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

Chapter 184: Counterattack
The next day, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing. The area around Tangjiapu was still shrouded in the smoke of yesterday's battle, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

The Red Army's auxiliary troops were organizing civilians to clean up the battlefield and collect the corpses.

This was a lucrative job. The war horses, armor, bows and arrows, swords and other spoils of war naturally belonged to the Red Army. The Red Army discarded the worn-out clothes and shoes of the dead, the viscera and bones of the dead horses, and used them as rewards for the civilians. In troubled times, these seemingly worthless things became treasures in the eyes of the civilians.

Danchu rode on horseback to inspect various places, giving instructions from time to time:
"The trenches must not be abandoned. They must be restored to their original depth and width. The bedding, tents and other items thrown into the trenches by the Tartars must be cleared out as soon as possible."

"The weather is getting hotter and the stench of corpses can be faintly smelled. Deal with the bodies quickly. Throw the bodies of the Tartars into the Xiangjiang River and let them float downstream to show the power of our army. All the bodies of our soldiers will be cremated and the ashes will be buried on Tianping Ridge west of Yumi Mountain."

"Inform the auxiliary soldiers of each battalion to get water from the upper reaches of the Xiang River. Do not drink raw water, boil it into tea with old ginger. Let the soldiers drink a dose of Zhuge Xingjun Powder every day to prevent plague."

"Rebuild the drawbridge to make it easier for our troops to pass through the trench."

"Distribute the war horses, armor, bows and arrows, etc. The war horses will be distributed first to the personal guards and cavalry battalions, ensuring that each person has two horses."

"The food standards for Tusi soldiers are the same as those for Red Army infantrymen, and they should not be treated differently."

……

"Marshal, the Marquis of Xinxing is here." A personal soldier rode over on horseback and said breathlessly.

Following the direction pointed by the guard, Danchu saw a group of people and horses coming from the direction of Xing'an City. He looked through the telescope, but did not see Jiao Lian, but saw a sedan chair. Next to the sedan chair was a military officer with a fat figure, who seemed to be Zhao Yinxuan, the commander of the Imperial Yunnan Camp.

Zhao Yinxuan also had the title of marquis, but he had a horse attendant beside him, so the person sitting in the sedan chair could only be Jiao Lian.

Jiao Lian was an open-minded person and had great prestige in the Ming army. Cao Zhijian, the warlord of Zhenxia Pass, was unruly and once said publicly that among his fellow Ming soldiers, he only respected Jiao Lian.

Jiao Lian never liked riding in a sedan chair. Perhaps he was still ill, so he had to sit in the sedan chair.

Danchu was so happy that he rode away at full speed. He was in a very happy mood, just like a primary school student who got full marks in the test and was eager to go home and tell his parents.

Jiao Lian heard the noise and opened the curtain of the sedan chair. His face looked sick, but he could not hide his joy.

"Commander Sir!"

"Zhuoru!"

"Marshal Jue is ill, how can he leave the city at will? If there is anything, just send a letter to summon me into the city."

"Hahahaha!" Jiao Lian was like a father who wanted his son to be successful. He received the good news that his son had passed the imperial examination and laughed, "I heard last night that you defeated the Qing invaders, and had someone carry you to the South Gate to have a look. Now that I have received your victory report, I can't wait to leave the city to meet you."

Zhao Yinxuan asked, "Where is the body of Jueluo Guoke now?"

"The head has been cut off and is being pickled before being sent to Guilin to be praised for its merits. The body is still exposed in the wild, hanging under the Tartar flagpole."

"I came to Tangjiapu today, and I can use the Tartar's body to offer sacrifice to Ma Zhen." Thinking of his beloved general Ma Qijiao who died tragically, Jiao Lian tried his best to look sad, and said: "Zhuoru, send someone to dismember the body and avenge Ma Zhen."

"promise."

Arriving at the front, Jiao Lian got out of the sedan chair despite his illness and held a memorial ceremony for Ma Qijiao. He was trembling and tears were streaming down his face, which moved all the soldiers present.

A thorough understanding of worldly affairs is a source of knowledge. Jiao Lian offered sacrifices despite being ill, which taught Danchu a vivid lesson: a general must not only control his subordinates with authority, convince them with credibility, but also move them with emotion.

After the sacrifice, Jiao Lian personally visited the trenches and chevaux de frise and praised Danchu: "Using the soil from the trenches to build chevaux de frise, using the trenches to block the enemy cavalry, and using the chevaux de frise to ambush the musketeers, it is a meticulous and well-planned project, truly an ingenious work."

Danchu just smiled modestly and replied: "It's all thanks to the soldiers' dedication and the full support of the Earl of Xingning."

Xingning Earl Hu Yiqing was standing by and said with a smile: "Zhuoru is wrong. The Red Army fought bravely and cooperated closely. Zhuoru came from behind and won. 'The voice of a young phoenix is ​​clearer than that of an old phoenix.'" Zhao Yinxuan's expression moved, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes, with jealousy, displeasure, and suspicion. He was Hu Yiqing's cousin, older than Hu Yiqing and Wang Yongzuo, so they supported him as the commander of the Yunnan Camp, but he did not often go into battle, and his prestige was not as high as Hu Yiqing. Hu Yiqing and Cen Danchu became good friends and became brothers. Later...

Danchu also noticed Zhao Yinxuan's abnormality and became alert. According to historical records, although this man was the commander of the Imperial Yunnan Camp, his military exploits and virtues were not as good as Hu Yiqing's. If something really happened in the future, he was not worthy of being relied on.

Lunch was eaten at the Second Infantry Battalion. Jiao Lian was ill and could not stand the wind, so he went to the Second Infantry Battalion's central army tent to rest.

The curtains were drawn and the tent suddenly became quite stuffy.

Jiao Lian had no appetite and said with a wry smile, "I am ill and I am sorry to have troubled you all."

The generals had led their troops into battle, slept in the open air, and fought in armor. They had experienced all kinds of hardships, so they could naturally endure the stuffiness in the tent.

"Master, rest assured and recuperate. Try to recover as soon as possible so that you can take charge of the overall situation and command our counterattack against Quan and Yong."

"The Red Army defeated the Tartars at Tangjiapu. The Tartars will not dare to spy on Xing'an for a while. Marshal, don't worry."

……

Everyone wanted to comfort Jiao Lian casually, but unexpectedly, Jiao Lian was encouraged and said:

"To be honest, ever since Ma Zhen died for his country, I have been determined to counterattack and avenge my comrades. I came to Tangjiapu today despite my illness, firstly to hold a memorial ceremony for Ma Zhen, and secondly to check the morale of the officers and soldiers on the spot. The army's morale is good, and I plan to counterattack Jeonju as soon as possible. Everyone, make preparations now, and when I recover, I will move camp and head north immediately."

The hot and stuffy central military tent suddenly became quiet. Some were excited, some were worried, and some were skeptical.

Danchu glanced at them and saw that Hu Yiqing, Zhu Minru and Cen Xun were very excited and obviously agreed with Jiao Lian's opinion. Zhao Yinxuan had a complicated expression and was hesitant. Kuang Shi, Cao Yu and other Red Army generals looked suspicious and turned their eyes to him.

"Marshal Jue is right!" Hu Yiqing was the first to break the silence and said, "The Tartars' forces are scattered, and there are very few defenders in Quanzhou and Yongzhou. Our army should take advantage of the victory to counterattack and seize Quanzhou as soon as possible."

Zhu Minru also agreed, "That's right. Xing'an is backed by Yanguan, just like a gourd. Our army is deployed in the belly of the gourd. Once the battle goes badly, we have to retreat to the mouth of the gourd, which is like a battle line with your back to the water. It is extremely dangerous. We must take over Quanzhou to increase the buffer space."

"Old Zhao, what do you think?" Jiao Lian asked Zhao Yinxuan.

Zhao Yinxuan said without hesitation: "The Imperial Dian Camp will obey the orders of Marshal Jue." Anyway, it was Hu Yiqing who led the charge, and Zhao Yinxuan was happy to do a favor to Jiao Lian. Quanzhou was lost in Zhao Yinxuan's battle, so it should be recovered as soon as possible.

"Zhuoru, what do you think?"

Danchu hesitated for a moment, but still said: "Marshal, I think we should be cautious about the counterattack. Our army won yesterday because we had been preparing for a long time, dug deep trenches, and built chevaux de frise walls for self-defense. It was a difficult victory to defeat the Manchus. It was a tragic victory. The results are not optimistic. We killed one thousand enemies but lost eight hundred of our own.

"Siege is different from field warfare. It requires blocking enemy reinforcements, overcoming city walls, red-haired cannons, and ensuring the safety of the 100-mile grain route from Xing'an to Quanzhou."

Kuang Shi naturally wanted to support his lord, and echoed: "What the deputy governor said is right. The Tartars are all cavalry, and they can mobilize reinforcements at any time. If our army fails to counterattack Quanzhou, and the enemy cavalry arrives from all directions, our army will be in danger.

"Why not send someone to Wugang to contact the Zhongwu Camp, and to Chenzhou to contact the Zhongzheng Camp. The Duke of E and the Duke of Xing have strong troops and are brave and good at fighting. If we can get their support, our army will be able to counterattack Quanzhou."

Years ago, because of their contribution to the recovery of Hunan, Ma Jinzhong was promoted to Duke of E, and Li Chixin was promoted to Duke of Xing.

"No," Jiao Lian said decisively, "We can't miss this opportunity. The commander-in-chief ordered me to defend Quanzhou and recapture it. Now the Qing troops in Quanzhou are empty, so we can take this opportunity to counterattack."

He turned to Danchu and said, "It is difficult to transport food and grass. The longer the army stays at the front line, the more burden the rear will have. Since the first month of the year, the King of Yulin, the King of Zhongxiang, and the King of Ningxia have been defeated one after another. The morale of the army and the people has dropped greatly, and a great victory is urgently needed.

"The Hunan battlefield is related to the overall situation and cannot afford to fail. The commander-in-chief and the court will surely urge us to recapture the whole state after receiving the victory report. The soldiers and civilians are eagerly waiting. Instead of being urged by the court and being nagged by the censors, why don't we take the initiative to attack?"

There was nothing he could do about it, so Danchu could only reply, "Marshal, you are so kind, and our Red Army will obey your orders."

(End of this chapter)