"Go and say hello to Lao Wu, send two battalions forward, and see what's going on over there!"

At the head of the city, Ji Changming put away his smile and put down the lens barrel in his hand. The old Wu in his mouth was the commander of the 98th Regiment of the 23rd Brigade of his garrison, and he was responsible for the defense of this area west of the city.

While giving the order to go down, he walked briskly from the city wall to the city gate. In the cave of the city gate, countless sacks have been prepared to block the city gate, which are filled with sand, gravel and soil, and in order to prevent cannons, a lot of water has been poured to make each sack wet. In addition to these, there are several Saimen knife carts placed at the city gates.

"The ramp from the city to the city should be repaired as soon as possible, and I am afraid that the gate in front of the city will become the object of the Tartar soldiers' artillery care. Let's have a few more hands ready! Otherwise, when the time comes, it will be a trouble to not be able to respond to each other's rescue, inside and outside the city! ”

The two battalions formed a neat phalanx and quickly headed towards the huge cloud of smoke and dust to the west. Their task is very simple, if it is an outpost of the Qing army, they will meet the formation in the field to buy time for the Hongqiao side. If it is a refugee or friendly army who has retreated from Jiading, Qingpu and other counties in Songjiang Prefecture, cover them for rectification near the meeting place and conduct personnel screening. Then, go around the flank of Hongqiao Town and drive towards Shanghai County.

However, to the great disappointment of the officers and men of these two battalions, although there were many men and horses, they were mainly women, children and ordinary people, and they came slowly with a number of soldiers and horses.

The head of the Wu regiment who led the team was very disappointed and spit out a mouthful of betel nut residue on the ground, a blood-red ball. "Go to a few people and order them to stop advancing. Stand by now! Which part of the soldiers and horses, which place of the officials, came with the seal to check it! ”

This is part of the military discipline system of the Nanyue Army. Otherwise, you say that you are a retreating soldier and horse, and God knows if you were captured by the enemy and hijacked, and came to the interior of our army to carry out a surprise attack? This tactic, whether it was the Qing army in Liaodong or the former peasant army that fought on the Jianghuai River and the Han River, was extremely good at it.

"Didi-d-da-da! Da Da Drip! At the sound of the call for contact, several scouts sorted out their weapons and applied contact signal flags, and trotted towards the team in the distance.

The same answer horn sounded from the opposite line. With this trumpet, the opposite team slowly stopped.

"Wu Changqing! You old bad luck! Lao Tzu has arrived in your defense area, are you still like a great enemy?! In the distance, a few joking shouts and curses came down the wind.

"This can't be helped! According to the rules set by the Lord, if you feel that your neck is heavy and you want to reduce it, you just don't follow the rules! Wu Changqing also knew that the other side must be someone he was familiar with, otherwise he wouldn't have called out all his nicknames. However, in this time when the war is approaching, it is always right to be careful, to be cautious.

"My old sea hasn't reached the point where I feel my head heavy! You can rest assured! I'm going to start reorganizing the team and screening people! "Hai Kuanhe, who led the team on the other side, is also an understanding person. Jumping off his horse, he summoned the officers of his battalions and regiments, and ordered them to gather together the soldiers of his formation. For those stragglers who came from unknown sources and whose details were not clear, they were all disarmed and guarded separately. "Don't make trouble for us!"

Here, Hai Kuanhe was reorganizing his soldiers and horses, and the two battalions of Wu Changqing over there slowly moved over, forming a pincer shape to trap them within their own range. In this way, for friendly troops, it can provide peripheral vigilance and cover for friendly troops, prevent people from taking advantage of the chaos, and prevent the Qing army from raiding in the wilderness.

Hai Kuanhe's personnel screening is very simple. Basically, all the units of the Nanyue Army were relatively concentrated in a certain area into a single unit. Officers at all levels were relatively familiar with their subordinates. If you don't have your own people, you can know it at a glance. And those stragglers who joined in halfway were even simpler. "Hand over your weapons first! Take off your hat! ”

The Qing army in the south of the Yangtze River, whether it was the Eight Banners or the Green Battalion, was shaved and braided. Even if the military armor is too late to change for a while, the hairstyle must be changed. And this has become the easiest criterion for identifying friend and foe. See if you've shaved your hair and have money rattail braids. Even those professional scouts of the Qing army shaved off their braids in order to blend into the Nanyue military camp and changed to a bald Nanyue military hairstyle, veterans like Wuchang Qinghai Kuanhe have a way to identify them.

"Look at the hair on the back of the head! It's not freshly shaved! Our brothers all shaved their heads at once! Qing Bing's hair is braided at the back of his head! The hair on the front and back foreheads is not the same! The sun has passed, leaving traces! ”

As for the refugees, the people with their families stood together, and the young and middle-aged people who did not have old and weak women and children, wives and children gathered alone. In less than half an hour, among the tens of thousands of people, dozens of people of unknown origin and suspicious deeds were screened. There are those dressed as refugees, and there are stragglers.

"Lao Wu, these dozens of people, should I let you stay here as a coolie, or will I take them to the business area and hand them over to Yousi for review?"

"Stay with me! There is a shortage of coolies! ”

Half an hour later, Hongqiao Town prepared hot soup and dry food for Hai Kuanhe's team and refugees and sent them out.

"Lao Wu, I won't go to see Brigade Commander Ji. The order given to me from above is that I must rush to the business area tonight to meet the second son. ”

"It's good! Just take yours, I promise you'll be clean behind your ass! ”

"Well, the outpost of the Qing army is about thirty miles away from us. On the way of Lao Tzu's retreat, he demolished all the bridges and ferries that could be demolished, and even if it was a cavalry, it would take half a day. ”

"Bang! Bang bang! Bang! ”

The front foot watched Hai Kuanhe's team disappear from sight, and Wu Changqing was about to order the troops to retreat back to the position, and from a distance, he sent out a group of soldiers and horses to act as an outpost, warning with continuous fire shots!

In the distance, I saw that at the end of the wilderness, a large block of colorful colors was rolling in this direction. This large blob of color fills almost their entire field of vision! It is only when a large army of men and horses marches and when the mountains and fields come from all over the wilderness.

"It's finally here!"

Wu Changqing and Ji Changming, who was standing outside the city, both had this thought in their hearts.

"Blow the trumpet! Prepare for the enemy! Signal team! Call the police to the brigade commander of Hongqiao Town! ”

Wu Changqing's heart was boiling, and he felt that the blood all over his body was hot, and he trembled with excitement.

His two infantry battalions quickly formed a phalanx, placing the six-pounder guns attached to the battalion in the corners of the phalanx, and the baggage wagons and ammunition wagons in the phalanx. The chiefs removed boxes of sub-medicine from the ammunition trucks and prepared to distribute them to the sentinels.

At the same time, the trumpeters did their best to puff up their cheeks and blow the brass trumpet, passing the alarm of the arrival of the Qing army brigade to the robes in Hongqiao Town. The cavalrymen of several cavalry signal corps waved their whips fiercely and whipped their horses under their crotches in order to report the situation here to the commanders in the shortest possible time.

"Go! Get rid of those spies for Lao Tzu! lest they cause chaos to Lao Tzu when Lao Tzu fights! ”

Seeing the arrival of the Qing army, a major battle was inevitable, and those who had been screened out with suspicious deeds suddenly became agitated, trying to break free from the long rope that bound them.

Seeing this, Wu Changqing didn't care if there was any wrongs in this, so even if he ordered, "Kill them all!" ”

A group of soldiers rushed over with their spurs, and between the ups and downs of dozens of spurs, dozens of spies learned the accounts.

The stimulation of dozens of spears dripping with blood suddenly made the mood of the soldiers of the two battalions change. Someone's eyes began to turn red, and it was the excited look before the battle. Some people's faces start to turn pale, which may be nervousness. For others, tears are flashing in their eyes, which is also a sign of excitement. However, more people are a little trembling in their bodies. It's all a sign of excitement.

The huge blocks of color in the distance are getting closer and closer, and the reverberation of the huge waves formed by the countless pairs of big feet stepping on the ground can be heard.

Finally, a huge banner in the shape of a green dogtooth triangle appeared in people's field of vision. Immediately afterward, a large area of the same green military flag swept in, wet in the autumn rain. Under the dense banners, there are bloodthirsty and greedy faces.

"Damn! It's these dog stuff again! The green battalion of the Qing soldiers! A firecracker armor with sharp eyes shouted out in disgust. Since the arrival of the 23rd Garrison Brigade in Shanghai, every report on the enemy situation has been that the Qing army has taken the Green Battalion as the vanguard, the Eight Banners of the Manchurian Banners as the core, and the Eight Banners of the Han Army and the Eight Banners of the Mongols, attacking cities and territories everywhere.

"Brothers, hold down!"

Wu Changqing shouted loudly.

"Who dares to act without authorization, open the gun indiscriminately, and rectify the law on the spot! The family seized the land and expelled it! ”

Seeing the distance between the soldiers and horses of the green battalion of the Qing army getting closer and closer, the footsteps became louder and louder, and it seemed that the muddy land under his feet was splashed with countless mud under the trampling of countless pairs of big feet, and the ground under his feet trembled slightly, his heart beat violently a few times, and he cursed secretly: "Damn, these dogs!" It's all a mongrel who has forgotten their ancestors! ”

But he didn't say that he forgot his ancestors, but he only knew that he scolded in his heart. Then he immediately restrained his men and horses from moving. Suddenly, the outposts of the two battalions of the Nanyue Army immediately fell silent.

"Check the weapon!"

"Count the ammunition!"

At the sound of the command, the brass horn of the inspection weapon quickly sounded over the phalanx of the two battalions. The soldiers quickly removed their firearms from their backs, untied their tung oilcloth gun jackets, and began to examine the flints and springs.

It turned out to be the subordinates of Xu Youxin, the chief soldier under Luck Dehun, about 5,000 horse infantry and horses, and more than 500 Eight Banner soldiers under Niu Lu Zhangjing Manahai and Alamu led by Mele Zhangjing Sasuka to suppress the formation.

Xu Youxin had already seen from a distance that the ranks of the Nanyue Army were arrayed in the wilderness, ready to fight with him. I couldn't help but crack my mouth and laugh.

"Samele! Look at this Nanban, isn't it the mantis arm as a car? This official will rush up with his army, defeat this southern barbarian, take Hongqiao Town for my Qing soldiers and horses, and open the road to Shanghai County to sacrifice the flag first! ”

Xu Youxin is a soldier from the four towns of Jiangbei, and as a thief, he doesn't know how many times he has fought back and forth in several camps. The grasp of the battlefield has reached the point of perfection. In his opinion, defeating the small unit of the Nanyue Army is equivalent to defeating the outpost of the defenders of Hongqiao Town, and he can be regarded as a victory for the Qing army and has made the first contribution. Then, in the hard and tragic battle that followed, he didn't have to participate. You can hide in the camp tent and hug the Jiangnan woman, drink hot wine and soup, count the silver dollars, and watch your colleagues brave the shells of the Nanban to pave the road to Hongqiao Town.

Meler Zhangjing Sasuka, whom he called Samele, was also very proud and wiped his two handfuls of burnt yellow mustache with his fingers, "General Xu, then it depends on the elite soldiers and horses of your subordinates." You can rest assured that the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners of this officer will sweep behind you and protect your wings with iron horses. You just have to rest assured that you will be killed! ”

With a whistling sound, two teams of Eight Banners cavalry swept out from the two wings of the Qing army's marching procession, like two raging wildfires, passing through the wilderness. Far away, the two wings of the Qing army's offensive road unfolded, vaguely forming a semi-encirclement posture for Wu Changqing's two wings, and at the same time cutting off Wu Changqing's way to break through in other directions. If he couldn't block Xu Youxin's attack, he could only retreat to Hongqiao Town and become the pioneer of the Qing army.

Drive away the enemy's defeated soldiers and horses and storm your own defenses. These methods were already a common tactic of the Qing army.

Less than two hundred paces away, the Qing cavalry stopped. This distance is already the shortest distance before the cavalry launches an attack. Further on, it will be easy to enter the range of the Nanyue Army's firearms. It was at this distance that Wu Changqing could clearly see the appearance of these Qing cavalry.

They have bright helmets and dark armor, each of them is cotton armor with iron leaves inlaid inside, and there is a southern cuirass outside the cotton armor, and thick copper nails can be seen on each person's cotton armor. Several of the officers were dressed in triple armor, and the whole person was bulging. Except for the tall iron helmet and red tassels, everyone's armor is distinct and abnormal, and at first glance it was worn shortly after going down to the south of the Yangtze River.

They were all stout and steady on their horses, and their faces were faintly full of anger, and they were full of arrogance. It seemed that they were tired from running, and it was this wet and cold weather again, and the horses under them couldn't stop snorting, and scraping the wet dirt under their feet with their hooves.

On the horseback, there are all kinds of weapons of these cavalry, tiger spears, eight banner spears, wood-handled iron sickles, long-handled pick-up knives, tiger tooth knives, horse bows, foot bows, bones, axes, and so on. There are also dozens of people's ponchos, and there are cowhide medicine boxes hanging obliquely on their chests. It is clear that these men were also armed with short firearms for cavalry.

As for the purpose of these hundreds of cavalry, Wu Changqing knew it at a glance. Maintain the threat to the Nanyue Army from the flanks and peek into the posture of the Nanyue Army. If they had shown even the slightest bit of unstable momentum in the face of Xu Youxin's men's troops, the hundreds of cavalry would immediately pounce on them like vicious dogs, tearing at their flesh with their sharp claws and sharp teeth.

"Humph! Think Lao Tzu hasn't dealt with cavalry?! Wu Changqing snorted, and didn't say anything, just ordered the artillery officer, "Pay attention to the Tartar cavalry opposite you, and replace the shells for double shotguns for me!" If there is any movement of the Tartar cavalry, just greet them with cannons! ”

Perhaps because they were worried about the lethality of the six-pounder guns facing the Qing cavalry in the formation of the Nanyue Army, the Eight Banners cavalry made the formation even more sparse.

"Leave a team on each flank to spy on the Tartar cavalry and guard the artillery! For the rest of the people, leave two teams to return to the battalion officer for dispatch, and the rest will be strengthened to the front! ”

Facing the artillery of the Eight Banners Cavalry, which had been loaded with medicine bags and shotguns, the flintlock of the flintlock machine was in the hands of the gun commander, and the black muzzle of the cannon pointed straight in the direction of the Eight Banners Cavalry's impact road. As soon as they dare to attack, they will be greeted with hundreds of hot knick-knacks the size of chestnuts.

On the front, Xu Youxin had already waved the order flag in his hand, and ordered his subordinate officers and elite soldiers to drive away the soldiers who were contained in the camp during the southward journey, "Go up!" Go up! ”

"It's Hongqiao Town right in front of you! Hongqiao Town is the gateway to the Shanghai Business District, just such a small town, which has become rich enough to build fortifications with grain and rice bales, and build bunkers with bundles of fine cotton cloth! ”

"Enter Hongqiao Town, all of them are full of pockets!"

"Enter Shanghai County and amplify the vacation for three days!"

"The general has already passed down the word, which town has made the first contribution, and after entering Shanghai, it can go to the city for a three-day holiday!"

All kinds of demagogic slogans were shouted by the officers half-truths and half-truths, and they rose and fell one after another over the formation of soldiers and horses in Xu Youxin's town. I have to say that many times, lies are often easier to believe. These slogans immediately resonated among the green battalion soldiers, and many of them were stimulated by the wealth in front of them, the looting, burning, and adultery that was almost at their fingertips, and their faces turned red with excitement.

The Qing army began to attack. Amidst the shouts, their front slowly moved forward.

Without strict queue training and lack of discipline, it was naturally impossible for the Qing army to form a neat offensive line. However, the heavy pressure that thousands of people slowly pressed over still made Wu Changqing feel the tension on his subordinates.

"Boys! There are a lot of pigtailed soldiers! One, two, three, four... I'm afraid it has to be five or six thousand! On our side, there are less than 2,000 people! On average, one person fires three times! How are we, can we handle it?! ”

He deliberately used this relatively relaxed tone to ease the tension in the hearts of his subordinates, who had just upgraded from the environment of fighting against various bandits and rebel Tusi soldiers.

"Boom!" The eight-pounder cannon placed in the far corner of the phalanx opened fire almost against the chests of several Qing soldiers.