Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

Zheng Jun was attacked from both sides by two restoration armies, and his commander Xiao Gongchen had no chance to turn the tide.

After days of fighting, Zheng's army suffered casualties several times greater than those of the Xingfu army!

Zheng Jun no longer possessed the arrogance he had when he first arrived at Xinzhou City. Especially when faced with the current unfavorable situation, his lack of confidence, stemming from repeated setbacks during the siege, was even more evident.

In this way, tens of thousands of Zheng troops were broken through by four thousand Xingfu troops and cut in two!

Seeing that the defeat was irreversible, Xiao Gongchen tried to gather his defeated troops and withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner, but his efforts were in vain.

Especially in the pitch-black night, if the army falls into chaos, it will be difficult to salvage the situation!

Finally, seeing that he would inevitably perish here if he did not escape, Xiao Gongchen led his personal guards to find a few dozen horses, rode north to break through the encirclement, and then disappeared into the darkness.

Before fleeing, Xiao Gongchen ordered his troops to set fire to the grain supplies. By the time Li Chengming discovered and extinguished the fire, most of the Zheng army's grain supplies had already been burned.

Li Chengming experienced the same thing as yesterday: pursuing the defeated Zheng army, cleaning up the battlefield, and by the time he finished, it was already broad daylight.

With this battle, the crisis in Xinzhou City was completely resolved.

Although few of the 1,500 Xingfu soldiers led by Li Chengming died in battle, most of them were wounded and exhausted. Some even lay down and fell asleep on the spot after the Zheng army was defeated and the battle was over.

Even Li Chengming was exhausted. After finally cleaning up the battlefield, he found a corner to rest for a while.

Zheng Jun's two armies of 10,000 men each, which came out from two directions, were both defeated by the Restoration Army!

On this day, the crisis in Xinzhou City was completely resolved, the military control within the city was lifted, the city gates were wide open, and the people could freely enter and exit.

When Li Chengming and Liang Zicheng led the Restoration Army back to the city, they were warmly welcomed by the people.

Li Chengming was deeply moved as he watched all this.

Throughout all of Li Chengming's actions, the rules and policies he formulated, he never consulted the opinions of the people, nor did he care whether they agreed or opposed them. Everything was decided by the eight commando members and then forcibly implemented.

But today, the spontaneous welcome of the Restoration Army by the people shows that they still support what the Restoration Army has done.

Back in the city, Li Chengming first let the soldiers who had participated in the battle go back to rest, and then summoned the other assault team members to discuss the next steps.

Li Chengming began by saying, "This time, we have occupied the following territories: Xinzhou City, Yushan County, Qianshan County, and Ehu Town. These four places are all strategic locations and require someone to guard them!"

Chen Shaoping continued, "I was already stationed in Yushan City, and I'll take five hundred veteran soldiers back to continue guarding it!"

Li Chengming nodded: "Besides guarding against troops from Quzhou, Yushan County also needs to be wary of troops from Xianxia Pass. Therefore, Shao Ping, after you return, continue to recruit soldiers. Yushan County needs to maintain a standing force of 2,500 troops!"

Shao Ping nodded and said, "The Zheng army suffered such a crushing defeat this time, they probably won't dare to come back anytime soon, right?"

Liang Zicheng said, "It's hard to say. Zheng Zhilong is very cowardly when facing the Qing army, but he is so tough when dealing with us. Who knows what he is thinking?"

Li Chengming also said, "After we return, let's set up outposts at all major transportation routes, just in case!"

The area we need to be most wary of next is Qianshan County. After this battle, the Xingfu Army has become a major concern for the forces in Jiangxi and Fujian. If Nanchang sends troops to deal with the Xingfu Army, Qianshan County will be the first to be affected.

With Zhou Lei guarding Qianshan County, Li Chengming can rest assured.

There is currently no one stationed in Ehu Town.

Next, Liang Zicheng will be responsible for producing muskets and cannons, so he will have to stay away for the time being.

Huang Longkun needed to prepare gunpowder and accelerate the research and development of new types of gunpowder, which was also indispensable.

He Mingqiu had always been in charge of training troops, and troops could be trained anywhere, so it was unanimously decided to assign him to garrison Ehu Town.

Yan Huidong also went to Ehu Town to monitor Fenshuiguan and Nanchang, since these two places are the most likely to be attacked by the enemy at present.

Li Chengming, Liang Zicheng, Huang Longkun, and Song Yourong remained in Xinzhou City to expand and develop military forces.

The initial plan is to garrison 2,500 people in Yushan County, 3,500 people in Qianshan County, 3,000 people in Ehu Town, and 5,000 people in Xinzhou City. If the troops are insufficient, they will recruit and train soldiers.

Artillery production should continue, the more the better. Not only should 80mm cannons be produced, but also smaller caliber portable cannons and crouching cannons should be mass-produced and equipped.

The design and production of new firearms are also in the planning stages, and once completed, they will be deployed to at least one-third of the Restoration Army.

The commandos sat together, discussing their future development and expansion of influence with great enthusiasm.

In Fuzhou, Zheng Zhilong received the battle report that Shi Fu had been defeated and committed suicide. He stood there stunned, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Zheng Zhilong was furious, even fearful. He couldn't understand how the Restoration Army, which started with only 3,000 soldiers, could achieve this in just two months!

Leaving aside Zheng Zhilong's fury and venting his anger upon receiving the battle report, the next day, news also arrived that Xiao Gongchen's 10,000-strong army had been defeated.

Zheng Zhilong could no longer sit still. Yesterday he appeared angry but was actually quite fearful. Today, upon learning of Xiao Gongchen's defeat, he was utterly terrified!

Zheng Zhilong was truly terrified. His 20,000 elite troops had been wiped out in just a few days. He couldn't imagine what would happen if the Xingfu Army attacked Fenshui Pass. If Fenshui Pass were breached, there would be no defensible terrain between Fuzhou and the pass!

Although Fuzhou has a considerable number of troops, none of them can compare to the elite forces at Fenshuiguan and Xianxiaguan. Whether they can withstand the Xingfu Army is a question.

If the Restoration Army attacks...

Zheng Zhilong became increasingly frightened and hurriedly summoned his younger brother Zheng Zhibao, ordering him to lead 15,000 troops to Fenshui Pass immediately and defend it at all costs, without engaging in battle lightly!

Fenshui Pass was too desolate, nowhere near as vibrant as Fuzhou. Zheng Zhibao was extremely unwilling, but he knew that things had priorities. Urged by Zheng Zhilong, he reluctantly led his troops toward Fenshui Pass.

......

In Nanchang, a civil war broke out between Jin Shenghuan, a surrendered general of the Qing Dynasty, and Wang Tizhong's former troops. The war lasted for more than ten days and ended with most of Wang Tizhong's former troops surrendering to Jin Shenghuan.

After Jin Shenghuan completely occupied Nanchang City and seized power, he was filled with pride and ordered his subordinates and the people of Nanchang City to shave their heads and change their clothes.

In order to be a good dog of the Manchu Qing dynasty, Jin Shenghuan decided to act as the vanguard for the king and pacify the Ganzhou and Nan'an prefectures that had not surrendered.

But not long after, when news came that the Xingfu Army had defeated Zheng's 20,000-strong army, Jin Shenghuan turned his attention to Xinzhou Prefecture.

In terms of distance and location, the Xingfu Army, which was entrenched in Xinzhou Prefecture, was clearly a greater threat.

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?" Jin Shenghuan changed his strategy and decided to start by attacking Xinzhou Prefecture.

So while mobilizing troops and preparing provisions, they also sent scouts to infiltrate Xinzhou City to gather information.

Prepare for the upcoming conquest of Xinzhou Prefecture!