Chapter 1177
Chapter 1177
Chapter 1177
After hearing these three requests, Zheng Taisheng couldn't help but change color on his face. If he could agree to this, it would not be Daming's style.Now he shook his head again and again and said: "General Wang's words are wrong. It is the government's responsibility to find out the truth. There is no need to say more about this, but this case is within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. It should be under the jurisdiction of the Daming Law. It should be handled by my yamen in Daming. And how can the government bear the compensation? As for the third point... I am willing to pass on the message on behalf of General Wang. If Daming and Haihan can do business, it will be a good thing for both countries. Pile. But what the adults at the top think, there is no guarantee for the people below.”
Tom Wang said with a sarcastic smile: "Does the official in Hangzhou really want to solve this case? Why do I hear the news that the murderer's background is too big, and the government dare not continue to pursue the case? I think it's better to put Let us deal with the murderer. After all, we don't have as many scruples as the government. As for the compensation, our people have an accident on the border of the Hangzhou government. More than 20 lives, if you don’t pay with money, are you planning to pay with your life?”
Wang Tom's words were too harsh, and Zheng Taisheng couldn't accept it at all. Although he took the job boldly, he didn't intend to risk his life for the sake of Daming and those officials in the city.Regarding the truth about the Tongsheng Wharf fire, he has naturally heard many rumors. Although there are still various unsolved mysteries, the Ming army is indeed the most suspected.If this matter was really done by the Ming army, then the government will indeed encounter great resistance when investigating the case, and it is reasonable for the case to remain unresolved.Haihan lost a lot of people and lost a lot of money, so naturally he refused to let it go, but the amount of compensation he asked for was really too high, and Zheng Taisheng didn't dare to accept the matter on behalf of the government.
But if he just went back like this, it would be difficult for Zheng Taisheng to deal with his superiors, so he could only beg with a bitter face: "General Wang, everything is easy to discuss, why bother to go to war? I dare to say that if your country can take the initiative to withdraw troops, the government will also be willing to sit down Discuss the solution with your country slowly, so that a peaceful settlement will save both sides a lot of trouble, if the general agrees, after returning to the city next time, I can persuade all the adults to consider the conditions that the general just raised."
Tom Wang waved his hand lightly and said, "The condition I just proposed is not a bargaining chip for the officials and lords in the city. You don't have to agree to the conditions, as long as you see the truth on the battlefield. I know those lords in the city are still It doesn’t hurt, and I still have fantasies in my heart, but when they come to the negotiation after they hit their heads and bruises, the conditions will not be the same as they are now. Boss Zheng feels that I can’t go on talking with me, so that’s not the case. Reluctantly, you just go back and tell the officials and gentlemen in the city what I said."
Zheng Taisheng replied tremblingly: "I just accepted the order in the face of danger, and I have no intention of opposing Hai Han. I hope the general will not blame him."
Wang Tom laughed and said: "I heard that Boss Zheng had cooperated with us a lot in business before this, and I also hope that this incident will not affect our business relationship. We are fighting wars, and business must continue. After this matter subsides, Boss Zheng is welcome to visit Dinghai Port again."
Zheng Taisheng didn't get any concessions from Wang Tom, so he could only return to the city in desperation with the three demands put forward by the other party.In the eyes of the officials, these demands are naturally unreasonable ideas that cannot be compromised. Seeing that the Haihan army has begun to set up camp on the bank of the Chengdong River, making a gesture of long-term combat, no matter how bad the Ming army in Hangzhou is, You can't just watch the other party camp out of the city without any scruples, you have to react to it.
So the second day after Zheng Taisheng returned to the city, the Ming army showed its attitude with practical actions.Commander Qi Jie of the Zhejiang Metropolitan Commander, General Gao Xuewu and others led more than [-] Ming troops from the east of the city to Wangjiang Gate and left the city, heading slowly towards the Haihan camp on the lower reaches of the Qiantang River.
As soon as the forward troops of the Ming army left the city gate, they were spotted by Haihan scouts far outside the city. When they assembled outside the city and marched towards Haihan camp, Haihan's side had already Ready to fight.
Although the Ming army dragged out two cannons from the city, this was not a great threat in the eyes of the Haihan Army. Before sunset yesterday, they had already unloaded eight cannons from the supply ship to the shore, and held them overnight. The artillery positions were arranged on the camp defense line.Although there is no time to check and fire today, the artillerymen of both sides are also fighting in an unfamiliar environment. The Haihan army has a relatively large advantage in artillery weapon performance and combat experience, and the odds of winning must be greater than the opponent.
"Don't hit too hard. What we want is a deterrent effect, not a battle of annihilation. Also, don't just hit and run away, or you won't get enough deterrent effect." Wang Tom didn't go ashore to supervise the battle in person. Hearing the reported military situation, he only gave a few light instructions, and was not even interested in going out of the captain's room to watch the battle on the deck.
Although he also knew that the Ming army was also equipped with muskets and artillery, the tactical level of the two sides was too different. It was basically impossible for the Ming army to take advantage of the limited strength of Haihan.Wang Tom is very confident in the combat capabilities of his troops. The army of two companies plus the fortifications of the camp should be enough to teach the Ming army some lessons.
For the Ming army in Zhejiang who lived in peace for too long, the Haihan army's combat method is something they have never encountered. Can rely on pure force superiority or have a large number of cavalry, rely on human life and mobility to offset the advantage of its firepower output.However, the Zhejiang Ming army obviously didn't realize what kind of formidable opponent they were encountering now, and they marched until they were less than one mile away from the Haihan camp before stopping.And this distance has actually entered the effective range of the Haihan artillery. It can be seen that the commander of the opponent does not have enough understanding of the combat methods of the Haihan Army, and is still deploying the battle formation according to the usual combat methods of this era.
According to Wang Tom's order, the landing Haihan troops waited impatiently for the opponent to set up an offensive formation, and then took the lead in bombarding the opponent.It is undoubtedly very difficult to accurately hit a specific target at a distance of one mile. Fortunately, the Ming army is regrouping for the next attack. It is not difficult to hit a target area with a unit of [-] people. Han Artillery.
After completing the ammunition loading and aiming, the artillery position composed of four six-pound guns and four twelve-pounder guns sounded one after another. The solid cannonballs roared and smashed into the Ming army formation, and there was a sound of screams immediately.
The Ming army did not expect that its opponent would use this method to carry out a "sneak attack". Caught off guard, there were already more than a dozen casualties.The Haihan army's sneak attack with artillery was second. What really shocked the Ming army was that the opponent's artillery had a much longer range than its own. At this distance, it could easily shoot shells to its own position.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Commander Qi Jie saw the situation, and hurriedly turned the reins of his mount and walked back.He is now very glad that he was not in a hurry to go to his subordinates to lecture him about his existence, otherwise he might have been one of the people injured by the shells in the front team just now.
But when he turned his head and walked away, the large group of guards and soldiers holding banners who followed him also turned their heads in a mess.The troops behind didn't know what to do, and after hearing the sound of the cannon, they saw the chief officer turning around and fleeing back, which immediately caused chaos.If the general Gao Xuewu and other officers hadn't stopped them in time, there might have been a stampede, and the army formation would have collapsed before the battle officially started.
However, due to concerns about the range of the Haihan artillery, the Ming army finally had to move its front back by about 20 feet.In fact, as long as the angle of the artillery is adjusted at this distance, the range is still within reach, it is nothing more than a further drop in accuracy, but since Haihan intends to teach the Ming army some lessons, naturally they will not be in a hurry to drive them away—Ming If the army retreats further, it is almost time to retreat into the city.However, Haihan's actions this time did not intend to attack Hangzhou City, and doing so would be of no benefit to Haihan except to further intensify the conflict.
So in the next half day, the civil and military officials at the head of Hangzhou City witnessed how these more than 2000 Ming troops took the initiative to launch offensives again and again, and the result of each attack was a large number of casualties. The edge of the Han camp could not be touched.The in-depth defense belt composed of various roadblocks and the defense line composed of long-range muskets and artillery was a nightmare for the Ming army, which lacked long-range firepower strike capabilities.
A similar situation also occurred in Dengzhou, Shandong a month ago, but the Ming army that participated in the war woke up relatively quickly, and chose to retreat actively after two or three confrontations.This time, the commander of the Ming army who faced off outside the city of Hangzhou obviously had a much tougher head. Seeing that the number of casualties was as many as 400, he was still urging his subordinates to attack the Haihan camp. Fire fighting posture.
The civil and military officials watching the battle on the top of the city were all blackened. Although they didn't really expect that the Ming army could beat the crap out of their opponents, at least there should be a good deal of fighting on the scene, but the current situation is not It was obvious that they were hanged and beaten by the Haihan army. If the fight continues like this, it may not be possible to achieve any decent results if all these 2000 people die outside the city.
"Retreat!" Wang Ji, the chief minister, said coldly, then turned around and went down the wall.He was really not in the mood to watch this kind of almost death-like battle.Although the courage of the generals leading troops outside the city is commendable, this way of fighting cannot change the strength gap between the two sides.Although he was a civil servant, he could tell that the Haihan people had room for it. They just stuck to their camps, but there was no sign of increasing troops or retreating.The confidence of the Haihan people made him angry, but he couldn't find a place to vent it. Thinking about the three demands brought back by Zheng Taisheng, Wang Ji's angina almost broke out on the spot.
In the current situation, the people in Zhejiang Dusi are the most shameless. After all, they were the ones who desperately opposed the peace talks in the previous main battle, and they are also the ones who are being eaten to death by their opponents on the battlefield.Liu Feng was so angry that he was about to grit his teeth, but he also knew that he couldn't act impulsively right now. Although there were still thousands of soldiers in and around Hangzhou city, they must not be thrown into the battlefield at this moment.If the Haihan people attacked Hangzhou City after that, they would have to have enough troops to guard the city.
Liu Feng knew before the battle that the Haihan army was powerful, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful.Originally, he just wanted to use this to find out the details of the Haihan army, but he didn't expect that the opponent played extremely conservatively and did not show his true strength.In addition to the heavy casualties, the most frightening thing is that if the front line cannot be defeated, the morale of the army will also be greatly affected.
But the matter has come to this point, and it will be hard to gain anything if the army outside the city is forced to hold on, it will only increase the casualties. Although Liu Feng is unwilling, he can only order Ming Jin to withdraw the troops.The Haihan army saw the retreat of the Ming army and did not go out to pursue it. It seemed that they didn't care whether this battle could kill as many Ming troops as possible.
But Liu Feng still played the full set, and went to the gate of the city to welcome the disgraced Ming army.Commander Qi Jie has been holding the line from behind, but nothing happened, but General Gao Xuewu personally led the army into two waves, was shot in the left shoulder, and came back with his arms hanging.This is thanks to the armor on his body weakening the power of the bullet, otherwise the injury would only be more serious.And of the more than 2000 Ming troops they brought out of the city, there were only 600 left when they returned.According to preliminary statistics, the Ming army suffered more than [-] casualties in this battle, half of whom stayed on the battlefield and failed to withdraw.This can probably be regarded as the battle with the heaviest casualties of the Ming army in the Hangzhou area since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Feng took the initiative to ask Gao Xuewu: "In General Gao's opinion, is there a way to retreat from the enemy?"
Gao Xuewu shook his head helplessly and said: "The Haihan people have sharp firearms, and they should not fight them head-on. If you want to retreat from the enemy, you have to think about their rear. Only by cutting off their supplies can there be hope."
Liu Feng said in his heart that everyone knows that Haihan's supply line is a waterway, but the problem is that knowing it is useless. There is no army on the ground in Zhejiang that can defeat the Haihan people on water.If you want to cut off the supply line of the Haihan people and count on the useless navy to fight, it is better to count on the heavens to snow a few more times and freeze the entire Qiantang River.Of course, the possibility of such a special climate is very small, and if Haihan has not withdrawn his troops by then, thousands of people in Hangzhou will freeze to death on the streets.
(End of this chapter)
After hearing these three requests, Zheng Taisheng couldn't help but change color on his face. If he could agree to this, it would not be Daming's style.Now he shook his head again and again and said: "General Wang's words are wrong. It is the government's responsibility to find out the truth. There is no need to say more about this, but this case is within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. It should be under the jurisdiction of the Daming Law. It should be handled by my yamen in Daming. And how can the government bear the compensation? As for the third point... I am willing to pass on the message on behalf of General Wang. If Daming and Haihan can do business, it will be a good thing for both countries. Pile. But what the adults at the top think, there is no guarantee for the people below.”
Tom Wang said with a sarcastic smile: "Does the official in Hangzhou really want to solve this case? Why do I hear the news that the murderer's background is too big, and the government dare not continue to pursue the case? I think it's better to put Let us deal with the murderer. After all, we don't have as many scruples as the government. As for the compensation, our people have an accident on the border of the Hangzhou government. More than 20 lives, if you don’t pay with money, are you planning to pay with your life?”
Wang Tom's words were too harsh, and Zheng Taisheng couldn't accept it at all. Although he took the job boldly, he didn't intend to risk his life for the sake of Daming and those officials in the city.Regarding the truth about the Tongsheng Wharf fire, he has naturally heard many rumors. Although there are still various unsolved mysteries, the Ming army is indeed the most suspected.If this matter was really done by the Ming army, then the government will indeed encounter great resistance when investigating the case, and it is reasonable for the case to remain unresolved.Haihan lost a lot of people and lost a lot of money, so naturally he refused to let it go, but the amount of compensation he asked for was really too high, and Zheng Taisheng didn't dare to accept the matter on behalf of the government.
But if he just went back like this, it would be difficult for Zheng Taisheng to deal with his superiors, so he could only beg with a bitter face: "General Wang, everything is easy to discuss, why bother to go to war? I dare to say that if your country can take the initiative to withdraw troops, the government will also be willing to sit down Discuss the solution with your country slowly, so that a peaceful settlement will save both sides a lot of trouble, if the general agrees, after returning to the city next time, I can persuade all the adults to consider the conditions that the general just raised."
Tom Wang waved his hand lightly and said, "The condition I just proposed is not a bargaining chip for the officials and lords in the city. You don't have to agree to the conditions, as long as you see the truth on the battlefield. I know those lords in the city are still It doesn’t hurt, and I still have fantasies in my heart, but when they come to the negotiation after they hit their heads and bruises, the conditions will not be the same as they are now. Boss Zheng feels that I can’t go on talking with me, so that’s not the case. Reluctantly, you just go back and tell the officials and gentlemen in the city what I said."
Zheng Taisheng replied tremblingly: "I just accepted the order in the face of danger, and I have no intention of opposing Hai Han. I hope the general will not blame him."
Wang Tom laughed and said: "I heard that Boss Zheng had cooperated with us a lot in business before this, and I also hope that this incident will not affect our business relationship. We are fighting wars, and business must continue. After this matter subsides, Boss Zheng is welcome to visit Dinghai Port again."
Zheng Taisheng didn't get any concessions from Wang Tom, so he could only return to the city in desperation with the three demands put forward by the other party.In the eyes of the officials, these demands are naturally unreasonable ideas that cannot be compromised. Seeing that the Haihan army has begun to set up camp on the bank of the Chengdong River, making a gesture of long-term combat, no matter how bad the Ming army in Hangzhou is, You can't just watch the other party camp out of the city without any scruples, you have to react to it.
So the second day after Zheng Taisheng returned to the city, the Ming army showed its attitude with practical actions.Commander Qi Jie of the Zhejiang Metropolitan Commander, General Gao Xuewu and others led more than [-] Ming troops from the east of the city to Wangjiang Gate and left the city, heading slowly towards the Haihan camp on the lower reaches of the Qiantang River.
As soon as the forward troops of the Ming army left the city gate, they were spotted by Haihan scouts far outside the city. When they assembled outside the city and marched towards Haihan camp, Haihan's side had already Ready to fight.
Although the Ming army dragged out two cannons from the city, this was not a great threat in the eyes of the Haihan Army. Before sunset yesterday, they had already unloaded eight cannons from the supply ship to the shore, and held them overnight. The artillery positions were arranged on the camp defense line.Although there is no time to check and fire today, the artillerymen of both sides are also fighting in an unfamiliar environment. The Haihan army has a relatively large advantage in artillery weapon performance and combat experience, and the odds of winning must be greater than the opponent.
"Don't hit too hard. What we want is a deterrent effect, not a battle of annihilation. Also, don't just hit and run away, or you won't get enough deterrent effect." Wang Tom didn't go ashore to supervise the battle in person. Hearing the reported military situation, he only gave a few light instructions, and was not even interested in going out of the captain's room to watch the battle on the deck.
Although he also knew that the Ming army was also equipped with muskets and artillery, the tactical level of the two sides was too different. It was basically impossible for the Ming army to take advantage of the limited strength of Haihan.Wang Tom is very confident in the combat capabilities of his troops. The army of two companies plus the fortifications of the camp should be enough to teach the Ming army some lessons.
For the Ming army in Zhejiang who lived in peace for too long, the Haihan army's combat method is something they have never encountered. Can rely on pure force superiority or have a large number of cavalry, rely on human life and mobility to offset the advantage of its firepower output.However, the Zhejiang Ming army obviously didn't realize what kind of formidable opponent they were encountering now, and they marched until they were less than one mile away from the Haihan camp before stopping.And this distance has actually entered the effective range of the Haihan artillery. It can be seen that the commander of the opponent does not have enough understanding of the combat methods of the Haihan Army, and is still deploying the battle formation according to the usual combat methods of this era.
According to Wang Tom's order, the landing Haihan troops waited impatiently for the opponent to set up an offensive formation, and then took the lead in bombarding the opponent.It is undoubtedly very difficult to accurately hit a specific target at a distance of one mile. Fortunately, the Ming army is regrouping for the next attack. It is not difficult to hit a target area with a unit of [-] people. Han Artillery.
After completing the ammunition loading and aiming, the artillery position composed of four six-pound guns and four twelve-pounder guns sounded one after another. The solid cannonballs roared and smashed into the Ming army formation, and there was a sound of screams immediately.
The Ming army did not expect that its opponent would use this method to carry out a "sneak attack". Caught off guard, there were already more than a dozen casualties.The Haihan army's sneak attack with artillery was second. What really shocked the Ming army was that the opponent's artillery had a much longer range than its own. At this distance, it could easily shoot shells to its own position.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Commander Qi Jie saw the situation, and hurriedly turned the reins of his mount and walked back.He is now very glad that he was not in a hurry to go to his subordinates to lecture him about his existence, otherwise he might have been one of the people injured by the shells in the front team just now.
But when he turned his head and walked away, the large group of guards and soldiers holding banners who followed him also turned their heads in a mess.The troops behind didn't know what to do, and after hearing the sound of the cannon, they saw the chief officer turning around and fleeing back, which immediately caused chaos.If the general Gao Xuewu and other officers hadn't stopped them in time, there might have been a stampede, and the army formation would have collapsed before the battle officially started.
However, due to concerns about the range of the Haihan artillery, the Ming army finally had to move its front back by about 20 feet.In fact, as long as the angle of the artillery is adjusted at this distance, the range is still within reach, it is nothing more than a further drop in accuracy, but since Haihan intends to teach the Ming army some lessons, naturally they will not be in a hurry to drive them away—Ming If the army retreats further, it is almost time to retreat into the city.However, Haihan's actions this time did not intend to attack Hangzhou City, and doing so would be of no benefit to Haihan except to further intensify the conflict.
So in the next half day, the civil and military officials at the head of Hangzhou City witnessed how these more than 2000 Ming troops took the initiative to launch offensives again and again, and the result of each attack was a large number of casualties. The edge of the Han camp could not be touched.The in-depth defense belt composed of various roadblocks and the defense line composed of long-range muskets and artillery was a nightmare for the Ming army, which lacked long-range firepower strike capabilities.
A similar situation also occurred in Dengzhou, Shandong a month ago, but the Ming army that participated in the war woke up relatively quickly, and chose to retreat actively after two or three confrontations.This time, the commander of the Ming army who faced off outside the city of Hangzhou obviously had a much tougher head. Seeing that the number of casualties was as many as 400, he was still urging his subordinates to attack the Haihan camp. Fire fighting posture.
The civil and military officials watching the battle on the top of the city were all blackened. Although they didn't really expect that the Ming army could beat the crap out of their opponents, at least there should be a good deal of fighting on the scene, but the current situation is not It was obvious that they were hanged and beaten by the Haihan army. If the fight continues like this, it may not be possible to achieve any decent results if all these 2000 people die outside the city.
"Retreat!" Wang Ji, the chief minister, said coldly, then turned around and went down the wall.He was really not in the mood to watch this kind of almost death-like battle.Although the courage of the generals leading troops outside the city is commendable, this way of fighting cannot change the strength gap between the two sides.Although he was a civil servant, he could tell that the Haihan people had room for it. They just stuck to their camps, but there was no sign of increasing troops or retreating.The confidence of the Haihan people made him angry, but he couldn't find a place to vent it. Thinking about the three demands brought back by Zheng Taisheng, Wang Ji's angina almost broke out on the spot.
In the current situation, the people in Zhejiang Dusi are the most shameless. After all, they were the ones who desperately opposed the peace talks in the previous main battle, and they are also the ones who are being eaten to death by their opponents on the battlefield.Liu Feng was so angry that he was about to grit his teeth, but he also knew that he couldn't act impulsively right now. Although there were still thousands of soldiers in and around Hangzhou city, they must not be thrown into the battlefield at this moment.If the Haihan people attacked Hangzhou City after that, they would have to have enough troops to guard the city.
Liu Feng knew before the battle that the Haihan army was powerful, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful.Originally, he just wanted to use this to find out the details of the Haihan army, but he didn't expect that the opponent played extremely conservatively and did not show his true strength.In addition to the heavy casualties, the most frightening thing is that if the front line cannot be defeated, the morale of the army will also be greatly affected.
But the matter has come to this point, and it will be hard to gain anything if the army outside the city is forced to hold on, it will only increase the casualties. Although Liu Feng is unwilling, he can only order Ming Jin to withdraw the troops.The Haihan army saw the retreat of the Ming army and did not go out to pursue it. It seemed that they didn't care whether this battle could kill as many Ming troops as possible.
But Liu Feng still played the full set, and went to the gate of the city to welcome the disgraced Ming army.Commander Qi Jie has been holding the line from behind, but nothing happened, but General Gao Xuewu personally led the army into two waves, was shot in the left shoulder, and came back with his arms hanging.This is thanks to the armor on his body weakening the power of the bullet, otherwise the injury would only be more serious.And of the more than 2000 Ming troops they brought out of the city, there were only 600 left when they returned.According to preliminary statistics, the Ming army suffered more than [-] casualties in this battle, half of whom stayed on the battlefield and failed to withdraw.This can probably be regarded as the battle with the heaviest casualties of the Ming army in the Hangzhou area since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Feng took the initiative to ask Gao Xuewu: "In General Gao's opinion, is there a way to retreat from the enemy?"
Gao Xuewu shook his head helplessly and said: "The Haihan people have sharp firearms, and they should not fight them head-on. If you want to retreat from the enemy, you have to think about their rear. Only by cutting off their supplies can there be hope."
Liu Feng said in his heart that everyone knows that Haihan's supply line is a waterway, but the problem is that knowing it is useless. There is no army on the ground in Zhejiang that can defeat the Haihan people on water.If you want to cut off the supply line of the Haihan people and count on the useless navy to fight, it is better to count on the heavens to snow a few more times and freeze the entire Qiantang River.Of course, the possibility of such a special climate is very small, and if Haihan has not withdrawn his troops by then, thousands of people in Hangzhou will freeze to death on the streets.
(End of this chapter)