Chapter 713 0708 [Night Attack]

After crossing the Lianshan River for more than 20 miles, there was another small river in front of the Jin soldiers.

After crossing this river, the terrain became more open. From the foot of the mountain to the sea, the width was a full 12 miles, and the Jin cavalry could gallop on horseback.

After walking another two and a half miles, Wanyan Zongbing pointed to the small hill in front and said: "Let's set up camp with this hill as the center."

During the Liao and Jin dynasties, there were not many people here, and there were no decent place names.

But eight hundred years later, a famous battle would break out here - the Battle of Tashan!

There was no tower or mountain on Tashan.

The small hill that Wanyan Zongbing pointed to was already the commanding height of a ten-mile radius.

He set up his general tent on the hill, commanding all directions from a high position, and the soldiers and civilians set up camp around the hill.

Under Wanyan Zongbing's command, there were only more than 5,000 Meng'an Mouke soldiers, another 6,000 signed militias from various ethnic groups, and several thousand unarmored civilians with simple weapons.

The camp was set up, close to the river to the west, and extended more than a mile to the east.

Wanyan Zongbing used a telescope to observe the south and ordered: "Towards the direction of the sea, we should set up fences and be careful at night!"

There are three ways to set up camp when the army is outside.

The first is to set up camps with guns.

This is mostly used in the area controlled by the party, and there is basically no danger. Long spears are inserted around the camp to mark the boundary and prevent civilians from entering.

The second is to set up fences.

It can prevent small groups of enemies and wild beasts. It is mostly used during fast marches or in less dangerous areas.

The third is to build a strong camp.

This requires digging trenches and building earth walls. There must also be facilities such as watchtowers and arrow towers in the camp. It is mostly used for confrontation between the two armies or in dangerous areas.

Although this place is very close to Jinzhou and belongs to the control area of ​​the Jin soldiers, Wanyan Zongbing is still worried about the attack of the Ming army from the sea. He set up camps with guns on the east, west and north sides, but set up fences on the south side facing the sea, and sent cavalry to patrol the seaside.

Li Bao traveled fast on the boat and had been waiting for a day and a night!

Two thousand of the Ming troops were hiding on a small island with a radius of two miles (Dayushan Island).

The other three thousand elite troops of Li Bao landed in the dark last night, marched to the north overnight, and hid in the ravines at the foot of the northern mountain.

When Li Bao stationed his troops on Juehua Island, he looted the Liaoxi Corridor many times and had already figured out the area thoroughly.

He could even guess where the Jin soldiers would camp every day. The Jin soldiers would withdraw in the middle of the night and almost reach the Xingcheng River in the afternoon. Therefore, the Jin soldiers’ camping point on the first day must be on the east or west bank of the Xingcheng River.

The Jin soldiers’ camping point on the second day was mostly in the later Huludao City. There were two rivers there, and it depended on which river the Jin soldiers would cross before camping.

The Jin soldiers’ camping point on the third day must be near Tashan, and the journey on this day was shorter, so they would definitely cross the river before camping if they had enough time!

The commanding height near Tashan was just a small hill, and Wanyan Zongbing’s general tent must have been set up on the hill. Wanyan Zongbi's elite cavalry would probably leave a group on the mountain, so that they could swoop in all directions when encountering war.

…

Monk Li was not a monk, he was a craftsman.

His ancestors, many generations ago, were captured in the early years of the Liao Dynasty, and together with other Han craftsmen and farmers, they collectively migrated to Jinzhou to settle down.

After many years, a large number of Bohai craftsmen and farmers were also migrated to Jinzhou by the Liao Dynasty to reproduce.

The political system in the early and middle periods of the Liao Dynasty was very complicated, and even allowed the wealthy families to own territories. So there was a saying of "private states" and "private counties", and the wealthy families could take whatever they wanted in their own territories. It was not until the middle and late periods of the Liao Dynasty that some power was gradually taken back.

But Jinzhou has never changed, because it was the private state of the Liao emperor.

Monk Li's ancestors were craftsmen from generation to generation, and at least one person in each generation had to inherit the profession. Because the Liao emperor sent many nobles to manage Jinzhou, the craftsmen's families had to take turns to serve the emperor and nobles, and make various items for the government or nobles for free.

There was a great chaos at the end of the Liao Dynasty, and many people died in Jinzhou.

But the Jin people captured Yanshan Prefecture and moved a large number of people here, and Jinzhou quickly recovered.

Life became worse and worse, because the taxes and labor service of the Jin Kingdom were too heavy.

This time, Li Heshang was even selected to follow the army to build siege equipment for the Jin soldiers.

He also heard the explosion outside the city, but it was too far away to see clearly. He heard from Du San, a craftsman who followed the army, that the Ming army was blessed by the Thunder God Bodhisattva, and thunder and lightning were sent to kill the Jin soldiers, so the fourth prince of the Jin Kingdom withdrew overnight.

In the first two days, everyone was very panicked.

Not only was there a reason to withdraw overnight, but also the terrain along the way was rugged and narrow, and the team was stretched far away like a long snake.

This marching formation was very vulnerable to attack, and the fourth prince Jin Wushu ordered the entire army to wear armor and hurry on. Not only did a large number of cavalrymen in the front and rear of the team explore, but even sent elite troops to observe the seaside.

Now I can finally sleep peacefully, with Jinzhou in front and flat all around.

Although Li Heshang didn't know how to fight, he knew that it was difficult to set an ambush in this place.

After a busy day, it was getting dark.

Li Heshang held a bowl of wheat porridge, which was not only very thin, but also mixed with a lot of wheat bran. He muttered: "Eating two meals a day, all thin, how can we travel?"

"Just go home." Du San comforted.

They are military craftsmen who travel with a full set of tools and have to work hard when setting up camp.

Li Heshang was exhausted from building a wooden fence in the southern camp just now, but he was only given a bowl of thin porridge.

The food for the militia is better than that for the craftsmen. And the food for the craftsmen is better than that for the civilians.

Of course, the best food is for the Meng'an Mouke soldiers.

After a bowl of thin porridge with wheat bran, Li Heshang still felt hungry. He curled up and lay down, holding his stomach, and said to himself: "Go to sleep, I will be full after a nap."

Du San put the box of tools beside him, wrapped the belt around his wrist several times, and held it tightly with his hands before closing his eyes. These were all his tools for eating.

Although he was very hungry, he was too tired and fell asleep in a daze.

…

Liu Sheng was a signed militia from Guangning Prefecture. He was a Khitan, and the surname Liu was a big Khitan surname.

Guangning Prefecture promoted the Meng'an Mouke system for several years, but now the Meng'an Mouke and the signed system are in parallel.

Last year, when the grain was collected, Liu Sheng had little grain left, and his mother died of malnutrition.

This year, just after the wheat was harvested, and before he even had time to pay the grain tax, Liu Sheng was signed out to fight.

He was incorporated into the cannon fodder siege force and escaped death several times in a row.

When the fourth prince ordered the withdrawal, Liu Sheng seemed to escape from hell, and walked in fear all the way.

Two nights ago, he was too scared to sleep, and he always felt that the Ming army would catch up.

Tonight, he felt relieved, because he was about to reach Jinzhou, and after Jinzhou, he would reach his hometown Guangning Prefecture.

"Snoring..."

Liu Sheng couldn't help muttering, "This bird fell asleep quickly, and his snoring sounded like thunder."

Most of the militiamen issued were without armor, but they could bring their own armor, or the grassroots officers could receive leather armor.

Liu Sheng had no armor and fell asleep in cloth.

The camp next door was the Meng'an Mouke soldiers, who had been marching in armor for the past two days.

Although they walked slowly, they were still exhausted. Tonight, they could finally take off their armor and sleep.

Wanyan Zongbing did not ask for too much. He personally rode to inspect the South Camp and said to the Meng'an Mouke soldiers there: "You are all elite. Facing the sea here, you must sleep in armor and weapons!"

After the commander left, the soldiers cursed, but they had to obey orders.

But military orders can be discounted. It is very uncomfortable to sleep in full armor. Quietly loosen the belt and the joints of the armor, and it is difficult for officers to find out when they come to check.

We are almost in Jinzhou. Will the Ming army come to kill us?

Just fool around.

…

Four o'clock in the morning.

Not only did the Jin soldiers in the camp fall asleep, but even the Jin cavalry patrolling on the seashore were exhausted and dismounted to take a nap, leaving only a few people to continue patrolling.

Dayushan Island, as the name suggests, is densely forested.

More than 2,000 Ming soldiers set out in the middle of the night with a raft and rowed towards the shore less than two miles away.

Hu Yantong was in charge of this army. There were two or three hundred people who were previously from the Song Dynasty, and the rest were all reorganized Shandong bandits.

After landing, they slowly gathered and moved towards the Jin army camp a few miles away.

Not long after they set off, a Jin cavalry patrol came, riding slowly from far to near.

It was dark, and neither side noticed each other.

Hu Yantong continued to lead the troops on the road. The number of more than 2,000 Ming troops was too large, and no matter how careful they were, they would make noise.

The Jin cavalry heard the noise and looked closely, only to see shadows in the distance, with many figures standing in the distance.

"Woo woo woo~~"

The horn sounded, and the Jin army camp was startled.

Wanyan Zongbing had been wearing armor. He stood up and ran out of the tent, saying to the soldiers who came over: "The Ming army is indeed attacking the camp from the sea. Tell all the troops not to panic and gather towards the general's tent immediately. The soldiers in the South Camp are sleeping in armor. Let them form a formation to resist and wait for me to lead the army to rescue!"

His whereabouts had been exposed, but Hu Yantong did not retreat. Instead, he raised his gun and shouted: "Kill!"

More than 2,000 Ming soldiers rushed towards the camp of more than 10,000 Jin soldiers.

Li Bao and his 3,000 direct subordinates were farther away from the Jin camp. They hid in the foothills in the north.

Halfway through the run, they heard a commotion in the Jin camp. Li Bao shouted: "The whole army speeds up, Hu Yantong has been discovered!"

Liu Sheng slept so soundly that the sound of the horn did not wake him up.

Until an officer rode to the North Camp and shouted loudly to gather soldiers along the way, Liu Sheng finally woke up.

His top officer hurriedly got up and put on leather armor while running.

Liu Sheng's first reaction was to run away, not even caring about his weapons. After running for a while, he saw several riders rushing over to intercept him, which frightened him and other fleeing soldiers and turned back in a hurry, and followed the crowd to assemble in a daze.

When Liu Sheng's top officer was assembling soldiers, he found that he only cared about wearing armor and forgot to bring weapons.

Except for the heavily guarded Jin Bing South Camp, the camps in other directions were in chaos.

"March in formation and move closer to the general's tent!"

Another team of Jin cavalry came over, shouting and urging along the way.

It took Liu Sheng more than ten minutes from waking up, running away, turning back to assembling, and he couldn't complete the assembly at all. The main reason was that he ran around in a mess before and couldn't find his own troops. Even if the braziers were lit in the camp one after another, it was not easy to recognize the road.

Some militias issued by the Jin Kingdom couldn't find their own troops, so they just mixed in with other troops to make up the numbers.

They were still trying to get closer when they heard a thunderous roar from behind: "Kill the Jurchens! Kill the Jin thieves!"

Li Bao finally led his troops over.

"There are enemies in the north, turn around and meet them!"

"Kill!"

Li Bao's three thousand direct troops trotted all the way, and when they approached the Jin camp, they began to speed up and shout.

Liu Sheng mixed in the army of the signing army and turned around to meet the enemy. The troops, which had not yet assembled, became more chaotic after walking more than ten steps. In the dark, it was unknown how many Ming troops were coming.

Moreover, the Ming army was coming from both the north and the south.

"Run!"

As the shouts of the Ming army got closer and closer, some of the Jin national militiamen with uneven armor finally began to flee.

Liu Sheng was frightened when he was the cannon fodder for the siege. He had long been a frightened bird. He was one of the first militiamen to flee. And he also knew that he could not go east, because that was the way back to Jinzhou. The Ming army would definitely intercept and kill, and the Jurchen soldiers would also kill the deserters.

Almost subconsciously, Liu Sheng ran westward.

Over there were the civilian labor camp and the craftsman camp. Li Heshang, Du San and other craftsmen were ordered by the Jurchen messengers not to move around and asked them to wait for the end of the battle in the camp.

But the signing militia fled over, and the craftsmen and civilian laborers went crazy and fled without a mind.

"Where are you going?" Du San asked.

Monk Li said in a tearful voice, "I don't know. Let's run away first. There shouldn't be any pursuers if we run back across the river."