The Shun army moved quickly, left Fangshan, and began to continue its retreat south. The more than ten Ming scout cavalry soon caught up with the Shun army. These Ming cavalry did not immediately approach, their numbers were too small, and even if they did, they were not a threat.

The dozen or so scout cavalry stopped at a distance, and the cavalry jumped off their horses. A soldier took down something that was across the front of his saddle. It was a cylinder more than four feet long, and the soldier opened one end of the cylinder and pulled a long rocket out of it.

This is a rocket that looks like a later generation, not the kind that has a cupola directly tied to the feather arrow. The shell of such a rocket was rolled out of layers of asbestos and silk stained with glue. Four small tail fins were also made out of balsa wood. The soldiers carefully erected the rocket. Then take out the guide of the tail of the rocket. Flames.

The hussars of the Model Army, of course, were not launching satellites, or even trying to attack the Shun army with rockets. This new rocket could indeed be used as a rocket, but because it didn't explode. medicine while black. Fire. The power of the medicine is quite limited, and the cost of this rocket is not cheap, so it cannot be used as a 107 rocket launcher. However, if it is filled with fire oil, it can be used to set fire to the enemy's camp, which is very convenient.

Of course, this time, this rocket is not intended for such combat use, it is for delivering messages.

The cavalry of the Model Army retreated a little further and ignited the guide. Flames. After a while, the rocket took off into the air with white gunpowder smoke, flew more than 200 zhang high, and then exploded a large salute in the air. The ceremonial flower left a reddish-brown cloud in the sky, which could be seen from a long distance. Even the sound of an explosion can pierce far away.

Li Zicheng naturally noticed this rocket, and he realized that the enemy's scout cavalry launched such a thing, and the only possibility was to contact the army in the rear. This thing flies high enough to be seen from a great distance, but even then, it is not too far away.

"Maybe it's only ten or twenty miles." Li Zicheng thought.

"Speed up the march." Li Zicheng said, "Today we are going to walk forty miles. ”

The speed of the Shun army's march accelerated, and the scouts of the model army still followed unhurriedly, and just after noon, Li Zicheng was urging his army to continue marching, but he heard a panicked shout behind him.

Li Zicheng turned his head and looked behind, but saw that the army behind him was in chaos, and Liu Tichun took his own soldiers to rectify the order.

Li Zicheng rushed over with his personal guards, and at this time Liu Tichun had basically controlled the chaos. He was getting ready to deal with a couple of guys who were the first to shout. Li Zicheng had already understood why the soldiers were in chaos at this time. For farther behind, a stream of yellow dust was rising high, almost into the air.

Li Zicheng is also an old man, so he naturally knows what this yellow dust means. This shows that a large army is approaching. In this era, there were no paved roads, and all roads were dirt roads, dirt roads that were muddy when it rained, and dusty roads on sunny days. There hasn't been much rain these days, in fact, since the Chongzhen period, the rain in the north has become less and less, and the official roads are naturally dusty. Therefore, when the army walks on such a road, it will naturally raise a high amount of floating dust.

"It's only about ten miles. How could they have come so quickly? Li Zicheng looked at the yellow dust and estimated the distance between the other party and himself. Obviously, the other side marched much faster than its own.

"Go and find Liu Zongmin. Let his team stop and rest and get ready for battle! Li Zicheng said, "Let Hao Shaoqi and his own people quickly surround the car city and set up a rejection horse, we can't leave today." ”

Indeed, Li Zicheng could no longer continue the march. The speed of the enemy army is much faster than him, and if he is caught up by the enemy army in the marching state, it will be a real disaster, so it is better to stop and prepare for battle at this time. Based on the smoke and dust, Li Zicheng judged that the enemy army should still be ten miles away, and it was estimated that it would take half an hour to come over. This half hour is just the right time for the soldiers to rest, eat some dry food, and prepare for battle. Li Zicheng thought that the Ming army had traveled all the way and chased after them, but they were afraid that they would be tired enough, and if they chased them like this, the cannon was estimated to fall behind. Without those cannons, Li Zicheng felt that he still had something to fight with those Ming troops relying on the wall of the horse village and the like. And now it is only a few dozen miles away from Zhuozhou, and it should still be able to retreat safely if you resist this wave, be cautious, and retreat step by step.

It is obviously impossible to build a camp in half an hour, but this time is enough for the Shun army to set up a rejection horse and surround the car city or something. In the last battle, the impact of the cavalry of the Model Army left a deep impression on Li Zicheng, so now that Li Zicheng is fighting against these Ming troops again, he naturally gives priority to defense.

The Shun army formed a circle around their baggage wagons, which looked like a city wall surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. These wagons used by the army were specially made, with high side panels, and there was a place for large shields, and if there were no cannons, this kind of carriage city could be considered very strong.

As soon as the car formation was arranged, the troops of the Model Army appeared in Li Zicheng's field of vision. It's still a neat queue, and it looks orderly.

"Looking at people like this, if it weren't for the dust on their bodies, they really wouldn't be able to see it, they would have chased them all the way." Looking at the model army opposite, Li Zicheng couldn't help but praise Liu Zongmin like this.

"I don't know how much it costs to train such a team." Liu Zongmin said.

"When we repelled them, we went back to Xiangjing, and with the money we brought back this time, we practiced slowly, I don't believe it, I can't practice like this." Lee became a self-enlightened man.

The model army stopped a few hundred paces away from the Shun army's chariot formation, and quickly spread out into several phalanxes. but he did not come forward any more. Li Zicheng boarded the lookout car, but saw that behind the opponent's military formation, some other troops were busy camping.

"They came from afar, and they were tired. I'm afraid it won't attack us today. Li Zicheng said, "Lao Liu, you send a few people to Zhuozhou tonight." Let Yuan Zongdi send people to repair a few more military camps along the road, and by tomorrow, we may be able to use them. ”

Liu Zongmin listened and said, "Your Majesty, I know, so I turned around and found someone to pass the order." ”

Li Zicheng turned his head again, looked at the model army, sighed, and said in a low voice: "I don't know how many people will be able to reach Zhuozhou tomorrow." ”