Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 298 Attacking Xianning! Speed ​​is of the essence in war.

"Commanders, at this marching speed, when will you reach Xianning Prefecture?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Our attack on Xianning Prefecture this time is a surprise attack!"

Chen Jie beckoned Meng Ying and Lin Rui forward and said in a deep voice:
"How about this, we, the Ximen Hall, will go first and launch the first attack on Xianning City."

"Both commanders, you just need to arrive in Xianning Prefecture before noon three days from now!"

The distance from Xianning Prefecture to Ezhou is about 250 li.

At a normal marching speed, marching eighty li a day is already considered a forced march.

Therefore,
Three days later, which is equivalent to traveling for four days.

Four days is enough to get to Xianning!

Knowing that their army could not keep up with Ximentang's marching speed, the two had no choice but to agree.

Lin Rui thought for a moment and asked:

"Your Excellency, how do we meet up with Ximentang after we arrive in Xianning Prefecture?"

Chen Jie said calmly:

"Just go straight into Xianning City. If Ximentang hasn't taken Xianning City by the time you arrive, you can retreat. No one will punish you."

Chen Jie naturally didn't want to take them along as a burden.

Commanders Meng and Lin Rui didn't say much.

That would be best. After the battle in Xianning Prefecture is over, the two of them can lead the army to clean up the mess.

There was no danger, and one could gain a lot of military merit.

Chen Jie ignored them and led the Ximentang army to continue their journey towards Xianning Prefecture.

After watching Ximentang's army walk away into the distance.

Lin Rui sighed helplessly and said:
"Why is Ximentang running so fast? Do they really think they can fight against Li Ben's army of 200,000 with just over 10,000 men?"

Meng Ying also said at this moment, "The rise of Ximentang is too fast. They certainly have the right to be arrogant!"

"However, this time, they are likely to suffer a great loss."

"Li Ben, the King of Han, commands not 200,000 troops, but 500,000. How can they be so easily wiped out?"

"After they suffer a defeat, they won't dare to be so arrogant again."

After they finished speaking, they couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Jie became the Governor-General of Shandong at such a young age.

It would be impossible for either of them not to be jealous.

In the past, although both men were commanders under Li Qiong, they were rivals and often clashed.

but,

At this moment, both of them were suppressed by Ximentang's army and could not lift their heads. They surprisingly abandoned all the unpleasantness of the past and had a feeling of 'forgiving each other with a smile'.

of course,

They naturally hoped that Ximentang could take over Xianning City.

In this way, everyone benefits and everyone gets credit.

in fact,

Chen Jie had his own plans for having Lin Rui and Meng Ying stay at the back.

These two guys were of no help when attacking Xianning City.

But after the siege ends, these two guys' men can arrive just in time to clean up the mess.

Given Ximentang's rapid marching speed, they could arrive in Xianning Prefecture a day ahead of schedule.

According to Chen Jie's plan, Xianning must be captured within half a day.

While in Shandong, Chen Jie had already sent Ximentang to conduct a thorough investigation of the situation in Hanzhong.

He formulated a detailed attack plan before sending troops.

Attacking Xianning Prefecture was the most important step in defeating Prince Li Ben of Han.

Before he entered Ezhou, he had already arranged for the elite special operations team to conduct reconnaissance around Xianning Prefecture.

The first step is to have a detailed understanding of the troop strength stationed in Xianning Prefecture, as well as the various attack routes and defensive situations.

Know thyself, ever-victorious!
Chen Jie never fights a battle he's not confident of winning.

The guard of Xianning Prefecture was Zhang Datong, a fierce general under Prince Li Ben of Han.

This man was brave and skilled in battle, commanding 20,000 elite troops with formidable fighting power.

Since the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court sent General Li Qiong to Ezhou to lead troops and supervise the battle.

Prince Li Ben of Han dispatched many scouts to gather intelligence on the Daqian army around Ezhou.

Therefore,
When Li Qiong divided his troops into three routes to attack Huangshi Prefecture and Xianning Prefecture, Prince Li Ben of Han quickly received the news.

Although he was arrogant and domineering, he was by no means a reckless person.

Li Ben immediately dispatched his general Sun Zhong with an army of 50,000 to provide support.

but,

Huangshi Prefecture was the stronghold of Li Ben, the Prince of Han.

Therefore, Sun Zhong's 50,000-strong army naturally prioritized supporting Huangshi Prefecture.

According to intelligence, the main target of the 100,000-strong army of the Daqian Ministry of War was Huangshi Prefecture.

and,

The two armies that attacked Huangshi Prefecture were the main forces of the Imperial Army.

The army that attacked Xianning Prefecture numbered only 25,000.

If Zhang Datong were to defend Xianning, he should be able to hold off an attack of 25,000 men.

Once I have defeated the Daqian army that attacked Huangshi Prefecture, I can then send reinforcements to Xianning Prefecture. It should be enough time.

Sun Zhong had absolute confidence in the fighting strength of his 50,000 elite troops.

They were all equipped with the latest weapons of the Kwantung Army, which they had just acquired from the ports of southern Fujian.

It not only had Japanese field artillery, but also Japanese heavy machine guns.

More importantly, the Japanese divided their forces into twelve routes, landed in southern Fujian, and arrived in Hanzhong to join forces with Prince Li Ben of Han.

With the support of the Japanese, Sun Zhong believed that Prince Li Ben of Han would definitely be able to take Nanjing and directly swallow up Hanzhong and Jiangnan of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Xianning Prefecture.

Zhang Datong's 20,000 elite troops gathered inside the city walls of Xianning Prefecture, preparing for a decisive battle against the attacking Daqian army.

It was evening on the third day.

When Ximentang's army was fifty li away from Xianning Prefecture, the scouts received the news and reported it to Zhang Datong.

To Zhang Datong's surprise, according to previous information, the Daqian army originally had 25,000 men.

but,

At this time, fifty miles outside Xianning Prefecture, the Daqian army numbered only about 15,000.

what's the situation?
How come the army of the Great Qian Ministry of War suddenly lost more than 10,000 men?
Zhang Datong was extremely domineering and arrogant. He was one of the most valiant generals under Prince Li Ben of Han, known for his bravery and skill in battle, winning many victories.

Simultaneously,

He was also the first general to enter Wuchang Prefecture when Prince Li Ben of Han attacked it, and he was deeply trusted by Prince Li Ben of Han.

Therefore,
Zhang Datong had always been extremely confident and looked down on the Daqian army.

When they heard that the Daqian army attacking Xianning Prefecture numbered only 15,000, and that 5,000 of them were supply troops, they were shocked.

Zhang Datong couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Next,
He immediately ordered his troops to gather and prepare to go out of the city to meet this wave of Daqian troops.

That's right,

He didn't want to sit and wait for death, nor did he want to wait in Xianning Prefecture for the enemy to attack. Instead, he took the lead in leaving the city, wanting to completely annihilate this batch of Daqian troops.

Zhang Datong led a force of 15,000 men out of the city to intercept the Daqian army.

He left 5,000 troops in Xianning City to guard against raids.

One thousand of them were artillerymen, carrying two hundred Japanese field guns and twenty Japanese heavy machine guns!

These newly deployed weapons were all provided by the Japanese, which greatly boosted Zhang Datong's confidence.

With my 15,000 troops, dealing with 15,000 Daqian troops is as easy as stepping on an ant.
Next,
Based on the scouts' reports, Zhang Datong left the city and headed towards the Daqian army.

After marching for five miles, the scouts quickly reported back.

The Daqian army was discovered twenty miles away.

and,

The Daqian army is resting and reorganizing; it's unclear what they intend to do.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Datong frowned.

So fast?
Two hours ago, the news came that it was fifty miles away.

Unexpectedly, we arrived at a place twenty miles outside Xianning City so quickly.

It seems that

This army of the Great Qian Dynasty was the elite force of the Ministry of War.

Because Li Ben, the King of Han, declared himself king and named his country Chu!
Therefore,
Zhang Datong identified himself as a member of the "Chu Army," distinguishing himself from the Daqian Army.

For some reason, when he heard that the Great Qian army had arrived at a place twenty miles outside Xianning City so quickly, he felt something was amiss.

However, he had seen many armies of the Great Qian Dynasty.

What's the use of a fast marching speed?

Faced with overwhelming firepower, the faster an army marches, the faster it dies.

He had seen many armies that marched quickly, but whose combat effectiveness was simply not good.

Therefore,
Zhang Datong quickly put aside his unease and took stock of his troops.

next moment,
He ordered a rapid march toward the Daqian army.

He wanted a quick and decisive victory, aiming to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent and catch them off guard.

The two sides, covering a distance of twenty li, came face to face in less than an hour as they marched.

but,

When Zhang Datong looked through his binoculars five miles away, he discovered that the Daqian army had already stopped.

It seemed that the other party knew he was coming even from ten miles away.

Next,
Upon seeing the formation of the Daqian army, Zhang Datong couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He had followed Prince Li Ben of Han in battle for many years. Although he had never raised a flag of rebellion before, he had fought many times against the armies of Prince Li Mu of Ning and Prince Li Chuang of Shu.

He had never seen such a formation as the Great Qian army in front of him.

The Daqian army had filled bags with soil and stacked them into defensive fortifications more than a meter high.

There were no heavily armored soldiers or cavalry.

Arc-shaped battle formation!

That's right, these troops from the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty actually formed an arc-shaped battle formation!

Deploying such an arc-shaped battle formation on a plain is suicidal, isn't it?
Behind the defensive fortifications made of stacked mud bags, rows of Daqian soldiers were doing something, no one knew.

Their attention seemed to be elsewhere.

The horizontal distance of the battle line is not long, less than 500 meters.

Moreover, it appears that less than half of those involved in the battle are actually engaged in combat.

The other troops began marching to the flanks, seemingly attempting to encircle them from both sides.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Datong almost burst out laughing.

These Daqian troops are quite audacious!

They actually wanted to outflank me? Don't they know that Xianning Prefecture is right behind me?

He left behind 5,000 elite troops in Xianning Prefecture.

Behind the Daqian army, a platform made of stacked mud bags was actually built.

A tent was set up on the platform, presumably belonging to the general in charge.

snort!
Putting on airs like that, acting all high and mighty?
Zhang Datong looked through his binoculars at the prepared command post and a cold smile appeared on his face.

The Daqian army's arc-shaped battle formation appeared to stretch the battle lines several hundred meters apart.

However, once a defensive line is breached, the arc formation will be utterly destroyed.

Surely these Daqian troops aren't that ignorant?
Did they really think that building earthen fortifications a meter or more high would stop their army's attack?

Because the cannons of Ximentang were hidden behind the fortifications, Zhang Datong couldn't see the specific situation through his binoculars.

He was just puzzled as to why the Daqian army only committed a few thousand men to the frontal battle.

The others flanked from the side. Was it ignorance or arrogance?

Then,

He saw that all the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty were wearing steel helmets.

"Strange! This army seems a bit different from the army of the Great Qian Ministry of War?"

"They were not wearing the uniforms of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty."

Zhang Datong narrowed his eyes, then looked at the army beside him.

Regardless of whose command these Daqian troops belong to, if they dare to attack Xianning Prefecture, we will send them on their way today.

Simultaneously,

Zhang Datong secretly rejoiced.

It seems that my decision to take the initiative to send troops from Xianning Prefecture was absolutely correct.

Take advantage of the moment when the other party stops to catch him off guard.

We've got this battle in the bag!
(End of this chapter)