In Tianzhu Mountain in eastern Guizhou, at the turn of spring and summer, the vegetation is lush. Among the lush greenery, there are many camps of the Ming army. The shouts of drills and killings can be heard one after another. Sometimes there are horses neighing and elephants roaring. It is very lively. This place is located in the south of Huguang.

In the battle situation, it is exactly as its name suggests, acting as the Optimus Prime Stone behind the first-line Ming army in Chenzhou and Baoqing.

There are 60,000 troops stationed here, which is quite powerful. However, the significance of this army's existence here is not limited to being the stamina of the Ming army in Chenzhou and Baoqing. Their more important task is to attack.

It was just that he was probably forgotten by the commander of this army.

At the beginning of last year, Sun Kewang decided to re-activate Liu Wenxiu, the king of Funan who had been relieved of military power due to the tragic defeat of Baoning in the sixth year of Yongli Period. He hoped that Liu Wenxiu could open up the situation in Huguang and then capture Wuhan, move down the river, and cooperate with the southern Zhili army.

The rebels and Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan who went north captured Nanjing.

In the three games of Catalpa Ping, Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and Qian Qianyi were not the only ones. He Wangsheng and others were interested. In fact, Sun Kewang also really had great hopes for this. However, Liu Wenxiu kept pushing back at first, and then

On the contrary, he accepted the appointment of Sun Kewang for the general recruitment, but after arriving at the Tianzhu Mountain Camp, he did not take action immediately. Instead, he kept telling Sun Kewang that the training of the sergeants was insufficient, the military supplies were not sufficient, and the current Huguang war situation was not conducive to sending troops.

He made excuses and refused to move even for a moment.

Liu Wenxiu was as immovable as a mountain, but Sun Kewang had already agreed with Qian Qianyi on the eight-year plan of Yongli. How could he be so lazy? As a result, letters of urging and explanation were exchanged in Guiyang and Tianzhu Mountain.

The frequent exchanges between camps lasted from the beginning of the eighth year of Yongli to April of the ninth year of Yongli. It took more than a year and the messenger's legs were getting thin, but Liu Wenxiu was still like that.

Unmoving as a mountain.

In April, this army with 60,000 cavalry and more than 40 war elephants continued to train. The surrounding birds and beasts had long been accustomed to this poor group. They had no fur or feathers to cover their bodies, and had to wear plants on their bodies.

The noise of the monsters who came to keep warm seemed no different from the previous year or so.

The center of the camp forest is Liu Wenxiu's main camp. In the Chinese army's tent, the two commanders assigned to him by Sun Kewang, Feng Shuangli and Lu Mingchen, are not here. Instead, Liu Wenxiu's son, the King of Funan, is not here.

The eldest son, Liu Zhen, was here. The father and son were sitting in a large tent that was so empty that even the soldiers had been kicked out. The sounds they made to each other were far lower than what they usually did at home. Among them,

The deliberate element is obvious.

"Father, are we going to send out troops now?"

"Yeah, I really can't put it off any longer."

With a sigh, Liu Zhen naturally understood the reason why his father had been delayed for more than a year. Earlier, Sun Kewang relieved Liu Wenxiu of his military power. When Liu Wenxiu abandoned his residence in Kunming, he "Yi Xunxun, and he sincerely taught his children to study in a Confucian style".

, wanted to enter Jizu Mountain to learn Taoism", it can be said that he was discouraged. This state lasted from the Battle of Baoning in the sixth year of Yongli to the beginning of the eighth year of Yongli, for more than a year, until Sun Kewang

When he wanted to use Liu Wenxiu again, Liu Wenxiu tried to avoid it in every possible way. As a result, the Prison of Mr. Eighteen soon broke out. Liu Wenxiu simply accepted the appointment and went to the Tianzhu Mountain Camp to preside over military affairs.

They were afraid that Sun Kewang would be dissatisfied with his desires and attack him, but that would not happen. He was not a political idiot like Li Dingguo, nor did he have the upright temperament of others. He had never been the highest priority threat to Sun Kewang.

, at least while Li Dingguo is still alive, Sun Kewang will not rashly touch him, the four great princes of the Great West.

However, the Prison of Mr. Eighteen pushed the conflict between the Yongli court and the Qin Palace to the extreme. Sun Kewang's ambition to usurp the throne was clearly exposed. At this point, Liu Wenxiu never planned to wear a pair of trousers with Sun Kewang. On the contrary, in his mind

He is similar to Li Dingguo, but his actions are not so drastic, and his prestige among the southwestern Ming army is also far inferior.

After this political struggle ended, Liu Wenxiu nominally took over the command and prepared to go to the third round of the Catalpa Ping Dynasty. However, in fact, he wanted to control the troops going out to prevent Sun Kewang from having to lead the troops himself.

If we go on an expedition, it will be difficult to control the power of the Qin Palace.

"But if my father refuses to move lightly, will Uncle Sun have the guts to lead the troops into battle?"

The implication of Liu Zhen's words is very clear. After the battle at Zhoujiapu, Sun Kewang's judgment on his own military ability has completely hit rock bottom. In fact, this is normal. There is a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, and they are almost guaranteed to win.

The battle was actually lost in the end. In a short period of time, Sun Kewang probably would not have the courage to lead the troops in battle again. It was precisely for this reason that Sun Kewang could tolerate Liu Wenxiu's excuses again and again.

"Without your Uncle Sun, wouldn't there still be Feng Shuangli and Bai Wenxuan? They are also Gan Da's adopted sons, but their status is slightly lower than that of the four of us. A few days ago, news came that it was your Uncle Li and Zhang

Chen Kai, the mastermind of the Duke, joined forces to take over the province of Guangdong. Seeing that your Uncle Li has made new achievements, his strength has greatly increased, and he has powerful allies, I am afraid that your Uncle Sun will no longer be able to bear his temper.

"

Liu Zhen had already heard the story about Sun Kewang scolding Chen Kai for meddling in Qin's palace earlier, and he also knew in detail that he regarded Li Dingguo as the biggest stumbling block in his attempt to usurp the throne.

Nowadays, Sun Kewang sees that this biggest stumbling block is becoming more and more prosperous. Of course, his heart is scratching his heart like a hundred claws. How can he bear it any longer? From the moment the news reached Guiyang, Sun Kewang's letter to Liu Wenxiu,

The wording of each letter became more severe. After such a long delay, Liu Wenxiu asked himself that he could no longer find a reason, so he had to tell Guiyang that the army had been restored and trained and was ready to go on the expedition.

"Furthermore, to give a detailed report, it is said that the old dog Hong Chengchou has mobilized a large number of elite green battalions from Shaanxi. If nothing unexpected happens, they will arrive in the next few months. If we don't take action, I am afraid that we will never be able to catch up with the emptiness of Huguang.

The situation is over."

This is what Liu Wenxiu has known for a long time, but military affairs have always been subordinated to politics. However, at this time, neither Sun Kewang nor Liu Wenxiu knew what their final destination was in Nanzhili.

There were no Ming troops to support them. Not to mention the end of Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan's three incursions into the Yangtze River, even He Wangsheng and his group of influential local anti-Qing people were often followed by the Qing court.

A case of congratulating Wang Sheng and reunifying the Ming Dynasty has completely beaten the anti-Qing forces in Southern Zhili to a pulp, leaving no one with the courage to continue to join forces.

Fortunately, for the Qinping Three Bureaus, the rebels from Zhili in the south and Zhang Mingzhen sent north by Zheng Chenggong, and Zhang Huangyan's army had always played a supporting role. There was only one real main force, and that was the Qin Palace's Qianqian Army. There was no southwest

The main force of the Ming army penetrated Huguang, and then went down the river to cut off the Yangtze River with the cooperation of the Zheng Group. There was no chance that the Qing army south of the Yangtze River could make dumplings and eat them slowly.

The military order was issued, and the army, under the command of two commanders, Feng Shuangli and Lu Mingchen, divided the water, and the land and sea parts went down the Yuan River and attacked the city of Changde.

This was Liu Wenxiu's plan as early as last year, and he only took it out after he could no longer delay it. At this time, Lu Mingchen led the navy, and Liu Wenxiu and Feng Shuangli led the land division to advance, both on land and water.

, and then burst out of the cocoon in a mighty manner.

The target is Changde Mansion, which is located to the west of Dongting Lake, the dividing point between the north and south of Huguang. As long as we capture this place, we can also use the advantages of the Ming Army's navy to control Dongting Lake, and then capture the Yuezhou Fucheng line in the east of Dongting Lake, relying on Gan

If the mountains in the west are separated from each other, then the Huguang Qing army can be cut into two by the Ming army, and then the Ming army can defeat them first from the south and then from the north.

Such a plan is grand, and Liu Wenxiu has always been keen on making big plans in his military campaigns. This powerful enemy, whom Wu Sangui lamented as "never seen before in his life," is also second only to Li Dingguo in terms of ability among the Southwest Ming Army today.

The commander-in-chief, once he takes action, will naturally be thunderous.

The land and water divisions set off at the same time and rushed to Chenzhou Fucheng. After arriving, the land and water divisions formally divided their forces. In April, it was the rising season of the Yuan River. The fleet composed of more than a hundred large and small warships led by Lu Mingchen followed the flow of the river.

, quickly disappeared from the sight of the Ming army division, like a sharp arrow that had left the string, shooting towards the Changde Mansion.

On April 17, Lu Mingchen's fleet appeared like a magical general in Taoyuan County, which was only a dozen miles away from Changde City. This has always been the western gateway to Changde City. Lu Mingchen's fleet came suddenly, and the Qing army guarding this place

There was a panic immediately. At the same time, Lu Mingchen immediately organized his troops to disembark and launched a surprise attack on Taoyuan County. In the end, he captured the county with just one charge and captured Taoyuan Magistrate Li Rong alive.

Compared with the smooth sailing of Lu Mingchen's side, the main forces led by Liu Wenxiu and Feng Shuangli obviously had their good luck borrowed by the former. As soon as the land and water divisions of the Ming army separated, heavy rain started falling in the mountains of western Hunan for several days.

Heavy rain. In the mountainous areas of western Hunan, the roads are not paved with bluestones like those in big cities, and there are no asphalt roads of later generations. They were originally made of compacted dirt roads that traveled through time and space with some naked time traveler.

Under the majestic force, it quickly became muddy.

The army was moving forward in the mud. Liu Wenxiu was very lucky. During this period of delay, Sun Kewang always replenished military supplies in order to silence him. At this moment, the soldiers of the Ming army were

Wearing a raincoat, a bamboo hat on their head, and hobbling with a spear, coupled with the ginger soup, medicinal materials, etc. that have been prepared at the next stop, the chance of contracting the cold is somewhat reduced. However, the army is advancing at a very fast pace.

It was still crawling like a tortoise, especially watching Lu Mingchen's "rabbit" fly away all the way.

The drama of the tortoise and the hare was going on along the Yuanjiang River. Liu Wenxiu led the army to move forward hard. After a few days, God probably couldn't stand it anymore and took away this magical power. Finally, he no longer had to look at the raincoats and bamboo hats all over the road.

Liu Wenxiu and Feng Shuangli were slightly relieved at the spectacular sight, but the muddy road could not be restored in an instant. They continued walking like this, one step deeper and one shallower, until they reached May 23 before they had time to catch up.

Arrive at Taoyuan County.

At this time, more than a month had passed since Lu Mingchen regained this place. The army was still lingering on the road, but Lu Mingchen was really waiting for the Lu Division to follow up in Taoyuan County. He waited until May 23rd

, the navy set out again and arrived near Changde Fucheng that night.

Changde Fucheng was called Wuling in ancient times. It was the third station where Liu Bei captured the four counties of Jingzhou after the Battle of Chibi in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. After taking this place, the army went straight to Changsha, killed Han Xuan, and captured the two generals Huang Zhong and Wei Yan.

This place got its name because it was said that the Changde Army was set up here during the Northern Song Dynasty, hence the name Changde. It was already evening when Lu Mingchen led the navy to arrive, and it was too late to launch an attack at this time, so the fleet turned around

They docked at the dock and waited for daybreak to launch an attack, striving to capture the capital in one battle just like when they attacked Taoyuan County.

The fleet docked, and some Ming troops disembarked and began to carry out necessary defenses. However, at this moment, shouts of killing broke out in the vicinity, and large groups of Qing troops came to kill from all directions. The flags fluttering in the light of the fire were definitely not from the Green Camp.

The green flag is the flag of the Eight Banners Army!

It turned out that on April 17, Lu Mingchen succeeded in his attack on Taoyuan County. The main force of the Eight Banners Army had returned north earlier. At the same time, Chen Tai, the Ningnan Jingkou general sent by the Qing government to take over the defense line, got the news. This Eight Banners Army was difficult in terms of scale.

Compared with the one led by Nikan and Tunqi, there were also two Gushan Ezhen and a Baya Lahuzhangjing named Suksaha. After receiving the battle report, Chen Tai was already ill and could not

After setting off, Nasuk Saha led a part of the Eight Banners Army southward to reinforce Changde Prefecture.

Suk Saha arrived in Changde on the tenth day of May. At this time, Lu Mingchen was still immersed in the story of the tortoise and the hare in Taoyuan County. When Lu Mingchen got tired of playing, the navy went out again, and Suk Saha found out the news.

Ha Bian quickly led his Eight Banners Army to set up an ambush outside the city, catching Lu Mingchen off guard.

The battle broke out suddenly. On this night in late May, the two sides fought with fire, especially the presence of warships on the Ming army's side, which illuminated the room with bright lights. The two sides fought fiercely at the dock, and it was difficult to tell them apart for a while.

Play a decisive game. Soon, the Qing army also dispatched some small boats. The tactics of fire attack were the most common in the era of wooden warships. The battle immediately spread from the dock to the Yuan River.

Burning, slashing, shelling, and stabbing, the battle unfolded in the most intense scene. However, because the Ming army did not know how many Qing troops had set up an ambush, the Qing army knew better about the size of the Ming army, and the two sides were in a state of unequal intelligence.

, the Ming army was ambushed and became even more panicked.

In order to boost morale, Lu Mingchen, the commander of the partial division, immediately stood up and placed himself in the most conspicuous position. Seeing the commander like this, the morale of the Ming army was suddenly boosted, and the counterattack against the Qing army became even more fierce.

The battle is still going on, and time is passing by little by little. It was already night when it started, and it is getting closer and closer to dawn, but the battle still never stops, as if both sides want to fight until the light comes out. This kind of battle continues.
Chapter completed!