Cao Bianjiao knew that he would raid the enemy's scattered troops, so as to cause the defeat of the opponent's entire army, would Zu Dashou, who had fought for decades, not know?

When the two armies were about three or four miles apart, Zu Dashou began to adjust his troops.

He put more than 30,000 foot soldiers with normal combat strength in the front line. He also used himself and Wu Sangui's more than 10,000 Liaodong elites as the Chinese army and reserves. The cavalry is placed on both sides of the Chinese army, and while protecting the Chinese army, it can also respond to the front army's large array, and can come out at any time to parry the dragoons, or to attack and harass the foot soldiers of the Datong army.

As for the more than 20,000 weak soldiers who had no combat effectiveness, they were put at the back by Zu Dashou. If it is defeated, it will be defeated, and in such a position, it will generally not impact friendly forces.

Cao Bianjiao and Wei Guoxiang, who were already preparing for a surprise attack, felt very helpless about this.

Jiang Dashan, who had been walking with the soldiers, finally rode his horse at this moment and rushed to Huang Shun's side: "Shunzi, the enemy's combat strength is uneven, so there is no need to fight hard with them." Slowly withdraw your troops, disrupt the enemy's formation, or simply drag it out until dark. ”

"Okay, listen to you." Huang Shun said with a smile.

Both of them are division commanders, and there is no position after the merger. This is a taboo in war, and there must be a commander, otherwise it is easy to have disagreements.

At the beginning of the formation of the Datong Army, there was a rule.

If an officer dies in battle, the chief of the army shall be temporarily elected among the five, and the chief of the ten shall be temporarily promoted. By analogy, when several supreme officials are equal, it should be decided in advance whose order is the main one.

Jiang Dashan and Huang Shun are from the same village, and at the same time followed Zhao Han to get up, and their relationship is not bad.

Moreover, Jiang Dashan was promoted to division commander first, and his qualifications were older. In this joint operation, the two have agreed that Jiang Dashan will be the main commander and Huang Shun will be the deputy commander.

In order to take care of Huang Shun's emotions, Jiang Dashan took the initiative to ride over at this moment to discuss the change of tactics together.

Using a clairvoyant mirror to observe the situation of the enemy army, the two discussed while watching.

Huang Shun said: "Just looking at the marching lineup and flags, the enemy's front army units are not even as good as our peasant soldiers in the countryside. The enemy's Chinese army should be elite, with neat formations and unchaotic banners. The enemy's rear army...... I'm afraid I've never been to war. ”

Jiang Dashan said with a smile: "If the enemy army advances again, we will retreat, and their rear army will definitely be left far behind." ”

To put it bluntly, pull repeatedly!

Seeing that the two armies were still one and a half miles apart, Zu Dashou sent troops to outflank the two wings, and the Datong army suddenly retreated as a whole, not giving the enemy a chance to outflank at all.

This is an unconventional operation, because the distance is too close, and it is very likely that the enemy will take advantage of the opportunity to pursue, and the chase will be broken.

However, the Datong army came lightly, did not even carry baggage, and was strictly disciplined, and the situation when retreating was more orderly than when the enemy was advancing.

Zu Dashou marched forward in formation, as slow as a turtle crawling.

There is no way, if the improvised patchwork army marches quickly, it will not be able to walk dozens of steps, and the various divisions will become uneven.

Seeing the Datong army slowly retreating, Zu Dashou suddenly became anxious.

If you continue like this, you don't even want to engage in war. A group of miscellaneous troops under his command could not catch up with the Datong army, and once the pursuit was ordered, the opportunity would be chaotic. At that time, if the enemy seized the opportunity, the whole army might be defeated.

In this case, it has nothing to do with the command ability of the generals, nor does it have anything to do with the tactics and equipment of both sides.

It is purely a difference in the quality of the army, and the well-trained and disciplined Datong Army crushes the enemy's miscellaneous cards in execution.

What to do?

Zu Dashou has three options:

First, move forward to catch up and fight immediately.

Second, let the cavalry attack, stop the enemy's main force, so that it cannot calmly retreat.

Thirdly, stop the advance and set up camp on the spot, only to drag on for a day, and the enemy army without baggage will be out of food.

The first method is easy to play yourself down, and the third method may let the Datong army run away.

Zu Dashou chose the second option, and he ordered Wu Sangui to go out with the cavalry and attack the retreating Datong army.

"Order the dragoons to attack the enemy's array!" Jiang Dashan made a quick decision.

When the order sounded, Cao Bianjiao and Wei Guoxiang immediately took the dragoons and took the initiative to avoid Wu Sangui's cavalry and went to attack the two wings of Zu Dashou's troops.

The Datong army stopped retreating and lined up to face Wu Sangui's cavalry.

Zu Dashou's infantry formation also stopped advancing, because the troops on both flanks were already somewhat disorganized. 5,000 dragoons, only half of the troops, with a platoon of guns at a distance, Zu Dashou's two wings of troops panicked.

Although there is no formation chaos, it slows down the pace of progress. As a result, the troops in the middle went to the front, and the troops on both flanks gradually fell behind.

On the other hand, in the face of Wu Sangui's cavalry attack, he calmly responded in formation, showing high discipline and judgment.

"Blow the trumpet and take back the cavalry." Zu Dashou had no choice but to make a decision, he felt that he should not fight in the field, but should have gone to Taikang County to defend the city earlier.

But the Datong army advanced lightly, without baggage, without armor and artillery, and this temptation made Zu Dashou unable to bear it.

When Wu Sangui heard the order, he immediately led his troops back to help drive away the dragoons who were harassing the friendly army.

As soon as Wu Sangui's cavalry left, the infantry of the Datong army retreated calmly again.

The sky is getting darker and darker, this kind of method, don't think about fighting today, the two armies can't stand each other at all.

Zu Dashou ordered again: "Stop the whole army!" ”

As soon as the enemy stopped, the Datong army also stopped, always maintaining a distance of one and a half to two miles.

So close, Zu Dashou didn't dare to retreat, or even order to set up camp, the slightest action would cause chaos in formation, and the Datong army seized the opportunity to rush over.

It's hard to ride a tiger, and you can't advance or retreat!

The sky was about to get dark, and the Datong army retreated again, and the distance between the two sides was about two and a half miles.

Jiang Dashan ordered to extinguish the fire rope, not only did they not have enough baggage, but the fire rope soldiers did not carry much. Moreover, it is also a disadvantage to fight at night, and once the fire rope is lit, it will be discovered by the enemy.

At night, the moon shines brightly.

The two armies lined up and sat down on the spot, and the cavalry also retreated, feeding the horses and restoring the horses' strength.

The dragoons had only one loaf of bread left, and although they also brought beans and water, these were for the horses. War horses not only have to eat beans and water, but also have to mix salt in the water, otherwise it is difficult to replenish physical exertion, and it is more likely to get sick.

Sitting and sitting, many soldiers under the command of Zu Dashou began to lie down staggeringly.

Anyway, the enemy didn't attack, and after a tiring day, how tired it is to continue to sit, so lie down and rest for a while.

Zu Dashou asked the law enforcement team to scold, but it didn't work. Calling up the soldiers here, the soldiers on that side lay down again, they were really tired from the day's march, but they were still highly nervous at dusk.

Military law is enforced, either to enforce military discipline when no enemy is encountered, or to punish deserters when they are already fighting.

When the general is not fighting, no general dares to easily enforce military law.

Cutting generals in battle, the taboo of the army!

Especially with a group of miscellaneous troops under his command, Zu Dashou didn't dare to mess around at this time. In case any of the generals have a grudge and make trouble in the middle of the night, the scene will definitely not be able to be cleaned up.

Wu Sangui came to Zu Dashou's side and whispered, "Uncle, this battle can't be fought. The enemy is like an arm, and our army has one order. Although our army has an advantage in strength, the more people there are, the more chaotic it becomes. As...... Let's go down! ”

Zu Dashou shook his head: "The tens of thousands of Eight Banners of the Lord Regent have already killed Shangqiu. If the Eight Banners Army wins, won't it be a joke for us to surrender at this time? ”

Wu Sangui said: "Even if Dolgon can win one game, can he really win the world?" The Datong Army on the other side, we didn't know before, but now it's not clear? This is the world's first-class elite, no worse than the Eight Banners Army, and the military discipline and morale are even better than the Eight Banners Army. What Dolgon can't win, even if he wins this battle, it's just a river row. The south is rich and well-populated, and it will take a few years to recover. And the population in the north is scarce, and there is not enough food, how can the Nanjing counteroffensive be fought? ”

"I'll think again." Zu Dashou did not agree, nor did he directly refuse.

As for the life and death of their respective families, Zu Dashou and Wu Sangui didn't even think about it, and they didn't even bother to mention it.

Until the last resort, Zu Dashou will not fall.

He had a hunch that he might be defeated tonight, but he would rather flee than surrender, stemming from his own hesitant nature.

Each side sent a small number of soldiers to gather dry wood and dry grass and set up fires. It can not only illuminate, but also barely keep warm.

The Datong army gnawed dry food on the side, and Zu Dashou let the rear army set up a pot to garrison, and then transported it to the front to fill the soldiers.

In this case, it was impossible to set up camp, and both sides were resting in formation.

After eating, Datong Jun slept in turn, and Zu Dashou also slept in turn. There were cavalry guards between the two armies, and no one wanted to sneak attack, and the battle would continue tomorrow.

Two watches.

The Datong army lit up one after another, but it was the fire rope that ignited.

"Woo woo woo ......"

Zu Dashou's sentry hurriedly sounded the trumpet to warn, and then the military horn sounded, and the sleeping soldiers were woken up one after another. A small number of troops even panicked, thinking that the enemy had already been killed.

As soon as the military horn sounded on the opposite side, the Datong army pinched the fire rope again.

Three watches.

The missionaries of the 52 dragoon troops, carrying iron horns, rushed out and began to shout at the enemy in turn.

"Brothers of Liaodong, you have been born and raised in Liaodong for generations, and your ancestral grave is also in Liaodong. Your fathers and elders and fellow villagers have been killed by the Tartars, and your elders, wives and children have been humiliated by the Tartars. Don't you remember the blood feud, and you still have to die for the Tartars? Every year during Qingming, who goes to worship your ancestral grave? When you die one day, your ancestors ask you, why don't you sweep the grave and put incense? How should you answer your ancestors! ”

"Brother of Henan, the Ming government is insatiable, and it has made Henan ten rooms empty. This Manchu Qing Dynasty was even more brutal than the Ming Dynasty, burning and looting everywhere, killing and killing how many fathers and brothers? Many of you used to be thieves. Why rebel? Because I can't get enough to eat! Our Majesty the Emperor of Datong in Nanjing also rebelled without enough to eat, and we are from the same background as you. His Majesty the Emperor Datong knows how hard the poor are. Your Majesty abolished the excesses and miscellaneous taxes, and gave the poor land to the poor, and life was good. Let's just say that in Runing Mansion and Nanyang Mansion in Henan, the common people have already divided their fields. Don't give your life to the Tartars anymore, vote for His Majesty the Emperor of Datong, divide the land among households, and farm for yourself in the future. You can eat enough every day, and you don't need money for the doll to read! ”

"Brothers in Shanxi, most of you are from military families. The Tartars have been entering the customs and plundering for many years, and you have served the king of Qin again and again. How many of your fathers and brothers, your relatives and friends, have died by the sword of the Tartars? Do you still have to give your life to the Tartars, worthy of your dead relatives and friends? Surrender quickly, His Majesty the Emperor of Datong, the military household has been abolished. In the future, it is entirely voluntary to become a soldier and fight. Those who don't want to go to war give them land and grow their own food. There is no government to exploit you, and no officer has called you to be a cow or a horse......"

As the shouting progressed, there was a lot of noise in Zu Dashou's army.

Those who have been demoted to generals may only have a slight feeling. But the junior officers and ordinary soldiers were shaken by the shouting, and the missionaries spoke to their hearts.

"Han brothers, if you want to surrender, throw away your weapons and lie on the ground or squat on the ground when you fight. The Datong army will not kill the prisoners, but will give you the land. Remember, when you start a fight, throw away your weapon, lie on the ground, or crouch on the ground! ”

Zu Dashou's face changed drastically: "Cavalry, go and expel those shouts!" ”