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

Chapter 303: Xian Guoan Surrenders

Since the Red Army captured Guilin, the Dingnan troops have been defeated. Ma Jiaolin, the general who followed the expedition, was originally in Pingle, and he was close to the water and ran fast, and had retreated to Hexian. The left wing general, Lian Guoan, retreated from Liuzhou, passed through Lipu and Pingle, and finally retreated to Fuchuan County, Pingle Prefecture.

Fuchuan is close to Zhenxia Pass, located on the west bank of the Fu River, and is home to many Yao people. Xian Guoan originally wanted to counterattack Zhenxia Pass and retreat to Hunan via Zhenxia Pass, but was surrounded in Fuchuan. The feudal army was out of ammunition and support, and was isolated and helpless, with very low morale.

War is always cruel. If Wei Guosong was facing great difficulties, then the Qing army under Xian Guoan was at the end of its rope. Wei Guosong could still get supplies and troops from the rear, but Xian Guoan was helpless and had no other options.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Spring Festival was approaching, but there was no festive atmosphere in Fuchuan City. Jiao Guoan was left alone in the city, helpless, and panicked like a dog that had lost its home, and anxious like a fish that had escaped the net.

"Marshal!" A deputy general rushed into the lobby.

Xian Guoan had been suffering from insomnia for days and was dozing off in the hall. Seeing that the visitor was his confidant, he hurriedly asked, "Old Feng, what did Ma Jiaolin say?"

Fuchuan is close to Zhenxia Pass and Mengzhuling. If Xian Guoan wants to retreat, he can only retreat eastward to Hexian and join forces with Ma Jiaolin, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope. However, Ma Jiaolin is not a direct descendant of Dingnan Fan, but a legitimate Ming Dynasty Shaanxi frontier army. He was forced to surrender to the Qing Dynasty in the second year of Longwu.

The Red Army rose in western Guangdong, and most of its high-ranking officials were from the Shaanxi Frontier Army. Cen Danchu himself was a descendant of the Shaanxi Frontier Army. Now that the situation has reversed, Ma Jiaolin is likely to surrender to the Red Army, and may even intercept Lian Guoan to win credit from the Red Army.

"Although Ma Jiaolin has not defected, he is no longer reliable. Scouts say that all the Dingnan soldiers who retreated to He County were recruited by Ma Jiaolin, and those who refused to obey were killed."

What is the most important thing in troubled times? Not wealth, not official position, but military power. Ma Jiaolin is well aware of this and is eager to replenish his troops. However, he was a little arrogant when he reached out to the Dingnan soldiers. If Kong Youde were still alive, would he dare to do this?
Xian Guoan was the most important general of Dingnan Clan. After Kong Youde's death, he was regarded as the leader by the remnants of the Clan Army. A tiger in trouble is bullied by a dog. Even Ma Jiaolin is so domineering. How can Xian Guoan still lead Dingnan Clan? He was so angry that his teeth itched and cursed: "Ma Jiaolin, you bully me too much!"

Despite the scolding, Xian Guoan was helpless. He sulked for a while and summoned his confidants to discuss military matters.

"How much food and fodder is left in the army?" As soon as Lian Guoan asked, all the generals looked at the food and fodder officer in unison.

"It can barely supply 10 days." The grain officer whispered, "Rice is in short supply. Soldiers can only eat rice at night, and beans, sweet potatoes, and corn for breakfast and dinner."

Xian Guoan frowned. Beans were used to feed horses. Soldiers robbed horses of their beans, and horses could only eat leaves and grass, which could not maintain their power. If the horses could not run in an emergency, what was the point of fighting?

The feudal army also thought about collecting food from the villages outside the city. However, Fuchuan was mostly Yao people, and the land was already poor. Most of the Han people built their own villages to defend themselves, resisting the food and killing the officials. It was difficult for the feudal army to collect food, unless the Xian Guoan sent a large army to attack the villages.

There is not much food stored in the city. If they cannot raise food and fodder, the feudal army will be in chaos without waiting for the Red Army to attack.

Lian Guoan's heart sank, and he asked, "How many troops do we have left?"

The issue of the troops was under the charge of the officer in charge of the central army. He was also from Liaodong. He said, "There are 2,200 troops in Bian Pengzhai and 2,400 troops in Fuchuan, a total of less than 5,000. In the past few days, there have been defeated soldiers coming to join us, and there have also been soldiers deserting from time to time. Generally speaking, the two numbers are equal."

Bianpeng Village is located in the lower reaches of the Fujiang River, intersecting with the post road, and is a strategic point of land and water. If the Red Army captures Bianpeng Village again, the feudal army will have nowhere to retreat.

"We must identify the defeated soldiers, disperse them and organize them into different camps, and strictly guard against Red Army spies." Lian Guoan issued an insignificant military order, and added: "The Spring Festival is coming soon, and we must boost morale. Find some white rice from the homes of the people in the city, and kill some horses."

The next day, scouts reported that the Red Army had sent envoys to persuade them to surrender.

The head of the Xian Guoan was impatient. He ignored the dissuasion of his people and said, "No, no. Drive the messenger away. If they come to bother us again, I will send people to kill them..."

Lian Guoan knew that he was wrong when he said the word "kill" halfway through, and changed his words: "If they keep pestering me, I will send people to put them under house arrest." "Marshal Jue, the Third Young Master is here too."

"Ah?" Xian Guoan was shocked. More than a hundred members of Xian's family were in Guilin. The Red Army sent the third son, Xian Chengren, to threaten his family and force him to surrender.

"Quick, send for an audience."

Xian Guoan took his eldest son and second son to fight in the war. The eldest son died in the war and the second son's whereabouts were unknown. Xian Chengren came at this time and brought a touch of warmth to Xian Guoan who was in despair.

When the father and son met, Xian Guoan's eyes turned red and he asked, "How is the situation at home?"

"Everything is fine." Lian Chengren said, "The Red Army strictly prohibits killing. As long as the families of the vassal soldiers do not seek hardship and sincerely surrender, the Red Army will protect them. The people of Guilin are strictly prohibited from looting."

Dingnan vassal occupied Guilin, demarcated a city near the Jingjiang Prince's Palace, and drove away the original inhabitants. It is not difficult to imagine that once the Red Army captured Guilin, the inhabitants would take the opportunity to retake the houses and kill the vassal army's families.

Xian Guoan did not believe it and thought that Xian Chengren was being held hostage by the Red Army. He said, "It's okay. You are in my camp now. You don't have to be afraid."

"Father," Lian Chenggong leaned closer and said, "Mr. Kong has died, and Miss Kong has married General Cen. This is Miss Kong's order. The defenders of Rongjiang Village and Baixia Village have been ordered to surrender."

Xian Guoan had heard the rumors about Cen and Kong's marriage, but he never believed it. Today, after Xian Chenggong had said it, and after seeing Kong Sizhen's handwritten order, Xian Guoan finally believed it, and in addition to being shocked, he actually felt a little relieved.

"The general has promised that as long as the vassal soldiers surrender, their families will be protected. After the spring, the vassal soldiers' families will be relocated to Xunzhou for resettlement, so that the people of the county can rest assured and Guilin will be stable."

There are always irreconcilable contradictions between the conqueror and the conquered. Dingnan Fan originated in Dongjiang Town and experienced countless fierce battles. Once a city was conquered, it was often massacred. When the Red Army conquered Guilin, they moved the Fan army's families to Xunzhou, which not only held the Fan army hostage, but also pleased the people of Guilin, killing two birds with one stone.

"What does the lady think?"

Lian Chengren understood that his father was trying to save face, so he said, "Mother believes that the Red Army is the army of kings, and the general has the potential to be a leader. King Dingnan has passed away, and Miss Kong has married the general. Father should also change his ways and join the Red Army."

"This..." Xian Guoan pondered for a long time without saying anything.

However, his trusted followers could no longer hold back and said, "I heard that the Loyalty Camp was the remnant of the bandits, and after joining the Red Army, they were able to form an independent army. The Dingnan Clan originated from Dongjiang Town and is brave and good at fighting. Can it form an independent army?"

"No," the Red Army envoy Tan Shitai replied, "The Loyalty Battalion took the initiative to submit, and Gao Bizheng and the general were sworn brothers, so they were able to form an independent army. The Dingnan Clan was defeated repeatedly in battles and had no choice but to submit. The situation was different from that of the Loyalty Battalion, so they could not form an independent army.

"According to our military system, surrendered generals are above the rank of general, and can only be appointed as battalion commanders after surrendering. Marshal Jue was the general of the left wing in Dingnan, and after surrendering to the Red Army, he can be appointed as a battalion commander and retain 3,000 combat troops."

Xian Guoan secretly calculated that there were three generals in Dingnan. Cao Dexian had died in battle, leaving him and Ma Jiaolin. Ma Jiaolin was from Shaanxi and was originally a surrendered general of the Ming Dynasty. He would definitely surrender to the Red Army. He was alone and could not do anything. If he did not surrender to the Red Army, he would die without a burial place.

Qin Shitai thought he was hesitating and sneered, "Marshal Jue is weak and powerless. If you want to surrender, you have to do it as soon as possible. You can also get a position as a commander and have no worries about wealth in the future. If you insist on not changing your ways, you can learn from Kong Youde's experience."

"Alas!" Xian Guoan sighed and said, "A man who knows the times is a hero. I wish to follow the will of heaven and join the Red Army."

(End of this chapter)