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

Chapter 170 The Ming Emperor Only Trusted the Plain Blue Banner!

Ma Jinzhong forced himself to explain:

“Your Highness, I see that there are still many grains and supplies, as well as many empty houses in Hengzhou City. I thought that we could continue to use them after we win the battle, so I only burned a portion of them.”

“He was flogged 20 times as a warning to others.”

Li Dingguo's eyes were practically spitting fire as he stormed off.

Logically speaking, it wouldn't be unreasonable for a subordinate to be beheaded for arbitrarily altering military orders. However, both Feng Shuangli and Ma Jinzhong were Sun Kewang's confidants.

There is nothing I can do. There is nothing I can do!
……

Not long after~
The banner of the "Jin Fan" (Shanxi) began to move forward, and the cheers of the Ming army at the front line rose higher and higher.

After being flogged, Ma Jinzhong also met Feng Shuangli.

"Old Feng, did you hear that?"

"I heard."

At this moment, the cheers on the battlefield had reached a fever pitch, with shouts of "Long live the King!" rising and falling, indicating that the King of Jin's prestige had reached its peak.

"Old Feng, I'll go first."

"where to?"

“I will lead my troops to attack Jiangxi. Now the Qing army is heavily concentrated in Hunan, so Jiangxi must be vulnerable. We can take it on the first try.”

"Is this the King of Qin's intention, or your own?"

"It was my own decision. If I don't leave now, Prince Li Jin might use me as a sacrifice."

……

Beneath the walls of Hengzhou.

Guns roared, arrows blotted out the sky, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

One side wants to enter the city, while the other side wants to intercept them.

However, the Ming army's fighting strength was clearly no match for the well-formed Eight Banners troops, and they fell one after another under the Qing army's heavy arrows.

"Ming Jin retreats the troops."

"Clean the battlefield."

"Dig deep trenches and besiege Hengzhou."

After a series of orders were issued, Li Dingguo clenched his fists. All their efforts had been in vain; they had been just one step away from annihilating the Eight Banners army!

Previously, the Qing dynasty had only annihilated the direct troops of the Three Shun Kings and the Green Standard Army in various provinces. Even if 100,000 or 200,000 were annihilated, it would not have fundamentally harmed the Qing court.

Today is different; those killed are all genuine Eight Banner soldiers.

evening.

When Li Dingguo returned to camp, he heard news that shocked and angered him: Ma Jinzhong had actually left without saying goodbye, taking his elite 5000 men with him.

The next day.

Ma Jinzhong then sent a handwritten letter through someone.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, please allow me to report that the situation in the south against the Qing is currently very favorable. I have judged that Jiangxi is vulnerable and intend to seize the Qing's fertile lands to enhance the prestige of our Great Ming and the might of our Great Ming army."

"Asshole, asshole."

Li Dingguo launched into a tirade of curses.

The Ming army was overjoyed after winning a crucial battle, with only a few high-ranking officers noticing the gloom in the sky.

Ma Jinzhong's solo departure sends a very bad signal:

The feud between the Qin and Jin states has begun again!

The Ming Dynasty's old problem of internal strife has resurfaced!

The next day.

Li Dingguo proclaimed to the entire army:
The Battle of Hengzhou was a brilliant victory, with over 100 Qing Dynasty Eight Banners officials, including General Nikan, killed in action (this is not exaggerated), and 20,000 Eight Banners soldiers killed (this is exaggerated). Countless warhorses, armor, and weapons were captured.

God bless the Ming Dynasty!
The entire army rejoiced.

The cost was also high, with 15,000 veterans killed or wounded and more than half of the war elephant corps lost.

Li Dingguo immediately ordered the selection of young recruits who had won military merits in this battle, to encourage them, and to train them rigorously, in an attempt to replenish the army with fresh blood as soon as possible.

……

Hengzhou City.

Tunqi remained silent, directing his men to reinforce the city's defenses and hold out for reinforcements.

Late at night, he summoned several of his trusted men.

"You all sneak out under the cover of night and ask the Emperor for help! Ask Wu Sangui for help! Ask the Dongting Navy for help!"

"Inform Shalibu that he has built a strong fortification on the north bank and is determined to hold out, thus echoing my position from afar."

"please."

The group lowered themselves down the city wall using ropes. Tunqi stood on the wall for half an hour, and only after hearing no sounds of fighting did he feel relieved. He then carefully counted the troops in the city; there were more than 8000 soldiers.

After taking stock of the provisions, there was still enough to last for more than 20 days.

There are an unknown number of Eight Banners and Green Standard Army soldiers on the north bank. If they build strong fortifications and hold their ground, they still have the strength to fight.

Based on Tunqi's judgment, a draw is possible.

The key lies in whether the Dongting Lake navy can control the Xiang River and successfully deliver supplies.

As long as the food supplies continue, Hengzhou City can remain firmly anchored here.

At this time, he was still unaware of the actual number of casualties in the Battle of Hengzhou:

The total number of Manchu, Mongol and Han Eight Banner soldiers lost was more than 7000, and more than 130 officers of the rank of Zuo Ling and above were lost. General Nikan of Dingyuan was beheaded and his head displayed to the public.

For the Qing court, this was a wound to the core.

……

On the third day, the Ming army began its siege of the city.

For two consecutive days, the Ming army, lacking artillery, suffered heavy casualties after failing to capture the city, leaving the city walls stained with blood.

Li Dingguo sighed deeply and had no choice but to order an abandonment of the offensive and a change to a long-term siege.

Everyone sighed with relief that Ma Jinzhong had managed to slip away in time; had he been any later, he would surely have been beheaded and his head displayed to the public by the enraged Prince Jin.

The Prince of Jin's prestige is now at its zenith.

If he were to execute Ma, it would be hard to say which of the ordinary soldiers in Ma's tribe would support him.

For a weak regime, a military commander who can lead everyone to victory is the brightest star, and the soldiers will wholeheartedly support him!

The morale of the army is quite unique.

In the military, the superior-subordinate relationship is very superficial if it is maintained solely by seals and letters of appointment, and such a relationship cannot withstand severe tests.

……

The day the Battle of Hengzhou ended.

The news spread like wildfire, shocking Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, while Yunnan and Guizhou erupted in jubilation.

Anlongfu and Guiyang received the good news almost at the same time.

The Yongli Emperor, who had no appetite, first laughed and then cried, then laughed and cried at the same time.

The ministers accompanying the emperor shed tears of emotion, and the most excited among them were the soldiers of the Plain Blue Banner, who should now be called the loyal Jianzhou Left Guard of the Ming Dynasty.

Uerte, the Duke of Liao, commander of the Ming Imperial Guards, and commander of the Jianzhou Left Guard, wept uncontrollably, almost fainting, a truly moving sight.

Today, the palace guards are all soldiers of the Jianzhou Left Guard.

Absolute trust!
The people of the Plain Blue Banner had cut off their queues, but they still wore blue armor. The armor was valuable, a precious asset, and they were reluctant to change it casually.

Emperor Yongli wiped away his tears.

"My dear minister, if we can restore the Ming Dynasty, I will hold the Prince of Jin's hand with my left hand and you with my right, and the three of us, the emperor and his minister, will walk into the Forbidden City together to receive the cheers of the people of the world."

"Your Majesty, your imperial grace is boundless, and I would never dare to obey."

"No, I cannot enjoy this glory alone."

He spoke with such solemnity that Urte's shoulders trembled as he wept.

……

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month of the eighth year of the Shunzhi reign, in the morning.

South of the city, at the Chiang Kai-shek residence.

One of the scouts knelt on one knee, speaking urgently.

"Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor, something is not right in the inner city. The Plain Red Banner Cavalry Battalion, the Bordered Red Banner Cavalry Battalion, and the Plain Blue Banner Cavalry Battalion are all gathering."

"Have they left camp?"

"No."

"What about the Nine Gates?"

"All nine gates are operating normally."

"Pass on my order: beat the drums and assemble!"

"Yes."

The knight hurriedly left.

A short while later, in the courtyard of the South City Military Command, just a few steps away, the mobilization drum suddenly sounded, its rapid beat sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

Soon, the sound of drums rose again in the distance.

With the sound of drums echoing, the troops from the four military camps of the Five Cities Garrison, located throughout the capital, hastily assembled.

(End of this chapter)