Chapter 160 Family Letters Reaching Ten Thousand Soldiers
Su Li, commander of the Fifth Army, was stationed at Fengjie to defend against the Ming army's attack.
They faced off with the Ming army in the Fengjie area for several months.
Most of the fortifications east of Fengjie were occupied by the Ming army.
He saw Fort No. 5 to the east, already surrounded by Ming legions.
After the Ming army attacked Fengjie and lost troops and generals, they changed their tactics and prepared to pull out the outer fortifications of Fengjie first.
The terrain for fortifications such as forts is narrow and there is no way to deploy heavy troops.
This Ming army directly asked craftsmen to cast cannons in the camp.
They forged Hongyi cannons, but the overall quality was far inferior to the cannons produced by the arsenal.
These Hongyi cannons can attack for a long time and smash open the fort without any problem.
The Ming army built many Hongyi cannons and gunners. Many of the cannons were destroyed by the forts, and none of the Ming army's cannons misfired.
Su Li saw that cracks had appeared in Fort No. 5.
He shouted anxiously: "Master Zhongliqing, please go and inform Yu Tianyou personally that you can no longer defend the fort.
Lead your troops and rush over to me to disperse the Ming army.
Their division fought until the last man was left, and they had to defend No. 5 Fort for me.
Fort No. 5 must not be lost. If Fort No. 5 is defended, the Ming army's artillery can hit Fengjie City.
The Fengjie city wall was still a masonry structure and could not withstand the attack of the Ming army's Hongyi artillery.
Let's hold on for another half month, with heavy artillery and rocket launchers equipped with explosive shells.
It will be produced from the Chongqing Arsenal and transported to Fengjie City in another half month."
Su Li must ensure Fengjie City, which is related to the overall strategic security.
If Fengjie is lost, the Ming army will achieve its strategic goal.
Past Fengjie are Wanxian County, Zhongxian County and Shili Tusi.
Qin Liangyu, the general of the white pole army, has great prestige in this area.
The order that has just been stabilized in the Qin Palace will be impacted, and large-scale wars are likely to occur.
This Ming army will officially disrupt Sichuan.
It may also cause a chain reaction and cause problems elsewhere.
Su Li became a sinner, ashamed of the cultivation of His Highness King Qin.
Their Fifth Army will also always bear infamy.
Pang Jian'an, chief of staff of the Fifth Army, said: "Zhongli Qingzhu received a notice from the Sichuan Governor's Office and went to the Shili Reclamation Corps to collect information.
I guess Master Zhongli Qingzhu will be back soon.
I will personally investigate this matter. We have already lost four important forts, and the fifth fort must not be lost.
In this half month, even if we use human lives to fill it, we still have to keep the Ming army out."
Su Li patted his head and said, "My nerves have been so tight during this period that I forgot about it."
He watched as Pang Jianan went to inform Yu Tianyou, the commander of the Third Division.
During this period, the Ming army went crazy and attacked Fengjie regardless of casualties.
The barrels of the cannons in the first four forts were all red and could no longer be fired.
The Ming army made great sacrifices and destroyed four heavy artillery forts.
The fifth fort was closer to Fengjie City, and the Ming army did not dare to get too close for fear of being attacked by heavy artillery from the top of the city.
More than ten heavy cannons on the fort fired alternately and destroyed a Ming army's Hongyi cannon.
Su Li stood at the top of Fengjie's city and saw the Ming army's white pole soldiers and Chen Hongfan's troops.
They were in awe and attacked the fort from the left and right sides of No. 5 Fort.
The solid bullets fired from the fort fell into the ranks of the Ming army, and every time they rolled violently, they would cause more than a dozen casualties.
But these Ming troops still charged towards the fort.
"Commander, Zhongli Qingzhu sent troops to deliver the order."
When Su Li heard the news about Master Zhongli Qingzhu, he immediately asked the messenger to come over.
"Commander, Master Zhongliqing sent me to inform you.
Several hot-air balloon troops sent by the Sichuan Dudufu quickly flew towards us in the direction of the wind.
Master Zhongli Qingzhu takes a carriage and will arrive at Fengjie City in a while."
"A few hot air balloons, maybe hundreds of hot air balloons, dropped bombs on the heads of the Ming army.
This is really great. I didn’t expect that Commander Su Xiong would keep silent and train another flying tiger regiment.
Something is wrong, Master Zhongliqing Zhu will not even count the number of hot air balloons wrong."
"Commander, I only saw two hot air balloons in total. What are they going to do? I don't know very well."
When Su Li heard what the messenger said, his expression was very confused.
Only two hot air balloons came, and they were definitely not used for combat.
He really couldn't figure out what method to use?
Just two hot air balloons can turn the current war situation around.
Su Li looked up and saw a fierce battle ahead.
Yu Tianyou has already sent out infantry to attack the Ming army's formation with muskets.
The number of the Ming army was more than three times theirs.
Fight defensively and encircle the enemy tenfold.
The Third Army was defending in the fort, so he was not worried.
Now that he is taking the initiative, Su Li is also a little worried.
It just depends on whether the new recruits can grow into veterans in the past few months and stabilize the current situation.
The new muskets were so sharp that the Ming army could not withstand them.
But they were desperate and fought back with muskets.
The Ming army also learned the tactic of lining up to kill, but they only applied it superficially, and the formation was very scattered.
These servants had high morale and caused heavy casualties to the Third Division.
"Commander, look, the hot air balloon is coming."
Su Li looked up at the sky. Two hot air balloons, slightly larger than ordinary hot air balloons, had already flown over Fengjie.
They followed the direction of the wind and flew over the Ming army's formation.
…………………………
Ma Xianglin shouted loudly in front of the military formation: "Brothers, please work harder.
If we lay down this fort, we can capture Fengjie, and the yellow-clothed thieves will have no danger in front of them.
We can fight our way home and rescue our suffering families."
He looked at Chen Hongfan and General Chen on the side.
General Chen, who was watching the excitement, also sent out his own musketeers.
Emperor Chongzhen sent another imperial edict urging him, and his tone was very urgent.
Chen Hongfan couldn't bear the pressure, so he sent out his direct troops.
Ma Xianglin also heard a few words about the Ming army from other directions.
They fought very hard on this road, and the other roads were even worse. The strength of the thief in yellow was beyond their imagination.
Master Sun's attack on the northern route was thwarted and he returned in defeat with extremely heavy losses.
Mr. Dong Luhou stayed where he was, without even breaking through the yellow-clothed thieves' defense line.
The two general soldiers on the South Road were beaten to a pulp by the thieves in yellow clothes.
The news came back some time ago that Mu Tianbo, Duke of Yunnan and Guizhou, surrendered in Kaicheng.
Yunnan has been captured by thieves in yellow, and Guizhou may not be able to keep it. Guangxi may also be lost.
But as long as they make a breakthrough along the way, they can cross Fengjie and contact the chieftains in eastern Sichuan.
With the prestige of their Shilima family and their mother Qin Liangyu, it would not be difficult for them to join forces inside and outside to occupy eastern Sichuan.
There is still hope for the Ming Dynasty to make a comeback.
If my mother hadn't brought the elite white pole soldiers to Qinwang, there would have been white pole soldiers guarding Sichuan.
With the early strength of the yellow thieves, they may not be able to conquer Sichuan.
"Husband, look at the top of your head. Is this the hot air balloon that the yellow thief often talks about in the newspaper?"
Zhang Fengyi's face changed drastically. They now knew that the yellow-clothed thieves mainly relied on hot air balloons to capture Jianmen Pass and Chengdu.
After Ma Xianglin heard this, his expression also changed, and he looked up at the sky.
He felt relieved when he saw that there were only two hot air balloons coming.
"Feng Yi, you don't have to be afraid. If the thieves in yellow use hot air balloons to drop bombs, they will send out hundreds of hot air balloons.
Here came two hot air balloons, probably the scouts of the thieves in yellow, to investigate the situation of our army.
The hot air balloon flew too high and our bows and arrows couldn't hit it.
Mr. Chen’s musketeers can’t hit hot air balloons flying high in the sky. There’s nothing we can do with hot air balloons, so don’t worry about them.”
Ma Xianglin continued to command the white-armed soldiers to attack the forts of the yellow-robed thieves.
Zhang Fengyi was still worried about the hot air balloon. She kept raising her head to look at the situation of the hot air balloon.
"Husband, the hot air balloon throws some pieces of paper downwards. These should be leaflets from the thieves in yellow. They used this trick in Chengdu."
"Feng Yi, the thieves in yellow used this trick in Chengdu, and the people they targeted were also scholars.
This trick is totally useless to us here. Most of the soldiers in our Baigan soldiers and Chen Zongbing's troops are illiterate.
I learned that Mr. Chen, like me, is also illiterate.
The thief in yellow is playing the piano to a cow by using this method.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in the army, but not a hundred literate people can be found."
Ma Xianglin is confident, but he still has to worry if the thief in yellow uses other methods.
Using this method is a complete waste of resources.
The illiteracy rate was high in the Ming Dynasty, and the illiteracy rate among the Ming army was extremely high.
Apart from fleeing, military households could only serve as soldiers.
Except for hereditary generals, other families cannot afford to support scholars.
If soldiers are illiterate, it will not affect their promotion. There are basically no military households who spend a lot of money to become literate.
Zhang Fengyi observed the flyers of the thieves in yellow.
She always felt that the thieves in yellow were a very shrewd force and would never make such a serious mistake.
The leaflets distributed by the thieves in yellow will definitely achieve some of the goals of the thieves in yellow.
The hot air balloon dropped a large number of leaflets, which floated in the wind and spread to most areas of the military formation.
"Xiaodie, take someone with you to collect some flyers."
Zhang Fengyi ordered her soldiers.
A flyer floated to Zhang Fengyi's feet, and she picked it up curiously.
When she saw the contents of this flyer, she couldn't help crying.
On the front of the flyer is a picture of Ma Wannian, a student from Shidi Primary School, attending class.
On the back is a letter written by Ma Wannian, a first-year student at Shili Primary School, to his family.
[Dear grandma, dear parents, I am Ma Wannian.
Everything is fine here in Shidong, and I am learning to write now.
Except for some uncles and uncles who disappeared, everyone else in the house was built.】
"It's ten thousand years. He hasn't died in ten thousand years. My son is still alive.
This is written by Wannian. I taught him how to read when he was a child, but he only learned half of it and didn't master some words well.
Only he can write this kind of handwriting, no one else can imitate it."
When Ma Xianglin heard Zhang Fengyi's words, he immediately rushed over.
"Feng Yi, what did you say? You have news about our son."
Zhang Fengyi handed the flyer to her husband.
"This is a leaflet distributed by the thief in yellow. I picked one up at random. It has portraits and letters from Wannian on it."
Ma Xianglin took this leaflet and looked at it carefully.
Above is the scene of the Shimajia Dazhai Ancestral Hall.
The ancestral hall is filled with tables and chairs, as well as a crystal (glass) panel painted in dark green.
A group of children were sitting on tables and chairs, looking at a woman respectfully.
They were wearing uniform clothes and holding a book in their hands.
Among these children, the most outstanding one is his son Ma Wannian.
Next to him were his nephew Ma Wanfeng and his younger brother Ma Xiangkun.
On the back of the flyer, there are letters written by these students.
Looking at the content of this painting, I don’t even recognize a single word on it.
Ma Xianglin could also tell that his son was in a school and he was studying.
My son is now able to go to school, which proves that he is living a very good life.
It was not what they imagined, their son and the clan were in dire straits.
"Feng Yi, I see there are words on it, what is it talking about."
Ma Xianglin asked his wife Zhang Fengyi.
His wife comes from a big family, her father-in-law is also an official, and she has been literate since she was a child.
Zhang Fengyi said: "This is a primary school established by thieves in yellow clothes in our village.
They sent teachers to teach all school-age children to study, and the expenses were paid by the Shidong Reclamation Corps."
"This is different from what those people said. They said that the thieves in yellow treat all our people as slaves.
Especially the Reclamation Corps, these people are simply beasts, women do all kinds of robbing and plundering.
I didn't quite believe it before. The style of the thief in yellow doesn't look like a prince capable of such a thing.
Now it seems that these people are completely confusing right and wrong."
Xiaodie quickly came over holding a stack of flyers.
"Madam, I am illiterate. When I see flyers with different contents, I will bring them a copy."
"The thieves in yellow have sown so many leaflets with different contents. What are they going to do?"
Ma Xianglin looked through the flyers of these yellow-clad thieves with doubts.
Because he was illiterate, he had the same feeling as an ordinary soldier when reading leaflets.
The thief in yellow obviously knew that most of the Ming army was illiterate.
These leaflets have comic strips on the front, and text introducing these things on the back.
Just by looking at the comic strip on the front, you can clearly understand what the thief in yellow is talking about.
These paintings are very simple and do not require you to think. You can understand the contents even if you are not literate.
Ma Xianglin learned about it from these comic strips.
Most of the original people of Shili Tusi were assigned land, and they cultivated their own land.
The thieves in yellow built the road between the Shidui area and the outside world.
There are also two large-scale trade fairs held every month in front of a special temple.
They natives can trade with the Han people.
There are people who look like officials or not in official uniforms, presiding over transactions so that no one suffers a loss.
The thieves in yellow set up a government office to manage the entire Shidui area.
When there was a conflict between the Han people and the natives, the thieves in yellow treated them equally.
What moved Ma Xianglin the most was that the people in the paintings of the thief in yellow were all real people.
He knew many of the people in the paintings, and he had impressions of most of them.
These people all wear new clothes and their smiles are natural.
Judging from these comic strips, his people are living well, even better than they were under his rule.
Zhang Fengyi suddenly shouted:
"Husband, please take a look at this news.
Qin Gongming's eldest brother passed the examination of the yellow-robed thief scholar, and he was awarded the director of the Criminal Department Bureau of Shibing County, Guizhou.
Unexpectedly, the thieves in yellow had already captured the hinterland of Guizhou.
The most important thing is that the eldest brother Qin Gongming has become a thief in yellow.
This news is so important, what will Mr. Chen think when he sees this news?"
"How could Brother Qin Gongming take refuge in the thieves in yellow? It's really incredible."
Ma Xianglin also realized the importance of this matter.
Qin Gongming is a core member of the Baiganbing and the son of his uncle.
The thieves in yellow distributed these leaflets, including the news that Qin Gongming had taken refuge with the thieves in yellow.
No one can tell what Chen Hongfan would think.
This is still a crisis in the future. The thieves in yellow dialed out leaflets and carried letters home from the soldiers with white poles.
Ma Xianglin received feedback from the generals below that many generals and soldiers no longer wanted to fight.
He immediately asked the troops to withdraw and understood what most people were thinking.
Ma Xianglin and Zhang Fengyi were carrying these flyers from the thieves in yellow.
Go to his mother Qin Liangyu to discuss what to do in the future?
…………………………
Su Li looked at the flyer brought back by Master Zhongli.
He gave a thumbs up and praised: "Is this the idea that Master Zhongliqing came up with? It's simply too brilliant.
In order for the Ming army to understand, they also used comic strips.
Use family letters to disturb the minds of the grassroots soldiers of the White Guards.
When they see that their family members and children are living so well under our rule, they may not be motivated to fight.
Even if they attack us, they will not risk their lives.
They know that their family and children are in our hands, so they will definitely have concerns."
Zhong Liqing shook his head and said: "I didn't think of this method, it was His Highness the King of Qin's idea.
He told the Sichuan Governor's Office and the Sichuan Governor's Yamen to cooperate with each other.
Famous painters were dispatched to the Shidi Reclamation Corps to paint the real scene of the Shidi Reclamation Corps in a realistic way.
He also asked people who could write to write letters to his family members in person.
Even if you don’t know how to write, you should take out items that represent them and draw them on the painting.
Only truth can move people's hearts.
Through woodblock printing, a large number of leaflets were copied.
These leaflets can definitely destroy the morale of the white-armed soldiers."
After Su Li listened to Zhong Liqing's words, they all praised His Highness King Qin's clever plan.
Zhong Liqing thought of something and said: "There are so many things going on during this period, I almost forgot to explain this important matter.
The secret guards have already blended into the Ming army.
They will drive a wedge between the Baigan soldiers and the Ming army according to the situation.
Under the pressure of war, everyone looked tense.
The Baigan soldiers and the Ming army were prone to fighting.
Today we are spreading leaflets, and with internal cooperation, there is a high probability that the White Guards and the Ming Army will merge.
We have to take advantage of the opportunity, and there will really be a fight between the Baigan soldiers and the Ming army.
We must take advantage of this opportunity to directly deal with this Ming army."
The three giants of the Fifth Army were constantly discussing plans in front of the sand table.
If any possible situation arises between the Baigan soldiers and the Ming army, they will make corresponding plans.
…………………………
Qin Liangyu listened to the report from his son and daughter-in-law.
She closed her eyes and thought carefully about the pros and cons.
Fighting on the battlefield, she has never been afraid of anyone.
Qin Liangyu is really not good at engaging in this kind of conspiracy.
She can also rely on her rich life experience to realize that Bai Pangbing is now cornered.
Ma Xianglin was a little overwhelmed by the current situation and couldn't help but ask:
"Mom, what should we do in this situation?
Continue to attack Fengjie and serve the Ming Dynasty.
Will the thieves in yellow become angry and use our tribesmen as hostages to force us to surrender?
I don't think it would be appropriate if we took refuge with the thieves in yellow.
The Ming Dynasty treats us well, but if we turn to the thieves in yellow and become rebels, we may not end well.
The thieves in yellow are targeting our chieftains and carrying out the policy of reforming the land and returning it to the countryside.
The power of the chieftain was directly abolished, and all local power was vested in the officials sent by the thieves in yellow.
But the grassroots officers and soldiers don't want to continue the fight.
I just want to go home as soon as possible and see how my wife and children are doing."
Zhang Fengyi followed up and said: "Mom, I think we should think carefully.
Now I know that Wannian is in the hands of the thief in yellow. Facing the thief in yellow, I cannot be as ruthless as before.
Through this kind of comic strips, other soldiers of our white-armed soldiers know that their wives and children are in the hands of thieves in yellow clothes.
Will they be able to fight hard against thieves in yellow in the future?
We are determined to fight against the thieves in yellow, and I am afraid that some soldiers will betray us before the battle begins."
Qin Liangyu has been thinking about the future of Baiganbing.
This is a choice related to fate, once the choice is wrong.
Not only the white soldiers under her command, but also her cherished family and Shili Tusi will completely disappear.
"Lin'er, Emperor Chongzhen is very kind to us.
If we go to the thieves in yellow, we may not have good development. The thieves in yellow are too hostile to the chieftain.
I personally did the work of the soldiers, and most of them gave me face."
"General Qin is in trouble, Chen Hongfan's troops launched an attack on us.
Those were Chen Hongfan's soldiers, and they killed many people with muskets."
Qin Liangyu's expression changed, and Chen Hongfan's reaction was beyond her expectation.
He had not yet officially left the Ming Dynasty. Facing the formidable enemy of the yellow-robed thieves, Chen Hongfan actually dared to attack them.
"The whole army is ready for war."
…………………………
Lu Kaifang took the order stamped with Chen Hongfan's seal and walked towards the Musketeers' camp.
He is Chen Hongfan's personal soldier, but he has a blood feud with Chen Hongfan. This time he finally seizes the opportunity to kill Chen Hongfan.
When he entered the camp, he heard many Ming troops discussing the situation just now.
"Have you seen the leaflets sent from the sky today?"
"I don't understand what this means."
"We only look at these comic strips and don't quite understand what they mean.
Some people can understand it at a glance.
Fortunately, my second uncle's eldest cousin is the master sent by the Governor to supervise the military and civilian officials.
He told me that the leaflets distributed by the thieves in yellow were to inform the white-armed soldiers.
Their wives and children lived very well with the thief in yellow.
Not only this, but also the nephew of the female general Qin Liangyu has defected to the thieves in yellow.
There are people in the Qin family who have taken refuge with the thieves in yellow, not to mention other generals of the white-pole soldiers.
We not only have to guard against the yellow-clad thieves from attacking the camp, but we also have to guard against the betrayal of the white-clad soldiers.
I don’t know if Mr. Chen is prepared.”
Lu Kaifang walked into the room and slapped the order on the table.
"Master Chen ordered that the white pole soldiers are suspected of treason.
We disarmed the white-armed soldiers, and if they dared to resist, they were immediately shot to death."
Lu Kaifang used false orders and led these musketeers to kill the white pole soldiers camp.
He fired the first shot during the dispute between these people.
"Reporting to your lord, the white pole soldiers attacked us. Your personal soldiers went to support us, but they were surrounded and killed by the white pole soldiers."
Chen Hongfan looked at the soldier, his eyes widened, and said: "Qin Liangyu really wants to rebel.
I feel that General Qin Liangyu is very loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
The imperial court summoned soldiers from all over the world many times, and Qin Liangyu, with his white-poled soldiers, was summoned every time."
A general nearby advised: "Sir, you know people, but you don't know their hearts.
Let's gather our troops quickly. If we are too late, we will be caught by the soldiers with white poles and sacrificed to the thieves in yellow."
Chen Hongfan's face changed when he heard this, and he immediately ordered:
"Inform the troops to assemble their troops. I will personally lead the troops to ask Qin Liangyu what she thinks."
Chen Hongfan became nervous. Since the beginning of the roundup of the yellow-clothed thieves, nothing went as planned.
They obviously can't beat the thief in yellow.
Now that the white-armed soldiers are rebelling, the chance of defeating the yellow-robed thieves is even slimmer.
Qin Liangyu led his troops and surrounded the musketeers.
A messenger came to report.
"That thief Chen Hongfan led a heavy army to attack our camp. Fighting has already begun in the front."
When Ma Xianglin heard what the soldier said, he took his weapon and ran out.
"There is no choice now, the Ming Dynasty no longer trusts us.
In order to save our lives, we fought with Chen Hongfan."
Chen Hongfan looked at the two armies that were already fighting together.
He now understands the cause and effect.
Standing in front of the army, he said angrily: "What kind of fool is this? He pretended to pass my orders and attacked the white-pole soldiers without permission."
"Sir, the two armies have started fighting and they can't stop now. What should we do?"
"Try to stay away from the battlefield and don't make matters worse.
This misunderstanding needs to be explained clearly."
Chen Hongfan ordered to control the development of the situation, and there was hope that the chaos between the two armies could be settled.
"My lord, something is wrong. The thief in yellow came from the side and killed me.
The thieves in yellow were focused on attacking our troops, and the white soldiers really joined the thieves in yellow."
Yu Tianyou led his men and fought out of the fort.
Specially focused on Chen Hongfan's troops, the Ming army was caught off guard.
The three armies fought a melee in the Fengjie area.
Chen Hongfan's troops were outnumbered and their morale had collapsed. They withdrew from the Fengjie area.
The Baigan soldiers went to war with Chen Hongfan and had no choice but to surrender to the Qin army.