On that day, after the 60,000 Northern Expeditionary Ming Army was divided from Yuezhou, they continued to embark on the journey in the east and west directions. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 When the Ming army on the West Road went straight to Jingzhou under the command of Pang Yue and Gao Yigong, the Ming army on the East Road also marched eastward and arrived near Jinkou Town, more than 70 miles south of Wuchang City, in the evening of that day.

Like the East Route Army led by Pang Yue and others, this East Route Army led by Li Guo, Yuan Zongdi and others did not encounter much resistance along the way, and the several counties they passed through surrendered without a fight. Overall, it was a smooth ride.

Because it was not early, Li Guo ordered the army to rest for a while. After the whole army set up camp, had dinner, and discussed military affairs, all the generals expressed their feelings. In the big tent of the Chinese army, there is a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

"I have long known that the Tartars in Jingzhou are limited in strength and will not resist very strongly, but this time our army is progressing so smoothly and has not encountered any resistance on the road, which is greatly beyond my expectations. At this rate, as long as we don't delay, we can reach Wuchang and Hanyang in a day or two at most. It was Li Guo who spoke, sitting on the main seat at this time, refreshed, and the worry and heaviness of the original Jiuxiwei was gone.

Yuan Zongdi was also full of smiles: "Of course, the Tartars also have self-knowledge, seeing the great momentum of our army, how dare they go out of the city to die again?" If he doesn't come, let's save trouble, and when we hit Wuchang, we will clean it up! I think at the beginning, when we first entered Huguang, how rampant were the Tartars? But I didn't expect that there would be a day when it became a shrinking turtle. It's really right to that sentence, thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi! ”

The joy of Li Guo and others can be said to come from the smooth eastward advance. But to go deeper, it's still because of its own gains.

Along the way, one after another, soldiers occupied the city and reclaimed the land without blood. The amount of property and food confiscated from the Manchu local government and the gentry of the county court was considerable, enough to support all the soldiers of the loyal battalion and their families to live without food and clothing for a long time. Moreover, this is only the counties along the way, and when they reach the vicinity of Wuchang and Hanyang, the harvest should be even richer. There is not only a real harvest, but also a great achievement. It's the best of both worlds.

"Speaking of which, this time it was thanks to Dingwu Hou, if he hadn't seen this great opportunity. We are invited to join forces in the army. I'm afraid we are still worried about the food and clothing of 200,000 soldiers and their families in Jiuxiwei. At this time, Liu Tichun, who was known as the "Two Tigers", said, "This Dingwu Hou's vision really didn't say, he didn't hesitate when he should make a move, and he was also generous." I don't know how much stronger it is than He Tengjiao and the like. Let's be honest. If it weren't for the fact that there were still so many sensible people in the imperial court, I wouldn't have come to Huguang with everyone at the beginning of the year. Although Kui Dong is remote, he can also save the faces of those villains. ”

Since it was not a formal military meeting, all the people in the tent at this time were the old men of the loyal battalion, that is, the original Dashun army, and He Guoyuan, Chen Shangtu and other Fubo battalion generals went to patrol the camp and were not present. Therefore, Liu Tichun has no scruples when he speaks.

At this time, a middle-level general put forward a slightly different opinion: "Guangshanbo's words are not unreasonable. But the generosity of Marquis Wu, I am afraid that it will not be given in vain, this northern expedition. If I hadn't invited my loyal battalion to send troops together, I am afraid that it would not be possible to achieve great things with only the more than 20,000 men and horses under his command. He needs the help of troops, and we need food and grass supplies, so we just take what we need. ”

Liu Tichun sneered and asked rhetorically: "Do you still expect pies to fall from the sky?" ”

There was a burst of laughter in the tent.

Li Guo smiled and signaled quiet, and said, "Okay, there is no need to mention this matter again." No matter what Dingwu Hou thought in his heart, he always helped us and solved our urgent needs. Besides, if he hadn't led his army westward this time and restrained the main force of the Hubei Tartars, how could we have entered Wuchang so smoothly? It is said that the grace of a drop of water should be reciprocated by a spring, regardless of whether the spring is gushing or not, the opportunity in front of you should not be missed. The Tartar forces in Wuchang are empty, and it is the time when we have a lot to do. Not only for other aspects, but also for the sake of the emperor, for the sake of the old brothers who died under the Tartar sword from north to south. ”

Speaking of this, the smile on Li Guo's face unconsciously turned serious, and the relaxed atmosphere in the tent also turned solemn at that moment.

The "first emperor" in Li Guo's mouth is not Hongguang or Chongzhen, but Li Zicheng. In the many years of the southern expedition and the northern war, Li Zicheng has always been the soul of the camp and later the Dashun army, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a banner in the hearts of all the soldiers. At the beginning, Li Zicheng was accidentally killed in Jiugong Mountain, and the blow to the Dashun army was almost incalculable. Just imagine, if Li Zicheng was still there, why did the Dashun Army fall to such a point today? Therefore, the generals of the loyal battalion may not be able to avoid some contradictions and different ideas on weekdays, but as long as Li Zicheng is mentioned, they are all gloomy in their hearts.

"Master Hou doesn't need to say much," Yuan Zongdi said, "The hatred of the first emperor and the hatred of the dead old brothers, we can always remember it in our hearts, and we have never forgotten it for a moment." This time, as long as you can defeat Wuchang and Hanyang, and take down the heads of traitors such as Luo Xiujin, it can be regarded as a consolation to the spirit of the emperor in the sky. ”

All the generals in the tent agreed, their expressions were firm, and they hated the same enemy.

......

Outside Jingzhou, night has fallen, and stars have begun to loom.

The Ming army had already finished the siege during the day, and except for leaving scouts around the city, they all withdrew to the camp in the east of the city.

At this time, in the camp, the smoke was scattered and the lights were lit. A group of non-commissioned officers patrolled back and forth outside and inside the camp, and they were heavily guarded. Inside the tent, Pang Yue pondered, recalling all the details of today's battlefield over and over again, and at the same time seeking a solution. As for the dinner brought by his own soldiers, he didn't have the slightest appetite.

Today's daytime battle, although it is just a trial, is not very smooth for Huguang Town. At the same time, it also reflects that this time in front of the Ming army, it is indeed a hurdle that is difficult to cross easily.

At that time, Huguang Town was responsible for attacking the city, and the loyal battalion was responsible for intercepting the Qing army in the camp north of the city. When the first shot of the siege was fired, Pang Yue took Gangfeng and the second battalion of the broken army as the main force of the siege, and with the assistance of the Huashan battalion and the fire battalion to suppress the firepower, he launched a fierce attack on the east city gate.

After a long period of training and battlefield tempering, the cooperation between the battalions has become quite skillful. The powerful firepower of artillery, gunners, and other organizations made it almost impossible for the Qing troops at the head of the city to raise their heads, and most of the defensive facilities such as hanging households arranged by the Qing army at the head of the city were destroyed in a short time. Under the cover of fire, the Huashan battalion quickly advanced and paved the way for the army to fill the ditch. Gangfeng and the second battalion of the broken army also pressed immediately. For a while, the bullets and arrows flew together, and the sound of killing shook the sky.

In the face of the offensive of Huguang Town, the resistance of the Qing army in the city was also quite tenacious.

Shang Kexi personally came to the city to supervise and issued a strict order: those who fight bravely will be rewarded, and those who retreat without permission will be killed! He also sent several large boxes of silver ingots to the castle tower as a sign of encouragement, and beheaded more than a dozen cowards on the spot as an example. Therefore, the morale of the Qing army never fell, waiting for the Ming army to approach, and fought back desperately with bows and arrows, rolling wood and stones, and the artillery at the head of the city.

After more than an hour of fighting, the soldiers of Huguang Town were never able to capture the city, and the long ladders, crashes, and artillery used to attack the city were also destroyed.

At this time, an urgent report came from the north: the Qing army stationed in the camp in the north of the city responded to the city and set out. Tikhamu entangled the loyal battalion that served as an interceptor with the main force under his command, and sent several generals to lead 2,000 elite horsemen straight to the east gate.

Pang Yue learned that he sent the Feihu Battalion to meet the enemy.

Not long after, another scout from the east reported that the Jingzhou naval division of the Qing army launched an attack on the Yangwei battalion from the river, and the Yangwei battalion was only left to parry after supporting for a while, and from time to time warships and transport ships were sunk.

continued to attack the city for a while, but seeing that there was still no progress, Pang Yue had to order Mingjin to withdraw his troops first, and the battle ended in the morning.

Gao Yigong and Dang Shousu led the army to withdraw from the north, saying that the offensive of the Qing army in the north of the city was really fierce, and its generals were leading and the soldiers dared to fight, and they almost spared no effort to echo the defenders in the city, and they probably should not be taken lightly.

Knowing this situation, combined with the various circumstances of the siege battle in the morning, Pang Yue pondered for a long time.

In the afternoon, the Ming army continued to attack with the same disposition. The Qing army's deployment was similar, and its morale was a few points higher than that of the morning. The two armies fought again, but the situation was still not broken. Seeing this situation, Pang Yue was no longer reluctant, and ordered Mingjin to withdraw his troops in advance.

After this first day of fighting, Pang Yue was sure of his previous judgment, the three Qing armies echoed each other, and were supported by a strong city, and the morale of his army had not fallen. If you want to break the situation, it is not easy.

But is that really the way we want to stop here? If so, what is the point of this northern expedition?

After thinking about it, Pang Yue had a variety of countermeasures in his mind, all of which seemed to have merit, but when he thought about it carefully, he seemed to be more or less unstable.

Just when Pang Yue was difficult to make a decision, Zhang Yunli came.

After entering the tent and glancing at the food that had no heat, Zhang Yunli said, "Why hasn't the big handsome had dinner yet?" Even if the war is serious, three meals a day should not be delayed. ”

"I'm not hungry, and I'm not in a hurry to eat. I figured you should be here too. What, has there been any progress in the General Staff Division? ”

"The progress may not be talked about yet, please take a look at this first." Zhang Yunli handed over several new combat plans.

Pang Yue took it, browsed through the light, and thought while watching.

I don't know how long it took, Pang Yue's face softened slightly, he took out one of the plans, and said, "This plan of the General Staff Division has a lot in common with what I thought before. The reason why I have not been able to make up my mind is because there are a lot of variables. I wonder if you've done a detailed calculation on this? ”

Zhang Yunli smiled and said: "The General Staff Department was originally formed by the marshal, and the marshal acted rigorously, so the marshal should rest assured." The feasibility of the plan has been detailed above. As for whether it can be adopted, that is up to the commander. But the last general did not dare to assert. ”

Pang Yue also smiled, quickly skimmed through the plan again, thought about it again and again, and finally nodded. (To be continued.) )