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

Chapter 366 A single move affects the whole body
Li Dingguo killed Nikan in the battle of Hengzhou, and Cen Danchu forced Chen Tai to death in Yudu. Two small climaxes of the anti-Qing movement occurred on the battlefield in Central and Southern China.

Strangely, the Red Army and the Dashi Army did not pursue the enemy, and the Qing army did not launch a large-scale counterattack. The battlefields in Huguang and Jiangxi provinces were once silent.

Tunqi was stationed in Hengzhou, closely following the movements of the Dashi Army. His Qing army was not as strong as Aobai's, but the casualty rate was lower. Due to the internal strife between Sun and Li, Li Dingguo did not expand the victory. The Huguang Qing army only lost more than a thousand vanguards, and the main force was not damaged. The soldiers were willing to avenge Nikan, and the army was morale-boosting.

The Dashi Army was irreparably divided. Sun Kewang dispatched his troops and concentrated his elite troops in Qingyuan, intending to attack Tunqi. However, he kept silent and sent a secret letter to Cen Danchu, asking the Red Army to attack Nanchang.

Sun Kewang's intentions were obvious. The Red Army attacked Nanchang from the north, and the Qing army in Jiangxi would have to defend desperately. With Cen Danchu holding back Oboi, Sun Kewang was more confident in attacking Tunqi. If he did it well, Sun Kewang could defeat Tunqi first, and then take Hubei and Jiangxi along the river while Cen Danchu and Oboi were both injured.

Li Dingguo was threatened by Sun Kewang and had to evacuate Yongzhou and station his troops in Chenzhou. He waited and watched, apparently wanting to form an alliance with the Red Army. He originally had 50,000 soldiers, but more than 20,000 of them had fled to Sun Kewang, leaving more than 20,000 soldiers. They were not enough to attack the Qing army, but too much to station in Chenzhou. Chenzhou was poor and the people were poor, and the grain production was not abundant. Li Dingguo had no stable territory, and the pressure of grain and grass was great.

When Tunqi learned of the internal strife between Sun and Li, he gained the confidence to fight a decisive battle with the Dashi Army.

The best strategy is to attack the weak first and then the strong, go south to Chenzhou, defeat Li Dingguo first, then threaten the Red Army's flank and rescue the Qing army in Ganzhou. If you are bold enough, after taking Chenzhou, you can take the mountain pass to cross the Five Ridges and attack Guangdong, and the siege of Ganzhou will be lifted.

However, this strategy was too risky. Once implemented, Sun Kewang would likely lead his troops to attack Tunqi's rear.

The next plan is to advance to Qingyuan and fight a decisive battle with Sun Kewang. This will inevitably delay time and aggravate the crisis in Ganzhou. But it doesn't matter. Tunqi's mission is to ensure Huguang, and the opponent is the Dashi Army. It is Aobai's job to rescue Ganzhou.

Aobai's losses were much greater than Tunqi's, and he was stationed in Nanchang to recover. His soldiers fought a fierce battle with the Red Army in Yudu, and the casualties were very high. The surviving soldiers saw the fierce artillery fire of the Red Army and their morale was very low.

Without enough red cannons, Oboi would not fight the Red Army again. He was busy collecting red cannons, some of which were transported from Wuchang, Nanjing, Anqing and other places, and some were cast on the spot in Ruichang County, Jiujiang Prefecture.

After the Red Army captured Ji'an Prefecture, Danchu stopped moving and focused on collecting food and expanding the army. Expanding the army locally is also a specialty of the Red Army. This time, Cen Danchu focused on expanding Huben Town.

The First Infantry Regiment and the First Brigade, originally assigned to Huben Town, were split into two, and 8,000 people were added to Huben Town and designated as the Second Brigade of Huben Town's Personal Guards. The original Personal Guards Brigade was renamed the First Brigade of Personal Guards. The Second Brigade of Personal Guards was short of 4,000 people, and the First Infantry Brigade was short of 8,000 people, mainly from new recruits from Guangdong, Jiangxi Volunteer Army, and surrendered soldiers from the Qing army.

As a result, the Red Army had more than 100,000 troops entering Jiangxi. The Second Town besieged Ganzhou, the Huben Town rested in Ji'an, and the Jiangxi Independent Association was active in Ganzhou, Jianchang and Ji'an.

Danchu had promised Wang Xing and Zhu Tongjian that when Jiangxi was recovered, the Jiangxi Independent Brigade would be changed to the Jiangxi Garrison Brigade, which would be officially organized into the Red Army. The two served as the Brigade Commander and the Deputy Brigade Commander respectively, and they were very active in guerrilla warfare.

Cen Danchu, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Tunqi, and Aobai, the army gathered on the battlefield in Central and South China, but they were in a delicate balance. It was really a matter of one move, and any rash move by any one person might very likely stir up the entire battle situation.

On April 2, scout Lu Shouyi reported that the Qing army had moved its camp in Tunqi and was heading south from Hengzhou.

"When did it happen?" Danchu was very concerned and asked quickly.

"March 29th."

Ji'an is located due east of Hengzhou, more than 500 miles away, separated by mountains such as Wugong Mountain, Shihan Mountain, and Jinggang Mountain. It was not easy for the scout to deliver the intelligence of Hengzhou within three days.

The Qing army went south from Hengzhou in two directions. One was to Chenzhou in the southeast to attack Li Dingguo, who posed the greatest threat to the Red Army. The other was to Yongzhou in the southwest to cut off the connection between Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo.

Before Danchu could ask, Lu Shouyi said, "The Tartars sent many scouts to Yongzhou. Based on this, we can conclude that Tunqi must be heading to Yongzhou."

The economic and cultural level of the Eight Banners was low, and their use of troops was relatively simple. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms could be regarded as a treasure of military strategy. However, due to the strong combat effectiveness and strict military discipline of the Eight Banners, they could often use the simplest tactics to achieve the greatest combat effectiveness.

Danchu felt relieved and said, "I think Tunqi dare not attack Chenzhou. Otherwise, Sun Kewang can take advantage of it and cut off Tunqi's retreat. Hunan has been devastated for a long time, the population is sparse, and the grain production is not abundant. Tunqi lacks food and grass, and it will be in chaos without fighting." The counselor Qian Bingdeng suggested, "Since ancient times, when sending troops, they often attack Hunan first and then Jiangxi. If the king sends the Tiger Guards to Hengzhou and then joins forces with Li Dingguo to attack Tunqi, we can win the battle."

"Well," Danchu pondered, "I have the same idea, but Hunan is in ruins and it is not easy to raise food and grass. If we transport them from the rear, it may not be feasible to travel thousands of miles."

Advisors only need to make plans, but Danchu, as the commander-in-chief, has to consider all aspects. Every time he deploys troops, logistics and food are crucial and often determine strategy and tactics.

Hunan is located on the main road between the north and the south, and is a place that military strategists must fight for. Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, Hunan has suffered from wars. First, Zhang Xianzhong led the Dashi Army into Hunan, and then the Dashun Army.

During the Yongli period, Hunan became the main battlefield for the Southern Ming to fight against the Qing Dynasty, and suffered great damage. Whether it was the Qing army or the Ming army, they exhausted all the resources in Hunan. Even He Tengjiao imposed "free tax" in Hunan and implemented the "reporting and questioning" method. Nine out of ten households in Hunan were forced to surrender. The remaining people built camps to defend themselves, resisted tax collection and killed officials, and refused to pay taxes or surrender to anyone who came.

If the Red Army wanted to fight in Hunan, the most feasible way would be to send Huben Town directly from Ji'an to Hengzhou. At that time, the food and grass of Huben Town would have to be transported from Ji'an, which is incredible.

However, it was precisely because of the incredibleness that it was able to catch the enemy by surprise. The military importance of Hengzhou was greater than that of Ganzhou in Jiangxi. If the Red Army could take Hengzhou, it could attack when advancing and defend when retreating, and it would also seize the initiative in the Central and South battlefield.

Qian Bingdeng replied: "The Western Army's route out of Yunnan and Guizhou is even more difficult, but they can still march to Hunan. Our Red Army can overcome the difficulties and march to Hengzhou."

Danchu nodded, as if he had understood something. No matter what, let's make preparations first.

"First Town, Second Association, where is it now?"

The Chief of Operations, Ho Siu-kee, had become Danchu's effective "chief of staff" and said without hesitation, "We are currently assisting in the defense of Guilin."

The Second Brigade is responsible for assisting in the defense of Guangxi. Being stationed in Guilin, it can take into account both Yanguan and Longhuguan directions at the same time.

"Send the order, the Second Brigade will pass through Yanguan and be deployed to Quanzhou. Disband camp immediately after receiving the order."

Start! He Zhaoji was delighted and took out a brush to write down Danchu's command.

"Send Ho Kuo-kui over here!"

He Guoju was originally Danchu's confidant, and was later used as a general by Jiao Lian. After Jiao Lian's defeat, He Guoju returned to Cen Danchu and was promoted from the deputy commander of the first infantry regiment to the commander of the second regiment of Huben Town's personal guards.

"Guo Ju, if I take the Huben Town away, can you defend Ji'an with the Second Division of your personal soldiers?"

Ji'an was an important city with a rich population and a circumference of eight miles. It was not difficult to imagine that once Hubenzhen left, Oboi would go all out to fight for Ji'an.

Fortunately, defending a city was much easier than fighting in the field. As long as there were cannons, food and ammunition, He Guoju would have a chance to hold on to Ji'an.

"No problem." He Guoju was a fierce general and said, "If we lose Ji'an, I will commit suicide to apologize."

"Three months." Danchu added: "After I leave, you just need to hold on to Ji'an for three months, that will be enough."

There was limited food and grass in Ganzhou City. As long as He Guoju could hold on to Ji'an for three months, Kuang Shi could lead the Second Town to capture Ganzhou. At that time, the Second Town would go downstream to rescue Ji'an and ensure its safety.

(End of this chapter)