The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

A tall, bearded general, nearly forty years old and dressed in a black iron-trimmed cotton armor of the Green Standard Army, rode his horse to the city of Ningxia and shot an arrow that struck the horse-shaped flag on the city wall.

"Ma Dingbian, what the hell were you thinking, falling to the ground? If you want to surrender, just open the city gates. If you want to fight to the end, come out and exchange a few blows!"

The bearded general shouted loudly, but there was no response from the city wall. Helpless, he had to retreat to the main camp and enter the central tent.

"He ignored you?"

Inside the large tent, Zhou Peigong, wearing a trench coat, finished speaking and continued writing, the content of which was an introduction to the situation in the Northwest.

Upon hearing this, the bearded general plopped down on a stool, picked up Zhou Peigong's teapot, and gulped it down in one go.

"Governor Zhou, I, Zhao Weishang, have known Ma Dingbian since childhood, and we've worked together in the Northwest for so many years. I, Zhao Weishang, have already surrendered to the Han Dynasty, so why won't he?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Peigong shook his head.

"I am acting in accordance with imperial orders. I have appointed you two as Assistant Generals. Our dynasty is implementing the Ming dynasty's garrison system. In the future, you will be guaranteed a rank of honorary noble in a garrison. This treatment is much better than that of the Qing dynasty!"

"The fact that Ma Dingbian refuses to surrender only shows his ambition; he wants to seize control of Ningxia and establish himself independently!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Weishang gasped, then looked incredulous. "This Ma Dingbian, who I've known since childhood, would have such grand ambitions?"

Just then, a soldier walked in.

"My lord, our brothers who went north have already spread the news. Ma Dingbian knew our army was coming and started looting grain a month in advance. Only those who join the army can get food. There are at least 50,000 soldiers in Ningxia City!"

"Now, the people in Ningxia, whether Han or Hui, have no surplus food at home, and tens of thousands of people have come to Ningxia City."

Zhao Wei felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

"What is Ma Dingbian trying to do?"

"Is he insane?! This...this...this is insane!"

Zhou Peigong closed his eyes and rhythmically tapped the table with his index finger. He didn't open his eyes until more than thirty breaths later, when he couldn't help but slap the table.

"This Ma Dingbian is simply a brute. There are at least 100,000 people north of the Yellow River. He either kills them or gives them food, but Guanzhong is short of food right now. Where are we going to get food to help them? He's forcing our Han Dynasty to grant him titles and cede land!"

After Zhou Peigong finished speaking, he began to have a headache. There have been generals like this in every dynasty. They don't care about the lives of the people. If there is no military food, they will eat the people. In the end, one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand dead!

During the Shunzhi era, the Qing army besieged by Li Dingguo did the same thing, eating everyone from the old and weak to women and children, which reduced the original tens of thousands of people in the city to only a few thousand, who were like walking corpses!

Generals who could do such things were either for separatist purposes or to serve the court, but they all shared one thing in common: they were determined and would not be tempted by anything.

Thinking of this, Zhou Peigong showed a look of reluctance, so he picked up his brush and wrote furiously.

"Commander Li, there are still over two thousand draft horses in the army. You will take your one thousand soldiers and escort five hundred shi of military rations northward to intercept the refugees in Shizhou. Make sure to cook plenty of meat broth and use very little grain, keeping it watery and bland. Try to buy them a few days so they can move south and disrupt our siege. If anyone tries to steal the rations, do not hesitate to kill them!"

"Messenger, immediately send these two letters to Yulin Prefecture and Wuyuan Prefecture, instructing them to procure grain for Ningxia at all costs, even moldy coarse grains or bran!"

After Zhou Peigong finished speaking, he closed his eyes to rest. It was obvious that he was exhausted from handling military and political affairs for the past few months.

"As you command!"

Upon hearing this, the commander and the messenger immediately saluted and retreated!

Zhao Wei was left only with deep sorrow and sighs. He was deeply moved by Zhou Peigong's plight and the fact that he still had to kill horses to feed the refugees. At the same time, he felt fortunate that he had been able to surrender.

Although in his heart he still longed to be a soldier and earn a living.

But I still can't bear to let him harm the people.

On the morning of the second day, the drums of the Northwest Army camp sounded loudly, and the Han soldiers, in units of a thousand, began to gather at the foot of Ningxia City. Banners with red backgrounds and black dragons embroidered on them covered the sun.

Most of the 50,000-strong army wore khaki hempen uniforms and headscarves, straw sandals or tattered cloth shoes, and no armor. Their weapons consisted of long swords and spears, with no bows, arrows, or firearms.

Because of their poor equipment, a forced siege would be tantamount to killing people, which is why Zhou Peigong decided to besiege the city.

However, Zhou Peigong speculated that the Northwest, which had been in turmoil for many years, had not yet recovered. It was impossible for the tens of thousands of people north of the Yellow River to feed the 50,000 able-bodied men in Ningxia City for a month. When Ma Dingbian ran out of food, he would definitely leave the city to fight.

In fact, these 50,000 men might not be able to defeat Ma Dingbian, but Zhao Weishang surrendered and brought with him 3,000 cavalrymen, who were the elite troops defending against Galdan in the Hexi Corridor. This was Zhou Peigong's source of confidence.

……

Meanwhile, in the government office in Ningxia City, Ma Dingbian, nearly forty years old with a ruthless face and wearing a one-eyed eye patch, was eating hand-pulled lamb chops, smacking his lips with grease.

"Mr. Zhao! The Han army is currently besieging my isolated city of Ningxia. Surely Wu Sangui isn't playing a trick on me?"

There was also a scholar holding a folding fan, sitting to his left with an air of confidence.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. My lord will soon conquer Jingzhou. As long as you hold Ningxia for a month, we will have ample supplies of food and weapons!"

The scholar appeared confident, and his words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence. Ma Dingbian's uneasy heart was somewhat calmed down, so he clapped his hands.

"Bring on the singing and dancing!"

Wu Sangui sent his envoys to Ningxia to persuade Ma Dingbian to resist, even offering to give him the Prince of Qin at great cost. His aim was to prevent the Northwest from uniting as one, reduce the pressure on Sichuan, and allow Wu Sangui to gather his troops, break through Jingzhou into Nanyang, and ultimately launch a pincer attack on Guanzhong.

Wu Sangui had a very good plan.

But Kangxi could not resist delegating power to Yue Dong.

Without the restraint of the Qing court, Yue Dong directly levied exorbitant taxes in Nanyang, ignoring the public outcry. In a short time, he gathered 70,000 to 80,000 able-bodied men and guarded the line from Jingzhou to Wuchang, thwarting Wu Sangui's plans.

With Kangxi returning to Jiangxi to provide reinforcements, Shang Zhixin was blocked outside Linjiang Prefecture and was unable to enter the Poyang Lake Plain. This meant that no matter how large the army was, it would be difficult to advance and join forces with Wu Sangui's army in Yueyang.

A month and a half passed in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Ningxia City was like a living hell. Soldiers who hadn't eaten for three days began looting house to house.

Even a rat that passed by was chased by dozens of people. Their houses were demolished, and when the soldiers caught it, they practically swallowed it whole, as if it were a delicacy.

In such a hungry city, the aroma of meat wafted from some hidden corners!

Inside the Ningxia General's Mansion, Ma Dingbian had already severed the head of the scholar surnamed Zhao. Ignoring the blood on his face, he continued to curse angrily.

"Wu Sangui, you bastard, you traitor! You dare to play me for a fool, today I'll grant your wish!"

"Order the entire army to march out of the city for a decisive battle!"