Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 383: Can you sit back and relax after winning?

It has to be said that the Dashi Army's strategy really hit the weak spot of the Qing Army.

Because the defeated troops did not know each other, the elite soldiers successfully sneaked into the valley. However, as the morale of each army had not yet recovered, tens of thousands of troops were directly defeated with just one wave of attack.

But such an outcome is not unavoidable.

If Hauge had personally led his elite troops to station at Shuttle Pu, he would have had a chance to stabilize the situation when the army was defeated and scattered; if Li Guohan had personally led his troops to guard the southern entrance of the valley, the rout that night might have been impossible to happen.

However, the hierarchical structure of the Qing army destined Hauge to make such an arrangement, and Li Guohan, an Angbang Ezhen of the Han Eight Banners, was also destined not to guard the door for those useless people who surrendered and then collapsed.

Based on this, the Qing army's defeat that night seemed to be a bit of bad luck, but from a certain perspective it was somewhat destined.

However, for Zhang Xianzhong, any coincidence was bound to be false. He only knew that if he defeated the fleeing soldiers at Zhongshupu, the Qing army would no longer be able to threaten Guangyuan.

Even though the elite troops of the Qing army were almost unharmed, and even though the forts outside Guangyuan were almost all destroyed.

Going back to the roots, this is a necessity.

The small number of Manchus meant that it was impossible for them to throw the Eight Banners headquarters into the brutal siege.

Although Hauge and his men looked down upon the surrendering Han army, without these cannon fodder, their combat capability would inevitably be greatly weakened.

Under such circumstances, the Qing army still had the ability to fight a field battle, but if they wanted to suppress the Dashi Army in Guangyuan City as they did before, it would be impossible to do so no matter what.

"Your Majesty, last night our army beheaded more than 5,000 people, and only 200 soldiers were killed or wounded."

Listening to Ai Nengqi's report and looking at the chaotic camp, Zhang Xianzhong's already happy mood became even more cheerful.

After hearing the news of victory last night, he rushed to the termination shop overnight.

It was obvious that he was in such a hurry because he wanted to occupy this pass as soon as possible after the Tartars' defeat, but it is undeniable that his desire to witness the Tartars' defeat with his own eyes also played a big role.

Indeed, the battle of Guangyuan far exceeded that of Zhichupu in terms of the number of enemies killed and the size of the enemy army. It seemed that he should not have behaved like this at all.

But the fundamental purpose of the Guangyuan battle was just to drive away the Tartars. Even though the number of enemies killed was far greater than that in Zhichupu, the Tartars were still a sword hanging over Zhang Xianzhong's head.

The impact of ending this battle far exceeds the battle itself.

Not only did the Tatars no longer have the ability to threaten Guangyuan, the Dashi Army also took the opportunity to seize the pass of Zhichupu, where troops could be stationed, and completely blocked the Jinniu Road, which was the most suitable road for the army to advance.

It is easy to imagine that if the Tartars want to take any action against Sichuan in the future, the existence of the Termination Shop will inevitably become an obstacle they cannot avoid, and Sichuan will no longer be so passive when facing threats from the north.

Of course, passages like Migang Road and Yinping Road could also become breakthrough points for the Tatars, but these roads either lack the ability to transport logistical supplies or can only accommodate small troops traveling light.

If the Qing army wanted to imitate Deng Ai, they would probably have only one way to go: defeat and death.

"You will be the first to make a contribution in this battle. After we defeat the Ming army, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

Perhaps it was because the threat from the north was about to be resolved, but Zhang Xianzhong began to like this adopted son who was good at fighting but not good at strategy more and more.

Ai Nengqi, who was a straightforward person, did not take any credit for himself. After his majesty finished praising him, he declined the honor.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. This time, we were able to succeed only because of our good planning. Otherwise, the Tartars are guarding the pass, and even if we have three heads and six arms, we may not be able to break into the valley."

"Nengqi is too modest. The Tartars are courting death by settling their defeated soldiers at the mouth of the valley. With the elite troops in your hands, it won't take much effort even if there is no internal support."

After hearing what Ai Nengqi said, Sun Kewang, who came with Zhang Xianzhong, would not take the credit for himself.

Afterwards, the two of them talked back and forth, as if they were determined to put all the credit on each other. It was obvious that their years of brotherhood were not just talk.

Faced with such a situation, Zhang Xianzhong, who did not have much of an imperial mindset, felt quite relieved. He watched the two people's reluctance with a smile on his face for a while, then waved his hand.

"Don't give it up. If others knew about this, they would think I was so stingy that my two sons looked down on such a great achievement."

"Your Majesty is joking."

"Who dares to gossip?!"

Hearing the two people's completely different answers, Zhang Xianzhong seemed to remember the scene when he was their subordinate, but there was something else that needed to be decided soon, so he didn't have the time to recall the past.

"There is one thing I am still undecided about. You two need to help me think about it."

After hearing the words, Sun and Ai naturally put their thoughts back to their minds. Seeing that they seemed to be listening attentively, Zhang Xianzhong continued.

"Should we take back Qipanguan?"

Qipan Pass is located 30 miles northeast of Shijiepu and is an important pass separating Sichuan and Shaanxi.

This pass was built on a mountain ridge that is higher in the east and lower in the west. No matter how you look at it, its purpose is to prevent the army from central Sichuan from entering Shaanxi.

At this time, the Qing army was suffering from an even greater defeat. If they could take the opportunity to capture it, it would certainly be extremely beneficial to the future development of the Dashi Army.

just
"Your Majesty, Qipan is easy to defend but difficult to attack for us in Sichuan. It will cost a lot to capture it, and the Ming army is eyeing us covetously in the south. It is definitely not the best time to capture this pass."

Sun Kewang's words naturally made sense. On one side of the Qipan Pass was a funnel-shaped valley with a dead end, and on the other side were numerous mountains. In addition, there were a large number of Qing troops stationed there. It would indeed cost a lot to capture it.

In his opinion, although taking Qipan Pass would bring strategic benefits, the threat from the Ming army was more worthy of attention and resolution.

With such thoughts in mind, he would naturally oppose the attack on Qipan Pass.

But then again, the strategists in the rear would inevitably overlook the situation on the front line. In Ainengqi's eyes, such an idea was too conservative.

"Your Majesty, when we attacked the valley last night, most of the Qing troops collapsed at the first blow. Wu Sangui and Li Guohan only sent a small group of troops to test the situation and then ran away. In my opinion, the Qing troops have lost their will to fight. If we lead our troops to attack, we may be able to capture Qipan Pass without bloodshed."

After the words fell, not only did Zhang Xianzhong look thoughtful, but even Sun Kewang did not immediately refute.

Seeing this, Ai Nengqi knew that these words made them all a little excited, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"We thought that the Tartars would withdraw on their own after their defeat, but what happened? We still had to chase them into the Golden Bull Road. If we hope for the best again, Haoge might wait and see at Qipan Pass. If the Ming army arrives, we will be attacked from both sides."

Ai Nengqi still had some clarity in his mind and did not directly say things like defeat and death.

But no matter what, he had already said it directly, so how could they not think of the consequences of letting the Qing army go?
"You guys should pack up the military supplies first and clean up the mess. I will think about the matter of advancing to Qipan Pass later."

A great victory was brought to a point where they could not move forward or backward because of Ai Nengqi's words. Zhang Xianzhong was no longer in the good mood as before. He just said something in a deep voice and planned to find a quieter place to weigh the pros and cons.

To ordinary people, countless people whose names are recorded in history books have the problem of not being decisive enough.

But can you really make such a decision whenever you want?
If Zhang Xianzhong now had a piece of territory that was absolutely loyal to him and had a powerful military force that could crush both the Ming and Qing dynasties, he would be more decisive than anyone else in making the decision to attack Yingtian or Beijing, let alone the Qipan Pass.

But he didn't.
Faced with such a situation, what else can he do except use his limited strength to fight for a way out?
Fortunately.
"Your Majesty, would you mind writing a letter to Haoge?"

"Repairing a book? For Hauge?"

"Exactly."

Sun Kewang said this quite calmly, but Zhang Xianzhong and Ai Nengqi both looked at him with surprise.

Seeing the two of them behave like this, he would not keep it a secret any longer and immediately told them all his thoughts.

After a moment, all of Sun Kewang's plans entered Zhang Xianzhong and Ai Nengqi's heads, but no matter how confident he sounded, Ai Nengqi still asked hesitantly.

"Can this be done?"

"Whether it works or not, there's no harm in giving it a try."

"But isn't this a sign of weakness? If..."

Ai Nengqi still had doubts in his heart when facing Sun Kewang's explanation. But when he just said half of it, he heard Zhang Xianzhong said firmly: "Don't lose your wife or your property. Just give it a try!"

Since the Emperor of Dashi had made the decision, there was no turning back on the matter of sending the letter to Hauge.

Afterwards, Zhang Xianzhong ordered someone to bring paper and pen, and after discussing the letter with Sun Kewang for several times, he sent the letter to the outside of Qipan Pass.

The two places are not far apart, and the journey did not take much time.

just
"Your Majesty, we should appease those two people, but we should not be too harsh on them."

"Harsh blame? According to military law, I should have them beheaded!"

As Hauge roared, everything on the table was swept to the ground.

It was obvious that Hauge was still furious at this moment. Even though Luo Luohun tried to persuade him, he was still sprayed with spit in the face.

Faced with such a situation, even if Luo Luohun had thousands of reasons in his mind, he couldn't just confront them directly. After Hauge calmed down a little, he changed the subject.

Wu Sangui and Li Guohan ran back last night. Although they both blamed each other for the rout, Hauge still treated them equally and locked them both up.

Luo Luohun naturally had no objection to this. Even though these two guys represented a force that was useful to Haoge, they should be taught a lesson after being defeated in a battle, both morally and logically.

Therefore, Luo Luohun waited until today to come and plead for mercy.

But who would have thought that after a night, Hauge's anger not only did not diminish at all, but seemed to be even stronger than last night.

However, Luo Luohun could still understand Haoge's feelings.

After all, the good situation changed again and again within a few days, and by this time even the Manchu and Mongolian armies had lost their will to fight.

This not only meant that the Qing army lost the ability to control central Sichuan in a short period of time, but also meant that Hauge lost the opportunity to suppress Dorgon's faction.

Faced with such a situation, anyone would be unable to control their emotions, and he would not complain to Hauge.

"The fleeing soldiers have been gathered. Apart from those two groups, there are about 12,000 or 13,000 soldiers left. Don't take the ones who come back later, to prevent the bandits from using the same trick again."

"Ten thousand two, three thousand two, three. Hi!!"

I don't know whether he calculated the number of troops he had at his disposal, or felt that the situation was too different from when he went south, but after hearing what Luo Luohun said, Hauge muttered a few words, and then slammed his fist on the table.

At this moment, a soldier was standing timidly outside the door. He was obviously frightened by Hauge's performance and didn't know whether he should go in to report.

"What's the matter?"

"Reporting to the prince, the bandit sent someone to deliver a letter."

As the soldier spoke, he held the letter in front of Luo Luohun, but Luo Luohun looked at Hauge first, and when he saw that Hauge had no reaction, he took the letter.

The letter was not long, with only three or four hundred words in it, but Luo Luohun's expression changed after reading the letter. He did not come back to his senses until Haoge gave him a puzzled look.

"Advising us to withdraw our troops."

"Retreat?! He's dreaming! All the elite troops are here. Even if we suffer a little loss in manpower, it will make the bandits sleepless. You want me to retreat? Don't even think about it!"

It is obvious that Hauge has completely lost all his rationality.

Since he locked up Wu Sangui and Li Guohan last night, he has been reviewing the changes in the past few days, but he has never stepped out of the room.

The more you endure, the angrier you get; the more you take a step back, the more you feel you're losing out.

After this night, he felt that there were no major mistakes in his arrangements, and the reason why things got to this point was all because of that cowardly Han man.

If he didn't have to rely on these guys to support himself in the future, he would have wanted to kill Wu Sangui and Li Guohan.

Luo Luohun could guess a little about Hauge's current thoughts, but how could he act as he pleased given the current situation?

After Haoge finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and said, "The bandits said in the letter that if we don't give up Qipan Pass, they will attack with all their strength, and then we will both lose. Let's see how we deal with the struggle in the court."

"You thief! You are going too far!" After a loud shout, Haoge rushed to the door like a beast: "Order! All troops, get ready! I want to fight this thief to the death!"

"Haoge! Have you forgotten what the late emperor said?!"

The late emperor?

Perhaps these two words carried some kind of magic. Even though Haoge didn't know which sentence Luo Luohun was referring to, he still stopped. But when he turned to Luo Luohun, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to choose someone to bite.

"You are good at fighting, and you have elite soldiers under your command. If you really lead the troops to attack, the bandits will have a hard time resisting. But without these elite soldiers, how can you fight against Dorgon?! Can Fulin still keep the throne of the late emperor?!"

(End of this chapter)