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

Chapter 320 The Inner Demon Recurs
Wu Sangui spurred his horse wildly and was the first to enter Changsha.

Half an hour later~
After a two-week rest in Changsha following his retreat from Jiangxi, the valiant general Wang Fuchen led 2000 light cavalry out of the city to aid the Empress Dowager.

Fifteen minutes later~
Wu Sangui personally led 5000 armored infantrymen out of the city to meet Wang Fuchen.

……

Despite the grand scale of the operation, they arrived empty-handed.

That Eight Banners army had vanished without a trace, leaving only a bloody scene behind.

"Your Majesty~"

Chen Yuanyuan's voice was hoarse, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were covered in mud, and her skirt was obviously damp, but it was unclear whether it was mud or incontinence.

"You all escort the lady back to the city first."

"Yes."

The servants quickly helped Chen Yuanyuan away and hurriedly stuffed her into the carriage.

Wu Sangui's face flushed slightly, and he strictly ordered everyone to carefully examine the corpses and traces of battle left at the scene.

Wang Fuchen cupped his hands and said:

"Your Highness, there are 42 corpses of the Eight Banners soldiers, and 38 casualties on our side."

"How is this possible? How could the Eight Banners soldiers suffer more casualties than our army?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me. Those Manchus are not superhuman; they are flesh and blood, born of parents. Moreover, your guards are warriors handpicked from the entire army, each skilled in archery and horsemanship, and their martial arts are in no way inferior to those of the Manchus."

Wu Sangui blushed and bent down to pick up a blood-stained heavy arrow from the ground.

"The Eight Banners soldiers loved to use this kind of large arrow, which could penetrate three layers of heavy armor at close range."

"Yes."

"Wang Fuchen!"

"The end will be here."

"You are leading your troops in pursuit, but the enemy situation is unclear, so please be extremely cautious."

"Whoo."

Wang Fuchen accepted the order and left. He wasn't afraid of any Manchu warriors; he had long since demystified the so-called Manchu myth.

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Just as Wu Sangui was about to send someone to Yuezhou Prefecture to question him, the messenger arrived.

"Report! Urgent report from General Wang Pingfan."

"Bring it here."

Urgent report from Yuezhou:

Multiple groups of Eight Banners cavalry bypassed Yuezhou City and sped south; their numbers were unknown.

According to eyewitnesses, the Eight Banners troops numbered between one or two hundred cavalry and as many as three or five hundred. They seemed to have a special mission, not engaging in fighting, not lingering, and not stopping, but simply moving southward.

The child judged that it might be specifically designed to disrupt our army's rear supply lines.

Wang Pingfan was Wu Sangui's adopted son, and his position in the army was similar to that of Ma Bao, making him a trusted right-hand man. He was brave and skilled in battle, with unique strategic vision, making him a rare figure in the Western Army who was proficient in both military and civil affairs.

……

Upon returning to Changsha, it was already evening. Wu Sangui tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, feeling immense pressure.

The next day.

Civil and military officials gathered to discuss this matter.

Liu Xuanchu was the first to step forward, his tone urgent: "Your Highness, I judge this to be a surprise attack force. Since it's a surprise attack, their numbers must be small. We must send troops immediately to annihilate them as quickly as possible."

Xia Guoxiang: "I agree."

Liu and Xia have very different political views and have always been at odds, but they are not confused about important matters.

Hu Guozhu stepped forward: "Your Highness, this humble general is willing to lead the troops to track down and deliver the heads of the Eight Banner soldiers to Changsha."

Zhang Guozhu: "This humble general is also willing."

The current governor of Hunan, Li Benshen, looked grave: "It would be better to send out more scouts first to find out the number and movements of the Eight Banners before deploying heavy troops."

He had fought against the Qing army many times and, like Wu Sangui, suffered from severe PTSD. He could not bear to see or hear the Eight Banners.

A very interesting phenomenon is that the younger generation of civil and military officials under Wu Sangui generally believed that the Eight Banners soldiers were nothing special, not like they had three heads and six arms.

However, older civil and military officials generally feared the flag like tigers.

Both sides insisted that they were right and the other was wrong. In a sense, neither of them was wrong.

"enough."

"I have made a decision: send more scouts."

"Issue orders to all prefectures and counties in Hunan: an unknown number of Eight Banner cavalry have entered the country. All cities and passes must be strictly defended. Tell Tan Hong that Hengzhou must not be lost."

"Whoo."

With the king's order given, everyone could only bow and accept it. Liu Xuanchu's eyes were practically spitting fire; this almost presumptuous look infuriated Wu Sangui, but he couldn't lash out in public.

……

During his pursuit, Wang Fuchen happened to encounter a post station official who had escaped.

"General, a group of Manchu soldiers have suddenly attacked our post station."

"How many of them are there?"

"Maybe several hundred riders."

The lieutenant whispered:
"General, the enemy is powerful. Should we wait for reinforcements?"

"Wait my ass! The Eight Banners are nothing! Do you really think they're some kind of superhuman beings with three heads and six arms? Pass down the order: I will personally lead the vanguard, and everyone else, follow me and charge!"

Wu Sangui feared the flag like a tiger.

Wang Fuchen was not afraid.

When he was in Shanxi, he chased after Ajige and beat him so badly that Ajige was still terrified. When he was a slave in the Imperial Household Department in Beijing, he even had friendly exchanges of martial arts skills with many Manchu bannermen.

Wang Fuchen dedicated his life to fighting the elite Eight Banners troops!

Half an hour later~
He led more than 1000 light cavalry to surround 200 Eight Banner soldiers.

"kill!"

Cavalry charged at high speed, life and death hanging in the balance.

A volley of arrows or the pounding of three-barreled guns would strike, and those hit and thrown from their horses would almost certainly die.

Afterwards, the two sides, charging at high speed, passed each other by. With the help of the horses' speed, countless knights fell from their horses in a single encounter, their wounds being ridiculously large.

Both sides reined in their horses, turned around, and charged again.

Wang Fuchen took the lead, wielding a horse spear, thrusting left and right; no one in his path could withstand a single blow from him.

The white-haired and bearded Alinbao charged towards Wang Fuchen from the flank, only to be knocked away by Wang's spear.

"The hawk is here!"

With a roar, everyone's hearts trembled.

Alinbao rolled on the ground for five or six feet, barely alive. He looked at the enemy general who was able to calmly deal with the attack from many of his comrades, but he felt no hatred.

I just felt a pang of emotion:

The old man's illness is relieved, while the young man's is brought to his death.

Guarjia's mouth must have been blessed.

Blood splattered, darkness descended, and Alinbao's life finally came to a perfect end. A true bannerman should die on the battlefield, not on his bed.

……

In just a quarter of an hour, an entire Niru was wiped out!
Wang Fuchen's troops also suffered more than 400 casualties.

Battle damage: 2 to 1.

The other banners advanced triumphantly. As long as they did not attack a fortified city or encounter Wang Fuchen's cavalry, the two or three hundred banner soldiers were swift and devastating wherever they went, killing without hesitation.

A ferry crossing near Liling County.

The official road is half a mile away.

Yablan suddenly appeared with more than 90 cavalrymen, and with lightning speed defeated the more than 100 soldiers escorting the ship, and then set it on fire!

1500 shi of military rations and the dock were reduced to ashes.

The various Eight Banner troops came and went like the wind, focusing on sabotaging Wu's logistics and postal routes in Hunan.

The grain convoy was attacked and the grain wagons were burned.

The post station was burned down, the postmen were killed, and the warhorses were stolen.

The Eight Banners soldiers seized post horses and grain, using war to sustain war, and their fighting became increasingly successful.

Currently, Wu Jun is mainly distributed in three areas: around Kunming, around Dongting Lake, and around Poyang Lake.

The middle ground is empty!

There were not many soldiers escorting the shipment, and most of them were new recruits.

However, the central area bore the heavy responsibility of transporting grain, fodder, and military supplies.

……

In just 4 days~
The area south of Changsha Prefecture, east of Hengzhou Prefecture, and west of Baoqing Prefecture was ravaged, with grain routes and postal services cut off.

Panic spread everywhere, and some gentry who had already pledged allegiance to Wu Sangui began to consider returning to the Qing court, switching allegiances constantly for the sake of their family's survival.

When the news reached Changsha, Wu Sangui realized he was in deep trouble.

If logistics are not restored, the main force in Jiangxi will be in serious trouble.

"Quickly, transfer 6000 troops from Changde, 8000 from Yuezhou, and 8000 from Changsha, and place them under the command of Wang Fuchen to annihilate the Eight Banners and quickly restore logistics."

(End of this chapter)