Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 272 Taking Guiyang
Mortars bombarded from above, while machine guns and assault rifles swept from below.

Snowflakes burst forth, and rocks, grass, and soil flew everywhere. Dust rose and swirled, only to be quickly swept away by the heavy rain and fall back down.

In just a short while, the Qing army was routed, with screams and wails echoing everywhere.

In fact, the Green Standard Army in the early Qing Dynasty could be considered to be an elite force.

Because the actual number of Manchu Eight Banners Jurchens was too small, the cooperation of the Han army was necessary.

These Han soldiers were mostly surrendered Ming soldiers or surrendered rebels, and they had rich combat experience.

In addition, the DPP recruits mostly locals who have the ability to traverse mountains and valleys.

For example, many of the Green Standard Army soldiers in Guizhou were locals.

If we send 10,000 skilled Manchu soldiers to fight against 10,000 Guizhou Green Standard Army soldiers in Guizhou, we might not necessarily be able to defeat them.

This is why, during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, Kangxi actually relied not on the Manchu Eight Banners, but on the 400,000 Green Standard Army.

But no matter how elite they are, they are still vulnerable to modern guns and cannons.

Although they also had artillery, the Ming army's mortars were the most advanced light mortars purchased from modern my country.

The caliber ranges from 60 mm to 82 mm, and the range is also short, only 5 to 8 kilometers.

With the range of field artillery in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties being only one to three kilometers, it can hardly be said to have a significant effect; it was better than nothing.

The only thing that could threaten them was the red-coated cannons, which had a range of five to six kilometers.

However, the red-coated cannons at that time weighed more than 2000 jin (1,000 kg) and were basically only used for city defense, with no ability to fight in the field.

When Zhu Yuanzhang went to the Chongzhen era, he could only bring a towed rapid-fire cannon weighing 800-900 jin (approximately 400-450 catties), which was not enough to carry field artillery, let alone the Qing army.

Therefore, in open field battles, the Ming army, equipped with rifles, machine guns, and mortars, was virtually invincible.

Whether it's a direct confrontation or an ambush, it can be easily resolved.

Zhou An and his men numbered only six or seven hundred. Under the alternating firepower, the Qing army suffered heavy casualties and fled in disarray.

Upon seeing this, Zhou An shouted, "Kill! His Highness has ordered that we annihilate them all!"

"kill!"

The soldiers immediately raised their guns and launched a fierce charge.

Under the torrential rain, large numbers of Qing soldiers fled in panic, some kneeling to surrender, some were brutally killed, and others disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, at the Ming army's garrison, the remaining Ming soldiers, seemingly oblivious to the distant sounds of gunfire, continued to rest and regroup.

About three hours later, when it was already evening, Zhou An and the others returned to report on the results of the battle.

The exact number of Qing soldiers who died is impossible to estimate. All that is known is that the mountains and fields were covered with corpses, and very few were able to escape. Although some did manage to escape, it was no different from a complete annihilation.

Zhu Di and his men were not surprised at all by the results of the battle.

If they can't kill so many Qing soldiers with so many modern firearms, then these guys might as well just go eat rice.

Rest for a night.

The rain was still falling the next day, but it had lessened considerably.

The group continued their march.

When passing by the battlefield, although the sky was overcast, the field of vision was still quite wide, and we could see it clearly.

On both sides of the official road, near the small hills, within a radius of about one or two kilometers, the trees were broken by blasting, the soil and rocks were turned upside down, and there were fallen trees and uprooted grass everywhere.

Countless corpses lay in these places, many of them in horrific condition, either blown to pieces or shot and left bleeding profusely.

Under the heavy rain, the corpses of the Qing soldiers who had their heads shaved were scattered everywhere like white pigs that had been shaved, in groups of three or five, and in piles.

"Pooh!"

The Ming soldiers who were passing by all spat when they saw this.

They spit not because the other person is their enemy, but because of their attire.

Each of them wore a short blue jacket with the front lapels facing right, and a straw hat or headscarf on their heads. When the straw hat was lifted, a money rat tail was revealed.

This was clearly different from traditional Han Chinese clothing and hairstyle, which naturally drew disdain from the soldiers.

Zhu Yunfeng, Zhu Di, Xu Da, and others also felt displeased with these traitors who sold out their country for personal gain.

Although these were all Han Chinese, the Qing army was very undisciplined. Once they encountered resistance during a siege, they would massacre the city, burn, kill, and loot, committing numerous atrocities that made people grit their teeth in hatred.

The Han Chinese soldiers of the Qing army, as the perpetrators of violence, acted as lackeys of a foreign race, which can be described as aiding and abetting the enemy, and naturally they were despised by the Qing army.

Soon the army continued forward along the mountain road, passing through Yuezhou and reaching Guiding County.

By this time, the remaining few thousand Qing soldiers had already fled to Guiding County to hide. The county gates were tightly closed, and the people outside the city had also fled into the mountains to hide. The city was as quiet as a ghost town.

Zhu Di had no interest in Guiding County. He passed by the county in a grand procession, and on the way, he used a loudspeaker to tell the people in the city to collect the corpses in the wild to prevent an outbreak of plague.

The magistrate of Guiding County and a few remaining Qing army officers huddled on the city wall, trembling with fear and staring blankly at the group of people in the distance, not daring to retaliate against their provocation.

joke.

They hadn't even seen the enemy, yet their 30,000-strong force had suffered heavy casualties and was almost completely annihilated. Going out of the city at this point would be suicide.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Ming army leave.

The enemy is far too powerful; they are no match for them. Let the governor worry about this.

at the same time.

The next day, Bian Sanyuan, the governor of Guizhou, also learned of the army's crushing defeat.

He immediately sent someone to inform Zhao Tingchen, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, and summoned Zhang Weiyang, the Inspector General of Guizhou, Xu Hongye, the Prefect of Guizhou, and others to discuss the matter.

However, after much discussion, they could not come up with any plan, so they could only choose to mobilize all the armies to defend Guiyang, and at the same time, they hurriedly went to find Yuan Kuoyu to discuss with him that if the enemy attacked Guiyang, they would launch a pincer attack.

On June 18, the Ming army arrived at the gates of Guiyang without any hindrance. Xu Da and Zhu Di had some disagreements about whether to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements or to take Guiyang immediately and then advance on Kunming.

Zhu Di believed that they should take Guiyang and then immediately go to Kunming, which would relieve Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan of their worries and protect the Yongli Emperor.

He still enjoyed showing off his ancestors' achievements to his descendants, and he was pleased to see the emperors bowing down to him. He didn't want Emperor Yongli to die so soon.

However, Xu Da believed that besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements would effectively kill Qing troops in the Yunnan-Guizhou region. He thought it would be best to get reinforcements from Kunming, which would make it much easier for them to take Kunming.

Ultimately, one was considering a surprise attack, and the other was considering the impact on the overall war situation. It's not that Zhu Di's strategy was bad.

However, considering the strategic and tactical situation, the two sides are roughly equal in strength. Now that the Ming army has a crushing advantage over the Qing army, there is no need to think so rigorously.

Therefore, in the end, Zhu Yunfeng supported Zhu Di's idea: just go for it.

"The advantage is on my side, how can we lose when the dragons are charging in?"

These are Zhu Yunfeng's original words.

Even though this flag was incredibly strong, he didn't think they could lose the battle at all. If they were to lose, Zhu Di and Xu Da might as well hang themselves.

Now that you've made the decision, go for it!

Around noon, Guiyang was experiencing a light drizzle. The distance from Guiding to Guiyang is only about 50 kilometers, and there was already a wide road with hills and mountains on both sides. The road was quite wide and would only take a day to travel.

However, the roads became muddy and impassable due to the rain, slowing the march and taking a day and a half to reach the eastern outskirts of Guiyang.

Guiyang city was built during the Hongwu era and is located on the north bank of the Nanmen River, which later became the Guiyang Nanming River. The city was renovated during the Ming and Qing dynasties and is magnificent and tall, known as having nine gates and four pavilions.

Near the East Gate is the Wenchang Pavilion, built in 1596. The pavilion is higher than the city wall, and from the top of the pavilion, one can overlook the entire area outside the East City.

Upon learning of the approaching Ming army, Bian Sanyuan immediately ascended the Wenchang Pavilion to observe.

He saw about four or five thousand soldiers outside the city, transporting supplies in strange vehicles, slowly making their way to the east gate of the city.

Upon seeing this, Bian Sanyuan pondered for a moment and then sent someone out of the city to negotiate with the other party.

He didn't care about the outcome of the negotiations; his only goal was to buy time and wait for reinforcements from Yunnan and Hunan to arrive.

Therefore, we should delay as long as possible.

What he didn't know was that, in the light drizzle, a shadow like that of a hummingbird had appeared overhead, overlooking the entire city of Guiyang and seeing everything inside and outside the city.

"They've gathered everyone in the eastern part of the city." At this moment, outside the eastern part of Guiyang, at the temporary encampment of the Ming army, Zhu Yunfeng and his men were observing the situation inside their tents through videos transmitted by drones.

They saw a large number of Qing soldiers swarming to the east city wall, preparing defensive equipment such as rolling stones, logs, and cannons.

Although the rain was very unfavorable for artillery defense, the Qing army still set up tents on the city wall and covered the cannons with tarpaulins, which could achieve a surprise effect.

"Hehe, you idiot, there's a small hill here, probably only forty or fifty meters high. I think it's about four or five kilometers from the city. How about we position the mortar here?"

Zhu Di quickly noticed a suitable location for placing artillery.

Just then, someone outside reported: "Report! Some enemy soldiers have come out of the city, saying they've come to negotiate with us."

"Oh?"

Zhu Di said in surprise, "They actually have the guts to come out. Let them come over."

"Yes."

The soldiers went out.

After a while, Yang Wencai, the Guiyang Assistant Magistrate who had been sent to negotiate, came in.

He was wearing a narrow-sleeved, front-opening Qing Dynasty official robe, but he didn't wear a peacock feather or court beads on his head. He just wore a small warm hat, which looked a bit like the clothes of a Qing Dynasty zombie in a Lam Ching-ying movie.

In fact, two years after the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, the Qing Dynasty forced officials to shave their heads and change their clothes. Over the years, the style of official robes was gradually established, and this is basically the format.

Han Chinese officials were not eligible to wear the peacock feather unless it was a special honor bestowed by the Manchu emperor; otherwise, only Manchus could wear it.

Therefore, the official robes of the Qing Dynasty at present are similar to those in later TV dramas, but there are also many differences.

After entering, Yang Wencai first glanced around the tent. Seeing the amused looks on everyone's faces, he felt a chill and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, the Ming Dynasty has fallen, not because of the Qing Dynasty, but because of Li Zicheng. Our Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming system, entered the pass, defeated Li Zicheng, and avenged the Ming Emperor. We are rightfully entitled to inherit the throne; this is the mandate of Heaven. Why then do you rise up in rebellion and defy the will of Heaven?"

Ancient people believed in the will of Heaven, especially the common people. He thought the other side was a peasant uprising army, but he just didn't understand why the other side was so powerful.

This has nothing to do with his ability, but rather a difference in perception.

However, Zhu Di sneered, "Heaven's will? Heaven's will is nothing! My Ming Dynasty is gone, and I'm not happy about it, so I've come. You want to persuade me to surrender? Do you know who I am?"

I?
Yang Wencai was startled.

Are these rebel armies really that fierce?

How dare he declare himself emperor?
His mind raced, and suddenly a chill ran down his spine.

Because if the other side declared itself emperor, it would mean a complete break with the Qing Dynasty, leaving no possibility of surrender.

This means the other party has no way out. If they are unhappy, they can kill him as a sacrifice, and then they will lose their lives here.

Even though everyone knows this trip is fraught with danger, who wouldn't want to live?
Yang Wencai forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and asked, "May I ask your name?"

"I am Zhu Di, the Taizong Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di pointed to Xu Da beside him and said, "This is Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan. Do you think I will surrender to you Jurchen Tartars?"

Yang Wencai was dumbfounded.

Not only did the other side rebel, but they also impersonated Zhu Di?

If you're so awesome, why don't you impersonate Zhu Yuanzhang?
Moreover, Xu Da has also come.

Judging from the other person's age, he should be around thirty. Xu Da would have died long ago if Zhu Di were that age. Did he not study history well?

"I know you don't believe me, but that's alright. You'll believe me once I've slaughtered all the Tartars in Guiyang."

Zhu Di said calmly, "Bian Sanyuan sent you here to buy time, didn't he? Actually, it doesn't matter whether we buy time or not. I will kill as many Manchu Tartars as come. Take them out and let them see how easily Guiyang was captured by me."

Yang Wencai was completely bewildered by the current situation, yet he still shouted, "Regardless of whether you are Zhu Di or not, the Qing Dynasty has now been established, possessing the land of China and a million soldiers. Your resistance is tantamount to throwing eggs against rocks. Why don't you make plans sooner?"

"Idiot, we'll chop him up after he finishes watching the fireworks, so he can die in peace."

Zhu Di waved his hand, then ordered, "Mao Xiang."

"The minister is here."

"Go, set up mortar positions and blast the east gate of Guiyang."

"Yes."

Mao Xiang immediately went out.

In the drizzling rain, squads of Hongwu soldiers, carrying mortars and a large number of shells, headed toward a distant hillside.

There were some red-coated cannons in Guiyang, but they were too far away to hit them.

Yang Wencai has already been taken outside the tent.

Zhu Yunfeng and the others also came out and stood on the small hill outside the tent, looking into the distance.

Their location is a little far from Guiyang, about seven or eight kilometers away.

However, they all use industrial-grade drones with flight distances of over 40 kilometers, and some military drones have flight distances exceeding several hundred kilometers.

However, this is already the limit, because the control consoles required for military drones that fly tens of thousands of kilometers are very high-end, and they cannot bring them.

Even a drone that can fly hundreds of kilometers requires a control console equivalent to a computer mainframe.

In contrast, a regular drone only requires a small handle, making it much simpler.

Under the observation of the drone, the situation of Guiyang's city defenses was completely exposed. The artillerymen skillfully adjusted the position of the gun barrels, adjusted the direction and distance, and aimed the sights near the city wall.

"Are you ready?"

Zhu Di waited for about 15 minutes before asking through the walkie-talkie.

"Ready."

The brush pen answered.

"fire!"

"Yes, fire!"

Mao Xiang shouted.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

The next second, thousands of shells rained down on the direction of Guiyang's East Gate.

Bian Sanyuan and the others, who were still waiting for Yang Wencai to return at Wenchang Pavilion, were wondering why they heard strange noises.

When they looked up again, countless dark objects were falling towards them.

Before they could react.

"Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, and the entire east gate trembled and cracked instantly, as if an earthquake had struck.

However, this was just the beginning; thousands more shells followed.

At this time, the garrison in Guiyang City was less than 10,000 men, most of whom were in the eastern part of the city. After three rounds of artillery fire, no more than 1,000 men could still stand up.

Yang Wencai stared in astonishment at all this. No one expected that the east gate of Guiyang, a city with high walls and thick walls, would collapse in an instant.

Even tens of thousands of red-coated cannons couldn't achieve this effect.

"Take Guiyang!"

Zhu Di waved his hand and said, "Not a single Jurchen Tartar in the city shall be spared, and every official of the puppet Qing shall be beheaded!"

"kill!"

The Ming soldiers charged toward the city like a tsunami.

Just a quarter of an hour later.

Guiyang has changed hands, and the city is now awash in blood.

(End of this chapter)