Standing in his thirties, Yang Zhaofeng was just a stunned young man in his early twenties when the second brother took refuge in Zhao Dangshi, the years passed like a white horse, and for nearly ten years, many people, especially the old brothers of Zhao Ying, felt that Yang Zhaofeng's kid had changed, just like the beard on his lips that was gradually thickening, he was no longer the young man who was ridiculed for "not doing things firmly without hair on his mouth" and often couldn't help crying in public, but had already been sharpened by the war into a resolute and strong young officer.

"Have I changed? In addition to these ......," Yang Zhaofeng often smiled wryly and stroked his beard, which was as hard as a grate.

Ten years ago, the fledgling Zhao Ying was trapped in the battle of Sichuan, and Yang Zhaofeng did not hesitate, and took the lead in sacrificing himself to attack the officers and soldiers, pulling the Zhao Ying back from the brink of annihilation; Today, ten years later, the robes of the Zhenwei are also facing a life and death crisis, and Yang Zhaofeng, who is usually cautious, also knows why, and a sense of courage suddenly arises.

Since the death of his second brother Yang Chengfu, Yang Zhaofeng has understood a truth, in troubled times, personal struggles are insignificant. In the face of the tide of the general trend, no matter how tenaciously the personal boat steers and rocks, it is difficult to resist. To survive and move forward, the words "in the same boat" are absolutely indispensable. It was also from that time that the helpless Yang Zhaofeng decided to dedicate everything he had to Zhao Ying, and do everything he could to protect Zhao Ying and protect Zhao Ying's brothers, because he believed that protecting Zhao Ying was equivalent to protecting himself. Therefore, whenever great difficulties came, he was fearless.

When sending Yang Zhaofeng out of the city, the corners of Han Gon's eyes were moist, and he wrapped his shoulders and said, "Fengzi, I treat you as my own brother, you have to come back to me completely." If not, I'...... Alas......"

Yang Zhaofeng said: "The eldest brother is the boss, he has to sit in command, and a few commanders are not suitable, so it's best for me to go." ”

Han Gon said: "The fifty horsemen I gave you are the most fierce in the army, and if something goes wrong, I will protect you from the encirclement." ”

Yang Zhaofeng arched his hand and said: "Thank you, big brother, I just hope that these fifty horses will really come in handy." Turning to look at the rainy days outside the cave at the city gate, "The Tartar is coming, the eldest brother should go back to the festival hall to preside over military affairs." ”

Han Gunyan is arrogant, and she has always been free and easy in life and work, but only at this time, she suddenly burst into tears.

Yang Zhaofeng faced Han Gon, bowed down and said sincerely: "Brother Han, you are my eldest brother for one day, and you are my eldest brother for life, this friendship, I will never forget it in this life, no matter what happens in the future, Fengzi has to explain this sentence to you first." He added, "But when I go, I will succeed, if I don't succeed, I will become benevolent, and please don't be surprised by the eldest brother." ”

Han Gon sighed, nodded and said, "Fengzi, the old brothers in the army talk and laugh after tea and dinner, and they always say that you are stunned, not brave." Now it seems that you are really brave, and you are the first brave general of Zhao Ying. ”

"Don't dare to be brave, don't hide it from my eldest brother, I'm actually scared." Yang Zhaofeng smiled, "However, at least I am very open in my heart." ”

Leaving the Acropolis, Yang Zhaofeng led fifty horsemen to gallop westward, and the raindrops hitting his cheeks were hard, he suddenly thought of something, his eyes were hot, but then he was solemn, and he only struggled to urge the horse.

"Drive-"

“......”

Soon after Han Gon returned to Zhenyuweijietang, the Ming army began to hurry up and arrange the city defenses before the Qing army arrived.

The two guards of the Acropolis are governed at the same time, not only control the northern passage of Datong and Xuanfu, but also the side wall not far to the north, and control the Acropolis to guard the border tile kiln mouth fort, Xinping Fort, Yongjia Fort and many other passes, which are really military important places, and the armament is more perfect than elsewhere. Not only the city is high and the walls are thick, but there are also several ditches on the periphery, outside the ditch, there are many big trees that are stacked horizontally and vertically, and these big branches are tangled with each other, and the thickness is as high as three or five layers, like antlers. There are more obstacles such as erected fences and pickets around the perimeter, which are quite strict.

On this basis, Han Gon ordered Zhang Xianbi to lead his troops to dig many new deep pits on the main roads outside the city, insert sharp wooden stakes, cover them with arrowroot straw, and cover the outermost layer with floating soil. In addition, three battalions of Ma Guangchun, Zhou Yuji, and Lu Yue were sent out of the city, and the high places outside the city were arranged respectively, and the city became horns to provide mutual support.

After these preparations were completed, the front-line sentinels returned to the city one after another, reporting that the Qing army was five miles away.

Han Gon looked from afar from the city, and his eyes followed the gray sky to the end, but he saw that the Qing army had climbed over the mountains two or three miles away, and the armor was bright, like snow rolling down the sky. At the same time, the outskirts of the city whistled drums, people and horses moved together, Ma Guangchun and Zhou Yuji's two battalions of horse troops went out first, and the black armor was like a dark cloud sliding across the earth, moving quickly towards the front in the rumbling thunderous hooves.

The Qing army came from the north, and there was Yanmen water flowing through three miles north of Zhenyuwei, and the Ming army planned to take advantage of the Qing army to cross the water to block it.

The battle on the waterside of Yanmen was clearly visible, and Han Gon was engrossed in observing, but saw that the horse army of the two battalions of Ma and Zhou took turns to attack the front of the Qing army that was crossing the water, and several times in a row, although the Qing army staggered back and forth, but scattered and reunited, retreated and was not defeated. The Ming army and the horse army were vertical and horizontal, treading the waves and returning, and soon there were Tang soldiers to report, saying that the battle beheaded more than ten Qing troops, but it was difficult to stop the trend of crossing the river.

Han Gon looked at Yanmen Shui, and saw that the number of Qing troops on both sides of the water was gradually increasing, and immediately ordered: "Let the Ma army not fall in love with the battle, and go back to the outside of the city to rely on the trench to fight again." ”

The Qing army endured the war, and Han Gon had already heard that this half-crossing attack was mainly tempting. In just this short battle, Han Gon felt that the Qing army could not be broken in one drum, so he completely put away his luck and concentrated on relying on the city to fight.

After the two battalions of Ma Guangchun and Zhou Yuji retreated, they lined up on the gentle slopes on both sides of the east gate of the city, and the thousand cavalry of the horse army of Lu Yuezhong's camp and the thousand infantry led by Zhang Xianbi of the Wuqi battalion were in front of the east gate. In the city, Bai Wang commanded the remaining soldiers of the Wuqi battalion to arrange artillery along the battlements and set up rows of birds. He Renji, Meng Aocao, Hu Keshou and others led 2,000 horse troops in the city and were ready to attack at any time. Military orders came out in all directions, up and down the city gate and inside and outside, for a while, the flags were everywhere, and the pond horses were endless.

After crossing the Yanmen water, the Qing army did not advance in a hurry, and the whole formation on the waterfront was small until all the soldiers and horses were gathered before continuing to move. Three miles away, the flag of the Qing army was clearly visible. Among them, countless yellow flags flew in the main formation, and the dragons on the flags showed their teeth and claws, which was very arrogant, and the number of Qing troops who followed the yellow flags was also the largest. The hundreds of Yellow Flag Qing troops at the forefront borrowed a huge cart to stop at ten paces and slowly pushed the melee line. The Qing army that followed the chariot was full of ironclad warriors with big swords, giant hammers, and strong bows and crossbows, roaring with arms as they walked, with great momentum.

At first, the Qing Dynasty Taizu Nurhachi divided his troops and horses into four categories, called the Ring Knife Army, the Iron Hammer Army, the Red Army and the Neng Shooting Army, which respectively had the functions of hand-to-hand combat, destroying the strong, chariot shield, and shooting. Among them, the chariot has two wheels, which are pushed forward by people, and a horizontal plate wrapped in cowhide and iron sheet is erected in front of the frame, which can effectively cover the soldiers who follow behind, which can be regarded as a copy of the Wugang car used by the Ming army. The original intention of the formation of such mixed troops was to target the tactics of the Ming army's penchant for defending the fortification, that is, using the carts of the Red Army to resist the rain of bullets, using the Iron Hammer Army to clear the barricades, occasionally using the Able Shooting Army to shoot back with arrows, and finally approaching close and then hand-to-hand combat by the Ring Knife Army, so as to avoid the shortcomings of the Manchurian soldiers in the long range.

Such a battle formation was suitable for the Manchurian soldiers who fought mostly in the mountains and forests during the Nurhachi era, especially against the Jurchen tribes who were also less organized, and the Ming army, which was initially fond of field warfare. However, with the passage of time, the Jurchen tribes gradually unified, and the Ming army gradually learned to avoid field battles and consciously relied on fortifications to fight positional warfare, so the unchanged melee formation gradually lost its usefulness.

During the Huangtaiji period, the Qing army made a qualitative leap in both military system and tactics, and the loose Qing army, which relied on courage and force to win, was slowly transformed into a regular army with strict military discipline and orderly marching, and most of the old formations and tactics were abandoned. Especially with the increase of firearms in the Qing army camp and the establishment of Wuzhen Chaoha and other special firearms establishments, the Qing army's long-range firepower on the battlefield is better than that of the Ming army, and there is no need to avoid shortcomings. But there are always exceptions, even if some old antiques remain.

Zhenghuangqi regards himself as the descendant of the Eight Banners, and has his own spirit, although he feels that the artillery is powerful, but he is still unwilling to give up the traditional combat skills, Tan Tai is a representative of the old ways. He retained some of the old-style armaments and establishments in the Zhenghuang Banner, in order to prove that the superior force of the Manchurian soldiers was not under firearms. Since entering the customs, in the face of the Ming army and the Shun army, which had a low fighting spirit, his mixed vanguard unit performed very eye-catching, destroying the city and pulling out the village, invincible, and achieved fruitful results. This further boosted his self-confidence. Seeing that these days were rainy and unfavorable to the use of firearms, he deliberately let this mixed army show off and boost the morale of the Manchurian children of the Eight Banners.

The Qing army reached about 200 paces, and the head of the city crackled and cracked, and more than ten No. 1 Hongyi cannons were also tested one after another. The Qing army marched forward with the wind on the roof of the chariot, and the sledgehammer warriors took advantage of the cover to smash the fences along the way, while the crossbowmen leaned out from behind the huge cart from time to time to shoot cold arrows without flinching.

Seeing this situation, Han Gon put another cannon on the city, and Zhang Xianbi, Wu Mingfeng and Xiong Wanjian, two sentinels who were preparing for battle in front of the city gate, led the thousands of infantry soldiers of the Wuqi battalion to fight in advance. At this time, hundreds of cavalry of the Qing army quickly came out from the rear formation, and rushed straight to the Ming army's infantry to open the way for the forward.

"From now on, you can see that the Tartar is not trivial." Han Gon muttered with a resolute expression. Even if the Qing army had already made preparations, the situation on the battlefield could not be intermittent, and it was able to respond so quickly because of its strong discipline and organizational ability. Seeing the slight knowledge, just looking at this point, the military quality of the Qing army surpassed all the opponents that Han Gon had fought before.

"Don't underestimate me Zhao Yingbing." Han Gon gritted his teeth. Although the Qing army was strong, in Han Gon's opinion, it may be stronger than the ordinary Ming army, but it was not above the Zhao battalion soldiers.

Outside the city, the infantry of the Ming army under the leadership of Zhang Xianbi and others was not slow and had begun to respond.

The Ming army had a system of defending against the enemy's cavalry, and the most widely used, the quickest, and most effective of it was to burden the old and weak men of the army with antlers made of sharpened wooden sticks that could hinder the horse army's charge, and quickly stick them into the ground around the whole army when they found the enemy, and then they could be turned into camps. In this way, the infantry troops in the battalion can seize the time to deploy firearms to block the enemy's horse army, and their own horse army can also rush out of the camp to fight according to the situation, and the tactics are very flexible. In the forty-seventh year of Wanli, in the battle of Salhu as a symbol of the Ming Dynasty's several road expeditions, the Ming general Liu Wei led the southeast route army to advance to Qingfeng Mountain, which was not far from Hetuala, the capital of the Later Jin State at that time.

However, the Zhao battalion soldiers did not rely only on firearms, and they were also familiar with other tactics, and they only looked at the judgment and orders of the officers.

More than 1,000 Ming infantry troops quickly arranged antlers, arranged a formation behind the triple trench, and arranged in an arc, and the spearmen waited for the antlers behind the branches, and Lü Yue's thousands of horse troops also entered the formation and waited for the opportunity. But the Qing army and the horse army have not yet killed, they forced the outermost Qi wide trench to retreat, the three trenches are very close to each other, one after another, and there are many holes dug by the Ming army in the gap, forcibly prancing horses, which is completely infeasible. The sound of the long horn sounded, not only the Qing army's horses retreated violently, but also a number of chariots were also difficult to enter - how could even the sturdy war horses pass through the trench with only two wheels.

When the Qing army was at a standstill, the guns continued, and the Qing army and the horse army retreated in a hurry in order to avoid the rain, and the chariots, which were regarded by Tan Tai as the important weapons of the Manchurian state, were also bombarded by artillery. The caliber of the No. 1 Hongyi cannon is very large, specially made for attacking and defending the city, and even if the wooden planks of the cart are thick and the iron sheet is covered, it will still burst out and burst, and the body will be shattered.

After the artillery test, the Ming gunners in the city continued to bombard the position of the chariot with an accuracy that the Qing army had never seen before, and even if the huge and heavy chariot escaped the shelling, it was still swaying left and right like a light and fluttering lonely boat on the ground that was bombarded by the artillery, and there was no order at all.

"The cart board of the Tartar is a live target. With such a large distance, Lao Tzu can hit it with his eyes closed. "Among the well-trained gunners, some of them were busy with their hands and feet and did not forget to make mockery.

The artillery roared, and it only took a moment, and when Han Gon looked again, the vanguard position of the Qing army had already eroded into a group. The previously vigorous Qing army's mixed vanguard troops had no choice but to abandon their cumbersome chariots and retreat. Originally, if the opponent was the Shun army, this defeat would have to be adjusted for half a day before it could fight again, but the Qing army did not seem to care, first gathered the vanguard troops, and the yellow flag was violently waved in the large array, and immediately divided the left, center, and right light armored infantry, and went straight to the trench.

The left and middle of these three light armored soldiers are all from the Han army with red flags, led by the banner Meile Zhangjing Zu Zehong and Jialazhangjing Zhang Dayou, and the right is a mixed formation of Baoyi Aha. They took local materials by hand, loaded them with sand and soil, and carried two sacks of marsh each, and walked away without fear of the cat's waist with guns and guns, intending to fill in the trenches. In addition to them, Baya Lama Zhangjing Ao Bai Batulu personally led more than 1,000 Baijia Baya Lama troops to break away from the big array and go straight to the east gate of the city, as long as the gate is captured and the sluice gate is opened, the water in the trench can be drained, and the progress of filling the trench is gained.

The Qing army on the front three roads has Zhang Xianbi and Lu Yue to resist, in the direction of the gate in the east of the city, Zhou Yujiying flag moved, and thousands of horsemen rushed down from the slope, and directly took more than 1,000 Baijia Bayala of Aobai Baturu.