Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 323: Offering Victory to the Emperor
Zhu Cilang always regarded killing the Qing army's manpower as his primary goal, and did not pay much attention to the gains and losses of the city.

Even so, although he asked He Tengjiao to go north to capture Wuchang and other cities, in essence he regarded these cities as pockets and did not value the cities themselves.

When this guiding ideology was applied to the Battle of Ganzhou, Zhu Cilang's arrangement became surrounding three sides and leaving one side open.

He knew very well that it was impossible to keep all 100,000 Qing troops here with his own military strength. If he did not want the Qing troops to fight to the death because they were desperate, it was necessary to leave them a route for escape.

just
"How is Hu Maozhen doing?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, General Hu has gathered more than 2,000 cavalrymen and is now working with Major Generals Fang and Hou to wipe out the defeated troops."

"two thousand."

After hearing what the soldiers said, Zhu Cilang could not help but pace in the cabin, obviously hesitating about something.

Surround three sides and leave one side open, allowing the Qing army to flee, and then deploy a group of troops on the periphery to defeat the large group.

Although this arrangement is not perfect, it is appropriate in the case of a hasty attack.

But to his surprise, there was a group of nearly 10,000 Qing troops among those fleeing north.

Fang Yuanke and Hou Shilu were smart. After realizing the number of enemy troops, they chose to avoid them instead of fighting them head-on. In the end, they were able to maintain the ability to attack other defeated troops.

Zhu Cilang could not be blamed for this.

After all, the soldiers they led were originally used to build a defense line. With their combat effectiveness, they could handle one or two thousand troops, but if they encountered a large number of Qing troops, they could only avoid their attack.

The reason for his hesitation was because of the Qing army of 10,000 people.

To be fair, it is not excessive at all if 50% to 60% of the people escape in a crushing battle, and there is no need to worry about tens of thousands of people.

But now the situation has changed due to various reasons, and the originally rigorous plan has also revealed huge flaws.

If he could advance steadily and cautiously, then after the battle of Ganzhou, He Tengjiao would not only have enough time to tighten his belt, but the morale of the Tartars would also suffer a devastating blow due to various factors.

At that time, let’s not talk about whether the Qing troops fleeing northwards would reunite. Even if there were generals who really gathered the defeated troops, the reunited troops would not pose much threat.

But now.
"Send a message to Hu Maozhen and tell him to do his best to strike the Qing army."

"Order."

The order had been given, and the soldier left the cabin to deliver the message to Hu Maozhen. However, Zhu Cilang was not as leisurely as before. He closed his eyes and began to deduce the changes in the situation in his mind.

This amount of time was not enough for He Tengjiao to tie the pocket.

If the commander of the fleeing Qing army had been more alert and not been obsessed with the cities on the Poyang Lake Plain, he might have had enough time to deploy some tactics south of the Yangtze River after returning to Jiangbei.

Thinking about it this way, the situation becomes a bit disgusting.

Did Zhu Cilang win the battle in Jiangxi?

At this time, the Qing army was fleeing northward, and even Fang Guoan's troops who were attacking the southern camp had sent troops to pursue them.

Even if there were various problems afterwards, if we only consider the battle of Jiangxi, Zhu Cilang would definitely have won.

But even if the war is won, the strategic goal may not be fully achieved.

The fact that the pockets were not tied tightly enough meant that the Qing army could still maintain a certain amount of strength in Hubei and Jiangxi.

With this force, the Qing army's threat to the south of the Yangtze River will continue to exist.

Even though the balance of power between the two sides in Hubei and Jiangxi had undergone a fundamental change due to the battle of Ganzhou, Zhu Cilang still had to deploy a large number of troops in this area for defense due to the terrain.

Of course, after this battle, the Qing army would be unable to move south again in a short period of time, and Zhu Cilang could also deal with the Red Hairs according to the original plan.

It can be concluded that the strategic situation of both sides was still Qing attacking and Ming defending, and they did not enter a real stalemate as they wished.

So in Zhu Cilang's view, although the battle was won, it was not a complete victory.

But he was not the kind of person who would spoil the fun. Even if he still needed to discuss the future situation with his generals, he would never choose this time to do so.

After all, the Ming Dynasty won.

The Ming army not only crushed the Qing court's strategic gamble, but also completely opened up the connection between the East and the West.

As long as he doesn't make any stupid moves, it won't be difficult to maintain the situation of dividing the river and governing separately.

"Someone is coming."

"His Majesty."

"Send a message to Chang Guanlin, order him to hold back the Qing troops in Fuzhou and never allow them to join forces with the fleeing enemies in southern Jiangxi."

"Order."

As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier went to deliver the message. At this point, Zhu Cilang finally felt a little relieved.

He launched a surprise attack on Anqing, falsely captured Jiujiang, suddenly arrived in Ganzhou, and defeated the Qing army.

These battles seemed to be going smoothly, but they involved great risks.

If there was any mistake during the process, he would not be captured directly like Ajige, but the situation of the Ming Dynasty would inevitably fall to the state when the Qing army broke through Yangzhou.

He considered himself not to be an adventurous person, which could be easily seen from the internal struggles. However, since coming here, the pressure from the Tartars had been continuous, and it was not until this battle was won that the pressure was truly relieved.

Finally we won.

As the thought was about to come to mind, Zhu Cilang felt tired. Then he stretched lazily, but his eyelids drooped involuntarily.

This was probably the earliest time he had ever fallen asleep.

When Yingtian was besieged, although he was exhausted from patrolling during the day, he still forced himself to discuss various matters with everyone at night.

Later, with each victory, his authority gradually increased.

After ascending the throne, he was even trapped in the memorial book. Even though the crisis he had to face was not too urgent, he usually went to bed at midnight. It was extremely rare for him to go to bed like today.

"Someone is coming."

"His Majesty."

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Cilang, who was still a little drowsy, finally opened his eyes. After the guards responded, he lazily asked, "What time is it?"

"Your Majesty, it is three quarters past midnight."

"Mao Shi?!"

When Zhu Cilang heard the words, he woke up suddenly. He looked out of the cabin and saw that it was getting light in the sky. It was actually the morning hour.

"How's the battle going?"

Realizing that he had slept a full night, his first reaction was to ask about the battle situation.

Before he fell asleep, the Tartars had no power to turn the tables, but the military situation was changing rapidly and there was a possibility of accidents, so he had to be a little nervous.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the battle was over in the second half of the night. Now, except for General Hu and General Hu Yiqing, all the generals have returned. They are waiting on the shore for Your Majesty to summon them."

Hearing this, Zhu Cilang felt relieved at first, then after a moment of thought, he walked out of the cabin.

It was expected that Hu Maozhen had not returned. After all, the troops he led were all land troops, and only cavalry could pursue the enemy. As for Hu Yiqing.
I guess he's feeling uncomfortable being around me, so now he finally has a chance to have fun, so he might as well enjoy himself.

But the generals usually wait outside the cabin, so why are they on the shore now?
The rotation of his thoughts did not delay Zhu Cilang's steps. After he stepped out of the cabin and his eyes adjusted to the changes in light, he was stunned where he was.

At this time, there were not only many military generals and officials standing solemnly on the river bank, but there were also several military formations arranged neatly behind them.

这 是
"Old minister, Wan Yuanji has lived up to the emperor's orders and has finally kept Ganzhou safe."

Seeing Wan Yuanji slowly kneeling on the ground, Zhu Cilang immediately wanted to get off the boat to help him up, but who would have thought that before he could make any move, the generals began to kneel down one after another.

"Your Majesty! Zhang An lived up to the imperial order and killed 3,627 enemy soldiers in battle. He also captured one enemy, Jiala Ezhen, two generals, and more than 10,000 soldiers!" Zhang An's voice rolled in, shocking everyone.

"Your Majesty! Fang Guoan lived up to the emperor's order and killed 7,763 enemy soldiers in battle. He also captured one Gushan Beizi, two Jiala Ezhen, three generals, and more than 18,000 soldiers!" Fang Guoan's voice swept over like a violent storm.

"Your Majesty! Hou Chengzu lived up to the imperial order and killed 6,425 enemy soldiers in battle, captured five enemy Jiala Ezhen, ten generals, and more than 24,000 soldiers!" Hou Chengzu's voice was as surging as a rushing river.

"Your Majesty! Xiang Rensheng fulfilled the emperor's order and killed 1,763 enemy soldiers in battle, and captured! Ajige, the Ying Prince of the Jiannu!" Xiang Rensheng's voice was like a bolt from the blue, shaking the world.

Present victory to the emperor.

It is obvious that this is the emperor offering sacrifices to his country.

Even though Zhu Cilang had won many battles and was accustomed to his status as an emperor, he still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when he saw these soldiers who had fought in the battlefield bowing to him.

These are his soldiers, his pride, his strength.

With them as a barrier, who else can stand in front of me?
"The Ming army is mighty!"

Zhu Cilang's voice was like the roar of a dragon and a tiger, shaking on the surface of the river and echoing between heaven and earth.

The surging momentum seemed to turn the whole world upside down.

At this moment, the emperor's might was truly revealed, and thousands of soldiers were excited by his words.

"Long live the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

What an honor it is to present a victory to the emperor. Not to mention for ordinary soldiers, even generals like Fang Guoan and Hou Chengzu would certainly regard it as a feat passed down from generation to generation.

It's just that some people are happy and some are sad.

As the news spreads, those loyal to Zhu Cilang will be excited, but for some people, this becomes the last chance to force them to make a decision.

three days later

Nanchang
Since he quietly escaped from Fuzhou, Jin Shenghuan's emotions have become extremely volatile.

Originally, the generals under his command thought that he was worried about the war in Jiangxi, but when the news of the battle of Ganzhou came, the personal guards and servants who had followed him for many years sensed something else.

"Have you heard? There was a defeat in the south."

After arriving in Nanchang, Jin Shenghuan did not station his troops outside the city, but instead, as a garrison general, stuffed them all into the barracks in the city.

This was nothing. After all, although the Nanchang garrison commander and the prefect were not his direct subordinates, they were theoretically his subordinates.

Even though the two were very dissatisfied with his rather overbearing behavior, they could only curse him in secret and could do nothing about it.

Now that the soldiers have entered, it is expected that they will live in the palace in the city.

The young soldier who spoke was the personal guard who had moved in here with his commander-in-chief.

"I heard that the defeat seemed to be quite tragic. Didn't you see that the Marshal has locked himself in the study for almost half a day?"

Originally, the reason why the young soldier said this was to show off that he was well-informed and to prove from the side that he had someone above him.

But who would have thought that when everyone in the room looked at him in surprise, a soldier with a scar on his face interrupted.

The young soldier was naturally somewhat dissatisfied with this.

However, he had received a lot of information from his relatives, so after seeing someone sabotaging him, he just continued talking as if he was chatting, without revealing his true emotions at all.

"Yes, it is said that Prince Zhishun only brought 10,000 or 20,000 yuan when he returned to Ji'an."

As soon as the words fell, the guards and servants who were originally somewhat curious were suddenly startled, and then those who knew nothing began to ask hurriedly.

"Ten thousand or twenty thousand?! Didn't they bring all the troops from Jiangbei this time? How come they only brought back this few?"

"You have been fighting for so many years in vain. Nanchang must be defended, Wuchang must be defended, and with the tens of thousands of troops from Fuzhou, the princes can only bring 110,000 or 200,000 at most."

"Even if there were only 110,000 or 20,000 soldiers, they wouldn't have been defeated so badly."

After hearing the ridicule from the people around him, the soldier who asked the question immediately refuted.

But who would have thought that as soon as he said this, the scarred old soldier's voice silenced him.

"The Ming army has sent its navy in."

Navy!

Most of these people had followed Jin Shenghuan from the northwest, and although they had never seen the power of the Ming navy, they knew that the victorious Prince Yu had fallen because of this.

Having said this, the guards and servants immediately stopped talking.

It is not known whether he was surprised by the arrival of the Ming navy, or worried about his own situation after confirming the defeat in Ganzhou.

With the atmosphere like this, even if the young soldier wanted to show off again, there was no one to listen.

But he also knew that this was a matter of concern to everyone, so he only paused for a moment before saying, "Look at how brave you are. Who is our Marshal? How can he be easily taken advantage of?"

He thought that everyone would immediately ask questions after hearing this, but to his surprise, not only did no one in this group of older guys respond, but three or two of them even showed rather strange smiles.

"What are you laughing at? Although I have not been in the Royal Guard Battalion for long, but..."

Squeak~~.

When the young soldier was about to say a few more words, the door of the room was pushed open from the outside, and then a figure dressed in formal attire appeared in their sight.

"Boss."

"Well, are they all here?"

"They're all here."

After saying a few words casually, the general's eyes began to move around among the few people, but when he saw the young soldier, some hesitation was very obvious in his eyes.

"I know that the Marshal wants to host a banquet for Prefect Liu and Lieutenant General Li."

"know."

"Well, the city has been in a mess these days. To prevent any accidents, you guys should stay behind the hall to provide protection."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)