Section 94 Confrontation

"Double shotgun" At the command of the artillery officer, two 12-pounder mountain grenades were mixed with the rifle platoon and fired at the same time. A storm of projectiles swept through the entire ranks, and the charge collapsed without suspense.

Sha Jianbi led the Chinese army to attack the 1st Infantry Battalion twice, but each time they were repulsed, and seeing that the ranks of the officers and soldiers were gradually chaotic, many soldiers were reluctant to hit the muzzles of the thieves, and against the orders of the officers, some even moved their knives. One of his generals wanted to reorganize the team, but was dragged off his horse and killed.

He gasped for breath, feeling that there was nothing he could do, and now he could only quickly retreat to a safe place and wait for the arrival of the follow-up troops, and the two sides would make plans when they joined forces. At that moment, he ordered people to blow the snails, so that the various departments retreated slightly but gathered.

Just when he was about to retreat, Zhu Mingxia, who had been waiting for an opportunity for a long time, immediately ordered the 4th Battalion, which was lurking behind the mountain, to repeat its old tricks, and suddenly struck out and directly swept the flanks of the officers and soldiers.

The army, which had already been shaken by the spirit of the army, was suddenly attacked by such a new force, and many people turned around and ran away after a little resistance, and this flight was contagious, and the organized and orderly retreat of the officers and men came to an end, followed by chaos, fighting for their lives, trampling on each other. The fleeing soldiers threw not only their flags, weapons, but also their helmets.

Sha Jianbi beheaded a few soldiers in a row, but he still couldn't stop the terrible situation of the collapse of the whole front, so he had to no longer care about the lives of his soldiers and soldiers, and he didn't have time to think about the guilt after the loss of his division, and fled with dozens of his own soldiers.

The officers and men fled so fast that the 4th Infantry Battalion could barely encircle them, and they intercepted only a part of them. The loudspeakers kept shouting, "Those who surrender will not die", and many people were so exhausted that they could only drop their weapons and kneel on the ground in surrender.

Zhu Mingxia personally led the troops to chase and kill two or three kilometers of road, captured hundreds of exhausted soldiers, and captured many supplies and armor, and then stopped the pursuit. Gather your troops quickly.

"Beat the rally drum and gather the troops."

The drummers quickly stood in a row and began to beat the drums, and after ten minutes or so, the troops that had already dispersed began to consider in the direction of the flag from all directions.

The special reconnaissance team was already warning him that the enemy's follow-up was not far from him.

He pondered for a moment, the enemy's follow-up troops were coming, according to the report of the special reconnaissance team, there were also 2,000 people, if the defensive counterattack mode just now continued, the soldiers had been fighting continuously for almost a day since the morning, and the physical strength and ammunition consumption was very large, and fighting another battle might not be as easy as the first two times, and the battlefield was being cleaned up and captured at the foot of the stone mountain, and once the officers and soldiers invested their newly acquired troops, these things would all be interrupted.

Considering this, he made a quick decision: he decided to directly lead the 4th Battalion to directly meet the reinforcements, follow the rout, use the rout to disrupt the reinforcements, and then directly enter the battle to defeat his entire army.

He saw that the troops had been assembled, and called Xiong Maozhang through the walkie-talkie:

"I'm going to meet the follow-up troops, you hurry up and take people to capture prisoners and clean up the battlefield"

Saying that, he immediately led the whole battalion, shouted and chased in the direction of the rout of Sha Jianbi on the post road.

Sha Jianbi pushed down more than ten miles with the rout, originally thinking that the enemy had stopped pursuing, and he was about to pack up his men and horses to join Li Guang's reinforcements, when he only heard the sound of fighting and shouting in the rear, especially the sound of horns and small drums unique to thieves. He knew that if he ran again at this time, not only would he be wiped out, but even Li Guang's 2,000 men would be disrupted by his defeated army, so he immediately ordered people to erect his own banner on a small hill next to the post road, and personally led his family and personal soldiers to gather the troops.

However, the sound of guns and artillery fighting in the rear team was already approaching, and the officers and men who had no fighting spirit were unwilling to continue fighting, and they broke down one after another. Sha Jianbi beheaded several fugitives in a row, but he still couldn't stop the rout. In desperation, I saw Cao Xiangjiao covered in blood and retreated from behind, his forward battalion garrison did not take long before the men and horses were all dispersed, he relied on the desperate rescue of a few personal soldiers to escape from the rice field, just now on the road finally gathered some men and horses, when he heard the sound of the enemy's pursuit, he led the troops back to resist, and was quickly defeated. Cao Xiangjiao was injured by a bullet, and finally struggled to escape here.

"General, let's go!" Cao Xiangjiao shouted, "The thief has caught up again, and the humble general will resist here for a while," he shouted, waved his knife, and went back.

Sha Jianbi wanted to support him for a while, but the soldiers around him were already in chaos, and regardless of whether he gave the order or not, they directly surrounded him and fled back.

Cao Xiangjiao stood on the post road with his own soldiers for a while, watching the tide of defeated soldiers rushing past him. Until there were no more horses on the road. Only then did he lead a few of his own soldiers to throw away their flags and flee into the grove by the roadside.

Zhu Mingxia's pursuit, so that the rout of the officers and soldiers can never stop and rectify, so that the rout of the way out of the seven or eight miles, Li Guang brought 2,000 people also crushed all the way, Li Guang tried to clean up the people was also wrapped in the chaos and retreated in the direction of Chengmai, Zhu Mingxia led the troops to chase closely. He chased him five or six miles and captured a large number of prisoners.

In a series of battles around Shishan, the officers and men suffered heavy losses, not only losing a large number of armor weapons and horses, but also returning less than 3,000 of the 7,000 people who reinforced Shishan three times before and after. Those who didn't come back were either on the battlefield or were captured by thieves. There was also a loss of one of the generals. This completely bankrupted the original statement that "thieves are not good at field warfare" that the generals and staff members had unanimously said. A large number of routs fled back to the camp, causing the morale in the Chengmai camp to fall to the bottom. Many generals and officers were already packing their things and preparing to flee for their lives. There was a loud and chaotic sound in the camp. He Rubin and Zhao Ruyi tried their best to send people to preach the bomb pressure, and then contained all the defeated soldiers separately and set up a battalion to prevent them from talking everywhere.

Ye Zhengfang, who was in charge of the ammunition suppression, killed more than 20 soldiers and junior officers who were agitating to flee in each battalion. He Rubin's Zhenbiao and Jiading's vitality were not damaged, but they still remained calm, so that the once chaotic atmosphere of the entire camp finally settled down.

All the major generals in General He Rubin gathered in the big tent to discuss countermeasures. Some of the generals advocated that the whole division should be returned to the east immediately, and a road from Shishan should be opened to Qiongshan to camp and rest, and some of them advocated confronting each other on the spot and sending men and horses to attack Shishan tomorrow. Sha Jianbi thinks that the thieves are not strong enough. According to the actual number of people guarding Shishan, there are only 2,000 people, and if 5,000 people are dispatched to attack at a time, and at the same time order the remaining troops in Qiongshan to attack in front and rear, it is completely possible to force the thieves to abandon Shishan.

But everyone did not approve of this arithmetic, because today a total of 7,000 men were sent, and they were also defeated. What good is it to send another 5,000 men?

"Today, our army has committed the taboo of underestimating the enemy." He Rubin said, "General Yan, General Sha and General Li were divided into three divisions into the battlefield, each time our army did not have the advantage, the enemy army used firearms to defend the fortress, to wait for work, our army after a long journey with hungry and tired soldiers to attack, originally powerless, so can not break the enemy. ”

He Rubin's judgment of the battlefield situation was still very prepared, and he clearly realized that he had made the mistake of "adding oil" because of his impatience. He was unwilling to retreat from the army, once he retreated to Qiongshan, the thief would come back and conquer Chengmai, lose his division and land, and lose his general, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, he strongly advocated holding on to the local area and continued to send heavy troops to open up the connection with Qiongshan. He estimated that the thieves' strength was limited, and it was impossible to divide the troops for a long time, and as long as the two sides were deadlocked, the thieves would inevitably retreat from Stone Mountain.

There are still more than ten days of grain in the grain and grass army, and there are also a lot of grain stocks in the grain depot in Chengmai County, and the whole army can still support half a month

"It's just this grain and grass...... Zhao Ruyi asked with some suspicion. Half a month's reserve of grain and grass is not reassuring in any way.

"Within three to five days, we will first make every effort to open up the grain road" He Rubin Road, "when necessary, we will transport grain by sea"

"The thief sailor is powerful, I'm afraid it won't be as good as you want."

"It's a precautionary measure." He Rubin said and shouted:

"General Tang"

Tang Yunwen knew that this "good errand" must be to find his head, so he immediately stood up and responded: "Humble general"

"The water master transports grain from Qiongshan, can you be sure?"

Tang Yunwen didn't dare to say "unsure", so he had to say: "This matter can be done, but the cost of repairing the ships under the subordinate generals over the years has never been enough, and there are not many ships available......

"There are still sealed merchant ships and fishing boats in Haikou, and you can call them."

"Yes," Tang Yunwen said, "Please give the commander the arrow immediately, and the general will send someone back to handle it immediately." ”

He Rubin said: "No, you go back to handle it in person." I'll give you ten days. Grain and grass must be delivered, otherwise the town will be blamed for the name of Yan Shen."

"Yes, the humble general will not be dishonored" Tang Yunwen was happy and worried. He was glad that he had escaped from this Jedi that was bound to be defeated - unlike the other generals, he was fully aware of the strength of the military liliang of the thieves, and the officers and troops were bound to be defeated this time. The worry is that although it is not impossible to supply food by sea, it is uncertain whether it can be supplied within 10 days, and once the officers and troops are defeated, their failure to supply food on time will become an excuse for He Rubin to shirk his responsibility. When the time comes, there will be no arguments.

That night, Tang Yunwen took a small number of his relatives to quietly get on a fishing boat in Xiaoyingchang, and quietly left along the coastline at night and headed for Qiongshan. His men and horses were led by Chen Renjie, the thousand general manager of Baisha Village

In order to meet the grain and grass at sea, He Rubin decided to reoccupy Xiaoyingchang. This time, the officers and men fully learned their lesson, and not only sent 2,000 men and horses, but also strengthened many firearms, and prepared to defend to the death.

In the following two or three days, the whole army of the officers and troops died down, and did not go out of the village to fight, He Rubin only urged the generals to continue to repair the village and dig ditches, and reorganize the troops. After preparing to rest like this for a few days, he personally led the heavy army group with Zhenbiao and Jiading as the main force, and defeated the whole army of thieves in Shishan in one fell swoop, recaptured Shishan, and rebuilt the grain road.

The camp is busy, a solemn atmosphere, but in a courtyard in Chengmai County, it is a different scene, this is the richest family in the county's village, the owner is surnamed Song, and there is also an identity of a prisoner. This time the Fubo army besieged Chengmai, he contributed the most to defend the city, and he was also very stammered when the officials and soldiers came, and took out part of his private house for the big officials in the army to live. Because the generals wanted to control the army and at the same time show that they wanted to "share weal and woe" with the soldiers, only the civilian officials and staff members moved in. Song Jiansheng also used this group of staff as a "talisman", and he was very attentive in entertaining and supplying.

At this time, Chang Qingyun, Qian Taichong, and a dozen or so staff members who were more vocal on weekdays, accompanied by Song Zonghui, the owner of the mansion, were drinking tea in the garden of the mansion. This prison master is quite elegant, and has a few money, and the mansion is also a little decorated with spring stones, which has a slight garden victory, which is very rare in this southern land.

Because they were going to the army, the staff did not dare to openly invite wine, but just set up a few tables in the garden, set up some tea and fruit snacks, and chatted under the moonlit night

Because of the unfavorable situation in the war, several generals were lost in a row, and the grain route was cut off, and the situation of the whole army was very dangerous. The optimistic atmosphere of the time in Qiongshan was swept away.

Many individuals realized that the crusade against the thieves had been lost, but no one dared to say it so openly. There are also some people who are still reluctant to admit that the ability of the thief is limited to "miraculous skills", even if the Fubo army defeated three officers and soldiers in a row in the field battle at Shishan, they also believe that this is purely due to objective factors such as "Shishan is dangerous". As for whether Ishiyama was "dangerous" or not, and how he fought at that time, they were not interested at all.

Qian Taichong was much more pragmatic than these people, he had been listening to military discussions in the big tent recently, and he had personally visited the low-ranking generals and colonels who had participated in the battle, and he knew from them a lot of first-hand information, and knew that the thieves were not only sophisticated in firearms, but also neat and disciplined, and they were not inferior to the officers and soldiers in battle. He felt that this was a big enemy, because in the past, the sea lord bandits here in Guangdong had never had such people, and the thieves were a bit like the Franc man, but whether it was the Franc man or the red-haired man, he could not concentrate so many troops and carry out offensive and defensive field battles with the imperial army.

At this time, he grabbed Gou Chengxuan and asked him to talk about the thief. In particular, the firearms of the thieves are what Qian Taichong and others are more concerned about. Gou Chengxuan had no choice but to tell him everything he knew, especially the bird guns and artillery used by the thieves, because the gap between the times was too big, and he couldn't help but leave a very impactful feeling for Qian Taichong and others.

"So, most of the thieves' firearms were made in Lingao?" Qian Taichong asked seriously.

"Exactly." Gou Chengxuan nodded, "Cannons, bird guns, and sub-medicine projectiles, all of them." ”

"Since the Apocalypse, the imperial court has used Westerners to make Hongyi cannons, which are also militaristic weapons. I didn't expect the thief's artillery to be so sophisticated. One of the staff members sighed, "Projectiles can explode and hurt people, and my brother has also seen it in "Wubei Zhi", which is not rare, but this projectile that can explode in the air is really unheard of." ”

"Only God knows whether the so-called thunderbolt artillery in the Wubei Zhi will work or not." Qian Taichong scoffed, "I haven't seen it for a long time except for the war bureau in the Jiajing period." ”

"My brother thinks that this kind of flowering cannon is nothing more than the Song and Yuan Dynasty's 'fierce artillery', and I think of 'ten thousand enemies'. However, in the beginning, trebuchets were used, but now they are only bombarded with cannons. Chang Qingyun can also be regarded as knowing firearms, and immediately added, "If you talk about Taixi's cannon, it is just the will of the original Song Dynasty's assault gun......"

"'But', 'That's it', said and said, but I still want Westerners to help make cannons" Qian Taichong slapped the table excitedly, "Now the guns and firearms of the thieves are higher than those of the Taixi people." I'm calling for help."

Everyone felt very abrupt, and they didn't know why this show was so excited. Qian Taichong also felt that he was a little out of shape, and took a sip of tea without saying anything.

An elderly staff member said: "Although the thieves' firearms are good, they are only a county, so there is no need to worry. The most worrying person is that the wigs of his subordinates are willing to be born and die for them, risking the risk of arrows. This kind of deceptive technique is a great trouble for the imperial court. ”

At that moment, everyone lamented a burst of words such as "villains seeking profits" and "the world is declining".

Qian Taichong said in a firm tone: "However, today's accumulation of shortcomings, not to mention the foolish views of my younger brothers, I still think that it is better to cure the root cause than to seek treatment one by one." The so-called "this" is the ...... of 'edification'"

He frothed at the mouth for a long time, and there was a discussion among the staff. Some people talked about "qi" and "heart", and some people talked about Wang Yangming's "heart science", and they were chatting energetically, when suddenly there was a desolate horn sound outside the county, and the sound shook the sky. Interrupted their discussion. Only then did the crowd realize that it was not only ridiculous but also absurd that they were talking about it at this time.

Chang Qingyun came back and talked about his method of "breaking the enemy with mines". In his opinion, the thief's clipper iron ship will be wiped out when it encounters the "mixed river dragon" he is advocating, and as soon as the thief's sailor is broken, the grain road will be opened immediately.

"In that place in Stone Mountain, the thieves will occupy it if they want to. When the tens of thousands of catties of food are exhausted, the 3,000 men and horses of the thieves will be alone, and they will be in chaos without a fight. Chang Qingyun said with a foaming mouth.

But everyone knew that his so-called mine regimental camp was somewhat whimsical, and it would be useful when besieging Bopu, and now the ships of the thieves were only anchoring near the shore, not to mention that the current was the opposite. Everyone ignored him. Only Qian Taichong sneered:

"Once the sea grain route is passed, I'm afraid it will drift countless more. When the time comes, if you can get the money and grain of Chengmai, I'm afraid it will be good five or six times out of ten. He said, "My brother thinks that it is better to open up the grain road." ”

"Yes, if you can't open up the grain road, there will be little food in the city, and I'm afraid it won't last many days." Song Zonghui finally found an opportunity to interject. He is different from this group of staff, his family and business are all in Chengmai, and the success or failure of the officers and soldiers recruiting thieves is directly related to his family business and personal safety, and he cannot but be concerned.