Early in the morning, Niu Bingzhong reported to Lee Wen that a large number of soldiers were suffering from frostbite.
According to the statistics this morning, more than 500 people had symptoms of fever and runny noses. They needed treatment urgently, otherwise, the situation would be worrisome. As time passed, by noon, more than 1,000 people had runny noses and fever, and more than 300 people had high fever.
The number of military doctors and medicine in the army was limited. Lee Wen had to send people back to Feng County to find doctors and medicine. He even sent people back to Baoji to ask for more medicine and doctors.
"A large number of soldiers are suffering from high fever. Most of them are soldiers who suffered from frostbite last night, and those who didn't sleep last night are exhausted. If we force our way to Liuba today, a battle is inevitable. If a battle breaks out, it will be difficult to deal with the enemy. Governor I, please reconsider."
Niu Bingzhong pleaded with Lee Wen listlessly.
Lee Wen looked at the report in his hand, then turned his stern gaze to the senior counselors beside him.
The senior counselors looked at each other awkwardly. Although no one attacked them last night, and they could forcefully credit it to their correct strategy, it was an indisputable fact that many soldiers were sick and unable to march. They didn't dare to argue.
"What should we do now?"
Lee Wen asked his senior counselors.
"Why don't we leave the sick soldiers at Chai Guan to wait for treatment? We will lead our elite troops to Liuba first. We will occupy an advantageous terrain to prevent the rebels from attacking again tonight. We need to take the initiative."
One of the senior counselors said.
Lee Wen thought about it again and again and felt that there was no better way, so he could only agree.
So Lee Wen ordered the sick soldiers to wait for treatment in the city, and he led the main force to march forward and attack the rebels' defensive line at Liuba.
According to his estimation, Li Ruzhang's troops should have arrived by now. Once Li Ruzhang's troops arrived, they would be able to attack Liuba from both sides. By then, they would be able to break through Liuba. However, the report from the scouts disappointed him. There was no battle at Liuba, and the rebels had occupied an advantageous terrain to defend.
Li Ruzhang still hasn't arrived?
Lee Wen was a little dissatisfied, but he had no choice. At the moment, he could only rely on his troops to fight the rebels.
Xiao Ruxun was good at commanding, commanding, and training his troops. He was known as the number one general in the Daming Empire. Unfortunately, he rebelled, and it was such a big one that it swept through half of the Daming Empire. Now, even God could not save him. Who else could he count on?
Li Wen still wanted to fight with Xiao Ruxun's army, so on the afternoon of the 21st, Li Wen set up camp 15 miles west of the Liuba Dam. He then sent some soldiers to cut down trees along the way to open up a path and check if there were any traps set by the rebels.
In the evening, Li Wen suddenly heard the sound of an explosion in the barracks. He was surprised and ordered the entire army to prepare for battle. After a while, he saw a group of defeated soldiers return dejectedly. They were the people who had been sent to cut down trees and clear traps.
"Attacked by firearms?"
Li Wen looked at the defeated general with an unfriendly expression.
"Yes, Governor. The rebels have sharp firearms. There are many hills along the way, and they set up cannons on the hills. When they saw our troops, they fired at us from above. Our troops didn't dodge in time, and more than a dozen of our men were killed. We can't advance any further and can only retreat. Please punish us, Governor!"
Li Wen's face darkened as he waved his hand to dismiss them.
"Governor, it looks like the rebels have the upper hand. They are familiar with the terrain here, and we have lost the initiative. If we want to advance to the Liuba Dam, we can only attack by force. We can't show weakness."
Gao Can analyzed from the side. "According to Tan Xisi, the rebels don't have many people, probably less than 50,000. It is impossible for all 50,000 of them to be guarding the Liuba Dam, so there are at most 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers here. Our army has the advantage in numbers, and if we attack openly, the rebels will not be a match for us!"
Li Wen thought about it again and again and felt that it was reasonable. So, he ordered Niu Bingzhong to arrange for troops to attack. No matter what, they had to make a good start today and show the rebels what they were made of. Otherwise, they might really look down on them and come back to harass them tonight!
After Niu Bingzhong looked at the terrain, he felt that the road here was narrow and the terrain was rugged. It was not suitable for a large cavalry attack, so they could only attack with infantry. However, the rebels had set up cannons on the hills to obstruct them, which was a threat to the army's attack. He did not recommend a forceful attack, but rather a cautious use of troops. They could try to use small groups of troops to test the enemy's attack. This way, they could reduce casualties and reduce the rebels' advantage in firearms.
He knew that he had very few firearms under his command, and the number of soldiers who knew how to use firearms were few. Li Wen's troops also did not have many cannoneers. In terms of firearms, they were no match for Xiao Ruxun's troops.
"What else can we do if we don't attack by force? Our army is stronger than the rebels. At this time, the only thing we can do is to abandon all preposterous theories and use an upright army to defeat all the tricks of the rebels. This way, our army will definitely win! "
The Gao Can collectively opposed Niu Bingzhong's cautious suggestion.
Li Wen also felt that he had the advantage in terms of combat power. He did not have to worry about not being a match for Xiao Ruxun's troops on the battlefield. The combat power of the Northwest Border Army was very impressive. They often fought with the Northern Barbarians on the grasslands. How could they lose to the southern barbarians who came from the mountains in the south?
Li Wen ordered the troops to gather and carry out a strong attack. They wanted to finish the battle before sunset. They wanted to take over a few hills and push forward the battle line. At the same time, they wanted to raise the morale of the troops that had been somewhat low because of last night's incident.
Two thousand elite troops were quickly gathered. One thousand five hundred infantrymen and five hundred cavalrymen, under the leadership of Ningxia's General Zhao Wu, attacked Liuba. They first faced the Zhennan Army who occupied the hills to block the attack.
However, before they could get close to a place where they could attack, the cannons of the Zhennan Army on the hills began to roar. The bombardment caught them off guard. The cavalrymen were the first to be scattered. In addition to the rugged terrain, they were unable to do much. They only knew how to dodge the bombardment of the cannons.
When the infantrymen charged forward under the leadership of the officers, they were faced with the large shield formation tactics and sharp muskets that the Zhennan Army was very good at. The musketeers of the Zhennan Army were unparalleled in the world. Round after round of lead pellets rained down on the border soldiers who were caught off guard. Their flesh and blood flew everywhere, and they suffered heavy casualties.
When they charged forward again under the fire of the muskets, the dazzling great spears would stab out again. Each stab created a transparent hole. They were unable to break through this line of defense, and most of them were dead.
It could be said that the first tentative exchange between the two sides ended with Li Wen's crushing defeat.
Two thousand elite troops were beaten until they covered their heads and fled like rats. Five hundred cavalrymen were killed, and more than four hundred horses were lost. More than half of the infantrymen were lost, and even more were injured. Even Zhao Wu's mount was killed by a stray bullet. He fell down and injured one of his legs. He was dragged back to the main camp by his subordinates. Fortunately, they were fast enough. Before the Zhennan Army could rush down and kill the defeated army, they would have been captured.
In the first exchange, Li Wen suffered a crushing defeat.
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