Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 119 Invitation to Battle

The Qing army had arrived in Tangxi for several days, during which Fang Guoan's troops had engaged in several small-scale battles with them. Although they had not won any battles, he was probably the only one in this area who had the courage to fight again and again after repeated defeats.

Fang Guoan was from Xiaoshan. As the military force in Hangzhou second only to Ma Shiying's troops, he was naturally sought after by all parties.

However, he was not an ordinary warrior and he had his own views on the situation in Hangzhou, so he adopted different strategies when dealing with these attempts to win him over.

For example, when facing Chen Hongfan, the measure he took was to cooperate in acting and then get as much information as possible based on the cooperation in acting.

Therefore, he was most likely the first person in Hangzhou City to accurately know Chen Hongfan's thoughts.

However, he did not tell anyone about this. After all, he was just a warrior. When he needed to fight for his life, the adults would naturally treat him with courtesy, but if it came to political affairs, they probably would not let him get involved at all.

On this point, Fang Guoan knew it well without making any attempt.

As for the issue of defending and abandoning Hangzhou, he does have a certain say.

However, at that time, Ma Shiying was fighting with Er Zhou in a stalemate, so there was no need for him to reveal his feelings too early.

Therefore, no one has really figured out whether Fang Guoan advocates war or something else.

"General, Mr. Ma disappeared yesterday. People in the city are saying all kinds of things. Should we send soldiers to the streets to suppress them?"

"Humph! Don't I know what you are thinking?!"

"The Marshal is wise."

Hearing Fang Guoan's scolding, the general did not show any sign of fear. He responded with a grin and stepped aside.

"Although you are not from Hangzhou, you are all from Zhejiang. We are both from the same hometown. Can't you restrain yourself a little?"

"General, you know the situation. The court hasn't paid the soldiers for a long time. If the soldiers are not allowed to have a good time, who will be willing to fight in the war?"

"Stubborn mouth!"

Perhaps it was because Fang Guoan was usually more tolerant, as soon as he said this, someone else started to refute him. Then he was left speechless, so he simply grabbed a command arrow from the table and threw it over.

He was very clear about how poor the military discipline of his battalion was, and he also knew that everything the general said was true.

But what can he do?
Good military discipline requires years of cultivation. The entire Ming army's discipline has been completely corrupted for many years. How could he, alone, reverse this trend?
As for the military pay, he was even more helpless. If Zheng Hongkui had not provided some aid, the soldiers under his command would probably have dispersed within a few days of arriving in Hangzhou. How could he have waited until the generals complained like this in front of him?

"Marshal, I heard that His Royal Highness the Regent wants to surrender. Should we also find a way out as soon as possible?"

"Where did you hear that?"

After a while, the generals saw that their commander was not really angry and started talking again. However, although Fang Guoan did not throw anything this time, his sudden gloomy expression told the generals clearly: the commander was really unhappy.

"That's right. That's what's spread in the city."

"say clearly."

"It is said that His Royal Highness the Regent wants to surrender, but is worried that the Marshal and Mr. Huang will stop him."

"Humph!"

The general said this with great trepidation, but did not receive any rebuke from his commander-in-chief. Seeing this, he added another sentence.

"General, I heard that the King of Tang has been staying in the Zheng family fleet. It seems that he plans to go to Fujian as soon as the regent surrenders."

"Don't worry, with Master Huang here, the Regent Palace cannot descend."

Fang Anguo seemed to feel that this was not enough to appease the generals. He paused for a moment and then continued, "I advise you not to have any other thoughts. The Zheng family is not a good family. If we go to their territory, we outsiders will probably be left with nothing."

"Marshal, what are you talking about?"

"Marshal, we all follow your lead."

At this point, all the generals had to show their loyalty, but at the same time Fang Guoan saw a soldier running in in a panic.

"General, Liu Liangzuo is outside the city inviting us to fight!"

"Humph! You are so arrogant. You dare to challenge me to a fight just because you have won a few battles. Do you really think I am a pushover?!
All the generals, listen up! Follow me to meet the Tartars outside the city!"

At Fang Guoan's command, all the generals left their tents and prepared for battle.

It has to be said that the soldiers under Fang Anguo did have some problems of this or that kind, but they were truly unique among the Southern Ming official army in that they dared to confront the Qing army head-on and were able to achieve a certain balance to a certain extent.

From this point we can see Fang Guoan's ability in leading troops.

It’s a pity that all the ministers of the Ming Dynasty focused their energy on internal conflicts, causing countless people of noble character and lofty ideals to shed their blood in vain.

Having said this, we have to mention the original historical ending of Fang Guoan.

After Prince Lu surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Fang Guoan, Zhu Datian and others supported Prince Lu to continue resisting the Qing Dynasty in eastern Zhejiang.

Although they won several victories during this period, eastern Zhejiang only had a few prefectures. After a period of consumption, they completely lost the ability to resist the Qing army.

When the Ming army in eastern Zhejiang was completely defeated, Zhu Datian held on to Jinhua, and Fang Guoan also led his troops to retreat here.

But a sad thing happened. Zhu Datian refused to allow Fang Guoan's troops to enter the city, and Fang Guoan directly ordered an attack on the city.

In the end, most of Fang's elite troops were killed in this battle, and with no way to retreat, they were forced to surrender to the Qing. Zhu Datian and his entire family were burned to death after Jinhua was captured by the Qing army.

Did Fang Guoan do anything wrong? Yu Daming had done his best. After being treated unfairly many times, he still insisted on fighting until he ran out of ammunition and food. Even if he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in the end, it would not be too harsh to blame him.

Did Zhu Dadian do anything wrong? He had the responsibility to defend the territory, so how could he easily allow Fang's troops, who had corrupted military discipline, into the city?

Although this incident is an individual case, it is a very representative epitome of the late Ming Dynasty.

Whatever the reason, the ministers were more wary of their colleagues than the Qing army, which made people
Closer to home.

After Fang Guoan's troops were ready, they went straight out of the city to fight.

When he was motivating his soldiers, he naturally acted as if he did not take the Qing army seriously, but when he really faced the enemy, he was very cautious and arranged his troops close to the city wall.

In this way, even if they were really defeated, they could use the long-range weapons on the city wall to resist for a while, and would not be wiped out by the Qing army in one wave.

"Fang Guoan!

I have fought several battles, and you know the strength of our army.

I advise you to surrender as soon as possible to avoid another round of fighting and the loss of soldiers' lives in vain!"

Before the battle officially begins, a few words of cursing are required, but although these words begin with the name of the enemy general, every word is spoken to the soldiers.

To put it bluntly, the root cause is to find ways to weaken the enemy's morale.

Faced with this situation, Fang Guoan has his own way of dealing with it. Since you have presented the facts, I will reason with you.

"Liu Liangzuo!

You are a traitor!
Your Majesty treats you well, why don't you fight to the death for your Majesty? !

Is it because the Tartars are good at feeding dogs? "

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers under Fang Anguo's command burst into laughter.

This was Liu Liangzuo's Achilles' heel. He was originally just an ordinary general, and was granted the title of Guangchang Earl because he supported Hongguang to ascend the throne. Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, Hongguang treated him well. However, he surrendered to the Tartars without fighting, which naturally became a stain that could not be washed away in his life. But people always look for reasonable explanations for their actions, and Liu Liangzuo has found a self-consistent logic for his actions during this period.

"I, Liu Liangzuo, am where I am today because the late Emperor Huaizong selected me from humble beginnings. Now that the Qing Dynasty has avenged its blood feud, I will do my best to assist you!
How can you be like this, serving a usurper and disregarding the lives of the common people and soldiers for your own fame and honor?"

Liu Liangzuo claimed that Fang Guoan was killed for the sake of official titles and salaries, while Fang Guoan accused him of being a rebellious villain.

After a heated exchange of words, everyone felt that they had won the war of words, and it was time to strike back at the other party while their morale was low.

Afterwards, the two men returned to their respective armies, and soon after, more than a thousand soldiers from each army slowly marched out to open the battle.

Logically speaking, Fang Guoan had the advantage of defending the city, so he could just sit quietly in the city and wait for him to attack, and he didn't need to pay any attention to Liu Liangzuo's invitation to fight.

But one's own family knows one's own business. After all, Hangzhou does not have a large number of garrisons stationed in the city like Yingtian. Even with his 10,000 soldiers, he is afraid that he cannot guarantee that every section of the city wall has enough soldiers to defend it.

Furthermore, the morale of the military and civilians in Hangzhou has been extremely low due to the successive operations of the gentlemen. If he continues to hide in the city and dare not fight, what will the situation in the city be like?
Therefore, going out to fight became Fang Guoan's only choice.

"Marshal, with the Major General leading the team in this battle, we should be able to gain something."

The armies of both sides approached each other slowly, and were about twenty steps away from being within the range of the other side's firearms.

But at this time, the generals beside Fang Guoan not only did not show the slightest nervousness, but each of them was extremely confident, as if victory in this battle was a foregone conclusion.

After several previous attempts, he had figured out the other party's tactics and had made corresponding arrangements accordingly.

Therefore, at the beginning of the battle, he ordered his own nephew Fang Yuanke to lead the strongest battalion of soldiers to fight, aiming to defeat the enemy with lightning speed, so as to give more confidence to the adults in the city.

"Raise your shield!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Seeing the green smoke coming out of the Qing army's formation, Fang Yuanke gave an order and the soldiers in the front row raised their large leather-covered shields.

If within the optimal range of firearms, such wooden shields will not only fail to provide defense, but will also bring out countless wood chips when the lead bullets penetrate, causing secondary damage to the soldiers.

But after observing these battles, Fang Guoan and his team found that the Qing army would basically shoot immediately once they reached the range.

In this case, the role of the wooden shield is greatly enhanced.

"puff!"

"puff!"

"puff!"

One by one, the lead bullets successfully penetrated the wooden shield, but most of them were embedded in the armor plates and could not move any further.

Seeing this, Fang Yuanke was naturally delighted, but at the same time he also knew clearly that this method was a trick. As long as the Qing army let them closer before opening fire, even if he raised two shields, he would not be able to withstand the damage of the muskets.

But this time is enough. According to Fang Guoan, as long as he can win this battle, the adults in the city will not think of him again.

By then, reinforcements from all directions will have arrived in Hangzhou, and they will be able to calmly fight an offensive and defensive battle with the Tartars.

"accelerate!"

The enemy's muskets had all been fired, and at Fang Yuanke's command, the Ming army's advance speed suddenly increased.

Seventy steps.

The enemy musketeers have begun to retreat to the rear of the formation.

Sixty steps.

The Qing army's melee soldiers were still advancing, but the archers had stopped, drawn their bows and drew their arrows, ready to strike back at the Ming army with a dense rain of arrows as soon as they came into range.

But how could the tactics that Fang Guoan had spent so much time researching and formulating be so simple?
When there were only forty or fifty steps between the two armies, Fang Yuanke gave an order and the soldiers in the front row suddenly ducked, and the musketeers hidden in the formation were no longer blocked.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The sound of firearms firing echoed over the battlefield, and the front rows of the Qing army fell to the ground immediately, and even their formation became chaotic at this moment.

Seeing this situation, how could Fang Yuanke not know that this was the best time to break through the enemy's formation?
After shouting to the archers behind him, he rushed towards the Qing army first.

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

Countless arrows fell on the two armies at the same time, and although the soldiers on both sides dodged and moved, no one slowed down their pace.

In such a situation, I don’t know what Liu Liangzuo felt, but Fang Guoan, who was standing near the city wall, felt heart-wrenching pain.

This battalion of soldiers was the result of his years of painstaking training, and was also the capital for him to survive in this chaotic world.

If the situation in Hangzhou was not too serious and the other troops under his command were not enough to carry out such tactics, he would never have used this battalion for such consumption.

However, the effort was not in vain. Taking advantage of the opportunity when the Qing army's formation was broken up by muskets, Fang Yuanke led the remaining soldiers and charged directly into the Qing army's formation.

Fang Guoan had no children, so he always treated his nephew as his own son. He taught him not only the ability to lead troops in battle, but also the ways of being an official.

But at the same time, Fang Yuanke did not receive any preferential treatment in the army because of his status.

Not to mention his military position, even the task of leading the elite troops in the army required real skills to kill their way out of dozens of people with just one sword and one gun.

Such a person would naturally be like a wolf among a flock of sheep when facing Liu Liangzuo's troops, which had already become somewhat scattered.

“This is the time to make achievements!”

Fang Yuanke stabbed the Qing army in front of him with one spear, then he shouted and turned into an arrow in the military formation and stabbed straight into the enemy's formation.

They made many preparations for this battle.

From approaching and firing guns to the coordination between everyone in the breakthrough formation, all the details had been told to these nearly a thousand soldiers. Coupled with a fierce general like Fang Yuanke, the Qing army showed signs of collapse in no time.

Fang Guoan was naturally pleased to see this situation. As long as he could defeat the Qing army with lightning speed, Liu Liangzuo would certainly not send troops to support it, and the Ming army would be considered to have won this battle.

After that, as a military general, he had no control over what the gentlemen in the city and His Royal Highness the Regent were going to do. But no matter what, he tried his best to do what he could. If it was really God's will, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Marshal! The enemy is moving!"

Just when the Qing army was about to be completely defeated, a series of flag calls spread from under the Qing army commander's flag, and then the entire Qing army formation slowly moved like a giant beast that had just awakened.

This makes no sense.

(End of this chapter)