The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 155 Night Attack
Just as Zhang Xianzhong and his remaining troops were fleeing to Jiang Han's garrison, Cao Wenzhao led his Guan Ning cavalry in pursuit.

Cao Wenzhao personally led a large army, marching menacingly towards the rebel camp on the plateau.

However, his troops were discovered by Jiang Han's scouts when they were still twenty miles away.

The alarm was quickly relayed back to the main camp, and Jiang Han immediately mustered his troops and personally led the main force of elite soldiers out of the camp to meet the enemy.

The two armies arrayed themselves on the open field, with drums and gongs sounding and banners waving.

After a series of probing exchanges, Cao Wenzhao was shocked to discover that, in just a few months, his old enemy, the Mountain Tiger, had grown even larger and more elite.

Moreover, the troops of other bandit leaders around him have also made great progress.

Although Cao Wenzhao's 1,500 men were all elites, it was practically a pipe dream to easily break through the equally elite infantry and cavalry formation of Shangshanhu.

After several unsuccessful attempts to break through, Cao Wenzhao dared not fight back, fearing he would be surrounded. He could only order his troops to retreat slowly and temporarily avoid the enemy's sharp edge.

After retreating, Cao Wenzhao was not discouraged.

He dispatched capable spies to disguise themselves and sneak into the vicinity of the camp on the plateau, keeping watch day and night;
On one hand, multiple cavalry units were dispatched to search for nearby people and interrogate them thoroughly.

After several days of observation and intelligence gathering, Cao Wenzhao gradually gained a general understanding of the situation at Jiang Han's camp.

He keenly sensed that although the core of Jiang Han's camp was stable, the newly attached bandit camps on the outermost perimeter were mostly in disorganized groups.

The camp was lax in its defenses, and nighttime vigilance was practically non-existent.

This is precisely the flaw he has been searching for!
Just then, Ai Wannian, the military commander of Shenmu, who was ordered to assist in the suppression, arrived at Cao Wenzhao's camp with 1,500 border soldiers.

After his troops were replenished, Cao Wenzhao had a bold idea in mind.

He's going to launch a night raid on the enemy camp!

Night raids have always been a risky and deadly tactic in warfare, a method of achieving victory through surprise.

A night raid is a tremendous test for both the attacking side, which is eager to attack, and the defending side, which is ready to defend.

For the attacking side aiming to raid the camp, the requirements for a night raid are far more stringent than most people can imagine.

First, the troops tasked with carrying out night raids must be the elite of the military; ordinary soldiers are not up to the task.

It is important to know that people in ancient times suffered from malnutrition, and many soldiers in the army also suffered from night blindness.

In ancient times, there was not much light pollution. Once night fell, it was often pitch black in the wild.

Without a certain level of nighttime operational capability, sending ordinary people out would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

Secondly, due to their stealth and suddenness, night raids are generally only carried out by small elite units.

Moreover, the troops must be led by the army's commander-in-chief or even the general, in order to ensure smooth command and on-the-spot decision-making.

If an army of several thousand people were to move out at once, it would not only be a big commotion, but also easily be exposed.
Moreover, marching in the dark for a long time would likely cause the attacking army to scatter in the darkness before even reaching the enemy camp.

During a night raid, torches cannot be used for illumination; otherwise, enemy sentries several miles away could easily spot the flickering light in the darkness, thus exposing the night raid prematurely.

However, without torches, visibility at night is extremely low, especially in areas with complex terrain, making marching exceptionally difficult and dangerous.

Therefore, the first step to successfully carry out a night raid is to send out elite cavalry scouts.

Several days in advance, they repeatedly scouted the enemy camp and found out the route to it.

After figuring out the route, they will choose a moonlit night, with the main force lying in wait, while only a small elite force will be led to launch a surprise attack under the cover of darkness and the faint moonlight.

After careful consideration, Cao Wenzhao decided to personally lead his troops in a night raid.

He first selected three hundred Guan Ning cavalry as the core, and then had Ai Wannian lead two hundred border soldiers, carrying flammable materials, to clear obstacles and pave the way for the cavalry.

Night raids are never primarily aimed at simply killing the enemy.

Its true power lies in creating chaos and fear, ultimately causing the enemy camp to tremble.

Once the camp is breached, tens of thousands of troops will collapse in an instant, and the enemy soldiers, without any restraint, will only be able to kill each other.

Its destructive power far surpasses that of close combat on the main battlefield.

If it were an ordinary team, once it encountered a night attack, under the shadow of darkness and the fear of the unknown, it would often collapse without even engaging in battle.

The number of deaths and injuries caused by trampling and collisions in the chaos alone could be more than half!
After five days of intensive preparations, Cao Wenzhao finally got the chance to launch a night raid.

That night, the sky was overcast, and a waning moon was partially obscured by clouds.

The moonlight was dim and the starlight was faint, making it possible to see objects only a few feet away. It was the perfect time for a night raid!
At the second watch of the night, all was quiet.

Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian secretly assembled their troops according to the pre-arranged plan.

All the officers and soldiers who participated in the night raid had gags in their mouths, cloth wrapped around their horses' hooves, and many of them held unlit torches in their hands.

Under the cover of night, the group slipped out of the camp without a sound.

Meanwhile, inside the government army camp, Cao Bianjiao, Sun Shoufa, and others were already fully armored and ready for battle.

Once the enemy camp twenty miles away is ablaze, that will be the time for them to raise their torches and unleash their entire army!
In this battle, Cao Bianjiao is determined to break through the enemy camp in one fell swoop and avenge his grievances.

Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian led five hundred elite soldiers, taking advantage of the faint moonlight and their familiarity with the terrain, and guided by the ponies, carefully avoided the official road.

The group followed a secluded path, traversing hills and ravines, gradually approaching the outer perimeter of Jiang Han's camp.

Cao Wenzhao lay on his horse, secretly delighted, victory seemed within his grasp. But just as the raiding party was less than four miles from the enemy camp, the tranquility of the night was suddenly broken by the cries of livestock.

Quack quack—Quack quack—

Cao Wenzhao's heart sank suddenly. Where the hell did that duck quacking come from?

Before he could think it through, the ducks' quacking alerted the nearby sentries and guards on the watchtower.

"Enemy attack! There is an enemy attack!"

Three gunshots rang out, and the muffled sound of a bugle broke the silence of the night sky.

Seeing that their whereabouts had been exposed, Cao Wenzhao acted decisively and shouted sternly:

"Sound the bugle! Light the fire! All troops, charge!"

In an instant, hundreds of torches were ignited, converging into a ferocious fire dragon in the darkness.

Ai Wannian took the lead, leading his two hundred infantrymen straight towards the antler-shaped barricades outside the bandit camp.

Armed with sharp axes and long knives, they hacked at the obstacles in front of them with all their might, and when they couldn't cut them down, they worked together to move them.

Cao Wenzhao personally led three hundred iron cavalry, closely following behind, and took advantage of the gap opened by the infantry to drive straight in and rush into the camp.

The cavalrymen who rushed in did not rush to kill, but instead, according to the pre-arranged plan, they threw their burning torches toward the enemy's camp.

He then drew his bow and aimed at the bandits who had been awakened from their sleep and were fleeing in panic from their tents.

On the outermost edge of the plateau was Zhang Xianzhong's main camp.

They had only been here for a few days, and the camp was not yet fully set up. The soldiers were also demoralized due to the long journey and the previous defeat, so their vigilance was naturally lax.

Zhang Xianzhong was shaken awake from his sleep by his personal guards. Upon hearing that Cao Wenzhao had personally led the army in a night attack, he was greatly frightened.

His soldiers, already shaken, were thrown into complete chaos by the flames, thick smoke, and the roar of the government cavalry.

Although Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu and others tried their best to suppress the unrest and organize resistance, their efforts seemed so pale and powerless in the face of chaos and panic.

Zhang Xianzhong raised his banner and kept rallying his remaining troops, killing several rebel soldiers in succession, but the situation still did not improve.

As the fire grew larger, it illuminated countless terrified and contorted faces.

Many people were already on fire, screaming and rolling on the ground trying to put out the flames;
Many more people were shirtless, running around like headless flies, and the entire camp began to completely spiral out of control.

The fire was fueled by the wind, and the wind fueled the fire's power. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xianzhong's camp was engulfed in flames and billowing smoke.

Amidst the chaos of battle, Cao Wenzhao, by the light of the fire, spotted Zhang Xianzhong's command flag. He immediately led his elite cavalry in a fierce charge from the flank, easily breaking through Zhang Xianzhong's main force.

In an instant, Zhang Xianzhong's men trampled each other, and cries, screams, and the clashing of weapons filled the air.

In the darkness and chaos, many people lost sight of friend and foe and began attacking each other;
Many more people were frantically scattering and fleeing, wishing they had more legs.

However, in stark contrast to Zhang Xianzhong were the camps of other bandit leaders on the plateau.

Although they became somewhat noisy due to the sudden night raid, they were generally able to maintain a certain level of organization and quietness, and there were no signs of large-scale riots or camp bombings.

It turned out that Jiang Han had reacted quickly the moment he received the night raid alert.

He ordered his troops to be on high alert while immediately dispatching several of his personal guards to rush to the camp of Li Zicheng, Liu Guoneng, and others.

Their main responsibility is to relay Jiang Han's instructions and assist them in maintaining order.

Early in the course of their joint operation, Jiang Han had repeatedly emphasized to Li Zicheng and others the key points for dealing with night attacks:

When caught in a night attack, the worst thing you can do is lose your composure!
The enemy's night attack will likely be small in number, and their aim will be to create chaos rather than annihilate the enemy. As long as we remain calm and hold our ground, the enemy will have no opportunity to take advantage of us.

Thanks to Jiang Han's reminder and assistance, Li Zicheng, Liu Guoneng and others were initially able to barely restrain their subordinates and remain calm.

However, the good times did not last long.

As the firelight in the direction of Zhang Xianzhong's camp grew brighter, the chaos intensified.

In particular, a large number of fleeing soldiers, like headless flies, screamed and cried as they rushed directly into their camp, causing great panic.

Just then, countless torches suddenly lit up on the distant horizon, converging into a sea of ​​fire, and shouts of battle swept in like a landslide and a tsunami.

Cao Bianjiao has arrived with his army!
Seeing the enemy camp ablaze, Cao Bianjiao, who was not far away, immediately ordered his entire army to launch an attack and press forward!

For cavalry, a distance of twenty li is only a little over half an hour.

Cao Bianjiao took the lead, leading thousands of cavalry and a large number of Zhang Xianzhong's defeated soldiers, charging towards the camps of various leaders on the plateau like a flood breaking through a dam.

Under this double blow, Li Zicheng, Liu Guoneng, and others could no longer maintain their footing.

Although their soldiers had undergone considerable training recently, it was still too difficult for them to calmly face a night raid.

Seeing the overwhelming strength of the government troops and the rout of their allies, how could they possibly hold their ground and prevent a complete collapse?

Many people followed the example of Zhang Xianzhong's followers, letting out a strange cry and turning to run away.

Many people instinctively headed towards Jiang Han's central army camp, which was the highest and most secure location, hoping to find shelter there.

　No, he's going to die.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)