The explosion of "boom" and "boom" exploded in the crowd of thieves, and the blast wave of the explosion and the splashing of iron pieces made the thieves who rushed to the front stagger. Some of them were hit by pieces of iron in their armor, but nothing serious. Some of them were hit in unprotected legs, feet, heads and faces, and they fell down screaming miserably. Others had their ears buzzing and were unsteady on their feet, having forgotten that they were still fighting, and they didn't know where to go.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the pikemen continued to stab hard. Crossbowmen also shoot their arrows at the enemy from the gaps, killing and injuring enemies outside the line.

And the thieves who have come to the front are all Luo Rucai's elite subordinates. With their weapons and shields, they set up spears that pierced them, and stabbed and slashed at the officers and soldiers with their spears and knives.

Li Yan's sword and shield bearers squatted, shielding their bodies with their shields, and slashing the legs and feet of nearby enemies with long knives. The pikemen stabbed their spears again and again at the enemy. Both sides did their best to kill each other, and the shouts of killing and screams of pain even drowned out the sound of bombs and artillery fire.

Shieldmen and pikemen were able to withstand some enemy attacks with their shields and chain mail, but they still suffered many casualties. Some of them had their hands held guns cut off, some were seriously injured by blunt objects, and some were shot in the neck and head and face, and lost their lives directly.

Moreover, some of the thieves threw lime packets at them, and they could not see clearly in the dark, and even if they saw clearly, they could not dodge, but could only bow their heads to avoid them. From time to time, there would be soldiers covering their eyes and screaming and squatting down, but at this time there was no time to help them deal with it, so they could only wait until the enemy was repulsed.

As soon as the pikemen in front lose their combat effectiveness, the crossbowmen in the back pick up the spears and continue to keep the line intact.

Luo Rucai, who was in the distance, took advantage of the faint light of the fire on the battlefield and listened to the sounds on the battlefield, he knew that his attack was a failure. However, it is useless for him to have cavalry, if he lets the cavalry rush forward at this time, maybe he will have some chance of winning.

"General," his men reminded, "what should I do?" The brothers in front of me can't go up. ”

Luo Rucai clenched his fists and did not speak. He was still weighing whether to send the cavalry now. If you send it out, what are the odds of winning. These cavalry are the capital he relies on to sustain himself, if the loss is too great, then he will not have any strength to compete with Li Zicheng.

Another subordinate reminded: "General, if you continue to drag on, the brothers will be wiped out."

Luo Rucai waited for a while before ordering, "Withdraw." ”

His subordinates finally breathed a sigh of relief at this time, and it was their capital that went up. If there are fewer teams under them, they will not have much say in the team, and they will naturally get less things. So they are also very distressed about the casualties of their subordinates.

If they can defeat the officers and soldiers, they can still endure it. But the current situation is that even if they launch a sneak attack in the dark, the opponent's military formation will not move. There are also bombs that can explode at close range, which puts them in a passive position at all distances. Moreover, their artillery and archers could not enter the distance of one hundred and fifty paces, and they could not suppress their opponents at all, which was really embarrassing.

Luo Rucai's men immediately ordered people to blow the horn and let the troops withdraw. Although the loss is not small, it is much better than fighting it all.

After Luo Rucai's subordinates heard the retreat signal, they immediately turned around and fled, while those elites who rushed to the front and were entangled with the official army had little chance of retreating. Some of them did run back, but the rain of arrows that had re-intensified had most of them fall in the way back. The thieves in the distance continue to be attacked by shotguns.

Half a quarter of an hour later, most of the thieves who rushed up like a tide just now fell to the ground, and only a few escaped from the range of Li Zhong's troops. As for the thieves who are the follow-up troops, they are lucky that the damage is not great. When they saw the strength of the counterattack of the officers and soldiers, they were frightened and did not dare to rush forward again. This also makes the offensive without the participation of follow-up troops doomed to have little hope of success.

After all of Luo Rucai's troops had retreated, Li Zhong asked the troops to bring the wounded back for treatment. As for the soldiers who were on guard around the campfire outside, they had to wait a little longer, until the scouts confirmed that the thieves had retreated. Although there was little hope of their survival, he still meticulously carried out Li Yan's request: try to bring every soldier home, even if it is a corpse or ashes.

At the same time, an investigation began on how the enemy had suddenly approached the vicinity of the line. This is a big loophole, and if they don't find a way to deal with it, they will be in danger in the future.

After questioning a large number of soldiers, Li Zhong finally knew the reason. As the thieves were rushing to a distance of thirty paces, someone began throwing lime packets. The soldiers in the front row covered their heads and faces with shields, or their helmets with their heads bowed. Some of the thieves crawled forward, avoiding shells and crossbow arrows, as well as the sight of the soldiers in the front row.

By the time the shieldmen and pikemen spotted it, the thieves were six or seven paces away, and it was too late for them to warn the crossbowmen. The thieves quickly got up and rushed over, and they also had to stand up to meet them, so they began hand-to-hand combat.

Li Zhong was glad for a while, but fortunately, the troops' stabbing and courage training were the most important training subjects. If their soldiers were not brave enough and did not have a high spirit of obedience, they might have collapsed in the face of such a sudden blow.

Once you know the enemy's methods, it's time to find a way to deal with them. Li Zhong instructed: "Write out a detailed report of this battle." ”

"Understood." The subordinate nodded in agreement.

At this time, the soldiers came to Li Zhong with more than 20 stretchers, and the captain reported: "General Yu, the soldiers who were guarding by the bonfire outside, a total of twenty-four, have all been found. Only five are still alive, but all of them were injured. ”

Li Zhong nodded and said, "The injured will be sent for treatment, and the dead will be put away first." ”

At this time, one of the chiefs on the stretcher struggled to sit up, and cried and said: "I can't stand the general, I fell asleep by the campfire, and I didn't find the enemy coming in time." ”

Li Zhong ordered expressionlessly: "Lie down, go to treatment first." Your guilt, when the injury is healed, the punishment will not be light."

"General Xie." The injured Shi Chang thanked him with tears in his eyes. Whatever punishment he receives, at least he's feeling better now. After all, he failed to fulfill his duties as an officer, so many of his comrades were injured and killed, and his punishment could make him feel less guilty.

Li Zhong instructed: "Let the people in the stockade come out to clean up the battlefield, and the soldiers left behind to guard against the enemy." We will continue the pursuit tomorrow, and we must not let the troops be exhausted. Let them keep their eyes open and look at it, if they are the slightest negligent, military law is ruthless"

"Obedience"

...