When the fire broke out everywhere in the city, the Jin army, which was originally chaotic because of the destruction of the city, no longer had the heart to fight.

Almost all the generals with brains are desperate in their hearts, and there are fires in many places, this cannot be caused by accident, there must be an army rebellion.

The judgment is not wrong, Zhang Ruji and Sun Bangzuo of the original Liu Erzu's department have indeed surrendered and rebelled.

The two sent their own soldiers and henchmen to set fire everywhere in the city, creating chaos, and led people to suddenly burst out at the north gate to kill, open the city gate, and welcome the rebels.

The two gates were broken, the rebels poured in, and they advanced rapidly in the city, coupled with the persuasion and guidance of Zhang Ruji and Sun Bangzuo's troops, the Jin army in the city collapsed extremely quickly.

In the end, people are still unpredictable. At this life-and-death juncture, the selfish side is exposed.

The chief officer is stubborn, but the soldiers below may not be willing to accompany him to death, and even for the sake of rewarding silver and saving his own life, many people have their eyes on their own chief officer.

However, when approaching the castle guard's mansion, the Jin army still organized a relatively stubborn resistance. Wanyan Wulie led his cronies and the small number of troops under his control, and the beasts were still fighting, which slowed down the advance of the rebel army.

But this has nothing to do with the overall situation, even if you don't put on your armor and fight bravely, it is just a matter of delaying more time and consuming more lives.

The influx of rebels became more and more obvious in numbers, outflanking, advancing onslaught, and victory was only a matter of time.

When the rebels finally advanced to the gate of the mansion, the flames rose from the house, which was not caused by artillery fire, but the soot of self-immolation. The flames rose higher and higher, the smoke rose, and a miserable cry was heard from inside the closed door.

The raging fire announced the recovery of Taean City, and Wan Yan chose to self-immolate, perhaps as a way not to be insulted by his enemies after his death.

But for the rebels, it doesn't matter anymore. It was a decisive victory and it was significant. When the Tai'an Red Jacket Army recaptures the old base area, it can divide its troops and plunder in all directions, creating a momentum again.

For Meng Jiucheng, the goal has basically been achieved, and it is time to withdraw the troops and turn around.

First of all, the Jin army in Laiwu and Tai'an was almost completely annihilated, which greatly weakened the overall strength of the Shandong Jin army, which was quite beneficial to the future operations of the Red Turban Army;

Secondly, the capture of Tai'an formed a buffer, or an early warning, for the territory of the Red Turban Army. If the Jin army did not defeat Liu Erzu and occupy Tai'an, it would be impossible to threaten Laiwu from the west;

In the end, the Red Turban Army now had no threat, so they could concentrate on attacking Zizhou, joining forces with Li Quan's troops to eliminate the last threat in the vicinity, Guo Zhongyuan's Flower Hat Army.

After clearing the remnants of the army, maintaining law and order, and pacifying the residents, the rebels immediately carried out the work of cleaning up the aftermath after entering the city.

Although it is not as disciplined and orderly as the Red Turban Army, it is no longer as chaotic and disorderly as when the incident first started.

Meng Jiucheng withdrew the siege troops, still camped outside the city, and passed down the order to prepare to withdraw and return.

Peng Yibin said that he would use Daolaiwu to return to Yizhou and defend the base camp with all his might. Meng Jiucheng didn't say anything at the time, but he made up his mind to invite him to march together and attack Zizhou in the north.

In the face of Guo Zhongyuan's "Flower Hat Army", although it was less than 3,000 cavalry, Meng Jiucheng still did not dare to be careless. Until now, when he helps Huo Yi to conquer Tai'an, will the whole army be dispatched, and he will contact Li Quan, and then pull Peng Yibin.

Although Meng Jiucheng tried his best to avoid field battles with the Jin army, especially with the cavalry, there were times when it was really unavoidable.

For this reason, Meng Jiucheng also thought hard for a long time, and conducted several studies and discussions with the generals before determining the final tactics and mobilizing most of the cavalry that should not have appeared.

Of course, the plan is meant to unfold as the situation changes. Now that the time is basically ripe, Meng Jiucheng is in a hurry to return.

Huo Yi and other leaders of the righteous army invited Meng Jiucheng into the city to celebrate, but Meng Jiucheng politely declined, inferring that the Jin army in Zizhou seemed to have moved and was in a hurry to return to deal with it.

After resting for the night, Meng Jiucheng led the army the next day. Huo Yi and others went out of the city to see each other off, and gave some armor and weapons to the Red Turban Army.

Meng Jiucheng was also not polite, and after accepting the seizure, he made an appointment with Peng Yibin. Peng Yibin promised to lead his troops back tomorrow and pass through Laiwu.

"Stingy, I didn't even give a horse." On the way back to the army, Wang Xian was a little angry.

Meng Jiucheng smiled faintly and said: "They are also short of horses, and they have not operated as long as ours, and the grain and grass materials are even more stretched, so don't worry about it." Besides, relying on them to give one or two horses is also a drop in the bucket and can't solve the problem. ”

Wang Xian smiled and said, "I also know that one or two horses won't help, but I feel uncomfortable." ”

"I hope that Dazizhou can get more." Meng Jiucheng shook his horsewhip lightly and said in a deep voice: "The Flower Hat Army has a reputation, and it is impossible to fight against them. ”

Wang Xian nodded and said, "The Flower Hat Army is indeed very powerful, and the last general has seen it." Although our cavalry is the elite of selection, it is still a lot worse to fight against it. ”

"Naturally, the cavalry will not be allowed to fight easily." Meng Jiucheng pondered for a moment and said, "With the infantry and cavalry, it is not impossible to win. Well, just run, I'm not that greedy. ”

Wang Xian smiled and said, "Infantry battle cavalry, Meng Shuai is still very experienced. In the end, there is no problem with victory. ”

"It's different." Meng Jiucheng shook his head and said: "When I finished fighting Yan Bode, it was a mountain ambush and used the terrain to trap him; When the servants are scattered and stay at home, they are consumed by the strong village, and after the soldiers are lost, they are blocked on the road, so that they lose the space to gallop. This time we fought against the Flower Hat Army, but our army took the initiative to attack, and a field battle was inevitable. ”

"Infantry battles are victorious. Our army's equipment is good, there are chariots to block, crossbow arrows to shoot, and the power of artillery, as long as the formation is not chaotic, the cavalry is also unseamless. Wang Xian saw that Meng Jiucheng's face was heavy, and his words were mostly comforting.

Meng Jiucheng smiled and said, "In any case, it is only a matter of time before our army and the cavalry collide. I have only fought until now, and the preparation is quite sufficient. I'm still confident of winning. ”

As he spoke, Meng Jiucheng raised his whip and said with a smile: "Now, the weapons, equipment, ammunition and materials should have arrived, so let the Flower Hat Army taste the power of our army!" ”

……………

When Peng Yibin led his men and horses to Laiwu, the Red Turban Army was basically ready to go out, the weapons and equipment transported from the rear were distributed to the troops, and the grain and grass materials were also transported in a steady stream, and the war was about to begin.

Meng Jiucheng warmly entertained Peng Yibin, laid out the battle plan in its entirety, and invited him to join forces.

In this regard, Peng Yibin did not hesitate and happily agreed.

It is not once or twice to fight with the Red Turban Army, victory is guaranteed, and the distribution of captured materials will never suffer, Peng Yibin wants to marry Meng Jiucheng for a long time, so this result is not surprising at all.

Meng Jiucheng set aside a day and a night for Peng Yibin's troops to recuperate, then rushed to Boshan, commanded the main force that had been assembled here, and began a military operation to attack Zizhou.

If Peng Yibin's troops are added, the total strength of this attack will reach nearly 30,000, which is six times that of the Zizhou Jin army.

This does not include Li Quan's men and horses, as well as Han Shouzhong's troops in Weizhou.

In addition to the Flower Hat Army, the remaining 2,000 defenders of the Zizhou Jin Army were not in Meng Jiucheng's eyes. Moreover, the Jin army will not go out and leave the empty city of Zizhou.

According to the established battle plan, the Red Turban Army, backed by Boshan and a battalion of more than 3,000 people, slowly advanced to Zizhou along the main road.

Although it was an offensive, the Red Turban Army adopted the most stable tactics.

a small battalion in ten miles, and a thousand defenders; There was a large battalion of thirty miles, and the defenders were two thousand. In this way, step by step, we are approaching very steadily and steadily.

Defending on the offensive and defeating a small defeat without a big rout is the principle of this offensive plan.

Along the main road, a camp, a camp to build, the distance is only ten miles, like a small city. Just like a chain extending, it greatly limits the space for the Flower Hat Army to intersperse detours and flank attacks.

Even if the Flower Hat Army defeated the advance of the Red Turban Army, the pursuit would not exceed ten miles, and the defeated Red Turban Army would have a camp to take in, and the casualties would not be too heavy.

If the Flower Hat Army wants to attack the camp, it will fall into the Red Turban Army's attrition tactics again. Moreover, another camp ten miles away may also reinforce the front village, so that the Flower Hat Army may be flanked.

If it is interspersed with detours, the Flower Hat Army can only move ten miles between the camps, and the maneuver space is too small, and it is difficult to give full play to the power of the cavalry.

In history, there is a famous person who has also adopted a similar tactic, known as "hardening the village and fighting a dumb war".

Meng Jiucheng can be regarded as a reference, but he is borrowing from experience, and if he believes too much, he will participate in the exhibition as a kind of misleading. That's what the magic trick is.

The battle array pays attention to change, changes with the times, changes with the enemy, and changes with the situation. Dealing with cavalry with mobility far beyond infantry, relying on the camp as a fortified city, and flexibly changing attack and defense were indeed unfamiliar to the Jin army.

Therefore, the defense of the Red Turban Army does not mean that it is cowardly to attack, and attacking does not mean that it is brave to move forward.

And the Jin army's response was not surprising, Guo Zhongyuan led the flower hat army out of the city to meet the battle.

After the setback of reinforcements to Laiwu, Guo Zhongyuan began to storm Li Quan with the main force of the Flower Hat Army, and won two consecutive victories in Boxing and Guangrao, defeating Zheng Yande and Tian Yang, two fierce generals under Li Quan.

Just as Guo Zhongyuan was about to continue the attack, the Red Turban Army went north to attack Zizhou, and he had to lead his army back to Zizhou, because the guards in Zizhou were too empty.

And since the actions of the Red Turban Army have been determined, Guo Zhongyuan is willing to defend the infant city and trap the cavalry in a useless place. Therefore, going out of the city to meet the enemy and trying to defeat the enemy in the field was his only choice.

With less than 3,000 cavalry, facing an enemy nearly ten times his size, on the surface it seemed a little too arrogant and underestimating the enemy.

It is not uncommon for the Flower Hat Army to win more with less, and most of them are obtained by taking the initiative to attack. Even if the Red Turban soldiers are outnumbered, purely from the perspective of the competition of foot riders, they actually do not occupy much advantage.

Therefore, Guo Zhongyuan led the cavalry to battle, which was the only and correct choice.

The first battle was the battle between Zhang Hui, the forward of the Flower Hat Army, who led a thousand cavalry and the forward battalion of the Red Turban Army.

In terms of numbers, it was three to one, and although the cavalry was small, it should have an advantage; Judging from the actual battle process, the forward battalion of the Red Turban Army taught Zhang Hui a heavy lesson.

"Boom, boom, boom......" The meteor cannon continued to exert its might, and the black cannonball flew over a distance of more than 700 meters and fell into the battle formation of the Jin army.

After seeing the power of the cannonball, facing the smoking iron ball rolling on the ground, even the most brave golden soldiers and generals changed color on their faces and dodged one after another.

An explosion sounded, and clouds of black smoke rose from the Jin army's battle array, and the formation became less and less neat after the continuous bombardment of meteor cannons.

Zhang Huili was under the banner of the general, feeling the surge of this formation, he couldn't help frowning, staring at the fierce battlefield.

Under the bombardment of the meteor cannon, the flag has been moved several times, and the strict lineup has also been greatly loosened. It was too disadvantageous to go on like this, and he urged the drums of war, hoping that the troops who were rushing to kill would make a breakthrough as soon as possible and get rid of this passive situation.

On the battlefield, arrows rained down and cannons thundered, shouting to kill the sky. The cavalry of the Jin army was like the waves of the sea, slapping on the battle formation of the Red Turban Army.

Rejecting horses and chariots, the Red Turban Army used this as a cover to meet the battle, first using tiger squat artillery to attack the Jin cavalry, and then the infantry used crossbow arrows to shoot at the Jin army.

The casualty ratio of the two sides was almost the same, while the Red Turbans were firing regardless of the ammunition consumption, although the Jin cavalry did not attack in dense formations.

After hearing the sound of war drums, the Jin cavalry roared and galloped towards it, launching a more fierce attack.

After a canopy of arrows, the cavalry of the Jin army in front dismounted and fought, holding small shields in their arms, wielding scimitars in their hands, shouting and charging into battle.

After a period of fighting, the horses were pushed down, the chariots were overturned, and the Jin army seemed to open a smooth road to attack, and the cavalry began to rush and kill.

"Boom, boom, boom......" The muffled sound sounded in the rear of the Red Turban Army's battle formation, and the black thunder cannon shells smashed into the Jin Army, covering a considerable area in front of the battle formation.

The explosions came and went, and it was impossible to tell the difference. The smoke was thick, and the two armies, which were only a few hundred meters apart, could no longer see the shadow of the enemy on the opposite side.

Zhang Hui's eyes widened suddenly, he didn't expect that the Red Turban Army would also hide its killing move and give a sudden blow at this time.

He regretted it a little, regretted that he shouldn't underestimate the enemy, and that he shouldn't have fought in this area that was obviously the preset of the Red Turban Army. On the left is woods, on the right is the river beach, and a roundabout flank attack is impossible.

The Red Turban Army fired another round of flying thunder cannons, completely disrupting the Jin Army's onslaught and interrupting the continuity of the Jin Army's offensive formation.

The Jin army, which broke through the rejection of horses and chariots, had no follow-up support, and was soon besieged and killed by the soldiers of the Red Turban Army.

The horses were rejected, and the chariots were re-erected. Although many of them were broken, the shadow of the tiger squat cannon appeared in the gap, or the large shield spear of the Red Turban Army, and the defense line was reorganized.

"Mingjin, retreat!" Zhang Hui gave a wise order, it was not that he could no longer organize an attack, but for him, the casualties had exceeded the limit, and he did not dare to fight any further.