Whether it was a fierce battle against Xinhui or the capture of places like Gaoming, Sanshui, and Shunde, in the final analysis the goal was to regain Guangzhou and thereby free Guangdong as a whole from the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

After the main force of the Qing army was eliminated, Li Dingguo's army quickly moved northward. For Xinhui, Lianchengbi and several Ming troops of different systems were stationed here as a transshipment center for grain and grass transporting along the Xijiang River. These Ming troops

, mainly the troops of the Ming Army in western Guangdong, but there is also a troop under Li Dingguo stationed here to prevent Shang Ke from returning happily and jumping to the outside to cut off the Ming Army's food route.

This possibility is not non-existent. The "Miracle on the Vistula" staged during the Soviet-Polish War after World War I forcibly brought Poland and even the whole of Europe back from the brink of national subjugation. God knows, it is still possible to be happy to encounter such a situation.

No one can guarantee whether Piłsudski's soul will be possessed after a disastrous defeat.

The Ming army marched north in large numbers. Pingnan King Shang Kexi and Gushan Ezhen Zhumala, who were still remembered by the Ming army, had already rushed to the lower reaches of the Xijiang River with the cavalry organized before the defeat after getting rid of the Ming army's pursuit.

There are Ming navy patrols on the Xijiang River, which is very disadvantageous for them. However, of the nearly five thousand Qing troops, nearly half of them are Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners, and the rest are mostly Pingnan vassal soldiers.

There was no leader in the Jiangmen Market. This Qing army clearly needed to be more organized in defeat.

Shang Kexi had not thought about killing Li Dingguo with a carbine when he was on the road. However, whether Li Dingguo's army had left or where it had gone is unknown. If he had used a carbine to kill him, he would have accidentally killed a sheep.

Entering the tiger's mouth is not what a wise man does.

In addition, Shang Kexi did not have the final say in this defeated army. Although Zhu Mala was more inclined to Shang Kexi's judgment, he would most likely not agree to such a risk. What's more,

He had already expressed to Zhumala earlier that he would go south to cross the lower reaches of the Xijiang River. Changing his mind temporarily would be detrimental to the survival of this army.

All the way south, the cavalry of the brigade did not go along the coast to avoid being discovered by the Ming navy. However, in order to cross the river, they also constantly sent out exploration horses to explore the hydrological conditions downstream. As expected, it turned out that here and other places in the Pearl River Delta

The same as the other regions, reaching the lower reaches, the number of Jiangxin Islands was still very large, or even increasing. At the same time, several places were selected that were convenient for crossing the river, and Shang Kexi quietly started the work of smuggling across the Xijiang River.

Relying on the fact that there was no radio or surveillance camera network with extremely high coverage in this era, Shang Kexi divided into several batches and finally transported most of the Qing army across Xijiang within five days.

However, in the final stage, the Ming fleet was still aware of it. As a result, the fleet gathered and rushed to the crossing point. The Ming cavalry who came after hearing the news also followed. The river was already the territory of the Ming army, leaving behind

The seven or eight hundred Qing cavalrymen behind them had no choice but to evacuate on their own and look for other convenient places to cross the river.

After crossing the Xijiang River, there were only 4,000 Qing troops left. The only good news was that everyone had horses and could maneuver quickly. But there was also bad news, that is, the road home was still very difficult.

It is far away, and the water network is crisscrossed along the way. The time it takes is beyond the imagination of the vast Northland. If you want to return to Guangzhou smoothly, you have just passed the first hurdle.

After crossing the Xijiang River, this is already the boundary of Xiangshan County. Shang Kexi looked at the map, listened to the reports of the scouts, and quickly determined their current location and how to move forward next.

"To the southeast here is the territory of those red-haired ghosts. They have boats, and they are big, bigger than the Zheng family's watercraft. They are used for ocean trade. It stands to reason that you should rush there and borrow the boat to go north.

Returning is the best. But..."

Having said this, Shang Kexi stopped talking and continued to stare at the map, trying to figure out some clues.

Of course, Zhu Mala could understand this. It is said that those red-haired ghosts had cooperated with the Ming Dynasty earlier and sent troops to assist in the war. Later, Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao occupied Guangzhou, but they stayed silent for a few years and cooperated with the Zheng family.

The scale of trade between the two countries has been basically cut off. However, in the final analysis, these red-haired ghosts have a better relationship with the Ming army and will always be biased. What's more, even if Macau is impartial in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, now the Qing Dynasty

The collapse of the main force of the army was a great opportunity for the Ming army to sweep into Guangdong. Naturally, it was impossible for Macau to offend ruthless characters like Li Dingguo, Zheng Chenggong, and Chen Kai for the sake of these lost dogs.

Reality has always been so cruel. There is no need for Shang Kexi to explain it clearly. When Zhu Mala heard the three words "red-haired ghost", he already realized that it was a dead end wasting time.

"Actually, Prince Pingnan, before crossing the river, I also thought about whether to lie dormant on the west bank of the Xijiang River for a while, and then fight back to Xinhui to clear the way for the bandits..."

As soon as Zhu Mala spoke, Shang Kexi raised his head and looked at Zhu Mala in shock. He had also had this idea, but there were more problems and difficulties, and the risks needed to be taken were also greater.

Among them, there was even more need to convince Zhumala. Who would have thought that the Manchu commander in front of him, whom he originally thought needed to be persuaded, actually thought of it together with him.

"Prince Pingnan has also thought of it, right?"

The night was solemn, and the flickering light of the bonfire illuminated Shang Kexi's face. However, the look on his face was reflected in Zhumala's eyes, which made him make such a judgment.

As expected, Shang Kexi did not deny this. Unfortunately, like Zhu Mala, Shang Kexi did not dare to take risks easily. In addition to the problems that their remnant soldiers had to face, the more important thing was that Guangzhou

where.

"On weekdays, Prince Jingnan has quite a relationship with me, so I always have to protect Prince Jingnan. But now that the situation has become critical, I will speak frankly -

-The Prince of Jingnan in Guangzhou City is not as good as his father. If his father were stationed in Guangzhou and there were more than ten thousand vassal soldiers guarding it, I would be willing to take a risk, but neither of these things exists now.

, maybe we took Xinhui away, but lost it in Guangzhou. Instead, we picked up the sesame seeds and lost the watermelons, which is completely putting the cart before the horse."

What Shang Kexi mentioned was something Zhu Mala had never thought of before. However, it is easy to understand. After all, Geng Jimao was Chen Kai's defeated general - it may not be shameful to lose to an unknown general.

After all, that military commander might become a famous general in the future, but he lost to a civilian official and lost twice in a row, resulting in heavy losses for the royal family and vassal soldiers. This is actually more likely to make people laugh.

The habitual view that civil servants do not know soldiers is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but in the late Ming Dynasty, there were no civil servants who knew soldiers and were good at fighting. For example, Xiong Tingbi, Lu Xiangsheng, Du Yinxi, and others who are still alive but have already surrendered to the Qing army

Hong Chengchou was a very tough and ruthless character. He was more able to fight and dared to fight than most generals of this era. But his views were fixed. Even if Chen Kai did well, others would still inevitably use "lost to the civil servants"

"Come to ridicule Geng Jimao.

"After this battle, maybe no one will look down on the traitor Chen Kai anymore."

"It is more likely that in the future we will become like the Prince of Jingnan, a soft-footed shrimp that even civil servants cannot beat."

After talking about this, the two of them couldn't help but sigh again. Next, naturally they still have to go north as soon as possible, but the choice of route, as well as food and grass, these things have to be taken into consideration. Otherwise, not to mention being stopped by the Ming army on the way.

It's possible that I'll just say it was a smooth journey, but I'm afraid I'll starve to death on the road.

"In terms of food and fodder, it is not difficult to plunder some on the road and force the gentry to reward the army. Moreover, the news of our defeat will not spread so quickly. We only need to seize all the time, be more careful, and

All things considered, I can always return to Guangzhou."

That's all we can do for the time being. In fact, from the moment Xinhui was captured by the Ming army, many things were already doomed. Even if they tried to break free and tried their best, Chen Kai was really not one of those who fought for the supremacy of the party.

Good thing, he and Zheng Chenggong worked well together earlier, and this time he can get along harmoniously with Li Dingguo. It seems that even the wild rumors outside that Chen Kai and Guo Zhiqi are at odds with each other, now that they think about it again, there is always some conspiracy.

may be at.

After the agreement was over, it was natural to rest as soon as possible. There was no talk all night, and early the next morning, the Qing army had used the dry food and set off. The first goal was to plunder a village first, get some food and grass supplies, and kill the people.

, the horse’s belly is full before we talk about anything else.

They are all experienced at looting and killing, and they can do it with ease.

War horses always carry some dry food. This is the most basic quality of a cavalry, just in case of emergencies. However, after running away from Jiangmen for several days, I tightened my belt and basically ate all the dry food. Yesterday

That meal may have been the last meal for many Qing soldiers - if they couldn't find food next.

After eating and drinking enough, and building up their power, they continued their journey. The crossing point and the first village they plundered were geographically located with Xiangshan County as the top, Macau as the low point, and the Lingding Ocean.

The western part of the area surrounded by waterways such as Xiangshan Ao and Xijiang River. From here, go all the way north, out of Xiangshan County, into Shunde County, and finally try to return to Guangzhou. This was all discussed earlier. As we continue to travel,

The route, precautions, etc. are gradually being completed. With food in my stomach, I feel confident in my heart.

The war horses still need to build up their strength, and it is not appropriate to let the horses run wild for the time being. They went north as planned, but the further they went, the more they felt something was wrong. It wasn't that something was wrong somewhere else, it was just that the more people they could see along the way, the more they felt something was wrong.

There are fewer and fewer people coming, especially those in the villages, which are all deserted, which always gives people a chilling feeling down their spines.

Worry arose in their hearts, and they had no choice but to send out a detective horse to inquire about the situation. After a long time, a detective horse finally came back, but the news they brought made them unable to laugh.

"Master, Prince Pingnan, those Han dogs all said that the feudal soldiers cannibalize people, so they all hid. They also gave the feudal soldiers a nickname, called Ogres. It is said that this nickname was set by Chen Kai, in Xiangshan County

Some gentry planned to call the feudal soldiers Yama the demon, but Chen Kai flatly rejected it. He said it was unlucky to call him the Yama demon..."

The civilian who was finally captured bit his tongue and committed suicide on the way, probably because he was afraid that the "ogres" would eat him alive. Tan Ma was a soldier of the Eight Banners of Mongolia. Although he might not be able to defeat the soldiers with real swords and guns, he

The system of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, Manchu and Mongolian integration, has a psychological advantage for the Han people, even the Han military flag. At this moment, his face clearly shows his dissatisfaction with the bad reputation of the feudal soldiers, which may cause them to starve in the future, and he speaks less.

I had some concerns.

When Shang Kexi and Zhu Mala heard the words, their first reaction was that Chen Kai was really wicked. Yun Long was obviously responsible for arranging them in this way, but the subsequent feelings were completely different.

The latter knew nothing about the cannibalism incident in Xinhui. When he first heard about the cannibalism, he thought it was the people's fear of the Eight Banners Army. But after listening carefully, he realized that the Eight Banners Army was now more powerful in this land.

The vassal soldiers had lost their reputation, and for a while there was still some competitive thoughts.

This is the most normal thing, because the Qing army relied on the reputation of massacres and looting to suppress many potential opponents. Now suddenly there are internal competitors, and they actually surpassed them. There will always be

A bit of fear arose. But for Shang Kexi, this gave rise to other thoughts.

The Qing army that was defeated at this moment was, to be precise, the Qing army that was defeated before crossing the Xijiang River. In terms of composition, more than 2,000 of them were from the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia, and 2,000 were from

The vassal soldiers of Pingnan vassal, and the rest are the vassal soldiers of Han Banner and Jingnan vassal, the number and proportion are very small.

At that time, the defeat was imminent. Shang Kexi adjusted his deployment. When he was preparing to escape, he deliberately singled out the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia and his royal vassal soldiers and distributed horses. In addition, he also sent Xu Erxian with a group of troops to quell the Nanfan.

Evacuating the battlefield in advance was also called intercepting the Ming cavalry. To put it bluntly, it was to use the Han military flag and the Jingnan vassal soldiers to fight for more lives for them with the lives of these Qing troops.

Zhumala had noticed such a sinister thought early on. This was human nature, and it was in line with his fundamental interest of giving priority to preserving the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia, so he turned a blind eye.

But the problem now is that the cannibalism in Xinhui has spread among the people in Xiangshan County, and it is likely that the same is true in Shunde County, which was once occupied by the Ming army. The next supply of food and grass may not be so easy, especially

In this deep winter, even in Guangdong, it is not easy to find food in the wild. At that time, the first ones to be sacrificed will naturally be the remaining Han army flags and Jingnan vassal soldiers.

, but after these guys are sacrificed, is it possible that the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia will be used to provide his vassal soldiers with a chance to survive?

"How about trying to raid the county seat?"

"It's useless. The city gates must have been sealed long ago. Without siege equipment, there is nothing we can do to take over the city."

Hearing the whispers of the officers, Shang Kexi and Zhumala looked at each other and had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue heading north.

Soon, they passed the Shiqi River that merged into Lingding Ocean from north to east in Xiangshan County, and then went all the way north, trying their best to pass quickly. However, there was really no surprise to Shang Keke. The further they walked, the more they could see

The fewer people arrived, the limited number of people who could be captured also talked about the cannibalism of the feudal soldiers. In addition to the bacon that was actually made, in the mouths of those people, there were many stories of the feudal soldiers of Xinhui eating human flesh.

, it’s just like using human flesh to make a Manchu-Han banquet.

Along the way, all the people had already fled. Once they heard that the Qing army was passing through, there were many people who entered the city, fled into the mountains, and escaped into the sea by boat. In short, they never dared to let the Qing army see a single person. Moreover,

What's even worse is that there always seem to be some Ming troops behind them. The number is very small. They look like they are just scouting horses, but who knows if there are large-scale Qing troops following those guys, waiting to bite them.
To be continued...