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

Chapter 203 The Fourth Infantry Battalion

The main force of the Qing army was on the west bank of the Xiang River, so the Red Army retreated along the east bank, which was relatively safe. The retreat also required careful deployment, otherwise it would easily turn into a major rout.

Marching and fighting are a science, and you have to be careful about everything. For example, the most convenient way for an army to cross a river is to build a pontoon bridge. If the pontoon bridge is not built well, or there are too few of them, it will affect the marching speed and even have a fatal impact on the battle situation.

Danchu led his personal troops to cross the river first, and then stood guard on the west bank of Guanjiang River to help the rest of the troops cross the river.

The Guanjiang River is not wide, and the boats and wood needed for the floating bridge are few. The Red Army built three floating bridges on the Guanjiang River, which were guarded by Tusi soldiers. Today, Tusi soldiers fought hard and saved the floating bridges.

With this pontoon bridge, the Red Army could cross the Guanjiang River and march along the wide fields on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, making their retreat more relaxed.

At 10:00 p.m., it was already dark when Cen Guangyun led the last batch of Tusi soldiers across the Guanjiang River. Danchu breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the demolition of the pontoon bridge and the sinking of the wooden boats.

It was incredible that 10,000 troops and a lot of baggage could cross the Guanjiang River in one day. The Red Army miraculously crossed the Guanjiang River, which was beyond Danchu's expectation. After the army crossed the Guanjiang River, they no longer had to worry about the Qing army's night attack.

This is really a cause for celebration. Danchu specially summoned Cen Xun and Cen Guangyun, and praised them highly, saying: "You two, in today's battle for the floating bridge, it was fortunate that the chieftain's troops did not retreat, so the Red Army was able to save the floating bridge. The battle on the west bank was raging, and all the towns were defeated, but the Red Army retreated in its entirety without being defeated, all thanks to the two of you."

The Red Army was brave and good at fighting, and Cen Danchu was wise and brave, which undoubtedly boosted the confidence of the two chieftains, Cen Xun and Cen Guangyun. Cen Xun married his daughter to Danchu as a concubine, and their relationship was unusual. He said, "Today, the chieftains' soldiers were almost exhausted while guarding the bridge. Fortunately, the Red Army came to our aid in time, so we didn't make any mistakes."

Cen Guangyun was the chieftain of Tianzhou. He was the most powerful chieftain in Guangxi, but he was repeatedly suppressed by the Ming court. He was eager to revive the country and fought very hard. He said: "Marshal Jue is the general who conquers the barbarians. The chieftain soldiers are also the soldiers of Marshal Jue. Even if they have made some achievements, it is because Marshal Jue has commanded them well."

Danchu's expression changed, as if he was thinking about something. The Qing army came with great momentum this time, but it was also the last gasp of a spent force. Soon, Jirgalang would follow Tan Tai's footsteps and lead his troops back to the north. Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi would go south to plot against Guangdong and Guangxi.

There was a window of time between Jirgalang's departure and Kong Youde's arrival, which could be regarded as another development opportunity for the Red Army. We must seize this opportunity to seize Xunzhou and expel Chen Bangfu. In addition, the Red Army lost one or two thousand people in this battle and needed to replenish its troops.

It is necessary to expand the army. Aren't these chieftain soldiers the ideal source of troops?

Danchu had made up his mind and said to Ercen, "The court promoted me to Dinglu Marquis, and I also want to serve the country and expand my army. If you two are willing, I would like to recruit these chieftain soldiers into the Red Army and designate them as the Fourth Infantry Battalion. You two will serve as the battalion commander and deputy battalion commander respectively. What do you think?"

Cen Xun was overjoyed and said, "Marshal, you are so kind. We, the Cen family, will obey your orders."

Cen Guangyun was more ambitious and said, "Marshal Jue, the chieftains of the Cen family are well-known in Guangxi. They can mobilize an army of 100,000, let alone a single infantry battalion."

Danchu knew what he meant and smiled, "I believe that. However, our Red Army is different from other armies and is most cautious about expanding the army. Since I want to recruit Tusi soldiers, I have to reorganize them according to the Red Army's organization and system. I have to equip you with Red Army weapons, assign a battalion office to the battalion commander, and provide training for each battalion. Only in this way can the Tusi soldiers be more powerful and become a real Red Army force. Therefore, this time I will recruit Tusi soldiers, and temporarily limit them to one infantry battalion."

Although Cen Guangyun felt regretful, he had no choice but to do as he was told.

While they were talking, a scout came riding a fast horse and asked to see him.

Generally speaking, when marching or camping, except for scouts, messengers, etc., no one else is allowed to ride fast horses, otherwise they will be punished with a beating at the lightest and beheading at the worst.

The scout came ten steps in front of Danchu, then dismounted and saluted, panting and saying, "General, I have met with the Marquis of Xinxing. The Marquis of Xinxing promised to hold on to Xing'an and support our army's retreat."

He was wet all over, probably because he had just swam across the Guanjiang River. His body was mixed with the fishy smell of river water and sweat.

"Very good," Danchu showed a happy look on his face and asked, "Where did you meet Xinxing Hou? What did he say?" "Xinxing Hou personally guarded the rear and stopped the Tartars at Fenghuangping. I met Xinxing Hou at Fenghuangping and he said that Marshal Jue would retreat along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River until he crossed the river at the border of Xing'an. Tonight, the Red Army camped at Fengmuling to deter the Tartars across the river.

"Xinxing Hou was very happy and said that the Red Army could retreat safely and take the east bank of Xiangjiang River to contain the enemy. With this concern, the Tartars would not dare to pursue boldly, and the Chu, Yunnan and Guangxi divisions could also retreat calmly. He will retreat to Xing'an and meet Marshal Ying in Xing'an to cross the river."

Fenghuangping is located ten miles south of Quanzhou City and is the southern gate of Quanzhou. Jiao Lian has always kept his promises, and Cen Danchu was relieved and said, "You have worked hard on this trip. With the message from Xinxing Hou, I am relieved here. The army can set up camp here and don't have to march overnight."

That night, the Red Army camped in the Fengmuling area. Ten thousand troops were set up in four large camps, crowded in the Fengmuling area, like an iron barrel. The Xiang River was to the west and north of this place, and the Guan River was to the east. The Qing army sighed at the sight of the river and did not dare to attack the Red Army at night.

The river roars, frogs croak, and night covers the earth.

The camps were completed one after another. After a tiring day of work, the Red Army soldiers ate steaming white rice with pickles and horse meat. It was truly the most delicious meal on earth.

After dinner, Danchu took a bath by the river, and the dirt and fatigue on his body were swept away, and he felt refreshed. However, he was not idle yet, because he had an important thing to do tonight: to go to the Tusi camp to announce the order, change the Tusi soldiers into the fourth infantry regiment, and give them military flags.

The Director of Operations, Director of Training and other senior officials were already waiting by the river. Cen Danchu put on the golden armor bestowed by the emperor and rode to the chieftain's camp, surrounded by the crowd.

The camp was brightly lit with torches. More than 2,000 Tusi soldiers had gathered, looking solemn and respectful, to welcome the commander-in-chief.

When Cen Xun saw Danchu coming, he shouted to the Tusi soldiers: "My fellow soldiers, Marshal Jue is here. Let's sing the Red Army song first. The voice must be loud and the rhythm must be consistent. Come on, 'Clouds Follow the Dragon, Wind Follows the Tiger', let's sing together!"

He sang quite well, which made Danchu quite satisfied.

Cen Xun trotted over to Danchu and said loudly, "Report to the commander, the chieftain's soldiers have assembled. There are 2,358 of them. Please give us your instructions!"

"Take a break!"

"Yes!"

Cen Xun turned around and ran back to the team, saying, "At ease!"

Although the Tusi soldiers' formations were not as neat as those of the Red Army, they had taken shape, and it was obvious that they had gone through some practice. These Tusi soldiers had always been unruly and did not pay much attention to formations, so it was not easy for them to be in this shape today. Given time and diligent training, Tusi soldiers could hopefully become a powerful force.

Danchu took a piece of paper and read: "Ling, there are now 2,000 Tusi soldiers in Si'en and 1,000 Tusi soldiers in Tianzhou. They have been accompanying the Red Army in battles, have suffered many setbacks, and have repeatedly made remarkable achievements.

"In order to comply with the military spirit and boost morale, the Tusi soldiers of Si'en and Tianzhou are specially changed into the Red Army, and the number is set as the Fourth Infantry Battalion. Cen Xun is appointed as the battalion commander, Cen Guangyun as the deputy battalion commander, and Mo Erzhen as the director of the camp affairs office..."

"Gentlemen, from now on, you are the Red Army, and you are all my comrades. You will follow me to conquer the world and seek wealth and glory together."

"Long live the Red Army!" Cen Xun took the lead in shouting.

More than 2,000 Tusi soldiers were in high spirits and shouted "Long live the Red Army" in unison. The sound was like thunder and echoed over the Xiangjiang River for a long time.

(End of this chapter)