March 1st, 1617.
Ji Liao Provincial Governor Xue Sancai, who was ordered by the emperor to come to Tian Jin, was a civil servant. He was much more concise than Yang Gao, and he did not do things like killing cows and showing off martial arts. As the Provincial Governor, he sat in Tian Jin and ordered Baoding's General Cao Minglei to be the commander. Baoding's Provincial Governor Liu Ce to support him, and dozens of other generals to listen to his orders.
Eunuch Ma Keshi, who came from the palace, took the initiative to request to be a military supervisor in front of the army. This was to prevent crimes such as murder, embezzlement, and fighting for military merits. His actions attracted the attention of all the generals, and they scolded him for being a hindrance. However, Ma Keshi did not care. He only wanted to win this battle and had no other thoughts.
To make the soldiers risk their lives, they had to eat a good meal before the battle started. Tian Jin was a rich place, and it could provide for the daily meals of the army. Especially since Zhou Qingfeng had killed so many officials, there were many rich people in the city who were willing to pay for the army.
It was also because of Zhou Qingfeng's threats that the civil servants who gave out the silver were kind. The less they deducted, the higher the morale. When the Ming Army set out, they had eaten their fill, so they walked more nimbly. Eunuch Ma followed the army, secretly estimating the chances of the army's victory this time.
The cultivation of these generals were not weak, and killing generals and capturing flags was not a problem. Furthermore, they all had the aura of an official, and their strength doubled. The only downside was that most of them were illiterate, and there were not many who knew how to fight. Even if there were, they were at most at Soul Realm Level 1, and they could only lead 10 servants to charge.
After fighting for a few days, Ma Keshi had received many reports. The Zhou rebels did not have many people, and they split up into many groups to invade. Each group sent out around 100 people, and the total number of troops was around 2000. However, their infantry and cavalry knew how to use firearms, so many of them dared to fight in the wilderness. Not only were the low-level officers bold, but they also knew how to fight, so they could not be underestimated.
If it was a tie in terms of generals, then the Ming army was no match for the 'revolutionary army' in terms of soldiers and soldiers. Since the beginning of the battle, the Ming Army had a profound experience — Zhou Qingfeng's soldiers were well equipped and very difficult to fight. Even the female soldiers were extremely brave. To put it bluntly, if they really fought, they would be able to take on ten people by themselves.
Over the past few days, the Tianjin Garrison had been constantly sending people to spy on the military situation. Few people went, but it was like throwing meat buns at a dog. They never returned. There were many who went, but they often suffered heavy casualties and were driven back by their opponents. In short, he had never taken advantage of her.
Eunuch Ma also knew that the Ming Army had always treated their soldiers harshly. Rome was not built in a day, and it was impossible to change it in a short period of time. He couldn't do anything about it. After all, in this day and age, soldiers had no personal freedom at all. If he said too much, it would be really annoying.
With more than ten thousand people attacking, they naturally couldn't move forward as one. Since the Haihe River entered the sea at Tianjin, it just happened to lead to Dagu Pass where Zhou Qingfeng was entrenched. Therefore, Commander Cao Minglei ordered half of the soldiers to take the military supplies and set off on boats, while the other half followed the river bank to protect the boats as they advanced. In this way, they could advance more than sixty li in a day, which could be considered extremely fast.
Eunuch Ma was very active here. He brought many men with high cultivation from the East Faction Headquarters and acted as vanguards for the army, driving the scouts of the Beijing-Tianjin Front Army. Several times, he even fought with Ye Na, who came to spy on them. The fierce foreign woman even suffered a small loss because she couldn't beat this eunuch.
Eunuch Ma was very proud of this, but his subordinate, Ouyang Jun, who was transferred to participate in the battle, was not happy. This hedonistic son of the Embroidered Uniform Guards pursued 'safety first' and was very resistant to going to war. Luo Lie, who had been with him all this time, was proactive and criticized Ouyang Jun's cowardice.
"Brother Ouyang, our army has more than ten thousand people, and we have many experts to help us. We will definitely win this battle. What are you afraid of? "Luo Lie was very unhappy with Ouyang Jun's negative attitude. This was because the latter always relied on his good qinggong to run far away every time he attacked. He never killed the scouts of the Beijing-Tianjin Front Army. At most, he would chase them away or even deliberately let them go.
Ouyang Jun, on the other hand, was righteous. "You should make more friends on the battlefield. This is called leaving a way out for yourself. You should spare people whenever possible. If you kill someone, there will be a blood debt. The more you kill, the more people will hate you. If you become famous, maybe the rebels will send people to take care of you. If you provoke Grand Marshal Zhou and he comes personally, can you deal with it? "
Luo Lie was stifled by these words, but he couldn't do anything about it. He could only say with dissatisfaction, "If I provoke Grand Marshal Zhou and he comes to deal with me personally, it will be the time for me to succeed. At that time, I will definitely become a general like Commander Cao. I will be able to bring honor to my ancestors and protect my descendants. I will be satisfied with this life! "
Ouyang Jun disdainfully said, "My father said that my ancestors are already dead. It is not my turn to bring honor. My descendants will have their own fortune. I don't need to waste my energy. I just need to live a good life. "
"You …" Luo Lie couldn't do anything about this thick-skinned person. However, the two of them were in the same team. They couldn't be separated even if they wanted to.
The army set off in the morning. The journey was very smooth. Because Tianjin had a large population and it was the Han people's territory, Zhou Qingfeng didn't scorch the earth and clear the fields. Commander Cao's Ming Army didn't suffer too much. They safely arrived at Jinghai County, which was twenty li west of Dagu Pass. They set up camp today and could fight tomorrow.
The army didn't stop when it was dark. They still had to set up camp. After a day of marching, everyone was tired. In addition, there weren't any obstacles along the way. The Ming Army felt that they had the advantage in numbers. The rebels must be hiding in Dagu Pass and didn't dare to come out. They were just waiting for them to attack.
Eunuch Ma was worried that the rebels would attack at night. He specially reminded Commander Cao. Commander Cao felt that he had a great responsibility and followed the advice. He sent more people to set up camp and also sent more people to search around. He even sent 'Ye Bushou' ten li away to keep an eye on the rebels.
Eunuch Ma immediately felt that Commander Cao was a good person. He wasn't as arrogant as other generals. He thought that after the war, he should write a memorial to praise him. In short, the Ming Army worked together and was very careful. They didn't dare to make any mistakes. If they made a mistake, they would have to pay with their lives.
"Eunuch Ma, don't worry. I know that this war is no small matter. I definitely won't disappoint His Majesty. I will be very careful. Eunuch Ma, please take care of me. If you have time at night, help me patrol. I heard that the Zhou rebels have a high cultivation base and are known as the number one in the world. It doesn't matter if he's real or fake. A dead tiger is a real tiger. We just have to treat him as the number one in the world and fight him. "
Commander Cao led his generals to patrol the camp. He was very polite to Eunuch Ma. Everyone knew how powerful the East Faction Guards were. No one dared to offend them. As a result, Eunuch Ma felt at ease. Ma Keshi thought about it but couldn't find a loophole. He felt that the army's march was completely in line with the art of war. As the saying goes, "First, you can't win. Then, you can win when the enemy is around."
Hahaha … Wonderful, wonderful!
The Ming army laughed heartily.
It was a good time, and everyone was flattering each other. However, the person who slapped them in the face came.
A triplane appeared in the sky, swaying as it flew.
The Ming Army generals looked up as if they had seen a ghost. Their smiles disappeared, and they were all stunned.
After the triplane circled the Ming army's camp twice, it dropped explosive packs one after another like it was laying eggs. Each pack weighed five kilograms. It dropped around ten of them in one go.
In an instant, something unexpected happened.
The explosive packs landed on the ground for a few seconds and then exploded. Smoke and dust rolled, and thunder rumbled. The sand on the ground rose into the air and fell in all directions. The Ming Army, who had set up a strong camp, instantly went crazy. They held their heads and ran around, screaming.
No matter how strong the camp was, it couldn't withstand such destruction. The places that were bombed collapsed. These explosive packs were even mixed with a large amount of fire-starting material. After they exploded, it was as if tens of thousands of sparks fell from the sky and lit up the barracks and tents on the ground. For a moment, the fire burned fiercely, and the camp was filled with cries and screams.
The area that was bombed was limited. At most, it only took up one-tenth of the Ming Army camp. However, after seeing the power of the explosive packs and the thick smoke, the more than ten thousand Ming Army soldiers were in chaos. When the strange-looking triplane flew over their heads, everyone trembled. No one dared to bet on what would happen next. It was better to escape first.
Ouyang Jun was quarreling with Luo Lie. Neither side was willing to give in to the other. When he saw the triplane blow up the ground, Ouyang Jun's face instantly turned pale. He said, "It's over. No matter how good my Qinggong is, I can't outrun this strange bird flying in the sky."
After he said that, he grabbed Luo Lie's collar and shook it violently. He shouted frantically, "I told you not to kill too many people, but you didn't listen. Now look at you, you've provoked the Great Handsome out here. If you have the guts, fly up and fight. I'm really unlucky to have met a dumb goose like you. Now, I don't even know where to run. "
Luo Lie, who was on the ground, was a little dumbfounded. He always felt that fighting and killing should be done with one's feet on the ground. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect someone to come down from the sky. How the hell was he supposed to fight? Did he have to fly? He couldn't fly up!
"Brother, I was wrong. Hurry up and run away." Luo Lie grabbed Ouyang Jun and pulled him hard. Only then did the latter wake up from his angry scolding. The camp was in complete chaos. People were running in all directions. They didn't have time to look for horses. They simply used their legs to run away.
Ouyang Jun's Qinggong was excellent. As he ran, he shouted, "My father was right. There's nothing in the world that can't be broken. Only speed can't be broken. I learned Qinggong to escape. "After he said that, he disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
The sudden attack of the triplane shocked Eunuch Ma and the other commanders of the Ming Army even more. Each explosive pack was like an all-out attack of a super cultivator. This time, it was as if more than ten top experts had joined hands. Seeing this scene, Eunuch Ma felt as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting. In his heart, he thought, "Those who are good at attacking can move from the Ninth Heaven."
Sun Tzu didn't deceive him. This triplane really did come from the sky.
Commander Cao wanted to cry even more. 'What's the point of making the camp sturdy enough? What's the use of guarding against a night attack? The bandits didn't come from the ground!
What can I do? What can I do? I've been wronged!
With a clang, Commander Cao pulled out his sword and was about to slit his throat.
Eunuch Ma's eyes were sharp and his hands were fast. With a tap of his finger, he knocked Commander Cao's sword away. "Official Cao, today's defeat was not because of the battle. Please stay and be useful. In the future, there will be a chance to repay His Majesty. "He then shouted to the stunned officers next to him," What are you doing? Why haven't you sent Official Cao away yet? "
After the triplane in the sky threw the explosive packs, it circled a few times and swaggered away. Less than three li away from the Ming Army camp, Ye Na had just killed several Ming Army soldiers called 'Ye Bu Shou'. She looked at the column of smoke rising into the sky not far away and ordered a signaller behind her, "Blow the horn. The enemy has been defeated. We can attack now."
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