Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

After a long siege, the general of Hangzhou, Chen Shikai, and the general of Shanhaiguan, Feng Duo, had to station troops in the east of Linxiang. The most disgusting thing was that he had not achieved any success, but the friendly army kept sending good news: the Wei army Xuan Youcai, Zhang Wei, and Cai Lu's troops captured Tumen Town, forcing Qing Fuguo Gong Wen Qi and the general Ma Weixing to retreat to Baling City; Qianhuzhang Huang Jinlong, Guerrilla Tan Yicong, and Liu Qizhen led 12,000 Wei troops to capture Daorenji and Chenglingji, cutting off the connection between Linxiang and Baling; on the Yangtze River, the Wei army Huguang Navy Admiral Guo Yi also led the navy to attack Yalanji, trying to go up the river to cut off the waterway connection between Linxiang and Baling counties and the other side of the river.

In sharp contrast to Chen Shikai's depression, the Linxiang city defenders Li Sixing, Liu Zhen and Meng Yimao were in a good mood, not only because they had repelled the attack of more than twice their number of guards, but also because reinforcements had arrived from the other side of the river. Qing Jingzhou general Zheng Liuwei and deputy general Du Chong led 20,000 naval and land divisions across the Yangtze River and entered Linxiang county.

"We welcome General Zheng to lead his troops to come to our aid", "Yes, Lord Zheng's coming here is really a timely help" ... A sumptuous banquet was set up in the county government office. Generals Li Sixing, Liu Zhen, Meng Yimao and others paid continuous respects to Zheng Liuwei. No wonder, it was a sign of chivalry that he was willing to lead his troops to come to our aid when a large army was approaching!
"Please respect me, everyone. I came to rescue Linxiang this time in accordance with the military orders of the prince and Hong Jinglue. Please make good preparations. Our army will launch a counterattack against the enemy in three days." The first sentence Zheng Liuwei said made everyone perk up.

"Zhengzong Town, although there are only 20,000 guards outside the city, there are more than 10,000 guards in Daorenji and Chenglingji, and the pseudo king's army is stationed outside Baling City and Tumen Town. It may not be easy to counterattack rashly," said Li Sixing. He is the second son of Li Dingguo, the King of Jin of the Ming Dynasty who defeated two famous kings. He followed his father to fight since he was a child. Although he did not follow his father's dying advice, "I would rather die in the wilderness than surrender!", he still has a lot of insights into military affairs.

"It doesn't matter. When the time comes, you just need to fight bravely. The prince and the old general will have a good plan." Zheng Liuwei kept it a secret and refused to say what the plan was. He seemed very confident.

Seeing him like this, Li Sixing gave a wink to Liu Zhen, who was also a surrendered general of the Ming army. The latter returned a look of understanding and stopped talking.

On the evening of October 1665, the nd year of the Qianyuan period (), a mysterious small boat quietly left the Linxiang wharf and sailed up the river.

On the morning of October 19, the Linxiang counterattack began. Nearly 25,000 Qing troops led by Zheng Liuwei and Meng Yimao fiercely attacked the Wei army camp in the east of the city. Generals Li Sixing and Liu Zhen led 3,000 Qing troops to guard Linxiang County.

"Enemy attack~Enemy attack~" The sentry of Chen Shikai's Wei Army quickly discovered the enemy situation and raised the alarm.

"Damn, the Qing dogs are so brave that they dare to go out of the city to counterattack." Chen Shikai had been on the battlefield for a long time. When he heard that the Qing army counterattacked, he was not panicked at all. He put on his robe and went out of the camp to command the battle. His camp was very methodical. Not only did he build earth walls, but he also dug trenches. The soldiers could only pass through the suspension bridge. He was confident that he could resist thousands of troops.

"Tell Feng Duo to guard the camp tightly and don't let the Qing army break in." Chen Zongzhen was confident in his own subordinates, but he was very worried about Feng Duo's subordinates. During the southern expedition, Shanhaiguan Town performed mediocrely and basically did not make much contribution, which made him despise them and fear that the friendly army could not defend the camp.

Things in the world are often very evil, and what you fear will come true. A fire suddenly broke out in Feng Duo's camp, and the fire spread to Chen Shikai's camp along the wind. Then the sound of killing shook the sky, and the Qing army rushed into Chen Shikai's camp from the direction of Feng Duo's camp.

"Feng Duo, you are a waste!" Chen Shikai thought Feng Duo had lost the camp due to carelessness, and he didn't care whether Feng Duo lived or died. He led his troops to retreat while fighting. After retreating to Yanglou Town, he shouted to the fort wall, "I am Chen Shikai, where is Zu Zechun? Our army has been defeated, please leave the fort to support us."

"Boom~Boom~Boom~" The expected response did not happen, but three cannon shots were heard instead. Suddenly, a head was thrown down from the top of the city wall. The guard took it to Chen Shikai and saw that it was the head of Zu Zechun, the deputy general of Shanhaiguan. Feng Duo suddenly appeared on the wall of the fortress and laughed at Chen Shikai, "General Chen, you are unkind to defend the country. I have returned to the Qing Dynasty. Why don't you return to the Qing Dynasty with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, ambushes sprang up and the Qing army surrounded them from all sides. Chen Shikai was furious and shouted at Feng Duo: "How dare you do this, you thief! Today I will show you what Chen Tietou can do!" After that, he led his army to charge bravely, trying to get out. Chen's army was in a desperate situation at this time, and it burst out with extraordinary fighting power, killing the Qing army and retreating again and again. Seeing this, Feng Duo's son Feng Yuansi took a big knife to fight Chen Shikai, but how could he be the opponent of the veteran who had been famous for many years? However, he was stabbed to death by Chen Shikai in just three rounds. Feng Duo's eyes were red after his son's death, and he led his men to stop the guards at all costs. Soon, the Qing army led by Zheng Liuwei, Meng Yimao and others chased after him. Chen Shikai, who was trapped in the siege, rushed left and right, but could not break out. Finally, he was exhausted and died in Yanglou.

After defeating the Wei army in Linxiang, Zheng Liuwei, Meng Yimao and Feng Duo led more than 30,000 Qing troops to attack Daorenji. The Wei army guerrilla Liu Qizhen's troops stationed in Daorenji were originally reorganized from the Qihuang 48 Villages Volunteer Army. They were weak in combat power and unprepared, and their camp was quickly breached. Generals such as Bao Honggong and Li Gongmao were killed. Liu Qizhen was able to escape to Chenglingji under the desperate protection of his son Liu Qingli and his general Cheng Zhenbang.

Hearing that a large group of Qing troops were coming, Huang Jinlong, the commander of Chenglingji, knew that his troops were not well-trained and weak in combat, but he refused to retreat. He said to the guerrillas Tan Yicong, Liu Qizhen and other generals: "We occupied Qihuang and set up camp before. Those who knew us praised us as righteous men, and those who didn't thought we were mountain kings. It was not until we surrendered to David that we had a place to stay. Now is the time to serve the court. For the sake of Han clothing, how can we not fight to the death?"

"We are willing to fight to the death with the captain!" Seeing the commander's impassioned speech, the leaders of the 48 villages of Luhuang, including Tan Yicong, Liu Qizhen, Zou Junsheng, Chen Dingye, Zhou Tiezhua, Bao Shirong, Fang Gongxiao, Cheng Zhenbang, etc., were all in high spirits, raising their arms and shouting "fight to the death", especially widow Yang who shouted the loudest. Huang Jinlong glanced at widow Yang, who gave him an ambiguous look in return. The iron-clad man could not help but tremble. After sending a fast horse to report to the King of Qin, he ordered his subordinates to prepare for the battle.

"General Zheng, the defenders of Chenglingji are just like the defenders of Daorenji. They are a motley crowd from the 48 villages of Qihuang. It won't take long to break through," Feng Duo, who lost his son, introduced the military situation to Zheng Liuwei with red eyes.

"Well, the prince should have led his troops to fight with the guards outside Baling City. We must end the battle quickly and then go south to attack the rear of the guards," Zheng Liuwei said fiercely, remembering the military order issued by Tunqi.

They thought it would be easy to defeat a mob of about 10,000 people using more than 30,000 soldiers, but the guards fighting to the death fought for nearly two hours, and the Qing army still failed to break into the village.

"Quick~ set up the artillery and fire~" Seeing that the time had passed and Chenglingji had not been captured, Zheng Liuwei kept urging the artillery battalion to fire. His army was equipped with 20 heavy artillery pieces, and although they were powerful, it took a long time to deploy the artillery.

"Boom~Boom~Boom~Boom~" The Qing army finally set up the cannons and opened fire.

Under the bombardment of heavy artillery, gaps appeared in the Wei army camp, and the Qing army rushed in through the gaps. Wei generals Liu Qizhen, Zhou Tiezhua, Bao Shirong, and Fang Gongxiao were killed in the battle; Tan Yicong, Zou Junsheng, Liu Qingli, Cheng Zhenbang, and Chen Dingye led the remnants to retreat.

Huang Jinlong retreated last, and the main reason he insisted on staying behind was not because he was brave, but because Widow Yang was right beside him. How could a five-foot-tall man show his fear in front of his beloved? However, the Qing army caught up with him because of this delay. "Little sister, hurry up, I'll hold them back," Huang Jinlong shouted anxiously.

"Brother Huang, I won't leave. We want to die together." However, the strong-willed widow Yang refused to escape alone.

Soon the two were surrounded and their subordinates died one after another.

"Stop~Stop~I have been displaced all my life, and it is not a loss to have my little sister accompany me when I die!" The golden dragon roared and rushed towards the enemy, followed by the widow Yang who was as brave as a man. After the war, two boxwood trees tightly intertwined grew on Chenglingji. The local people said that they were the spirits of the two generals Huang and Yang.
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While instigating Feng Duo to rebel, the Qing General Zheng Bei and Prince of Qingyang Tunqi mobilized all the troops he could. In addition to the original troops, Changsha General Liu Zhigang, Qiyang General Liu Wenjin, and Yuanzhou General Cui Shilu also rushed to the battlefield with 20,000 troops, bringing the number of Qing troops in Baling City to 62,000.

Tunqi decisively launched a counterattack on the afternoon of October 19. The guards outside the city were the main force of the guards led by Qin Wang Chuo Siji, with a total of 70,000 people. Not only did they have the upper hand in terms of manpower, but their morale was also very high. In the fierce battle, the admiral of the guards, Cai Lu, was very brave and killed Ma Siliang and Hu Shundu, the generals of the Qing army, in succession, and also killed the troops of Changde deputy general Hao Erde and forced them to retreat again and again.

"Pass the order to the isolated army. Anyone who takes a step back will be killed!" The Qing general Zhengbei and the Prince of Qingyang, Tunqi, knew that the situation was not favorable for his army, but still refused to retreat. The generals heard the order and held on. From the afternoon until the evening, the two sides were still fighting.

"Urgent news from Chenglingji! Feng Duo's troops defected, Chen Zongzhen was killed, and about 30,000 Qing troops are attacking Chenglingji from Linxiang." Qin Wang Chuo Siji, who was urging his men to attack the Qing troops, thought he had a sure victory, but unexpectedly, he received news that the Qing troops appeared from the side and rear.

"Chenglingji?" After hearing the military report, Chuo Siji secretly blamed himself for being careless. Daorenji and Chenglingji only had more than 10,000 Qihuang righteous troops with weak combat power, and they might not be able to hold out for long. Tunqi was indeed a veteran who had experienced hundreds of battles, and stabbed his weak spot with one knife. The young and decisive prince knew that he could not delay and immediately ordered a retreat.

"Woo~Woo~Woo~" the retreat horn sounded, the guards' army formation quickly turned, sending out part of the troops to intercept the Qing army, while the main force quickly retreated.

Fortunately, the Qing army in Linxiang wasted too much time in Chenglingji and failed to appear in time to the rear of the Wei army. Chuo Siji was able to lead his army to withdraw to Tumen Town. After joining the thousands of defenders in the town, he counted only 65,000 men and horses. Seeing that the army had lost its morale, the young prince did not dare to fight and ordered the entire army to withdraw to Wuchang for rest.

"We must win~We must win~We must win~" The Qing army shouted victory excitedly after the great victory.

Seeing that the Wei army did not fall into disarray when retreating, Tunqi was not in a hurry to catch up. He joined forces with Zheng Liuwei, Meng Yimao and Feng Duo to continue the pursuit, but found that the Wei army had already shrunk its defense line and deployed defenses along the Xianning and Tongshan lines. After taking over Tongcheng, Chongyang, Puqi, Tongshan and Jiayu counties abandoned by the Wei army, Tunqi led his army to the vicinity of Xianning and held off the Wei army across the Jinshui River.
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In Guizhou (Zigui), Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang, 50,000 troops were cutting wood and building ships. This was the Thirteen Insurgents of Kuidong led by Li Laiheng, Duke of Lin. In addition to Li Laiheng's main force, Yuan Zongdi, Duke of Jing, Liu Tichun, Duke of Wan, Hao Yongzhong, Duke of Yi, Wang Guangxing, Duke of Jing, Ta Tianbao, Marquis of Yidu, Ma Tengyun, Marquis of Tongcheng, Dang Shousu, Marquis of Xingping, He Daoning, Marquis of Fuping, and the mighty general Liu Rukui all came with their troops.

"Little Tiger, when are we going to send out troops?" The impatient She Yongzhong found Li Laiheng and asked. The rebel army has been gathering here for a month, and they have almost nothing to do all day except building ships and training soldiers. How can it not make people anxious?
"Don't worry, Duke Yiguo, everything is ready, only the east wind is missing," Li Laiheng was confident.

"East wind? What east wind?" She Yongzhong didn't quite understand.

Li Laiheng just smiled and said no more. The east wind he mentioned soon arrived, and a small boat from Linxiang brought the latest news: the Qing and Wei would fight on October 19th, and Zheng Liuwei had led the main force of Jingzhou Town to leave Jiangling.

"Pass the order, go down the river and capture Jingzhou!" Li Laiheng laughed after reading the letter.

Fifty thousand Ming troops marched down the Yangtze River and headed for Jiangling, the capital of Jingzhou Prefecture. Since the main force of the Jingzhou army had been taken to Yuezhou by Zheng Liuwei, the Ming army was unstoppable along the way. Without much effort, they conquered Yiling Prefecture, Yidu, Zhijiang, and Songzi, and rushed straight to the city of Jiangling. Jiangling was Zheng Liuwei's old nest, and Zheng Liuwei's nephew Zheng Shiyuan was stationed here with 6,000 elite soldiers. Unfortunately, Zheng Shiyuan was good at strategy but not at military affairs. He only liked to study classics, history, and collections on weekdays. He had never experienced a big battle. Although he had 6,000 elite soldiers, he only defended the city for three days before the city was conquered, and he was killed by the chaotic army.

Li Laiheng waved his arms excitedly, "God bless the Ming! Report to the Regent (referring to King Zhu Jingli of Han) that our army has taken Jiangling and is continuing to advance along the river." Inspired by the victory, the Ming army continued to capture Shishou, Jianli, Bailuoji, and faced Baling and Linxiang across the river.

Hearing that the Kuidong righteous army had arrived at the riverside, Li Sixing and Liu Zhen in Linxiang City ordered their subordinates to cut off their braids and welcome Li Laiheng. The two were Ming officials who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty out of necessity. At the beginning, Li Laiheng only held a glimmer of hope to persuade the two to surrender, but he succeeded in persuading them.

"The guilty general comes to see the Duke of Linguo." As soon as Li and Liu saw Li Laiheng, they called themselves the guilty generals.

"You two have made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. Please stand up quickly." Li Laiheng hurriedly helped the two generals up and introduced Yuan Zongdi, Liu Tichun, Hao Yongzhong, Wang Guangxing, Ta Tianbao, Ma Tengyun, Dang Shousu, He Daoning, Liu Rukui and others to the two generals. They were all from the peasant army, and the atmosphere on the scene was very lively.

Li Sixing suddenly said to Li Laiheng: "Yuezhou is now guarded by only two thousand troops under Lieutenant General Chen Wuheng. Today, Yuezhou will be handed over to the Duke!"

Li Laiheng laughed, "Now that we have Jingzhou, we miss Yuezhou? If so, let's go to Yuecheng tomorrow to take a walk and appreciate the beauty of Yueyang Tower!" (End of this chapter)