Xie Ming

An imperial edict urgently summoned Xiao Jun from Jiujiang to return to the capital to defend the emperor.

Qiu ordered his subordinate Yue Xiuqin to rush over and tell him about his secret plan.

After understanding the situation, Xiao Jingchuan knew that success or failure hinged on this move. He hesitated for a long time before making a decision.

The first military order was to send someone urgently to Sun Peizhong in Henan, secretly instructing Peizhong not to heed the court's words, but to take the route along the Yellow River eastward to Jinan.

Xiao personally issued an order, commanding Pei Zhong to quickly mobilize most of the troops in Henan and to arrive in Guide Prefecture as soon as possible.

They were waiting for the right opportunity, specifically preparing to move eastward towards Huaidong.

After Xiao Jun's troops from both sides of Nanjing launched their campaign in Jiujiang, Pei Zhong's forces, following the Shouchun-Fengyang line, would infiltrate from the rear in northern Anhui, disrupting the Qing army's rear lines, capturing cities and territories, and thus forming a pincer movement against the enemy by coordinating efforts from the north and south.

On the 14th of the intercalary fifth month, Yue Xiu hurriedly arrived in Jiujiang first.

On the fifteenth day, the military order was dispatched swiftly northward for eight hundred li, and finally delivered personally to Sun Peizhong in Henan.

Who is Pei Zhong?

He was absolutely loyal to Xiao Lai.

So, with a single thought, he made no hesitation and immediately began preparations and organization, gathering soldiers from various prefectures and counties, and rushing to Guide to assemble them.

Moreover, while the north was taking urgent action on the same day, in the southwest, in Jiujiang City, things were not idle.

To be on the safe side, Xiao Lang took the imperial edict and had a deep conversation with Li Huchen.

Afterwards, Xiao and Li joined forces, and all the generals of Jiujiang were of one mind, sharing a common hatred for the enemy, and vowed to march east and achieve great deeds.

Therefore, after completing the pre-battle mobilization, Xiao Lang no longer hesitated and personally led the army and fleet to set off eastward down the Yangtze River, intending to rely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to fight the enemy to the death!

In an instant, after being trapped in Jiujiang for more than a month, and with tens of thousands of troops by land and water, they began to make urgent preparations to go east to defend the emperor.

Xiao Lang's return to power was particularly impressive after he captured and reorganized Zuo Liangyu's ships and troops, which further enhanced his prestige.

This time, they are determined to march eastward, to cut off the flow of the river with their whips, and to decide the fate of the world in one battle.

They advanced by land and sea for another three days.

On the morning of the 18th day of the intercalary fifth month, Xiao Jun led a large force eastward from Jiujiang, with three routes—north, central, and south—flowing together by land and water, forming a mighty and rapid eastward advance.

They officially clashed with the Qing army forces from the north, led by Dodo, on both sides of the Yangtze River.

The two armies faced off, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Meanwhile, thanks to early reports from scouts, it was learned that Xiao Jun's fleet held a significant advantage in the naval battle on the river.

The Northern Army, renowned for its cavalry and land warfare prowess, is not suited to perish on the river.

Having thus discerned the advantages and disadvantages, Dodo led a portion of the main force that had already crossed the Yangtze River to occupy Nanjing, and hastily retreated northwards, starting from the beginning of the great battle.

Upon hearing that Xiao Jun was approaching from the east with a strong and powerful army, they dared not be negligent, fearing that if they were overconfident, the approaching army would cut off their retreat and leave them with no way out.

Therefore, he resolutely followed his troops to hold back the main force from crossing the river, and returned to the north bank. He ordered the right wing army to build fortifications along the riverbank in Hezhou, Wujiang, and Jiangpu, in order to block the main force of Xiao's army coming from the east.

On the afternoon of the 18th, on the north bank of the river and west of the city, in the direction of Sheshan, the two armies launched a simultaneous land and water attack and engaged in fierce fighting.

Xu Jizu led 12,000 soldiers on land, directly encountering 8,000 remnants of Gao Jinku's troops who had surrendered to the Qing and were guarding the Sheshan direction.

Jiang Antou followed, and Li Hongsheng's group arrived from both land and water, with Ye coming from behind to support Ji Zu's prestige.

As soon as the enemy and our troops approached head-on, they engaged in a bloody battle.

They were plunged into a fierce battle where it was a matter of life and death.

In less than half a day, before the sun set, all the beachhead artillery positions built by Gao Yibu's army in the Xisheshan area were destroyed.

Seeing that his position was in jeopardy and that the enemy was attacking from both the southwest and the water, Gao Jinku had no choice but to lead his troops to retreat thirty miles north, fighting and retreating in a very disheveled manner.

Xu Jizu achieved a minor victory at Sheshan, but before he could boast of his achievements, he saw that Gao's troops were retreating north. In order not to affect the overall situation of the advance, he divided his troops into two routes.

First, he dispatched 4,000 men to continue pursuing Bei Yao and launch a fierce attack on Gao Jinku, aiming to completely tie down the surrendered rebel forces.

Second, the remaining five or six thousand soldiers could continue fighting, joining forces with Li Hongsheng's five thousand infantry on the north bank to continue the eastward advance. After this initial victory, Xiao's army was even more powerful and its morale was high.

Before dawn, Xiao Ling swiftly moved eastward to engage in a night raid.

Heading east, taking advantage of the darkness of night, Xu Jizu and Li Hongsheng's land troops launched a fire attack at midnight, directly targeting the forces of Shi Tingzhu and Liu Liangzuo in Hezhou.

Xiao Jun's large ships and vessels on the river also followed suit and pushed eastward.

Soon after, the Battle of Hezhou broke out.

Less than an hour later, Zhao Yingyuan's infantry stormed the beach and launched an attack, heading east to engage the Jiangpu line.

It should be noted that these two locations were occupied by Shi Tingzhu's and Liu Liangzuo's forces, totaling 45,000 men.

They were a powerful and well-equipped force, making them very difficult to challenge.

Despite the support of Xiao Jun's ships and artillery on the river, and the brief night raid that seized the initiative and made some progress, the two sides quickly entered into a stalemate.

The three armies of Xu, Li, and Zhao, with a combined force of about 30,000 men by land and water, clashed head-on with the enemy forces of Shi and Liu. The battle began at night and lasted until dawn, with both sides locked in a fierce struggle, resulting in a protracted and arduous war.

In response, Xiao Jun's main force had no other options.

Amidst the stalemate between the enemy and our forces at Hezhou and Jiangpu, Xiao and He Zhou's main naval force must also continue eastward as quickly as possible.

On the 19th, preparations were made, and the troops on the north bank of the river clashed with those of Dorgon. The two sides exchanged cannons and the battle began at the riverbank.

They fought back and forth on the north bank of the river, their schemes and tricks constantly countering each other's moves. Despite this, Xiao Junye could only struggle to maintain the momentum.

The Qing army, especially the Manchu bannermen, was brave and fierce, with formidable fighting power, and their reputation was well-deserved.

Even with Xiao Jun's strategy and the advantage of superior local troops, it was difficult to make any progress and achieve any results.

Instead, they were surrounded by enemy cavalry on multiple fronts, suffering heavy losses and hidden setbacks.

The battle raged on for six days, and the situation was clearly turning against them. If no turning point came soon, the balance of power would inevitably reverse.

Just as Xiao Jun was engaged in naval warfare, the northern land forces were under immense pressure.

On the 24th, Sun Peizhong, having quickly assembled over 30,000 troops in Henan, finally set out from Guide Prefecture, marching day and night, and after conquering Shouchun, appeared at the foot of Fengyang City.

Upon arriving at Fengyang, Sun Peizhong deviated from his usual steady and methodical approach and launched a fierce and rapid attack.

It should be noted that at that time, Dodo's Qing army was eager for quick success and instant benefits, and there were many conflicts among the various units in their rush to attack.

Moreover, the Southern Ming army in its early stages was truly incompetent.

Consequently, the Qing army became arrogant and disdainful, and few troops were stationed in the northern regions along the rear.

The distance to Shouchun was countless, and even in Fengyang City alone, by this time there were only about a thousand men stationed there.

As a result, Fengyang was captured by Peizhong in less than a day.

Without taking a break, Sun Peizhong was concerned about what Xiao Jiang was anxious about. He also understood that the Jiannu cavalry were fierce and powerful, and he feared that Xiao's army in the Jiangbei region would be trapped in a difficult situation.

Without removing his armor or stopping, he led the majority of his troops straight to Chuzhou and Lai'an.

This move undoubtedly made Dodo break out in a cold sweat.

Besieged on all sides, attacked from both front and rear.

Sun Peizhong's 30,000 troops suddenly appeared from behind while he was engaged in a fierce battle with Xiao Jun's Jiujiang troops north of the Yangtze River. How could this not send chills down the spines of the Qing army?

As the saying goes, when two sharp blades meet, the battle clouds collapse; the iron walls to the north and south suddenly turn into arrows.

Arrows rained down, bows were full as moons swelled; banners were unfurled, armor was frozen solid.

A fierce battle raged between the heart and soul, the sky seemed to crack; their hearts were intertwined, the earth itself seemed to crumble.

I am horrified to see the remnants of the army still stained with blood, having once traversed the tunnels of time.

(End of this chapter)