Section 85 Encounter

The post road began to gradually turn inland from the seaside and walked for a long time. He Rubin saw that the sun had set westward, and it was estimated that it had reached the beginning of Shen. He looked around, and there were rolling hills and mountains near and far, and not far from the post road was a small hill with lush vegetation. As soon as he lifted the reins of his horse, he rode his horse to a small hillside beside the post road, and his own soldiers and generals hurried to follow.

He rode a Mongolian horse, which was very miraculous. The saddles, bridles, and stirrups were all made of brass, and the soldiers had polished them for him before they set out, and they were very dazzling in the sunlight. Holding the reins in his left hand and a whip in his right hand, he watched the steady stream of advancing men and horses and banners around him, and a sense of complacency filled his heart.

"General Tang Shen," he called.

"Humble General"

"How far is this place from Chengmai?"

"Returning to Zhentai, there are still thirty miles." Tang Yunwen crossed his hands on his horse and said, "This place is called Stone Mountain. ”

He Rubin glanced at this hill, which was about a hundred zhang away from the post road. It's a good place to control the post road. If the thieves were to ambush the men and horses here, he would have to go through a tough battle to get through. But the scouts had already come to explore, and there were no ambushes here.

"Thieves don't know soldiers." He Rubin commented, "If there is a camp here, send someone to guard it." Our army must first capture this mountain before it can continue to advance. ”

"What your lord said is very true." Chang Qingyun's face was covered with dust, and his buttocks were grinding very painfully, but he still followed He Rubin's headquarters and was not in the old camp team. I just hope that at such a time, I can say a few words to show his insight and "diligent and faithful" attitude.

"The terrain is important here. Set up a grain table here," He Rubin ordered.

The strategy set for the invasion and suppression was a long siege, and the supply of military food for more than 20,000 people was a very urgent matter. The most convenient sea transportation is hindered by the thieves' "strong ships and fast guns" unable to transport grain, and it is always quite troublesome to transport grain by land, regardless of the distance, especially the situation of the post road in Hainan is really bad. It was very difficult to rely on the requisitioned people to carry carts on their shoulders and push hundreds of miles to receive food. Therefore, the Ming army adopted the mode of setting up grain platforms section by section and transporting them layer by layer.

Shishan has certain topographical advantages, and the road is moderate, which is one of the best places to set up a transshipment grain platform.

At that moment, he ordered a general of Qian to lead 500 soldiers to set up a camp here, set up a grain platform, and be responsible for transporting grain. He also prepared to set up a second grain transfer platform in Chengmai County after relieving the siege of Chengmai. In this way, a grain station is set up every forty or fifty miles of isolation, and soldiers are stationed to guard it, which not only transports grain and grass energy to the army continuously, but also ensures the safety of his rear road.

The army then camped at Stone Mountain. There are thieves outside Chengmai County, He Rubin decided to rest here for one night, so that the soldiers can recharge their energy and return to Chengmai tomorrow. lest the hungry army be unable to resist the thieves who are waiting for their work, and if a small defeat is fought under the city, the effect on morale will be very bad.

"Tomorrow afternoon, our army will go to Chengmai County." He Rubin said to the generals and staff at the evening meeting, "According to the Chengmaitang report, the thieves have built an earthen siege under the city, and set up a camp, with about 2,000 men and horses, and artillery, the defense must be strong, and our army must take it down with one blow, without the slightest setback."

"Wow," the generals agreed loudly.

Zhao Ruyi said: "Local officials, they are too bad, but all thieves and bandits are exaggerated ten times and dozens of times. Even if there were more than 2,000 people in his village, most of them were coerced people. Our soldiers will be able to go down with one blow. ”

"That's true. However, it is better to be cautious. He Rubin asked Ye Zhengfang, the garrison of the Chinese army, "General Ye, take the latest Tang report from Chengmai." ”

Ye Zhengfang said: "Returning to my lordship, Chengmai's Tangbao has not arrived for three or four days. The terror thieves have laid siege to the city and cut off transportation. ”

"So you have to be more cautious" He Rubin felt a little vaguely uneasy in his heart, "Tomorrow will send more horses"

The sun is shining overhead, **spicy.

The commissioner took off the helmet from his head that he didn't know how many times. He stopped his horse in the shade of a tree on the side of the path, and several horsemen followed.

"Why didn't you leave?" One of his brothers asked.

"It's a fart, it's so hot. "Zhong Xiao cursed, his armor was not only hot but also heavy in the sun, and the leather strewn of disgust. He was ordered to lead a few brothers to act as scouts, and to reconnoiter the enemy at any time.

He took off his helmet to feel better. Not only sighed. This battle is really a difficult thing, not to mention the fear, this march alone will cost him half a small life.

"Take the little helmet, master." A soldier surnamed Xu beside him said flatteringly.

"Okay, go on." Zhong Xiao threw the helmet into his hand, "Lao Tzu is loose and relaxed, this hellish place, I can't even find someone to ask for saliva to drink." ”

They had just drunk all the water they had brought with them. I won't be able to see a place to refill the water for a while.

"There's water here." Xu Qinbing hurriedly handed over a bamboo tube, "I brought a few more small ones before I went out today." You are our backbone, and you can't afford to be a little off. ”

"Good boy, really capable," Zhong Xiao praised. Several of the other soldiers secretly cursed in their hearts for being shameless - this man always had a smiling face on weekdays, and he respectfully served the master as if he were a master. I have reaped a lot of benefits for myself.

Zhong Xiao's small group of cavalry, separated from his own team, left the post road, and set out to the south to patrol for signs of enemy activity.

They walked more than ten miles in one go. Along the way, apart from the occasional sight of a few people working in the fields, I didn't even see a single person. He wanted to arrest a few people for questioning, but as soon as the people saw the officers and soldiers in armor, they immediately fled with crawls. It was difficult for the horses to catch up in the paddy field, so he was so angry that he scolded his mother.

Since he could not catch the people for questioning, he had to take his brothers and ride forward slowly. I am used to staying in the densely populated Guangdong, and when I arrive in Hainan, I feel that it is unusually desolate here, there is no reclaimed wasteland everywhere, there are few villages along the way, and when I meet a few villages, the people inside have long escaped with the soft guys.

"There is no trace of any thief," Zhong Xiao scolded, "They will probably be eating, drinking, and sleeping in the Bo Shop."

"Say that the master is," the soldier surnamed Xu echoed, "where the thieves dare to come out to fight, they dare to set firearms far away." ”

"Let's go, let's go to the woods on the hill over there and have a look" Zhong Xiao drank the water and was in good spirits.

"At 500 meters to the southeast at 4 o'clock, five enemy horsemen are moving northwest," a scout who was watching from a large tree whispered.

Chen Sigen was already a little asleep - when he heard the report, he slowly turned around and moved to the observation position. He and three scouts had been in ambush in a hidden trench on the hill since the previous night, observing the movements around him.

The order given to him was to eliminate all officers and soldiers with less than ten men in their patrol range. Suspicious characters can be hunted and killed even if they are not in official or military attire.

Due to the lack of mobility, the special reconnaissance team can only rely on two legs for shielded patrols. Although the special investigators were several times more physically and staminally than ordinary people, it was quite difficult to intercept a small group of reconnaissance cavalry in a wide area.

Beiwei decided to adopt the system of slicing and contracting, dividing the shielding area into pieces. Every team of four people is formed into a team, and every 2 teams are responsible for a small area. The two teams take turns to carry out lurking and armed patrols. Teams use walkie-talkies to keep in touch with each other and keep them informed. If they encounter a distance beyond the range of the SKS rifle fire or a large number of officers and soldiers, only their movements are reported, and they are collected by a special mobile team consisting of motorcycles and agricultural vehicles equipped with machine guns.

Chen Sigen led people to choose a commanding height here and set up an observation post. A warrior uses a telescope to observe the surroundings in the foliage at the top of a large tree.

He took out his binoculars and followed the sentry's instructions to observe: 500 meters away, five Ming cavalrymen were approaching listlessly, their armor, helmets and swords hanging from their saddles.

"Don't worry, they're coming towards us, put it 100 meters and fire again." Chen Sigen ordered, "Report to the people of Team 1 and tell them to pay attention." ”

Seeing that the five-mounted enemy had already walked less than 100 meters away from him, Chen Sigen made a gesture of "ready to shoot". Then he pulled the SKS in his hand in front of his eyes, and carefully aimed at a knight who looked like an officer at the head.

Just as Zhong Xiao was once again looking into the distance, a crisp gunshot rang in his ears.

A bullet flew past his ear, and Zhong Xiao was surprised: there was a thief in ambush here, and he didn't dare to think much about it at the moment, so he quickly turned the horse's head and prepared to flee for his life.

At this time, several more shots rang out, and the two horsemen beside him fell off their horses. He was still talking in Rory just now, Xu Qinbing was already lying on the ground, half of the back of his head was revealed, and the plasma and brain flowed all over the ground. Zhong Xiao was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse

"Hurry up" He knelt down, grabbed the horse's neck, and whipped the horse's buttocks.

"Bastard" Chen Sigen cursed, quickly adjusted half of the secret position, and pulled the trigger again.

The bullet hit Zhong Xiao's shoulder blade accurately, sending his body forward with a sharp punch, and the bullet came out of his mouth, tearing half of his jaw off with the force of the impact. The corpse fell from the horse into the mud.

The other two horsemen turned their horses in a panic and fled, but the bullets quickly caught up with them, and the two men were shot and fell off their horses.

"It's a pity" Chen Sigen couldn't help but scold as he looked at the two empty saddle war horses that had fallen away. These are some of the few Mongolian horses in the region

"Quick, bring the horses back, and pull the corpses into the ditch," he ordered, "report, the B12 area has eliminated five Ming scouts." ”

The special investigation team's blockade of the Ming army's horse exploration made the official army quickly lose all news, and He Rubin sent several groups of horse exploration in a row, but they did not come back. After walking for more than ten miles, not a single scout horse came back. Feeling bad, he ordered the whole army to halt its advance.

"How far is it from Chengmai County?"

The answer was that there were still twelve miles to go. He Rubin felt hesitant, and in his experience, the sudden disappearance of his pond horse showed that the enemy's scout cavalry was also actively active, trying his best to keep himself from the other party's movements.

It seems that the enemy does not intend to be obediently besieged by him in Lingao, but is ready to fight him under Chengmai County.

"This thief is not easy to handle." For the first time, he felt a little worried. Didn't the thieves have no cavalry? It was impossible for the infantry alone to wipe out all the scout horses he sent out, and not a single one of them would be returned.

The generals were all waiting for his orders, and in another hour and a half the sky would be dark, and the 20,000 troops and baggage were still on the way, and if they could not reach Chengmai before dark, they would have to camp on the spot - time did not allow him to hesitate.

"General Tong," he ordered, "you immediately send three hundred cavalry to Chengmai, and another five hundred infantry to run and follow." Set up a village outside Chengmai County before dark to meet the army"

Tong Yizhen saw that the handsome man had a solemn face, and knew that there was a danger at this moment, so he immediately sent He Zhanran, the general manager of Qian, to lead three hundred horsemen to gallop towards Chengmai County. Just in case, he did not send five hundred infantry, but himself led his family and a thousand infantry to follow.

The members of the special reconnaissance team of Ye Mengyan's detachment, who were acting as shields on the post road, saw more than 300 cavalry coming on the post road at once, and knew that the small force scattered by their own team of four people alone could not resist, so they immediately let the cavalry go through the main road.

"The enemy brigade is coming. Three or four hundred cavalry," Ye Mengyan shouted over the walkie-talkie, "There is a lot of smoke and dust in the back, and there are still troops coming." ”

"Don't get entangled with it, the whole team will exit the shielded area while attacking and shooting. Put the enemy to the county seat"

"Understood"

Ye Mengyan raised his SKS rifle and pulled the trigger on the cavalry galloping on the road, and then the team members around him also fired one after another.

In the midst of the terrible gunfire, cavalrymen were constantly shot and fell from their horses. This sudden shot surprised He Zhanran, because he didn't see any sign of anyone releasing birds. But from the sound of gunfire, he knew that the other party was not many in number, at most thirty or forty people, and it must be to harass and delay his men and horses.

The three or four squads of Ye Mengyan's detachment fired in a pinch on both sides of the road, causing He Zhanran to leave more than 20 horsemen on the post road. Ye Mengyan originally wanted to fight another ambush, but the infantry of the Ming army behind him had already rushed over the mountains. Tong Yizhen heard the gunshots in front of him, judged that the enemy army had already deployed, ordered the infantry to spread out and form a formation, and personally led dozens of horseback soldiers to rush ahead.

Ye Mengyan originally thought that the enemy was nothing more than that, and he was simply vulnerable under the SKS rifle, and he would see the infantry of the Ming army pouring all over the ground, waving flags and banners, swords and guns like a forest, his heart was beating wildly, Mom**, this is too spectacular, I thought that there would be a machine gun, and I was afraid that I couldn't carry it - there were too many people

"Retreat quickly" At the moment, he ordered the whole detachment to retreat separately, he raised his SKS-D rifle and did not aim, and released a 20-round magazine in a row towards the Ming troops who came after him, and hurriedly went down to the ditch to escape.

The retreat route of the special reconnaissance team was pre-surveyed, and the terrain and topography were used as much as possible to avoid the enemy's pursuers. Because the weapons used by the special investigation team were all fire-free bullets, and all members were equipped with camouflage uniforms, it was difficult for the Ming army to identify their location in the wilderness.

Tong Yizhen's men and horses lost more than a dozen people in a blocking shot by Ye Mengyan's team, including one of his personal generals. The enemy's untraceable shot made him fearful. But the men and horses behind him kept coming, so he had to lead the men and horses to the county seat.

He Rubin heard the gunfire and shouts of killing in front of him, and knew that the advance had already received the enemy, so he hurriedly ordered Li Guang, a guerrilla commander of the standard-making battalion, to quickly rush to reinforcements with the standard-making battalion. He personally led the family and the town mark to answer in the back.

"Tell General Yan to hold down the rear team and move forward slowly, don't mess up the formation first"

The rear team not only had a large amount of baggage, but also the village warriors and the local drill army, which were very unreliable and would break and flee at the slightest waver. So he took special care of it. After passing the order, he personally led his family to follow Li Guang's men.

He Zhanran's cavalry was the first to arrive outside the south gate of Chengmai and occupied the empty village abandoned by You Laohu. The light infantry, which had been firing blockades outside the city gates, had withdrawn from their positions and retreated to the large camp northwest of the city.

He Zhanran saw that more than 300 infantry were retreating, and only walked out of less than two or three miles, so he hurriedly rushed over with the cavalry.

The 5th light infantry of the 1st Infantry Battalion commanded by Yang Zeng was delayed for more than ten minutes in connection with the order, and Yang Zeng, who was in charge of the blockade under the city, waited a little longer halfway in order to meet the light infantry of the 5th Battalion, but was bitten by the cavalry of the Ming army rushing quickly.

Seeing that the cavalry was already rolling in, Yang Zeng immediately drew his command knife and shouted and ordered: "Upper bayonet phalanx formation"

The snare drum beat rapidly.

The 1st Light Infantry Company, which had been retreating, immediately turned around and stood in front, and the 5th Light Infantry Company was divided into two, with half of the soldiers on the left and right arranged. The 3rd Light Infantry Company turned its back to them.

Yang Zeng found that the infantry on the left and right flanks was insufficient, and he was deeply afraid that the firepower of the two flanks would be too weak and the enemy would break through, so he immediately ordered the front and rear companies to allocate one platoon to each flank to move to the two flanks.

Because of the small number of people, the phalanx was simply lined up in three columns on each side. The first column knelt in front of him on one leg and pointed the rifle with the bayonet diagonally at the xiangshang. The back two columns of rifles are held flat. Always ready to fire.

This series of maneuvers took less than three minutes, and the enemy had rushed to the front of the phalanx in an instant, and the cavalry charged at full speed Liliang caused the soldiers who had been trained in countless infantry confrontations to begin to waver.

At this critical moment, Yang Dajia shouted: "The ruler is 0" and his command knife slashed downward, "Fire"