Weapons such as landmines existed in the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty carried it forward even more. Its power is not mentioned, but the triggering probability and triggering method are not stable.
In addition, gunpowder is expensive, and there is not so much money to bury everywhere in the field.
However, if you set up a target that the enemy will obviously pass by, and then place mines nearby, and then build some mechanisms that are destined to anger the enemy and cause damage... then the impact of the attack will be doubled exponentially.
Moreover, when the officers and soldiers left, they could bury additional gunpowder barrels next to the minefield and tamp them down with gravel.
As a result, the group of He Jin's soldiers closest to Jingguan were killed instantly.
If He Jin himself hadn't been too lazy to do physical work after a few chops and just watched from the side, he would have been killed on the spot.
However, he is not in a good condition now. His left calf has been severed directly along the knee, with only a little flesh still attached.
It was impossible to save him. He had to amputate and bandage the remaining bit of flesh immediately. He might just be able to save his life, and he had to pray that he wouldn't get infected.
When He Jin howled miserably and fell into coma, the bandits were also in chaos and could only listen to the unified command of He Yilong, the king of the other band.
Because He Yilong's main attack mission yesterday was not as important as He Jin's, he had no capable generals to die in the battle. Just now he could watch the joke from the side, and he was not too angry and stepped forward to join in the fun. It was actually a blessing in disguise.
However, He Yilong didn't have time to rejoice for a long time. Suddenly, another series of cannon shots came from the other side of the river, and soon several solid iron bullets weighing more than ten kilograms flew towards the Chinese army's tent that had been abandoned by the officers and soldiers.
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Although it was a blind and deflected fire, it was obvious that the army had carefully calculated their relative positions and roughly assessed the ballistics when they retreated last night - in the West, there was already primitive ballistics experience in the 1640s.
Although mathematical and physical tools are not yet mature, artillery generals who are familiar with the art can at least calculate through experimental empirical statistics "how much cannon charge and how high the elevation angle is, and how far the cannonball can land."
It is not difficult to hit a fixed target that has been planned in advance and carefully deployed.
The bandits became more and more chaotic, and then they realized that the artillery of the official army was not a half-measure like Fo Langji! It was a serious Hongyi cannon!
Yesterday, the range advantage of the Hongyi cannon was not obvious, but today the opponent fired randomly across the river, leaving an even deeper impression on the bandits.
"Not all the officers and soldiers have withdrawn to the county town! They have even withdrawn to the other side of the river! Charge me! The officers and soldiers must have established an unstable camp! Cross the river and force them up in close combat to snatch all the Hongyi cannons from me!"
Seeing such fat meat, He Yilong was so excited that he became blinded and rash. The bandit soldiers were temporarily hot-headed, but they still had some courage. They actually relied on swimming and rafts to cross the river to pursue and seize the cannon -
—
At least they didn't see the strong camp of the army on the other side of the river. As long as they crossed the river, it was a field battle. Even if their own side had so many times more people, they could still win!
Unfortunately, it is precisely this kind of fishing that seems to have hope and seems to be my advantage every time, that makes the thieves pay the price again.
It is true that the officers and soldiers can only fight in the field, but with the sound of cannons, about two to three thousand elite officers and soldiers, who were originally just lying in ambush in the dark, suddenly appeared on the south bank of the Jishui River and quickly formed an array.
Then they waited for the thieves who hurriedly swam and crossed the river on rafts to call their names, and arrows rained down like rain.
On the narrow river, screams could be heard for a while, and each scream was extremely short.
As soon as it leaves the throat, it feels like being strangled, and then it is replaced by a slight bubbling sound of "Gulu Lu".
A small river like the Jishui is not too wide, and can't even reach a hundred steps. The officers and soldiers took advantage of the rush here to get together to cross the river, and crowded by the river, they could directly massacre with guns and unilaterally.
Although the bandits were able to fight back with bows and arrows, they were very messy. Moreover, the officers and soldiers were obviously well prepared. The soldiers who went out to fight tried their best to coordinate and equip themselves with armor, and also carried some large wooden shields and stood in front of the formation.
The shooting across the river turned into a one-sided massacre.
A row of soldiers who had not even entered the water were crowded together by the river. They fell down like wheat, trampling on each other, almost turning the water of the Yishui River within a hundred steps slightly red.
"Your Majesty, we can't fight anymore! This is all a trick by the army. If we continue the fight, we will be attacked halfway again!"
Fortunately, there were some knowledgeable generals and failed scholars around He Yilong, who quickly pulled him to persuade him with a sad face.
When He Yilong saw that the soldiers who rushed into the water recklessly were shot to death in the river one after another, their deaths were worthless, so he calmed down with a basin of cold water and ordered angrily:
"Retreat! We can't stay in this camp anymore. Set it on fire and burn it to the ground! Go to the rear and bring the ships. All the wood that can be dismantled will be dismantled to build rafts and siege weapons!"
His last decision was a wise one. Since he knew the range of the army's red cannons, it was useless to seize the army's camp across the river. Staying here would only expose him to more shelling.
We still had to return to the original camp to avoid being beaten unilaterally. But after capturing the official camp and then giving up, the blow to morale would obviously be worse than not occupying it in the first place.
From a psychological perspective, humans are loss averse.
Making a hundred yuan first and then losing a hundred yuan will definitely make people very unhappy. Even if they only lose seventy or eighty yuan, they will still be unhappy - people will feel that "this hundred yuan is already mine."
Yes, I deserve it."
Although the bandit soldiers have never studied psychology, they definitely have this kind of simple knowledge.
This retreat meant that at least another day or two would not allow us to catch our breath, and we were still unable to make preparations to cross the river or go upstream to attack Xiaogan County. We were like rats in a bellows, trapped between two sides.
Moreover, with the bandits retreating, He Jin's side obviously had to worry more about the king's broken leg. How could they have time to join forces with He Yilong to fight again?
Before retreating, He Yilong could at least "obey authority and adapt to circumstances". After retreating, he would have to resolve the factional suspicions among the bandits before he retreated.
He Jin was seriously injured and fell into a coma. After going back and rescuing him, he finally woke up. The first thing he worried about was whether his troops and family were captured by He Yilong.
…
Zuo Zixiong and Yan Yingyuan joined forces, and it was so easy to delay for another two days. When the morale of the bandits was extremely degraded, they welcomed Shen Shuren who came back in person to ask for help.
"Master Arms and Arms! The general has lived up to his command! He successfully held Erhe for six days! He repulsed the enemy twice! He killed more than 4,000 enemies in total! He captured more than 2,700 prisoners alive! Minor injuries are not counted!
"
"Our army has accumulated 357 killed, succumbed, maimed, and more than 600 slightly injured. We also harassed and shelled twice, and ambushed the enemy with mines. Seeing that the bandits did not come back yesterday, I am afraid that some enemy generals were injured.
, and now the bandits’ military morale is extremely unstable!”
Chen Shuren was extremely tired these past five days, but he still managed to keep his spirits up. As soon as he got off the boat, he was about to inspect his troops when Zuo Zixiong, Zhang Mingzhen, Yan Yingyuan and others rushed up to him, congratulating him with joyful faces and asking for merit. .
"In my absence these days, you not only defended the camp, but you were able to fight back and make meritorious deeds? God bless the Ming Dynasty!" Hearing this, Shen Shuren couldn't help but feel a little dazed, and he almost fainted due to fatigue and overdraft due to fluctuations in blood sugar.
Fortunately, Zuo Zixiong had quick eyesight and quick hands to support him: "Let's talk about it after we return to the camp! Sir, you are working too hard. It must be difficult to ask for help."
Everyone quickly pulled a baggage carriage and took Shen Shuren back to the camp first. Along the way, Shen Shuren slowly drank water, rested and had some snacks, and then the audience would explain their achievements in detail.
The more Chen Shuren listened, the more surprised he became. He really didn't expect that Zuo Zixiong and Yan Yingyuan would not only be able to hold back the bandits these days after he had been away, but he could also win so many small victories and reduce the morale of the bandits so badly.
He sighed happily: "Brother Zuo, you and Brother Yan need to learn more from each other in the future. Even though he is a civil servant and has a background in prison and arrest, these little tricks and conspiracies can be of great use.
Since ancient times, the art of war has been based on perfect combination and surprising victory. To become a general, you cannot neglect both! After this battle, you will all be promoted!"
Zuo Zixiong was also convinced at this moment, saying that the final mine and shelling harassment, wounding the enemy generals and angering the enemy troops who rushed forward and were attacked halfway were all due to Yan Yingyuan's series of psychological warfare provocations.
Chen Shuren said with a smile: "Let's go back and find out who was the big shot in the bandit army. If he died in the end, he would be blamed on Brother Yan.
For other military merits, I will allocate them fairly. Zuo Guerrilla, Zhang Dusi, and Yang Dusi will not be missing. If you dare to fight with your life, I will definitely give you a bowl of water.
The morale of the bandits has dropped to this point, and they must defeat the enemy. I am coming back at the right time to lead you to give the bandit army the final blow!"
Chen Shuren said, feeling a little proud of himself.
It is better to rush early than to rush well. After all, you are doing big things. You only need to observe the general outline of the war and do not ask for a detailed understanding. You have to grasp the grand strategic deployment personally. As for the tactical details, you can also snatch people's heads at the last moment. Isn't it wonderful?
The generals were also inspired by his confidence. Zuo Zixiong and others asked confidently: "By the way, sir, you haven't said how many reinforcements you have brought back this time? How come you only see these few ships coming back?"
Chen Shuren gave a confident smile and said confidently: "Don't worry, there are plenty of reinforcements! Although Governor Fang doesn't have many troops, he is willing to support 5,000 of us! It's just that we need to wait a few more days for the army to leave. Maybe you can walk two hundred miles a day like me and go back.
In addition, Liu Guoneng from Ye County and Yancheng could not rush to the front battlefield to support him because of the isolation of the road, but he had promised to send 10,000 troops to surround Wei and rescue Zhao. From the north of Tongbai Mountain, he went straight to Xinyang Mansion, He Yilong's hometown!
In this way, even if He Jin insists on continuing to fight to the death, He Yilong may not be of the same mind with him anymore. If one of the two thieves wants to withdraw, the remaining half of the troops will be able to escape with our army and Governor Fang's 5,000 reinforcements alone. Enough to annihilate them all!”
Shen Shuren doesn't make a draft when he lies. In order to boost morale, he speaks in a big way first.
Fang Kongzheng obviously only promised to give him 2,000 men from Jin Shenghuan's battalion, but he only borrowed it for half a month. As soon as he said it, he said there were 5,000 men. This number was also carefully considered, because he himself had 5,000 men, and another five Thousands, how can we gather tens of thousands of troops, and our own momentum and courage will be different.
As for Liu Guoneng, there is no way to believe it now. Shen Shuren also boasted first. When Zuo Zixiong and other generals heard this, their morale was really high.
"The combat power of the bandits is low. We have weakened 50,000 to 60,000 people in several battles. It would be good to have 37,800 actual combatable troops left. If our army really has 20,000, and they attack from the front and rear, we will not be able to defeat all the bandits." Destruction! Congratulations to the Taotai for accomplishing this wonderful feat in the near future!"
Basically everyone has this view, and the confidence is written on their faces.
Chen Shuren also announced with high spirits: "Counting the days, Governor Fang sent people from Jiangling to Ye County on fast horses. It should only take three or four days, which is about the same as when I returned to Xiaogan.
It takes one and a half days to reach Xiangyang, another day to Xinye and Bowang, cross Tongbai Mountain from Bowangpo Pass, and another half day to Ye County. Counting the days, Liu Guoneng is now preparing to send troops.
The departure of a large army is definitely not as fast as that of a lightly-armed messenger. It requires some preparations and the gathering of troops from various places. Even if he attacks the day after tomorrow, he will assemble in Wuyang or Licheng the day after tomorrow. He will be able to enter Xinyang Prefecture on the fourth day, and He Yilong's lair on the sixth day. The left-behind troops will report the emergency.
Our army must do a good job in scouting and reconnaissance in the near future, and strive to identify the retreat and signs of wavering of the bandits as soon as possible, and report them immediately! The entire army is also in full strength, heavily rewarded the soldiers, and is ready to counterattack!"
"Got the order!" All the generals responded in unison, shaking the curtains. For a moment, the momentum was high.