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

Chapter 665 Tune the tiger away from the mountain

His worries are justified, although since the eighth year of Chongzhen, there have been qualitative changes in the combat effectiveness of bandits everywhere.

Hong Chengchou also said: "In the past, the thieves avoided the soldiers and fled, but now they welcome the soldiers to face the enemy, ambushes from left to right, and then repeat it again and again, so it is difficult to kill. The thieves all have fine horses, or straddle two horses, and the officers and soldiers have three horses. If you take seven steps, it will be difficult to chase."

However, this only refers to the officers and soldiers in the hinterland, Shaanxi soldiers, Henan soldiers, Huguang soldiers, etc., against the elite frontier troops, as far away as the Guanning cavalry, as close as the Wangdou at that time, and as close as the Henan government In the battle of Wang Tingchen, Cao Bianjiao and Chuangjun, they were all defeated.

Now in Kaifeng Mansion there are Wang Tingchen and Cao Bianjiao, two elite town troops, and Hu Dawei, who was also a veteran of the frontier town at that time, came to help. Although there are many soldiers and horses such as Chuangjun, most of them are hungry people who are threatened. Negative especially between two.

"I heard? In the army of Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen, there are quite a few Hades' blunderbusses?"

The one who spoke was Ma Shouying, an old Huihui from the head of the fifth battalion of Gezuo. He was from Suide, Shaanxi. Because he was Huihui, there were many barbarians and descendants in the battalion, and he was also good at erratic tactics.

Like Ma Shouying, the [-]th Battalion of Gezuo, for example, adopted tactics such as "there are too many soldiers to flee, and the few to meet the enemy. Before the officers and soldiers arrive, they will run away immediately", and rarely fought head-to-head with the encirclement and suppression officers and soldiers.

Last year, in the Lu'an area, Ma Shouying, a ten thousand people, attacked a nearby fortress. When the crowd was galloping, roaring and threatening, suddenly there was a crackling sound on the top of the city, and thick white smoke billowed out.

The iron cavalry was far away, and dozens of them fell down. The tens of thousands of people were so frightened that they scattered with a blast, and even Ma Shouying couldn't stop them.

Afterwards, Ma Shouying and other people found out that the local guard had bought [-] excellent Xuanfu Town East Road bird blunderbuss from a certain channel, which was called the king of hell blunderbuss. Those who were hit were either dead or disabled.

This was also the fifth battalion of Gezuo's first experience of the power of the East Route firearms, and everyone had lingering fears. In the future, when they attacked and sieged the city, they would make careful inquiries beforehand.

After entering the territory of Henan, he heard more and more news about the King of Hell and other news, and he couldn't help expressing his worries.

"good."

Li Zicheng naturally couldn't hide this point.

Moreover, in March, when officers and soldiers attacked Henan Prefecture, his general Liu Fangliang led tens of thousands of well-trained and vigorous new troops. Killed before the battle.

After being defeated in the First World War, he had to abandon Luoyang and flee into the mountains. Right now, Wang Qiaonian, the governor of the three sides of Shaanxi, is leading He Renlong and others to encircle and suppress all parts of Henan Province. It is very critical.

Li Zicheng said: "According to the estimate of the sentry, there are about [-] blunderbusses in Cao and Wang's army, and everyone is equipped with Xuanzhen bird blunderbuss. Chen Yongfu's army also has a lot of blunderbusses, and there are also Hu Da who came to help." Wei, being friends with Wang Dou, also has a lot of Yama's blunderbuss."

Everyone took a deep breath, Ge Li congratulated Yilong, touched his scarred cheek, and cursed: "Donkey ball."

Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo, who had been silent for a long time, also showed serious expressions. They both remembered the scene of the Battle of Xiangyang.

"King Chuang, the officers and soldiers are powerful, do we really want to fight hard?"

"That's right, since King Gao Chuang, my rebel army has used walking to control the enemy, dragging the fat officers and soldiers to thin, and dragging the thin ones to death, and then turning back to attack, the officers and soldiers are often defeated. When these two armies confront each other, you can kill me. Is it too early for me to chop you head-to-head?"

"They are waiting for work with leisure, and we are waiting for a tired army to go on an expedition. This is a taboo in the art of war."

All the leaders said one after another, they all thought it was not the right time to push towards Kaifeng.

"Everyone, everybody."

Niu Jinxing had to stand up and defend his master.

He said: "Kaifeng, we will definitely fight..."

He shook his head and said: "If you don't talk about Kaifeng's prosperity, you will use the art of war to say it. The so-called Biancheng will not have Henan, Henan will not have the Central Plains, and the Central Plains will not protect Hebei's throat... Kaifeng Fucheng is the heart of Henan's hub and the throat of the north and the south. Also, if it can be taken, Ming Ting's throat will be strangled, and his heart will collapse, as if he is paralyzed. In the future, our rebel army will take the initiative..."

He was eloquent, but everyone in charge didn't think so, they were just thieves, so why did they care if Henan didn't protect the Central Plains, and the Central Plains didn't protect Hebei?The officers and soldiers were in a difficult situation, but they made it clear what was in front of them.

But then, what Niu Jinxing said moved everyone's hearts: "... Although the officers and soldiers are powerful, there are only a few that can fight, such as Zuo Liangyu and other idiots... Besides, although Cao, Wang and others have Hades guns, But my rebel army also has artillery..."

"The espionage is very clear. In the army of Cao and Wang, although there are many guns from the king of hell, they don't have the red cannons like Wang Doujun. Baoding governor Yang Wenyue came to Kaifeng, although he accompanied a battalion of chariots, but the chariots carried them. Most of them were exterminated captives. Small cannons like cannons, on the other hand, our rebel army raided and sieged cities, and there are hundreds of cannons in the army, large and small..."

All the masters hesitated, Niu Junshi's words made sense.

If Kaifeng's reinforcements can be wiped out, they will be allowed to gallop freely in the next day, and they don't have to be driven around like chasing grandchildren.

"Actually, you can go to Kaifeng, but there is no need to rush."

Sitting upright all the time, thinking in silence, Li Dingguo, who was full of heroism, spoke at this time.

He said: "The imperial court's reinforcements are constantly gathering in Kaifeng. There are many strong troops among them. If you fight against them, you will win. You will kill [-] enemies, and you will lose [-] of them. The gain is not worth the loss. They must be strong inside. Army, attract one out.”

All the masters were very interested, and said one after another: "If Hongyuan has any clever ideas, you might as well tell them."

Li Zicheng also looked at Li Dingguo.

Li Dingguo said decisively: "A certain strategy is to attack what he must save, so that he will be exhausted and discouraged."

A look of wisdom flashed in his eyes: "First, the rebel army can go south again to attack Runing Mansion. In Ruyang City, there is Chong Wang Zhu Youxi, and the vassal king is there. Will the Ming army save it? Sit back and watch the vassal king fall, rescue, just hit the plan of my rebel army."

He said: "Supervisor Ding Qirui, under his command are Zuo Liangyu, Yang Dezheng, Fang Guoan and other township troops under his command. If they come to rescue, the rebel army will just set up an ambush, or surround the spot for reinforcements, waiting for work and defeating them."

"If Wang Tingchen and Cao Bianjiao, one of them comes to help, one of them travels long distances, the food and grass are unsustainable and easy to break, and the other is that there are few soldiers and horses, just to besiege them, even if they can't be defeated for a while, after a long time, they will definitely feel afraid of war War-weary heart..."

"They are also guest soldiers, and it is not easy to replenish soldiers and horses. If one dies, one will be lost, but my rebel army is different..."

Everyone nodded, and Luo Rucai murmured: "That being said, there are still many soldiers and horses in Runing, which should not be underestimated... After we captured Luoshan, we also besieged Ruyang, and it was difficult to capture it for a long time. ..."

He stroked his whiskers: "What if they sit idly by and don't fall for my tricks?"

Li Dingguo said: "In this way, our rebel army will attack Guide Mansion from the east!"

He said: "Guide is the throat of Guanshan, the hub of the Jianghuai River, and an important place in ancient times. Compared with Kaifeng, Shangqiu, Ningling, Luyi and other places in Guide are rich. Here, because of the frequent flooding of the Yellow River and the continuous drought, the rebels Here, too, there is a basis.”

He said: "Although the kingdom of vassal kings was eliminated in the Wanli year, if you want to capture Guide Mansion, you only need to cross the Yellow River. On the north bank, you will be Shandong and North Zhili. If you go east from Guide Mansion, you will be Xuzhou. An important place for water transport, so, the generals in Kaifeng, save it, or not?"

Everyone suddenly realized, and they all said: "Miao, Miao, General Li is worthy of being called Xiao Yuchi, he is Gao."

He Yilong stroked his beard and praised: "Li Erdang has read military books, as expected, he is much better than rough people like me."

Luo Rucai nodded: "Right now in Shandong, Li Qingshan is making a fuss, and the court is in dire straits. I heard that Liu Zeqing and others in Shandong received the order to go south, but they were held back by the Shandong rebels and couldn't go south. If our division blocks the water transport again, The Ming court will definitely be shocked."

Li Zicheng also looked at Li Dingguo with affection, and if he could make him a general, he would definitely be even more powerful.

Different from later generations, the Yellow River has already seized the Huai River and entered the sea at this time. It did not enter the sea at the Shandong line. From Guide Mansion or Xuzhou across the Yellow River to the north, it is the Daming Mansion in Beizhili, and the Gunzhou Mansion in Shandong. Entering Shandong, or even North Zhili, the Ming court must have been shocked and urgently ordered reinforcements for emergency treatment.

If the water transportation is cut off, it is even more necessary to rescue. In this way, I can surround the point to fight for help, and Cao, Wang and others will be exhausted, so I can take advantage of it.

In this way, one after another, the strong troops will be lured to and fro, and they will definitely be exhausted in the end, and the soldiers will be lost. When the time comes, there will be a big battle, and there will be a chance of winning.

If Kaifeng wins the battle, he will occupy Henan in the future, or attack Huguang in the south, or Shandong and Hebei in the north, all under his control.

Even if they insist on not saving them, the rebels can calmly clear the periphery of Kaifeng one by one, making Kaifeng a lonely land.

Sun Kewang sat quietly. After Zhang Xianzhong's death, he became deeper and more mature. However, when the audience praised Li Dingguo, his eyebrows and eyes still couldn't help twitching a few times.

……

Xuanfu Town, Dajiaochang.

Backed by the vast mountains, there is the township teaching ground of "Xuanfu Teaching Field, Tianxia Wen". At this time, it has basically become the training place for the Jingbian Army. The ammunition was fired, and it was vented towards the shooting range.

All the people in the town who heard about it were very distressed, how much gunpowder was shot out every day, even the gun barrels and gun barrels had a lifespan, it was all money and food.

But Wang Dou didn't take it seriously, the combat effectiveness of his army was obtained by practicing with live ammunition.

Because every soldier can fire dozens or even hundreds of rounds in training, so every time in battle, his gunmen can only fire one or two rounds on average, and the battle ends victoriously. Calculated, this is very cost-effective of.

"General, now we have a military factory in Xuanfu Town. When the water power is sufficient, we can produce up to six thousand blunderbuss per month!"

Qi Tianliang, Ambassador of the Logistics Department, once reported to Wang Dou so proudly.

Because hydraulic drilling machines are widely used, and the technology is becoming more and more skilled, and at the same time it has several military factories, the production capacity of firearms in the Jingbian Army is very amazing.

"Well, one factory will be left to continue to produce Li's firecrackers (matchlock guns), and the rest will all produce Lai's self-generated firecrackers."

At this time, Wang Dou was watching the training of the Qinglong Army soldiers.

The deafening sound of firing guns followed one after another, and billowing white smoke filled the air.

"preparation……"

Those who lined up on the teaching field, the last two rows of firecrackers roared in unison, and the densely packed flintlock guns turned down and aimed at the front.

Their positions are staggered from front to back, so that the soldiers in the back row can poke out the bird guns from the gap, and the two rows shoot at the same time.

After the flintlock guns were widely equipped in the army, there were no matchlocks in the way, and the soldiers could be arranged more closely to form more powerful firepower. It also made the two-row salvo that Wang Dou wanted to achieve a long time ago a reality. Their blows were also shocking. Sexually, because this lethality will increase several times upwards.

Of course, two rows and two rows shooting at the same time, this new tactic requires training.

Also, unlike the firecrackers on the front floors, the last two rows of firecrackers are all covered with black and thick swords with four edges, like Ruo Moxina's four edged swords. , has the advantages of strong structure and not easy to break.

Not to mention fighting against unarmored soldiers, even armored enemy troops are also piercing a hole. Of course, there is no way to fight against several layers of heavy armor, as well as weapons such as maces and heavy hammers.

The soldiers equipped with gun swords are all the first-class gun soldiers in each army. Although they shoot in two rows, the Jingbian army still uses four-tier tactics. The first three tiers are the second-tier army. One or two rounds of salvo can defeat the enemy.

If the enemy is more brave and continues to charge up, a few steps away from the blunderbuss formation, or even close to the eyelids, these warriors equipped with blunderbuss swords will shoot at the enemy in front of them at the shortest distance and the most effective range. force……

If they don't retreat and continue to charge up, the fighters equipped with gun swords can temporarily resist the enemy.

After all, in the past, if you used matchlock guns, if you wanted to shoot at close range and also wanted to line up the musketeers to meet the enemy, it was impossible. Usually, they would fall into a melee. The musketeers drew their waist knives and fought with the enemy. After all, they were not professional melee fighters. Soldiers, usually causing unnecessary casualties.

Of course, even if they are equipped with gun swords now, their role is to kill the enemy with the maximum firepower, temporarily block the enemy, keep the formation in order, and buy time for the pikemen to come forward. Don't think about being compared with professional pikemen .

At present, they are still first-class gun soldiers of various armies, equipped with some gun swords.

One is that the number of blunderbuss swords is not enough to equip the entire army, and the other is that the officials and generals still have doubts about the use of blunderbuss swords. Just like the self-generating blunderbuss at that time, they must first be tested in actual combat to prove their value, and then they will be larger. scale equipment.

Therefore, first-class blunderbuss soldiers who are proficient at shooting firecrackers, have nothing to do when they are idle, and have also practiced swords and guns are the best test subjects. After all, they are quick to learn the newly compiled blunderbuss sword training outline, and they also have this psychological quality , as a strong barrier for the gun array.

The formation of pikemen remains unchanged.

"shooting!"

Following the officer's order, two rows of blunderbusses fired a volley under the dense blunderbuss swords shining with cold light.

Large expanses of gunpowder smoke were released, and the sound of bird guns blared like popping beans.

(End of this chapter)