Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 212: The Banner Moves Forward
Yuan Jixian had already spent more than a month in Wuhu, and coupled with the attacks in the previous few days without regard for casualties, his troops had not only suffered heavy losses, but were also exhausted.

Under this circumstance, if Yuan Jixian's troops really continue to fight the Qing army one by one, can they withstand it?
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but look around, and only looked away when all the generals looked a little confused.

At this time, all the generals on the command platform looked embarrassed. Except for Yuan Jixian, whose whole mind was on the battle group, the others seemed to have their own ideas about whether they should continue fighting.

Faced with this situation, even though he felt it was inappropriate to interfere in Yuan Jixian's military affairs now, he had to weigh the pros and cons in his mind.

"Deng Linqi, order your troops to send out another battalion and cut straight in from the right side of the battlefield."

At this moment, Yuan Jixian's voice sounded again. Although the general named Deng Linqi said he obeyed the order, he hesitated for a long time before passing it on.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Cilang was even more certain that none of the generals were willing to continue wasting time like this, and his weighing of the pros and cons also yielded a result.

"Governor Yuan, is this battle likely to succeed?"

Is it going to work?

Where does success come from?

As soon as he heard this, Yuan Jixian couldn't help but have this thought in his mind.

His army had been fighting in Wuhu for more than a month. Although the morale of the army had been restored due to the Ming army's successive victories in various parts of Jiangnan, it was normal for them to have a good rest and should not have engaged in a passive decisive battle at this time.

Furthermore, although Wuhu is a strategic location, there is a network of rivers and streams within a hundred miles to the south of it. Even if these two fortresses were lost and the camp was retreated, it would not have much impact on the overall situation in the south of the Yangtze River.

With this in mind, investing more troops into the battle is obviously like investing money in a business that you know will lose money.

But what about the soldiers who have already joined the battle?
Are you just going to give up like this?

If such a thing really happened, everyone would have to think carefully before fighting in the future. If this continues, how can this army still be used?
"Your Highness, when two brave men meet in a narrow road, the bravest will win. Even though our army is facing a thousand disadvantages, we are not sure of victory against the enemy in front of us. As long as all the generals are determined to win, I am confident that I can win this battle."

Hearing this, Zhu Cilang immediately understood.

On the surface, these words were addressed to him, but in fact the most crucial sentence was clearly addressed to the generals.

Obviously, although Yuan Jixian's attention was mostly on the battlefield at this time, he was not completely unaware of the reactions of the generals.

Zhu Cilang actually didn't have much likes or dislikes about everyone's reactions.

He could understand why Yuan Jixian insisted on fighting this battle, and he could also imagine the concerns in the minds of the generals.

To be frank, he, the Crown Prince Regent of the Ming Dynasty, is even more profound than everyone thinks.

As for his advocacy of war, he had relied on a series of victories along the way to finally give the Ming army the courage to fight. If he retreated, not to mention whether it would damage his reputation, the mere fact that he set a precedent of retreating when things didn't go his way was something he couldn't accept.

As far as the main retreat is concerned, the reality is clearly before our eyes.

Although the strength of the two armies was not much different at this time, the combat effectiveness of the Qing army could not be underestimated. If one was not careful, the entire army would be defeated.

But this does not mean that Cilang underestimates the combat effectiveness of Yuan Jixian's troops.

In the original history, Yuan Jixian had been imprisoned by Zuo Liangyu and his son. Except for three or two generals, the rest of his troops later followed Zuo's troops and surrendered to the Tatars.

Although one part was divided into two waves, both waves achieved good results after serving their respective masters, which shows that their combat power is extraordinary.

But there is a problem here. The generals are not mediocre. They are naturally familiar with the tactical matters, and they will have doubts in their hearts about whether it is necessary to fight this battle.

Under such circumstances, how could they be willing to fight to the death?

"What Governor Yuan said makes sense, but I am sure that the Tartars will not fight to such an extent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, not only the generals but even Yuan Jixian looked at Zhu Cilang with puzzled expressions.

Although everyone had different opinions on whether they should stand down, they all believed that today's battle was most likely the Tartars using siege as bait to lure the Ming army into a decisive battle.

In this situation, how could they not fight to the death?
"You don't know the internal struggles of the Tartars, so it's understandable that you can't figure out the ins and outs of it."

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhu Cilang just smiled and told everyone in detail about the three-way confrontation caused by the struggle for the throne. In the end, although all the generals including Yuan Jixian were surprised that the Tartars could do such a thing, they still did not understand the inner connection between these and today's battle.

"At that time, Duoduo was pinned down in Xuancheng. Although Bolo in Yingtian, Tunqi and Tulai on the other side had the ability to go south to rescue, they did not move. When they were forced into a corner, the two guys on the other side even thought of engaging in a tacit war with us."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, everyone suddenly understood.

During these days, they have all realized that the Tartars' attack near the river was just a show, but due to limited intelligence, no one has been able to figure out why the Tartars did so.

Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has directly burst the window paper, the generals are not stupid and will naturally imagine a bloody struggle within the Qing army.

just
"Your Highness, please forgive me for being blunt. If this is the case, then Tunqi and Tulai should do their best to win this battle and make up for their mistakes."

"You're thinking the wrong thing. They certainly want to win, but do they really have the guts to waste all their troops here?"

If a general like Fang Guoan were here, he would not be able to understand the Crown Prince's explanation even if he racked his brains.

However, the generals under Yuan Jixian had been with the Zuo Bu in Jiangxi for quite some time. They were accustomed to the Zuo Bu's style and immediately figured out the key after a short while.

The coach was trapped and we didn't go to rescue him, even if we created some seemingly reasonable reasons, but it would naturally be safer if we could base it on a victory.

But if this victory requires the loss of a large number of troops, then we have to think carefully about who to replace him with.

By this time, most of the generals had agreed with the Crown Prince's reasons, but their faces showed some embarrassment.

It's not that these generals are thin-skinned. After all, although the generals under Yuan Jixian have not reached that level yet, they have already shown a tendency to develop into warlords.

Now that these words came from the mouth of the Crown Prince who is the Regent of the Ming Dynasty, how could they not react at all?

However, Zhu Cilang seemed not to notice everyone's expressions. After saying these things, he turned his gaze back to the battlefield. It was obvious that he still did not intend to interfere with Yuan Jixian's command.

The description of the battlefield as a jagged grid seems to be insufficient to describe the chaos at this time. After all, the jagged grid can still roughly distinguish between the enemy and ourselves.

But with the addition of wave after wave of new forces, although the outer periphery of the battle group still looked clearly divided from a distance, the area in the middle had become one of "I am in you and you are in me".

Although Hou Shilu arrived with his troops as soon as he received the news, he observed the battlefield for a long time before leading his troops to join the battle. It was less than half an hour from the initial attack to now. However, after several charges, the formation was scattered and the soldiers of both the Ming and Qing sides were fighting on their own in the center of the battle group. Under such circumstances, his physical energy consumption was naturally much higher than in ordinary battles.

"Oh!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity that the Qing army on his side was fighting with the Ming army in front of him, Hou Shilu hit him hard on the back of the head with a wooden stick as thick as a cup. Then, without checking the results, he turned around suddenly, and the wooden stick used the force to hit the waist of the sneaky Qing soldier behind him like a bull.

"Crack!"

When he heard this sound, he naturally knew that the Qing army had lost its fighting power. However, at this moment, he had no strength to make another move. He took a step forward and reached the side of the soldier he had just rescued.

"With me!"

The fact that he could shout like that clearly meant that he had been forced into a corner.

During the previous clash with the Qing cavalry, he was accidentally pulled off his horse. Although his reinforcements arrived in time, the Qing army also sent troops at the same time.

In this situation, Hou Shilu, who was left alone, could only try his best to get closer to the friendly forces. However, this was not an ordinary situation on the battlefield. If he rashly accepted unfamiliar people into the formation, it would not only fail to increase the combat effectiveness, but would cause chaos in the formation.

As a result, Hou Shilu, who was well aware of this situation, did not get too close to the friendly army. He only fought with the Tatars who had also scattered on their left side. After the friendly army's formation was also dispersed, he approached and tried to gather his troops and escape from the single-handed fight.

"okay!"

The soldier was quite clear-headed. As soon as he heard Hou Shilu's words, he came over as fast as he could. It was obvious that he knew he couldn't hold out for long fighting alone.

But who among those who can persist until now in such a chaotic battlefield is not a brave soldier who has experienced hundreds of battles?

Hou Shilu had just gathered a few people when a team of the same size from the Qing army came straight towards him to kill him.

Is this the heroic effort of the Qing troops to solve difficult problems for their comrades?
Such behavior can generally be accounted for, but if one understands the situation on the battlefield, one can deduct the deeper reasons.

If Hou Shilu is allowed to continue in this way, it won't take long for him to gather a team of 10 to 20 people.

If the two armies were attacking each other in a formal battle formation, then such a team would probably not be of any use. But now the center of the battlefield is in chaos, and even if this team is small in number, it is enough to run rampant here.

How will these people survive then?

Hou Shilu naturally shared the same thought. When he saw that the Qing army had targeted him, he waved to his surroundings and went to meet them.

At this point in the battle, although the commanders of the two armies can still maintain a certain control over the periphery of the battle group, they are powerless to control the center of the battle group and can only let the soldiers act on their own.

Faced with such a situation, both the Ming and Qing sides continued to send teams of soldiers into the battle, as if they were ready to fight this battle to the end.

It was just that the Ming army had reached a consensus under Zhu Cilang's deception, but the Qing army...
"Master Beizi! We can't keep fighting like this! Please leave some seeds for me~~~~!"

Upon hearing Ma Degong's plea, Tulai's face darkened in an instant.

Although he and Tunqi attacked two forts separately, they were not far apart. When the battle group continued to expand on the field, his side was also affected.

In this case, it was naturally impossible to attack the city anymore, but this situation was exactly what he wanted, and his surrendered troops continued to join the battle.

It's just that Tulai can feel no remorse, but Ma Degong, who regards soldiers as the foundation of his livelihood, cannot do so.

For example, Hu Maozhen, when he was in a desperate situation, he could use some merit to exchange for Zhu Cilang's forgiveness. If his merit was greater, he could even consider whether he could be rewarded.

But since they kidnapped Hongguang, they have completely cut off this path. Now, even if the Tartars ask them to commit suicide, they still have the option of obeying their orders.

"What are you howling for! If you dare to disrupt our army's morale again, I will let you charge into battle!"

Faced with Ma Degong who felt as if his heart and liver had been dug out, Tulai was too lazy to comfort him. After scolding him, he ordered another group of surrendered soldiers to join the battle.

This is the control. No matter what time period or who the person is, once you have control over others, you will probably become more and more unscrupulous.

Although the degree of this situation may vary from person to person, its essence will not differ at all.

not to mention.
Ma Degong has been following Tunqi since he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. He has nothing to do with Tunqi at all, so naturally he has no psychological burden when scolding Tu Lai.

"Have your men prepare as well."

Seeing that Ma Degong was in such a state of grief that he didn't dare to say another word, Tu Lai thought for a moment and then said something to Cao Hu who was standing beside him.

Although his tone and wording were much softer than before, Cao Hu did not accept the order immediately after hearing this.

He had been with Tulai for more than a month. Although he didn't know everything about his actions, he could still glimpse some of his thoughts from their actions.

In his opinion, this battle should not have been fought this way from the beginning.

Even though they were worried that the Ming army's cavalry would pose a threat to the flanks of the siege troops, they only needed to send some troops to engage in entanglement and defense.

We should never have increased the stakes after the Ming army increased its troops. We had to shift the focus from the siege, which was already in an advantageous position, to the central battle group which was in a stalemate. As a result, we lost the initiative in vain and ended up fighting a bad battle with the Ming army.

If there were no other reasons, how could a general who had fought his way from the bitter cold land outside the Great Wall to the fertile land of the south of the Yangtze River do such a stupid thing?

Although he was suspicious, Cao Hu couldn't figure out the reason as he was missing important information.

It was understandable that he hesitated a little after hearing Tulai's military order.

"Um?!"

Seeing that Cao Hu did not respond immediately, Tu Lai spoke in a deep voice and looked at him with sharp eyes.

Got to find a reason!
This was the first thought that came to Cao Hu's mind after seeing this look, but before he could think of an excuse, he saw that the Ming army's formation seemed to be in chaos.

"Commander! Look!"

Hearing this, Tulai subconsciously looked in the direction Cao Hu pointed, but there was still some distance between the two sides, and he could only see a bright yellow banner slowly moving out of the Ming army's formation.

Why is this?

(End of this chapter)