The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 297 Gao Chuangwang is on the verge of despair

The Han army's crossing of the Wujiang River, a natural barrier, meant that the Guizhou campaign was largely successful.

Xu Chengming, the general of Guizhou, only had 7,000 Ming soldiers under his command. Now that the 3,000 defenders at Wujiang have been annihilated, it is only a matter of time before Guiyang is captured.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Central Plains, a major campaign that would determine the fate of the Ming Dynasty was nearing its end.

The decisive battle at the gates of Chuzhou nearly wiped out Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong's entire fortune.

The old camp's elite troops, who had followed them through thousands of miles of battle and crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, suffered heavy losses, and the military strength they had built up over the years was completely lost in one fell swoop.

After managing to break through the encirclement, the severely weakened and shaken Chuangxian allied forces could only flee in disarray to Fengyang.

The rebel army avoided Lu Xiang-sheng like the plague and dared not confront him directly again.

When disaster struck, the internal divisions within the rebel army, which were fighting their own battles, could no longer be suppressed.

A fierce dispute erupted between Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, former allies, regarding their next move.

Inside the central command tent, Zhang Xianzhong, his face grim, pointed south and spoke eloquently:

"King Chuang!"

"To the south lies Lujiang and Taihu Lake, a land of plenty and prosperity."

"The main force of the government troops has just won the Battle of Chuzhou. Although they have achieved a minor victory, they need time to rest and replenish their supplies. Their pursuit and suppression will inevitably be relaxed."

"In my opinion, we should immediately head south and quickly penetrate into Huguang via Lujiang, Taihu and other places."

"The terrain in the Huguang region is complex, with dense forests and crisscrossing waterways, which is not conducive to the Guan-Ning cavalry's operations. It is the best place for us to maneuver and outflank."

"As long as we can stay away from Lu Yanwang's army and use the terrain to maneuver against the government troops, we will surely be able to regroup and build up an elite army within a year or two!"

“We could even travel from the Huguang region into Sichuan and seek refuge with Jiang Han in Sichuan.”

A sly glint flashed in Zhang Xianzhong's eyes, tinged with a hint of resentment.

"While we're fighting to the death with the government troops outside, Jiang Han is busy recruiting soldiers in Sichuan."

"I even heard that this guy surnamed Jiang has already declared himself king and is about to march into Guizhou!"

"If we could borrow an army and some money and provisions from Sichuan, why wouldn't we brothers be able to make a comeback?"

However, Gao Yingxiang had a different opinion.

He strongly advocated for moving north, and his attitude was very firm:

"Your Highness is mistaken!"

“You and I are both from the dry land of northern Shaanxi, and most of our soldiers are also from the Northern Army, who are not good at swimming.”

"If we arrive in Huguang but have no navy to enter Sichuan, wouldn't we be tying our own hands?"

"In my opinion, we should head north from Shouzhou, pass through Yingshang and Huoshan, and then look for an opportunity to cross the river and return to Shanxi and Shaanxi to recruit soldiers."

"Once I return to Shaanxi, the world will be my oyster."

“In the border regions of Yansui, Ningxia, and Guyuan, there are countless border soldiers who can’t afford to eat. Why should we go to Sichuan to live under someone else’s roof and have to put up with their attitude?”

History has shown that Gao Yingxiang seems to have never made the right choice in major strategic decisions regarding relocation.

The previous incident of being blocked by Chen Qiyu at Chexiang Gorge was one instance, and the attack on Chuzhou was another.

Because of these two previous lessons, Zhang Xianzhong no longer dared to trust Gao Yingxiang's judgment.

His decision to move south to Huguang was largely driven by a desire to avoid direct confrontation and exploit weaknesses.

Their southward route deliberately avoided the Central Plains region, which was heavily defended by the Ming army, and instead moved towards the Huguang region, which was under relatively weak Ming control and had a more complex terrain.

The area is characterized by a dense network of waterways and rolling hills, making it easier for large armies to conceal themselves and maneuver. Even if they cannot conquer cities and territories, they can still maintain their military supplies by plundering villages and towns.

If all else fails, he can go upstream and seek refuge in Sichuan.

This is a typical "survival first" strategy, which does not seek immediate gains or losses, but only aims to preserve its strength and wait for the right opportunity.

In contrast, Gao Yingxiang's decision to move north seemed naive and lacked foresight.

The route he chose almost followed the urban corridors of the Huanghuai Plain, with heavy Ming troops guarding the entire way.

This route may seem straightforward, but it is actually fraught with danger.

His defeated army was severely lacking in offensive capabilities and was completely unable to capture fortified cities to obtain supplies. Instead, it would expose its movements to the Ming army's surveillance.

This decision was less a strategic retreat and more a "death march" within the Ming army's encirclement, destined to result in being forced to passively endure attacks.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong didn't waste any more words and led his troops away from Fengyang.

After the coalition forces disintegrated, Zhang Xianzhong followed his established strategy, hiding by day and moving by night, and quickly broke out of the government army's encirclement, disappearing directly into the Dabie Mountains.

The remnants of Gao Yingxiang's forces became the target of various Ming armies vying to hunt them down.

There was even a significant dispute within the Ming army over who would claim credit for suppressing the bandits.

This turmoil originated within the Guan Ning Army.

In addition to Zu Kuan's troops, another elite force of Guan Ning led by Zu Dale was also dispatched by Emperor Chongzhen to suppress the bandits in the interior of the pass.

During the decisive battle of Chuzhou, Zu Dale had two generals under his command, one named Wu Feng and the other named Dou Taiyu.

Because they were greedy for small gains along the way, they failed to reach the main battlefield on time, which resulted in Zu Dale's troops not achieving any merit.

Zu Dale felt utterly humiliated; he was a direct descendant of the Zu family of Liaodong, and the cousin of General Zu Dashou.

Zu Kuan, who was merely a servant, had stolen his credit.

Zu Dale was furious and ordered that Wu Feng and Dou Taiyu be severely punished, almost to the point of being dismissed from their posts and punished.

Feeling deeply humiliated and wronged, Wu and Dou, in a fit of anger, actually led their men away.

The group was halfway there when they happened to run into Feng Ye, the supervising eunuch sent by the imperial court.

Seeing that these two groups of Guan Ning soldiers were at risk of mutiny and desertion, Feng Ye immediately began to persuade them with kind words:

"Why must you two generals act rashly?"

"Now that the rebel leader is fleeing north in a sorry state, Prime Minister Lu needs a great general to serve him."

"You two will be sent to the Guide area to intercept the bandits. Premier Lu will surely put aside past grievances and give you important positions!"

Not only that, Feng Ye also ordered the logistics and supply team to immediately replenish the food and supplies for these two groups.

After this advice, Wu Feng and Dou Taiyu finally calmed down.

Where else in this vast world could they go besides the imperial army camps?
Are they really going to go to the mountains to become bandits and associate with those peasants?

So heeded Feng Ye's advice and led his troops toward Guide, hoping to atone for his crime with meritorious service.

As fate would have it, Gao Yingxiang fled north and happened to run into Zu Dale, who was searching for military merits.

A major battle immediately broke out between the two sides near Guide.

Gao Yingxiang's troops were already easily frightened, how could they be a match for the well-rested and prepared Guan Ning cavalry?

As soon as they engaged in battle, they were routed and suffered heavy losses.

Just as Gao Yingxiang was in defeat, Wu Feng and Dou Taiyu's troops arrived!
In order to atone for their crimes and to vent their resentment, the two men attacked the rebel army like hungry wolves seeing prey, launching a fierce attack from the flank without hesitation.

Gao Yingxiang suffered another blow, and could only continue his escape northward.

The Ming army won one victory after another, and its momentum was unstoppable. Even Liu Zeqing, the Shandong general who had always avoided battle and protected himself, sensed a good opportunity to strike a losing battle.

He took the initiative to lead his troops out of the camp and set up a battle formation on the banks of the Yellow River, effectively blocking Gao Yingxiang's vanguard troops who were attempting to cross the river to the north.

Seeing his hopes of crossing the river to the north dashed, Gao Yingxiang had no choice but to turn south and attack several poorly defended small towns to replenish his supplies.

He then attempted to divide his forces to attack Bozhou, but the Ming army that was besieging the city reacted quickly and pursued him relentlessly.

With nowhere else to turn, Gao Yingxiang could only lead his remaining troops and retreat towards Kaifeng, a major city in Henan.

The Ming general stationed in Kaifeng was none other than Chen Yongfu, the fierce general who, in history, blinded Li Zicheng's left eye with an arrow.

Chen Yongfu had already laid a tight net in Zhuxian Town, a strategic location southwest of Kaifeng, waiting for the enemy to pounce.

Gao Yingxiang had just led his troops to Zhuxian Town and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when Chen Yongfu personally led his elite troops in a surprise attack!
Caught off guard, the rebel army suffered another defeat.

In the chaos of battle, Chen Yongfu even charged close to Gao Yingxiang's command flag and wounded Gao Yingxiang's younger brother, Gao Ying'en, a Zhongdou Star, with a single slash.

After a series of crushing defeats, Gao Yingxiang no longer dared to linger in the indefensible Central Plains.

He led his remaining two thousand elite veterans and fled in disarray into the Funiu Mountains around Dengfeng and Songxian.

After joining forces with several local rebel groups, Gao Yingxiang finally had a chance to catch his breath. After retreating into the mountains, Gao Yingxiang reflected deeply on his defeat and carefully analyzed the reasons behind it.

He traveled through countless prefectures and counties along his journey, including Yingshang, Huoshan, Xiaoxian, Yangshan, Lingbi, and so on.

These places were all heavily fortified cities guarded by the Ming army, and the surrounding people feared the rebels like the plague.

In these relatively prosperous areas, his troops simply could not gain the support of the local people.

On the contrary, the activities of the rebels and the common people were more of a relationship of robbery and being robbed.

Even the act of seizing grain can disrupt production and lead to a complete loss of public support.

Without the support and cover of the people along the way, Gao Yingxiang's troops could not hide their whereabouts and even found themselves in a predicament where they were surrounded by enemies and had nowhere to hide.

The Ming army, on the other hand, could clearly grasp his movements and then mobilize troops from all directions to encircle and annihilate him.

Gao Yingxiang realized that the mountainous area was more suitable for his development.

For now, he should hide in the Funiu Mountains for a while and wait for the government troops to relax their guard before heading northwest to unite the poor people in Shaanxi and start a rebellion.

Faced with the remnants of Gao Yingxiang's forces who had fled into the deep mountains, Zuo Liangyu, the commander in charge of the pursuit, stopped.

He advocated against pursuing a defeated enemy, especially against engaging in a direct confrontation with them in mountainous terrain. Instead, he suggested besieging the enemy and forcing them to their doom.

However, his deputy, Tang Jiuzhou, disagreed.

Tang Jiuzhou, confident in his bravery, believed that the rebels, having suffered repeated defeats, were exhausted and not worth fearing.

Eager for merit, he disregarded Zuo Liangyu's advice and led his 1,200 troops deep into the mountainous area of ​​Song County, attempting to claim all the credit for suppressing the bandits for himself.

When Gao Yingxiang learned of this, he was furious:
"Oh shit!"

"I couldn't beat you guys on the plains, but now that we're in the mountains, you still dare to be so arrogant and chase us in?"

"Do you really think I'm made of clay?!"

Enraged, Gao Yingxiang decided to take advantage of the mountainous terrain to teach this arrogant Ming army a lesson.

Therefore, he meticulously designed a trap to lure the enemy in.

Gao Yingxiang first sent out a detachment to make brief contact with Tang Jiuzhou's vanguard, then feigned defeat and retreated in disarray.

Seeing this, Tang Jiuzhou became even more convinced that the rebel army was at its last gasp and had no fighting power left.

Overjoyed, he was completely unaware that it was a trap, so he ordered the entire army to pursue and capture the bandit leader alive!

Tang Jiuzhou led his troops forward for more than forty li, until they reached a narrow valley.

The valley is flanked by steep cliffs covered with dense trees.

Just as Tang Jiuzhou's Ming army swaggered into the valley, a gong sounded, and countless flags instantly rose up on the cliffs on both sides, with ambushes appearing everywhere!

Logs and boulders rained down like raindrops, while arrows and bullets came from all directions.

Gao Yingxiang personally commanded the other rebel armies to surround Tang Jiuzhou's troops, blocking the Ming army's retreat.

Tang Jiuzhou then realized he had fallen into a trap, but it was too late.

The valley was narrow, preventing the troops from deploying effectively. The cavalry, having lost their offensive power, became easy targets.

The Ming army was thrown into chaos, with men and horses trampling each other, resulting in heavy casualties.

Despite his desperate struggle, Tang Jiuzhou was unable to break through the encirclement no matter how hard he tried.

The rebel army poured fire from the high ground, and then, taking advantage of the Ming army's chaotic formation, infantrymen armed with swords and spears rushed into the valley from all directions, dividing and annihilating them.

Despite being struck by several arrows, Tang Jiuzhou fought to the death with his sword, but was eventually surrounded by the elite troops of the rebel army and hacked to death.

Of the more than 1,200 men he led, only a portion surrendered; the rest were completely annihilated.

After this battle, Gao Yingxiang finally got his revenge.

He not only replenished the army with hundreds of soldiers, but also captured a considerable amount of weapons and equipment, which greatly boosted the army's low morale.

However, the small victory in Song County could not reverse the huge strategic disadvantage.

Lu Xiang-sheng's main force was rushing in from all directions. The Ming army was like a giant net that was constantly tightening, pressing closer and closer to the mountainous area where he was hiding.

Left with no other option, Gao Yingxiang had to split his forces to break through the encirclement, hoping to divert the Ming army's attention and buy himself a chance to survive.

He ordered a detachment to break through towards Nanyang, while he led the main force to flee eastward towards Yuzhou.

However, as soon as his troops left the deep mountains, they were thoroughly investigated by the scouts sent out by Lu Xiang-sheng.

Upon learning of Gao Yingxiang's movements, Lu Xiang-sheng immediately set off day and night, mobilizing his most capable elite troops to encircle and suppress him.

This included the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry of Zu Kuan and Zu Dale, as well as the elite infantry of guerrilla commander Luo Dai.

Lu Xiang-sheng personally led his troops, uniting various units to pursue Gao Ying-xiang's main force with all their might.

After a three-day and three-night forced march, the Ming army finally managed to block Gao Yingxiang at Qiding Mountain near Yuzhou (north of Fangcheng County, Nanyang City, Henan Province).

At this point, the rebel army was truly at its last gasp.

After months of continuous maneuvering and fighting in the mountains, the entire army was exhausted.

In addition, the mountainous area was short of supplies, and food and ammunition were even more difficult to sustain, so morale was extremely low.

With pursuers behind them and a blockade ahead, the rebel army had nowhere left to retreat.

Left with no other choice, Gao Yingxiang could only rely on the remaining momentum from his recent annihilation of Tang Jiuzhou's forces to boost morale and attempt a desperate fight to carve out a bloody path.

At the start of the battle, the rebel army indeed displayed astonishing courage, charging desperately towards the Ming army's positions with shouts of defiance.

However, the gap in strength cannot be bridged by courage.

Lu Xiang-sheng, who was in charge of the central army, commanded effectively. He first used bows, crossbows, and muskets to launch long-range attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the charging rebel army.

When their formation became scattered and their momentum waned, Zu Kuan and Zu Dale led the Guan Ning cavalry forward, attacking the rebel army's ranks from both flanks.

This group of battle-hardened elites from Liaodong, with their superb horsemanship, swift horses, and sharp swords, exerted tremendous fighting power in the relatively open Qidingshan area.

Zu Kuan and Zu Dale led their troops in repeated attacks, ravaging the already chaotic infantry formation and scattering them into pieces.

The last precious cavalrymen in Gao Yingxiang's army fought a tragic battle against the Guan Ning cavalry in order to cover their commander. In the end, they fought to the last man and the entire army was wiped out.

In the Battle of Qidingshan, Gao Yingxiang's main force was completely wiped out, and none of the elite troops of the old camp survived.

He himself led only a small number of personal guards and some scattered soldiers to break out in the chaos, becoming almost a commander without troops.

The detachment that broke through towards Nanyang also met a tragic fate.

They encountered fierce resistance from He Tengjiao, the magistrate of Nanyang.

He Tengjiao secretly contacted the Ming army troops under Chen Yongfu and Chen Bangzhi, who were nearby, and planned a night attack.

The Ming army marched swiftly in the middle of the night, quietly sneaking up to the Jiugaoshan camp where a detachment of the rebel army was stationed, and launched a fire attack on the camp.

Caught completely off guard, the rebel army was thrown into chaos and was annihilated in the ensuing confusion.

After this series of crushing defeats, Gao Yingxiang's army, which initially numbered nearly 100,000, has been reduced to less than 3,000 remnants, its strength completely exhausted.

According to the Ming army's battle report:
"The rebel army had seven or eight thousand elite cavalrymen. Two thousand of them died at Zhulongqiao in Chuzhou. They suffered repeated defeats at Dengfeng, Zhuxianzhen, Yangjialou, and Qidingshan, and almost all of them were killed or fled."

Lu Xiang-sheng keenly realized that the opportunity to completely annihilate Gao Ying-xiang and achieve victory in one battle had arrived.

He immediately stationed himself in Nanyang, convened a meeting of generals and officers from various regions, and set up an extremely tight trap.

He first ordered Zu Dale to lead his troops to move to Runing, firmly blocking the northeast direction to prevent Gao's troops from sneaking into Southern Zhili or eastern Henan.

Then he ordered Zu Kuan to lead his troops to Dengzhou to block the northwest passage and prevent Gao Yingxiang from escaping back to Shaanxi or fleeing to western Henan.

Lu Xiang-sheng personally led the main force of the central army, advancing steadily from south to north, sweeping away and eliminating Gao Ying-xiang's remaining troops from the rear, preventing them from pausing to catch their breath.

At the same time, he sent urgent messages to Wang Mengyin, the governor of Huguang, and Song Zushun, the prefect of Yunyang.

Lu Xiang-sheng strictly ordered the two men to deploy defenses along the entire Han River, with heavy troops assigned to guard all ferry crossings, all boats to be confiscated and controlled, and additional patrols to be set up along the river!

We must not allow Gao Yingxiang to cross the Han River with a single soldier!
This was a near-perfect, decisive game of chess.

In front of them was the formidable Han River and the strict blockade by the government troops of Huguang; behind them, Lu Xiang-sheng led a large army to drive them away step by step.

On the left and right flanks, the Guan Ning cavalry led by Zu Kuan and Zu Dale were watching intently, blocking the passage.

Gao Yingxiang only had three thousand men, and at this point he was like a turtle in a jar, his destruction imminent.

If nothing unexpected happens, this renowned rebel leader who shook the Central Plains will perish in Xiangyang Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)