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

Chapter 524 Presumptuous!

Wang Dou originally planned to confront the Qing army in Songshan, preferably to kill and injure the enemy in large numbers.

However, the plan could not keep up with the changes. The Qing army stormed Jinzhou, but they had to go to the rescue. After all, at this stage, the Qing army was much more than in history, and Jinzhou was more difficult to defend than in history.

He asked Hong Chengchou's staff to carry out the sand table, which was presented to Hong Chengchou by Wang Dou a few days ago. There are some terrains in Jinzhou City and its vicinity. Although it is not as exquisite as the sand table used by the Jingbian Army, it is quite rare. Treat it like a treasure, and it is rare for idlers to get close.

Everyone gathered around, and Wang Dou explained to the sand table: "The terrain of Jinzhou City is so large that it faces water on three sides. The Xiaoling River runs around the city from the northwest to the south of the city. These rivers all meet not far west of Xiaolinghe Fort, meandering in the southeast and flowing into the sea."

Wang Dou said: "In the north of Xiaolinghe Fort is Zijing Mountain, and in the south after Xiaoling River, there is Shimen Mountain. In the past, bandits and slaves stationed heavy troops on these mountains, but after my division captured Huangtuling, the slaves on these two mountains There are fewer and fewer soldiers, and in recent days, not a single slave soldier from Zijing Mountain has disappeared, and there are only a few thousand Tartars left on Shimen Mountain, and all the artillery on the mountain has been withdrawn."

Wang Dou talked carefully, and everyone nodded. Wang Dou's explanation was clear and clear, giving everyone a clear and intuitive feeling.Of course, this is also partly due to the sand table. For example, the maps used on weekdays cannot achieve this effect.

Wang Dou said: "The southwest of Shimen Mountain is Rufeng Mountain. Now the number of slave soldiers has decreased a lot. There are less than [-] people left. The artillery deployed on the mountain has also been withdrawn."

"Where did their soldiers go?"

He planted a few small flags heavily in the north of Jinzhou City, as well as in the west: "This is it!"

Looking around at the crowd, Wang Dou's eyes sparkled: "Originally, the thieves and slaves besieged Jinzhou, set up eight camps around the city, and dug three long trenches. , about [-] people!"

"After the thieves and slaves concentrated their forces, the number of slave soldiers gathered around Jinzhou City has reached 3 to [-]. There are also slave soldiers at Baimiaobao, which are estimated to be no less than [-]. There are also tens of thousands in Yizhou and other places. .Of course, the exact numbers and intelligence cannot be determined, but it should be the case as far as the deployment of troops.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, because the Qing soldiers strengthened their anti-reconnaissance efforts, and all the sentries were ineffective. Only the heroic sacrifice of the Jingbian Army obtained these precious information.Although the Qing army suffered thousands of casualties in the battle of Huangtuling, it seems that their strength is still very strong.

Wang Dou finally said: "All kinds of information are already obvious. Thieves and slaves are the strategy for besieging the city and fighting for reinforcements. Now Shimen Mountain has few soldiers and is easy to capture. If Shimen Mountain is captured, our division can attack Rufeng Mountain in the west, or rely on it. The Xiaoling River at the foot of the mountain is continuously transporting grain, grass and firewood into Jinzhou City."

He looked at the crowd and nodded. It seems that many people have this kind of thinking. He smiled and said affirmatively: "This is also a slave thief's plan!"

"Slave tricks?"

Wu Sangui muttered: "But the slave thief intends to attack halfway?"

Wang Dou said with a smile: "General Wu has great insight and insight, and he is worthy of being the Tiger General of Liaodong!"

Everyone laughed, Wu Sangui was flattered by Wang Dou's praise like this, and suddenly realized his own psychology, he couldn't help sighing secretly.

Wang Dou said: "Indeed, the army of slaves and thieves gathered outside the city of Jinzhou. How could they watch my teacher calmly transport the luggage? They will definitely intercept it!"

He said: "If you want to control the river course, you have to cross the river and occupy the wilderness east of Jinzhou City. With 10,000+ thieves and riders, how can they watch my master calmly pass by? A big battle is inevitable."

"Report from the Sentinels, all the slave artillery has been concentrated outside the city of Jinzhou. The slaves have iron cavalry and sharp guns. If my teacher crosses the river with few people, he will not be an opponent. If there are more troops crossing the river, we will wait to fight the slaves under the city of Jinzhou." Riding a stalemate."

"How difficult is it to transport food, grass, and luggage for this mountain-crossing mountain? Even if the luggage is transported along the Xiaoling River, it will be difficult to meet the needs of the army!"

Wang Dou sighed: "Moreover, the main force is gathered in the city, not to mention Xingshan, even Songshan City is empty. And the slaves can see the situation of the war and attack Jinzhou, don't worry if my division doesn't go to the rescue!"

Everyone frowned and looked at the sand table without saying a word. Indeed, Jinzhou City was the weakness of the Ming army.Everyone thought that the retreat of the Qing army from Shimen Mountain might be a bargain, but it turned out to be a trap.

There are also many officials and generals who talk about Wang Dou's style, and what they say is all insightful, and they all show admiration.Uncle Zhongyong was able to get to this point, it was not a fluke, only Ma Ke was very jealous when he saw Wang Dou making a show of himself.

Hong Chengchou pondered for a long time, and asked Wang Dou, "Does Uncle Zhongyong have a clever plan?"

Everyone looked at Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu and others knew Wang Dou's strategy on the road, but of course they wouldn't say it.

Wang Dou said sternly: "Thieves and slaves are planning this way, how can we act according to their wishes? We should do the opposite and attack Shimen Mountain. The main force will march west from Songshan Fort and push on Nuerhe."

Everyone was stunned, and no one spoke. Ma Keji sneered: "Uncle Zhongyong, what are you doing to amuse me? A few days ago, General Wu said that he would first attack Rufeng Mountain and open the main road to the west. At that time, many generals in the field Everyone agrees, it was Zhongyong Bo Lizhi who said he would first attack Huangtu Ridge and Songshan Ridge, and now he has turned back again.

He chuckled and said, "Could it be that Uncle Zhongyong thinks that the 10,000+ army in Songshan are all your private soldiers? You can fool around at will?"

Wang Dou was furious, and shouted violently: "Presumptuous!"

Pointing at Ma Ke's nose, he said, "My king is dedicated to serving the country, how can you slander me at will?"

His eyes were cold: "Several times, cynicism, against me, Ma Zongbing, what do you want to do?"

Wang Dou's sudden attack caught Ma Ke by surprise, and Wang Dou's unforgiving words made him unable to step down in front of everyone.

His face turned green for a while, then turned pale for a while, and he suddenly realized that what he had just done was a big mistake, but at this moment, he couldn't get off the tiger, so he had to force himself and said: "Mr. Ma is just talking about the facts."

"A matter of fact? Are you talking about a matter of fact?"

Wang Dou walked over step by step with his hands behind his back, and said coldly: "I know, you have been dissatisfied with me for a long time. Is it because I killed your family relative Ma Fuming because the army broke into the battle? Don’t mention Ma Fu’s name, even if you, Ma Ke, dare to flee in a rout, I will kill you too, can you believe it?”

Wang Dou took a step, Ma Ke took a step back, beads of sweat dripped from his head, Wang Dou's cold aura made him almost breathless, and his intestines were green with regret.

There was complete silence in the hall, and no one spoke out. I didn't expect Wang Dou to be so terribly angry, and many people were silent.

Normally, Wang Dou was so friendly that people couldn't help but ignore his other side. At this time, everyone came to their senses. This is the man who holds the most powerful army in the world and has killed slaves and robbers. man of.

Han Chao and Zhong Xiancai also glared at Ma Ke, the majesty of the general should not be offended, Zhong Xiancai looked at Wang Dou's figure, his eyes sparkled.

In the eerie silence in the hall, a voice sounded, but it was Wang Pu who spoke: "It's too outrageous."

He was indignant: "There is a saying that one time and another time. At that time, bandits and slaves occupied Huangtuling and Songshanling. If they didn't capture Erling, how would they ensure the safety of Songshan Fort? If they didn't capture Erling, how would they ensure the safety of an army of 10,000+ Drinking water? If you don’t conquer Erling, there’s no way you can attack Shimen Mountain! Uncle Zhongyong is so full of punches, yet he is suspected of having ulterior motives, it’s really heartbreaking!”

One word stirred up a thousand waves, and all the generals in the hall spoke out one after another, and felt that Ma Ke was not authentic.

Fu Yingchong came to his senses at this time, and said repeatedly: "Indeed, indeed, this is too outrageous, it really makes people feel chilling."

Yang Guozhu also frowned, and said: "If there is any objection, Zongbing Ma can speak well and offer advice for the army. Is it the way of a general to be so vitriolic?"

Shanxi General Li Fuming shook his head. He has a bold personality, and he can't stand Ma Ke's actions like this.

Zhang Ruoqi scolded Ma Ke: "Nonsense, the war situation is changing rapidly, the day is the day, the present is the present, how can we stick to the old days? If Zongbing Ma has a good strategy, he can say it, how can he be so reckless and chill his colleagues?"

Hong Chengchou and Wang Chengen also frowned, Bingbei Zhang Dou, Cai Maode and others looked at Wang Dou in surprise, they only knew Wang Dou's temper until today.

Zuo Guang touched the messy beard and hair on his face first, and said to Ma Ke: "Old Ma, if you have something to say, please speak up, such a knife and stick, a certain family can't stand it!"

Ma Ke felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cellar, and a chill ran up his back. There were so many people in the field, but no one spoke up for him, which made him very frustrated.The Shanhaiguan generals behind him also felt shameless, and they all remained motionless so as not to be noticed by others.

In the end, Ma Ke looked at Wu Sangui, Tang Tong and the others for help. Wu Sangui moved his eyes and said solemnly: "Shuai Ma has made a slip of the tongue, and quickly apologize to Uncle Zhongyong. Uncle Zhongyong is magnanimous, and he will definitely not blame you. "

Tang Tong smoothed things over and said, "That's right, hurry up and apologise."

Ma Ke looked at Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, but seeing Hong Chengchou's expression was displeased, and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Ma hasn't accused Uncle Zhongyong yet?"

He looked at Wang Chengen again, with a gloomy and unhappy look.

Suddenly, Ma Ke's face was filled with a smile, and he slapped himself twice lightly: "Look at my stinky mouth, I really deserve to be spanked."

Then he bowed to Wang Dou again and again: "I am a straightforward person, and I have no intentions in my words. Don't blame me for being loyal and brave."

Seeing that he was still smiling, everyone in the field admired his thick skin, even Wu Sangui and the others turned their eyes away.

Wang Dou looked at him for a while, and smiled on his face, and said, "How could Ben be blaming Ma Shuai? It's all for the court, and disputes are inevitable."

The two laughed at Yan Yan, as if what happened just now hadn't happened, and walked back to the sand table hand in hand.

Everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, the matter was finally over, just now when Wang Dou got angry, everyone felt terrified, it was terrible.

Hong Chengchou said solemnly: "Let's let this matter go, if there is another time, the governor will definitely not forgive."

Wang Chengen looked at Wang Dou again and again, and said calmly, disputes are fine, but you must not make false statements, otherwise, if you miss the important military affairs, he, the military supervisor, will certainly write a letter of impeachment.

Ma Ke nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice: "Yes, the teachings of Governor Hong and the Supervising Army will definitely be kept in mind in the end."

Zhang Ruoqi stroked his long beard and laughed, "Okay, okay, it's normal for colleagues to have disputes, as long as it's not an emotional dispute, it's welcome. The military situation is urgent, so let's continue the discussion."

Hong Chengchou coughed, looked at Wang Dou and said, "Just now Bo Zhongyong's strategy to advance westward, please explain in detail."

Wang Dou nodded, and said: "The thief slave's intention is obvious, to lure my teacher to the city of Jinzhou, but how can my teacher be led by their noses? The strategy of going west is like this."

Pointing to the sand table, he said: "Our division is attacking Shimen Mountain, and the main force is going westward to attack the Nuuhe River. If we can cross the river, we can first solve the moat camp set up by the thieves and slaves in the south of Jinzhou, second, attack Jinchang Fort, and third, Attacking Baimiaobao, the strategy is very flexible!"

He said: "Of course, the slave chieftains are not ordinary people. They must be able to see my division's intentions. When my division marches westward, they will definitely dispatch troops to intercept our division by the daughter river. The bandits and slave soldiers If there are few, I will not be able to stop me. If there are many soldiers, the slaves who besieged Jinzhou will be dispatched, and the difficulties in Jinzhou will be relieved!"
Hong Chengchou nodded slowly, and Ma Ke said in a loud voice: "Wonderful, wonderful! It is very easy to transport luggage or food and fodder from Songshan Fort to the west to Nvhe River and Mapingchuan. If the main forces of the two armies are at each other, it will be much better than Shimenshan .”

Wang Dou said with a smile: "That's the reason. Ma Shuai is worthy of being a veteran. You can see the strengths and weaknesses of a military strategist at a glance."

Ma Ke said modestly: "Where is it? Compared with Uncle Zhongyong, this handsome is really far behind!"

Hong Chengchou murmured: "In this case, the troops will be divided into two groups. Although Shimen Mountain is a slow attack, if it can be captured, it will reach the riverside and support Jinzhou City in the future. It will be much more convenient."

He looked at everyone in the hall: "I don't know who is willing to go and take Shimen Mountain?"

Wu Sangui was the first to come out, and he said with emotion: "I report to Governor Hong, the general is willing to go!"

Ma Ke's eyes flickered, and he cupped his fists and said, "The last general is also willing to go and fight the enemy side by side with General Wu!"

Tang Tong looked at Wu Sangui, then at Ma Ke, and hurriedly said: "Report to Governor Hong, the last general is also willing to go."

Hong Chengchou was very happy, and said: "Okay, there are so many evil slaves in Jincheng, and it is urgent to solve them. In the past, all the kings would repay them with their arrows. Now it is the meeting. I hope that all the kings will fight to the death with all their strength."

He gave him a strategy, that in this battle one should not underestimate the enemy and rush forward, nor should one wait and see, after the main force of the Qing army was attracted, one should take the opportunity to cross the river west and join forces with the Jinzhou defenders.

He said: "This battle is not a war of waves. You must fight to make a surprise, and then you can defend it. To defend, not to defend in vain. You must defend it and fight at the same time, and then you can succeed in defending it."

Wu Sangui and the others were respectful and educated, while Ma Ke and Tang Tong were slapping their chests loudly, and they were willing to come to see them if they could not reach a plan.

Hong Chengchou nodded in relief. For him with an arrogant personality, the attitude of Wu Sangui and others made him very useful.

The next step is to arrange the personnel of the second route.

Wu Sangui's three generals with nearly 5 soldiers attacked Shimen Mountain.They divided into two groups, one attacked Xishimen, the other marched along the Xiaoling River, passed the sailor camp, and attacked all the way to the Baigu River.The two armies met on the north side of Shimen Mountain and waited for an opportunity to cross the river.

Ma Ke strongly requested artillery support from the Shenji Battalion or the Jingbian Army.

However, the information came that Shimen Mountain's defense line for the Qing soldiers used a large number of soil bags in front, and the solid bombardment effect of the Hongyi cannon was not obvious.Moreover, the mountain is undulating, which is not conducive to the advancement of heavy artillery. In addition, the bandit slaves are weak, and the firepower of the chariot camps in several towns is sufficient.

After discussing with everyone, it was decided to only let the Shenji Battalion support some mortars, fire poisonous and ash bombs, and some rocket vehicles to accompany them.

Wang Dou pondered, the battle between Shimen Mountain and the future where the Jinzhou garrison meets is the secondary battlefield this time, and the strength of Wu Sangui's three generals is still sufficient.

The key to this battle is for the main force to go west. In addition, it is necessary to capture Shuangzi Mountain, Maojiagou, etc., and to guard against Qingqi in Rufeng Mountain. Therefore, during the discussion, Wang Dou, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Fu Yingchong, Li Fuming, Zuo Guangxian, etc. People, as well as Hong Chengchou's Dubiao Battalion and the remnant army in Jizhen, with a total of more than [-] soldiers and horses, all went west to attack!
A large number of artillery and rockets marched with the army.

As for the original Liaodong officers and soldiers such as Songshan Fort, they stayed behind in the fort.

After careful discussion, everyone set a date to attack Shimen Mountain, that is, August [-]th.

When he came out to say goodbye, Ma Ke's smile faded away, and his oily face seemed so gloomy that it was about to drip water.

When Wu Sangui came out, Hong Chengchou stopped him. He looked at Wu Sangui and said solemnly: "Uncle Chang, this battle is very important, do you understand?"

Wu Sangui said gratefully: "I will understand in the end."

Hong Chengchou nodded, seeing Wu Sangui leaving respectfully, recalling what happened in the Cai Hall just now, he sighed in his heart: "Oh, having someone like Wang Dou around, for me, Daming, I don't know whether it's a blessing or a disaster."

Wang Dou led Han Chao and Zhong Xiancai back to the barracks, pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "It seems that we should pay attention to that Mako in the future."

Both Han Chao and Zhong Xiancai nodded in agreement.

……

Daughter River, also known as Niaoxin River or Eqin River, has luxuriant vegetation and lush trees, especially in the river where there are many fish. Stepping in the river water, silver carp and carp will bump into it from time to time.

The moon was crooked in the sky, the stars were bright, Xie Yike was leading the horse, hunched over, and trekking carefully in the river water, the cold river water penetrated into the iron net boots, soaking the lining of the inner socks, a kind of discomfort wearing clothes to bathe Feelings welling up in my heart.

The cool wind blows from time to time, and there is a constant slight rushing sound when wading, and some gurgling sounds of running water enter the ears.

The feet are soft and unstable, sometimes they step on sand and stones, sometimes they step on mud, and some damn fish bump into them in a daze.

None of this affected Xie Yike, he proceeded cautiously and without hesitation, his nimble eyes glanced at some suspicious places from time to time.His ears were erected even higher, and any slight movement around him could not escape his ears.

Behind Xie Yike, there were many horses and Ye Bu Shou soldiers, those healthy horses all had bit on their mouths.

And those who don't accept at night, all of them didn't say a word, they just followed each other closely, and they also paid attention not to make too much movement, so as not to make a loud water sound.

Just like Xie Yike, when they walked forward, their eyes scanned the surrounding fields cautiously, and all of them raised their ears high.

Their movements are full of brilliance, like agile leopards.

However, many of these leopards were wounded at this time. Some of the horses carried the corpses of soldiers who died in battle, and some of the more seriously injured were also tightly tied to the horses. Man resisted the pain, not letting himself groan.

Xie Yike raised his left hand from time to time, and then everyone stopped, and even the horses remained docile and clever.

After confirming that there was no movement in the surrounding area, the crowd moved slowly again.

Can't help everyone being careless, at this time everyone is in the daughter river section of the Reclining Buddha Temple, which is also a place haunted by Tartars.Those Tartar sentry cavalry are mostly hunters in the white mountains and black waters, and they are also used to lurking at night, especially if they bring more hunting dogs, they are even more powerful.

Those dead dogs had really sharp noses. Before Ye Buchao went down the river, they smelled the scent and immediately barked wildly, and hordes of Tartar elite cavalry chased after hearing the sound.

Fortunately, I brought some rabbits with me on this trip. After they were released, those hounds chased them to the wrong place.

Now that he has entered the river again, the smell is blown away by the wind and the river, and he is even less afraid of the Tartar hounds.

But it's not time to relax. After crossing the river, there are still Tartar sentry cavalry on the river bank, so we need to be careful.

(End of this chapter)