Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 420: The Two Armies Meet
January 8

Hanzhong Granary
Since the arrival of reinforcements, the morale of the army in the city has gradually stabilized, and the rebels have received the most severe punishment.

Afterwards, the reinforcements outside the city directly attacked the Qing troops besieging the city, and it seemed that the siege of Hanzhong would be lifted in a moment.

Seeing this situation, not only were the defenders in the city quite excited, but even the three generals of Hanzhong were ready to cooperate internally and externally to directly expel the Qing army.

But to their surprise, after being bombarded by artillery for most of the day, the Qing army retreated into the city of Hanzhong. It seemed that preventing the two Ming armies from joining forces was their only goal, and all other matters had been forgotten.

Faced with such a situation, the three generals of Hanzhong were extremely surprised.

After all, after a few days of observation, they have been able to determine that the number of Qing troops is no more than 30,000 or 20,000, while the number of Ming troops inside and outside the city is at least around 40,000.

If the two armies were facing each other normally, the difference in strength would not be too big. However, the Qing army's actions at this time were obviously to surround the granary inside and block the reinforcements outside. Even if they racked their brains, they could not understand where the Qing army's confidence came from.

"The Tartars are probably waiting for reinforcements."

At this time, the three generals of Hanzhong gathered in the granary custody room again. After sorting out the situation in their respective camps, Li Dingguo expressed his thoughts.

That day, he was responsible for resisting the Tartar attack on the city wall, and he knew the situation better than Sun and He.

On the surface, the Tatars withdrew their troops because of the sudden arrival of reinforcements, but as he was on the front line, he always felt that there was something abrupt about it.

Honestly speaking, he only had this feeling at first but did not delve too deeply into it. After all, reinforcements were a huge variable, and it was reasonable for him to sort out the current situation again.

However, the Tartars were showing such an attitude at this time, and it was obvious that they had no intention of retreating in the face of difficulties.
"Reinforcements? Impossible." He Zhen responded decisively as Li Dingguo finished speaking. After a brief thought, he pointed at the map and said, "The remaining troops in Guanzhong are all surrendered soldiers. Several of the generals who led the troops were transferred from my place. It's reliable to expect them to defend the city, but it's impossible to use them to fight in the field."

He once guarded Hanzhong under the Qing Dynasty, so he knew the situation in the whole Shaanxi much better than Li Dingguo.

The reason why the Governor of Shaanxi used various means on him was because the Guanzhong military force was insufficient and unable to deal with He Zhen's troops.

At this time, some of the military forces in Guanzhong were withdrawn because of Hauge's march south. Even if some of them could still be mobilized, they could only hold on to the occasion but could not fight in the field.

Knowing this, He Zhen did not believe that the Tartars would have reinforcements.

"Don't worry, the reinforcements may not come from Guanzhong."

"Where else can we get them from if not Guanzhong? Can we also transfer troops from Beijing or Xiangyang?"

Faced with Sun Shoufa who wanted to smooth things over, He Zhen was not as polite as before. After asking two questions in a row, she waited for the other party's answer.

Needless to say, Beijing is thousands of miles away. Even if there were reinforcements, they would have to be delayed on the road for several months. And most of the troops in Xiangyang had been withdrawn when Ajige launched a surprise attack on Ganzhou. Not to mention supporting Hauge, it was feared that even Xing'an City could not be captured.

Having said that, all the possible territories that could reinforce Hanzhong have been ruled out one by one with He Zhen's words. However, given the current situation, if there are no reinforcements, the Tartars' actions would be extremely difficult to explain.

Afterwards, the conversation in the detention room was interrupted again due to the stalemate. If it weren't for the footsteps heard outside, the three generals of Hanzhong would have no idea how long the stalemate would end.

"General, there is another fight outside the city. Do you need support from the city?"

After the words were spoken, the three generals looked anxious, but no one responded.

If it were any other time, the reinforcements outside the city would have already launched the attack, and those who were besieged in the city would naturally have to take action.

But now the Tartars had all retreated back into Hanzhong City, and with their densely packed forces they had completely separated the two Ming armies. Unable to figure out the situation outside, the three of them did not dare to make any rash moves.

This was the embarrassment of the three generals of Hanzhong. Unable to contact the reinforcements, they didn't know whether the purpose of this battle was to rescue them or to occupy Hanzhong.

Since they didn't know the purpose of this war, they dared not act rashly.

In essence, the plan for Hanzhong was already in place when Your Majesty gave the order to Sun and He. If they misunderstand the intention of the reinforcements, all the efforts of several months may go to waste.

just
"It's no use standing there like this. Why don't I lead my troops to charge in two waves? If we can get out by chance, it will be better than guessing here."

Just when the atmosphere was about to become tense again, Sun Shoufa suddenly said this, then he punched the two of them and walked out of the room.

Everyone knows that this is a good way to solve the current predicament, but the city of Hanzhong is full of dangers at this time. The breakout troops not only have to face open enemies, but also have to guard against hidden guns and arrows.

If we really charge out like this, the danger would be so great that even escaping death cannot describe it.

"Stay on!"

"Hold on!"

Seeing Sun Shoufa's actions, He Zhen and Li Dingguo shouted at the same time, but at the moment, there was no other way to get out of the predicament except doing so, so he just paused for a moment and continued to walk out of the room.

He was not the kind of person who would sacrifice his life for his country when faced with difficulties. Otherwise, he would have needed more than ten lives to survive until reinforcements arrived in these three years.

But this does not mean that he will ignore the overall situation by tolerating this person.

At this time, the three generals of Hanzhong were all experienced warriors with many years of battlefield experience, but it was less than a month since Li Dingguo surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and He Zhen had surrendered again and again. Even if these two could lead the troops to fight, how could they gain the trust of the commander outside the city?

The granary was always prepared for war. In just three or two cups of tea, Sun Shoufa's troops had assembled.

The soldiers were holding spears and shields, wearing heavy armor, and their eyes were shining with determination. When the whole team arrived near the gate, Sun Shoufa scanned the faces of each soldier with sharp eyes, and saw that they were all determined and fearless.

He took a deep breath, suddenly drew out the long sword from his waist, swung it towards the night sky, and shouted loudly: "Let's go!"

Following Sun Shoufa's order, the soldiers poured out of the granary gate like a tide. They quickly dispersed according to the pre-planned tactics, trying their best to avoid becoming the concentrated target of the enemy's arrows. Everyone knew that in this narrow street, the dense formation would only become a living target for the enemy.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Swoosh!" The sound of arrows breaking through the air continued to ring out, accompanied by the sound of the wind and the breathing of the soldiers, forming a tragic symphony. Sun Shoufa took the lead. As soon as he appeared in the open space outside the warehouse, the defenders on the city immediately fired a dense rain of arrows towards the residential areas. Sun Shoufa knew that something was wrong, and he quickly whipped his warhorse, sticking his body tightly to the horse's back to avoid the flying arrows.

However, although their actions were somewhat unexpected, there were 30,000 or 20,000 Tatars gathered in Hanzhong City. Although their defense line was a little slower, it should not be underestimated. Sun Shoufa knew that this open space would be their most dangerous area. Only by passing through it as soon as possible could they have a chance of survival.

Sure enough, just as the first wave of arrows fell, the Tatars' counterattacks poured out from all over the houses like a rainstorm. Although their arrows were not as dense as those of the Ming army, the heavy arrows used by the Tatars were far more lethal than the light arrows of the Ming army. Screams of pain rang out behind Sun Shoufa, as his comrades fell.

Sun Shoufa's heart was broken, but he knew he could not hesitate at this moment. He kept whipping his horse to make it move forward as fast as possible. He could not look back or stop, and could only lead the remaining soldiers to rush out of this deadly open space as soon as possible.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The sound of another wave of arrows breaking through the air came from behind him. The heavy arrows shot from the civilian houses suddenly became sparse, but he was leading the way, and his figure and dress were unusual. Even though the Tartars' first wave of attacks did not deliberately take care of him, at this time there were already several heavy arrows coming straight at him.

"puff!"

"puff!"

With several dull thuds, Sun Shoufa's horse was hit by a heavy arrow. It neighed in pain and then fell to the ground.

He had anticipated this situation, and before his body fell to the ground, he exerted force with his legs and used the force to roll towards the house.

“Swish~~~!”

As soon as he landed on the ground, the sword on his waist appeared in Sun Shoufa's hand. Then he rushed towards the nearest Tatar soldier. Then with a flash of cold light, the sword came with a huge force and knocked the soldier who raised the sword to block.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sun Shoufa quickly slipped into the narrow alley between the houses, and the arrow that followed could only unwillingly stick into the mud.

He knew very well that only by engaging in street fighting with the Qing army could he delay time as much as possible and buy a chance for his soldiers to escape.

Then he changed direction, and when the Tartars' attention was diverted away from him, he headed straight for the fortifications at the street entrance.

At this time, there were seven or eight Qing soldiers in the fortifications who were constantly shooting arrows at the open ground, and they had no idea of ​​his appearance.

The war blade cut through the air like lightning, and with a sharp sound of breaking wind, it went straight to the nearest Qing soldier. The soldier's weapon intersected with the war blade, making a loud "clang" sound, but his weapon was easily cut off like a piece of paper. The war blade continued to move forward, and instantly pierced into the soldier's chest, and blood gushed out, staining Sun Shoufa's clothes red.

The other Qing soldiers were horrified and rushed towards Sun Shoufa with their weapons. But Sun Shoufa moved through the crowd like a dragon, taking a life with every swing of his sword. His movements were swift and precise, and every attack hit the enemy's vital points just right.

In a blink of an eye, seven or eight Qing soldiers had all fallen at Sun Shoufa's feet. He was panting, but his eyes were sharper. He knew that he had to deal with the Qing soldiers here as soon as possible to buy more time for his soldiers.

He took a short break, then picked up his sword again and rushed towards the next target. He knew that the battle was far from over, but he was ready, and no matter how many enemies he faced, he would persist until the last moment.

This is the role of a fierce general. Back then, he was able to capture the old King Chuang alive among thousands of soldiers. Even though his physical strength is not as good as it was at its peak, he easily tore a hole in the Tartar's defense with the help of experience.

However, despite this achievement, he did not feel much joy. Instead, after reuniting with his soldiers, he glanced at the city wall in the distance.

"Don't retreat."
-
When nearly a thousand soldiers led by Sun Shoufa rushed into the densely populated area, the fighting near the city wall had reached a nearly white-hot level.

Since the Qing army retreated into the city, the central guard army, led by Xiang Rensheng, has been trying to break through the numerous obstacles of the Tartars and get in touch with the Ming army in the warehouse.

However, under the full defense of the Qing army, such advancement was ultimately somewhat unsustainable. After spending so much time, they only occupied a section of the damaged city wall.

It is obvious that the performance of the Qing army at this time is not only incomparable to when they captured Yangping Pass, but is also not inferior to the Battle of Suzhou and Songjiang.

At its core, the combat effectiveness of an army involves a lot of factors. Even with the same men and the same equipment, they can perform completely differently under different circumstances.

By this time, the news that reinforcements had cut off the Ming army's retreat had spread thoroughly among the Qing army, and their fighting spirit was naturally no longer comparable to before.

Although Zhu Cilang felt it was a difficult situation, he had no other options.

No matter what, he could have taken shortcuts once, twice, or even three or four times, but if you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. Today, he finally encountered a tough bone to chew.

"Your Majesty, why don't you just push down this wall?"

At this time, Zhu Cilang was watching the advance of the imperial guards on the newly built high platform. Just when he was overjoyed about breaking through a line of defense, he heard Hu Yiqing's rather anxious voice.

He knew very well that the enemy wanted the artillery to take charge of the main attack, but now their logistical supplies had been completely cut off. If all the gunpowder was used up, the rear guard army would be completely scrapped.

Under such circumstances, he could only sacrifice human lives to open a road to the granary.

In response to Hu Yiqing's suggestion, Zhu Ci just shook his head slightly and stopped talking. Then he turned his attention back to the battle group in front.

The Qing army's defense line had just been broken by the central army, and the other units were clearing out the remaining Qing troops in the surrounding areas.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang moved his gaze to the distance again, and after calculating the distance to the granary, he spoke to Hu Yiqing again.

"Yiqing, please go to the front for a while. I always feel that the breakthrough ability of the central army is a little weak."

Although the central army had advanced a long distance at this time, Zhu Cilang was still somewhat dissatisfied with their advancement speed.

But he also knew that the strengths of the central army lay in defense and endurance, which did give them an advantage in a grand formation, but they were still lacking something when it came to relying on breakthrough capabilities.

"My lord, take the order!"

When Hu Yiqing heard His Majesty's arrangement, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face. But when he was about to take the order and leave, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Your Majesty! It seems that the defenders are rushing out of the city!"

(End of this chapter)