stubborn thief

Chapter 696 Escape

Hong Chengchou's reinforcements spread out across the plains.

Bai Guangen's camp was like a spearhead, but now this spearhead was broken just by a touch with Ren Quaner's Second Brigade.

The moment he saw the defeated army fleeing north, Hong Chengchou was extremely angry. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind to execute Bai Guangen, the wild dog, on the spot to enforce military law.

In Hong Chengchou's mind, Bai Guangen was indeed like a wild dog, fierce and sturdy, with a strange temperament. Without the familiarity of being raised day and night, he always had to be assigned tasks with caution. At the same time, he was also very easy to feed, and after a defeat, he would always run back on his own like a stray dog.

But this time is different.

Bai Guangen, who seemed to have a thousand lives, was unable to escape back to the camp like a stray dog.

The bad news brought a chill and silently crept into Hong Chengchou's heart, making him feel fear.

Because Bai Guangen is very good at escaping, he will not surrender, nor will he get lost like a headless fly. He will definitely lead the defeated soldiers back to the camp.

Now that he hasn't come back, he must have been captured or met with an accident.

Hong Chengchou gathered the defeated troops and ordered his men to call the highest-ranking military officer, but the only one who came was a captain named Liu Can.

This person was a stranger to Hong Chengchou. His only impression of him was that he was a military officer who had followed him from Gansu.

Liu Can was in a very miserable state, with disheveled hair, holding in his hand the helmet with holes blasted out by the rocket, his cloth armor with blue satin dragon patterns was soaked with mud up to his chest, and his boots on his feet oozed water with every step he took.

Apparently, he dug at least one irrigation canal on his way back to the central army.

Hong Chengchou felt disgusted when he saw his miserable appearance. He snorted softly and asked, "How many enemy troops are there? Are you surrounded?"

Facing Hong Chengchou, Liu Can dared not even breathe, not even raising his head. He could only kneel on the ground and muffled his voice: "General, it's rockets. The enemy has only one chariot camp. When they first saw our army, they fired hundreds of rockets, which seemed to have killed General Bai on the head. All the troops lost their command, and the battlefield was in chaos. The enemy also attacked with muskets and chariots on both wings, and our army was..."

Hong Chengchou couldn't listen any more and waved his hands in disgust, "Pull it down...get out!"

It was obvious that this was bullshit. He was so angry that he wanted to kill anyone he saw. He wanted to kill Liu Can, but when the words came to his lips, he used his reason to save Liu Can's life.

There's no point in killing him.

Before Liu Can walked out of the central army, Hong Chengchou signaled to Ding Zizhen, the lieutenant general of the standard camp standing beside him: "Take the man away first and interrogate him about how he was defeated. If he tells a lie, take his head as a sacrifice."

After hearing this, Liu Can, who was originally trembling with fear, calmed down a little.

In fact, the fact that Liu Can was placed in Bai Guangen's camp was itself the result of the loose organization and chaotic staffing of Hong Chengchou's newly formed three towns in Ningxia.

Liu Can was also involved in Bai Guangen's defeat.

Bai Guangen has the habit of wanting to run away when he sees a rocket, and Liu Can also has the same problem.

Liu Can did make up some stories about the Marshal's Army's offensive in his report, but Hong Chengchou didn't ask in detail and Liu Can didn't want to elaborate.

He was a general born in Gansu. He was previously the captain of Ganzhou and a subordinate of Ganzhou guerrilla Li Yun. He witnessed the first time Bai Guangen was blown up by a rocket.

Because Li Yun was killed by Wang Ziyong, he was released by Zhang Tianlin and incorporated into Bai Guangen's camp. He also personally experienced Zhang Tianlin's second bombing of Bai Guangen in Huangyangchuan.

He also has a rich understanding of the Rockets.

If these officers put it together, the entire battalion will automatically disintegrate when they see the rocket.

The biggest fabrication in Liu Can's report about this battle was that their battalion was not destroyed by the bombing or the attacks by muskets and tanks.

Instead, at the moment the rocket took off, officers at all levels of the entire battalion displayed extremely high military qualities under the pressure of death. Each unit privately completed the formation change from the rear team to the front team, and retreated in large strides.

Coincidentally, the opponent they face this time is not Zhang Tianlin.

Zhang Xianzhong, Ouyang Gun and their gang understand rockets even less than Bai Guangen and Liu Can.

Especially Zhang Xianzhong, who only had the rank of brigade commander in the Marshal's Army and did not actually lead any troops. He had never seen anyone fire rockets and had only heard of Liu Chengzong's rockets.

Therefore, it knows nothing about weapon parameters such as range and explosion radius.

He saw the enemy approaching and felt that they were in about the same position, so he ordered the rocket vehicle to fire rockets, all of which were simple rockets like Zhang Tianlin's without a balance bar.

But for the complete rocket installed on the rocket car, it was a little late.

The result was a horrible coincidence.

Originally, this wave of rockets should not have hit many people, but the Ming army ran back when they saw the rockets taking off, and many people ran into the range and were bombed.

However, Bai Guangen, who was waiting to die in front of the battlefield, was not hit by the explosion. He just lost his will to fight, gave up command and fled, causing the army without command to be defeated by the muskets and chariots of the marshal's army.

Not only did Hong Chengchou not believe this kind of result, even Ouyang Gun, who was commanding the battle on the Marshal's side, felt like he was dreaming.

Because everyone knows that those types of impact tanks have long since withdrawn from the battlefield.

After all, no matter how strong the impact capability of a chariot is, its mobility is far inferior to that of cavalry, and it has too high requirements for road conditions and is too easily blocked by offensives and trenches.

The most important thing is that a chariot needs at least two horses to pull it. As long as one of them is shot, the entire chariot will lose power and break down.

The Marshal's Army's musket chariots were not conventional weapons at all, but a temporary type of troops assembled under the circumstances.

They simply equipped each squad with an accompanying baggage wagon and installed a gun stand on the wagon. During the march, the soldiers would throw rations, water bags, bedding and musket ammunition on the wagon to reduce the burden during the march.

In a serious war, the military drill still requires soldiers to fight on foot and cavalry, and does not consider driving gun carts to attack ground formations at all.

Because it is a gun-raising battle, although it is called this name, in fact it can only serve as a shooting platform for bird guns or three-barreled guns during the impact.

Whether it is a raised rifle or a heavy gun, it is impossible to complete the loading while running due to the overly long barrel.

In this regard, heavy guns are better. Some heavy gunners who are very skilled in using firearms and have excellent physical fitness can even change bullets on the back of a galloping horse, but they are very rare. Even in the Marshal's Army where there are many veterans, there are not many.

The lance with an eight-foot-long barrel is a pure monster, and the rod must be replaced by an infantry spear.

That thing was mounted on a chariot, with the muzzle almost pointing forward beyond the horse's head, and the shooting angle was only sixty degrees front and back, making it impossible to load ammunition while moving.

But no commander would use the gun-carrying vehicle as a shooting platform for the three-barreled gun or the bird gun.

After all, the advantage of using a raised gun on a chariot is its long range, which allows it to kill the enemy beyond the range of individual firearms. Once it enters the range, the warhorse can easily be injured or killed in the exchange of fire.

Ouyang Gun felt like he was dreaming, and Zhang Xianzhong was chattering in his ears like a devil, urging him to march and attack.

Then, against all their common sense, they rushed forward in a marching column and smashed an enemy battalion to pieces, with rockets flying overhead, infantry and cavalry rolling in from behind and tanks carrying guns charging on both wings.

Even after reviewing the battle, he still felt that he...had fought in a very methodical way.

The losses were very small. The chariots with guns rushed out from the two wings and were basically grounded. The enemy's falconets sprayed granules and stopped several of them. Moreover, there were some crazy cavalrymen who came up with thick tubes like thunder guns and fired rockets that flew everywhere. Some rockets were even blown by the wind after flying out of the barrel and turned to fly diagonally backwards.

A cavalryman fired three rockets and ran away. The horses drawing the chariot were hit by the iron balls and would run wildly in pain, tearing off the wheels.

However, the soldiers on the chariot could still use the chariot as a cover and shoot at approaching enemy forces with heavy muskets or three-barreled guns.

It's true that although the three-barreled gun mainly serves as a tool in the Marshal's Army, with a shovel and hoe installed at the end of the pole for digging trenches, it is very accurate in defending against enemy cavalry at close range.

Later, the infantry and cavalry caught up and drove away the enemy cavalry, which resulted in very little loss to the chariots carrying guns.

After a quickly resolved battle, the number of casualties among Ouyang Gun's special forces camp was even less than that of its war horses.

The speed of the battle exceeded everyone's expectations. By the time Marco led the cavalry to the battlefield, Ouyang Gun and Zhang Xianzhong had almost finished cleaning up the battlefield.

Ma Ke was so angry that he threw his Guan Dao to the ground: "Zhang Butang, is the fight over?"

“There’s more ahead.”

Zhang Xianzhong, who was sitting on an overturned carriage, was holding a white rocket gun pointing to the sky. From the tail, only the inside of the shield could be seen. Hearing this, he turned his head and looked at Marco.

Mako threw the reins to his subordinates and walked towards them with big strides.

Zhang Xianzhong pointed to the north and said with a smile: "Eighteen miles away, originally it was ten miles, but the front line collapsed and retreated again. The eight battalions were so scared that they camped on the spot."

Mako was also shocked: "Two or three thousand people?"

"No more, no less. If it weren't for me, Ouyang Gun wouldn't dare to clean up the battlefield."

Zhang Xianzhong said, throwing the rocket gun to the ground, looking up proudly and saying: "Look, it was that asshole named Hong who gave up first!"

Zhang Xianzhong was almost dead with joy.

After being with Liu Chengzong for almost two years, he didn't even dare to swear. He was almost becoming a civilized person.

Finally I was released, fought a big battle, and played with the latest rockets. It was a great experience.

"Eighteen miles away, can the Tangqi find out where the enemy commander is?" Ma Ke still felt itchy: "I'll go and attack him."

"Tsk, if I could have gone after Old Zhang, I would have killed him long ago."

Zhang Xianzhong raised his eyebrows and looked up at Ma Ke: "Your son has come here for nothing. The governor of Sanbian, Hong, is well prepared. He has spread caltrops and put up chevaux de frise. It's just right that you are here. Help me escort the prisoners and go back to join General Ren."

"This……"

Marco was so suffocated that he couldn't breathe. Why the hell was he running back just after he got here?

  Zhang Xianzhong thought to himself, do you think I want to run away?

With eight battalions, they don't even need to deploy. They can just pounce down without turning around to encircle these four or five thousand people. If they react a little slowly by then, they will be surrounded on all sides. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for even an hour.

Just as they were gathering up all the usable weapons and equipment on the battlefield, loading them onto the chariots, and preparing to retreat with the captured mules and horses, suddenly some Tang soldiers retreated into the formation.

Soon, Ouyang Gun came over quickly and said excitedly, "The Northwest has connected with the Tangqi of the First Brigade. They are chasing Hong Chengchou!"

"what?"

Zhang Xianzhong and Ma Ke looked at each other, both of them with confusion on their faces.

To be honest, Ren Quaner's Second Brigade performed extremely well in this battle. They set out from Hongsibao and annihilated and forced to surrender five enemy battalions in four days and three nights.

But their combat range was actually not large, just a hundred miles that could be covered in two days, and the fighting process was not that hard. They even surrounded Zhang Yingchang and each camp rested for two days.

The first brigade led by Liu Chengzong was outrageous. They started at Hongsi Fort, then went to Mingshazhou, forty miles away, and crossed the river to Zaoyuan Fort, fifteen miles away. Later, they received news that Guangwuying, sixty miles away, had also surrendered.

Now the 1st Brigade was again to their northwest.

Zhang Xianzhong counted on his fingers in his mind, then looked up at Ma Ke in confusion: "This is a jump of more than 200 miles. What is the Marshal's First Brigade? Are they iron men?"

It is not surprising to march sixty miles a day, as many troops can march faster than this.

But the problem was that their army had not had a proper rest since it set out from Xi'an. After marching 1,100 miles continuously, it had advanced another 200 miles in four days, and it looked like it would continue to advance.

In comparison, it would be more comfortable to travel a hundred miles and defeat Zhang Yingchang's Second Brigade at Jinyintan.

Zhang Xianzhong jumped down from the overturned carriage, clapped his hands contentedly, adjusted his official hat, and said to Ma Ke: "Well, you don't have to go back. The Marshal's order will come soon. I estimate that the Second Brigade will join us."

As he spoke, Ouyang Gun called the messenger cavalry and said, "Tell General Ren the news that the special troop battalion saw the commander's cavalry, and have the rear get ready first."

Not long after the order was issued, less than half an hour later, Ouyang Gun, Zhang Xianzhong and Ma Ke excitedly met the Tangqi.

To be precise, it was Tangqi who ran back.

The Tangqi did not bring Liu Chengzong's order, but an urgent report from the front: "General, the enemy's eight battalions have broken camp in front of us. They are coming in two wings and will be seen in a moment at most!"

"You are the one who will report the enemy's attack to the commander-in-chief. Tell the Tangqi to withdraw to their camp along the way. Then send another Tangqi to report to the commander-in-chief and request support!"

"What you fear is bound to come true!" Ouyang Gun said to the Tangqi, then turned to Zhang Xianzhong and asked, "Zhang Bu Tang, should we retreat southward or hold on to our position?"

"southward?"

Zhang Xianzhong was confused by the question: "If you want to retreat, retreat westwards. Why retreat southwards? No, the Marshal is chasing those bastards named Hong. We are here to stick with them, which will save the Marshal some time. We have run more than 1,300 miles, which is far enough."

He said it very casually, but in fact Ouyang Gun knew very well that not retreating was not because the chances of winning were greater, but because retreating at this time was too dangerous.

When the enemy troops started to move, Tangqi passed the news to the rear, and the two sides were already close enough that they could see the dust when they climbed up the hill.

At this time, no matter where you run, you will be caught up. If you are caught up and cannot form a formation, the cavalry can directly break the marching formation.

“It’s not all bad.”

As a veteran, although Ouyang Gun has little say in the Second Brigade, he is much calmer than others when encountering sudden situations.

He looked to the north and could not yet see the dust of the enemy troops marching in formation, so he said, "Order all the troops to leave behind the broken carriages and horses, the captured money and food, and the injured horses, and throw the dead horses off the carriages, and march quickly three miles southwest in formation!"

Zhang Xianzhong got angry when he heard this: "You're going to throw away the horse too? Why don't you take it with you?"

"They dare to advance, but they don't know that the generalissimo is by their side. Our army is fleeing in panic, and we must act like we are fleeing in panic."

After that, Ouyang Gun looked at Ma Ke and said, "General Ma, the guerrilla cavalry will form a battle formation three miles away. When my troops go over, they will form a chariot camp and the cavalry will enter the battle formation."

Amid the sound of the horn, Ouyang Gun said to Zhang Xianzhong: "Don't worry, they won't be able to eat the wounded and dead horses!"

good afternoon!