Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 122: I Don't Want the General Flag Anymore
"Zhenjiang has been captured! The Tartars have no food! The Crown Prince has issued an order! Rescue Hangzhou!"

The shouts hit the minds of every soldier on the battlefield like huge waves.

For the Ming army, it didn’t matter how Zhenjiang was captured, nor did it matter where the prince came from.

The important thing is that when they were at their wits' end and were about to be wiped out, reinforcements arrived.

The Ming Dynasty never abandoned them!
"The prince's reinforcements have arrived, defeat the enemy in front of you!"

After all, Fang Guoan is a veteran who has been through many battles and his ability to respond is top-notch.

When he heard the shouting, his first reaction was not who the prince was, but that he must guard the city gate and never let the traitors in the city and the Tartars outside the city meet up.

But if you defend for too long you will lose. Instead of retreating, it is better to take advantage of the enemy's low morale and defeat them together with the reinforcements.

"The commander-in-chief has given the order! Defeat the enemy in front of us!"

"The commander-in-chief has given the order! Defeat the enemy in front of us!"

"The commander-in-chief has given the order! Defeat the enemy in front of us!"

His military orders were passed on word of mouth by the generals among the soldiers, and in just a moment all the Ming troops on the battlefield knew their current tasks.

Afterwards, the Ming army, whose morale was high, launched a counterattack against the Qing army, and the Qing army, which was still full of murderous intent, immediately wilted.

Such a change in the battle situation was beyond everyone's expectations, but the most surprised person was Liu Liangzuo.

Yesterday, Duoduo ordered him to lead his troops and cooperate with the internal support to annihilate Fang Guoan's troops, who had the most resolute resistance among the Ming troops, under the city of Hangzhou.

But with the arrival of those warships, not only was there no hope of annihilating Fang Guoan's troops, but it also became unknown whether his troops could withdraw.

"General, the Ming army has warships to help us. We can't fight any further. Let's retreat!"

"Snapped!"

As soon as the general beside him finished speaking, Liu Liangzuo whipped him hard in the face with the whip in his hand.

"Anyone who disrupts our army's morale will be killed!"

In such a situation, all the generals were naturally silent, but in their hearts, Liu Liangzuo was simply risking the lives of his soldiers.

At this time, not only were bursts of artillery fire coming from the Ming army's warships, but several teams of troops were also landing from the battleships. If they really waited until the Ming army was ready, not to mention the troops under the city, even they, the generals, would probably be left here.

Liu Liangzuo was certainly not completely ignorant of the thoughts of his generals, but was it simply luck that allowed him to become the commander of a town?
After observing for a while, he discovered that although the Ming army's warships were blazing with flames, not many of them could actually reach the city.

As for the warships moored against the shore, there were only thirty or forty of them in total. Even if each ship was fully loaded, there could only be three to four thousand people at most.

Even if Fang Guoan's troops were added, their numbers would only be equal to our own strength, not to mention that Fang's troops had already suffered considerable losses.

In this situation, why would he abandon his army and flee?
just
The generals were already frightened by the sight of the city, and the soldiers were even more unbearable.

In this situation, we need to plan carefully what to do.

"You lead your troops and go with me to intercept the Ming army."

"Marshal! You are responsible for the safety of the entire army. You must not take any risks!"

"General! The main camp is still about 10 to 20 miles away. Why don't you go back and ask for help first, and we will go on our own!"

As soon as Liu Liangzuo finished speaking, the two generals who stayed with him immediately burst into tears.

Their words sounded as if they were worried about Liu Liangzuo's safety, but Liu Liangzuo had been pretending to obey orders for half his life, so how could he not see what these guys were thinking?
"You guys have stationed troops in Jianghuai before, but you don't even know how many people a warship can hold!

Open your dog eyes and see clearly!

The Ming army only has one or two thousand men at most. Why would I do something that would kill me?!"

After a burst of scolding, those generals seemed to have figured out why the commander insisted on not withdrawing, and then they changed their expressions.

"What are you talking about, Marshal? I am just worried about your safety."

"That's right, that's right. We have followed you in your campaigns, so how could we be frightened by such a small army?"

Seeing this situation, Liu Liangzuo felt helpless, but he really had no way to deal with this group of people.

After all, his hypocrisy had all been seen by his own generals, and they followed his example, which inevitably led to the downfall of the group.

"Stop talking nonsense and follow me to meet the enemy."

"Order!"

At this time, Liu Liangzuo had three battalions of troops by his side, totaling nearly four thousand people.

In his opinion, the soldiers who came down from the warships were probably the navy's land camp. Although these 4,000 soldiers were not a strong army, they were an overkill when used to intercept the navy's land camp.

After about an incense stick of time, Liu Liangzuo and his soldiers arrived near the battle group.

Their current position is extremely important. They don't have to worry about being hurt by warships' artillery fire, and they can intercept the Ming army before they land and come into contact with the battle group.

This position would achieve the goals of both parties, but in Chang Guanlin's eyes, he saw the enemy's contempt.

"Sir, the Qing army thinks we are a naval camp."

"Oh? What do you mean by this?"

"By standing in this position, they can avoid being hurt by artillery fire and intercept our troops in time. However, when our troops attack, they lose the advantage of being ready for battle, and the battle turns from a charge into an encounter."

At this point, Chang Guanlin smiled contemptuously, and then continued: "If he hadn't regarded us as a land camp, how could he dare to be so arrogant?"

"In that case, I wish General Chang a great victory."

"Thanks to your good words, I will leave now."

Chang Guanlin left with full confidence, and Zhu Guobi, who stayed on the boat, felt at ease.

Although the consent of all ministers was obtained for this expedition, it was His Highness who silenced everyone with the previous Yingtian.

According to Zhu Guobi's original intention, he should first take advantage of the opportunity when the Qing army's attention is focused on the south to lift the siege of Yingtian before thinking about other things, otherwise it would be a bit...
But His Highness brought up the previous Yingtian, making it seem as if anyone unwilling to save Hangzhou was a traitor like Zhao Zhilong and Wang Duo. The ministers could only settle for the second best and not let His Highness lead the army in person.

Finally, His Highness personally gave the order to draw 500 men from the Royal Guards Camp, 300 men from the Zhutang Army, and 2,000 men from the newly selected "elite" of the garrison, thus forming the force to rescue Hangzhou.

As for why Zhu Guobi appeared here
According to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, coming to fight this time is secondary. The most important thing is to balance the relations among all parties. As the most capable and resourceful Duke Baoguo in Yingtian City, he naturally became the best choice.

Lead 2,800 people to rescue Hangzhou? This mission, which was obviously fraught with danger, was something Baoguo Gong naturally did not want to accept.

But two days ago, he expressed his loyalty to His Highness and asked for a job. If he turned around and refused because of the danger, how would His Highness see it? How would the nobles of Yingtian see it?
Does Zhu Guobi really want to follow in Mr. Qian’s footsteps?
Fortunately, Chang Guanlin showed great confidence after observing for a while, so Zhu Guobi could only
Let's take a look at the situation first.

"General Zhang."

"Master."

"If a cannon fails to fire from the city wall, something must have gone wrong. Take some men to other gates to check the situation."

"Order."

Zhang Pengyi was about to take the order and leave, but he heard Zhu Guobi say something very kindly behind him.

"You must pay attention to military discipline. Your Highness can kill people." "Please rest assured, Duke. If anyone dares to disturb the people, I will deal with him first without Your Highness."

"Well, let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Pengyi responded and disappeared.

Zhu Guobi chuckled and then turned his attention back to the battlefield.

At this time, the cannons on the warships, which could only hold up the scene due to insufficient range, had long stopped firing, and only a few red cannons were still roaring.

Chang Guanlin also led the Yingtian soldiers straight to the battlefield. They were about a hundred steps away from encountering the Qing army that came to intercept them.

The number of soldiers participating in the battle here is far less than that in the main battlefield under Hangzhou City, but since the Yingtian Army landed, everyone's attention has been focused on them.

"Chen Qing, find a solution quickly!"

Zhu Changxun had never been in a battle, so when he saw such a big reversal in a battle that seemed almost certain to win, he immediately panicked.

"Don't worry, Your Highness! Marshal Liu has sent troops to intercept them. As long as we can hold them off for a while, Fang Guoan will surely be defeated!"

"really?"

"really."

Chen Hongfan said a few words of comfort and then turned his attention back to the battlefield.

Although the two of them are now tied to the same string, he doesn't want to pay any attention to this cruel and crazy person like Zhu Changxun.

In his opinion, both instigation of rebellion and internal collusion can be regarded as normal means used in a war between two countries.

Even though Chen Hongfan will inevitably be recorded in history as a traitor, there is still a fundamental difference between him and the cruel and insane person who fed the enemy with wine and meat on the city wall.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

Just as Chen Hongfan was constantly complaining in his heart, the sound of muskets firing suddenly came.

When he looked carefully, he saw that many soldiers from both the Ming and Qing sides had fallen to the ground. Then, bursts of smoke gradually enveloped the battlefield, and the battle situation could no longer be seen clearly from the city.

"From the perspective of the musket battle, the combat power of the soldiers on both sides can be considered equal."

"Oh?"

"Your Highness, although it's hard to hit with a musket, if you get hit, you'll either die or get injured. So whether the soldiers are in chaos when they fire their muskets can be a good indicator of whether they are elite."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Changxun let out a long sigh of relief.

He did not fully understand the reason, but since Chen Hongfan said so, it probably would not be without purpose.

Moreover, from the size of the military formations on both sides, it can be seen that the Qing army has more people and the Ming army has fewer people. The combination of the two at least blocked the Ming army's reinforcements for a while.

just
"Chen Qing, the fog makes it hard to see anything, and I don't know what the battle situation is like."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. The Royal Army and the Ming Army are about to collide. It will take some time to determine the outcome."

"That city"

Hearing this, Chen Hongfan looked towards the city.

Although Fang Guoan's troops made a lot of efforts under the encouragement of the arrival of reinforcements, the Qing army was stabilized because the general's flag pressed forward to stop the reinforcements.

Under such circumstances, it is unlikely to determine the outcome in a short period of time, so based on Chen Hongfan's experience, the outcome of this battle will probably depend on which side.

"Your Highness, the more times like this, the more you must keep your composure, otherwise..."

"Alas, Mr. Chen, I will no longer be the regent if the Qing army enters the city. Why are you still saying this?"

Looking at the Regent of the Ming Dynasty in front of him, Chen Hongfan really didn't know what to say. Or should he pretend that he had finished speaking and simply ignore him?
But just when he was hesitating, he saw Zhu Changxun's expression gradually changed from indifference to astonishment, and then in the blink of an eye, a look of deep fear appeared.

"temple"

"Look!"

In this situation, Chen Hongfan wanted to see what had happened to scare Zhu Changxun like this, but when his eyes fell on the battle group, the expression on his face gradually became consistent with Zhu Changxun's.

At this time, the thick smoke above the battle group had gradually dissipated, but the battle situation could still be roughly seen from the city.

However, in Chen Hongfan's mind, the Qing army, which should have had the advantage, not only failed to suppress the Yingtian army, but its flank was even almost penetrated.

The development of the battle to this point was beyond Chen Hongfan's expectations, but if there was one person who was the most surprised, it must be Liu Liangzuo who was standing under the general's flag.

He originally regarded this Ming army as a naval camp, but after the musket attack, he immediately realized his mistake.

It has to be said that although Liu Liangzuo was not a loyal or patriotic person, his ability in battle should not be underestimated.

While the two armies had not yet actually come into contact, he drew out two centuries from the army as a reserve. When the enemy was about to appear on his flank, he immediately used this reserve to launch a counter-encirclement.

If the soldiers coming are just ordinary ones, then this move will certainly catch them by surprise, and may even speed up the end of the battle.

But he had followed Nikan to the south very early, and his understanding of the Tianshou Army was still stuck in the past.

As a result, when he saw that the flanks of the army and the reserve troops were almost on the verge of collapse, he froze on his horse.

"Marshal! The Ming army is strong, retreat!"

withdraw?
How to withdraw?
How to withdraw?
When Liu Liangzuo surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he brought nearly 100,000 troops with him. However, after Duoduo and Nikan's actions, only 30,000 to 40,000 troops were left under his command.

If he retreated at this moment, these nearly 10,000 troops would surely be trapped here, and wouldn't he, Liu Liangzuo, really become an ordinary general?

"General! As long as there is life, there is hope! If we are really stuck here, what is the use of more troops?"

The general beside him had followed Liu Liangzuo for many years and knew his thoughts very well. Just these few words strengthened the determination of his general.

"Dig a hole!"

"what?"

"Put the flag in the ground!"

After a brief conversation, the generals immediately started digging at the ground with their knives, and Liu Liangzuo took this opportunity to look at the battle group again to determine whether the situation could no longer be reversed.

But you don’t know until you see it. Once he saw it, he was so angry that he was like a Buddha being born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven.

The situation was fine in the middle of the battle. The two armies were roughly equal in strength and the fight was fierce.

However, the reserve troops he sent to encircle the Ming army's flank had been completely defeated, and the fast-running soldiers were even twenty or thirty steps away from the battle group.

In this way, it would only take a moment for his flank to be breached. If he didn't run away at this moment, he would definitely be surrounded.

"Stop digging! Retreat!"

(End of this chapter)