Outside Fengyang City.
At noon, the news of Gao Hong's defeat reached Li Zicheng's ears.
Li Zicheng was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.
He couldn't believe his ears, stared at the scout and said, "You, say it again!"
The scout lowered his head and repeated, "This morning Gao Hong led 3,000 soldiers to the east of the city to fight Liu Zhaoji in the field, but was defeated and suffered heavy losses."
"Is that Liu Zhaoji, the one who only has 1,200 men?"
"To answer your Majesty, yes."
After getting the answer, Li Zicheng's body instantly lost strength and he fell into the chair with lifeless eyes.
After a while, he sighed: "What kind of method did Liu Zhaoji use to defeat our elite troops twice in a row?"
No one knows the answer, and even if they know the answer, they dare not answer his question at this time.
It was already afternoon when Gao Hong's defeated troops retreated back to the military camp. Before he could personally seek apology from Li Zicheng, the Ming army on the north bank of the Huai River suddenly moved.
They were assembled and on standby just like yesterday.
Before the Shun army could react, the Ming army in Fengyang City also moved.
After leaving the city through the North Gate and the East Gate, they immediately formed a battle formation and were ready to attack.
at the same time.
The Ming navy on the Huai River went upstream and drove the warships directly to the north bank of the Huai River. They then anchored the warships on the river and began to lay a pontoon bridge.
Military orders were sent to Li Zicheng's tent one after another. After reading them, he was a little flustered. "This... Zongmin hasn't arrived yet. I'm afraid our army can't defeat the Ming army!"
Song Xiance frowned, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The sun will set in just over an hour. Fighting at night is a taboo in the military. The Ming army is obviously bluffing by doing this!"
"But..." Li Zicheng was still a little worried, "The Ming army doesn't need to do this."
Niu Jinxing blinked his eyes: "Has the emperor forgotten the performance of the Ming army yesterday?"
"It seems to be the case." Li Zicheng nodded.
Yesterday, the Ming army went out of the city and assembled before dawn, as if ready for a decisive battle.
But the result was that he was punished to stand there until the afternoon, and finally returned to the city in shame.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the scouts brought news again: the Ming army in Fengyang City left the city and took a brief rest before marching to the north and east of the city respectively, seemingly preparing for a decisive battle with the Shun army.
Li Zicheng threw his previous thoughts aside and began to send troops.
"Tell Gu Kecheng to guard the east side of the city. Whether it's a head-on attack or luring the enemy deep into the city, he has the final say on how to fight! But remember, don't pursue." Li Zicheng said to the personal soldiers sent by Gu Kecheng.
"Liu Tichun is guarding the west of the city. The troops in the west of the city are too weak to fight the Ming army in the field. You just need to hold on to the camp and don't attack rashly."
After the others left, only Li Zicheng and Liu Xiyao were left in the camp.
He patted Liu Xiyao on the shoulder and said, "You and I will guard the north of the city together. You will be in charge of the Ming army outside Fengyang City, and I will be in charge of the Ming army on the banks of the Huai River."
"The key to this battle is Zongmin! As long as we insist on him coming back for reinforcements, the Ming army will be defeated!"
Liu Xiyao suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders become heavier. He bowed deeply to Li Zicheng and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. It's just Ma Shiying. If I lose to him, Your Majesty, don't punish me. I will find a tree and kill myself."
Li Zicheng patted Liu Xiyao on the shoulder again, then turned and walked out of the camp to the bank of the Huai River.
On the banks of the Huai River, the two sides have already started fighting.
The Shun army on the shore operated the artillery and fired continuously into the river.
They attempted to sink the warships used by the Ming army to build a pontoon bridge.
But the Ming army had too many warships.
One ship was sunk, and there is still one to go.
Countless warships slowly came from downstream and docked on the river to prepare to build a bridge.
The Ming army built more than a dozen pontoon bridges on the ten-mile-long river.
The Shun army's artillery fire soon stopped.
On the one hand, the gun barrel needed to dissipate heat, and on the other hand, the Shun army was short of gunpowder.
They left enough gunpowder for use in a field battle.
Soon, the Ming army built a pontoon bridge on the land on the south bank of the Huai River.
The naval officers and soldiers moved the warships close to the shore to cover the infantry's landing.
"Boom!" A cannon shot was heard on the ship (the flagship), followed by the waving of the command flag.
Gao Jie stood on the north bank of the Huai River. He smiled slightly after seeing the flag signal and said to those behind him: "Pass the order, order the rear troops to guard the camp, and the front troops to cross the river slowly. Remember, you must go slowly. If you encounter a charge from the bandits, turn around and retreat immediately. Don't panic if you fall into the water, the navy will save us."
"Yes, sir."
Under the command of Gao Jie, the Ming army began to cross the river.
Although the floating bridge was built temporarily, the bridge deck was wide and flat, allowing not only people and horses to pass through, but even chariots could be pushed across the river.
The first team of several hundred Ming troops began to cross the river under the cover of chariots.
"kill!"
The chariots were in front and the soldiers were behind, rushing to the other side at the fastest speed.
The Shun army was well prepared.
More than a dozen chariots were pushed side by side to the river, completely blocking the Ming army's way forward.
Bang!
The warships on the water fired their guns and cannons at the Shun army's chariots.
The Shun army was not to be outdone and launched a counterattack using various long-range weapons.
Soon, the Ming army fell into a disadvantage.
In addition to tanks, the Shun army’s shelters also included trenches.
Take firearms soldiers as an example. They can hide in trenches when loading ammunition, and then expose their heads to shoot after the ammunition is loaded.
But the Ming army couldn't do that. The sides of the navy's ships could certainly withstand arrows and bullets.
But the river bank here is particularly high, much higher than the river bank at the mouth of the Huaihe River.
The Shun army was in a dominant position, and the ship's side had lost its function as a cover.
Boom! A cannon rang out.
A warship was hit at the waterline, the wood shattered, and river water instantly poured into the cabin.
Under the gaze of everyone, the warship began to tilt.
As more and more river water poured in, the warship slowly sank.
After the warship that served as the bridge pier sank, the temporary floating bridge was instantly interrupted.
The Ming army charging on the bridge was also divided into two.
"Kill!" The Shun army on the river bank shouted, but did not pursue.
The Ming army was in chaos and retreated.
In the crowd, soldiers fell into the water one after another.
The Ming navy rescued their companions under the attack of the Shun army.
Li Shiyuan waved his hand and said, "Build the floating bridge immediately."
After the floating bridge was built, Gao Jie also waved his hand: "Go on!"
Another team of soldiers rushed forward, but before they reached the shore, they were counterattacked by the Shun army.
On the banks of the Huai River.
The sounds of cannons, gunfire, and shouts of killing were heard incessantly.
Amid the constant charges and counter-charges, casualties on both sides began to increase.
North of Fengyang City.
Ma Shiying, who led his troops into battle, met Liu Xiyao.
Liu Xiyao lined up in front of the trench and did not give Ma Shiying any chance.
The trench is ten feet deep and two feet wide.
Man cannot walk and horse cannot leap.
It was almost impossible to jump over the trench and fight the Shun army.
The only two solutions are to fill the soil or build a bridge.
"Sir, the trench is too deep and we can't get through!" the soldier reported to Ma Shiying.
"No need to pass, just stay here."
"Waste time?"
"Yes, Lu Daqi asked us to fight outside the city in order to contain the bandits. We have achieved our goal."
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