Chapter 84

The appearance of the volley directly stunned the rebels.

In less than a quarter of an hour of fighting, the rebels suffered over a thousand casualties.

Such a painful price was clearly not something a mob could bear.

The continuous wailing made this team, which already had low morale, even more scattered in military heart.

Countless soldiers threw down their weapons and turned to run back.

For a time, even the supervision team couldn't keep up.

"Fifth Uncle, the enemy's defense is too tight; we really can't break in!"

The young general responsible for commanding the attack pleaded guilty to Wen Jianshao with a mournful face.

"I saw it myself; no need for you kid to talk nonsense here.

The soldiers are starting to collapse; hurry up and order the retreat!"

While speaking, Wen Jianshao kicked out directly.

The drawback of family armed forces is right here: the main generals are all family members.

Wanting to punish severely, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Originally wanting to fight a victorious battle to improve the army's morale.

Didn't expect that as soon as the battle started, they sent a wave of heads to the enemy.

According to the fighting style just now, he didn't know if they could break the enemy's camp, but the army he led would definitely collapse.

The attack stopped, but the wailing of the wounded continued.

"Arrange for children to go up and carry the wounded down; the imperial army shouldn't attack children!"

After hesitating for a while, Wen Jianshao ordered, biting the bullet.

Injuries caused by firearms are not easy to treat.

At another time, he would definitely order to help the wounded be relieved.

But not now; this is the time when military morale is at its lowest.

Taking the initiative to order the killing of the wounded is too hateful and easily causes mutiny in the army.

Even if he knew they couldn't be saved, he had to make it look like he was doing his best to treat them to appease the restless military heart.

Time passed second by second, and one wounded soldier after another was carried back from the battlefield, but there was not a trace of joy on Wen Jianshao's face.

Deep down, he desperately longed for the imperial army to kill the children carrying the wounded, so that it could arouse the hatred of the whole army.

Regrettably, the enemy soldiers just shouted that they were not allowed to carry weapons and had no intention of stopping them at all.

At one point, he even wanted to use these doll soldiers to see if the imperial army would strike.

However, considering the terrifying looks the soldiers were giving him, Wen Jianshao ultimately dismissed this terrible thought.

Being able to drive the able-bodied men to fight relied on these family members.

If there were no worries about weaknesses, no one could guarantee whether these guys would turn against them.

……

Night fell.

The imperial army camp, having won a small victory, was filled with the joy of victory.

Soldiers in twos and threes were discussing how much reward money they could receive after the war.

Although they had a little sympathy for the rebel soldiers' encounter, for the sake of their own pockets, everyone soon threw this extra emotion to the back of their minds.

"Battalion Commander Li, are you planning a night raid?"

Marquis Wuyang asked with excitement.

Having come into close contact with the battlefield once, besides feeling the cruelty of war, there was more excitement.

Having had the successful experience last time, he was particularly interested in night raids.

"Marquis, the enemy has suffered such a big loss; tonight is when their vigilance is at its highest, so it's not suitable for a night raid.

The thief general just committed a battlefield taboo.

Having carried so many wounded back, the thief camp must be wailing tonight, and the enemy soldiers are probably finding it hard to sleep.

Let the soldiers rest well for a night, and when the enemy soldiers are exhausted, that will be the time for our army to break the enemy!"

Hearing Li Mu's explanation, Marquis Wuyang's eyes lit up.

These details on the battlefield were not recorded in military books at all.

Without elders teaching by word and deed, relying entirely on one's own exploration, it could never be completed in a day or two.

In fact, even if one had learned this knowledge, very few could flexibly apply it on the battlefield.

Thousands of years of civilization inheritance, the ancestors have stepped on all kinds of pits.

All military tactics and routines are not new things.

If one could absorb and digest this knowledge just by reading military books, then war would have turned into gods fighting long ago.

It's more likely that because everyone knows military books, all kinds of strategies are clear at a glance and have been guarded against in advance.

Generals can only choose to return to simplicity when using troops, honestly building hard camps and fighting dull battles.

……

Righteous Army Camp.

The wailing of the wounded made Wen Jianshao feel restless.

Originally it was to gather military heart, but never expected that after such a toss, military morale became even lower.

"The imperial army's firearms are sharp; do the generals have any strategy to break the enemy?"

Wen Jianshao asked with a frown.

"Fifth General, the imperial army in front of us is different from the imperial army we encountered in the past.

Besides sharp firearms, they are also orderly in their cooperation on the battlefield.

After one team of imperial troops finishes shooting, another team immediately fills in, and the firepower is almost endless.

In terms of camp layout, the imperial army has also put in effort.

There is absolutely no such army in the Jiangnan region; it is very likely to be an elite force from the Capital Battalion.

To break the imperial army, we cannot use the old methods.

Fortunately, the imperial army has few troops, so we can adopt siege tactics.

Once they run out of food, we will definitely be able to break the enemy in one fell swoop!"

The wonderful strategy offered by the green-shirted scholar was instantly met with a burst of applause.

For a group of generals, it was better not to fight the kind of cowardly battle they fought during the day if they could avoid it.

"Siege is indeed a way, but the imperial army still has reinforcements.

According to the intelligence we gathered, the imperial army opposite is from the Wucheng Military Commission.

The force in front of us is only a part of their strength.

Ten li away, there are two more imperial army forces.

From the distance, if we don't send troops to intercept, the imperial army will be able to link up tomorrow.

If the imperial army is all this elite, I'm afraid this battle will be hard to fight after they split up!"

Wen Jianshao said helplessly.

When he received this news, his whole body went numb.

The imperial army was simply too despicable; they could have acted together, but they actually split into three routes.

Now that the two sides were so close, he didn't dare to order a retreat at all.

With the quality of the righteous army, if they ran in front and the imperial army chased from behind, they would collapse immediately.

The main force had just set out from Gaoyou and would take at least three days to arrive.

No matter what, they had to find a way to hold out for three days.

If they were defeated in advance, given the influence of the imperial court, there would be no shortage of people to lead the way.

With internal and external collusion, Xinghua County would definitely not be preserved.

If the imperial army defended the city, even if the main army came, they would be helpless for a while.

Unable to defeat the rebel-suppression army one by one, there was almost no possibility of forcing the imperial court to grant amnesty.

Opposing the world with a corner of the land, there was simply no chance of winning.

When it reached that step, they could only follow the pro-war faction's suggestion, abandon the family business, burn the boats, and head west to attack Fengyang.

"Fifth General, when was this news received? Why didn't we know?"

The green-shirted scholar asked with a livid face.

Everyone was on the same boat; such important news shouldn't have been kept from them.

If he had known the enemy had reinforcements nearby, he would definitely have opposed starting a great battle.

"I received the news after the battle ended.

The specific situation of the enemy's reinforcements still needs further investigation.

It's dark and dim now, so it's hard to figure out the situation; more information will only be known tomorrow."

Wen Jianshao explained patiently.

The scouts were all unlucky guys selected, and none of them had received professional training.

Before, when they hadn't encountered the enemy, they didn't feel anything, but now the drawbacks were suddenly exposed.

If it weren't for the threat of family members in their hands, it's estimated that these people would have gone and never returned once they left the camp, let alone send back intelligence.

Since they were forced, don't expect them to work very hard.

Wanting to arrange for trusted aides to do it, the result was that these people started complaining bitterly before they even left the camp.

The household servants around him were all used to being pampered and were not people who could do hard work.

The ones who could fight best in the Wen family army were the private salt smugglers.

Unfortunately, those elites were all in the main force.

Even if the clan sent people over, he couldn't suppress those guys.

The families that raised troops to rebel together were examples; because they couldn't suppress the private salt smugglers under their command, one by one they lost the leading power after rebelling.

The most miserable family was wiped out by their own subordinates.

To nip the crisis in the bud, the Wen family didn't let these people go out to expand their influence at all.

"Fifth General, since that's the case, let's strengthen the guard!

I heard that in the Yangzhou battle earlier, Huang Renlong was night-raided by the imperial army, which led to a great defeat.

The imperial army that defeated them was from the Wucheng Military Commission.

The enemy is good at night raids, so we must have people on duty day and night, not giving the enemy any opportunity!"

The green-shirted scholar said helplessly.

Reason told him that the Wen family's situation was not good.

The Great Dayu Dynasty's real elite is the border army; the Capital Battalion just has good weapons and equipment and hasn't participated in many real battles.

The Wucheng Military Commission is just a yamen that maintains public order and can't be counted as an elite force at all.

Regrettably, even this army with no sense of existence could make the righteous army unable to parry.

During the day, it was mainly because the enemy had insufficient troops.

If there were a few thousand more people, it's estimated that when they ordered the retreat, the imperial army would have rushed out of the camp and cleaned them up in one fell swoop.

According to the current situation, the imperial court only used one finger, and the righteous army was driven to a dead end.

Wanting to shake the Great Dayu's rivers and mountains is purely a dream.

Deep down, he had already secretly regretted it.

He prided himself on being a successor of dragon-slaying techniques, but he didn't even understand the world situation.

All the talk about the imperial court's rule declining and the building collapsing was just an illusion.

The suffering of the people is not false, but the people have been suffering in every dynasty!

Shouting and having heroes respond—it's all bullshit.

Life is bitter, but that doesn't mean they will rebel.

The seven great families raised troops, and except for the greenwood people in the two Huai regions who were passively involved, other regions remained stable.

Not many of the people who joined the righteous army were voluntary.

If their family members weren't being held, it would be hard to get them to go to the battlefield.

Realizing this was already too late; getting on the pirate ship is easy, but getting off is hard.

……

Compared to the rebels' uneasiness, Li Mu slept exceptionally soundly.

In the morning, just as a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, the smell of meat began to permeate the camp.

Frankly speaking, Li Mu couldn't accept eating meat in the morning, but the soldiers loved it.

Not to mention eating meat in the morning, even if people were called up in the middle of the night to eat meat, there would be no complaints.

Improving the food before a great battle is a rule in the army.

For the bottom-level soldiers, every improvement in food before a great battle could be the last meal of their lives.

Under conditional circumstances, before issuing combat orders, generals would try to get a good meal for the soldiers.

The soldiers of the Wucheng Military Commission were undoubtedly lucky to have met a commander who was used to big scenes and wasn't so sensitive to numbers.

When allocating funds, he was very straightforward.

Strategic materials were also purchased by the generals themselves, without going through the hands of civil officials.

Generals with ambition like Li Mu would never deduct military pay, and the food standard would only be high, not low.

While the soldiers were busy eating, he had already gone up to the observation tower to observe the movements of the rebel camp.

Looking at the lazy patrolling soldiers on the opposite side, a smile couldn't help but flow from Li Mu's mouth; the opportunity for battle had appeared.

"Pass the order down to have all units prepare for battle; the whole army will attack at the first quarter of the hour of the Dragon!

Notify the communication soldiers to be ready; after the great battle breaks out, light the wolf smoke immediately."

Bullying a group of slack, exhausted soldiers doesn't require such high technical content.

……

"Dong, dong, dong, dong……"

At the first quarter of the hour of the Dragon, thunderous drum sounds rang out.

The fence blocking the camp gate was quickly moved to the side, and the soldiers walked out of the camp with neat steps.

Clearly only a thousand or so people, the momentum suppressed tens of thousands of enemy troops, as if thousands of troops and horses were killing them.

"Fifth General, something terrible has happened; the imperial army is killing them!"

Wen Jianshao, who hadn't slept all night, almost fell over after receiving this news.

"What are you standing there for? Quickly organize the battle!

Let the archers attack and suppress the imperial army first!

……"

The panicked order was clearly a step late.

By the time the righteous army reacted, the battle had already begun.

Shields blocked the front, protecting the vital parts of the soldiers' bodies, leaving only narrow slits for long spears to extend out.

Fire-gun soldiers began to shoot from the slits, and the righteous army soldiers who dared to approach were instantly beaten into sieves.

The airtight square formation continued to advance.

The rebel camp, which lacked protection, couldn't stop the imperial army's advance.

Realizing the situation was not good, Wen Jianshao gathered his courage and prepared to lead his personal guards to block the imperial army.

As a result, before he could get close, he was hit in the ear by a stray bullet.

Perhaps because it was beyond the effective range, the bullet just pierced halfway through, making him wail loudly in pain.

The Regional Commander was injured, making the already chaotic righteous army camp even more chaotic.

With a "bang" sound, the high-standing commander's flag suddenly collapsed.

"Run!"

Don't know who shouted, the panicked soldiers began to flee for their lives frantically.

"Come back quickly!"

"Can't run!"

"Can't run!"

……

Wen Jianshao shouted while enduring the pain.

Unfortunately, everything was in vain; the righteous army, whose morale had collapsed, had long since lost the intention to fight.

The soldiers who were coerced in only wanted to run away with their families at this time and were not willing to sell their lives for him at all.

"Fifth General, the situation is beyond saving; hurry up and order a retreat!

Even if we block the imperial army in front, it's useless; there are also a large number of enemies approaching on our flanks; if we are any later, the whole army will be wiped out!"

……

(End of chapter)