I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 499 Hollow Square Array
"Is it Huang Taiji?"

Sun Yingyuan and Zhao Shujiao were surprised and looked at Cao Bianjiao with disbelief.

Cao Bianjiao had just recovered from the shock. He asked several Mongolian prisoners he brought back, and they all said that the troops heading south this time were mainly led by Huang Taiji, the Sibeile who built the captives, and were supplemented by Horqin and the Bahrain tribe.

They also said that they had a sneak attack on the Wengjishit tribe yesterday. Except for Arzhai Taiji who ran away with his cronies, the rest of the tribe was wiped out in one fell swoop.

I originally thought that I could go back home, but I didn't expect that Taiji from their Horqin tribe said that they would go south to continue to rob Liaodong, so the army arrived here this morning.

"Bizhi confirmed that they are now three miles away. When I met them, I found that they had just breached Dongsheng Fort and were heading south. According to Beizhi's estimation, their target is probably Niuzhuang Fort."

"Niuzhuang Fort!"

When Sun Yingyuan heard this, he was immediately surprised.

They had just come out of Niuzhuang Fort. They knew the situation and the strength of the troops in the city clearly, and they were definitely unprepared now.If no one warned him, it would be easy for Jianlu to succeed.

"No, Niuzhuangbao is the only place that Liaozuo and Liaonan must pass on their way to Liaoyang and Shenyang. It has a large population and is currently unprepared."

Sun Yingyuan looked at Zhao Lejiao while analyzing, and then asked:

"General Zhao, we are only ten miles away from Niuzhuang Fort. If we go back now, it might be too late. This will not only allow us to have a stronghold to defend, but also protect Niuzhuang Fort, killing two birds with one stone."

Zhao led Jiao did not speak when he heard this. Instead, he turned back to look at the two battalions of soldiers and horses forming formation to meet the enemy.

"Niuzhuang Fort is indeed very important, but you must not go there now. First, most of the soldiers and horses who built the army are cavalry. They are only three or four miles away from us. They are marching very fast and they come over in a blink of an eye.

Secondly, our army's formation is almost ready. It is very troublesome to handle and transport the Krupp cannon and other artillery, and the marching speed is also very slow.If we go to Niuzhuangbao now, let alone whether we can catch up, what should we do if we encounter an ambush by the Jianlu army along the way. "

As the general of the Beijing camp, Zhao Lingjiao naturally knew the advantages and disadvantages of the Beijing camp. Although artillery was convenient for positional warfare, transportation was a big problem.

The war situation is urgent now. We must form formations and wait for the enemy's situation. We must not act rashly, otherwise we will really be in catastrophe.

As soon as he heard this, Sun Yingyuan suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Secret agent Zhao Shujiao was indeed a veteran with rich experience.Just now I was anxious and a little reckless.

At the same time, he also felt sorry for Niuzhuang Fort. If Jianlu did not attack him, then Niuzhuang Fort would probably be in trouble.

However, Sun Yingyuan, who had changed his mind, was no longer confused. Since he couldn't leave, he should be prepared to meet the enemy.

If Jianlu comes, he should deal with it well. Thinking of this, he turned to look at Cao Bianjiao.

"Did the Mongolian prisoners say how many people there were in the Jianlu army? Do they all have horses?"

"Report to the General, because soldiers are expensive and fast, most of them are cavalry and horses. As for the number of captives, according to the captives, it is the Zhengbai Banner of Jianlu. There are currently 4000 people. Including the Mongolians, there are nearly 1 people. In addition, 3000 people are stationed in Ongjit's headquarters to prevent the retreat from being cut off."

Listening to Cao Bianjiao's report, Zhao Shujiao and Sun Yingyuan looked at each other with a little uneasiness in their eyes.Ten thousand cavalry is definitely not a number that can be underestimated at any time.

What's more, the troops they led were all new soldiers who had never fought before, and their faces became very solemn when they thought of this.

Zhao Shujiao was originally a Jinshi during the Wanli period. He is now in his forties and has rich experience. When he saw this, he immediately looked at Sun Yingyuan.

"General Sun Shen, since Alzhai has escaped and the smoke of Dongsheng Fort has risen again, I believe that the Liaodong Dusi will receive a warning soon. When traces of Jianlu are discovered, troops will probably be sent to attack soon.

Therefore, we must stand firm and wait for reinforcements. As long as the reinforcements arrive, the Jianlu troops will definitely withdraw. "

Zhao Shujiao analyzed this, and Sun Yingyuan nodded repeatedly.At this time, he stopped nagging and immediately answered:
"Then continue to form a hollow square formation, let each division move faster, and not delay the military aircraft. In addition, place all the vehicles except the artillery on the outside of the formation. We will rely on the vehicle formation to resist and prevent the cavalry from charging."

The hollow phalanx was a formation learned in Licaolan Field to deal with cavalry. It was derived from Qi Jiguang's chariot formation and also learned from Franji's phalanx.

Its formation mainly consists of infantry forming up on all sides to defend against the enemy, with Krupp artillery placed in the middle of the formation, ready to fire at any time.

If conditions permit, the perimeter will be formed in a circle to prevent cavalry from attacking, while the spearmen and gunners will rely on the carriages for defensive shooting.

In this way, the artillery bombs from a long distance, the bird guns shoot at close range, and there are also spearmen. The gunmen are also protected by waist knives. As long as the gunpowder and supplies are sufficient, the formation is difficult to conquer.

After hearing the commander's reprimand, the soldiers of the two battalions of the Zhenwu Army immediately accelerated their formation. After a stick of incense, it was obvious from the sight of the smoke that the formation of the hollow square formation had been completed.

Among them, there are one division on each side with 500 men for defense, and two sentry artillery brigades in the middle, totaling 36 Krupp cannons. There is one division left, plus Cao Bianjiao's cavalry, led by Sun Yingyuan and others personally, as a reserve Team.

At this time, on the west side of the Ming army's formation, Guo Zuoguang was patrolling back and forth with his soldiers, repeatedly asking everyone to check the loaded muskets, matchlocks and paper gunpowder.

Although he is the Qian Commander, this is the first time he has encountered an enemy since he joined the army, and he is still a little nervous now.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of Zhu Daoxin and Sun Xinji. He wondered how they felt when they met the rebels in Guizhou, and whether they would be nervous.

But this idea was quickly suppressed by him. He knew that as a general manager, he must not be afraid, he must not be timid, and he must not embarrass His Majesty or the Wuding Hou family.

"Woooooo!"

The long sound of the horn came from the west. Sun Yingyuan, Zhao Zhijiao and Guo Zuoguang, who was defending the west side, looked around and saw a sea of ​​people suddenly appeared in the sky.Immediately afterwards, the sea of ​​​​people in the distance changed from one line to one side, and the number of people increased visibly to the naked eye.

"Jianlu is here!"

Guo Zuoguang's expression tightened upon hearing this, and he immediately accelerated his pace of inspection. At the same time, he shouted:
"Stick up your spirits, listen to your corps commander, and follow the orders and prohibitions. Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without mercy!"

Zhao Lejiao also nodded secretly to Sun Yingyuan, and then waved his hand. Cao Bianjiao understood immediately and led his people to patrol back and forth. While patrolling, he shouted:
"Whoever dares to retreat, beheaded! Whoever dares to surrender, beheaded! Whoever dares to hesitate, beheaded!"

(End of this chapter)