Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 400 Rushing to ask for help
The Hanzhong Plain is located between the Daba Mountains and the Qinling Mountains. Not only is the land flat and fertile, but the Han River also flows through it. Considering the abundance of resources, the title of "the land of fish and rice" is quite appropriate.

However, the reason why this place is famous has nothing to do with its products. The root cause is probably its unique geographical location.

Hanzhong is bordered by the main ridge of Qinling Mountains in the north, and is adjacent to Chencang and Xi'an. It is bordered by the main ridge of Daba Mountains in the south, and is adjacent to Guangyuan and Bazhong. Going east from Xing'an, you will reach Hubei, and going west from Longnan, you will enter the snowy area.

If they could occupy this place, they would not only be able to press on to the surrounding provinces, but also make it a solid barrier for their own side, just as Xiao He said: "Hanzhong has a strategic location, which allows us to attack when we advance and to defend when we retreat. Qin will rule the world with it."

Originally, Zhu Cilang had no plan to seize this place, and letting He and Sun stay in Xing'an temporarily was just a precaution.

After all, the terrain in central Sichuan was not as conducive to the navy's movement as in the previous two battles, and the troops he led, except for the central and rear armies, could hardly engage in a head-on battle with Hauge.

If we add in various other reasons, being able to firmly occupy Sichuan can be considered as a good thing. Even if he is optimistic, he cannot go so far as to plot against Hanzhong.

But things always develop unexpectedly.

When he was ready to end the war in central Sichuan and focus his energy on stabilizing the southwest, Liu Wenxiu revealed Zhang Xianzhong's earlier arrangements.

According to him, more than 6,000 troops under Li Guo had taken the Migang Road to Hanzhong more than half a month ago. If the Qing army could get in touch with this group of people, it would definitely pose a great threat to the Qing army.

Even if we cannot block Hauge in Jinniu Road by then, we may be able to severely damage his army and capture Hanzhong.

As long as things could go according to plan, Zhu Cilang would only need to station an army in Hanzhong to completely block several ancient roads into Sichuan, and he would also be able to free up troops to settle the defense of Lianghuai.

just
"Wenxiu, how far has Li Dingguo's case progressed? Have they sent back any news?"

"Your Majesty, there has been no news from Dingguo yet, but he is very good at military strategy, and this time he was acting with a deliberate plan, so I think it will be easy for him to capture Hanzhong. The only problem is whether he can hold it."

Liu Wenxiu appeared very confident when he spoke, but after he finished speaking, Zhu Cilang just frowned and thought, and did not respond immediately.

If this plot is to succeed, it depends on the situation on Li Dingguo's side and whether the Guangyuan Ming army can hold on to Hauge.

Needless to say, as for Li Dingguo, before there is any concrete news, everything is just speculation.

As for biting Hauge
He understood clearly that this mission sounded simple, as if it was just following the Qing army, but if one thought through the key points, following the enemy in the Jinniu Road would not be much easier than capturing Hanzhong.

In essence, the distance between the Ming and Qing dynasties would not only continue to widen due to passes like Qipan Pass, but the Ming army would also have to guard against the Qing army's ambushes and plots while pursuing.

Even if Li Dingguo really captured Hanzhong, he would set out now, but due to various factors, he might not be able to reach Hanzhong on time.

What's more, the terrain of Jinniu Road is narrow. Once Li Guoqi's army and the rear guards enter, they will be useless. What can the central army alone do at that time?

"Your Majesty, why don't you order Sun Shoufa and He Zhen to cooperate with Li Dingguo?"

Perhaps seeing the hesitation on Zhu Cilang's face, Xiang Rensheng said something tentatively. After hearing this, Liu Wenxiu was stunned at first. It was not until someone explained it quietly that he understood the whole story.

"Your Majesty, I am not overestimating my brothers. If Generals Sun and He can help us, Hanzhong will definitely be recaptured."

Faced with the persuasion of several generals present, Zhu Cilang poured out all his concerns about the military strength. Afterwards, everyone pondered for a while, but he could not help muttering to himself.

The so-called clever woman cannot make a meal without rice.

Although the Imperial Guards can be considered the top elite among the infantry, they only have about 5,000 people in total.

If the Tartars launched an attack in Jinniu Road, things like muskets and cavalry would be of no use at all. Even if he could hold on, the casualties of each unit would be beyond his tolerance.

If he didn't think of a proper solution, why would he rashly enter the Golden Bull Road?

"Wen Xiu's plan is certainly good, and your reinforcements may help, but once we enter the Golden Bull Road, only the 5,000 central troops will be able to exert their full combat power. If the Tartars attack us, what can we do to resist them?"

After a long while, all the generals remained silent. Seeing this, Zhu Cilang knew that no one had a safe solution, so he briefly talked about it and planned to reject the proposal. He directly ordered Li Guo to meet up with Generals Sun and He.

It's no wonder that Zhu Cilang is cautious. No matter what, the guards and the central army are his treasures. It would be fine if he could use them to turn the tide at a critical moment, but if he lost too much at this time, it would be too much of a loss.

"Well, since there is no reliable way, I will trouble Wenxiu to write a letter to Li Dingguo and ask him to meet up with Generals Sun and He first." Having said this, Zhu Cilang paused, and when he saw that Liu Wenxiu seemed unwilling, he was ready to appease him with a few more words. However, who would have thought that before he could open his mouth, Hu Yiqing, who was standing behind him, interrupted.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work."

When Zhu Cilang heard the words, he turned his head and looked over with a little curiosity.

At this time, Hu Yiqing not only acted hesitant, but his face also turned red. It was obvious that he was not used to expressing his opinions in such a situation.

"If you have an idea, just speak it out. It's all military opinion, and there's no guilt in speaking it out."

"Your Majesty, from what I have seen, the Qing army has spent so much time in Guangyuan that they may have lost their will to fight. If our army can raise more flags, they may not have the courage to attack us."

Ok?
This is a good angle.

As Hu Yiqing's words spread, not only was Zhu Cilang quite surprised, but even the generals present felt suddenly enlightened.

Fighting spirit is something that is hard to explain and there is no way to quantify it.

But today, after failing to attack the flank, the Tatars chose to retreat directly and did not make any further attempts as Zhu Cilang had expected. It seemed that they were somewhat different from the elite Eight Banners that Zhu Cilang had encountered in the past.

You know, when they surrounded Nikan's troops in Suzhou and Songjiang, his Eight Banners soldiers held out for several days before being completely wiped out even though their friendly forces defected and their commander was killed.

In contrast, today Hauge seemed to have no intention of attacking this numerically inferior force after the prisoner exchange failed.

Thinking about it this way, could it be that Hauge's troops really lost their will to fight after several months of fierce fighting?
With this in mind, Zhu Cilang turned his gaze to the generals present, and after seeing how their Majesty looked, they expressed their opinions one after another.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, this method can be successful."

"Your Majesty, even if a normal army has won a series of victories, it would still take some time to rest. The Tartars suffered a great setback at the hands of Zhang Xianzhong, and I'm afraid they are eager to return home."

"Yes, after all, Hauge won the war against Daxi. It would be a merit to retreat now. Why waste time here any longer?"

"That's right. The Tartars come from a cold and bitter land. They must have been feeling hot and unbearable after entering Sichuan, and they can't wait to go back." As Zhu Cilang heard the slightly excited words, he also noticed from Haoge's performance today that he had lost his will to fight.

Afterwards, the generals discussed how to strengthen their own momentum, and their emperor finally made the final decision.

"Wenxiu, I order you to select 3,000 troops from our own army and raise more flags to strengthen the prestige of the army."

"The last general takes command!"

"Xiang Rensheng, I order you to lead the central guard as the vanguard of the army."

"My lord! Take the order!"

"Mei Chun, I order you to collect the Guangyuan artillery. If the vanguard encounters any obstacles, use them to clear the way."

"My lord! Take the order!"

"Li Guo, I order you to lead your cavalry to guard the rear of the main army. If we can enter Hanzhong, you will have a place to use your skills."

"My lord! Take the order!"

As military orders were issued one after another, the generals present basically received their tasks. But when Zhu Cilang stopped speaking, Zeng Ying and Yang Zhan seemed like ants on hot pan.

The two of them had led their troops north from Chongqing a long time ago. During the journey, they not only had to sleep in the open air, but also took great risks. But in the end, they had made a trip in vain and did not gain any military merit at all.

If an ordinary person were to come to this point, they probably wouldn't feel too much resentment.

But in the final analysis, this war is being conducted under the personal command of Your Majesty. If we just do nothing about it, wouldn't we be missing out on a huge opportunity?

Thinking of this, Yang and Zeng looked at each other and were about to step forward to challenge for battle, but who would have thought that before they could take a step, the emperor's voice had already reached them.

"You two have worked hard these days. If Guangyuan had not been seized early, the people in Sichuan would have suffered from war again." Zhu Cilang paused for a moment, and when he saw that the two men were still anxious, he continued, "I understand that you two generals want to serve the country, but you have been out for such a long time, and your soldiers should also rest for a while. It would be better for you to stay in Guangyuan for a few days, and I will call you to help us in the battle if there is any change in the front."

"On behalf of my soldiers, I would like to thank Your Majesty for your compassion."

It was obvious that although the two men bowed their heads and accepted the order, they could not hide the reluctance in their hearts.

But then again, they also knew that what His Majesty said was true. No matter what, their men were not elite soldiers. If they were not trained, they might lose their will to fight like the Tartars.

At this point, the plan for the next course of action has been finalized.

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang sent people to sneak into Hanzhong from Micang Road to contact Li Dingguo and Generals Sun and He, and at the same time sent people to Wang Yingxiong to contact logistics and supply matters. After more than a day, he ordered the central guard army to set out first, and the spearhead was directed to Jinniu Road.

I have to say, this is an adventure.

If the gains and losses of Hanzhong were not so huge, based on Zhu Cilang's style of doing things, he would never have pinned his hopes on the Qing army losing its will to fight.

But the situation is stronger than the people.

Looking at the thousands of years of Chinese history, the bigger the matter, the harder it is to wait until everything is ready.

Although the Tartars were in the repair stage at this time due to the disastrous defeats in the east and central routes, as long as Zhu Cilang rejected the plan of dividing the country by the river, the long Yangtze River defense line would inevitably become a bleeding wound.

If the area in central Sichuan is attacked by the Tartars again by then, the Ming Dynasty will be exhausted even from having time to recuperate and cope with the continuous attacks.

Apart from being busy dealing with the situation, how could Zhu Cilang have the energy to do anything else?
Fortunately.
Five miles outside Hanzhong City
"Old He, do you want to send some food and fodder in?"

At this time, Sun Shoufa and He Zhen were riding on their war horses and observing the situation in Hanzhong City. Even though they could not see clearly under the cover of the tattered city walls, the two of them still stood there for a long time.

"He is very defensive against us. I'm afraid he won't accept any food or fodder even if we send it to him."

After listening to what Sun Shoufa said, He Zhen sucked her teeth and replied helplessly.

After receiving the order from His Majesty, they sent many scouts to and from Hanzhong. When they found out that Li Dingguo's troops appeared there, they came to meet them in person.

According to their thinking, the Qing army was currently attacking Dashi fiercely. Even if the two sides had fought before, they would be able to share the same hatred when facing the same enemy.

But who would have thought that Li Dingguo was always on guard against them. Not only did he reject the proposal of joining forces to attack the Tatars, he also claimed that they must not get within twenty miles of them.

Naturally, they just treated Li Dingguo's request as nonsense, but if someone was causing trouble on the rear of the Tartars, it would save them a lot of effort, so after some discussion, the two of them led the main force to retreat a long distance to minimize their own influence as much as possible.

The final result is obvious. After learning that the Ming army was retreating, Li Dingguo decisively launched an attack on Hanzhong. Two days ago, he finally broke into the ruined city.

However, the Tatars defending the city did not lose their fighting spirit because of the loss of the city walls. Instead, they gathered around the well-defended granary and continued to resist stubbornly.

To be honest, although Sun and He were surprised at the fighting spirit of the Tartars, they understood the reason after some thought.

In the final analysis, Li Dingguo had no siege equipment, and even though the city of Hanzhong was in ruins, his troops suffered considerable casualties when they attacked it.

What's more, the enemy soldiers came from afar, and anyone who has led troops would have expected that they did not have enough food and fodder.

As long as the defenders can occupy the area around the granary, Li Dingguo's troops will inevitably suffer a significant drop in combat effectiveness due to lack of food.

In such a situation, the besiegers are at a disadvantage, while the besieged have a greater chance of winning. The defender will not be foolish enough to give up the advantage of terrain.

"It's been quite a while. Even if Li Dingguo managed to snatch some from the Tartars, he would probably be out of ammunition and food soon. I don't think he would do such an unwise thing."

As Sun Shoufa finished speaking, He Zhen agreed with his opinion after a brief thought. They then sent a soldier to the city to ask to see Li Dingguo. After receiving a response from Li Dingguo, they allocated some of their own military supplies and sent them over.

"Damn it, it's as if we're begging him for help!"

(End of this chapter)