Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 158 Urgent Report
In the parade ground north of the city, Ma Bao was lying on a stretcher, being carried into the camp by a group of frightened remnants of the army.
At this time, the Qing army camp was already in chaos. The Ming army cavalry launched a surprise attack, and the Qing army in the west of the city was directly defeated. The Ming army cavalry followed and killed them all the way. The remaining defeated soldiers fled madly to the north of the city, and the Qing army in the north of the city was also in chaos and was almost defeated by the Ming army cavalry.

However, the north of the city was Li Chengdong's headquarters after all. The Qing army in the north of the city discovered the chaos in the west of the city in advance, and promptly withdrew the Qing army attacking the city and lined up to meet the enemy. The cavalry guards under Li Chengdong also appeared to block the Ming army's armored cavalry.
Yang Yandi still remembered that the primary mission of this trip was to rescue and relieve the siege. He did not take the risk of using hundreds of armored cavalry to charge the Qing army's infantry formation. Instead, he led his cavalry to the south of the city and drove away the Qing army that was attacking the city.
When the Qing troops in the south of the city saw the sudden arrival of the Ming army cavalry, they were in great chaos and dared not continue to attack the city. They hurriedly withdrew their troops back to the camp.
At this time, the Qing army camp was full of Qing soldiers who were retreating in a panic. The camp was in chaos with the sound of people and horses. Ma Bao's personal soldiers also rushed all the way and successfully carried Ma Bao into their own tent.
As soon as Ma Bao entered the tent, he jumped up from the stretcher and said to the two guards beside him:

"Go count the soldiers in the camp and see how many have returned."

The two guards hurriedly retreated. Ma Bao took the teacup on the table and drank the tea in it in one gulp. Then he sat back on the wooden chair. However, Ma Bao's face looked a little ugly at this time.
The Ming army cavalry in the west of the city just now killed too many people. There were about 1,700 to 1,800 Qing troops attacking the south of the city, half of whom were his men. After the Ming army's indiscriminate killing just now, it was unknown whether there were even half of the people in the west of the city who escaped. These were all his capital.
But even so, Ma Bao was helpless. In the situation just now, not to mention that the reinforcements outside the city could not know his identity, even if they knew, they would not hold back. Once the fight started, they would only look at the armor and flags. Who would care whether you were an undercover or not?
Ma Bao was sitting in the tent, feeling sad about the loss of his subordinates, when the door of the tent was suddenly opened. The person who came in was not the two guards who went to count the soldiers, but Ma Ziyuan, who was covered in blood and dust.

Ma Ziyuan hurried into the tent with an anxious look on his face. When he saw Ma Bao sitting in the tent, he immediately said:

"Dad, someone has been sent over from the big tent to summon all the generals to the big tent for a meeting. There are also a few Tartars accompanying them, and they will be here soon."

Ma Bao's expression changed when he heard this. After a moment of silence, Ma Bao gritted his teeth and said

"As you said before, go get the knife."

Ma Ziyuan's face changed slightly when he heard this. He looked hesitant and said
"Dad, the situation is different now. We are not the only ones who have been defeated. The army may just be here to discuss normal matters. Do we really need to do this?"

Ma Bao glanced at Ma Ziyuan, but without any hesitation, he spoke directly
"Don't be afraid of a thousand things, just be prepared for the worst. Especially at times like this, the more you can't be soft-hearted. If you're afraid of pain now, you might lose your life in the future. Don't say anything more, get the knife quickly."

Ma Ziyuan hurriedly retreated after hearing this and came back with a brand new iron knife and a wine jar.

Ma Bao took off his clothes and sat on the chair. Ma Ziyuan roasted the iron knife over the fire, then poured strong liquor all over the blade, and then stood in the room holding the knife.
"Come"

Ma Bao didn't waste any words. He took off his clothes, took a wooden stick and bit it in his mouth.
Seeing this, Ma Ziyuan finally stopped hesitating, put the knife behind Ma Bao, and then slashed it suddenly, blood splattered immediately.
Ma Bao's eyes suddenly widened, veins popped up on his face, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He held the armrest of the wooden chair tightly with his palms and bit the wooden stick tightly with his mouth, but he didn't make any sound.

Ma Ziyuan cut three cuts on Ma Bao's chest and back, then he dropped the long knife in his hand.
At this time, Ma Bao's upper body was covered in blood. Ma Ziyuan was sweating profusely. He quickly took a white cloth and wiped the blood off Ma Bao's body.

Ma Bao sat on the chair holding the armrest, his face pale, and his forehead covered with beads of sweat. Seeing Ma Ziyuan's actions, he spoke in a trembling voice

"Don't wipe it, just wrap the gauze on it."

Ma Ziyuan reacted immediately after hearing this. He dropped the white cloth and took the gauze to bandage Ma Bao.
Ma Ziyuan had just finished bandaging his wound when the messenger from the main tent arrived at Ma Bao's camp. Ma Ziyuan had no choice but to immediately support Ma Bao and head towards the main tent.
The big tent was opened, and Ma Bao glanced inside. On the top and left were Tong Yangjia and his generals Li Yangchen and others, while on the right were Li Chengdong and others.
At this time, there was a dishevelled man kneeling on the ground in the tent. He was Luo Chengyao who was heading to Huangding to stop the Ming army reinforcements.
Ma Bao saw the situation in the tent, his eyes turned, he shook off Ma Ziyuan who was supporting him, staggered forward a few steps, and then knelt on the ground.

"I am incompetent. I had already attacked the top of the city, but my skills were not good enough and I was injured by the enemy, resulting in the failure of the siege."

"The fake Ming cavalry came too suddenly. I was seriously injured and unconscious at the time. They took advantage of the chaos and broke through the army. I have failed the general's trust. Please punish me."

Ma Bao was kneeling on the ground, his face pale. He was only wearing a robe, and his upper body was wrapped in white gauze. The blood had almost dyed the gauze dark red.

Through the loose gauze, you can vaguely see the rolled up flesh of the knife wound, which looks extremely bloody and hideous.

Tong Yangjia and Li Chengdong above had gloomy expressions at first, but seeing Ma Bao's situation at this time, they were also slightly surprised.
They had just heard the military report from the west of the city, and naturally knew about the emperor's words in the city and the commotion of the Qing army under the city.

Tong Yangjia was naturally furious when he learned that most of the dozens of Jurchen military supervisors in West City were killed or injured. He was originally planning to arrest Ma Bao, the chief general of West City, and punish him to establish his authority and deter other troops. But when he saw Ma Bao's appearance, he was speechless.

Although the Western City was defeated and the Qing army failed to enter the city, the other sides of the Qing army also failed to break through the city.
Now that Ma Bao, the commander of the West City, was injured in this way during the siege, it can be seen how fierce the West City offensive was. If this is still to be considered a disadvantage in the siege, then shouldn't the intact siege generals on the other sides also be taken down and punished?
Li Chengdong looked at Ma Bao, who was kneeling on the ground with a pale face, and his face sank. He said to Du Yonghe beside him:
"Go and help General Ma up."

Du Yonghe also stood up after hearing this and helped Ma Bao to a chair nearby. However, Du Yonghe was a little careless in his actions and the hand that helped Ma Bao up happened to press on the wound.

Du Yonghe pressed his hand, and blood immediately oozed out of the wound. Ma Bao hissed coldly, and a layer of fine sweat appeared on his face.
Du Yonghe seemed to have just reacted at this time, and hurriedly said sorry, then carefully helped Ma Bao to sit on the chair. Du Yonghe helped Ma Bao to sit on the chair, and then walked back to his seat and nodded slightly to Li Chengdong. Tong Yangjia also watched coldly, without saying a word from beginning to end.
After Ma Bao sat down, the main generals of the two Qing armies had gathered. Tong Yangjia then looked at Luo Chengyao who was kneeling below and said in a cold voice:
"Luo Chengyao, you failed to stop the enemy, and even caused the pseudo-Ming cavalry to attack our siege army. Do you admit your guilt?"

Luo Chengyao looked at Li Chengdong on the right, but Li Chengdong was sitting on the chair without saying a word.
Luo Chengyao looked at Li Chengdong, who had a gloomy expression, but a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, and he immediately said
"Governor, please understand. General Li, please understand. It's not that I didn't stop them. It's that the Ming army is too numerous and powerful. I can't stop them with my limited manpower."

"The Ming army arrived at Huangding at dawn this morning. There were nearly 2,000 cavalrymen in the vanguard alone, and the several hundred leading soldiers were all wearing double armor. They were truly the elite of the Ming army."

"I relied on the walls of Huangding Town to hold off the enemy for more than an hour, but then the Ming army sent another three to four thousand infantry. The walls of Huangding Town had been in disrepair for a long time, and the walls were even lower. The Ming soldiers rushed in desperately. I only had eight hundred people, so how could I withstand their attack?"

Tong Yangjia's expression changed slightly when he heard what Luo Chengyao said, and he didn't care about asking for punishment, and immediately spoke in a deep voice

"Have you confirmed the number of Ming troops? Are there really that many people?"

Luo Chengyao also heard this and immediately replied

"Every word I said is true. The Ming cavalry is now in the west of the city. We can send someone to confirm it at any time. The number of Ming infantry is at least 3,000, no more and no less."

"My soldiers and Huang Ding held out for half a day, and most of the 800 soldiers were killed or wounded. There was really no way to defend, so we had to flee."

Everyone in the field was shocked when they heard this. If what Luo Chengyao said was true, the Ming army that had already reached the city was at least 5,000 strong.
Even if these people did not enter the city and only defended it from behind, it would be almost impossible for them to break through Guangzhou. Moreover, according to the intelligence before departure, there would definitely be more Ming troops coming later.
Sure enough, Tong Yangjia above thought for a moment and then spoke in a deep voice

"The pseudo-Ming reinforcements have arrived. This governor has decided to temporarily withdraw his troops to Zengcheng and wait and see the movements of the Ming army before attacking again."

Everyone's faces relaxed when they heard this. Now that the Ming army's reinforcements have arrived, the Ming army has the advantage of numbers and terrain. If they don't withdraw now, when will they?
Everyone was silent, but Tong Yangjia suddenly looked at Li Chengdong below and spoke in a cold voice

"I have decided to withdraw my troops. Does General Li have any objection? Do we still want to continue the siege and seize the city?"

Everyone in the field looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Everyone could hear the sarcasm in Tong Yangjia's words.
Sure enough, a trace of shame and anger flashed across Li Chengdong's face, but Li Chengdong's face changed several times, and finally he spoke in a deep voice

"I dare not. At this time, the Ming army's reinforcements have arrived. It is difficult to continue attacking the city. The governor's proposal to withdraw the troops is the right policy."

Tong Yangjia saw that Li Chengdong had given in, but his face remained cold. He snorted and continued to speak.

"In that case, pack up your luggage tonight, break camp tomorrow morning, and retreat to Zengcheng."

"General Li, you will be in charge of covering our retreat tomorrow. Do you have any objections?"

Tong Yangjia stared at Li Chengdong with a cold look, and Li Chengdong thought for a moment with a gloomy face, but finally he did not dare to refuse and accepted it with a bow.

It was already afternoon. The Qing army had been attacking the city for half a day and was attacked by the Ming army. They were exhausted and could not move immediately.

Moreover, they already knew the details of the Ming army. The Ming army had no more than 20,000 people. Although they had suffered heavy losses in the siege in the past few days, they still had more than 11,000 people. Even if all the Ming army arrived, they were confident that they could withdraw smoothly.
Could the Ming army dare to leave the city and fight them in the field?
Tong Yangjia decided to evacuate, and then looked at Luo Chengyao who was kneeling below, and was about to use Luo Chengyao as a sacrifice to punish him.
But at this moment, the door of the tent was suddenly opened, and two soldiers walked into the tent with solemn expressions, ignoring everyone in the field, and walked to Tong Yangjia and Li Chengdong to report in a low voice.

After listening to the soldiers' report, the expressions on their faces suddenly changed.

(End of this chapter)