The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

"Rumble rumble——"

The heavy horseshoes knocked on the icy ground and made a low sound like a dragon's chant.

The ground seemed to be trembling slightly with the sound of the horseshoes.

Among the dark red banners fluttering against the wind, a fiery red banner with a height of one foot and five feet stood at the forefront, which was particularly eye-catching.

On top of the banner is a pearl tassel, followed by a pheasant tail, and the eight-foot-five-inch-long azure blue is constantly fluttering in the headwind.

Chen Wang wears a three-flag moonlight helmet on his head, a waist-length fish-scale armor, and a gold and vermilion battle skirt. He holds a lance and leaps before the crowd.

All the armored cavalry behind them are wearing burqas and belts, with high helmets on their heads, long body armor with rivets, and iron armbands.

The twenty or so riders in the front are all holding three-eyed firecrackers and waiting for an opportunity to go out. After that, the forty or fifty riders on the periphery all draw their swords and step against their shoulders like a wall. Draw the bow and set the arrow, ready to go.

Chen Wang held the lance in his right hand and the rein in his left, with cold eyes, galloping his horse in the tide of routs.

Where the flag passed, the fugitive team formed by the rout soldiers was separated like a knife cutting tofu.

Those rout soldiers who had no time to escape either died under the horseshoes or fell under the sharp knife.

The waves of routs reverberated violently, and the screams of slander and desperate cries echoed in Chen Wang's ears.

But all of this did not affect Chen Wang's mood in the slightest.

In the midst of thousands of troops, with swords and swords all over his body, but Chen Wang's heart is as calm as water.

Back then, as an ordinary sergeant, although he had already experienced many battles, he still had fear in his heart.

Now, as the chief general of the first army, when he was about to go into battle, Chen Wang had no fear in his heart.

As the chief general, he can see the overall situation and see clearly the situation on the entire battlefield. Whether he wins or loses, he has a measure in his mind.

And as an ordinary soldier, in a large formation, he can't see the development of the situation clearly, and he doesn't know if he will be the abandoned son, the cannon fodder for the sacrifice...

There are two completely different experiences of following others in the battle and leading others in the battle.

Chen Wang clenched the horse spear in his hand, his eyes passed over the group of rout soldiers who were only concerned with fleeing, and then over the infantry formation of the rogues, and finally stopped at a large black flag in front of the large formation of the rogues' central army .

According to the information transmitted by the Hanzhong Mansion, Lu Shi's banner had an ocher-yellow background with feathers on top, while Zhang Yuan's banner had a black background with white characters and a scarlet belt.

Zhang Yuan, the leader of the thieves who commanded the central part of the Hanzhong Mansion, should be under the big black banner.

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the big black flag not far away.

Not long ago, he saw a ochre-yellow banner running towards the north, which should be the golden-winged Penglu time.

It seemed that Jin Chi Peng Lushi's troops were all on the right side of the rogue formation. Considering the combat power of his subordinates, he should have guessed right.

There are about three or four hundred riders under the big banner, guarding all around like stars holding the moon.

In front of the big banner, there were only two thin formations.

There are two teams of bandits, but only four to five hundred people.

These troops that don't even have much armor and are not fully equipped are not a threat at all.

At such a short distance, at this time, he can lead the cavalry to rush over.

If Zhang Yuan retreats, the whole army will be defeated.

On the battlefield, when the banner of the commander-in-chief of an army retreats, it will inevitably arouse the morale of the army.

And if Zhang Yuan didn't retreat, it would be easy to kill Zhang Yuan.

Kill Zhang Yuan, and the army of rogue bandits will naturally collapse.

Chen Wang stared at the big black flag not far away, and now he has the ability to end this farce directly.

Right now, the rout is coming in reverse, as long as you break through, no matter whether you can kill Zhang Yuan or not, you can instantly turn the battle situation into a one-sided situation.

All it takes is a sound of the horn, and the cavalry rushing to the south to help the Hanzhong Guards can turn around.

At that time, by breaking the power of the Chinese army and following them all the way, they can easily disintegrate the two coalition forces of Zhang Yuan and Lu Shi.

It's unbearable to have a group of dragons without a leader, let alone a mob like rogues?
Chen Wang's thoughts changed, he was thinking about whether to follow the original plan.

He really wanted the position of Guerrilla in Hanzhong, but if he followed the original plan, he would inevitably experience a lot of twists and turns in the middle, and whether he could get what he wanted was uncertain.

And most importantly, in the ninth year of Chongzhen, Gao Yingxiang will be forced into Hanzhong Mansion.

Even if he succeeds in becoming a guerrilla in Hanzhong according to the original plan, he will inevitably face Gao Yingxiang, and it is hard to predict what will happen then.

But now if Zhang Yuan and Lu Shi can be defeated in a single battle, then the things they get will be real things.

Black Killer Zhang Yuan, Zhuantian Harrier Wang Cheng, and Jin Chi Peng Lushi are now the three great bandits in Hanzhong.

If Zhang Yuan could be captured, Lu Shi and Zhang Yuan's coalition forces would be defeated in the First World War, and the siege of Hanzhong would be lifted. In addition, the previous victory over Li Zicheng in Chunhua City, as well as the achievements of capturing and killing Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan in Ningqiang.

As long as the merits are judged normally, it is enough to be promoted to general.

There are not no 25-year-old generals in this era. Cao Bianjiao was only 22 years old when he was promoted to general.

The dancing banner not far away circulated in Chen Wang's eyes, and he knew very well that his background was far less profound than Cao Bianjiao's.

However, as Cao Wenzhao's confidant family member, at least the meritorious officials will not deduct too much from Cao Wenzhao's face, and his military achievements will not be swallowed up.

Civilian promotion needs to be promoted step by step. It is about ability, contacts, experience, and the most important thing is qualifications.

It's just that the life of many people is from green robe to scarlet robe.

Many people even wear green robes all their lives and never have the opportunity to wear scarlet robes.

But military officers are different. Seniority is not important to military officers, nor is experience. Military merit is everything.

Compared with civil servants, it is much easier for military officers to be promoted.

In the 12th year of Chongzhen, Wu Sangui was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment at the age of 27.

Although the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty did not have any rank strictly speaking, he had real power in his hands, and the imperial court would also give officials of corresponding ranks as a supplement.

As long as you have military merits in your hands, it is not false to rise to the top.

To become a general is actually considered to have truly stepped into the sequence of senior generals.

Generally, the number of guerrilla soldiers is only about a thousand, not more than two thousand, and the tasks and responsibilities they perform are often as partial divisions and support.

The autonomy of the guerrillas is very low, and they usually follow the town's generals, deputy commanders, and commanders to fight.

The reason why Hong Chengchou asked him to lead the guerrilla battalion to attack alone at the beginning was actually because the troops were stretched and there was no extra troops to deploy.

And the participating generals are the real ones who lead a battalion alone, walk all the way alone, and guard a place.

Becoming a general means having greater autonomy and more troops.

Subordinates can also have better equipment, more military pay and higher status.

With the continuation of the turmoil and the corruption of Liaodong, the status of the military officer is quietly changing.

At this time in the eighth year of Chongzhen, the generals were still valuable, and they did not start to flood.

Although he may lose his position as a guerrilla in Hanzhong, becoming a general can copy Zuo Liangyu's trajectory of action, and continue to expand his troops and expand his auxiliary barracks during the campaign.

The advantage of staying in Hanzhong is that you can have a stable development environment, but limited by the particularity of the battalion, it is impossible to blatantly put it on the table whether it is farming or making ordnance.

After that, we still need to manage the relationship up and down, and these two things are inseparable from Han Zhongwei.

Only the guards have the right to manufacture ordnance and farm fields. Whoever dares to touch these two things without an order will be a dead end.

At the beginning, Dongjiang Town had an organization specializing in the manufacture and repair of ordnance, but it was allowed to directly belong to the Ordnance Bureau of the military town.

Hanzhong only set up a guerrilla, even if it became a guerrilla in Hanzhong, it is not qualified to set up an ordnance bureau.

The armaments and ordnance needed by two or three thousand soldiers can be dispatched directly, or they can be made and delivered by the local guards. There is no need to set up an ordnance bureau.

Originally, Chen Wang's original plan was to manage Hanzhong Wei after becoming a guerrilla in Hanzhong, and then rely on profit to drive Hanzhong Wei to use him.

It's just that now there is a better opportunity in front of him.

The reality has proved that the tactics of the Qing army's heavy armor, heavy arrows, and shielded car artillery were invincible in the period of alternating hot and cold weapons before the flintlock was popularized.

Using the tactics of the Qing army, in many battles, the ratio of casualties between the enemy and ourselves was extremely disparate.

Although it didn't kill thousands of enemies like Qi's army without any casualties, it was already terrifying enough.

Shooting in line is a good tactic, but the premise is that the army needs to be equipped with flintlock guns.

But it is not a simple matter to mass-produce flintlock guns. If it were simple, countries around the world would not use arquebuses that are several times more complicated to load and fire for a long period of time instead of simpler flintlock guns. Fire the gun.

Chen Wang is very aware of his strengths, and he was able to get to where he is today, all because of his understanding of history and his personal bravery.

Chen Wang didn't know much about industry, iron smelting and other engineering subjects, and it could even be said that he didn't know anything about it.

Even if he became a Hanzhong guerrilla, he would not be able to mass-produce flintlock guns in a short period of time.

There were indeed countless skilled craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty during this period.

They can imitate the same weapon in a short period of time only by relying on the salvaged weapon wreckage, even better than the original.

But Chen Wang knew that these people could not be used by him.

Recruiting artisans extensively and spreading a lot of money will inevitably attract the attention of all parties.

Shortly after Chongzhen ascended the throne of God, a large number of factory guards were indeed recalled, and the factory guards' control over the local area had weakened to the bottom.

But this doesn't mean that the governors from all over the country can't find such a thing. Once the news gets out, they only need to hand in a memorial, and even this little guerrilla will be killed.

Privately forging ordnance, amassing people and farming, but want to plot rebellion? !
Heavy armor, heavy arrows, and shield car artillery are currently the best and most compatible tactics, whether against the bandits or against the Qing army in the future.

Staying in Hanzhong, the situation is unpredictable and difficult.

Weapons are rare, but as a general, you can justifiably get more and better armor and weapons.

Heavy armor and heavy arrows, if these become generals, they will be trusted by Hong Chengchou, and it will be easier to obtain them.

Defeat Li Zicheng first, capture and behead Li Guo, capture and kill Li Yangchun and Lin Shengquan, and then break the siege of Hanzhong, it will truly leave a name in Hong Chengchou's heart.

Although Hong Chengchou has a lack of personal morality, he acts arbitrarily and can't rub the sand in his eyes.

But for one's own people, there is not much care that should be taken care of.

After Cao Wenzhao put down his stance and bowed his head, all the military achievements that Cao Wenzhao had gained were reported to the temple, and there were no more incidents of inconsistencies in the previous inspections, and the food, grass, salaries and silver were all paid in full, and there was no arrears.

Chen Wang also gained a lot of benefits.

During the Battle of Chunhua, not only was it supplemented with soldiers, but it also received a lot of food and military assistance.

Chen Wang's thoughts changed, and now Hong Chengchou's subordinates are at the time of employing people.

During the Shaanxi campaign, three deputy commanders died and one was injured. Ai Wannian, Liu Guozhen, and Zhang Waijia died in battle, and Liu Chenggong was wounded.

In the Battle of Zhangjiachuan, Si Tian Yinglong died in the battle, Yu Chongxiao, the general of Yansui Town, died in the Battle of Anding, and Zhang Quanchang, the general, was defeated and captured.

Both Zuo Liangyu and Zu Kuan served under Lu Xiangsheng's command.

Now Hong Chengchou has only the six battalions of Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, He Renlong, Liu Chenggong, Sun Shoufa, and Gao Jie under his command.

The rogue bandits are powerful, and their successive campaigns have resulted in the loss of soldiers and generals, and now they are in a stalemate west of Hancheng.

Hong Chengchou hurriedly summoned himself to return to Xi'an Mansion not only because he was suspicious of himself, but more importantly, Hong Chengchou really had no soldiers to transfer and no one to use under his command.

With this in mind, Chen Wang already had a plan in mind.

Lu Xiangsheng was transferred to the north in June of the ninth year of Chongzhen. Zuo Liangyu and others did not follow him to the north, and it was even less his turn.

Until the 11th year of Chongzhen, the Qing army broke through Qingshan Pass and destroyed the Great Wall. The two armies joined forces in Tongzhou, a suburb of Beijing.

Chen Wang slowly raised the horse's spear in his hand, pointing the tip of the spear upwards obliquely at the dark sky, and the low-pitched horn sounded immediately behind him.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The sound of the horn resounded, and all the armored cavalry who followed Chen Wang looked solemn and calmed down.

The reason is very simple, because what sounded was the sound of the horn that heralded the imminent charge.

"Drive!" "Drive!"

The dozen or so armored cavalry closest to Chen Wang swung their whips and whipped the horses under them, increasing their horse speed.

They had already held the three-eyed blunderbuss in their hands, and their legs tightly clamped the horse's belly, driving the horse over the position where Chen Wang was, consciously blocking Chen Wang's front.

There are 18 armored cavalry in the front, six people form a row, a total of three rows, and go away like a wall.

The armored cavalry who were still following behind had also changed into long spears or light knives one after another.

Since they were charging into battle and beheading generals to capture the flag, long-range weapons were of secondary importance to them. What their prime ministers had to consider was how to break through the enemy's formation and assist their own generals.

The dark red banners fluttered and fluttered against the wind, making a sound like the wind blowing through the woods.

The war horse spouted white gas from its nose, and the whirring sound mixed with the rumbling hoofbeats hit everyone's eardrums.

Under the banner of Dazhu, Zhang Yuan had already seen this armored cavalry of the Ming army that suddenly accelerated and charged straight towards him.

An inexplicable fear appeared in his heart.

That feeling... as if...

Just being watched by a tiger while walking in the forest...