You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 167 God Cursed Bolo

Inside the big tent.

Wrapped up like a dumpling, the sickly-looking Bolo suddenly spoke.

“Nikan, cough cough cough, I have a bad feeling.”

"Bolo, shut the hell up! If you say another discouraging thing, I'll really hit you."

"Kong Youde's defeat in Guilin was suspicious; there's something fishy about it..."

"Bolo, you should go back and recuperate. The imperial edict says that the situation in war is constantly changing, so I am in charge of all troops. Once we win, I will definitely give you, as the deputy commander, a generous share of the military merits."

That's not what I meant.

Bolo's asthma flared up again in his anxiety.

"Medical officer, medical officer."

Looking at the convulsing Bolo, Nikan felt a pang of desolation.

“Tunqi”.

"The end will be here."

“Send someone on horseback back to the capital to summon the imperial physician to the south. Tell him that if the imperial physician doesn’t come soon, Bolo might not make it to next spring.”

"Whoo."

Beile Tunqi left in a hurry.

The deputy commander, Bolo, became increasingly ill, casting a shadow over the army.

……

2 days later.

Nikan looked at the thin Bolo and couldn't bear it, so he left the house temporarily. After a while, he came in carrying a large bowl.

"Have a drink~"

"Is it wine?"

"Correct."

"Cough cough, is it really okay for me to drink in this state?"

"Bolo, don't believe those quack doctors. Drink some strong liquor to stimulate your body, and maybe it will make you feel better. I've also found you a shaman."

A female shaman entered, wearing a brightly colored feathered crown, animal teeth around her neck, bare-chested and barefoot, dressed in an animal skin skirt, and carrying a bronze drum.

Knock knock knock, let's start making it!
In this situation, Bolo smiled bitterly and simply picked up his wine bowl and poured himself a big gulp of strong liquor!
Ah~ the liquor is burning, the blood is surging, and the shaman is trembling.

Nikan cheered loudly from the side.

“Bolo, you’ll be alright. You’re only 39 years old, you’re still young.”

"Master, we have already offered 500 taels of gold and captured 50 people. Please help us."

The shaman nodded slightly, took a bunch of branches drenched in the blood of prisoners of war, and began to dance his ancestral prayer dance around Bolo, a dance both desolate and mysterious.

A drop of blood splattered on Boro's face.

Bolo felt he really couldn't hold on any longer. He felt his vision blurring, his soul spinning, and his memories reversing.

My father is teaching me archery.
Smoke and fire filled the air above Ningjincheng.
The rebel cavalry roared in fury.
Zheng Zhilong knelt down~
Countless people and events change rapidly like a kaleidoscope, and the experiences of the past few decades unfold before my eyes.

Boro suddenly sat up in shock, his face deathly pale, and he spat out blood.

"Bolo!"

Nikan let out a mournful cry and embraced the fallen Boro.

"Bring me paper and a pen!"

……

Bo Luo abandoned his brush, dipped his trembling fingers in his own blood, and wrote in a crooked hand: "Jiang Qingyun, Wu Sangui, there must be a traitor among them."

Then, he stared intently at Nikan.

Nikan felt a chill run down his spine and his whole body go cold as he stared intently at him. He managed to squeeze out two words:
"be careful."

Boro died, just as in real history, he also died suddenly at this time.

The princes and nobles who rushed into the house took off their helmets, knelt on one knee, and observed a moment of silence.

"Ah~"

Nikan roared, drew his sword, and glared at the shaman.

The shaman's tone was stern and cold.

"You can't kill me, or you'll be cursed."

"Fuck you!"

With a swift stroke, Nikan brought down his knife, and the female shaman's head rolled to the ground, her terrified eyes wide open.

Everyone was horrified.

Killing a shaman is an ominous sign.

Nikan didn't care about this superstition. He wiped the blood from his face and said something.

“If her magic cannot save the Eight Banners soldiers, then she is not a shaman.” The Third Prince and the Eighth Prince who accompanied the expedition remained silent, none daring to offer any advice.

Nikan was tyrannical, and moreover, he was the Dingyuan General, appointed by imperial decree to control the military and political affairs of five provinces, making him the undisputed number one figure in the south.

……

Military conference at the Changsha Prefectural Government Office.

Nikan's eyes were bloodshot.

"The Ming traitors are rampant, attacking cities and seizing territories, killing our officers and soldiers, and taking our land. This is intolerable! Proclaim this to the entire army: the army is to move forward and will soon engage the Ming army in a decisive battle."

“Tunqi”.

"The end will be here."

“You will lead your troops, and I will give you another 1 Green Standard Army soldiers. You have 10 days to take Xiangtan County.”

"Whoo."

“Sharibu”.

"The end will be here."

"You lead your troops, and I'll give you another 5000 Green Standard Army soldiers. You have 10 days to take Xiangxiang County."

"Whoo."

"Ten days later, the entire army will march south, first capturing Hengshan, then Hengzhou. Whoever kills Li Dingguo in battle will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and appointed as a third-class light cavalry captain."

"The payment and grain transport from each province must be on time. If it is delayed by one day, the escorting officer will be killed; if it is delayed by three days, the entire team will be killed; if it is delayed by ten days, the grain transport commissioner and the provincial governor will be killed."

"Gentlemen, prepare for a bloody battle."

"Whoo."

Everyone knelt down on one knee in unison, each accepting their orders and departing.

The war machine is running at full speed.

But if Bolo were alive, what would he think?
……

5 days later.

Seeing the Qing army's overwhelming force, the Ming army voluntarily abandoned Xiangtan and retreated to Hengshan.

After two days of fierce resistance, the Ming army defending Xiangxiang fell, with over 1000 soldiers killed and over 800 captured.

On the banks of the Xiang River.

One of the officers shouted:

"General Dingyuan has ordered that no prisoners be taken in this battle!"

"Fire arrows!"

More than 800 Ming soldiers who were driven to the riverbank fell in pools of blood.

Thousands of newly recruited Green Standard Army soldiers, under the supervision of Eight Banner soldiers, stabbed each other with spears before throwing the bodies into the Xiang River.

Blood can stimulate new recruits.

Within the Qing army, they could be divided into three levels based on their combat effectiveness.

First class: Eight Banner soldiers.

Second tier: Prince Pingxi and Prince Sanshun. Internally, they can be further subdivided according to combat strength: Wu Sangui's troops (border army) > Kong Youde and Geng Jimao (Western Army) > Shang Kexi (Island Army).

The third tier: Green Standard Army troops stationed in various provinces. Internally, they can be further subdivided according to combat effectiveness: Shaanxi-Gansu > Zhili > others.

Nikan's army was said to number 8, but in reality, its combat effectiveness was severely lacking.

Apart from the more than 3 Eight Banner soldiers and more than 8000 barely qualified Green Standard Army soldiers, the rest were all novice recruits.

Li Dingguo's side was similar. He claimed to have an army of 15, but in reality, there were only 2 elite veterans, 2 half-new and half-old soldiers who had seen blood, and the rest were easy targets.

The number of elite troops that the two commanders could rely on was very close.

The difference between a new recruit and a veteran is no less than that between a person and a dog.

An army that can quickly execute the commander's orders, skillfully change formations, and continue fighting even when the battle is unfavorable is called a veteran or an elite force.

Those who dare to charge into enemy lines regardless of their own lives are called servants.

For a weak army like this, the fact that they don't fall behind during marches, don't riot when encamped, and don't flee in battle shows that their commander is exceptionally capable.

……

Hengshan County Town.

He rode into the city at breakneck speed.

"The King of Jin has ordered that Hengshan be abandoned."

After reading the letter, Feng Shuangli immediately ordered: "Take as much baggage and provisions as possible, and tell the people in the city to retreat south together. If that is not possible, they should go into the mountains as soon as possible."

At this time, the Qing army's vanguard was already 150 li away.

War is a nightmare for ordinary people, and the bloodthirsty Eight Banners soldiers are an indescribable nightmare.

(End of this chapter)