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

Chapter 256 Uninvited Wu Liuqi

In late April, in order to cooperate with the cavalry's surprise attack on Conghua and Qingyuan, the Red Army's navy launched a feint attack in Guangzhou. The two sides were evenly matched and the outcome was close.

When the Qing army's cannon foundry and shipyard were attacked, the Qing army was shocked and realized that the Red Army was gaining strength and should not be underestimated.

For the next half month, the Red Army lay dormant and did not take advantage of the victory to attack. Instead, it was busy recruiting volunteers and sparing no effort to win over the various naval forces.

Anyone with a little military knowledge could easily see that Cen Danchu was ordered to aid Guangdong, and he was definitely different from Chen Bangfu and his ilk, so he would have to fight a big battle with the Qing army outside Guangzhou. The battle between the two armies would inevitably start with a naval battle.

Therefore, both sides tried their best to appease the navy. Cen Danchu controlled the navy of Chen Qice and Wang Xing, while Yang Yandi led his troops to join the Red Army and secretly instigated the rebellion of Liang Biaoxiang, a Red Flag pirate.

Shang Kexi was also busy, trying his best to recruit rebels. In addition to the Red Flag pirates Liu Longsheng and Xu Tulong, Raoping General Wu Liuqi, Jieshi General Su Li, and Nanyang Navy Deputy General Xu Long surrendered one after another.

Wu Liuqi, nicknamed "Wu Gou" and "Iron Beggar", Su Li, nicknamed "Su Liu", and Xu Long, nicknamed "Xu Zongye", all came from humble backgrounds and made their mark in troubled times. At that time, there were many pirates in eastern Guangdong. The three of them were able to stand out from the crowd and be appointed as generals and deputy generals. They were definitely not ordinary people.

On the surface, the naval forces of both sides were equally strong. However, Wu Liuqi and others, who were recruited by Shang Kexi, were far away in the coastal areas of Chaozhou and Huizhou and were unwilling to obey orders to reinforce Guangzhou.

Wang Xing and others who were recruited by Cen Danchu were close to Guangzhou and were determined to resist the Qing Dynasty. They gladly accepted the order after receiving it.

Yu Dayou, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, once said, "Naval battles are nothing more than a big ship defeating a small ship, a big gun defeating a small gun, many ships defeating a few ships, and many guns defeating a few guns."

The Ming navy had the upper hand, and Danchu seemed to be sure of victory.

On May 16, after intensive preparations, Cen Danchu issued a military order, ordering the troops to be divided into two groups and launch an attack on the Red Flag pirates at noon on the 18th.

One route was commanded by Ruan Tingfeng, the assistant commander of the Red Army Navy, who led the first and fourth battalions of the Red Army Navy, hoisted the yellow flag, set out from Sanshui County, went south along the western waterway, and launched an attack from the front.

The other route was commanded by Guangning Earl Huben General "Embroidery Needle" Wang Xing, who led the rebel navy, hoisted a black flag, set out from Foshan Port, passed through the Xijiang River and Foshan waterway, entered the Pearl River, and launched an attack from the side.

In addition, the governor-general Wu Wenxian led the Dongxun navy, hoisted the blue flag, guarded the Lijiao waterway and the Pearl River, and was ready to stop the red flag pirates at any time.

The Pearl River estuary was densely networked with waterways, and the Red Flag pirates relied on their strong ships to move freely. In order to wipe out the pirates in one fell swoop, Danchu ordered Wu Wenxian to ambush a navy at Humen to block the enemy's retreat.

Chen Qice led his navy as the general reserve, hoisted the white flag, and followed the Red Army navy into the western waterway.

Unexpectedly, at noon on the 17th, the Intelligence Bureau received an urgent military intelligence report saying that Wu Liuqi, the pseudo-Raoping general, was leading his troops to support and the vanguard had reached Humen.

Wu Liuqi! This old guy! He came at the right time!
Upon hearing the news, Cen Danchu was furious and gnashed his teeth in hatred.

If it weren't for Wu Liuqi, Shang Kexi wouldn't have been able to take Chaozhou and Huizhou so smoothly. This man "had thirty sworn brothers, and was known as a brave warrior. He had no master in the world, so he gathered people to occupy the land and played with soldiers in the pond."

As soon as the Qing army attacked Shaozhou, Wu Liuqi seized the opportunity and sent his younger brother to join the army. He explained that "the situation in central Guangdong can be settled by issuing an edict," and suggested to Shang Kexi that "30 letters should be sent out first to convey the message and then distributed to the heroes. Those nearby will surrender and those far away will respond. In less than a month, the situation will be unstoppable."

Shang Kexi followed his advice, and the military leaders of all ranks in Chaozhou and Huizhou surrendered.

Before traveling through time, Dan Chu had read quite a few martial arts novels and was quite familiar with the name Wu Liuqi.

His legendary life story was highly praised by later generations. Many novels in the Qing Dynasty were based on his stories, such as the powerful general in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" and the iron beggar in the snow in "The Man in the Snow", whose prototypes were Wu Liuqi. The Qing court also highly respected him. Historically, after Wu Liuqi's death, Emperor Kangxi posthumously awarded him the title of Junior Tutor and Prince Taishi, bestowed the posthumous title of Shunke, sent officials to offer sacrifices and funerals, and wrote sacrificial texts and epitaphs for him. It can be said that he was mourned and honored.

Danchu had a good impression of him at first, but when he traveled through time and lived in the chaotic era of the Southern Ming Dynasty, he got to know Wu Liuqi better. He found out that Wu Liuqi, like Shang Kexi, was a traitor, but was whitewashed as an anti-Qing patriot by later generations. Isn't it sad?

On the contrary, those real anti-Qing patriots in the Southern Ming Dynasty, such as Du Yinxi, Jiao Lian, Hu Yiqing, Yang Yandi, etc., are not well-known in history books. Is this due to the literary inquisition of the Qing Dynasty, or is it the literati's distortion of facts?
At noon, another intelligence arrived, saying that Wu Wenxian had transferred the Dongxun navy to Lijiao waterway and the Pearl River, leaving Humen defenses unprotected. Wu Liuqi broke through the Humen fortress and led his troops into the Pearl River waterway, with warships stretching for four or five miles, no less than fifty or sixty, and they were about to meet up with the Red Flag pirates!

Naval warfare is not the Red Army's strong point. In order to prepare for tomorrow's battle, Danchu took great pains and planned for a long time, coordinating with various towns and preparing military equipment, determined to win.

Who would have thought that Wu Liuqi would come at this critical moment instead of earlier or later? When he came, he brought with him fifty or sixty warships, and the situation on the battlefield changed!
The Qing navy's strength increased suddenly. Would Liang Biaoxiang dare to defect on the battlefield? Should the Red Army's current deployment be adjusted? If so, the date of the attack would have to be postponed. When would it be postponed?
Danchu was silent and thoughtful, feeling something was wrong.

Intelligence Bureau Director Feng Jiali stood aside, looking for an opportunity, and said carefully: "General, this Wu Liuqi is from Haiyang, Guangdong. When he was young, he was addicted to gambling, lost all his family fortune, and became a beggar. He could not survive in his hometown, so he came to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to beg for food..."

"I know," Danchu interrupted Feng Jiali and said, "Zha Jizuo, a famous scholar in Haining, Zhejiang, met Wu Liuqi by chance. Seeing that he was strong and muscular, he invited him to drink. They hit it off right away. Later, he gave him a large sum of money to encourage Wu Liuqi to return to his hometown to help with the great cause.

"Wu Liuqi, you have helped the great cause, and you have done a great job. The Tartars haven't even reached Guangzhou yet, but you sent people to beg for surrender. What did Shang Kexi promise you? And you actually sailed hundreds of miles to Guangzhou to join in the fun?"

Danchu paced back and forth while talking to himself, his face changing from gloomy to angry.

The general was usually calm and rarely lost his composure. Feng Jiali saw that his expression had eased a little and asked, "General, with Wu Liuqi's arrival, our navy's advantage is no longer obvious. Should we postpone the attack?"

Should we postpone it?
The commander-in-chief holds a high position of power, but he also has to bear great responsibilities. Whether the decision is correct or not, and whether it is decisive or not, directly affects the fate of the entire army. Opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting, so the commander-in-chief must make up his mind and must not be indecisive.

Postponement? In order to prepare for tomorrow's battle, the troops have been preparing carefully for more than half a month. If it is postponed easily, it will inevitably affect morale.

Start the battle as planned? We can take advantage of Wu Liuqi's arrival and catch him off guard. However, with Wu Liuqi's arrival, more variables have been added to the battlefield. Liang Biaoxiang may waver in his position, and the strength of the Qing army has obviously increased. Danchu is no longer sure whether he can completely wipe out the Qing navy.

Danchu looked up accidentally and was surprised to find that everyone in the tent was staring at him. They were expecting the coach to make a decision as soon as possible, and their eyes were no longer firm, as if they no longer believed in him as much as before.

He couldn't help but think of a sentence in "Jixiao Xinshu", "I am now in the army, and I will never say a false word to you. Everything I say is a military order, and even if I say it wrong, I would rather let it go wrong than change it."

Fighting is an extremely dangerous thing. The fate of an army depends on the commander. In front of the soldiers, the commander must maintain a high prestige. There must be no slightest wavering, lest the subordinates become suspicious and disrupt the morale of the army.

Wu Liuqi's uninvited arrival has brought a sudden increase in uncertainty on the battlefield. But overall, Danchu is still confident of winning tomorrow's battle.

"No more postponement, play as normal."

Yang Yuqi, Feng Jiali and other subordinates felt relieved, their eyes lit up again, and they had even greater respect for Danchu.

"General," Yang Yuqi, the military assistant, suggested, "Should we send a letter to each town to remind them to launch the attack as scheduled?"

In ancient times, communication means were backward, so the date and time of war had to be agreed upon in advance.

By killing Luo Chengyao and attacking the Qing army at night, Danchu has established prestige in front of the towns. He is confident that the towns will not dare to disobey military orders, and said:
"No need for that. The documents have been exchanged overnight without any substantive content. It is just a waste of time. The towns will also secretly become suspicious when they receive the military order."

(End of this chapter)