1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3910

On a city wall platform not far from Guangrun Gate, Shi Chengwu and Ha Jianyi silently observed the battle in the darkness. Seeing that the situation had been quickly brought under control, Shi Chengwu did not issue any further battle orders.

Although the Ming army's breakout operation launched at dawn was fierce, for the Haihan army, which had made preparations in advance, this battle was an ambush with a calculated strategy against the unsuspecting enemy, and naturally, it would not leave the enemy with any chance to break out and escape from Nanchang City.

Besides a group of officers and personal guards, several Ming army officers with their heads bowed were also gathered around the two Haihan generals.

Yesterday, after Ding Baoguo summoned officers of all ranks to announce the breakout plan, some people secretly decided to use it as a pledge of loyalty to Hai Han in exchange for a better future.

Although Ding Baoguo strictly ordered secrecy and forbade anyone to act rashly before the operation, this prohibition only applied to ordinary soldiers and was not as effective for officers who held military power.

After nightfall, some people secretly escaped from their posts and sneaked to the surrender point set up by the Haihan Army to reveal Ding Baoguo's breakout plan. Moreover, there were more than one person who did this, which provided the Haihan Army with the opportunity to cross-verify the reliability of the intelligence.

After learning of this, Shi Chengwu and Ha Jianyi decided to turn the tables on Ding Baoguo and set up an ambush inside and outside Guangrun Gate, waiting for Ding Baoguo to walk into their trap.

Of course, just in case, Shi Chengwu also informed the friendly forces about the matter, requesting them to strengthen the defenses of all city gates and be wary of any other breakout attempts unknown to the informant.

As for the officers who proactively provided intelligence, they were also taken under Shi Chengwu's wing. If Ding Baoguo hadn't acted according to plan, these men would most likely have met a bad end as well.

However, the commotion at Guangrun Gate has confirmed their claims; this operation involving a thousand people is definitely not a feint or a test. The choices these individuals made have at least saved their lives and property, and they will no longer be treated as prisoners of war by the Haihan Army.

The Haihan army launched an all-out attack, overwhelming the Ming army with virtually no chance to retaliate, and thus the battle did not last long. From the moment the Ming army launched its rocket attack to the moment it realized there was no hope of breaking out and retreated back into the city, only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was elapsed. However, during this process, at least several hundred Ming soldiers fell near Guangrun Gate.

Seeing that the Ming army was already in retreat, Shi Chengwu calmly issued the order: "Do not pursue them into the city. First, clear the battlefield, interrogate the prisoners, and see if we can find out Ding Baoguo's whereabouts."

The city was shrouded in darkness due to the blackout, so continuing the pursuit would not yield any significant results and would instead make them vulnerable to ambushes by Ming troops hiding in the shadows.

Once the exit routes from the city are blocked, Shi Chengwu need not worry about the Ming army being able to fly away again; completing the mopping-up operation within the city is only a matter of time. At this stage, avoiding unnecessary casualties is far more important than gaining this little bit of time.

The clearing of the Guangrunmen battlefield continued until dawn. More than 500 Ming soldiers died in this battle, and about 100 wounded soldiers who were unable to move were captured.

In terms of sheer numbers, this was not the most intense battle in the siege that had been going on for three days. However, what made it different was that almost all of those who participated in the breakout from Guangrun Gate were elite Ming soldiers, with the proportion of officers at all levels being far higher than that of ordinary Ming soldiers.

Among the more than one hundred prisoners of war captured by the Haihan Army, more than a dozen were officers of various ranks, which also proves the special nature of this breakout operation.

However, the truly valuable prisoner was not among the officers, but another prisoner who was said to be Ding Baoguo's personal guard. According to his confession, Ding Baoguo had been seriously wounded in the previous melee and might have lost the ability to continue commanding the troops. Upon hearing this news, Shi Chengwu personally interrogated the prisoner and repeatedly confirmed the veracity of the information.

According to this person, Ding Baoguo was wounded by a stray arrow while personally supervising the battle on the front line. It was impossible to tell whether it was a bullet or shrapnel from an explosive device in the darkness, but the bullet hit his chest and the breastplate he was wearing was pierced, confirming that he had suffered a serious external injury.

At that time, a group of guards escorted Ding Baoguo to retreat into the city, while the captured man was responsible for covering the rear. He was shot in the thigh in the chaos of battle, fell to the ground, and was trampled a few times by the warhorses that followed, unable to get up again.

Now, desperate to receive treatment and survive, he disregarded everything else and poured out all the information he knew. However, he couldn't provide any more specific information about where Ding Baoguo would retreat to, only suggesting that they prioritize checking Ding Baoguo's residences in the city.

Shi Chengwu also thought it made sense. Ding Baoguo's house was not too far from the Haihan Army's occupied area in the north of the city. He then ordered the garrison in the north of the city to speed up the offensive against this target.

Perhaps it was because of the prisoners' confession that the troops in the north of the city encountered little resistance when they attacked Ding's residence. They quickly captured the target and found Ding Baoguo and his family in the house.

However, Ding Baoguo had already stopped breathing. After examining him, the accompanying military doctor found that he had indeed died from his injuries. The fatal wound was a gash that ran from his left chest to his back, which appeared to be a penetrating wound from a rifle bullet.

To confirm his identity, several prisoners were brought to the scene, which confirmed that the deceased was indeed Ding Baoguo, the military commander of Jiangxi.

After receiving the confirmation, Shi Chengwu felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

Ding Baoguo's death meant that the Ming army's command system in Nanchang had lost its backbone. Even if some generals remained, they would certainly fight independently from then on.

Once this news spreads, the Ming army's will to resist will certainly be greatly affected, and the number of those who choose to surrender will likely increase exponentially.

Shi Chengwu immediately ordered that all means of propaganda be used to spread the news of Ding Baoguo's death in the city and urge the defending troops to surrender as soon as possible.

Although the garrison initially didn't quite believe the news, as time passed, more and more sources began to corroborate Hai Han's propaganda. Moreover, Ding Baoguo hadn't made a public appearance for a long time, and none of his trusted generals had come out to refute the rumors. Everything seemed to be confirming the authenticity of the news.

Starting at noon that day, a large number of Ming soldiers indeed appeared at several surrender points and surrendered to the Haihan Army. Among them were also some civil and military officials.

By evening that day, Zhao Mingyu, the Provincial Governor of Jiangxi, arrived at Zhangjiang Gate with a group of civil officials and surrendered to the Haihan Army.

Upon hearing the news, Shi Chengwu and Ha Jianyi rushed to the scene and personally accepted the surrender.

This wasn't the first time these two men had dealt with Zhao Mingyu; they had already spent several days in contact during negotiations at Zhao Family Village. However, this time in Nanchang, the two sides were no longer on equal footing as they had been during the previous negotiations.