After closing the gate, a horse emerged from the white mist in the early morning.
The Eight Banners guarding the gate immediately checked, but it was a tired old Jurchen woman. When she saw the Eight Banners, she took out a letter.
When Nikan arrived, the old woman committed suicide.
Her whole family was killed in Yingzhou, and she was the only one left. This time she was brought to deliver a letter. When the letter arrived, she no longer wanted to live.
From outside the Pass to within the Pass, from Beijing to Yingzhou, along the way, I have experienced excitement and joy, as well as suffering and despair, and now I am finally free.
At the last moment of her life, she shed tears from the corners of her eyes. If she had a choice, she would not let her family enter the prison even if she died.
"Bury her."
Nikan took the letter and read it carefully. It was a letter from the Emperor of Heaven to him.
The emperor reiterated the previous request for surrender and peace by the Jurchens, and also said that the Jurchens did not keep their promises and did not give them the promised annual coins or withdraw their troops.
However, the Emperor of Heaven is kind and willing to give the Jurchens another chance. Now the Nanyang Wuguan Passage is opened to allow them to evacuate. However, the evacuation is limited to one month, and it is forbidden to plunder Han people and evacuate. They are also not allowed to plunder livestock, cattle and sheep, and plunder people's food, grass, and money.
Wait, otherwise this evacuation channel will be blocked immediately.
Any Qing troops still remaining outside Wuguan a month later would be attacked and annihilated.
After reading it, Nikan fell silent.
"What does Zhu Yihai mean?"
Nikan stroked his whiskers and seemed to understand.
"I guess Zhu Yihai couldn't trust Wu Sangui, so he wanted to divert the trouble away from us and let us fight Wu Sangui, so that he could reap the benefits."
This was a conspiracy, and Nikan knew it, but was powerless. He even had to thank Zhu Yihai for opening his net. At this time, the elites of the Ming army were closing in. If they didn't withdraw, they would be completely ruined here.
At this time, even if he knew that he was being driven to Guanzhong to kill someone with a borrowed knife, he still couldn't care less.
"Hurry up and send people to send orders to all places in Jingxiang. Hurry up and evacuate Wuguan. Don't plunder people or livestock. Just bring gold, silver and food. You have to hurry."
······
"Report, Your Majesty, Baihe City has been lost!"
In Yunyang City, a servant rushed in to report that Baihe County had been lost.
"They came so fast!"
Wang Guangen, the king of Yunyang, stood up and paced anxiously.
"Your Majesty, withdraw. If you don't withdraw, it will be too late."
Several ministers persuaded him together.
But Wang Guangen was hesitant. He was a hungry citizen in Guanzhong and rebelled in order to survive. Later, when he saw the army encircling him from all sides, he accepted the recruitment and defended Yunyang for several years for the Ming Dynasty. Shaotian became emperor and he also received commendations and awards.
, he was granted the title of Marquis, admiral, and guarded the Yunxiang area. It can be said that it greatly satisfied him.
However, the later reorganization and disarmament of the imperial court caused him extreme dissatisfaction. Finally, under the temptation of the Tatars, he switched to the Qing court and was granted the title of King of Yunyang, and he still served as the admiral of Yunyang.
He defended his territory.
In times of trouble, he has always adhered to one concept, that is, he must have soldiers and territory, and everything else is empty. Whoever wants to touch his soldiers and territory will take his life.
He can turn around.
But who could have imagined that the situation has reached this point in the past few years.
"How can Nikan and Basha escape? If they withdraw now, will Shannan no longer belong to the Qing Dynasty?"
Wang Guangen didn't want to withdraw. After years of fighting, he finally got this territory. He had long regarded it as forbidden private land. Now that he has withdrawn, how can he still have a foothold?
"Your Majesty, Wu Sangui has returned to the Ming Dynasty anyway, why don't we try again?" Gao Shiqing, the counselor of Xie Town in Fang County suggested.
There was silence in the hall.
None of the generals objected. Some of these generals had fought with Wang Guangen in Yunyang for many years, and some were sent after the surrender to the Qing Dynasty. They usually fought against each other, but at this time they were facing a common situation.
Wang Guangen was very conflicted and now regretted his betrayal.
However, I was afraid that the Ming army would not accept it anyway.
"Why don't you send someone to test it out first?"
"That's fine."
······
Only one day later, the bad news came again.
Yunxi County was captured again, and the defender Cui Shiren surrendered directly. It was Wang Guangen's two younger brothers Wang Guangtai and Wang Chang who led the attack. The two brothers are now the deputy general of Tunzhen and the staff general, but they are still dead.
With the Marquis.
The two men led the vanguard and fought to the foot of Yunxi City. After firing a few cannons, Cui Shiren opened the city gate and came out to surrender.
Gao Bizheng, Hao Yongzhong, Liu Tichun and others also gathered troops from Zhuxi, Fangxian, Zhushan and other places, crossed Wudang Mountain, built wooden rafts, and went down the Duhe River.
They captured Huanglong Town in one fell swoop, then along the northern foot of Wugong Mountain, captured Yandian and Xiaoling Town, and quickly rushed to Junzhou.
Attack on both sides of the Han River.
"Your Majesty, make a decision quickly. If Junzhou is surrounded, we will be cut off from our path and completely surrounded."
Although Yunyang is remote, it is actually connected in all directions. Going up the Han River can lead to Xing'an and Hanzhong, going down the Han River can lead to Xiangyang Wuchang, passing through Xunxi to Shangluo in Guanzhong, and passing through Fangxian County to reach Jingzhou.
Going northeast through Baidie Pass, you can also enter Xichuan in Nanyang Prefecture and enter Wuguan Road.
But now there are only two roads left, to go to Xichuan or to Xiangyang.
Originally, Yunxiang was surrendered to the Qing Dynasty after Wang Guangen occupied it. He even wanted to occupy Nanyang at one time, but later the Tatars sent their clan Basha to take control of Xiangyang. The apparent reason was to strengthen defense and relieve Wang Guangen's worries.
In fact, it is to seize his territory and squeeze his space.
Junzhou, Gucheng, etc. were also occupied bit by bit by Basha.
Wang Guangen only had one Yunyang left. As a result, after the defeat of Xing'an, Gao Yigong, Li Chixin, Liu Tichunhe and others launched a large-scale attack, and finally took away most of Yunyang south of Wudang Mountain. Wang Guang'an could barely maintain the territory north of Wudang Mountain.
The three counties of Hanshui.
With this little territory, we simply can't afford to raise troops.
Basha kept coming to draw his blood, and Gao Bizheng from Xunnan and He Zhen from Xing'an came to harass him from time to time. Wang Guangen was already in dire straits, and his soldiers were dissatisfied.
Now they actually only have one Yunyang City left.
Either escape or surrender, there is no third way.
Once the Ming army surrounded them, they were unable to resist.
Although Wang Guangen defended the city here to resist the intruders for three years, he may not be able to resist it for three days now.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!······
Although Yunyang Mountain is high and the roads are steep, Gao Bizheng, Wang Guangtai and others have been here for several years and have long been accustomed to the terrain. Most of their soldiers are locals. Now they have turned into villages and towns, guarding various places and dividing their fields.
In just a few years, the situation in the garrison has changed drastically. Many former hungry people and bandits are now well-fed and clothed. Under the good policies of the court, the military town even came forward to marry them wives, marry them, have children, and settle down.
Although the overall conditions are still relatively difficult, at least they have a place to live. Even if they only have three thatched huts, they no longer have to wander around. They have three simple meals and can feed the whole family, including their wife and children.
No more wandering around, no more suffering from cold and hunger, no more worries about bandits and soldiers.
Food, clothing and security.
These soldiers in the garrison were very grateful to the imperial court, so when the assembly order was sounded, they all rushed to pick up their weapons and rush to the garrison. Those who were called were extremely excited, while those who were not called were even disappointed.
They are not afraid of fighting.
Fighting is a way to repay the imperial court for all that it has given us. It is also a good way to make money. If you go to war, you will get food, and if you perform meritorious service, you will get rewards.
Although it is safe to forage in the fields, this place is really remote and backward, and there is no extra income. After having enough food and clothing, everyone always wants to live a better life.
There are many mountains in Xuxiang territory, but there are also many rivers.
The garrison soldiers skillfully set up wooden rafts and bamboo rafts, and made use of these waterways for marching, transportation, and rapid progress.
The garrison soldiers were extremely active and saw this as a good opportunity to earn money and receive rewards.
Yunyang was stationed in the village of Gao Bizheng, and his troops were stationed in various counties and townships south of Wudang Mountain. They had crossed Wudang Mountain several times before and raided the south bank of the Han River in the north of the mountain, and they returned with full loads every time.
This time we heard that we were going to go all the way along the Han River to Xiangyang or even Hanyang Wuchang, and everyone was even more excited.
It's not the busy farming season now. Although the weather is hot, it's still cooler in the mountains, so it won't delay your home when you go out.
Zhu Yihai's order to the towns here is not to send too many troops. Each town can select some elites. The combined strength of each town is a lot. Sending too many troops will not only affect the rear farming production, but also increase the burden of military supplies.
.
But Gao Bizheng and others were afraid that others would make meritorious deeds, so they tried to recruit as many soldiers and horses as possible. As for the issue of food and grass supply, they made an agreement with the garrison soldiers that the garrison town would provide a portion of rations, and then the garrison soldiers would bring their own dry rations. Finally, it would be half a month to arrive.
For one month, it is mainly fried rice or noodles.
The garrison town has made an agreement with everyone that the garrison soldiers who have not been selected can bring their own dry food and join the conscription on a voluntary basis. Even the children of the garrison soldiers can voluntarily join the conscription without rations and bring their own dry food. The garrison town will not provide them with food, grass, equipment, etc.
However, they can share rewards for all captures on the battlefield. Although gains and losses cannot be upgraded, they can be rewarded.
Therefore, on the surface, Yunyang Tun Town, a high-ranking village, sent out three thousand elite garrison troops, but in fact, more than ten thousand soldiers came, accompanied by fathers, sons and brothers, and it was very lively.
More than 10,000 people and horses walked in the mountains. Although they lacked mules and horses, they were very good at using waterways, collecting local materials, cutting wood and bamboo to build simple rafts, and transporting people and materials together with the river, which was extremely cost-effective.
high.
July.
After Gao Bizheng, Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun and more than 10,000 troops wiped out the towns on the south bank of the Han River in Yunyang, a large number of boats lined up down the river. They passed Yunyang without fighting, but went downstream to Junzhou.
Soldiers and horses surrounded Junzhou City, the west gate of Xiangyang Prefecture.
A few days later, brothers Wang Guangtai and Wang Chang also led their troops to Yunyang City.
Immediately afterwards, He Zhen, Sun Shoufa, Yao Ke and others from Xing'an Prefecture Tun Town also arrived at Yunyang City and surrounded the city.
Wang Guangen sent his servants out of the city to negotiate with the Ming army.
But Ming Jun did not reply.
A few days later.
The country's surname was Zhu Pengfei, and Zhu Dingguo also led his troops down the river from Hanzhong and arrived at Yunyang.
At this time, Yunyang's army gathered.
Wang Xingen wavered and completely lost the chance to escape.
Before the Ming army besieged the city, he took the initiative to withdraw all the surrounding troops into the city. Wang Guangen said in a letter to the Ming army that he still had more than 20,000 people in the city.
In fact, counting all the people in the city, there were only over 20,000 people. At this time, he had no more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and was extremely short of food. He could not hold on, especially because he had no morale and no fighting spirit.
Sun Shoufa, He Zhen, Wang Guangtai, Yao Ke, etc. were all waiting for the arrival of Zhu Pengfei and Zhu Dingguo, the emperor's adopted sons, Guo Xingye, especially since the emperor had long appointed Zhu Pengfei as the commander-in-chief of the Yunxiang camp.
"My surname is Wang Guangen. He wants to surrender, but he still harbors illusions and has many conditions. We ignored him. He has lowered his conditions a lot in the past few days." Sun Shoufa reported to Zhu Pengfei, and after Gao Doushu entered the court, he
After becoming Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Sun Shoufa is now the governor of Shaanxi. Since Shaanxi has only recovered the two prefectures of Xing'an in Hanzhong, it actually only has jurisdiction over these two prefectures.
