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

Chapter 293 Return to Guilin
At noon, Cen Danchu entered the city. The city was littered with corpses and in a mess.

It was incredible that the Red Army conquered such a strategically important city in just half a day. The plan to capture Yanguan and completely wipe out the Dingnan vassal army was half successful. The soldiers were overjoyed, and Danchu was also very satisfied.

Climbing up the north city and looking out, you can clearly see the defeated Qing army. Twenty miles north of Yanguan is Xing'an County. Another hundred miles north of Xing'an County is Quanzhou, the gateway to Guangxi.

Since ancient times, to defend Lingnan, one must first defend Hengzhou. If one is unable to defend Hengzhou, one must defend Quanzhou. Danchu had too few troops under his command to counterattack Quanzhou, so he had to settle for the next best thing and first capture Xing'an and protect Yanguan.

"General, I am willing to lead the troops to pursue the Qing army and counterattack Xing'an."

Danchu sent a cavalry commander with 1,000 cavalrymen to pursue the remnants of the Qing army and recapture Xing'an County. The cavalry commander He Guozuo was dissatisfied and volunteered to counterattack Xing'an.

"No, you are still very useful." Danchu blurted out, "I will move camp to Guilin tomorrow, and you stay to guard Yanguan."

"So soon?" He Guozuo had already guessed that Danchu would return to counterattack Guilin, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Yes, we have to leave tomorrow. Kong Youde is a big fish, we can't let him slip away." Danchu added: "All the cavalry will stay in Xing'an and Yanguan. Five hundred will stay in Xing'an, and the rest will stay in Yanguan."

The Red Army had not yet captured Xing'an, but Danchu had already secured victory and regarded Xing'an as his own.

Xing'an was too close to Yanguan, so Kong Youde did not station troops there. Intelligence showed that there were only more than 100 Qing troops in Xing'an, and they were all Ming troops who had recently surrendered.

"Yes. Please rest assured, General. The cavalry battalion will be able to defend Yanguan and Xing'an."

The cavalry regiment consisted of 2,500 cavalrymen, and a battalion of cavalrymen was left outside Guilin. After the casualties in the past few days, He Guozuo only had about 1,700 men left. However, cavalrymen moved like the wind, and their combat effectiveness was several times that of infantrymen. 1,700 cavalrymen were enough to guard Yanguan and Xing'an.

"If the Tartars launch a large-scale attack on Yanguan and Xing'an, what will you do?" Danchu asked.

The main force of the Red Army is heading towards Guilin, where they will have a decisive battle with Kong Youde. If the Qing army is desperate, they may still be able to attack Yanguan and Xing'an.

"It depends on the situation. If the Tartars are strong, I will defend the city and avoid fighting. If the Tartars are weak, I will take the initiative to attack and defeat them in one fell swoop while they are still unstable."

"Not bad," Danchu praised, "You have gained experience and can stand on your own from now on."

He Guozuo was overjoyed and said with emotion: "I am a common Yao people, and I am finally promoted to a general of the Red Army by the great general. I am very satisfied and have no more requests. I only wish to serve the great general and do not dare to hope to be independent."

Danchu laughed it off. In the past few years, he had personally led the army in every major expedition and trained many generals. The Red Army was united and cohesive, laying a good foundation for future conquests.

"The general is returning to Guilin, and he still has to fight a big battle with the Tartars. He doesn't have many troops under his command. Please take a battalion of cavalry south to help in the battle of Guilin."

The families of the Qing troops were all in Guilin, so it was difficult for them to move. After the Red Army captured Guilin, the Qing troops were reluctant to leave their families and would surrender. If they encountered Qing troops who were unwilling to surrender, they could send cavalry to pursue them.

It was obviously inappropriate for the Red Army to place its precious cavalry in Yanguan and Xing'an as guards. After the main force of the infantry caught up, it was necessary to take over the defense of Yanguan and Xing'an as soon as possible to free up the cavalry, a fast-moving force.

"Well, that's not necessary." Danchu pondered and said, "When the Second Infantry Brigade arrives in Guilin, I will ask them to immediately divide their troops to guard Yanguan. During this period, you will have to work hard to guard Yanguan and Xing'an with 1,700 soldiers and horses to withstand the counterattack of the Tartars."

"promise."

At noon the next day, Danchu led three battalions of personal soldiers totaling 1,200 men and horses to break camp and return to Guilin. As expected, Kong Youde stayed in Guilin alone, and due to the burden of his family's relocation, he showed no signs of breaking out of the city. The Red Army attacked Yanguan by surprise, and the news reached Guilin. Kong Youde realized that he had been tricked and sent troops to attack the Red Army outside the city.

Danchu only left a battalion of cavalry outside the city, which was no match for Kong Youde. Fortunately, they were all cavalry, and they moved quickly. If they couldn't win, they would leave and retreat directly to the north for 30 miles.

The Qing army had few cavalry and did not dare to pursue the Red Army, so they burned down the entire Red Army camp.

The Red Army deceived the Qing army for only one day outside Guilin, but this short day was enough for the Red Army to calmly capture Yanguan Pass and then return to attack Guilin.

In Lingchuan City, Wang Yongzuo was already sitting on pins and needles.

There was news from outside, it was hard to tell whether it was true or not, saying that the Red Army had captured Yanguan. The Red Army passed by Lingchuan the day before yesterday, captured Lingchuan yesterday, and moved south again today. This pace was too fast.

Wang Yongzuo suspected that perhaps the army had suffered a defeat at Yanguan and was unable to gain a foothold, so they were in a hurry to return south.

"Marshal, the Red Army has sent an envoy to request a meeting."

"How many people?".

"There are only eight cavalrymen who said they brought Cao Dexian's head. Please inspect it, Marshal."

"What?" Wang Yongzuo was shocked. If he could see Cao Dexian's head, he would know that the Red Army must have captured Yanguan.

Wang Yongzuo put on a helmet and rode to the north gate tower of Lingchuan, where he saw the eight-horse red army waiting outside the gate.

"Brother, I heard that the general has captured Yanguan?" Wang Yongzuo shouted from the top of the city wall.

"Yes, Marshal, please look, this is Cao Dexian's head."

Wang Yongzuo took the telescope from his personal soldier and took a closer look. Who else could that head be but Cao Dexian?
The deputy general took the telescope and said hesitantly, "General, Cao Dexian was the commander-in-chief of the right wing of Dingnan Clan. The Red Army killed Cao Dexian so quickly. Could it be a trick?"

The Ming army determined military merit based on the number of heads taken, and there were often cases of killing innocent people to claim credit. There were also many soldiers who were good at disguising themselves.

"I am a general of the Yunnan Division, and I am as famous as Hu Yiqing. Because I had a grudge against Zhao Yinxuan, I had to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. The Red Army beat Zhao Yinxuan to death to avenge me, and then appointed Hu Yiqing as a general, which shows that rewards and punishments are clear."

"Marshal, do you want to wait and see?"

Wang Yongzuo said resolutely: "A real man should be brave enough to take responsibility for his actions, and should not be bound by trivial matters. I had a bad relationship with Zhao Yinxuan, so I had to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. I have violated my integrity and regretted it for a long time. The Red Army's light cavalry took Yanguan, and this time they will return to attack Guilin. I will join the army and make up for my crime with merit."

In troubled times, military generals wavered and a brave general like Wang Yongzuo would be welcomed no matter which side he joined. Historically, after Wang Yongzuo surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he was unwilling to work for the Qing army, so he became a monk and escaped into the mountains. When Li Dingguo recovered Guilin, Wang Yongzuo raised an army to respond, but was defeated and killed.

"General Cen has a broad mind. He can even accommodate the Loyalty Battalion, let alone our Yunnan Division?" The deputy general only followed Wang Yongzuo's lead and echoed: "The Marshal and General Hu are like brothers, and General Hu and General Cen are sworn brothers. The day before yesterday, the Red Army passed through Lingchuan, and the Marshal withdrew from Gantang Ferry. This time he joined the Red Army, and he will definitely be used by this general."

"Well, pass the order to cut the braids, change clothes, and open the gates to welcome the Red Army."

(End of this chapter)