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

Chapter 141 A king must not be mean and ungrateful

"Rockets ready!"

"Calculate the calibrated trajectory and adjust the launcher..."

"Quick! Quick! Quick! Load and prepare to launch!"

"..."

The artillery troops of the Ming Army quickly loaded the rockets.

The rocket launcher has also been set up.

Making final preparations!

At the same time, the Ming army, surrounded by the Qing army, had also entered the final stage.

Surrounded by the Qing army, although the soldiers of the Ming army's forward battalion resisted desperately, their strength was ultimately limited.

Gradually it started to lose its support!

The long and narrow battlefield was filled with corpses in various forms of death.

Blood flowed freely, dyeing the Beijiang water not far away scarlet.

The corpses that had lost their temperature looked at the sky with wide eyes, full of unwillingness...

At the beginning, although the Ming army was surrounded, the battle situation was a stalemate.

Even because the morale of the Ming army was higher, the casualty ratio between the two sides was that the Ming army had fewer casualties and the Qing army had more casualties.

But now, the battle situation is almost one-sided.

The Ming army has been losing more and more troops, from 3000 to [-] when it was first surrounded, to just over a thousand now, and the number of casualties is also rising.

Gradually, as the Ming army's attrition became more and more serious, the battlefield situation became that the Qing army had fewer casualties and the Ming army had more casualties.

If it weren't for the fact that the main force of the Ming army was still advancing towards the battlefield with the intention of relieving them.

The remaining forward battalion soldiers may have collapsed long ago!
"Hold on! Brothers, you must hold on! We have all killed the Manchus. Even if we surrender, we will not survive. It is better to fight with the Tatars and earn a few more acres of military land for our families. .”

"Kill, kill for military merit!"

“Fucking dog Tatars, kill one and you’ll get enough, kill two and you’ll earn one!”

"..."

Now the only thing that supports the forward battalion of the Ming Army to fight to the end is the temptation of military merit field and the certificate of surrender that they have handed over.

However, facing the Qing troops swarming around them, it was extremely difficult for them to resist.

The Ming artillery positions on Lianhua Mountain and Furong Mountain were also firing at full strength, coordinating their own battles and delivering firepower to the Qing army from a commanding height.

Artillery shells continued to hit the Qing army in the valley!

It caused a lot of casualties to the Qing army!

The artillerymen of the Ming army were busy working in front and back. Many of them were sweating profusely even if they were shirtless.

Because of the strenuous exercise, veins popped up all over his body.

The barrel of the artillery was already faintly red, and the temperature of the barrel was already very low. If it continued to deliver firepower, it would probably explode.

As a last resort, the Ming army's artillery array could only slow down the pace of bombardment, and even some of the artillery that overheated simply stopped firing.

After the artillery ceasefire of the Ming army, the morale of the Qing army became higher and higher, and their determination to encircle and annihilate the besieged Ming army became more determined.

At this time, the Ming army, which was surrounded layer by layer, had fought to the last 400 people.

Seeing that it is about to be destroyed, it is really the last moment.

But at this moment, a strange whistling sound suddenly sounded between the heaven and the earth.

It seems like a powerful arrow pierced the sky!
Everyone subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, and saw rockets rising into the sky.

That sharp whistling sound was exactly the sound of rockets piercing the air.

The rocket took off, dragging a long tail flame across the sky, and fell towards the Qing army's array.

At this moment, it was like a meteor streaking across the sky!
There was a meteor shower in the sky.

The scene is spectacular and beautiful!
But this beauty is extremely deadly...

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"..."

At this moment, the Ming army's morale was boosted after seeing this scene.

Couldn't help but cheer.

Under everyone's gaze, rockets rose into the sky one after another and fell towards the Qing army's array.

The rockets fell to the ground like meteors and smashed into the Qing army's array.

The tail is still spitting out sparks.

The next moment, as the fuse burned out, an explosion sounded.

The spark ignited the explosive part inside the rocket body, and the next moment, fire and smoke exploded, sweeping everything around.

What's even more terrifying is that the fragments inside the rocket body also spread wantonly to the surroundings with the explosion.

The soldiers of the Qing Dynasty who were close were instantly beaten into pieces by the flying fragments.

He couldn't even utter a scream, and he fell dead on the spot, which was quite horrifying.

In addition, many people's bodies were torn apart by the air waves, turning into pieces of stumps and broken arms.

The blood is like rain!

The air was filled with a rather strong smell of blood.

What's more, some were shocked to death by the shock caused by the explosion.

On the surface, he didn't seem to be injured, but the internal organs in his body had been shattered into pieces.

There are dense blood spots on the surface of the body. They are blood seeping out along the capillaries after the blood vessels burst...

Dozens of rockets before and after landed on the ground and exploded, clearing out circles of 30 meters in radius in the Qing army's array.

Within these circles, almost no living people can be seen.

"Mom, Ming thief can summon meteors, run away!"

"Help, the Ming thief is very powerful. With the help of gods, he really can't be defeated. Everyone, run away!"

"..."

A famous Qing soldier was frightened by the scene in front of him, dropped his weapon, turned around and ran away.

In fact, under the attack of the Ming army's artillery bombardment, lining up to shoot, and bayonet charges, the Qing army was already on the verge of collapse.

It’s all supported by the fact that the leading troops of the Ming Army are about to be surrounded and annihilated on the other side of the encirclement!

Now, being washed away by the rockets of the Ming army, the huge number of casualties exploded in an instant, which directly caused the morale of the Qing army to collapse.

A large number of Qing soldiers who were still gritting their teeth and fighting the Ming army collapsed instantly, and they all chose to throw away their weapons, turn around and run away.

As soon as these Qing troops escaped, the encirclement set by Weng Zhaolin, the Hunan admiral of the Qing court, against the Ming army's forwards was torn apart.

The remaining Ming army officers and soldiers on the battlefield could not help but raise their arms and cheer, cheering for the victory and cheering for their own salvation.

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Ming Dynasty Wan Sheng!"

"Long live the Governor, long live the Ming Dynasty!"

"Drive out the Tartars, restore China, fight against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, and revive China."

"..."

The soldiers of the Ming Army's forward battalion, who had suffered heavy losses after being surrounded by groups, and now only around [-] years old were left, couldn't help but cheer.Encouraged, these remaining soldiers even took the initiative to charge towards the Qing army!
I want to vent my frustration that I and others were surrounded and killed just now!
However, with the morale of the Qing army collapsed, they did not dare to resist at all and almost dispersed in droves.

Some people chose to surrender and beg for a living, but were unceremoniously killed by Ming soldiers in revenge.

But more people chose to flee towards Shaoguan City.

Seeing this scene, Weng Zhaolin also suggested to Fulongan.

"Sir, this is something you can't do, so withdraw!"

"Retreat to Shaoguan City first, and then make long-term plans!"

Guizhou Admiral Zhang Yong on the side also spoke.

"Yes, sir, our army has rescued thousands of nationalities who fell into the hands of Ming thieves. The purpose of this ambush has been achieved."

"Without the Qing clan as a threat, our army no longer has to restrain its hands when facing the attack of the Ming thieves."

"We can definitely defend Shaoguan!"

Hearing this, Gao Sheng also spoke.

"Yes, sir, our army not only rescued thousands of captured nationalities in this battle, but also annihilated thousands of Ming thieves. It is already a great victory. There is no harm in withdrawing our troops."

Gao Sheng was quite skilled in turning defeat into victory and fabricating battle reports out of thin air.

Well, that's what he did when he was defeated in the battle of Hualiang Village and then led his troops to retreat to Yong'an Prefecture!
It’s quite experienced!

Gao Sheng's words would give Fulongan a step up.

Although the Qing army was defeated in this battle, its losses were much greater than those of the Ming army.

But their goal of rescuing the Eight Banners prisoners held by the Ming army was achieved, and they also annihilated two to three thousand Ming army forwards.

To say that he won is actually just barely enough!
With the steps, Fulongan naturally stopped insisting and went down the steps.

He opened his mouth and ordered.

"Okay, order the whole army to retreat to Shaoguan and strengthen Shaoguan's defense..."

After saying this, the Qing army began to retreat.

In order to prevent the Ming army from chasing the Qing army into the city, Fulong'an, while ordering the army to retreat, also asked the three admirals of Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi to each send a bid to break the rear of the army.

The Ming army tried to pursue them, but after seeing that the Qing army retreated in an orderly manner, they did not rush forward to pursue them.

In fact, it is because the terrain outside Shaoguan Pass is too narrow. It is not an exaggeration to say that one man can pass the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it.

The Ming army did not dare to advance for fear of being surrounded again.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy for the Qing army to withdraw into Shaoguan.

Of course, the Ming army said that they did not rush into pursuit, but after the Qing army retreated, they took advantage of the situation and captured its three-way company camp outside Shaoguan.

Opened the channel for the army to attack Shaoguan!

……

Zhu Jing'an was riding on horseback, looking at the Qing army flag floating on the wall of Shaoguan Pass, he let out a heavy breath and his face became serious.

Although the Ming army won today's battle, it was definitely a tragic victory.

The forward battalion lost nearly 3000 people, but that was fine. The forward battalion was originally cannon fodder, so Zhu Jing'an did not feel too distressed.

But the key is that in this battle, he also lost the best siege weapon in his hand-Eight Banners prisoners of war!
Although it greatly destroyed the effective strength of the Qing army, it opened the final channel for the Ming army to attack Shaoguan.

But it’s hard to say whether we will gain or lose from today’s battle.

After all, if there were no Eight Banners prisoners of war to serve as cannon fodder, the Ming army would probably attack Shaoguan Jiancheng, and casualties would be inevitable.

Zhu Jing'an took a deep breath and spoke.

"Here's the order. All the soldiers from the forward battalion who survived this battle will be transferred to the rear for repairs. There is no need to continue to participate in the next battle."

"After the repairs are completed, all of them will be incorporated into our army's regular soldiers to commend them for their perseverance and loyalty in fighting to the death even if they are trapped in a tight siege."

"The names of the soldiers of the forward battalion who died in the battle must be compiled, and the pensions must be done well after the war. The land and pensions issued by the court must be ensured to be given to the families of the fallen soldiers, without any mistakes."

"Disabled soldiers must also be properly accommodated, and they must not be left without a place..."

"Anyone who dares to lay hands on our army's pensions and farmland, no matter who he is, will be killed without mercy!"

Although Zhu Jing'an is now a little dissatisfied with the forward battalion that has rushed in.

However, he knew that he himself was actually responsible for this matter.

As the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, it was his problem that he failed to respond in time to the disjointedness of the former army and make adjustments.

Zhu Jing'an can throw the blame away if he wants to. He can definitely throw the blame to the generals who are in charge of the front line.

However, Zhu Jing'an cannot and will not do this.

He doesn't deceive himself and others, imitating Chongzhen and passing the blame to his subordinates!

Not only would he not blame his subordinates, he would even take the initiative to reward them.

To commend the bravery and loyalty of the frontline soldiers, and to commend them for fighting desperately even when they were trapped in a tight siege and suffered heavy losses.

Because he understands that as a ruler, the most taboo thing is to be mean and unkind.

Remember, the people below put their heads in their belts and rebel with you for the sake of high official status and glory and wealth.

Not to be punished by you.

If a ruler is mean and unkind, who would dare to follow you?

Since ancient times, have there been rulers who were mean and unkind but accomplished things?

Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, including Temujin and Nurhaci, who was not particularly generous to his subordinates in the early stages of starting a business?

The rabbit will die and the dog will be cooked. Crossing the river and burning the bridge is something that will only be done after catching the rabbit and crossing the river.

You have to do things in a clear order!

Among the three elements of military management, "letters of rewards and punishments," rewards are at the forefront.

If a subordinate makes a merit while making a mistake.

The most capable ruler overlooks his mistakes and rewards his merits.

A ruler with mediocre abilities will allow his subordinates to count their merits and demerits.

Only the most incompetent rulers will be mean and unkind and ignore the merits of their subordinates, but focus on their mistakes and pay careful attention to punishments.

Remember, although you cannot be blindly tolerant to your subordinates, you must be punished when they deserve it.

But the purpose of this punishment is to shock, to establish authority, and to set up an example to warn people.

And it is definitely not punishment for the sake of punishment!

The main purpose of Zhu Jing'an's reward for the remnants of the forward battalion this time was to appease people's hearts and tell the Ming army that there would be great benefits in hanging out with me.

Even if you die, I will treat your family well.

Therefore, don’t be afraid when you go to the battlefield, feel free and bold to work for me!
When the ordering soldiers beside Zhu Jing'an heard this, they clasped their fists and went down to convey the order.

Not long after, there were cheers after cheers from all over the Ming army.

Especially in the forward battalion, the morale that had been low due to the loss of thousands of people in one fell swoop was revived.

Seeing this, Zhu Jing'an breathed a sigh of relief and his face looked better!

But he ordered anyway.

"Order people to clean up the battlefield and prepare for the attack on Shaoguan!"

"Shaoguan is the gateway to Guangdong and Guangxi. It must be in the hands of my Ming Dynasty. Shaoguan City must be captured at all costs."

"I'm going to order all the generals to come to the governor's tent to discuss matters, make a post-war summary, and reflect on our army's mistakes and omissions in this battle..."

(End of this chapter)