"General, the bandit leaders Sun Kewang and Ai Nengqi fled eastward with some of the remaining soldiers."
"How many are left with them?"
Wu Sangui frowned. Although he had been mentally prepared for the possibility that he might not be able to do his best, he was still a little disappointed.
"This... General, the exact strength of the bandit army that crossed the river is unknown, so it's really hard to judge. But with such a huge defeat, I can only imagine that at most two or three thousand people could follow and escape."
"Those who escaped must be experienced and old thieves. If there are fewer people, it will be difficult to encircle and suppress them. Once they really escape into the Dabie Mountains and reach the south of the Yangtze River, it will be difficult for Your Majesty and the Queen Mother to explain to you!"
Wu Sangui rubbed his forehead with a headache. He hated Sun Kewang with all his heart. He was not good at fighting, but he was good at escaping from disgusting people.
In the end, Wu Sangui had no choice but to order the army on the east bank to continue the pursuit, and also ordered the garrison troops in Suizhou to guard to the death to prevent the remnants of the bandit army from escaping into the Dabie Mountains.
After issuing the order, the envoys who went to Xiangyang to recruit surrender also returned.
"How many thieves are left in the city? Who is the leader and what conditions have been imposed?"
"Back to the general, there should be about 10,000 to 20,000 left. The general is Liu Wenxiu, the adopted son of the King of Shu, Zhang Xianzhong. Liu Wenxiu wanted to see the emperor's imperial decree pardoning them before he would open the city and surrender. Otherwise, he would rather set fire to Xiangyang City and burn it with jade stones.
"
The messenger, who was the magistrate of Nanzhang County, replied carefully.
Hearing this, Wu Sangui's brows furrowed into the Chinese character "Sichuan". Although he was extremely angry that these trapped beasts dared to raise conditions, but if they really set fire to Xiangyang City, he would not be able to hold it back.
He could only say in a deep voice: "Do you think Liu Wenxiu is bluffing?"
"Back to the general, Liu Wenxiu's attitude is quite decisive. He is indeed prepared to die together. It doesn't sound like a bluff. We should report this matter to the Queen Mother first!"
"You're too talkative. How do I deal with this? It's not your turn as a seventh-grade magistrate to wipe your hands."
Wu Sangui's face darkened, the general's majesty was unmistakable, and he obviously wanted to give this little civil servant a lesson and show off the bad temper he felt when he was bullied by the civil servant.
"The official is busy with official duties, please resign!"
The magistrate also lost his temper and walked away with his hands in hand.
Obviously he is not afraid of General Wu Sangui either.
Wu Sangui didn't care at all. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed and annoyed he became.
The original plan was to quickly defeat the Daxi Army and then return to the north to destroy King Chuang and make up for the past.
But now Liu Wenxiu is defending Xiangyang and attacking by force. The negotiation and reporting will take too long. I am afraid that by the time the imperial edict arrives, the intruders will be captured alive by Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing.
There are also the remnants of Sun Kewang who escaped, and they cannot be ignored. They are really in trouble for eight lifetimes.
Although he was extremely depressed, Wu Sangui still did not dare to attack Xiangyang, so he had to send fast ships and fast horses to Nanjing and Beijing respectively.
There is no way, Xiangyang belongs to the south. According to His Majesty's decree of dividing the north and the south, how to deal with the problem of Xiangyang must be reported to Nanjing first.
Three days later, under the pursuit of the Ming army, Sun Kewang finally took the remaining troops and fled through Suizhou into the Dabie Mountains.
Wu Sangui was so angry that he vented his anger in the big tent. He had to send a clipper to Nanjing. At the same time, he asked Zuo Menggen to remove some troops and station them in the north of the Dabie Mountains to prevent the bandits from escaping.
Henan.
As for the two provinces of Jiangnan, it was not that Wu Sangui did not want to mobilize troops to contain them, but without His Majesty’s imperial edict and the transfer order from the Governor’s Office, he simply did not dare to mobilize troops into Jiangnan without authorization. Entering Huguang was already the limit. After all, Tang Tong’s troops
Ma was originally stationed in the Xunyang and Xiangyang areas.
In fact, five days after Xiangyang was attacked by bandits, the news spread to Nanjing. At that time, the government and the public were shaken, and Zhang Yan was so frightened that she lost her mind.
There is no way. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that if you defend the Jiang River, you must defend the Huai River, and if you defend the Huai River, you must defend the Xiang River.
Xiangyang's reputation as the best city in the world is by no means idle, but of real importance.
Fortunately, Zuo Liangyu, a veteran general, was here, and after some analysis, we concluded that the bandit army's force for the sneak attack on Xiangyang was not large, and 80% of it was a small force. After the sneak attack on Xiangyang, it was impossible to do anything else.
It was also difficult for the main force of the bandit army to march south to Xiangyang under Wu Sangui's nose. Therefore, although Xiangyang was attacked by surprise, the impact was not significant.
After listening to Zuo Liangyu's analysis, Zhang Yan, Ma Shiying and other civil servants felt relieved.
"Empress Dowager, that Wu Sangui is a loser. He was asked to command an army of hundreds of thousands, but he actually let the bandits sneak into Huguang and attack Xiangyang. It is extremely incompetent!"
Zuo Liangyu naturally did not forget to take the opportunity to apply eye drops and arrange Wu Sangui fiercely.
Then Wu Sangui is a piece of shit. There is no way he can compare with him in terms of qualifications. Isn't he just unlucky? How come he is a marquis, a general, and the number one general in the Ming Dynasty?
If he had been in charge, he would have wiped out the hundreds of thousands of Chuang Wang and the Eight Great Kings. Where would they have had the opportunity to escape into Huguang?
Zhang Yan frowned slightly when she heard this. She was obviously very dissatisfied with Wu Sangui, but she could only wave her hands and said: "It's not easy for the Ai family to issue an order to reprimand this matter. Your Majesty will make your own decision in the future. Although Xiangyang does not have many troops,
But just in case, we still have to take measures, I wonder what Zuo Aiqing has to say?"
"What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true. I am willing to petition for war and lead an army to recapture Xiangyang. We only need 30,000 troops. Xiangyang will be recaptured within one month and the bandit army going south will be wiped out."
Zuo Liangyu knew that the opportunity to make a meritorious service had come, and quickly asked for help.
If the rebel army did not enter Huguang, it would be difficult for him to ask for a fight. Now that the rebel army has even captured Xiangyang, it is justifiable for the south to send troops to recover it.
Zhang Yan showed hesitation on her face. Although Xun'er had given her all the military and political power in the south, Xiangyang belonged to the south. It was natural for her to send troops to recover it, and it was not overstepping her authority.
But if Zuo Liangyu is allowed to go, there will definitely be a conflict with Wu Sangui. I'm afraid neither of them will listen to the other, and it will be counterproductive.
So he thought about it and said: "It's rare that Zuo Aiqing has such a desire to serve the country, but let Wu Sangui recover Xiangyang. The tenth town can be transferred to Wuchang to defend the rebels from going south."
"Queen Mother Shengming!"
Zuo Liangyu had no choice but to reply, but he couldn't hide the disappointment on his face.
Ma Shiying and other civil servants never said a word from beginning to end, just like Zuo Liangyu never talked much in government affairs.
Ma Shiying and Zuo Liangyu never interacted with each other and seldom spoke. Apparently, both of them had a clear mind and knew that once they interfered in military and government affairs, their death would not be far away.
It's a good thing that His Majesty is in Nanjing, but now that His Majesty is away, both of them are more cautious, fearing that if they say a few more words, His Majesty will misunderstand and be suspicious.
In addition to the 10th Town in Nanjing, there are 100,000 new soldiers recruited, plus the garrisons from various places and the 9th and 8th Towns in Chongqing, the total number is 300,000.
This was the capital that Zhu Cixi left to Zhang Yan and Princess Kunxing to defend the south just in case.
It can be said that even if the Ming army in the north is completely wiped out and the situation collapses, with these 300,000 troops, they can still firmly hold half of the country in the south.
Therefore, after the Tenth Town was transferred to Wuchang, there were no major fluctuations in Jiangnan.
However, not long after the Tenth Town arrived in Wuchang, the clipper dispatched by Wu Sangui also arrived in Nanjing.
Knowing that the Daxi Army had been defeated and the rebel army in Xiangyang had been surrounded, Ma Shiying and Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.