Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 387 The Ownership of Lingzhou
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

South of Mingsha County, drums resound and horns blare.

The four thousand government infantrymen were divided into sixty squads in the front and twenty squads in the rear, forming a curved formation and a wedge formation respectively.

The two armies advanced in succession, pressing closer and closer to the Longyou army. The cavalry on the left and right flanks advanced slowly in a wedge formation, guarding the safety of the central army on both sides.

Faced with their relentless advance, Cao Mao remained calm, waving his command flag continuously. The 2,500 cavalry and infantry in the straight line advanced in three waves: front, middle, and rear. Meanwhile, the 4,000 cavalry and infantry on the left and right flanks had unknowingly switched to horn-shaped crossbows, which were smaller than the grappling hook crossbows.

The Tang army used seven types of crossbows: the first was the split-stretch crossbow, the second was the horn bow crossbow, the third was the wooden single crossbow, the fourth was the large wooden single crossbow, the fifth was the bamboo pole crossbow, the sixth was the large bamboo pole crossbow, and the seventh was the long-range crossbow...

Of the seven types of crossbows, only the cleaving crossbow and the horn bow crossbow are single-person crossbows.

The crossbow with its cleave drawn was used by infantry, while the horn-shaped crossbow was used by cavalry.

However, it is not convenient for people to use crossbows on horseback, so shooting crossbows on horseback is not simple and the difficulty is no less than that of mounted archery.

Although it cannot be said that everyone in the Longyou army is an expert horseman, the soldiers selected as cavalry and infantry are certainly skilled in horsemanship.

With their powerful horn-bow crossbows, Cao Mao intended to use them to threaten the government troops' elite cavalry. Meanwhile, Li Sigong, Zhou Bao, and others on the government side also spotted the Longyou cavalry and infantry equipped with horn-bow crossbows.

"Damn it, how come Longyou is so rich? They have military spears, powerful bows, and now so many horn bows and crossbows?!"

Zhou Bao and Li Sigong both had gloomy faces and even cursed under their breath.

Since the Kaiyuan era, although the status of military men has been rising, the quality of ordinary soldiers has been declining.

If a local military governor wants to train an elite force, he must raise them to be strong and muscular so that they can bear the weight of the armor and weapons.

During the Tianbao era, even with the centralization of the imperial treasury, the court could barely maintain an army of 570,000, consisting of 75% armored soldiers, 100% bow-wielding soldiers, and 10% crossbow-wielding soldiers.

After the Tianbao era, the population declined due to wars, and even with increased taxes, it could never compare to the Tianbao and Kaiyuan eras.

In this situation, how many of the so-called million-strong army in the world could actually don armor and wield bows and crossbows?

Let alone the government troops south of the Yangtze River, even Shuofang, one of the eight garrisons northwest of Beijing, could only barely manage to use 40% of its bows and 10% of its crossbows.

The shortage of bows and crossbows naturally necessitates the differentiation of archers and crossbowmen, but this is not the case in Longyou.

Longyou is home to many archers, and even more crossbowmen. The commander only needs to include the archers and crossbowmen in the vanguard, and the vanguard commanders will naturally know when to use bows and crossbows against the enemy, just as they are doing now...

"Beep--"

A piercing whistle blew, and the two armies were less than 150 paces apart.

The 2,500 infantrymen from Longyou were divided into three ranks, with the vanguard of the first rank consisting of only 1,200 men.

Even so, after the whistle blew, the three rows of soldiers stopped, put down their shields, spears, and lances, and replaced them with bows and crossbows.

The first rank of vanguard was divided into twenty-four squads. The squad leader and the flag bearer each stood on the right side of the column to give command.

The first three ranks of soldiers in each squad begin by loading crossbow bolts and then aiming at the enemy.

The last two rows of the squad held bows and arrows, ready to fire at any moment upon order of battle.

Time passed slowly, and when the government troops stepped within 120 paces, Cao Mao waved his command flag, and the vanguard general began to blow his wooden whistle.

In the blink of an eye, each squad of the Vanguard Team fired their arrows, followed by each squad firing their crossbow bolts.

The crossbow bolts rained down like a sudden downpour, and the government troops had already advanced to within 110 paces.

At this time, the government army's less than four hundred crossbowmen also began to fire their crossbows at the Longyou army. Even though the Longyou army's infantrymen were not many, there were still four hundred of them carrying crossbows.

The two sides were evenly matched in their shooting exchange, with crossbow bolts raining down like a sudden downpour.

Zhou Bao, Li Sigong, and Cao Mao were all tense, watching as the distance between the two armies' front lines shrank to sixty paces, and command flags were waved in both armies' formations.

The crossbowmen abandoned their drawn crossbows and switched to using hard bows for shooting.

Although the government army had 1,600 soldiers, only 800 of them carried bows, while the 1,200 soldiers of the Longyou army all carried bows.

In an instant, the arrow rain from the Longyou army steadily overwhelmed the government troops' battle advance. The armored soldiers in the front ranks were almost riddled with arrows, and could only hold shields to protect their cheeks and grip their military spears to prepare for the enemy.

As the distance continued to shrink until it reached twenty paces, the vanguard of the Longyou army put away their bows and crossbows, replaced them with spears and blunt weapons, and waited for close combat.

The second column of vanguard changed to hardened bows, preparing to suppress the enemy for the front column.

Three rows of soldiers stood ready with bows at their ready; this was the case for both armies.

"kill!!"

The battle cries rang out when the two armies were less than ten paces apart. The government troops, in their wedge formations, began to charge. The Longyou army remained unmoved, holding only their shields and spears in preparation for the enemy.

When the two sides clashed, their formation inevitably swayed, but they quickly regained their footing.

In addition to the squad leader, flag bearer, and deputy squad leader, each squad has five ranks of soldiers. The front rank is protected by wooden shields and daggers, the second and third ranks attack with military spears, and the fourth and fifth ranks take the opportunity to use crossbows to attack the enemy's face.

Countless small formations converged into a large formation, and the large formations collided with each other, with soldiers dying on the spot every moment.

Compared to the panic of the government troops, the Longyou army remained calm thanks to their regular training. Whenever someone was injured and fell, six flag bearers would drag the wounded soldier to the rear to prevent him from being trampled to death.

As for the government troops, they had no time to care about these things; their goal was to break through the enemy lines, and few were willing to risk their lives to save their comrades whom they only knew by name.

Overlooking the alluvial plain in the southern part of Mingsha County, the government troops' zigzag formations resembled surging waves, while the Longyou army stood like stubborn rocks.

The waves surged one after another, yet they could never destroy the stubborn rock in one go.

Three thousand men against one thousand two hundred men would not fare well, while the vanguard of Longyou still had two columns of one thousand three hundred men.

Thinking of this, Zhou Bao couldn't hold back and immediately began waving the command flag.

At this moment, the vanguard formation to the left rear of the government army's curved formation began to move, attempting to launch a surprise attack on the right flank of the Longyou army from the northeast.

Zhou Bao's idea was good. As long as the right wing of the Longyou Army was in danger, the right-wing "cavalry" would definitely rush to its aid. At that time, the opening on the right would be opened. He was closest to the opening on the right and could calmly lead his troops to break through to Yanzhou.

However, his idea was good, but reality was not the same.

As the government troops advanced in their vanguard, the two columns of 700-strong central army of the Longyou Army immediately turned into the vanguard and marched northeast.

The government army's wedge formation clashed with the Longyou army's straight formation. Less than two thousand Longyou soldiers held off four thousand government infantrymen, and there were also six hundred Longyou soldiers flanking the enemy with crossbows.

"Longyou, a land of dogs and rats!"

On horseback, Li Sigong, commander of the right wing of the government army, couldn't help but curse under his breath. Then he looked at the commander beside him and said, "Send someone to tell Zhou Bao that our two elite cavalry units will join forces to break through to the right wing of the rebel army."

"This..." the commander said in astonishment, "Commander, why don't we send our elite cavalry to press forward? Perhaps we can take the opportunity to defeat this rebel army."

"Wouldn't it be better to withdraw the troops with the captured armor?"

"You pig-dog bastard, do you think I haven't thought of that?" Li Sigong cursed.

"How many of us will die or be wounded if we defeat the rebels here?"

"When the rebels' elite cavalry arrive at full speed, how will we retreat back to Yanzhou?"

Li Sigong knew that even if they broke through now, they would have to cut off their own tail to survive if they were caught by the rebel cavalry on the more than 200-mile journey from here to Yanzhou. Where would they find the extra troops to fight the rebels here?
Thinking of this, Li Sigong urged the Commander to inform Zhou Bao.

After an incense stick had burned, Zhou Bao received the news, but he was very reluctant to part with it.

He couldn't bear to abandon four thousand infantrymen so easily...

"General, hesitation will only lead to more trouble. Please give the order!"

Seeing Zhou Bao hesitate, his attendants quickly tried to persuade him.

The situation is dire. If Li Sigong ignores them and insists on breaking through, even if they defeat the rebel army in front of them with their remaining five thousand troops, the subsequent rebel forces will be enough to wipe them out.

If they seize this opportunity to break through, and retreat to Yanzhou, they will still have a chance to make a comeback.

"You guys, me... sigh, let's go!"

Zhou Bao ultimately couldn't bring himself to fight the Longyou army to the death. Fighting to the death would only lead to his demise, but breaking out was not an option.

"Uuuuuu——"

Suddenly, the bugle sounded, and Li Sigong's 3,500 elite cavalry began to converge on Zhou Bao's 1,500-plus elite cavalry.

At the same time, cavalry and infantry from the other three city gates of Mingsha County rushed to the battlefield from the east and west sides respectively.

Li Sigong had just reunited with Zhou Bao when he saw the banners being waved by the Tang soldiers behind him. He immediately ordered, "Withdraw!"

"Retreat!" Zhou Bao hurriedly informed his elite cavalry, and then joined forces with Li Sigong to charge towards the right flank of the rebel army.

"Left flank, reinforce right flank! Don't let them break through!!"

On horseback, Cao Mao, who was waving a command flag, belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly adjusted his deployment, trying to prevent the government troops from breaking through.

However, his reaction was still a bit slow. By the time he gave the order, five thousand elite cavalrymen of the government army had already begun to charge towards the two thousand infantrymen on the right flank of the Longyou army.

Upon seeing this, the cavalry and infantry immediately retaliated with crossbows and then retreated while continuing to fight.

Seeing that the government troops' elite cavalry were breaking through the encirclement under the interference of the right-wing cavalry and infantry, Cao Mao immediately reacted: "The left-wing cavalry and infantry should follow up with the government troops' elite cavalry and give the order to engage the enemy. The government generals have already abandoned the government troops. Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Uuuuuu——"

The two thousand infantrymen on the left wing received orders and immediately pursued the elite government cavalry.

Cao Mao did not leave rashly, but instead ordered the cavalry and infantry from the direction of Minsha County to assemble and surround the government infantry fighting to the death from the rear.

"Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who surrender will not be killed!!" Amidst the shouts of battle, the officers and soldiers who had suffered hundreds of casualties realized that they had become pawns. Everyone stopped fighting and looked at each other, waiting for the general to announce their surrender.

"Have we been abandoned?"

"Damn it, when has the Shuofang Army ever been treated like this?"

"You despicable killer, do you really think this is a hundred years ago? Shuofang has long since disappeared!"

The sense of loss of being abandoned by their comrades while fighting bravely haunted the hearts of all the Shuofang infantrymen.

More than 3,000 infantrymen were surrounded by 1,500 cavalrymen who arrived from the rear and more than 2,000 Longyou cavalrymen who were facing them.

To them, the 1,500 mounted infantrymen behind them were essentially no different from cavalry.

Retreating to Mingsha is no longer an option, unless they want to be held back by the Longyou army's infantry on their retreat, while their cavalry breaks through their lines.

For this reason, after a long silence, the three commanders in charge of the infantry finally ordered the soldiers to lay down their weapons.

With the sound of weapons falling, more than three thousand government infantrymen surrendered. Upon seeing this, Cao Mao instructed the captain beside him, "Pick up the weapons and lock them up in the camp until the military commander gives the order to settle them."

"I will now personally lead a thousand infantry and cavalry to pursue the government troops. You send a fast horse to Weizhou to deliver the message, and also take the opportunity to recruit government troops from the three counties of Lingwu!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" The captain replied without hesitation. Upon seeing this, Cao Mao immediately mustered his troops and led a thousand cavalry and infantrymen in pursuit towards Yanzhou.

During their pursuit, they frequently encountered the corpses of soldiers and horses belonging to the Longyou or government troops.

Among these, the corpses of cavalry and infantry from Longyou undoubtedly accounted for a slightly larger proportion, which made Cao Mao's heart sink.

Although he captured Mingsha and the group of government infantry, he let the most important government elite cavalry escape.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, so he could only keep his head down and continue the pursuit.

While he was pursuing the enemy with his whip, Wang Shi in the Weizhou River Valley was commanding his three armies to launch a strong attack on the second fortress of Longxi County.

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

The catapults of both sides roared incessantly, with the Binning Army and the Hezhong Army pressing forward as the main attacking forces.

The moat had been filled in, and government troops with bows and crossbows stood on the siege towers, while the cloud chariots crashed into the pass, and countless government soldiers climbed up the cloud ladders.

"Damn it, kill them!!"

More than fifty men began to climb the city wall along the ladders, but the rolling logs and stones that fell from time to time, along with the occasional sounds of gunfire and cannons, made even the strong and heavily armored soldiers like Wang Jian feel terrified.

"kill!!"

They could only embolden themselves with shouts of battle as they fought their way up.

Their offensive was visibly stronger than that of the troops from Fengxiang and Jingyuan towns in the previous days.

As the morning passed, they attacked the horse track several times, and almost managed to gain a foothold on several occasions, which was a real pity.

As noon approached and the temperature rose, Wang Chongrong and Xue Hongzong, the military governor of Binning Town, had no choice but to call a retreat.

The government troops retreated like a receding tide, giving the Longyou army at the pass a chance to catch their breath.

"Summon laborers to clean up the bodies. Lunch will be served in fifteen minutes!"

On the city gate, several officers breathed a sigh of relief, and news of the government troops' retreat reached the gatekeepers inside the city.

Gao Jinda breathed a sigh of relief, put down his brush, and asked, "How many brothers were lost in the battle?"

Upon hearing this, the captain standing inside the gate bowed and said, "The count is not yet complete, but it should be no less than three hundred men, and the number of government troops killed or wounded should be no less than a thousand."

Killing three times the enemy in a siege is already an extremely good performance, considering that the attackers were all heavily armored soldiers.

Upon hearing this news, Gao Jinda pondered, "So, we only have a little over four thousand three hundred soldiers left..."

Before the battle, Weizhou gathered 6,000 soldiers, but now, more than half a month later, more than 1,600 of them have shed their blood in Longxi.

The first pass was held for more than half a month, at the cost of more than 1,300 lives.

Now, the second pass has been under heavy attack for only half a day, and more than three hundred brothers have already been lost.

"The government troops are really going all out today, they're risking their lives."

"If it weren't for the arquebuses and the ability to kill ten thousand men, we would probably have lost even more brothers today."

"Right now, there are only 3,800 brothers who can still fight. The more than 400 wounded brothers have been sent to Longxi County for treatment."

As the captain explained, Gao Jinda sighed and said, "It must be the court that is putting pressure on Wang Shi, otherwise they wouldn't have used such a costly tactic."

"If we keep fighting like this, how long can we hold out at this second pass?"

“It should be…” The captain hesitated for a moment before saying, “At this rate, it will take at most ten days.”

"Ten days?" Gao Jinda's face was grim as he asked again, "What about the third pass?"

"The third pass will also be around ten days away." As soon as the captain finished speaking, Gao Jinda frowned slightly.

Fortunately, the captain continued, "However, the Wei River is difficult to cross, but the two passes along the Wei River are enough to hold out for more than a month."

"The only problem right now is whether the government troops will divide their forces to attack Zhang County after capturing several passes."

"Although Zhang County also has passes for cover, it is only defended by two thousand state soldiers. If it is attacked by the government troops, it probably won't be able to hold out for long."

Faced with the captain's concern, Gao Jinda reassured him, "It's alright."

"These past few days have seen successive victories in the north. In less than half a month, Shuofang will be captured by the military commander. At that time, Wang Shi will have no choice but to withdraw his troops."

"Yes!" The captain bowed in response. Seeing that Gao Jinda had no further questions, he bowed again and said, "This humble general takes his leave."

"Go." Gao Jinda gestured for the captain to leave, then lowered his head to continue handling official business.

Two quarters of an hour later, his tent flap was lifted, and the person who walked in was Xin Dang, the chief clerk of Longxi County.

"Xiwen, what brings you here?"

Gao Jinda looked at Xin Dang with a somewhat surprised expression, but Xin Dang said:

"I couldn't resist any longer, so I came uninvited."

Xin Dang's face was solemn, but in his heart he was in deep distress.

These past few days, he has been constantly regretting that he accepted Dou Yun's invitation, rushed to Longyou, and accepted the official position.

In his estimation, the imperial court should not be able to break ties with Longyou, but as it turned out, he was wrong.

He's already on Longyou's ship, and there's no way he can get off now. Even if he and Longyou were willing, the imperial court wouldn't be.

For this reason, after careful consideration, he finally decided to serve as an official in Longyou, since the atmosphere in Longyou was indeed the atmosphere he longed for.

Officials who do not deceive the people, soldiers who are not arrogant, warriors who know etiquette, and scholars who are unafraid of death... This is the kind of world he longed for.

If such a world is to be destroyed by war, then hasn't he been living a muddled life for the past forty years?
Thinking of this, Xin Dang said in a deep voice, "The governor's arrangement of the passes is fine, but it is somewhat disorganized."

"Disorganized?" Gao Jinda became interested. He knew Xin Dang's family background and talent, otherwise he wouldn't have been granted the official position of Chief Secretary of Longxi County.

This was just the beginning; his goal was to support Xin Dang in participating in government affairs within the Protectorate General's office.

In the past few days, he could guess Xin Dang's thoughts with a high degree of accuracy, but he did not force Xin Dang, and only wanted to wait for Xin Dang to figure it out on his own.

Now that Xin Dang has figured it out, Gao Jinda is eager to hear what Xin Dang's insights are.

“Yes, chaotic!” Xin Dang nodded in a deep voice. “In my estimation, the first pass could have held out for at least two months, but it was breached after only half a month.”

"If this continues, the second pass can only hold out for seven days at most, and the third pass may hold out for even less time."

"I don't know where the commander has led his troops, but I can tell that he is fighting elsewhere, and what we need to do now is to buy time."

"Since that's the case, I think it would be better to arrange it this way; perhaps we can hold out for a longer period of time..."

As Xin Dang finished speaking, he presented a memorial.

Gao Jinda didn't put on airs; instead, he immediately stood up, took the document, and began to examine it.

He casually flipped through a few pages, and his eyes immediately lit up. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent! Excellent!"

"With this arrangement, this second pass can be held for at least a month!"

"Xiwen, your strategy deserves recognition!"

Upon hearing this, Xin Dang bowed and said, "I only wish to protect the people of Longxi. I hope it will be of any use."

“It will definitely be useful!” Gao Jinda had even more faith in Xin Dang’s abilities than Xin Dang himself, so before Xin Dang could speak, he took the initiative to say:
"Based on this strategy, you are perfectly qualified to serve as the Prefect of Weizhou. I will now submit a memorial to the Commander!"

Gao Jinda's words surprised Xin Dang. He did not expect that he would be rewarded and promoted for just offering a suggestion, and that he would be promoted several ranks.

Although Xin Dang had prepared when writing his policy essay, he was still somewhat taken aback when Gao Jinda actually promoted him.

Looking at Gao Jinda's busy figure, Xin Dang couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Had I known the customs of Longyou were like this, why did I wait until I was forty-five to enter officialdom...?

(End of this chapter)