Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 414 Crossing the River
When Li arrived, the city wall of Yangping Pass was already crumbling, and all matters related to the siege had been arranged.

His sudden request to fight at such a critical juncture seemed extremely abrupt no matter how you looked at it.

In the final analysis, leading troops to fight is not just about charging forward with a group of people.

During the process, not only do they have to arrange tactics based on the characteristics of each unit involved in the war, but they also have to consider the coordination between the units. Once there is a slight change, all previous arrangements will have to be overturned. It can truly be said that a single move affects the entire body.

As a general who has fought for half his life, Li Guo naturally knew this well, but he still suddenly asked for battle when the war was about to begin. There must be a reason behind this.

In his opinion, Yangping Pass was already in his pocket, and the next target should be the Qing army in Hanzhong. As a general whose request for battle was rejected by His Majesty, it was reasonable for him to get a more important task in this battle.

The logic is simple, yet practical.

After all, Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, not just the Emperor of the two armies. If you cannot take care of everyone's wishes, wouldn't it discourage the loyal ministers?
Honestly speaking, Zhu Cilang didn't think there was anything wrong with this at first, and like all the higher-ups, he was happy to see it happen.

But as his mind turned, he suddenly realized that Li Guo's action seemed to show some contempt for the Tartars.

Of course, Li Guo's troops were reorganized from the main force of the Chuang army of 70,000 to 80,000. Coupled with the upgrading of equipment, their combat effectiveness is naturally extraordinary.

All in all, Zhu Cilang only had 30,000 soldiers and horses at this time. Even though the combat effectiveness of both sides had increased or decreased due to the previous battles, the Ming army did not have much advantage in detail and would have to fight a hard battle later.

It was still too easy to win.

This is the conclusion Zhu Cilang finally came to.

It should be noted that although there are not many people who can resist adversity, those who can withstand good times are even rarer.

After reaching Guangyuan, the Tartars were almost defenseless against the Ming army. All the participating troops felt that the enemy had lost their will to fight and that they could easily win with a slight charge.

By this time everyone had generalized their previous experiences, but they did not realize that they themselves had already shown signs of being overconfident and bound to be defeated.

But having said that, now that the war is imminent, it is not the time to discuss these things.

After Li Guo retreated, Zhu Cilang just watched the cannonballs hit the city wall in silence without saying a word.

I have to say that military morale is indeed mysterious.

Such things cannot be seen or touched. A little less of them can make an elite army lose their will to fight, while a little more of them can make an experienced general underestimate the enemy and become careless.

It seems that the inside and outside of Yangping Pass really conform to this distinction.

"Your Highness! Let's retreat! As long as we have the green mountains, we will not be afraid of running out of firewood. If we save the soldiers, we can still block the enemy along the way, but if..."

"puff!"

At this time, Luo Luohun had already climbed to the top of the city wall, and when that section of the city wall was crumbling, a rather frightened voice came from beside him.

Honestly speaking, Luo Luohun's temperament was more like that of a civil official, and he was not as quick to kill his military officers as the older generation. But this time, he didn't wait for the other party to finish speaking. He only understood the general meaning and stabbed the subordinate who had followed him for many years through.

"Anyone who disrupts our army's morale will be killed!"

When the words spread, everyone fell silent immediately, and after looking around, Luo Luohun's voice softened a little.

"Although there are breaches in the city wall, the Ming army will have to cross the river if they want to break into the city. We can then attack them halfway across the river. Why worry about not achieving great success?"

"Your Highness is wise! If we can defeat the Ming army, we will surely gain a few more turns!"

"That's right. The Ming army is still on the other side, but this bastard is planning to abandon the city and flee. He really brings shame to the Manchu people!"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty! I have gathered those who are good at archery in the army. When the Ming army crosses halfway, I will let them see my Manchu archery skills!"

As Luo Luohun's eyes swept across, confident voices were heard one after another. After all the generals expressed their confidence in defeating the Ming army, he turned his gaze to the southern section of the city wall and said nothing more.

He knew very well that his words were not false and the fear of fighting among the generals was only suppressed.

In the final analysis, if one section of the city wall could collapse, two or three sections could collapse as well. The Ming army did not have to choose the river channel beside the pass to cross the river, and Hauge had not yet captured the city of Hanzhong.

After several incidents, the generals lost confidence in the current situation.

It would be nice if we could win the last game.

The sound of artillery firing continued to be heard, and even the city gate could feel a slight tremor. However, in this situation, Luo Luohun suddenly had such a thought in his mind, and it was obvious that he had figured out the root of everything.

After struggling for such a long time outside Guangyuan City, they were ultimately defeated by Zhang Xianzhong's two night attacks. Although the situation on the battlefield was completely reversed due to Liu Jinzhong's defection, the fighting spirit shown by the various armies at that time was more like an overdraft.

If this battle ends like this, after a month of rest, the strength of each army will be able to reach a higher level, and it will be no problem for them to become the best in the world.

However, things did not go as planned. The Ming army, far away in Chongqing, suddenly intervened and followed the Qing army all the way, causing the Qing army, whose morale had been lost, to suffer a series of defeats.

At this point, although the generals had suppressed their desire to flee because of this sword, Luo Luohun knew very well that if he could not find a way to motivate them, the outcome of this battle would not be in suspense.

Fortunately, there is the Han River outside the city.

With this in mind, Luo Luohun couldn't help but raise his eyes slightly upwards. When he saw the slowly flowing river, it was like he had finally grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Send an order, tell the scouts in the city to patrol along the river bank and report immediately if there is any unusual movement."

"twitter!"

At the command, soldiers went forward to deliver the message. When Luo Luohun was frowning and thinking, the southern city wall finally could not withstand the continuous bombardment. With a huge roar, a gap three or two feet long appeared in front of everyone.

Faced with such a scene, all the generals present had gloomy faces, but only a moment later, Luo Luohun's voice was heard again.

"You have all led troops for many years, can't you see through the Ming army's plot?"

After the words fell, no matter what everyone was thinking, a look of doubt appeared on their faces. Then Luo Luohun walked forward a few steps, and when he came to a wooden box, he stood directly on it.

"The southern barbarians have caused such a big commotion before they even crossed the Han River. Do they think we are all cowards and are planning to abandon the city and flee as soon as they see a breach in the city wall?!"

As the words spread, the atmosphere in the city eased slightly. However, after seeing that his words were not useless, Luo Luohun shouted again.

"Prince Su has driven all the Ming troops in Hanzhong into the granary. It will only take three or two days for them to return to support us. After this battle, all those who have made contributions will be promoted as exceptions!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your cultivation!"

It must be said that real benefits are more useful than empty words. After the announcement, the surrounding soldiers immediately bowed to the ground, and their morale was obviously aroused by the reward. After seeing this scene, Luo Luohun jumped off the wooden box and walked towards the south wall. No matter how easy the words were, as the commander of the city, he had to find out the enemy's movements as soon as possible. Even though the south wall was not stable due to the collapsed section, he still chose this best observation point.

The two sides were only a hundred or so feet apart, and in a moment he could see the movements on the other side clearly. But what puzzled him was that there was clearly not even a single boat or bridge deck in the river, and the Ming troops were still standing stupidly by the river, as if waiting for something.

Are you waiting for the boat?

wrong.

The Han River originates from this mountain and has no connection with the other rivers in Sichuan. Even if the Ming army had more boats, they could not reach this area. It would be a foolish dream to want to cross the river by boat.

What are you waiting for?
Did the Ming army intend to drain the river?
Thinking of this, Luo Luohun couldn't help but laugh, but the smile just appeared on his face and suddenly froze.

"Someone! Send scouts to investigate upstream!"

As a loud shout was heard, the generals in the army that followed were a little confused. However, when it came to marching and fighting, Luo Luohun was only at an average level. When they saw the Ming army deploying its troops on the riverside, some of them immediately thought of something.

"Your Majesty, this."

I don't know who had the courage to shout like that, but I don't know why the voice suddenly stopped.

Afterwards, more and more people figured out the Ming army's plans, and the little bit of morale that Luo Luohun had managed to arouse gradually dissipated with the passage of time.

Things had come to this point, and no one could fail to understand that the Ming army had built a dam upstream.

After all, although the Han River has a great reputation, it is still the upper reaches of the upper reaches.

With this amount of water, it might not be possible to create a depth deep enough for crossing in the narrow parts of the river, but this place has entered the Hanzhong Plain, and the river is much wider than above.

Once the Ming army built a decent dam, the depth would be negligible.

Looking at Luo Luohun who was motionless, some people wanted to remind him.

However, no one dared to provoke him at this moment, so a large group of soldiers stood on the city wall with trepidation, waiting for the dust to settle.

Sure enough, Luo Luohun and his generals only stood on the city wall for one or two incense sticks before the wide river surface began to drop at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Afterwards, Ming army soldiers continued to step into the river, apparently to test the water level so that they could "cross the river" and attack the city as soon as possible.

"My Lord, give the order."

I don’t know how much time passed, but someone finally couldn’t help but say something.

Although this person did not say what order should be given, everyone present was a veteran of the battlefield and knew that whether fighting or fleeing, they should not waste time like they were doing now.

This sound came at the right time. After hearing it, Luo Luohun immediately thought of the various arrangements he had made earlier. Then military orders were passed down one after another, and the troops in Yangping Pass immediately moved.

Honestly speaking, at this moment Luo Luohun had lost confidence in how long his men could hold out. The only reason he was still like this was that he was doing his best and leaving the rest to fate.

As time passed, the wide Han River continued to shrink towards the center of the river. After a long while, the Ming army had already entered the river. The soldiers who had been sent upstream to investigate the situation suddenly rushed back at this time.

"Your Majesty, the Ming army has built a dam upstream!"

Luo Luohun had no reaction to the soldier's report.

After all, the Han River has become a small river, and no one can figure out what happened upstream.

Logically speaking, after seeing that his prince did not respond for a long time, the soldier should have quietly retreated, but when everyone ignored him, he bravely took a few steps forward.

"Be bold!"

Seeing this situation, Luo Luoshen leaned sideways and shouted at Goshaha, but at this time, Luo Luohun couldn't help but look back, and when he saw that the soldier seemed to have something to say, he waved his hand gently.

Now that he had his master's permission, Goshaha would not stop him. Then the soldier quickly approached Rollos side and whispered a few words.

"really?!"

"To reply to Your Majesty, it is absolutely true."

Hearing these words, Luo Luohun seemed to secretly breathe a sigh of relief. After his emotions calmed down a little, he turned around and looked at the Ming army formation that was coming towards him.

At this time, the water level in the river had reached an unprecedented low. Even though it was barely up to the knees in some places, except for the mud on both sides of the waterway, it had no ability to hinder the Ming army.

Faced with this situation, Chen Si, who was leading the charge, was naturally impressed by his Majesty's good planning, but when wading through the water, he still shouted loudly again and again: "Be careful! Don't get the ammunition wet!"

The mission of his battalion was to suppress the firepower on the city walls and create an opportunity for the central army to land safely.

He had already made plans for such matters in his mind. He would order his soldiers to stop and shoot as soon as they entered the range of the enemy's arrows, and would gradually move closer after the suppression effect was achieved.

After all, after these battles, he has gained a deep understanding of the self-propelled gun.

The accuracy of this thing is certainly not as good as the crossbow in the hands of the Tartars, but in terms of range, even the strong bow in the hands of the Tartars is 10 to 20 steps closer than this self-propelled gun.

As long as he could estimate the distance between the two, he would be confident that he could completely suppress the Tatar archers with intensive firepower.

"Team up!!!"

Just when Chen Si and his troops had just waded through the deepest part of the river, a loud shout suddenly came from the left. He then glanced in the direction of the voice and saw that the other thousand-household teams were already organizing their slightly chaotic formation.

This is understandable. After all, the killing power of muskets at long distances depends mostly on dense formations, and only a well-organized formation can suppress the enemy.

However, they were still some distance away from the effective range of arrows from the city, and in his opinion, it was a little too early to assemble the troops at this time.

"Hold steady! Don't panic!"

With his loud shout, the soldiers who had been hesitant because of the movements of the friendly forces around them finally maintained their previous speed. After marching for a while, he gave the order to assemble the team, and the soldiers under his command stopped just before reaching the enemy's shooting range.

In just a moment, the formation was straightened again, and then the small formation advanced another ten steps, and Chen Si's military order was spread.

"Stop! Shoot!"

(End of this chapter)