Chapter 1147 Midnight Sneak Attack
On a high slope about half a mile away from the Ming army's temporary camp, Gao Qiaonan used his binoculars to confirm that several riders had left the main force and headed northwest separately. He could roughly guess that the other commander's purpose was to report a warning to Dengzhou City and ask for help. However, these Ming army riders were obviously not taking the same route, and it would be too difficult to intercept them all.
This mountainous area has a radius of dozens of miles, so it is a little easier to guess the marching route of the large army. After all, there are many baggage and wounded in the army, and there are certain requirements for traffic conditions. But there are too many routes that these cavalry can take when they act alone. Not to mention that there are only about 200 people around Gao Qiaonan. Even if there are ten times more people, they may not be able to block all the mountain roads leading to Dengzhou City. Takahashi Nan did not have any cavalry, and it was not practical to catch up with the opponent's horseback. Therefore, he did not order to pursue the Ming army's riders, but stepped up to complete the control of the area near the Ming army's temporary position.
Dusk was approaching, and Takahashi Nan knew that the opponent was unlikely to choose to march overnight after continuous battles, so the Ming army would probably camp here for one night and wait until dawn before setting off. For him, this means that he has a whole night to make a fuss and slowly deal with this Ming army.
Gao Qiaonan estimated that it was still about seventy or eighty miles away from Dengzhou, and the mountainous area accounted for about half of it. After leaving the mountainous area, it would be difficult for the special operations battalion to attack the Ming army in the same way as before. As for whether the friendly forces outside the mountainous area can rush ahead to block the Ming army's way out of the mountain, Gao Qiaonan is not sure. After all, it is too close to Dengzhou, and an overly ostentatious action is likely to deepen the conflict with the Dengzhou government. Misunderstanding, and this is not the result Haihan wants.
The operating space left for the special operations battalion tomorrow will be less than forty miles of mountain road. Takahashi Minami believed that after reflecting on today's setback, the opposing commander would probably not advance cautiously and slowly tomorrow. The longer they stay in the mountains and forests, the more attacks they will suffer. Under the current circumstances, the best way to escape is to rush out of the mountains and leave this environment that is inconvenient for defense and counterattack as soon as possible.
If the opponent chooses such a response strategy, Gao Qiaonan's team will definitely not be able to intercept the entire Ming army. For the current plan, they can only kill them as much as possible. If they can be captured alive or killed It would be best to hurt his master. After a brief discussion with several of his officers, Takahashi Nan decided not to wait for the next day, but to take action overnight, taking advantage of the Ming army's physical and mental exhaustion and before its physical strength could be restored to deliver a fatal blow.
At midnight, Gao Qiaonan personally led the team to find out the hidden sentry outside the Ming army camp. These hidden posts were observed by Haihan military telescopes when they were deployed before dark. Therefore, instead of serving as an early warning in the dark night, they became living targets.
The positions of these hidden sentries were actually carefully selected. They were all placed on tree branches several meters high. First, they had a relatively wide field of vision, and second, they were less likely to be attacked by wild beasts or enemies climbing up the trees. But Gao Qiaonan had his own clever trick to deal with such hidden sentries at high places. He sent several people to slowly approach its location from different directions. After approaching within ten meters, without climbing up a tree, one of them made a noise to attract his attention, and the others The people directly used crossbows and arrows to kill the hidden sentry.
This method of detecting sentinels was taught by Qian Tiandun, and remains as a compulsory subject in the special operations battalion to this day. Most of the soldiers in the same squad have trained this method together, and there is no need for temporary training to coordinate actions. After solving the two hidden posts, the route to the Ming army camp from the south was opened.
Because it was a night attack, Takahashi Minami was also worried that one of his own would be accidentally injured if the battle started in too much chaos, so he simply gathered his men together and prepared to launch an offensive from the same direction. This way, they would not be in chaos in the dark, and it would also make it easier for Takahashi Minami to conduct unified command.
Takahashi Nan did not intend to fight with the Ming army. The effect he wanted this time was to defeat the Ming army in the shortest possible time, so all members used rifles to fight. However, everyone had their bayonets fixed in advance and prepared for close combat.
Guo Xingning has been feeling inexplicable anxiety since dark. Even though the Haihan people have stopped attacking, he still feels that something is wrong. Guo Xingning believed that it was unlikely that the Haihan people would suddenly withdraw their troops when the fight was going smoothly, and that they might be plotting some other conspiracy hiding in the dark. He summoned his officers to discuss the march route for the next day, and patrolled back and forth several times. Ying then returned to the tent to rest.
After a tiring day, although Guo Xingning did not fight in person, he was already so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I don't know how long I slept, but suddenly I heard the sound of firecrackers shooting outside the tent in my sleep.
Guo Xingning sat up in shock and heard someone shouting outside the tent. He knew it might be a night attack by the Haihan people, so he stood up quickly. Because he was worried about something happening at night, he didn't take off his clothes and shoes when he went to bed. At this time, he grabbed his own saber and hurried out of the tent, just in time to bump into an officer who came to report.
Guo Xingning asked anxiously: "But the enemy is attacking the camp?"
The officer responded: "Your Majesty, the enemy troops are coming from the south, and the weapons they use are firecrackers. Our brothers were not prepared, and many people have been killed or injured!"
Guo Xingning shouted angrily: "Didn't the sentry in the south send a warning?"
The officer said anxiously: "The secret sentry outside the camp has no news for some reason. When the enemy was discovered, they had already entered the camp! Now whether to fight or to retreat, please give me the order!"
This Ming army temporarily camped in the mountains and forests and had no time to build any defensive fortifications. They just deployed some hidden sentries at a certain distance outside the camp to leave room for reaction after warning. After the hidden sentry was taken away by the Haihan Army, only the sentries on duty at the edge of the camp were left. However, when these sentries issued a warning, the Haihan Army had already approached and was shot down as soon as the gong was sounded. The sleeping Ming army in the camp did not know where they were after waking up, and it was difficult to immediately organize a defensive counterattack.
Guo Xingning saw that the defeated troops were constantly escaping from the camp in the south, and he knew that it was almost impossible to collect the defeated troops in this dark night, not to mention that they were being torn over by the Haihan army throughout the day. The soldiers under his command have long lost the consciousness to resist. Even if they can be gathered back, it will be difficult for them to continue fighting against the Haihan people in the current situation.
Before Guo Xingning could make a final decision, a group of his soldiers had already rushed over. They carried him onto the horse without hesitation, and then led the horse and hurriedly retreated to the north with the defeated troops. These people were not only worried about Guo Xingning's personal safety, but also partly because they were afraid that if their master suddenly became desperate and ordered a decisive battle with the Haihan people, all of them who were personal soldiers and followers would be trapped here and buried with him. Guo Xingning knew that the situation was over, and he had no objection to the arrangement of the soldiers. What else could he do now except escape? If he really fought for his life against the Haihan people here, it would be nothing more than dying in battle. But if he was captured alive by the Haihan people and used his own life to threaten the Dengzhou government, wouldn't it be a great shame and humiliation? In both public and private matters, Guo Xingning had to save his own life and escape back to Dengzhou City first.
The constant gunshots from the south were like reminders, driving the Ming army to flee north in the dark. Some people panicked and fled into the woods and quickly separated from the team and lost their direction. Some people were so exhausted that they fell to the ground while running.
Guo Xingning's luck was not much better. He was worried about attracting pursuers and did not dare to light a torch to illuminate the road. As a result, he escaped for more than a mile when his horse's hoof stepped into a pit and broke his leg. The distraught Guo Xingning also fell off his horse, but fortunately, he was caught by a soldier and was not injured. However, the horse that had been following him for several years could not be taken away.
At that moment, the soldiers changed Guo Xingning's horse to ride on and continued to move forward. As a result, he fell down in exactly the same way before running very far. His luck was really bad. Now that there were no spare horses around, Guo Xingning could only choose to escape on foot with his men.
The raid launched by the Haihan Army at night was very smooth, so smooth that it even exceeded Takahashi Nan's expectations. He originally thought that the Ming Army would put up a symbolic resistance, but after the battle, he found that the opponent had no intention of fighting at all, and almost He had already made the decision to escape when he discovered that an enemy was coming.
Gao Qiaonan was still afraid of being deceived and did not dare to pursue him. He still commanded the troops to open the way with musket formations and advance layer by layer. It was not until the Ming army's camp was cleared that he discovered that the other side had not set up any ambush inside or outside the camp. , but really just ran away regardless. Takahashi Nan felt regretful and quickly led his troops to continue the pursuit. However, they have an advantage in playing the role of pursuers, that is, they no longer have to worry about exposing their whereabouts, they can light torches to illuminate the way forward, and their marching speed will be slightly faster than the Ming army fleeing in the dark.
But in the dark night, it was impossible to find which direction the enemy general was fleeing to. Takahashi Nan could only judge the retreat direction of the main force of the Ming army from the various weapons and materials discarded by the defeated troops, and then move in this direction. Give chase. As for whether we can catch up with the enemy general from this, it all depends on luck.
The two groups were one behind the other, separated by only a few miles. The people fleeing in front could see the torches of the pursuers as long as they turned around, and they did not dare to stop. The Haihan army behind them refused to give up, just like that. Reluctantly falling behind to catch up.
After escaping for almost two hours, a small river more than five feet wide appeared in front of the exhausted Ming army. It was unknown how deep or fast the water was in the dark night. The first few people who jumped in in a panic did not seem to have swam to the other side. He disappeared into the river. Those who followed him did not dare to follow him into the water and could only wait for the officer's order. However, when Guo Xingning heard the news, he was not worried but overjoyed. He remembered that there was such a small river on the way back to Dengzhou from the current escape route. As long as he walked along the river bank to the west and downstream, there were many villages there. There will be a bridge to cross the river.
Sure enough, after the Ming army marched downstream along the river bank for about two miles, they found a stone bridge across the river. Everyone was overjoyed and hurriedly set foot on this escape passage. Guo Xingning was also relieved, because according to the signs on the map, it was all plains to the north after crossing the river, and it was less than thirty miles away from Dengzhou City. He could try to warn the Ming army stationed nearby for help. .
Gao Qiaonan led his troops to pursue him here only a moment later, but the Ming army troops had already crossed the river and headed towards Dengzhou City. If they continued to pursue this, the risk would be much greater than fighting in the mountains. . Although Gao Qiaonan was unwilling to give in, he also knew that he could no longer pursue recklessly at this time and could only withdraw his troops in anger.
Of course, this half-day and one-night battle was not fruitless. In addition to killing and wounding over a hundred Ming troops, about seventy or eighty prisoners of war were captured alive during the pursuit. Most of them fell down due to exhaustion during the escape. There were also a few captives who realized that there was no hope of escape and came out of the mountains and surrendered on their own in order to save their lives.
Most of the flags, weapons, and supplies of this Ming army had been discarded during the escape. When Gao Qiaonan returned from the original route, he asked his soldiers to collect all the useful items. Especially the various flags representing the troops and commanding generals of the Ming Army. These things are the evidence to go back to the headquarters to ask for credit. As long as they are seen on the way, they will be collected without hesitation.
Gao Qiaonan was afraid that his superiors at the mining area would be impatient, so he ordered people to ride back to the mining area to report the news on two horses captured on the way. In this battle in the mountains and forests, due to the limited forces that Takahashi Nan could command, he was unable to trap the Ming army in the mountains. Although they achieved considerable gains, their opponents eventually escaped.
In order to launch a night attack last night, Takahashi Minami and his men almost didn't rest all night. In order to save energy on the return trip, they stopped rushing. After walking for a full day, I stopped and rested five or six times. It was not until evening that I returned to the mining area and reported back to Morgan and Chen Yixin.
For this not particularly satisfactory result, Morgan and Chen Yixin did not blame Takahashi Nan for his poor command. In fact, if we want to get to the bottom of it, it was still a slight mistake in the pre-war deployment. If the army troops deployed near Guxian Town were transferred to the command of Gao Qiaonan, and only the cavalry battalion was left to harass the Ming army's rear route when it came, perhaps the Ming army would have no luck in fleeing into the mountains. Or they could make some noise in the mountains and forests on the flanks of the battlefield in advance to create a suspicious formation, so that the Ming army would not dare to evacuate from this direction. Instead, they would choose to return directly from the same route. Then they could concentrate their forces to Guxian Town to block the Ming army, and then A pincer attack with the troops in the mining area will definitely be more effective than a night-long pursuit like a battle camp.
However, things have reached this point, and the next thing to consider may be to guess how the opponent will react, and how to deal with it.
(End of chapter)