Wu Sangui, Tang Tong, and Gao Di gathered 2,000 cavalry, and under Gao Di's arrangement, they waded across the Shihe River from a place in the south, and then outflanked the suspension bridge.

Although Wu Sangui was reluctant to send troops out to fight, since there was no way to refuse Haoge's order, he could only let his subordinates give it a try. If the drawbridge could be controlled, Li Yan's army would really be wiped out, and at the same time, he also wanted to know how to cross the river so that the Liao people who were blocked to the west could withdraw. Among them were some craftsmen who made cannons, which he was particularly in need now.

As soon as their cavalry crossed the Shihe, Wu Sangui's cavalry divided into 300 people, and Wu Sangui's two teams of family members and horses all went to the south. Fortunately, Tang Tong and Gao Di only sent out two or three hundred cavalry each, and there would not be many objections.

When they arrived near the drawbridge, they found that Li Yan's troops left behind were not much, only more than 300 people, but there were four artillery pieces. But two of the four guns were placed on the front, and only one gun was on the sides.

Therefore, Wu Sangui's cavalry immediately attacked under the command of the officer, such a chance is not many, if they can capture the drawbridge, then they will be a great achievement. Their lords and generals have all been promoted to kings, and their subordinates are naturally rewarded by everyone. With this great achievement, you may be able to get a hereditary knighthood.

Li Yan's general Ke Shan and the soldiers under him were very relaxed, but the artillerymen had already loaded the shotguns, and the crossbowmen had already loaded the crossbow arrows.

They watched Wu Sangui's cavalry charge, and even after entering two hundred steps, the artillery did not open fire. When they rushed to more than a hundred paces, the horses in front of the enemy suddenly neighed, and they could not continue to attack, some jumped violently as if they were frightened, and some fell directly.

The cavalry behind could not restrain the speed of the horses for a while, so they could only let the horses jump over. But when their horses had jumped over, they all screamed and kicked, throwing off the knights above, or galloping in other directions.

The cavalrymen who had been thrown to the ground, as if they had been burned, quickly bounced up from the ground, dancing and screaming. Some were knocked down directly by the cavalry behind them, while others were knocked down by the horses that neighed and rolled on the ground. In short, the centaurs have become embarrassed.

Ke Shan's men let out a hahaha laugh. Because they sprinkled dense four-cornered nails in the grass on both sides, the enemy's horses and cavalry had the comical appearance they have now, and they were completely their masterpieces.

They laughed for a moment, and found that the enemy's follow-up cavalry had stopped in surprise. So Ke Shan immediately ordered: "Artillery fire!" ”

At this time, one of the guns on the front also reversed direction, and two three-inch guns quickly fired shotguns at the enemy's cavalry.

The cavalry of Wu Sangui and the others only reacted at this time, and hurriedly avoided in other directions. However, those who were trapped in the area of thistle terrestris had nowhere to hide, so they suffered the most casualties.

After two rounds of artillery fire, Wu Sangui's cavalry escaped from the range of the shotguns, and Ke Shan immediately asked the artillery to stop firing. Then let the artillery reposition itself and prepare it for the next onslaught of the enemy. The four corners were nearly two inches long, so they just spread a lot of grass on the sides, but not on the road. Therefore, the defensive pressure on the front is a little greater.

However, the cavalry of Wu Sangui and others only wandered in the distance and no longer tried to attack. This attack caused them to lose more than 100 men, and they didn't know what other tricks were waiting for them, and they didn't have much determination to attack in the first place. So after going around twice, the officers of the three sides discussed it and went east with their troops.

They didn't go to cut off Li Yan's grain channel, they felt that Li Yan would definitely not give them this opportunity. So they went to help the people who walked in front of them to escort the Liao people in Leting, Changli and other places.

After Haoge and Wu Sangui and others in the city got the news of the cavalry, they were also very surprised. They didn't expect Li Yan to arrange it so tightly, and they didn't leave them a chance at all. The current situation is that they dare not fight Li Yan outside the city, and they can't cut off Li Yan's back road, so they completely give the initiative to Li Yan.

Wu Sangui proposed: "Prince Su, it is better to ask the court for help." When my Qing elite rushed over, there wouldn't be much gunpowder left of Li Yan's cannons. At that time, Li Yan's subordinates can be annihilated in one fell swoop, and then take advantage of the situation to enter the customs, needless to say, Zhili can go down overnight, even if he pockets all the north of the river, it is just a gesture. ”

If such a suggestion was made before Li Yan was defeated, there would definitely be no problem. But now that the entire Eight Banners distrust each other, it is impossible to gather troops again to go on the expedition for the time being. Moreover, the various departments are afraid of Li Yan's combat strength, and they have not yet found a way to deal with it, so they will not agree to fight Li Yan again. Their next step was to punish the Karaqin and Urat Mongols first, and then stabilize internal affairs.

Hao Ge said coldly: "The major affairs of the imperial court, the emperor and the princes and ministers of the court decide it, and you and I are in the outer court, so it is inconvenient to intervene." ”

Wu Sangui didn't dare to say more. Since the Qing court had no intention of fighting Li Yan, he had little hope of holding Shanhaiguan. He only wanted to settle down in Ningyuan early now, and build a short gun and artillery as soon as possible. Then he will be able to decide his own destiny.

At this time, Li Yan also got the news of the suspension bridge, and also knew the news that Wu Sangui's cavalry was heading east. However, he was not nervous, it was only a day since the start of the war, and his food, grass and ammunition were still sufficient. And the important prefectures and counties of Zhili have soldiers stationed, which cannot be captured by 2,000 cavalry. Even if he didn't capture Shanhaiguan in the end, he could have transferred another 5,000 men from Beijing to meet him, and he would be able to retreat with his whole body.

He ordered: "Send a few people out to see the movement of Wu Sangui's cavalry, each with two horses." Tell Ke Shan again, let him not be careless, and the suspension bridge must not be the slightest mistake. Send a steady one to keep an eye on, and don't let him only focus on the rise, but miss the big thing. ”

Ke Shan is a personal soldier who went out from him, and everything else is good, but he is too competitive. Whether it's attacking or defending, they never ask for help.

"Yes, I'll arrange it." Sun Sifu immediately nodded in agreement.

At this time, the artillery of both sides was still rumbling to bombard each other, but the defensive measures of both sides were good, so there were not many casualties. However, in the northwest corner of the city wall of Shanhaiguan, the bricks on it are missing, revealing the rammed earth layer inside.

In the evening, Wang Renfu finally brought the solution he had come up with. After Li Yan added a little, he asked the troops to start preparations, and whether they could quickly take Shanhaiguan would depend on tomorrow.

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