Outside Chengtian Gate.
Li Zuo, the captain of the Yongwei Camp, was leading a horse and standing at the front of the team.
"Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to your grace on this trip!"
Chongzhen looked at the three hundred soldiers of the Yongwei Camp, his heart filled with regret.
There are only two teams in the Ming Dynasty that can be called elite. One is the Guanning Iron Cavalry guarding Liaodong; the other is the people in front of us, the Yongwei Battalion reorganized from the Tengxiang Four Guards.
What a pity!
Huang Degong was the only one left among the four generals of the Yongwei Camp. There were too few people left in the capital, and Huang Degong was of little help in the short term!
Alas! The Ming Dynasty is full of regrets. Every time I think of it, I sigh.
Fortunately, Chongzhen came.
Chongzhen patted Li Zuo on the shoulder and asked, "What are your plans for this trip?"
"Harass the enemy and slow them down."
"How to harass?"
Li Zuo said without hesitation: "I will find a remote place to hide, and when the bandit army arrives, we three hundred people will use bows, crossbows, bird guns, and fire guns to launch a surprise attack. Just as your majesty said, we don't seek to hurt the enemy, as long as we can slow down their march. By the time they react, I and my brothers will have run far away."
"Repeating this process should delay them for a day or two."
Chongzhen shook his head slightly...
In order to allow Wang Baolin to join the bandits smoothly, this news has been spread as a bargaining chip. If they continue to use this strategy, they may be wiped out on the first day.
But... there are some things he can't say. Especially Wang Baolin, that's his trump card.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Li Zuo, your tactics are not good!"
Li Zuo was somewhat dissatisfied.
In terms of academic talent, he thought he was not qualified to compare with the emperor.
When it comes to marching and fighting, he feels that he is no worse than the emperor.
Although the emperor also read military books, leading troops in his mind and actually leading troops are two different things.
To put it bluntly, the emperor is still a novice in leading troops in battle! He can't compare with someone like him who has practical experience!
Seeing that Li Zuo was not convinced, Chongzhen smiled faintly and said, "If you don't believe me, you and I will deduce it here. Now you are still you, and I am Liu Fangliang. My army marches fifty miles a day, with cavalry in front and infantry and baggage in the back."
Li Zuo nodded, "I will do as you just said on the first day. How will Your Majesty respond?"
"The premise is that you haven't been discovered by the scouts! Okay, I will let you succeed in your first sneak attack. I will be prepared after the sneak attack. What will you do the second time?"
Li Zuo felt a little guilty. Although he had led troops before, he had not led them out of the city to fight many times. He was mostly stationed in the imperial city to protect the emperor's safety.
As it was the emperor who was asking the question, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
"I wonder...I wonder what preparations Your Majesty has made?"
Chongzhen did not keep the secret and said with a smile: "I will prepare three light cavalry units in advance on the second day, and deploy them in the front, middle and rear armies respectively; if there is a surprise attack, these people will immediately join the battle and pursue."
Li Zuo thought for a moment and said, "I will still follow the previous method, but this time the tactic is to go around and flee south after the sneak attack is successful. If there are few people chasing us, I will try to kill them. If there are many people chasing us, it can also slow down the army's marching speed."
"Can you get away?"
"I think I can! The horses of the Brave Guards are all top-quality horses, good at long-distance raids, and will definitely be able to shake off the enemy."
Chongzhen frowned and shook his head. Li Zuo's judgment of the enemy and our situation was seriously flawed.
First of all, most of the cavalry under Liu Fangliang were surrendered Ming troops. Both the individual combat effectiveness of the cavalry and the speed and endurance of their horses were very strong.
Secondly, he might not be able to outrun those surrendered soldiers.
He corrected them: "The horses are the same. My cavalry was well prepared and ready to take advantage of you. You have traveled a long way, so what else can we expect?"
"Even if your horse has good endurance, I will give each cavalryman two horses. Isn't it true that I can't catch up with you?"
"You are all cavalry, and you are all good at riding and shooting. What are your chances of winning when you fight with fewer people against more people?"
"The mission I gave you was to harass the enemy without causing casualties. Which of these did you accomplish?"
Hearing this, Li Zuo couldn't stop sweating.
Although it is just a deduction, the result is obvious.
He was defeated, not only failed in the mission, but also his entire army was wiped out.
"Your Majesty, please give us some advice!" Li Zuo put away his previous attitude and asked respectfully.
"Don't attack the enemy army by surprise, or even take a look at them."
"That minister..."
"Shoot the enemy's scouts. If you see a lone one, kill it. If you see a large group, run away. You don't need to kill many every day, just a few. If the enemy's scouts disappear, they will definitely slow down their march and send troops to track them down. At this time, you should change direction and continue to shoot the scouts."
"It will take three or four days at most, or one or two days at least, to return to the capital. Three hundred people go, and three hundred return. Remember that?"
Li Zuo bowed down on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, I accept your order."
Looking at the tall and straight figures of the Three Hundred Brave Guards, Chongzhen felt as if the wind was whistling and the Yishui River was cold.
He took a step back and looked at everyone, then asked loudly, "You are all my personal soldiers. This expedition is of great significance. If we can delay the enemy for a day or two, the defense of the capital will be more stable. If we can delay it for three or four days, the defense of the city will be three or four points more stable."
"Can you complete the task?"
"Yes!" Three hundred soldiers from the Brave Guard Battalion shouted in unison.
"Okay! As the Son of Heaven, I cannot fight with you on the battlefield. When you return victorious, I will drink with you to celebrate your victory!"
With a clang, Chongzhen stretched out his hand and drew the sword from his waist, pointing the long sword to the sky!
"The Brave Guard Battalion, march out!"
Woo——
A tragic horn sounded from the walls of the imperial city.
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