Daming: I, the emperor who trains the carpenter

Chapter 899 Ming Army, Hehe, Ming Army
Henan, Guide Mansion.

At this time, Guide Mansion gathered a lot of soldiers and horses. At this time, Zhu Chunchen's 15 troops had all gathered in Guide. It was obviously Zhu Chunchen's deliberation to transfer all the soldiers and horses from Kaifeng and Runing to Guide.

He knew very well that no matter in Kaifeng or Runing, he could not get Hong Chengchou's rescue in time.

Although Henan and Xuzhou are very close to each other on the map, as far as it is concerned, the soldiers and horses from Kaifeng who came to aid are still blocked on the front line of Ningling and cannot reach Shangqiu.

Most of Zhu Chunchen's soldiers are now in Shangqiu, Xiayi, and Yongcheng. Zhu Guobi's soldiers are also in Bozhou and Luyi. At this time, Hong Chengchou's soldiers are in Xuzhou and Xiaoxian.

It can be said that at this time in the two prefectures of Guide and Xuzhou, all the soldiers and horses of the Ming army in Jiangbei have been gathered.

In Shangqiu city, Zhu Chunchen looked at the military newspaper with a frown, and the lieutenant at the side asked, "Duke, what does Governor Hong mean?"

Zhu Chunchen put down the military newspaper and rubbed his brows: "It's difficult for Hong Chengchou to support us. In front of him in Xuzhou and Xiaoxian County are the four towns of Fang Yunchu, and Zhou Yuji's four towns are in Pixian County. He may go south to Suqian at any time. He With 10 people facing Fang Yunchu and Zhou Yuji's eight towns, Hong Chengchou's situation is more dangerous than ours."

The lieutenant couldn't help but said: "Duke, you can't say that. We are facing Zhao Yuqi's eight towns."

Zhao Yuqi!
As soon as this name was mentioned, Zhu Chunchen felt a headache. He also claimed to be a famous general in the world who was familiar with military books, and he could command hundreds of thousands of troops across the world, but Zhao Yuqi was not easy to get along with.

Moreover, Zhao Yuqi's reputation was forged in battle after battle, step by step from the new army to the present, becoming a well-known general in the Datong army and even the world, her ability is beyond doubt.

Zhu Chunchen felt the ruthlessness of Zhao Yuqi's military style only after the encounter with Zhao Yuqi in Guide.

Zhu Chunchen fought against Zhou Yuji in Shandong. If it is said that Cao Wenzhao used troops to be righteous and Zhou Yuji used troops to be good at odds, Zhao Yuqi's use of troops was deceitful.

Zhao Yuqi's army entered Guide from Cao County and Shan County, and then fought against Zhu Chunchen in Gegang, Taoyuanji, Xinji, Dingjiakou. It seemed that they were all at a disadvantage, but it was Zhao Yuqi who won in the end.

You never know when you will be copied by Zhao Yuqi's cavalry. Maybe you thought you were sure to win one second, but Zhao Yuqi's rear followed up the next second.

This gave Zhu Chunchen a very headache. He still prefers to fight Zhou Yuji. After all, the two sides have been familiar with the confrontation for so long. Now when he meets Zhao Yuqi, a general who has been in Dongpu for several years, he feels at a loss.

Now the tens of thousands of soldiers in Kaifeng were stopped in Ningling by Zhao Yuqi's two towns, and Zhao Yuqi's main force was in front of him. Zhu Chunchen really felt that it was difficult to fight, so he called Zhu Guobi back and even asked Hong Chengchou for help.

But Hong Chengchou's situation is no better than his own, which makes it difficult for Zhu Chunchen to make a choice. Now he has the urge to cross the Huaihe River and run to Jiangnan.

Zhu Chunchen is uncomfortable, Hong Chengchou is even more uncomfortable, Zhu Chunchen has 15 troops, Zhu Guobi still has tens of thousands of people who can support him, but what about Hong Chengchou?

Xiaoxian, Xuzhou, Pixian, Juning, and Suqian are such a big place, and his 10 people are watching a lot, but he is facing the eight towns of Fang Yunchu and Zhou Yuji. Isn't he under more pressure than Zhu Chunchen?

But even so, Hong Chengchou is still trying to find a way to support Zhu Chunchen, because if Zhu Chunchen can't support it, then he can't hold on to Xuzhou. Until now, Hong Chengchou didn't know that Zhu Chunchen planned to go to Huainan or even Jiangnan. I still want to join forces with Zhu Chunchen to defend Huaibei.

However, Chongzhen, who was in Yingtianfu at this time, was also worried about the war in Huaibei. He was not worried about anything else, but simply worried that the hundreds of thousands of troops in Huaibei were gone, and his throne would be unstable.

Therefore, when the situation in Huaibei seemed to be bad, Chongzhen wrote to Zhu Chunchen and Hong Chengchou respectively to inquire about the situation, and vaguely revealed the idea of ​​letting the two lead the army to retreat to Huainan.

In this regard, Zhu Guobi strongly agreed: "Master, if our army retreats to Huainan, we can rely on the favorable terrain of the Huaihe River to deploy a defense line, which is enough to stop the Datong bandit army."

Looking at the map, Zhu Chunchen was a little worried: "If you retreat to Huainan today, will you retreat to Jiangnan tomorrow?"

"And Governor Hong has sent a letter, saying that he will come to support our army. Once we retreat, Governor Hong will be cheated."

Zhu Guobi felt a little helpless when he heard this, and asked him to ignore Hong Chengchou and run away. He didn't have the guts, and Hong Chengchou wanted to send troops to help, so it would be really immoral to withdraw at this time.

"Duke, but His Majesty's vague intention is to let our army retreat to Huainan. Could it be that there is something wrong with Yingtian?" Zhu Guobi changed his mind.

Zhu Chunchen was also a little worried about Yingtian's situation, but he thought that Yingtian was in Jiangnan anyway, and the situation couldn't be worse, so he said, "Well, I will write a letter to His Majesty and ask about the situation in Jiangnan first."

At the same time, Hong Chengchou, who received inquiries from Chongzhen, sternly refused to withdraw to Huainan and even Jiangnan. In his letter, he pointed out the important strategic significance of Huaibei, especially Xuzhou, and proposed that the imperial court must stop the Datong rebel army on the front line of Xuzhou and even fight with them here. The profound significance of the Datong bandit army's strategic decisive battle.

There is nothing verbal in this letter, and there is nothing serious about it. The whole text is straightforward and clear at a glance.

Chongzhen saw it very clearly, and Yang Sichang, Shi Fenglai, and Wen Tiren in the cabinet also saw it very clearly. Hong Chengchou's plan was to hold Datong in Huaibei, and even if he wiped out 10,000+ people, he would hold Datong in Huaibei and prevent him from going south.

Hong Chengchou even bluntly said that as long as he can fight a large-scale war with Datong in Xuzhou, a strategic place, no matter whether he wins or loses, Datong will have no spare power to go south in the next few years, then it will buy enough time for the court to maneuver. The south recruits good talents widely, and prepares its troops vigorously, so that Datong will not be beaten all the way south to Yingtian by taking advantage of the trend.

Wen Tiren, Shi Fenglai, and Yang Sichang all agreed with Hong Chengchou's strategic thinking. In their view, it is undoubtedly very beneficial to the Ming court and themselves to be able to hold Datong with a few hundred thousand people for several years.

In this regard, although Chongzhen was still a little worried that once the hundreds of thousands of troops were wiped out in Xuzhou, the Datong thieves would go directly south, but seeing that his cabinet elders supported it, he nodded and passed.

In any case, Hong Chengchou's idea is always worth a try. If he can't retreat to Huainan without even fighting, then the face of the Ming Dynasty is really lost.

Not only the cabinet members, but also the ministers of the Ming court in Yingtianfu also highly recognized Hong Chengchou's ideas. In their opinion, it is better to keep Datong in Huaibei instead of letting Datong fight in Huainan. It doesn't matter to everyone, it doesn't matter if it breaks.

If it is really possible to hold Datong for several years with hundreds of thousands of lives, wouldn't everyone have a few more years of good life and continue to make money and spend time and money?

Ever since, Hong Chengchou's idea of ​​launching a strategic decisive battle with Datong on the front line of Huaibei Xuzhou was unanimously approved by the Ming court. Zhu Guobi was helpless when he heard the news. What's the point of fighting life and death in Huaibei and Datong?
But Hong Chengchou insisted on a decisive battle in Huaibei, Zhu Chunchen saw that the emperor and his ministers agreed, and he agreed with the trend. It was meaningless for him to oppose Zhu Guobi alone, so he could only be forced to accompany the two men to a decisive battle with the Datong Army in Huaibei.

At the beginning of August in Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Chunchen fought the main force of Zhao Yuqi's troops on the front line of Shangqiu and Xiayi. The two sides combined more than 17 people to engage in fierce confrontation. Zhu Chunchen finally withdrew the main force to Yongcheng, and Zhu Guobi also moved his troops from Bozhou All the way to Suzhou.

Now Zhu Chunchen, Zhu Guobi, and Hong Chengchou once again formed a triangle defense, and this also means that the Ming court has given up the entire land of Henan.

As Zhu Chunchen and Zhu Guobi withdrew from Henan and entered northern Jiangsu, the first step in the strategy of the Datong Central Plains theater was completed, which not only consumed part of Zhu Chunchen's troops, but also drove Zhu Chunchen out of Henan.

In Xiayi, Zhao Yuqi's troops in Datong were temporarily stationed here.

At this time, Zhao Yuqi held eight towns in her hands. In addition to the six towns under her own command, there were also two towns supported by Fang Yunchu. , Zhou Yuji's department to communicate.

"The focus of the battle of Huaibei is not Kaifeng and Guide, but Xuzhou. If Xuzhou is taken, the whole of Huaibei is under control. Right now, there are nearly 30 troops from the Puppet Ming Dynasty around Xuzhou. Their strength should not be underestimated." Zhao Yuqi looked at the map and tapped her fingers around Xuzhou.

"At the moment our army is in Xiayi, Fang's headquarters is in Xuzhou, and Zhou's headquarters is in Pixian County. In my opinion, the enemy in Xiaoxian County and Xuzhou can be ignored for the time being. Let's make a circle first and encircle Xuzhou. Get rid of Zhu Guobi in Suzhou, then Zhu Chunchen in Yongcheng, and finally Hong Chengchou in Xuzhou."

"Send my idea to Mr. Fang and Mr. Zhou. We must come up with a decision as soon as possible."

Kuaima sent Zhao Yuqi's idea to Fang Yunchu and Zhou Yuji's camp. Both of them had no meaning for the plan. Zhou Yuji suggested that he could go south from Pixian County and ignore Suining and go straight to Suzhou, but Fang Yunchu and Zhao Yuqi had to hold him back The army of Zhu Chunchen and Hong Chengchou.

After another exchange, the three commanders-in-chief of the Central Plains Theater in Datong decided on the second phase of the Huaibei Campaign. Zhao Yuqi and Fang Yunchu held Zhu Chunchen and Hong Chengchou at bay and did not give them any chance to retreat. In Chisu Prefecture, get rid of Zhu Guobi's subordinates and then cooperate with Zhao Yuqi to solve Zhu Chunchen in Yongcheng. Finally, the three families encircle Xuzhou and solve Hong Chengchou.

On the seventh day of August in the seventh year of Chongzhen, Zhao Yuqi and Fang Yunchu launched offensives in Yongcheng and Xuzhou successively. Zhu Chunchen and Hong Chengchou had to concentrate on dealing with the frontal enemy. Under such circumstances, Zhou Yuji led the Datong Army of the Four Towns to cross Henan and go down , Straight into Suzhou!

ta ta ta
Noisy footsteps sounded on the official road. At this time, merchants were rarely seen traveling in Huaibei, and ordinary people even hid at home and refused to go out easily.

Everyone knows that Datong and Daming have hundreds of thousands of troops fighting in this area, who would dare to go out among serious people?

As for bandits and wild bandits, anyone with a brain would not dare to come out to find it unpleasant to see the endless army in cotton armor carrying muskets and the red flags of Datong on the official road.

Da da da da da, the sound of horseshoes trampled on the bluestone slabs on the official road, hundreds of Datong knights crossed the side of the army and went straight ahead in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Yuji was riding on a horse with a map in his hand, and the lieutenant at the side said, "General, our army has arrived here now."

Zhou Yuji said softly: "Shuanggou. Halfway through the journey, good news, tell the soldiers, hurry up, we will rush to Suzhou in the shortest time, and hold Zhu Guobi to death there."

As he said that, Zhou Yuji smiled to the generals on the side: "In Shandong, I fought against Cheng Guogong before, and this Zhu Guobi left a deep impression on me. He was the one who guarded the back road for Cheng Guogong and Governor Hong. , it is strange that the two of them are undefeated."

"Go, follow their back!"

While talking and joking, the army quickened its pace, with pack horses pulling carts full of food and supplies, as well as various artillery pieces, leaving deep marks on the official road.

On August [-]th, the seventh year of Chongzhen, Marching on the [-]th, the main three towns under Zhou Yuji had arrived in Suzhou, and another town escorted a large number of gunpowder guns and heavy firearms behind.

This is unavoidable. If the army wants to march in a hurry, it must abandon the food, grass and supplies. Whether it is the artillery of hundreds of thousands of catties, or the rockets such as hundreds of tigers rushing to fly arrows and flying Vulcan crows, they all need to be pulled by pack horses, and the speed of pack horses. It must not be soon, in order to ensure time, Zhou Yuji's main force went straight to Suzhou.

But at this time, Zhu Guobi in Suzhou didn't notice it. It wasn't that he didn't send scouts, but that his scouts were all in front to check the situation in Xuzhou and Yongcheng.

After all, Xuzhou and Yongcheng are just ahead, and Hong Chengchou and Zhu Chunchen have a combined army of more than 20. Datong is so stupid not to beat them to beat himself?
So Zhu Guobi never thought that Zhou Yuji would ignore Hong Chengchou and go directly to Suzhou to find him.

There are only so many Ming troops in northern Jiangsu and Huaibei. Zhou Yuji is very clear that he will not meet any large Ming troops along the way. There are still three cavalry battalions ahead with more than 1000 cavalry as vanguards. The army has no resistance along the way. , The rapid march all the way was directly inserted into Zhu Guobi's heart.

boom!boom!boom!boom!
The sound of cannons was rumbling, and outside Xuzhou City, Fang Yunchu had restored the original six towns at this time. The six towns added up to twelve artillery battalions and divided them into three batches to bombard Hong Chengchou's troops in turn. The Huoqiang Battalion also continued to attack. Hong Chengchou continued to spread his horses while counterattacking to know the surrounding situation, but Hong Chengchou's 2000 army had no more than [-] cavalry, while Fang Yun's headquarters had nearly [-] cavalry, and a battalion of cavalry was scattered outside. Block off the surrounding area of ​​Xuzhou, completely separate Xuzhou where Hong Chengchou is located from the surrounding area. Hong Chengchou can't get any news from the outside, not even the news from the rear. Whether it's the flank or the rear, I can only resist Fang Yunchu's offensive here in Xuzhou irritably.

In the direction of Yongcheng, Zhu Chunchen commanded his main force and started three battles with Zhao Yuqi. Zhu Chunchen had faintly realized that something was wrong. He really wanted to break out and join Hong Chengchou's soldiers, but was stopped by Zhao Yuqi again and again.

Zhu Chunchen has a large number of cavalry, and these cavalry have played an important role in Zhu Chunchen's several breakthroughs. Whether it is from Shangqiu to Xiayi, or from Xiayi to Yongcheng, it was originally the performance of the elite cavalry of the Beijing camp. All excellent.

But at this time, Zhu Chunchen's cavalry team encountered the biggest enemy.

"General, all the tigers from the Shenji Battalion are rushing to shoot arrows, and the Vulcan Crow is already in place."

Zhao Yuqi squinted her eyes at Zhu Chunchen's cavalry who charged again: "Let the Shenji Battalion fire a volley to push Zhu Chunchen's cavalry back. If Zhu Guobi can't deal with it, he can't leave Yongcheng."

The Hundred Tigers Running Arrow and the Flying Vulcan Crow installed on the carriage were slightly tilted into an upturned shape. When Zhu Chunchen's cavalry approached [-] steps, they began to ignite. It shot out, forming a shower of fire in the sky, and then pouring down like a meteor.

This is a weapon specifically aimed at cavalry. It left a deep impression on the Mongolian cavalry and Jurchen cavalry on the battlefields of Monan and Liaodong. The Ming army also equipped some of them, but those were either in Shuntian Mansion or Yingtian Mansion. Chongzhen He and the ministers under his command regarded these as miraculous skills. If Datong hadn't been equipped with a large number of muskets, those Donglin ministers would not even plan to equip a large number of muskets in the Ming army.

After all, firecrackers are troublesome and expensive to build, far less expensive than big knives and spears.

As for heavy firearms and various types of rockets, the Ming army did not know that these were good things, but they couldn’t equip them in large quantities. Right now, Zhu Chunchen’s army has a lot of artillery, but they are all cannons, tiger squatting cannons, and light generals. Cannons are the main ones, and the rest of the heavy artillery and various heavy firearms are really too few.

Too many firearms were lost in the northern battlefield before. Zhu Chunchen did not have enough firearms reserves like the Datong Army. Now seeing his cavalry being hit as targets by Zhao Yuqi's Hundred Tigers' Arrows, he hurriedly asked the cavalry to withdraw.

Seeing the cavalry retreating hastily, Zhu Chunchen in bright iron armor couldn't help but sigh. He felt that he would not be able to get out if he was trapped here for a long time.

Suzhou, where Zhu Guobi's 4 people are stationed, is the back route of Zhu Chunchen and Hong Chengchou's army, and also bears the food and grass supplies of both sides. But now, Zhu Guobi wakes up and finds that there are a large number of Datong soldiers and horses here, which makes Zhu Guobi feel Are you falling asleep?

Especially the big flag with Zhou character fluttering in the wind made Zhu Guobi even more confused, why did Zhou Yuji appear here?

Zhou Yuji, who rushed to Suzhou after a quick march, looked at Zhu Guobi's troops who were rushing to defend, and showed a grim smile: "All the ministries are deployed according to the plan, and when the heavy artillery is in place, within three days, within three days, we will take Suzhou. Go and stab Zhu Chunchen's ass!"

(End of this chapter)