Chapter 348: An Unreasonable Arrangement of the March

In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the Manchu Qing Dynasty outside the Guanxi Dynasty used the technology brought by the Han firearms craftsmen to begin to cast artillery, and when Jierharang and Abatai attacked Xingshan City, the artillery used was a twelve-pound cannon, which is the so-called general cannon.

The 12-pounder cannon cast by the Manchus weighed 3,800 catties, and when transporting the cannon, the cart had to be dragged not by horses, but by oxen with greater strength.

In fact, most of the time, whether it was the Ming Dynasty or the Manchu Qing outside the Guan, these artillery pieces were placed at the head of the city for defense, for no other reason, this artillery was too heavy.

The Jiaozhou Battalion's Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau strives for perfection in all crafts, and it is also strict in grasping it, and the person in charge is Sun Hedou, a person who understands how to make artillery, and the artillery made is about 3,200 catties, and there are special gun carriages and gun trucks, so it is quite agile to move.

However, this kind of agility is also relative, and this kind of cannon, even the weight of the gun carriage and gun carriage, ordinary roads cannot bear it, let alone the humid land in this water network area.

But a large number of people and Ding Zhuang had already been prepared, each carrying a bag of gravel on their backs, and there were some other materials on the big boat behind, and after going ashore, the soldiers were piled up in front, and there were three three-pounder guns there to maneuver at any time, pushing forward step by step.

Behind the people Ding Zhuang hurriedly paved the road, such a job is also comfortable, anyway, the soldiers in front of them are there, if you want to run, you will run first, this money is more, the work is also done safely, the end is extraordinarily foot, the gravel is paved on the ground, simple tamping.

Then they used large wooden planks to pad it, and the people who paved the road also pulled the cannon forward under the command of the officer, the ground was solid, and the strength of the people was large. That's the twelve-pounder cannon tossed up.

The twelve-pounder cannon is a general's cannon, and the fifteen-pounder and eighteen-pounder cannons are called the general's cannon.

Although the real power is not so exaggerated, compared to the three-pounder cannon and the six-pounder cannon, the power is not measurable by the increase in the number of pounds.

Liu Xiyao, the king of the left gold of the fifth battalion of the revolution, is good at guarding. Don't look at the fact that he is not very clever in fighting with the Huaiyang army outside, but the defense in Zhengyang Town does have his unique place.

If the troops are allowed to rush in like this, the strength of the Huaiyang army of the Jiaozhou battalion, the power of the spear and the firearm will not be able to be displayed, but it will fall into hand-to-hand combat with the other party, and it will definitely encounter great losses.

There is almost no need for the Shandong Salt Gang to inquire about these situations, and a lot of news is on the surface. The 20,000 Nanjing forbidden troops led by Lu Jiude, the eunuch of Nanjing, have no sense of secrecy, like a sieve, and any news can be found out.

In this case, Chen Liu, the general of the Huaiyang Army, did not want to pay attention to what narrow road encounters and the brave wins. It's just a matter of blasting it with artillery first.

can't be beaten, the troops under Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, are all pulled into the town, and it is wrong to think about it left and right, thinking about organizing a charge to fight. The range and power of the cannon outside, with the firepower arranged in Zhengyang Town, I am afraid that it can only be passively beaten.

The closer to Zhengyang Town, the more open the terrain became, but this front was almost filled with the musketeers and spearmen of the Huaiyang Army of the Jiaozhou Battalion. He was immediately beaten out.

After advancing to a certain position, the men began to build an earthen platform, as high as possible above the flat ground on the side, and the four twelve-pounder cannons were pushed to this with great difficulty.

Four twelve-pounder guns, and four three-pounder guns, were placed under the earthen platform, and artillery positions were constructed at a very close distance.

As soon as the posture was opened, the soldiers of the 5th Battalion of Gezuo in Zhengyang Town could no longer care about the fortifications, and ran out of the house one after another. Flee away from the artillery.

And Liu Xiyao's artillery was set up in the middle of the town. He also wanted to attack the officers and soldiers who rushed into the town, but he didn't even have a chance to fight back.

There were no more soldiers in front of the artillery. In the artillery position, far from the gunpowder field, there was a burning furnace, in which the metal shells burned red.

The soldiers of the Huaiyang Army of the river fleet had already begun to disembark and line up, although the space where they could deploy the troops was very narrow, they still piled up the troops as much as possible, Chen Liu also came to the front place, and his guards set up a simple wooden platform for him to stand on and watch, which was a safe enough distance.

Chen Liu didn't give too many orders in the next battle, and when the battle situation went exactly according to the plan and plan, there was not much suspense about victory.

The first salvo of the twelve-pounder cannon, those whistling and fast-flying red iron balls directly turned into a disaster in Zhengyang Town, and there were still people hiding in the houses and fortifications on the front line, wanting to ambush and kill the officers and soldiers who rushed in later, but the shells of the twelve-pounder cannon directly penetrated the walls and houses.

Not only these people on the front line were unlucky, but even the soldiers of the 5th Battalion of the Revolutionary Left who felt that they had withdrawn to a safe distance were also hit by the flying shells.

After the first round of shelling, Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, could not suppress the troops in Zhengyang Town, and after the second round of shelling, King Zuojin no longer expected to be able to control the troops, and fled towards the outside of the town with his men and horses.

If he didn't run, his troops would also be scattered, and the range of the twelve-pounder gun almost covered the entire Zhengyang Town, and no one thought that they would be so lucky to be able to dodge this thunderous artillery blow.

The first round was an elevation shot, the second was an approximate flat fire, and the houses on the opposite side of the artillery positions were in tatters.

Seeing that Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, led the soldiers to withdraw from the town in a panic, Chen Liu, the general of the Huaiyang Army, did not order the pursuit, but just let his subordinates drive into Zhengyang Town.

There were no inhabitants in this town for a long time, and they were either captured by the 5th Battalion of the Revolution or fled before the arrival of the military disaster.

But Chen Liu's side had already brought a large number of people and Ding Zhuang, and the first thing the soldiers of the Huaiyang Army did as soon as they entered the town was to search for the remnants of the enemy. It was even weaker than the Huaiyang Army expected.

However, he saw some wounded soldiers who were discarded by his companions because of their disabilities, which made the Huaiyang army even more disdainful of the Fifth Battalion of the Revolutionary Left, and regarded them as the same as the Chuang Battalion and Cao Cao's army.

After the remnants of the enemy were searched, the Huaiyang Army immediately pushed light artillery onto various road crossings, and the soldiers of each battalion also took positions under the command of the officer.

The people who came with the fleet and Ding Zhuang immediately started to work hard, directly using the earth from the ruins of the houses that had been bombarded to build a low wall on the land around the town. The shipwrecks and the like on the river were also salvaged as much as possible and used for fortifications.

The fortifications built by Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, in Zhengyang Town were repaired as much as possible by the soldiers of the Huaiyang Army of the Jiaozhou battalion, and positions for firing guns and artillery were set aside at various points.

In the direction where Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, left, there were always two artillery pieces and two battalions of soldiers on the defensive, lest this force go and return.

After the simple fortifications and defenses were built, the river was almost cleared, although the soldiers had been fighting since they disembarked. There was no time to rest when building fortifications, but Chen Liu, as the commander, had no intention of letting the soldiers rest.

Even he himself was in the midst of the activities of further study and construction of fortifications, but the people who came with the boat had already begun to eat and rest, and they were all in high spirits.

These people's husbands Ding Zhuang were originally Zhuang Ding of the Lianghuai Jiaozhou Yingtun Tianzhuang. However, it is more of the vassals and tenants of those wealthy businessmen in Yangzhou who have industries in Fengyang Mansion and Luzhou Mansion, and this time it is convenient to collect and distribute them nearby, but the orders of the main family cannot be disobeyed.

But these strong men were reluctant. At this time, it was the busy season of farming, and the officers and soldiers were conscripted to fight, delaying the farm work, and in the past, there were other soldiers and horses in Nanzhili who were conscripted and sent to the people, and they were not paid at all, and there were often evil things that were arrested by the soldiers and taken to be soldiers.

Every time I encounter such a matter of requisitioning and issuing people's husbands, even the salt merchants behind these strong men refuse to shirk in every way, who would have thought that this time they would actually take the initiative to send them to the door.

Come here full of trepidation. The more you work, the more elated, as soon as the war starts, the soldiers of the Jiaozhou battalion are in front, they are here to work, they don't have to worry about being caught as cannon fodder, and they are well fed, there are a few strength to sell, and they do a good job, this Shandong comes from the soldiers. A few hangings of money were also given on the spot.

There is such a good thing. The civilians who came with the troop transport ships were so energetic that they were reluctant to let them take turns to rest.

Folk Husband Ding Zhuang. Thinking about things is relatively simple, many people don't think about what is wrong, that is, after the Huaiyang soldiers and horses entered Zhengyang Town, most of the troops were deployed in the east of the town, that is, in the direction of Shouzhou, and in the west of the town, that is, in the direction of Yingshang and Huoqiu, there were layers of fortifications, and several artillery pieces were also transferred there.

The people who had taken a break were soon mobilized again, and they had to dig a trench deep enough outside Zhengyang Town to enclose the whole town.

If you can't raise a high wall in a hurry, you have to use a deep ditch instead......

Around Zhengyang Town, there are low walls and trenches, and there are various fortifications in the town, and several powerful artillery pieces are placed in critical positions, it seems that Chen Liu, the leader of the Huaiyang Army, also wants to hold here, but Zhang Xianzhong and the large army of the Fifth Battalion of the Revolution are obviously in Yingshang and Huoqiu in the west of Zhengyang Town.

What Chen Liu, the general of the Huaiyang Army who had gained the upper hand, should do should be to use this Zhengyang Town as a base for military transfer, and then continue to advance and fight, why did he run this place as a fortress.

In this case, it is difficult to say, if you go out to pursue, and when the troops retreat, there is such a fortress lying there, and it will directly block the retreat.

The actions of Chen Liu, the general of the Huaiyang Army, also have a kind of praise, he is steady and does not dare to advance, but it still seems strange.

Lu Jiude, the eunuch of Nanjing stationed in Shouzhou City, is still paying attention to Li Chuang's soldiers and horses in Henan, and the current king Li Zicheng and Cao Cao Luo Rucai are still changing the order of the army's garrison, adjusting the defensive direction of the team, and waiting for the news that Tanma has found ground in Guide.

But they did not move, and the rumors that spread more and more outrageously in Nanzhili gave people the illusion that the million-strong army in Henan was about to go south.

Zhang Xianzhong and the Fifth Battalion of the Revolution Left, although they had different thoughts. However, it is better to shrink the team to ensure a more stable control of the territory that has been laid, so as not to have any unforeseen circumstances.

On Lu Jiude's side, he readjusted the 60,000 soldiers and horses of Nanzhili in his hands, in addition to focusing the defense on the north and northwest of Shouzhou, and also let the reinforcements from Fengyang, which was originally transferred out, return to Fengyang. And he is ready to divide the soldiers and horses in his hands into another 5,000 people to go to Fengyang.

In Nanzhili, Fengyang and Nanjing City, where the imperial tomb is located, are places that cannot be missed, and there is a little mistake. There must be officials who are responsible with their own heads, and I really dare not be careless.

The more than 10,000 soldiers and horses led by Chen Liu, the deputy general of Shandong and the general of the Huaiyang Army, now seem to have been forgotten by all parties, for Zhang Xianzhong and the Fifth Battalion of Gezuo, these more than 10,000 soldiers and horses cannot create any threat at all, and they are too low-key, and it seems that they have no intention of moving forward after conquering Zhengyang Town.

And for Lu Jiude, the eunuch of Nanjing. This Huaiyang army is a foreign Shandong soldier and horse, whatever he does, what we do.

As a result, this army has become an unreliable existence on both sides, and it has been temporarily forgotten.

Zhengyang Town in the midst of these days. Under the command of the officer, Minfu and Ding Zhuang continued to repair the fortifications, and in the river on the edge of Zhengyang Town, the boats flowed endlessly. Large quantities of supplies and support were delivered.

It seems that there are more than 10,000 people in the Huaiyang army, and they regard this place as a permanent camp, but no one pays attention to their thoughts, and when it comes to this emergency, who can take care of them.

After all the Qingzhou Army in Shandong entered Shuyang, they took a short rest and did not come to take over the already thin Huaiyang military defense area, but used the water system of Caoyun and the Yanhe River to move south. After going south to the Huai River, it is along the Huai River all the way to the west, and finally stops at Zhoujiaqiao Town on the shore of Hongze Lake.

The camp was stationed in Henan for so long, although the officers and soldiers were thinking about getting by and ensuring that nothing went wrong, but in Huoqiu, Zhang Xianzhong and the fifth battalion of Gezuo finally couldn't sit still.

At the end of mid-May, Ai Nengqi and Feng Shuangli led an army of 40,000 to try to recapture Zhengyang Town. In this terrain with a dense network of water. The appearance of 40,000 people is really impressive.

Watching Zhang Xianzhong's soldiers rushing from all directions all over the mountains, some on small boats and sampans. There are also direct hikes that come from all over the land route.

Ai Nengqi and Feng Shuangli are both old subordinates who have followed Zhang Xianzhong for so many years, and they can be regarded as the backbone of the military attachés, after knowing the battle example of Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, they can't think of any way to repel the opponent.

When it is really short-handed, it is not possible to develop too many troops, compared to the quality of the troops, even if it is the strongest unit led by Zhang Xianzhong-the inner battalion, it may not be as strong as the Huaiyang army that suddenly appeared, if you choose to attack a little, it will not be able to break it at all.

It is better to encircle on all sides and attack as many points as possible, after all, this army of officers and soldiers is only 10,000 people, relying on the strength of the people, as long as it can break into this Zhengyang Town, this small town will definitely collapse completely.

After demolishing a few houses in Zhengyang Town, two watchtowers were erected, just in time to see the amazing army of displaced people outside.

As the commander, Chen Liu stood on the observation tower, looked around with one hand, and when he saw this momentum, he only sighed twice, but he didn't have a look of surprise and fear.

Ai Nengqi got a little closer, and saw that the fortifications of Zhengyang Town that seemed to be built in general, after many years, although it was in his early thirties, he could also ride a veteran, and subconsciously took a breath of cold air, thinking about how to fight this, and he saw that there was almost no flaw in this side.

After a while, Feng Shuangli approached from the other side with his personal guards, Ai Nengqi turned his head to look at his colleagues, Feng Shuangli saw the embarrassed look on his face, and immediately understood what the other party meant, and lowered his voice at the moment, but said indifferently:

"It's not worth a penny, let him die!"

This is what Zhang Xianzhong said privately to Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and some cronies and generals, including the two of them, saying that I have you, as well as the backbone soldiers and horses you bring, no matter where you go, you can make a comeback, as for these homeless people who have gathered, it is not worth a penny, and there is no need to be a pity when using them, although they are sent to death.

Since Zhang Xianzhong started his army in Shaanxi, he has always been unable to take advantage of the Ming official army, and he has won several battles either with Luo Rucai or with Li Zicheng.

And when he walks alone, he rarely sees any brilliance, but the world is really chaotic, and the famous name of the Eight Kings Zhang Xianzhong, no matter where he goes, there are homeless people to look at the scenery, and he can easily gather an army.

There is always a large army, but there are no bright spots, which is obviously related to Zhang Xianzhong's "worthless" attitude, but this practice of maintaining the backbone and ignoring the deaths and injuries of the displaced people has indeed trained a group of generals, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and today, these two are gradually growing up.

Such a tentative attack, the eight kings Zhang Xianzhong is reluctant to use the backbone troops to fight, today these 40,000 mighty, but most of them are newly gathered homeless people, completely used as cannon fodder to test.

Although the Fifth Battalion of the Left Wing was nominally listening to Zhang Xianzhong's orders at this time, the two sides were still relatively clear, and Liu Xiyao, the king of Zuojin, had already suffered a loss, and it was Zhang Xianzhong's turn to be the troops.

Feng Shuangli said unscrupulously, the guards around him all had unchanged faces, and they didn't feel strange at all, they were also from those worthless homeless people, but they survived the bloody battle, and now they have become valuable, naturally different from those cannon fodder.

Since the tone was set, Ai Nengqi had nothing to say, and directly ordered the attack, whether it was the troops of Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, or the Fifth Battalion of the Revolutionary Left, or even the millions of displaced people in Henan, everyone had a habit that had been cultivated in previous battles, that is, they disdained the combat effectiveness of officers and soldiers.

Even though these homeless people were all new recruits and didn't even have decent weapons in their hands, they still rushed forward with confidence, either because they were fanatical or because they felt that the other party was vulnerable.

An army that retreats into this small town with a slight victory is not worth paying much attention to.

When the homeless people rushed up from all directions with a shout, the first to fire were six three-pounder guns, and the crowd was so dense that where the shells flew, it was a bloody road.

The four twelve-pounder guns were about thirty paces behind the three-pounder guns, and when the four cannons roared, the crowd of charging people suddenly fell silent.

The heavy shells of the twelve-pounder cannon directly waded through a few rivers of blood in the crowd, which was like a blow to the head, and the offensive of the homeless troops full of confidence and high morale immediately slowed down.

But the artillery could only attack a few lines, and more homeless people rushed to the low walls and trenches, and then, the fire bolts that popped out of the firing holes of the low walls, began to roar.

The entire surroundings of Zhengyang Town were instantly filled with gunsmoke......

At the beginning of June, the people of the world finally determined the movement of the Li and Luo coalition forces, and indeed they were heading north through Xinzheng County towards Zhengzhou.