In Huaiqing Mansion, located on the north bank of the Yellow River, the winter sun hangs high in the sky, and the city of Hanoi is already in a sea of flames.
This was once the land of winter wheat, but now it has been watered with blood. The ditches are strewn with corpses, and shabby flags have fallen down in random directions, with no one paying attention.
Not far away, a large number of subordinate troops were defeated and fled westward, obviously frightened.
The war horses roared and chased after the fleeing army. They ran violently to death and were trampled to death. Countless people died.
Duduo was riding on the horse, quietly looking at the battlefield in front of him, holding the reins in one hand, the chainmail on his body was neat and thick, his lips were pursed slightly, with a smile.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, Congratulations, Your Majesty, Huaiqing Mansion was defeated in one battle, which can be said to be a good start for the war in Henan."
Next to him, there was a middle-aged general with a dark complexion, thick eyebrows and big eyes full of joy. What was surprising was that his palms were as white as jade.
"King Huaishun, this army is like an army of worms and is not worth mentioning."
Prince Yu shook his head and said regretfully: "These are not the elite of thieves. No matter how many they kill, they are just as boring as swatting flies to death."
Huaishun King Geng Zhongming smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is still powerful, the Qing Heavenly Army is invincible."
"The intruders are vulnerable to attack, and they are about to invade Xi'an."
On the side, Kong Youde, the respectful king with the same dark face but slender arms, laughed wildly:
"When we cross the Yellow River, we will reach Luoyang."
"Luoyang!"
Duduo looked at the miserable battlefield, which was even quite pleasing to the eye.
It's like him hunting in the wild, chasing wild animals. The more ferocious the wild beast, the more it arouses the fighting spirit in his heart.
"Among the Three Kingdoms, the capital of Wei State is in Luoyang!"
"That's right!" Geng Zhongming hurriedly smiled and said: "Your Majesty is really knowledgeable and knowledgeable, I will admire him in the end."
Although they both belong to the royal title, without mentioning the difference between them, just saying that Duduo is the younger brother of his uncle, the regent, is enough for them to treat him with respect.
"Although I am illiterate, I have never heard of the storytelling of the Three Kingdoms. It was often discussed during the late emperor's reign, and Luoyang appeared several times."
Duduo is quite contented.
Since the large-scale publication of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the mid-Ming Dynasty, it has caused a huge sensation.
As Zhang Shicheng's counselor, Luo Guanzhong was well-informed and integrated into the wars of the early Ming Dynasty. People generally believed that military value was higher than literary value.
In the fourth year of Chongde, Huang Taiji ordered the scholar Dahai to translate "Mencius", "Tongjian", "Liu Tao" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and put the four together.
Although it was not adapted into Manchu until the seventh year of Shunzhi, the generals and nobles have already read and listened to it.
"I'm a big boss, I can't compare to the prince!"
Geng Zhongming complimented.
"Capturing Huaiqing Mansion is equivalent to cutting off the hands of intruders heading to Beizhili."
After the joke was over, Duduo analyzed calmly: "Ajige, Wu Sangui, and Shang Kexi are still setting off from the north, heading towards Yulin and Yan'an. The intruders definitely can't do both in two years."
"The scouts sent word that Liu Zongmin is stationed in Luoyang with one hundred thousand soldiers and horses, just to stop us outside Tongguan."
"It's a pity that these few soldiers and horses are not enough to show off."
This time going south, Duduo not only brought nearly 10,000 troops from his Xiangbai banner to suppress the formation, but also 20,000 troops from Guan Ning, Geng Zhongming, and Kong Youde's Han army banners, totaling 50,000 troops.
You know, the entire Qing, Manchu, Han, Mongolian, and Eight Banners armies only numbered a hundred thousand.
The actual number of Manchu Eight Banners soldiers was only over 60,000.
Although it was only fifty thousand to one hundred thousand, everyone present was full of confidence.
The Guan Ning Army, the Eight Banners of the Han Army, plus the Wuzhenchaoha (i.e. the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty, Firearms Troops), can be said to be the elite among the elite, and they are more than enough to defeat Li Zicheng.
Originally, Guan Ning's army numbered 50,000, Wu Sangui led 30,000 cavalry, and the other 20,000 infantry were naturally divided and led by Duduo himself.
Wu Sangui could only remain silent about this. With the elite cavalry in hand, the infantry could only give up.
After cleaning up the battlefield, the group entered Hanoi County.
In the county government office, a huge map of Henan was displayed in front of everyone.
This was looted from the city of Beijing. Li Zicheng ran away with the gold and silver in his arms, naturally not caring about the blueprints and books.
The cities are marked out one after another, which is a little rough, but at this time, they are rare masterpieces.
"Before Luoyang, there were Mengjin, Xin'an, and Tongguan, Shaanxi."
Duduo pointed at the map and said solemnly: "The key lies in Luoyang. The troops and horses of the intruders are all deployed here. As long as there is a battle, there will be no danger in front of Tongguan."
"As for Tongguan? It depends on how awesome you guys are."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the twenty red cannons are already on the way, and they will arrive soon. By then, no matter how strong Tongguan is, it will not escape collapse."
Geng Zhongming said with a smile, full of confidence.
In the Battle of Jinzhou, the power of red artillery has been profoundly proven. With twenty artillery, under the professional gunners, Tongguan is no longer a natural danger.
Duduo was satisfied with this, which was also the source of his confidence in this battle.
The Manchu Qing Dynasty arose in the Northeast and roamed the grasslands for decades. Could it be that their riding skills were better than those of the Mongols?
This is of course negative.
At that time, Genghis Khan captured blacksmiths from the Jin people, so he had thick iron armor and sharp bows and arrows. From a technological point of view, he had already crushed Western Asia.
The Qing Dynasty, beginning with Nurhaci, attached great importance to military technology. The open-pit iron mines in Liaodong and the Han craftsmen made Qing bows and cloth-faced armors powerful weapons.
Using the captured craftsman Liu Han, they successfully imitated the red cannon, and cooperated with Kong Youde and others to bring in the gunners trained by Sun Yuanhua, which not only allowed them to surpass the Ming army in terms of the number of artillery.
And in terms of technical strength, it far exceeds.
Otherwise, the prairie cavalry of the Golden Family were more hard-working than the Jurchens, how could they have been defeated so miserably?
Of course, to be honest, Qing bows are more powerful than cannons on the battlefield. This is an indisputable fact. This is also the reason why there were so many cannons during the Manchu rule.
However, compared to the expensive Lumi gun and flintlock gun, it is far inferior.
"My lord, please don't forget that there is still a force entrenched in Nanyang, Huguang and other places!"
The thoughtful Geng Zhongming thought more carefully, frowned, and pointed his white palm at Nanyang Mansion.
"This Zhu Yixi, I heard, is still a member of the clan. He is so shameless that he actually goes against your title, the prince."
Kong Youde looked filled with indignation.
Duduo looked at Nanyang on the map and said coldly: "You are right to remind me, this person really needs to pay attention."
"Before leaving, the regent said, and Hong Chengchou also reminded me several times, that this son is like a poisonous snake, always plotting and waiting for opportunities."
"King Yu? Is he worthy of this title?"
Duduo said disdainfully: "Today, I, the real King of Yu, will cut off the head of the false King of Yu with my own hands as a warning to others."