There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 135 The Qing Army Wants to Go All In

Chenlong Pass.

Yang Fang was not seriously injured. He just fainted due to blood loss and exhaustion after returning that day. He woke up after lying down for two days.

However, even though he is awake, he still has to drag others into the water!
How to drag people into the water?

Of course, he sent a messenger to say that he was seriously injured so that the governor would quickly send troops to support him. The morale of the army in the city was about to be disrupted, and it would be difficult to defend it with just his hundreds of soldiers, so he had to bring someone to take the blame.

Yang Fang is indeed a good fighter. If he goes alone, no Han soldier can match him. Even the reckless Chen Younian might not be able to withstand him. But this guy is still a scholar after all.

This is very strange. Because scholars failed to pass the imperial examination, they joined the army. After fighting for a few years, they became powerful generals in the late Qing Dynasty!

It's like being born in the wrong position.

"Report! There are a few more Eight Banners outside challenging us!"

"I told you, those are rebels, not the Eight Banners."

Yang Fang was recuperating inside the city wall with his injured arm, while also looking at the topographic map around Chenlong Pass.

He felt a little headache and tired. Although he had said many times that the Manchu soldiers outside were no longer the Eight Banners because these Eight Banners had surrendered to the rebels, the soldiers under his command were still okay and could still obey his orders. At least he didn't say it to his face. The rest of the Qing soldiers almost took his words as nonsense.

Yang Fang wanted to kill these guys with a single blow, but he had no reason to. If the captains and lieutenants below him really wanted to rebel, he could withstand it, but the Han army outside would have to take advantage of the chaos to break through.

"Captain Yang, this is not a solution!" said a captain with the same surname Yang.

Yang Fang sneered: "What? Do you want to go out of the city to fight, or do you dare to kill the Eight Banners?"

They didn't even bother to talk. The Han army had already blocked Chenlong Pass. They couldn't get out of the pass, and they couldn't abandon the city. Otherwise, the road behind them would be flat, and the Han army could go south and attack Chenzhou directly.

As for killing the Eight Banners, that’s nonsense!

When Yang Fang captured the Eight Banners earlier, they had to send a military doctor to rescue him first, for fear that something serious would happen if he died.

If the Eight Banners make a mistake, they must judge it. What does it have to do with you Han soldiers?
Seeing that Yang Fang had made his point, Captain Yang's face turned dark, but he didn't say anything more.

into the night.

During the day, Captain Yang found the only other two captains, one battalion commander, and two external battalion commanders in Chenlong Pass. Their forces were all understrength, and together they had nearly 3,000 men.

"This is not the way to go!"

"Those Eight Banners are outside calling for surrender every day. Most of my soldiers, except for my personal guards, are wavering."

"You are just a soldier who is wavering. Even the deputy captain came to me to inquire about this."

"Do you really want to surrender?"

"Why, don't you have such thoughts? Old Wu, these are all our fellow Hunanese here, we are family. We won't tell outsiders from those poor Guizhou villages about this. You don't have to worry."

"But the question is, will it really work if we open the gate and surrender? Will the rebels go back on their word and sacrifice our lives?"

"I don't think so. These rebels... The Han army has a very good reputation. I've heard merchants from the north say that as long as they're willing to surrender, even if their crimes are serious, they can be made into civilians to atone for their sins. We've even surrendered Chenlong Pass, the most formidable pass in the world. If the Han army considers the consequences, they won't touch us. At the very least, we can save our lives."

"Old Yang is right. I see that those who came to persuade us to surrender are all from the Eight Banners of Manchuria. Their braids and cotton armor can't be fake. These Han soldiers can even spare the lives of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, not to mention that we are all Han people. If we really force it, we are from the same hometown as the Han soldiers!"

"Chenlong Pass is indeed dangerous, but with so few men, low morale, and a wounded commander, we can't hold it. If we really break through, the Han army will surely suffer heavy casualties. If they get humiliated and angry, they'll be in danger!"

"..."

"How many people do you have?"

"There's still half that can be moved! Yang Fang is too cunning. He's been trying to split my military power these past few days."

"We need to make some plans. Yang Fang is a highly skilled martial artist with supernatural powers. He always carries his armor and heavy bow with him. It will be difficult to kill him alone."

"Then we need to prepare first." "..."

Yang Fang wanted to ask the governor to come over to guard the pass together, since he couldn't take the blame anyway. However, Jiang Sheng and Liu Junfu were smarter than him, and it could be said that they understood what it meant to protect themselves better than him.

Someone once said that when there is one smart person in a team, the team has top configuration, but when a team is full of smart people, they are doomed.

It was obvious that Jiang Sheng, Liu Junfu, and Yang Fang were all intelligent individuals, including the Chenzhou prefect, who was transparently marginalized throughout the entire process and had taken self-preservation to an extreme. After the governor arrived, he simply ignored everything and didn't interfere. Instead, he gathered a group of local Confucian scholars and prefectural school teachers to work together to compile the "Chenzhou Prefecture Chronicle."

As long as the local annals are compiled well, he will at least be credited with caring about local culture and education, and his name will be recorded in history. What a win!
As these clever people played against each other, Yang Fang could not wait for the governor's reinforcements. Instead, the Qing army in Yongsui received Jiang Sheng's urgent letter for help.

An army of more than 100,000 people has been dispersed and crowded in Yongsui, Fenghuangying and Sanchaping.

Commander Fu Kang'an has died and his coffin has been sent to the capital.

Deputy Marshal He Lin just died, and the coffin was just taken away a few days ago.

Now, among the more than 100,000 Qing troops, none of them can control the situation and they are barely in a delicate balance.

Eldengbao, Mingliang and Delentang, as Manchu generals, are currently gathered in Yongsui.

"Old General, do you want to send troops?" After receiving the letter asking for help, Eldengbao turned around and looked at Mingliang who was resting with his eyes closed beside him.

There was no way. Mingliang was not only the oldest person present, but also the most senior and experienced on the battlefield. He was also the cousin of Marshal Fukang and Anfu, and was also a nobleman of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner (the eldest of the three upper banners).

The reason why he is in such a miserable state now is purely due to Mingliang's own fault. When he was in Heilongjiang, he actually allowed soldiers to demand mink fur at a low price.

Mink fur was no ordinary luxury; it was a special gift to the Aixinjueluo clan during the Qing Dynasty. Unless the emperor gifted you a mink coat, purchasing mink fur privately was considered taboo.

Although Fu Kang'an was so favored, he only had a few sable coats, which were all given to him by Emperor Qianlong after he won battles.

Mingliang opened his eyes. He was released in February of this year because the Qing government could no longer suppress the Miao people. He came to Xiangxi to help in the war and even captured the Gushan stronghold of the Miao rebel army.

Mingliang said, "The governor has sent letters several times, and now the rebels have reached Chenlong Pass. This is the gateway to Hunan and Guizhou. If the rebels really take it, the entire southwest will be in danger. We have no choice but to send troops. If we don't send troops, not only will we give up Chenlong Pass, but we will also hand over the entire three southwestern provinces to the rebels, just like Wu Sangui faced in the early years of Emperor Kangxi."

Eldengbao didn't say anything.

Delentai said worriedly, "Old General, now that Marshal Fu and his deputy commander have both died in battle, without a commander, I'm afraid we won't be able to legitimately suppress the troops. If we force our troops to go out, will something go wrong?"

Mingliang immediately scolded, "Even if something happens, we have to mobilize the army. If we don't, are we going to sit back and watch Chenzhou be lost? If we don't protect the Qing Dynasty, who will?"

Eldenbao nodded. "What the old general said is true. However, Delentang and I lack experience. If we force ourselves to lead the troops, I'm afraid we won't be able to convince the people. So, the only option now is to ask the old general to temporarily take over as commander-in-chief of the three armies and lead us to suppress the rebels."

With just a few words, Mingliang was completely confused, though not completely, as Eldengbao hadn't lied. Of these Manchu generals, only Mingliang had the experience, ability, and background to replace Fukangan and suppress the Xiangxi Miao army.

If it weren't for the fact that the old lady Mingliang was so arrogant and secretly purchased sable furs at a low price, trampling on Qianlong's face, she would probably be on the same level as Fukang'an by now, and even Fukang'an would have to respectfully call her cousin when they met.

"Then I, an old man, would be disrespectful to refuse!"

Mingliang certainly understood Erdengbao's intention. When he smiled, all the pockmarks on his face were squeezed together, making him look particularly creepy.

The plan to send troops has been finalized. If we don’t send troops, we won’t be able to defend Chenlong Pass. If we can’t defend Chenlong Pass, the three southwestern provinces will be lost.

By then, there will be a new situation of the Three Feudatories Rebellion.

The Qing Dynasty can’t withstand another blow!

The Qing troops in Yongsui and Fenghuangying gathered, while the Qing troops in Sanchaping stayed behind to continue watching the Pinglong Miao people. Tens of thousands of troops bypassed Qianzhou, went to Guzhangping, and then went south to Danwuying, preparing to go to Chenzhou Prefecture first and find a boat to go north.

Mingliang was indeed a veteran. He knew that it was useless to drag on and he was short of food, so he concentrated his forces and fought a decisive battle.

The first battle is the decisive battle, and the outcome will be decided in one battle!

(End of this chapter)