I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Liu Fangliang fled all the way, pursued by the Ming army.

The battle raged from dawn till dusk, from Baoding to Zhengding.

Finally, Shunjun dragged his exhausted body back to his base camp.

The Ming army did not carry siege weapons and withdrew to Baoding.

Upon his return, Liu Fangliang's first action was to order his men to take stock of their troops.

The result was that nearly half of the 150,000-strong army had been lost!

Of the five generals responsible for guarding the Ming army camp, Ma Shiyao, Ma Shitai, and Wang Liangzhi were all killed in battle, and their entire troops were wiped out.

Zuo Guangxian and his son Zuo Xiang were highly vigilant, but they were still caught off guard. Of their several thousand soldiers, only more than five hundred escaped, with casualties exceeding 80%.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zheng Siwei died in battle, and right before his eyes.

In just one day, the 150,000-strong army was reduced to less than 80,000, suffering heavy losses.

Of course, let alone 70,000 or 80,000 people, even 70,000 or 80,000 pigs couldn't be slaughtered in a single day.

Most of these people surrendered; the actual number of dead and injured was only two or three out of ten.

The reason for this was that the Shun army was not very disciplined and its military discipline was rather lax.

These people were just ordinary folks who joined the rebel army because they couldn't survive.

They can't even get a full meal on ordinary days, so where do they get the strength to fight?

Therefore, although the Shun army is large in scale, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands or even millions, in a real battle, it can only win when it is in a favorable position.

Everyone swarmed in, no tactics needed, just charge!

If they encounter headwinds, like today, they will scatter and flee, or surrender directly.

At midnight, scouts reported that the Ming army had withdrawn.

Liu Fangliang asked warily, "Did they really leave? Are you sure you saw it clearly?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I have been following them for some time and have confirmed that the Ming army is retreating towards Baoding."

Liu Fangliang was still uneasy and asked again, "Are you following the main Ming army force, or just a portion of it?"

"My subordinates and others split up to pursue them, and confirmed that the Ming army had not divided its forces and had completely withdrawn!"

call!

Liu Fangliang finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least he could finally get some sleep.

Given the Ming army's preference for stability, they are unlikely to launch an attack in the short term.

"Set up perimeter sentries. Scouts must remain vigilant and report immediately if they spot any Ming troop movements!"

"yes!"

At this moment, Ma Chongxi stepped forward.

"My lord, although the Ming army has withdrawn, we cannot let our guard down!"

Liu Fangliang gave him an annoyed look and said, "Are you worried that the Ming army might return?"

Ma Chongxi frowned and nodded, saying, "That's possible! The Ming army is cunning and unpredictable; we must be on guard."

Liu Fangliang sighed helplessly and looked up at the sky.

All he wants to do right now is lie in bed and sleep for three days and three nights, not caring about anything else!

However, from beginning to end, almost everything Ma Chongxi said and worried about came true!

First, they raided the fleet and seized control of the families and property of Ming officials.

The plan was originally going to succeed, but man proposes, God disposes, and the Ming army launched a surprise attack.

Next came the surrender ceremony. Ma Chongxi tried to dissuade him repeatedly, but he was so blinded by his own emotions that he wouldn't listen to reason.

It was also Ma Chongxi's suggestion to divide the troops to guard the Ming army camp.

Although the proposal was adopted, it was not taken seriously at all, and each general was only given two or three thousand men.

Now that Ma Chongxi has explained that the Ming army might return, even if we don't want to believe it, we must take it seriously.

"Alright, I will order the brothers Wang Yongqiang and Wang Yongzhen to each lead five thousand troops to garrison the northeast and northwest directions to protect the main camp."

Ma Chongxi nodded and said, "More manpower should also be sent to the south of the city."

Liu Fangliang, puzzled, asked, "The Ming army is in the north, why send more men to the south of the city?"

Ma Chongxi explained, "Our main supply camp is south of the city, so we should reinforce it to prevent a Ming army attack. Otherwise, if the supplies are destroyed, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangliang frowned and said unhappily, "If the Ming army wants to raid our supplies, wouldn't they have to pass through our main camp? Our army is right here; how dare they come?"

Seeing this, Ma Chongxi became even more anxious.

He knew that Liu Fangliang was blinded by anger and exhaustion and wouldn't listen to his advice, but he still insisted, "What you say makes sense, Lord Marquis, but the Ming army's recent actions are completely illogical. If they really succeed in their sneak attack..."

"Whether their actions are reasonable or not, my army is here, and it's not just for show!"

Liu Fangliang was furious. Even if tens of thousands of people were lost, this was no way to humiliate people like this.

If the Ming army were to bypass the main camp and successfully raid the rear supply lines, wouldn't that mean all 70,000 to 80,000 of my men are blind and deaf?

Seeing this, Ma Chongxi could no longer persuade him and could only say, "Even if we don't send more troops, we should at least strengthen patrols, just in case."

"What if, what if? Where do all these 'what ifs' come from?"

Liu Fangliang's eyes were bloodshot; he was furious and embarrassed.

Ma Chongxi sighed softly, but still insisted, "In battles, supplies are of paramount importance. For example, in the Battle of Guandu at the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao successfully launched a surprise attack on Yuan Shao's granaries. Yuan Shao's army suffered from low morale due to lack of food and was ultimately defeated..."

"Alright, alright! Sir, there's no need to say any more. I know what I'm doing."

However, Liu Fangliang no longer listened to his advice and kept waving his hand to urge him on.

Just then, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Look! There's a fire!"

Ma Chongxi had a bad feeling and hurriedly left the tent.

Liu Fangliang followed them out and saw flames shooting into the sky from the southeast!

The night sky was bathed in red light, and all the stars lost their luster.

"Then, over there... is it...?"

Liu Fangliang was completely stunned, because the fire was coming from the direction of the main camp where grain and fodder were stored!

Ma Chongxi hurriedly said, "My lord, quickly send men to put out the fire!"

Liu Fangliang was on the verge of tears, thinking to himself, "Is your mouth like a crow's?"

Just as they were saying the supply depot might be attacked, it caught fire!

Besides, didn't the Ming army all withdraw?

What's going on?

Seeing Liu Fangliang in a daze, Ma Chongxi had no choice but to repeat, "My lord, quickly send men to put out the fire!"

"Yes, yes... Someone, hurry and put out the fire, quick!"

The Shun army camp was bustling with activity again. Many people had just lain down when they were dragged up and sent to the supply camp to fight the fire.

Liu Fangliang was worried, so he personally led a group of people to go there.

However, the fire was too intense to be extinguished at this point.

Liu Fangliang watched as the grain he had painstakingly collected was burned to ashes, and his heart bled.

"Damn it, didn't the Ming army already withdraw? Who set the fire?"

Ma Chongxi had a sudden thought and said, "If the Ming army sends a small force to take a detour and launch a surprise attack on our main army when it goes to Baoding, then it makes sense."

Liu Fangliang was completely devastated, thinking to himself, "You seem to know everything!"

But do you know why you didn't say so sooner?

What's the use of being wise after the event?