Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 171 The overall situation collapses
In the third year of the Yongli reign, the joy of the Spring Festival had just faded away, and the overall situation had inevitably collapsed.

Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren defended Nanchang alone for more than seven months and were out of food for more than four months. They had long since run out of ammunition and reinforcements, but they vowed to never surrender, and the Qing army had no chance to take advantage.

After the Spring Festival, Nanchang was hit by heavy rain for ten days, and the city walls were damaged. The defenders knew that it was impossible to save the city, so the commander of Jinxian Gate and the magistrate of Fengxin County agreed to cooperate with the Qing army.

On the 18th day of the first lunar month, Governor Tan Tai led the Qing army to feint and attack Deshengmen in Nanchang. Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren went to Deshengmen to rescue.

On the 19th, the defenders of Jinxian Gate surrendered. The Qing army climbed up the city wall at Jinxian Gate with ladders, and Nanchang fell.

Jin Shenghuan was shot by two arrows and committed suicide by jumping into the lotus pond of the commander's mansion. Grand Secretary Jiang Yueguang drowned. Wang Deren broke through the siege to Desheng Gate, but was blocked by the soldiers and could not move forward. He went in and out three times, killing hundreds of people. He was captured when he was exhausted and died without giving in.

It has been exactly one year since Jin Shenghuan rebelled against the Ming Dynasty on the night of January 26th, the second year of the Yongli reign.

The Qing army besieged Nanchang for more than seven months before finally conquering it. Tan Tai was angry that Nanchang refused to surrender, so he ordered a massacre in the city, killing everyone, regardless of whether they were soldiers or civilians, women, old or young.

Jiangxi was a wealthy city, and Nanchang was a large city. No less than one million people died in the Jiangxi campaign. The Qing army looted a lot, "the loot was so abundant that it stretched for thousands of miles from Poyang Lake to Yangzhou."

When the news spread, Emperor Yongli and his ministers were shocked. They posthumously awarded Jin Shenghuan the title of Prince of Yulin, and then promoted him to Prince of E, with the posthumous title of Zhuangwu. They also posthumously awarded Wang Deren the title of Duke of Jianguo, with the posthumous title of Zhongzhuang.

The overall situation in Jiangxi collapsed, and Huguang was not immune. Compared with Jiangxi, Huguang, especially Hunan, has a more important strategic position. Since the Longwu period, Hunan has become the main battlefield of the Ming-Qing war, and the elite Ming army was mostly deployed in Hunan.

In the first month of the year, the Manchu prince Jirgalang led a large army into Hunan, while the Shuncheng prince Lekedehun led the elite troops of the Eight Banners and marched straight into Hunan as if they were entering an empty land.

Lekedehun was the great-grandson of Nurhaci, the grandson of Prince Lilie Daishan, and the second son of Prince Heshuo Yingyi Sahalin. His mother was the legitimate wife Ulanara (daughter of Buzhantai), and her status was quite noble. Sahalin died early, and Lekedehun's brother Adali inherited the title.

In the 16th year of Chongzhen, Huang Taiji died. Adali and Er Boshuo conspired to establish Prince Rui Dorgon as emperor, but they were exiled and died. Dorgon sacrificed his soldiers to save his carriage and tried his best to protect Lekedehun. Lekedehun was demoted to a commoner under Haoge and was spared death.

Now that Dorgon had gained great power, he naturally promoted Lekedehun vigorously. Not only did he restore his royal family status, he also entrusted him with important tasks and promoted him to Prince Shuncheng.

The war situation in Hunan was related to the overall strategic situation. Dorgon had to appoint his political enemy Jirgalang as the general, but appointed his confidant Lekedehun as his deputy. The intention of restraining him was very obvious.

There were also factional struggles within the Qing dynasty. In addition, Dorgon was not an emperor, but he held all the military and political power, and there were always many political enemies in the court. But compared with the small Southern Ming court, the factional struggles in the Qing dynasty were nothing.

Lekedehun was the vanguard of the Qing army and was the first to enter Hunan.

He Tengjiao was the commander-in-chief and was actually the main commander of the front line of the Yongli Dynasty. In the Changsha area, he also had powerful troops such as Ma Jinzhong, Wang Jincai, Zhang Guangcui, Niu Wancai, Zhao Yingxuan, Hu Yiqing, Cao Zhijian, and Xiong Zhaozuo.

Jiao Lian was not on good terms with He Tengjiao and had been squeezed out by He Tengjiao, so he still guarded Quanzhou and Guilin.

When the Qing army approached Changsha, He Tengjiao sent Du Yinxi across the Xiangjiang River and asked him to lead the Loyalty Battalion to rescue Nanchang. After that, He Tengjiao was busy "mediating the troops" and "did not have time to scout and wait."

When Lekedehun suddenly arrived in Changsha, the various Ming troops were like frightened birds, and they fled without a fight. "The camps were all empty, and rain and snow fell."

Soon, only Ma Jinzhong was left out of the hundreds of thousands of Ming troops. Ma Jinzhong was originally under the command of Du Yinxi and joined Li Chixin in attacking Changsha. In order to seize Changsha, He Tengjiao transferred Ma Jinzhong and Li Chixin to reinforce Nanchang. Du Yinxi argued and sent Li Chixin to reinforce Nanchang, leaving Ma Jinzhong to attack Changsha. He Tengjiao transferred Ma Jinzhong to Xiangtan to ensure the retreat of the Ming army.

At this moment, all the miscellaneous troops under He Tengjiao had fled, and he had no choice but to go to Xiangtan to join Ma Jinzhong.

On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the day after Nanchang fell, the Qing army advanced to Daolinshi, 70 miles south of Changsha City, without encountering any resistance. There, the Qing army captured the Ming army's Tang soldiers and learned that He Tengjiao and Ma Jinzhong were in Xiangtan City.

The next morning, Lekedehun led the Eight Banners of Manchuria on a rapid march and surrounded Xiangtan County by surprise.

Seeing that the Qing army was strong and he was isolated and helpless, Ma Jinzhong led his troops to retreat southward. He sent someone to persuade He Tengjiao to escape, but He Tengjiao was already disheartened and replied, "I have been a commander for five years, and this is the end. Is it heaven or man?" Then, He Tengjiao handed over the commander's seal, adjusted his hat and belt, and sat in the hall waiting for the Qing army.

Soon after, the Qing Dynasty Changsha garrison commander and great traitor Xu Yong led his troops into Xiangtan. He Tengjiao shouted: "I, the commander-in-chief, shall know that I will die. Slaves, do not bully me."

Xu Yong was a general under He Tengjiao, and he led his troops to kowtow and surrender. He Tengjiao was furious, scolded him, and drew his sword to kill Xu Yong. Xu Yong took him to Jirgalang.

Jirgalang tried his best to persuade them to surrender, saying: "You are upright and loyal, just like Wenshan. Now that you have been arrested, I have done what I should do as a minister. If you know your destiny and surrender, you will not give up your seat to Hong Chengchou."

Although He Tengjiao did more harm than good, he was a man of great integrity. He refused to bow to Jirgalang and spoke righteously, refusing to surrender.

Jirgalang captured more than 40 members of He Tengjiao's family and tried to persuade them to surrender, but He Tengjiao still refused to surrender and refused to speak or eat or drink.

On the 26th, Jirgalang sent people to persuade him again, and He Tengjiao replied, "Confucius said to become a martyr, Mencius said to gather righteous people. As for the legacy of the belt, they carried it out, and I will continue it. I have made up my mind, so don't say any more."

Upon hearing this, Jirgalang sighed and left him a silk scarf.

He Tengjiao then hanged himself at the age of 59.

Jirgalang ordered the massacre of Xiangtan, which began on the 21st, "and ended on the 26th and the 29th", "corpses were everywhere, it was a tragedy beyond words. There were less than a hundred people in the city, and dozens of people were injured but not dead."

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Yongli stopped attending court for seven days and bestowed upon He Tengjiao the title of Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall and Prince of Zhongxiang, and posthumously named him Wenlie. Jin Shenghuan, Wang Deren, and He Tengjiao died within a few days. Not long after, news of Li Chengdong's death came.

Li Chengdong suffered a disastrous defeat in his first attack on Ganzhou. After learning from his mistakes, he quickly reorganized his troops and set out again.

On New Year's Eve of the second year of the Yongli reign, Li Chengdong went to Zhaoqing to meet with Emperor Yongli to "ask for a strategy". In the first month of the third year, he once again led the troops of the Dongxun garrisons to the north to Jiangxi.

In order to avoid repeating the same mistake, Li Chengdong decided to first eliminate the counties outside Ganzhou, and then concentrate his troops to attack Ganzhou. In fact, the Guangdong Army's attack on Ganzhou this time was not much different from the last time, as they were determined to eliminate Ganzhou rather than directly rescue Nanchang.

Soon, Nanchang fell, and the news reached Ganzhou. The army was shaken, and many of the generals of Dongxun proposed to retreat southward and defend Meiguan at Dayuling. Li Chengdong refused to listen and led the main force to Xinfeng.

Tan Tai sent the rubber merchant Melezhang to lead the Eight Banners of Manchuria to reinforce Ganzhou and decided to stick to the policy of "quick battle".

On February 16, the Manchu and Han Qing troops set out from Ganzhou and headed south to attack Xinfeng.

On the 28th, the Qing army attacked Quling and defeated the Guangdong army led by Wuzhi Earl Yan Keyi.

At noon on the 29th, the Qing army approached Xinfeng. Li Chengdong went out of the city to fight, but was defeated by the Qing army and retreated into the city. The Qing army used the same old trick again, digging a moat and planting stakes outside Xinfeng City to prevent the Ming army from breaking out, preparing to completely annihilate the Guangdong army.

On the first day of March, the Qing army began to attack the city. The Guangdong army was in chaos and scrambled to break out. Li Chengdong himself fell off his horse and drowned while crossing the river.

The Guangdong Army was in great chaos during its retreat. It was not until they arrived at Dayuling and counted the troops that they discovered that their commander was missing.

When the news reached Zhaoqing, the emperor and his ministers were horrified, and some of them fled in the rain. Emperor Yongli stopped attending court for two days and bestowed upon Li Chengdong the title of King of Ningxia, posthumously titled Wulie.

Li Chengdong's reputation surpassed Jin Shenghuan's, but he was so vulnerable. Fortunately, the main force of the Guangdong Army was still there. As long as they could hold the natural barrier of Dayuling, Guangdong would be safe for the time being.

Emperor Yongli conferred the title of Nanyang Earl on Li Chengdong Yuanyin and gave him the seal of General of Cavalry, hoping that Li Yuanyin would continue to lead the Guangdong Army. However, Li Yuanyin refused, saying that he was young and unworthy and was not suitable to be ranked above other generals.

Emperor Yongli had no choice but to order Li Yuanyin to supervise the imperial guards as the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, and also ordered the Minister of Military Affairs Liu Yuansheng to go to Guangzhou to comfort the Dongxun generals.

Liu Yuansheng was from Shaanxi, a fellow villager of Li Chengdong, and his brother Liu Xiangke was the "tiger skin" of the "Five Tigers". Because of this relationship, Emperor Yongli appointed Liu Yuansheng as the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, intending to let Liu Yuansheng take over the Guangdong Army.

However, Li Chengdong's general Du Yonghe had already obtained Li Chengdong's seal of governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and openly used it to work. Du Yonghe also bribed his fellow soldiers and treacherous officials in the court, so Emperor Yongli had to acquiesce.

Du Yonghe had the same seniority as the Dongxun generals Yan Keyi, Hao Shangjiu, Ma Bao, Zhang Yue, Luo Chengyao, etc., but he was suddenly promoted to a higher position than the other generals, so the generals naturally did not accept it. Since then, the various towns of the Guangdong Army have entered a semi-independent state, and the Dongxun Group has been greatly dispersed.

At that time, the Qing capital was short of troops, so Dorgon transferred Tan Tai's army back to Guangdong. The Guangdong Army was able to survive. Huguang was related to the overall strategic situation, and the situation was much more serious.

After Jirgalang captured and killed He Tengjiao in Xiangtan, the Ming army was leaderless and collapsed without a fight. The Qing army took the opportunity to divide its troops into three routes and launched a large-scale attack on Hunan.

The Minister of Rites Ahanikan and Gushan Ezhen Liu Zhiyuan led troops to attack Baoqing (now Shaoyang), defeated the Ming armies of Wang Jincai and Ma Jinzhong, occupied the provincial capital of Shaoyang, and then attacked Qianyang to the west, preparing to attack the Dashun armies of Yuan Zongde and Liu Tichun.

Gushan Ezhen Tongtulai and Yibai led troops to attack Hengzhou, and the Southern Ming general Tao Yangyong was killed. Hu Yiqing and Zhou Jintang retreated to Quanzhou, Guangxi. Tongtulai took advantage of the victory to pursue and threaten Quanzhou.

Jirgalang personally led the main force to attack Chenzhou. Because Du Yinxi and Li Chixin were leading the Loyalty Camp in Chenzhou, Jirgalang had a sharp eye and believed that after He Tengjiao's death, Du Yinxi was the biggest threat, and Li Chixin's Loyalty Camp was also very powerful.

At the same time, the situation in Fujian, another anti-Qing battlefield, was also deteriorating rapidly.

First, Jiangxi and Guangdong rebelled, and Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu, took the opportunity to counterattack Fujian and recaptured three prefectures, one state and 27 counties in northeastern Fujian, leaving the provincial capital Fuzhou almost isolated. Encouraged by Zhu Yihai, Fujian "raised a righteous army, and eight counties set out on the same day."

At a critical moment, the Lu Regent regime was in internal strife. The powerful Zheng Cai wanted to sideline Zhu Yihai and killed the Grand Secretary Xiong Rulin for no reason. Yixing Marquis Zheng Zunqian was very dissatisfied, and Zheng Cai ordered people to force Zheng Zunqian to jump into the sea and die.

Zhu Yihai was furious and wanted to jump into the river to commit suicide, but was stopped by his subordinates. He was unwilling to become a puppet, so he appointed Qian Sule, the Minister of War, to take over as the Grand Secretary and be responsible for drafting government affairs. Zheng Cai was unwilling to be outdone and bullied Qian Sule many times, causing Qian Sule to vomit blood and die.

The morale of the Lu Wang army was greatly reduced, and the fighting capacity was greatly reduced. The Qing army took the opportunity to counterattack, and the Ming army suffered continuous defeats, and Zheng Cai's prestige was greatly reduced.

Zheng Chenggong rose to power and fought with Zheng Cai. The King of Lu hated Zheng Cai deeply and took the opportunity to annex the remaining troops of Zheng Cai.

Fujian’s great cause of rejuvenation came to an end.

In Guangxi, the Qing army was approaching Quanzhou. Quanzhou was the gateway to Guangxi and was directly related to the safety of the Yongli court. Qu Shisi immediately ordered Jiao Lian, Chen Bangfu, Cen Danchu and other generals to go to the rescue, with Jiao Lian in charge.

Emperor Yongli valued Qu Shisi very much and ordered him to take over the post of commander-in-chief, replacing He Tengjiao to "command the armies of Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan and Guangdong, and bestow upon him red bows and iron spears, and to have the power of life and death over the armies of Yong, Bao, E and Yue."

Qu Shisi's prestige is not even as high as Teng Jiao's, and he has no experience in commanding an entire army. How can he deal with such a crisis?

(End of this chapter)