Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 398 Sure enough, he is a rebellious person
Li Guo's troops finally arrived.

However, all the Qing troops were now crowded in the funnel-shaped Jinniu Road, and the arrival of a large group of cavalry did not have much effect except to boost their morale.

After all, encirclement and annihilation warfare in the era of cold weapons almost meant killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of your own. Any general with some brains would try to adopt some tactics of encircling three sides and leaving one side open or forcing the enemy to surrender, so as to avoid a head-on battle with the enemy who was fighting a desperate battle.

The Qing army, whose retreat was blocked at this time, was in exactly this situation. So when Li Guo and other generals reached the edge of the battlefield, Zhu Cilang's military order had already arrived.

"Your Majesty has ordered that we should not press the enemy too hard. All troops except the rear guard should guard the mountain pass and wait for the Tartars to retreat before pursuing them."

"The last general takes command!"

After receiving the order, the soldier who delivered the message rode away, but Li Guo, who stayed behind, felt secretly annoyed.

According to His Majesty's military order, their troops hid in the mountains and forests seven or eight miles south of Guangyuan City. They left their hiding place and rushed to the battlefield to provide support only after receiving news of changes in the war situation at the front.

Under normal circumstances, after experiencing the power of the rear guard, the Qing army would have launched a full-scale attack on the flank guarded by the central army. It was reasonable for the stalemate between the two sides to take one or two hours.

Therefore, Li Guo deliberately conserved his horsepower on the way here, in order to demonstrate the value of his men and horses in the battle commanded by His Majesty himself.

But who would have thought that the Tartars did not attack with all their strength, but retreated directly to the Jinniu Road after a brief test.

In this way, it would be justifiable for Li Guoman to show up in front of His Majesty and bear the responsibility for delaying the fighter plane.

When he received the military order from His Majesty at this time, he was naturally in a bad mood.

"General Li, although our cavalry and archery are not as good as the Tartars, each of us can still achieve something if we shoot an arrow. Why don't we two stay here and watch while you go and ask His Majesty for his will?"

"This"

As soon as the soldier left, Zeng Ying urged impatiently. After hearing this, Li Guo, who was eager to make a contribution, did not agree directly. Instead, he pondered and weighed the issue in his mind.

Zeng Ying's words made some sense. After all, riding and archery were inseparable. Even if this cavalry was not very skilled, it would be no problem to use them to inflict some damage.

But then again, can we go against the emperor's will just because we have reason?

No matter what, Li Guo was just a bandit who surrendered to the general.

Your Majesty has clearly sent down the military order. If he raises objections before the military situation changes, wouldn't that be a bit of a disrespect for Your Majesty's authority?
With this in mind, Li Guo decided not to speak rashly. When Zeng Ying and his generals became a little anxious, he said calmly: "Your Majesty's considerations are very thorough, which is beyond our imagination."

After the words fell, the generals present were puzzled. Seeing this, Li Guocai continued, "We have come from afar and our horses have been depleted. Instead of attacking directly for a little bit of damage, it is better to conserve our energy and wait for the Tartars to retreat before making a final push."

At this point, Li Guo paused for a moment, and when he saw that everyone seemed to be thinking about something, he continued, "What's more, the rear guards are still shooting continuously. If we rush out to attack, we will inevitably have some concerns."

Li Guo was not sure whether he understood the emperor's military orders thoroughly enough, but as he continued to speak, he became more and more confident.

After all, he was the highest-ranking official among those present, and with the support of His Majesty's military order, he was not afraid of others' gossip as long as he could explain the facts.

Things had developed to this point, and the generals had nothing more to say. Then the cavalry consisting of thousands of people began to watch from the periphery of the battlefield. The entire battlefield was in an extremely strange state.

Tens of thousands of troops were stationed inside and outside the Jinniu Pass, but except for the rear guards who fired from a distance and the Tatars who kept fighting back with bows and arrows, the rest of the troops had no intention of moving at all.

Such a situation naturally made Li Guo and others a little anxious, but for Hauge it was a rare opportunity to catch their breath.

It is said that blessing lies within the shadow of misfortune, and misfortune lies within the shadow of blessing.

He knew very well that if the sudden falling rocks had not blocked the retreat of the rear army, the Ming army would have already arrived and the troops behind would have suffered heavy losses under the enemy's pursuit.

But according to reports from the front, the fallen rocks blocking the road are not very large, and it will take only half a cup of tea to make the road clear again.

At that time, the troops who fell outside the intersection would no longer be in a desperate situation. As long as the enemy seized the opportunity, they would inevitably suffer a heavy defeat.

Hauge, who understood this truth, was not in the mood to think about the philosophical question of the interdependence of fortune and disaster. Looking at the chaotic troops, his mind naturally fell on the matter of cutting off the rear.

According to the current situation, the best option would be for him to personally lead his trusted men to cover the rear of the main army.

However, he had already lost two flags of guards today. If his trusted troops suffered losses again, the situation after retreating to Shaanxi would be too disadvantageous.

But then again, the troops that had landed outside the intersection had lost their formation due to the constant sound of musketry, and apart from his Goshaha, there were only a few teams that could stay together.

Under such circumstances, if there is no one with enough weight to support us, then the responsibility of covering the rear would be just talk.

Once the enemy forces find an opening, the final result will hardly be different.

"Luo Luohun, I will take Ge Shaha to cover the rear for a while, you go to the road entrance to guard it and don't let the thieves cause any more trouble."

After thinking for a while, Haoge finally made up his mind. After hearing what he said, Luo Luohun was not surprised at all, as if he had already thought of this.

According to previous reports, the fallen rocks were caused by continuous rainfall, but these people are used to conspiracies and tricks, so how could they really believe that this was a coincidence?
It is true that time is tight now and there is no opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, but even if we don't investigate it, it is necessary to take precautions.

That's why he made this arrangement so that he could bring all the people behind him back safely.

"You are the commander of the entire army, it's your job to cut off the rear."

"Don't say that. It's not that we underestimate you. We are not as good as you in strategizing, but you are far behind in charging into battle and killing the enemy."

After saying this, Hauge ordered his own Goshha to line up the troops without waiting for Luo Luohun to say anything else. Afterwards, he did not pull the troops directly to the periphery, but hid them slightly behind.

It was obvious that he had no intention of leading his troops to fight head-on, but wanted to see if there was a chance to ambush the enemy.

But when he was thinking about this, someone in Jinniu Road was also thinking about his own ideas.

"Move quickly! Move quickly! If the prince is trapped outside, none of us will be in any good!"

At this time in the Jinniu Road, soldiers from all units were trying their best to clear the fallen rocks. However, beside a young general, a slightly older soldier was staring closely at the progress of clearing the fallen rocks.

The old soldier was Wu Sangui who was hiding in his cousin's army, and the falling rock was also the work of the two brothers.

According to his original plan, he would completely hide in Zu Zeqing's army. After retreating back to Shaanxi, he would sneak into the capital as quickly as possible to seek help from Dorgon.

This is also something that can't be helped.

After all, although he and Haoge maintained a good relationship on the surface, everyone could see that the Qing prince Su had long been drooling over the Guanning Army that was fed by the Ming with money. This time he went out with Oboi on a mission, and in the end not only did the mission fail, but Oboi's life and death were unknown. Under such circumstances, according to the way Haoge dealt with He Luohui, he felt that there was an 80% to 90% chance that he would not be able to keep his troops.

Under such circumstances, he would not risk showing up in front of Hauge, so as to avoid losing his life for no reason.

But plans cannot keep up with changes.

When the news spread that Hauge was going to exchange prisoners with Liu Wenxiu, he was keenly aware of the danger. After planning for a long time, he made this plan that was enough to kill Hauge.

But who would have thought
"Marshal, do you want to find an opportunity to blow up a few more rocks?"

Just when Wu Sangui's attention was focused on the ever-decreasing stone pestle, Zu Zeqing's deliberately suppressed voice quietly reached his ears.

To be honest, he was willing to kill Hauge here.

At this time, Li Guohan was already dead. As long as Haoge and Luo Luohun were killed in the battle, he, the Han prince of the Qing Dynasty, would be the supreme commander of all the Qing troops retreating into Jinniu Road.

Let alone whether he could command these Eight Banners soldiers by then, when Dorgon's order came down, the Han surrendered troops in Shaanxi alone would be enough to make his strength take a step forward.

But then again, there are countless eyes staring at this place both inside and outside the street, and it would be extremely difficult to not reveal any clues as before.

"Forget it, let's wait and see. The Ming army may launch an attack soon."

"Yeah, that's right. Those guys were all killed. Even if Haoge can come back alive, he will have to start over again."

Zu Zeqing was just a young man after all. After hearing what his cousin said, he only replied with one sentence and then calmed down.

Wu Sangui's actions were of course extremely risky, but if combined with Hauge's previous actions, it seemed justifiable.

When the news came that Liu Wenxiu wanted to exchange prisoners, everyone thought that Oboi and Wu Sangui had both died in the battle. Although Hauge did not send a commander to the Guanning Army, he did try to win over several deputy generals and lieutenant generals.

Under the circumstances at the time, these people had no other choice. After several rounds of discussion, except for a few individuals, the rest expressed their loyalty to Hauge.

This is also one of the reasons why Wu Sangui was willing to take such a risk.

As time went by, the fallen rocks blocking the center of the road were gradually moved away, but Wu Sangui, who had never heard any shouting or screaming, could not help but feel disappointed.

He knew very well that as long as he could find a suitable reason, Dorgon would certainly support him in taking back the army, but in this way, the Tartars would inevitably reach into the Guanning Army, and this army, which had a strong sense of independence since the time of Chongzhen, would inevitably be greatly restricted.

But in this situation, how could he dare to send people to blast the rocks?

Even though the Ming army had not yet launched an attack, he could only sigh that God was not on his side, but he did not dare to take any action.

“The road is open!”

Just when Wu Sangui was feeling extremely conflicted, a cheer came from the road.

Seeing this situation, he no longer had any hope of luck. He sighed inwardly and stood quietly where he was, staring blankly at the Qing troops outside the road rushing in.

"The prince has ordered that anyone who causes trouble will be killed!"

"The prince has ordered that anyone who causes trouble will be killed!"

"The prince has ordered that anyone who causes trouble will be killed!"

As several bursts of scolding were heard in succession, Wu Sangui's attention was focused again. When he looked in the direction where the sound came from, he saw Luo Luohun standing near the intersection, and seven or eight soldiers were lying on the road that had just been cleared, with blood gushing out.

Wu Sangui didn't care too much about this.

After all, this was not an ordinary situation. If it were him, he would have used military law to maintain order at the crossing. But at this moment, he no longer wanted to watch the fun here. After a little thought, he prepared to quietly follow the defeated army into the road.

"stop!"

At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came. Wu Sangui was startled and wanted to run away, but he calmed down in an instant and turned around and said with a flattering look on his face.

"I wonder what your orders are, sir?"

"The prince has ordered that all Guanning troops around the road cannot leave. You guys wait in the forest first, and I will ask about what you saw before!"

When Wu Sangui heard these words, he immediately felt uneasy, but he couldn't figure out why Luo Luohun would do such a thing at this time.

He probably sent someone over. After all, there was still a war going on outside and he might not be able to spare the time that night.

With this in mind, Wu Sangui responded and followed the surrounding soldiers into the nearby forest.

Although he was a little nervous at this time, on the one hand, there were many Guanning soldiers around when the rocks fell, and on the other hand, he not only cut his beard, but also did a lot of things on his face.

As long as Luo Luohun didn't come in person, he had enough confidence to get through this.

just
"My Lord, the person has passed away."

"Well, wait until all the Guanning troops have entered the road, then you can start."

"Order."

As soon as Luo Luohun finished speaking, his Goshaha took the order and left.

After taking a look outside the road, Luo Luohun couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

He had never thought that Wu Sangui had sneaked back into the army, but in the process of clearing the fallen rocks, he discovered that several Guanning Army generals who had been lured over by Hao La were actually crushed to death here.

Under such circumstances, even a fool could figure out what was going on.

After all, people like them who are used to seeing evil tricks would think carefully when encountering a coincidence that is not a big deal. In such a situation, how could they not investigate it thoroughly based on the principle of rather killing a thousand people by mistake than letting one go?
It was also a matter of luck that when he glanced around inadvertently, he found a familiar figure. After sending Goshaha, who was always by his side, to confirm, it became clear what to do.

"He is really a rebellious person."

(End of this chapter)