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

Chapter 178: Stationing Troops in Xing'an
On the second day of the fourth month of summer, Danchu led his personal troops through Yanguan and arrived in Xing'an, where he stationed his troops outside the south gate of Xing'an City.

The scenery in the south and north of the Lingnan Mountains is very different. Guangxi is located in the south of the Lingnan Mountains, and it has already been full of summer. Xing'an is located in the northeast of Yuechengling Mountains, and it has just entered summer, and it is quite cold in the morning and evening.

Jiao Lian indeed stationed his troops in Xing'an, and Danchu entered the city to pay him an audience. Qu Shisi gave him the task of defending Quanzhou and securing the gateway to Guangxi. However, the commander of Quanzhou was someone else, Zhao Yinxuan, the commander of the Yudian Camp.

The overall situation in Hunan collapsed, and the Ming army was defeated one after another. Zhao Yinxuan and Hu Yiqing of the Yunnan army retreated to Quanzhou, and Xiong Zhaozuo and Zhou Jintang of the Chu army retreated to Yongzhou. Zhao Yinxuan's official rank and qualifications were equal to Jiao Lian's. With him in Quanzhou, Jiao Lian naturally could not enter Quanzhou, so he had to retreat to Xing'an to avoid friction between the two armies over pay.

The deployment of the army was like a child's play, and Danchu couldn't help but feel worried. Although there were many Ming troops on the front line, they were fighting independently and lacked a unified command. What should he do?

When the two met, Jiao Lian was extremely happy. He looked Dan Chu up and down and said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for half a year. You have become more and more promising!"

"It's all thanks to Marshal Jue's cultivation." In front of Jiao Lian, Dan Chu was always humble and polite.

"Young people are to be feared, young people are to be feared!" A middle-aged general laughed. It was the old acquaintance Zhu Minru. He had been stationed in Pingle to guard Jiao Lian's house. When Hunan was in danger, he was also ordered to lead troops to reinforce.

"Marshal, I took the daughter of the chieftain of Si'en as my concubine last time, and got a batch of war horses from Si'en Mansion. This time, I came here to give you a hundred war horses to repay you for your kindness."

This gift was quite valuable. One hundred war horses were worth at least one thousand taels of platinum. War horses were not produced in Guangxi, and good war horses were even more expensive.

Jiao Lian laughed heartily, happier than if he had won a battle, and said, "I never thought that I, Jiao Lian, a hero all my life, would have to rely on the charity of a warhorse from the younger generation! I knew that you would become a great man."

In terms of strength, Danchu has already surpassed Jiao Lian. Jiao Lian only controls Pingle Prefecture, has less than 20,000 soldiers under his command, and his military organization is far less strict than that of the Red Army.

"Marshal Jue is a peerless hero with outstanding achievements. He has always been a role model for Danchu."

After the greetings, Danchu immediately asked about the situation on the front line.

Jiao Lian was optimistic and said, "I just received a report from Tang that Du Ge led his troops to counterattack Hengzhou and fought a fierce battle with the Qing invaders at Caoqiao. They were defeated and Tao Yangyong died for his country. However, Hu Yiqing and Wang Yongzuo of the Yudian Camp took the enemy by surprise and captured Hengshan with a small force. Generals Lu Shiyi and Gong Rui followed behind. Lu Shiyi recovered Anren and Gong Rui recovered Youxian. The victories and defeats were balanced, but the morale of the Ming army was still there."

Hengshan is located in the lower reaches of Hengzhou, while Anren and Youxian are located in the east of Hengzhou and Hengshan. Hu Yiqing and Wang Yongzuo dared to cross Hengzhou and go deep into the enemy's rear to counterattack Hengshan, which was really courageous.

Xing'an and Yanguan are very close to each other. In just a few days, the situation on the front line has changed again. This is how it is during wartime. The situation changes quickly and rumors are flying everywhere. The commander must be stationed at the front line to quickly grasp the situation on the front line and respond in time.

The Qing Dynasty's front-line commander, Jirgalang, was already a prince, with qualifications comparable to Dorgon's, and was able to lead the main force in person to challenge the Loyal Camp.

The commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty's front line was actually an unknown person named Zhang Tongchang. It was difficult for him to control the various towns, so how could he resist the Eight Banners' fierce and wolf-like army?

Fortunately, Du Yinxi was brave enough to take on the task. Despite the overall situation being bad and being disliked by the court, he still dared to lead his troops to counterattack Hengzhou. Li Chixin, Hu Yiqing and other generals fought bravely, one daring to attack the enemy and the other daring to go deep into the enemy's rear, which was awe-inspiring.

"No," Danchu said bluntly, "Although our army has one victory and one defeat, Hengzhou is crucial, and Hengshan is insignificant. The difference between defeating Hengzhou and winning Hengshan is too great to be balanced. "Moreover, Hu Yiqing's surprise attack was victorious at Hengshan, but he was powerless to continue. Once the Qing invaders counterattack, it will be difficult to sustain. When Du Ge's troops counterattacked Hengzhou, they did not hear that the Chu army and the Yunnan army were accompanying them. Since they had already failed, it would be difficult to persist."

After hearing these words, Jiao Lian and Zhu Minru both stopped smiling and their expressions gradually became serious.

Zhu Minru said: "General Jue, Zhuoru is right. Our army must be on guard."

"Hmm." Jiao Lian pondered, and handed the report to Cen Danchu to read. He then walked to the map, pondered for a moment, and asked, "In your opinion, where will the Qing army focus its troops next?"

Zhu Minru and Danchu looked at each other and said, "It's most likely Quanzhou."

Danchu had another opinion, saying: "It depends on where the Zhongzheng Camp is. The Duge army relies on the Zhongzheng Camp, and the Qing army also values ​​the Zhongzheng Camp. Before, the Zhongzheng Camp was stationed in Chaling, and Jierhalang led the main force to attack Chaling. This time, the Zhongzheng Camp was defeated in Hengzhou again, and it must be considering a retreat.

"There are three routes. One is to go through western Hunan and enter Guizhou. Along this route, there are troops such as Ma Jinzhong, Wang Jincai, and Zhang Xianbi. It is unwise for the Loyalty Camp to travel thousands of miles to fight for money.

"Second, we can go through Yanguan to enter Guangxi. Along this route, there are Yunnan Division, Chu Division, and our Guangxi Division. The Loyalty Battalion will not go there. Third, we can go through Zhenxiaguan to enter Guangxi. Along this route, there is only Cao Zhijian's unit, so there will not be much resistance."

Jiao Lian did not comment, and fell into deep thought in front of the map. After a long time, he said, "Danchu is right. The Loyalty Battalion should retreat to Chenzhou and Guiyang. In an emergency, they should retreat southward through Zhenxia Pass to preserve their strength. If the Loyalty Battalion escapes, the Qing invaders will surely attack Quanzhou with all their strength and enter Guangxi through Yanguan."

"May I ask Marshal Jue, have the Qing invaders in Jiangxi retreated northward? Is the news that Jiang Ge has rebelled confirmed?" Danchu asked.

"Tan Tai has indeed withdrawn from northern Jiangxi, and the news that Jiang Ge has rebelled has not been confirmed." Jiao Lian added: "When I was young, I met Jiang Ge several times. From what I know, Jiang Ge will rebel. Although there is no confirmation of the news of the Datong Uprising, it is true."

Danchu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a lot more relaxed. There were too many uncertainties and negative news in this battle. Only Jiang Ge turned around, which brought some hope to the Ming army and gave Danchu a lot of confidence.

"Now that Jiang Ge has rebelled, the Qing army will naturally attack Shanxi. In addition, the elite troops of the Qing army are all from the north and cannot stand the heat. They will return to the north to escape the heat in summer. This time, the Qing army will probably not march into Guangxi again. As long as we can stop the Qing army in Quanzhou and Xing'an, it will be a great achievement."

Jiao Lian and Zhu Minru nodded repeatedly, as if relieved, and asked about the Red Army's troops.

Danchu replied: "Two thousand five hundred personal soldiers have already passed through the border and are stationed in the south of the city. There are still eight thousand infantry, auxiliary troops, and chieftain soldiers, who should pass through the border in three days."

Jiao Lian was particularly pleased with the number of Red Army soldiers. He was a rough man, not as careful as Qu Shisi, and would not blame Danchu for raising troops to cause trouble. Nowadays, the more soldiers, the better.

"Very good, very good. Xu Biao and Chen Bangfu are not good people. You were able to kill Xu Biao, seize Nanning, and train so many soldiers. You are very capable. Zhuoru, you will first lead the troops to station in the south of Xing'an City, gather troops, and strengthen vigilance. When there is something happening on the front line, you can follow my orders and go into battle."

"promise."

(End of this chapter)