History Park: Starting with the Imjin War

Chapter 50 Peony Peak

The next day, before dawn, the Ming army camp, like a giant beast, slowly raised its spine in the wind and snow.

In various camps, the fires were kept low, and not all the torches were lit.

The soldiers in each battalion began to prepare in the darkness.

The Liaodong soldiers led their horses, the southern soldiers bound their legs, and the gunners checked the gunpowder.

The archer adjusted the bowstring, and the shield-bearer tightened the cloth strip around his wrist.

Unlike the usual hustle and bustle, no one spoke loudly at this time.

Before the actual battle, the military camp is not too noisy.

Outside the central command tent, Mo Qin stood at the door.

He wasn't qualified to go inside for the meeting, but Han Shouyi still led the group outside the tent to receive his orders.

A corner of the tent flap was blown up by the strong wind, and out of the corner of his eye, Mochin could see the lights inside the tent, as well as the unfolded map of Pyongyang.

On the map, the west, north, and south sides of Pyongyang have been circled with a vermilion pen.

An opening has been left on the east side, near the river.

Li Rusong could not have forgotten this place; it was clearly left there on purpose.

A besieged city leaves no openings; a cornered beast fights to the death.

Leave a way out so that the enemy can fall into chaos on their own.

Mo Qin is very familiar with this tactic.

In the apocalypse, most of the battles for strongholds are like this.

The attacking side blocks all exits.

The defenders are uncompromising; they'll fight you to the death.

If a seemingly escape route is left open, the morale of the defending troops will crumble, just like that time...

Mochin was still reminiscing, but the generals in the tent had all arrived one after another.

Li Rusong, wearing armor, stood with his back to the crowd in front of the painting.

Military strategists like Song Yingchang did not issue orders from this location.

The one who can speak in the tent today is a general who is willing to lead his men to their deaths.

Li Rusong's finger first touched the north of the city.

That high ground had been marked with two lines by the cinnabar brush.

Peony Peak!!!

Li Rusong began to speak:

"North of Pyongyang, Japanese troops occupy a high position."

"This mountain presses down on the city, and it also blocks our army's path of attack."

"There are wooden palisades, muskets, small cannons, barricades, and earthen ramparts on the mountain."

He began to lay out the knife wounds of the day, inch by inch.

"The city can be attacked later."

"This mountain cannot be taken later."

Li Rusong's fingers fell.

Wu Weizhong.

A middle-aged military officer stepped forward.

He was of medium build, with a calm expression, and looked even darker than Han Shouyi.

But as soon as he stood in front of the camera, he exuded a fierce aura, the kind that comes from years of military service.

"Your subordinate is here."

Li Rusong nodded and looked at him.

"You lead the southern troops and first take the outer edge of Peony Peak."

Wu Weizhong clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Yes, sir."

Li Rusong then pointed to a second spot.

"Cha Da Shou".

"Your subordinate is here."

"The cavalry will bring up the rear."

Li Rusong looked up at him and said, "No greed for credit, no rushing ahead, no chasing after the enemy."

Cha Da Shou clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Yes."

Li Rusong continued to select people.

"Zu Chengxun's former subordinates, under the command of the central army."

"The gunners are to wait for the mountain line to open up, as instructed yesterday."

"Firearms in each battalion must not be fired hastily."

"No movement is permitted until the signal cannon fires."

He issued instructions methodically, one by one.

Mochin stood outside the tent, listening intently.

He can understand half of it, but not the other half.

But he understood the idea; Li Rusong wasn't going to swarm in.

Finally, Li Rusong looked outside the tent.

"Han Shouyi".

Han Shouyi clasped his hands in a fist salute and stepped forward.

"exist."

"The vanguard will follow Wu's guerrilla flank and be at his disposal."

"No frontal assaults allowed."

"You must not overstep your authority."

"Do not chase after them recklessly."

Han Shouyi said loudly.

"clear."

Li Rusong glanced around outside the tent again.

It seemed unintentional.

But Mo Qin knew that that glance had landed on him.

Sure enough, Li Rusong added another sentence:

"Especially the ones you brought."

Han Shouyi quickly wrapped his fist around his fist.

Li Rusong turned his gaze back to the map of Pyongyang.

With a snap, a large hand pressed down directly onto the area on the map, from Peony Peak towards the north of the city.

"If you don't take the mountain, the city won't be easy to conquer."

"Today we will surely take this mountain."

The generals inside the tent responded in unison.

"yes!"

"Each battalion shall act according to yesterday's orders."

"No one is allowed to steal heads indiscriminately."

"They must not be allowed to enter the city without authorization."

"The flag must not be abandoned."

"Do not disorganize."

"Drums advance, metal stops."

"Those who retire."

He paused for a moment, then uttered the last word:

"cut."

Then, the war drums sounded.

It wasn't a rapid drumbeat, but three low, deep beats.

thump.

thump.

thump.

Each team in the camp began to march out.

Mo Qin picked up the gun from the ground, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to look at Liu Gao.

Liu Gao had already fastened the lion-head shield to his left arm.

The shield was much larger than the rattan shields of the Zhejiang soldiers next to it, and the lion head on the shield was already worn out by snow, mud, and old blood.

He was staring at the rattan shield soldiers not far away.

The Southern soldiers are arranging rattan shields.

The rattan plaque is round and light, with layers of fine rattan woven around its edges. It is coated with oil and has a matte finish in the firelight.

Compared to Liu Gao's heavy lion-head shield, it looks rather flimsy.

After watching for a while, Liu Gao couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Brother Qin."

"I still think that thing is too fragile."

"Since a fight has broken out, I'd better take the initiative and help them block the Japanese pirates' firearms."

Before Mo Qin could answer, the Zhejiang soldier who was binding his legs turned around and glanced at him.

The man was young, with several frostbite cracks on his face, a rattan shield on his shoulder, and a short knife beside him.

He first fastened the rattan shield to his arm, then gently twisted his wrist, saying to himself:

"We appreciate your kindness, but we can handle it."

Liu Gao was taken aback.

The Zhejiang soldier pressed the rattan shield diagonally forward.

"If a Japanese pirate's lead bullet hits it directly, even iron might not be able to withstand it."

"Ultimately, rattan shields aren't something you can just withstand by brute force."

"It leans to the side."

"It's done by unloading."

After saying that, he looked at the lion-head shield on Liu Gao's shoulder.

"Your shield is very strong."

"But it's heavy."

Liu Gao looked down at his shield.

How do you know I'm heavy?

The soldier from Zhejiang pointed to his shoulder.

"Your shoulders are drooping."

"It would be strange if you carried it all the way, it wasn't heavy."

Liu Gao thought about it and felt it made sense.

He then asked:

"You're still using too little; won't it feel unstable when you hit it?"

Upon hearing this, the Zhejiang soldier pressed the rattan shield in front of him.

"People can drift away."

"The shield won't float."

This theory left Liu Gao completely bewildered.

Finally, he nodded, agreeing with Nan Bing's words.

Mo Qin then looked at Lin Jun behind him.

She was tying up her cuffs. The part that had been cut off by the ghost yesterday had been torn off, and now the cuffs were an inch shorter, making them look a bit awkward.

But that doesn't matter. She had been watching the Zhejiang soldiers' formation ever since.

The rattan shield was in front, the long spear was behind, and the halberd was sandwiched in the gap.

The swordsmen lowered their stance even further, while the firearmsmen and archers trailed behind, their fire ropes held protectively in their palms.

This unit's style was completely different from that of the Liaodong Army.

The Liaodong soldiers were like a bow drawn in the wind and snow.

Hard, fast, ruthless.

The Southern soldiers looked like a row of teeth pushing forward.

Slow, close, and once you bite down, don't let go.

Lin Jun watched for a while, then whispered:

"A typical style of teamwork, not reckless bravery!"

Mo Qin hummed in agreement.

"Speaking of this, I'm not sleepy at all! When I was in college, I was the moderator of the Ming Dynasty forum and did some popular science. The Southern army's marching formations were very dense, their pace was extremely uniform, they advanced slowly as a whole, everyone stayed in the formation, they would never leave the line alone, and they would never charge without permission. The entire process was carried out in whole rows and columns as combat units."

"Those in the front row are dedicated to holding up shields to block the enemy's charge. Those in the back row are specializing in stabbing with spears, those in the middle fill gaps, and there are also firearms soldiers for fixed-point long-range suppression. It's all about the division of labor and cooperation among everyone to kill the enemy."

Lin Jun answered softly.

"But once the formation breaks down, all combat power is lost, which is the most fatal weakness."

"So they can't break up."

Nodding, Mo Qin glanced at her.

"By the way, did you sleep well last night?"

Lin Jun turned her face to the side.

She looks alright today.

But Mochin knew that she had slept very little last night.

The reason is that they discussed it for a long time.

Ghost Head wouldn't have been so idle yesterday to cause such a scene.

He was telling Mo Qin, and also telling Lin Jun:

I've got my eye on you!

Not a very clever psychological warfare

Lin Jun also said last night:

"He wanted to see me panic and feel burdened. So I let him think he had succeeded."

Mochin asked at the time:

"You have a plan?"

Lin Jun replied:

"So we played along with his act, pretending to be under a lot of pressure, which affected our performance in the fight."

She made the enemy think that if they were to assassinate or launch a sneak attack, she would be the easiest piece of flesh to be bitten today.

Mochin didn't like the plan, but he didn't object.

Seeing that Mo Qin remained silent, Lin Jun patted his arm, her tone half-teasing and half-serious: "Don't look so gloomy. Don't worry, we still have you as our pillar of strength, don't we?"

Mo Qin glanced at her sideways: "I'm just afraid you'll overact and mess things up."

Lin Jun ignored him: "Let's not talk about me. You should stop acting like a headless fly, jumping around aimlessly and doing stupid things."

These words made Mo Qin a little angry: "I'm the kind of person who does things slowly and deliberately, like an old donkey pulling a millstone!"

Lin Jun glanced at him, her eyes clearly saying: Do you even believe that yourself?

Liu Gao, standing nearby, was completely bewildered. He scratched the back of his head and interjected, "Wait, wait, what are you guys talking about? It's like a riddle, my brain can't process it!"

Just then, Yan Qi walked over from behind and said, "Show an opening to lure the enemy into a trap."

Liu Gao's eyes widened in alarm, "Ah? This, this is too dangerous! You absolutely mustn't do this!"

With a slight smile, Lin Jun said, "With your shield, Liu, what's there to be afraid of?"

Yan Qi, standing to the side, looked towards Peony Peak: "Today is bound to be a bloody battle."

Meanwhile, on the mountain, there were already scattered fires lit by the Japanese.

Behind the firelight, one could vaguely see barricades, wooden fences, and earthen mounds half-covered by snow.

Yan Qi watched for a while, then suddenly said:

"They planted their torches too low."

Mo Qin followed his gaze.

"Afraid of being exposed?"

"more than."

Yan Qi said:

"They were afraid we'd see the muzzle of the cannon."

Lin Jun's eyes flickered.

"What Zhou Hu said last night about the unusual artillery position is true."

"Um."

Thinking of the bloody battle, Mo Qin subconsciously gripped the gun barrel.

Deep within the chest and abdomen, the gas nuclei remain dormant.

The aura of the Cosmic General was activated at this moment, and the area within five meters around him underwent a slight change.

The halo actually has heat; it feels like the residual warmth around a brazier.

If you are a sensitive person, you can tell that the temperature here is two degrees Celsius higher than in other places!

Sensing the change in environment, Lin Jun glanced at Mo Qin, who was leaning on his gun.

But she didn't ask.

The army's drums sounded for the third time.

Wu Weizhong led the southern troops out of the ranks.

Han Shouyi waved to Mo Qin.

"You guys, follow me to the flank."

"Don't rush ahead of Guerrilla Wu."

"Anyone who dares to steal the credit will be beheaded."

Liu Gao nodded immediately.

"I heard you."

Han Shouyi glared at him.

I wasn't talking about you.

Liu Gao was taken aback.

"Who is that?"

Han Shouyi looked at Mo Qin.

Mochin looked determined, staring straight ahead.

"Don't worry, Commander Han."

Han Shouyi sneered.

"You're the one I worry about the most."

Mo Qin sighed.

There still needs to be some trust between people.

"Wait till you stop being so sarcastic, then you can talk to me about trust again."

Hearing this, Han Shouyi ignored him and turned around to shout:

"Walk!"