Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 417: A large cavalry unit?

Hanzhong, this ancient city with a long history, is located on the dividing line between the north and south climates. To the north is the majestic Qinling Mountains, which protect this land like a natural barrier; to the south is the towering Migang Mountain, which stands like a guardian god.

In terms of distance, the climate should be similar to that of Guanzhong, but such geographical conditions do not make it as dry as the north. In terms of humidity, it is not much less than Chengdu.

At this time, two quarters of an hour had passed since the Qing army began to attack the city. The foothold on the city wall, which was like a candle in the wind, gradually stabilized with the passage of time.

However, this kind of climate was still a little unbearable for the Eight Banners soldiers, and the defense line that had already expanded was showing a tendency to be pushed back to the battlements.

"Hold on! We have already achieved the first victory, don't let the bandits take advantage of us!"

He blocked the enemy's spear with ease, and then Yue Le shouted loudly.

He is the fourth son of Abatai and the grandson of Nurhaci. However, because his father is unpopular, he, the Duke of Zhenguo, can only hang his head on his belt like an ordinary general. There is a huge difference between him and Hauge, who is in control of the overall situation under the city.

In the original history, he first followed Hauge into Sichuan, and was awarded the title of Beile based on his actual military achievements.

Afterwards, he led his troops to station in Guihua City to defend against the Khalkha tribe of Outer Mongolia, and urged the khans to pay tribute, and was promoted to Prince An.

Normally speaking, a person like him would have been considered outstanding, but his real highlight was when he pacified the Three Feudatories.

By that time, the old generals of the Qing court had gradually died, the princes and sons were young and untrained in fighting, and facing the aggressive Three Feudatories, the Manchu nobles in Beijing not only lost confidence, but even planned to retreat back to the outside of the Great Wall.

It is true that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure.

It is not known whether the existence of this veteran general gave the Emperor Kangxi some hope, or whether they wanted to make a last-ditch effort before making further plans.

Just when the troops of the Three Feudatories were about to sweep across the country, Yue Le was ordered to be appointed General Dingyuan Pingkou and led his troops to recapture Hunan and Jiangxi, completely stopping the decline of the Qing army.

According to common sense, a person like this should be able to live out his life in peace and happiness, but I don't know if it was because of his brother-in-law's involvement or for other reasons.

This royal elder, who had presided over the Council of Princes and Ministers in the late Shunzhi period and led the beile ministers to support Xuanye, was stripped of all his power after the Soetu case broke out, and even led 500 soldiers to garrison in the Mongolian Sunite tribe.

You have to know that Yue Le was nearly 70 years old at that time, and could be considered to be in his twilight years. Going to the plateau outside the Great Wall and sleeping in the open air was not much different from being sentenced to death for this old man who had fought his way up with military merits.

In the end, he naturally died of illness shortly after returning to Beijing as someone wished. However, after his death, he was stripped of his royal title and posthumous title because of a minor case, which made people feel sad.

However, at the moment, Yue Le was only thinking about earning a title through military merit, and all his attention was focused on breaking through the defense line of the "Daxi Army".

"Hold on!"

After forcing back the enemy soldiers in front of him, Yue Le shouted again, then he took advantage of this opportunity to glance around, and then took two steps back.

Although the "Dashi Army" launched another counterattack at this time, the Qing army that climbed up the city wall was still able to protect the battlements tightly.

At this point, Yue Le naturally knew that his mission needed to be to command on the battlefield, and he could no longer rely solely on force to kill the enemy as before.

just
This weather is too uncomfortable.

Feeling the wetness coming from the inner armor, Yue Le couldn't help but mutter. Then he glanced at the other two battlements, and felt relieved when he saw that the situation was relatively stable.

At this time, the sun was already high in the sky, and under its irradiation, the moisture in the grass, trees and rivers gradually evaporated, forming waves of heat, making the entire battlefield seem to be in a steamer. Although Yue Le was a brave general who had experienced many battles, he couldn't help but feel a little suffocated in this weather.

Looking at the scorching sun again, sweat had already trickled down from his forehead, dripping along his cheeks onto the armor, making a slight "tapping" sound.

He knew that this kind of weather was a test for both sides, but the Qing army all came from the area between the White Mountains and the Black Waters, and the soldiers who were used to the bitter cold would find it much more unbearable.

But then again, how can one have all the advantages at the critical moment of battle?
Although their physical strength would be quickly consumed due to the weather, the shouting and killing sounds coming from Cangcheng were constantly eroding the morale and fighting spirit of the "Dashi Army".

As time went by, the sun moved slightly lower.

Yue Le had already retreated from the front, and his vision could cover most of the battlefield.

He could see clearly that although his own defense line was somewhat unstable under the pressure of the "Daxi Army", it was only because the soldiers in front were physically exhausted. In terms of concentration on the current battlefield, the "Daxi Army" who were distracted had frequently made mistakes in coordination.

"Rotation."

As the order was conveyed, Yue Le rushed forward with the newly reinforced soldiers, and then the soldiers in front took a step back. After the defense line suddenly shrank, the Qing army on the city completed the rotation in a flash.

It is not known whether Yue Le had made arrangements in advance or his soldiers had a tacit understanding with the commander, but after the rotation was completed, the Qing army surged like a tide, changing their strategy and launching an attack on the defenders on the city.

Since they climbed the city walls, all the Qing army's movements were only to protect the few battlements they had occupied, so the pressure they brought to the defenders was not very great.

Faced with the sudden counterattack of the Qing army, the defenders, who had been distracted by the commotion in the city, immediately became confused, and mistakes in coordination became more frequent.

Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Yue Le was immediately delighted, and then his movements became much more fierce.

He knew very well that the gain or loss of Hanzhong City was not only related to this war, but also had a great impact on the situation in the court. Although he could not gain much benefit from it according to his current status, if he could lead the troops to capture the city, it would be several times more important than the ordinary first assault.

"puff!"

With a dull sound, the sword in his hand was pulled out from the waist of the enemy soldier in front of him. Then he attacked forward fiercely, and the line of troops surrounding the battlement immediately advanced nearly ten feet.

When he climbed the city wall earlier, he had already seen through the Ming army's weaknesses, but the defenders had not been worn down at that time, and a rash attack might not succeed.

Therefore, he focused on guarding the battlements while paying attention to the physical consumption of the soldiers, and only when the battle became fierce did he deliver the fatal blow that had been brewing for a long time.

"It's almost there, it's almost there. We'll be able to cut the defenders in two with just three or two more body lengths."

Seeing that the battlements on the opposite side were not far away, Yue Le couldn't help but feel excited. But who would have thought that just when he thought that the credit for breaking the sky would fall on him, he heard a burst of golden sounds behind him.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

Why is this? !
Normally, it takes three or four hours to fight.
Thinking of this, Yue Le couldn't help but be stunned. He could split the defenders on the city into two just by watching, so how could he choose to retreat at the first opportunity?

"Oh!"

Just when his mind was a little unstable due to the sudden signal to withdraw, a huge force came from his chest and abdomen, and then this battle-hardened man retreated two steps. If it were not for the help of the soldiers behind him, he would not have known where to stabilize his body.

"Oh my god! Let's retreat!"

Obeying orders is a must for elite soldiers. When the signal to retreat came, a low cry came from behind Yue Le. He knew very well that disobeying orders on the battlefield was a serious crime.

Even if he could really cut the defenders in two, he would still need the cooperation of other units to turn the advantage into victory.

Under such circumstances, even if he could force his subordinates to stay on the city, they would ultimately be unable to pose any threat to the defenders.

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Why did they order the troops to retreat at this moment?
Why can't we wait another hour or two?

Thinking of this, Yue Le felt more and more unwilling, and he even wanted to ask Haoge if he had gone mad. But when he was gritting his teeth and looking at the enemy soldiers in front of him, a sound like a landslide came at this time, followed by a cheer from the west wall. When he looked outside the city, he saw several teams of cavalry rushing towards him with rolling dust.
-
January 8

Yangping Pass

"Wang Er! Give me a hand, help me hammer twice!"

"Hold on!"

Following a loud shout, a tall laborer dropped the tools in his hands and walked towards the source of the sound.

He was from Mian County, and his home was in a village twenty miles east of Yangping Pass.

A while ago, the Tartars who had marched south suddenly rebelled. When the people in the pass heard the news, they all fled to the mountains. However, those who lived far away knew nothing about it. It was not until the Tartars who had conscripted laborers surrounded the village that they realized the disaster was imminent.

But what can be done?

When the government troops came, they were killed; when the bandits came, they were killed; when the Tartars came, they were dealt with in the same way. Since they could not escape, they could only leave the rest to fate.

They were lucky, for the Tartars had suffered a defeat in the south and the enemy was chasing them.

In order to repair the defenses of Yangping Pass and resist the pursuers, the Tartars did not resort to violence again, but simply looted all the food in the village and drove them all into the pass.

Faced with such treatment, Wang Er was thankful to God. Even though they could only eat some thin porridge every day during these days, it was better than losing their lives anyway.

He was not very clear about what happened afterwards. After the pursuing troops arrived, the Tartars were probably afraid that the civilians would cause trouble, so they locked up Wang Er and his men. After a few days, soldiers wearing different clothes and armor released them.

Change is always scary to the weak.

At that time, Wang Er was even secretly complaining about how the Tartars were defeated in such a way.

This could not be blamed on him, but if there was a change, they would be like a lone boat in the sea, facing the danger of being smashed by huge waves at any time.

In any case, the Tartars did not take their lives this time, so who knows how the newcomers will treat them?

There is smoke coming out of the grave.

This was Wang Er’s first reaction after hearing that they still needed to repair the city’s defenses.

After eating his first bowl of rice, he was already grateful to this group of people.

However, the leader of this group seemed to be in a hurry to chase the Tartars. He only spent one night inside the pass before leading the group eastward. Now, he only left a small number of soldiers to watch them repair the city defenses.

I was indeed a bit careless.

While helping others hammer the wooden stakes a few times, Wang Er couldn't help feeling a little worried.

He was not clear about marching and fighting, but Yangping Pass had changed owners several times over the years, and it was obviously a place that everyone wanted to get to. The commander of this group of people only left such a small number of people inside the pass, which seemed a little unstable.

"All right."

After hammering a few times, most of the wooden stake was sunk into the ground. Then Wang Er looked around and went back to work on his own men.

At this time, many ordinary people had gathered in Yangping Pass, and the breach caused by the Ming army's artillery fire had been repaired to a height of more than a person.

After the Qing army withdrew from the pass that day, Zhu Cilang sent Li Guo's cavalry out. After participating in the battle to seize the pass and the two armies rested and replenished for a night, he led the infantry to follow the cavalry.

This is also a last resort.

Although everyone knew that Hanzhong City could not hold out for much longer, everyone also knew that if they got there they would have to fight a good battle with Hauge's troops.

Under such circumstances, no matter how tight the time is, no one dares to save the necessary repairs and replenishments, and setting off one day later is reasonable.

Of course, when Zhu Cilang left, he would leave the necessary troops in this important place.

However, he had only 30,000 men in total, which was only comparable to the Tartars in terms of military strength. If he left too many men in Yangping Pass, it would make the front battlefield passive. After some consideration, he left Liu Wenxiu and his men in the pass.

Liu Wenxiu did not have much objection to this.

After all, the soldiers in his hands were only used for bluffing. By this time, the Ming and Qing sides had already made their positions clear, so all those bluffs were no longer effective.

Based on this, it became natural to leave him to guard Yangping Pass.

But being left behind doesn't mean there's nothing to do.

On the day Zhu Cilang left, he gathered back the civilians who had been captured by the Qing army. After comforting them, he assigned them the job of repairing the city wall.

"General, are we going to be the government troops from now on?"

After hearing the question from the general beside him, Liu Wenxiu did not respond immediately.

He naturally intended to sell his life to the Emperor Ming, but when he thought about the Majesty's arrangements when the army left, he couldn't help feeling mixed emotions.

"Don't save money for me. I have plenty of ways to make money."

Back then, they took risks because they couldn't survive, but in the end, the people were afraid of them like tigers. Looking at this scene now, he couldn't help but wonder, if Your Majesty was in power back then, would the world still be like it is now?
"Ah."

Perhaps only one or two breaths passed, or like one or two incense sticks, before Liu Wenxiu's answer finally reached the general's ears. But at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard.

"General! A large group of cavalry spotted in the east!"

(End of this chapter)