At this time, the entire situation in Jiangnan was instantly chaotic.
There was a melee among the original four towns in Jiangbei, and in a short period of time, only two towns remained.
Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo, and their troops were naturally swallowed up.
The British Prince Azig led the Manchu army down the river and went straight to Yangzhou.
Shi Kefa's pressure increased greatly, and the city was in panic.
At this moment, Zhu Yixi led an army of more than 100,000 people and rushed to Wuguan, walking slowly along the winding mountain trails.
The road can only accommodate one carriage, so the army stretches for more than thirty miles, with no trace of the front or rear.
Bursts of smoke filled the entire mountain forest, like a fairyland, covering the mountain road.
A large number of messengers constantly conveyed the instructions of the King of Yu. It was strictly forbidden for livestock in the army and soldiers to urinate and defecate in the water. Violators would be severely punished.
By the time he arrived at Longju Village, five days had passed in a short journey of two hundred miles.
Looking up from a high place, one can see the continuous caravans of cars looming in the dense mountain fog. From time to time, the sound of donkeys brays can be heard, making people understand that there are still people on the road between the valleys.
Compared with Tongguan, taking the Wuguan road is very difficult. Compared with the Yellow River, the flow of Danshui is nothing.
It can only provide water for the army, and transporting food is even more extravagant.
More than 100,000 people, plus a large number of livestock, will only pollute if they are not restrained. The amount of water they drink in one day is enough to stop the flow.
Eating, drinking, and transporting all require repeated restrictions to stay safe.
Of course, the biggest advantage is that there are no obstacles along the way, and no fortress can compare to Tongguan.
There is no need for red-coat cannons at all, just a bombardment with French cannons, and the enemy will have to surrender.
"What's the news about Hanzhong?"
Zhu Yixi held her hands on the female wall of Longju Village and looked at the mountain forest not far away. Birds flying in the sky and beasts roaring were obviously disturbed by the human march.
"The news from two days ago is that I joined the army to defend for six days, but because of the lack of troops, more than half of them were killed or injured, so I had to withdraw from Dashan Pass, return to Hanzhong, and sit at Qingni Ridge in Feng County."
Sun Changzhou looked at King Yu's tired face and said cautiously.
This news is not good.
"enough!"
Unexpectedly, King Yu was not angry, but said calmly:
"His 5,000 men can withstand 100,000 troops for five or six days, which is enough. Qingniling is not worse than Sanguan. Another two or three days will be enough."
There was a smile in Zhu Yixi's eyes: "By the time Li Zicheng reaches Nanzheng (Hanzhong Prefecture), we will already be eating wine and meat in Xi'an City."
Chencang Road is not easy to walk. There are countless big passes and small villages along the way. They are blocking every step, which is enough for Li Zicheng to drink a pot.
Nowadays, Longju Village is two hundred miles away from Shangzhou, four hundred miles away from Lantian, and only more than five hundred miles away from Xi'an.
After passing Shangzhou, the most difficult journey is over, and the rest is just plains.
"As long as a light cavalry is sent and the horse is whipped, it only takes four or five days to reach Xi'an and make Li Zicheng's army morale chaotic."
Zhu Yixi was very high-spirited. This time he went to visit Li Zicheng's home. Even the mere contact was enough to upset the morale of the army.
He didn't believe that Li Zicheng had no heirs and could leave his family and career to go to Sichuan, but the generals and ministers under him had a lot of burdens and could not be ruthless.
"Let Li Jingwu and his two men serve as vanguards and arrive in Xi'an, shocking the whole of Shaanxi——"
"Yes!" Feng Xianzong responded crisply and wrote quickly.
As Feng Xianzong matured, his position as deputy chief of the General Staff Department continued to stabilize.
Therefore, King Yu, intentionally or unintentionally, exercised power.
When it comes to government affairs, Zhao Shu basically drafts royal orders, while when it comes to military affairs, Feng Xianzong writes.
In this way, it will not only help the two people to carry out their work, but also promote the decentralization of power and prevent the military and political affairs department from being dominated by one family.
Of course, after a period of time, he will set up a group of young people similar to Hanlin bachelors to be responsible for drafting royal orders, thus making the shogunate move towards a formal court.
At this time, Li Jingwu was feeding his horse bean dregs cakes, and from time to time he would feed him two bites of meat as a reward.
This made the horse wag its tail happily and rub its face affectionately.
"This Jiannu's war horse is really good!"
Stroking this brown war horse, Li Jingwu was overjoyed.
With a shoulder height of four feet and five inches, it is a bit taller than the average Mongolian horse. The white spots on the bridge of its nose make it look very familiar. The bright white teeth show that this horse is only four years old and is in its prime.
"That's right. I heard that this belongs to a certain Baylor. It makes you look so majestic when you ride it all the time."
The deputy general on the side flattered him and said with a smile.
"With more good horses like this, our cavalry battalion will be truly developed."
Li Jingwu looked back and saw five thousand cavalrymen, one man and two horses, walking silently and cautiously on the valley floor.
Although there were fewer than the eight thousand people before, the momentum was more aggressive.
"Pa-" He took out a short musket from his horse, aimed at the flying bird and shot it.
Unfortunately, it didn't hit.
A small number of those war horses neighed, looking extremely frightened.
"Why hasn't it taken you so long to get used to it?"
Li Jingwu frowned and scolded sternly: "Any war horse that is frightened will be whipped five times, or half a month's salary will be deducted."
As he said that, without waiting for anyone's reaction, he looked around and said, "If it happens again next time, then it's not worthy of being a war horse and will be directly used as a draft horse, or it may be sold and replaced with a draft horse for you."
After hearing this, everyone took a deep breath and turned pale.
No matter the beating or fine, it is not as severe as getting a horse.
You must know that the life and death of a cavalryman almost depends on the horse at his hip, and this is especially true for his status and merit.
This is like exchanging AK for Hanyang products, no one can stand it.
For a moment, everyone was cursing in their hearts and thinking about how to make the war horses adapt to the sound of gunshots.
At this time, a messenger carrying a flag came on horseback and panted:
"Commander Li, this is the military order from King Yu."
Li Jingwu opened it without hesitation. After a long time, he said with great joy:
"Everyone, our opportunity has come to make a contribution."
As he spoke, he waved his arms and told King Yu's military order. He didn't speak loudly until everyone understood it:
"Feed the horses, drink water, carry military rations on your back, and set off in half an hour."
Therefore, the high-spirited cavalry battalion set off quickly without any delay.
The troops along the way had no choice but to step aside and make way for them to gallop.
Everyone looked at the retreating cavalry with envy, eating ashes and complaining:
"Walking on four legs is just comfortable..."
On the roadside, each person in the Chongbu camp had a donkey, or a mule, carrying armor and food for them. Seeing this scene, I felt uncomfortable.