Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Two flowers bloom, one on each side.

Putting aside the crisis that Ding Xiaohong's transport ship encountered for the time being, on the front battlefield, the decisive battle between the Ming army and the White Lotus rebels was about to begin.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The continuous sound of war drums sounded, and the rapid and dull drum beats echoed through the sky, shaking the nerves of every soldier present. The Ming army wearing red armor was like a stream of red streams, flying under the small flag, the general flag, and Under the leadership of hundreds of officials, the teams were organized in an orderly manner from each battalion.

Several flag soldiers in different positions raised five-color flags with ribbons in their hands, and danced rapidly in the air, guiding the troops of each battalion to join together. The ribbons fell, and the ministries were initially reunited in units of a thousand households.

Each of these soldiers of the Ming Dynasty was fully clothed, with red tassels on their helmets. As the light fell from the sky in the early morning, they looked like burning flames in the sky, which was intimidating.

They held various weapons, mainly matchlocks or primitive fireguns, and some were equipped with shields and waist knives. In addition, they were infantrymen holding long weapons such as spears, spears, and axes, as well as a small number of Archer But no matter what kind of weapon, the cold light reflected in the sun is so piercing that people can't open their eyes.

And every time they took a step, the ground seemed to tremble a little.

The cold-gleaming weapons, bloodthirsty eyes, and neat steps formed these soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. The "murderous aura" that could scare ordinary people to the point of weakening their legs filled the space around them at this moment.

The team moved slowly but firmly, and finally arrived at a position about a hundred steps away from the gate. There was an earthen platform about three feet high as the commander's platform, and the steps were made of wooden piles on both sides.

There is a thick and solid stone column on the earth platform, with a giant copper medal more than half a foot thick standing on the top.

"Xunzi·Yi Bing" says: "Hear the sound of the drum and advance, hear the sound of gold and retreat." The drum is made of leather. When struck, the sound is rich and shocking, and can play an motivating role; the sound of the zheng is clear and crisp, It has strong penetrating power and long propagation distance, making it easier for soldiers to clearly hear the retreat signal.

The so-called "ringing the gold to retreat the troops" is the hammer that is struck. This thing is made of copper and has a color like gold. Although it looks very thick, it is actually hollow. When used, the mouth is facing upward. When struck with a mallet, it means "dang-dang" ——The sound of "dang" can be heard by most soldiers on the chaotic battlefield, and they will never move unless it is absolutely necessary.

Jiang Xinghuo, Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan, the second prince Zhu Gaoxu, Liu Sheng, the governor of Zuojun Dudu Mansion, and other generals boarded the command platform. Beside him, there were White Lotus Sect prisoners Tang Yin and others who were guarded by Cao Song and other Jinyi guards. Niu Zhen.

The military observation group of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion led by Duke Zhu Neng went to Tushan on the other side to watch the battle and did not directly intervene in the command of the battle.

Today, Jiang Xinghuo is rarely seen in military uniform. He is wearing the standard Mingguang armor of a senior general of the Ming army. The gold-swallowing beast totem pattern on his shoulder shines in the sun. In the center of the helmet, there is a dazzling inlaid in it. Ruby exudes dazzling light.

His face has sharp edges and sharp outlines. Now, with the blessing of the armor, his bookish brows reveal a heroic attitude. At this moment, along with the frowning brows, there is also a coldness. means.

Jiang Xinghuo stood there holding the Shang Fang sword in his hand. At this time, he no longer looked as polite as usual. He just stood there, naturally showing a trace of self-confidence, even if there was a tower hundreds of feet high in front of him. He can also lead an army to cross the mountains without any pressure and destroy all obstacles in front of him!

Zhu Gaoxu, who was standing on his right hand side, was also very powerful. The extremely tall and burly Zhu Gaoxu was wearing dark red Ming army heavy armor, holding a long spear, wearing a bone flower around his waist, and looked at the master with piercing eyes.

There is no doubt that this former prisoner is now a powerful Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty!

"Principal, all departments are ready to face the enemy at any time!" Xu Jingchang, who holds the title of Baihu as a military cadet, said with a respectful salute.

"Um."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded, then looked around at the Ming army troops who had formed a square formation around the platform.

Although this army is not large in number, with only more than 5,600 tax soldiers and some other artillery and cavalry troops brought, the total is only as strong as six thousand households, but it can already be called They are the elite of the Ming army, and they are also the troops specially allocated by Emperor Yongle to Zhu Gaoxu to fight tough battles!

Jiang Xinghuo's eyes swept over every young face, and finally stopped at Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan's serious face, and asked: "Are you ready?"

"Report to the Imperial Master, the arrangements have already been made." Chen Xuan answered with cupped hands.

Today, Ping Jiangbo and Chen Xuan, who is worthy of the general's seal, are still the commander-in-chief. Jiang Xinghuo has led a group of people to fulfill the role of the staff.

This was also the first time that the Ming army's infantry, artillery, air, cavalry and other arms fought together. Although the number of participants was not large, there were many areas that required coordination.

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and asked Zhu Gaoxu: "Have the cavalry under your command been assembled?"

Zhu Gaoxu hammered his breastplate with one hand and solemnly replied: "Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, I have dispatched light cavalry sentries from three general banners (150 people) as scouts to the nearby area for reconnaissance, while the remaining armored cavalry (heavy cavalry) Armored cavalry) troops, a total of four hundred households, have also been assembled."

"very good."

Although the overall strength of the Ming army is small, excluding Chen Xuan's river navy, there are about 6,000 people in total. Compared with the White Lotus rebels who have a total of about 17,000 soldiers on the opposite side, only one-third are slightly more advanced. strength, but Jiang Xinghuo wasn't worried about anything.

According to his idea, this team can be integrated into offense and defense, because he knows that the Ming army has always been heavily defended when marching and camping, and the camp on the Taihu front line has been operating for many days, the camp walls are stronger, and there are many fortifications in the chessboard camp. Defense is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is not difficult to withstand the offensive of the White Lotus Sect rebels.

This team only needs to use more than 60% of its troops to form a hollow square formation to attack from both wings, and the remaining 40% is responsible for guarding the camp.

Doing so can avoid consuming too many troops in defense and ensure the defeat of the White Lotus rebels.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at the cluster of Ming Army Eagle Guard hot air balloons floating in the distant sky towards the camp, then turned to look at Liu Sheng beside him.

Liu Sheng nodded knowingly and signaled to Jiang Xinghuo that the artillery had already marked the relevant positions.

"——Report!"

Suddenly, there was a burst of shouting on the school grounds, and a scout cavalry was seen galloping towards him. He turned over and dismounted nearby, rushed to the generals and saluted: "For your information, sirs, my subordinates are rushing back first. The enemy is here." The army is already five miles away!"

Jiang Xinghuo said "Yeah", then turned around and looked around at the generals on the platform. After looking for a few breaths, he said, "Let's get started."

"Here!" Xu Jingchang responded with clasped fists.

With a wave of Xu Jingchang's hand, a muscular man with bare arms picked up a mallet wrapped in red silk, rounded his arms, and beat the cowhide drum rhythmically.

"Dong~"

"Dong~dong~"

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Xinghuo's voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

"Masters of the Ming Dynasty, today our Imperial Master has been ordered to attack the White Lotus Sect bandits. Since you have chosen to follow, you will have to fight the enemy in a bloody battlefield today. What are you afraid of?!"

The so-called scholar can be killed but not humiliated. This sentence is most appropriate at this moment. There is only one thought left in their hearts: kill the enemy and defend their own glory!

Then, following the orders of Baihuguan and Qianhuguan, one Ming soldier after another began to hammer their chests. There was no fear or fear on their faces, but only excitement and enthusiasm, because they knew that, Today's victory will definitely belong to them.

——Similarly, they are the army of Ming Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty will always be their home. Anyone who dares to harm the people of Ming Dynasty will pay the price with blood!

"No fear of life or death! The Ming army is mighty!"

"The Ming army is mighty! The general is mighty!"

A roar like a mountain roaring like a tsunami spread across the vast wilderness.

"good!"

The morale was ready. Jiang Xinghuo was overjoyed when he saw this. He pulled out the dark golden sword in his hand and swung it suddenly.

Just as a gust of wind blew by, dust was flying.

And in the smoke and dust in the sky, the voices of the generals rang out and spread throughout the school:

"All officers and soldiers, you must work hard to break through the enemy camp, kill the leader of the White Lotus bandits, repay the emperor's great kindness, and eliminate harm for the country; kill all the bandits, behead all the enemy heads, return our rivers to the clear sea, and stabilize our Ming Dynasty."

"boom"

In an instant, the sound of horns, shouts in unison, and the trampling of horse hooves shook the sky and went straight to Jiuxiao!

Amidst the rumbling footsteps, more than 5,000 Ming soldiers marched in uniform steps and slowly walked out of the camp gate to form array along the flat and spacious camp.

With determination and determination on their faces, their eyes were like lightning, and they were holding various weapons in their hands. They were waiting solemnly for the arrival of the enemy's large-scale attack. The sun in the sky had completely disappeared among the clouds, leaving only the gray Light.

In the square camp, which is about two feet high, there are twelve crossbows on both sides of the camp wall. The black arrows on them are shining with cold light, which is intimidating.

The Ming army turned its back to the camp gate and moved close to the camp walls in the left, center and right directions, forming a rather thick hollow square defensive formation.

And behind the soldiers in the center is the camp wall that can collapse at any time.

On the periphery of each square formation, more than 200 sword and shield soldiers and spear soldiers were responsible for defense, totaling more than 1,800 people.

In addition, there are 400 cavalry in light armor scattered around the front of the formation to protect the flanks of the phalanx and to rush to the aid of all parties in time.

A small number of crossbowmen and archers were on standby behind the formation.

In the end, there were only more than 3,000 fire gun soldiers wearing cowhide armor left.

They stood at the four ends of the hollow phalanx, each holding a fire blunderbuss or a matchlock blunderbuss. Their eyes were sharp and determined, full of a murderous aura. There was also a blunderbuss hanging around their waists that could turn the matchlock blunderbuss into spears in an instant. The fire gun that cannot be modified is equipped with a waist knife as a melee weapon.

——————

At this time, many places inside the White Lotus Sect camp were already burning with raging fires.

It's not that the pilots of the Ming Army's Flying Eagle Guard can really make whale oil tanks function as aerial bombs, but that the White Lotus Sect's camp is too chaotic. , Green Forest troops and horses are all gone, and all kinds of fire starters are piled up in the open air. If a few fires break out, the entire camp will suffer.

And many of the gangsters guarding the camp fled cleanly when the camp caught fire, and never turned back to put out the fire.

Therefore, the White Lotus Sect camp seems extremely empty and quiet now.

Everything that could be burned was burned, and everything that could be run away was not empty and quiet.

Only the hazy sunlight on the horizon cast a faint halo, illuminating the faces of the rebels who were gathering and waiting a few miles in front of the camp.

The rebels held their breath, clutched various weapons, and stared at the enemy five miles ahead.

Although the enemy's camp is just a dotted line in the sky, they know that what they will face next will be the most powerful enemy they have ever seen in their lives - the Ming army!

But at this time, they had no choice. The only chance of winning was to crush the Ming army in a swarm with a two to three times numerical advantage and a human shield that could withstand the sharpness of the Ming army's gunfire.

Otherwise, once the stalemate continues, what awaits the rebels is that more and more Ming troops will come to reinforce and surround them, and they will never be able to stand up again.

"Boom..."

The sudden sound of drums resounded through the entire rebel array, and the rebels who were still a little restless suddenly became quieter.

They knew that new orders were about to be issued.

A moment later, with a rapid and sharp sound of the horn, a figure wearing armor and a helmet appeared in everyone's field of vision.

The man held a gun in one hand and raised the other hand, shouting: "March!"

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the White Lotus Rebels immediately stood up and gave orders to each unit: "Listen to the order and march forward to kill the enemy!"

After finishing speaking, the other rebel leaders and other leaders also pulled out their sabers from their waists, raised them high above their heads, and shouted: "Kill!!"

The rebels immediately responded: "Kill..."

Although the rebels were a mob, after all, they had just been organized into an array in such a short period of time, and they had a decent appearance. They looked very impressive at first glance.

The distance of five miles is said to be far or near.

The White Lotus Sect rebels drove the more than 8,000 strong men who were used to block bullets like cattle and sheep. After counting the manpower that went to attack the Ming army's water stronghold, there were a total of more than 24,000 people, which was a huge force.

The goal of the rebels is very simple, that is, to break through the Ming army's camp, because once the Ming army's camp is broken through, the numerically inferior Ming army will have no support, and it will be easy to defeat the opponent by then!

The rebels rushed towards the Ming army camp like a tide, trampling everything along the way to pieces.

Li Wuliu was holding a broken bed board in his hand and was bundled up in the team of strong men. He looked at the weeds crushed by his straw sandals on the ground. For a moment, his thoughts were extremely confused.

Relying on a large bag of rice that his younger brother Li Liuqi got in exchange for the son of Fan Wenlong, the landlord of the Fan family in Qingpingbo, he fled Changzhou Prefecture with his sister-in-law and children, followed the Baihe River to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and headed south to the richer Suzhou Prefecture, I want to do some work to earn a living.

However, contrary to expectations, Li Wuliu not only failed to find a job, but was smuggled into the rebel army by the White Lotus Sect. The rice on his body was also robbed. Now he has become cannon fodder, going to use his body like these more than 8,000 strong men. To resist the Ming army's bullets.

Li Wuliu lamented the unfairness of his fate. However, at this moment, he was like an ant following in a vast ant colony. He could only drift with the tide. The only thing he could do was to hold the broken bed board in his hand tightly. Try to cover your head and upper body. God knows whether this thing is useful.

Li Wuliu felt that his heart was beating extremely hard, and he even suspected that his heart would pop out of his chest in the next second.

Finally, the large-scale rebels of the White Lotus Sect were less than two miles away from the Ming Army's camp. Li Wuliu saw clearly the appearance of the Ming Army's camp in front of him - the architectural style of the Ming Army's camp was completely opposite to that of the White Lotus Sect. The materials used were adapted to local conditions, and the thickness of the northern military camp in the Ming Dynasty was the same. It was generally square in shape and covered a large area. The circumference was estimated to be about seven or eight miles. It was separated by wooden fences. There were also horses, deer antlers, caltrops, and caltrops around the camp. Defense facilities such as arrow towers.

Still one mile away from the Ming army camp, Li Wuliu, like many others, began to feel as if he was stuck in a quagmire, and stopped moving forward in unison. He was afraid.

Not only was he scared, but the other strong men who were being held hostage were also timid.

The swords and guns of the Ming army were so shining, and their uniform armor was as breathtaking as the crimson sea.

After all, most of the strong men are ordinary farmers and have not received rigorous training. They do not have rich combat experience like most of the White Lotus rebels. They can usually be used to fighting in the village, but when they encounter regular troops, But it is inevitable that you will feel frightened.

What is particularly daunting is that there are arrays of firecrackers surrounding the Ming army's camp, which makes these strong men even more afraid to advance rashly.

However, the rebel helmsman and deputy helmsman were not afraid at all. They did not allow these strong men to stop at all. They gritted their teeth and shouted: "Keep moving forward. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!"

As these words fell, the White Lotus Sect rebels took steps again, slowly pressing towards the able-bodied common people in front of them.

Facing the sharp blades of the rebels behind them, the strong men had no choice but to hold the sandbags, farm tools, etc. in their hands, and began to accept their fate, closing their eyes and rushing forward.

The same was true for Li Wuliu. He closed his eyes and hugged the broken door panel tightly, trying hard to move his heavy legs. In his mind, he almost imagined that in the next moment, he, along with the broken door panel, would be attacked by the Ming army. The scene of the firecracker being smashed.

However,

There seemed to be no movement from the Ming army.

Until the strong men almost rushed to the weak center of the Ming army's spindle formation.

"Woooooooo..."

Li Wuliu's ears suddenly heard the continuous sound of horns.

He opened his closed eyes, and then he saw a shocking scene.

——The Ming army changed their formations with extremely rapid movements!

"Woooooooo..."

The horn sounded again. Although the sound was relatively shrill and harsh, it was far less shocking than the cowhide drum.

But the sound of the Ming army's horns was more like a catalyst, and the formation of the Ming army was like a certain ingredient in the catalyst.

With the sound of the Ming army's horn, the horizontal formation that originally consisted of several hollow square formations slowly changed. From the original very regular formation, it gradually moved to both sides and quickly extended to the two wings.

The senior White Lotus sect generals who were supervising the battle in the rear with Bai Tianyu who was riding a tall horse, after taking a look at the formation of the Ming army, they were also a little confused, because the formation pattern of the Ming army was different from what they had encountered in the past. The ordinary army is completely different.

The Ming army moved away from the middle and began to extend to both sides, directly exposing the weak middle door.

This is equivalent to two people fighting each other. One person directly exposes the center line of each vital part of the body to the enemy, but just opens his arms and tries to shoot left and right. It looks simply stupid.

In particular, the White Lotus rebels are driving the strong men to attack the Ming army's camp. Once the central part is overwhelmed, the weak wings of the Ming army will be divided into two.

"Who directed this?"

"Is it possible that Jiang Xinghuo is a scholar who doesn't know how to fight?"

Listening to the discussion of his men, Bai Tianyu raised his hand and said cautiously.

"Don't be too happy about this formation, it might be weird!"

Tian Tianyu suffered two losses at the hands of Jiang Xinghuo. He was not as optimistic as other senior White Lotus sect generals who had been staying on the front line of Taihu Lake. In other words, he underestimated Jiang Xinghuo too much.

But now the arrow was on the string and had to be fired.

The organizational strength of the White Lotus rebels is not that strong. Strictly speaking, it is almost like herding sheep. They set up tactical directions, goals, and fighting methods before the war. I don’t know how much they can be implemented on the chaotic battlefield; whether they can continue to do so. It is impossible to change the formation temporarily like the Ming army.

So, when the flag bearer of the Ming army on the opposite side waved his flag and the suona player blew the suona again, the troops of the White Lotus Sect still plunged in blankly.

Then, the hollow square formation of the Ming Army began to fully extend its wings, and began to bypass the driven civilians and directly attack the two wings of the White Lotus Sect rebels behind.

At this time, from the perspective of the captured White Lotus Saint Tang Yin, the overall battle situation is like this.

Ming Army Left Wing\\White Lotus Rebels/Ming Army Right Wing

The left wing of the Ming army\\the strong man/the right wing of the Ming army

——————Ming Army Camp

Tang Yin looked ahead solemnly, even raising his toes, but his heart kept falling.

"It's over."

After staying in the White Lotus Sect for so many years, even though he was betrayed by Bai Tianyu, Tang Yin still stood on the side of the White Lotus Sect in his heart.

However, from the perspective of the Ming army, Tang Yin could naturally see that everything behind the central camp wall was empty. The camp that was supposed to exist had been cleared away and turned into an open space.

Once the strong men driven by the White Lotus Sect come in from here, and if the people inside are not enough to threaten both sides of the "concave" camp wall, then these people will be like meat buns beating dogs, and there will be no return!

Moreover, if the Ming army no longer has any scruples about coercing the people, and the White Lotus Sect has one less trump card, the rate of defeat will only become faster!

Tang Yin looked desperately at the man wearing Mingguang armor in front of him

The White Lotus Sect once again unexpectedly stepped into Jiang Xinghuo's trap.

"No. Although Bai Tianyu is not a good person, he is definitely not stupid. What other countermeasures can I teach?"

Tang Yin was entangled again.

When Tang Yin was confused, Ming Jun was not confused.

When the Qianhu officials in the hollow phalanx on both sides saw that the White Lotus Sect rebels were also led by shield-bearers, followed by spearmen and archers, their expressions suddenly became solemn, but they did not panic, and they still blew the whistle in their mouths. Whistle, then shout: "Shoot!"

"Bang bang bang..."

The Ming Army's firearms unit fired first, and a series of dense lead shot instantly fell into the rebel formation, causing a large number of casualties and even disrupting the formation of some rebel infantry.

However, the rebels had an absolute numerical advantage after all. No matter how much firepower they suppressed, it was the people in front who died anyway. These crazy gangsters began to fight back as much as possible.

"Fire the arrow!"

"Hurry up, let go!"

The archers from the White Lotus Sect rebels finally reached the distance to counterattack with their walking bows.

Under the orders of the leaders, the archers bent their bows and nocked arrows, roughly aiming at the formation of the Ming army opposite.

"Susu!"

"Swish swish!"

Arrows poured out like a torrential rain.

"Puff!"

Several Ming soldiers in the hollow square formation immediately fell into a pool of blood.

"Ah~~"

Screams came from the Ming army. Some soldiers were shot directly in the body by arrows because they were too slow to dodge and could not continue to reload ammunition.

"Hold on! Don't be afraid!"

Baihu's face was ashen, but he still pretended to be calm and commanded his soldiers, stabilized the defense line, and shot at the enemy!

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The two sides clashed again, and the rebels lost more than 80 front-line infantrymen, while the Ming army lost more than ten gunmen.

Such casualties have obviously exceeded many people's expectations, but at this time they have no choice but to continue to carry out three attacks as they did in training.

The archers of the White Lotus Sect rebels rained arrows at the Ming army's formation. At the same time, the spearmen in the front row also quickly approached the Ming army's formation, trying to block the Ming army within the formation and then annihilate them in one fell swoop.

The fire gunners in the Ming army camp were also firing desperately to prevent the rebels from approaching. The sword and shield fighters also held down their positions under the orders of the small flags. Once hand-to-hand combat began, they would be the first to rush forward.

The fighting between the two sides was fierce, with smoke rising and blood splattering.

But the advantages and disadvantages of both sides are obvious.

The number of the Ming army was much smaller than that of the rebels, but the quality of the Ming soldiers and the amount of daily training they received were much higher than those of the White Lotus rebels.

Therefore, when the two sides were in a stalemate, the Ming army's artillery troops not only did not show signs of defeat, but used their sharp firearms and three-stage attack tactics to maintain the front line. The rebels were temporarily beaten by fierce firepower. unable to move forward.

The shield soldiers in the front row of the White Lotus Sect rebels were quickly lost, and the archers' firing rate began to slow down due to physical limitations. However, the Ming army's three-stage attack showed no sign of stopping.

Li Wuliu, who was on the other side, watched helplessly as the White Lotus Sect rebels who rushed at the front were blasted off their heads and torsos by row after row of dense lead pellets. Blood spattered and their stumps were scattered in all directions.

In an instant, the rebels' momentum was contained.

Of course, in the eyes of discerning people, this balance of power is only temporary. The Ming army has the advantage of being the first to spread its wings. The White Lotus rebels will definitely respond, and the Ming army's blunderbuss will definitely spread over time. It's starting to become less useful.

But Li Wuliu didn't know this. His eyes were dull, as if he had lost his soul. He stared blankly at the astonishing scene in front of him. He couldn't recover for a long time, but his body was mechanically pushed forward.

In front, the Ming army made way, but no strong man thought it was a smooth road.

However, at this moment, the fortress in front of them, like a copper wall and an iron wall, suddenly began to shake.

Li Wuliu was stunned for a long time, thinking that he was dazzled, but he rubbed his eyes and then came back to his senses. The Ming army's camp wall actually collapsed on its own?

After being carried into the camp wall, there was actually an empty land in front of them, and on the campsites on both sides and further ahead, there were Ming troops waiting in full formation.

Li Wuliu didn't have time to think about what all this was for. The next moment, he raised his head.

Countless "shooting stars" followed the pre-determined position and passed over his head.

PS: [Important reminder (there is no charge for this content)] Chapters 316 to 356 are about the rectification of officialdom and the suppression of rebellions in Jiangnan. They do not contain any theoretical knowledge. They are all practical content. If you are not interested, you can jump directly to Chapter 366. "Class" will contain theoretical knowledge content from now on.