Chapter Seventy-Six: Li Zicheng Fakes Attack on Tokyo Li Laiheng Attacks Langshan at Night

Li Laihum looks like a very rough person, but he is actually careful in his heart.

When the army came to Lang Son, Li Laihum stopped the army for the first time, and he was waiting for the artillery from behind to be brought up. For he knew that Lang Son ahead was the last barrier to the great plains to the south. When discussing the attack from this road, the military advisor reminded them that it was here that Zhang Fu had a decisive battle with the Annan army when he conquered Annan. Victory was won here, and further south was the Great Plains, all the way to Tokyo (Hanoi), where Annam's army would be in no danger. Therefore, it is very normal for the Annam army to deploy troops here for guarding. Therefore, Li Laiheng must also make full preparations.

On the side of Tokyo (Hanoi), just as Li Zicheng and their analysis suggested, the Annam army collected the corpses for two days, and then suddenly disappeared from the front of the Dashun army's position. Although it was expected, Song Xiance immediately reported the situation to Li Zicheng. Li Zicheng called back and acted as planned.

Half a day later, Song Xiance sent scouts, and after a careful reconnaissance in front of the battle, he went back. The next day, Song Xiance sent a part of his troops to expand the scope and went out to reconnoiter a circle. Without finding any ambushes, a troop was sent to the front of the city of Tokyo. Finding that the officers and soldiers of Annam had retreated into the city to hold on, Song Xiance sent his troops to leave their original positions and set up positions facing the city of Tokyo. Since a part of the army remained in the original position, only a part of the army could be sent to the east of the city of Tokyo.

After clearing some of the obstacles in the Red River, that morning, Song Xiance commanded more than 5,000 men and horses to prepare for an attack on Tokyo City. At dawn, Mu Yi on the warship on the Red River received a notice from Song Xiance that the shelling had begun, and he picked up the wireless telephone and ordered: "According to the ** plan, open the cannon!" ”

As soon as the words fell, all the twenty-six 130-caliber cannons on the ships opened fire together. Artillery fire concentrated on the northeast corner of the city wall near the banks of the Red River.

After a burst of artillery fire, a large part of the corner of the wall collapsed. At the same time, Song Xiance also commanded the artillery of the Dashun army to fire on the city wall of Tokyo City and bombard the city wall. The Annan army in the city also returned fire outside the city. The smoke from the corner of the collapsed city wall had not yet cleared, and the soldiers of the Dashun army rushed towards the collapsed gap with a shout. The Annan soldiers defending the city found that it was not good, so they hit the gap with artillery fire, blocking the gap that had been blown open, and at the same time bows and arrows flew like locusts to the attacking Dashun army. The Dashun army was forced to retreat. The Annan soldiers took the opportunity to fill the gap with straw bags filled with soil. I tried my best to plug the gap. Such a wall greatly boosted the morale of the defenders. The faith in defending the city was stronger. Later, the shells of the warships on the Red River bombarded the area several times, but as soon as the cannonfire stopped, a large number of Annam soldiers would rush over and block the gap.

On the side of Tokyo City, Li Zicheng deliberately attacked but did not break it, but Li Laiheng's side wanted to break through it but could not break it.

After a day or two of preparations, Li Laiheng and his team brought in a lot of cannons and set up a lot of rafts. Li Laiheng felt that everything was fine, so he decided to capture Lang Son in one fell swoop.

That morning, after the war meal, Li Laiheng ordered all the artillery to be concealed and ambushed and loaded with ammunition. When the infantry was ready, the order was to fire. With the issuance of the order, the artillery of various calibers of the Dashun army was launched at the same time. For a time, the city of Lang Son and the city were on fire. The dense sound of cannons wiped out all the sounds of the world like a tidal wave, and only the sound of "boom" cannons could be heard stirring in the valley.

As soon as the cannon fell, the soldiers of the Dashun army rowed rafts across the Qiqiao River and rushed under the tall city walls of Lang Son. However, some officers and soldiers defending the city of Annam, who had been killed and wounded by artillery fire, suddenly rushed out of their hiding places and began to shoot at the attacking Dashun soldiers with artillery and bows and arrows of various calibers. The people who participated in the defense of the city also lifted stones and threw them at the Dashun army under the city. After a while, the soldiers of the Dashun army suffered thousands of casualties, and the soldiers of the Dashun army, who were not injured, reluctantly retreated.

Li Laiheng also saw the situation in front of him and stomped his feet in distress, he knew that if he didn't think of a better way, it would be impossible for more people to go up and take Langshan.

Although Li Laiheng, who had been defeated for a while, was very angry, they did not let the soldiers attack again. I'm going to transfer more artillery from the back and collapse Lang Son Castle with artillery fire. But at this time, several junior officers asked to see him. Li Laiheng let them into his big tent. After these officers came in, one of them said, "General Li, several of us have been sent by the emperor to the kiln post to be trained. We beg your life, please give us a hundred musketeers, and we will lead them to attack Lang Son City by night. Otherwise, this Langshan city is so tall and strong, and there are bamboo sticks inserted in the deep ditch under the city. We don't know how many of us attack it. The Annan army must be happy with its great victory today, thinking that we have no choice, and we will definitely not think that we have just been defeated and dare to attack at night. ”

Li Laiheng was of course very happy to see that someone had just come to ask for battle just after the big defeat. But he asked uneasily: "If the 100 of you succeed in the sneak attack, you will be surrounded by tens of thousands of Annan people immediately, what effect can it have?" ”

One officer said: "What we think, in fact, is not our own thinking. When we were training in the kiln, we heard a lot of examples. All those inside the city have internal responses, open the city gates, and cooperate with the outside army to attack the city. We can't have the internal help to cooperate with us now, and we want to climb into the city at night from the weak places, and have a hundred men occupy the walls to cover the attack of the brigade. In this way, Lang Son can be breached. ”

Seeing that Li Laiheng was still hesitating, another officer said: "General Li, we have a hundred musketeers, and we have little effect in attacking the city, but we are guarding the city." If you use a shotgun at close range, you can definitely use ten to hundred. ”

During his detention in Yaogang, Li Laiheng also continued to learn culture, often read newspapers, and knew the various tactics of the Yaogang people in attacking the city. There is no other way now, and the advice of these people, although very risky, is worth trying.

After Li Laiheng turned around a few times, he turned around and said to the five junior officers: "Okay! Now, I will raise each of you to the rank of officer, and give you five hundred musketeers. Led by you, we will attack Lang Son tonight. You have chosen a leader to take charge of tonight's operations. If it happens, you will be promoted to a general if you don't die. I will personally command the brigade to cooperate with you. ”

In this era, it is not allowed for a junior officer to cross several ranks to ask Li Laiheng for war. A night raid that was of great importance had never been carried out by the general himself. Those young officers who were not afraid of death risked their lives to fight today, and Li Laiheng boldly adopted their advice today. This in itself is a miracle.

Several young officers went down to prepare, and when Li Laiheng called a meeting of the generals to study the matter, all the generals opposed Li Laiheng's decision. But Li Laiheng turned his heart and ordered sharply: "Everyone, don't say it again." Go back at once and prepare for the attack on Lang Son tonight. Be prepared in secret. ”

Although the generals did not agree with such a risky way of playing, since Li Laiheng had made up his mind, he had no choice but to go back and prepare.

Besides, those five young officers, they can be regarded as risking their lives today. I didn't expect Li Laiheng to really listen to their opinions. When they were training in Yaogang, it was really an eye-opener, they didn't expect that there were so many tactics in war. Almost every battle of the kiln gang people is fought in a different way, which is what impresses them the most.

In fact, when they saw Li Laiheng attacking the city like this, they felt that they were too stupid, and even if they captured it, they would suffer heavy casualties. But their level is too low, and they don't have a chance to talk to Li Laiheng at all. After this defeat, several junior officers studied it, but they could bypass the side of Lang Son and take advantage of the cover of night to quietly climb up to the city, as long as they gave the frontal siege army a little time, the brigade would attack, and the brigade would come immediately and enter the city. That will lead to the capture of Lang Son Castle at a very small cost. After much research, they felt that this was a viable solution. However, it is not allowed to enter to see Li Laiheng, and if Li Laiheng, who has just been defeated, is angry, he will severely punish them, and it is also possible to cut off their heads in the name of disturbing the morale of the army.

But after researching it, they decided to risk their lives. Unexpectedly, Li Laiheng not only didn't deal with them, but gave them a level promotion at once. Not only did they give them soldiers, but they also increased from 100 musketeers they asked for to 500 musketeers.

Soldiers are like this, the five officers at this time feel that it is worth it to die for Li Laiheng now. They handed over the scouts to Li Laiheng, and after learning in detail about the situation around Langshan, after dinner, they took five hundred musketeers and walked for a long time to the Qiqiao River. They sent two soldiers who were particularly good at water to swim across the Qiqiu River with a thin rope, and then pulled a large rope with a thin rope. When the rope was bolted, the other side flashed a few flashlights with a flashlight. Five hundred musketeers pulled ropes across the Strange Poor River. After crossing the river, they went around the side of Lang Son Castle.

As they approached Lang Son, they came across a fence made of wood and bamboo. The fence was covered with spikes, and they knew that the spikes were coated with poison and that it would be dangerous for people to touch them. But it was difficult to get around, because such a fence did not know how long, and they could not afford to delay too long. If you cut with a knife, the sound can easily travel far away, revealing the whereabouts, so they have to start digging holes from under the fence. It is not easy to dig holes in the mountains with stones, and everyone gritted their teeth and took turns digging. Finally, three or four holes were dug that could drill people, and the team could pass and move on.

On the west side of Lang Son Castle facing the direction of the attack of the Dashun army, they came to the front of the protective ditch and hid themselves on the spot. An officer leading the team climbed to the front of the protective ditch with a few people, and the probe shone the flashlight in his hand to the bottom of the ditch, looked at the situation under the ditch, and then went down the ditch along the edge of the ditch with the bamboo pole he brought. A soldier with a light body slowly slid down the bamboo pole, and tentatively stepped on the underwater bamboo stick with his foot, and landed on his foot. Then take the bamboo row that comes down from above, put one end of the bamboo row on the edge of the ditch, and put the other end in the middle of the bottom of the ditch. The people on the top of the ditch went down a bamboo row along the bamboo row. The soldiers at the bottom of the ditch put the bamboo row from the bottom of the ditch to the edge of the ditch. In this way, the soldiers on this side of the ditch can climb along the other bamboo raft to the other bank along the bamboo raft to the bottom of the ditch.

The soldiers who climbed over the ditch hid themselves in the tall grass. When the soldiers had crossed the ditch, the officer leading the team looked at his watch, and the time had passed by half past one.

Time was already very tight, according to the plan, the officer in charge of kicking the city climbed down the city with the kicking city group, and some of them were scratched by bamboo sticks buried in the ground along the way and didn't dare to make a sound. When they came to the bottom of the city, they strung together the bamboo poles they had brought and set up trees along the smooth city walls, fearing that the bamboo poles raised by the trees would be unstable, and there were two bamboo poles on either side of the bamboo poles to fix it. They were all supported by soldiers.

A nimble soldier quietly climbed up the bamboo pole. Just as he was about to go to the city, there was a sound of a patrol coming from the city. He hid on the bamboo pole and didn't dare to breathe, and when the patrol passed, he used his hand to put on the battlement of the city wall, turned over and jumped on the city wall, and lay on the wall of the car. These Annanites who did not know that they were dying did not have sentries nearby, but they could see sentries in the distance. The sentries also snoozed against the battlements of the wall. They didn't believe that anyone would come up from here at night. The soldier took a thin rope from his body and went down, and the men below tied a thick rope to the city, and he led it to the battlements, and then tied the thick rope to the battlements of the wall. The officer below who commanded the city climbed up first, observed the situation, and used a flashlight to signal those lying on the edge of the ditch. He turned around and tied a dozen more ropes to the wall.

Even so, it took a lot of time for the more than 500 musketeers below the city to climb the city walls, and just as there was still the last group of people climbing the city, the Annamite patrol came again. The officers in the city knew that so many people lying on the city could not hide in any way, but fortunately, the vast majority of musketeers had already come up. It's better to just start attacking.

By this time, the sky was already a little white.

The officers instructed the soldiers who were prostrate on the city to stand up, and after a little formation, they ordered: "Listen, everyone, as long as you are not defeated, you must run as fast as possible towards the city wall that is facing the direction of our army's attack." Occupy the walls there and cover the army to come up, so that we can survive. Alright, follow me! ”

With that, he began to run wildly across the city walls with his head in hand.

The Annan sentinels and patrols in the distance saw that there seemed to be a group of people lining up on the city wall, and before they could understand what was going on, they saw the group of people rushing towards them. Although the patrol didn't know what was going on, and they didn't expect anyone to climb up from under the city, they knew that the situation was not good. Just as the musketeers of the Dashun Army were getting closer and closer, the patrol shouted: "Stop, who is it?" If you don't stop standing again, you're welcome! ”

But no one answered them, and the musketeers who rushed close to Dashun suddenly raised their guns and fired at them. The lethality of shotgun shots at close range is just too great. The patrol of more than 20 people, after a burst of "bumper" shooting, was knocked down. The musketeers of the Dashun Army ignored the wounded and rolling patrols, and kept rushing towards the northern wall. They were intercepted at the corner of the city wall by a group of thirty or forty Annan soldiers, presumably a patrol and a team of sentinels defending the city, who only made the charging Dashun army pause for a moment, and after a burst of gunfire, the Dashun musketeers began to advance along the north city wall facing the direction of the Dashun army's attack. As they approached the gate tower on the northern wall, a flurry of bows and arrows came at them, and one of the leading officers and a dozen soldiers who were running in front were shot down.

The officers and soldiers in the back did not bother to treat them, and fired with the suppression of muskets "bang", and at the same time rushed over without stopping. Getting closer, the musketeer's shotgun is more effective. The reaction was extremely fast, and the more than 200 Annan soldiers who came to guard the city gate tower were all wiped out in a while.

At this time, an officer leading the team fired a flare into the sky. This is to inform Li Laiheng that they have attacked the city wall. In fact, Li Laiheng had already heard their gunshots on the city wall, and at this time Li Laiheng was so anxious that he wanted to burst into flames, but he didn't see the signal flare, so he didn't dare to act. At this time, seeing the signal flare rising, Li Laiheng ordered: "Attack!" Immediately the banks of the Qiqi River were lit up, and a large number of soldiers began to rush to the other side of the Qiqiao River in wooden boats and rafts.

The musketeers on the city wall left 200 men to stand guard on both sides of the gate, and the others began to attack the gate hole below, which they had to open to complete the mission. However, the gunfire in the city had already awakened the Annam soldiers in the city, and they had already begun to pour towards the city walls. The musketeers of the Dashun army knew that it was time to rush for time, and they continued to use intensive fire to knock down groups of Annam soldiers. rushed to the city gate hole, knocked down all the Annan soldiers in the car gate hole, put the ** he was carrying under the city gate, pulled the fire, and went back to kill. Before they could reach the city wall, there was a loud bang in the cave of the city gate, and the gate was blown to pieces.

The soldiers of the Dashun army, who had crossed the Qiqi River, rushed towards the city gate like a tide of torches. At this time, the generals of Annan in the city already knew that it was not good, and desperately commanded the soldiers to rush to the city gate, and at the same time commanded the soldiers to rush to the city. They know it's a matter of life and death.

The two armies met in the cave of the city gate, and soon, the corpses were about to fill the hole of the city gate, and finally the musketeers of the Dashun army rushed into the city. The Annan soldiers who charged on the city wall could not take advantage of it, and the musketeers of the Dashun army took turns to reload and shoot to block several passages, giving the Annan soldiers no chance at all.

When the morning dawned, the city of Lang Son was already full of soldiers of the Dashun army, and Li Laiheng came to the gate tower to visit the five hundred musketeers and told them that each of them would be promoted to the next rank. The officer, who had been seriously wounded by the arrow, was also bandaged and used penicillin, the miracle drug of the kiln. Li Laiheng said to him: "Go down and recuperate well, and leave the rest to us." What I promised you, I will fulfill immediately. You're all generals. ”

It was a great honor, and these five young officers were all at once generals. For this matter, Li Laiheng sent telegrams to Liu Zhongmin and Li Zicheng respectively after the war. Both Li Zicheng and Liu Zhongmin agreed with Li Laiheng's approach. In fact, Li Zicheng is even happier that Li Laiheng has revealed the advantages of other generals, and such generals are the most rare.

New progress in "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty": the Battle of Yashan, the defeat of the Yuan army, the counterattack of the Song army, and the landing in Fuzhou.