stubborn thief

On the night Hong Chengchou received the letter, General Zhang Yingchang requested to fight.

His troops were stationed in Songcheng and Lijun forts south of the town.

It took an entire night to dispatch armor and weapons, prepare gunpowder, equip horses, load food supplies, and deploy caltrops, chevaux de frise, etc.

The next morning, Hong Chengchou personally encouraged the generals in the camp. He watched the soldiers have breakfast, rode their horses for twenty miles, and sent them across the Yellow River into Lingzhou amid the sound of cannon fire.

After seeing off the army, when Hong Chengchou rode back to the governor's office, the sun was about to set. It was so cold that he kept wiping his hands. He asked his servants to boil a pot of tea and take out the defense map of Shuofang. He was ready to ask the servants to prepare meals after he was done.

The focus of defending Ningxia is the Yellow River, and the focus of defending the Yellow River is undoubtedly the three forts of Ning'an, Shikong Temple, and Mingshazhou in the south, and Lingzhou City in the east.

Hong Chengchou planned that if there was still time this year, he would build Ning'an Fort and turn it into a large fortress that could accommodate tens of thousands of soldiers.

But in fact, when he thinks about time, even someone as smart as him can't help but have a headache.

It’s not that I feel I don’t have time.

On the contrary, Liu Chengzong's attack to the north was not a bad thing for him.

Although the land was divided, he had limited money and food, so he could only live from day to day.

Of course, it is definitely not a good thing for a strong enemy to attack, but attacking is always better than not attacking.

After all, the army has been organized. For a force of 30,000 to 40,000 people, where will the wages and food come from? Such issues are something that the entire army cannot take care of for the time being.

People like Zuo, Zhang, and Cao are now just like the desperate peasant army, living in danger of their future. They should not think too far into the future, but just survive the present first.

If Liu Chengzong sent troops to attack Ningxia, and then saw that Hong Chengchou was actively preparing for war and turned around and left, it would be a real bolt from the blue for Hong Chengchou.

It’s different when you fight.

A big victory, a narrow victory, a draw, or a small defeat are all victories for Hong Chengchou.

As long as we can preserve ourselves and let the army suffer casualties, with fewer people, the economic pressure will be less.

In fact, this was also the reason why Hong Chengchou wanted to expand the army. His purpose was to incorporate Ningxia's brave soldiers into the army. They lacked experience in fighting with Liu Chengzong, and there would definitely be many casualties in a fight.

When the war is over, the pressure of civil unrest will be less.

Hong Hengjiu knew that it was stupid to think like this, and he was also annoyed.

Facing a powerful enemy, we must also consider domestic stability.

But there was no other way, he had no choice but to do this given his position.

As the governor who commanded the foreign troops, he squeezed out the survival resources of the local people, and even due to his status, his efficiency in squeezing and exploiting was very low.

Because his position is an official, and it is difficult for him to change his position, if he does something out of line, 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 barbarians, the chief of the western bandits, or a separatist king. No matter which identity he was, he would make normal people feel afraid.

It's even hard to define what he does that's out of line.

Isn't it the usual practice of bandits to rob the property of the rich?

  Isn't it what the northern barbarians also desire to rob the iron pots from the poor families?

Even if he kills people and burns down cities, he is still a thief. Is it strange for him to do such a thing?

I can't envy you.

On the map, Hong Chengchou drew a circle at Hongsibao south of the Yellow River, which was the best fulcrum for defending Guyuan.

He estimated that Liu Chengzong's deployment must be to capture Hongsibao as soon as possible, because there was no other way to go, or other roads were too difficult to take.

According to their estimation, the vanguard of the Marshal's Office will appear on the outskirts of Hongsi Fort as early as the day after tomorrow morning.

Zhang Yingchang's army has the advantage of being the first to strike. After a day and a half of raiding day and night, they will arrive at the destination by tomorrow noon at the earliest. Even if they are slower, they will still be able to reach the designated location tomorrow night.

His troops had plenty of time to prepare for the battlefield.

If we can achieve a small victory and defeat the Marshal's army, the next battle will be easier.

When Hong Chengchou came to his senses, the tea in the cup had already gone cold. He picked it up and took a sip. He felt his stomach was empty and very hungry, so he wanted someone to prepare a meal.

But just as he raised his hand and before he could say anything, the servant in the mansion appeared at the door of the study room as if he had predicted the future, stepped over the threshold and bowed down, saying anxiously: "Master, Zhang Shuaitang's horse has crossed the Yellow River and is asking for help at the foot of the city!"

Hong Chengchou, who was holding the teacup, was stunned. For a moment, his perception of time and space was disrupted.

He looked at the tea in the cup that had just cooled, then at the servant who had brought the news, then at the already dark sky outside, then he stood up and blinked: "Help?"

He thought, didn't I just send the army across the Yellow River this morning? It's only been a short time. Even if Zhang Yingchang walked as fast as he could, he could only walk thirty miles at most and was still outside Lingzhou City.

  Are we encountering enemies in the hinterland?

Aren’t you kidding me?

Could it be that... Hong Chengchou turned his head to look at the map and hurried out.

  Could there be another mutiny in Lingzhou?

The garrison commander there was named Dong Xueli. When he was young and a lieutenant commander, he had suffered a defeat at the hands of the Marshal's army.

Earlier he was stationed in Zhencheng, and Hong Chengchou wanted to remove him, but when he found that he still had some talent and courage, he transferred him to Lingzhou on the east bank of the Yellow River.

Hong Chengchou walked out regretfully, shaking his head and thinking: Damn, even the Shaanxi generals can’t be trusted!

As soon as he walked out of the governor's office, he looked up and felt that the city was in chaos. Not far away, a group of officers were riding horses with torches.

Leading the group was Lieutenant General Wang Yuncheng, who was under Zuo Liangyu and was in charge of guarding the city gate. When he saw him dismount from his horse, he ran over and bowed down in salute.

"At the gate, a signal has been sent from Lingzhou. Marshal Zhang's troops have been marching to the southeast of Lingzhou when they encountered over a hundred Northern Tartar cavalrymen. The two armies are engaged in battle at Shibalipu, west of the Qin Canal."

Wang Yuncheng reported the military situation, then stood up, frowned, pointed to the city wall, and said worriedly: "The soldiers came this afternoon to report that a big bird came to the city. It squatted on the eaves of the southeast corner tower for half an hour, pecked a beast to pieces, and flew to the Helan Mountains. It was a Qinghai eagle."

Hong Chengchou's face was grim: "Where's Dong Xueli?"

Wang Yuncheng was stunned by the question. You are talking nonsense. I told you that the northern barbarians in Ordos broke through the wall. What does this have to do with Dong Xueli?

"I don't know, you should still be in Lingzhou City at this time."

Hong Chengchou took a deep breath, Damn, Dong Xueli didn’t betray him.

It would be better if he rebelled.

"General Zuo, please ask whether we should send more troops to Zhenyuan Pass to prevent the northern barbarians from crossing the wall from the shallows of the Yellow River."

Hong Chengchou shook his head: "Qinghai Eagle, Mongolian soldiers, how do you know that they are coming from Ordos? Send elite cavalry to investigate again and wait for Marshal Zhang to capture the prisoners and give their confessions."

"Before that, the nine battalions should deploy their defenses in the coastal forts according to the plan and must not lose their composure."

After saying that, Hong Chengchou looked at the brightly lit city wall not far away and thought to himself: If it is really the Ordos tribe that is coming, then things will be easy.

Southeast of Lingzhou City, at the Jinyin Beach between the Qin and Han Canals, Zhang Yingchang's Ningxia Right Town of more than 10,000 people deployed their troops on the spot, with each camp setting up chevaux de frise and caltrops outside, entering a defensive state.

They are trapped.

The one who trapped them was Ren Quaner from the Second Brigade of the Marshal's Army.

When the two armies met in the evening, one side was marching quickly and lightly on the inner line without wearing armor; while the other side had been marching day and night, wearing armor for too long, and was exhausted.

Both sides are not in good condition.

Zhang Yingchang's vanguard officer was Xiang Xiyin, a veteran general who was a military scholar from Puzhou, Shanxi. He had been in charge of the chariot camp in Zunhua, and had been in charge of guerrilla and lieutenant general affairs, so he was very experienced.

During the Gansu Campaign, because the army was disorganized and he did not get the opportunity to display his talents, he was trapped in Liangzhou City with a group of defeated generals until Li Hongsi surrendered, and then he followed Liu Shaozong to Ningxia.

This time, Xiang Xiyin begged for a long time before Zhang Yingchang granted him the assignment of vanguard officer.

He had always wanted to try out the quality of the Marshal's Army himself. He just didn't believe that those bandits, Tartars and a motley crowd together could really be that powerful.

Really awesome.

Xiang Xiyin never dreamed that he would encounter the enemy on the outskirts of Lingzhou in the evening of the first day of the expedition.

Their planned battle location was Hongsibao, and according to intelligence, they would seize the initiative and set up an ambush at Hongsibao.

Who would march in armor one hundred and fifty miles away from the expected battle site?

Their armor was all rolled up, and the army was lined up in a column. A battalion of soldiers, armed with armor and horses, formed a formation six miles long and marched quickly on the official road with their heads down.

Suddenly, a few undistinct gunshots were heard in the distance, making people lose their composure in the early spring wind and sand in the vast wilderness.

A moment later, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, and the Tang soldier with the flag-feather arrow on his back fell on the horse's back and was carried back by his mount.

Seven lead bullets shattered the breastplate at close range.

There was only one armor-piercing arrow on the soldier's body. Although it pierced through the armor, it did not penetrate too deeply into the flesh.

The real fatal wound came from the neck, where a beryllium arrow cut half of the neck. The blood soaked through the armor, and he died long before the horse carried its owner back.

The only clue was the arrow shaft, on which there was Uighur Mongolian writing. Xiang Xiyin hurriedly asked someone to send the arrow to Zhang Yingchang, the central army, and immediately ordered the reorganization of the formation, transforming the marching brigade into a fighting formation, and hurriedly put on armor.

On the roof of a residential courtyard three miles away, Marco was holding a brass telescope with a smile on his face.

The Ming army did not run away!

The opposite side's Xiang Xiyin is a vanguard, and Ma Ke is also a vanguard.

Even Marco was the vanguard among the vanguards. His mobile battalion headquarters was five or six miles behind the rear, while the regular battalion, special battalion, and reinforcement battalion of the Second Brigade were twenty or thirty miles away.

He only led a dozen or so Tang cavalry to scout the road conditions and ran into the Ming army's Tang cavalry. The beryllium arrow that caused fatal injuries to the Tang cavalry was shot by him personally.

The soldier's mount was a good horse that knew the way, which was a complete surprise for him.

The horse actually carried its master back to the army camp, allowing him to follow the trail and find the headquarters of the Ming army.

Obviously, the Ming army's encounter with them here had a great impact on the morale of their troops, so that even the generals on the opposite side, who seemed quite brave, had little courage left.

The vanguard officer must be a brave and courageous man. At this point in the situation, he ran away without even a fight. He must have courage.

But he did not dare to attack directly. Instead, he arranged his troops on the spot to form a battle array convenient for meeting the attack and hurriedly put on his armor, obviously intending to hold his ground and wait for help.

It can’t be said to be wrong, but this is indeed what Marco most wants to see.

Because if the Ming army moved decisively at this time, Lingzhou City was so close, his army would be exhausted and would not be able to catch up.

"Report the enemy intelligence to General Ren, and have Li Fengji and Tu Ba bring their troops here quickly."

In fact, Xiang Xiyin was not unwilling to withdraw. He was just choosing a safer option.

First, form a battle formation and put on armor to avoid being instantly broken through and slaughtered by enemy cavalry. Then the rear team becomes the front team, with one division of the vanguard selected as the rear guard to defend the rear and both wings, and then slowly retreat in overlapping battle formations.

During this process, Li Fengji and Tu Ba, captains under Marco's command, also led their troops to approach one after another.

Marco immediately ordered the two Mongolian divisions of the mobile camp to harass the left wing and launch a tentative attack.

The Han military department waited for an opportunity to advance and put pressure on the enemy.

This was the first battle of the mobile battalion under the newly formed brigade of the Marshal's Army after its reorganization.

The mighty Mongolian cavalry, led by Captain Tuba, marched out in a line, crossed the three-mile wasteland in front of the two armies, and headed straight for the right wing of the Ming army.

Xiang Xiyin was forced to stop retreating. On the one hand, he dispatched the cavalry in the formation to prepare for the attack, and on the other hand, he dispatched the Portuguese cannon in the formation to load the scatter bullets and prepare for the bombardment.

Tuba's Mongolian cavalry failed to approach the right wing of the Ming army, and then encountered bombardment from the Portuguese cannon at a distance of two or three hundred steps. For a moment, the iron balls were like hail, forcing them to turn around and retreat one or two hundred steps, out of range.

Then the flag with the totem of the Khoshut tribe turned, and more than a thousand cavalrymen dispersed again, detouring to the rear of the Ming army. Under the shock of the Portuguese cannon, they moved from the rear to the rear of the Ming army's left wing for the second time, hanging outside the range, and made a half circle around the Ming army's hollow large square formation.

During this process, Ma Ke also led more than a thousand soldiers from the Han army led by Li Fengji and moved towards the right wing of the Ming army formation.

Marco's momentum was fierce, but actually very risky, as he tried to surround three thousand enemies with only two thousand men.

In this situation, moving with a force of one thousand headquarters would undoubtedly expose the flaws to the enemy.

Suddenly, in an instant, war drums sounded in Xiang Xiyin's camp.

A cavalry of 400 men rushed out from behind the formation and headed towards the right wing, outflanking Ma Ke's moving Han army headquarters. At the southeast and northwest corners of the front formation, the Ming army spread out their lines and rushed forward in the shape of a large fan with hundreds of troops.

Marco was not surprised but delighted. He watched the infantry form a large horizontal column while the cavalry flank and encircle them from behind. He could not help but exclaim, "Smart!"

Night is approaching, and Xiang Xiyin must eliminate his threat before night falls and move to a relatively safe place.

Attacking the Han military department is undoubtedly the best opportunity.

The Han and Mongolian armies supported each other. If the main force attacked the Han army, the small force might be able to stop the Mongolian army; but if the main force attacked the Mongolian army, the small force would find it difficult to resist the Han army.

But this is also a great opportunity for Marco.

Because with two thousand against three thousand, he may not win, but with one thousand against fifteen hundred, his chances of winning are a little greater.

At the rear, Captain Li Fengji drew out his goose-feather knife and led more than 300 cavalrymen to engage in a fight with the attacking Ming army.

On the front, a row of gun-carrying chariots were connected end to end, with heavy gunners on board to guard them. Ten lion cannons were lined up in a row in the shortest possible time, forming a solid gun and artillery line.

The real killer move was the thousand-man headquarters of the Mongolian troops still roaming around the periphery. Taking advantage of the window when the Ming army's formation was divided into two formations and the gap had not yet been changed, a group of mixed light and heavy cavalry from the Monan and Wala cavalry spread out one after another, covering the Portuguese cannon positions with harmless projectile arrows, and relying on heavy armor and long poles, they launched a charge towards the gap. (End of this chapter)