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

Chapter 285: Obstacles in Hongshaao

Luoqing River is a tributary of Liujiang River. It originates from Hengling, Lingui County, a suburb of Guilin Prefecture, and is the only way between Guilin and Liuzhou. In winter, the water is shallow. When Luoqing River reaches Luzhai County, it is already a plain area. The river is wide and shallow, enough for wading.

Tan Shitai led his troops to seize Luzhaitang Station and personally went to the ferry to welcome Danchu.

Director Feng Jiali introduced him and said, "General, this is Tan Shitai, who was originally a hereditary commander of Wutunso and later joined the Intelligence Bureau. Today, he led the scouts to seize Luzhaitang Station and wiped out the Qing army's Tang soldiers. He did a great job."

"Very good, very good. Tan Shitai, you have done a great service to the Red Army today." Danchu smiled and said, "I remember you. In the second year of the Yongli reign, the Red Army captured Wutunso, which was the third city of the Red Army. You led your troops here to join them."

During the Yongli reign, a slave uprising broke out in Wutunso, and the city was occupied by powerful slaves. Tan Shitai was the hereditary commander of Wutunso, lonely and helpless, so he led the Red Army and helped them capture Wutunso. He was not a man of state power, but he had intelligence talent, and later joined the Red Army Intelligence Bureau.

"It's all thanks to the general's cultivation."

The cavalry began to cross the river, and Qin Shitai introduced the terrain ahead to everyone.

After passing Luzhai, go another 60 miles and you will enter the Taihe Mountains. The Luoqing River passes through the mountains, forming a narrow valley. On both sides of the valley are Jizhao Mountain on the left and Jinzhong Mountain on the right. The Luoqing River is sandwiched between the two mountains, flowing from north to south, and finally merges into the Liujiang River.

The army wanted to go to Guilin, and the shortest way was along the river. They first walked 60 miles on a flat road, then crossed 60 miles on a mountain road, and then they could reach Yongfu County. After Yongfu County, the front was flat, and they could reach Guilin by walking another 70 miles on a flat road.

The left side of the valley is steep and close to the river, so there is no road. The right side is gentle and far from the river, so there is an official road, which facilitates the army's march.

The Hongshaao section of the 60-li mountain road was the most dangerous, with narrow roads and steep mountains, easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Qing army set up defenses here, deployed cannons, and built wooden forts. The Red Army did not carry cannons, so it was not easy to attack head-on.

"If we want to launch a surprise attack on Yanguan, we must take the Luoqing River Valley Road. Otherwise, the army will have to go around Lipu and Yangshuo, an extra three or four hundred miles, which is absolutely not feasible." Danchu was confident of winning this battle, and said firmly: "The cavalry will lead the way, and we must send scouts to explore the way thirty miles away, and then send vanguards to search and advance five miles away, along the river and up the mountain. Report immediately if there is any situation."

After crossing the Luoqing River, the Red Army continued to advance forty miles and camped at Huangmian that night. The Qing army had built a station at Huangmian, which, like the Luzhai station, had been captured by the detectives.

On the first day of the long-distance raid, the Red Army broke camp at dawn and marched 120 miles in one day. The soldiers were tired and hungry. Due to battlefield control, the auxiliary troops were not allowed to cook, so all officers and soldiers had to eat dry food.

Danchu rode a horse for a whole day, dealing with military situations along the way, and was extremely tired. In Liuzhou, he was highly focused and suffered from insomnia for several days, sleeping only two hours a night. The decision had been made, and the various Red Army units acted according to the order, so he relaxed. After eating dry food and sleeping on the bed at Tang Station, Danchu was satisfied and fell asleep very early.

At noon the next day, the Red Army moved out again. All four thousand soldiers rode two or even three horses, and were lightly equipped, without even carrying pots, stoves, tents, or other supplies. They could move quickly at the command of a single person, and their march was very fast.

Guangxi's winter is dry and cool, suitable for fighting. Danchu had a good night's sleep, which relieved his insomnia the day before.

The road narrowed as the mountains in front of us approached. The Luoqing River was squeezed by Jizhao Mountain and Jinzhong Mountain, and the river surface became narrower, the flow speed increased, and the sound of water could be clearly heard.

Green mountains and clear waters, fresh air and endless cavalry, Danchu felt full of confidence as he rode on his horse.

At noon, the Red Army vanguard arrived at Hongshaao. The mountains here are steep, the river has a large drop, and the flow rate is very fast. The mountain path is very narrow, and the narrowest part can only accommodate five horses passing side by side.

The Qing army was in a dominant position and deployed artillery on the mountain peak on the right bank of the Luoqing River. They also set up a wooden city on the valley road, dug three trenches in front of the wooden city to bring in river water, and placed bamboo spears inside the trenches and in front and behind, making the defense quite tight.

The Red Army vanguard lacked heavy weapons and could not break through the fortifications. They were blocked by the Qing army at Hongshaao and could not move. The bodies of horses and soldiers floated downstream along the river. The soldiers were squeezed in the narrow valley and could not move at all. The Qing army's artillery fire was fierce and there were many obstacles. It was really difficult to break through the Qing army from the front.

This was expected, so the only option was to implement the backup plan: take a detour through the mountain paths and attack the Qing army from behind. In fact, this was the only feasible option for the Red Army.

The Luoqing River was shallow, and the Red Army's warships could not come up. If they used other small boats, they would have to pull the boats up. The Qing army had more wooden boats, and they were going downstream from upstream, so the Red Army had little chance of success.

On the right side, the mountains are continuous, and there must be a small path in the middle. There are many Yao people in the Red Army, and the intelligence agency scouts can easily find Yao people in the mountains, who are willing to lead the Red Army.

The Royal Guards selected two hundred elite soldiers from the first battalion to carry out this infiltration mission.

Danchu came personally to see him off.

Two hundred elite soldiers, with solemn expressions, crowded into the narrow valley to welcome their commander's inspection.

"Brothers, this journey is extremely difficult. If you are the only son in your family, you can withdraw."

The two hundred athletes were in high spirits and no one dropped out.

"If someone is the eldest son in the family, he can withdraw."

No one quit either.

Danchu was very moved and said, "Each person will be rewarded with five taels of silver. After this battle, the survivors will be rewarded with another five taels of silver, and the dead will be rewarded with another thirty taels of silver."

Zhou Yiming, deputy commander of the imperial guards, led the team and said on behalf of everyone, "Thank you, General, for your reward."

He started out as a small soldier in the Red Army. He was awarded first-class merit in the Battle of Nanning. After that, he made many military achievements and was promoted to deputy battalion commander. He was a promising talent.

Looking around at the two hundred warriors, Danchu was filled with emotion and said, "Everyone, the Tartar invaded Guangxi through Zhenxia Pass. Zhenxia Pass is a natural barrier and was originally defended by Cao Zhijian.

"Cao Zhijian abused the Yao people, and the people were not loyal to him. The Tartars bribed the Yao people and went around to Zhenxia Pass. Cao Zhijian panicked and Zhenxia Pass was lost. The Tartars invaded in large numbers, and the situation in Guangxi deteriorated day by day.

"The Red Army has been patient for a long time in order to completely annihilate the Tartars. I personally led the army and went deep into the enemy's rear in order to prevent the Tartars from escaping back to Hunan. The Tartars set up defenses at Hongsha'ao, which put our army in a dilemma.

"If we cannot break through Hongsha'ao, we cannot completely annihilate the Tartars. If the whole army stops advancing, there is a danger of being attacked from both sides by the Tartars. I would like to ask all of you brothers to take the small path on the mountain and get behind Hongsha'ao.

"The world has suffered from the tyranny of the Tartars for a long time. The Red Army will attack them from behind with elite troops, and will surely succeed in one blow. Here, I offer a glass of wine to everyone and wish you all a successful start. When Guilin is recovered, I will invite everyone to drink to celebrate the victory."

Zhou Yiming stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Please rest assured, General, the two hundred brave warriors of the personal guard will fulfill their mission."

The soldiers raised their canteens and drank a big sip of water as a farewell drink. Everything was kept simple during the raid, so how could they carry a lot of fine wine? The Intelligence Bureau got a canteen of wine from a nearby farmer and added a little wine to the cavalry canteens, giving them a slight taste of alcohol.

The two hundred warriors were satisfied and began to pack up and prepare to penetrate the enemy's rear. The mountain trails were not suitable for riding horses, so the warriors only brought two meals of dry food, and each of them carried a rifle, a bayonet, and rattan armor.

(End of this chapter)