Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 276 Southwest Tremor
Amidst the fierce gunfire, the night raid quickly failed, with almost none of the eight thousand soldiers sent out surviving.

When Wu Sangui learned of the news, he was utterly devastated.

The enemy is extremely fierce in field battles, siege battles, skirmishes, and night battles.

It was as if an eye was watching them from the sky every hour of the day, so clear that even at night, they could not get close at all.

This means that the enemy has almost no weaknesses, making it a huge problem to defeat them.

Is it really the only option to give up Kunming, this hard-won base?

Wu Sangui felt increasingly lost.

Zhu Di didn't care about Wu Sangui's hesitation. The next morning, he continued his march, his troops heading straight for Kunming. He swaggered along the way, completely disregarding the Qing army.

The distance from Qujing to Kunming is very short, only about 130 kilometers. Once we enter Yunnan, we will pick up the pace and expect to arrive in two days.

That means the earliest it will arrive is June 28th, and the latest it will be June 29th, leaving Wu Sangui with very little time to consider.

However, before Zhu Di arrived, the advance team led by Chen Gui and Yang Heng had already reached the outskirts of Kunming.

This caused panic and unease among the city's garrison.

By this time, news of the Qing army's repeated defeats had already reached Kunming, and rumors spread throughout the city, claiming that this Ming army was invincible and that even the general had suffered repeated defeats.

Kunming was in turmoil for a time, with many deserters appearing and many troops stationed outside the city sneaking away in the middle of the night.

Therefore, Wu Sangui had to suppress the panic in the army while searching for a solution.

On the advice of his advisors, he decided to send someone to make contact with the Ming army to find out what their purpose was.

However, to Wu Sangui's surprise, this small Ming army unit did not stay in Kunming at all. It only camped outside Kunming for one night and set off again the next day.

Only five hundred people.

The Qing army, numbering over 100,000, was stationed inside and outside Kunming at this time. They simply watched as these 500 men swaggered in and camped outside the city for one night before leaving the next day.

As they left, they even sniped and killed dozens of scouts who dared to come and investigate, greatly deterring the Kunming garrison.

It was late June, and Yunnan enjoyed spring-like weather all year round with very pleasant temperatures.

The wide official road was unobstructed.

Chen Gui and Yang Heng sat on a tricycle, with soldiers pedaling hard in front of them. Nearby, several drone pilots were operating drones to survey the surrounding area.

The remaining tricycles were covered with solar charging panels, and people were taking advantage of the fine weather to charge their drones.

Under the bright sunshine, Chen Gui took a sip of water and casually said to Yang Heng, "Old Yang, aren't we being a bit too conspicuous? Just setting up camp outside Kunming like this, completely disregarding them."

"That's what it means to disregard them."

Yang Heng fiddled with his tablet, observing whether any cavalry were chasing after him.

"How to say?"

"Firstly, it's to suppress the arrogance of the Tartars, and secondly, it's to spread the news as quickly as possible. Our five hundred men have intimidated more than 100,000 people in Kunming, making them afraid to move. After Your Highness and the others take Kunming, we can quickly intimidate the entire Yunnan and Guizhou region. This is good news for both the people's hearts and minds and for Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan, and others who are still on the southwestern border. Moreover, this will also make it easier for them to make contact with us, rather than become hostile to us."

"Oh?"

Chen Gui asked in surprise, "Did His Highness tell you this before we set off?"

"No, it was my own idea."

Yang Heng shook his head.

This is actually a problem that Zhu Di and Xu Da should have been considering.

But when the advantage is too great, people become too lazy to think.

With a million troops and only a hundred men, victory is easily achieved by simply attacking, so there's no desire to devise any strategic or tactical plans.

However, in recent years, the Hongwu army has also been gradually receiving modern military training courses, especially in the last six months.

Since it became fully integrated with modernity, it has not only improved and guided modern construction, but also education, economy, industry, military and other aspects.

The soldiers in Hongwu's army were also gradually changing, and the first to change were the middle and lower-ranking officers in the army.

They not only received several years of education, such as literacy, map reading, and various military operations, but also developed a certain level of tactical and strategic thinking.

In this situation, a mid-level officer like Yang Heng, who was relatively quick-witted, naturally took initiative and came up with some ideas.

"of course."

Yang Heng added at the end, "While you were sleeping, I secretly asked His Highness for permission, and His Highness said it was okay."

"."

Chen Gui felt a chill run down his spine.

The real chill is not from a big argument, but from being betrayed by a good brother.

He never expected his good friend to pull this stunt.

If this strategy report is submitted, won't His Highness the Prince of Yan greatly appreciate him? Won't he be set for the future?
Chen Gui wanted to cry but had no tears.

Brother, are you going to drive a Land Rover?

"hey-hey."

Seeing his constipated expression, Yang Heng chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I meant we came up with it together."

"Brothers."

Chen Gui immediately beamed and hugged him tightly, saying, "I knew you weren't the type to mess around."

What Chen Gui was actually unhappy about was that Yang Heng made the decision without consulting him.

After all, they were all military commanders in this team. Before they left, Zhu Di told them that they should discuss things carefully with each other, and only report to him if they couldn't make a decision.

As a result, Yang Heng bypassed him and reported directly, which was a serious betrayal. Chen Gui almost decided to sever ties with him.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Yang Heng explained, "When I thought of it yesterday, you took men to scout Kunming. I was afraid that if we continued marching, we would pass Kunming and wouldn't be able to camp outside the city, so I ordered a halt to the advance. But when you came back, you were acting all mysterious and didn't come to see me. I still had to set up sentry posts and camps, so I didn't have much time to go to your tent."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Chen Gui waved his hands repeatedly.

"Speaking of which, you came back so mysteriously yesterday, what were you up to? Did you steal something?"

Yang Heng frowned.

Chen Gui pulled a military water bottle from his pocket and chuckled, "Look, what's this?"

A scent of wine wafted into the air.

Yang Heng exclaimed in surprise, "You managed to get your hands on some more alcohol?"

Drinking was actually forbidden in the army; if caught, one would certainly be punished by Xu Da and Zhu Di.

The wine from before was also hidden by Chen Gui; he only hid a little bit, and the two of them had already finished it.

Unexpectedly, Yang Heng went out and came back with more wine.

"Hehe, have a drink."

"Then just a little."

The two shared the water bottle, and Yang Heng couldn't help but sigh, "It would be great if we had another pack of cigarettes. I saw His Highness secretly smoking one earlier."

"Yes, although the instructors from later generations were strict, they really shared good things with us. But His Highness forbids us from smoking and drinking, yet he sneaks in by himself. It's like he's allowed to do whatever he wants."

Chen Gui and Yang Heng began whispering to each other, talking about Zhu Di.

at this time.

More than 70 kilometers away, Zhu Di left Yilong Fort, stood on a small hill ridge, sneezed, and cursed, "Damn it, it's quite cold in these mountains at night."

Xu Da said from the side, "Your Highness, please take care of your health."

"It's alright, I brought all kinds of medicine. Where are we now?"

"Once we cross this mountain, we should reach Songming Prefecture."

"We'll be in Kunming soon then."

Zhu Di stood on the small hill ridge, gazing into the distance.

In the distance lies a vast plain, with some hills, but they are generally not high. Farmland stretches out in all directions, and villages dot the landscape, making it a fertile land.

This area is now known as Songming County in Yunnan Province. Reaching this point marks the true departure from the continuous mountain ranges. Southwest of Songming County, past what will later become Kunming Changshui International Airport, lies Kunming.

There weren't many tall buildings at that time.

It is the season of summer and autumn, with clear and dry weather. As far as the eye can see, clouds and mist drift between the plains and hills, making it seem like a land above the clouds. It truly deserves the reputation of being the land of colorful clouds in the south.

Seeing this beautiful scenery, Zhu Di was in a very good mood. He waved his hand and said, "This place is nice. Let's camp here tonight, get a good rest, and then slowly make our way to Kunming tomorrow."

"Oh?"

Xu Da was puzzled. He thought Zhu Di would be in a hurry to go to Kunming, so he said, "Why don't we continue the march and press on in one go?"

"It's alright, you Tartar chickens and dogs, the slower we go, the more terrified they will be."

Zhu Di said with a smile, "I really don't want to bomb Kunming into ruins. If we scare them into running out of Kunming, we can ambush them outside the city and catch them off guard."

If possible, Zhu Di actually preferred open field battles.

Although they could easily breach the city, even if the Southern Ming were to restore the country, it would be impossible to modernize it immediately. The city would still be of great use for at least the next few decades.

With constant uprisings by local chieftains throughout Yunnan, if he were to blow up the Kunming city wall, it would be a waste of money and effort to repair it later, which wouldn't be worthwhile.

Therefore, if we take a long-term view, it is naturally best to keep the land but not the people.

Kill all the Qing soldiers and Tartars, but leave the city and its inhabitants intact.

After all, using howitzers to bombard the ground could easily injure innocent civilians and cause serious damage to the city.

Secondly, it will also damage the city's buildings and walls.

In Zhu Di's eyes, that was his Kunming city. He even needed to place a stone tablet in Kunming to receive the Hongwu army. He couldn't leave behind an abandoned city destroyed by cannon fire as a major rear base.

"Yes, Your Highness is right."

Xu Da thought it made sense, so he nodded and said, "Then let's listen to what Your Highness says. The soldiers are exhausted from traveling for days, so a good rest for a day is good."

The Ming army is currently stationed and resting on the plains outside Songming County, and can officially set off for Kunming tomorrow.

Zhu Di was unaware of what his military campaign had brought to the southwest.

As the Ming army captured Guiyang and successively defeated the Qing army that was blocking their way, they approached Kunming day by day, and the entire southwest was in an uproar.

The news spread like wildfire.

All over Yunnan knew that a powerful Ming army was marching towards Kunming. The Qing army was terrified, but the anti-Qing patriots in Yunnan were overjoyed. The news quickly spread like wildfire.

At this moment, on the southwestern border, where Myanmar and the Qing Dynasty meet, there is an old town. The town is not tall, and it is in a state of disrepair. There are few people living in the town, and only a few soldiers come and go.

This is Menggan City, one of the southwesternmost areas of the former Ming Dynasty, which is actually Kengtung in Shan State, Myanmar.

If viewed from above, one would see that this place is surrounded by mountains, with only a valley below. Menggan City is located in the center of the valley, with a river flowing through it and some small lakes around it.

The farmland was crisscrossed with tall tropical plants, and the forests were dense. There were countless snakes, insects, rodents and ants. It was June or July, and the air was filled with sweltering heat.

In Menggan City, at Li Dingguo's residence, his subordinate Wu Sansheng rushed into the house and shouted to him, "Prince Jin, Prince Jin, great news!"

Li Dingguo has been feeling very heavy-hearted lately.

Although the Battle of Mopanshan was a victory, it was a Pyrrhic one.

Because of the betrayal of Lu Guisheng, the ambush was ineffective, allowing the Qing army to anticipate the crisis.

Although he killed and wounded tens of thousands of elite Qing troops, and even killed many Qing generals, the Ming army also suffered heavy casualties.

He had gathered 12,000 men and laid an ambush at Mopan Mountain. After the battle, only 6,000 or 7,000 men remained, which means he lost nearly half of his men.

Left with no other choice, he had to retreat to Menglian, which is now Lancang County in Yunnan Province. After that, he was active in Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, and Kengtung and Mengla in Myanmar.

With few troops and a lack of bases to replenish supplies and manpower, Li Dingguo was exhausted. At only forty-one years old, he already looked weathered and his temples were gray.

At this moment, he was studying the map and thinking about his next move: whether to search for the whereabouts of Emperor Yongli or to reunite with Bai Wenxuan.

Upon hearing Wu Sansheng's words, he looked up. The door to the simple wooden house opened, and sunlight fell on his face, which was filled with confusion.

He had no idea what great news awaited him in this desperate situation.

The first thing Wu Sansheng said upon entering was with obvious delight: "Your Highness, our men have captured Tongren, Yuezhou, Guiyang, Anshun, and Qujing in succession, and are now heading towards Kunming."

"what?"

Li Dingguo's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"It really is His Highness."

Knowing he didn't believe him, Wu Sansheng immediately said, "Our scouts went to see for themselves. The Tartars had set up an ambush in the mountains, but our men broke through it, and the mountains were covered with Tartar corpses. That old dog, the governor of Guizhou, was hiding in Guiyang City, but our men attacked and captured him, leaving no trace of his body. After that, they continued their advance, conquering cities and territories along the way, and now the whole southwest knows about it."

After the Qing army entered the pass, it not only caused a large number of massacres, but also forced people to shave their heads and change their clothes, while continuing to levy high taxes as in the late Ming Dynasty, which led to widespread resentment among the people.

It was only at this time that ordinary people remembered the goodness of the Ming Dynasty.

At least the Ming Dynasty didn't massacre its own people, nor did it force them to shave their heads with that ugly "money-tail" hairstyle.

As a result, in addition to the constant uprisings, there were also quite a few people who secretly helped the rebel army.

However, the Southern Ming court was truly incompetent; even after fleeing to Yunnan, internal strife and corruption continued unabated.

Moreover, it wasn't just the imperial court; the rebel armies left over from the Daxi and Dashun regimes, including those led by Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu, Li Dingguo, and Bai Wenxuan, were also constantly embroiled in internal strife.

The result was infighting and infighting in the imperial court and the army, making it impossible to unite as one. As a result, the Qing dynasty defeated them one by one, and they were eventually defeated. Some died in battle, and others surrendered, leaving them almost at their wits' end.

The only remaining point is that Emperor Yongli was relatively lenient during his three years in Yunnan, treating the people fairly well and accumulating some goodwill. In addition, the Qing court and Wu Sangui were inhumane, levying exorbitant taxes and levies in Yunnan, which made many people in Yunnan sympathize with Emperor Yongli.

As a result, some troops chose to participate in Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan's campaign, while others helped to relay the news, which allowed Li Dingguo to know in advance and escape when Wu Sangui besieged Lancang.

But that's all.

Now everyone knows that the Manchu Qing dynasty is doomed and the Ming dynasty has no hope of restoration. So how could a powerful Ming army possibly appear and conquer territory in the heart of the Manchu Qing territory?

Therefore, Li Dingguo did not believe it at all, and said solemnly, "Sansheng, do not fall for the trap. This must be a conspiracy by the Tartars."

"Your Highness, it's not a conspiracy. The news has spread throughout the southwest, and many chieftains still loyal to the Ming Dynasty have confirmed it. Many have sent people to contact us."

Wu Sansheng advised, "One or two might be a conspiracy, but if they are all like that, and the news is spreading everywhere, then it's no longer a conspiracy."

"Well"

Upon hearing Wu Sansheng's words, Li Dingguo realized the seriousness of the matter and fell into deep thought.

Because Wu Sansheng is right.

They had already reached this point, so there was no need for the Qing to fabricate a Ming army to lure them in; doing so would only damage the morale of the Qing.

If the news spreads like this, what if the local chieftains and people in the southwest believe it and think that the Qing Dynasty is doomed in the southwest, and they raise the banner of rebellion in response?
Therefore, if it were a conspiracy, the Qing Dynasty court wouldn't be so foolish as to be that stupid.

This means there's only one possibility—this is true!
There really is a Ming Dynasty army causing chaos in the southwest, and they have even become so powerful that they can attack Kunming.

Li Dingguo hurriedly said, "Tell me quickly what exactly happened."

Wu Sansheng then recounted how Zhu Di's army suddenly appeared in Hunan, then marched all the way from Hunan to Guizhou, and then from Guizhou to Yunnan.

Since the main population of Guizhou and Yunnan at that time consisted of local chieftains and relatively few Han Chinese, the news was actually spread by the chieftains of the cities that the Ming army conquered along the way.

They were quite adept at traversing mountains and valleys, and they informed the local chieftains who were dissatisfied with the Qing regime and the remaining Ming army rebels about the matter. The story spread by word of mouth, and the situation became increasingly outrageous.

Some say that the Ming soldiers all possessed magic, and could kill the Tartars from a great distance with their magic. Various explosions were heard continuously, and after the battle, the ground was littered with Tartar corpses.

Some say that each Ming soldier was ten feet tall and had a waist circumference of eight feet, as big as a small mountain. They could defeat the Tartars with a single punch, causing the Tartars to be routed.

Some even exaggerate their kill counts.

From the initial killing of 70,000 to 80,000 people, by the time it reached Li Dingguo, the number had already exceeded 500,000, which made Li Dingguo frown.

However, it was precisely because of this that he was certain the news was true.

After all, there's no smoke without fire; there must be a reason behind it.

If such a thing hadn't happened, how could it have attracted so many chieftains and common people in the southwest to spread the word?
The truth of the matter is still unknown, but Li Dingguo made a decision in a short time and immediately said: "Spread this news throughout the entire army."

Wu Sansheng continued, "Your Highness, this is a good opportunity for us to return. Putting aside everything else, our scouts just reported that most of the Tartars in Puer Prefecture, Shunning Prefecture, and other places have returned to Kunming. Our scouts saw this with their own eyes!"

"Ah."

Li Dingguo realized that the time had come, so he immediately said, "Alright, let's raise an army immediately and go back!"

at the same time.

Zhu Di's army is approaching the walls of Kunming, causing shockwaves throughout the southwest!

(End of this chapter)