Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 313 Siege
In Sichuan Province, after the Ming court reached a ceasefire with Hauge, the Ming court also began to withdraw its troops from Sichuan Province and returned to Huguang.

The two imperial guards of the Ming court and the 8,000-man Loyalty Camp under Li Dingguo set out from Guiyang and headed eastward, passing through Zhenyuan Prefecture in Guizhou Province and entering Jingzhou in Huguang. Finally, in early November, they returned to Wugang again.

After Zhu Lang arrived in Wugang, intelligence from all over Huguang poured in instantly. During the month since the Ming court returned to Huguang, the situation in Huguang had changed dramatically.

Wugang Prefecture Yamen, Zhu Lang is sitting at the top, below and to the left are Qu Shisi, Liu Xiangke, and Zhang Tongchang who just came back from Yongzhou, and other civil officials, and to the right are Jiao Lian, Ma Bao, Li Dingguo and other military commanders.

Zhu Lang took the Huguang intelligence summary from the table. The first piece of information was the news that the 60,000-man army of Huguang was defeated and Changsha fell. Zhu Lang had received the urgent report from Huguang when he was in Sichuan Province, so he was quite calm at this time.
In addition to the information from Hunan Province, the letter also summarized the situation in Hubei Province over the past few months.

Kong Youde and the other three kings captured Xiangyin in May and defeated the Huguang governor's camp in one fell swoop. After He Tengjiao found out that Xiangyin had fallen, he stepped up his efforts to contact the various towns in Huguang and ordered them to gather their troops in Changsha.
On the other hand, he sent a letter to Hubei Province, hoping that Du Yinxi's troops in Hubei Province would attack Anxiang and other places west of Yuezhou to contain the Qing army.

But after the previous adjustment, Du Yinxi was now the governor of Hubei Province. Although He Tengjiao still held the title of governor of Huguang, he no longer had the power to mobilize Du Yinxi's troops.

After receiving He Tengjiao's request for help, Du Yinxi ignored it. Not only did he not send troops to harass Yuezhou, but he also stepped up efforts to mobilize food and grass from Hunan Province, and ordered the soldiers in Changde to stay put.
The powers of Hunan and Hubei are clear. Du Yinxi is now fully responsible for the war in Hubei Province. He can only provide assistance to the Huguang Governor's Office.
Moreover, the right to assist lies entirely with the Hubei Province itself. Whether or not the Hubei Provincial Governor's Office wants to assist and how to assist are all decided by the Hubei Province itself. He Tengjiao has no power to interfere with the actions of the Hubei Provincial Governor's Office.
When Du Yinxi came to the court to pay his respects, he already knew the court's plan.
Du Yinxi's current mission is to seize Jingzhou. Since the imperial court has already prepared to give up Hunan Province, what else can he do to help?

Instead of helping He Tengjiao defend Hunan Province, it would be better to take advantage of the Qing army's attack on Hunan Province to create an opportunity to seize Jingzhou.

After Kong Youde and his men captured Xiangyin, the Ming army in Hubei Province remained calm and did not take any action. Seeing that Hubei Province was stable, Kong Youde and his men were relieved and mobilized the entire army to attack Changsha.

After learning that the main force of the Qing army was heading for Changsha, Du Yinxi immediately began to mobilize troops. One of Du Yinxi's troops set out from Changde and successively captured the two cities of Gong'an and Shishou, south of Jingzhou. Meanwhile, Li Guo's troops, who were originally stationed in Badong, also went east to Yiling and captured Yidu.

Kong Youde and his men defeated 60,000 Ming troops in a battle under Changsha City and captured Changsha. Afterwards, the Ming troops in Hubei Province stopped moving again.

Kong Youde and others spent two months in Changsha to escape the summer heat. The Ming army in Hubei Province also stopped fighting for two months. Under the control of Du Yinxi, the Ming army in Hubei Province was determined to defend the city and did not even send cavalry scouts to Jingzhou.
After the Qing army in Hubei Province discovered that the Ming army had captured Shishou and Yidu, they also realized that the Ming army might be planning to besiege Jingzhou again, so they immediately sent a letter to Changsha, asking Kong Youde and others to send troops to support them.
After some discussion, Kong Youde and others directly ignored the Qing Dynasty Huguang Governor's request for help.

Kong Youde and his men's mission in Huguang this time was to capture Hunan Province. Even if they could just occupy one more small town or kill one more person in Hunan Province, it would be their military achievement.
On the contrary, if they divided their troops and returned to Hubei Province at this time, even if they managed to defend Hubei Province intact, the credit would belong to the Governor of Huguang, Luo Jinxiu, and would have nothing to do with them.
This is not to say that Kong Youde and others have no responsibility for Hubei Province. Kong Youde and others certainly know the importance of Jingzhou, and it is impossible for them to sit back and watch Jingzhou fall without saving it.
But the Huguang Governor's Office said that the Ming army intended to besiege Jingzhou. If it was an intention, that meant that the Ming army had not yet attacked Jingzhou. Since the Ming army had not yet besieged it, it was impossible for them to divide their troops.
If the Ming army made a few moves in Hubei Province, they would have to send troops to support them. Then why would they attack Hunan Province? They might as well go back to defend Hubei Province.

The Qing Dynasty's Huguang Governor sent letters urging them to come, but Kong Youde and others ignored them. After the September heat dissipated, the Three Kings' Army went south again and continued to attack Hengshan.
After learning that Kong Youde and others continued to move south, Du Yinxi finally stopped hesitating.
Du Yinxi led 5,000 troops from Gong'an to the north, while Li Guo led 20,000 troops to the east to capture Songzi. The two armies met at the foot of Jingzhou and surrounded Jingzhou again.
The information in Zhu Lang's hand was mainly a summary of major events in Huguang in the past few months. Zhu Lang had already seen many of them. Zhu Lang also knew about Du Yinxi and others besieging Jingzhou.

Zhu Lang just glanced at it, put the letter down, and picked up another piece of information on the table.

This intelligence is the latest intelligence summary of Hunan Province in the past month. Among them, Huang Chaoxuan led his troops to surrender to the Qing Dynasty and was killed, and the three kings' army besieged Hengzhou.
After Zhu Lang read the intelligence in his hand, he ordered Li Guoyong to send the intelligence to the ministers below for circulation. Qu Shisi took the letter and took a look at it. His face turned cold and he said

"This villain is indeed harboring rebellious intentions. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant in Huguang before. He betrayed his country and surrendered to the invaders. This villain deserves to be put to death."

After reading the information about Huang Chaoxuan surrendering to the Qing and being killed, Qu Shisi handed the letter to Zhang Tongchang below.
Zhang Tongchang didn't even read it, and directly handed the letter to Liu Xiangke. This information was compiled by Zhang Tongchang, so he didn't need to read it.

Zhu Lang heard this and his face was calm. He said

"After all, Huang Chaoxuan was too weak and there were too many people, which forced Kong Youde to take action."

If Huang Chaoxuan still had an elite force capable of fighting, Kong Youde would be afraid and might not dare to take direct action.
If Huang Chaoxuan had fewer men, Kong Youde would not have killed anyone in order to set an example for the Ming army in Hunan Province. But it was Huang Chaoxuan who was obviously weak but had a large number of men.

Kong Youde cleared Huang Chaoxuan in order to attack Hengzhou. Huang Chaoxuan surrendered directly with 80,000 people, which made Kong Youde and others feel very difficult.

Although Kong Youde and others knew that most of the so-called 80,000 troops were fake, this was still a total of 80,000 people.
If the Qing army recruited all these people, the Qing army's food and salary would be in urgent need of money. If they were dismissed on the spot, these people would leave a big problem for the Qing army in You County.

Kong Youde and others were about to attack Hengzhou. If Huang Chaoxuan waved his arm in the rear and organized these people, the Qing army would immediately be in danger of being attacked from both sides.
Kong Youde and others thought that only by killing Huang Chaoxuan could the Qing army be completely relieved. Once Huang Chaoxuan died, the loose Ming army in You County would immediately become a pile of loose sand and it would be difficult to gather together again.
Of course, Huang Chaoxuan's looting of the huge wealth accumulated in Hunan Province over the past decade was also a small factor in Kong Youde's decision to kill Huang Chaoxuan.
Zhu Lang only mentioned it briefly, then skipped over Huang Chaoxuan's matter and said

"I didn't have much hope for Huang Chaoxuan and his people. Now that the situation in Huguang is weak, they will naturally surrender."

"On the contrary, He Tengjiao actually chose to defend Hengzhou to the death, which was somewhat beyond my expectations. He was still quite sober."

Upon hearing this, Qu Shisi frowned slightly and thought for a moment before speaking.

"After all, He Tengjiao is a minister of a proper family, and cannot be compared with military leaders like Huang Chaoxuan. He Tengjiao was sent to govern Hunan Province, and the loss of Changsha is already a serious crime. If he loses Hengzhou, it will be a capital crime that cannot be forgiven."

"But it can also be seen from this that, after all, it is these people with decent backgrounds who know the bottom line of justice, and the court still has to rely on these people."

Zhu Lang just glanced at Qu Shisi without saying anything. He then looked at Zhang Tongchang below and said:

"What is the current situation in Hengzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tongchang immediately stood up and reported that since the Qing army invaded again in August, He Tengjiao saw that he could not command the armies of Huguang, so he repeatedly asked Yongzhou Prefecture for help, hoping that Yongzhou Prefecture could send troops to garrison in Hengzhou.

However, the court had already made arrangements for Hunan Province. Shi Lang, Bai Gui and the soldiers subsequently transferred from Guangxi Province had all been deployed along the Hunan-Guangxi line. Zhang Tongchang did not dare to violate the court's arrangements and transferred soldiers to support Hengzhou.
"We need a large army to garrison all over Hunan and Guangxi. I dare not disrupt the court's arrangements. However, Changsha was defeated and the Huguang Governor's Office suffered heavy casualties. If we do not receive support, I am afraid Hengzhou will really be unable to defend itself."

"I have been transporting grain to Hengzhou since mid-August, totaling more than 5,000 shi. He Tengjiao also transferred grain from various counties in Hengzhou Prefecture to the city, but the income was not much." "According to He Tengjiao's report, there are nearly 20,000 Huguang soldiers guarding Hengzhou. I estimate that the food and wages in Hengzhou City can last for two months."

"The Qing invaders have been besieging the city for more than a month. Although Hengzhou has not fallen yet, the city is probably running out of food. If the imperial court does not send troops to rescue, I'm afraid He Tengjiao and others in the city will find it difficult to defend the city."

After Zhang Tongchang reported the situation in Hengzhou, he walked out of the train again and bowed and apologized.

"I have allocated rice from Hunan Province to support Hengzhou without the permission of the court. Your Highness, please punish me."

Previously, when Zhu Lang was in Hunan Province, he had already stipulated that only 2,000 dan of grain would be given to the Huguang Governor's Office each month. Zhang Tongchang's unauthorized transfer of rice from Yongzhou to support Hengzhou was indeed a violation of the rules previously set by the court.

Zhu Lang thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said

"It doesn't matter. This is a different time. Since He Tengjiao is determined to defend Hunan Province, he knows how to do something serious."

"The rice grains have been transferred, but it is better to hold on to Hengzhou, otherwise it will be embarrassing for the court."

Zhu Lang ordered Zhang Tongchang to stand up, and then took the last piece of information on the table. This piece of information recorded the latest situation in Hubei Province.

After Du Yinxi and Li Guo led their troops to formally besiege Jingzhou, Kong Youde and others finally had no reason to refuse Hubei Province's request for help.
After Kong Youde received a letter from the Qing government's Huguang Governor's Office asking for help, he had to divide his troops and ordered Shang Kexi to lead the troops back to Jingzhou.
Shang Kexi led his troops to return to help, but he did not rush directly to Jingzhou. Instead, he chose to besiege Changde in an attempt to force the Ming army to return to help.
When Du Yinxi found out that Shang Kexi had sent troops to help, he immediately made adjustments. Du Yinxi sent General Yang Guodong to lead 3,000 soldiers from the Du Biao Camp to help, and cooperated with the 6,000 soldiers from the Zhongzheng Camp who were originally stationed in Changde Taoyuan and other places to defend the city together. These 6,000 people were soldiers that the court had exchanged from the Zhongzheng Camp with rice.
Du Yinxi led the 2,000 Tengxiang Imperial Guards led by Ta Xince and continued to besiege Jingzhou with Li Guo and others.
The Qing army not only transferred Shang Kexi away this time, but also sent Geng Zhongming away.

Kong Youde failed to capture Hengzhou after a long siege. After discovering that there were also Ming troops stationed in Baoqing to the west of Hengzhou, he sent Geng Zhongming to capture Baoqing in order to eliminate the hidden dangers to the west of Hengzhou. At this time, Baoqing was also besieged by the Qing army.

Zhu Lang handed the Hubei Province intelligence to Li Guoyong and ordered him to circulate it to all the ministers. Zhu Lang looked at Bai Gui, the general of Wugang, and said:

“What is the current situation in Baoqing?”

"Geng Zhongming led an army of more than 10,000 people to besiege Baoqing half a month ago. Baoqing General Chen Youlong led the people to resist the Eastern Tartars. Now Baoqing is still under the control of the court."

"But Geng Zhongming kept driving the people to attack the city like ants. The city was short of weapons and supplies, and there were heavy casualties. Chen Youlong had asked Wugang for help many times."

"I urgently mobilized 3,000 soldiers from Guangxi Province and was about to lead them to help. Before I could set off, Your Highness returned to Wugang."

Zhu Lang nodded slightly after hearing what Bai Gui said. The situation in Hunan Province was better than he thought.
Although Changsha was lost, Hengzhou and Baoqing were still under the control of the court, especially Hengzhou, which was a hub of Hunan Province as it connected the north and south.
Zhu Lang thought for a moment and then said

"I gave Kong Youde half a year. Since they failed to occupy Hunan Province, it's time for them to leave."

Zhu Lang glanced at the people below and began to arrange matters for the rescue of Huguang.
In Hubei Province, Gao Yigong's Loyalty Battalion of 3,000, Bai Gui's Longxiang Army of 2,000, and the newly mobilized 3,000 Gui Army, a total of 8,000, went north to rescue Hubei Province.
The troops along the way did not seek to annihilate the enemy, but only to force Shang Kexi to retreat and relieve the worries of Jingzhou.

As long as Shang Kexi and others were forced to retreat, these 8,000 troops could continue to march north to participate in the siege of Jingzhou.

Ma Bao was the commander-in-chief of Hunan Province, with 8,000 Tengxiang troops, 8,000 Li Dingguo's Loyalty Battalion, and 5,000 Longxiang troops. They first attacked Geng Zhongming's troops in Baoqing, lifted the siege of Baoqing, and then drove straight to Hengzhou through Baoqing.

This group of people not only had to relieve the siege, but also tried to annihilate Kong Youde and other Qing troops entering Hunan and recover the lost territory of Hunan Province.

Zhu Lang finished the arrangement. Ma Bao below hesitated for a moment, but then spoke:

"According to intelligence from Hubei Province, Kong Youde and other Qing invaders had no more than 10,000 men when they first entered Huguang. Now, the vast majority of the so-called 50,000-man army are weak soldiers captured from various parts of Hunan Province after entering Huguang."

"Kong Youde is even more arrogant now. He actually dares to divide his troops to attack. This will allow us to defeat them one by one."

"The situation in Hunan Province is unstable right now. Your Highness is a precious person. The Longxiang Army is responsible for protecting your Highness and the ministers of the Central Government. It seems inappropriate to act rashly at this time. I will lead the Tengxiang and Zhongyi armies, which are enough to defeat these Qing invaders who entered Hunan."

After Ma Bao finished speaking, all the officials in the field nodded slightly. Zhu Lang looked at the military officials in the field who looked as if they were taking it for granted, but frowned slightly and said:

"Don't underestimate the enemy. Although Kong Youde and his two men are Han soldiers, the people under Kong Youde's command are all veterans from Liaodong. Kong Youde and his two men were generals in Dongjiang with Wuxiang and Li Mingzhong in the past. They are also veterans with many years of experience. How can you underestimate them?"

"What's wrong with you now? Do you really think that you are invincible just because you won a few battles in Fujian, Zhejiang and Sichuan? The imperial court has worked hard to gather a few soldiers, but they are not for you to waste and fight with."

Zhu Lang looked at the military officials below and found that the military generals in the court seemed to be a little arrogant after winning several battles against the Qing court. The more Zhu Lang spoke, the more serious his expression became.

The ministers below were all shocked when they saw His Majesty the Regent's unhappy expression.

When Ma Bao heard that Kong Youde and the other two had served as generals with Li Mingzhong, he dared not say anything. When he was under Li Chengdong's command, Li Chengdong was defeated by Li Mingzhong's Wuxiang Army.
The court meeting in Wugang ended with the ministers' warning and confession. The next day after the meeting, Ma Bao led 20,000 troops from Wugang and headed towards Baoqing.
(End of this chapter)