In the west of Yuezhou, the 80,000-strong army of the Ming Dynasty general Yan Zungao is attacking the prefectures and counties in Yuexi. The Qing Dynasty general Xu Yong and the deputy general Zheng Yuanxun have only 20,000 troops.
Seeing that his own troops were few, Xu Yong wrote to Shang Kexi for instructions, asking him to allow him to abandon Cili, Shimen, Lizhou and other counties, once again shrink his troops, stick to Anxiang County along the Censhui River and Dongting Lake.
Shang Kexi knows that from a military point of view, Xu Yong's suggestion is right. But losing so much strategic depth at once will greatly shorten the time for Yan Zungao's troops to enter Yuezhou Prefecture to govern Baling.
Shang Ke was pleased to order Xu Yong to stop Yan Zungao's troops from advancing eastward to join Zhu Hengjia. In fact, he regarded Xu Yong as an abandoned son. With the sacrifice of Xu Yong's troops, he delayed the time for the Ming army to attack Yue in the east and west to meet up, and tried to delay it until
Kong Youde's reinforcements arrive.
Since he is an abandoned son, he naturally has to fight with the Ming army from city to city and county to county. The longer the delay, the better.
Shang Ke was happy but did not allow Xu Yong to retreat. He replied to Xu Yong's letter and said: "I have heard for a long time that the famous general in the world is very decisive and resolute. I am happy when I hear about the battle. How can I be timid in fighting today?"
Xu Yong was furious. He was similar in age to the monk Kexi and had senior qualifications. Unexpectedly, he was despised by him today.
The tiger's head is spread out, and its beard is blooming, like a tiger that chooses people to devour.
Xu Yong said to Zheng Yuanxun: "I originally wanted to stop the Ming army in Anxiang, but I was underestimated by Pingnan Fan. General Zheng, you are guarding Cili, and I am stationed at Dafu Mountain to prevent the Ming army from detouring from Changde to attack An.
Township, cut off my retreat."
Hearing that Xu Yong was in Cili, Shimen counties divided their troops for defense. Yan Zungao laughed loudly, saying that Xu Yong didn't know how to fight, so he didn't concentrate his troops to defend Anxiang.
Then he led the army from Changde, planning to attack Anxiang, and cut Xu Yong's and Shang Kexi's troops in two.
Yan Zungao's army entered Yuezhou, and the scouts came to report that Xu Yong's army was stationed at Dafu Mountain. He was shocked: "Xu Yong, a veteran general! I wanted to cut off his return, but he led his troops to Dafu Mountain and strangled me by the throat!"<
/p>
We had no choice but to hold off on attacking Anxiang for the time being and attack Dafu Mountain first.
He picked up his telescope and observed the Qing troops on Dafu Mountain. He saw groups of Qing troops digging fortifications with hoes and shovels.
Don't let the Qing army dig the fortifications, otherwise the battle will be difficult to fight.
The flag was waved, and the 80,000 Ming army launched a fierce attack on the 10,000 Qing army. The battle of Dafu Mountain began.
The Qing army dug ten chest-high trenches on Dafu Mountain, and passages were dug between each trench.
Xu Yong lined up the gunmen in the trench in the front row, with only their heads and hands exposed, and fired their guns downwards; the archers hid in the trenches in the back row, and fired downwards.
The mountain is steep. Although the Ming army has many people, it is unable to attack the mountain with its entire army. It can only charge upward in waves.
"My sons, follow me and kill!"
Rongmei chieftain Tian Peilin led Shuijin chieftain Tang Zhenbang, Shinan chieftain Qin Maocui, and Liangjiangkou chieftain Peng Yingchu tribe to launch the first wave of attacks.
The Bijika people grew up in the mountains, and all the Tujia warriors climbed the mountain as if they were walking on flat ground. Yan Zungao specially asked them to take the lead.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Qing army's Crouching Tiger Artillery opened fire. It was commanding from a high position and had a long range. However, there were not many of them, so it did not do much damage to the local soldiers.
"Woo!"
A shotgun roared towards me.
"Get down!"
Shi Nan Chieftain Qin Maoju pushed down the soldiers around him and fell to the ground. The shells passed by without any damage.
"Tiger!"
"Tiger!"
"Tiger!"
The Bijika people regard the white tiger as their ancestral god, roaring like a tiger in their mouths, holding a bamboo sign in their left hand and a thick-backed sword with a sharp tip in their right hand, bending over and trotting up the mountain.
Peng Yingchu, chieftain of Liangjiangkou, rushed to the front. The Peng family of Xiangxi has been loyal and loyal for generations. In war, he is never ambiguous.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The Qing army's archers began to shoot.
Peng Yingchu held the bamboo sign and continued to climb the mountain.
Seeing the leader fighting for his life, all the subordinates rushed to the trench in a blink of an eye.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yong gathered more than thirty gunmen around him.
"Did you see that big black guy? Cum for me!"
"Bang! Bah! Bah!"
A round of volley fired, and blood splattered on Peng Yingchu's chest.
Seeing that their leader was killed in battle, Peng's soldiers' eyes turned red and they rushed towards the mountain fiercely.
The artillerymen, gunners, and archers of the Ming army also approached to attack and support the infantry on the mountain.
The Qing army was in a commanding position and protected by trenches; the Ming army was exposed and attacked upwards. Both sides fired at each other, and the Ming army suffered a loss.
The Ming army suffered thousands of casualties, while the Qing army only suffered more than a hundred casualties. After paying a huge price, the Bijika warriors captured the first trench, and the Qing army calmly retreated to the second trench along the reserved passage.
General Jing Keqin of the Ming Dynasty replaced the chieftain soldiers and launched the second wave of offensive; the third wave of Chen Lin's department; the fourth wave of Dang Shousu's department; and the fifth wave of Ta Tianbao's department.
The Ming army attacked for five days, seizing three trenches and suffering 3,000 casualties, while the Qing army suffered only 600 losses.
What's even more annoying is that Xu Yong asked his men to dig new trenches on the top of the mountain.
Looking at the Qing soldiers sweating with hoes on the top of the mountain, Yan Zungao put down his telescope with a heavy expression.
This Xu Yong is a great general! He knows very well that he sweats more in peacetime and bleeds less in war. These trenches are dug too hard. According to this method of attack, when this mountain is conquered, my 80,000-strong army will probably be defeated.
It will be lost in half.
"Commander, this Dafu Mountain is difficult to fight. The last general is willing to lead his troops to attack Cili." General Chen Youlong requested his order.
Yan Zungao hesitated: "Cili is also mountainous. From south to north, there are Scissor Temple, Baofeng Mountain, and other peaks on the elevated boundary. If Zheng Yuanxun is like this and digs trenches to defend, it will be difficult to pull out!" p>
Chen Youlong said: "Zheng Yuanxun has the ears of a rat. The last general is willing to issue a military order, which will definitely defeat the interests of charity."
"In this case, you will set off for Cili immediately."
??
In the mountains of Scissor Temple at the southern end of Cili County, starting from the mountainside, Qing general Zheng Yuanxun led his army to dig multiple trenches on the mountain and densely covered them with firecrackers, bows and arrows to await the Ming army.
It was almost winter, the weather turned cold, the wind was biting, and it suddenly started to snow heavily.
"Big brother", Chen Youlong's general and his sworn brother Sun Hua, Zhang Dasheng walked into the military tent and said, "The scouts sent out have returned, and Qing captives are also scattered in trenches up and down the Scissor Temple. It's hard to fight!"
"Have the Qing army discovered our army?"
"It seems not, the mountain is quiet, there is no movement at all."
Chen Youlong raised the tent, stared at the falling snow, and sighed: "What a timely snow!"
Chen Hua and Zhang Dasheng, two generals, took a thousand selected elite soldiers, wrapped their feet in cotton cloth, and quietly went up the mountain while the heavy snow was falling. Chen Youlong led the army to support them.
Approaching the trench, the Ming army lay down and crawled forward.
The sentry of the Qing army on the mountain yawned loudly.
"Erhu, here," the fellow villager on the side handed him a wine bag.
"I'm standing guard, but I don't dare to drink."
"Ahem! You idiot, the Ming army is attacking Dafu Mountain, so how can they come to Cili? Besides, even if the Ming army comes, they will have to wait until the snow stops before attacking the mountain. Come, have a drink to warm yourself up against the heavy snow.
Miles".
The sentry took the wine bag and took a sip when his eyes suddenly widened.
A strong arm strangled the fellow's neck, and a sharp dagger cut off the fellow's head.
He wanted to shout, but couldn't. His neck was caught by a pair of big hands, and he turned into a corpse in an instant.
One by one, the Ming troops climbed up the mountain, easily captured the first layer of trenches, and then followed the passage to capture the second and third layers??
"Enemy attack!"
Finally, Qing troops began to call the police.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Ming army no longer concealed their presence, sounded the marching drum, and attacked the mountains from all directions.
Zheng Yuanxun hurriedly led his army to resist, but the Ming army had already reached the top of the mountain, and his men were unprepared and at a loss.
After fighting for a long time, the Scissor Temple was lost.
Zheng Yuanxun led the remaining troops to retreat to Baofeng Mountain and Ma'erling. The Ming army followed the Qing army and chased them away.
Digging trenches was very time-consuming. The Qing army only had time to dig trenches at the Scissors Temple at the southernmost point. There were not many fortifications in Baofeng Mountain and Ma'erling.
The morale of the Qing army had been lost, and the Ming army was still pursuing them. In a panic, they lost two mountains and fled to Cili County.
"Open the city gate quickly, it's me!"
Zheng Yuanxun shouted to the city.
Seeing that it was the general, the defenders hurriedly opened the city gate to welcome him in.
Chen Youlong's pursuers have arrived.
Seeing that the Qing army was entering the city, Chen Youlong jumped off his horse and ran towards the city gate with a knife.
He has a unique skill. He can travel three hundred miles a day and can run faster than a horse in a short period of time.
Chen Youlong was as fast as lightning. He rushed to the city gate in a blink of an eye, swung his sword, and killed more than ten people in a row. He ran behind Zheng Yuanxun's horse and grabbed Zheng Yuanxun.
"I am the 'King of Five Hells', and I am here to take the lives of dogs like you!"
A loud roar shocked the defenders.
Later, the Ming army arrived and quickly captured Cili City, which had lost its general.
Looking at the shiny little braid on the back of Zheng Yuanxun's head, Chen Youlong felt disgusted.
"He's another bitch who doesn't want his ancestors. Come here, boil a pot of hot water and skin him."
??
"What, Cili is lost?"
Xu Yong was dizzy for a while and finally calmed down.
"Quickly, the entire army retreats to Anxiang."
It is impossible not to withdraw, otherwise the Ming army would be trapped and die on the mountain after they circled from Cili to Dafu Mountain.
Before retreating, Xu Yong sent five hundred men to pretend to attack the Ming army at the foot of the mountain.
After a night of turmoil, the Ming army discovered that the Qing troops on the mountain had disappeared early the next morning.
Yan Zungao secretly scolded the beast for being cunning, and after leading his army to recover Shimen, Lizhou and other counties, the entire army attacked Anxiang County.
On the banks of the Lianshui River, thousands of bamboo rafts and hundreds of small boats are ready to go.
"Attack!"
Yan Zungao issued the general order, leading 500 small boats and bamboo rafts, shooting towards the other side like arrows.
"Fire!"
Xu Yong gave the order.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
There was a loud noise, causing huge waves. From time to time, small boats and bamboo rafts were scattered and overturned.
Bo Ma Jinzhong of Wuchang in the Ming Dynasty landed in a small boat.
"Quick, form a formation quickly!"
Ma Jinzhong raised his general's flag, and his troops who landed quickly moved closer to him.
"Huh? A general from the Ming army has arrived?"
On the river bank of Xuanshui, in the Qing army camp, Xu Yong put down his telescope and raised his flag.
"Cavalry attacks!"
Xu Yong has 800 well-trained elite cavalry, which is his trump card. Now is the time to use them.
"Da! Da! Da!"
The cavalry of the Qing army roared towards the landing Ming army.
"Don't want to live? Hurry up and form a formation!"
Ma Jinzhong was so anxious that he stamped his feet.
The hastily formed Ming army could not withstand the impact of the cavalry.
"Ah!"
With a scream, a Ming Army primary school commander was split open by a cavalry sword.
"Kill!"
A bloody rifle stabbed into the chest of a sergeant.
Seeing that his own army formation was overwhelmed by the cavalry, Ma Jinzhong did not hesitate at all and ran towards the boat.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!"
Fortunately, the mud on the riverside slowed down the cavalry. Ma Jinzhong escaped by chance.
After escaping back, his face was full of shame and he said, "I will be incompetent, please punish me."
"That's all, it's not your fault, it's my commander's carelessness. I didn't expect Xu Yong to be so tightly guarded."
"General Ta, you will lead 10,000 troops and horses, bypass the Luishui River, and attack the Qing troops from a flank."
Ta Tianbao took the order and left.
"Commander, it will take half a month to cross the Lishui River. The general thinks that we can let our water camp escort the infantry, cross Dongting Lake, and land at Huarong behind Anxiang. Once Huarong County is captured, we can
Cut off the connection between the enemies of Anxiang and the enemies of Yuezhou. Trap the Xu thieves to death in Anxiang."
Tian Hu, deputy general of Longyang Water Camp, offered advice.
Yan Zungao's eyes brightened, but soon dimmed again.
"Although Lieutenant Tian's strategy is good, you only have 7,000 naval troops, while the Qinglu Yuezhou navy has 10,000. Landing from Dongting Lake is too risky."
Tian Hu was anxious: "Commander, the Jianguo is attacking Yuezhou, and the Tatar navy is cruising around Junshan and Baling. How can they have time to pay attention to Anxiang and Huarong? If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cubs?
, handsome!"
Ma Jinzhong also shouted: "Commander, my old horse failed to land on the Lianshui River today, and I have lost face. I am willing to lead my troops to Dongting, take the glory, and avenge my shame!"
Yan Zungao saw that the two generals were very firm and agreed.
Tian Hu used warships to escort Ma Jinzhong to land in the southwest of Huarong County. It went very smoothly and did not encounter the Qing navy.
A "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" made Huarong County famous all over the world. Cao Cao fled here after his defeat in Chibi.
A wise man will surely make a mistake. Although Xu Yong was good at fighting, he did not expect that the Ming army would land from Dongting Lake and circle to his rear. He only left a thousand defenders in Huarong County.
Ma Jinzhong led 10,000 infantrymen and easily captured Huarong, cutting off monk Xu Yong's land connection.
Xu Yong was so frightened that he sent people to cross the Dongting in a small boat to ask for help from Shang Kexi in Baling City.
It was still gratifying to see that the Ming Army on the West Route had captured Huarong, and it was meaningless for Xu Yong to hold on to Anxiang. So he ordered Yuezhou's commander-in-chief, Ma Jiaolin, to lead a 10,000-strong navy and transport Xu Yong's troops to Junshan by ship.
At this point, the Ming army's east and west armies successfully joined forces across the Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River waterway.
