Chapter 65
Bai Lang didn't know what kind of elixir it was, but when he saw this guy named Chen Shiyi again, he was dressed like a servant in a green cap, serving behind Governor Sun. Bai Lang looked at the man for a few times and found that he was shaking... Governor Bai just laughed and ignored him. Bai Lang was attending the meeting on behalf of Governor Deng. Governor Deng himself would be deployed in the south with Zuo Liangyu's army and might not intervene in this war.
This was the case originally. If both commanders were present, who would be the leader and who would be the deputy? And whose orders would they obey? If they were not careful, conflicts would easily arise. Therefore, the two sides only agreed to cooperate strategically at the beginning. That is, Governor Deng would deploy on the flanks and would not actively intervene in this battle. He would mainly put pressure on the bandits on the flanks and prevent them from running to the south. With Zhang Xianzhong's army being defeated and the rest of the troops scattered after he surrendered, the Ming army had a great advantage in this decisive battle.
As a fulcrum, Xiangyang effectively supported the southern defense line. At the same time, Governor Deng could also provide logistical support for Governor Sun. Even if the remnants of Zhang Xianzhong's army fled to the north and joined Li Chuang's army, it would not change the strategic situation. These escaped Zhang Xianzhong's troops also spread Bai Lang's prestige to Li Chuang's camp... "Is it the newly appointed Right Governor-General Pingxi in the opposite official army..." During the military meeting, Li Zicheng and the generals and advisors also talked about this. What should we do if Bai Lang leads his army to break the formation?
There is a very simple way to deal with the government troops, which is to pretend to be defeated and leave behind all kinds of gold, silver and jewelry. Almost every time, the government troops would fight for these treasures and thus disrupt the ranks, stretching the formation and being defeated by counterattacks. However, in many cases, the peasant army did not succeed in pretending to be defeated and actually lost - the fighting power of the government troops was not weak, especially if the elite troops of the Nine Frontiers were transferred from the Eastern Tartar Front.
Both sides were moving troops and generals. Li Zicheng was still preparing to mobilize the government troops through large-scale maneuvers. However, Governor Deng and the former Zuo Liangyu army were ready in Xiangyang, and Kaifeng was under siege, so there was really not much area for maneuver. Governor Sun only led the army to deploy the troops, and gave the 3,000 Bailang light cavalry to prepare to bite Li Zicheng 's main force. After confirming Li Zicheng's movements, a main battle would decide the outcome. If they won, the rebellion of the bandits that had lasted for more than 20 years would be basically quelled. If they lost... the Ming Dynasty would be doomed.
Bai Lang knew the connection between the two. Sun Dushi thought he was a military commander. A rude and uncultured military commander didn't need to explain the strategy so thoroughly. He just needed to fight in the battlefield, not to mention a warrior like him. However, Bai Lang had also received sixteen years of formal education, and his knowledge was probably broader than that of most people in this world. Of course, he could understand the importance of this battle, and of course, his comment was a gamble on the fate of the country...
"The probability of winning is still quite high, but as long as I am there, I will definitely win!" Bai Lang has great trust in himself, otherwise how can he practice the true meaning of tiger form? Where is the domineering power in his fists and feet? He put on the Shanwen armor - this time he didn't wear chain mail, reducing the weight to release horsepower. This is the finely crafted Shanwen armor used by the general. Although the surface is not painted and is the original color of silver steel, the cotton cloth covering it is colorful, and overall it is still white.
There are breast shields on the front and back of his chest, and the phoenix-wing helmet on his head has the same white tiger's mouth as before. This time, Bai Lang even saved the cloak. His weapon is still mainly a long sword. This time, he gave up the original Qinglong Yanyue Sword and replaced it with a long-handled broadsword with a slender body but a longer blade. This kind of sword is easier to stab than the Qinglong Sword, and the longer blade is also beneficial to Bai Lang's chopping and killing range. And this time, Bai Lang also brought a spear, a retro spear with a blade more than twice as long as the average spear, but the handle is relatively not that long.
Apart from that, he only carried a goose feather knife. The two long weapons in his hands were not heavier than the original Qinglong Yanyue Sword, but the real killing power was probably stronger. Bai Lang had tried holding a long weapon in each hand , and found that he could use it and it was quite suitable, so of course he followed suit. Is this also practicing martial arts? Anyway, in the end, he killed with his bare hands...
Three thousand light cavalry actually means one thousand five hundred to six hundred cavalry, but the number of horses is indeed more than three thousand, and there are also some carriages for carrying supplies. Bai Lang brought three horses, one for regular riding, one for transfer, and the last one for breaking into the battle. "I can't just kill them this time." The White Tiger Star Lord muttered. He was surrounded by several garrisons and thousand households who led these cavalry, as well as the staff sent by Governor Sun. The actual command was the responsibility of these officers and staff - they also knew that Bai Lang was a brave general, not a commander.
The light cavalry marched very quickly, and almost caught up with a peasant army in three days. Bai Lang's cavalry march route had been set in advance during the military meeting. His mission was to lure and catch Li Zicheng's main force, and to catch them within a certain range so that Governor Sun could lead the main force to fight. The peasant army in front of him was also a mixed cavalry and infantry. There were about 5,000 to 6,000 people, and there were no old or weak people. Perhaps they were the elite among the bandits.
Bai Lang didn't care. He just shouted, "Line up, follow me!" After that, he waited for half an hour to let the auxiliary soldiers help him put on half a vest, and then he rushed out directly... The entire light cavalry had just formed a battle formation, but unexpectedly the commander took the lead and charged. This boosted the morale of these soldiers - there were not too many generals who took the lead in the charge... Especially when it came to the third rank, most of them were in charge of commanding battles, and there was probably not a single one who actually wielded a knife to chop people.
However, Bai Lang did just that. He was as strong as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger. He roared like a tiger with a long-handled broadsword in his right hand and an iron spear in his left hand, and rushed towards the peasant army in front of him. Of course, the other side also discovered the government troops and quickly arranged the infantry in a military formation. The government troops were all light cavalry. If everyone wanted to run, they would die. It would be better to fight to the death with the government troops. Of course, these peasant soldiers also quickly sent out cavalry for help and summoned nearby troops to rescue them.
This was also an opportunity. The government troops, all light cavalry, must be elite. If they could be held back and King Chuang sent troops to annihilate them, it would certainly deal a heavy blow to the morale of the government troops led by General Sun. But what was going on with this government general who had come out a long way? Did he want to break into the enemy's formation alone? The armor on his body and the vest on his horse showed that he was a senior general. How could such a general break into the enemy's formation?
At this time, the assembled light cavalry raised the Bailang banner and began to charge. As soon as the winged white tiger flag was raised, the peasant army immediately knew who this person was - the government army had a general who was extremely fierce and killed the Eight Great Kings. Everyone already knew this...
