Xiangxi is a very beautiful stream. It originates from the Shennongjia Mountains, flows through limestone cracks, and is filtered and sedimented through caves. "The water is as dark as black and clear enough to be squeezed." It flows from north to south into the Yangtze River, and the intersection is clear and turbid, reflecting each other.
Chengqu. It is said that Zhaojun's pearl once lost in the stream, so the stream water is blue and clear all year round, and the water smells fragrant.
The source of Xiangxi is three kilometers north of Muyu Village in Shennongjia, Hubei Province. According to legend, this was the medicinal pool where Emperor Yan Shennongle used to collect medicinal herbs. The water in the pool captures the essence of all herbs and blends the spirit of Shennong, so you can drink fragrantly when you are thirsty.
Stream water can not only make a person as beautiful as Zhaojun, but also make a person as noble as Qu Yuan. Someone summed it up in four sentences: The source of clear water is long, Shen Nong’s house with a hundred herbs, a beautiful woman spreads a good reputation, and the fragrant stream water is more fragrant.
However, at this time, this intoxicatingly beautiful stream was witnessing a bloody fight that had nothing to do with adjectives such as beauty.
Zigui Xiangxikou is an important channel for Xingshan County, where Li Laiheng's troops are guarding, to enter the Yangtze River. Thirty thousand Huguang Qing troops, led by Admiral Dong Xueli, came from Yiling with great force, hoping to break through the eastern defense line of the Kuidong Ming army and enter its territory.
A base for many years.
If the Shuo army had not gone out to fight, Dong Xueli would not have dared to attack brazenly. Because the mountains and rivers in the Kuidong area are high and the situation is dangerous, there are many places that are easy to defend and difficult to attack. This is just one of them. The more important thing is that there are many mountains and mountains here.
The situation is steep and it is very difficult to transport food.
Whether it was besieging Wei to rescue Zhao or taking advantage of the opportunity to attack and plunder, Admiral Dong Xueli believed that 30,000 troops were enough to make a difference. The Kuidong Thirteen had cut off the channel between Sichuan and Hubei, and they had to face pressure from both sides of the Qing army at the same time.
It is necessary to leave troops to defend, and the main force will attack and plunder Yunyang. There will definitely not be many troops left to defend Xiangyang.
However, Dong Xueli was surprised by the Ming army's tenacious resistance at Xiangxikou. This was not entirely due to the geographical advantage, but because the Ming army used new muskets with an astonishing rate of fire and power, as well as artillery shells that exploded upon landing.
Round after round of gunshots rang out, as if there was no break. The Qing soldiers wearing armor and holding shields screamed and fell to the ground in front of the Ming army's position, spraying blood arrows. The casualties were heavy; from time to time, muffled sounds were heard from behind the Ming army's position, and a bullet
A cannonball passed through the air and exploded among the rugged rocks. The ejected rock fragments flew everywhere, exerting full power. After each explosion, the Qing army was surrounded by screams and howls.
.
"Ming Jin. Ming Jin." The hope in Dong Xueli's heart became smaller and smaller, and finally he could no longer hold on, so he hurriedly waved his hand and ordered.
The gongs rang, and the attacking Qing soldiers seemed to have been granted amnesty. There was smoke under their feet, and they quickly retreated while crawling on the ground. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were dull, with fear and confusion. They charged several times, giving
The shock brought by the Qing soldiers was huge.
In front of the Ming army's position, the wounded soldiers who had not been able to evacuate were howling and cursing. Some lay down and waited for death, while others struggled to crawl back, leaving behind traces of blood.
Dong Xueli's face was livid, looking up at the flags flying on the Ming army's position. "Little Tiger" Li Laiheng, yes, that's right, when did he become so powerful? No, it's not that the Ming army's combat effectiveness became stronger, but that its weapons became more powerful.
"Why don't you attack, Old Dong?" Li Laiheng, Duke of Linguo, was no longer as nervous as he was at first. He looked at the Qing army with a gold-encrusted telescope. He teased: "Not many people died? Let the sons collect the heads."
, those armors have been stripped off, and the repairs seem to be better than what we wear."
"General, please obey your order!" a general responded, waving his hand and giving the order.
Hundreds of swordsmen and axemen came from behind, crossed the trenches, and began to kill on the hillside. They screamed, wailed, cursed, and begged for mercy. The abandoned wounded soldiers of the Qing army did not have the same luck as those who died. The murderous executioner dripped blood.
The blade made them suffer from the fear of death before they were relieved.
"General Feng is laughing." Li Laiheng looked at the naked corpses of the Qing soldiers on the hillside. He turned around and smiled shyly, and said to the Marine Corps officer: "This is a remote and remote area in East Kuei, and supplies are scarce, so we are also afraid."
"The duke killed his subordinates. How can he be called a general when he is a small officer?" Feng Dake hurriedly saluted and said: "It is necessary to clean the battlefield without leaving any omissions or waste. How can we laugh at it?
"
"Oh?" Li Laiheng asked with a questioning tone: "I thought you came from a wealthy place and looked down on these rags? Could it be that-"
"The Duke has misunderstood." Feng Dake thought for a while and explained: "The materials shipped by the Navy this time are indeed rich, but they were also accumulated over a long period of time and even borrowed. It is not easy for His Highness to raise these materials.
.”
"Borrowed it from whom?" Li Laiheng blinked, a little confused.
"It seems to be borrowed from everywhere." Feng Dake scratched his head and said not very clearly, "Western barbarians, merchants, common people, well, it seems that there is also the Kingdom of Siam. I heard Admiral Chen say that His Highness Min
I once complained privately, saying that I owed a debt to one or another, and asked the navy to save ammunition."
Li Laiheng wanted to laugh but quickly held it back. He sighed generously to cover it up, "His Royal Highness Min is really - well, it is really not easy for money, food and materials to support the war in the southwest and southeast, and to assist our army!"
"That's right!" Feng Dake nodded with deep sympathy and said, "The tribute from foreign countries, the filial piety of local officials, I heard that even His Highness's concubine's dowry was sold by His Highness for military needs!"
"How did you know this?" Li Laiheng didn't believe it.
"It's in the newspaper!" Feng Dake said confidently: "If His Highness doesn't take the lead, how can some misers and misers be willing to contribute money? How can the people be willing to buy bonds?"
"That's really, really working hard to govern, really sacrificing the family for the country, really -" Li Laiheng opened his mouth, but his words were a bit poor and he couldn't keep up.
The Ming army did not make such a mistake in winning the chess game regardless of family. However, there were indeed not many troops left behind. In order to make up for the lack of troops, the Ming army adopted a tilt in weapons and equipment. The expeditionary army only took away 3,000 flintlock muskets.
Li Laiheng had a thousand muskets on the eastern front, and Yuan Zongdi had a thousand muskets on the western front. The navy also assigned 500 marines to strengthen the defenses on both fronts.
In this way, the eastern and western fronts each had four thousand troops, and Fengjie also had 6,000 troops from Prince Guangxing of Jing State, Houta Tianbao of Yidu and other families as mobile troops. The expanded navy was patrolling on the river, where
With the police, the Fengjie troops can be loaded on, and the maneuverability of the waterway ships can be used to quickly rush for reinforcements.
Unless it is a joint operation between the Qing armies in Sichuan and Huguang, the Ming army may have difficulty. If it only deals with one side, the eastern front defenders, mobile forces, plus the navy's 4,000 marines (joined with thirteen naval divisions
Later, the number of ships increased to more than 500. The number of land troops also expanded to 5,000, of which 2,000 were cold weapons. The number of troops facing the enemy could reach more than 14,000. Taking advantage of the terrain, it was enough to withstand the Qing army's four
Fifty thousand horses.
Even now that reinforcements have not yet arrived, although the Qing army in Huguang has a large numerical advantage, it is limited by the terrain and cannot deploy at all. Li Laiheng's more than 4,000 men used the built fortifications to resist from a high position.
It’s not too strenuous to get up.
Li Laiheng had seen the training of musketeers, and he knew that the muskets provided this time were very powerful, but seeing them on the battlefield still shocked him.
"Are all other armies equipped with this kind of musket?" Li Laiheng smacked his lips enviously, "It's very powerful defensively, and I think it can also be very powerful in field battles. It can shoot bullets from far away and stab bayonets from close range. The key is to be fast.
, I’ve been training for less than a month, even if I’m practicing swords, guns and sticks, I’m afraid it won’t work.”
"When the subordinates came down, only the Mie Shuo Army was fully equipped, and the other armies were not even in full strength!" Feng Dake became cautious. Chen Shangchuan had repeatedly told him to be careful with what he said, so as not to disturb the soldiers of the Thirteen Families.
The feeling of being discriminated against and being used, "His Royal Highness Min got these guns and ammunition for our army on credit from Xiyi!"
Li Laiheng nodded. In fact, he didn't mean to be dissatisfied. He just hoped that all soldiers could be equipped with such weapons, and their combat effectiveness would skyrocket. When the armies of the Thirteen Families fought against the Chu Army, even with their original equipment,
More victories than defeats. If everyone changed their clothes, would the Chu army still dare to fight at the door of their house?
"I wonder when the next batch of guns will be replenished?" Li Laiheng shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it won't be easy. It would be too time-consuming for the Yangtze River Navy to make a round trip."
"It is estimated that the next supplement should be land transportation." Feng Dake guessed and said: "If we join forces with the King of Jin's troops in Sichuan to capture Chongqing, external communications will be smooth."
Li Laiheng opened his mouth and smiled bitterly, but did not say anything else. The gap with the original Daxi Army still existed, and it would not be so easy to completely eliminate it. When these remnants of the Dashun Army fought thousands of miles away, how many people died and how much they ate along the way.
It was difficult to gain a foothold in the remote and remote area of Kuidong. The reason was not that they were squeezed out by the Daxi Army. Going back further, the Dashun Army and the Daxi Army had already forged a grudge when they were fighting for Sichuan.
……………
"Sir, the thief has sharp firearms and occupies a good location. Such a forceful attack is not the way to go!"
"Then what are your ideas?" Huguang Admiral Dong Weiguo glared at the general angrily and turned his head back.
The Huguang Green Camp was not very effective in combat and could barely be regarded as a second-rate army. Historically, among the three provincial capital campaigns organized by the Qing court, they were the only ones to be severely defeated by the counterattack of the thirteen coalition forces. However, the Qing troops in Sichuan and Shaanxi both won, and
Frustrated the last desperate counterattack of the thirteen families.
Turning the history back again, during the San Francisco Rebellion, Wu Sangui marched forward in Huguang in three months and captured Yuanzhou, Changde, Chenzhou, Changsha, Yuezhou, Hengzhou and other strategic towns.
Ma Changjiang, most of the green flag officers and soldiers surrendered in response.
The continuous occurrence of such situations only shows that the people of Huguang are not so devoted to the Qing Dynasty. They do not like the new regime established by the aliens. In other words, until the San Francisco Rebellion, the Qing regime had been in power for thirty years and was still not deeply rooted.
Popular support. In terms of popular support, opposing the alien rule of the Qing Dynasty and hating the corruption of local officials were in line with the wishes of the general public.
Judging from this mentality, the Huguang Green Camp, and even the Green Camps south of the Yangtze River, were not unable to fight, but they did not want to fight. Under the pressure of the Manchurian soldiers, they had to raise their swords and guns to support their families. But once
If you have the opportunity, you are just following the story. If the situation changes, there is even the possibility of turning back.
Dong Weiguo was well aware of the setback in the first battle, which severely damaged the morale of the army. Although he had a large number of troops, he could not take advantage of them when the attack was critical. Although he was mentally prepared before the action, the difficulties were so great.
, there were so many casualties, but it was beyond his expectation.
"Maybe we can take a roundabout way?" The general saw the admiral's eyes glaring over again, and quickly changed his words: "It's better to send out ships, go up the river, and attack the weak points of the bandit's heart..."
"Fart!" Unfortunately, Dong Weiguo was scolded by Dong Weiguo when he changed his tune, "Do you think all the enemy's navy are dead? Why don't you just go up the river and feed the damn fish and shrimps!"
The general retreated, and his colleagues looked at him sympathetically. It's better not to mess with the adults at this time. If you really have a clever plan, just make random remarks without a plan. Aren't you asking for trouble?
"You don't usually claim to be familiar with the art of war, but you talk!" Dong Weiguo did not let go of the silent subordinates. He glanced around and found another guy who didn't like him.
"The Art of War, this Art of War goes like this: Don't attack the enemy when he's there, don't attack the ground when he's there; seek benefits and avoid harm. Make flexible plans." The guy who didn't like it said it fluently, but what he said about the art of war was what others thought.
I don't know.
Dong Weiguo rolled his eyes and cursed: "Who the hell is this art of war? You just made up a jingle. Stop being a counselor and go tell stories on the street!"
After scolding him, Dong Weiguo still didn't give up and targeted another one.
"Sir, the thieves have ferocious firearms, and I thought of a way to stop them." Seeing that he couldn't escape, this guy simply spoke first.
Dong Weiguo snorted and said that he could talk about it, but if he said it was wrong, he still couldn't escape.
"I heard that when the puppet king Dingguo attacked Zhaoqing, the soldiers covered themselves with quilts, so guns and arrows were ineffective. Later, King Pingnan used hooks and spears to finally break the enemy's formation. Our army may try it and use quilts to resist enemy firearms."
Dong Weiguo blinked and seemed to have some impression, but he couldn't remember exactly which battle report he had seen it in.
In fact, Shang Kexi wrote in the battle report at that time: "When the enemy is fighting, they have long cloths wrapped around their heads and quilts to cover their bodies. Swords and arrows are difficult to be effective." However, this general may not remember clearly, or he may have deliberately tampered with it.
Escape the scolding and get over it for the time being.
"Let's give it a try." Dong Weiguo had no other choice. His face softened a little, and he waved his hand. He arranged the situation and dismissed the generals.
The soldiers were timid and war-weary. This was evident from the time they left Yiling, and became even more obvious after the attack was thwarted. Dong Weiguo knew this. Dong Weiguo was helpless against these Hubei guys. Even when Hong Chengchou established the shogunate in Changsha, he also
Knowing that Huguang's people's hearts depended on the movements of the gentry to a large extent, they also adopted strategies to win over the Huguang gentry, and won their cooperation by visiting the gentry, quelling rebellions, recruiting people into the government, and recommending officials.
Cooperation does not mean total dedication. The spirit of remnants among the Hunan gentry flourished for a while, and the resistance was extremely serious. Although Hong Chengchou's extensive work has diluted the resistance of the Hunan gentry, it is still far from being completely eliminated.
achieve.
If it were the Nanming generals who occupied Kuidong, they should have achieved greater success and had a greater impact when facing Huguang. Unfortunately, he was from the former Dashun Army, and many Huguang gentry still regarded him as a thief and were unwilling to help him.
.This is also an important reason why the Kuidong Thirteen Families were able to raid Huguang from time to time and obtain supplies, but were unable to secure their occupation.
But this situation is changing. The Thirteenth Family has belonged to the Ming Army and is one of the Seven Armies. The Ming Dynasty has sent the Yangtze River Navy to join them, which shows the attitude of the Ming Dynasty. The mighty fleet is accompanied by the roar of cannons.
Driving across the Huguang River, Dong Xueli could feel the huge impact and changes in people's minds.
Because of this, Dong Xueli did not dare to take risks. Any detours or tracing back the river were not part of his plan. As long as he could pose a threat to the home of the Kuidong thieves, that would be enough. If something happened to these 30,000 soldiers and horses, Yiling
It will be difficult to defend, and the Ming army that breaks out of the cage will be difficult to control. Compared with Zhang Changgeng's planning and command on the map, Dong Xueli, as the frontline commander, is more aware of the combat power of his soldiers and generals, and is more afraid of the tyranny of the Ming Army's Yangtze River Navy.
The Kuidong bandits originally had a naval force, but they were not big ships and lacked heavy weapons. It was difficult to break through the river defense fortifications mainly built with iron cables and rolling river dragons. But things are different now! Dong Xueli has seen the warships and cannons of the Yangtze River Navy.
, lack of confidence in the re-established river defense fortifications.
What a powerful tiger, Dong Xueli sighed loudly in the tent. Yunyang, Xiangyang and other places on the upper reaches of the Han River were lost one after another. It must be the bandits who used artillery to blast them away. The governor had not yet understood the situation and hurriedly sent reinforcements from all walks of life. The only option was
Being defeated one by one by the bandits and bandits was in vain to increase its strength. It was just a matter of besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao, criticizing the overlords and destroying the weak, and applying rigid military tactics.
The most correct response strategy at that time was to first secure Yiling, block the enemy from rushing out of the Three Gorges, and respond to the possibility of an offensive on the Han River. Then gather heavy troops in Wuchang, go up the Han River, repel the enemy and regain the lost ground. Of course,
The best way is to report to the imperial court and ask for help from Henan Green Camp or Shaanxi Green Camp.
It's just that the Governor cares about his face and is worried about being punished by the court. He will never adopt the last resort unless he has to. He will definitely mobilize troops to regain the lost territory and save face with the power of Huguang. But will this delay be possible?
Make the enemy so powerful that it will be difficult to defeat him again?
Dong Weiguo thought about it over and over, but finally couldn't feel at ease, so he called in his guards and sent an order down, ordering the scouts and sentry ships to step up their efforts to spy on upstream intelligence. If an enemy fleet came for reinforcements, they would immediately report back.
It would be best if we could capture Xiangxikou, and we could give an explanation to the Governor; if enemy reinforcements arrived, it would make sense to retreat to Yiling. Dong Weiguo had already made a plan in his mind, and what he had just done in front of the generals was
Angry and scolding, there is quite a bit of concealment involved.
And if you plan to retreat before fighting and just respond to your superiors' military actions, how can you win?