Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 291 Charging into Guangzhou City and Capturing Shang Kexi Alive

The battle began at 9:00 AM and lasted until 6:00 PM.

Actually, it was basically over by around 11 a.m.

After two hours of bombardment by howitzers, air-to-ground missiles, and mortars.

The entire Qing army camp, encompassing a vast area of ​​several square kilometers across the front, middle, and rear battalions, was almost completely razed to the ground.

Hundreds of thousands of Qing soldiers were either killed by bombs or blasts, and those who survived were barely alive. Fewer than 10,000 were unharmed.

The next phase involved encircling and annihilating these thousands of people, and finishing off those who were on the verge of death.

Drones and unmanned helicopters were deployed in full force to search for ground targets.

The chase lasted a long time.

At 3 p.m., Lao Zhu and his group descended the mountain and arrived at the front line of the battlefield.

A strong, burnt smell hit you right in the face.

Then came the strange, nauseating smell of blood, earth, grass, and gunpowder.

Zhu Yunfeng did not come.

Boss Zhu is kind-hearted and can't bear to see such a bloody scene.

In fact, Zhu Yunfeng had been playing mobile games since the explosion, and only Zhu Yunfeng and Zhu Di were watching the drone footage.

As modern people, we are not unaware of how devastating war can be.

But the country has protected us too well.

Even though international criminal groups like Onsa and the Squid commit inhumane genocide everywhere, CCTV will censor the images to avoid shocking our young minds.

Therefore, people like Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He have always refused to listen to or watch those particularly bloody and brutal scenes, pretending not to know about them.

If it were Zhu De's son, he would definitely force them to go and see for themselves, to understand the cruelty of war.

But Zhu Yunfeng had the confidence.

He doesn't need to know these things. He doesn't have the position of General Who Conquers the North to inherit, so what's the point of knowing these things?
Those who went with Zhu Yuanzhang included Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan and other Southern Ming generals, as well as Li Laiheng, Yuan Zongdi and the thirteen families of Kuidong, and some chieftains from the southwest who had defected to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Everyone stared blankly at what was happening before them.

The Qing army camps that once stretched as far as the eye could see, consisting of three super-large camps and hundreds of smaller camps, have now been reduced to scorched earth.

Although they had vaguely seen these things on the mountain before, they were too far away.

At that time, all the drone pilots were operating unmanned helicopters. Only a few pilots were arranged around Zhu Di and Zhu Laozhu to adjust the camera view. No one showed them the overhead view.

Therefore, they could only observe through binoculars from a mountaintop several kilometers away, and naturally, the view was not very clear.

Only when you get close can you truly feel the terror.

What came into view was a blood-red world. Chongqing's soil is mainly red and yellow, which is already reddish in color. After being soaked in blood, it became even more vividly red.

The ground looked as if it had been plowed, with all the soil turned upside down, and there were fallen and broken trees and mangled pieces of corpses everywhere.

"vomit!"

Li Laiheng, Yuan Zongdi, and others were also veterans who had been on the battlefield for a long time. Seeing the mutilated limbs piled up like mountains and the blood seeping into the soil and flowing like rivers, they were deeply moved.

Some of the craters were filled with corpses, their blood soaking into pools of blood, which made me want to vomit.

Even Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan felt their throats churning and their stomachs heaving.

This scene is so impactful.

If it were just one or two pieces of corpses, it would be fine, but the problem is that there are densely packed ones in front of me, and there are hardly any complete human figures.

The mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, piled up from hundreds of thousands of people, looked as terrifying as if it were in hell.

"Humph."

Seeing the many Southern Ming generals behind him retching, Zhu sneered and said, "You can't even withstand this little scene? Do you know that the Tartars massacred tens of millions of Han Chinese people, leaving corpses everywhere in city after city?"

"Forehead"

The group exchanged glances.

Hao Yaoqi hurriedly said, "His Majesty the Great Ancestor is a celestial being, a true dragon emperor one in ten thousand. We are merely mortals on earth, and naturally cannot compare with His Majesty."

"hehe."

Old Zhu chuckled and said, "Alright, have your men collect the corpses and burn them all. Although the weather is cold and there's no risk of disease, leaving the corpses exposed in the wilderness for too long could spread the plague."

"Yes."

Everyone readily agreed.

That's basically all they're good for.

They escorted the supplies, created a stir, and finally moved and burned the corpses.

As soon as the battle ended, Old Zhu got the MVP award, while the rest of them were just easy wins.

"Father, I'm taking men to take down that scoundrel Wu Sangui now."

How many shells are left?

"We've used up all our howitzers and air-to-ground missiles. We still have a few mortars left, but not many."

"Well, you take your men and go. It's a pity that Wu Sangui is so cowardly and runs faster than a rabbit. If he were here too, it would save us the trouble of chasing after him."

"This period of time is perfect for transporting more artillery shells from the rear."

"Ah."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "In this battle of Chongqing, the main force of the Tartars was almost wiped out. When the time comes, I will go to Jiangnan, and you and Wenzhong will lead the troops to the north and take Beijing directly."

"it is good."

Zhu Di became excited and, without hesitation, boarded the Dongfeng Warrior and summoned 10,000 infantrymen to march north towards Tongchuan overnight.

By 6 p.m., almost all the remaining Qing troops had been wiped out.

In addition to the main Qing army located west of Chongqing Prefecture, Li Wenzhong also led his men to wipe out a small number of Qing army camps located south, east, and north of Chongqing Prefecture.

The exact number of deaths is unknown.

However, based on previous drone reconnaissance and reports from scouts, the total number of Qing forces should be around 400,000.

Ao Bai brought about 60,000 to 70,000 Manchu, Han and Mongol troops from Beijing, along with more than 100,000 Green Standard Army soldiers, totaling about 240,000 to 250,000.

Next came Li Guoying's troops in Sichuan, Wang Yizheng's troops in Shaanxi, and Zhang Changgeng's troops in Hubei, each with between 30,000 and 50,000 men. In addition, there were other small local troops, totaling more than 100,000 men.

It's truly a pity that Wu Sangui's troops didn't come; otherwise, his more than 100,000 men would have been wiped out here, and Zhu Yuanzhang would have been able to kill 500,000 Qing soldiers in one go, which is about three-fifths of the entire Qing army.

According to early Qing dynasty military statistics, the total number of Manchu, Han, and Mongol Eight Banner soldiers was around 200,000. The Green Standard Army numbered 600,000, and the total military strength of the entire country was only 800,000.

However, historical records do not include the armies of vassal kings such as Wu Sangui, Geng Jimao, and Shang Kexi.

Therefore, if their troops are also included, the total military strength of the country at that time could reach more than one million, which was quite considerable.

Even so, this battle dealt a heavy blow to the Qing Dynasty.

After all, the entire 400,000-strong army had been wiped out, and now the entire Qing court only had 200,000 troops in the southeast to guard against Zheng Chenggong, tens of thousands of Eight Banners soldiers in Beijing, and more than 100,000 troops stationed throughout the country.

This means that half of the Qing government's elite troops were lost in Chongqing, and Beijing was already in grave danger.

Their power will be weakened once again.

When Zhu Yuanzhang led his troops north, Fu Youde, Lan Yu, Feng Sheng, Tang Shengzong, Lu Zhongheng and others each led a thousand Hongwu soldiers and three thousand Southern Ming troops to raid Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan.

While Zhu Yuanzhang was launching a full-scale attack on Ao Bai, Guangxi and Hunan had already been conquered by them, and Feng Sheng and Lan Yu had already arrived outside Guangzhou.

The journey from Kunming to Guangzhou was over a thousand kilometers, and they also had to conquer Guangxi along the way. Although there wasn't much resistance along the way, the distance was simply too far, and it could be said that they spent most of their time traveling.

It was early winter in October, but Guangzhou was bathed in sunshine.

Although during the Little Ice Age, local gazetteers in Guangdong record that there were 22 snowfalls in Guangdong during the Ming and Qing Dynasties from 1488 to 1893, with Guangzhou recording 11 of them.

Even during the Little Ice Age, it only caused a few occasional weather anomalies in Guangdong. Most of the time, even in winter, the temperature remained around 20 degrees Celsius, resulting in very pleasant weather with blue skies, white clouds, and sunshine as clear as spring.

Feng Sheng and Lan Yu sat on the back of the tricycle, sitting on small stools, looking like two poor farmers who had come to the city to work.

In fact, Feng Sheng was just like a farmer.

His skin was dark, his face weathered, and when he squatted down with his hands tucked into his sleeves, he looked no different from a farmer.

However, those around him dared not underestimate him.

Among the founding generals of the Ming Dynasty, he was second only to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun in terms of both achievements and abilities, and could compete with Li Wenzhong and Fu Youde for third place.

As the tricycle creaked and groaned, the distant city of Guangzhou came into view.

The gates of Guangzhou were now tightly shut, and the red-coated cannons on the city walls were aimed at the west gate. A large crowd of people were nervously looking into the distance.

Compared to Wu Sangui's army of over 100,000, the other three commanders, Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao, were much weaker.

Shang Kexi was assigned a force of 9000 men by the Qing government. After arriving in Guangzhou, he secretly expanded his forces, bringing the total to only about 20,000 men, which was hardly enough to command a large army.

In addition, the Qing Dynasty had few troops stationed in Guangzhou, Guangxi and other places, and the local chieftains had surrendered to the Southern Ming. As a result, the Ming army was able to conquer cities and territories along the way without any obstacles.

Under these circumstances, Shang Kexi could only retreat into Guangzhou city and try to put up a stubborn resistance using the city walls.

The Ming army arrived at a point about seven or eight kilometers outside Guangzhou.

Feng Sheng and Lan Yu got out of the car and unconsciously touched their buttocks. Then, while letting the drone pilot take off, they took out their binoculars to take a look.

"Sapphire."

"What's wrong, General?"

"You know what happened next. We were all on His Majesty's kill list. The fact that we're still alive is thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince's protection."

"I know."

"So, to survive, loyalty alone is not enough. You also have to demonstrate your abilities, otherwise His Majesty will not want useless people like us."

"General, I will listen to you. I will do whatever you say."

Lan Yu patted his chest and assured him.

He initially served under Chang Yuchun, and later under Fu Youde and Xu Da, and also fought alongside Mu Ying.

As his military achievements increased, he became increasingly arrogant and was known as a fierce general in the army.

But now it's as docile as a quail.

For nothing else.

It was all because of Old Zhu's cold, ruthless, and murderous gaze.

It was as if they could drag him out and chop off his head at any moment.

If you were to ask who in the Ming Dynasty could keep him in check, besides Crown Prince Zhu Biao, it would be none other than Old Zhu.

So when Lan Yu learned that her whole family would be slaughtered by Lao Zhu in the future, she was initially furious and even considered rebelling.

But these kinds of thoughts only remain in one's mind.

He couldn't even defeat a rebellion in the era of cold weapons, let alone in the era of hot weapons.

Old Zhu has control of firearms resources, making him invincible.

Therefore, Lan Yu now only has one choice—to obediently cling to Zhu Biao's coattails and follow all the orders and instructions of His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

"Ah."

Feng Sheng nodded and said, “I once accompanied His Majesty to the Chongzhen era. His Majesty hates most those traitors who betray and slaughter the Han people. Shang Kexi was one of the main culprits in the massacre of Guangzhou. They killed 700,000 Han people in the Guangzhou massacre, and His Majesty remembers this debt. Although His Majesty did not say how to deal with him, in my opinion, he must be executed by slow slicing. Therefore, Shang Kexi should be captured alive and executed by slow slicing. His Majesty will surely be happy when he finds out, and we will no longer have to worry.”

"Okay, I'll remember that."

Lan Yu nodded.

Isn't it just about capturing them alive?

It's simple.

"Then let's prepare to attack the city."

Feng Sheng glanced at the defenses on the city wall.

From the drone's perspective, they saw that the city walls were densely packed with red-clad cannons.

Guangzhou served as a gateway to the outside world. Historical records show that Shang Kexi earned millions of taels of silver annually through foreign trade in Guangzhou.

Over the years, he has amassed a considerable fortune, and naturally, he has also purchased a large number of cannons from foreign barbarians.

But the red-coated cannon is meaningless.

The maximum range is indeed three to four kilometers.

However, the Ming army's mortars had a maximum range of seven or eight kilometers, twice that of the enemy, which was completely beyond their range.

Without any hesitation, Feng Sheng and Lan Yu split up their forces.

The two men each led their troops to the north and west of Guangzhou, while another 6,000 Southern Ming troops guarded the south and east of the city, with 100 infantrymen stationed at each city gate.

Once the war begins, if the Qing troops inside Guangzhou flee to the other two city gates, the infantry outside the city will kill them with rifles, ensuring that the entire Qing army is annihilated.

The drone search quickly revealed a man in his fifties, dressed in elegant attire, peering into their location from the west gate tower, surrounded by a crowd.

Upon seeing this, Feng Sheng ordered his men to avoid the man.

Mortar preparation.

Then it was launched without warning.

"Dong dong dong!~"

As the grenade launchers fired, dozens of mortars shot into the sky and landed near the west gate of Guangzhou.

"Bang bang bang!~"

Explosions rang out, and the city walls were instantly devastated with casualties; many of the red-coated cannons were destroyed.

"Your Highness, let's go!"

As soon as the explosion occurred, Shang Kexi's guards carried him and hurriedly fled.

The Qing troops on the city wall also organized a counterattack.

They frantically loaded ammunition and fired the red-coated cannons.

However, the red-coated cannons of the early Qing Dynasty took 5 to 10 minutes from loading to firing.

By the time they finished loading, inserting the shells, fixing the shells with dry earth and wooden wedges, and adjusting the muzzle position, the Ming army had already fired several thousand mortar shells.

As a result, the Qing army didn't even fire a single cannonball, while the Ming army fired over three thousand shells from fifty mortars in just five minutes at a rate of fifteen rounds per minute.

Explosions erupted one after another on the city wall. Within minutes, the west gate of Guangzhou was blown up. The Qing soldiers on it either fled long ago, were blown to death, or fell to their deaths.

In an instant, the dead and wounded were scattered all over the place.

"Kill! Charge into Guangzhou and capture Shang Kexi alive!"

After the artillery barrage, Feng Sheng waved his hand and said, "Except for Shang Kexi, leave no Tartars alive."

"kill!"

The Ming soldiers, armed with guns, charged forward on bicycles.

By the time they reached outside the city, the Qing army was already powerless to resist.

They opened fire on any soldiers dressed in Qing army uniforms, and within moments, the hundreds of survivors were all dead.

Chaos erupted in Guangzhou.

(End of this chapter)