Zhou Dahu, commander of the First Division of the Third Army, could already see the Ming army ahead.
He asked the troops to stop and rest for a while.
They carried guns on their backs and ran five kilometers quickly in order to quickly encircle them and prevent more Ming troops from escaping the encirclement.
Many Ming troops are fleeing in a hurry.
Some people are too anxious and slip directly on the ice.
He was soon trampled to death by the frightened army.
The Ming army numbered 60,000 to 70,000 people. They were frightened by the bombardment, and their formation was very scattered and out of order.
Many Ming soldiers took out their knives and chopped down the Ming soldiers in front of him, just to cross the river quickly.
When Zhou Dahu saw the chaotic situation of the Ming army, a smile appeared on his face.
It is too easy to defeat an enemy army that has lost its organization.
Their division has more than 10,000 people, and even if most of them are recruits, he dares to pursue this group of people and attack.
What's more, there are so many friendly forces around.
His own contribution to encircling and annihilating the enemy army was greater. He strived for credit from the army commander and was loyal to win a good job.
Wei Yunshang and Meng Zheng could only lead troops to bully the weak troops.
"Beat the drum, attack."
Zhou Dahu issued the order to attack.
The intensive drumbeats and loud military songs resounded throughout the battlefield.
The soldiers carried rifled guns loaded with ammunition in advance, arranged themselves in formation, and pressed towards the Ming army.
Zhou Dahu saw the soldiers forming a two-row formation in platoon units.
New infantry drills explore the firepower density formed by various formations at the same time.
This formation is the most efficient and makes it easier for soldiers to change formations, making it suitable for a variety of situations.
Rifled guns have a higher rate of fire and a longer range.
A trained soldier can basically guarantee six to eight rounds per minute.
Two rows of queues can ensure the density of firepower between reloads.
Zhou Dahu saw that most of the Ming army was in chaos and had lost command. He was extremely panicked after seeing them.
There is a Ming army rescuing wounded Ming soldiers who were shelled.
This team has a neat appearance and a small number of cavalry.
Among the troops, a large flag with the word Cao was erected.
The most critical feature is their clothes.
Many people are wearing fur clothes and fur hats.
This is one of the characteristics of Guan Ningjun.
Zhou Dahu immediately focused on this Ming army.
He guessed correctly, this army was the famous Guan Ning Army, led by Cao Wenzhao.
"Brothers, keep an eye on Guan Ningjun and fight, keep an eye on the leather hat and fight."
Zhou Dahu commanded the soldiers and launched an attack on Cao Wenzhao's troops.
The soldiers held their muskets levelly and headed straight to where Cao Wenzhao's army was.
On their way forward, there were still several Ming troops blocking the way.
When other Ming troops saw them, they immediately fled to other places.
Zhou Dahu led his troops but did not change direction.
He saw that Cao Wenzhao had led his troops to escape to the north bank of the Weihe River.
Cao Wenzhao's troops carried many wounded soldiers, and there was a chaotic Ming army in front of them. They couldn't run fast at all.
Zhou Dahu led his troops and quickly caught up with Guan Ning's army led by Cao Wenzhao.
"You can shoot freely at the infantry. If you spot cavalry, you must shoot at the horses first and then the people as a last resort."
Zhou Dahu's order was issued, and soldiers commanded by grassroots officers began to attack Cao Wenzhao.
The trajectory of lead bullets from rifled guns was very stable, and the soldiers aimed and shot one after another.
Even if they can't hit the target they are aiming at, the Ming army is very densely formed, they can still hit the person next to the enemy they are aiming at.
Cao Wenzhao saw his men being shot by yellow-robed thieves with muskets as if they were harvesting wheat.
He looked at his nephew Cao Bianjiao and ordered: "The way we are retreating now is too slow.
You abandon all the wounded and immediately lead your troops back to the south bank of the Wei River.
My soldiers are very brave. They will fight directly and must flee to the other side of the Wei River.
I will lead the cavalry to attack the thieves in yellow and buy time for you to escape."
Cao Bianjiao's expression changed and he refused: "Uncle, you can't do this. The thieves in yellow are so powerful now. If you do this, you will die."
Cao Wenzhao looked firm and said: "I have to do this. You execute the military order and let the thieves in yellow surround you. None of us can escape."
After saying this, he ordered his own soldiers to retreat with his nephew Cao Bianjiao.
Cao Wenzhao led all the cavalry under his command and launched a charge towards the infantry of the yellow-robed thieves.
He launched a charge with light cavalry, which was a suicide move. It was mainly to delay time and give his nephew Cao Bianjiao and others a chance to survive.
Zhou Dahu saw Cao Wenzhao leading the cavalry to charge.
Many recruits in the team encountered a cavalry charge for the first time, and their fingers were trembling.
The gun did not aim at the horse at all, but ran directly towards the Guan Ning Army cavalry on horseback.
Zhou Dahu saw these cavalrymen falling off their horses one by one.
He was very heartbroken, but he knew that the new recruits would be very nervous when they went to the battlefield.
The first time he went to the battlefield, his whole body was shaking.
Zhou Dahu said loudly:
"As usual, aim and fire and keep shooting in rhythm.
Unless the cavalry breaks through to 100 meters, try to beat the horses and capture more Guan Ning troops."
Zhou Dahu was very confident. With the density of firepower from rifled guns, Cao Wenzhao's cavalry couldn't charge through, and all their horses were killed.
Under the leadership of the veterans, the new soldiers quickly recovered their mentality and began to carry out the division commander's orders.
They found that the cavalry of the Ming army was not as powerful as the legend said.
They would also fall off their horses if they were hit by lead bullets.
The musket in his hand was very powerful, and the Ming Dynasty's cavalry could not block the musket attack.
Zhou Dahu held his gun and aimed at Cao Wenzhao's horses commanding behind the cavalry.
He pulled the trigger, and the lead bullet was discharged under the influence of gunpowder.
The cylindrical lead bullet rotates in the air and maintains a stable trajectory.
The lead bullet directly hit the horse Cao Wenzhao was riding.
The lead bullet penetrated the horse's body and rolled inside it.
Cao Wenzhao's horse howled and fell to the ground, throwing Cao Wenzhao off.
Zhou Dahu shouted loudly: "Surrender without killing."
He knew that the Qin army lacked skilled cavalry.
The Guanning cavalry of Liaodong is the strongest cavalry trained by the Ming Dynasty.
If these Guan Ning troops are captured, there will always be people willing to surrender.
Many of them can surrender and be paid as slaves.
Surrendering to the King of Qin, since they are all of the same culture and race, the psychological burden will be much lighter.
The cavalry of Guan Ning Army are getting closer and closer to the military formation.
At this distance, the accuracy of the rifled gun also increases simultaneously.
Basically, every time the Qin soldiers fired a shot, they took away a horse or a cavalryman.
Zhou Dahu waved his hand.
The soldiers of the Qin army marched neatly towards the cavalry, shouting loudly: "Surrender without killing."
Guan Ning's army under Cao Wenzhao encountered infantry for the first time and charged against the cavalry.
They suffered heavy casualties and their morale had collapsed.
Facing the muskets of the thieves in yellow, many people tightened the reins of their horses and shouted: "Don't shoot, we surrender."
Zhou Dahu sent someone to pick up the prisoners, and he continued to stare at the other Guan Ning troops and attack fiercely.
If you encounter other Ming troops on the road, as long as the Ming troops do not take the initiative to attack.
Zhou Dahu ignored these Ming troops.
Soon the Ming army also discovered abnormalities on the battlefield.
They subconsciously got out of the way and allowed the thieves in yellow to pursue Guan Ning's army. They fled directly to the opposite side.
"Brother Dahu, you move very quickly."
"Brother Yan Shui, your movements are not slow either."
Zhou Dahu saw a Qin army coming from the opposite side.
This is Su Yanyan, commander of the Second Division of the Fourth Army.
Zhou Dahu has led his army to the bank of the Wei River, and the Qin army has formed a large encirclement.
Their two divisions, with nearly 30,000 men, surrounded all the Ming troops who had not escaped.
Commander Su Hu of the headquarters has arranged many plans.
If the Ming army resists fiercely, they will advance slowly.
The Ming army was so frightened by the artillery that they ran away without resistance.
Zhou Dahu and Su Yanyan formed a large encirclement, surrounded the Ming troops who had not escaped, and then slowly eroded them.
The Ming army surrounded by their brother Feng had only two options: death in battle or surrender.
"Brother Dahu, we can't let too many Guan Ning troops escape."
After Su Yanyan finished speaking, he ordered his guards to use the range of the rifled guns to start shooting at Guan Ning's army who was climbing the river embankment and was about to board the north bank of the Weihe River.
When Zhou Dahu saw Su Yanyan's actions, he immediately reacted and directed the guards to do the same thing.
Only a few people fired, but the Ming army became frightened and fled forward wildly.
When the grassroots officers of the Qin Army saw that you had completed the encirclement, they cooperated with each other according to their usual training.
Compress the encirclement inward and annihilate the Ming army in the encirclement.
…………………………
Sun Chengzong used a telescope to look at the numerous thieves in yellow on the other side.
He saw that many Ming troops did not escape, and the thieves in yellow had completed the division and encirclement. It was only a matter of time before they were eliminated.
"Master Sun, the generals who have returned have already counted all the troops, and they are waiting for you in the big tent."
Sun Chengzong's staff came over and reported to him.
"Now we should collect rough information.
Tell me how many troops we lost when we were ambushed by thieves in yellow."
"Master Sun, the amount is a bit large, you have to make preparations first."
When Sun Chengzong heard what his staff said, he had a bad feeling.
Their main force consists of 100,000 soldiers selected from Shaanxi's 200,000-strong army, all of whom are elites.
"Master Sun, according to the statistics of the generals, of the 80,000 people we crossed the river, only 50,000 people escaped.
The local troops in Shaanxi and the troops in Northeast Zhili and other places in Shandong did not suffer much losses.
Less than three thousand of the infantrymen of Guan Ning's army escaped, and the rest stayed on the south bank of the Wei River."
When Sun Chengzong heard the report from his staff, he shook his body a few times and was about to fall to the ground.
The staff and soldiers reacted quickly and immediately supported Sun Chengzong.
The staff saw that Sun Chengzong had passed out.
He immediately pinched the person for first aid, grabbed a few handfuls of unmelted snow on the ground, and rubbed Sun Chengzong's forehead with the snow.
Sun Chengzong woke up slowly and sighed.
"My crime deserves to be punished by death. I have let down the love of Emperor Chongzhen.
The elite of the Ming Dynasty were wiped out by me in one battle. From now on, how can we resist Hou Jin and how can we encircle and suppress the thieves in yellow."
Sun Chengzong wanted to die, but he couldn't die.
The troops here in Shaanxi are all the elite of the Ming Dynasty, and he wants to bring back the remaining troops intact.
Sun Chengzong knew that the Guan Ning Army, the most elite of the Ming army and the one who obeyed his command the most, had almost all its infantry wiped out.
Without the support of Guan Ning's army, it would be more troublesome for him to command other armies.
It is impossible for these armies to be as convinced of his orders as Guan Ning's army.
If the army does not obey the command, even if it does not oppose his orders in person, the damage caused by passive fighting will be great.
There is no need to continue this battle. If Guan Ning's army loses all its elite troops, the encirclement and suppression of the yellow-robed thieves will be doomed to fail.
Sun Chengzong's bottom line has changed from annihilating the thieves in yellow to preserving Shaanxi.
As long as the thieves in yellow are blocked in Hanzhong, there will still be hope for the Ming Dynasty.
Sun Chengzong approached the tent with a heavy heart.
He heard wailing and screaming from inside the big tent.
There was also the sound of banging fists and feet.
"You old Shaanxi thieves must be colluding with the thieves in yellow.
You have basically suffered no losses, while our Guan Ning Army has suffered heavy losses.
We are here to help Shaanxi, but you treat us like this, it’s so fucking heartbreaking.”
"You cowards from Liaodong, your hometown was occupied by the slaves. You spent so much money on it, but you didn't get back even an inch of land, and you still lost a lot of money.
Don't come to our Shaanxi Province to show off your skills. You are just inferior to others and cannot defeat the thieves in yellow. You dare to take your anger out on us.
Open your eyes and see whose territory this is.
Brothers, we must not be bullied by these people, everyone, follow me."
Sun Chengzong immediately ordered his soldiers, saying: "Go in first and bring everyone under control. Anyone who dares to resist will be shot to death."
After hearing Sun Chengzong's orders, the soldiers dared to rush into the tent and control all the generals.
Sun Chengzong approached the big tent and saw a mess inside.
Almost all local Shaanxi generals and Guan Ning army generals were injured.
Most of them are minor injuries such as black eye circles and nosebleeds.
But there were also a few people who fell to the ground without breathing.
A life has already been lost, so this matter will not end well.
Sun Chengzong was glad that he did not let the generals bring weapons into the tent, otherwise there would have been more casualties.
He looked at the Ming army general in front of him and was extremely angry. He drew out Shang Fang's sword and said:
"Whoever takes the lead in this matter takes the initiative to stand up. I respect you for being a man."
Cao Bianjiao immediately stood up and knelt on the ground.
He said with a tearful tone: "Master Sun, please be wise and provide justice to our Guan Ning army.
We have always been loyal to the emperor and the country, and resisted the invasion of Jin Jiannu in Liaodong.
He came to Shaanxi and wiped out the rebels who were causing trouble in Shaanxi. He also fought against the extremely brutal yellow-robed thieves, causing heavy casualties.
The soldier's body was returned wrapped in horse leather, and he died on the battlefield in a dignified manner.
We have no complaints, this is our loyalty to the country.
But we will never agree to some villains joining forces with thieves in yellow to kill our Guan Ning army.
We, the 30,000 soldiers of the Guan Ning Army, did not fire a single shot or arrow on the battlefield, and the entire army was annihilated on the south bank of the Wei River.
There are a lot of strange things going on here, please ask Mr. Sun to uphold justice for us."
Generals Zu Dashou, Wu Xiang, Song Wei and other generals of the Guan Ning Army knelt on the ground, looking at Sun Chengzong with their hands clasped in fists.
They said in unison: "Master Sun, please bring justice to our Guan Ning army."
Xu Kaisheng, the commander-in-chief of Guyuan, immediately knelt down and said: "Master Sun, please tell me clearly that our Shaanxi generals will not collude with the thieves in yellow.
Everyone knows how the thieves in yellow treated the generals and gentry of the Ming army.
We take refuge in the thieves in yellow. What can the thieves in yellow bring to us?
We are all smart people, and we will never choose this.
Whose family does not have 10,000 to 20,000 acres of land? Everyone, patting their consciences, will ask the thieves in yellow to take away the 20,000 acres of land by issuing IOUs.
Who doesn't feel distressed, and who is willing to do so.
As long as everyone has read "The Law of the King of Qin" by The Thief in Yellow, he will never have any thoughts of surrender.
As for the crimes against the gentry mentioned above, no one can guarantee that they have not committed any of them.
When someone surrendered in Sichuan, it was because they had no choice but to cut off their tails in order to survive.
We had launched an attack on the thieves in yellow before, but we were far from exhausted.
No one is stupid, how could he collude with the thief in yellow?
The thief in yellow is born with a dirty leg, and there is no way he and the rest of us can hang out together."
When Cao Bianjiao heard what Xu Kaisheng, the commander-in-chief of Guyuan, said, he directly asked.
"General Bing Xu, Wang Shichong, as the vanguard officer, is responsible for detecting the thieves in yellow on the south bank of the Wei River.
He reported false news that there were a large number of thieves in yellow hiding on the south bank of the Wei River.
Don't tell me that the thief in yellow can come from more than ten miles away in a short time.
Wang Shichong is the commander-in-chief of Ganzhou. Is he a local general in Shaanxi?
May I ask Mr. Xu, where is Wang Shichong?
Does what he did prove that he is a spy?"
Xu Kaisheng was speechless when asked. Wang Shichong's actions were too obvious. He was most likely a spy of the yellow thief.
Cao Bianjiao then asked: "The thieves in yellow used powerful artillery shells, and they concentrated on attacking the garrison of Guan Ning's army.
Most of the other campsites were not affected.
The camps where there were casualties in the shelling were basically near the Guanning Army camp, and they were affected.
According to the direction in which the artillery shells were coming, General Xu's army was closer to the artillery position of the thieves in yellow.
Why did the thief in yellow abandon the near and seek the far away? Please give Mr. Xu a convincing answer.
Do you admit the evidence I mentioned?"
Most of the local Ming troops in Shaanxi witnessed the bombardment with their own eyes, and the situation was exactly as Cao Bianjiao said.
No one can object to this ironclad fact.
Cao Bianjiao complained with a cry: "You can say the first two things are coincidences, but I admit them.
But the performance of the thief in yellow on the battlefield is obvious to everyone.
The thieves in yellow only pursued Guan Ning's army and lightly let go of the local Shaanxi army.
Everyone is not blind and can see what is happening on the battlefield.
The armies of Shandong and Beizhili were on the river bank.
When the yellow-robed thieves bombarded them, they fled to the other side of the Wei River.
Shaanxi's army, such as our Guan Ning Army, is still close to the thieves in yellow.
Most of their troops were able to return intact.
Our Guan Ning Army was suddenly bombarded by yellow-clad thieves. Even so, there were still more than 10,000 people and we did not suffer much losses.
But the thief in yellow came and bit us, and it was only us who were left by Guan Ning's army across the river."
Cao Bianjiao thought of his uncle Cao Wenzhao being killed by a thief in yellow.
He will never let go of the thief in yellow in the future, but these people who helped Zhou commit evil must also make them pay the price.
One of the generals in Guan Ning's army immediately knelt down.
"Master Sun, I am a guerrilla under General He Kegang.
I was leading the troops climbing the river embankment. There were thousands of people around us, including a large number of Shaanxi soldiers and horses.
Among these people, there are servants who are better equipped than us and wear shining armor.
The thieves in yellow did not attack these people. Instead, they attacked the ordinary military households of our Guan Ning Army.
There is a huge gap between us and these people. A normal army will definitely attack these servants first.
Just because we represent the Guan Ning Army and we wear different clothes, we are attacked first by the thieves in yellow."
What this man said left Xu Kaisheng speechless.
There are also soldiers under his command who have some wealth. Some time ago, they bought fur hats and fur coats to protect themselves from the cold.
In this war, he was directly killed.
At that time, Xu Kaisheng was very scared, but now it seems that this is not an accident.
Zu Dashou immediately knelt down and kowtowed, and said aggrievedly: "Master Sun, please make the decision for us. The thieves in yellow know that our Guan Ning Army is a staunchly loyal and patriotic army.
If the thieves in yellow fail to bribe us, they will crack down hard on us.
If the thieves in yellow are treated equally, there should be no problems in our army.
Now the thieves in yellow are obviously treated differently. There must be a general in Shaanxi colluding with the thieves in yellow.
They have made preparations to welcome the thieves in yellow clothes into the city.
Only thieves in yellow would stand up and let them go on the battlefield."
Sun Chengzong listened to Guan Ningjun's accusation, and he basically understood the methods of the thieves in yellow.
Guan Ningjun believed that the Shaanxi Ming Army had betrayed them, and he remains stubborn to this day.
Sun Chengzong did not approve of the Shaanxi Ming army's defection to the yellow-robed thieves.
Xu Kaisheng is right, the generals of the Ming Army Guard are hereditary.
Except for a few who relied on their own abilities and fought their way up from a small soldier.
Most of the generals of the Ming army inherited their father's positions.
Their family owns tens of thousands of acres of land and is considered a relatively poor family.
When the Ming Dynasty was founded, every military household had its own land, and the garrison also had a large amount of land belonging to the state.
Now these lands are all owned by the general's family.
The thieves in yellow strictly restrict the land of the wealthy families.
The law against thieves in yellow also goes back to the past.
How could aristocratic families accumulate their own wealth without resorting to violence?
Most families are not investigated.
The thief in yellow has a very special approach, and he has always insisted on investigating the rich families to the end.
Those generals in Shaanxi really dare to surrender to the thieves in yellow.
They themselves may be fine, but many members of their family will be punished by the thieves in yellow.
In Hanzhong and Sichuan, the yellow-robed thieves dealt with wealthy families.
The thieves in yellow directly published it in their newspapers.
These generals are willing to surrender, but their families absolutely disagree.
After all, people like Wang Shichong are in the minority.
Sun Chengzong could see clearly that the thief in yellow was using a divorce tactic.
This kind of alienation plan is different from other alienation plans.
It is an outright conspiracy and there is no way to break it.
Once a conspiracy is discovered, there is always a way to unravel it.
Even if you tell the whole story to your face, there is no way to decipher the conspiracy.
It takes advantage of human nature, systems and other things that cannot be changed.
The thieves in yellow were clearly targeting Guan Ningjun.
On the battlefield, they let go of other Ming troops and only focused on Guan Ning's army.
This will make Guan Ning's army and other Ming armies drift further and further away.
The thief in yellow's strategy worked very well.
The generals of Guan Ning's army and other generals of the Ming army all showed angry expressions when they looked at each other.
Sun Chengzong knew that from today on, Guan Mingjun had become a lone army.
They could no longer cooperate with other Ming armies in fighting.
The foundation of trust between the two parties is gone.
But he was unable to reveal the conspiracy of the thief in yellow in public.
Making things public will only cause more troubles and will not lead to a solution.
Doing so will also make the rift between the two armies wider.
Sun Chengzong said with a serious expression: "Generals, please rest assured, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you a satisfactory explanation.
I will never wrongly accuse anyone, nor will I let the real spies go.
The most important thing for us now is to retreat safely.
Investigate the spies and wait until we evacuate to a safe area.
I will definitely seek justice for everyone."
Sun Chengzong's words made many generals of the Ming army realize that they were not truly safe yet.
The thieves in yellow have swept away the south bank of the Weihe River and may launch an attack on the north bank at any time.
Forced by the powerful enemy, they reached an agreement and retreated towards Fengxiang Mansion.
Not long after they retreated, Han Shuliang led his army and cavalry regiment to rush across the Wei River and pursue the Ming army.
Guan Ning's cavalry protected Sun Chengzong and a small number of Guan Ning's infantry.
They retreated quickly on horseback, leaving the other Ming troops behind and letting them act as human shields.
Zhang Wansi led the cavalry regiment and directly dispersed the Ming army's rear army.
Two thousand cavalrymen chased nearly 20,000 cavalrymen into battle.
Twenty thousand cavalrymen fled in panic, leaving their friendly forces behind.
The rift between other Ming armies and Guan Ning's cavalry became deeper.