Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 301 Why not wait a little longer?

January 3

Ganzhou
Under the dark cloud sky, the city of Ganzhou seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze.

On the city wall, the smoke gradually dissipated, revealing a group of exhausted Ming army soldiers.

The soldiers either huddled together or sat alone, communicating every detail of the battle in weak voices.

There was already a hint of numbness in their eyes, but the scars and blood on their bodies proved their indomitable spirit.

At this time, it had been four or five days since the Tatar army arrived at the city. After a long and fierce battle, the soldiers defending the city had exhausted most of their physical strength.

"Old Li, you're not dead yet, right?"

"Not dead."

Following a slight shout, an old soldier with blood on his shoulder replied without even raising his head.

In yesterday's battle, he pushed a Tartar off the city wall, and then was hit hard by an arrow.

Although a doctor in the city later helped him remove the wound from his shoulder, it would take time for such a wound to heal overnight.

Even though he couldn't bear much impact when facing the enemy, now that the enemy has retreated, under the dual effects of fatigue and pain, even an old soldier like him really doesn't want to move.

In the first two days, they could still joke around during the breaks in the battle, but in the past two days, the time they spent in the city to rest has become shorter and shorter, and the frequency has become slower and slower.

Under such circumstances, let alone joking with his comrades, he really didn't want to waste the energy even to raise his head.

"If you're not dead, come and help me."

When the voice sounded again, Old Li tilted his head slightly. He had already made up his mind that unless it was something extremely serious, he would never move even a step.

But who would have thought that when his eyes swept over a young soldier who was leaning against the parapet like him not far away, his thoughts changed immediately.

The young soldier's leg seemed to have been cut by a sharp weapon, and the blood not only dyed his trouser leg red, but also formed a pool under his body.

Seeing this, he didn't care about the pain in his shoulder. He struggled to get up and immediately leaned towards the young soldier.

"Why is it so strong?"

"I can't hold it."

After he finished speaking, Old Li couldn't help feeling sad.

He knew very well that although such wounds did not look deep, they would be more fatal than a punctured intestine if the bleeding could not be stopped. Although the young soldier's legs had been wrapped with cloth tape several times, blood still continued to seep out.

"Take a nap, you'll be fine once you fall asleep."

"Ah."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young soldier closed his eyes. After pondering for a long time, Old Man Li finally sat down next to him.

The commotion here was seen by other soldiers on the city wall, and they knew what it meant.

In just a few days, the Tartars' offensive became more and more fierce. Who hasn't lost one or two of their good friends by now?

Under such circumstances, who would care if a few people died?

"Switch defense! Switch defense!"

Just as Old Man Li was calmly waiting for the next attack of the Qing army, a burst of shouting suddenly came from the steps of the city wall.

When he heard the words, the anger he had been holding in his stomach immediately eased. If it weren't for the support of his comrade who was less seriously injured, he would not have been able to get up in time.

"Take him with you."

"Ah."

With just two simple words, Old Man Li and another man lifted up the young soldier whose face had already turned pale. When they were about to turn around and leave the city, they saw a red-robed figure not far away bowing and saluting to the soldiers who were about to withdraw.

The red-robed figure was naturally Wan Yuanji. If others thought so, this bow might have been meant to win people's hearts, but he himself knew that it was not only filled with little utilitarianism, but also contained a strong sense of guilt.

After the incident in Guangzhou, he ordered Hao Yaoqi to lead his troops to rescue. Later, when Chang Guanlin's troops launched an attack on Jiangxi, he divided his troops into two routes according to the original plan to provide support.

At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with this arrangement. Even though the situation had developed to this point, he should not feel guilty.

But Wan Yuanji himself knew that after the battle at the city of Ganzhou, he had underestimated the enemy.

The Qing troops first had an internal conflict because Wang Deren tried to control all the troops, and then fled north in a panic under the pursuit of Hu Maozhen.

In addition, the situation south of the Yangtze River was stabilized due to your Majesty's personal visit, and various military supplies were transported from Guangzhou to various places in an endless stream. Although the war situation between the Ming and Qing dynasties could not be said to be completely reversed, no one would deny that it had entered a stalemate.

So he felt that Ajige of Jiangxi would not be able to hold out for long under the double-sided attack.

When he sent reinforcements to Guangzhou, he sent out all the nearly 30,000 troops brought by Hao Yaoqi; when he sent out the feint attack troops, he also sent over several groups of troops with a mixture of subordinates.

As a result, there were only eight or nine thousand soldiers left in Ganzhou City, which was an important military supply base. When facing the attack of the Qing army, the soldiers were forced to hold out for a longer time due to insufficient manpower.

"Commander-in-chief, please go back and rest for a while. At this hour, I don't think the Tartars will attack again today."

The person who spoke was Zhao Yinxuan. Although he fled back to Ganzhou after the defeat in Ji'an, most of his soldiers were killed. He could only follow Wan Yuanji and serve as his aide and advisor.

"It doesn't matter. Your Majesty can boost morale by personally attending the battle. How can I, an old man, just sit back and wait?"

Wan Yuanji only gave a faint reply to this persuasion, but after he finished speaking, Zhao Yinxuan seemed to have made up his mind and knelt in front of him with his fists clasped.

"Commander, please forgive me for being blunt. The current situation is indeed due to our lack of consideration. However, you still need to think about defending Ganzhou and don't blame yourself."

As a subordinate and a defeated general, being able to use such words to persuade his civil servant superior must have required great determination to do so.

Although Wan Yuanji had been doing his best to defend the city in the past few days, in his opinion, the commander-in-chief seemed to have given up any hope of defending Ganzhou, and the only thought in his mind was to live and die with the city.

Zhao Yinxuan was neither good at bravery nor military strategy, and the reason he was able to serve as a general and lead troops here was probably because his family had great influence in the local area, and local officials had to exchange their official positions for recruiting soldiers.

But he understood that if even the commander-in-chief had no hope, then Ganzhou would definitely not be able to be defended.

"Get up, there's no need for this."

Faced with Zhao Yinxuan's sudden kneeling, Wan Yuanji was stunned for a moment before he understood what he meant.

Indeed, as a transit point for supplies, Ganzhou not only stored food and fodder to supply hundreds of thousands of troops in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, but its city defenses were also strong after several repairs.

If there were more than 10,000 troops, unless the Tartars could gather a large number of artillery to blow down the city walls like they did in Hangzhou, it would be no problem to hold out for a month or so.
Where in Ganzhou can we find enough manpower?
"I understand what you mean, but you also know the situation in the city. After several rounds of recruitment, Ganzhou is left with only the elderly, the weak, women and children. I really have good intentions. Alas~~~~."

Wan Yuanji felt mixed emotions.

Ganzhou is not a place with a large population. The previous rounds of conscription had recruited all the young and strong men in the city into the army. Now most of these men have followed Yang Tinglin to the south of the Yangtze River, and there are only five or six thousand left.

If it weren't for the few thousand soldiers who managed to escape after the defeat in Ji'an, the defenders in the city would have been wiped out by the Tartars' continuous and fierce attacks.

Under such circumstances, how could he have the confidence to defend Ganzhou?

"Healthy woman!"

"what?"

"Recruit strong women in the city to help defend the city, even if it means emptying the treasury!"

"This"

Wan Yuanji is very talented, smart and hardworking, but he has a common problem among poets and lyricists, which is that he is not decisive enough and lacks resilience.

In the original history, after the second fall of Ji'an, the morale of the army was already quite low, but at this time he often sat on the city wall in a daze, not saying a word to the generals and officials.

If he was just an ordinary official, it would be understandable for him to be so listless. However, as the actual commander of the Ming army in southern Jiangxi, when encountering setbacks, not only did he not try to boost morale, but he himself acted as if there was no hope. How could ordinary soldiers deal with such behavior?
"Commander-in-chief, we have suffered many casualties in the past few days while defending the city. How can the Tartars be any better? If we can recruit strong women in the city to help defend, and use the events in Yangzhou as an inspiration, we will have enough food and grass in Ganzhou and will be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Zhao Yinxuan talked a lot, but Wanyuanji's look became more and more complicated.

At this point he finally realized that these were the words that were usually used to boost morale.

But according to common sense, these words should have been said by me, the governor of southern Jiangxi, to my generals and soldiers, but today this young general taught me a good lesson.

What a shame.

Thinking of this, Wan Yuanji suddenly bowed to Zhao Yinxuan, who had anxious eyes.

"If it weren't for Yin Xuan's enlightenment, I don't know how long I would have been trapped by the inner demon. If Ganzhou is really lost, we will die to save our reputation, but we will not be able to face our ancestors in the underworld."

"Oh my! Commander! This is really frustrating for me."

Seeing Wan Yuanji's actions, Zhao Yinxuan knew that his words had worked, but he didn't dare to just accept it. When he straightened his body, all the negative emotions on Wan Yuanji's face seemed to have disappeared, and his whole body exuded calmness and confidence.

"Commanders!"

As a burst of loud shouts rang out, Old Li, who was about to go down to the city, couldn't help but look back. Although he was separated from the figure who made the shouts by the city wall, he seemed to be able to see Commander Wan standing upright on the city wall.

"The Tartars are brutal! Whenever they capture a city, they kill everyone but the people.

Now our Ganzhou troops are well-trained and well-fed, but the Tartars are already exhausted.

As long as the reinforcements arrive, we will be able to annihilate them from both inside and outside!
Ming! Victory!"

A tired army?

Commander, our army is exhausted.

Listening to Wan Yuanji's words, Old Li couldn't help but think of the situation of himself and his comrades. Although he didn't agree with it, the words "leave no one alive" made him look somewhere in the city.

"Great Ming, everlasting victory."

Although Old Li had recovered some strength at this time, his breath still seemed somewhat weak.

I don’t know whether it was because he took the lead or because Wan Yuanji had great prestige in the city, but after this shout, the same shouts were heard from all over the place.

"Great Ming, everlasting victory."

"Ming! Victory!"

As more and more voices came in, the shouts that were originally confined to one place gradually spread inside and outside the city wall. After seven or eight breaths, it had covered the entire Ganzhou.

These cheers were far from deafening, and even had a hint of dejection in them, but in Ganzhou, where fierce fighting had already been going on for several days, their appearance had extraordinary significance.

"Don't be upset, Your Majesty. Ganzhou is already in our hands. Even if they shout louder, it will not help."

Seeing that Ajige's expression was gradually becoming gloomy due to the cheers, Shang Kexi hesitated for a moment and finally spoke out a word of advice.

He could imagine what kind of mood Ajige was in, but war was full of uncertainties. What's more, they came in a hurry, not only leaving Wuzhen Chaoha far behind, but also failing to build all the siege equipment.

Under such circumstances, being able to put the defenders in danger was already a great effort by the soldiers. Even if he could understand Ajige's feelings, he naturally did not want to make him angry again.

"Look, after fighting for a few days, the Ming army still has the mood to shout these words. I think those servants are just perfunctory." Ajige walked a few steps outside the tent. After hearing the faint wailing from afar, he shouted angrily: "Hit! Hit hard!"

As the words fell, the howling coming from afar seemed to become louder.

After seeing such an effect, Ajige's anger did not seem to diminish at all. Instead, he became even more anxious than before.

"Wang Guangen!"

"The general is here!"

Wang Guangen was originally a peasant. After accepting the amnesty, the Yunyang he guarded had blocked the attacks of Li Zicheng's army several times.

Afterwards, the Qing army marched southward, and the officials of Yunyang discussed surrendering. However, he was appointed as the general of Xiangyang because of his expertise in defending the city.

Originally, this battle had nothing to do with him, but the Qing army had great ambitions this time. Not only did they gather all the troops in Jiangxi, but they also mobilized several armies from north of the Yangtze River.

In this way, he appeared outside the city of Ganzhou.

"Tomorrow you will lead our troops to continue attacking the city, but if you don't try your best, you will end up like Wang Deren!"

"I will definitely live up to your trust, my Lord!"

Wang Guangen's answer was decisive, as if he was full of confidence in tomorrow's battle. However, he knew in his heart that without the help of weapons, attacking the city would only be a slow process.

But now. Alas~~~~.

With this in mind, Wang Guangen couldn't help but look at Shang Kexi for help, and the latter, after some hesitation, carefully spoke to Ajige.

"We have been frustrated in our attacks these days. Why don't we rest for a few days and wait for Wu Zhenchaoha to arrive?"

(End of this chapter)