Seeing that the Yongtong River had been bombed into nothing, the more than 10,000 cavalrymen who had not yet crossed the river had become a mess. Some people dismounted to rescue the injured Pao Ze, while others were milling around the river, trying to cross the river.
However, miles of ice were cracked and broken by the explosion. As soon as the war horse stepped on it, it would lose its footing and fall into the river, and was trapped on the other side for a while!
We could only count on the thousands of cavalrymen who had already crossed the river, but half of these guys were dizzy and unable to find the way due to the bombing, and the other half were frightened out of their wits by the enemy troops who counterattacked, and their fighting strength stopped for ten times.
Driven by Li Xian, they reluctantly formed a formation to meet the enemy, but they were no match for Xu Huaiqing and others who succeeded in one blow and had high morale!
As soon as the battle started, the officers and soldiers were killed and completely defeated. Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Xian dared not wait for the large troops on the other side to get around, so he quickly escaped under the protection of his own soldiers.
Although Li Xian was not very good at fighting, the armor he wore was very expensive and well-kept. It shone brightly under the winter sunset, allowing Xu Huaiqing to lock this guy firmly and follow behind without spending much energy.
He chased Li Xian until he lost his soul. Fortunately, he had a war horse on his hip and the distance was short, so he managed to escape back to Tongzhou City in a dangerous way!
Xu Huaiqing pursued him to the foot of Tongzhou City and saw Li Xian entering the city. Then he led his troops back in a show of force to deal with the leaderless army and cavalry!
At this time, the sky was getting dark. Looking at Li Xian who had returned home, Yang Rong's old face was darker than the sky.
Seeing the murderous Yang Rong, Li Xian couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, and whispered to the soldiers around him: "He will kill me later, you must stop him..." The soldiers nodded and held tightly.
Li Xian dared to stand in front of Yang Rong and said with a shameful expression: "Mr. Ge, I've tried my best, but the way is higher and the devil is higher..."
"Have all your 20,000 cavalry been killed?!" Yang Rong looked at Li Xian in disbelief. If this was the case, how could this battle be fought?
"That's not true. Our army just fell into the trap accidentally. The main force is intact, but, just..." Li Xian was blushing and speechless.
"It's just that the general was chased and chased back to Tongzhou! Why don't you find a piece of tofu to kill?!" Yang Rong roared angrily, calling Li Xian a pig's head, but he also knew that Li Xian couldn't be killed.
, the other party has a higher status than himself, has a closer relationship with the prince than himself, and the army also listens to him... Suppressing the anger in his heart, Yang Rong asked clearly about the ins and outs of the matter, and learned that it was not that the enemy's combat power was unmatched, but that
It was because of a trick, so he breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Li Xiandao coldly: "You guard Tongzhou City, I will personally go out of the city to preside over the battle!"
"It's getting dark. It won't be too late for you to leave the city tomorrow morning." Seeing that Yang Rong didn't kill him, Li Xian burst into tears of gratitude and said hurriedly to please him.
"No, it's too late! If we postpone it until tomorrow, the day lilies will be cold!" Yang Rong asked someone to fetch the war horse and turn him over. He also did not forget to warn Li Xiandao: "The battle situation is very turbulent now. You must keep your eyes open at all times."
Eyes, guard Tongzhou City! No more mistakes can be made!"
"Mr. Ge, don't worry, I promise you won't be fooled again!" Li Xian clapped his chest and swore to the sky: "The city is here and the people are here, but the city is dead and the people are dead!"
"I hope you will gain wisdom..." Yang Rong sighed. If possible, he did not want to use Li Xian to defend the city, but there are really no generals around him. And if it were anyone else, Li Xian would definitely not accept it and would definitely let the guard do everything.
If you are restrained, you will get into trouble...
Yang Rong led another 20,000 troops out of the city. At this time, only Li Xian's 10,000 troops were left in Tongzhou, plus the four guards originally stationed here, a total of 30,000 troops were stationed. Although it was not too much, it was
Considering the situation between the enemy and ourselves, there is no need to worry.
Wang Xian's Shandong army is still far away in Cangzhou. Even if he suddenly leaves Daxing and rushes over with all his strength, trying to break through Tongzhou City with thick walls, complete facilities and a garrison of 30,000 troops with 15,000 cavalry is no different.
Idiot's dream!
The only thing that worried Yang Rong was the idiot Li Xian. He could only tell Li Chang, the Minister of Household Affairs who stayed in Tongzhou, to be more considerate for Li Xian and not let him be cheated again.
Despite this, when leaving Tongzhou City in the night, Yang Rong couldn't help but feel excited. This was the first time in the history of the Ming Dynasty that civilian officials had unified the army! This was completely unimaginable in the Hongwu and Yongle years, where civil and military divisions were distinct!
It is very likely that it will also become an epoch-making milestone for the Ming Dynasty!
If not, Yang Rong would not give in to Li Xian. If there was a stalemate with Li Xian and the other party did not allow him to lead troops, Yang Rong would really have no choice...
After coming out of Tongzhou City, Yang Rong regained his composure. He knew what would happen in the future. It all depended on the battle in front of him. If he could win beautifully, then there would be no obstacles for civilian officials to lead the army. If he couldn't win, or even lose badly, everything would be ruined.
stop……
Eliminating all selfish thoughts, Yang Rong ordered the army to march carefully. At the same time, he asked people to contact the cavalry troops brought out by Li Xian. He also ordered the grain transport teams huddled everywhere, telling them not to worry about the grain trucks, and the whole army marched towards him.
Get closer, prepare to concentrate our forces, and strangle Xu Huaiqing's 5,000 cavalry overnight!
Originally, Yang Rong was worried that Xu Huaiqing would escape under the cover of night, but he was relieved by the news coming from the front. The guy was actually still wandering around the Yongtong Bridge area, seemingly determined to stay in Tongzhou and Beijing.
between!
"Since you want to die so much, I will help you!" Yang Rong's gray beard was fluttering in the night wind, and he stared coldly at the Yongtong Bridge in the distance. He ordered all the ministries to surround him from all directions, and he must let those damn thousands of cavalry out.
It’s hard to fly without wings!
Only the piers of the Yongtong Bridge were left, and Xu Huaiqing and his soldiers were intensifying their rest and recuperation. Although it had been burned by fire, remnants of food were everywhere. The soldiers even fed the horses directly with snow-white rice, giving their companions who depended on each other a good meal.
Have the strength to accompany them to continue killing the enemy!
Xu Huaiqing held dry food in his hand and ate while inspecting the army in the cold wind. Although he knew very well that Yang Rong's army was surrounding him from all directions, he had no intention of withdrawing.
The soldiers under his command were also aware of their situation, but they all showed no fear on their faces. They were talking and laughing loudly, and some even sang the military songs that inspired them to conquer the north and south. The songs floated far and wide in the night wind.
It spread all the way to the ears of the officers and soldiers.
Looking at his subordinates who looked tired but had high morale, Xu Huaiqing let out a long breath and said to Zhang Dong beside him: "Are you sure Yang Rong is out?"
"Confirmed." Zhang Dong nodded solemnly: "I have confirmed it with my own eyes. It is indeed him who led the army out of the city. He should be a few miles away from the opposite side!"
"Yeah." Xu Huaiqing swallowed the last mouthful of dry food, patted the crumbs between his fingers, and said coldly: "If you make a mistake, I will never let you go!"
"Don't worry, general," Zhang Dong, who was always so serious, said calmly: "Whatever you doubt, there is no need to doubt Jin Yiwei's professionalism."
"Okay." Xu Huaiqing nodded and said, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and report the message to the Lord!" In fact, Xu Huaiqing originally planned to deal with the enemy army at night, but when he heard that Yang Rong personally led the army out of the city, he
Then he decisively changed his mind and wanted to stay in Baliqiao to meet the world-famous Xueshi Yang!
"I have sent someone to report the news a long time ago," Zhang Dong said with a smile: "I brought the news. If you just slap your butt and leave, wouldn't it be a trap?"
"Don't be ridiculous, you have no use here!" Xu Huaiqing glared at Zhang Dong: "If you don't get out quickly, you won't be able to leave later!"
"Farts have their uses, at least they can intoxicate people." Zhang Dong smiled honestly and said: "General, if you can't command me, don't waste your efforts."
"Get the fuck out of here!" Xu Huaiqing glared at Zhang Dong fiercely, and Zhang Dong looked at him without fear. After a long time, Xu Huaiqing burst out laughing and said: "Sure, when you get to the underworld, if your damn master comes looking for me
To settle the accounts, you can make it clear yourself!"
"Haha, my master can't do that..." Thinking of Shi Wan, Zhang Dong said with respect: "His old man was left behind back then, but he resolutely violated military orders and went to Hulu Valley to save the father-in-law and his party with his own life...
..." As he spoke, his words were choked with sobs, but his eyes became more determined: "I can't embarrass his old man!"
"With a disciple like you, he can't be happy to pretend to be dead!" Xu Huaiqing patted Zhang Dong heavily on the shoulder.
At this time, Zhang Dahai came over and asked in a deep voice: "General, let's move west. This place is too close to Tongzhou. If anything happens, Yang Rong can just drop his butt and go back!"
"Because of this, I have the confidence to nail that old fox here!" Xu Huaiqing shook his head decisively and said: "The man named Yang is cautious by nature, he will not be too far away from Tongzhou!"
"The distance is so close. Even if you want to make a move, I'm afraid I won't be able to find the chance." Zhang Dahai said worriedly.
"Don't underestimate the young master, he can do great things, and he can also be a dojo in a snail shell!" Xu Huaiqing said without any worry: "As long as we do what we should do, we don't have to worry about anything else!"
"Yes..." The general was so sure that Zhang Dahai had no choice but to suppress his worries.
At this time, a scout came flying from a distance and shouted: "There are enemy troops in the north, and they are already several miles away!"
"Mount your horse! Meet the enemy!" Xu Huaiqing's majestic voice echoed in the night sky. The soldiers immediately stood up, swallowed the last mouthful of dry food, and mounted their horses one after another.
"In night battles, when the line of sight is blocked, it is easy to lose sight of the enemy and ourselves!" Xu Huaiqing, riding on a war horse, told his soldiers: "Don't rely too much on bows, arrows and muskets, but trust in the sword in your hand! Don't retreat in the face of the enemy. Remember,
Everything facing you is an enemy!"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded loudly, followed their general, and faced the enemy in the north to kill them!
"Follow my Ming Dy! Where Ming Dy is heading is where your troops are pointing. Advance or retreat until the last man is killed!"
Xu Huaiqing's violent shouts were able to suppress the roaring hooves of horses, and led his soldiers to rush towards the enemies all over the mountains and plains!