weaving

Chapter 1386 A Decisive Battle, A Life or Death

"My original plan was to lure their elite cavalry to attack from the three walls, then secretly lay in ambush with artillery to break through them, and then send out the whole army to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop."

The Earl of Yongning gazed at the enemy's large formation opposite him and continued, "Now that the traitor Li has changed his strategy and wants to use starving people to wear down our morale, then let's play along and launch a surprise attack, piercing his heart with an arrow!"

"An arrow through the heart?" Zhang Mingyuan looked on with suspicion.

Not to mention him, even scholars and strategists like Hu Yiwen and Liu Chengzhu did not understand its meaning. Only the old gentleman Sun Shixiang asked, "Commander-in-Chief, what does 'an arrow through the heart' mean?"

"Cannons clear the way, heavy cavalry lead the charge, light cavalry break through, and infantry break through the enemy lines!" The Earl of Yongning uttered twelve words in a deep voice.

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, and Sun Shixiang asked in a trembling voice, "The Commander-in-Chief is... going to bet his entire fortune?"

"Ah."

The Earl of Yongning agreed readily, and then said firmly, "The enemy forces are numerous, and it will be difficult to win without going all out."

"Can……"

Sun Shixiang had only uttered one word when he suddenly stopped. He turned to look at the men around him and saw that they were all nodding to him. Then he continued, "Commander, if I send out the entire army, and we suffer a setback midway, and fail to break through the enemy lines and capture them, I fear we will be trapped in the enemy's encirclement again!"

With his back to Sun Shixiang and the others, the Earl of Yongning said in a cold tone, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "Your suggestions and strategies are all for the sake of my Yongyi Army and for my consideration. Regardless of whether they are right or wrong, or what impact they have on this battle, the decision is entirely up to me. You are all innocent."

After a moment, the Earl of Yongning, having made up his mind, turned around and said loudly, "Order the soldiers of each battalion to eat in turn. The entire army will assemble and form ranks by the end of noon, and launch a counterattack at 1-3 pm."

"Here."

Upon hearing that a counterattack was finally about to begin, Zhang Mingyuan couldn't help but feel excited. Although he had some worries in his heart, they were overshadowed by the impending counterattack. This was naturally due to his immense admiration and trust in his father, the Earl of Yongning, as well as his own confidence in the fighting strength of the Yongyi Army.

"At the beginning of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Lin Fangping commanded the musketeers and artillery to launch the first attack. The musketeers led the way, with the artillery chariots hidden behind them. They advanced towards the starving people. When they reached the front of the bandits' formation, the artillery suddenly attacked. Regardless of distance, the cannons fired in unison. After three rounds of fire, the musketeers continued to advance."

Before anyone could respond, the Earl of Yongning continued, “Li Changsheng will lead the Imperial Guards and Su Laohu will lead the Tiger Guards, respectively guarding the left and right flanks to harass the bandits.”

With Hu Dayou's heavy cavalry as the spearhead, following behind the artillery, they would suddenly charge out when the two armies clashed, breaking through the enemy cavalry's defenses; then He Zhenxiong's elite cavalry would replace the heavy cavalry, fiercely charging into the enemy lines. Simultaneously, the Imperial Guards and Tiger Guards would also join the battle, heading straight for the enemy leader Li's central camp.

The Earl of Yongning concluded, “After the cavalry launches a full-scale attack, Chen Zhong will command all the infantry to press forward and ensure that the enemy is crushed in one fell swoop.”

While Sun Shixiang and the others were still pondering whether there was anything wrong with this arrangement, the Earl of Yongning waved his hand and said loudly, "Mingyuan, go and give the order!"

"Commander-in-Chief, is it too risky to launch a full-scale attack?" Sun Shixiang said with some concern.

Hu Yiwen also suggested from the side: "Commander, should we leave the Imperial Guards in the central army as a reserve?"

The Earl of Yongning glanced at the group and said, “This battle concerns the life and death of our Yongyi Army. We must fight with all our might. If we leave ourselves a way out, I fear our soldiers will not be willing to fight on the front lines. This is the original intention of fighting with our backs to the river.”

“But…” Sun Shixiang hesitated slightly, but in the end he couldn’t help but say, “Commander, Han Xin’s desperate battle with his back to the river seemed dangerous, but in fact he had a clever plan, ambush troops to seize the camp, and then shake Chen Yu’s morale, which is why he finally won.”

"The enemy is far outnumbered. Our army must first put ourselves in a desperate situation and spare no effort so that our soldiers will fight bravely to survive. As the military strategist said, 'Put yourself in a desperate situation and you will survive,' isn't that the principle?" The Earl of Yongning said calmly.

"That's true, but if we don't have a backup plan, I'm afraid that if we encounter any setbacks at the front, things could get out of control!" Sun Shixiang's worries remained.

"Ha ha……"

Marquis Yongning, Zhang Cheng, chuckled a few times before saying, "Mr. Sun only knows about Han Xin's desperate battle with his back to the river and his ingenious hidden arrangements..."

He then changed the subject, asking Sun Shixiang with a playful smile, "How do you know that my 'do-or-die' strategy doesn't have a hidden killing move?"

“Kill…killing move?” Sun Shixiang was quite surprised: “Shixiang, I would like to hear the details.”

"Although the rebel army is large, the core of the old rebels is only about 10,000 to 20,000. The rest are mostly newly recruited rebels after entering Henan, as well as soldiers from Shaanxi and Henan, and surrendered soldiers under Ding Qirui, Zuo Liangyu and others."

If the rebel army can maintain the upper hand and be invincible, these newly surrendered rebels and soldiers will become their weapons of attack, and they will surely follow Li to the death to show their loyalty.

However, if Li Ze's army remains stagnant for a long time and supplies become tight, it will inevitably exacerbate internal conflicts and gradually lead to some disloyalty and disloyalty. This will force Li Ze to begin an internal purge, eliminating those generals and leaders who are not loyal enough.

Even today, if the battlefield is thwarted and the central army is defeated, those newly surrendered bandits and soldiers will inevitably want to preserve their strength and will not fight to the death for Li Zicheng. This is the principle of 'when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter'!

"That……"

Ignoring Sun Shixiang's words, the Earl of Yongning preemptively continued, "Moreover, our army has divided its forces to attack, cutting off the bandits' supply lines, blocking their path to obtain grain, sweeping away the bandits' outer perimeter, and launching a surprise attack on their old camp in Zhuxian Town."

Based on intelligence from all sides, I estimate that news will begin to reach Li this afternoon. At that time, he will be trapped by our offensive and unable to spare troops to rescue him, leaving him no choice but to fight us to the death here.”

A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Our soldiers are not only skilled and brave, but also have the advantage of firearms and cannons. If we attack the enemy's central camp alone, are we afraid we can't break through this gap?"

The Earl of Yongning turned around and looked at the enemy lines in the distance. He said in a deep voice to Zhang Mingyuan, the commander of the central army, "Give the order to saddle and bridle my 'Green Steed,' feed it plenty of beans, and prepare it for battle."

Mingyuan, remember to tell Lin Fangping, He Zhenxiong, Chen Zhong, and the others that if they absolutely must not allow the bandits to enter the central army, I, the commander, will personally lead the charge to kill them!

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Mingyuan shouted as he accepted the order.

His expression was extremely excited. You should know that since the Battle of Jinzhou in Liaodong, the Earl of Yongning has rarely personally fought on the battlefield. If the Earl of Yongning were to personally take to the battlefield today, it would be a disgrace to the entire Yongyi Army. How could Zhang Mingyuan not be excited!

Not to mention him, even the old staff officer Sun Shixiang, Hu Yiwen, Liu Chengzhu and others were excited and secretly ordered that they prepare saddles and bridles for their own warhorses, ready to go into battle with the commander-in-chief to kill the enemy at any time.

Just then, they heard the voice of the Earl of Yongning again: "In today's battle, we will not only decide the outcome of the battle with the traitor Li, but also determine our life and death!"