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

Chapter 272 Yingying Yanyan
Give the provincial capital to the enemy and draw their main force southward? Concentrate the elite troops to cut off the enemy's retreat, so that the enemy will be in chaos without fighting, and then take the opportunity to annihilate the enemy's main force?
Wonderful, wonderful! If you are not a wise, brave and powerful person, who would dare to do this easily?
However, this plan was too risky. Once implemented, the lives of the nobles in Guilin would be in danger, and the emperor and his ministers in Wuzhou would be uneasy. The Ming troops in various towns could not defeat the Qing army and had no choice but to die, surrender to the Qing, or join the Red Army or the Dashi Army.

If the Red Army does not take action, rumors will spread. The soldiers will not understand, the world will not understand, and even Cen Danchu's family will not understand. For example, Mrs. Qu will also worry about her father's safety.

The people in the Privy Council hold high positions and great power, but they also have to shoulder extremely heavy responsibilities. Once a wrong decision is made, they will have to bear huge risks. At the very least, they will lose the important city of Guilin, and at worst, they will lose the support of the people and endanger the overall situation.

"Guilin is the gateway to Guangdong and Guangdong, and it affects the world's outlook. Once it is lost, the world will be in turmoil, and the imperial court will be uneasy. Although the general's plan is good, we must be extremely cautious."

The left military officer Fang Yizhi had many brilliant ideas and was also against giving up Guilin. The other three also echoed Fang Yizhi's opinion.

Yu Houji said: "Our army is strong and powerful. We have fought four battles to support Guangdong and shocked the whole world. The general's every move has attracted the attention of the world. Since leaving Guangdong in July, the Guangdong Tartars have regained their momentum and besieged Guangzhou again. I heard that Bashan, the pseudo-Jiangning governor, has led his troops through Meiguan. Guangzhou is of great concern. If Guilin is lost again, the two Guangdong provinces will be discouraged."

It is feasible militarily, but not politically. But only in this way can we catch the enemy by surprise and achieve great success.

Danchu thought for a moment and said, "Among the three feudal lords of Dingnan, Pingnan and Jingnan, Kong Youde has the strongest army. However, Kong Youde is the most arrogant and the most isolated.

"The rear of Dingnan vassal is in Hunan, where the Tartars only have two garrisons, Xu Yong and Shen Yongzhong. Ma Jinzhong, Wang Jincai, and Zhang Xianbi have retreated to western Hunan, and Sun Kewang, the Western Camp, has occupied the entire Guizhou.

"If our army holds on to Guilin, Kong Youde will, out of caution, deploy heavy troops at Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan to reserve a retreat route. If our army abandons Guilin, Kong Youde will divide his troops to guard this important town, and his position will become increasingly isolated. If he divides his troops to plunder Liuzhou and Pingle, he will be exposed.

“At that time, our army will use surprise troops to counterattack Yanguan and Zhenxiaguan, cut off their retreat, and then march to Guilin with a large army to force Kong Youde to a decisive battle, thus completely annihilating the main force of Pingnan Clan in one fell swoop.

"Sun Kewang, Ma Jinzhong, Wang Jincai, Zhang Xianbi and other generals will march out of western Hunan and invade Hunan. Great changes will be seen in the area south of the Yangtze River."

This was a risky move. Dan Chu rejected all objections and decided to carry out this ingenious plan, explaining the strategy to everyone in person.

The military government sent people to contact the West Camp to plot an alliance against the Qing army and asked Sun Kewang to send troops to Hunan to cut off the Qing army's retreat. They also sent people to contact the Loyal Camp to discuss the matter of incorporation.

Gao Bizheng has written to the Red Army, expressing his willingness to be under the command of the Red Army, but "he will accept orders but not orders." Danchu intends to incorporate the Loyalty Battalion, offering generous conditions, and is willing to incorporate the Loyalty Battalion as a whole into the Fourth Infantry Brigade and to provide for the families of the Loyalty Battalion.

The Military Advisory Office stepped up its military planning and first sent Wei Guosong, commander of the First Infantry Brigade, as the vanguard, leading the brigade's directly affiliated cavalry battalion, artillery battalion, and the First Infantry Battalion to station in Zhaoping and Yong'an to observe the situation.

The Intelligence Bureau stepped up its intelligence gathering, instigated the rebellion of the former Ming army, and focused on spreading rumors to the Qing army, falsely claiming that rebellions were raging in the Red Army, that the Red Army was plagued by diseases, and that morale was low...

It was almost evening when I returned to the inner courtyard from the Privy Council. Madam Qu, along with her six concubines and five children of different ages, had been waiting at the gate of the inner courtyard for a long time.

"My husband was busy with military affairs, and the sisters prayed day and night, and finally he came home safely."

Looking at the ladies dressed in fancy clothes, Danchu's fatigue was mostly swept away, and he said with a smile: "I received a lot of jewelry in East Guangdong this time, and the grain station has been delivered to the Internal Affairs Bureau. Madam, if you are free tomorrow, take the wives of the other rooms to choose."

"Let's talk about this tomorrow." Mrs. Qu said generously, "You just came back this morning and had a hurried lunch. Let's have a reunion dinner with everyone in the evening."

Reunion in troubled times is not easy. Danchu felt a warm current in his heart, changed into casual clothes, and went to the hall with his wives and concubines to eat.

A large square table was filled with wine, food, snacks and fruits. Although it was not luxurious, it was quite clean. Mrs. Qu managed the household well and asked the concubines in each room to cook a dish to reward her husband.

The ladies of the various houses were all wearing light makeup and heavy makeup to welcome their husbands, and their fragrance was fragrant. Even Mrs. Qu and Mrs. Liu, who didn't like to dress up, lightly applied rouge and had a new hairstyle. Danchu was filled with emotion. In this chaotic world, with so many beautiful wives and concubines, what else could a husband ask for? He had fought and killed in the past few years and earned a lot of fame, which was enough to be recorded in history. In the future, he had to work harder and never give up until the Qing Dynasty was overthrown. Otherwise, how could this garden of spring be so colorful?

The youngest sons and daughters were still young, so they were brought by concubines from each room and, according to their seniority, they greeted Cen Danchu and Qu Xuanhui and their spouses.

The eldest son, Cen Honggui, was the oldest. He was born to Zhu Shulu, the second wife. He was white and plump. He staggered to Danchu, knelt down and bowed, saying, "Father and mother, please accept my bow."

Although he was only two years old, Cen Honggui already acted like a little adult, with clear articulation and a loud voice, which made Danchu very happy.

Mrs. Qu was thoughtful and had prepared a copy of "Three Character Classic" and handed it to Danchu.

"This is the Three Character Classic. Your father gives it to you. I hope you can read it through as soon as possible."

"Yes." Cen Honggui answered straightforwardly, like a little adult, making everyone laugh.

The children were still young, so after the ceremony, the maids from each room took them back to rest. Cen Danchu and Qu Xuanhui sat down, and the other six concubines took their seats in turn.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, covering Ningguo Mansion with a layer of elegant gauze. The cool breeze was very comfortable.

Danchu raised his glass, overwhelmed with emotion, and sighed: "Ladies, such a beautiful day is intoxicating. Last time I was ordered to assist Guang, and after the war, I felt homesick. Today is a rare reunion, the families are in harmony, and the children are growing up. How can I not be happy?"

When these words came out, Mrs. Qu's nose was sore and her eyes were red. Her husband was fighting on the front line, and she was in charge of the affairs in Nanning. There were many difficulties during this period, which could not be told to outsiders.

Madam Qu said, "My husband has been fighting outside and created this illustrious family business. I, the women, am enjoying the wealth and luxury at home. I feel guilty."

After everyone drank a cup of wine and started eating, the topic soon turned to current affairs.

There were some things that Danchu couldn't say, but Madam Qu was understanding and said, "The current situation is difficult. Although we are women and can't fight on the battlefield, we can use our brains to share the worries of our husbands. Tomorrow I will write a letter to the governor and ask him for advice on the strategy of war and defense."

Qu Shisi was the governor of Guilin and the military governor, but his achievements were not good enough. Now that a powerful enemy had invaded, Qu Shisi had no strategy to resist the enemy, let alone a plan for war and defense.

The wife has absolute authority in front of the concubines. As soon as Mrs. Qu speaks, all the other wives are eager to respond.

The fifth wife, Wei Minghui, the daughter of the wealthy businessman Wei Sishu, said, "I asked my father to deposit some money in Zhongxing Bank to support the bank and stabilize the market."

Wei Sishu followed Danchu's advice, set up a company, invested in textiles and shipping, made a lot of profit, and became a leader in the business world.

The seventh wife, Li Cuiwei, was Li Zicheng's only daughter. She married Danchu the latest and was pregnant. She said, "I ask my mother to persuade the Duke of Yun to lead the Loyalty Camp to follow the Red Army into battle."

……

(End of this chapter)