Hearing that the Ming army had captured Baling, King Pingnan was overjoyed. Without even thinking about it, he decided on the thirty-sixth strategy. He led his army across the Yangtze River, passed Jingzhou, and withdrew to Chengtian Mansion in one go.
Zheng Siwei, the commander-in-chief of Jingzhou, asked Shang Kexi to stay in Jingzhou to defend, but Shang Kexi refused. His purpose in life was to either not escape, or to escape as far away as possible.
Hearing that Shang Kexi had withdrawn, Dingnan King Kong Youde was so angry that he threw his tea bowl, but there was nothing he could do about Shang Kexi. He had to ask Dorgon for help and discuss with Luo Xiujin, the governor of Huguang.
He and Luo Xiujin are both from Liaoyang, authentic fellow villagers, and they usually talk about anything.
"Lao Luo, the situation is urgent! The reinforcements sent by Gu were almost wiped out by the Ming army. That loser Shen Zhixiang fled back with thousands of people. Now there are only 45,000 Wuchang defenders left. To defend Wuchang,
There is only one way."
"Your Majesty, just tell me what you can do."
"I want to abandon Jingzhou and other places, and transfer all local generals such as Zheng Siwei to Wuchang for defense."
Luo Xiujin was shocked when he heard this. He was the governor of Huguang. He was afraid of being blamed by the Qing court for losing so many places at once.
"It is absolutely impossible for Jingzhou, an important military town, to withdraw without a fight. Hubei will no longer be owned by the country."
"But now that we don't have enough troops, how can we defend Wuchang?"
"We can ask the regent for help while abandoning the counties in the south of Wuchang, relying on the Yangtze River, Xiliang Lake, Axe Lake, and Zehu for defense, with Jiayu and Xianning as the first line of defense; Jinkou Town and Zhifang as the second line of defense.
The second line of defense; Hanyang and Wuchang are the third line of defense. If you resist continuously and delay the Ming army, you will surely be able to wait for reinforcements from the regent."
Kong Youde thought for a while and said, "This strategy makes sense."
Kong Youde asked Luo Xiujin to be in charge of Hanyang, and he was in charge of Wuchang, and responded across the river. He ordered Lu Guoan to guard the country, Ma Ji to guard Jiayu, Cao De to guard Xianning first, Jin Li to guard Jinkou Town, Liu Zhiyuan to guard Zhifang, and he also ordered the navy Liang Biao's troops to guard
Yangtze River Waterway.
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"The Pseudo-Ming Dynasty came out in full force and headed straight for Wuchang. The banners covered the sun and the army was very fierce. The slaves worked hard and fought repeatedly. Jingzhou is in danger! Hanyang is in danger! Wuchang is in danger! Please send the army to rescue as soon as possible.
Will Huguang no longer be owned by the country?"
Dorgon in Beijing frowned deeply when he saw this memorial sealing Kong Youde's request for help.
He knew Kong Youde very well. He regarded himself as a hero and was arrogant. He would never ask for help unless it was absolutely necessary. The wording of this memorial was so serious. It seemed that the situation in Huguang was on the verge of collapse.
There is no way to save him.
Looking again at the statement made by Luo Xiujin, the governor of Huguang, the situation is even more critical.
Shang Kexi was not so pessimistic, but he fled to Chengtian Mansion in one go.
Dorgon knew that now was not the time to punish Shang Kexi. Geng Jimao, the son of Geng Zhongming, had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. If he wanted to force Shang Kexi to rebel again, the situation in Huguang would be completely corrupted.
Nowadays, there are counterinsurgency campaigns everywhere in the north, and there are not many soldiers and horses available. Dorgon scraped together and managed to get only 20,000 troops.
We need to find a general to go there.
Originally, Jierhalang was the best candidate to lead the army, but the last time he was sent to lead the army, he took the opportunity to expand his power, which aroused Dorgon's wariness.
After thinking about it, Dorgon's eyes fell on Babutai, the Duke of Zhenguo.
Aixinjueluo Babutai, fifty-eight years old this year, is the ninth son of Nurhachi, Taizu of the Qing Dynasty. Because his mother was a concubine, although he has made many military exploits, he has never been able to be crowned king.
Babutai was startled: "You can't do it, the etiquette cannot be broken, you are the emperor's father and the regent."
"There is no regent today, only Brother Jiu and me."
Dorgon's attitude is very sincere.
Babutai was stunned, as if he had seen his innocent fourteenth brother again. He was twenty years older than Dorgon and a serious Manchu elder.
As people get older, Babutai coughed a few times: "It's hard for the regent to come see me in person. As I get older, my body and bones are getting worse and worse."
Dorgon smiled, Brother Ninth is doing Tai Chi with me.
He expressed his position on the spot that if Babutai could relieve the siege of Wuchang, he would be crowned a prince.
As soon as he heard that he had the opportunity to be crowned king, Babutai no longer had a stooped back and his cough was cured. He led the bodyguard to command Bo Hui, and the bodyguard to lead Lang Qiu, and led 20,000 Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners to aid Wuchang.
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Jiayu City is not big, so it was named after the meaning of "Jiayu in the south" in "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya". The city has the Yangtze River on the left and Xiliang Lake on the right. The land route is narrow, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
General Geng's army, Nian Guo'an, led 5,000 troops and was stationed in Jiayu City, while deputy general Ma Ji led 2,000 troops and stationed them at Chibi Mountain behind the city.
Zhu Hengjia led Yan Zungao, Li Mingzhong, Li Dingguo and other generals to attack Wuchang with a mighty 180,000 troops.
Along the way, Tongcheng, Chongyang, Puqi and other counties surrendered without a fight.
When he came to Jiayu, he heard that Geng's army had set up three lines of defense and divided his troops to defend it. Zhu Hengjia laughed out loud.
"Kong Youde only has a total of more than 40,000 troops left. Instead of concentrating his troops to defend Jiangxia, he instead spreads his troops everywhere. In this way, Wuchang will be easily defeated!"
Li Mingzhong admonished: "The reason why Kong Youde dared to divide his troops in the supervision of the country was because he wanted to use the Yangtze River and lakes to slow down our army's advance and wait for the arrival of reinforcements. Don't be careless!"
Zhu Hengjia observed the geographical location again and nodded: "You are right, Jiayu City is in a narrow terrain and the army cannot deploy. A hard attack will inevitably delay time. Is there any way to capture Jiayu quickly?"
"Jianguo, why not attack Jiayu from behind via the Yangtze River waterway?"
The general strictly followed Gao's advice.
Li Dingguo Road: "If we take a detour from the Yangtze River, the Wuchang Navy of the Qing army will definitely block it. It is better to send sergeants on bamboo rafts to cross Xiliang Lake, seize Red Cliff, and cut off the enemy's rear route."
Zhu Hengjia thought for a while, and then attacked in three directions. He ordered Tian Hu and Shi Bi to lead the navy to open up the Yangtze River waterway; Jing Keqin and Chen Lin's troops attacked Jiayu City; Chen Youlong's troops crossed Xiliang Lake on bamboo rafts and attacked Chibi.
Liang Biaoxiang, the commander-in-chief of the Wuchang Navy of the Qing Army, led his generals Liu Longsheng and Xu Guolong to inspect the Yangtze River waterway in the Jiayu area. He was originally a famous "Red Flag Pirate". He was recruited by the Qing court and transferred to Wuchang to guard Jiang Fang.
"Enemy attack!"
The watchmen on Diao Dou saw the Ming army's warships.
"Get ready to fight!"
Liang Biaoxiang hung up the flag.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The fierce water battle lasted from early morning to dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun fell on the Yangtze River. Broken decks and floating corpses filled the river. Both sides lost dozens of warships, and no one gained control of the river.
The vanguards of the Ming army, Jing Keqin and Chen Lin, arrived at Jiayu City. These two men were originally in charge of the Yaohuang Thirteenth Family. After joining Zhu Hengjia, they made many military exploits.
Chen Lin went to Jing Keqin to discuss matters and saw Jing Keqin setting up camp.
He set up his camp in a high place facing the sun in the south, with a water source next to it. There were layers one after another, with a big camp outside and a small camp inside, with the big camp inside the small camp. He also built a circle of earthen dams (barriers) on the outermost side. Trenches were dug in front of the dam. What's even more outrageous is that even toilet pits were dug one after another.
"Brother Jing, you are too careful. You are trying to build an iron wall." Chen Lin joked with Jing Keqin.
Jing Keqin said sternly: "My dear brother, please don't be careless. If the country's security is capable of fighting, we must guard against them robbing the camp."
Chen Lin said yes, but she secretly laughed at Jing Keqin's timidity. The Qing army in the city only had a few thousand troops, so how could they have the courage to rob the camp?
After returning to the camp, Chen Lin hastily built some fortifications and fell asleep.
In Jiayu City, Lin Guoan selected 1,500 elites and prepared to rob the camp.
"The only son in the family, come out," Ni Guoan said calmly
One after another, dozens of people came out.
"You, my only son, will stay in the city. The others will die with me!"
All the troops were excited: "I am willing to fight to the death with the general!"
At Yin Shi, Chen Lin was sleeping soundly, and the Qing army secretly sneaked to the camp gate.
A group of Qing troops moved away their horses and knocked down the camp fence.
"Who?"
The soldiers on patrol at night shouted and asked.
Lin Guoan waved his hand, and hundreds of arrows shot away.
"Ah", Ming Bing fell to the ground.
"Kill with me!"
Lin Guoan brandished his waist knife, like a tiger descending from the mountain, and charged into Chen Lin's army camp.
The earth-shattering cry of killing woke up Chen Lin, who hurriedly stripped naked and looked for weapons and armor.
"Go to hell!"
Several Qing soldiers broke into the tent and slashed at the defenseless Chen Lin with knives, causing blood to splash all over the tent.
After defeating Chen Lin's army, Lin Guoan then attacked Jing Keqin's camp.
Deep trenches, high ramparts, and numerous watchtowers blocked the pace of the Qing army.
Seeing that there was no opportunity to take advantage, Lin Guoan withdrew his troops and returned to the city.
The next day, Jing Keqin counted his troops and found that General Chen Lin and three thousand soldiers had been killed, and his morale was devastated.
When Zhu Hengjia heard that the vanguard had failed, he asked him to go to the rear to rest and regroup, and replaced him with General Ma Jinzhong to attack the city.
Compared with Dongting Lake, Xiliang Lake is too small.
Chen Youlong led 7,000 selected elite soldiers and quickly crossed to the other side secretly on a bamboo raft.
Form a formation and fight towards Chibi Mountain, which is said to be the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Chibi (one said it was in Puqi, another said it was in Huangzhou).
Most of Chen Youlong's men came from the Wugang Mountains and were proficient in mountain warfare. They were unexpected and rushed to the top of the mountain in a short time.
Ma Ji, the deputy general of the Qing army guarding the mountain, was known as a brave general and would take the lead in every battle. He led 300 soldiers to attack Chen Youlong.
"Cring the crossbow, shoot!"
Chen Youlong's general Sun Hua led 500 crossbowmen and fired at Ma Ji with their crossbows.
This small crossbow is a commonly used weapon among mountain people. Although its range is short, it can shoot multiple branches at once.
Five hundred crossbowmen fired thousands of crossbow arrows, as dense as ox hair, and it was impossible to avoid them within a short distance.
"Whoosh whoosh", Ma Ji was hit by dozens of arrows and died on the spot.
Chen Youlong captured Chibi, cut off Lin Guoan's retreat, came to Jiayu, and met Ma Jinzhong.
"Give me a bombardment! People won't stop cannons!"
Zhao Yong, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Army's vehicle and artillery battalion, shouted.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
Cannonballs were fired at Jiayu City.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
After bursts of thunder, cannons, large and small, left kiss marks on the city wall.
"Dong dong dong!"
The rapid marching drum beat.
"Kill!"
Countless carts, rush carts, and ladder carts rushed towards the city wall.
Lin Guoan stood on the city wall without any fear. He led the troops well, and although he was in a desperate situation, his military morale remained intact.
"Gunner prepares", "Shoot!"
"Archer prepares", "shoot!"
"Set the wolf fang!"
Military orders were issued one after another, and the defenders resisted desperately.
Zhu Hengjia observed with a telescope, Ma Jinzhong's troops suffered heavy casualties and the offensive was blocked.
"Ma Jinzhong is ordered to retreat, and Dang Shousu is ordered to attack," Zhu Hengjia shouted.
After playing for two hours, Dang Shousu was exhausted and replaced Ta Tianbao.
Soon, Ta Tianbao could no longer be attacked.
Zhu Hengjia took a look and saw that there were two thousand casualties. Fighting like this was not the answer, these were the elites of Lonely.
After thinking about it, I decided to attack the city with surrendered troops and prisoners.
In the Battle of Yuezhou, Geng Jimao and Hui Zhiguan surrendered thousands of troops and 20,000 prisoners.
Zhu Hengjia selected thousands of elites from the prisoners to supplement the losses of Ma Jinzhong, Dang Shousu, Ta Tianbao and other troops. The remaining prisoners were handed over to Geng Jimao, Hui Zhiguan and others, forming a siege army of more than 20,000 people.
Geng Jimao summoned Hui Zhiguan, Ma Jiuyu, Zeng Yangxing and other generals and said: "Generals, this is our first battle after surrendering to the Ming Dynasty. The supervisor is watching us from behind, but we must fight hard!"
All generals responded: "Yes!"
Once the surrendered troops surrendered to their new master, in order to prove their loyalty to the new master, they often fought harder than their direct troops.
Geng Jimao organized a team to supervise the battle, and those who retreated were killed.
Hui Zhiguan, Ma Jiuyu, Zeng Yangxing personally led the troops to kill.
The city was raining bullets, and a group of captured soldiers turned around and fled.
"Cut them all!"
Geng Jimao gave the order coldly.
The supervising team chopped off more than thirty heads in one go.
Seeing that retreat was a dead end, the prisoners had no choice but to bite the bullet and attack the city.
"Kill!"
Ma Jiuyu rushed to the front.
"Yes, he is a general." Lin Guoan on the city smiled grimly and took out a three-stone hard bow. One stone is already considered a strong bow, and Lin Guoan's bow has more than three stones.
He put on an iron finger, bent his bow and set an arrow, and shot an arrow through Ma Jiuyu's neck.
Ma Jiuyu wanted to speak, but couldn't. He fell to the ground and twitched a few times and became motionless.
"Brother Ma!"
Zeng Yangxing was extremely grieved, his eyes were red, and he continued to charge.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
Ning Guoan shot and killed more than ten people in a row.
"General's sharpshooting!"
The morale of the subordinates was greatly boosted.
No matter how good your archery skills are, they are insignificant in the face of the disparity in power.
Five days later, after losing 5,000 captive soldiers, Jiayu City was captured.
Zeng Yangxing led hundreds of people to surround Lin Guoan in a corner of the city wall.
He yelled at Lin Guoan: "Aren't you a good shooter? I will shoot you to death today!"
Hundreds of revenge arrows were shot at Lin Guoan, like a porcupine covered with thorns, falling into the city.
