to the map on the table and said: "Tomorrow's battle, our army will mainly attack the gate of the village and the slave camp area between 150 paces on both sides. The Red Banner slave soldiers in Manchuria imitated our defense in Julu and dug several roads in front of the village. The ditch was built with some low walls. Between the ditch, three passages were left, the passage at the gate of the village is the widest, about twenty steps wide, and the rest are ten steps wide."

"It's ridiculous for them to imitate. Tomorrow our army will attack the camp. If they don't have artillery, the artillery in my camp will zoom in 150 steps, or even [-] steps away and bombard them, breaking down all the walls and gates of their village... Mr. Zhao Qian, It is up to you to direct the gunners to fight."

Zhao Xuan hurriedly stood up, this non-mainstream member of the Ming army shouted: "Don't worry, general, the general will fire dozens of cannons tomorrow, it will definitely make those slaves look good."

After the Battle of Julu, there were only more than 200 gunners left in the entire Shunxiang Army, and there were not many guards in the army.After Liujingzhai was reorganized, the group of soldiers all over the city was also incorporated into the artillery guards, making Zhao Xuan's subordinates a total of 300 people.

This time, there are 25 medium-sized artillery pieces of the Raffles Wolf machine, and three gunners for each artillery. The remaining gunners in the army are still enough for use.The gunners and guards in the headquarters are all equipped with firecrackers and waist knives. They don't need the support of other departments, and their own protection capabilities are sufficient.

Wang Dou nodded in satisfaction, let Zhao Xuan sit down, and continued: "After the artillery broke through the wooden wall of the gate of the slave camp, the gunmen in our army approached layer by layer under the cover of the chariot, and entered the slave camp. After entering the slave camp, if they are not defeated, they still have to charge and counterattack. Our army advances with chariots layer by layer. The musketeers shoot from behind the chariots. Sword and shield soldiers and spearmen guard the rear on both sides, ready to fight hand-to-hand at any time !"

Everyone in the tent was elated. Under the fierce firearms attack of the Shunxiang Army, the various ministries may only need to pay a small price to break through the camp.

Han and North Korea looked at the map and thought: "The three passages in the slave camp are narrow, and the chariots have to advance layer by layer. Those trenches need to be filled."

Wen Fangliang suggested to Wang Dou: "General, for tomorrow's battle, we can choose some young and strong people from the common people to dig and fill trenches to save our army's physical strength."

Wang Dou nodded slowly.

……

At this time, the Zhenghongqi Qing army camp was dull, and inexplicable fear spread in the camp.Some women who were taken into captivity in the camp were surprised to find that the fierce Tazi soldiers in the camp were much more polite to them.

In particular, the servants of the second Tartars who worked as minions for tigers, when they talked to them, they could not feel flattery, and they also vigorously talked about the kindness of their compatriots, saying that they were helpless. The child works, but they hate it in their hearts.

Those North Korean servants also quietly sent food to the captives, and casually talked about the relationship between the suzerain and the vassal.Seeing the great changes in the faces of these two Tartars, the captives and women in the camp were all very happy.

They already knew the number of the Ming army outside, and they passed it on to ten, ten to a hundred, and soon it was spread quietly in the camp: "General Wang, who is brave and crowned the three armies, is here, and the end of the Tartars has come!"

The atmosphere in Yuetuo's hall in Gaocunbao was also oppressive. Yuetuo and his two sons, Zhenghongqijialazhangjing and Niuluzhangjing, couldn't come up with any magic tricks.It doesn't mean that the army artillery is powerful, but Wang Doubu's melee combat ability is also very outstanding. Whether he can hold the camp tomorrow, Yue Tuo is not sure at all.

When the Xuan army retreated to set up camp before sunset, Yue Tuo urged the camp servants to come out to dig deep trenches and build low walls, and also drove some of the captives in the camp to work.

Unexpectedly, these seemingly obedient Ming people would run away while the defenders were not paying attention.Although the defenders killed and captured some of them, many still fled.During the pursuit, they encountered sentry cavalry of the Ming army wandering outside, and lost some manpower.

Yue Tuo was so angry that he ordered those captured people to be executed on the spot.

Before dying, a commoner pointed at them with a miserable smile: "Tartar, you will not end well, I will wait for you underground!"

What this man said made the Zhenghongqi Qing army even more silent. They no longer dared to let the captives go out to dig trenches.

In order to improve morale and strengthen the army, Yue Tuo promised thousands of miscellaneous soldiers in the battalion that they would all carry the flag after the war. After returning, they would no longer be coated slaves, but a part of their Eight Banners.Even so, Yue Tuo is not at all sure whether it will work or not.

He couldn't discuss how to deal with it, and Yue Tuo felt depressed. Regardless of his serious illness, he insisted on patrolling the camp, and even boarded a watchtower to look towards the Xuanda Army camp to the west.

The lights over there are brightly lit, like a city that never sleeps.Different from the past, the gathering places of the people of the Ming Dynasty in the south were also lit up, and it was obvious that a large number of fires had been burned there.

The situation in front of him is like a giant deer reappearing, but the positions of the two sides are reversed. Yue Tuo also tasted the feeling that Lu Xiangsheng and Wang Dou felt when they looked at the Qing army camp that day.

The winter night was bitterly cold, and the wind above Wanglou was even worse. It was his second son Luo Luohuan who accompanied Yuetuo to patrol the camp. Luo Luohuan persuaded Yuetuo to go back to the house to rest.After hesitating for a while, he said again: "Ama, why don't we give up all the population and money, give up the camp, and withdraw to Tongzhou tomorrow!"

Yue Tuo shook his head: "Retreating before the battle, the army must have no fighting spirit. The Xuanda army has a lot of cavalry. With them chasing and killing us, we will be in danger."

He said: "Withdraw to Tongzhou, Wang Dou and others will also come after us. Moreover, after the news of our army's defeat in Zhuozhou, the other Ming troops will also be ready to move. It is better to stick to the camp. When reinforcements arrive in Tongzhou, add our camp. It is solid, and it is still possible to delay until the main force of reinforcements ordered by the general arrives."

He pondered for a while, and confessed to Luo Luohuan: "If something happens, you have to do everything possible to break out, keep the seeds of Zhenghongqi, and don't think about revenge, just live in peace..."

Luo Luo burst into tears, hugged Yue Tuo's right foot and cried loudly: "Ama..."

……

The eleventh day of the first month of the 12th year of Chongzhen.

Early in the morning, when the sky was slightly bright, some people from the military camp of Shun Township braved the cold wind and went to various people's circles to recruit people: "The army is attacking the Tartar camp, and we need some diggers and trench-fillers. For the diggers, each person will be full of pancakes and steamed buns, as well as delicious vegetable soup and broth. For the heroes who fill the trenches, they can eat large pieces of pork, mutton, and beef all they want. Those who perform outstandingly can be selected for our Shun Township Army In the future, the future is limitless... who is willing to go."

Every gathering point is full of people shouting: "I'll go, I'll go, I'll go..."

There is a lot of food and grass in Zhuozhou, so the Shun Township Army gave porridge every two hours last night. After the intestines and stomachs were nourished, the people were very hungry, especially those young and strong, and their stomachs growled.It only takes a little effort to dig the soil, and you can eat pancakes, steamed buns, and broth. Who would not want to go?

Not to mention those young and strong, even women and children are scrambling to be the first. It seems that all the people are willing to go.

This was difficult, as it seemed that there was not a need for so many diggers. In the end, the soldiers of the supply camp selected [-] diggers from all over the country, most of them were men, and some were strong women.However, there is not a single hero who is willing to fill the trench. After all, he may be shot by the arrows of the Tartars and take his own life.

Although meat is delicious, one's own life is more important, and the common people know which is more important.

"Why isn't there a hero who is willing to fill in the trenches?"

In Zhongdaitun, the captive people gathered together, and saw that the diggers stood in a crowd, but there were no folks who filled the trenches.A Shun Township army general was very dissatisfied, and he shouted: "Is there no one among you who leads the army?"

He glanced away, and everyone subconsciously avoided his gaze.

The boss was in despair, when suddenly a rude Beidi voice sounded: "I'll go!"

But a strong man in his thirties with a beard and a beard came forward, and beside him was an ordinary-looking man with dark eyes.The two came out together, and the strong man said: "The villain, Wu Daben, and my elder brother are willing to serve the king's teacher and dig the earth to fill in the trenches."

The boss squinted at each other: "You have to think about it carefully, you may get shot by a tartar when you fill the trench."

Wu Daben said proudly: "Isn't it just the bow and arrow of the Tartars? It's nothing."

Zong Zong praised: "Okay, kind, take the two heroes aside."

Driven by the two of them, some young and strong men came out one after another, and they were full of pride: "The witch is right, isn't it the bow and arrow of the Tartars? It's nothing."

"Drinking in a big bowl and eating meat in big mouthfuls, you can live happily!"

"A few days ago, my wife and children starved to death here. I want to kill the Tartars and avenge them!"

"I haven't eaten meat for three years, and finally I have meat, why don't I eat it?"

A man in his forties stood up, wearing a robe, with a clear face, but with a Shandong accent: "The villain Chen Xu, together with his three sons, is willing to serve Wang Shi."

There were three men standing behind him, all in their twenties, and they looked somewhat similar to him.

Ba Zong was even more delighted: "Okay, please take these four heroes aside."

Behind Chen Xu stood a woman in her forties and a girl in her teens, who seemed to be his wife and daughter.Seeing that the man was going to fill the trench, his wife was quite worried, grabbed his clothes and said, "Officer..."

Chen Xu comforted his wife in a soft voice: "It's okay, madam, don't worry."

He sighed: "Su'er wanted to eat meat a long time ago, but we were taken into captivity. During this new year and the first month, I endured hunger and cold here every day, and I couldn't even eat thick black steamed buns. It happened to be a good opportunity to bring some meat back to eat and drink with her." .”

Hearing what he said, his daughter Chen Suniang couldn't help crying, and grabbed her father's hand to prevent him from going.

Chen Xu comforted his daughter with a few words, and his eyes were deep: "The second and third brothers died under the sword of the Tartars. As an elder brother, I have long wanted to avenge them."

He came out proudly with his three sons.

Driven by them, many young and strong men came out, and the figure has reached more than 500 people.

The general manager successfully completed the task, and brought these diggers and trench-fillers back to the Xuanda camp.

……

Shun Township army soldiers recruited 5000 diggers from various civilian circles, 1000 trench-fillers, and 6000 people were divided into two groups and gathered outside the Xuanda Army Camp.

The recruiting went well, and Wang Dou was also happy, so he arranged for the soldiers in the supply camp to make them full.As advertised, sure enough, the diggers were full of pancakes and steamed buns, and a bowl of hot broth was added.They hurriedly ate the broth, eating the delicious flatbread broth, many of them shed tears in a daze.

Some people took the opportunity to carry a few steamed buns and pancakes in their bosoms, and gave them to their wives and children after returning home.As for the crowd of heroes who filled the trenches, the soldiers of the Shun Township Army brought out large buckets of meat and let them eat and drink freely.

Seeing those trench-filling men eat their mouths full of oil, all of them are complacent, and look at the big barrels of meat over there, and smell the tangy smell of meat. 1000 people joined the group of heroes who filled the trench.

In the middle of the hour, Xuan Dajun gathered outside the camp to line up amidst the sound of golden drums after breakfast.

The Qing army camp had already been on guard, and Yue Tuo led his two sons, and even stood on the fort wall to watch in person. He saw that the Xuan army was quickly approaching in formation, a sea of ​​red flags.It is said that there are more than [-] people, and there are no boundaries. In today's battle, Yue Tuo estimated that Xuan Da's army dispatched more than [-] people, and it seemed that there was no end in sight.

Such mighty power made Yue Tuo and the others look extremely ugly.

Xuan Da's army approached a mile in front of the Zhenghongqi camp, and then they stopped. A Shunxiang army who was proficient in Manchu came out at night, following Wang Dou's order. Listen up, soldiers of the Qing Dynasty. I am Tian Dalong, a sergeant of the Shun Township Army of the Ming Dynasty. I ordered you to put down your weapons and surrender on the spot. If you dare to resist, our army will enter the camp and burn everything. It will be too late to regret! "

The faces of Yue Tuo and the others turned livid, and the Ming army actually played the game of persuading them to surrender and attacking their hearts.It's just that today is different from the past, although they are angry, they have to endure it!

Tian Dalong yelled for a long time, Yue Tuo and others didn't move at all, Tian Dalong rushed back to the formation to report.

Wang Dou sneered, and said to Yang Guozhu who was beside him: "The slave chief Yuetuo and the others really don't cry when they see the coffin!"

Yang Guozhu also sneered, originally they didn't intend to make Yue Tuo surrender, it was just a trick.

He said: "If the slaves don't surrender, our army will attack and take them by force!"

He shouted: "Send the order, the army will march forward in formation and take the bandit camp directly!"

(End of this chapter)