On the night when Hong Chengchou received the letter, the commander-in-chief Zhang Yingchang asked for battle.
His army was stationed in Songcheng and Lijun Forts in the south of the town.
It took a whole night to arrange the armor, prepare gunpowder, assemble the horses, load the provisions, and deploy the iron caltrops, horse fences and other chores.
Early the next morning, Hong Chengchou personally encouraged the generals in the camp, watched the sergeants have breakfast, followed them on horseback for twenty miles, and sent them across the Yellow River into Lingzhou amidst the sound of cannons.
After sending the army away, when Hong Chengchou rode back to the Governor's Yamen, the sun was almost setting. It was so cold that people shrank, so he asked his servants to boil a pot of tea first, take out the Shuofang defense map, and then let the servants prepare the preparations when they were done.
meals.
The focus of defending Ningxia is the Yellow River, and the focus of defending the Yellow River is undoubtedly Ning'an, Shikong Temple, Mingshazhou Three Forts in the south, and Lingzhou City in the east.
Hong Chengchou planned to build an additional Ning'an Fort if there was still time this year and turn it into a fortress capable of holding tens of thousands of troops.
But in fact, when he thinks about time, even if he is as smart as him, he still has a headache.
It’s not that I feel like I have no time.
On the contrary, Liu Chengzong's attack to the north was not a bad thing for him.
Because although the land was divided, the money and food in his hands were limited, so he could only live day by day.
Of course, it is definitely not a good thing for a strong enemy to attack, but attacking is better than not attacking at all.
After all, the army is organized. With a force of 30,000 to 40,000 people, where do soldiers come from and where do they get food and supplies? The whole army cannot care about this issue for the time being.
People like Zuo, Zhang, and Cao are now just like the outlaws of the peasant army. They are precarious and do not think about things too far away. They should survive the present first.
If Liu Chengzong sent troops to attack Ningxia, and then saw him actively preparing for war and turning around and leaving, that would be a real bolt from the blue for Hong Chengchou.
It's different when it comes to fighting.
Big victory, miserable victory, tie, small defeat, they were all victories for Hong Chengchou.
As long as you preserve yourself and let the army suffer casualties, there will be less people and less economic pressure.
In fact, this was also the reason why Hong Chengchou wanted to expand the army. His purpose was to incorporate soldiers from Ningxia who dared to fight into the army. They lacked experience in fighting against Liu Chengzong, so they would definitely suffer a lot of casualties in the fight.
Once the war is over, the pressure of civil strife will lessen.
Hong Hyung-jiu knew that it was silly to think about the problem like this, and he was also very annoyed.
Now that we have a powerful enemy, we still have to consider Anne.
But there is no other way. He is in a position where he can only make this decision.
As the governor-general in command of the guest troops, he squeezed out the local people's survival resources, even limited by their status, and the efficiency of extraction was very low.
Because his status is an official, an official who is difficult to change, if he does something extraordinary, people will complain and be angry.
But Liu Chengzong was different. It was difficult for people to define whether he was the leader of the Northern Bandits, the leader of the Western Bandits or the king of the separatist regime. No matter which identity he was, normal people would be afraid.
It's even hard to define what he did that was out of line.
Isn't this the usual style of thieves to plunder the property of wealthy families?
Isn't it also what the Beibeis long for, snatching the iron pots from poor families?
Even if he kills people and burns down the city, he is a thief. Is it strange to do such a thing?
I can't envy you.
On the map, Hong Chengchou drew a circle at Hongsi Fort south of the Yellow River, which was the best fulcrum for defending Guyuan.
He estimated that Liu Chengzong's plan must be to seize Hongsi Fort as soon as possible, because there was no other way to go, or other ways were too difficult to go.
According to their estimates, the vanguard of the Marshal's Mansion will appear outside the Hongsi Fort as early as the morning after tomorrow.
Zhang Yingchang's army has the advantage of being the first to attack. It can attack day and night for a day and a half. It can arrive at noon tomorrow at the earliest. Even if it is slower, it can reach the predetermined position tomorrow night.
His troops had enough time to prepare the battlefield.
If we can win a small victory and frustrate the marshal's army, the next battle will be easier to fight.
When Hong Chengchou came to his senses, the tea in the cup was already cold, so he picked it up and took a sip. He felt that his stomach was empty and he was very hungry, so he asked someone to prepare a meal.
But just as he raised his hand, before he could say anything, the servant in the mansion suddenly appeared at the door of the study like a prophet, crossed the threshold, bowed his head and said hurriedly: "Master, Zhang Shuai's horse has crossed the Yellow River and is asking for help at the bottom of the city.
!”
Hong Chengchou, who was holding the tea cup, was stunned. For a moment, his perception of time and space was out of order.
He looked at the freshly cooled tea in the cup, then at the servant who reported the news, and then at the already dark sky outside, then stood up and blinked: "May I ask for help?"
He thought, didn't I just send the army across the Yellow River in the morning? How long had it been? Even if Zhang Yingchang walked faster, he would have walked more than thirty miles at most and still be outside Lingzhou City.
Are you meeting the enemy in the hinterland?
Aren't you talking nonsense?
Could it be possible... Hong Chengchou turned his head and glanced at the map, then hurried out.
Isn't it because Lingzhou mutinied again?
The garrison stationed there is named Dong Xueli. When he was young, he suffered defeat at the hands of the marshal's army when he was the commander-in-chief.
Earlier, he was stationed in Zhencheng. Hong Chengchou wanted to remove him, but found that he still had some talent and courage, so he transferred him to Lingzhou on the east bank of the Yellow River to garrison.
Hong Chengchou felt regretful as he walked out, shaking his head and saying to himself: Damn, the Shaanxi generals can’t be trusted either!
As soon as he walked out of the governor's office, he looked up and saw that the city was in chaos. Not far away, a group of officers were riding their horses with torches on.
The leader was Wang Yuncheng, a subordinate of Zuo Liangyu who was responsible for guarding the city gate. When he saw him, he got off his horse and ran over, prostrated himself and clasped his fists in salute.
"At the military gate, there was a beacon signal in Lingzhou. Marshal Zhang's troops marched to the southeast of Lingzhou and encountered more than a hundred horsemen from the Northern Cattlemen. The two armies fought at Shibalipu on the west side of Qinqu."
Wang Yuncheng reported the military situation, then stood up, frowned, pointed to the city, and said worriedly: "In the afternoon, the soldiers came to report that a big bird came to the city. It squatted on the eaves of the southeast corner tower for half an hour, pecking away the bones.
One beast flew to Helan Mountain, it was the Qinghai Vulture."
Hong Chengchou's face turned ugly: "Where is Dong Xueli?"
Wang Yuncheng was stunned when he was asked. What are you kidding me about? I told you that the northern barbarians from Ordos broke into the wall. What the hell does this have to do with Dong Xueli?
"I don't know my humble position, but I should still be in Lingzhou City at this time."
Hong Chengchou took a deep breath, damn, Dong Xueli didn't rebel.
It might as well be that he rebelled.
"Commander Zuo asked for instructions on whether to send more troops to Zhenyuan Pass to prevent the northern invaders from crossing the wall from the Yellow River shoal."
Hong Chengchou shook his head: "Qinghai Eagle, Mongolian soldiers, how do you know we are coming from Ordos? Send your elite cavalry to explore again and wait for Marshal Zhang to capture the prisoners and give confessions."
"Prior to this, the generals of the Nine Battalions will deploy defenses at the forts along the coast according to the plan. They must not mess up their positions."
After saying that, Hong Chengchou looked at the brightly lit city wall not far away and thought to himself: If the people coming were really the Ordos tribe, then things would be easier to handle.
Southeast of Lingzhou City, the golden and silver beach between the Qin and Han canals.
Zhang Yingchang's Ningxia Youzhen, with more than 10,000 men, deployed on the spot, and each battalion deployed horses and iron caltrops outside to enter a defensive state.
They are trapped.
The person who trapped them was Ren Quan'er of the Second Brigade of the Marshal's Army.
When the two armies met in the evening, one side marched lightly on the inner line without any armor, while the other side marched day and night, wearing armor for too long, and their men and horses were exhausted.
Both sides are in bad shape.
Zhang Yingchang's vanguard officer was Xiang Xiyin, a veteran general who was born as a Jinshi in Puzhou, Shanxi Province. He had been in charge of the chariot camp in Zunhua, had experience in guerrilla warfare, and participated in general affairs. He had rich experience.
During the Battle of Gansu, because the army was disorganized and did not get a chance to show off its talents, he was trapped in Liangzhou City with a group of defeated generals until Li Hongsi surrendered and followed Liu Shaozong to Ningxia.
This time, Xiang Xiyin begged for a long time before Zhang Yingchang was granted the rank of pioneer officer.
He had always wanted to test the quality of the Marshal's Army for himself, but he didn't believe it. Can those bandits, Tatars, and a bunch of random people put together really be that powerful?
Really awesome.
Xiang Xiyin never dreamed that he would encounter enemy troops on the outskirts of Lingzhou on the evening of the first day of dispatching troops.
Their expected combat location was Hongsi Fort, and according to intelligence, our side had the upper hand and wanted to set up an ambush at Hongsi Fort.
Who would conduct a rapid march in armor one hundred and fifty miles away from the expected combat location?
Their armors were all rolled up, and the army was forming a column. A battalion of men, horses, and armor pulled a six-mile-long formation and marched hurriedly on the official road.
Suddenly, there were several unrealistic gunshots in the distance, making people lose their bearings in the early spring wind and sand in the vast wilderness.
After a while, there was the sound of horse hooves, and the Tang soldiers with flags and arrows on their backs fell on their horses and were carried back by their mounts.
Seven lead pellets shattered the breast shield at close range.
There was only one armor-piercing arrow on the Tang soldiers. Although it penetrated the armor, it did not penetrate too deeply into the flesh.
The real fatal wound came from the neck. The beryllium arrow cut open half of the neck. Blood soaked through the armor. The horse had already died before the horse could carry its owner back.
The only clue was the arrow shaft, which had Uyghur Mongolian inscriptions on it. Xiang Xiyin hurriedly had the arrow delivered to Zhang Yingchang of the Chinese Army, and immediately ordered the formation to be reorganized, and the marching brigade to be converted into an intercepting square formation, and they had to put on their armor.
On the roof of a residential courtyard three miles away, Marco held a brass telescope with a smile on his slightly raised face.
The Ming army did not run away!
Opposite Xiang Xiyin is the vanguard, and Ma Ke is also the vanguard.
Even Marco is the vanguard among the vanguards. His ranger battalion headquarters is five or six miles away in the rear, and the second brigade's main camp, surprise battalion, and reinforcement battalion are twenty or thirty miles away.
He just took more than ten Tangqi out to survey the road conditions, and bumped into Tangqi of the Ming army. The beryllium arrow that fatally wounded Tangqi was shot by him himself.
That Tang Bing's mount was a horse that knew the way well, which was a complete surprise for him.
The horse was actually able to carry its owner back to the military formation, allowing him to follow the traces and find the headquarters of the Ming army.
Obviously, the Ming army ran into them here, which greatly affected the morale of their army, so that the generals who looked brave on the opposite side lost much courage.
The vanguard officer must be a brave person who dares to fight. In the current situation, no one runs away when confronted. He must have courage.
However, he did not dare to attack directly. Instead, he formed a military formation on the spot to facilitate the attack, and hurriedly put on his armor, obviously intending to stand firm and wait for reinforcements.
I can’t be wrong, but this is indeed what Marco hopes to see the most.
Because if the Ming army moved decisively at this time, Lingzhou City was so close and his army would be out of men and horses and would really not be able to catch up.
"Give the enemy information to Commander-in-Chief Ren and ask Li Fengji and Tuba to quickly bring troops over."
In fact, it's not that Xiang Xiyin doesn't plan to withdraw. He wants to withdraw, but it's just a safer choice.
First form a formation to avoid being instantly broken through and massacred by the enemy's cavalry. Then the rear team changes to the front team, with the first division's selected vanguard as the main force to defend the rear and both wings, and then slowly retreat in an iterative formation.
During this process, Ma Ke's Qianzong Li Fengji and Tu Ba also led their troops to approach one after another.
Ma Ke immediately ordered the two Mongolian divisions of the roving camp to harass the left wing and launch a tentative attack.
The Han War Department waited for the opportunity to advance and put pressure on the enemy.
This is the first battle after the completion of the reorganization of the ranger camp under the new brigade of the Marshal's Army.
The mighty Mongolian cavalry, led by Qian Zong Tuba, filed out, passed through the three miles of wasteland in front of the two armies' formations, and headed diagonally towards the right flank of the Ming army.
Xiang Xiyin was forced to stop retreating. While dispatching the cavalry in the formation to prepare for the attack, he also dispatched the Franco machine cannon in the formation to load powder and prepare for bombardment.
Tuba's Mongolian cavalry failed to get close to the right wing of the Ming army, and then encountered the bombardment of the Fran machine gun at a distance of 200 to 300 steps. For a time, the iron pellets were like snow, and it was forced to turn around and withdraw 1200 steps.
Exit out of range.
Then the flag with the totem of the Heshuo Special Division turned around, and more than a thousand cavalry dispersed again, detouring towards the rear of the Ming army. Under the shock of the Fran machine cannon, they moved again from the rear to the rear of the left wing of the Ming army, and hung in the range.
Outside, they circled half a circle around the large hollow square formation of the Ming army.
During this process, Ma Ke also led more than a thousand soldiers of Li Fengji, the commander-in-chief of the Han army, to move to the right wing of the Ming army's formation.
Marco's momentum is very fierce, but in fact it is very risky. He is trying to surround an enemy of 3,000 with only 2,000 people.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In this case, moving with a force of one thousand headquarters will undoubtedly expose weaknesses to the enemy.
Suddenly, in an instant, war drums were beating in Xiang Xiyin's camp.
A cavalry force of 400 people ran out from behind the formation, ran to the right, and launched an outflank attack on Ma Ke's moving Han Bingqian headquarters. The southeast and northwest corners of the frontal formation spread out and the Ming troops dispersed their lines, one by one.
The whole army rushed forward in a large fan shape.
Marco was not surprised but overjoyed when he saw this. Seeing the infantry forming a large horizontal column and the cavalry encircling the flanks to outflank him, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Clever!"
As night approaches, Xiang Xiyin must eliminate his threat before night arrives and move to a relatively safe place.
Attacking the Han military headquarters is undoubtedly the best opportunity.
The Han and Mongolian armies are horns with each other. If the main force attacks the Han army, the partial divisions may block the Mongolian army; but if the main force attacks the Mongolian army, the partial armies will have difficulty resisting the Han army.
But this is also an excellent opportunity for Marco.
Because two thousand versus three thousand may not win, but one thousand versus one thousand and five, his chances of winning are a little greater.
At the side and rear, General Qian Li Fengji drew his Yanling Saber and led more than 300 horsemen to fight against the incoming Ming army.
On the front, gun-carrying chariots were connected end to end, heavy gunners boarded the vehicles to defend, and ten lion cannons were lined up in the shortest possible time, forming a solid gun front.
The real killer move was the headquarters of Qian Mongolian soldiers still lingering on the periphery. Taking advantage of the window where the Ming army's army formations were dispersed into two formations and the gap had not yet changed, groups of mixed Monan and Ola light and heavy cavalry dispersed one after another.
, while covering the Fran cannon position with harmless projectile light arrows, while relying on heavy armor and long poles, they charged towards the gap.