Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 368: Envoy to Xing'an
For Zhu Cilang, giving up the Jianghan Plain, which was within his reach, was not just because Xiangyang was less important than it used to be.

The key is to kill as many Jurchen headquarters as possible.

After all, after the battle of Ganzhou, only a few Han troops surrendered in Hubei and Jiangxi provinces, while the real elite troops of the Qing Dynasty followed Hauge into central Sichuan.

Therefore, under the influence of the strategic thinking that runs through the entire process, Zhu Cilang's choice is understandable.

But then again, no matter how good a strategy is, it has to be implemented.

At this time, Hauge and Zhang Xianzhong were still in a stalemate in Guangyuan. Due to various reasons, the Ming army could only remain in place in the Chongqing area.

Under such circumstances, no matter whether the Dashi finally repelled the Tatars or the Tatars broke through the Dashi, there was very little the Ming army could do, not to mention causing heavy casualties to the Eight Banners soldiers.

Fortunately.
January 6

兴安
For Jiangnan, the real experience of war was after the Tartars crossed the Yangtze River, but for Sun Shoufa, the world seemed to have been like this since he was born.

He was from Lintong, Shaanxi, and could be considered to be born in the Nine Frontiers. Ever since he was old enough to understand, elders in his family had been dying in battle. As children, they practiced martial arts hard under the urging of their family members in the hope of saving their lives in battle.

The situation developed just as his family had expected. At first, it was just the Tartars from outside the Great Wall invading, but later the whole of Shaanxi became chaotic.

At that time, Sun Shoufa was just a young general in his twenties, and his only ambition was to gain fame and honor in the battlefield.

Relying on his unstoppable iron whip and fearless courage, bandit leaders such as Dian Dengzi and Bu Zhan Ni were defeated by him one after another.

With these military achievements, Sun Shoufa was first appreciated by Cao Wenzhao, and after Cao Wenzhao's death in battle, he was valued by Sun Chuanting.

In the battle of Heishui Valley, he acted as the vanguard of the entire army and took the lead in attacking the main camp of the old rebel leader Gao Yingxiang.

Although the battle was extremely fierce, there is no need to say more about it.

The key point is that in this battle, Sun Shoufa captured Gao Yingxiang alive, and Gao Yingxiang also used tens of thousands of troops and his own life to verify the feasibility of the "Ziwu Valley Strategy".

During that period, Sun Shoufa was extremely popular and was almost regarded as the best general of the Ming Dynasty. But how could God allow people to have smooth sailing forever?
The more they suppressed the bandits, the more they appeared and the stronger the Tatars became. Later, when Guanzhong was occupied by Li Zicheng, Sun Shoufa could only travel through the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare.

It’s been almost three years.

During these three years, Sun Shoufa was just like Li Zicheng in the past. As soon as he formed a team, he would be besieged by powerful enemies. After being defeated, he would take great pains to contact all parties in an attempt to contain the Chuang army as much as possible.

He lived in this precarious situation for three years, and the situation changed dramatically during these three years.

Having said that, I have to praise the difference between Sun Shoufa and ordinary generals.

If it were someone else, after fighting with the Chuang army for so many years, he would definitely help the Qing to destroy the Shun because of the accumulated blood feud. However, he keenly realized that the real enemy of the Ming Dynasty had changed from the Chuang army to the Tartars. After Li Zicheng withdrew from Guanzhong, he joined forces with his former mortal enemy to fight against the Qing.

In the original history, Sun Shoufa, who had fought guerrilla warfare in Guanzhong for several years, was eventually defeated by the Tartars. However, in the last battle of his life, he "still held the iron whip and killed dozens of Qing soldiers before dying."

After Sun Shoufa was killed in battle, the Ming army in Guanzhong did not stop.

"His younger brother Shouquan reunited with the generals of Sichuan and Hu and stationed them at Taiyang Mountain. The surrendered general Zhao Guangrui and others surrounded them, and his subordinates Qiao Xinning, Zhao Dingguo, Xie Tianqi, and Wang Wanjue were all killed, and Shouquan also died.

Yao Chongxiao, a successful candidate, raised an army in Heyang and sent an envoy to ally with Sun Shoufa. Meng Qiaofang led his troops to attack and defeat him.

Qianzong Kang Ji ordered the troops to be raised at the garrison, and Wei Tianming all assisted Sun Kefa. Meng Qiaofang attacked, and Ji ordered him to defend Zhang Guolao Fort; when the fort was broken, Ji ordered him to die there.

These "deaths" and "explosions" represent extremely brutal battles, but these loyal and brave generals have little reputation in later generations, which makes people say "There are no martyrs for the country in the Ming Dynasty" and then conclude that "There is no China after Yashan".

I don't know whose fault it is that I have forgotten my roots.

Of course, his fate naturally changed dramatically in this time and space.

just
"Is there going to be any problem?"

He Zhen poured the last sip of wine in the glass into his mouth with great reluctance. While weighing the wine jug, he asked Sun Shoufa a question.

Although their messengers were sent to Changsha, according to common sense, they should be able to come into contact with the Ming army once they reached the Yangtze River.

But after so many days, not only did the messenger who was sent out fail to return, but not even a single word was sent back. He Zhen, who was waiting in Xing'an City, could not help but become uneasy.

"Don't worry, you drank up the whole pot," Sun Shoufa replied unhappily, and took the pot back. After checking that his companion who had been with him for several years was intact, he continued, "Why are you panicking? Didn't the people sent to Xiangyang come back?"

"I'm not panicking, it's just..."

"What are you afraid of? His Majesty has forgiven Hu Maozhen and Li Chengdong, let alone a thief like you."

Sun Shoufa could guess some of He Zhen's thoughts.

To put it bluntly, he was not only a bandit, but also a bandit who surrendered to the Tartars. If that was the reason why the messenger did not return, did it not mean that He Zhen's future was not optimistic?
But in Sun Shoufa's opinion, his behavior seemed a bit worrying.

Not to mention what those merchants said earlier, even the spies they sent to Xiangyang also said with certainty that Your Majesty did not discriminate against the bandits and rebel generals.

Under such circumstances, Sun Shoufa naturally did not take He Zhen's worries seriously.

But everyone has their own thoughts. Under the surface of her worry, He Zhen has another consideration.

Hu Maozhen and Li Chengdong were both extremely powerful cavalry generals, and their troops were well-organized and had a large number of soldiers. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would not punish them for their past deeds even for the sake of the more than 10,000 light cavalry.

But what about me here?

After wandering around Guanzhong for such a long time, although the elite level of his troops has been greatly improved compared with before, their number is still only four or five thousand.

If you think in this way
"We still have too few soldiers."

"Why do you need so much?"

Seeing He Zhen's expression, Sun Shoufa knew that he didn't listen to his words. After he sighed, he continued: "Don't look at us in such a mess, but as long as we repair for a month or so, we will definitely be a strong army."

"I know this myself, but I still don't feel at ease."

"Don't be afraid. Not to mention that His Majesty will never investigate the fact that you surrendered to the Tartars, even if he does, we will do it."

"General! General! The people we sent out are back!"

Just as Sun Shoufa was still trying to comfort his former mortal enemy, a loud shout came from outside the hall, and then a soldier ran in.

"People going to Changsha?"

"Yes! Going to Changsha!" After hearing the words, Sun Shoufa finally put his mind at ease, having been worried for several days.

Although he seemed to be indifferent to the messenger's delay, how could he really not care when it took such a long time beyond expectation?
To put it bluntly, among the more than 10,000 troops in Xing'an City, there are not only old soldiers who have fought with him all the way, but also those like He Zhen who rebelled from the Tartars.

If a serious imperial general like him loses his composure, who can guarantee that there won't be any trouble?

"Where are the people? Did they bring back any letters?"

After asking two questions in succession, Sun Shoufa went to the door to greet him. However, before he reached the soldier, he saw a dusty figure appear in his sight.

"Shaanxi Deputy General and He Zhen, receive the order~~~!"

After hearing this, not only Sun Shoufa was stunned, but even He Zhen was quite surprised.

This time they sent people just to get in touch with the Ming army in Hunan, but they never expected to receive an imperial edict directly.

It was too late to set up the table at this time. The two of them looked at each other and then bowed on the spot. Then two strong voices were heard.

"Your Majesty! Sun Shoufa, the deputy general of Shaanxi, accepts the order!"

"Your Majesty! He Zhen accepts your order!"

Normally, receiving an imperial edict requires careful preparation, but now the person who came just shouted and directly started the process of announcing the edict. He Zhen was not sure what to do yet, but Sun Shoufa couldn't help feeling uneasy.

However, those who came to announce the decree were the imperial guards, not the eunuchs in the palace. They knew very little about the rules of the palace, but they would not necessarily be picky about anything.

Sure enough, when the two people who needed to receive the order knelt on the ground, the soldier opened the bright yellow scroll and began to read directly. After he finished "reading" all the contents he had memorized in advance, he began to speak.

"Both generals, please stand up."

"Thank you, Angel."

Sun Shoufa took the imperial edict from the soldier with a smile, while constantly winking at He Zhen. When he saw that the other party seemed not to understand the meaning of his glance, he smiled awkwardly and said.

"I didn't know the angel was coming, and I didn't have any preparations here. Please rest first, angel. I will send you the gifts with my heart."

"General, don't bother with these things. Your Majesty's will is the real business."

Facing the angel's refusal, Sun Shoufa said he would persuade him again, but he had just said a few words when the soldier said firmly: "General, you underestimate us guards. We are also veterans of the battlefield. We know that this is the money our brothers risked their lives for. Moreover, His Majesty treats us well. How can we ruin His Majesty's reputation outside?"

"Angel Gao Yi."

"General Sun, before I came here, His Majesty said that you and General He had a hard time, and I shouldn't have assigned you these tasks, but the war in northern Sichuan is quite urgent, so I thought of your army."

This imperial edict did not promote the two men, it just briefly stated the situation in Sichuan and the goals that His Majesty wanted to achieve. However, the following words made Sun and He instantly feel the sympathy from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Sun and He were grateful for this, but when they were about to say something else, they heard the soldier continue, "Oh, by the way, His Majesty also said that it is up to the two generals to decide how to proceed."

After settling these, the soldier said no more. Later, he went inside to rest under the guidance of his attendants. Sun and He, who stayed in the room, fell silent.

The so-called discretion means that one is allowed the right to act according to circumstances.

On the one hand, this represents the trust from the emperor, but on the other hand it also means a heavy responsibility.

Although He Zhen did not know that he had to give some silver to the angel after receiving the imperial edict, he knew that Sun Shoufa, who remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty surrounded by powerful enemies, would be deeply moved by this trust.

He probably isn't an emperor who would destroy his bridges after crossing them.

Thinking of this, He Zhen couldn't help but cast his gaze on Sun Shoufa, but before he could say anything else, he saw the other party suddenly stand up and walk towards the door.

"Send an order. Starting tomorrow, all scouts and scouts will disperse to the direction of Hanzhong."

After hearing this, He Zhen felt helpless, but she had no intention of stopping it.

If he had joined forces with the Ming army at this time, he would have fought a battle with the Tartars.

But now, not only are they behind enemy lines, but their soldiers have not yet fully recovered.

Under such circumstances, if they really encountered a major battle, their army might not be able to return to Xing'an safely.

He Zhen's worries are not groundless, but crisis is crisis, and there are always opportunities in crisis.

It is always very difficult for someone like him who has rebelled twice to gain recognition from his lord. If he can make some achievements in future actions, it will definitely be of great help to his future prospects.

You have to know that this battle was commanded by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty himself, so any achievements or mistakes would be magnified a lot.

As long as he can perform
Sun Shoufa didn't pay much attention to He Zhen's thoughts.

This does not mean that he does not care what his comrade thinks, but fundamentally it is because he has begun to think about what will happen next.

According to the imperial edict, the Western and Qing forces have been fighting in Guangyuan for nearly a month. Your Majesty does not know to what extent the war has progressed, but judging from Zhang Xianzhong's move to transfer troops from Chongqing, changes in the war situation in northern Sichuan should also occur in the near future.

But where did this change come from? How could he lead this change to a direction that would benefit the Ming Dynasty?

As soon as the thought came to his mind, Sun Shoufa turned his gaze towards the direction of Hanzhong. He also had high hopes for the scouts to be sent out tomorrow.

Just as Sun and He were having all kinds of thoughts about the changing situation, a large group of soldiers were camping and resting in the mountains of Daba Mountain, hundreds of miles away from Xing'an.

"General, the wind is strong in the mountains, please move to a secluded place."

"No need."

Li Dingguo calmly rejected the advice of his personal soldiers and continued to stare at the fire in a daze.

Although he had brought the Chongqing troops to the vicinity of Bazhou more than ten days ago, they actually entered the mountains only two days ago.

He knew that although his emperor had given him such an order, he would not really make up his mind until most of the outer forts were destroyed.

Li Dingguo naturally did not have too many opinions on this. After all, over the years he could easily see that although his emperor acted in an unconventional way, he was actually very stable at heart.

What's more, such a plan itself carries considerable risks. If there is any mistake, it would be equivalent to pointing the way for the Tartars to bypass Guangyuan.

"Probably. It should work."

(End of this chapter)