Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 101 Battle of Xijiang
Outside Zhaoqing City, the Ming Army camp!
Zhu Jing'an, wearing gold lacquer fish scale armor, was sitting behind the big case, and in front of him, the Ming army generals stood on both sides.

All of them stood out with their chests and bellies high, looking majestic and full of energy.

In the center of the tent, Yong Wei, the Guangzhou general of the Qing Dynasty, was naked, exposing his body fat, and was escorted to his knees on the ground by two Ming soldiers.

Before leading his troops to break out of the siege, Yong Wei swore that if the breakout failed, he would die in Zhaoqing.

But when things really came to a head, Yongwei realized that the knife on his neck could not be pulled out no matter what.

Then, he was captured by the Ming army!

What is even more worth mentioning is that the Ming army general who captured Yong Wei was Liu Mingyou.

The first marquis after the restoration of the Ming Dynasty was considered to be in his pocket.

Zhu Jing'an chuckled lightly, glanced at Guangzhou General Yong Wei with disdain, looked around him, and then asked.

"After you captured the traitor Nurhaci, you were even more corrupt and perverted during your tenure as an official. You preyed on the common people, oppressed the good, and suppressed our anti-Qing rebels. Your crimes are countless and indescribable."

"But God has the virtue of good life, and the sage has said that knowing your mistakes can make a lot of improvements. If you wake up now and surrender to the Ming Dynasty, you are willing to be a pioneer and contribute to the Ming Dynasty's great cause of "driving out the Tartars and restoring China." strength."

"Not only can I spare your life, but I will also reuse you."

"I wonder, Yongwei, if you are willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"

Although he knew that Yong Wei would most likely not surrender to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Jing'an still wanted to try to persuade him to surrender.

After all, if even the Guangzhou general surnamed Aixinjueluo surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, what reason would other people on the border between Guangdong and Guangzhou have to continue to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty?
Yong Wei's status is special. If he can be persuaded to surrender, the political impact will be very important.

It will have a significant impact on the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.

If Yong Wei is willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Jing'an will keep his word and will not kill him.

However, Yongwei dismissed Zhu Jing'an's persuasion to surrender.

He sneered, then spoke sarcastically.

"Bold rebels, ignorant of the future, crazy and rebellious, you are not far from death!"

"It has been more than 140 years since the Ming Dynasty fell, and this world has long been our Qing Dynasty's world."

"In today's Qing Dynasty, the Holy King is here, the seas are peaceful, the seas are clear and the rivers are flowing, and the people live in peace, which is a sign of a prosperous age."

"You rebels are rebelling against the will of heaven and will not end well."

"When the imperial army invades the country in the future, they will definitely kill you and other nine tribes to serve as a warning to others."

"This general is the Guangzhou general of the Qing Dynasty. My clan name is Aixinjueluo. How can I surrender to the Ming thieves and bring shame to my ancestors?"

Because Zhu Jing'an had already thought of this, he knew that Yongwei would not surrender.

Therefore, even if Yong Wei made rude remarks, he would not be angry.

He just tapped his fingers on the table and said with a serious expression.

"Take the people down!"

"Send someone to send Guangzhou General Yong Wei back to Wuxuan County together with the victory report of our army's Zhaoqing battle."

"Father, please make a decision!"

Zhu Jing'an could deal with Yong Wei now and sacrifice Yong Wei's head to the flag to boost the morale of the army.

However, after much thought, Zhu Jing'an decided to hand over the power to decide the life and death of Guangzhou General Yong Wei to his father.

Zhu Jianzhuo could do his best to maintain the identity of Zhu Jing'an's heir in front of his other sons, so Zhu Jing'an would naturally have to reciprocate.

Zhu Jing'an can do many things, but he doesn't have to do them!

Father is kind and son is filial!
Since a father is kind, then he, a son, must also be filial.

……

After the Battle of Zhaoqing, the Ming army did not stay in Zhaoqing City.

Instead, they went straight eastward along the Xijiang River and headed towards Sanshui County.

Prepare to seek a decisive battle with the reinforcements of the Qing army that have arrived in Sanshui County.

With the fall of Zhaoqing, the west gate of Guangzhou was opened wide.

Now, the only thing standing between the Ming army and Guangzhou City is the remnants of the Guangdong Qing army that have arrived in Sanshui County.

As long as the remnants of the Guangdong Qing army led by the Guangdong Admiral can be defeated, the Ming Dynasty will be able to successfully enter the city of Guangzhou.

The Ming army marched quickly along the Xijiang River and headed straight for Sanshui County.

However, although the Ming army was marching at a high speed all the way, they tried their best to block the news of the fall of Zhaoqing.

However, the Qing army in Sanshui still received the news in advance that Zhaoqing had fallen, the Eight Banners army had been wiped out, and the Guangzhou general had fallen into enemy hands.

After Guangdong Admiral Jin Rong received the news, he fell into confusion.

This is so...

It’s so fucked up!
Zhaoqing City was broken. He really didn't dare to think about what would happen to Guangzhou General Yong Wei and the more than a thousand Guangzhou Eight Banners who were trapped in Zhaoqing City.

If the imperial court pursues this matter, even though it was the governor of Guangdong and Guangzhou and the general of Guangzhou who were defeated twice, he, the admiral of Guangdong, would inevitably suffer as well.

In an emergency, Jin Rong convened a meeting with the garrison to discuss how the Qing Dynasty should respond to the current war situation.

"Zhaoqing fell, and the whereabouts of the Guangzhou general are unknown."

"After conquering Zhaoqing, the army of Ming thieves moved further towards Sanshui County."

"Everyone, let's talk about it. What should I do next?"

Jin Rong was wearing an official robe and pacing in the lobby of Sanshui County Government Office.

His face is full of visible sadness!
When the generals below heard the words, they all remained silent. Faced with the current predicament, many people could not think of a solution.

At this moment, a Qing army officer suggested.

"Junmen, withdraw your troops and return to Guangzhou?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone around him agreed.

"Yes, Junmen, please withdraw to Guangzhou!"

"There is a strong city in Guangzhou to rely on, and there is sufficient money and food. If we can defend the city, I believe we will be able to wait for the reinforcements led by the imperial envoy to come."

"Junmen, the last general seconded the proposal!"

"Junmen, you are the Admiral of Guangdong. Your first priority is to ensure the safety of Guangzhou. You must know that there are still many bannermen in Guangzhou..."

"..."

Hearing this, Jin Rong couldn't make up his mind for a while.

He could only keep pacing in place, thinking about the pros and cons of things.

After a long time, Jin Rong finally made up his mind.

"it is good!"

"Send the order and the army will break out of camp and prepare to withdraw to Guangzhou."

When the ordering soldier heard this, he responded with a chirp and went out to convey the order.

But at this moment, another messenger ran in from outside and spoke.

"Junmen! Something bad happened, Junmen!"

"The Ming bandit troops have arrived outside Sanshui County!"

"..."

When Jin Rong heard this, his expression immediately changed, he took a breath of air and spoke.

"Broken! Broken!"

"This is a bad thing!"

"How could the Ming thief come so quickly?!"

After thinking for a while, Jin Rong figured out that it was definitely too late for him and others to escape.

In this case, the only option is to fight!
Therefore, he immediately gave the order.

"Command the entire army to stop moving out of camp!"

"The entire army will immediately prepare for war with all its strength and be ready to face the Ming thief!"

"This time, I have no way out!"

Jin Rong quickly issued the order, and the Qing soldiers who had just run out to deliver the order to break up camp and withdraw the troops were called back.

Instead, the order to prepare for war was passed on!
The war drums sounded, and the Qing army in Sanshui County began to prepare for war.

Due to the rudimentary city defense of Sanshui County, the city wall is just a rammed earth wall.

They must be vulnerable to the Ming army's heavy siege artillery.

In order to prevent the collapse of morale caused by the city wall being breached during the city defense battle!

Therefore, the Qing army simply abandoned Sanshui County.

Prepare to have a field battle with the Ming army in the wilderness outside the county town.

In order to prevent the collapse of morale caused by the city wall being breached, they simply did not defend the city, but prepared to fight the enemy in the field.

This operation can only be said to be flawless!

Of course, the reason why the Qing army did this was not a completely brainless arrangement.

It's because Jin Rong knows that the most reliable fortification currently standing between the Ming army and Sanshui is not actually the county seat of Sanshui County.

But outside Sanshui City, the Xijiang Waterway changes from east-west to north-south!
If the Ming army wanted to attack Sanshui, they would have to cross the river.

But this also gave the Qing army a chance to attack halfway!
What Jin Rong, the governor of Guangdong, wants is such an opportunity.

He wanted to use this to severely damage the Ming army.

Otherwise, even if he retreats to Guangzhou, he has no confidence that he can protect Guangzhou.

……

"Report to the Governor, Sanshui County is ahead."

"The Qing army deployed defenses in the area of ​​Baini Town on the east bank of the Xijiang River in an attempt to prevent our army from crossing the river to attack Sanshui."

The messenger of the Ming army rushed all the way to Zhu Jing'an and opened his mouth to report.

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he nodded slightly.

"Call Zhang He, this is the opportunity for their navy brothers to show their talents..."

If the Ming army wanted to cross the river, its first priority was the navy.

As long as the Ming navy is effective, the Qing army's plan to attack halfway across the river is just a joke.

After receiving the order, Zhang He got off the boat, strode up to Zhu Jing'an, knelt down on one knee and saluted.

"I will finally meet the Governor!"

Zhu Jing'an nodded slightly and then spoke.

"Free, get up!"

Hearing this, Zhang He stood up from the ground.

Zhu Jing'an said hello.

"Get the map!"

Not long after, I saw a soldier bringing the map over and unfolding it in front of Zhu Jing'an.

Zhu Jing'an pointed at the map and laid out a battle plan.

"According to the reports from our army's sentry scouts, the Qing army is now deploying defenses on the other side of the Xijiang River, trying to attack our Ming Dynasty's crossing troops halfway across the river."

"The current location of our army is here in Jinli Town, while the location of the Qing army is here in Baini Town."

Zhu Jing'an's finger pointed out two locations on the map.

There is only a Xijiang River between them.

"If our army strengthens Xijiang, even if it can succeed, I'm afraid it will have to pay a heavy price in casualties."

"Therefore, I am going to personally lead the main force and try to cross the river here in the Yuegang area to attract the attention of the Qing army."

Yuegang is currently the narrowest point in the Xijiang River section and is also the best crossing point.

Zhu Jing'an paused for a moment, then continued.

"Then, after the attention of the Qing army was attracted, Liu Mingyou and Zeng Yao's troops took boats, crossed the river from Jianggen Village, from the Xijiang River, took the Dongping Waterway to Beijiang, and then chose the opportunity to log in, intersperse and surround, and attack the Qing Military flank..."

The topography of Sanshui County is densely covered with water networks.

The two tributaries of the Pearl River, Xijiang and Beijiang, meet here.

And there are large corners. From here, the Xijiang River turns to flow south, while the Beijiang River turns to flow east.

The corners of the two rivers just form an "X". In the middle of the "X", there is a Dongping waterway, connecting the two rivers that are not intersecting.

If the Ming army wanted to cross the river, there was actually no need to attack directly in the direction where the Qing army was deploying defenses.

Just go around.

The only problem is that the terrain around the Dongping Water Channel is narrow, and there is a fear of an ambush by the Qing army.

Hearing this, Zhu Jing'an turned around and gave instructions to Zhang He.

"The task I have given you is to lead the troops to control the Dongping Waterway and ensure that my army can successfully complete the tactics of interspersion and encirclement. Are there any problems?"

Hearing this, Zhang He cupped his fists and said.

"If you return to the Grand Governor, I will ensure that you complete the mission!"

"If it can't be completed, I will come to see you in the end!"

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he nodded slightly.

"very good!"

"go a head!"

After saying this, he opened his mouth and ordered the other generals to assign combat missions to them.

……

At this time, the Ming army was preparing for war with all its strength.The Qing army on the other side of the Xijiang River also received news that the Ming army had arrived in Jinli Town.

Jin Rong looked at the words Jinli Town shown on the map and prayed secretly in his heart.

I hope this Jinli Town can really benefit others!
"Junmen, the Ming thieves have begun to build the pontoon bridge needed to cross the river."

A soldier came to report.

Hearing this, Jin Rong took a deep breath and spoke.

"Send an order to the Altai Governor to set up his general's Hongyi cannon and Shenwei Invincible General cannon."

"If the thieves cross the river tomorrow, let them have a taste of the power of my Qing artillery."

In order to rush to Zhaoqing this time, Jin Rong reinforced the Guangzhou generals and more than a thousand Eight Banners who were surrounded by heavy Ming troops.

A number of heavy artillery specially designed for the Eight Banners were mobilized from Guangzhou City to assist in the battle.

Of course, the Green Battalion was not allowed to use these Eight Banners-specific heavy artillery. The people responsible for operating the artillery this time were actually people from the Guangzhou Eight Banners.

The team was led by a deputy commander of the Eight Banners in Guangzhou!

His name is Altai, a member of the Mongolian White Banner. After General Guangzhou was besieged, he became the backbone of the current Eight Banners in Guangzhou.

Although General Guangzhou led a thousand Guangzhou Eight Banners, he was surrounded by Ming thieves in Zhaoqing.

But this does not mean that there are no Eight Banners soldiers in Guangzhou!

At this time, the Eight Banners in Guangzhou had a total strength of 5000 people.

More importantly, the Eight Banners soldiers are different from the Green Battalion soldiers. The Green Battalion's establishment is the establishment, and the actual salary is the actual salary. It is not uncommon for them to receive empty pay.

The Eight Banners rarely had the problem of empty pay.

If we say 5000 people, that means a real 5000 people.

It’s all real money!

Although the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners soldiers is a bit low now, they are still quite solid in terms of numbers.

In other words, although there were [-] bannermen surrounded in Zhaoqing, there were still [-] in Guangzhou.

Naturally, it is not difficult to find a few people who can operate guns from inside.

The soldiers clasped their fists and left, sending orders to Altai.

Not long after, Altai received the order and nodded to express his understanding.

A wide face was full of solemnity.

And beside him, a line of artillery pieces were lined up.

After counting, there are twenty doors in total.

The black muzzle exuded a fascinating cold light.

Among them, six are large-caliber and long-barreled Hongyi cannons.

Apart from this, the rest is the powerful and invincible general cannon made by the Qing government, which is slightly smaller in caliber than the Hongyi cannon.

The red cannon can generally hit about ten kilograms of shells, while the powerful and invincible general cannon built by the Qing government can only hit three kilograms of shells.

The latter is naturally smaller than the former.

But it is obvious that the artillery of the Qing army, whether it is the Hongyi cannon or the smaller Shenwei Invincible General cannon, is a heavy long cannon in terms of shape.

That is, a cannon with a long barrel and double diameter.

This kind of artillery has good power and range, but it is a bit bulky if it is to be used in the field.

Of course, in this battle, the Qing army wanted to fight a blocking battle, not a field battle.

In this case, the mobility shortcomings of the Hongyi Cannon and the Invincible General Cannon are not worth mentioning.

"Men of the Eight Banners, listen up. The Ming thieves are on the other side of the river now and are about to kill them."

"Once the Ming thieves are allowed to cross the river and kill them at the gates of Guangzhou, the men and their families will all suffer."

"Think about how our ancestors treated the Han people in Guangzhou? Once Guangzhou is taken over by Ming thieves, how can we, the bannermen, fare well?"

"Even if it's not for the Qing Dynasty, but for ourselves, we still have to risk our lives this time!"

"When the Ming thieves start to cross the river later, I will give you a good beating. We must let the Ming thieves see how powerful we are."

Altai's voice was full of sonority.

After his words fell, the surrounding Eight Banners soldiers responded in unison.

"Kill thieves to protect the family and serve the Qing Dynasty!"

"Kill thieves to protect the family and serve the Qing Dynasty!"

"..."

The shouts of the Qing army shook the heaven and the earth, and countless people raised their arms and shouted together.

……

On the other side, Zhu Jing'an also heard the Qing army's Eight Banners shouting in unison, and he conveyed the order expressionlessly.

"Go down with the order and test-fire the artillery!"

"Be prepared to use artillery fire to cover our army's crossing of the river."

The average width of the lower reaches of the Xijiang River is 700 to 2000 meters.

Quite spacious!

However, the section of the river where the Ming army planned to cross was a specially selected section that was relatively narrow and had a gentle flow.

The width from east to west is only about 500 meters!

At this distance, the heavy long artillery currently equipped by the Ming army can reach the other side.

Even the larger-caliber 120 field artillery can barely reach the other side.

If this is the case, then using artillery fire to cover the army crossing the river is naturally the right thing to do.

Rumble!
There was a deafening sound of artillery fire.

A 24-pounder was the first to fire, and the shells roared towards the other side of the river.

The black shells drew a graceful arc in the air.

With a bang, the shell hit the ground and hit the beach on the east bank of the Xijiang River. Immediately, the shell hit the empty beach, causing mud and sand to fly.

After a few bounces, the cannonball lost its kinetic energy and became stuck in the mud.

After the test firing, the bombardment officially began.

Continuous shells were fired to the east bank. At this moment, it seemed that the only sound left in the world was the roar of heavy artillery.

The soil on the beaches on both sides of the river is soft and moist, which can absorb the kinetic energy carried by the shells.

Most of the solid artillery shells of this era relied on the kinetic energy contained in the shells to kill the enemy by bouncing and rotating after the shells landed.

Once the kinetic energy of the cannonball is absorbed by the mud, the effect of the bombardment will be greatly reduced.

On terrain like the beachhead, it is difficult for artillery bombardment to exert its due power like other places.

But even so, this sudden round of shelling by the Ming army still shocked the Qing army on the east coast.

Especially those at the Eight Banners level, many people's expressions changed.

"Bombardment! The Ming thieves have started shelling!"

"Damn it, the Ming thief's bombardment is so fierce!"

"The thieves are about to cross the river. The thieves are about to cross the river. Prepare for war, prepare for war!"

"..."

These Eight Banners soldiers, who had hardly experienced any war test since they were born, couldn't help but panic when they heard the sound of cannons.

They, who have been accustomed to pampering since childhood, have never heard of such a scene.

But Altai had a cold face at this time, pulled out the saber from his waist, and shouted loudly, regardless of the fact that the Ming army had not started crossing the river yet.

"fight back!"

"You guys of the Eight Banners, please cheer up for me and prepare to fight back."

"It's not like the bright thieves have cannons!"

"Hit me hard, don't embarrass our ancestors."

As soon as the words fell, the Qing army's shelling also began.

Boom!Boom!
Both sides of the Xijiang River are filled with smoke.

Artillery shells came and went, delivering firepower to each other.

It was very obvious that there were no people on the beach on the Qing army's side.

Neither the Green Camp nor the Eight Banners could stand up to the Ming army's bombardment and prepare for war.

Although after the unloading force of the beach mud, the effect of the shelling was greatly reduced.

But artillery is still artillery, and if the shells are fired, they will still die if they touch each other, or they will be injured if they rub against them.

With the current morale and resilience of the Qing army, it is absolutely normal for such a thing to happen.

But the performance of the Ming army was completely opposite to that of the Qing army.

The Ming army was preparing to cross the river under the artillery fire of the Qing army.

From time to time, cannonballs were seen falling, or splashing sand and gravel, or falling into the river, shooting up jets of water.

The air is mixed with water mist and gunpowder smoke!

But this could not stop the Ming army's actions.

Because the Qing army's artillery accuracy was really limited.

The Qing army in this era did not know how to calculate ballistics, and the accuracy of artillery attacks relied entirely on experience.

However, the Eight Banners in Guangzhou, which had not experienced war for a long time, how much experience did it have in shelling?

Therefore, the accuracy of the Qing army's artillery attack can be imagined.

It is difficult to pose a threat to the Ming army!

But since the Ming army was commanded by foreign instructors, their performance was much better.

At the very least, the accuracy of the bombardment is guaranteed.

……

"Old Pete, can you knock out the Qing army's artillery array?"

Zhu Jing'an called Old Peter, who was responsible for guiding the Ming army's bombardment, to his side and asked.

Although at present, the Qing army's artillery bombardment is generally ineffective.

It can't cause much effective damage to the Ming army!
However, no matter how mediocre the shelling effect is, it is still shelling, and it will have a certain impact on the morale of the Ming army.

Therefore, Zhu Jing'an wanted to know whether the Ming army could knock out the Qing army's artillery positions.

Old Pete came to Zhu Jing'an, looked at the Qing artillery array on the other side of the Xijiang River, and said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Grand Commander, the enemy's artillery position is on the beach. Due to the silt on the beach, the damage effect of solid artillery shells is severely limited. It is difficult to cause effective damage to the enemy's artillery position..."

Hearing this, Zhu Jing'an chuckled lightly and spoke.

"I can hand over the command of our artillery to you, and everyone must act according to your orders."

"And, for every artillery piece in the Qing army's artillery array that is knocked out, I will pay you 100 taels of silver as a reward."

"Now please tell me again, can you destroy the Qing artillery array?"

When Old Pete heard this, his eyes couldn't help flashing with greed. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, patted his chest, and spoke.

"My dear Governor, you are truly the most generous person in the world."

"Don't worry, Old Pete will definitely hand over an answer that satisfies you..."

Zhu Jing asked An to hear the words and nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good, let's do it!"

"Don't let me down!"

"..."

Old Pete made a chest salute, then turned and left, and began to direct the Ming army's artillery operations.

He began to personally measure the firing parameters of the artillery, adjust the muzzle angle of the artillery, and adjust the amount of powder.

"Boys, come on, come on!"

"Move quickly and aim the cannon at the enemy's position. If anyone is lazy, I will kick their ass hard."

"Quick, hurry up, put this damn cannonball into the barrel!"

Old Pete cursed and directed the artillery to reload.

Although he has a bad mouth, there is no doubt about his professionalism. After all, he is a veteran of the Seven Years War.

The level is certainly not bad!

Soon, the shooting of the Ming army's artillery crew was adjusted.

Dozens of artillery aimed their muzzles at the Qing army's artillery array, preparing to concentrate their fire.

Old Pete raised his arms high and said loudly.

"Boys, aim, fire, shoot!"

"Let us teach those braided soldiers on the opposite side a lesson..."

As soon as the words fell, the bombardment began.

Amidst the rumbling shelling, the Ming army's artillery array was instantly filled with gunpowder smoke.

Dozens of black projectiles were shot toward the other side of the Xijiang River...

(End of this chapter)