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

Chapter 94: The Qing Army Approaches Guilin
Xiong Zhaozuo and Zhou Jintang of the Chu army and Hu Yiqing of the Yunnan army arrived in Guilin one after another, and the Ming army's momentum was restored.

Soon, the Qing army learned that something had happened in Guilin. Gongshun Wang Kong Youde led a Qing army of no less than 30,000 troops to advance into Guilin and reach the north gate.

The Qing army was powerful, and the Ming army adopted a passive defense as usual, abandoning all the dangerous passes outside the city and withdrawing all its forces into the city.

On the morning of the 25th, He Tengjiao and Qu Shisi called a meeting of all the generals to discuss strategies to defeat the enemy. All civil officials above the fourth rank and military officers above the rank of general attended the meeting.

When Danchu saw He Tengjiao for the first time, he felt that he looked haggard but very energetic, as if he had infinite fighting spirit.

This person is very controversial in history. He was born as a juren, and by chance he served as the commander-in-chief of the front line of the Yongli Dynasty, with great power and responsibility. He was talented, but he was not up to the task, and he did not have the courage and vision to take charge of the overall situation. He was more likely to fail than to accomplish anything.

"Everyone," He Tengjiao and Qu Shisi sat side by side, speaking in a low voice with a sense of authority, "The Qing invaders took advantage of the opportunity to spy on Guilin and are coming with great force. Our troops have just joined together, and the city has been in chaos for a short time. What should we do?"

It is common for the commander-in-chief to ask for the opinions of his generals before making a statement.

Jiao Lian felt obliged to do so and stood up and said, "Li Chixin and Gao Bi are in Kuidong and can threaten Jingchu at any time. Du Ge's troops are good at controlling their generals. Ma Jinzhong and Wang Jincai's troops are still in western Hunan and eastern Guizhou. Cao Zhijian is guarding Zhenxia Pass. Jin Shenghuan has rebelled in Jiangxi and can threaten the Qing army's retreat at any time.

"The Qing invaders are arrogant and reckless, and they deserve death. Our army should take the initiative to go out of the city and attack the Qing invaders. We will surely defeat them. In March and May of last year, we defeated the Qing invaders twice, both times by this way."

All the generals agreed. The news that Jin Shenghuan had rebelled had spread. Although it had not been verified, it undoubtedly boosted morale.

In the eyes of modern people, there are many things in the history of the Southern Ming that go against common sense. For example, this time, the Qing army dared to cross the Yanguan Pass and attack Guilin directly before clearing out the Ming army in Huguang. This was really stupid.

However, if you have a deeper understanding of the historical background at that time, if you have a deeper understanding of the incompetence of the small Southern Ming court and the infighting among the generals, you will understand that Kong Youde had sufficient reasons to attack Guilin directly.

Qu Shisi said: "The people of Guilin are still undecided, and it is not a long-term solution for the army to stay in the city for a long time. On the other hand, although the Qing army has a large number of troops, the Eight Banners are not many, and they are the old subordinates of the Three Rebel Kings in Dongjiang Town. Most of the rest are surrendered troops and their combat effectiveness is not strong. Xinxing Hou is right. We should take the initiative to attack and kill the enemy by surprise."

"Okay!" He Tengjiao made up his mind and said, "Everyone, I have decided to take the initiative and attack the enemy. New Ningbo!"

Zhao Yinxuan stood up and replied, "Yes!"

"I order you to command the generals of the Yudian Camp to go out of Wenchang Gate to attack the enemy!" After He Tengjiao finished speaking, he took out an order arrow.

Zhao Yinxuan took the order, replied "Yes", and then nodded to Hu Yiqing.

The Imperial Yunnan Camp was also a powerful force, with Hu Yiqing being the most valiant. In every battle, Hu Yiqing led his troops in the front, while Zhao Yinxuan and Wang Yongzuo led their troops in the rear, and this time was no exception.

"Xiong Zhaozuo!"

"Here!" Xiong Zhaozuo was only a general with the title of governor, and his status was relatively low.

"I order you to lead the Chu army and attack the enemy from the Banyan Tree Gate!"

"promise!"

"Xinxing Hou!"

"exist!"

"This commander-in-chief will go out of the north gate with you to meet the main force of the Qing invaders." Among all the troops, Jiao Lian was the strongest, so He Tengjiao followed Jiao Lian's army.

"promise!"

There are also Xinning General Duan Yeran, Dong'an General Zhou Shangli, Deputy General Tao Yangyong, Deputy General Wang Linfang, Deputy General Zhu Chaowang, Deputy General Tu Bangwei, etc., who are under the command of Zhao Yinxuan, Xiong Zhaozuo, and Jiao Lian. After the assignment was decided, He Tengjiao said: "Everyone, at the beginning of the morning tomorrow, the flag of the Banyan Tree Gate will be used as an order, and the North Gate, Banyan Tree Gate, and Wenchang Gate will be opened at the same time. All units will attack the Qing invaders at the same time, without any mistakes!"

All the generals said: "Yes!"

Danchu clearly felt that He Tengjiao lacked confidence. Perhaps, Hao Yongzhong was highly valued by He Tengjiao, but he started a rebellion in Guilin, which greatly damaged his prestige. With the enemy at hand, why bother with all this? Just follow Jiao Lian out of the north gate to meet the enemy.

When they returned to the army, the soldiers had already lined up, their bows were strung, and their saddles and armor were arranged.

The standard battalion and the two infantry battalions, totaling about 1,500 men, all stood in silence. There were less than 400 veterans, and most of the new recruits had never been on the battlefield, so they were inevitably a little frightened.

Danchu rode his horse and looked around at the teams without saying a word. Seeing that the teams were in good order, he felt relieved.

Before the battle, he made a brief mobilization: "Brothers, we are about to go out of the city to fight. In this battle, my Yong'an Army will follow the Xinxing Marquis and go out of the north gate to meet the enemy.

"The commander-in-chief will personally lead the battle, and the marshal will personally lead the troops. The Yong'an Army must fulfill its mission and fight bravely. All camps must follow our flags and not act without authorization. Officers must lead by example, and soldiers must obey orders.

"This battle is the first major battle since the establishment of the Yong'an Army. You must all serve with all your heart. I will reward those who have made contributions, and I will execute those who disobey my orders. In a word, follow the banner and fight bravely."

Fifteen hundred soldiers shouted in unison: "Follow the signal! Fight bravely!" The sound was quite powerful, and the onlookers cheered.

At the beginning of the Si hour, a huge red flag was raised on the Rongshu Gate Tower, which was the signal to open the gate and attack.

Jiao Lian did not hesitate and ordered the north gate to be opened, and the troops from various units went out one after another and formed up in battle array.

Cen Danchu, Ma Qijiao, Bai Gui, Zhao Xing, Bai Yu, Feng Zhiji and other generals were stationed in various places in Pingle, expanding their armies individually, and have not yet conducted joint training.

The troops of Xinning General Duan Yeran, Dong'an General Zhou Shangli, and Deputy General Tao Yangyong, who cooperated in the battle in the direction of the north gate, had flags different from those of Jiao Lian's army.

The total number of troops was no less than 10,000, and it was difficult to even form a battle array. Jiao Lian had no choice but to use the simplest long snake formation, with Ma Qijiao, Bai Gui, Zhao Xing, Feng Zhiji, Cen Danchu and other brave generals deployed in the front, and Duan Yeran, Zhou Shangli and other guest troops deployed in the back.

Danchu had never seen a large army formation before and was paying close attention to the situation on the battlefield.

When the Qing army saw the Ming army leaving the city, they also began to line up outside the camp, about three miles away from the north gate. Through the telescope, Danchu saw that the Qing army's flags were more orderly and their battle array was more relaxed.

The Ming army had to pass through the city gate first, which took a lot of time. The troops did not coordinate well, the flags were different, and the battle array was quite chaotic.

Danchu looked around from time to time, and was worried for his own side. This time, the Eight Banners joined the battle. If the Eight Banners heavy armored cavalry came to charge at this time, with the current formation of the Ming army, could they stop the Eight Banners soldiers from charging?
After half an hour, the sound of war drums appeared on the opposite side. Danchu took a telescope and saw that the Qing army had already lined up and began to march towards the Ming army. The front row was armored infantry with bright armor and green flags. They should be the Green Camp soldiers.

Danchu felt a little relieved. The Green Camp soldiers were reorganized from the surrendered Ming army, and their combat effectiveness was relatively weak.

Kong Youde ordered the Green Camp to fight in the front and was unwilling to easily dispatch the elite Han troops of the Eight Banners.

Looking at our own side, the front army consisted of Jiao Lian's troops, the ranks were relatively neat, the gaps between the towns were not large, and the battle formation was relatively tight. The rear army, except for Jiao Lian's personal troops, was mostly foreign troops, the battle formation was chaotic, and the gaps between the troops were surprisingly large.

Dan Chu felt a little worried. The enemy was strong and we were weak. He wondered how He Tengjiao could defeat the enemy.
His eyes swept across the battlefield through the telescope and he saw the Ming army's battle flags fluttering in the wind. The soldiers' faces were filled with tension and anticipation.

He Tengjiao, wearing armor, rode his horse back and forth in the middle of the army, looking restless, while Jiao Lian sat firmly in the middle of the army, riding a tall horse, revealing a firm and confident demeanor.

The atmosphere on the battlefield becomes increasingly tense, and a battle of life and death is about to break out.

(End of this chapter)