The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 356 Weird and outrageous, Mo Wu in the fog

Since ancient times, there have been three natural barriers in the Northern River Delta against the Central Plains: Lang Son, Chou River, and Phuliang River.

Generally speaking, if Mo Zibu lost Lang Son, and Fuliang River was the last line of defense for Tokyo (Hanoi), once it was broken, the capital would fall.

Therefore, Qiujiang is the most important natural barrier.

Both sides mobilized their troops, but the battle still did not come because it was too hot. Anyone who dared to fight in Annan during the months of July, August, and September would surely die.

Therefore, the Qing army commander Agui kept waiting in Guangzhou. He would never send troops unless the weather was cold.

But this is really a disaster for the people living around Guangzhou.

Seventy to eighty thousand soldiers from other places suddenly poured into Guangzhou City. They were either the high-ranking Eight Banners ladies or veterans of the Green Camp from other provinces.

These guys stay around Guangzhou and only have sex once every three days. They have a lot of free time on weekdays. After seeing the colorful world, how can they control themselves?

Within half a month, they began to rob everywhere, from the good things in the shops to the pigs, chickens, ducks and geese raised by the villagers, and even the salted fish that were dried in the sun.

And you have to admit that these guys are quite fair. They not only rob the Cantonese, but also the foreigners in the south of Guangzhou. Some of them even run to foreign merchant ships to steal foreign trade goods.

As a result, the Cantonese people organized their own militias for self-defense. When they heard someone with a foreign accent coming, they would beat drums and gongs and come forward with all kinds of swords, guns and weapons to defend themselves.

This enabled Kunlun Mountain, which had suffered a heavy defeat a few months ago, to fight back successfully under the organization of Li Xianwen. They led the people from all over the place to fight against these scum in the army and successfully set off a wave of propaganda for anti-Manchu ideas.

As for the Western sailors, they had been harassed by the Eight Banners and Green Camp soldiers to the point that they had to go off the ship in groups of ten, armed with weapons. There were also people on the merchant ships holding flintlock rifles for self-defense at all times.

Every night, the sound of musketry could be heard near the south of the city.

In the end, the gentry and people of Guangzhou could no longer bear it, so they collectively raised a sum of money and gave it to Zhu Gui, asking him to mediate peace. The Eight Banners masters and Green Camp soldiers accepted the money and were trained by Zhu Gui, and gradually they became less crazy.

This is my Qing Dynasty. The army still has some combat effectiveness, but when it comes to harming the people, it is ruthless.

In mid-September, the army finally set off and began to march towards Guangxi.

In early October, after gathering the Green Camps of Guizhou and Guangxi in Taiping Prefecture (Chongzuo, Guangxi), the army left the country from Zhennan Pass and headed for Lang Son.

After arriving in Lang Son, Nguyen Van Hue went to pay a personal visit to the Qing army commander Agui, as well as deputy commanders Hailancha and Fukang'an. He was treated as a Qing army general sitting on both sides while he sat on a small stool beside them.

Ruan Wenhui was so angry that he almost died of a cerebral hemorrhage. For a moment, he even wanted to go to Mo Zibu for help.

As for Li Weijin, whom he supported, he didn't even have the chance to meet the emperor, because the King of Annan recognized by the Qing Dynasty was Li Weijin's father Li Weizhuo.

The army then rested for five days and began to march south in mid-October. At this time, the Qing army had more than 50,000 people. Nguyen Van Hue sold everything he had to recruit 20,000 people and 70,000 to 80,000 civilian laborers. Together with the 100,000 Qing army and civilian laborers, the total number was 240,000 to 250,000.

Agui ordered Nguyen Van Hue to issue a proclamation to Bac Ha, claiming that the Great Emperor had come to restore the kingdom for the King of the Le Dynasty and that everyone in Bac Ha should respond.

From Lang Son to Qiujiang, there is a tributary of the Qiujiang River, Cang River, which can be used. Therefore, the army moved very quickly. The Qing army's navy was connected end to end, and tens of thousands of mules and horses were stretched out in front and back with no end in sight.

Agui claimed to have an army of 500,000 men, and he advanced rapidly with the force of a mountain pressing down on one's head. This frightened many fence-sitters between Lang Son and Jingbei Prefecture into surrendering.

This made the Qing army even more arrogant, and everyone was very proud. Hailancha even said that he could take over Dongdu in half a month and capture Mo Zibu alive.

On October 22, the Qing army went down the Cang River and arrived at Liangjiang Prefecture, an important town on the north bank of the Qiu River.

The location of this city is extremely important, as the Cang River also flows into the Qiu River here. If the Qing army wants to cross the river, it must capture Liangjiang Prefecture.

Mo Zibu ordered Wu Wenyong to lead 3,000 people to guard Liangjiang Prefecture, and required him to hold out for more than ten days.

This battle was extremely difficult. Agui brought more than 300 large and small cannons with him.

The main firepower was the 885-jin (940-jin) Weiyuan General Cannon and the -jin (-jin) Jiujie Shicheng Cannon.

The casting technology of these two types of cannons was also quite advanced. Most of them were cast during the Yongzheng period, and a small number were cast during the Kangxi period. They were supervised by the famous missionary Ferdinand Verbiest.

Although it is weaker than the European artillery in Mo Zibu's hands in various parameters, there is no particularly obvious generation gap.

The Qing army used dozens of cannons to bombard the northern city of Lang Giang Prefecture, and forced Nguyen Van Hue's 20,000 Annan troops to serve as cannon fodder with swords and guns. Under the cover of Qing artillery and muskets, they filled the moat and dug a place to bury explosives under the city wall.

Let’s not talk about anything else about my Qing Dynasty, but this trait of using our vassal army to death is something I will never forget until I die.

Even the Green Camp soldiers learned this trick. They fired guns and cannons from a distance, causing heavy casualties to the Annan people in Liangjiang Prefecture.

Wu Wenyong wiped the sweat from his head, not knowing whether it was due to the heat or anxiety.

The Qing army's artillery was arranged in a straight line, smashing bricks and stones on the top of the city wall into pieces, making it almost impossible to stand.

Of course, the four-pound and six-pound cannons of the Xing Tang army on the city wall also caused heavy casualties to Nguyen Van Hue's troops who came to fill the moat.

Huang Silang and Wu Xing were hiding behind the bunker on the city wall, recording rapidly. A brick flew over and hit Wu Xing's calf, leaving a large bruise on it. Wu Xing was in so much pain that he twitched.

"Report to the staff officers immediately. The Qing Dynasty has a large number of artillery pieces with good accuracy. They are also pulled by a large number of mules and horses, making them quite powerful." Huang Silang was experienced in combat and he even took the time to observe despite the flying rocks.

"That kind of cannon should be a nine-section, ten-part cannon. The cannon body is divided into nine sections, and each section has two yin and yang threads engraved on the end. It can be transported separately during normal times, and can be assembled in wartime by tightening the threads.

Although the caliber and projectile are small due to the long barrel, its advantages are flexible transportation and assembly, and its high rate of fire. Line infantry must be careful with this gun.

Huang Silang cursed loudly, "You damn Tartar, you really think highly of us, pulling out such a good thing."

Wu Xing quickly recorded the information, then couldn't help but turn around to observe. "Although the other cannon weighed only a little over 80 kilograms and was estimated to be only about feet or inches ( cm) long, its projectile was extremely large. A hit on the city wall could cause it to shake left and right." At this point, Wu Xing suddenly froze and said in disbelief, "Damn, what kind of cannon is this? It looks like... a mortar that can only fire straight ahead."

Huang Silang also bared his teeth. "It's not that it can't fire a curved shot at all, it's just that the angle is not enough. This is a fucking transition between a cannon and a mortar. It's really ingenious!"

"One more thing to add is that the Tartars have a small cannon weighing about 100 jin, which can fire 700 to 800 liang of projectiles. It can be loaded with single bullets or grapeshot. It should not be underestimated." Wu Wenyong said, pointing to the small long-range cannon mixed in with the musketeers in the distance.

Then he kicked Huang Silang on the butt and said, "After you finish writing the report, leave quickly. This is a tough battle and I don't have time to take care of you."

After watching Huang Silang and Wu Xing go down, Wu Wenyong murmured, "It's just that we have too few people, otherwise we must go out of the city and try to see if the Qing army can still play the nine-in-ten chain formation."

On the third day of the winter month, Wu Wenyong held on for eleven days. Only after the Qing army had crossed a small number of troops through the upper reaches of the Qiu River and was about to encircle him did Wu Wenyong abandon Liangjiang Prefecture and retreat south in the evening.

In this battle, more than 600 Qing soldiers were killed and more than 2,000 were injured, but most of them were Nguyen Van Hue's vassal troops. Only more than 40 people from the Green Camp were killed, and there were no casualties among the Eight Banners.

More than sixty soldiers of the Xingtang Army were killed in the battle, and nearly two hundred were injured.

Hailancha captured the important town of Liangjiang Prefecture in just eleven days and crossed the natural barrier of Qiujiang River, which greatly boosted the morale of the Qing army and made them even more arrogant.

Mo Zibu took advantage of the eleven days that Wu Wenyong had bought to demolish all the houses between Liangjiang Prefecture and Tokyo, burned all the rice that was about to be harvested in the fields, and took all the people away.

This left the Qing army with an uninhabited area about 40 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, further stretching their supply lines.

On the 13th day of the 12th lunar month, Xu Shiheng, the general of the Qing army in Tengyue Town, Yunnan, requested a battle and led 500 soldiers to suddenly cross the Fuliang River using only bamboo rafts.

The soldiers that Mo Zibu left in Fuliang River were volunteers drawn from Beihe River. They were defeated by the Qing army in one blow, and the Qing army successfully crossed the Fuliang River.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the 500-man vanguard of the Qing army approached Tokyo City, but suddenly found that this ancient capital of Beihe had almost become a deserted city, with only a large number of houses with their doors open. Even in the Tokyo Royal Palace, there were only twenty or thirty old and frail palace maids and eunuchs left.

This was too smooth. All the high-ranking Qing army officers looked at each other in bewilderment. Listening to the cheers from the soldiers outside, Fu Kangan could not help but say:
"What does Mo Wu mean by this? Is he going to use the strategy of arrogant soldiers?" The top noble of the Qing Dynasty fiddled with the ring on his finger in annoyance.

"If he thinks this will make us complacent and let down our guard, then he is greatly underestimating the elite troops of the Qing Dynasty."

Shang Weisheng, a lieutenant commander of the Bordered Blue Banner of the Eight Banner Han Army stationed in Guangzhou, also said, "Even if we were to fortify our defenses and clear the countryside, we wouldn't do it this way. Beihe has plenty of water, and it's less than 200 miles from the Lang Son camp. Fortifying our defenses and clearing the countryside like this is completely ineffective."

Ah Gui couldn't figure out why for a moment. Sun Shiyi, the governor of Guangxi who was in charge of military supplies, suddenly said:
"I see that Huang Tinghui seems to have something to say. He has been battling Mo Wu for several years, so he might have some insights."

Agui thought for a moment and ordered someone to call Ruan Wenhui in.

Ruan Wenhui was so angry that he wanted to say something like "I think your death is approaching."

But he knew in his heart that these Manchu uncles were not people like Mo Zibu. If you said this to Mo Zibu, he might listen to you, but if you dared to say this to this Manchu uncle, they might just chop you with a knife on the spot.

Therefore, even with Ruan Wenhui's arrogance, he could only suppress his anger and try his best to say calmly:

"From your humble opinion, Mo Wu did not have any great scheming in doing this. He simply wanted to keep the soldiers of the superior nation to fight him head-on."

After he said this, a group of senior Qing army officers looked at each other in confusion. They really couldn't understand.

Nguyen Van Hue could only speak more bluntly, "General Agui, Mo Wu is different from any enemy you have ever seen. He is not a barbaric chieftain, nor is he the kind of peasant who calls himself the General Equaling Heaven or the Marshal of Protecting the People. He is a heroic leader with the ambition to swallow up the world.

The Xing Tang Army under his command is different from any army you have ever seen.

The Xing Tang Army was not a mob. Instead, it had a complete set of infantry, cavalry and artillery, high morale and strong combat capability. It was a truly organized army formed with muskets, cannons and strict military discipline.

Therefore, he was not afraid of fighting with you on the vast plains of the North River. Instead, he was afraid that you would flee thousands of miles away without a single blow.

Because defeating the Heavenly Soldiers in Beihe is much easier than chasing them to Guangdong and defeating them."

what?
Agui, Hailancha, Fukang'an and others were all stunned. It took Agui a long time to come back to his senses, his face flushed with anger.

"Huang Tinghui, are you saying that Mo Wu was afraid that we would escape, so he deliberately abandoned the capital, just to make us reluctant to retreat?"

Hailancha's face twitched. "Annannu, why don't you listen to what you just said? Do you think this makes sense?"

Ruan Wenhui was about to refute, but after thinking about it, she felt that this really sounded too outrageous and was speechless for a moment.

Fu Kang'an was relatively calm at this time, because on the surface he seemed to have little interaction with Mo Zibu, but in fact the Fucha family had very close contacts with Mo Zibu, and Fu Kang'an knew Mo Zibu's situation much better than Agui and Hailancha.

Although it was a vague impression gained through the jade trade, when he heard Ruan Wenhui praising Mo Zibu so much, he actually agreed with it.

"Huang Tinghui's words may sound too strange, but what is happening now is even stranger.

Grandpa, it's always better to be cautious. This Beihe is the place Mo Wu has always dreamed of. I don't believe he will abandon it forever. Let's secure the East Capital and ensure that the logistics routes are smooth. We should be prepared for any changes."

Ah Gui nodded and said, "Master Fu's words make sense. Let's divide our forces and station them. I will personally lead the main force to guard the Eastern Capital, while Master Fu will lead 15,000 troops to station in Liangjiang Prefecture.

"We will make further plans after the Fujian and Guangdong naval forces have opened up the waterway and can transport grain from Guangdong by sea."

Although the navy was mentioned, these people still didn't expect what Mo Zibu was waiting for.

As for the Qing Dynasty, they had no idea, or they had heard but never paid attention to the fact that Mo Zibu had a powerful navy.

As for Nguyen Van Hue, he knew that Mo Zibu's navy was very strong, but he thought that the Qing Dynasty's navy was even stronger, so he didn't expect this to happen.

(End of this chapter)