Xie Ming

The turmoil in Henan arose from the surrounding area, and Pei Zhong's return to the west set the stage for the future.

By mid-September, the smoke of battle had cleared, and Ajige's main force had suffered a setback at Guide. Ultimately, he was hesitant to act rashly and suffered heavy losses, so he returned north to Kaifeng and Weihui for a short rest and never fought again.

In contrast, the western capital is not peaceful, and in the east, unexpected situations are arising again.

On September 12 of the same year, the Jurchen Qing dynasty had secured its position in Beijing. Dorgon, believing the northern border was now secure, issued another decree ordering all provinces in the north to shave their heads.

Xuan declared that all people in the four provinces of the mountains and rivers, regardless of age, must shave their heads and change their clothes. Anyone who dares to disobey or disrespect him will be regarded as a "rebellious bandit".

As the saying goes, "Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head."

This edict, once issued to the localities, immediately drew strong opposition from the people.

Moreover, such harsh and severe punishment of those who violate the law only further fuels the people's determination to resist.

For a time, in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and other places, there were people who defied orders and rose up in rebellion, following the righteous path.

Aside from this incident, let's turn our attention back to the areas north of the Yangtze River, specifically the prefectures and counties north of the Huai River.

At the end of August, Sun Peizhong's troops cleverly escaped from Xuzhou and headed west back to Ke.

Taking advantage of this, the army moved away, leaving a large area of ​​Huaibei without troops.

Not far away in Huai'an, the Grand General of the State, Prince Yu, Dorgon, was also restless and didn't have a moment's rest.

Soon, his main army began to be mobilized.

They successively dispatched troops to quickly retake Xuzhou, Taoyuan, Fengyang and other places.

After that, without resting and remaining quiet for long, in early September, they once again gathered their troops and prepared to march south.

At this time, Dodo gathered 10,000 of the main Jurchen troops.

He commanded two units of 10,000 men each under the command of Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming.

The Han army's infantry and miscellaneous troops numbered 10,000.

This includes 20,000 yuan that Liu Liangzuo had previously surrendered in Shandong.

The total force numbered 50,000, but was outwardly referred to as a force of 100,000.

A mighty force, heading south.

They attempted to seize this momentum, like cutting off the flow of water, to capture Chuzhou City in one fell swoop.

He also imagined that if Chuzhou were captured quickly, the military might could be used to sweep away and reclaim the four cities of An, Liuhe, Jiangpu, and Hezhou in an instant.

He regained control of the defenses on the north bank of the Yangtze River, eyeing the southeast, pressing the defenses of the river, and aiming his sword at Nanjing.

Of course, the reason why this Qing dog dared to have such a shameless idea was because, according to previous information, his subordinates also knew that the Southern Court had just lost Emperor Hongguang and was in trouble with internal strife.

Furthermore, at present, the commander-in-chief of Xiao's army, Duke Jingguo himself, has not remained in Nanjing.

As for Chuzhou, the garrison commander Zhao Yingyuan had only four battalions under his command, totaling less than ten thousand men.

The small towns on the left and right sides of Lai'an and Quanjiao were only defended by Chen Jiulang and Lan Qi, each leading 5,000 men. They were hastily divided into two groups to garrison the area.

Thus, Dodo, arrogant and complacent, believed he had seized the opportunity and commanded 50,000 troops.

On September 18th of that year, a mixed Han and Manchu army marched south and immediately besieged Chuzhou.

The matter was immediately resolved, and there were no further attempts or arrangements made.

They launched a fierce attack from the outset, completely surrounding Chuzhou City like an ironclad fortress.

Zhao Yingyuan's troops were indeed somewhat prepared.

But it wasn't until the army had set up its formation and actually launched its attack that the truth became clear.

This battle was doomed to failure from the very beginning.

For the rest of the time, all they could do was rely on the city's defenses, grit their teeth, and brace themselves to see if they could hold out a few more moments.

Zhao Yingyuan was now surrounded and under immense pressure.

With the enemy's artillery and ladders attacking relentlessly, Chuzhou City was on the verge of collapse in less than ten days, on the verge of falling at any moment.

Zhao Yingyuan's ability to hold out for ten days and nights with his troops to this point is a testament to his bravery and determination.

Meanwhile, the situation in Huaibei was changing.

On the afternoon of the 26th, a battle report was delivered to Hangzhou via express courier, traveling 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers).

While Xiao Jingchuan was shocked, he dared not delay for even a moment.

Hangzhou can no longer be a place of residence.

Others are worried about the military situation at the front, and cannot wait a moment longer.

Then he dragged Changting and Sangmenxing along with a group of guards and personal guards, and rode north.

That very day, they secretly returned north, heading straight for Nanjing. By the evening of the 27th, they had caught up with General Xiao Lang on the south bank of the Yangtze River. Under the cover of darkness, they summoned reinforcements, and with men carrying straw and horses gagged, they secretly crossed the north bank and quietly assembled their troops at Jiangpu.

Around dawn on the 28th, after assessing the situation, he realized that Zhao Yingyuan was at his limit and could not withstand any more attacks. He feared that if they attacked again at dawn, the city might fall at any moment.

Therefore, Xiao Ling made the decision.

The reinforcements then flanked the enemy from both the left and right flanks.

On the left flank, Chen Jiulang led over a thousand cavalry, bypassing Qingliu and passing Muyun Mountain, directly penetrating behind enemy lines.

On the right, Lan Qi led over a thousand cavalrymen, turning towards the vicinity of Tianchang West.

These two cavalry units were streamlined, consisting entirely of light cavalry, and had only one objective: to encircle the enemy from both sides and, if possible, find the supply depots of tens of thousands of enemy soldiers and the main routes for transporting supplies south before dawn.

We must spare no expense to cut off the enemy's food supply in the north.

In addition, around 3:00 AM that day, while the enemy troops besieging the city were still cooking, Xiao Jingchuan led 20,000 troops out from 20 miles south of Chuzhou.

The fluttering of banners and drums creates a great momentum.

His military campaign has two main objectives.

Firstly, they created a false impression of a coordinated attack to confuse the enemy and create the illusion that Xiao's army was coming to their rescue, thereby demoralizing the enemy and easing the siege of Zhao Yingyuan's troops in Chuzhou.

Secondly, it could also be a feint attack to draw the attention of Dodo's main force, restrain the enemy's advance, and provide an opportunity for Chen Jiulang and Lan Qi to break through the enemy's rear supply lines.

As expected, such actions immediately caught the Qing army off guard.

In truth, it wasn't that Dodo was bad at military affairs and unprepared for Ming army reinforcements.

To his utter surprise, Xiao Jingchuan had managed to arrive at the front lines undetected.

Looking out, one can see smoke and dust rising outside the south gate of the city, with the banners and characters fluttering in the wind.

Startled, Dodo was also afraid that this boy might really bring out his entire army to reinforce them.

With such concerns, they dared not be negligent.

When the two sides clashed at the pass, they were trapped in their own formation and found it difficult to separate.

At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sun rises in the east.

The smoke of war filled Chuzhou.

Inside and outside, left and right, north and south, all were filled with the deafening roars of battle.

That's how things are right now.

Behind enemy lines, Chen Jiulang's cavalry found the grain depot first.

Of course, if one wants to enter an enemy camp with tens of thousands of troops, their logistics, supplies, and provisions will certainly be heavily guarded.

No particularly effective method has been introduced.

Chen Jiulang also knew that Xiao Jiang's 20,000 soldiers were struggling against a Jurchen enemy several times their size, and were facing off on the outskirts of the city, so they could not gain any advantage.

If we arrive now, even a moment's delay could mean total annihilation.

Considering this, he could no longer bear to hold back.

Relying on the agility and speed of the light cavalry, they will use their quick thinking to plunge into the enemy's supply camp and break through the defenses amidst the chaos.

Seeing that they could not capture the general or commander within the stronghold, they decisively and quickly led their troops to escape.

Seeing that they had suffered a loss due to this tactic, the remaining Qing soldiers were determined not to let them off the hook.

Immediately, the commander, enraged, led the majority of his troops in a surprise attack.

Determined to pursue and capture Jiulang alive, he vowed to gain military merit.

Thus, the plan was successful.

This was the result Chen Jiulang had been waiting for.

Even though his cavalry force now numbers less than a hundred riders, his objective seems to have been achieved.

Soon, Lan Qi arrived on the right flank.

Upon seeing this, he instantly understood Jiulang's intentions.

Without resting their horses, they seized this opportune moment and immediately launched a surprise attack on the grain depot from the right.

They were determined to perish together with the enemy troops who remained behind.

Finally, a great fire broke out in the village.

The towering flames reflected the morning glow!
The plan to cut off the enemy's supplies succeeded despite numerous dangers. (End of Chapter)