The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 519: The Yellow River is Red

On the 21st day of the second lunar month, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the weather was getting warmer.

Tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and the continuous fighting can be suspended for a while.

During the past eight days, Li Xianwen's 8,000-strong Beijing Camp Fenwu Army and 4,000-strong Guyong Army had not been deployed. Even the Black Flag Cavalry formed by the bannermen did not exert their full strength.

For eight days, it was the eight thousand White Lotus Sect members and the six thousand Yansui Army who took turns fighting against the 60,000 rebel troops in Gansu.

During these eight days, the rebel army fought three battles but never won a single one. They were defeated in all three battles, with more than 2,000 people killed and nearly 10,000 injured. In addition, 2,000 cavalrymen escaped shortly after the first battle began.

This... If it weren't for the bonus of religious belief, the rebel army would have collapsed. It is a strange sight to lose like this in a familiar matching area.

On the White Lotus Sect side, more than 400 people were killed in the battle and more than 2,000 were injured, including hundreds of seriously injured people. They were all being treated in field hospitals to the best of their ability and leaving the rest to fate.

There is one thing that makes the White Lotus Sect different from other religions, and that is that they actually value women.

In the White Lotus Sect, there are a large number of so-called red-light women and yellow-light women. These big-footed women will act with the army, taking on tasks such as battlefield rescue and post-war hospital care. The particularly outstanding ones will even go to the battlefield to kill the enemy together with men.

While they were reciting the Blood Lake Hell Sutra to cheat people out of money, they were indeed promoting the protection of women's rights to a certain extent. It was really a very magical scene.

Wu Sanniang brought a group of women with red lights to take care of the wounded here. When they saw her, the caring big sister, coming in, many of the wounded had light in their eyes.

A Christian from Henan who was on his deathbed held Wu Sanniang's hand, saying something sometimes lucidly and sometimes confusedly.

The inflammation of the wound caused him to have a fever of 40 degrees Celsius. The high fever did not subside and his brain nerves were burned to the point of being abnormal.

The wounded soldier waved his right hand, which had half of its palm missing, around wildly, while his intact left hand held Wu Sanniang's arm tightly with such force that even Wu Sanniang, a martial arts master, felt a little pain.

"Fairy, my name is Liu San. You were the one who sent my grandmother to live in Zhenkong's hometown. I have eleven brothers. It's too many people, too many people!"

Wu Sanniang was startled and suddenly remembered that on the day she left Shandong for Xiangyang, she had indeed attended the funeral of an old lady who was paralyzed in bed from a family surnamed Liu in Nanyang.

She remembered it very clearly because it was with this skill that she successfully infiltrated the Xiangyang Hunyuan Sect.

Moreover, there was another person in the Liu family who was an unofficial spy of the Palace Front Division and had even led her there.

"There are too many people, too many people. There's never enough food at home, never enough food!"

Liu San cried and shouted, and suddenly became excited. It seemed that the fact that there was not enough food left a deep impression on him.

Wu Sanniang nodded sympathetically. When she was a child, she had many brothers and sisters in her family. Every time her parents turned their backs, her brothers and sisters would fight for food, even in front of their parents.

Because if you can't compete with your brothers and sisters, you will have to starve, and every extra bite you eat will give you an extra guarantee of survival.

Wu Sanniang often went hungry at that time. This was the most profound memory of her childhood. She was always hungry, which led to her lack of nutrition. Even when she was ten years old, she was still small, almost like a baby.

But thanks to this, her special figure was noticed by a Cangzhou acrobatic troupe that traveled the streets and was bought for three taels of silver.

Although she suffered a lot after that, she was finally able to eat her fill. When she returned to her hometown in Shandong ten years later, among her two brothers, one younger brother and two sisters, only the second brother, the youngest brother and the third sister survived.

The rest died due to malnutrition, a little illness, or a little famine.

"Fairy, can I have some fat mutton? I heard that the wounded have meat to eat!" After talking nonsense for a while, Liu San seemed to wake up suddenly. He half sat up and asked to eat fat mutton.

"Okay, wait for your sister to get it for you." Wu Sanniang patted Liu San's head gently. The boy of seventeen or eighteen years old showed an expectant smile.

But he probably didn't realize that the wounded did have meat to eat, but it was generally only given to those who could survive.

People like Liu San who have a high fever that comes and goes will be given some broth, but generally no meat.

However, Wu Sanniang still had some power. After a while, she came over with a large piece of stewed fat mutton with bones, and a white flour bun the size of two human heads.

Liu San was very happy. He took a bite of meat and a bite of white flour steamed bun and ate them very happily.

But as he ate, his movements slowed down, he began to breathe heavily involuntarily, and his eyes began to dim.

"Fairy, the instructor said that anyone who dies in battle can go to the Vacuum Homeland, where there is no more suffering and endless delicious food, just like in the Jade Emperor's palace."

Wu Sanniang was stunned for a moment. She looked at Liu San and felt a little reluctant to lie to the child.

Fortunately, Liu San didn't wait for Wu Sanniang to answer, and continued to speak, "Actually, I don't care whether I can go to Zhenkong's hometown or not.

I just want to have ten acres of land, a small yard of my own, marry a strong wife who can work as hard as a man, and have a few children to carry on the family line."

When Wu Sanniang heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief. She really couldn't promise to return her hometown, but she could promise the land.

"Don't worry, little brother. No one else can give you the best land, but the emperor can definitely give it to you. With your merits, I can give you at least thirty acres, or even fifty acres."

"Really?" At that moment, Liu San's dim eyes suddenly brightened up. He even sat up straight in surprise, as if the pain had completely disappeared.

"That's really great, really great, hehe." Liu San smiled foolishly. If I had fifty acres of land and raised a cow, I, Liu San, could also become a local landlord.

"Good! Good! I knew the Emperor was a good man. I'm absolutely right to serve him."

Liu San's voice began to become intermittent. In his mind, it didn't matter what religion he believed in. He was just looking for a group that could accommodate him.

The person he trusted most was the emperor, because the Chinese people had been like this for thousands of years, thinking that the emperor was good. Even if he did bad things, it was because he was deceived by treacherous ministers. As long as he woke up, he would be fine.

The emperor’s words are golden. Whatever he says he will give you, he will give you.

In joy, Liu San's hands dropped heavily. A high fever came over him again, making his whole body feel hot as if on fire, but his intact left hand was still tightly grasping the half-eaten white flour bun that he had not finished.

Wu Sanniang stood up with tears in her eyes, and the woman who was taking care of the red light in the room also came over, and several of them sobbed.

Wu Sanniang suppressed her sadness and pulled over a little boy with a carrot-like head. This was an orphan that the believers had picked up along the way. The White Lotus Sect had always had this habit.

"Kneel down. From now on, your surname will be Liu. He is your father. All the land he gained through his meritorious service and killing enemies will be inherited by you. You must see him off to the end and pass on his incense."

Wu Sanniang pointed at Liu San, who was lying on the bed at his last moment, and told the little boy to kneel down. "Come, kowtow to your father three times!"

Under Wu Sanniang's instruction, the little boy knelt obediently in the room of the seriously injured, kowtowed three times to Liu San respectfully, and then called "Dad" in his childish voice.

The unconscious Liu San slowly raised his eyelids, as if he felt the three kowtows and heard the word "Dad".
"Fairy lady, you are so kind and righteous!" A wounded soldier saw this and shouted excitedly, empathizing with her.

Wu Sanniang stood up and slowly looked at the wounded in the room. She recalled the training she had received at the Palace Front Department and said with emotion:
"No matter how righteous I am, Wu Sanniang can only be righteous in words. Only His Majesty the Emperor, who is rich and powerful and speaks with wisdom, can be righteous in words and in deeds.

Only the Emperor can lead us, the hard-working people, to conquer a vast territory. As long as we fight bravely, all our efforts will be rewarded. "Yes, it's true that we can conquer a vast territory, but not everyone will live to enjoy it."

The wounded in the room were even more encouraged after hearing this. The emperor's guarantee was definitely more reliable than the beautiful and illusory Avici Mother and Maitreya Buddha. Although they were religious believers, they still understood this point clearly.

. . . .

In the commander-in-chief's tent, Li Xianwen also called over the officers of the Yansui Army and the leaders of the White Lotus Sect.

Li Xianwen took a look and it was obvious that the leaders of the White Lotus Sect were all a little angry.

Of course, this anger was not directed at him, but at the rebellious troops near Yanchang Fort.

During these days, the White Lotus Sect members made great contributions, but also suffered considerable losses. Several young instructors who commanded a thousand men were killed in battle.

This loss successfully aroused the hatred of the White Lotus Sect members. If they were forced by the imperial court to come to Gansu to fight the rebels before, from now on, they took the initiative to make enemies with the rebels.

This is also what Li Xianwen hopes to see. Without this blood feud, the White Lotus Sect members would not have tried their best to search the mountains and seas to cause trouble for the rebel army, and the rebel army would not have regarded them as the most vicious enemies.

They must settle this grudge.

"Tomorrow is Qingming Festival. We are far away from home, so let's keep the sacrifices simple. Let's slaughter pigs and sheep and offer sacrifices here by the Yellow River.

You have fought hard. Let us have a good rest tomorrow. The Duke has already decided to send the Fenwu Army of the Beijing Camp to the next battle."

Li Xianwen felt that the rebel army was only hanging on to its last breath, so the final decision would have to be made by the Beijing camp.

Let the Yansui Army, especially the White Lotus Sect, see what a real army is.

Qi Lin'er and others certainly had no objection, because even if the rebel army was on its last breath, they really couldn't defeat it.

February 22nd, Qingming Festival.

Li Xianwen was in the upper reaches of the Yellow River not far from Yanchangbao, slaughtering pigs and sheep on a high platform built in advance, offering pigs and sheep, fruits and meat, burning incense and praying, worshiping his ancestors and the sacrificed soldiers of the three armies.

The people in Lanzhou and the surrounding counties and towns who were lucky enough to survive also came out of the city to come here to pay tribute to their relatives who were killed. Tens of thousands of people were shoulder to shoulder, and their cries were deafening.

Li Xianwen said to keep everything simple, but he made the scene extremely grand, just to show it to the rebel army in Yanchangbao.

The rebel army did see it, and some even couldn't help but burn incense and paper to worship their ancestors.

At this time, the eastward advance of the three Central Asian khanates, especially the three Kazakh Juz, was still in its initial stages due to the killing of all the Dzungars.

Tsarist Russia was busy fighting a bloody battle with the Turks and had not yet devoted much energy to Central Asia.

Therefore, the three khanates only felt a little pressure and were not as eager to expand strategic maneuvering space eastward as they would be eighty years later.

The various sects of the Protestant Black Mountain Sect had just begun to be established, and did not reach the crazy situation that would occur eighty years later.

It can be said that at this time, the uncontrollable scene in the future is still in the initial climbing stage.

Therefore, even in the current chaotic military situation, many believers still retain some Han customs and still consider themselves Han in their hearts.

Of course, their actions were quickly stopped by the leaders of the rebel armies.

But at this time, the people of Lanzhou and other places, who had just finished paying tribute to their dead relatives, came in groups to the fort where the rebel army was entrenched and cursed loudly.

Many people in the rebellious army were actually quite familiar with the people of Lanzhou. When the anger incited by lies subsided a lot, and their religious fanaticism was hit hard by reality, many people actually began to regret it.

Afterwards, some of the rebel soldiers who were scolded by the people of Lanzhou and could not raise their heads came to Li Xianwen secretly and expressed their willingness to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences.

Li Xianwen sneered, looking at the fawning messengers in front of him, "It's too late to turn back after hitting the wall, and too late to regret after being hit by a knife on the neck!"

Li Xianwen roared, "Take them away, kill them and sacrifice them to the flag. The three armies listen to my orders. Feed them at noon (11), gather them at noon (13), and destroy the enemy at dusk (17). Plenty of wine and meat!"

The rumbling sound of war drums echoed across the north bank of the Yellow River, scaring the chaotic troops in Yanchangbao into looking pale.

Li Xianwen personally commanded the front line, with 8,000 Fenwu troops as the main force. He used field artillery to successively destroy six camps of the rebel army, forcing them to line up for a decisive battle.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, the Fenwu Army arrived outside Yanchang Fort, only one mile away from the rebel commander's tent.

More than 40,000 rebel soldiers rushed out. Under the leadership of General Nguyen You Zheng, the Fenwu Army rushed forward before the rebel soldiers had time to form a battle line.

Ruan Youzheng was extremely bold and divided the 8,000 men into only three horizontal rows, trying to stretch the battle line as much as possible and expand the killing area.

In the hands of the Fenwu Army, the eight thousand flintlock rifles could achieve a terrifying firing rate of five rounds every two minutes. This excellent weapon, combined with the brave warriors, could produce a three-stage attack that could truly be described as a torrential downpour of lead bullets without stopping.

The rebel army could not advance at all. Under the overwhelming fire of nearly 30,000 lead bullets per minute, they suffered heavy casualties and corpses were scattered all over the field.

They were stunned and retreated frantically.

Then Li Xianwen concentrated more than 30 artillery pieces to bombard the chaotic army. The army could not bear it and could only come forward crying and asking for a fight.

But they still could not break through the rain of lead bullets from the Fenwu Army, and retreated screaming, and then were bombarded by artillery.

When Qi Lin'er, Zhang Zhengmo and other high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect saw the tragic situation of the chaotic army, their faces turned pale. They were completely convinced and very glad that they were on the side of the victors.

After an hour of repeated gunfire and artillery bombardment, the rebels could no longer bear it and fled to both sides.

However, the Black Flag Army, the Yansui Army, the Huiliang Army, the Lanzhou defenders, the White Lotus Army, and even the people of Lanzhou all came out spontaneously to block the rebel army's escape routes to both sides, preventing them from escaping.

It was so tragic that when the gun barrels of the Fenwu Army soldiers became hot and the artillerymen even used up all their urine to cool the barrels, the rebel army was barely able to get a little respite.

But at this time, even the Saltworks Fort was riddled with holes. The area in front of the fort was like the end of the world. There were countless broken limbs and arms scattered on the ground, and countless wounded soldiers were groaning everywhere.

Li Xianwen looked at the time. It was exactly five o'clock in the afternoon and it was almost time for dinner, so he snapped his hands to signal the start of the general attack.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians immediately rushed to the Salt Field Fort.

There were only a little over 30,000 soldiers left, their minds completely broken. They either knelt on the ground begging for mercy or jumped into the river frantically.

Even if they were hacked to death, even if they quickly disappeared in the waves of the Yellow River, they would not dare to turn back and resist.

The rebellion in Gansu was basically put down.

(End of this chapter)