Ping An Biography

() The hillside is not high and the terrain is gentle, but the sight line is still good on the top of the hill.Standing there watching the situation on the ground, Yu Qian couldn't help being shocked by the magnificent scene.The cavalry and infantry were all in formation on the field, with gunpowder and smoke floating in the air, and some routs were scattered on the ground like the collapsed sand on a sand table.The battlefield is undoubtedly a grand and quaint activity, which consumes a lot of money but has no gorgeous performance. In the greenery of nature, the gray and black tone of military weapons looks chilling and bleak.

But that excitement quickly disappeared, and Yu Qian realized that this ambush could not cause a substantial blow to the rebels.Originally, he hadn't hoped that this battle would annihilate the rebels. If the weak Southern Army could defeat the opponent, then what's the point of having a large number of Northern Army?It's just really uncomfortable to go through such a process.

The arrangement was designed in every way, it took advantage of the right time and place, there were more troops than the opponent, and even if it was a trick, defeat on the battlefield was inevitable.The young Yu Qian couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

But he was soon relieved from this bad mood. He firmly believed that he was doing a major event that benefited the country and the people. Had he really used some shady schemes, even if he used any means, he could still be honest with the world. ..

"Futai, the thieves are coming up, you leave here first, let the last general wait here to serve them." A general beside him said flatteringly.

Yu Qian said in a casual tone: "My life is not important."

Perhaps it was because of the uprightness in him that few of the generals present doubted the true intention of the governor's words, and they couldn't help but be in awe.

"Cheng Guogong once wrote a letter to learn to build new firearms. He made a lot of sense. Our cannons are unusable." Yu Qian sighed again.

He witnessed the entire process of this battle with his own eyes, and he didn't feel that he had made any mistakes. There was nothing wrong with the tactical concept of using cavalry and artillery coordination in the ambush. It is difficult to collapse. If it is an ordinary rebel army, two rounds of shelling and a cavalry rush will definitely defeat it; secondly, Yu Qian couldn't help but sigh that the artillery is unusable. The artillery performance and tactics of the Ming army are not good enough After adapting to such a war mode, it is impossible to open a gap for the cavalry with certainty.

For a while, Yu Qian had many ideas in his mind. If they were written down and published in a book in the future, it might become an epoch-making military ideological work.

The cries of the rebels approaching from the foot of the mountain brought him back to his senses quickly, and he immediately ordered without hesitation: "Order, the general cannon should not be reloaded with solid ammunition, and change the bullets, and prepare to defend against the attack of the rebel army."

A general next to him hurriedly said: "Futai Mingjian, it is very troublesome to load the heavy artillery with loose guns. I am afraid it will be too late to change to loose guns at this time."

It is a conventional method of warfare for the Ming army to use artillery to shoot shotguns, and there is a set of loading procedures, but Yu Qian is a civil servant who doesn't know enough about many military details.According to the usual operation, when loading the gunpowder, the cannon must be erected first, which is not a simple matter for a cannon weighing several hundred catties, then the gunpowder is loaded, and a wooden partition ( Mazi), and finally place projectiles on the partition, and soil needs to be filled between the projectiles.Careful compaction before ready to fire...

Obviously, the temporary method of using shotguns as a defense is currently unworkable.But Yu Qian could not allow the artillery to carry out a second round of solid ammunition strikes, because according to the previously agreed tactical rules, Meng Guang, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Route Army, would order the cavalry to attack the attacking rebel flanks after hearing the sound of the artillery. The cost of a round of attack is huge. The round of charge just now was completely ineffective but lost at least several hundred knight soldiers.

Yu Qian had an established strategic idea in his heart. Under the condition that the rebels could not be seriously injured, it was necessary to temporarily preserve the strength of the South Route Army in order to form an effective containment against the enemy.At present, he is unwilling to deplete the cavalry force, thereby losing the deterrent force against the rebels, and affecting the overall situation.

After thinking about it, he ordered again: "Immediately send someone to send an order to General Meng to stop attacking the enemy, and immediately retreat to the east after receiving the order." , all the ministries will withdraw from the battlefield by themselves, and if the pursuers are scattered, they will gather at the camp."

"Order!"

The lieutenant looked worriedly at the men who were coming up below, and asked, "Futai, how should the men behind us defend the high ground?"

"Use a bowl-mouth gun and a heavy arrow, and use a locomotive when you are close." Yu Qian replied.

Soon after the military order was issued, the infantry on the hillside quickly turned around and went down the mountain to the north, discarding a lot of supplies, weapons and armor along the way, and many teams retreated hastily before the battle.

Seeing that the large group of people had run away, the soldiers at the back were equally panic-stricken, but seeing Yu Qian and other high-ranking officials still standing behind them, they bit the bullet and did not move.The deputy general advised Yu Qian to evacuate now, but he still stood tall; at this time, Chang Sui had already brought the horse over.

The upward attacking rebels crawled all over the hillside, but upon closer inspection, they were still organized and undisturbed. When the striker approached, there was a burst of cannon fire on the mountain, and a long row of mule guns shot out, and the shells slanted downward.In the gunpowder smoke, only screams could be heard, and the dense formation could not avoid being killed, but they still failed to stop the attack.

The commander of the officers and soldiers stared at the smoky place below and shouted: "Prepare heavy arrows!"

The military heavy arrows used by the inland guards can only shoot a few dozen steps away, but they may be able to reach a hundred steps on the hillside, which is comparable to the range of the matchlock guns of the rebels, and they are not at a disadvantage.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a cannon sounded on the hillside, and the flames flickered in the smoke, like lightning in the clouds.The Suzaku barracks returned fire with Fran's mounted cannons. The mounted cannons are primary rear-loading cannons. Each cannon is equipped with five sub-guns, and she | is very fast.After a round of shelling, many officers and archers, who were also in a dense formation, were killed and injured. Many people were frightened and drew their bows and released arrows. The arrows flew wildly, but they could not reach the rebels. The stone was thrown into the lake.

"Whoever dares to run, kill him immediately!" The commander of the officer and army had the foresight to shout first, barely maintaining the formation.

Seeing this, Yu Qian took the reins and said to his followers, "Let's go."

The general commanding the battle is shouting: "Change the arrow, get ready!"

There was a sound of a gong on the hillside, and people crowded again in the white smoke that was blown away by the wind.When the second gong sounded, amidst the yelling, there was a burst of "crackling", and invisible lead bullets flew like raindrops.A soldier yelled "Ah", and immediately dropped the bow and arrow in his hand to cover his left forehead, blood spattered, and many people fell to the ground in an instant, and some corpses rolled directly down.All the troops turned pale in fright, they were panic-stricken, and immediately dispersed, scrambling to run, nothing could stop them; even the generals didn't bother to shout, and turned around and ran after them.

"Kill! Kill..." The roar of the rebels sounded from the hillside, and they bent over and rushed up with all their strength.The row in front had already been lost, and a group of people rushed forward with short spears, waist knives and other cold weapons.Unexpectedly, when approaching dozens of paces, someone in the rout of the officers and soldiers ignited two magic locomotives, and suddenly a large number of rockets shot out|she.

The God locomotive is also called a swarm, and it is loaded with a large number of rockets. It sprays|fires like a rocket launcher, and the smoke behind the arrows whizzes and screams as it flies, like a weapon of mass destruction.Helplessly, the trajectory of the rocket under the propulsion of gunpowder is irregular. The trajectory of the rocket is similar to that of the Bronck motion. The gods can't figure out where they will fly. It will be scattered far away.Countless rockets startled the soldiers of the Suzaku army, but did not cause any damage. They quickly occupied the high ground artillery array of the army.

Yu Qian was escorted by guards and was already on his way back to the camp in the east.

After he returned to the barracks, he saw that all the soldiers were very depressed. More than 2 people fought an ambush against more than [-] people.Unexpectedly, as the overall planner of this battle, Yu Qian looked calm and calm.

"What I want to tell you is that as long as we don't make mistakes, we will definitely win this battle in the end. So far, have we made any major mistakes?" Yu Qian said to the commanders of the guards who came to the Chinese army one after another.

Only then did the generals realize that there were still nearly 5 soldiers from the North Route Army, and they still had reinforcements, so they were a little more at ease.

Yu Qian comforted the generals again and said: "This battle can only be considered a tie, not a defeat. Although we lost more troops, the strength of the official army is far greater than that of the rebel army, and we have also gained something; everyone It is meritorious, and I will definitely pay attention to your bravery in the performance. If it continues like this, the rebels will soon be unable to afford it."

But what everyone is most concerned about is the current situation, and gradually some people start talking about it.

"My subordinates think that it is better to withdraw to the east of the Xiangshui River first, relying on the high wall of Changsha Prefecture, how can we hold the government... How can we cross the river? The cavalry and they can't catch up, so they flee to the north first; the infantry loses their luggage and can Those who get on the boat get on the boat, and those who can’t get on the boat swim back even if they swim! Who among our Huguang soldiers can’t swim?”

There are also people who object: "If you are driven down the river, can you swim with weapons and iron armor? What's the difference between losing everything and breaking up the army? If the bandits really want to cross the river and attack Changsha Mansion, it's up to you Where can I find someone to guard the city?"

"Crack!" There was a sudden sound, and everyone turned their heads to see Yu Qian slapping the table with his scabbard. His face was angry, and everyone hurriedly stopped talking.

Yu Qian took a deep breath, feeling a little helpless in his heart, but finally calmed down, and said coldly: "Everyone present is at least the commander of the guards, and he is the general who commands the guards. Isn't it the duty of the generals?" Defend the land and protect the family, and defeat the bandits?"

"Yes Yes……"

Yu Qian said: "To win the overall situation, the responsibility of the South Route Army is to hold back the main force of the rebel army, or to attack Chenzhou after it retreats north. This is an established strategy. Anyone who disobeys will be treated as disobedience and will not be tolerated!"