Daming kill

Chapter 137 Sudden Retreat
"retreat?"

"Why is this?"

.......
Zuo Liangyu's sudden order to withdraw troops confused everyone around him, and even the messengers were stunned, not knowing how to accept the order for a moment.

"If I don't go again, I'm afraid I'll be stuck and unable to go. Shenshi (15:17 to 18:[-]) has passed halfway, and it's going to be dark (the dark time in Xiangyang is around [-]:[-] at this time).

The thieves had a large number of people, and seeing their desperate appearance, they vowed to get this ferry.Once the thieves' infantry has completed gathering troops, we will be unable to leave if we want to leave, so we must guard against it! " Zuo Liangyu explained.

"But our army is fighting fiercely with the thieves. If we withdraw now, the thieves will take advantage of the momentum and attack. Wouldn't we be more dangerous?" Lieutenant General Wang Yuncheng almost blurted out.

"The terrain here is complicated, and our army has not shown its defeat. If we withdraw the soldiers on the mountain to the west and the soldiers and horses on the mountain to the east, it will be difficult for the intruders to distinguish the truth from the truth. I am afraid that I will plot to harm him, so how dare I pursue them? .” Zuo Liangyu explained again.

Seeing that the people around him were still confused, Zuo Liangyu raised his voice and said, "I've made up my mind. Order the rear infantry to withdraw first, and the Prime Minister of Huideng will then give up the mountains along the river and choose a dangerous place later. After that, Zhao Jin's troops will retreat again. At the same time, all cavalry must gather at high places behind to cover the infantry's retreat. After everyone retreats to the east, Hui Deng's troops will slowly retreat to the west. Remember, all armies must be strictly ordered It is absolutely forbidden to pass the gongs, and all military orders must be passed on to the leaders of the battalions in person, in case the soldiers do not know why and there is a big rout."

"Why did the soldiers on the mountain withdraw first?" Lieutenant General Wang Yuncheng froze in confusion again.

"The soldiers on the mountain retreat first, and the bandit army will rush to fight for the high ground. The defense line down the mountain can reduce the pressure and withdraw. If the soldiers on the mountain retreat first, the bandit army will gather troops to attack on flat land, and they may be defeated." Left Liangyu had to explain again.

This time, the people around finally all agreed loudly, and Wang Yuncheng even echoed a few words like "the commander-in-chief has thought carefully".

"Tell Liang Bi that his soldiers and horses must not turn back for a while after heading west, so as to effectively threaten the west side of the intruders. After that, if it is inconvenient to return to our army, they can go up the river and go to Junzhou (a scattered state in Xiangyang Prefecture) , which is equivalent to a county, today’s Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province), or continue westward to Yunyang Prefecture (now Shiyan City, Hubei Province), there should be no danger for a while.” Zuo Liangyu suddenly added.

Then Zuo Liangyu stopped talking, and silently walked down the mountain.

He's leaving too, it's no longer safe here.

"Shi Ming!"

Zuo Liangyu chanted the name in his mind as he walked, and he had already chanted the name several times after receiving the report from his own soldiers.

Zuo Liangyu had an impression of the name "Shi Ming", and he also had a vague impression of him.

Zuo Liangyu met Shi Ming and Zhao Jin when they first came to Xiangyang. Although they can't remember clearly, they still remember some.

Especially after Zuo Liangyu started to pay attention to Li Ping and Zhao Jin, this person who was said to be the head of the guards in Miss Zhao's family naturally also knew about it.Zuo Menggeng even mentioned it to Zuo Liangyu several times, saying that he has won another strong general.

Zuo Liangyu was naturally more impressed.

It is said that this Shi Ming had also served in the army, he was a good leader, and had led more than a hundred troops. If he had all the skills, he would not have been able to get into the eyes of the Zhao family, which has a big business, and would not have been appointed as the leader.

Seeing Shi Ming's ability today is indeed well-deserved.

Zuo Liangyu couldn't help secretly praising his son for finally being discerning.

But now, Shi Ming, who is still behind the enemy lines, seems to be in a bad mood.Although it is still brave, it is getting more and more troublesome, and it is obviously a little far away from the shore.

Shi Ming and his personal guards, hanging alone outside, are under siege. There are fewer and fewer people, and the resistance is getting bigger and bigger. Seeing that it is difficult to fight back to the front.

"Don't be a pity, it's really hard to find a warrior now!" Zuo Liangyu sighed in his heart, but only silently.

……

Shi Ming, who had hacked and killed the enemy for a long time, was very tired now, two of his knives had been worn out, and now he was holding an unknown knife.

His movements became slower and slower, his efficiency became lower and lower, and the armor on his body became heavier and heavier.

Shi Ming wanted to kill back a long time ago, but he never realized it.

He penetrated too deep, and the enemies around him were getting more and more difficult, while the guards following him were getting fewer and fewer.

Shi Ming regretted that he was too brave and too inexperienced!
After stabbing down an enemy soldier with a snatched spear, and slashing a huge gash in the waist of an enemy soldier wearing a short cloth armor with a long knife, Shi Ming followed other enemy soldiers around. Hesitantly daring to step forward, he gasped for several breaths.

He was sweating profusely now, his clothes were already drenched, and his feet no longer felt cold when standing in the river.

Seeing the tired and troubled expressions of the remaining dozen or so bodyguards, Shi Ming laughed exaggeratedly on purpose: "Haha, today's killing was really fun."

Shi Ming knew very well that he couldn't show a little powerlessness and tiredness in front of his subordinates whose morale was already low, otherwise the situation would really be out of control.

But he was thinking in his heart: "Damn, did you play too much today! Can't you really die here?"

Thinking of this, Shi Ming suddenly felt a trace of despair.

But immediately, a wave of unwillingness and arrogance rose from his heart again, and he shouted: "Brothers, follow me to kill."

It's just that the wall of people going back is getting thicker and thicker. It seems that more peasant troops are rushing to their section of the river, something is wrong.

Looking up to the nearest mountain, Shi Ming suddenly found that the official and army flags on Linjiang Mountain had disappeared, and some peasant troops were already climbing up unstoppable.

Shi Ming was shocked!

He hurriedly looked at his own formation, but fortunately Zhao Jin's banner was still as immovable as a mountain.

But a single tree is bound to be difficult to support!What happened?

In fact, Zuo Liangyu miscalculated a bit.

Once the troops guarding the mountain retreated, even if they just gave up the mountain facing the river first, the pressure on the peasant army in the river below the mountain would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

If there is no leader in the peasant army to command, perhaps the ordinary soldiers of the peasant army will instinctively gather towards places where they don't have to work hard.

But how could there be no leader in the attacking peasant army!
As long as there are leaders, some of them will inevitably drive away ordinary soldiers to strengthen support for areas that are still in a state of fierce fighting.

Therefore, Shi Ming, who was still in the river, would naturally be under more siege.

To make matters worse, once the defenders on the adjacent mountain retreated, Zhao Jin, who was immediately below the mountain, could only retreat, and at least he had to withdraw to a position parallel to the defenders behind the mountain, otherwise he would be killed. It is Zhao Jin who hits with height.

However, ordering a retreat in a state of engagement on flat terrain is definitely a taboo for military strategists. It is almost impossible for the army to remain in a state of mind, and it is very likely to cause collapse.

Regarding the current state of the two armies, Shi Ming had no time to look closely, let alone think too much.

The peasant army had successfully separated him from the guards when he was distracted, and a dozen peasant army soldiers holding iron spears were half surrounding him and staring at him.

After fighting for so long, Shi Ming also realized that these peasant troops should be elite.Not only everyone has iron weapons, but also shoes and cotton clothes, and many people also have various light armors.

Yes!If it wasn't for the elite, they wouldn't have the ability to rush here in the first wave.

If it wasn't for their physical fitness being much inferior to Shi Ming's, if it wasn't for their general lack of physical fitness for long-distance running, and they were all out of breath, Shi Ming would have been in big trouble long ago.

But now, after fighting fiercely for so long, Shi Ming's physical strength and state have been seriously overdrawn.

When Shi Ming was depressed and annoyed, there was a sudden and obvious confusion behind the dozen or so enemy soldiers who besieged him.

The neighing of the horses attracted several enemy soldiers to look back, and then they fled in all directions without saying a word, and the other enemy soldiers quickly dispersed after being stunned.

No one wants to stop the cavalry who are advancing in groups.

Shi Ming grinned, and he easily determined that the dozen or so cavalry that were huddled together and crashing towards him were the cavalry of the army, and it seemed that there should be a large group of infantry behind them.

He is saved.

Shi Ming also immediately recognized one of the cavalry who was approaching in front of him.

That was Zhao Jin, his brother.

"Get on the horse."

Zhao Jin, who rushed over, said to Shi Ming who was looking straight at him expressionlessly.

"Thanks, brother."

Shi Ming was not hypocritical, he grinned gratefully at Zhao Jin and clasped his fists together, then flipped onto an empty horse brought by Zhao Jin.

But when Dama was about to reach the shore, Shi Ming discovered that there was another group of people who were also entangled in the river water very close to the shore, and the leader was Wang Chengwu.

Wang Chengwu and the others didn't ride horses, so they probably wanted to rescue Shi Ming by the infantry's assault, but they were trapped without advancing much (most of those who could really fight were taken away by Shi Ming).

At this time, Zhao Jin and the others were not safe.

The cavalry who slowed down after saving Shang Shiming lost their initial impact and shocking effect, and the advantage of the cavalry was no longer there. After the initial panic, the peasant army also began to besiege boldly and more violently.

In the short time of returning, five or six of the conspicuous cavalry brought by Zhao Jin were lost, and almost one-third of the hundreds of infantry around them were also lost, which was very dangerous.

But Zhao Jin didn't seem to hesitate, and didn't say much, he just directed the crowd to continue to gather closely and fight towards Wang Chengwu, and took him back to the shore.

After finally returning to his own army, Zhao Jin hurriedly began to reorganize his troops and shouted and cursed everywhere.

Due to his brief departure, the officers and soldiers who were distracted by the retreat of the friendly troops on the mountain were already a little confused.Fortunately, the unexpected breakthrough made by the Peasant Army in the Linshan River section made the Peasant Army who fought against Zhao Jinbu a little confused.

They didn't react for a while, and hesitated whether it was necessary to continue to attack the solid infantry phalanx.

Fortunately, Zhao Jin's army did not collapse.

It stands to reason that Zhao Jin shouldn't have left the army to go off in person. He has always been very clear about where a commander should be, especially for an army with a weak foundation like them.

But Zhao Jin really had no choice.

Once he controls the army and starts to retreat, the chances of Shi Ming being able to kill himself and come back will be very small.

Wang Chengwu, who acted eagerly and rashly, has already failed. If he didn't go, no one would have such ability or willingness.

When Zhao Jin jumped up and down to get the whole battalion in order again, and started to retreat slowly under control, Shi Ming suddenly came up to him and asked in doubt: "Why do you want to retreat? What is Zuo Liangyu doing?"

The battered Zhao Jin said angrily: "Who knows what he thinks, maybe he is afraid, afraid of being bitten to death. Don't talk about this now, hurry up and restrain the troops, it is too easy to collapse if you retreat!"

Although no longer surprised, Zhao Jin's army began to retreat, which still made the peasant army a little at a loss.

Although they instinctively took follow-up measures, they didn't take advantage of the situation to launch a fierce attack.Even most people just follow up and persecute, and the contact with Zhao Jinbu has been greatly reduced.

The archers and blunderbuss soldiers in Zhao Jin's army no longer stimulated the peasant army due to lack of ammunition, which made the peasant army's willingness to attack much weaker.

Even when a large piece of land on the shore was given up, the peasant army troops who went ashore stopped continuing to follow up.

It may be that the leaders of the peasant army were unable to judge for a while whether to pursue or stabilize the shore position that was given up.Only then did Zhao Jin pick up a bargain and retreat steadily.

Zhao Jin, who was riding on a horse, noticed that the peasant army seemed to be forming an army formation, as if preparing to defend.

He was confused for a moment, but immediately figured it out again.

He smiled and said to Shi Ming who was puzzled and came to ask for a solution: "Look, they are also forming a team, probably because they are afraid that we are cheating and attack them as a counterattack. Hehe. It seems that it is not a big problem for us to retreat safely."

This was really spotted by Zhao Jin.

The peasant army who went ashore at this time was indeed a little confused about whether the official army was engaged in any conspiracy. After all, the official army had been turning the people they killed up to their backs before this, without any signs of failure.

Even if they are retreating now, the army formation of the officers and soldiers is in order, and it seems impossible to hunt for cheap.

"Let Li Ping be notified of the situation here so that he is prepared, so that no one will notify him in the end." Zhao Jin said again suddenly.

Shi Ming, who was watching the situation of the enemy army, said "Yes" without any objection.

"We have to send someone reliable. People's hearts are the most unpredictable during this kind of retreat. Why don't you let brother Chengwu go? We must ensure that the letter is delivered." Zhao Jin said, staring at Shi Ming.

"No problem, I'll go talk to him."

Shi Ming glanced at Zhao Jin, and continued without the slightest hesitation.

At this time, Zuo Liangyu, surrounded by dozens of cavalry, was listening to Tang Qi's report.

Zuo Liangyu finally felt relieved when he heard that Zhao Jin's troops had retreated into the woods.

He repeated the names of Zhao Jin and Shi Ming in his heart again. These two people gave him too many surprises today.

"Would it be announced that the defenders on all beaches along the river will retreat together?" a general asked.

Zuo Liangyu thought about it for a while and then said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid it's better for all the armies along the river to slow down, otherwise if the bandits rush across the river and flank me, they will be defeated! We must investigate and mislead everyone. The life of the army..."

Notes:

Regarding the Battle of Baimadu, the records of different historical documents are quite different and confusing, and there are many contradictions.Here, the story is mainly played, and the prominent characters are the main ones. Serious readers should just watch it.

The historical situation that may be true in this battle includes: Zuo Liangyu actually moved the elite to Baimadu to block Li Zicheng; the peasant army continued to attack the left army's defense line after thousands of people were killed in battle; Zuo Liangyu withdrew his troops.

(End of this chapter)