After a spring snow, it gets even colder in the mountains.
Nikan and his men were trapped on the Blue Martial Arts Road. After an autumn and a winter, now another spring has passed.
I couldn’t look forward to the warmth of spring and the blooming of flowers, but I was already at the end of my rope.
The morale of the military has been shattered and morale has completely collapsed.
Shangshan Danshui Wuguan could not gather these remaining defeated generals, and soldiers fled every day to surrender to the Ming Dynasty. Even starting last year, there were several mutinies, and someone tried to cut off his head to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.
The reason why they can hold on until now is not because Nikan is so strong, but because the Ming army did not attack, and Wu Sangui on the other side was guarding Lantian Pass and did not attack.
But they couldn't stay in Danshui, Shangshan forever. They couldn't hold on. They started to grow some food in various places last autumn, and went into the mountains to hunt and fish in the rivers. But the soldiers were already skin and bones from hunger.
A lot of bad news came.
The Ming army did not attack, but they sent various latest news from time to time. Taiyuan was lost, Baoding was lost, Datong was lost, Beijing was lost, and the Great Wall was completely lost...
The Qing Dynasty deposed the emperor and demoted the country's title, and asked the Ming Dynasty for peace, but the Ming Dynasty refused.
Tomorrow the emperor said that we must eliminate the Manchu type.
He tried his best to block these messages, but he couldn't block them at all. They always spread to all parts of the army, causing the morale of the army to collapse.
Nikan felt that he could no longer sit still and wait for death.
The late spring cold came so hard that many soldiers suffered frostbite, and they were even more destitute.
We must find a way to break through.
"What did Wu Sangui say!"
Nikan rode out of Shangzhou City, and everything he saw was desolate. The once lively Lanwu Dao had been blocked for so long, not a single soul could be seen, and the people had basically fled.
Now he still occupies the five cities of Shangzhou, Danfeng, Shangnan, Shanyang, and Luonan, as well as the mountainous areas of Shangshan, Danshui, and Luoshui. But now the people here are not only almost gone, but also the people they evacuated here originally.
More than half of the Guanzhong, Hubei, and Nanyang soldiers were also lost.
Nearly 50,000 soldiers and civilians had previously evacuated here, but now there are less than 20,000.
Nikan fought with Wu Sangui several times and drove Wu Sangui's soldiers out of Shangshan and rushed to Lantian Pass. However, when the Wu army retreated, they took away many people, food, grass and livestock, and they could not take away any of them.
A fire burned it.
The five cities they recaptured were basically destroyed, with only some ruins remaining. Only Wuguan remained intact in their hands.
Although Wu Sangui was driven back to Lantian Pass by him, they tried to break through Lantian Pass and enter the pass, but they failed several times and suffered numerous losses.
When a forceful attack failed, he secretly contacted Wu Sangui, hoping that Wu Sangui would make way for him, but even now, Wu Sangui has never let go.
A few days ago, he sent someone to contact Wu Sangui again, and proposed to him the truth of the matter. He hoped that Wu Sangui would not force himself to die, and both sides would suffer. It would only be an advantage for Zhu Yihai. He hoped that Wu Sangui could act with him and pretend to be defeated and seize the opportunity.
After arriving at Lantian Pass, they broke through and headed for Hetao in northern Shaanxi.
In this way, Wu Sangui can preserve his strength and continue to possess Guanzhong, and they can also escape from here.
Nikan had already made up his mind. If Wu Sangui didn't agree, he would have no choice but to fight Wu Sangui at all costs.
After leaving the city, Dama headed west, along the Danjiang River, on the Lanwu Ancient Road, and came to Muhu Pass, where Shangluoxi Gate is located.
It is built on the upper reaches of Bashui River, with Lanqiao Town in front.
Muhu Pass is a ravine formed by the ridges of the Qinling Mountains. The mountains are covered with wild oak trees, pine trees, thorns, and cogongrass.
The name of Muhu Pass is not obvious, but it has other names, Qingni Pass, which was also called Lantian Pass. In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it was moved to the side of Qingni Ancient City and renamed Qingni Pass, and later changed to Lantian Pass. In the Daye Year of Sui Dynasty, it was moved
Return to the old address.
It is also named Yaoguan because it is located near Yaoshan Mountain.
Muhu Pass can be called Lantian Old Pass. It is now guarded by Basha, with Meng Qiaofang assisting in defense. One is in charge of troops and the other is in charge of logistics.
"We collected all the gold and silver wealth in the army and sent it to Wu Sangui in Lantian, which was worth a million taels of silver. We bought him a road. We also told him the truth of life and death, and said that if we don't borrow the road, we can only fight hard. Wu Sangui has secretly agreed.
Borrowing a way, but he needs us to act together, so three nights later we will pretend to have a fight with him at Lantian Pass, and then we will pretend to have a chaotic fight at night, and then he will let us go."
The land in Lantian is black soil mixed with yellow sand, which the ancients called green. The sand washed down from the mountains and the loess on the plains have formed a light-colored soil. Whenever it rains, it is full of thin mud. If you step on it, it will reach half of your legs.
Yao means waist.
The west part of Qingni Pass stretches from Qipan Mountain to Qinling Mountains in the east and passes through Lanqiao. It is forty miles long. There are steep hills at both ends and a ditch in the middle. If there is a blockage at both ends, it becomes like a gate to beat a dog.
Now Basha is guarding the Dongtou Muhu Pass, and Wu Sangui is guarding the Xitou Lantian. This narrow ravine of forty miles has become an insurmountable gap.
In the summer and autumn, this place is very beautiful, with green mountains on both sides, and the valleys are all green. The fields cultivated on both sides of the streams are filled with millet, corn, and sweet potatoes. However, the land here is less and more mountainous, the people are poor, and wild animals are rampant.
Nikan was eager to leave here immediately.
He didn't feel bad about the gold and silver treasures worth millions. They were all looted from the Han people anyway. He just wanted to leave here.
Those gold and silver can't be eaten when hungry, and can't be worn when cold. Real gold and silver can't be exchanged for a steamed bun.
As he followed the ravine to the distant blue fields, he saw nothing but mountains.
The mountains covering both sides of Jishan were like two dragons trapping them here.
It was so icy and snowy that I couldn't even dig up any edible wild food.
"When I leave this time, I will return to Liaodong, Jianzhou, and my hometown outside Guanwai in Baishan and Heishui. I will never come back to this ghost place."
······
The red sun leaps out from the east.
Dawn breaks.
The clouds for half the sky looked like they were on fire.
It looked like it was stained red with blood on the battlefield.
In the forty-mile-long narrow passage at the foot of Mount Aishan, the ice and snow had long been dyed red, and as far as the eye could see, there were corpses everywhere.
The once invincible Eight Banners of Manchuria fell to the ground in a mess.
Nikan prepared for three days and mobilized all the troops from the five counties of Shangluo to evacuate from this passage that he bought for millions.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! They walked in the dark of night, and nearly 20,000 people were crowded into this 40-mile passage.
One camp next to the other, 20,000 people spread out nearly thirty miles, almost filling the Qingni Valley.
Just when they thought they could leave, Wu Sangui and Guan Ningjun, who were supposed to pretend to intercept, did so instead.
They came out suddenly and with great ferocity. Even after the battle, there were still men and horses lying in ambush at the foot of the mountains on both sides. Countless Guan Ning soldiers came out with swords and guns, cutting down the weak and hungry Qing army.
What made Nikan most desperate was that after the battle, many Han and Mongolian soldiers defected.
There were chaotic fights everywhere, and it was even more dissatisfying in the dark.
The Eight Banners are no longer brave.
When the battle came to dawn, at least 10,000 of the 20,000 men and horses turned against each other. Wu Sangui gathered tens of thousands of men here and attacked and killed them fiercely.
The two sides crowded into the narrow ravine and fought, leaving countless corpses behind.
Nikan, who was covered in blood, was holding a big flag in his hand and looking out on horseback.
"Damn Wu Sangui!"
His voice was hoarse.
On the battlefield, Wu Sangui's generals were trying to persuade them to surrender again, but Nikan would never surrender. He gathered his troops in the chaos. The narrow terrain made them embarrassed, but they could barely hold on.
"If we fight hard, even if we die, we have to get Wu Sangui and Guan Ningjun together."
Meng Qiaofang found him and suggested returning to Muhu Pass or returning to Shangzhou City to reorganize his troops.
But Nikan refused.
"We have already run out of ammunition and food, and now we have been deceived by Wu Sangui. Now we are fighting with our last breath. Once this breath is released, we will no longer be able to organize our troops and fight again. Besides, Wu Sangui still has troops behind him.
The horses have not moved out, they are waiting for us to turn around, then they will launch the final blow."
"Moreover," Nikan turned to look back in the direction of Shangzhou. "If my prediction is correct, if we leave Wuguan on the front foot, the Ming army has already followed us on the back foot. They must have arrived at Muhu Pass by now, and they haven't appeared here yet.
, I just want to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers. If we don't go back, they may not show up right away. If we turn around and go back, we will be attacked from both sides immediately."
"It's all a matter of death. I'd rather rush forward and die in battle!"
"The Ming army couldn't have come so fast. They didn't know that we were suddenly heading west in this frozen world. If we go back now, we might still have a chance."
"What a chance, that's what happened, let's fight to the fullest."
"Governor Meng, are you afraid?"
Meng Qiaofang looked at the Qing troops retreating on the battlefield and couldn't understand why they had reached this point. She thought that a few years ago, He Zhenshou and Sun Shoufa and other coalition forces of 100,000 people invaded Xi'an and attacked the city. At that time, he only had a few thousand ragtag troops on hand.
, but he didn't panic at all.
But today, it can be felt that the whole army has given up any hope. As Nikan said, everyone is still full of anger and still has one breath left to hold on. Once this breath is released, they can only let others
Massacred.
He rode back to his team.
The first-class bodyguard he lifted up with one hand, Shaanxi Commander-in-Chief Zhao Liangdong, came to greet him.
"Sir, brothers, we can't hold on anymore, why don't we go back to the pastoral care center?"
"Prince Jing said he would not retreat!"
Zhao Liangdong was stunned for a moment, spitting blood into the ground, holding the knife and gritting his teeth, "But brothers can't defeat Wu Thief."
Meng Qiaofang just looked at the battlefield and said coldly, "General Zhao, are you afraid?"
Zhao Liangdong, a native of Yinchuan, also raised an armed force of landlords at the end of Chongzhen. When the Qing army entered the pass to pacify Shaanxi, Zhao Liangdong took the initiative to greet them and was assigned to guard Tongguan by Meng Qiaofang. Later, he defeated He Zhen for his meritorious service in attacking Xi'an and was specially awarded the second-class bodyguard by the emperor.
He made great achievements in pacifying Shaanxi and capturing Hanzhong. He accumulated merits all the way from the garrison to the capital, guerrillas, and then to the general and deputy generals to the general army. In just a few years, the military fortune was prosperous.
Zhao Liangdong was very good at fighting and was a powerful general, but looking at the battlefield situation at this time, he could only swallow his saliva and quietly reminded his old boss Meng Qiaofang, "If we continue to fight, there will be no chance of survival."
"So?" Meng Qiaofang asked.
Zhao Liangdong said, "Why don't you consider a way out, sir?"
While he was talking, a group of cavalry came running towards him.
But it was Xu Yong, the admiral of Gansu Province. This native of Yinchuan, he was already the deputy commander-in-chief of Zuo Liangyu's army during the Chongzhen period. He later came to the Qing Dynasty and made great contributions in the Battle of Wuchang. He rose to the rank of admiral and was named Ning Wugong at the end of last year. This is
His original surname was Gao, and he was later adopted as the adopted son by General Xu of Ningwu. Later, because General Xu came to have a son, Xu Yong went to Liaodong to join the army, and simply changed his surname to Xu. From Liaodong to the Central Plains, he accumulated merits all the way to the position of Deputy General.
Finally, he was demoted to Qing Dynasty and then promoted to admiral.
Xu Yong, who was born with a swallow's jaw and a tiger's head. When he left his hometown, he put aside his bold words and said that a man would become a prince. At the age of sixteen, he took his sister to travel around Guandong with a sword and went to Liaodong to join the army. He said that a man would tie his hair and join the army.
Meet the Lord of the Ming Dynasty, ascend to the throne of Zhuguo, wear leather on the battlefield, and become famous for eternity.
He admired Yue Fei's reputation and integrity, and also wanted to pursue wealth and rank.
He led the cavalry and ran directly in front of Meng Qiaofang, clasping his fists on the horse, "Meng Butang, we surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in the first place to use the hands of the Qing army to eliminate the bandits and to avenge the emperor. Now we surrender again today."
Lord of the Ming Dynasty, we should all abandon darkness and return to the Ming Dynasty. We should not be stubborn anymore and ask the ministers to join us in killing the captives anyway!"
Meng Qiaofang looked at the bearded admiral and was speechless.
Xu Yong's most famous experience as a Ming general was when he was favored by Yuan Jixian and Wang Yongzuo, who allowed him to guard Yunyang as the general Zuo Liangyu. Xu Yong guarded Yunyang for several years, and indeed blocked Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng once
Although in the end he did not obey Gao Doushu's order and led his troops to abandon Xiang with Wang Yongzuo, Zuo Liangyu and others in those attacks, he did develop a reputation as a powerful general in those years.
After surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he was even more successful in Wuchang, leading 3,000 troops to defeat 100,000 rebels. After that, he entered Shaanxi from Huguang and defeated various Guanzhong rebels.
But now, he asked Governor Meng Qiaofang to kill the prisoners anyway.
Meng Qiaofang understood very well that Xu Yong just wanted to use his banner to attract more people.
"The Qing Dynasty treats you well, how can I betray you?"
Xu Yong sneered a few times.
"Governor Meng is a noble man, so why did he surrender to the Qing Dynasty in the first place?"
Zhao Liangdong looked at the battlefield and gritted his teeth, "Admiral Xu understands the righteousness, I admire him, and I am willing to work together anyway. Governor Meng just can't think about it for the moment."
"Please ask Admiral Xu to lead us to kill the prisoners anyway, and Governor Meng will leave it to the general to persuade us."
"Okay," Xu Yong didn't waste any more nonsense and quickly made a simple arrangement with Zhao Liangdong. While gathering other Han troops on the battlefield and breaking away from the battle with Wu Sangui, he looked for opportunities to capture the thief and the king, and captured Nikan and Basha.
Wait for the commander to take it.
He no longer paid attention to Meng Qiaofang, regardless of whether he surrendered or not. Anyway, he was in control now, so he just mentioned his name.
After persisting until this moment, Xu Yong had no way out. Although Zhao Liangdong was promoted by Meng Qiaofang and was even appointed as a second-class bodyguard by the Shunzhi Emperor, so what, who cares about this now? If the fight continues, today
They all have to die here.
The situation on the battlefield changed suddenly.
Xu Yong, the admiral of Gansu, and Zhao Liangdong, the commander-in-chief of Shaanxi, took the lead anyway and raised Meng Qiaofang's banner high. The Han generals who could not hold on for a long time turned against each other one after another.
Xu Yong and Zhao Liangdong even led their servants straight to Nikan Shuaiqi.
The bearded Xu Yong is extremely tough and leads the way.
Zhao Liangdong also attacked from the flank, not to be outdone.
The already defeated Qing army and the Ming army switched sides and were completely in chaos. They could not take care of the head and tail and were cut in all directions. Xu Yong and Zhao Liangdong who turned around and attacked Nikan were soon attacked and surrounded.
Nikan fought furiously, his arrows quickly ran out, and the guards around him fell one after another.
The war horse neighed and screamed, its hoofs softened, and it knelt on the ground.
Nikan dismounted and fought on foot, still holding his sword and slashing.
Xu Yong had been staring at Nikan for a long time, and he charged forward with his horse. He roared with a big gun, and the gun shot out like a dragon, piercing Nikan's armor and lifting him up.
Zhao Liangdong arrived a step too late and failed to catch Nikan, so he shot Basha to death, who was also losing his horse and fighting on foot.
In the distance, Wu Sangui was riding on a horse, and behind him were eight thousand elite cavalry, recharging their strength and never moving out.
Seeing the sudden civil strife of the Qing army on the battlefield and the collapse of Nikan's flag, Wu Sangui pulled out his sword and slowly urged the war horse.