I

   Chapter 378 376 [Datong Town Victory]

  In the valley.

  The sentry cavalry scattered for several miles, and the mountain search team was also sent to the mountains along the way to search for the enemy.

  Suddenly I saw thousands of enemy infantry, put down their weapons and sat in front, and an enemy general was kneeling in the road with bundles of thorns.

  A sentry cavalry ran tentatively and asked, "Who is in front?"

  The general stood up on his knees, and replied loudly: "The sinful general, He Jiuyi, leads all the troops to kneel to welcome His Royal Highness the King of Wu!"

   "Follow me, the others are not allowed to move!" Said the sentinel.

  In the past two days, the enemy's grain transporters have escaped in sevens and eighties. Since the food and grass could not be taken away, some of Zhang Xianzhong's generals burned some.

  Regardless of whether Zhang Xianzhong left with his cavalry, this battle was already impossible to fight.

  It is said that there are tens of thousands of elite infantry, but only 10,000 to 20,000 can really fight. The main reason is that Zhang Xianzhong's various troops have expanded too much. Moreover, most of the new troops that have been trained in the past year have not been allocated land. They are more like farming soldiers, and they have to farm the land to pay rent when they are not fighting.

   With such an army, it is okay to fight against the wind, but it may flee at any time against the wind.

   After more than half a month of continuous siege, soldiers and generals were lost, and morale plummeted.

  Zhao Han led his troops in pursuit all the way, not only the peasants fled in large numbers, Zhang Xianzhong's infantry also fled one after another.

  At this moment, a team that surrendered on a large scale finally appeared.

  He Jiuyi was escorted in front of Zhao Han, knelt down and said: "The guilty general He Jiuyi, pay homage to His Royal Highness King Wu!"

  Zhao Han asked, "Where are you from?"

   "The criminal's ancestral home is Yunyang." He Jiuyi replied.

   "Isn't Zhang Xianzhong from the old camp?" Zhao Han asked again.

He Jiuyi replied: "Report to the King of Wu that the guilty general was originally a good citizen of Yunyang. He could read a few words after reading for a few days. Because he couldn't bear the exploitation of the government and Zhang Xianzhong led troops to kill him, the guilty general volunteered to join the army. After Zhang Xianzhong became entrenched in Hubei, in order to win over the locals and check and balance the veteran generals, he continued to promote the positions of criminal generals."

   "I see." Zhao Han understood Zhang Xianzhong's approach very well, because Zhao Han himself was also promoting officers who were not from Jiangxi.

He Jiuyi said: "The 6,000 infantry under the general's command are mostly sergeants in the fields. There are only a thousand soldiers who have not done too many evil things. I implore the King of Wu to be magnanimous. The general does not want anything else, but to be dismissed and return to the field as a farmer. "

   "Who is the infantry commander left behind by Zhang Xianzhong?" Zhao Han asked.

He Jiuyi said: "The commander's name is Wang Fuchen. He is from Shaanxi. He has been fighting with Zhang Xianzhong for ten years. Wu Wangrong reported that according to the criminal general's guess, all those who came out of the valley in front of the mountain were suspicious soldiers. The real elite infantry have been led by Wang Fuchen to cross the north. At this time, most of them are rushing to cross the Qishui River in the direction of Liuhe Town."

   "I'm afraid they won't go there." Zhao Han laughed.

  There are 3,000 farmers and soldiers in Taihu County. They entered the mountains from Huating Lake and started along the valley road between the mountains. They have already got stuck in the narrow valley formed by the Qishui River.

   It is best for Zhang Xianzhong's cavalry to go there to meet the elite infantry. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the northern passage was blocked, leaving only a gap in the west. Lu Xiangsheng's cavalry had already rushed over, and Zhao Han's army could encircle them as soon as they arrived.

  Zhao Han ordered: "I'll give you a chance to pay off your merits."

  He Jiuyi was overjoyed: "Please show me, the king of Wu, the crime will definitely be death!"

   Zhao Han said: "You still bring your soldiers, and your weapons will not be confiscated. Display the banner of the Datong Army, no looting is allowed, gather routs along the way, and persuade the enemy who has not fled to surrender!"

"yes!"

  He Jiuyi kowtowed repeatedly.

  Zhao Han is not afraid of He Jiuyi's rebellion. The more soldiers he recruits, the less effective he will be in command.

  If the strength of the troops were to become 20,000 to 30,000, it would be difficult for He Jiuyi to command and march.

  Han Xin ordered more soldiers, the more the better, not everyone can be Han Xin.

   Immediately, Zhao Han speeded out of the mountain with the army, and He Jiuyi ran forward to recruit the miscellaneous soldiers.

  After leaving the mountains, He Jiuyi had 30,000 soldiers under his command, including a large number of civilians. Don't talk about commanding operations, the marching is messy, divided into more than a dozen small groups, just walking with He Jiuyi, only hoping that the logistics of the Datong Army will send food to eat.

   When he came to Pingdi, He Jiuyi sent out his own generals to temporarily act as officers of the surrendered troops, at least able to command more than 10,000 people.

   "Report!"

"Your Highness, Zhang Xianzhong's cavalry tried to sneak attack on our troops besieging Qishui City. After being discovered by our sentry ship, the sneak attack was fruitless and the attack was powerless. It has disappeared without a trace. The defenders in Qishui County surrendered, and our army has occupied it. Qishui County."

   This is good news. After taking Qishui County, the number of troops Zhao Han could use for encirclement and suppression increased to more than 70,000 in an instant.

  Zhang Xianzhong really knew how to run. First he went to attack the Datong army besieging Qizhou, and then he went to attack the Datong army besieging Qishui.

  However, the farmers and soldiers of Datong are really powerful. With the excellent quality of soldiers, Zhang Xianzhong's two raids failed. If it were officers and soldiers who were dealt with like this, if they rushed over with certainty, they would be routs, and Zhang Xianzhong would have been able to make a comeback long ago.

  Zhang Xianzhong's mobile combat capability gave Zhao Han a headache.

  The super morale and discipline of the Datong Army also made Zhang Xianzhong blind.

   In each other's hearts, both feel powerless.

   In this regard, Zhao Han has only one strong awareness: buy more horses and quickly expand the cavalry, otherwise the enemy will lead you by the nose in the future!

  …

  The banks of the Xishui River.

  Zhang Xianzhong's face was gloomy, he felt that he couldn't go back this time.

  The Xishui River, which is nearly a hundred miles long, has a few small fishing boats cruising every two miles. Every five miles, there are several small warships.

  As soon as Zhang Xianzhong's cavalry appeared, the small fishing boats in the river began to blow their horns, one after another, and the nearby small warships started to move immediately.

  He managed to smuggle across Qishui, but it was difficult to smuggle across Xishui.

   And further west, there is still a Bashui.

  The three rivers all originate from the Dabie Mountains and flow into the Yangtze River from north to south. If Zhang Xianzhong wants to lead his troops back to the hinterland, he must cross these three rivers, otherwise he can only plunge into the Dabie Mountains.

  Zhang Xianzhong really went to the Dabie Mountains!

   What else can we do if we don’t drill mountains?

  Not only did he go into the Dabie Mountains by himself, but he also sent someone back to deliver an order for Wang Fuchen to bring the real elite into the Dabie Mountains.

  Zhang Xianzhong's army on the South Road had 100,000 soldiers, 200,000 civilians, and countless supplies of food when they set off. Today, only 7,000 cavalry, 5,000 cavalry, and 12,000 infantry were left in the Dabie Mountains, and the rest of the population and food were all lost.

  The cavalry and cavalry were okay, but the infantry had been fleeing along the way, and 12,000 people left to enter the mountain. Wang Fuchen was already very capable of commanding troops.

  …

  At the confluence of the Qishui River and its tributaries, 3,000 farmers and soldiers from Taihu County have built a simple camp with earth, wood and stones.

  Wang Fuchen came here with 12,000 infantry, and his army had already run out of food, so he could only rob the poor people in the mountains along the way. This is the people under Sun Kewang's rule, and there is no ration left. How many catties of miscellaneous grains can be enough for tens of thousands of people to grab?

  Seeing the camp of the Datong Army in front of him, Wang Fuchen was frightened, and immediately led his troops to run northwest along the tributary valley.

  There is a small town in that direction, called Datong Town.

   Hundreds of years later, there will be a Datong Reservoir, but at present it is only a small lake in the mountains.

   Li Zheng led the troops to chase from the south, one man and two mules, full of vigor.

   Along the way, I saw some mountain dwellings. Not only were the food robbed, but the whole family often died tragically. The enemy chose to slaughter the village in order to hide their whereabouts.

   This is Zhang Xianzhong's territory, and what they slaughtered was their own village!

  Seeing the miserable conditions of the people along the way, only three villages were slaughtered, and the officers and soldiers of the Datong Army were already full of anger.

  The people who escaped by chance, saw the Datong soldiers rescue the villagers, immediately ran out of their hiding places, and offered to serve as guides in the mountains for the Datong army.

   "The enemy has fled to the northwest!" The friendly army in the simple camp reminded.

  The guide in the mountain said quickly: "General, let's chase quickly. After passing Datong Town, there are four passages ahead, and it will be difficult to chase at that time!"

   "Datong Town?" Li Zheng liked the name.

  The mountain guide said: "It is Datong Town, and there is also a Datong Lake."

  Li Zheng laughed loudly: "This name is auspicious, and it should be the Datong Army to kill the enemy and destroy the thieves in Datong Town. The whole army speeds up to catch up!"

  The sound of running mules echoed in the valley.

   After chasing for about two miles, two sentry cavalry rushed back: "Duty Li, the enemy troops are in formation ahead, and there are probably ambushes in the mountains to the south."

   "Slow down and march!" Li Zheng ordered immediately.

  Wang Fuchen had no choice but Li Zheng led his army to chase after him on mules. Unless he crosses the mountain again, there is no way to get rid of it.

  Before crossing the mountains, Datong Town must be robbed of supplies and rations!

  The place where Wang Fuchen lined up was the narrowest part of the valley.

  The river is in the north, the mountains are in the south, and the valley in the middle is about 250 meters wide.

  Li Zheng brought over 8,000 people, half of them were gunfire soldiers.

  After getting off the mule, take out the cotton armor from the back of the other mule and let the whole army wear it.

   Then, march forward in a neat pace, and separate out two thousand melee soldiers, facing south to deal with possible enemy troops in the mountains.

  Wang Fuchen also listed the firecrackers at the forefront. Their firecrackers were of all kinds, including those made by Zhang Xianzhong himself, some snatched from officers and soldiers, and the three-eyed blunderbuss used in the early Ming Dynasty.

  5000 miscellaneous firecrackers, against 4000 Datong firecrackers.

  The two sides lighted matchsticks and approached little by little. The three-eyed blunderbuss did not have matchlocks, so they had to move forward with firefolds in hand.

  The width of 250 meters cannot be arranged at all.

  The soldiers of Datong walked for a while, then stopped moving forward, and stayed in a relatively wide area, which was more than a mile wide.

  The two sides confronted each other and stopped moving forward.

  Wang Fuchen was a little anxious. If the Datong army moved one mile further, the ambushes in the mountains would be able to kill and encircle them. The place where Li Zheng stopped his march was just outside the narrow place. Although it was possible to attack from both sides, the encirclement was impossible.

  Besides, the Datong Army has one man and two mules, and the other mule holds food, so they can stand against each other for a whole day.

  Wang Fuchen's subordinates were all hungry. They only ate one meal yesterday, and only one meal today. The battle must be resolved as soon as possible before we can go to Datong Town ahead to grab food!

   In desperation, Wang Fuchen had no choice but to take the initiative to advance to a wider area of ​​the river valley, and the military formations of both sides could be deployed smoothly.

   "Raise the gun!"

  At about fifty paces, Wang Fuchen ordered a three-stage shot.

   "Bang bang bang bang!"

  Zhang Xianzhong's elite firecrackers, nearly 5,000 people began to shoot.

   No one fell.

   At such a long distance, let alone being unable to aim, even if it does hit, it is impossible to penetrate the cotton armor defense.

  Wang Fuchen could only let the soldiers reload ammunition on the spot, while the Datong Army remained motionless, waiting for the enemy to reload slowly.

   After reloading, Wang Fuchen gave the order to move forward, and stopped at about forty steps. This distance can barely penetrate the cotton armor, and Zhang Xianzhong's firecrackers dare not get any closer.

   "Bang bang bang bang!"

   Another three-stage shot.

  Seventeen Datong gunfire soldiers fell down, and after two more fell down, they got up on the spot, and the cotton armor saved their lives.

"go ahead!"

  Li Zheng drew his waist knife, and the whole army stepped forward slowly.

  The enemy firecrackers hurriedly reloaded ammunition, but most of them were in a hurry. Wang Fuchen used the command flag to command the ambush to attack the flank.

  Thousands of ambush soldiers rushed out from the mountain, among them a thousand Datong firecrackers turned to the left in unison, and trotted to form a formation on their own flanks.

  The 3,000 Datong firecrackers in front of them are still advancing slowly.

   Thirty steps away, still did not stop, actually want to go to the front to shoot.

  Wang Fuchen's side, someone reloaded the ammunition, could no longer obey the military order, and started shooting at the Datong army sporadically.

   "Bang bang bang!"

   Datong firecrackers fell down again.

  Finally, when the distance between the two sides was 20 steps, the Datong firecrackers raised their guns in unison.

"put!"

   "Bang bang bang bang!"

   "Bang bang bang bang!"

   "Bang bang bang bang!"

   Nearly 3,000 people, 20 steps away, quickly completed three-stage shooting.

  Zhang Xianzhong's elite firecrackers fell down like cutting wheat. Wang Fuchen was terrified. Before he could react, all the firecrackers under his command collapsed.

   "On the bayonet!"

  Datong firecrackers mounted bayonets and charged towards the enemy. This time, not only the enemy firecrackers fled, but even the melee infantry collapsed, and Wang Fuchen's supervisor team collapsed together.

  The flanks also started fighting.

  One thousand Datong firecrackers, also at a distance of twenty steps, defeated two groups of enemies with one salvo.

  The melee infantry stepped forward immediately, and the musketeers retreated to mount their bayonets.

  The flanking enemy army rushed halfway and found that their frontal battlefield had collapsed. They immediately turned around and fled in fright. Thousands of people rushed into the mountains in a panic.

  It is very wise for Zhang Xianzhong to give up the infantry. The morale is already low. Who the **** can stand up to the Datong firecrackers who only shoot at twenty paces?

   "Chasing and killing the enemy! Blow the charge!"

   "Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo..."

   Chasing all over the mountains and fields, Zhang Xianzhong's army was already broken, but the Datong soldiers pursued in groups of five.

  There are mountains everywhere, and it is difficult to wipe them out. In the end, more than 3,000 enemies ran away.

  These fleeing enemies have lost their organizational system, and it is impossible to gather together into an army. Most of them are bandits with dozens or hundreds of people.

  After Zhao Han took over the territory, he had to organize farmers and soldiers to suppress bandits, otherwise the banditry would be very serious.

  The enemy commander, Wang Fuchen, was chased away by Li Zheng. After running for several miles, he collapsed from exhaustion, and was finally captured alive by Datong soldiers by the Datong Lake in the west of Datong Town.

   So far, Zhang Xianzhong's Southern Route Army infantry has been wiped out, leaving only cavalry and cavalry.

   Those guys followed the river valley and plundered all the way to Yingshan County.

  Yingshan County is in the Dabie Mountains, and it is also Zhang Xianzhong's territory. Cavalry and horse teams can replenish food and grass here, and then continue to flee along the valley.

   It was difficult for Zhao Han to catch up, and it was also difficult for Zhang Xianzhong to get out of the mountain.

  Zhao Han simply didn't bother to take care of it any more, and dispatched civilians to build temporary camps at the main mountain passes to block the way, and then sent farmers and soldiers to garrison in the camps.

  As for the main force, attack the cities along the way in an all-round way.

  When the news of Zhang Xianzhong's defeat came, almost all the prefectures and county towns within the jurisdiction of Huangzhou prefecture were on the lookout.

  Since Zhang Xianzhong can't be caught, just take all his territory!

   (Ask for a monthly pass.)

  (end of this chapter)