Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1615 Great Determination

At the beginning of October 1671, in an abandoned village between the Baishan and Heishui in Liaodong.

Hearing a crisp sound of "Kang Dang", Chongnian untied the breastplate on his body and threw it on the ground, gasping for breath.

There were still some dark red blood stains on the breastplate, which belonged to a very difficult yellow-clothed cavalry officer.At that time, the two of them were wandering in the mountains with some men, and they were caught off guard by an encounter. As a result, Chongnian took advantage of the large number of people and wiped out the group of more than a dozen yellow-clothed thief riders.But if you consider that ten people were also killed or injured on your own side, you may not be able to laugh a bit. The cavalry rider of the thief in yellow is also very difficult to deal with!

After a hard fight, Chongnian finally killed Semuren, who was said to be a lieutenant officer (reserve lieutenant), and took his breastplate, pistol, rifle, riding spear, and saber as trophies to show off his martial arts.But this hard battle also greatly consumed his strength, and at the same time added several wounds of different depths to his body, and the price he paid was not small.Of course, he has long been used to it. In the past few years of fighting with the yellow-clothed thief Jingqi in Liaodong, although the scale of the battle between the two sides was not very large, in terms of bloodshed, it really made people shudder. Fighting, many times the two sides rolled off the horse, and the teeth were used as weapons.This would kill a powerful enemy, but he only suffered a few minor injuries. It was already a fluke, so what else can he complain about?

"Lord Chong, Deming is dead. Someone shot him in the head, and his brains are all over the place. He died so badly. How should I tell his family when I go back?" One head was wrapped in gauze. The man walked over and lamented as he walked: "Deming grew up with me when I was a child. 20 years ago, he recruited a group of people to quell the remnants of the thieves in the south. He didn't catch up. He is 40 years old, and he intends to fool around like this for the rest of his life, but whoever wants to be in the fight with the yellow clothes thief again, his life is too hard. There are old and young in the family, and everyone has to Eat and dress, the imperial court has not closed the payment for another three months, this family lacks a pillar, how will they live in the future..."

Chongnian couldn't help sighing when he heard his miserable words.He understood that the person in front of him was talking about him sending out Xiao De Ming, but the implication was that he was complaining about his miserable fate?In fact, if you think about it, other people entered the customs with their families in the early years of Shunzhi to enjoy the blessings. Those who will stay outside the customs are all forgotten people who are not loved by their grandmas and uncles.The standard of living is far worse than that of the banner people in the pass, which is very unbalanced. As a result, many people are in their 50s and [-]s, but they still have to serve in the military and fight with the yellow-clothed thieves in Liaodong. Isn’t this life bitter? up?No wonder everyone complains so much, as the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison.

"Don't worry too much about the payment. Wait at least another month, and the General and Prince Kang Jie Shujie will lead his army to Shenyang. Naturally, there will be countless gold, silver and silks and satins with him. By then I'm still worried about the salary! Besides, Prince Kang has always loved soldiers like sons, and he understands everyone's sufferings very well. We are loyal to state affairs in this bitter cold place outside the customs, and fought for the emperor for several years with that yellow-robed thief. Take a step forward, there is no credit but also hard work, and the higher-ups will naturally not see it. So, everyone, relax, it’s okay!" Chong Nian Sacrificial first whispered a few words of comfort, and then walked over to look at it from a distance The group of subordinates who didn't speak here made a promise, and then quietly breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down in front of a chair to rest.

Sitting opposite him was a man named Liu Fuquan, who was born in the Han Army Banner. He was Liu Fusheng's brother. He had been serving as a soldier in Tieling before. Not a small official.Now standing behind him were two young men, both in their twenties, with big knives on their backs, and a short gun that seemed to be imported from Holland red hair on their waists, with a heroic air.Chongnian reckoned that these two people were destined to be Liu Fuquan's personal soldiers, maybe they were relatives, otherwise how could they carry this kind of "self-generated short gun" which is not cheap?

"My lord, Prince Kang is about to come to the outside of the pass to preside over the overall situation, and the two nails of the yellow-clothed thief on the Yalu River will also be pulled out. I heard that all the ministries are gearing up recently, intending to get some results before Prince Kang arrives. What do you think, Mr. Chong? How about we join forces to make a vote so that we can show our face in front of Prince Kang?" Liu Fuquan had just been transferred from Tieling to be the leader of a cavalry team. After realizing that Chongnian was very well-known in the nearby area, the thought of fame and fame became hot in his chest, and he wanted to persuade Chongnian to do something big, such as attacking a certain person on the east coast between the two counties of Kuandian and Dandong. depot.

"Or what you said about the grain harvesting station?" Chongnian said casually while picking the meat off the bone of the leg of lamb with a knife, "The grain station has walls and vicious dogs (wolf dogs bred by people on the east coast, at first It is used to hunt down escaped black slaves, and now it is more widely used), and the guards are also capable, I am afraid it will not be so easy to take down. Mr. Liu, it’s not that I admire my elders and others’ aspirations to destroy my prestige. Clothes thieves have fought each other before, so I don’t know how good they are. Grain station—it’s not that easy to fight. If it was easy, we would have fought it a long time ago! Let’s put it this way, I don’t have two thousand riders, I advise you not to think about it, yellow clothes thief Whether the reinforcements were on horseback or by boat, their legs and feet were nimble. At that time, we gathered more than 2000 people, and we were able to knock down a grain station, kill [-] or [-] guards in yellow clothes, and rob some food and supplies. Medicines, firearms and other things, but the loss is really not small. After that, our small group of Rangers will stop thinking about it. Mr. Liu, maybe you have a way?"

"Hey, generally speaking, there's nothing you can do about this kind of tortoise shell. However, according to reports from my men who spy on the military situation, recently Dandong, Jiulian City, and Kuandian have brought some kind of investigation team. Flying dog jumps, those commanders and officials are so busy that they don't touch the ground, many people have been summoned to the county to report on their duties, and there are many stationmasters of grain stations among them. Moreover, even those who have not been summoned to the county , and now I’m also buying all kinds of goods. I heard that it’s going to celebrate some kind of landing anniversary. I’m very negligent in my precautions. Maybe it’s a good opportunity. How about it, Lord Chong, if you agree with me, I’ll send people to gather the scattered teams, There are three to four hundred people in our team, enough to win him a vote. As long as we succeed, this is the only credit for Liaodong, and Prince Kang will definitely treat us differently, and we will just wait for our success in the future!"

Chongnian smiled when he heard the words, and said, "Lord Liu's appetite is really getting bigger and bigger. It seems that the usual three or five thieves in yellow clothes are no longer in your eyes. It's just that the food collection station is not so fun. Yes, if you don’t make it right, you will be stuck there, and then the yellow-clothed thieves will steal the way, but you will all fall.”

"So, I want to invite you, Lord Chong—"

Before Liu Fuquan finished speaking, he was interrupted by Chongnian. He put down the sheep stick bone in his hand, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said with a soft sigh: "Master Liu, it's not that I won't help you, It's just that there is an order from the top, and it has been low-key recently, not to be publicized. After Prince Kang takes office, he will transfer food and grass, refurbish his armor, and launch a fierce attack on Dandong and Kuandian counties where the yellow bandits are guarding. At this juncture Above all, some things should not be tossed too much. This is not only the meaning of the superiors, but also for our own good. Wouldn’t it be better to save energy until the spring of next year? Master Liu, on this point, I say After all, I hope you think twice."

In fact, it is almost an open secret among some middle-level and above officials in Liaodong that Shenyang will organize a large-scale offensive against the yellow-clothed thieves after the spring of next year.Everyone is not a fool, hoarding food and grass, pumping for training, preparing equipment, etc., all need to be done by local officials, and the news can't be kept secret.Especially now that high officials like Prince Kang Jieshu are being sent to Shenyang to sit in charge, the purpose of doing things in Liaodong should not be too obvious.As for who is the target of their troubles, this is simply a sub-question, as long as everyone is not a fool, they all know that they are going to deal with the thief in yellow, so this is what Chongnian said to Liu Fuquan just now talk.

Liu Fuquan was naturally not a fool, and he also knew that after the beginning of spring, everyone would gather together and form a large group to fight bloody battles with the yellow-clothed thieves.But it is precisely because of this that he especially wants to "make a big news" before the spring of next year, so as to leave a deep impression on the hearts of the big shots.Otherwise, next year, when tens of thousands of troops gather, Liu Fuquan is just a small general with [-] troops. What chance will he have to show his face in front of Prince Kang?

However, even though he has not yet formally fought against the Yellow Clothes Thieves, Liu Fuquan also knows that most of them are not easy to fight, otherwise after so many years they would have been leveled by Chongnian and the others, why wait until now?It's just that I can't let go of the urge to speculate and take risks in my heart.But now it seems that there is no chance. Chongnian, the old fried dough stick who has been hanging out in Liaodong for many years, has made it clear that he does not approve of his idea of ​​building a grain station. It is basically impossible for the brothers under his own hands to capture seventy or eighty mountains. Dan or Japanese soldiers were stationed in grain depots with strong walls, so they finally gave up with a long sigh.

The sky was getting dark now, and the abandoned village that had been bloodbathed and massacred by the yellow-clothed thieves was dark everywhere, which made people feel chills.Some soldiers lit a bonfire. The orange-red flame dragged light black smoke in the night sky for a long time and refused to disperse. The smell of rotting weeds mixed with horse dung and cow dung filled the village. They were patrolling and on duty outside. The people returned to the village after the soldiers were replaced. They seemed to be extremely hungry, and they opened the packages one after another—many of which were standard cowhide packages seized from the east bank, which were loved by both the enemy and the enemy because of their reasonable design—and took them out. The dry food in it was put on the tip of the knife and stretched out to the campfire. Some people even chewed and ate it without waiting for it to be completely cooked. This shows the hardship of marching and fighting in the field.

However, Chongnian and the others have long been used to this kind of hard life, and in fact they have no choice but to get used to it.In the early years, when the fighting intensity with the bandits in yellow hadn't increased, there were still many villages inhabited by bannermen between the white mountains and the black waters. However, after two years of fighting, both sides started fighting each other. The civilians in the jurisdiction attacked, so these villages were slowly abandoned, and the villagers inside were either moved or slaughtered.

And when these villagers disappeared, the Tartar Rangers, who had been active in the wild all year round, would be in bad luck.When they escaped after a fierce battle, they had to go a long way to find a village that provided them with hot water, soup, rice, and beds. This behavior greatly limited the scope and frequency of activities of the Tartar Rangers, which made the reclamation environment in the outer counties of Dandong and Kuandian much better, and the casualties were also reduced a lot.

As a front-line commander, Chongnian was naturally deeply touched by this, but there was nothing he could do.He now only hopes that after Prince Kang Jieshu takes office next month, the western Liaoning area can quickly prepare food, grass, draft animals, personnel and equipment, and it is best to support the long-term battle of more than 1 people.Then wait until the spring of the next year, and quickly move to the Liaodong area, waiting for an opportunity to launch a large-scale attack on the colonization point of the yellow-clothed thieves.

Chongnian believed that at that time, when tens of thousands of horses launched an onslaught at the same time, the yellow-clothed thieves with such a large stall would definitely lose sight of one another.Although they may not be able to conquer the solid fortresses such as Kuandian, Dandong, and Jiulian City, which are heavily guarded by them, some grain depots (army depots), small forts, and villages in the periphery can be wiped out, causing a major blow to the colonizers of the yellow thieves.Every time I think of this place, Chongnian's heart will be extremely happy. Usually, there is nothing good to do with your villages and fortresses. Now my Qing Dynasty will gather heavy troops. Let's see what you can do!

"The imperial court is willing to mobilize such a large number of elites from Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, and Henan to the west of Liaoning. This determination is indeed extraordinary! In the eastern half of Liaodong, the last time an army of more than [-] appeared, it had to be traced back to Emperor Taizong ( That is Huang Taiji) period, that time was to conquer North Korea, and the result was a big victory, I hope this time it can also come true." Chongnian thought.

However, thinking of this Korean kingdom, Chongnian only felt depressed for a while.This bird country cried bitterly when it surrendered to Emperor Taizong, saying that it would never betray, how is it now?Hmph, it is simply unforgivable to send five or six thousand soldiers from the imperial battalion to the west bank of the Yalu River to help the bandits in yellow clothes defend them!I believe that if the main force of the yellow-clothed thieves can be defeated this time, Prince Kang may take advantage of the trend and march straight into North Korea, repeating the old events outside Hanyang decades ago, right?

I am very clear, these victories are really needed now!

(End of this chapter)