Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 239 Not all members of the Ming royal family are wimps!

Hair shaving order.

On the surface, this order was just to make the Han people change their currency to the Manchus' money and rat tail, but in reality it was an attempt by Dorgon to wear down the Han civil servants.

Fortunately, in this time and space, there was Zhu Cilang. Although the other two fronts of the Qing army were going smoothly, the eastern front could be considered a complete defeat.

As a result, the shaving order that was originally supposed to be issued in June and July temporarily lost its basis for issuance, and many things that were supposed to be caused by this shaving order also underwent tremendous changes.

"Hurry up, little ones. Prince Yongning is in Ganzhou. Whoever can capture his head will be generously rewarded by Prince Ying! Don't let General Jin's men get there first!"

On the mountain road leading to Ganzhou, an army was marching rapidly. After the leading general shouted loudly, the speed actually increased a bit.

The general's name was Wang Ti Zhong.

He was originally a subordinate of Bai Wang, a general under Li Zicheng. After the Shun army suffered a series of defeats and Li Zicheng died suddenly, Wang Ti Zhong took advantage of the chaos to kill Bai Wang and led his army to surrender Ajige.

The General Jin he mentioned was actually Jin Shengheng under Zuo Menggeng. After the Anqing Rebellion, he led most of Zuo's soldiers and marched directly south. When he saw the Qing army, it was natural for him to surrender.

It's funny to say that.

In the original history, Wang Ti Zhong was extremely hostile to the Qing Dynasty's shaving order. Jin Shengheng, who had long coveted the surrendered soldiers of the Shun army, took advantage of this opportunity and killed Wang Ti Zhong together with his subordinates.

According to this situation, Zhu Cilang can still be considered his savior, which really makes people wonder whether to be angry or laugh.

"Boss, the front reports that we are still thirty-seven miles away from Ganzhou City. It would be better if our army set up camp first and wait until tomorrow to get enough rest before reporting to the enemy and defeating them."

Snapped!
As soon as the general beside him finished speaking, Wang Tizhong swung his horsewhip into the air, and then a muffled sound came from the general's armor, but it was not known whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally.

"Asshole! If we let that guy surnamed Jin take the lead this time when we go south, won't we be inferior to him in the future in the Tartar world?!"

In order to prevent sudden enemy attacks, both generals and soldiers had to wear armor during daily marches. So for the general, the damage caused by the whip was actually completely negligible.

However, Wang Ti, who had been paying attention to the marching speed of the soldiers, did not notice that although the general looked submissive, there was a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

Wang Tizhong actually knew that if he was wearing armor, setting up camp at this distance would be the best option, but only he knew his own business.

He knew very well in his mind that after killing Bai Wang, although the army would be under his command, there were those in the army who resented him, and the camp was filled with those who were dissatisfied.

If he cannot gain the trust of the Tartars, it would be a pipe dream for him to secure the position of general.

But the trust and respect of the Tartars was not gained for nothing.

If he fails to surpass Jin Shengheng in terms of military achievements, the trust that was already not very solid will surely disappear. Not to mention what the Tartars will do to him, even those in the army who want to avenge Bai Wang will not tolerate him.

As rewards were issued one after another, Wang Tizhong's troops finally traveled more than ten miles before sunset.

I have to say, this is a pretty awkward distance.

At this time, they were still about twenty miles away from Ganzhou. If they set up camp here, they would have to set up camp again after walking another ten miles tomorrow. But if they marched at night, not to mention the problems of speed and safety, even if they really arrived in Ganzhou safely, could he still set up camp in the dark?
"Boss, we can't go any further. Although the Ming army has been defeated, it has been more than ten days. If they really regain their strength and attack at night, how can our army, which is exhausted, resist them?"

Faced with this situation, the general who had been whipped earlier spoke out to dissuade them.

Judging from his previous expression, he was obviously already itching with hatred in his heart. As for why he still gave advice this time,
In detail, his intention was very similar to Wang Tizhong's desire to speed up his journey.

Wang Ti Zhong wanted to consolidate his own power, and he also wanted to consolidate his own power.

However, in Wang Tizhong's view, the Ming army in Jiangxi was defeated all the way from Fuzhou to Ji'an, and then fled from Ji'an to Ganzhou.

This repeatedly defeated army was probably on the verge of collapse. Even with the protection of Ganzhou City, it was just a turtle in a jar. Even if it would try to take a few bites, it would not cause any harm to him, the turtle catcher.

There is nothing wrong with this view.

After they surrendered to Ajige, they fought in Nanchang once and in Fuzhou twice. After that, there were dozens of battles, big and small, and at least two dozen Ming army generals died in their hands.

Under such circumstances, how could he, a man eager to compete for credit with his colleagues, be cautious?

"Stop talking nonsense! We are chasing after King Yongning, and Jin Shengheng is also chasing after King Luochuan. If he really gets the upper hand, do you think he wants me to be his servant?!"

"Boss, Ganzhou is close to Fujian and Guangdong. If they really get reinforcements, then we can't..."

bass!
Bang!
The general had only said half of his words when he saw Wang Tizhong suddenly pull the sword out of the sheath. Then he was about to dodge when he felt a pain in his shoulder, and then he heard Wang Tizhong's voice again.

"Wang Zamao! Don't think that I won't do anything to you just because you command several battalions of soldiers. This time I'm just using the back of my knife. If you dare to doubt my military orders again, I will take your head even if we have to fight!"

The general's name was Wang Deren, and he was nicknamed Wang Zamao just because of his mixed-colored hair.

In the original history, this man played an extremely important role when Jin Shengheng took Wang Ti Zhong's life. But afterwards, no matter whether Jin Shengheng served in the Qing army or rebelled against the Qing because of dissatisfaction, this man always followed closely but never rebelled again, which made people wonder what his motives were.

Let’s not talk about the future, let’s just talk about the present.

After being hit on the back by the knife, Wang Deren was shocked and angry. However, after his face turned blue and red, he did not lose his temper. Instead, he dismounted and bowed before saying in a deep voice: "Although I have good intentions, I have violated your dignity. It is right for you to chop me!"

"Humph! I'm glad you understand." Seeing that the man was scared, Wang Tizhong did not force him any further. After a brief thought, he continued, "Just lead your men to the side, and I will be the vanguard!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Tizhong urged his mount to gallop forward, while Wang Deren, who stayed where he was, looked as usual, and there was no sign that his general had been humiliated at all.

After all, his goal has been achieved.

He knew very well that if all the soldiers who were dissatisfied with Wang Tizhong had not gathered around him, the back of the knife would have been replaced by a blade today.

But who made these battalions the vanguard?

He was worried that such a rash march would lead to an ambush by the Ming army, but he was even more worried that Wang Ti Zhong would stab him in the back. If not, why would he have repeatedly advised against it when he clearly knew that the relationship between the two sides was not harmonious?
Fortunately, the blow was not in vain, and the mission of pioneer was finally accomplished. Alas~~~~! There is no way out!

Thinking of this, Wang Deren sighed in his heart, then urged his horse forward and returned to his own camp.

His worries were not without reason, but at this moment Wang Ti was fully focused on competing for merit with Jin Shengheng, and he turned a blind eye to the forces in the army that opposed him. The rebel army led by King Yongning had suffered several disastrous defeats, and they were even undecided about whether to defend Ganzhou again, so how could they plan an ambush?
Thinking in this way, the blow he received from the knife on the back seemed to be extremely unprofitable. However, if he did not think twice before acting in such a situation, who could say whether he could see the sun the next day?
In any case, the Qing army finally marched day and night according to Wang Tizhong's wishes, and only stopped and prepared to set up camp when they were only about ten miles away from Ganzhou.

During this process, indeed, not a single Ming army was discovered, and after Wang Tizhong complained a few words to his trusted generals, he began to arrange for the siege for the next day.

He could be described as a brutal man, and it was common for him to "kill half of them" and "kill countless bandits". He could also be described as a simple man, otherwise why would he have only killed Bai Wang during the rebellion but not purged the core members of his army?

But his fighting skills are not inferior to anyone else.

When attacking Ji'an, he was silently calculating the strength of the Ming army. After the city was broken, he concluded through various information that there were not many Ming troops fleeing south.

just
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although our army has suffered several defeats, it is not the end of its rope. As long as we can hold on to Ganzhou for a while longer, reinforcements from all over the country will surely arrive."

In the Ganzhou prefectural office, the Imperial Household Secretary Wan Yuanji spoke to Prince Yongning with full confidence.

Wan Yuanji was very familiar with Yang Tinglin. After Yang Tinglin took the recruited soldiers away, he continued to recruit soldiers in Ganzhou and other places as backup.

But who would have thought that as soon as Yang Tinglin left Jiangxi, the Qing army cut off the route between Zhejiang and Jiangxi. Afterwards, while Yang Tinglin was trying to find out the situation, he stayed in Ganzhou with more than 4,000 newly recruited people to continue training.

In the original history, with the surrender of Hangzhou, many relatives and ministers followed Longwu to Fujian, while he, after joining forces with Yang Tinglin and others, fought with the Qing army in Jiangxi for more than a year, and was finally executed calmly after the city of Ganzhou was broken.

Wan Yuanji spoke sincerely, but it was not known whether the King of Yongning had lost his fighting spirit due to the series of defeats or because he had no confidence in the reinforcements he mentioned, so after hearing his words, he just smiled bitterly and did not say much.

Seeing this, Wan Wanji sighed in his heart, but the current situation did not allow him to sigh for long. After thinking for a moment, he continued speaking.

"Your Majesty, I have not only sent letters to Fujian and Guangdong for help, but I have also sent people to contact the Dong tribe in the mountains. Even if the reinforcements from the three places arrive later, it won't take long for the Dong tribe to arrive."

Hearing this, King Yongning stopped smiling bitterly, but he paused for a moment and directly retorted: "You can't even trust your own family, so what's the point of talking about the Dong tribe?"

This cannot be blamed on King Yongning. When the Qing army was about to cross the Yangtze River, several rebel armies rose up in various parts of Jiangxi.

Although these troops all obeyed Prince Yi as their commander, since they were all recruited independently, they tended to act independently, so the anti-Qing forces in Jiangxi could not form a joint force.

If it were only this way, King Yongning would not have come to this.

However, in the process of resisting the Qing army, his army's King Baoning secretly colluded with the Qing army and betrayed them, causing his troops to suffer a surprise attack by the Qing army, the fall of Jianchang County in Yuzhang County, and the death of several of his generals.

Afterwards, King Luochuan, who was guarding Fuzhou, asked Fujian for help. However, Zheng Cai, who was stationed in Guangxin, not only did not come to help, but fled directly to Fujian.

Under such circumstances, let alone a prince of the royal family, even a veteran general who had experienced many battles would be discouraged. How could we demand perfection and blame him?
"Father! Good news!"

Just when Wan Yuanji didn't know how to comfort the situation, a burst of excited shouting came from outside the lobby, followed by a young military officer in his twenties running in.

"The prince is well."

"How are you, young master?"

When Wan Yuanji saw the visitor, he bowed and saluted. The man then returned the salute. However, who would have thought that before he could straighten up his slightly bent body, he heard the voice of King Yongning.

"You already have a son, how can you yell like that?!"

This young military general is the prince of Yongning. Although he is young, he always leads the charge in battles with the Qing army and never regards himself as the prince of a county.

It is worth mentioning that in the original history, King Yongning and his son were defeated and captured in Jianchang. They refused to surrender and were eventually killed by the Tartars.

His Crown Prince's wife, Mrs. Peng, organized dozens of servants and took her six-year-old son to the junction of Ninghua, Qingliu and Guihua counties. They used Kowloon Walled City as a base, recruited soldiers and tried to make a comeback.

Concubine Peng had a very high prestige and quickly gathered thousands of people. Not only did she continue to fight against the Qing army, she also led her troops to capture more than a dozen cities.

But by that time, the Qing army had already firmly established its rule. Although Concubine Peng's troops had achieved many victories, she was ultimately defeated and captured due to the disparity in troop strength.

Afterwards, the Qing army took Concubine Peng to Tingzhou and asked Emperor Shunzhi for instructions on how to deal with her. Emperor Shunzhi ordered her to be executed on the spot. So Concubine Peng was hanged by the Qing army in front of the Linggui Temple in Tingzhou.

The hero and beauty of her generation, Mrs. Peng, died in this way.

However, in this time and space, since the battle of Jiangnan ended with a great victory for the Ming army, all situations naturally underwent tremendous changes, and this was precisely why the Prince of Yongning lost his composure.

"Father, when I was patrolling the camp, I heard from the soldiers that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won a great victory in Jiangnan. Isn't this good news?"

"Prince? Great victory?"

Hearing what the prince said, Prince Yongning muttered something in disbelief and turned his gaze to Wan Yuanji.

"That's right! That's right! Your Highness won the first victory in Zhenjiang, the second victory in Hangzhou, the third victory in Suzhou and Songjiang, and the fourth victory in Wuhu. Now the Tartars in the south of the Yangtze River should have retreated. As long as we can hold on to Ganzhou, we will surely be able to wait for the imperial court's reinforcements!"

"Win all four battles?"

"Win all four battles!"

"Is this news reliable?"

Facing Wan Yuanji's words, Prince Yongning was obviously confused, but when he asked a few questions in succession and Wan Yuanji looked a little unnatural, his attention was drawn to the shouts outside the hall.

"Report~~~~! The Qing army is ten miles outside the city!"

(End of this chapter)