"Brother Sun is here."

"The third brother is here."

Xu Ping and Li Dingguo walked out of the camp to greet Sun Kewang, Sun Kewang looked at the two people standing side by side in front of him suspiciously, stopped and asked Li Dingguo loudly: "Fourth, what the hell are you doing with the general?" ”

"Where?" Li Dingguo was taken aback and looked very aggrieved: "I haven't seen the third brother for a long time, and I think about it very much." ”

These days, Xu Ping has gone to the rear to see Sun Kewang a few times, and Li Dingguo has been busy on the front line.

"Brother Xu came out to pick me up, that's his kindness, you-" Sun Kewang pointed at Li Dingguo and asked, "Why did you come out of the camp, didn't there be a Hongmen banquet inside?" ”

"How can this be?" Xu Ping laughed, came over affectionately and grabbed Sun Kewang's shoulder, and after a mistake, he walked into the camp gate with Sun Kewang half of his body.

"Come on, open the meal, open the meal."

Xu Ping shouted without speaking, and then turned back to Sun Kewang and smiled: "Brother Sun, let's talk while eating." ”

The guards sent steaming fresh noodles and a large pot of vegetables and vegetables, seeing Sun Kewang staring at the vegetables in the basin in a daze, Xu Ping smiled again: "I know that Brother Sun is coming today, so the younger brother specially prepared the eggplant marinade, as well as the nepeta that just came, and the meat box that was just made, eat it while it's hot." ”

Seeing that Sun Kewang still didn't move his chopsticks, Xu Ping hurriedly explained: "Nepeta is a specialty of Henan, Brother Sun may not be used to it all of a sudden, but after eating it once, ......."

"I've eaten nepeta, I also like eggplant marinade, and it's not like I haven't stayed in Henan." Sun Kewang raised his head and stared at Xu Ping: "Generally speaking, the general only invites the last general to eat pimple soup, if the last general is not mistaken, the last time the general invited the last general to eat the meat box was to send us to block the new army's feint attack." Saying that, Sun Kewang glanced at Li Dingguo, and saw that the latter was drinking pimple soup as if nothing had happened, and shouted: "I know that your kid eats inside and out!" ”

After speaking, Sun Kewang began to eat with a big head, and said angrily: "I have already started eating, Brother Xu can chat while eating." ”

Xu Ping talked about his plans slowly, and at first Sun Kewang didn't say anything, just lowered his head to eat, and snorted from time to time to show that he understood.

“…… In this way, we have to let go of the Feng battalion to relieve Kaifeng. ”

"What!" Sun Kewang jumped up all of a sudden: "Kaifeng is piled up with mountains of gold and silver, general, you urge gunpowder and food all day long, I am going to be poor and crazy, and finally enclose Kaifeng like an iron bucket, they are about to starve, how can they let the new army in at this juncture?" ”

"The troops are insufficient," Xu Ping's tone was very soft, but his attitude was extremely resolute: "I know that anyone who hears me say that Kaifeng is not as important as a battalion of the New Army will think that I am crazy, but don't we want to cooperate sincerely now?" Brother Sun, I'm really in trouble, you've eaten all the meat boxes, just promise me once. ”

"General, you have to go by yourself, I don't agree to withdraw the siege of Kaifeng," the wealth that may be obtained by breaking Kaifeng has long been included in Sun Kewang's recent income, and recently, although Sun Kewang is in the army, he is still planning to open another batch of workshops to produce gunpowder, repair armor, and then experimentally build his own gun workshop.

"Xiying, I won't go to the county!" Sun Kewang resolutely spit out his final decision, and then suddenly felt a little uneasy in his heart, and hurriedly looked at Li Dingguo: "Fourth, you still treat me as the third brother, right?" ”

"Alas, third brother, this force is really insufficient." Li Dingguo sighed, his face full of apologies: "I already ate the general's meat box yesterday, and now it's too late to regret it." ”

"What a meat box, it's obvious that you've trained a few recruits, and your hands are itchy." Sun Kewang hurriedly said: "When you take Kaifeng and make a fortune, how many soldiers do you want to train is not a sentence?" Why are you so breathless? Are you still a child? ”

Li Dingguo said with a smile: "If you don't take it out and try it, how do you know if the military training is right?" ”

"Alright." Xu Ping interjected: "I set up a trap for Brother Li, and he had to keep his word if he fell for my plan." Brother Li will take his subordinates to follow me to Ci County, and this place will be entrusted to Brother Sun. ”

"Since that's the case," Sun Kewang saw that Xu Ping and Li Dingguo had reached an agreement, so he had to retreat to the second: "I remember that you have five hundred firecrackers, right?" Leave them to me, and I will be able to withstand the new army. ”

"No," without waiting for Li Dingguo to answer, Xu Ping preemptively replied for him: "Brother Li's soldiers have not been trained at all, and it will be a loss in vain to stay." ”

"Leave that gun to me, some of my men are good at playing with guns."

"Brother Sun has five hundred subordinates who can use firearms?" Xu Ping shifted his gaze from Sun Kewang to Li Dingguo: "Why haven't you heard Brother Li talk about it?" ”

Li Dingguo shook his head and said, "I don't know either." ”

"That's the loss of firecrackers for nothing, but if Brother Sun has a dozen or twenty people who can use firecrackers, then I won't be surprised." Xu Ping didn't see Sun Kewang's face getting more and more gloomy, so he said generously: "I'll leave twenty firecrackers for Brother Sun." ”

Sun Kewang shouted: "What is the use of twenty arrows, bows and arrows are useless to the new army!" ”

"And my big camp, which is also Brother Sun's, Brother Li and I have dug hundreds of trenches and built a large number of fortresses these days, Brother Sun ......"

"I don't have a firecracker, so what's the use of the ditch here?"

"The Shanlan battalion is intact, the whole battalion has 12 guns, 2,400 armor soldiers, it is the most powerful and effective battalion in the Henan New Army, they have not participated in the battle of Lanyang, the formation has not been disrupted, and the morale is also very strong." Xu Ping put away the smile on his face and said to Sun Kewang solemnly: "If I put in a wing, it will only have the ability to defend the county, and if I put in the whole battalion of guards, the Shanlan battalion may still retreat under the guidance of the officers and soldiers of Guide Mansion, and it will seriously kill and injure our soldiers." Against such a powerful enemy, every well-trained soldier and every musket is crucial, determining whether we can achieve victory or not, and determining the size of the price we have to pay. Brother Sun, we are not a new army, we do not have the inexhaustible resources of the imperial court behind us, we cannot accept a smaller victory, but must do our best to strive for the greatest results. ”

……

After Sun Kewang reluctantly accepted the task that Xu Ping and Li Dingguo shirked to him, Li Dingguo and Xu Ping discussed the timing of sending troops.

After explaining the staff team's speculation to Li Dingguo, Xu Ping said: "I think the new army must want to arrive at the same time as the Ming army in Germany." First, the new army could not arrive first, because I could send reinforcements at any time, and it was clear that the new army wanted to take the county without paying a big price, and they could not waste their time waiting for the officers and soldiers of Guide to arrive. ”

"Makes sense."

"Second, the officers and soldiers of Guide Mansion can't arrive first, if the new army is not there, Brother Li may go out of the city to counterattack, in case they are defeated, then who will attack the city?"

"That's right, so we just need to keep a close eye on the movements of the Guide Army?"

"Yes, the Forces nouvelles are moving fast, and the officers and men of Guide are slow, so it must be the Forces nouvelles who take care of them, and not the Forces nouvelles. In this way, we don't need to go to great lengths to scout the new army so as not to be exposed, we just need to let Brother Li keep an eye on Yu Dong and Huang Shouque to see when they will arrive, and we will know when the new army will arrive. ”

……

On the afternoon of September 9, the combined forces of Huang Shouque and Yu Dong appeared five miles outside the city of Qixian and quickly began to build a camp. Seeing this, Li Guo immediately ordered the soldiers to prepare for tomorrow's battle, and at the same time sent someone Pegasus to inform Xu Ping. After nightfall, there was a beacon fire in the south of the city, and it was obvious that another group of Ming troops had arrived, and Li Guo knew it in his heart and was not in a hurry.

The next day, when it was light, Li Guo's guards brought in a young envoy who reported to Li Guo that Xu Ping and Li Dingguo's reinforcements would arrive in an hour. There were about 10,000 Bianjun and Chu troops outside the city, and Li Guo thought they were not worth mentioning. At this time, there were more than 8,000 troops in the city, and Li Guo thought it was enough to hold the city.

The sentry reported that the officers and soldiers had begun to deploy artillery and were ready to start the siege of the city, and Li Guo went to the city tower to check the enemy's situation. Standing behind Li Guo was a young man, this young man named Li Laiheng, 20 years old this year. Li Laiheng is one of the orphans rescued by Li Zicheng, he was a three-year-old toddler when he met King Chuang, and he was crying on the corpses of his parents who had fled the famine. Because he couldn't know the origin of his parents, Li Zicheng asked Li Guo to recognize the child as his righteous son, and also followed his surname Li. Although it is a righteous son, because they were raised since childhood, Li Guo and Li Laiheng are like biological father and son.

(Author's note: After the death of Li Zicheng and his two uncles, Li Guoshi led the second generation of leaders to continue to resist the foreign invasion, and Li Laiheng was the third generation, and died on the battlefield with his son for resisting the Manchu invasion.) We know that if a man dedicates himself to resisting foreign invasion and gives his life, then he is our national hero, so if a family has been dedicated to this cause for five consecutive generations, what do readers think the author should say about this family? ）

After walking up the tower, I saw that the new army was digging a fort outside the east gate in the distance, and there was a row of cannons waiting to be in place behind the fort. Li Laiheng looked up at the sun and said in amazement: "Why is it the East Gate?" ”

"Isn't that right?" Li Guo asked strangely, "The officers and soldiers are coming from the east." ”

"But the new army is coming from the north." Li Laiheng originally thought that the new army would attack the north gate, but he didn't want them to go around to the east gate without being too troublesome. Looking at the banner on the other side, Li Laiheng was shocked again: "Why is the Xuanfeng Battalion here?" ”

Xu Ping thought that the Shanlan Battalion was a relatively well-organized force in Jia Minghe's hands, so this kind of long-distance raid would also be taken care of by the Shanlan Battalion. I didn't expect Jia Minghe to pay more attention to the Guards Battalion, so he kept this battalion in his hands. In Jia Minghe's plan, he used 3,000 troops and Zhu Yuanhong's 5,000 people to feint more than 10,000 people in the Guards Battalion and the West Battalion, with such a huge disparity in strength, Jia Minghe's plan was to advance steadily near his own fortress, even if he was ambushed by a large number of intruding troops, he could immediately retreat to the fortifications and hold on, and Xu Ping, who did not have a few cannons, could not launch a powerful counterattack against him.

However, after the lesson of the last time, Jia Minghe was worried that Xu Ping still had some killer tricks that he hadn't used, so he felt that it was better to use the Shanlan Battalion, which had the most complete structure and the strongest combat effectiveness, to fight against Xu Ping and Li Dingguo, so that in case of any emergency, it would be easier for him to control the troops.

The front of the east gate was first Huang Shouque's troops, and the Chu army extended from the front to the south, forming the front and left flank of the Ming army. On the right flank is the small number of Bianjun, and under the big banner with the word "Yu" written on it, a general dressed in a whole body is pointing at Li Guo. The position of the Xuanfeng battalion is relatively backward, except for the artillery, each team is located behind the first two Ming armies, and the horse team of the new army is not deployed on the flank, but close to the battalion flag of the Xuanfeng battalion, and it seems that even if the city is broken, there will be no intention of engaging in pursuit. In addition, the Chu army and the Bian army have prepared a large number of ladders, and many soldiers in the front row are still carrying ropes, but the Xuanfeng battalion does not seem to have any siege equipment prepared.

"Except for the enemy, General Xu guessed well." Li Guo loudly ordered to prepare for war. He didn't have many troops left in the city, and Li Guo put the main force in his hands behind the city gate, preparing to stop the Ming army there. The city fortifications in Cixian County were very simple, and when facing the new army, which was known for its sharp guns, it was only a loss of strength to assign a large number of soldiers to the front line of defense.

The people behind him responded one after another, and each of them gave orders. Li Laiheng was still stunned when he looked at the Ming army's formation, and after the Ming army repaired the field artillery base, he pushed twelve cannons forward together, and Li Guo behind the wall battlement shouted: "Don't you go down?" ”

Li Laiheng turned to Li Guo and said loudly: "Father-in-law, the child thinks that the main force should be sent out of the city to counterattack. ”

Li Guo frowned: "Why is this?" ”

"The Selective Battalion is obviously determined not to lose its troops, and General Xu does not know that they will hide in the east." Li Laiheng couldn't help but glance at the north, of course he didn't see anything: "When General Xu appears in the north, they will be immediately discovered by the Bianjun army, and at this time, General Xu must first defeat the Bianjun army before he can attack the Xuanfeng battalion." If the Xuanfeng battalion retreats back to the battalion immediately, General Xu will not be able to catch them. ”

"So you're trying to lure the Pickers out?" Li Guo also understood Li Laiheng's thoughts a little at this time: "You want me to attack the Bianjun army in the north and lead the Xuanfeng battalion to the north?" ”

"Yes." That's what Lee Rae-hyung is going to do. After the Chu army and the Bian army put the main force into the siege, the general's forces at hand were relatively limited, and if the Chuang army launched a powerful attack on the flank, then the Ming army could only send out the front battalion to repel them. Moreover, judging from the current position and formation of the Election Battalion, it seems that they are tasked with covering the flank of the siege troops.

"Elect the front camp ......" Li Guo chewed Li Laiheng's suggestion and set his eyes on the distance. The Ming gunners in front of the city had already pushed the artillery into the pit and were adjusting the angle of the artillery to prepare for the shelling. The gunners were extremely fluid, working together without a loud noise, and at first glance they looked like well-trained soldiers. Although Li Guo couldn't see the new troops deployed behind the Chu and Bian armies clearly, even if they were so far away, the cold light emitted by the iron armor on their bodies was still dazzling, and the countless spears raised high and pointed at the sky were neat and straight, and they didn't move at all.

"I heard that when the Dongjiang Army fought against the New Army, Brother Xu was still on the side of the New Army, and it was he who led the New Army to fight with the Dongjiang Army, and it didn't take an hour for him to be scattered and fled." Li Guo recounted the prestige of the new army in a calm tone, today he was afraid just by looking at the other party's military appearance and equipment, if he didn't know that Xu Ping would arrive soon, Li Guo would have made a plan to retreat early: "Our soldiers are not as good as the Dongjiang army." ”

Li Laiheng didn't say anything, and his face was already a little unconvinced. Li Guo glanced at him: "There are many old officers and soldiers in Ji Huisi's Dongjiang Army, who have fought in Liaodong and Shandong for decades, as well as armor, firearms and even artillery. ”

Most of the people in Li Guo's camp were homeless, and there were only 2,000 people who could be called the main force, and the equipment was worse than Ji Huisi's subordinates. Defending the city, for the sake of Xu Ping and Li Dingguo, who are well-equipped and powerful, are rushing to reinforce them, Li Guo is still a little confident, after all, Xu Ping said that the new army will not be engaged in street fighting, and the group of Guide Mansion will not want to drive Li Guo out of the city for a few hours.

But Li Laiheng still didn't think so, he shouted with high spirits: "Father-in-law, in order to severely damage this new army of the Ming Dynasty, General Xu even did not hesitate to let the officers and soldiers relieve the siege of Kaifeng. Seeing that Li Guo still didn't answer, Li Laiheng continued to ask for battle loudly: "Father-in-law, let the child take the soldiers and horses out of the city to meet the commander." ”

"If you go out of the city to face the battle and lose the protection of the city walls, this group of officers and soldiers will destroy you in a very short time."

"Yes, but before that, General Xu will be able to arrive, at this time, the Xuanfeng battalion is in the north of the city, and it is just against General Xu's coming, the boy must resist desperately to win time for General Xu."

The first shells whistled, followed by another, and the third flew to the ......

"General Xu said that the biggest advantage of the new army is that there are many cannons, and our troops are not evenly armoured, and the Xuanfeng battalion must not be taken into account," Li Laiheng pointed to the dazzling silver light array under the city: "If the righteous father is right to describe their combat strength, they can kill the child without leaving a piece of armor even with their eyes closed, and they will definitely leave the artillery to continue to attack the city, and directly send out foot cavalry to attack us; If the father-in-law overestimated them, then the child would have been able to hold on longer, and wouldn't it be more likely that General Xu would arrive in time? ”

"If Xu Ping can't arrive in time, you may die in vain."

"The child feels that General Xu will definitely arrive in time, and if our righteous army wants to survive in this troubled era, we have to fight our way out desperately."

The artillery shells of the Ming army came one after another, and after pondering for a while, Li Guo nodded, bent down and ran to the city with Li Laiheng: "Prepare to go out of the city immediately to counterattack." ”

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