Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 186: Transfer to Xuhuai, Henan
October 24, the 16th year of Chongzhen.

After resting in Ruzhou for more than ten days, Li Zicheng's troops retreated hastily to Nanyang.

During these ten days, Li Zicheng counted the losses and gathered the defeated soldiers. He seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

The Battle of Tongguan was the most painful defeat he had suffered since his debut.

It’s even worse than when he was eighteen.

When there were only eighteen riders, they looked miserable, but at that time they did not have many horses and supplies, and they were gradually eroded by Yang Sichang, Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting and others, so they were not destroyed all at once.

Every time they fought, their men became fewer and fewer. Finally, they were ambushed and defeated, with only eighteen riders left, fleeing into the Shangluo Mountains.

It seems that the loss was greater that time.

But in terms of actual losses, both in terms of baggage and manpower, they were far inferior to the Battle of Tongguan this time.

It's like you used to have only 10,000 yuan to do a small business, and you accidentally lost it all. But the amount is small, so if you lose it, you don't feel bad, and you may be able to make a comeback in the future.

However, now that you are rich and have assets of 10 million, you lost most of it in business. Even if you still have a few million left, it is obvious that the loss is much greater than the loss of 10,000 yuan back then.

The most important thing is that it is hard to say whether the remaining millions will continue to be lost.

Because the morale of the army was severely damaged.

Zhu Di's mortar and automatic rifle attacks caused great psychological trauma to the peasant army, and the army was filled with wailing and war-weariness.

Although Li Zicheng and his generals continued to encourage morale, the army's morale was still declining at a visible rate.

Everyone had a dejected look on their face, and they no longer had the high morale they once had.

Therefore, Li Zicheng’s current situation is very serious.

Retreating to Nanyang Prefecture, the army rested for one night when passing through Nanyang City. Li Zicheng called on Li Yan, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and other advisers to discuss what to do next.

In Nanyang City, at the Tang Palace, Li Zicheng looked a little haggard. It was evening, the evening breeze was blowing, and the grass and trees were dense outside the Qilin Pavilion.

As the fief of King Tang, in the 14th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng captured Nanyang and occupied the King Tang's Palace.

The previous King of Tang, Zhu Youjian, was imprisoned in Fengyang by Chongzhen because he led his troops to defend the king, and luckily escaped the disaster.

But his younger brother, Zhu Youtan, the new successor to the King of Tang, was not so lucky and was killed in his mansion by Li Zicheng.

However, after conquering Nanyang, Li Zicheng did not carry out large-scale destruction of the Tang Palace, and even in later generations, many of its old sites still exist.

However, no one has taken care of it for more than two years. The gardens, halls and courtyards of the palace are overgrown with weeds and lush branches and leaves, and most of the plants planted are evergreen plants.

Although it is early winter, the yard is full of greenery.

However, Li Zicheng was not in the mood to care about the scenery. He sat alone in the hall, feeling very melancholy.

"Your Majesty."

After a while, Niu Jinxing and three other key military advisors came in.

"sit down."

Li Zicheng said.

The three of them then sat on the chairs on both sides.

Li Zicheng looked around and lamented, "Our army suffered heavy losses in this battle. Many of my old brothers who have been with me for a long time were killed in this battle, as well as their families. I feel so ashamed of them."

Song Xiance was afraid that he would blame himself, so he quickly said: "Your Majesty, don't be discouraged. Although our army was defeated in this battle, the people's hearts are still with us. As long as the court continues to exploit us and the world remains in chaos, our army will have a steady supply of troops and will still have a chance to make a comeback."

This is the key point, and also the main reason why Li Zicheng was always able to make a comeback despite repeated defeats.

The imperial court could mobilize a large army to defeat him, but faced with harsh taxes of all kinds, a natural environment full of natural disasters, and the people being unable to survive, the peasant uprising army would never lack manpower and support.

"Well, it's just that our army's morale is low now, and we urgently need a victory to save the situation. Moreover, Sun Chuanting won a great victory in this battle, and it may be impossible for him to return to Shaanxi with this battle."

Li Zicheng was a little confused and he didn't know what direction his future would take.

"Your Majesty."

Niu Jinxing immediately said: "I think we should go south immediately and take Hubei first."

"Then?"

Li Zicheng asked again, capturing Hubei was something he could think of, but what would it matter if he took Hubei?
Niu Jinxing continued, "Hubei has been a thoroughfare for many provinces since ancient times, a place where land and water meet. To the north, it connects to Henan, to the west, it can go to Sichuan, to the south, it can go to Hunan and Guangdong, and to the east, it can go straight to Yingtian along the Yangtze River."

"We did suffer heavy losses in this battle. Sun Chuanting is now very powerful and we cannot fight him head-on. The most urgent task is to win a big victory to restore the morale of the army."

He added: "I heard that Zhang Xianzhong is now in Hunan and is attacking Jiangxi. He wants to use Huguang and Jiangyou as his base. We can work with him to eliminate Zuo Liangyu. Sun Chuanting is not easy to fight, but is Zuo Liangyu also not easy to fight? As long as Zuo Liangyu is eliminated, it will be a great victory and the morale of the army will be boosted. After that, we can recruit soldiers and take Nanjing to the east and Sichuan to the west. Although Nanjing is a bit dangerous, it is unobstructed to enter Sichuan. After entering Sichuan, we can still go north along the Qinling Road and look at Shaanxi."

Li Zicheng frowned and asked, "Are we going to give Huguang and Jiangyou to Zhang Xianzhong?"

He was still upset about not being able to annex Zhang Xianzhong's troops.

"Your Majesty, I think what Brother Juming said makes sense."

Li Yan also said: "Hunan, Guangxi and Jiangyou are not the places for Wang Ye. It's okay to give them to Zhang Xianzhong. He will also attack him in the Ming army, and he can help us share the offensive of the Ming army. It is the best strategy to capture Hubei and then go to Sichuan."

“Sichuan?”

Li Zicheng stroked his beard and began to think.

Li Yan said: "Going to Yingtian is not a good choice. Yingtian is rich, but we are all from the north. We have many horses but few people who know how to swim. If we fail to capture Nanjing for a long time, we will definitely be surrounded by heavy troops sent by the court."

"Ah."

Li Zicheng thought it made some sense.

It would be difficult to go north now and offend Sun Chuanting again.

Not to mention the powerful firearms in Sun Chuanting's hands.

Even though Sun Chuanting no longer had any firearms, the army's morale was low and they feared Sun Chuanting like a tiger.

Facing Sun Chuanting's Ming army again, I'm afraid they can only exert less than 50% of their full combat power.

If there is another disastrous defeat, the Chuang army will be in a desperate situation. There is even a high probability that the team will collapse directly when fighting with Sun Chuanting.

Therefore, continuing to move north would be tantamount to self-destruction.

Now there is only Zuo Liangyu in the southern part of the Ming Dynasty. Although Zhang Xianzhong is weaker than him, he can also contain the Ming army.

If he could cooperate with Zhang Xianzhong and eliminate Zuo Liangyu first, then even if Sun Chuanting came after him, at least he would have Zhang Xianzhong as his helper.

present.

Li Zicheng did not hesitate any longer and after resting in Nanyang for two days, he prepared to march south.

However, two days later, a shocking piece of news came.

Chengtian Prefecture and De'an Prefecture were captured.

The enemy was using the same weapons and equipment as Sun Chuanting and was heading towards Xiangyang.

The main thing is.

The defeated Chuang army from Chengtian Prefecture and De'an Prefecture also brought shocking news.

That is a legend that is currently circulating in the Huguang area.

It is said that Taizu came to Changsha Prefecture with Xu Da, Tang He and other founding generals, and then recaptured Zuo Liangyu and Lu Daqi and eliminated Zhang Xianzhong.

Although this legend is ridiculous, according to the description of the defeated soldiers from Chengtian Prefecture and De'an Prefecture, the firearms used by the enemy were exactly the same as those used by Sun Chuanting in Tongguan, both of which were very terrifying explosive cannons.

The opponent's firearms were even more powerful and could even blow down the city walls.

This made Li Zicheng terrified.

On October 26th, we were supposed to go south to Xiangyang, and then according to the plan, attack Wuchang first, and then join forces with Zhang Xianzhong to attack Zuo Liangyu in Changsha.

As a result, Li Zicheng never expected to receive this news, and he even felt a sense of absurdity deep in his heart.

It was obvious that he had just defeated Sun Chuanting, the last pillar of the Ming Dynasty, last month. He was at the peak of his life and was about to eliminate Sun Chuanting, enter Shaanxi, take Shanxi, and conquer the world.

How come overnight, it seemed as if the Ming Dynasty had changed into a completely different world? The once invincible and invincible Chuang army was defeated in an instant, like a building collapsing, and was about to fall into the bottomless abyss.

Li Zicheng had to cancel his plan to go south to Xiangyang. After letting the messenger leave, he immediately called three advisers to discuss countermeasures.

It was noon, and the pale sunlight shone down, without giving people a trace of warmth.

Niu Jinxing and the other three entered the hall and saw that Li Zicheng looked very unhappy. Song Xiance asked in confusion, "My king, what's wrong?"

Li Zicheng closed his eyes in pain and said, "Chengtian Prefecture and De'an Prefecture have been breached."

"what?"

The three were shocked. Niu Jinxing was puzzled and said, "This is impossible. Zuo Liangyu doesn't have this ability."

They knew very well that although Zuo Liangyu seemed to have an army of more than 200,000, in fact, like them, the extra troops were just family quarters, and the actual main force did not exceed 30,000.

They had nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses left behind in Xiangyang and other places. Although they might not be able to defeat Zuo Liangyu, they had no problem defending the city.

How could it be breached so easily?
Is the city wall made of paper?

However, Li Zicheng shook his head and said, "It's not Zuo Liangyu. To be honest, I still don't know who it is."

"Your Majesty, please tell me the details."

Li Yan asked immediately.

Li Zicheng explained the news that the messenger had just conveyed, and at the end he said: "Let's not talk about whether Taizu really came back to life and came to the world. Just talking about the fact that they have those firearms, what should I do?"

"This"

The three of them looked at each other and found the situation very tricky.

They had seen the power of those firearms, which were more than a hundred times more powerful than ordinary matchlock rifles and red cannons.

The reason why Li Zicheng's troops are in such a state now is that the enemy has powerful firearms.

Now Sun Chuanting in the north has not caught up yet, and an opponent with such powerful firearms has come from the south that even the city walls can't stop him. This is really a difficult situation.

"Can we still go to Xiangyang?"

Niu Jinxing considers himself a wise man, but now he is a little panicked.

Li Yan calmed down a little and asked, "My lord, has this matter been spread?"

Li Zicheng said: "Not yet."

"We must block the news immediately. If the soldiers knew that there are such powerful firearms in the south, I'm afraid their morale would be weakened."

Li Yan suggested.

The rebel army has suffered psychological trauma from the automatic rifles and mortars. If they knew that there were also mortars in the south, I'm afraid the troops would be dispersed.

Li Zicheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, I will order the messenger not to tell anyone. All future messengers will meet me alone and will not let the soldiers know about this."

Niu Jinxing added: "The most urgent task now is to think about what to do next."

Li Yan pondered and said, "Your Majesty, there are two choices now."

"You said."

Li Zicheng said immediately.

"First, since the enemy is heading straight for Xiangyang, we can go south first, gather troops to defend Xiangyang, and wait and see."

Li Yan said: "If the firearms are not powerful enough and the gunpowder is insufficient, or if we can find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack, then we may still be able to move south."

"Are you still going to Xiangyang?"

Li Zicheng frowned. He also had a psychological trauma about firearms and really didn't want to face such a terrifying thing.

"Yes."

Li Yan nodded and said, "But this is also very risky. What if the enemy's firearms are beyond our imagination? Remember there were muskets that could fire multiple rounds in a row? If we kill everyone, I'm afraid we won't even have a chance to escape."

"What about the second way?"

Li Zicheng asked again.

He finally understood that the first way was to observe the enemy's attack on Xiangyang.

If the opponent's strength is not good enough, they will immediately launch an offensive and destroy the enemy in one fell swoop.

In this way, the previous strategy can still be continued, first taking Hubei, and then trying to seize Sichuan or other places.

But if the enemy displays too much strength, they would also be at risk of being wiped out.

So Li Zicheng thought it would be better to listen to the second option.

“The second is to return to the old business.”

Li Yan smiled bitterly and said, "Now we can't go north or south, so the best thing to do is to leave."

"Where?"

Li Zicheng asked subconsciously.

Niu Jinxing slowly calmed down and said thoughtfully: "Both the north and the south are blocked, so we can only go east and west. Go west to Xunyang, and then to Baihe and Xunyang to go to Hanzhong, and then plan for Sichuan. If we go east, we can only go to Henan and Xuhuai."

"Let's go to Xuhuai, Henan."

Song Xiance also said this.

"Why?"

Li Zicheng asked.

"If the enemy still has a large number of such powerful firearms, they will be blocked in Sichuan and unable to advance or retreat."

Song Xiance pointed out the problem and said, "In the north, Sun Chuanting is heading south from Shaanxi. In the east, if the man who calls himself Taizu attacks Kuizhou and Baxian from Hubei, we will have nowhere to go. We can still have a chance if we return to Xuhuai, Henan."

"good."

Niu Jinxing thought: "Besides that, there is another benefit to going to Xuhuai, Henan."

"What's the benefit?"

"What do you think the court and Sun Chuanting should do if someone claims to be Taizu?"

"Oh?"

Li Zicheng started thinking immediately.

I think so too.

Someone in the south called himself Taizu, it would be strange if Chongzhen of the imperial court didn't get furious.

At that time, Sun Chuanting will definitely be asked to fight the other party.

If they go to Sichuan, they will border Shaanxi, which is now occupied by Sun Chuanting. If Sun Chuanting takes advantage of the situation and uses the excuse of going south from Sichuan to deal with him, and then goes to fight the man who calls himself Taizu, they will suffer a great loss.

If they went to Xuhuai, Henan, far away from Sun Chuanting, Sun Chuanting would have no excuse to stop by and might even be able to sit on the mountain and watch a fight between two tigers.

only.

Li Zicheng showed a puzzled expression on his face and said: "But Sun Chuanting and the enemies in the south are using the same firearms. Could they all be Ming troops?"

"If they are all Ming troops, we will be doomed if we go to Sichuan. We will definitely be attacked by them."

Niu Jinxing said: "The only way is to go to Xu Huai!"

"Too."

Li Zicheng nodded and said, "Okay, then we will move to Xuhuai, Henan."

(End of this chapter)