Chapter two hundred and sixty-five battle of life and death is coming
Hao Bainian didn't know what Zeng Ziwen said to Zeng Zisong, but judging from the looks on their faces, it was probably that the conversation was not very successful.
Zeng Zisong always had a bad face, and even turned his head away from Zeng Ziwen.
However, Hao Bainian didn't care much about this. After cleaning the battlefield, he led his troops and escorted the prisoners back towards the Lanjiang Ferry.
Of course, among these prisoners was Zeng Zisong.
It's just that this man doesn't seem to have a good relationship with his eldest brother Zeng Ziwen, and there are signs of falling out. He has been struggling and even tried to escape before.
Not long ago, Zeng Ziwen untied the rope that bound his hands, and then this man actually punched the soldier guarding him on the spot. After the beating, he got up and ran away.
After seeing this, several soldiers nearby immediately raised their muskets. Some even shouted: "Stop, if you run again, we will shoot!"
Zeng Ziwen on the side saw this scene, his expression changed several times, and then he quickly said to the soldier beside him: "Stop him!"
The soldiers around him were also the soldiers of the Ming Army who surrendered to him in the first place. They were quite loyal to him, and they also knew why his master asked him to intercept, because if he didn't intercept, the guarding soldiers would really know how to shoot.
After a volley of gunfire, Zeng Zisong would be beaten into a hornet's nest, but it was impossible to survive.
Zeng Ziwen's soldiers also moved very quickly. After several consecutive power-ups, they caught up with Zeng Zisong. Then without much hesitation, they pounced on Zeng Zisong from behind and threw Zeng Zisong to the ground.
Since someone stepped forward and knocked Zeng Zisong down, the soldiers behind him naturally stopped shooting and stepped forward quickly.
After a few breaths, Zeng Zisong, who was still lying on the ground, was surrounded by a forest of bayonets. The soldier who was punched by Zeng Zisong was even more furious.
, there were blood stains on the corners of his mouth.
The soldier obviously also had a bad temper. After being slapped, he was still cursing: "Damn it, you dare to hit me. If it weren't for Mr. Zeng's sake, I would have shot you to death just now!"
Zeng Ziwen, who was behind, looked at the scene in front of him and sighed without saying anything. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Tie them up!"
This younger brother has been so stubborn since he was a child. If left alone, he will definitely escape a second time, and the guards will not be so polite next time.
The Tang Dynasty captured so many prisoners of the Ming army, but never let one of them alive. They either surrendered and became a part of the new army of the Tang Dynasty, or they became coolies, farming or making weapons, but they refused to resist or wanted to
Those who tried to escape, without exception, became corpses.
Otherwise, you think Bai Yunqi is really charming enough to win back the hearts of so many Ming army prisoners. His method is very simple. He gives those prisoners three choices: either join the new army of the Tang Dynasty and eat well, or work hard and live a tired life.
Die or be beaten to death now.
Three paths to choose from!
Most people will not seek death, especially for ordinary captured soldiers of the Ming Army. Living is the most important thing, and it would be better if they can still have enough to eat.
Of course, this is only the most superficial approach, and there will be a series of measures to contain the situation later, such as selecting some of the Ming soldiers who were the first to surrender as platoon leaders, deputy platoon leaders, etc., and using differential treatment to differentiate these Ming soldiers.
Military prisoners.
This is used to stimulate their internal conflicts. Many people will be unconvinced when they see their former comrades become their superiors because they surrendered first, and their mouths are full of oil.
However, these methods can only be used on ordinary Ming army soldiers, but they will not have much effect on the officers of the Ming army.
On the one hand, they have relatively broad knowledge and know that the Tang Dynasty will be wiped out by the court sooner or later. Joining the new army of the Tang Dynasty is not asking for death!
At the same time, they will have some thoughts of loyalty to the emperor. At least they know who the emperor is, and they will not be like ordinary serf soldiers, who is the emperor is none of their business.
In addition, there is a more important reason, that is, most of these officers are hereditary, and there are old and young behind them. Once they surrender, their families will be ruined.
Although they are also afraid of death, they are more afraid of causing harm to their family.
Brothers Zeng Ziwen and Zeng Zisong are a very typical example.
Hao Bainian and the others did not delay on the road for too long. It only took one day to return to the Lanjiang Ferry. Hao Bainian naturally reported to Li Xuan with excitement, saying that they had annihilated the Ming army that was harassing the logistics line and captured the army.
The commander-in-chief was Zeng Zisong, Zeng Ziwen’s younger brother.
Li Xuan was quite happy about this, but what was strange was that even though the temporary unit led by Hao Bainian had completed its mission and returned, Li Xuan did not immediately cancel the unit and let the units return to their original positions.
force.
Instead, this obviously nondescript mixed force continued to be retained, and Hao Bainian continued to hold multiple positions, including deputy battalion officer of the 1st Infantry Battalion, captain of the 1st Fusiliers, and commander of the temporary mixed force.
Li Xuan didn't cancel, and others didn't know what Li Xuan thought for a while, but most of them had already guessed that he was going to pave the way for Hao Bainian, so they all consciously kept their mouths shut, and no one mentioned that he would mix up the temporary
The troops were demobilized and each unit returned to its original organization.
Two days later, the baggage battalion transported a batch of food and weapons from Xikou Village. The weapons and food were normal, but the baggage battalion also came with more than a hundred newly recruited soldiers.
Although the new army of the Tang Dynasty went on an expedition, the recruitment points established at Liusha Village and Xikou Village were not cancelled, but continued to recruit troops.
According to Li Xuan's order, the soldiers recruited were sent to the Lanjiang Ferry after a hundred soldiers were gathered.
These more than 100 people were originally scheduled to be added to the Second Infantry Battalion and the Third Infantry Battalion. However, for some reason, Li Xuan personally ordered that more than 50 of the more than 100 people be added to the First Infantry Battalion.
Infantry battalion.
And how did the shortage of more than fifty people in the 1st Infantry Battalion come about? It was because three platoons of musketeers were transferred away.
This has added new recruits, so it is naturally impossible for the three platoons of musketeers who were transferred to return to the 1st Infantry Battalion.
At this time, many people realized that their emperor wanted to treat the temporary mixed troops as a fixed establishment.
Not to mention, Li Xuan really thinks this way.
After this Ming army's attack on the logistics line, he also realized that the current establishment of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty was insufficient. That is, the current units of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty did not have the ability to fight independently and needed to work together to exert the greatest combat effectiveness. This kind of
The mode is only suitable for decisive battles, but it cannot divide troops into battles.
Li Xuan's original idea was to temporarily detach a part of the troops to fight when needed. This situation should not happen frequently and would not affect the main force's operations.
But now it seems that the army will confront the main force of the Ming army at the Lanjiang Ferry, and the rear also needs a standing force to defend the rear, whether it is to deal with the Ming army sneaking across the river, or to deal with the Ming army in Zhengtai County and Longhua Town.
The Ming army needs a force with decent combat effectiveness.
The combination of many factors led Li Xuan to make the decision to keep the temporary mixed troops for now!
Soon, he gave this temporary mixed force an official title: "The First Mixed Battalion of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty!"
The formal establishment consists of a musketeer team, a spear team, an archer platoon, a sword and shield platoon, a baggage platoon, and several scout cavalry.
The total number of people in the entire establishment is about two hundred and fifty.
And the leader of the mixed camp is still Hao Bainian!
In order for Hao Bainian to become the official battalion officer of this mixed battalion, Li Xuan specially raised his military rank to major.
Li Xuan's establishment of the First Mixed Battalion was naturally unlikely to encounter any opposition. Anyway, Hao Bainian's ascension did not squeeze out the battalion officer positions of Huang Xueren, Fang Dongquan, and Wang Shanxu, but the newly established unit.
At the same time, although this mixed battalion has many types of arms, its total strength is only more than 200 people, which cannot be compared with a regular infantry battalion of more than 400 people.
The reactions of the generals were also within Li Xuan's expectations. If he wanted young officers like Hao Bainian to take over, it would be impossible to squeeze out Wang Shanxu's positions in a short time. Otherwise, the new army of the Tang Dynasty would be in chaos in an instant.
, in order for his old and new replacement plan to proceed smoothly and quickly, he plans to establish more battalion-level units.
After the troops led by Zeng Zisong were annihilated, the logistics line of the New Army of the Tang Dynasty calmed down again. The Ming troops in Zhengtai County and Longhua Town hid in the city every day. On weekdays, even the patrols did not dare to go out and waited.
The Ming army from Fucheng came to the rescue.
As for the Ming army in Fucheng, they are still staying on the east bank of the Lanjiang Ferry, and there has been no movement for a while.
Therefore, the new army of the Tang Dynasty entered a rare period of calm in the next period of time.
But everyone knows that this kind of calm cannot last long, because the Ming army in Fucheng on the other side of the river is not idle, and is cutting wood to make rafts every day.
After they have built a large number of rafts, crossing the river is inevitable!
Naturally, Li Xuan and the others couldn't let them make preparations and then cross the river to attack them. Li Xuan sent people by boat almost every day to cross the river for what? Of course, it was not to kill people, but to destroy their rafts.
One night, they even burned down the more than twenty rafts that the Ming army had finally built.
But after that day, the Ming army also learned wisely and sent heavy troops to guard the rafts. The lights were brightly lit at night, so that the new army of the Tang Dynasty had no chance to continue burning the boats.
As time passed day by day, the new recruits of the Tang Dynasty's new army gradually took shape, at least they could distinguish the left and right, but the gradual formation of the army did not make Li Xuan feel relieved.
Because no matter how fast the training progress of the troops is, it cannot be faster than the speed of the Ming army on the opposite side making rafts.
According to the current speed of the Ming army making rafts, it would take them less than ten days to put together enough rafts to transport more than 3,000 people at one time.
At that time, a life and death battle will inevitably break out between the two sides!