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

Chapter 368: Recruiting Li Dingguo

Sun Kewang led his army to withdraw from Baoqing, and Tunqi did not dare to pursue him. He had experienced the strength of the front army. In addition, the Qing army's lack of food and grass also made Tunqi deeply distressed.

In this battle, the Dashi Army and the Qing Army each led 100,000 troops to gather in Baoqing. Baoqing was already in ruins, and the common people were even more afraid, so they fled into the valleys and refused to come out, calling it "taking refuge".

Tunqi led more than 30,000 Manchu, Mongolian and Han Eight Banners soldiers and more than 70,000 Green Camp soldiers, with a total force of more than 100,000. Although the Green Camp soldiers could not fight, they had plenty of food. The Qing army was short of food and grass, and many of the soldiers died of starvation.

As a result, the Qing army divided its troops into several groups and plundered Shaoyang, Xinhua, Xinning, Dong'an, and Qiyang counties, "searching the mountains and destroying the villages, leaving no one unharmed." Many civilians were killed by the Qing army, their food was looted, and the rest starved to death.

The Dashi Army retreated to Wugang, Chengbu, Qianyang and other places, with the Ziyang River as the boundary between them and the Qing army.

In June, after the Qing troops in Tunqi had plundered their way through the land, they solved the food problem.

At this time, Ganzhou had been under siege for four months. The defenders were running out of food and had to halve their supplies. The residents' food was mostly looted and many people starved to death. Quan Mingshi sneaked into the city, instigated the defenders and incited the people. The residents rioted from time to time and Ganzhou was on the verge of collapse.

On the second day of June, Tunqi could no longer hold back and withdrew its camp from Baoqing, heading east to attack Chenzhou.

There is a post road from Chenzhou to Guangdong, which can pass through Yizhang County and cross Qitianling, one of the Five Ridges, and enter Lechang County, Shaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong. From Shaozhou Prefecture, you can go up the Zhenshui River to Nanxiong Prefecture, and go through Meiguan and cross Dagengling to Ganzhou.

However, this passage is mostly land-based and has poor passing conditions. It does not have the convenience of water conservancy like Yanguan and Meiguan, and is not often used for marching and fighting.

Tunqi's move was very powerful. First, it could strike at Li Dingguo and eliminate the Dashi Army in Hunan, which was its job responsibility; second, it could threaten the Red Army's flanks, remotely lift the siege of Ganzhou, and relieve the worries of friendly forces.

Li Dingguo urgently sent Jin Tongwu to Ji'an through a secret route to seek help from Cen Danchu.

Jin Tongwu, a native of Jingyang, Shaanxi, was a direct subordinate of Li Dingguo and held the seal of General Shude. Historically, Jin Tongwu was loyal to Dingguo. Li Dingguo was seriously ill in Myanmar and entrusted his son to Jin Tongwu before his death. He ordered Jin Tongwu to assist the crown prince Li Sixing in continuing the resistance against the Qing Dynasty and asked Li Sixing to treat him like a father.

"Your Highness, we are in a relationship of mutual dependence. Once the Tartars take over Chenzhou, they will be able to enter Shaozhou. The consequences will be disastrous." Jin Tongwu was a brave man but not good at speaking. When he saw Cen Danchu, he knelt down first and asked for troops directly.

The Dashi Army and the Dashun Army emerged from the tragic peasant war in the late Ming Dynasty, and they had their own strengths. The Dashun Army was good at pacifying the people, while the Dashi Army was brave and daring in battle, especially good at mobile warfare.

Whenever there was a major battle, the generals of the Dashi Army would often lead the charge. Jin Tongwu was such a fierce general, and was highly trusted by Li Dingguo.

"The Red Army has been besieging Ganzhou for more than four months, determined to capture it. Once they march into Hunan, all their efforts will be wasted." Danchu said slowly, "Duke Kang is a skilled warrior. He killed Nikan in Hengzhou, so it's no problem for him to deal with a small Tunqi."

Li Dingguo was arrogant and had long been dissatisfied with Sun Kewang, and was unwilling to submit to Cen Danchu. However, as time passed, he was separated from Sun Kewang and lost the stable logistical supply. His troops were short of food and clothing and continued to disintegrate.

Chenzhou was a difficult place to base his army. Li Dingguo was in a desperate situation, with the Red Army refusing to let him in and the Qing army pressing him in from behind.

Danchu knew this clearly and extended an olive branch to Li Dingguo. But Li Dingguo thought highly of himself and was only willing to form an alliance with the Red Army. He would not surrender to the Red Army until the last moment. "Your Highness," Jin Tongwu raised his thick eyebrows and said, "Duke Kangguo and you are both from the same hometown and are related by marriage. We are both determined to fight against the Qing Dynasty. If we can join hands and form an alliance, what can't be done in the world?"

What is impossible in the world? This kind of words cannot be said casually. I have heard for a long time that Li Dingguo is ambitious and unwilling to be inferior to Sun Kewang. It is true. Danchu is more determined in his opinion:
We must insist on incorporating Li Dingguo and not give in. Otherwise, when Li Dingguo gets out of trouble and recovers, who knows what kind of trouble he will cause. He has nowhere else to go and will surrender as the situation dictates.

"Haha," Danchu said with a smile, "What is impossible in the world? General, what you said is wrong. The population, tax revenue, and military of the Ming Dynasty are a hundred times greater than those of Manchuria, so why did they suffer defeat after defeat? After Emperor Weizong's death, the dynasty moved south, and the Hongguang and Longwu dynasties were both short-lived. Our dynasty also suffered defeat after defeat. Why is that?"

Jin Tongwu was silent, but he heard Danchu's own questions and answers: "It is because the power of the country is not centralized, the people are suspicious, the civil officials are fighting for factions, and the military officers are suspicious. The front line is not under unified control. Even if there are thousands of troops, what can they do against a brigade of Tartars?
"For example, your army is a well-trained army with many battles and brave generals, which are better than Shun's army. The Southern, Western and Eastern Prefectures are suspicious of each other and do not submit to each other. The Southern Prefecture was stripped of its military power and placed under house arrest in Kunming. The Western Prefecture had a great victory in Hengzhou, but was feared by the Eastern Prefecture and fled with its troops, first to Yongzhou and then to Chenzhou, until it was forced by the Tartars and had nowhere to go.

"The root of the problem is that the military power is not centralized and the control is not unified. The military is a place of life and death, a way of survival. If this clan wants to rescue Duke Kangguo, it will be difficult to succeed unless we do our best.

"But the Tartars are holding on to Ganzhou and swear to die rather than surrender. Aobai is stationed in Nanchang, watching covetously. If our vassal sends troops to Ganzhou, Aobai will certainly take the opportunity to move south. By then, the Red Army will have been unable to capture Ganzhou for a long time, and the Tartars will attack from both inside and outside, which is extremely dangerous.

"He who knows the current situation is a hero. If Duke Kangguo is sincere in resisting the Qing, he should submit to our clan. If he is only willing to form an alliance with our clan, our clan can only send a little food and grass, and cannot devote all its strength to rescue Chenzhou."

"Your Highness," Jin Tongwu said anxiously, his voice rising several degrees, "The Red Army does not need to enter Jiangxi. All you need to do is order the garrison to open the gates and allow Duke Kangguo to enter Guangdong."

"Haha," Danchu laughed again and said, "Nanyue has long had a law that only the Red Army is allowed in the country, and no other soldiers are allowed. Your army is a foreign soldier in Nanyue. If Duke Kangguo intends to hold the court hostage, where will this vassal be placed?"

"Uh……"

Seeing that Jin Tongwu's words were clumsy, Danchu said, "In the past, Li Laixiang came to join the army with the remnants of the Loyalty Camp and was highly valued. Now he has accumulated merits and has become the deputy commander of the infantry and the assistant commander of the infantry. The families of the Loyalty Camp have enjoyed wealth and no worries about food and clothing. The general must have heard about this.

"Duke Kangguo is good at using troops, but not at governing. If he insists on establishing himself, he will be at the end of his rope. If he sincerely surrenders, this vassal will certainly use him, provide him with food and grass, and support his military with titles and salaries. He will have a promising future."

Jin Tongwu was moved and said, "This is a serious matter. I will ask Duke Kangguo for instructions and then report to Your Highness."

The situation is not urgent. Danchu smiled and served tea to see the guest off.

Five days later, Li Dingguo sent another envoy to Ji'an, and his tone had softened. Dingguo's army lost the first battle in Guiyang Prefecture and retreated completely to Chenzhou. The situation had deteriorated a lot compared to before. Seeing this, Jin Tongwu asked to see Danchu again and decided to surrender to Danchu.

Cen Danchu decided to send troops to rescue. He first ordered the First Town and the Second Auxiliary Camp to march north from Quanzhou and enter the territory of Yongzhou Prefecture, forcing them to gather and divide their troops.

Li Dingguo was left with nowhere to go and formally surrendered to the Red Army. His unit was designated the 10th Infantry Brigade and temporarily came under the command of Huben Town, with Li Dingguo as the brigade commander.

(End of this chapter)