Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 317 I am willing to cover the rear of the army!

For Ajige, the unstable land food supply route was nothing.

After all, most of the Qing army's money and food came by water. Even if they gave up the land route directly, it would only be a little tense, but it would not have much impact on the overall situation.

What really worried him was that Ganzhou had not been conquered for a long time, and this group of troops were still wandering outside. If they found an opportunity to rush into the city, then all the battles of these days would have been in vain.

That was why Ajige continued to send troops to attack despite repeated failures, all he wanted was to stabilize the main battlefield in Ganzhou.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with what he did.

Ultimately, the force is mutual.

Under the repeated attacks of the Qing army, although the Ming army relied on their familiarity with the terrain to escape time and time again, their situation gradually became that of running out of ammunition and food.

Let’s go back half a day.

Among the mountains thirty or forty miles northeast of Ganzhou, Hu Maozhen and Zhang An, who had just escaped the pursuit of the Qing army, were sitting on the ground in a somewhat depressed mood.

Since they realized that the situation had changed significantly, they decided on a strategy to harass the Qing army from the periphery to prevent them from attacking the city with all their strength.

I have to say that this strategy is indeed effective.

Under the leadership of the local tyrant Zhang An, they followed the mountain path directly to the only way from Ji'an to Ganzhou without passing through Ganzhou.

Afterwards, they not only annihilated the team escorting Wuzhen Chaoha in one fell swoop, but also posed a continuous threat to the Qing army's land food routes.

just
"I'll take the men further away to see if we can find some herbs and food."

After resting for a while, Zhang An suddenly said something and walked straight into the mountain. After seeing this, Hu Maozhen looked conflicted and did not respond immediately.

Although they caused great trouble to the Qing army these days, their own situation was not optimistic at all.

This section is not difficult to understand.

The team that was entrusted with important tasks by Ajige was not given for nothing. Even though they won the final victory, they paid a considerable price.

In addition to the various arrangements made by the Qing army, every time they harassed the grain routes, there would always be some losses.

By this time, the Ming army, which had been fighting for nearly half a month, not only could the wounded not receive timely treatment, but even their food and fodder supply was already quite difficult.

Therefore, immediately after the battle, Zhang An just took a short rest and then focused on finding herbs and food, instead of restoring his strength as usual.

"Wait a minute, I have something to discuss with you."

Seeing Zhang An walking further and further away, Hu Maozhen's entanglement did not last long. But when the other party turned his head with a puzzled look on his face, he paused for a long time before slowly spitting out the words that were on his lips.

"This is not a long-term solution. Why don't we think of another way?"

Any other method?

If there were other ways, why would we have to stay here in a state of being stuck in a dilemma?

Zhang An became even more confused after hearing these words, but during the days they spent together, he already knew that the other party was quite shrewd. Even though he was a little confused about the situation, he still walked back.

"Although we have robbed some food and fodder these days, it is just a drop in the bucket for the army. If the horses run out of food, our army will become a complete burden. It would be better..."

The first half of Hu Maozhen's sentence was almost equivalent to nonsense to Zhang An, but when he was about to get to the key point, his voice stopped abruptly, as if a huge difficulty was preventing him from saying how to solve the current dilemma.

Seeing that the other party seemed to be hesitant to speak, Zhang An was a little anxious, but in his anxiety he still couldn't think of what method the other party had.

As a result, although his brows gradually frowned, he remained silent in the end and waited quietly for the other party to finish speaking.

"Why not go to the city and kill some people?"

After saying this, Hu Maozhen looked up to the sky, as if he didn't dare to look at his comrade who had fought side by side for a long time. Zhang Anchu didn't understand the meaning of this, but his face turned red after a while. Hu Maozhen understood clearly that they would never be able to hold on to the periphery of Ganzhou under the current situation. The remaining options were either to go north to Fuzhou as planned and join Chang Guanlin's troops, or to take a great risk and try to enter Ganzhou city.

On the surface, attacking Ganzhou would not only greatly boost the morale of the defenders, but would also actually prolong the time that Ganzhou could hold out.

However, the Qing army had surrounded Ganzhou City with its strong military force, and if they wanted to break into the city, they would definitely pay a heavy price.

In comparison, although going north to Fuzhou might seem like giving up Ganzhou, it was the best strategy for them.

After all, they have played a huge role in the outskirts of Ganzhou, and they will not be held responsible even if they lose this battle.

But Hu Maozhen had already been tied to Zhu Cilang's chariot and died.

If Ganzhou were lost, Jiangxi would become a dagger piercing the heart of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, whether the Qing army attacked Jiangnan again or went straight to central Hunan, the imperial court would be unable to cope with it due to the constraint of Jiangxi, and the area south of the Yangtze River would inevitably be in ruins.

By then, Zhu Cilang's small court would certainly repeat the mistakes of Hongguang. How could a rebel general like him who cut off Nikan's head with his own hands have a good ending?

Based on this, Hu Maozhen's choice can be considered unexpected but reasonable. Even if it means suffering huge losses, he will still prefer to attack Ganzhou.

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"Marshal Hu is really calculating."

Zhang An's expression was uncertain for a long time, but in the end he only uttered this sentence.

He doesn't understand the Han people's way of doing things, but he is not stupid at all.

After some thought, he naturally knew the significance of entering Ganzhou, but
Who wants to be cannon fodder?

Most of Hu Maozhen's troops are cavalry, but he has only infantry here. If he wants to charge into the city, the slower-moving infantry will inevitably suffer heavy casualties. Even if he can really enter the city by then, how many of his men will be left?

This is probably just a monk having water to drink.

If Zhang An was the only one with his army at this time, he would be willing to die for the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty when he was left with no choice. But now with the addition of Hu Maozhen's cavalry, he would obviously become a stepping stone for the other side.

Under such circumstances, how could he calmly accept such a plan?

"I didn't have any calculations in mind. I was forced to make this decision due to the situation."

Faced with Hu Maozhen's explanation, Zhang An had no choice but to sneer. He had never expected that his comrade-in-arms, with whom he had fought side by side for such a long time, would actually treat him as cannon fodder. But when he was about to give him a good scolding, another voice came into his ears.

"If it were in the past, I would have retreated north with you. We have done what we should do. Even if we lose this battle, the responsibility will not fall on us."

At this point, Hu Maozhen inadvertently glanced at Zhang An's expression, and when he saw that his expression remained unchanged, he did not change either, but just continued speaking according to what he was thinking.

"But your majesty treats me well!"

At this time, Hu Maozhen's eyes seemed to be filled with mist, and his emotions became excited. Even Zhang An was influenced by him and recalled all the good qualities of His Majesty.

These Dong people neither have the right of autonomy like the chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou, nor can they be integrated into the existing framework like ordinary Han people.

For hundreds of years, these people have not only suffered from oppression, but also been labeled as bandits. It can be said that they can only cry out to heaven and earth for help but get no response.

But the situation took a turn for the better due to the earlier battle in Ganzhou.

Because of his minor military achievements, the Ming Emperor designated the Dong people as a guard; because of his high regard for Zhang An, the Ming Emperor also granted him the right to submit special memorials to the emperor.

With these arrangements, everyone can see that the lives of the Dong people will definitely improve greatly in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhang An's expression changed slightly, but he was still quite resistant to the idea of ​​being a cannon fodder, and naturally did not respond at all to Hu Maozhen, who was extremely emotional.

But who would have thought
With a loud cry, Hu Maozhen knelt down on the ground. When he looked up again, his face was covered with tears.

"I am willing to lead my infantry to cover the rear of the army. I only ask that I can defend Ganzhou for your majesty at the cost of my life!"

(End of this chapter)