Chapter 296 Attacking the state, Wu Sangui flees at night
April 23, 4333 (the ninth year of Chongzhen).
North Zhili, the junction of Baoding Prefecture and Shuntian Prefecture.
This place has become a camp for the Qin army to garrison troops.
Not far to the north of the Qin army's camp is Zhuzhou City, where the Ming army is heavily stationed.
Su He stood on the edge of a wheat field not far from the camp, pointing to the wheat in the field.
"Are you still anxious after seeing these grains?"
Su Hu's face turned red, and he could only say against his will: "Don't worry."
He looked at the capital city that was very close at hand. He only needed to take one more step forward to occupy Zhuzhou, and the southern gate of the capital city would be opened.
They can fight directly to the gate of Yongding.
As a general leading troops, Su Hu hoped to send troops as early as possible.
The sooner the Ming Dynasty is destroyed, the sooner the war can be ended.
Su He could understand when Su Hu said something against his will.
He also wanted to capture the capital as soon as possible and completely destroy the Ming Dynasty.
Qian Mingyi's memorial directly made Su He change his mind.
After the farmers in Henan were divided into land, they became very enthusiastic, and the weather was good this year.
It is expected that there will be a very good harvest this year.
As a province with a large population and a large grain production, Henan is self-sufficient in grain.
Suhe can transfer excess food to areas that are more food-deficient.
Today's agriculture is the heaviest physical labor.
In a normal year, how much labor is invested, how much food can be harvested.
During the spring plowing season, the Qin army took out a large number of civilians to transport logistics supplies.
This will lead to fields being abandoned, food production to be greatly reduced, and many people to starve to death after the autumn.
By doing this, we can only capture the capital one or two months in advance.
The benefits are not equal to the effort, so it is totally not worth it.
The most ideal condition is to investigate the number of young adults who need to grow food.
The government sent the remaining young men to the logistics force to assist the Qin army in transporting supplies.
But this is an almost impossible task.
The grassroots government is simply unable to conduct such a complex investigation.
The power of Suhe is on the rise, and there are far fewer corrupt officials than in the Ming Dynasty.
But these officials are all bureaucrats.
Bureaucrats have the common problem of bureaucrats. Most of them only want to please Su He and do not care about the life and death of the people under their rule.
These people showed concern for the people, and most of them showed it to Su He.
Su He really gave the order to grab it with both hands.
It is necessary not only to ensure the normal progress of spring plowing, but also to maintain the logistical supplies of the army.
These bureaucrats will definitely send the young people who are plowing in the spring to the logistics and transportation team in some way.
Spring plowing in the Henan area will not be seen in Suhe. When the time comes, grain production will decrease, which will directly lead to natural disasters.
The young men transported a large amount of grain and grass, and Su He could see that the grain and grass supplies had arrived at the military camp.
How these bureaucrats choose, Su He can figure it out after just a little thought.
Doing so can easily provoke civil unrest, and civil unrest will break out again in Henan and southern Beizhili, which have already been stable.
Su He made a clean cut and let all the young men go back to farming.
This is not the most efficient method, but it is the least bad method.
Su He would rather sacrifice time to let the people finish spring plowing before transporting supplies to the front line.
The Qin army fought smoothly all the way to Baoding Prefecture.
This gave many officers and soldiers of the Qin Army the idea of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly.
The Qin army settled in Baoding Prefecture for a month, and the atmosphere of the Qin army changed very well.
Su He looked at Su Hu and said: "Your Third Army can mobilize the army and prepare to attack Zhuzhou northward."
When Su Hu heard this, he couldn't believe it.
"Your Majesty, the logistics supplies have not been delivered yet, can we continue to attack?"
Su Hu has been suppressed for a month, and he is almost going crazy. Now he just wants to have a hearty battle.
Su He nodded and said: "Jiang Zhiyu has not been idle this month, using the personnel of the logistics department to transport a large amount of supplies to us.
After a month of accumulation, these weapons and ammunition were enough to support the consumption of a large-scale war.
Spring plowing work has now been completed in most areas of Henan.
A large number of idle young people will be re-recruited by the logistics department.
Send us a large amount of supplies, so you don’t have to worry about subsequent logistical transportation issues.”
After Su Hu heard the introduction from Qin King Su He, he was as happy as a child. He went to the military camp of the Third Army and asked the officers to prepare for war.
Su He returned to the camp under the protection of the guard regiment.
Ding Degui, the congratulator of the guard regiment, saw King Su He of Qin coming back. After saluting, he said:
"Your Majesty, Han Yunxian from the Military Intelligence Bureau has something to ask you to see you."
"Call him to my tent."
Su He came to the camp, and soon the security team brought Han Yunxian in.
After Han Yunxian bowed and saluted, he said: "Your Majesty, we have learned about the situation of the Fourth Army and the Seventh Army."
Su He's eyes lit up and he ordered: "Tell me carefully about the situation of these two armies."
Han Yunxian explained in detail what he learned about the situation of the Fourth Army and the Seventh Army through Military Intelligence channels.
After Su He heard this, he slapped the table with his hand excitedly.
Said loudly: "Good, good, very good."
Su He was very happy when he heard the news.
The Fourth Army led by Wu Jie fought very smoothly.
Now the troops have been stationed in Changping, and the north gate of the capital has been captured by the Qin army.
The Fourth Army destroyed the elite Ming troops in Shanxi and Xuanfu Town, but suffered very little army losses.
The cavalry attacked the connection between the capital and other cities, turning the capital into an isolated city.
The Seventh Army has captured Tianjin City and is encircling Tongzhou City.
With the strength of the Seventh Army, it would not be a problem to capture Tongzhou.
Su He led the main force of the Qin army to capture Zhuzhou.
The capital was surrounded by the Qin army, and Emperor Chongzhen and the Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials were unable to escape.
Li Dazhuang's ability to easily capture Tianjin was closely related to the help of the navy.
Su He learned that the naval warships had arrived at Dagukou, Tianjin, and he no longer worried about the situation on the southern battlefield.
The southern battlefield is progressing smoothly, so that the navy can have spare power to explore the route north.
After Han Yunxian reported these things, he left Su He's study.
Su He asked the guards to inform the officers of the Third Army and the Imperial Guard that he was going to convene a military meeting.
At the meeting, Su He briefly introduced the situation of the Fourth Army and the Seventh Army to the officers.
"The Fourth Army has established a foothold in Changping, north of the capital, and the Seventh Army is about to capture Tongzhou and reach the capital.
Both partial divisions have achieved great results, and our main force must also fight this battle beautifully.
The amount of ammunition shipped by the navy is very large. The ammunition in our camp is enough to support our army in conquering Zhuzhou.
When our army reaches the capital, even if there are some problems with the supply lines at the rear, there will be no shortage of ammunition.
After we capture Zhuzhou, we can safely march northward.
The Third Army immediately set out to clear the Ming army's fortifications outside Zhuzhou.
You want to turn Zhuzhou into an isolated city.
Guan Ning's army is good at cavalry, and if they are trapped in the city, they will not be able to unleash the strength of this Ming army."
The military meeting ended and the officers returned to their troops.
Su Hu hummed a little tune and walked towards the Third Army camp.
He walked into the camp and saw that the Third Army had completed preparations for war.
Su Hu raised his voice and said: "Set out to Zhuzhou."
Like a tiger emerging from its cage, the third army set out from the camp and headed directly towards Zhuzhou.
The soldiers of the Third Army crossed the boundary line between Baoding Prefecture and Zhuzhou and saw sporadic Ming army patrols.
Su Hu sent a small group of troops in front of the army to test and prevent them from falling into the trap set by the Qin army.
He marched cautiously, but did not delay the Qin army's march at all.
In just two days, the Qin army cleared all Ming army defense lines outside Zhuzhou.
…………………………
Zhuzhou City is very quiet at night.
Wu Sangui summoned the generals of Guan Ning's army.
He picked up a jar of wine and filled the large bowls in front of each general with wine.
"We are all brothers and drink this wine together."
After Wu Sangui drank a large bowl of wine.
He looked at the generals of Guan Ning's army and said: "I have received news that the Xuan Mansion where Wang Pu and Yang Guozhu are located has been captured by the Qin army.
The Seventh Army of the Qin Army is attacking Tongzhou.
When I got the news, Tongzhou could hardly hold on.
It is estimated that the Qin army has occupied Tongzhou now.
Today, the Qin army has arrived at Zhuzhou City.
Their tentative attack has cleared the outposts and defense lines around Zhuzhou, and will soon surround Zhuzhou.
Our Guan Ning Army are all cavalrymen.
In the battle to defend the city, our cavalry acted as infantry to defend the city, and we could not even exert half of our strength.
We are not good at defending the city, how can we resist the Qin army's attack.
Now the Qin army is powerful, has sharp firearms, and has many troops.
We can't defeat the Qin army, whose early firearms were not so sharp.
Now if you go out of the city to fight the Qin army, you will be killed."
One of the generals, under the influence of alcohol, whispered: "General, let's surrender!
Xuanfu was defeated and Tongzhou was defeated.
Only our Zhuzhou army is left alone and cannot stop the Qin army's offensive."
"General, if this doesn't work, we will surrender. Even Tang Tong in Baoding can surrender.
We were about the same as Tangtong, so we simply lowered the price.
Our wife and children are all in the capital, but if we keep them useful, there will definitely be no shortage of wives and children in the future."
When Wu Sangui heard what the generals said, he directly threw the wine jar in his hand to the ground with a bang.
"Have you forgotten what we did before and how long ago it was?"
Guan Ning's army fought with the Qin army in Shaanxi.
Even if they were beaten by the Qin army and fled in embarrassment, they would lose more than they won in a few battles.
When they were defeated, they suffered heavy casualties and were driven away by the Qin army and fled in confusion.
But sometimes small groups of the Qin army underestimated the enemy and rushed forward, but they turned back and killed several groups of the Qin army.
At that time, the Qin army's heads were very valuable, and they wanted to escape for their lives.
Guan Ning's army took no prisoners, they chopped off the heads of all the Qin soldiers.
It was these heads of the Qin army, plus people in the imperial court.
After the disastrous defeat of Guan Ning's army, he was not punished by the court.
He didn't care at all about what Wu Sangui had done before, thinking that King Qin Su He would definitely accept his surrender.
Give him extremely generous surrender terms, at least he should be made a prince.
Some time ago, he sent people to the Qin army to discuss surrender.
The surrender conditions proposed by the Qin army were extremely harsh, and Wu Sangui could not accept them at all.
He surrendered for the sake of glory and wealth. After surrendering, he might still be a prisoner.
No matter how stupid he is, he will never do this.
When the generals of Guan Ning's army heard Wu Sangui re-introducing what they had done, they all lowered their heads and meditated.
These people all know that King Qin Su He has a very good and very bad character, and is extremely protective of his children.
The Ming Dynasty fought with the Qin army, and the generals who used cruel methods did not end well after being captured.
If they surrender to the Qin army, going by the past situation, they will not end well.
"General, what should we do?
Regarding the situation here in Zhuzhou, we can deceive Emperor Chongzhen, but we cannot deceive ourselves.
In other words, the money that Fang Zhenghua brought was monitored too closely and was distributed in full.
The money issued by the imperial court was not even distributed to the soldiers after being exploited by the civil servants and us.
Many soldiers are owed pay, their morale is extremely low, and their combat effectiveness is worrying.
Also, the quality of the Hongyi cannons before the imperial court was quite good. The Hongyi cannons sent during this period were very easy to explode after being fired.
The army in Zhuzhou City was reported to the court as being 150,000.
Excluding the newly captured strong men and the military households who have neglected training, the number of combatable troops is less than 50,000."
"General, everyone knows the situation in Zhuzhou.
No one shows mercy when it comes to taking money.
If you want to use troops to defend the city now, you won't be able to create a strong army."
Wu Sangui stared at these people and said: "The Qin army here in Shuntian Mansion is too strong now.
The Qin army will not accept our surrender, so we must make preparations in advance."
"The general means that we abandon the city and leave."
"Where are we going? Should we flee to the Ningjin area?"
Wu Sangui said with a serious face:
"Yes, if you stay in Zhuzhou now, you are just waiting to die.
We cannot escape to the north. The two armies of the Qin Army plus the garrison, with more than 100,000 people, blockaded the northern area of Shuntian Prefecture.
The Qin army also had a cavalry group cruising in the northern area of Shuntian Prefecture.
To escape to the north, we need to break through the heavy defense of the Qin army, and we will be pursued by a large number of cavalry, making it impossible to escape.
We fled eastward, directly to the Shandong area.
When you come to Shandong, the sky is high enough for birds to fly, and the sea is wide enough for fish to jump.
The main force of the Qin Army's Seventh Army to the east is attacking Tongzhou.
The main cities in the east are garrisoned by the Qin Army's second-line troops. These garrison troops do not have cavalry.
As long as we don't attack the city, we can reach Shandong safely with the speed of the cavalry."
Wu Sangui revealed his final purpose.
This method of survival was strongly supported by the generals of Guan Ning's army.
Wu Sangui had long been prepared to escape. After he communicated with General Guan Ning's army,
Guan Ning's army opened the east gate of Zhuzhou overnight.
Wu Sangui's soldiers led the way with torches, and Guan Ning's army held torches and followed the troops in front, riding towards the east on horseback.
A fiery red dragon disappeared into the vast darkness.
The elite cavalry and baggage of Guan Ning's army ran towards Shandong through Hejian Mansion.
Fang Zhenghua, the eunuch sent by the imperial envoy from Zhouzhou, was awakened by the young eunuch.
"Daddy, it's not good.
Wu Sangui, Wu Sangui led his troops and ran out of the city."
Fang Zhenghua had just woken up and his head was still a little confused.
When he heard the news, he was immediately awakened.
"Quickly, close the city gate quickly to prevent other troops in the city from following Guan Ning's army and running out of the city.
Immediately organize the army and prepare for war to prevent the thieves in yellow from attacking."
…………………………
Su Hu was woken up by the guard. While getting dressed, he asked, "What happened?"
"Commander, there is a large number of cavalry running out from the east gate of Zhuzhou.
We have sent reconnaissance cavalry to track the movements of this cavalry.
Bai Yuangui, the commander of the 1st Division, 2nd Brigade and 3rd Regiment, who was on duty, found a good opportunity when the east gate of Zhuzhou City was opened.
He has already led the third regiment to seize the east gate of Zhuozhou.
The Ming army in Zhuzhou City responded very slowly, and the third regiment had already taken control of the east gate of Zhuzhou City.
The Ming army is resisting desperately and wants to take back the East City Gate."
Su Hu didn't expect that he could get such a big deal in Zhuzhou.
"Blow the war drums to notify the army to assemble urgently and launch a general attack on Zhuzhou City.
Our army must not miss this God-given opportunity."
The Qin army trained frequently, gathered urgently at night, and responded very quickly.
The Qin army gathered at a speed far faster than the Ming army in Zhuzhou City.
The large Qin army had already rushed into Zhuzhou City along the city gate occupied by Bai Yuangui.
The Ming army in Zhuzhou City has not yet completed its assembly, and they have all become prisoners.
