Chapter 357: Fight with one punch to avoid hundreds of punches. At
this time, the army returning from the north of the Ming Dynasty has arrived at Hejian Mansion. Hejian is in the area south of the capital and Tianjin, less than four hundred miles away from the capital.
Yang Bo looked at Li Chengliang and Gao Gong and asked quickly:
"The southeastern rebel army has withdrawn from the capital. Are they planning an empty city to ambush our army?"
Yang Bo was really frightened by Su Ze, and he finally led him The soldiers went south, but who knew that they didn't fight a single battle, and now they are back north in despair.
It’s not so easy to walk a dog!
This is not because Yang Bo is a rookie, but there has never been such a war in history!
Rush across the sea and capture the capital. This kind of combat method is not found in any military books! There is no such battle in history!
In this situation, the famous generals from ancient times will be reborn, and they will also lament that the people of Ming Dynasty fought really well!
In terms of momentum, Yang Bo has completely lost. Now the morale of the entire army is low, and the combat effectiveness can be imagined.
So Yang Bo was the first to suspect that Su Ze had deliberately given up the capital to lure him into an ambush.
Li Chengliang first refuted this view: "Impossible! Our army still has 70,000 people, and the southeastern thieves simply do not have so many troops to surround our army!"
Gao Gong also nodded and said: "There are no mountains or dense forests near Gyeonggi, so there is no ambush at all. place."
Since it was not an ambush, Yang Bo breathed a sigh of relief. He asked in disbelief: "The southeast thieves have really retreated?"
Gao Gong said: "The current plan is to ask Yang Rongzheng to immediately send out reconnaissance elite cavalry. , inquire about the whereabouts of the southeast thieves!"
Yang Bo nodded quickly and said: "Then please ask General Li to quickly send out elite cavalry to investigate the dynamics of the capital!"
Li Chengliang received the military order and went out, quickly summoned his Jurchen cavalry and sent them out Inquiring about the movements of bandits near the capital.
Tasks are assigned layer by layer.
Li Ruzhen received the order. He led his fellow tribesmen to leave the camp quickly and began to explore the villages near the capital.
This group of cavalry came to a village near the capital. The people in the village were collecting the remaining grain in the fields. When they saw Li Ruzhen and the group of cavalry, they quickly blocked the entrance of the village and refused to let Li Ruzhen and the others enter the village.
Li Ruzhen could only dismount his horse and walk to the entrance of the village, explain his identity to the village, and find out the whereabouts of the Southeast New Army.
An old man in the village who must be the leader of the village walked over tremblingly and said to Li Rushe: "Master Jun, our village is remote and we really don't know the situation in the capital." Li Rushe couldn't help but get angry and cursed,
but The men in the village were holding farm tools and guarding the entrance of the village.
Li Ruzhen was even more furious. He said to his men: "This village is a collaborator with the enemy! Let me kill them!" Naturally, an
ordinary village could not stop Li Ruzhen's group of skilled cavalry with bows and horses. The defense at the entrance of the village was quickly broken through, and Li Ruzhen led the charge. They entered the village and started a massacre.
The village was originally populated by old and weak people. After the village was massacred, Li Ruzhen ordered the property to be looted and the village set on fire. He then took the women, children and Lao Li out of the village, and asked the soldiers to rape the women while interrogating them. Lao Lizheng.
Lao Li's eyes were bursting with tears. Facing Li Ruzhen's long sword, the old man shouted hoarsely: "Officers! Bah! Thief soldiers!" "Death is death!
"
After saying this, the old man refused to tell the story of the Southeast New Army. Wherever he went, he jumped on Li Rushe's blade and died.
At this time, Li Ruzhen's soldiers were also a little scared. They asked in Jurchen language:
"Commander, what should I do?"
Li Ruzhe calmed down and said: "Give me the order to kill the southeastern bandits hiding in this village. Find a few young and strong people." Cut off their heads and falsely accuse them of being hidden thieves. Remember, everyone will be killed in one bite!"
After Li Ruzhen passed the order, an adjutant came up and asked: "Commander, what if the commander asks about the whereabouts of the southeast thieves? What do you say?"
Li Ruzhen waved his whip irritably and said, "Don't go to other villages to inquire!"
A group of people like Li Ruzhen were covered in blood and looked fierce, and several surrounding villages did not dare to let them in.
Li Ruzhen was also afraid of massacring too many villages and causing commotion, so he just scared the villagers and left. When he returned to the camp at night, he only vaguely heard that the Southeast New Army had withdrawn from Tianjin.
After returning to the military camp, Li Ruzhen quickly reported this information to Li Chengliang.
Not only Li Ruzhen, but other scouts sent out also said the same. Some scouts even made up false information that the southeastern rebel army fled in a hurry and the soldiers were scattered.
Anyway, let’s get the military glory first!
Li Chengliang is not really stupid, but since entering the capital, Su Ze has been using the Bei Canal to move things to Tianjin. Naturally, such a big movement cannot be concealed.
After the two facts were confirmed, Li Chengliang believed it.
Li Chengliang quickly reported this information to Yang Bo and Gao Gong.
Gao Gong quickly asked: "Commander Li, what is the situation in the capital?"
Li Chengliang said: "The scouts sent to the capital have not returned yet, but according to the scouts sent out, many southeastern bandits have been found hiding in the villages near the capital. It seems that the traitor soldiers hurriedly withdrew after hearing the news that our army was returning north."
Yang Bo also nodded and said: "It seems that the traitor army is also afraid of our army and does not dare to fight us in the capital."
Li Rushe and many scouts said Although Li Chengliang knew the virtues of his men when he was killing good people and taking credit for them.
But Li Chengliang never thought that among the heads sent up by his scouts, there was not a single southeastern soldier! All are ordinary people!
Li Chengliang originally thought that they had partially exaggerated their military achievements, but he did not expect that all their military exploits were falsely reported!
But Gao Gong frowned and said, "Su Ze always uses his troops to fight steadily. The walls of the capital are tall and the southeastern bandits have powerful firearms. There is still a battle in the capital. If we retreat to Tianjin, wouldn't we be asking for our own shortcomings?" Gao Gong obviously didn't think so
. Believing the intelligence collected by Li Chengliang, he did not think that the Southeast New Army retreated hastily.
Li Chengliang was not happy now. He said: "What does Gao Jijiu mean? Now many sources of information indicate that the southeastern bandits have withdrawn from the capital. It is common sense for the bandits to land in Dagu and retreat from Tianjin. Are these military reports false? ?"
Gao Gong said quickly: "I'm not saying that the military situation is false, but the difference is huge whether the Su thieves took the initiative to withdraw from the capital, or whether they were forced to withdraw from the capital under pressure from our army."
Li Chengliang said impatiently: "Gao You are not familiar with military affairs. It is normal for the Su thieves to be unable to defend the capital. It was because of the pressure of our army that they retreated quickly, so that the soldiers were left behind."
Li Chengliang said to Yang Bo: "Rong Zheng! The general requested to lead Liaoyang's elite cavalry to attack Tianjin!"
The reason why Li Chengliang asked for the battle was because he felt aggrieved.
Liaoyang was outside the customs. He was run from the north to the south by Su Ze like a dog, and then back to the capital. Not a single battle was fought!
Li Chengliang's fighting style outside the customs is called bravery if he has high emotional intelligence, and he is reckless if he has low emotional intelligence.
This is not to say that Li Chengliang cannot fight. It is naturally best to fight the small Jurchen tribe in the black soil of the White Mountains outside the pass.
But when commanding a large army in battle, it is easy for such superiors to make military aggressive mistakes.
Gao Gong naturally continued to express his opposition. He said: "General Li! Just taking back the capital is already a great achievement! The southeastern thieves have taken the initiative to retreat. At this time, we should win over the hearts of the capital, maintain law and order, and wait for the prince to return to the court!" Li Chengliang said
to Yang Bo said: "Yang Rongzheng! The southeastern bandits are fleeing in panic! If our army's surprise attack on Tianjin is fully successful, then the southeastern bandits will be defeated! This is a credit to the heavens!" Yang Bo also hesitated, his character is mature and prudent
. , at this age, I am no longer willing to work hard.
But now all the cavalry in the army are Li Chengliang's Liaoyang cavalry. If Li Chengliang really leaves alone, then the coach Yang Bo will not be able to step down. Yang Bo said: "Then send scouts to investigate near Tianjin and confirm the situation of the rebel army before making a judgment!"
At this time, all the materials and non-combat personnel that needed to be transferred have left the Tianjin port.
The construction of the Daku Bastion has been completed, the ship has been berthed in the Tianjin port, and the second and third brigades are ready to board the ship.
Lu Tianshou's capital intelligence station had already deployed eyes and ears along the canal. The movements of the Ming court's troops returning north were all under Su Ze's control.
Seeing the Ming Dynasty's army returning from the north stopping at Hejian Mansion, Su Ze knew that the Ming Dynasty's army returning from the north felt that they could do it again.
Su Ze immediately convened an emergency military meeting. Looking at Lin Liangjun and Lin Deyang sitting below, Su Ze said:
"It seems that Mingting still wants to fight us. Since the other party wants to fight, then we will fight!" "
' If you hit him with one punch, you will avoid hundreds of punches. After this battle, you can keep Dagu peaceful for several years!"
When they heard that a war was coming, Lin Liangjun and Lin Deyang became excited!
"Finally, we're going to fight! You don't know, Commander-in-Chief, that not a single shot was fired when we went north to the capital, and our soldiers were going crazy!"
Lin Deyang also said: "Captain Commander, the morale of the army is available. Everyone is waiting to fight with the Ming army. There's a battle!"
Su Ze nodded and said: "The decisive battle will be near Dagu. I will personally command this battle." "
Among the troops returning from the Ming Dynasty, Yang Bo was experienced, but Li Chengliang was impatient and most of his men were cavalry. I will definitely take the initiative to ask for a battle."
"Second Brigade, Lin Liangjun!"
"My subordinates are here!"
"Order your army to set up defenses in Tianjin. After engaging in the battle, fight and retreat, gradually withdraw to Dagu, and lure the enemy troops to Dagu Ling. Decisive battle in front of the fort!"
Lin Liangjun's face immediately fell, and he actually accepted the task of being a bait.
"Third Brigade, Lin Deyang."
"My subordinates are here!"
"Order your troops to expand trenches near Dagu, set up defense lines, and ambush Li Chengliang's Liaoyang Jingqi!"
Lin Deyang's face became even more ugly. Lin Liang Jun smiled directly.
Compared with the task of luring the enemy deep, Lin Deyang's task of digging was more uncomfortable.
But who knows that what Lin Deyang is best at is fighting this kind of defensive counterattack?
Now each department under Su Ze's command also has its own fighting style.
Lin Liangjun's second brigade is the Fujian New Army formed by Su Ze himself. The officers and soldiers are the most organized and capable of large-scale mobile operations.
The Second Brigade is good at assaults. It attacked Jiujiang and fell into Anqing in one day. These are all achievements of the Second Brigade.
Lin Deyang's Third Brigade is from the former Zhejiang New Army. The quality of its officers and soldiers is not as good as that of the Second Brigade, so it has always been a fighter. Positional warfare defensive counterattack.
In particular, there are many Zhejiang miners under Lin Deyang, who are especially good at digging trenches.
The army that defended Ming Dynasty Zhang Juzheng's troops in Jingdezhen and was able to counterattack Fengyang were all achievements of the third brigade.
Therefore, Lin Deyang was also called "Country Master" in the army. This was because his colleagues laughed at him for digging holes when fighting. Fighting was like robbing tombs.
The next day, the Ming court in Hejian Mansion returned to the north and finally got the exact information.
The New Southeast Army withdrew from the capital, transported a large amount of supplies to Tianjin, and prepared to withdraw from Tianjin to the southeast.
After receiving the news, Li Chengliang couldn't sit still even more.
The capital is the best place in the Ming Dynasty. The Zhu Ming royal family has accumulated countless treasures, and there are so many officials and ministers who have made their homes in the capital.
On that day, the emperor was hunting in the west and the prince was patrolling in the north. They both ran in a hurry and did not have time to take away most of the treasures in the capital.
Li Chengliang took it for granted that Su Ze had not had time to evacuate because he was carrying treasure.
This strengthened his previous judgment that the southeastern thieves were scared away by him!
Yang Bo was also excited now. If he could really defeat the Southeast Bandit Army, or even severely injure the elite of the Southeast Bandit Army, then he would be as great as Guo Ziyi!
Now Gao Gong's further persuasion was meaningless. The general and deputy generals reached an agreement. Li Chengliang, the commander-in-chief of Liaoyang, led his 7,000 Liaoyang cavalry to attack Tianjin first!
Yang Bo led the soldiers from the Beijing camp to follow closely and set off immediately.
But after the army set off, Li Chengliang's cavalry quickly lost touch with the infantry in the Beijing camp.
However, Li Chengliang was not a pure fool. His 7,000 men and horses, with 3,000 Jurchen cavalry on the periphery as the vanguard, dispersed towards Tianjin while inquiring about the situation.
In addition, Li Chengliang also ordered his troops to avoid rivers and seas to prevent being attacked by gunboats from the Southeast New Army.
Three thousand Bianzhen cavalry from Liaoyang Town acted as the central army and headed straight for Tianjin.
And Li Chengliang led a thousand of the most elite "housekeepers". These were all cavalrymen wearing armor. They were Li Chengliang's treasures. They followed at the back as support for the Chinese army.
Hejian Mansion is only two hundred miles away from Tianjin. It took Li Chengliang less than two days to see the city of Tianjin.
At this time, Li Ruzhen, the Jurchen cavalry in charge of peripheral operations, came to report and found traces of the southeastern thieves in Tianjin. These southeastern thieves were only busy loading and unloading goods. They were defeated by the Jurchen cavalry and have now withdrawn towards Dagu.
Li Chengliang couldn't help but be overjoyed. His judgment at the beginning of the war was correct. The southeastern bandit army was also a human being. They were also dazzled by the wealth of the capital. At this time, they were still carrying treasures, so much so that they even forgot to form a formation to fight.
By this time, Po Tian's achievements were in front of him, and Li Chengliang did not go to get those "treasures" in Tianjin.
Instead, he directly ordered all the central and rear troops to march forward, give up entering Tianjin City, and go directly to Dagokou.
Li Ruzhen led the Jurchen cavalry into the vicinity of Dagukou, and soon ran into trouble.
Dagukou is the mouth of the Yellow River and is a wetland at the mouth of the river. The vegetation here is rich but the roads are muddy, which is not suitable for cavalry charges at all.
Entering near Dagu, Li Rushe also lost track of the "escaping" southeastern bandits.
Li Rushe's beast-like instinct felt something was wrong, but he still continued to receive orders from the rear urging them to move forward.
Li Ruzhen could only continue to lead people deeper into the direction of Dagu. After walking in the muddy wetland for an hour, Li Ruzhen saw a strange-shaped castle standing on a high hillside at the entrance of Dagu.
The war is about to begin.
(End of chapter)