Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 159 Offense and Defense
Two soldiers hurried into the tent, ignoring everyone in the field, and walked directly to Tong Yangjia and Li Chengdong, reporting in a low voice.

After hearing the two soldiers' report, Tong Yangjia and Li Chengdong's expressions changed drastically. They immediately stood up from their seats with shocked expressions on their faces.

Seeing the expressions of the two people, everyone in the tent knew that something big must have happened, so they all stared at the two people at the top.
Tong Yangjia looked angry and glanced at Li Chengdong below. He knew that Li Chengdong must have received the same news. This news could no longer be blocked, so he spoke directly.

"Bring the people here"

The soldiers around Li Chengdong withdrew, and soon a frightened soldier was brought to the hall.
"Tell me how Zengcheng disappeared," Tong Yangjia shouted.

When everyone in the field heard what Tong Yangjia said, they were stunned for a moment, and then everyone's expression changed drastically.
Zengcheng is gone, what does Tong Yangjia mean by this?

Zengcheng was their retreat. They had just decided to withdraw to Zengcheng, but now they are saying that Zengcheng is gone.
The generals in the hall all looked at Li Chengdong on the right, and seeing that Li Chengdong was silent and had a gloomy face, they immediately realized that the news must be true.

Everyone's heart sank at this moment. Zengcheng was really gone. If so, where should they retreat to?
Some people with quicker minds thought of more things, and the fear on their faces became more intense.
Zengcheng was not only their retreat route, but also the place where most of their food and fodder were stored. If Zengcheng was lost, they could just change the route, but without food, the army would probably collapse in a few days.

"Yesterday afternoon, a large group of Ming troops suddenly appeared in the west of Zengcheng. Somehow they seized the west city gate and attacked the city. After entering the city, they killed everyone they saw. We fought hard but were defeated. We could only..."

Before the soldier finished speaking, Tong Yangjia interrupted him

"How many Ming troops are there in Zengcheng, and how much food and money are there in the city?"

When the soldier heard Tong Yangjia's question, his face became even more flustered, but at this time everyone in the tent was staring at this place, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"I really don't know. As soon as the Ming army entered the city, they started killing people everywhere. The city was in chaos in an instant. There were thousands of people just entering the city."

"After the Ming army killed the soldiers in the city, they directly blocked the four gates and occupied Zengcheng. I'm afraid there are thousands of them."

The soldier's eyes flickered slightly, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he expanded the number of soldiers in the city to several thousand.

These soldiers were actually the two hundred Li Chengdong's defeated soldiers who had fled directly from Dongcheng. They had never fought with Zhang Jiayu and his men, and had no idea how many men they had.

But now that I have come back to report the news, I must say more. If I say less, wouldn't that be courting death?

"How about the food? How is the food in the city?"

Tong Yangjia could no longer care about anything else and asked directly

"After I fought my way out of the city, I hurried back to the army to report the news to the generals. But before I left, I found that the city was ablaze. I'm afraid that the food in the city is... I'm afraid..."

The soldier looked horrified and only said half of the words, but everyone knew what he meant. After the Ming army captured the city, they actually set fire to the food.

That was 10,000 dan of grain. The Ming army had clearly occupied Zengcheng, but they did not hesitate to set fire to the grain, not giving them any chance to save it. They were really cruel.
Tong Yangjia felt a black screen before his eyes when he heard this, his feet went limp, and he fell directly onto the chair.

Tong Yangjia sat in his seat in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses.
Tong Yangjia's face suddenly became ferocious, like a wounded beast. He suddenly stood up and spoke angrily.

"Waste, all of you Han people are waste. Zengcheng is gone, so why are you still alive?"

"Drag him away and skin him alive"

Li Chengdong, Yan Keyi and others below all looked a little ugly when they heard Tong Yangjia's angry shout, but seeing the furious Tong Yangjia, no one spoke.
The soldier kneeling on the ground below was terrified and kept wailing for mercy, but the two Tartar soldiers beside Tong Yangjia walked directly to the hall and dragged the soldier out of the tent. Soon, a shrill howl was heard outside the tent.

The shrill wailing sounded throughout the tent. Everyone in the tent was silent. No one wanted to offend the furious Tong Yangjia. Tong Yangjia leaned on the chair and took a few deep breaths. Then he calmed down a little and spoke in a cold voice.

"How many Zengcheng soldiers escaped back?"

“About sixty people”

Li Yangchen below replied in a deep voice
"Go and lead the troops to kill all sixty of them. Anyone in the army who dares to spread rumors will be killed without mercy."

"Immediately send out cavalry scouts to cut off the official road east of Guangzhou. We must not let the Ming army in the city know about the situation in Zengcheng."

Tong Yangjia had a grim expression on his face. Li Chengdong's face changed slightly when he heard this. The sixty people who escaped were all from his army.

But looking at Tong Yangjia's gloomy expression, Li Chengdong finally did not speak and let Tong Yangjia arrange it.

After Tong Yangjia finished his instructions, he didn't care about the reactions of the people in the field and spoke directly

"Bai Yindai, you will lead the flag soldiers in the camp to seal the four gates of the camp. From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave the camp unless there is an order from our army. Go now!"

Bai Yindai hurriedly withdrew after receiving the order, while Tong Yangjia looked at the people in the field and spoke in a cold voice:

"The army has changed its plan. Order the army to pack up immediately and evacuate tonight at midnight."

Tong Yangjia then looked down at Li Chengdong
"Li Chengdong, you are the one who caused this trouble. Tonight you lead your men to attack the camp and disrupt the Ming army's sight." "Before most of the army has withdrawn, even if all of you die, you must not let the Ming army leave the camp. Do you hear me?"

"I understand"

Li Chengdong was silent for a long time with a gloomy face, and finally agreed. He had insisted on attacking the city and even threatened Tong Yangjia, which put the Qing army in such a dangerous situation.
If he dared to object at this time, I'm afraid Tong Yangjia would really ignore him and kill him first.
"What are you still standing here for? Go down and get ready. Are you standing here waiting to die?"

Tong Yangjia shouted angrily at the people in the field, and the generals in the field were also shocked and stood up and saluted in response.
Ma Bao had a solemn expression on his face. He also stood up and bowed with the others.

Ma Bao looked at the solemn faces of the people in the field, but a strange look flashed in his eyes.

Everyone in the tent looked solemn and left in a hurry. After Ma Bao returned to the tent, he immediately started to think of ways to send the news out of the camp. However, before he could send the news, the news of Zengcheng's capture had already spread among the army and could no longer be concealed.

In the afternoon, Han Ruhuang endured the nausea, held up a Tartar head, and spoke loudly to the Qing army camp, and the dozen cavalrymen behind him also shouted in unison with Han Ruhuang.

"Listen, Qing troops in the camp. Zengcheng has been occupied by our Ming army. The 15,000 shi of grain and grass in the city have all been burned. Your food and grass have been cut off and your retreat has been lost. If you know your fate, leave the camp and surrender immediately."

"The thirty Zhen Tatars in Zengcheng have all been wiped out by our Ming Dynasty army. Their heads are all here. Don't be complacent, leave the camp and surrender immediately."

Han Ruhuang signaled to the cavalrymen beside him, who suddenly rushed forward and, dozens of meters away from the Qing army camp gate, held up their braids and threw three or four heads in front of the Qing army gate.

As soon as the cavalryman threw the Zengcheng Tartar's head into the camp, dozens of furious Jurchen cavalrymen rushed out of the camp. Seeing this, Han Ruhuang and others rode away without saying a word.

The Qing cavalry chased for several hundred meters, but suddenly nearly a hundred cavalry rushed out from behind Han Ruhuang and his men, and a rain of arrows fell forward. Five or six of the chasing cavalrymen immediately fell off their horses.

These Jurchen soldiers were all wearing armor, and even those who fell off their horses were not killed.

Seeing nearly a hundred cavalrymen rushing towards them, the dozens of Jurchen soldiers fired back while trying to turn around to save the five or six people on the ground.
Yang Yandi was overjoyed when he saw this, and led nearly a hundred guards to charge forward.

Nearly a hundred Ming cavalrymen wearing cloth armor charged directly into the Qing army formation, slashing with sabers, killing more than a dozen people in an instant. The swords of the Jurchen soldiers had almost no effect on Yang Yandi and his guards who were all wearing double armor.
Seeing that the Ming army dared to charge and fight, the group of Jurchen soldiers finally began to panic. They shouted something incoherently and did not care about the wailing cavalrymen on the ground. They began to flee and fled to the rear.
Han Ruhuang and his men were already carrying the remaining Tartar heads and running towards the other gates of the Qing army camp, and they began to shout loudly again.

In less than half an hour, everyone in the Qing army camp knew that Zengcheng's grain and grass had been burned, and the Qing army camp was immediately in chaos.

In the Guangzhou government office, Zhu Lang sat on the main seat. Although he looked tired, he was extremely excited.

Looking at Lu Daqi, Su Guansheng, Chen Bangyan and others below, they were all covered in dust, but their faces were full of joy.

"Zengcheng was really taken by us"

Zhu Lang stood up and couldn't help asking

"Yes, according to the messenger from Zengcheng, the former Right Censor-in-Chief Zhang Jiayu led the Nanhai Guard Commander An Hongyou and a group of volunteers to raid Zengcheng. The Qing army in the city was completely unprepared, and Zhang Jiayu and his men captured the city in one fell swoop."

"All the more than 10,000 shi of food and fodder that the Qing army left in Zengcheng were burned. Now, not only are the Qing troops outside the city cut off from retreat, but also their food and fodder are cut off."

Li Chengzhi's face was also excited, and he was even more happy when he said this.

"Okay, well done!"

Zhu Lang could not help but stand up and paced back and forth in front of his seat. When he heard Zhang Jiayu's name, he was almost certain that the news was true. For such a famous figure to have made a name for himself in later generations, it was nothing more than a surprise attack on Zengcheng.

Lu Daqi and others below also understood the significance of the Qing army's food supply being cut off at this time, and they all looked excited. Su Guansheng immediately stood up and said
"Your Highness was fearless in the face of danger, and did not hesitate to risk his life to defend the city alone. Now the clouds and fog have finally cleared, and the sun is shining brightly."

"The Qing invaders do not know how to advance or retreat, and are only being aggressive and violent. Now that their food supply has been cut off, it is God's will that these Tartars will be killed. Your Highness, please quickly send someone to the Qing army camp to spread the news. When the Qing invaders in the camp know that their food supply has been cut off, they will surely cause chaos."

Su Guansheng looked at Li Chengzhi who was standing beside him, and Li Chengzhi also bowed to Su Guansheng and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Lord Su. When we received the news, we sent the Zengcheng messenger to the Qing army camp to spread the news. I'm afraid the Qing army camp is already in chaos by now."

Upon hearing this, Lu Daqi and other ministers in the city became more and more delighted. These were 10,000 Qing captives. If they could defeat them outside the city, the court could achieve so much with this great victory!
The ministers below were even more excited when they thought of this. The ministers in the hall were about to speak, but Zhu Lang above had already spoken.

"Send a message to Li Mingzhong, telling him not to enter the city, but to lead his troops directly to the east of the city to set up camp behind the city and monitor the movements of the Qing troops in the parade ground in the north of the city."

"Send people to harass the Qing army tonight, without stopping for a moment, and never let the Qing army escape from the city!"

"Yes, I'll go right away," Li Chengzhi accepted the order respectfully, and then hurriedly left.

Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a fierce look. The Qing army had been staring at him for so many days. Now that his army had arrived, they wanted to leave. They wanted to blind their hearts.

The Qing troops outside the city thought that Zhu Lang was their prey, but Zhu Lang was also always keeping an eye on the Qing troops outside the city, treating them as his prey.
Now the offensive and defensive situations have changed, it's his turn!

As long as they can hold off the Qing army for another day, and wait for Liu Qijiao to lead 10,000 imperial guards to arrive, then the 30,000 troops will attack together and they will surely annihilate all the Qing troops here.
(End of this chapter)