Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 319 Why? ! How could it be? !
阿济格，1605年生人，18岁领兵镇压刘兴祚；20征察哈尔，追林丹汗至农安塔；21攻喀尔喀巴林部、扎鲁特部；22伐朝鲜、于宁远破明军；23；24；

By the time he led his troops to raid Ganzhou in 1646, Ajige, who was only 40 years old, had participated in at least a hundred large-scale battles. It is no exaggeration to call him a veteran of a hundred battles.

With such rich experience in facing enemies, he naturally has a unique set of logic when facing certain emergencies.

In short, use your own tactics against them.

Since you want to attack the camp, I will let you in. As for whether you can fight your way out,
"Marshal! Something is wrong!"

After being forced to change their direction once again due to the obstruction of chevaux de frise and roadblocks, the generals beside Hu Maozhen finally understood the Qing army's intentions.

The layout of this camp is not the usual horizontal and vertical rows, but is slightly staggered at intervals.

Such an arrangement naturally places extremely high demands on the head coach's level, but at the same time the benefits it brings are also obvious.

Even at this time, after several turns, although Hu Maozhen still knew where Ganzhou City was located, his soldiers had gradually dispersed due to the division of the tents.

It can be predicted that if the weak point of the Qing army's defense cannot be found in a short period of time, then no matter whether it is Hu Maozhen who is in the front or Zhang An who is lagging behind, the only outcome waiting for them will be defeat.

Hu Maozhen knew very well what his generals could see.

After hearing this, he did not react, but secretly made up his mind that no matter what situation he encountered at the next intersection, he must try to break through and no longer rush around like a headless fly.

just
Victory or defeat on the battlefield depends on the generals' reactions in an instant. Although Hu Maozhen's decision to find another way was not wrong, it gave the Qing army enough time to make up for the defensive loopholes.

After they made a circle and saw a Qing army defense line a little further away, they discovered that although there were no chevaux de frise or roadblocks here, the entire passage was blocked by a thick phalanx of infantry.

How to do?
We are not heavily armed cavalry, so it is almost impossible to break through such a formation, but if we change direction.
Just beg!

Now that we have fallen into this situation, how can we look ahead and behind except fighting to the death?
With this in mind, Hu Maozhen adjusted his horse's pace while holding the lance high in his hand.

"Breaking through!"

These cavalrymen were worthy of being the elite troops under Hu Maozhen's command. With just one movement and a command, the hundreds of knights still following him formed an irregular assault formation within twenty or thirty steps.

"Fire arrows!"

As the two armies got closer, the enemy general's shouts faintly reached Hu Maozhen's ears.

Although he had figured out why he had fallen into this situation, he could only focus all his energy on the present as he was about to meet the enemy, and had no time to worry about it.

In essence, he had to take this risky approach for various reasons, but if he had been more cautious before the war, he might have been able to lead some troops.

I'm afraid that I've been so used to winning battles following Your Majesty that I don't know my own importance.

With his eyes fixed on the impending rain of arrows, Hu Maozhen suddenly felt a sense of self-mockery in his heart.

As the thought flashed through his mind, a rain of arrows arrived as promised along with the sound of breaking through the air. Then, all the generals and soldiers swung their weapons with all their might, and soon all kinds of sounds rang out among the cavalry formations.

"Ding!"

"when!"

"puff!"

Hu Maozhen knew very well what these voices meant.

But with the war horses galloping at full speed, the cavalry formation was only 20 to 30 steps away from the Qing army's defense line. How could he, driven by his instinct to fight, have the time to check how many men had been killed?
"Great Ming will win!
Rock Camp!
kill! "

This charge could be described as a fight to the death, but Hu Maozhen's troops were all elite cavalry, and even if it would cost a heavy price, there was still a glimmer of hope.

But Zhang An, who was left behind
"Captain! There are Tartars everywhere, we can't get out!"

At this time, Zhang An's troops were only two or three hundred steps away from Hu Maozhen in a straight line, but due to the separation between their camps and the Qing army, it was difficult for them to reunite.

Zhang An had anticipated this situation from the beginning.

But according to his original idea, by the time the situation reached this point, the front army should have at least killed their way through the enemy camp, and even if most of their infantrymen would be entangled, not all of them would be trapped here.

The situation is now much worse than expected, but there has been no progress on Hu Maozhen's side.

Under such circumstances, how could he not know that the original plan had completely failed?

"Don't panic! The Tartars have set up barricades, so it will be difficult for Marshal Hu's cavalry to break through," he said, patting the general's arm hard, and waited for him to calm down a little before continuing, "But we are infantry! We can pass where horses can't!"

After hearing this, the general immediately showed some doubt on his face, but after only a moment, he suddenly realized and said, "Captain, I understand!"

Indeed, due to the constraints of the camp, the cavalry's mobility advantage is difficult to bring into play.

But for the infantry, those things were just empty frames covered with a layer of oilcloth. As long as they used weapons to break through that layer of cover, it would naturally become the key to breaking through the Qing army's defense line.

With this in mind, Zhang An, who was already in a desperate situation, was naturally willing to give it a try. When the general gathered some useful men, he naturally stood at the front of the team.

"We, the Dong people, have been oppressed for a hundred years. Apart from Your Majesty, who else would treat us as human beings?
Ganzhou is under siege today. If anything unexpected happens, the whole city will be in ruins. Now is the time for me to die for Your Majesty!
"Little ones! Those who have eggs, follow grandpa and fight your way out!"

"Death for His Majesty!"

"Death for His Majesty!"

"Death for His Majesty!"

At this time, the Qing army camp was already filled with shouts and cries of killing, but the shouts of these hundreds of brave warriors still pierced the sky and caused the entire battlefield to pause.

But the devil is always one step ahead of the good.

Ajige had led troops for more than twenty years, just like a test taker who had gone through the question bank several times. Even if he had not found the corresponding question type at first, he had dared to put nearly ten thousand enemy troops into his own camp. How could he not be fully prepared?

"ignition."

"Order!"

From afar, Ajige saw Ming soldiers rushing into the tents around the defense line. He gave a simple order and a soldier took the order and left.

If it was at night, he would not dare to give this order.

If his side was at a disadvantage, he would not dare to give this order.

But now all the soldiers in the army knew that the Ming army had fallen into his trap. Let alone setting fire to one or two military tents, what would it matter even if the fire got bigger?
"Do you think you can see clearly from the city?"

After hearing Ajige's question, the more honest ones turned their heads and looked towards Ganzhou, while the more cunning ones had already flattered the emperor as they had planned.

"Your Majesty is wise. This time, not only can we annihilate these cowards who hide their heads and show their tails, but we can also greatly reduce the morale of the Ganzhou defenders! I am afraid that if Zhuge Liang were reborn, he would be no different."

"If we win this battle, we will be able to conquer the area south of the Yangtze River. By then, Prince Yu will thank you very much."

"Your Highness, I beg you to take down Ganzhou's army in one fell swoop while its morale is unstable!" His eyes were imprinted with the figure of a man tumbling in the raging fire, and his ears were filled with sincere and heartfelt exclamations.

Even though Ajige was not someone who could be easily flattered by cheap flattery, he couldn't help feeling a little complacent at this moment.

When he went south, he chased after Li Zicheng and fought a series of tough battles, but Duoduo, due to various reasons, took over Lianghuai and Jiangnan in a short period of time.

It doesn’t matter that he can’t compare to Dorgon. He has become more or less used to it over the years.

But when he was chasing the Mongols to a point where there was no way out, Duoduo had to take off his diaper. If he still couldn't beat his younger brother, where would he put his face as the eldest brother?
Fortunately.
Thinking of this, Ajige couldn't help but think of Hong Chengchou who was in Huai'an. He had also won the competition with his younger brother. As he heard the flattery becoming more and more outrageous, he smiled and waved his hands.

"If we can capture Ganzhou this time, the credit should go to Scholar Hong. If it weren't for him, even if I had fought my way here, my army would still have suffered some losses."

"Your Majesty is humble, truly..."

"Well, you have been with the army for a long time, how could you not know that I only care about military achievements and ignore other things? If you continue to flatter me..."

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Just when Ajige was fully displaying his princely demeanor in front of his generals, a series of violent explosions interrupted his words.

Which idiot set off the fire? ! !
As a commander who had led the army for many years, Ajige could tell where the noise came from, but when he turned to look at Shang Kexi, he saw that the other party was full of confusion. Then he remembered that the army's gunpowder was not stored in this camp.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Gunpowder! It must be gunpowder!

There can't be anything else but gunpowder!

After thinking for several rounds, Ajige finally determined what caused the deafening sound.
"What's the matter?!"

Just as Ajige and his generals were wondering where the noise came from, a sharp-eyed general saw a soldier acting suspiciously nearby.

"Your Majesty, a large number of Ming warships appeared on the river. They...

"Say!"

"They also hung a bright yellow banner!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

I don’t know whether it was because the deafening roar was too terrifying, or because the soldiers’ report was truly unbelievable.

At this time, a large group of Qing army generals at all levels were stunned.

"Explore again! Assemble the troops!"

Ajige was a veteran of the battlefield and his ability to deal with emergencies was far superior to that of other generals. After he reacted, he only said two words, but these two words hit the nail on the head at the moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd around him immediately dispersed.

Ajige knew that 80% of what the soldiers reported was true, and he also knew what the bright yellow flag represented, but he really couldn't understand how the Ming army's navy appeared here.

It has to be said that the sudden appearance of the Ming navy was like a bolt from the blue. Even though Ajige made the correct response based on his years of experience, his mind was still a little confused.

Navy! Navy again!
Duoduo was defeated by the Ming navy last time. I didn't expect that after so many arrangements, they still came here. This Ganzhou.
With this in mind, Ajige turned his head and took a look at Ganzhou City. Even though he could only see the general outline of the city wall due to the weather, he could imagine how the defenders would react.

"Commander-in-chief! We actually saw His Majesty's banner when it was still light ahead!"

The sudden appearance of the Ming navy certainly made the Qing generals panic, but how could the Ming army on the city wall of Ganzhou not be shocked as well?
Wan Yuanji thought that Ganzhou could wait for reinforcements, and he even thought about various possible sources of reinforcements.

But he never thought that the navy that was blocked in Anqing would arrive first, and he didn't even dare to hope that the navy would fly a bright yellow flag.

So, when he got confirmation from the sharp-eyed soldier again, his mind, which had been weighed down by a heavy burden for a long time, finally collapsed.

"Your Majesty, I am ashamed of my duty to you, Your Majesty!"

Since ancient times, there have been many ministers who traveled thousands of miles to rescue the emperor, but has there ever been an emperor who led his own army to rescue his ministers several times?

For a scholar like Wan Yuanji, whose goal is to "relieve the king's worries and the people's difficulties", how can he remain calm when he sees His Majesty once again leading an expedition thousands of miles away because of his own mistakes?

Fortunately, Wan Yuanji was not the only one on the city wall. Zhao Yinxuan, who had been waiting outside the city for a long time for the military order, had already returned to the city.

"Commander-in-Chief! The overall situation is still uncertain. We must not do this."

He understood clearly that although the Qing army camp was in chaos due to the sudden appearance of the navy, the enemy commander was still an experienced fighter.

If we fail to seize this opportunity and beat him to death with a stick, the outcome will be unknown.

Moreover, will the navy bring the land camp with it when it arrives?
Even with Lu Ying, can we deal with the nearly 100,000 Qing troops outside the city?
As his thoughts turned, Zhao Yinxuan gripped Wanyuanji's arm more and more tightly.

After he calmed himself down again, he briefly explained his thoughts, and then waited with a burning gaze for the other party to give military orders.

"Fortunately, there is the seal of the emperor. Fortunately, there is the seal of the emperor." After saying this twice, Wanyuanji finally calmed down. After that, he only thought for a moment and realized what to do: "The most urgent task now is to rescue the reinforcements from before."

After saying this, Wan Yuanji once again set his eyes on Zhao Yinxuan. When he saw the expectation on his face, he continued, "Zhao Yinxuan."

"The general is here!"

"I order you to lead an army to attack the enemy camp. After rescuing the reinforcements, set fire to the enemy camp and make sure that the Tartars cannot take care of each other!"

"Order!"

After clasping his fists in response, Zhao Yinxuan turned and headed towards the city. Then Wan Yuanji turned his attention to the Qing army camp.

He didn't know whether it was because of his anticipation or because night had fallen, but although the fire in the Qing army camp was only confined to one place at this time, he still felt that its power seemed to be slightly stronger than before.

"There are nearly 100,000 Qing troops. If we can annihilate them in one battle, the Tartars will no longer have the strength to move south. But our army has soldiers who can fight."

(End of this chapter)