Zhou Yuji shouted while rushing into the firing range of the soldiers of the trapping division. The pursuers behind him did not dare to rush to the front of the Huben army to die. They stood on horseback 300 meters away and looked anxiously at Zhou Yuji who was escaping.
Zhou Yuji rode up to the Polu Division and jumped off his horse. He left all the weapons on his horse, handed the horse rope to a soldier, walked to the center of the Polu Division, and bowed his head to Zhong Feng to the ground.
"I've seen the general from Tianjin!"
Seeing how respectful the commander-in-chief was, Zhong Feng laughed loudly: "Are you Zhou Yuji, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi? Why don't you go with the rebels?"
Zhou Yuji raised his hands and said: "Mr. Zhou is from the capital camp and is loyal to the emperor. How can he collude with these Shanxi rebels? The general is ordered to raid Shanxi merchants who are collaborating with the enemy. How can Mr. Zhou join in the rebellion with the thieves?"
After a pause, Zhou Yuji continued: "General, now that Zhou has escaped from the hostage of Shanxi rebels, the 15,000 people in the main camp are leaderless and have no fighting spirit. I suggest that the general attack the main camp first. Once the main camp is attacked,
It will definitely be defeated.”
Zhong Feng nodded and said, "Well said!"
The Polu Division continued to advance, and when they reached two miles away from the Shanxi soldiers, eighty-six heavy artillery pieces began to bombard the 15,000 main barracks under the command of the Shanxi General Soldier.
The artillery shells were like a continuous meteor shower, firing into the main camp one after another. The explosive shells exploded among the soldiers, shooting life-threatening iron pellets everywhere.
Sure enough, as Zhou Yuji said, the morale of the soldiers in the main barracks was low. After only one round of artillery bombing, the 15,000 regular soldiers were reduced to frightened birds and could not form a queue. It is not known who took the lead in fleeing to the west. These regular soldiers
Suddenly they collapsed and everyone fled to the west.
The 15,000 regular barracks fled, and the Shanxi town army of more than 40,000 people was suddenly reduced to only 30,000 people. With a patchwork of 30,000 people facing the 20,000-strong Tiger Army and the strongest army in the world,
The Shanxi Army had no hope of victory and its morale was on the verge of collapse.
Zhong Feng looked at the situation in front and said loudly: "Zu Dashou! You lead four thousand cavalry to break into the formation and defeat these 30,000 miscellaneous soldiers at once."
Zu Dashou shouted loudly and rode out.
Only then did Zhou Yuji realize that the middle-aged general guarding Zhong Feng was Zu Dashou. Isn't Zu Dashou the famous commander-in-chief of the Guan Ning Army? How did he become the commander of the Huben Army?
Zhou Yuji was very puzzled and looked at Zhong Feng, but it was hard to ask.
Zu Dashou led four thousand cavalry and rushed out.
The cavalry under Zu Dashou's command has a resounding name, called "Guanning Iron Cavalry". Although this "Guanning Iron Cavalry" is not as exaggerated as later generations of literati boasted, one thing is certain, that is, the food and salary of this cavalry during the Chongzhen period
Sufficient. Because they have been guarding the front line in western Liaoning, due to the pressure of war, the selected soldiers and horses are also relatively capable.
Lu Xiangsheng once commented on the combat effectiveness of Guan Ning's army. In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Lu Xiangsheng led various troops to suppress the peasant army, including 3,000 Guan Ning's cavalry. At that time, Lu Xiangsheng commented: "The troops who assisted in the suppression were only the great joy of our ancestors.
Zu Kuan's command of Liao and Ding was the most powerful, and he also killed the most thieves."
Among Guan Ning's troops, Zu Dashou, who was on the front line, was the most adept at fighting. The cavalry under his command were naturally not vegetarians.
After Zu Dashou's eight thousand cavalry defected to Li Zhi, Li Zhi equipped these cavalry with a large number of captured Qing army chainmail and cotton armor. Li Zhi also captured a large number of military horses over the years, and selected better qualified military horses to replace them.
The inferior horses of the eight thousand cavalry made this army more elite.
