The rain became lighter and lighter, becoming as slender as silk; the clouds became thinner and thinner, and light emerged from the gaps in the clouds; the battlefield gradually became silent.
The sound of swords clashing, yelling and cursing, the "shenyin" of the injured, the dying cry of pain, the sound of blood spurting into the air, the friction of the knife stuck in the bone, were once combined with the sound of rain and thunder.
Intertwined. The symphony has now been played, but it presents a miserable scene.
The combat boots stepped on the ground, making a squeaking sound and splashing red mud spots. Yes, it was muddy water dyed red with blood.
"Wa Yao Chong, White Temple - Hehe." The Syrian stallion Weixing muttered to himself and laughed twice.
In this small and inconspicuous place, five thousand Qing troops who came from Qujing were surrounded and ambushed by more than 20,000 Ming troops and local soldiers, and were destroyed here. Such a story will make Wayaochong in Luliang County go down in history.
Well, at least the county and government records will record this battle.
"The number of enemies in Qujing is less than five thousand. Why didn't Your Highness take advantage of the victory?" Li Sixing, the prince of Jin Dynasty, walked quickly through the mud and water. There were still blood stains on his clothes and armor, but there was an urgent look on his face. "My lord,
You should make suggestions to His Highness."
Ma Weixing shook his head and said: "The troops in eastern Yunnan are not sufficient. Our army must return to defend Yiliang and Shilin in preparation for the Qing army from Kunming to attack. If Qujing is not taken, how many troops can the Qing army dedicate to attack except for the defenders?"
Lu Liang? Our army only has 3,000 troops left, plus the Zi soldiers, it will be enough to guard it."
"Isn't Your Highness Min prepared to regain Yunnan Province in one fell swoop?" Li Sixing asked doubtfully: "When you came out from Mengzi, Your Highness made some lofty words."
"It's just a matter of spreading rumors to confuse the enemy." Ma Weixing laughed and said, "Otherwise His Highness Min wouldn't have to make a big show of it and show it to the public. However, His Highness Min once told me in private that the recovery of Yunnan Province may not require a war. By next year
, it is very likely that it will be taken lightly, or taken without a fight.”
"Can you?" Li Sixing's eyes widened.
"Whether we can or not, let's wait and see later!" Ma Weixing looked around. Bodies were lying everywhere, with swords and guns everywhere. He let out a long breath and said, "I will lead 10,000 horses and rush back to Yiliang to protect them.
Your Highness, you and Ma Ning'er will clean the battlefield, treat the wounded, and then—"
"My lord, the last general will not stay behind in Lu Liang." Li Sixing hurriedly put aside this assignment.
Ma Weixing gave Li Sixing a funny look and said helplessly: "Then let Ma Ning'er guard Lu Liang for the time being. You can lead the army to protect the wounded and then retreat!"
"I will obey the order." Li Sixing saluted solemnly and then turned around and left.
Ma Weixing looked at Li Sixing's back and shook his head slightly. He was still too young. He didn't think deeply enough about the matter. Taking Qujing directly, it was possible to break the city and annihilate the enemy, but the battle line was too long, Yiliang and Shilin did not have enough troops.
It was occupied by the Kunming and Qing troops, and the retreat became problematic.
Your Highness Min was still smart, he was weak but did not attack. The Qing army in Yunnan Province was reluctant to give up, and in order to defend, it had to thin its troops again, exposing weaknesses and flaws again. It is indeed a good strategy to use Yunnan Province to consume the exhausted Qing army.
Or—His Royal Highness Min doesn’t want to regain Yunnan too early, because he feels that the foundation is not yet solid and needs to be fully fledged.
Thinking of the emperor and the imperial court far away in Burma, Xiang Ma Weixing couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head. Since Prince Min entered Yunnan, he has been eclectic and simplified talents, and the officialdom has been peaceful. But there are some who are proud, and some who are disappointed, and some have no ambitions.
The old bureaucrats were secretly colluding with each other, and once the provincial capital was restored, they would propose entering Burma to welcome him.
Alas, civil strife will probably break out by then, right? With His Highness Min's wisdom and martial prowess, he will not lose in the struggle for power, right? But - will this great situation of revival collapse? I saw Ma Ning'er coming from a distance.
Running over quickly, Ma Weixing had no choice but to temporarily put away his thoughts and step forward to explain in detail.
………………
Bad news came one after another. At this time, Wu Sangui had just finished dispatching his troops and led nearly 20,000 horses from Kunming to the Chenggong area, which was still sixty or seventy miles away from Yiliang.
"The Qujing garrison was ordered to send troops to Lu Liang. They rushed from Wayao to the mountains of Baimiao and were surrounded by heavy enemy troops. The entire army was wiped out. The main military line was lost in the battle..."
"The defenders of Chengjiang County were ordered to move west to Jinning. They were ambushed on the way, and most of them were killed or injured. The Ming army took advantage of the situation to attack the city, and Chengjiang County fell..."
"The defenders of Jinning County were ordered to return to Kunming. The defenders had less than a thousand men and were besieged and defeated by the Ming army..."
"The Ming army in western Yunnan, led by the puppet Wang Dingguo, is advancing towards Chuxiong in large numbers and is about to approach the city..."
For several days in a row, urgent military reports came one after another like reminders. At first, Wu Sangui was still hesitant and sent people to Qujing to inquire about the truth. The army left Kunming on time. But on the way, another series of war reports came.
, he knew something was wrong, so he slowed down his march and sent people again to confirm the news.
When they arrived at Chenggong, Wu Sangui did not dare to move forward anyway. Unfortunately, the news was confirmed that the peripheral defense line south of Kunming had fallen apart, and he had already mobilized most of the Kunming defenders.
"The handwriting is so lifelike, well, the seals can also be fake." Fang Guangchen carefully inspected the fake letters held by the Jinning County defenders, and exclaimed: "It turns out that this is the trick of the pseudo-clan. A few letters can reach tens of thousands of elite soldiers, which is amazing.
ah!"
"Xianting——" Wu Sangui was upset when he heard this, and interrupted unhappily: "This is not the time to praise the pseudo-clan's far-reaching plans, but what should our army do?"
Fang Guangchen smiled bitterly, sighed, and said: "Your Majesty, what else can you think of now? I moved before the enemy, taking the lead step by step, and it is difficult for me to do anything with my hands tied!"
"Then it's impossible to think about it?" Wu Sangui snorted and stayed for a long time, then sat down slumped.
Fang Guangchen hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Your Majesty, I humble my position and speak out. Please don't blame me for the verbal conflict."
"Xianting, what kind of relationship do you and I have? How can I accuse each other with words?" Wu Sangui waved his hand and said warmly: "If you have something to say, there is no harm in saying it."
Fang Guangchen nodded and said: "Our army is passive everywhere, because it is burdened by three big cities and it is inconvenient to mobilize troops, so it is led by the puppet clan. Now in Yunnan Province, the situation of our army is unfavorable. If this continues, we will be
The Ming army is gradually exhausted, and no one can leave Yunnan."
Wu Sangui pondered for a moment and asked, "What should we do?"
"Abandon the city and gather the troops, and move to Guizhou Province." Fang Guangchen looked at Wu Sangui's face, paused, and continued: "Quit Chuxiong, protect Kunming, protect Qujing, and slowly transfer the troops to Guizhou Province, thinking that it will be the foundation for establishing ourselves.
.”
"If we withdraw from Chuxiong, Kunming will be in danger!" Wu Sangui shook his head hesitantly and said: "With the current strength of our army, it is unknown whether we can save Kunming and Qujing."
"A large number of troops are concentrated in Qujing and Kunming. I don't think the Ming army will capture it soon." Fang Guangchen smiled slyly and pointed at the guide, "If the false clan takes Kunming, how should they treat the false emperor of Burma?"
Wu Sangui rolled his eyes, a hint of joy appeared on his face, patted his thigh and said: "Come on. The false emperor is in Burma, and only the false clan can order the generals and exercise their own authority. If the provincial capital is liberated, it is natural for him to enter Burma to welcome him.
As it should be, if he delays, there will be disputes over things and civil strife is expected."
Fang Guangchen laughed and said: "Therefore, Kunming's defenders do not need to be large. If they can defend, they will defend. If they cannot, then abandon them. As long as Qujing can be guaranteed, the Ming army will enter Sichuan from Jianchang and cut off the connection between Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in a roundabout way.
, and our army has also entered Guizhou without worries."
Wu Sangui deeply believed it, but he said with some worry: "I'm afraid that the imperial court will blame me, and I will suffer successive defeats and lose the city and territory. How can I refute this?"
"Excuse me? How could the prince have such an idea?" Fang Guangchen glanced at him and said: "The fighting soldiers in the south are all subordinates of the vassal. The prince is the head of the three vassals, so what does the court dare to do? The Ming army is getting stronger. Then the prince
The more you are relied on, this is a principle that humble officials only came up with recently. As long as the prince has tens of thousands of elite soldiers, even if the imperial court is dissatisfied, will it still dare to force him?"
"Eight Banners of Manchuria——" Wu Sangui said hesitantly.
"Eight Banners of Manchuria? How many troops are left?" Fang Guangchen took out a few pieces of paper from his arms and handed them to Wu Sangui, "This was written by the pseudo-clan clan and was widely circulated in Mingtong District. It can be clearly analyzed and judged.
It’s so precise!”
Wu Sangui took the paper and read it carefully, then pondered for a long time, and then said with a wry smile: "The fake clan - hey, it can't be defeated without a strong enemy. Only by waiting patiently and waiting for Sun Kewang and his like to appear again can we defeat the enemy and win."
"Superintendent Hong could wait several years before he achieved great success in one fell swoop; Your Majesty is in his prime, why can't he wait?" Fang Guangchen said with a smile.
With the last trace of doubt dispelled, Wu Sangui finally made up his mind, picked up his brush and began to issue military orders. After writing, he hesitated again, and looked up at Fang Guangchen inquiringly.
Fang Guangchen sighed helplessly and said: "I have no choice but to send all my familiar cronies to deliver the military order letters, so as not to be taken advantage of by the enemy. If I change the seals and tokens in the future, let the generals know."
Wu Sangui smiled bitterly, nodded helplessly, called a few personal guards, and asked them to go to each army to deliver orders.
× × × × × × × × × × × × × × ×
Wu Sangui lacked the courage to make a desperate move! After receiving the information that the Qing army was withdrawing, Zhu Yongxing was supervising the construction of fortifications in Yixing. A bitter offensive and defensive battle that was originally expected now seemed impossible.
"The repair and reinforcement of the fortifications cannot be stopped, they must be completed." Zhu Yongxing passed the information to his generals, looked up at the construction site with ravines, and said slowly: "After this place is stabilized, our army can turn to the use of troops."
"Wu Sangui just retracted like that? He's a tortoise." Seeing that there was no big battle to fight, Li Sixing, the crown prince of Jin Dynasty, couldn't help but become a little angry and swore. Zhu Yongxing glared at him and immediately lowered his head.
When the Manchurian soldiers withdrew from Yunnan Province, Wu Sangui was busy making adjustments. The Ming army had internal support and forged military orders to create chaos, finally gaining the upper hand. But would Wu Sangui withdraw so honestly, or did he have another conspiracy? Then divide his troops thinly.
Chuxiong, Kunming, Qujing, could he be so stupid? Can Chuxiong be captured, or will there be a hard battle around Chuxiong?
Zhu Yongxing touched the stubble on his chin and thought about it, unable to make a final judgment. Finally, he simply put aside these questions and concentrated on thinking about the next move of his troops. Well, since the enemy's movements are not yet clear, then he
I am the Lord and I fight mine.
"Intensify the reconnaissance of intelligence on Qujing." After thinking about it, Zhu Yongxing gave the order, then turned around and left thoughtfully.
According to the current situation analysis, Qujing is the weakest link. Zhu Yongxing naturally moved his attention there, but he was worried that his troops were not enough. Although this counterattack was a victory, it was mostly an internal and external attack, winning with more.
The loss situation is not optimistic either.
The newly-built army fought like this with the Qing army. It would not be an exaggeration to call it a war of attrition, but Zhu Yongxing was not dissatisfied. After all, the army had not been established for too long, and the equipment was also lacking. It was enough to be able to unleash such combat effectiveness.
It is gratifying.
Similar to Fang Guangchen's analysis, Zhu Yongxing also believed that in the southwest and even south of the Yangtze River, the army with the strongest combat effectiveness was the army of the San Francisco. Zhu Yongxing did not pay much attention to the green camps in other provinces. If this strongest force was eliminated,
If the Qing army joins forces with the Zheng family navy and the Thirteenth family to cut off the Yangtze River, the south of the Yangtze River may be able to avoid major damage. It depends on the propaganda. Zhu Yongxing had such an idea, and he increasingly felt that it was indeed feasible.
Considering the current war situation, Zhu Yongxing hopes to consume more of Wu Sangui's power in Yunnan Province, and siege cities and land will come second. With the Qing army's effective strength gone, how can they defend the vast territory? As long as there is enough money and food to stabilize the place,
The Ming army could then march forward in a straight line.
The information that came in the next few days confused Zhu Yongxing, wondering what kind of trick Wu Sangui was playing.
Qujing increased its troops by 10,000? This should be the Qing army in Kunming, but was Wu Sangui really stupid enough to evenly distribute the remaining 30,000 troops in Yunnan Province to three cities? He also allocated troops to ensure that the roads in the three cities were clear.
?
Not understanding the situation, Zhu Yongxing did not dare to act rashly. He only sent additional scouts and messengers to continue to detect the movements of the Qing army and inquire about the situation in the southern and western Yunnan theaters.
According to the plan of the General Staff, the troops from the Western Yunnan Theater slowly pushed into Chuxiong and were the main force in the siege. The Southern Yunnan Theater, with the cooperation of fake military orders, first broke through the peripheral defense line south of Kunming, and then sent an army from both sides.
Bai approached Chuxiong from the south and cooperated with the Western Yunnan War Zone to capture Chuxiong.
The basis of this strategy is that the number of Chuxiong's defenders remains unchanged, or they are transferred to Kunming and become weaker. If Kunming increases its troops to Chuxiong, the two major theaters of East and South Yunnan will intimidate Kunming and force Wu Sangui to mobilize troops to return to defense.
.
Although there is no 100% certainty, Zhu Yongxing and the General Staff feel that the probability of success is very high. After all, Kunming is more important than Chuxiong and Qujing, and Wu Sangui is unlikely to ignore it.
But the development of the matter was beyond the expectations of Zhu Yongxing and the General Staff. When the latest battle report from western Yunnan reached Zhu Yongxing as quickly as possible, he could not help but open his mouth in surprise.
"The Qing army has abandoned Chuxiong and has withdrawn to Kunming. Our army will take it without a fight..."
Wu Sangui abandoned Chuxiong and gathered troops in Kunming. Did he abandon his troops to protect the commander, or did he have other motives? Zhu Yongxing was confused for a moment.