Southern Ming Rebel Army

Meng Jun picked up the bowl of black, bitter Chinese medicine, frowned, and drank it all in one gulp. The bitter taste spread in his mouth.

Meng Jun rubbed his temples with his hands, trying to wake himself up. Then he took a deep breath, pulled himself together, and lay in bed to handle military affairs.

Han Xiong stood beside him, looking worried, and said with a sad face: "General, there are thousands of soldiers in the camp who have caught a cold, coughed, and felt dizzy, but the army can't stay here for a long time. Should we select the best soldiers and advance to Shaoxing?"

"Ahem, ahem." Meng Jun coughed twice and nodded, "Yes, you will take the lead in this matter. Except for those who are necessary to stay behind in the camp, all others will advance to Shaoxing."

Han Xiong nodded, then turned and left.

At this moment, in the tent, Xiong Rulin was concentrating on writing a confidential letter. This letter was to be presented to His Royal Highness the Regent, and it read:

"Meng Jun is a man of extraordinary intelligence, supported by the soldiers, and deeply loved by the army. He knows how to manage the army. He has a good way to manage the army, and the military discipline is strict. Every battle is as easy as using an arm. Since he started the army, he has won every battle. He is quite like Han Yue in the past. However, this man has evil intentions and is ambitious. The ignorant and reckless people openly shouted long live him, and Meng Jun actually accepted such evil words..."

Xiong Ruolin was writing furiously while thinking secretly in his heart. He knew that this secret letter was of great importance, but as a loyal minister, he resolutely continued to record what he saw and heard truthfully, hoping to attract the attention of His Highness the Regent. Of course, at the end of the letter, Xiong Ruolin also said that Meng Jun should be restrained and not let go, otherwise there would be disasters in the feudal system. If he could be controlled, he would be a good general.

…………

At this time, Bolo, who had fled to Shaoxing, had also fallen ill! He looked haggard, and this disastrous defeat had plunged him into deep self-blame and pain. He didn't know how to face the regent, let alone the Eight Banners families who followed him.

Bolo lay on his sickbed, his thoughts surging like a tidal wave. He recalled the lofty ambitions he had when he went to war. At that time, he was full of confidence and determined to achieve great military exploits. However, the reality was so cruel that he was not only physically weak, but also full of pain in his heart.

When he thought of this, Bolo felt even more depressed. Now, there were only 5,500 or so people left in the Eight Banners that had fled to Shaoxing, and more than half of them were sick. Moreover, all their war horses were lost, and their weapons were incomplete. This was truly the biggest defeat in the history of the Eight Banners, and he would surely be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Since receiving the news of Bolo's disastrous defeat, Zhang Cunren has not eaten or drunk anything for a whole day. Not only is he worried about the safety of Shaoxing, but more importantly, Zhang Cunren is deeply worried about the situation in Jiangnan.

At this time, Bolo could only pray that the Tulai tribe could defeat Zhu Yihai. If even Tulai was defeated, it would be a catastrophe for the Eight Banners of Bolo's tribe. They would be annihilated here and would have nowhere to escape.

"General, Ningbo City is ahead. How about we take a rest and wait for the report from the scouts ahead?" the deputy general beside him said to Tulai.

"Okay, the whole army should rest and feed the horses," Tulai nodded.

Guwalja Tulai, a Manchu of the Guwalja clan, was the seventh son of Fei Yingdong. During the Tiancong period, Tulai followed Huang Taiji in attacking the Ming Dynasty many times. He conquered Ningyuan, conquered Chahar, defended Yongping, besieged Dalingh City, and attacked Lushunkou, Datong, and Jinzhou.

In the first year of Shunzhi, he followed Prince Rui Dorgon into the pass, followed Ajige to pursue the remnants of Li Zicheng, and later assisted Bolo in the expedition to the south of the Yangtze River. Tulai was a veteran of hundreds of battles and had a very keen sense of the battlefield.

"Da Da Da, Da Da Da" a burst of horse hoof sounds came, and a moment later, a scout jumped off his horse and said to Tu Lai: "General, the gates of Ningbo City are open at the moment, but the inspections in and out of the city gates are still very strict."

Tulai thought for a moment, a cunning look in his eyes, and said after a moment: "A team of people, disguised, push carts into the city gate. As long as they block the city gate, Ningbo City will be broken, and no matter how many soldiers are in the city, it will be useless."

The deputy general immediately took the order and went down to select personnel. At this time in Ningbo city, the scholars were excited and said that the royal army had recovered and would soon march north to recapture the two capitals.

At this time, in the government office in Ningbo City, Prince Lu Zhu Yihai was discussing with the ministers. The chief minister Fang Fengnian took the lead and said, "Your Highness, below Ningbo Prefecture, Yin County, Cixi, Fenghua, Dinghai, Xiangshan counties have all raised the flag of the Ming Dynasty, and Taizhou Prefectures and counties have also sent secret envoys. People's hearts are with the Ming Dynasty. Your Highness, great things can be expected."

"That's right. Now that Bolo is being held back by Meng Jun, we should immediately recruit soldiers, train them, and stabilize various places. If we get the chance, we can send troops to attack Bolo from the front and back," Zhang Guowei nodded.

"I have exhausted all my energy and thought, but my dream is short-lived. In the hope of the revival of the Ming Dynasty, all affairs will be handled by the cabinet ministers," Zhu Yihai said with emotion.

Afterwards, everyone started talking and offering suggestions from time to time. Zhu Yihai accepted the suggestions and for a while the scene was filled with harmony.

But at this moment, the warriors sent by Tulai were approaching the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were a little puzzled when they saw a group of forty or fifty strong men queuing up. If some of them were wearing hats, it would not be surprising. But these forty or fifty men, all wearing hats, with burly builds and bulging chests, were extremely suspicious.

One of them shouted: "What do you do? What's in the car?"

The men led by the Eight Banners soldiers looked at each other, and then shouted at the same time: "Charge!" Their voices were like thunder, scaring the soldiers guarding the city.

Immediately afterwards, forty or fifty strong soldiers quickly drew out sharp weapons from the carriage like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey. They held the weapons in their hands, with firm and cold eyes, as if they had already put life and death aside.

I saw these forty or fifty people rushing straight towards the city gate like a whirlwind. In an instant, the gate was filled with the flashing of swords and the shadows of sabers, shouts of killing, and screams. The whole scene was in chaos, like a pot of boiling water.

Those people who were originally preparing to enter or leave the city were frightened by the sudden change. They screamed and fled everywhere. Some people fell to the ground because they were too scared, and some were trampled and injured by the crowded crowd, but more people still ran desperately out of the city, hoping to get away from this place of trouble.

The scouts in the distance hurriedly sent a signal to Tulai in the distance, and the cavalry, who had been ready for battle, rushed towards Ningbo City like thunder, and the killing was about to begin.

At the critical moment of Ningbo, the battle of Qiantang River began to spread across the country like birds. This thrilling battle, like a huge rock thrown into a lake, will trigger a series of chain reactions. Whether it is the Zheng family in Fujian, He Tengjiao in Hunan, the remnants of the Shun army, or even Zhang Xianzhong, Jiangning, and Beijing, they will all react. Of course, this will take time.