Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 264 Breaking the Camp
Guiyang City, in the morning, more than 10,000 Western troops lined up outside the city

The sound of horns rang out from under the city, and soon groups of soldiers marched out from the army formation and rushed towards the city wall not far away.
The soldiers in the front held up wide wooden boards, while the soldiers in the back carried simple ladders. Dozens of teams spread out and soon approached the city wall.
The Western Army soldiers approached the city a hundred steps away. Suddenly, the flag on the top of the city waved. Then, a row of archers suddenly appeared on the top of the city. A dense rain of arrows covered the city. The rain of arrows hit the shields with a trembling sound. Dozens of Western Army soldiers fell down immediately.

Three rounds of arrows were shot from the top of the city wall, and the Western Army soldiers also rushed to the bottom of the city wall. A group of Western Army soldiers set up flying ladders and were about to rush to the top of the city wall.
At this time, the flags on the city wall were waving again, and countless stones fell from the top of the city like raindrops. The soldiers who had just arrived at the foot of the city were immediately bleeding from their heads, and another group of them fell down.

The elite soldiers in leather armor in the front row held up their shields and tried to climb up the city walls. However, these carefully selected elite soldiers of the Western Army were often stabbed to death by dense spears as soon as they jumped onto the top of the city walls, and fell down from the city walls.

The Western Army paid hundreds of casualties before they finally reached the city wall and launched an offensive, but it only lasted less than a quarter of an hour before it was declared a failure.
On a slope in the north of the city, Bai Wenxuan looked at the ladders on the city wall that had been pushed down, and the soldiers that had fallen from midair, and shook his head slightly.

He knew that the offensive launched by the Western Army today would probably be the same as the previous few days and would not produce any results.
He Jiuyi led his troops to launch a surprise attack, winning first and then losing in Gui Province. When the news of He Jiuyi's defeat spread back to Bozhou, there was an uproar among the Dashi army.

At that time, the Western Army was still debating whether to accept the Ming court's offer of amnesty, and on what terms to accept the Ming court's offer of amnesty. However, when the news of He Jiuyi's annihilation came, all the arguments were meaningless.
Sun Kewang, Ai Nengqi and others went alone and led their troops to attack the Ming army. The Western Army had already started, so how could they talk?

Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu and others were furious when they heard the news, and the battalion leader of the Western Army, who had originally held a neutral attitude, was also very dissatisfied. However, at this time, the Western Army had no choice.

Sun Kewang has already taken action against the Ming court. It is almost impossible to negotiate with the Ming court. The Western Army is running out of food and money. Now the only way to survive is to capture Guiyang and seize the food and money of Guiyang as Sun Kewang said before.

Sun Kewang's plan was finally successful, but his plan not only failed to improve his status in the Western Army, but also made the Western Army more divided.
After some discussion, Sun Kewang and Ai Nengqi sent 5,000 troops, Li Dingguo sent 3,000 troops, and Wang Shangli, Bai Wenxuan and Feng Shuangli each sent 2,000 troops, a total of 14,000 troops to capture Guiyang.
The food and money needed for this expedition were all provided by Sun Kewang's Pingdong Army, which was also one of the manifestations of the Western Army's dissatisfaction with Sun Kewang.
It has been ten days since the Western Army arrived at Guiyang. Since arriving, the Western Army has attacked almost every day, but the results achieved are very few. Even the number of times they have attacked the top of Guiyang City is very few.

In fact, when the Western Army arrived at the city, Bai Wenxuan knew that it was highly unlikely that the Western Army would be able to capture Guiyang.

On the second day after the Western Army's vanguard arrived at the city, 3,000 Ming troops came out of the city to challenge them. The two sides lined up to fight but there was no clear winner.
When the Western Army arrived from behind, the Ming Army slowly retreated back to the city, relying on the city walls. The Ming Army in the city was so brave, and there was a city wall for defense, so how could the Western Army possibly attack Guiyang?

Bai Wenxuan stood on the hillside and saw that the Western Army that had launched the attack had all retreated from the city. So he stopped looking and rushed back to the rear camp with his guards.
In the Western Army Camp, Bai Wenxuan and Li Dingguo's commander Gao Wengui were sitting in the tent.
The Western Army attacked the city for ten days. Except for the first few days of full-scale attack, the Western Army began to take turns to rest.

In fact, when the siege generals decided to take turns to rest, everyone already knew that it was almost impossible for them to capture Guiyang.
The Western Army had previously been unable to break through the city even with their full strength, and now they had to take turns to rest, so it was even more impossible for them to break into the city.
Bai Wenxuan looked at Gao Wengui below and asked

"How much food and money is left in the camp?"

"There are still eight days left. I'm afraid we still need to notify the rear to transport the food quickly, or send more people out to collect food."

After the Western Army entered your province, they naturally began to collect food, but the result was not as good as expected.
On the one hand, it was because the land of Guiyang was already barren, and on the other hand, it was because the Ming army had been prepared for it, and the people near Guiyang had already been notified by the Ming army to evacuate.
Now the Western Army under Guiyang City can only rely on Bozhou to transport food and money, or they can only send people to further places to get food. However, they don’t have enough manpower to attack the city. If they send a large number of soldiers out to plunder food, there will be no point in fighting.
There was silence in the tent for a while, and Gao Wengui suddenly spoke

"Guiyang City is strong, and the Ming army in the city is also very brave. I'm afraid we can't capture it with just our few people."

"If we want to capture Guiyang, I'm afraid we still need to send reinforcements to the rear. We are suffering hundreds of casualties every day. It's not a good idea to just sit there and do nothing."

Sun Kewang and others in the rear forced them to capture Guiyang as soon as possible. Even though Bai Wenxuan and others knew that they could not capture it, they had no choice but to send troops to attack. The hundreds of casualties every day were their explanation to the rear.

Bai Wenxuan heard this, but shook his head and said softly
"It's useless. Even if all our Western troops come to attack the city, I'm afraid we won't be able to break through Guiyang City."

There are only 30,000 people left in the Western Army. If the entire Western Army attacks, it seems that the number of people is four or five times that of the Ming Army, but it is still impossible to break through Guiyang.
The Western Army attacked the city not to escape and survive, but to get food and money. In this situation, the morale of the soldiers was not high, and they would never fight to the death.
For ordinary soldiers of the Western Army, they attacked the city to get food. If they died under the city before getting food, what was the point?

Even if the Western Army pressed forward with all its forces at this time, the result would probably be no different from now.

Of course, the Western Army could also use their numerical advantage to completely trap the Ming Army in the city. When the Ming Army in the city ran out of food, they could also capture Guiyang.
But the Western Army was already short of food and money. If the siege continued for a long time, it was unclear who would collapse first.

Bai Wenxuan thought for a moment, exhaled lightly, and said

"We have to make plans early. We have sent troops to investigate the road to Huguang in the east. What is the situation?"

The Western Army now has 30,000 to 40,000 people. If they want to enter Guangxi Province, they must pass through Guiyang. However, the Western Army has been attacking Guiyang for a long time and has obviously been unable to go to Lingnan.

Guiyang is located on the passage from Guiyang to Guangxi. If the Western Army leaves the Ming Army in Guiyang alone, once the Western Army in front crosses Guiyang and heads south, the Ming Army can come out of Guiyang at any time and chase after the Western Army.

The road from Guiyang to Guangxi Province is all Ming army territory. If the rear road is not stable, the Western Army may be wiped out if they are not careful.
Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and others saw that Guiyang could not be captured after a long siege, so they had to make another plan and prepare to go east through Guizhou Province to Huguang.
The Western Army had entered Sichuan from Huguang before, and everyone was familiar with the situation in Huguang.
Now that the various forces in Huguang are fighting each other, they can fish in troubled waters after entering Huguang without worrying about being targeted by any side.

The Western Army had another option at this time, which was to go west through Bijie and enter Yunnan Province, but Sun Kewang and others had never thought of this option.
In the eyes of the Western Army, Guangxi Province is a poor and remote place, and Yunnan Province is a place of smoke and miasma. Who would go to Yunnan Province if they were so desperate?
In the previous life, the Western Army's entry into Yunnan was an accident. After Sun Kewang and others occupied Guiyang, their original plan was to go south to Guangxi Province.

However, after the Western Army captured Guiyang, they received a letter from the Yunnan Provincial Army General Long Zaitian. Sun Kewang found that Yunnan Province was in chaos at this time. Seeing that there was an opportunity in Yunnan Province, he decided to march into Yunnan Province.
Gao Wengui also replied

"According to the scouts' reports, the cities of Xintian, Pingyue and others are all unorganized and unprepared, and there are no traces of large Ming troops. It is estimated that the Ming army has transferred all the available troops in your province to Guiyang."

"I have sent scouts to Qingping, Xinglong and other places further east to investigate, but they haven't seen any yet..."

Gao Wengui was halfway through his speech when he heard the sound of horse hooves outside the tent. The sound was faint at first, but it became louder and louder. In the end, even the teacup in the tent was shaken.

Bai Wenxuan and the other man's expressions changed drastically, but they could no longer care about anything else and suddenly rushed out of the tent.
The front of the Western Army camp was in chaos. More than a thousand soldiers in cloth armor jumped off their horses and rushed towards the camp gate.

In front of the camp gate, hundreds of Western Army soldiers were trying their best to resist. The Western Army soldiers in the camp were originally on duty to guard the camp, and they had never thought that they would be attacked. Suddenly, the Ming Army cavalry arrived in front of the camp gate, and the Western Army soldiers were completely unprepared.
More than a thousand Ming soldiers, all wearing iron armor, rushed to the narrow camp gate and fought in close combat. Sword shadows fell one after another, and the Western soldiers blocking the gate fell down immediately. However, the swords of the Western soldiers chopped on the Ming army's iron armor, but it was completely ineffective.
Under the attack of the Ming army, the Western Army in front of the gate was quickly dispersed. After the Ming army soldiers occupied the camp gate, they did not rush in, but quickly moved away the barricades in front of the camp gate.

Immediately afterwards, more than 3,000 cavalrymen in red armor suddenly rushed out from the rear road and entered the camp through the camp gate.
When Bai Wenxuan and his companions left the camp, they saw thousands of red-armored cavalrymen entering the camp gate.
"Gather the soldiers to guard the granary and immediately send someone to notify the troops attacking the city."

Bai Wenxuan's expression changed drastically, he shouted loudly, and then he and Gao Wengui immediately rushed to the back to gather soldiers.
But it was too late. Bai Wenxuan had just gathered more than a hundred soldiers around him, and he immediately attracted the attention of the Ming army.

A general wearing black iron armor rushed forward, followed by 70 or 80 cavalrymen wearing armor. They rushed straight to the tent where Bai Wenxuan was.
The soldiers in front of Bai Wenxuan had drawn their swords, pointing them at the cavalrymen who were charging at them. However, the cavalrymen did not dodge, and under the leadership of the leading general, they charged directly into the soldiers.
The front of the Western Army fell down immediately, iron hooves trampled over the soldiers, and sabers slashed down with cold light. The Western Army soldiers who had just barely gathered together completely collapsed and fled in all directions.
Dozens of armored cavalrymen dismounted and hacked at the soldiers on the field. These cavalrymen were armored personal guards specially selected by Ma Bao from the ten thousand soldiers of the Tengxiang Army. Each of them was almost a head taller than an ordinary person.

The cavalrymen were all wearing double armor. They didn't even look at the swords of the Western Army, but simply rushed forward to kill.

Although the guards in front of Bai Wenxuan were brave, they were soon hacked to death. Bai Wenxuan was soon captured by a group of armored guards. When Bai Wenxuan was pressed to the ground, he happened to see Gao Wengui, who was not far away, being hit by a gun by a tall young general in red armor. Gao Wengui was directly knocked to the ground and was soon captured by a group of red armored cavalrymen.

In front of the big tent, dozens of armored cavalrymen protected the left and right sides. There were roars and shouts of killing everywhere. The panicked Western Army soldiers fled in panic, but before they got close to this place, they were all chopped to the ground by the armored soldiers in front of the tent.

Ma Bao stood in front of the camp, holding his saber. Soldiers from both armies were madly killing each other all around him, but Ma Bao had a calm expression on his face, as if he didn't notice anything.
Not long after, a young man in red armor rode up from a distance and brought Gao Wengui to the tent.

Bai Wenxuan and Gao Wengui, both with disheveled hair, were held to the ground by several armored soldiers. Not long after, a skinny man in black linen clothes was also brought to the front of the tent.

Ma Bao seemed to come to his senses at this moment, looking at the two people on the ground, and said

“You can recognize these two people.”

When the skinny man saw Ma Bao coming, he was also terrified. He glanced at the two people being held on the ground and immediately said in a trembling voice:

"On the left is the commander-in-chief of the front army, Bai Wenxuan, and on the right is Gao Wengui, a general under the command of the General Anxi. They are both the main generals in the camp."

Bai Wenxuan looked at the man in hemp clothes in front of him. The more he looked, the more familiar he felt. Suddenly, he remembered that this man was one of the scouts sent by the army to the east to gather intelligence.
Bai Wenxuan's face was filled with anger. He immediately struggled and kept yelling.
"You bastard, you actually led the Ming dogs to attack my camp and betrayed our Western Army brothers. You will not be able to have a good death."

Bai Wenxuan continued to struggle, but was soon pinned to the ground by the armored guards.
The man in sackcloth clothes heard Bai Wenxuan's roar and looked ashamed. He turned his head away and did not dare to look at Bai Wenxuan on the ground.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance. A general in black iron armor galloped towards this place, followed by a dozen armored guards.

The armored general galloped all the way to the front of the tent, then dismounted and bowed to Ma Bao in front of him and said:

"I have found the enemy's granary and have burned all the food and grass in the enemy's camp."

Ma Bao looked at Liu Qijiao in front of him, nodded, and said

"General Liu, you have worked hard. The two main generals in the enemy camp have also been captured. This enemy camp should be secured."

"Please ask General Liu to lead the Longxiang Cavalry to the city first. We must not let the enemy troops escape."

"The last general takes command"

Liu Qijiao bowed and replied, and Ma Bao looked at the young man in red armor and said

"Li Laiheng, you will lead a thousand cavalrymen to follow General Liu to the city. Once you are at the city, you will follow General Liu's orders. Do you understand?"

"The end will understand"

Li Laiheng's face was serious and he immediately replied

Soon the horn sounded in the camp, and the soldiers were ordered to run everywhere. Soon, groups of cavalry gathered in front of the camp again.

Liu Qijiao and Li Laiheng led 3,000 cavalrymen and quickly rushed out of the camp and headed towards Guiyang City.
Bai Wenxuan looked at the cavalrymen galloping out of the camp, with a trace of despair on his face. All the food and grass in the camp had been burned. Now this cavalry was going to attack the front line again. At this time, the Western Army in the front line was attacking the city. If these Ming cavalrymen suddenly rushed out, the consequences would be disastrous.

Bai Wenxuan knew that their group was finished. Gao Wengui on the ground had obviously thought of this as well, and his face was also filled with despair.

Ma Bao ignored the two people on the ground and spoke to the guard beside him

"Pass the order down, tell the soldiers to put down their swords, don't waste time, burn the camp immediately, and then rush to the city."

The guards took the order and retreated. Soon, a raging fire broke out in the Western Army camp. Ma Bao led the Tengxiang Army cavalry and escorted Bai Wenxuan and the other two to the city of Guiyang.
At the foot of Guiyang City, Liu Qijiao led 3,000 cavalrymen and suddenly rushed to the city. The 3,000 Western troops who were originally attacking the city were caught off guard and were immediately defeated by Liu Qijiao and his men.

Fortunately, the Western Army in the rear reacted quickly. While the Ming Army was killing the soldiers in the front, they urgently organized the soldiers in the rear.
Under the city of Guiyang, 7,000 soldiers were divided into three square formations, arranged in a Chinese character "品". The outer layer of the formation was soldiers holding shields, the inner layer was spearmen, and further in was a small number of archers.
Opposite the Western Army were 3,000 Ming cavalrymen who had just finished charging. Dozens of cavalrymen were galloping back and forth around the Western Army formation, with the horses' footsteps raising billowing clouds of dust.
The Western Army soldiers looked at the Red Armored Cavalry standing silently across from them, like a high wall. All of them looked terrified.
Liu Qijiao checked the Western Army formation on the opposite side, thought for a moment, and then summoned Li Laiheng.
Liu Qijiao pointed at the Western Army formation opposite and said

"I'll be on your left and you'll be on your right. Don't engage them in battle. Shoot at them until all your arrows are gone. General Li, do you understand?"

"I obey your order," Li Laiheng immediately bowed his hands and responded.

The Ming army quickly took action. The Ming cavalry was divided into two. Liu Qijiao led 2,000 cavalry to the left, while Li Laiheng led 1,000 cavalry of the Tengxiang army to the right.

The Ming cavalry ran along the side of the Western Army's formation. As they passed the formation, a hail of arrows suddenly fell into the Western Army's formation.
Although the Western Army had shields for defense, these shields were not enough. More than a hundred people were killed or injured in the battle formations on both sides of the Western Army in an instant.

The Western Army's archers also fired back, but the Western Army was attacking the city at this time, not only did they not have enough shields, they also did not have many bows and arrows.
Arrows from the Western Army were shot, but only a few Ming cavalrymen fell.

After the cavalry charged past, they regrouped in front, and after the formation was completed, they rushed parallel to the side of the army formation. When they got close, they were covered with a rain of arrows.
The Longxiang Cavalry led by Liu Qijiao on the left side had a total of 2,000 soldiers. After several rounds of harassment, a large number of soldiers on the left side had fallen.
Yang Wu, the commander of the Western Army on the left, could no longer bear it. When the Ming cavalry approached again, he suddenly led his soldiers to charge forward.
Liu Tengjiao's Ming army had 2,000 soldiers. If they were to shoot a few more times like this, all the soldiers in the formation would probably die.

However, Yang Wu's desperate attack also had no effect. When Liu Qijiao saw the infantry rushing towards him, he did not order a charge. Instead, he led the cavalry to turn around and leave to the left rear.

Yang Wu's army was composed entirely of infantrymen, so they could not catch up with the cavalry. The soldiers on the left line chased forward, but as the chase began, the originally neat army formation was pulled into a straight line.

At this time, Liu Qijiao, who had reorganized his troops in the distance, finally gave the order to start charging.
The cavalry rushed over and crashed directly into the Western Army's formation, splitting the Western Army in half. Then the cavalrymen galloped and killed each other. The infantry in Yang Wu's army had no power to resist at all, and soon they all collapsed and fled in all directions.
At this time, the north gate of Guiyang suddenly opened, and 3,000 Ming soldiers suddenly marched out of the gate and marched towards the Western Army in formation.
The Ming army infantry in front of them advanced step by step, while the cavalry in the back kept harassing and killing. The remaining two formations of the Western Army finally collapsed completely under the attack of the Ming army.
Three days later, a large number of soldiers in scarlet uniforms suddenly appeared outside Guiyang City. The team stretched for more than ten miles on the official road, like a long red dragon. In the middle of the team, a golden dragon flag fluttered in the wind.
The Ming army soon reached the city of Guiyang. Scattered blood and weapons could still be seen outside the city gates, but the army that had lined up outside the city a few days ago had disappeared without a trace.

(End of this chapter)