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

Chapter 41: Eastern Expedition (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

On July 26, the governor swore an oath to march eastward at the parade ground. At 9:00 p.m., the troops walked out of the parade ground, crossed the streets, and left the city one after another.

The vanguard was led by the general Ma Qijiao, who had moved out six days ago. In the order of Bai Gui, Zhao Xing, Du Biao, Zhu Minru, and Ma Zhiji, each unit moved out every two days.

Cen Danchu rode a silver-gray horse and wore a brand new military uniform. He was in bright clothes and fast horse, and was particularly eye-catching in the team.

The merchants and common people along the street all gave way to Danchu, who was so successful at such a young age that they all envied him. The merchants also organized themselves to raise money to buy wine and food to reward the soldiers.

When Jiao Lian was expanding his army, he forced merchants to donate money in the name of feasting, and was gentle and polite. In contrast, Wugang Earl Liu Chengyong allowed his troops to plunder and was ferocious and violent, even worse than bandits.

Now, Jiao Lian has set out on an expedition to the east, and Guilin lacks a garrison, so it suddenly feels empty, and the merchants and civilians feel lost.

When we reached Dongguan Street, someone shouted at the side of the street: "General Cen, please stay."

Danchu looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man who looked like a servant. He remembered that this man was called Qu Fu, a servant in the residence and a member of Qu Shisi's clan.

"Brother Fu." Dan Chu dismounted and came in front of Qu Fu, speaking very politely.

Qu Fu bowed and said, "General, someone asked me to deliver medicine to you."

Danchu took the brocade box and smelled a fragrance. He opened it and saw a bottle of golden medicine, an old ginseng, and a red sandalwood comb in the brocade box.

I thought it must be sent by the young lady, and Danchu felt warm in his heart. In this troubled world, being cared for and loved by others is like a spring breeze.

He put away the brocade box and said, "Brother Fu, thank her for me."

Qu Fu agreed honestly and looked back.

Danchu understood and followed his gaze, seeing a young woman, followed by a middle-aged maid, looking over here.

Their eyes met, and the woman hurriedly turned her head away, revealing her blushing face. If it wasn't Qu Xuanhui, who else could it be?

Danchu wanted to go up and say hello to his fiancée, but he couldn't be so rash in front of everyone.

At this moment, a personal guard came to report that Jiao Lian had summoned him. Danchu had no choice but to give up, climb onto his horse, find his red cloak and put it on, then bow to Qu Fu from a distance.

Qu Xuanhui was looking at Dan Chu and subconsciously stretched out his right hand as if he wanted to keep him, but finally gave up.

Cen Danchu smiled at her, rode away on his horse, his red robe fluttering in the wind, and the man and his horse got farther away, which made people feel melancholy.

When he saw Jiao Lian, he handed over an urgent letter and said, "Dan Chu, what do you think?"

After taking it and reading it, it turned out to be a secret letter from the vanguard Ma Qijiao. Ma Qijiao served as the vanguard and had been stationed in Yangshuo for two days. The letter said that Yangshuo City was high and the moat was deep, and the Qing army's artillery fire was very fierce, so he requested the deployment of red cannons.

The Ming army had twelve red-coated cannons in Guilin, all deployed on the city walls, under the control of Qu Shisi, not Jiao Lian. If Jiao Lian wanted to deploy the red-coated cannons, he had to ask Qu Shisi for permission, so it was most appropriate to send Cen Danchu.

Danchu thought for a moment and replied, "The red cannon has a slow firing rate and is good at concentration. If we want to deploy the cannon, we have to deploy all twelve cannons, which will have a great impact on Guilin's morale. Once our army leaves, Guilin's defense will be empty, so it is better not to deploy the cannon.

"There are many Yangshuo Yao people in the army. We might as well send them to sneak into Yangshuo City and persuade the enemy to revolt. Yangshuo has only been occupied for half a year, and the army and the people are eager to join us. Once the army arrives, as long as we recruit them properly, it will definitely work."

Jiao Lian nodded and said, "I also think it's inconvenient to dispatch artillery. At the critical moment, we still have to rely on the standard camp. So, the three divisions of the standard camp will march at night and arrive in Yangshuo within three days."

The three divisions of the Biaoying, namely the Central Army of the Du Biao, the Left Auxiliary Army, and the Right Auxiliary Army, had a total of more than 1,300 people. In writing, the army often referred to it as the Du Biao, but Jiao Lian still used to call it the Biaoying. The Du Biao had many cavalry and good mobility, and arrived in Yangshuo three days later.

Ma Qijiao's 2,000 vanguard men, plus Bai Gui's 1,500 men who arrived later, were helpless against the fortified city of Yangshuo.

As soon as he saw Jiao Lian, Ma Qijiao shook his head and sighed, saying, "Qijiao is incompetent and cannot capture Yangshuo. I'd like to trouble Marshal Jue to come in person."

Ma Qijiao was the strongest and most prestigious general in Jiao Lian. When Cen Dan first saw him, he knew that he was not worthy of his reputation and was probably not a good general.

As for Jiao Lian, his position in the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty is not prominent. He was probably just a brave and courageous military general who had never held any commanding position.

Even so, Jiao Lian was still an insurmountable mountain for Cen Danchu. In troubled times, many talented people emerged, and it was not easy for someone like Jiao Lian to command tens of thousands of troops and win over powerful generals.

When will I be able to stand on my own like Ma Qijiao? When will I be able to establish myself like Jiao Lian?

Jiao Lian interrupted Cen Danchu's thoughts and said, "Old Ma, don't blame yourself. Tu Lie'ao is also a brave general among the Qing invaders. You lack artillery, and the Qing invaders are coming to support you from Pingle. Now that the troops have arrived, it will be easy to capture Yangshuo."

Bai Gui's 1,500 soldiers were deployed in the east of the city to block the Qing army's reinforcements in Pingle.

Zhao Xing's 1,500 troops will arrive in Yangshuo tomorrow and join the battlefield.

Danchu asked, "May I ask, Governor, have you found a way to incite the Yao people to revolt?"

Guangxi has many Yao people, who have repeatedly revolted, almost throughout the Ming Dynasty. The most famous one is the Da Tengxia Yao uprising, which lasted from the early years of the Hongwu reign to the Jiajing reign, a period of more than 200 years.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Yao people also took the opportunity to rise up. Many Yao people joined the Qing army, hoping to overthrow oppression and improve their lives.

After Tu Lie'ao led the Qing army into Pingle, many Yao people came to join them. At this time, there were many Yao people in the Qing army in Yangshuo.

Ma Qijiao shook his head and said, "The Yao people are hesitant and dare not respond. The spies said that there is enough food in the city, enough to support it for half a year."

Jiao Lian frowned and asked Dan Chu, "Any news from He Guoju?"

Danchu shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him. He is probably still in the city now."

Jiao Lian took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said, "Let's prepare for a strong attack tomorrow."

The next day, the Ming army used ladders to attack the city, while the Qing army used guns and cannons to counterattack. The Ming army suffered heavy casualties and returned without success.

Danchu realized that attacking a city was very different from fighting in the field or defending a city. The Qing army had walls, trenches, and firearms, so they could defend the city easily. If they had known this, they should have transferred the red cannons.

Jiao Lian's troops were obviously better at field battles, and all the generals dared to lead the troops and engage the enemy in close combat. However, they were inexperienced in sieges and had few methods.

In the past few months, Danchu was promoted very quickly, and everything went smoothly. He was quite proud of himself. Facing the strong city of Yangshuo, Danchu had no good plan. He realized that he still had many shortcomings and was far from being a real general.

We must study harder and faster. We must learn from books, from practice, and from our colleagues. As long as it can improve ourselves, we must learn eagerly.

Fortunately, that night, He Guoju descended from the city wall and went to meet Cen Danchu first, saying that he had persuaded the Yao people in the city to rebel. Danchu was overjoyed, because He Guoju came to him first, which showed his loyalty, and the Yao people were willing to help, so Yangshuo could be captured soon.

During the new book period, we sincerely invite readers to read and give valuable suggestions

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(End of this chapter)