Chapter 489: Deterrence Tactics

"Jian Changbo is just bluffing. He will never lead troops to fight the Tatars head-on."

Li Ao made a conclusion based on his previous understanding of Zhang Yanling.

Just kidding.

When Zhang Yanling led his troops into the battlefield, he said that he dared to lead the troops to charge

If he had ten thousand troops, it would be okay to charge. At most, he would be said to be ignorant and fearless. But now he only has four thousand soldiers. Even if he takes the courage of a bear and a leopard, he would not dare to risk his life with the Tatars

The generals suddenly felt that it made sense.

That is Jianchang Bo

At this time, are we too worried that he will charge into the battle and grab the credit?

"Report, the Marquis of Wu'an sent a sentry to pass the news Letter."

"Call people in."

Zheng Ying and Li Wei need to work together secretly, at least to "advance and retreat together". No one on either side moved forward.

But while the troops were still standing still here, Yang Yiqing's troops were already fighting with the Tatars in the north of Shigou City.

When Cui Yuan came out of the Chinese military camp, the generals next to him did not dare not take him seriously.

In front of Li Er, the generals must show respect for the coach, but in front of Cui Yuan, they still have to show enough humility. After all, Cui Yuan is now also a "red man" in the eyes of the emperor.

"General Cui, now is indeed not the opportunity to send troops. Maybe Uncle Xiangcheng is right, we should wait. As long as Baoguo Gong's men arrive at our rear, we can send troops. By then, Tatar The Tatars will definitely not confront us and will retreat. Then we will pursue them all the way."

The general's words made Cui Yuan frown.

Cui Yuandao "So the mission of this battle is to force the Tatars away, not to annihilate them."

A general nearby reminded that "the Tatars can never be defeated." , since ancient times, from the Xiongnu to the Xianbei and the Turks, there are still so many messy Tatars in the middle. It has been like this since ancient times. After a wave is wiped out, there will always be others rising. It is best to drive them out and not let them come back. "

Cui Yuan said angrily, "No wonder the Tatars are so unscrupulous. Everyone has this mentality. Why can't the grassland be completely wiped out? Even if other tribes will rise in the future, at least it can ensure the Ming Dynasty for the next hundred years." The northern Xinjiang is stable."

The generals had never seen an "angry young man" like Cui Yuan, so they naturally felt that the eldest princess's consort could only stand and talk without pain.

"Report"

Just as he was talking, news came from the front battlefield of Shigou City.

The generals did not go away. They all wanted to know how the battle was going on the front line. Cui Yuan shouted, "Now we should all perform our duties. What are you waiting for here? If the Tatars are suddenly killed, you guys Are you ready to fight at any time?"

Many generals left in anger.

Some are still muttering to their companions, "Who does he think he is? He is just a counselor accompanying the army. He is so angry even if he does not lead the army. Sure enough, the emperor's relatives are not easy to serve.". "

The war in the north of Shigou City is ongoing. Yang Yiqing has more than 10,000 troops, and the Tatars have more than 10,000 troops in the north of the city. In terms of paper strength, both sides seem to have Not much difference.

But the actual battle was not as intense as expected.

The battle of tens of thousands of soldiers and horses was suddenly turned into a battle between hundreds of people. The main reason was that both warring parties were wary of each other. The Ming Dynasty was afraid of the charge and crossbows of the Tatar cavalry, while the Tatars were afraid of the Ming Dynasty's firearms.

Yang Yiqing initially let the soldiers and horses go. They went to attack the Tatars' defensive formation, but they were forced back by the opponent's crossbows several times.

They fired artillery from a long distance, because the Tatars' formation was very loose, and dozens of cannons were fired. , it seemed that not many people were killed, and then the vanguard troops on the front line withdrew again, and the two sides re-entered a stalemate.

Guo Jun came back from the front line of the charge and brought back his own opinions: "Yang. My lord, the Tatars deliberately spread out their formations, which are almost like a long snake formation. They are not very thick, and the cannons cannot fire so accurately. Even if they can fire accurately, they can only hit three or two people at a time. And we don’t have enough artillery shells here."

Guo Jun and other generals showed bravery and fearlessness in front of Yang Yiqing, but when they actually led the troops, both the upper-level generals and the lower soldiers , are a little unwilling to fight.

They also know that there is a gap in the number of soldiers and horses with the Tatars.

Yang Yiqing said, "Maybe it was because of the battle at Huamachi that the soldiers thought they had it. With credit, we can relax in this battle."

Zhang Xu said, "Oh no, Yang Zhongcheng doesn't need to ridicule them. This is not like in Huamachi. They gathered together and rushed forward, exploding artillery and sky gunpowder at will. Now They came prepared. The terrain is difficult to attack, and there are gaps in all directions. Our small number of people cannot form a big ambush or surround them. "

Yang Yiqing raised his sword and said, "In that case, I will personally lead the charge. ”

Gao Pi, the deputy commander-in-chief on the side, hurriedly persuaded, “Sir, think twice. We just reported that Uncle Chang has led more than 4,000 soldiers and horses on the flanks. He will kill them at any time. As long as the people from the east come over, we will kill him.” That is tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and a two-pronged attack will definitely win.

Yang Yiqing said, "This battle is my own. How can I leave the variables to others? What's more, I am still an unlearned and unskilled relative of the emperor. At this time, it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself." Only when we suppress the Tatars' vigor can the rest of the troops come in for reinforcements. "Listen to the order, the Chinese army presses forward, prepare firecrackers."

Gao Pi looked at Guo Jun with a look of verification.

When he was about to charge forward and die, Gao Pi and others I also hope that the commander-in-chief Guo Jun will come out to persuade the "reckless" coach in front of him.

Guo Jun still kept in step with Yang Yiqing, clasping his fists and saying, "I am willing to listen to Mr. Yang's orders." ”

The Tatars did not want to engage in a full-scale war with the Ming Dynasty. Instead, Yang Yiqing led the troops and charged directly.

The Tatar formation was very loose., obviously did not expect that the strategic goal of the Ming Dynasty would change from "forcing the enemy to retreat" to "fighting to the death", so when Yang Yiqing personally led the cavalry to charge, the Tatar side was obviously in a panic.

But then the Tatar side reorganized their troops and horses, and the cavalry hidden behind the shield array saw the opportunity and prepared to complete a close combat with the Ming side.

I have long disliked the Ming Dynasty. When Wang Shouren was on the grassland before, he did not rely on crossbows or swords, but only played with firearms. This time, why not take advantage of the fact that you have few firearms in the Ming Dynasty? Let us show you our advantages and let you know what "a nation on horseback" means.

The Tatar cavalry formed a formation quickly, and then more than 4,000 elite heavy armored cavalry were deployed in a long snake formation, preparing for a head-to-head contest with the Ming Dynasty's charging cavalry.

"Kill"

The Ming Dynasty side was the first to show its momentum, and the cavalry from all walks of life rushed towards Shigou City, and the dust filled the sky.

The Tatar side seemed unhurried. All they sent were heavy armored cavalry. Even if they were sent from behind, they obviously had certain advantages, and this kind of heavy armor had been modified. That is to say, the hardness of the armor is reinforced in front of the body, and the thickness of the armor is higher. This seems to be able to withstand the attack of the large open fire gun.

As the soldiers and horses of both sides approached, the Ming side began to "disrespect martial ethics" and launched an offensive with artillery with a longer range, and covered the forward movement of the cavalry, while the front row of the Ming cavalry The gunman has already carried the gun in his hand, and the Lancer has been redefined. He can fire the gun at the enemy while galloping on horseback.

Whether it is accuracy or lethality, it is much better than the Tatars' mounted archery. However, mobile combat used to be the patent of the Tatars. The Ming soldiers were not good at bow shooting. .

The two black currents will soon converge.

After the Tatar cavalry launched the offensive, they immediately discovered that their improved armor still had limited resistance to the Ming Dynasty's improved fire blunderbuss, and the direct lethality became impact force, even if they were wearing heavy armor. The Tatar cavalry will still be knocked off their horses after being hit by a fire cannon. Once the cavalry leaves their horses, they are like lambs to be slaughtered at this time.

What’s even worse is that the Tatar cavalry still have to brave the cannonballs flying overhead, many of which are shotguns.

Even if the Tatar cavalry has a heavy iron helmet on its head, it still cannot stop the fragments of the cannonball. And if it happens to be around the place where the cannonball landed, even the iron armor will be blown to pieces. After all, this is not possible. The shells were simply black powder, but were also mixed with explosives such as lead shot and yellow powder. Each shot would leave a deep or shallow pit on the hard ground.

"Boom, boom, boom"

"Bang, bang, bang"

At first, the battlefield was dominated by shouts of killing, but as the war progressed, the sound of artillery , the sound of firecrackers being fired drowned out the shouts of killing.

In other words, the soldiers on both sides of the war have no intention of shouting for death. Both sides are thinking about how to fight the enemy and seem to have no other thoughts.In addition, the Tatar side can be said to have charged forward in a hail of bullets, while the Ming side used firearms to stabilize their position. After the initial charge, they began to form formations and volleyed guns and cannons to stabilize their position.

"Yang Yiqing, the soldiers are coming to kill"

At first, the soldiers on the Ming side were extremely wary of charging without having an advantage in strength.

As the war progressed, they found that even if their own side lacked troops, horses, and even firearms, and the Tatar side also improved their iron cavalry, the Ming side could still survive this seemingly unfavorable situation. Hold your ground.

As more Tatar cavalry came outflanking them from both sides, the Ming Dynasty soldiers no longer had to charge into the battle. They only had to wait for the Tatars to come up and die, even though the Ming Dynasty soldiers also knew their side's ammunition. It's being consumed quickly, but the feeling of being able to kill the Tatars from a long distance is still great.

That's the difference in weapons. It's like a magic trick. You only need to complete basic shooting movements, and the Tatar can fall off his horse or even be killed two or three hundred steps away. If it was hit by artillery, it would have suffered from a mile or two away.

Yang Yiqing initially presided over the charge, but he was the commander after all, not a vanguard officer, so after the war progressed, he had already guarded the almost central position in the formation, using his command flag to Tell the surrounding Ming and Tatar soldiers where the core of the Ming army lies.

If you have the ability, just rush here.

In the dusty sky, the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars started an almost head-to-head contest.

Both sides suffered casualties, but it was clear that the Ming side had gained a firm foothold, while the Tatars suffered heavy losses. The first to withdraw from the war were the two wings of the Tatars who had not yet charged forward, especially It was the troops from the east route, because they encountered a problem that was a hundred times more troublesome than the troops from the west route

A group of Ming soldiers and horses came from the northeast. Although they were not within five miles, they were expected to be within half a mile. They will be killed within an hour. The Ming side is coming fiercely. If they are attacked by the Ming side, then their entire army will be annihilated.

After all, the Ming side has guns and cannons, while the Tatar side can only rely on primitive bows and crossbows. They can’t even count on the swords in their hands, because the battlefield does not give them the opportunity to fight hand-to-hand. .

If they can really fight to the point of hand-to-hand combat, the Tatars will not have an advantage.

Exactly that sentence, seven steps away is fast, within seven steps it is accurate and fast.

After all, it is no longer the original firecracker with front-loaded projectiles. It no longer even needs a fuse to ignite. As long as the projectiles are loaded and the finger is hooked, the projectiles can be launched. The lethality at close range is even greater. , and the Ming side also has a shield for defense. Compared with the thick iron armor to protect against projectiles, the iron shield on the Ming side obviously does not need to be so thick. The lethality of bows and arrows at medium and short range is just that, at least it is much easier to defend against.

What the Ming side needs to be more prepared for are those who are lucky enough to pass through.From the gun array, within the range of the bow and arrow, the Tatar cavalry fired arrows into the sky in a "blind shooting" method. The arrows landed uncertainly to see who was more unlucky.

As the troops surrounded by the Tatars on the east road retreated southward, the situation where the Ming army was surrounded on three sides instantly collapsed.

The scouts on the east road also brought exciting news to Yang Yiqing, Zhang Xu and others: "It was reported that thousands of our army's cavalry, supported by artillery carriages, etc., came from the left wing, and they were attached to Jianchang. Bo Zhang's handsome flag is less than eight miles away from here."

"So soon" Zhang Xun beamed immediately after hearing this.

Before, he felt that this battle was a battle of his own life, even if he lost less and won more, he was a bit desperate to seek death, and he was even ready to run away at any time if the situation went bad.

Who would have thought that their own side would be able to gain a foothold when they came up. The Tatars were waiting for work but they still suffered heavy losses. Depending on the situation, the losses were even greater than in the battle at Huamachi, and the Ming Dynasty's The reinforcements actually came, and it turned out to be Jianchang Bo Zhang Yanling, who even Yang Yiqing and Zhang Xu looked down upon before.

"Who wouldn't take the credit that is so easy to get in front of you?" Yang Yiqing did not show any excitement about Zhang Yanling's help, but was instead sarcastic.

Zhang Xun smiled and said, "Uncle Jianchang is different from those people. He has the courage to dare to come. Since he is here, Marquis Wu'an and Uncle Xiangcheng will definitely bring their troops."

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This is “official experience”.

If even Zhang Yanling led his troops to charge, and Wu'an Hou and Xiangcheng Bo stood by and watched, then they really would not have to hang out in the Ming military circles in the future. Even if the emperor gave them a chance, they themselves would be ashamed of themselves. The military uniforms, as well as the official hats and titles on their heads.

"That's true."

Yang Yiqing agreed with Zhang Xun's words this time.

In Yang Yiqing's view, it doesn't matter whether Zhang Yanling sincerely comes to fight. His four thousand troops may not play a strategically decisive role, but he plays a "setting role".

If Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren represent the "upper limit" of the Ming Dynasty's military strength, then Zhang Yanling represents the "lower limit". If even the most cowardly and incompetent or even the reviled and misbehaving relatives, If everyone is leading the charge at this time, if anyone still holds back and does not charge, it is tantamount to creating his own "lower limit". There is no minimum, only a lower limit.

No one wants to be looked down upon by others. In the end, Zhang Yanling rushed, so we had to rush too.

Otherwise we are not even as good as Zhang Yanling

"Is Jianchang Bo crazy?"

When Li Hao was reorganizing two thousand of his own soldiers Before Ma, when he heard the news, he thought he had heard it wrong.

After Li Wei lined up his two thousand soldiers and horses, he did not intend to attack the enemy's formation. Instead, he was prepared to "advance, attack, retreat, and defend." This is a nice, but not nice, way of saying it. Just run away at any time.

But now as Zhang Yanling led his troops to join the battle, he was forced to have no choice but to join the army.

Cui Yuan rode on his horse and asked for orders, "Uncle Xiangcheng, if we don't advance at this time, how long will it take for us to enter the battlefield later than Uncle Jianchang?"

Many generals looked at Cui Yuan , as if waiting for him to give the final answer.

You can still run now, or you can continue to stand still, but now you need someone to come out and give the order, and the final blame needs to be borne by the person who gave the order.

"Is there any movement on the side of Marquis Wu'an?" Li Na now focused on the "friendly forces".

We should ignore Zhang Yanling's crazy criticism. Who makes it difficult to judge the logic of this kind of person's behavior? Now let's talk about Wu'an Hou. As long as he is like us, we can still have an explanation afterwards.

No one can answer Li Wei.

When the war started, the intelligence system was not that perfect. Now everyone's attention is focused on Zhang Yanling, who is about to join the battlefield. Who cares whether Marquis Wu'an is marching into the rear because he is already in the rear?

Cui Yuandao, "If Uncle Xiangcheng still has any concerns, you might as well send troops first to coordinate with Uncle Jianchang to send troops. At this time, we should cooperate sincerely."

"Impossible", Li Nu said, "I can't If you entrust the lives of the soldiers to a man like Jianchang Bo, what is the benefit of cooperating with him? He is seeking death, and you are seeking death too."

Someone suggested, "How about we march in from the south?"

Cui Yuan asked for instructions again, "We should send out a group of people to go into battle first."

"Cui Yuanma, it is not honorable to let others go into battle to kill the enemy." Li Na said, "Send out a group of people now. The front army has four hundred men and horses to contain the Tatars in Shigou Post. Cui Prince Consort rectifies the men and horses and goes up with the army."

Cui Yuanzai was sent to the front line because of his "offense".

First Zhu Hui and then Li Tao couldn't stand his talkative character. Even Cui Yuan felt aggrieved because he was just relying on the formations and tactics he had learned. Remind the people with actual authority in the army why I was allowed to go to the front line

I became a former soldier of the vanguard army

Whoever I provoked

Cui Yuan obviously has no experience as an official or leading soldiers. He does not yet know that his uprightness is actually a quality that is incompatible with his colleagues in the army.

However, even if Cui Yuan was sent to the front army, he was not too depressed, because in his mind, since he came to the northwest to make contributions, he should not hide in the rear and watch others die. .

He was even thinking that the princess asked me to make great achievements and had high expectations for me. If I didn’t achieve what she expected, how could I have the face to see her after I went back? Even Wang Shilang and Cai Guogong, I I'm ashamed to see you, and I've failed to live up to His Majesty's expectations of me.

Cui Yuan was so passionate now that even if he only charged into battle with four hundred soldiers, he did not complain in return.

But this battle was not very "friendly" to him.

Because even if there are 400 soldiers, he is still not the commander. The leader is Xu Shen, a general who was transferred from Yansui.

Xu Shen’s journey, a total ofThree light cannons were given, but all the four hundred soldiers were equipped with flint muskets. The biggest difference between Xu Shen and Zhu Hui and Li Tao was that he did not dare to offend Cui Yuan, and he did not want to take responsibility, and was even a little afraid of death. When the four hundred troops walked three or four miles to the west and were only three or four miles away from the Tatar vanguard camp, Xu Shen already regarded Cui Yuan as the leader of this group of troops.

"General Cui, even His Majesty praised your ability to run the army, so don't be humble. How should we fight now?"

Xu Shen and the surrounding soldiers looked at the darkness on the opposite side. The Tatar cavalry, who were ready to attack, felt like a sheep falling into a tiger's mouth.

Although the Tatars were fighting with the local soldiers and horses of Ningxia in the north, they still deployed more than 5,000 soldiers and horses to the east of Shigou City, and the defensive formation was very complete. The cavalry could charge out at any time, and A distance of two or three miles, in this almost wilderness environment, is not a distance at all.

If the other party is willing, the two sides can complete the war in a very short period of time.

The Tatar cavalry can even engulf their four hundred soldiers and horses very quickly.

"Look north"

Someone pointed in the direction of true north.

There is a lot of sand and dust, and you can see the dust moving towards the north of Shigou City from a distance.

When Cui Yuan saw this scene, he became more energetic. He clenched his fists and said, "Jian Changbo's men have arrived."

"Then us"

Xu Shen asked for instructions, probably saying, should we wait here, choose to outflank, or charge. Of course, the option of charging can be eliminated. Bo Xiangcheng and Marquis Wu'an combined four thousand soldiers and horses, and they did not dare to charge into the enemy's formation. Let us four hundred soldiers and horses charge to seek death?

Cui Yuandao "The Tatars are also afraid of death. What we can rely on is the gun in our hands. Even if we are defeated, those who get close to us first will Are you afraid that the one who was hit by the gun will die?"

Xu Shen asked, "This is why we have to have a back-up before death."

Cui Yuan asked, "We There are other choices: should we retreat to the headquarters camp or move north to get out of the way? We are strong enough, but the Tatars are actually weak. If we attack, they will have to retreat. There is no need to gallop and let the soldiers line up. Just push forward little by little. ”

When Xu Shen heard this, he didn’t understand.

The cavalry does not rely on charging, but relies on slow advancement. Why are they still riding horses? They can just get down to the ground and lead the horses away.

Cui Yuandao "With four hundred people, no matter how we fight, they are still not as good as the other side. Then rely on intimidation. As long as we advance, the Tatars will not retreat. When they reach our shooting range, they will die first." Please remember to collect, the latest website The fastest and free reading without anti-theft

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