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

Chapter 180: The Manchus Attack
The Qing army's offensive was fierce and came faster than expected. On April 10, Qing general Tong Tulai joined forces with Nushan and Ajigenikan to attack Quanzhou.

Hu Yiqing led the Yunnan army to fight, but was defeated and all the camps were destroyed. The Chu army collapsed in Quanzhou City. Xiong Zhaozuo and Zhou Jintang retreated to Daozhou and Yongming, and went to Cao Zhijian. Zhao Yinxuan and Hu Yiqing retreated to Xing'an, and went to Jiao Lian.

Ma Qijiao, a general under Jiao Lian, led his troops to reinforce Quanzhou, but was ambushed and the entire army was wiped out. Ma Qijiao was killed in the battle.

The storm was about to come. The area around Tangjiapu was full of defeated soldiers from the Yunnan and Chu armies.

How to deal with these deserters was a tricky matter. After all, they were all Ming army comrades who had fought bloody battles with the Qing army on the front line, so Cen Danchu had to accept them.

But among these Ming army's defeated soldiers, there were probably Qing army spies mixed in. Since the Qing army entered the pass, they often used the tactic of internal and external cooperation. Once the Ming army was defeated, the Qing army would spread spies to retreat to the rear with the Ming army, waiting for an opportunity to act as internal support.

Danchu went to the front line in person to instruct the Red Army to check the fleeing soldiers. The Red Army dug a long trench on the front line, extending from Qijialing to Xiangjiang River. The fleeing soldiers crowded at the suspension bridge, queuing up to pass through the checkpoint. Those with accents or hairstyle problems were killed without mercy.

"Brother Cen!"

A short Ming general, with a haggard face, was extremely happy to see Dan Chu and greeted him from afar.

Isn't this Hu Yiqing? Danchu was overjoyed, dismounted to greet him, and said, "Brother Hu! I was ordered by Xinxing Hou to guard Tangjiapu, and I didn't expect to meet you here."

When I got closer, I saw that Hu Yiqing's armor was damaged, his face was wounded, and his mount "Sand Rabbit" was smelly. I don't know how many fierce battles it had been through.

"Haha!" Although Hu Yiqing was defeated, he was still heroic and laughed, "I looked over from afar and saw these camps with bright flags, deep trenches and high ramparts. I was wondering whose troops these were. Unexpectedly, they were my brothers!"

Talking about the war situation, Hu Yiqing was filled with emotion and sighed: "The Manchus are really as famous as they are said to be. They are as fast as the wind and as aggressive as fire. I have fought for many years and have never seen such a strong enemy."

The Red Army would soon face the Eight Banners enemy. Danchu did not dare to neglect it and asked, "Brother, please tell me, how should I deal with the Manchus?"

"The Tatars are skilled in archery and are fearless. They can ride several horses and are as fast as the wind. When going to war, the Tatars often select their own soldiers, put on two layers of iron armor, approach within thirty steps, and use large sheath bows to engage in battle."

Talking about the Manchurian soldiers, Hu Yiqing was still nervous and said, "Danchu, when you fight the Tartars, you must keep a distance from them. You cannot get closer than thirty steps, otherwise you will be defeated."

"Hmm." Danchu pondered, "I ordered the construction of deep trenches and high fortifications. A trench was dug at the front line, and another trench was dug around the camp. This was to keep a distance from the Tartars, build a strong camp, and fight a stupid battle. What I am worried about is the Tusi soldiers. They camp on the hills and have no way to dig trenches. They are also newly joined troops..."

Hu Yiqing said generously: "The Tusi soldiers are brave and daring. As long as they are properly controlled, they will be of great use. If you don't mind, I would like to lead the Tusi soldiers in the Yudian Camp and fight side by side with them."

Danchu was eager to get what he wanted. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The Yudian Camp has been through many battles and is well-known. With your help, I have a better chance of winning against the enemy. At present, the fleeing soldiers are overwhelming. I would like to ask you to help identify the fleeing soldiers and replenish the Yudian Camp. What do you think?"

This is a mutually beneficial and win-win situation, so Hu Yiqing is naturally happy about it.

Soon, Wang Yongzuo and Zhao Yinxuan, two generals of the Imperial Yunnan Camp, arrived one after another. Zhao Yinxuan retreated into Xing'an City, and Wang Yongzuo became friends with Hu Yiqing, so he stayed to assist Hu Yiqing.

On April 15, the Qing army pursued to Jian'an, less than 30 miles away from Tangjiapu.

When the news came, Dan was happy to hear about the war. After preparing for so long, he was finally going to fight against the Eight Banners of Manchuria. He was excited and nervous.

Feng Jiali, the head of the intelligence bureau, came to report: "General, the chief general of the Qing army has been identified, and he is Bayala Jiala Zhangjing Jueluo Guoke." What a difficult title. Before Danchu could ask, Feng Jiali explained: "Bayala is Manchu, which means guard. Jiala is in charge of five Niulu, and Jiala Zhangjing is the leader of Jiala."

In the Eight Banners military system, every 300 people formed a Niulu. In theory, Jiala Zhangjing had 1,500 bannermen under his command. The Manchu population was small, and they were constantly at war, with heavy casualties among males. It was difficult for a Niulu to produce 300 bannermen.

Normally, when bannermen went to war, baoyi would also fight with their masters. As bannermen suffered heavy casualties, the Qing court encouraged baoyi to go to war with them. If baoyi performed well on the battlefield, they would be "enrolled" and become formal bannermen, and from then on, they would have "iron crops" for generations.

Therefore, when the Manchu Eight Banners went to war, it was really unclear how many soldiers each Niulu could send out. The Qing court was very secretive about the strength of the Eight Banners and never recorded the number of soldiers in official documents.

"Which banner is this Jueluo Guoke from?"

"The Manchu Bordered White Banner." Feng Jiali replied, his voice lowered as if he was afraid.

Manchuria Bordered White Banner? Danchu also took a deep breath and frowned slightly. In the early Qing Dynasty, the Manchuria Bordered White Banner was a big banner with strong strength.

Huang Taiji came to power illegitimately, so he had to win over the three brothers Ajige, Dorgon and Dodo, and appointed the 14-year-old Dorgon as the leader of the Bordered White Banner. When Dorgon grew up, Huang Taiji deliberately found fault with him and ordered Dorgon to be the leader of the Plain White Banner and Dodo to be the leader of the Bordered White Banner.

But no matter what, the Plain White Banner and the Bordered White Banner have always been united and have always been in the hands of the three brothers Dorgon, Dodo and Ajige. Now that Dorgon is the regent of the emperor's father and has great power, the strength of the two white banners goes without saying.

"How many soldiers does Jueluo Guoke have?" Danchu asked again, with a trace of worry in his eyes.

"There are at least 1,500 of them, all cavalry, with multiple horses for each man, and dozens of camels."

"With only 1,500 cavalrymen, you dare to attack Xing'an directly? Does this Gioro Goko really think that the Ming army has no one?" It was almost noon, and Dan Chu resolutely ordered all troops to prepare for battle, ready to confront this tough guy Gioro Goko.

The enemy was still 20 to 30 miles away and was expected to arrive at 3 p.m. The Red Army units hurried to eat and prepare their weapons.

Danchu hurriedly ate lunch and led his personal guards to the front line to supervise the battle. Under the escort of a team of personal guards, he came to Qijialing to inspect the defense.

This is the defensive junction of the Second Infantry Battalion and the Tusi Army, and it is also the place where the enemy may focus its attack. The Red Army deployed a lot of artillery at Qijialing, which is in a high position and can bombard the enemy.

To the east of Qijialing, the second infantry battalion built deep trenches and high ramparts, and dug deep trenches on the front line as a barrier. To the west of Qijialing, the Tusi soldiers and the Yunnan division cut down trees to build a wooden city, and set up deer forts outside the wooden city as a barrier.

Build a strong camp and fight a stupid battle. The strong camp has been built. It depends on whether the Red Army can stand firm like a mountain. If they can, they can fight a stupid battle and hope to stop the enemy outside Tangjiapu. As long as they can stop the Qing army, the Red Army will be successful.

At 3:00 pm, dust was flying in the distance and the sound of horse hooves was deafening. Through the telescope, Danchu could clearly see the enemy's Tangqi. Their armor was bright and their horses were tall. They were undoubtedly the Eight Banners of Manchuria.

The Red Army was already ready for battle.

The second battalion of infantry had already lined up outside the trench, about a hundred steps away. Two feet away from the trench, there was another earth wall, which, although not strictly built, could also delay the enemy's cavalry. The Tusi soldiers huddled in the wooden city, waiting for orders to go into battle. On the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, Zhu Minru sent troops to assist in the defense.

(End of this chapter)