weaving

In war, there will be casualties, there is no way!

At the foot of Huangtuling Mountain, Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty's aid to the Liao Dynasty, was stroking a section of a pier, and said with emotion: "I spent a lot of manpower and material resources in the Ming Dynasty, but I couldn't stop the invasion of the Tartars. Now they are all ruins, and they will never be the same as before. majestic."

Bingxian Zhang Dou looked up at the Huangtu Ridge in the east, and said leisurely: "The barren wasteland is full of yellow sand, thousands of miles of desolation reflect red clouds, vast smoke and dust bury loyal bones, chaotic rubble bury prosperity!"

Zhang Ruoqi also seemed to be interested, he turned to look at Zhang Dou and said, "The words are good words, but they are a bit bleak. In my opinion, it should be 'but with Zhang Cheng in the Xuanfu, don't teach the Tartars to be fierce!" yes."

Hearing this, Zhang Cheng continued with a smile: "Director Zhang's remarks are too much, Zhang Cheng is so virtuous and capable, he dares to be the director so highly praised."

Fu Yingchong was not willing to be lonely, and interjected: "From the point of view of the general, Zhang Shuai alone can deserve the praise of the commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief of the Liao towns that I have aided.

Don't you see, there are ruins all over the Huangtu Ridge, if it weren't for the sharp artillery fire, how could there be such a scene, the Tartar bandit died here before fighting, such a strong captive was wiped out in an instant.

Besides Zhang Shuai's Xuanfu army horse, who else can do it? "

"Hahaha……"

Hearing the words, Zhang Cheng couldn't help laughing wildly, he punched Fu Yingchong's chest with his backhand, and said with a smile: "Okay, my brother Fu is very powerful, let's entertain my little brother."

He then said seriously: "Shenji Camp's artillery is sharp, and the first achievement in attacking Huangtu Ridge this time should be credited to Shenji Camp.

If it wasn't for the hard work of the brothers in the Shenji Camp, with such fierce artillery fire and continuous bombardment, how could our Xuanfu army and horses have taken down the defense line at the foot of Huangtuling Mountain so easily. "

After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he pointed to the ruins of the surrounding piers and continued, "We all witnessed it with our own eyes. The trace of the split!"

Fu Yingchong's face was full of color, he had already done his best at this moment, and his face was full of spring breeze and wishful feeling.

Commander Zhang Ruoqi said at the right time: "Shenji Battalion's artillery fire is sharp, and it should be counted as the first achievement. However, the Xuanfu army and horses are strong and brave, and their clothes are sharp. The entire Huangtu Ridge still depends on the blood of Xuanfu Township soldiers to fight. Gotta get it eventually.

In this final evaluation of merit, if there is no accident, the first merit should belong to General Zhongchen's Xuanfu soldiers and horses. "

Once Zhang Ruoqi made the final decision, everyone would naturally stop expressing their opinions.

In fact, the Ming army was divided into two battlefields on the northern front and the eastern front this time, and it was not without secret rivalry in private.

It is not only a contest between the Xuanda Army and the Jiliao Army, but also a contest between Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief, so all parties are actually working hard.

It's just that strength lies here, and Zhang Dou is also satisfied that Zhang Cheng's battle is so smooth. He stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word, watching a few people joking quietly, but he looked thoughtful.

…………

Zhang Cheng, Zhang Ruoqi and others are located at the foot of Huangtu Ridge.

The place where they stood was originally a pier built by the Ming army. Judging from the ruins, it was estimated that there were at least two floors at the beginning, and it was estimated to be four or five feet long.

Now there are green bricks and stones all over the place, and of course there are many iron cannons, and the corpses of those Qing soldiers who died in battle have been piled up, and some wood is placed beside them, hoping to burn them with a fire.

Of course, their heads have all been cut off. How could such an important item of military merit be forgotten?

The Ming Dynasty has operated in Liaodong for more than [-] years, especially in the past few decades, it has been fighting fiercely with the Qing army in the Liaoxi Corridor, so it will naturally build a large number of piers for defense.

The structure of the piers here is a typical three-mile one, five-mile one, especially those enemy towers, which are mostly two-story hollow enemy towers. These enemy towers are generally three to five feet high, and the surrounding width is about twelve feet, or Seventeen or eight feet.

The middle floor is empty, with arrow windows on all sides. The upper floor is built with oars and surrounded by crenels. It is mostly made of large stones, but it is very strong.

There are also many such piers and abutments on the mountains around Songshan Fort. On weekdays, there are hundreds of generals, first-class military officers and small schools stationed there.

However, since the Qing army besieged Jinzhou, most of the Huodun and enemy towers around Songshan Fort were also captured by the Qing army, and instead were used as the defense line of the Qing army.

If it followed the Ming army's usual fighting style, those giant cannons would be fired one by one, even if they hit these piers, it would be fine.

However, Zhang Cheng did the opposite. After he asked Shenjiying to calibrate the center point, there was no need to aim and calibrate, but to use this as a benchmark to bombard the surroundings indiscriminately.

With such a violent bombardment, many cannons were concentrated in one place. Even if the Qing army's defense line could not be smashed down, just imagine, countless cannons turned into ricochet bullets, flying and jumping around in an uncertain direction, who can dodge it? ?

What's more, the Shenji Battalion also fired two rounds of poisonous and gray bombs during the shelling. In such a chaotic scene, the sudden poisonous and gray bombs became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Amidst the dust, yellow smoke and white mist rose all over the sky. No one could have imagined that these were different from the previous smoke and dust. Even if they knew it was poisonous smoke and white ash, where would they go for protection when they were at a loss?

In this way, the Xuanfu army easily captured the Qing army's position at the foot of Huangtuling Mountain. When the poisonous smoke dissipated, Zhang Cheng suggested that the command headquarters for attacking the mountain be moved forward.

The artillery battalion of the Shenji Battalion can also be moved forward and deployed here, and can also target the Qing army positions below the mountainside for precise bombardment.

Looking not far away, Zhang Cheng saw that the large tent of the Chinese army had already been erected, and a general's platform was also built in a relatively flat place next to it.

He said to several people: "The Tartars are at the foot of the mountain, they did not expect such fierce artillery fire from our army, they suffered heavy losses, and there were not many Tartars who fled back.

In this way, there will not be too many defenders on the mountain, and the battle to attack the mountain is indeed much easier. "

Having said this, Zhang Cheng raised his finger and pointed to the waist of Huangtuling mountain in the east, and continued: "Just above the main ridge over there, there is also an enemy tower. According to previous observations, it should be occupied by the Tartars and captives. place.

It's a pity that our army's artillery can't hit it! "

Zhang Ruoqi and Zhang Dou also looked over there when they heard the words, but the distance was a little far away, and they could only see some shadows, but they couldn't see the specific situation clearly.

Zhang Ruoqi asked, "General Fu, the cannons of the Shenji Battalion really can't hit that place?"

Fu Yingchong's face was originally full of contempt for the world, but when he suddenly heard Zhang Ruoqi's question, he couldn't help being taken aback, for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

However, he has always been the kind of person who refuses to admit defeat, and is always pleasing in his mouth. He just froze for a moment, and then said: "Yes, of course I can. I will arrange it now, but this little cannon If you don’t resist, it will take some time for the cannon to move forward.”

When Zhang Ruoqi heard that he could fight, he was happy in his heart, and said with a smile: "Okay, it's good if you can fight. General Fu will go to deal with it quickly and capture Huangtu Ridge. With my officer here, no one will lose your credit!" "

Zhang Cheng looked at Fu Yingchong, who was far away, and secretly admired his tough-faced kung fu, but he just snickered to himself and didn't expose it.

…………

People called horses neighing, sentry cavalry whistled, and drums and trumpets continued. Nearly ten thousand officers and soldiers in Datong Town dispatched, but there were only a thousand elite cavalry inside, and the rest were infantry.

In fact, Wang Puzheng's barracks originally had nearly [-] cavalry, but Zhang Cheng proposed to gather all the elite cavalry in one place in case of emergencies, and most of Wang Pu's elite cavalry were also transferred.

Even Zhang Cheng's subordinates were Yuhuweiying and Yang Guozhu's family team, and Zhang Guangda's cavalry battalion was transferred along with Guo Yingxian.

Of course, there is also a battalion of chariots supported by Zhang Cheng on the side of the Datong Army. They can form a chariot formation in the open to protect themselves. In addition, the firepower of the vehicles is also very fierce. In addition to the Francophones, tiger squatting guns, and mortars, Each car also has two rocket magazines, in addition to some flying cannons.

Now, their army of more than [-] is forming a formation in a valley on the west bank of the Xiaoling River between Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge, and a road that can pass carts is just cut off by it.

Their purpose is to prevent the traffic between Shimen Mountain and Huangtuling, so that the Tartars in the direction of Shimen Mountain cannot support Huangtuling, and the Tartars on Huangtuling cannot escape from here.

There are more than 5000 infantry troops under Wang Pu's command, all of whom are new troops. Although he also trained the new army according to the order, he did not actually deploy [-] troops like Yang Guozhu. He only recruited [-] healthy soldiers, but ate [-] empty rate.

I saw these soldiers of the new army, all of them looked serious, with the same cloud-winged helmets on their heads, and the pikemen were all dressed in red waist-length battle armor, red and green mixed together, the color is touching.

However, the small number of gunfire soldiers in Wang Pu's new army did not wear iron armor, but red cotton armor, which looked like a cloud of fire, but the bird guns they held in their hands looked very old.

Obviously, Wang Pu did not invest too much energy and money in this new army. Although most of the armor and cold weapons were new products, the firearms were obviously insufficient.

Obviously, even the small number of bird guns equipped now were carefully selected from the arsenal of Datong Town.

Most of the firearms in the warehouses in the towns and warehouses of the Ming Dynasty are crudely made, and they are just for filling. It doesn't matter whether the quality is good or bad, so they like to explode their chambers.

As for the three-eyed blunderbuss, although they are also crudely made, because of their thick and short barrels, the danger of bombing is greatly reduced, and they can be directly used as cold weapons. Beloved by soldiers.

Wang Pu's side was relatively relaxed. There used to be some Tartar army camps here, but since the Tartars began to shrink their defenses, they focused on defending Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge. Almost all the slave camps here were dismantled.

The military supplies of Shimen Mountain and Huangtuling are all transferred from the pontoon bridge behind the two mountains. Of course, Shimen Mountain is more convenient, because there is a barracks of Tartars on the south bank of the Naughter River.

On the Xiaoling River behind Huangtu Ridge, there are only two empty pontoon bridges, which are used to transfer military supplies and prepare for the Tatars to retreat from here if Huangtu Ridge falls.

Wang Pu's Datong army formed three large battalions here, and the chariot battalion supported by the Xuanfu army was also left in the Chinese army for use.

He had just finished inspecting the new army camp near the Xiaoling River, and ran back to the Chinese army. He sat on his horse and looked in the direction of Huangtuling.

Wang Pu couldn't help sighing, and said: "I really can't figure it out. In just a few years, he was promoted from a thousand general to the general of the Xuanfu. How did this kid Zhang Cheng do it?"

His relative, Wang Wei, was also a little unconvinced and said: "Huh, what can I do? It's not because of the favor of the Holy One, and the care of the old man, the soldier, and the governor, that it is so prosperous. .

I think he must have spent a lot of money, otherwise he would never have received this kind of treatment, and everything is like a fish in water, as if he was helped by a god! "

Wang Pu's eyes were still looking in the direction of Huangtu Ridge, with a thoughtful look on his face. It was obvious that General Wang's words touched him a little.

After a while, he said quietly: "Not necessarily. If we talk about using money, we will do it. In the past few years, we have spent a lot in the Governor's Office and the Ministry of War, but what is the result?"

Wang Yan said stubbornly with a face full of dissatisfaction: "Maybe it's Zhang Cheng who made a lot of noise!"

Although Wang Pu is not good at running an army and fighting, he is indeed very proficient in general human relations and sophistication. When he hears Wang Yu's words at this moment, he can tell that he is dissatisfied.

Immediately smiled and said: "Nonsense. Zhang Cheng's family has a silver mine, or a silver mountain? Can it be more than the silver we used?"

Wang Pu paused, his eyes also turned away from the direction of Huangtu Ridge, looked at the general Wang Yu and said: "I don't think it's a matter of money.

He, Zhang Cheng, is indeed superior, otherwise, no matter how much money he spends, he will be promoted to an official position, but where did these tens of thousands of strong troops come from? "

When he said this, he raised his horsewhip with his right hand and lightly tapped Wang Yu's shoulder, saying: "When you see Dashuai Zhang in the future, you should show me some respect, don't give birth to my friendship with Dashuai Zhang."

"Yes. Master General!"

……

When the Xuanfu army was attacking the main position on the Huangtuling mountainside with all its strength, the battle on the northern front of the Ming army was also at its most intense.

At this moment, Tang Tong's troops, the Eastern Route Army on the northern front, had already attacked to the front of the sailor battalion.

Not far from the west side of the sailor camp, there is a pontoon bridge directly to the south bank of the Naughty River, leading to the Qing army camp that besieged Jinzhou not far away.

Ten paces away from the east, south, and west directions of the sailor camp, a deep trench was dug each, cutting off its connection with the official road, and a suspension bridge was used to pass between the wall of the village and the trench.

There are nearly a hundred armored soldiers from various banners in Manchuria, hundreds of Ertars from the Han army, and more than 2000 handymen Aha guarding the trenches of the village. This can almost be regarded as the strongest defensive force around Shimen Mountain.

Not only that, but to the south of the sailor camp is Shimen Mountain. The mountain on this side is very gentle. The Qing soldiers on the mountain have not been completely defeated, and they may rush down to help at any time.

When Tang Tong's troops came to aid, they were known as a strong army of over ten thousand, and the actual number of soldiers capable of fighting was only about eight thousand. In this battle, except for the thousand people who stayed in the camp, most of the rest went out with them.

Among them, 3000 people are horse infantry officers and soldiers of his main barracks, and the rest are divided into two battalions, one is a general and the other is a guerrilla.