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

Chapter 167 Battle in Changsha ([-])

Also, after the defeat in Xiangyang, it was inevitable that the remaining soldiers of the White Lotus would be unstable.

Under this situation, everyone in the White Lotus Sect urgently needs someone to endorse them and give them legitimacy to rule.

This is the so-called righteousness!

Used to stabilize the hearts of the people below.

As of now, the only one that can meet their needs is the Daming family.

If these remnants of the White Lotus Sect can be canonized by the Ming Dynasty, it will largely stabilize the morale of the army.

Because, in the eyes of many people, Ming Dynasty is orthodox!

After hearing this, Song Zhiqing thought for a while and then spoke.

"Actually, there is no conflict between entering Sichuan and us joining the Ming Dynasty."

"Cough cough! Cough!"

After another violent cough, Song Zhiqing took a breath and continued.

"After we are canonized by the Ming Dynasty, we can enter Sichuan under the banner of the Ming Dynasty!"

"After entering Sichuan, we will be safe if our brothers from Sichuan and Sichuan are there to help us. It won't be too late to plan an uprising at that time."

The current disputes within the White Lotus Sect mainly focus on two aspects.

One is to go south and completely surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

The second is to turn west and enter Sichuan after being canonized by the Ming Dynasty.

As for going north to Henan...

Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention it.

Although some of the Qing troops in Henan have now followed Agui southward, this does not mean that the Qing government has no troops in Henan.

Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei and other places have heavy Qing troops stationed.

The White Lotus Teaching Army had already suffered heavy losses under Xiangyang City. If they were to go north to Henan, wouldn't they be looking for death?
If the Qing government's garrisons in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, and Hebei were suppressed, how could the White Lotus Sect be able to withstand it?

Everyone was convinced by Song Zhiqing, and after another discussion, they finally made the final decision.

First send someone to contact the Ming Dynasty and seek to be canonized by the Ming Dynasty, and then start preparing to enter Sichuan...

Obviously, these members of the White Lotus Sect only want the great righteousness and fame from the Ming Dynasty, but do not really want to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

……

Hunan, outside Changsha!
The Ming army camp outside Changsha City is quite large.

The company camps occupied several miles of land, and the city of Changsha was surrounded by deep trenches and fortified strongholds.

The broad Xiangjiang River was even controlled by the Ming army, and several simple forts were built to block the river and prevent the Qing government from passing through the Xiangjiang River to send support to Changsha City.

After Zhu Jing'an arrived in Changsha, he climbed Yuelu Mountain outside Changsha City.

He led the people to stand on Yuelu Mountain and looked at Changsha City in the distance.

Beside him, Liu Mingyou and Tian Wenchang stood with their hands tied, their expressions a little uneasy.

"Your Highness, Changsha City has been unable to be conquered for a long time, which has affected the overall strategy of our army. It is the last general who is incompetent. Please punish him, Your Highness."

Liu Mingyou was really worried and asked Zhu Jing'an for forgiveness.

Hearing this, Zhu Jing'an narrowed his eyes and said.

"Changsha is a fortified city. It is understandable that it cannot be conquered in a short time."

"Besides, isn't Gu just bringing troops to help?"

Although Liu Mingyou was indeed a bit of a loser, as his uncle, he was still loyal enough. Therefore, Zhu Jing'an was not prepared to punish him.

After observing Changsha's city defense for a while, Zhu Jing'an looked away and said.

"What is the specific battle situation in Changsha now? How many Qing troops are there in the city? Who is the general in charge of commanding the troops?"

"Don't tell me, you don't even know this!"

Liu Mingyou heard this and spoke.

"Returning to Your Highness, there are probably 2 Qing garrison troops and [-] militiamen in Changsha City, commanded by Hengzhou Commander-in-Chief Zhao Deshun and Chenzhou Commander-in-Chief Xu Tai respectively."

"Yan Xishen, the governor of Hunan, is responsible for the central dispatch!"

"Since our army arrived at Changsha City, we have launched several strong attacks on Changsha City."

"We even climbed to the top of Changsha City, but were pushed back by the Qing army."

"However, our army is not without success."

“During the siege of the city during this period, our army successively captured Yuelu Mountain, Juzizhou, Gushan and other important places, knocking out all the Qing army’s strongholds outside Changsha, turning Changsha into a completely isolated city. "

After the Ming army arrived in Changsha, although it was blocked by the Changsha Fort, they were not completely without gains.

They sent troops successively to capture several Qing army strongholds outside Changsha!

After the Ming army removed these strongholds, Changsha City became a completely isolated city.

As the saying goes, a lonely city cannot be defended!
Without the support of peripheral strongholds, no matter how strong Changsha City is, it will fall sooner or later.

Hearing this, Zhu Jing'an nodded slightly with satisfaction, and then spoke.

"So good!"

"Send the order and prepare to attack Changsha City again!"

"By the way, finally send someone to persuade us to surrender. If we don't surrender, we will immediately launch an attack on the city."

"Strive to capture Changsha as quickly as possible!"

"Agui defeated the White Lotus Sect outside Xiangyang City, and is expected to head south soon."

Changsha is the key to the current war situation in the south, and it is a battleground for military strategists from both the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Rather than using Changsha to encircle the area and get reinforcements, we could deal with the reinforcements from the Qing army.

This time, Zhu Jing'an preferred to capture Changsha first, and then the Ming army could rely on Changsha's fortified city to let the Qing army's expeditionary troops use their lives to fill the fortified city.

When the Qing army attacked the city until the division veterans were exhausted, the Ming army went out to fight in the field to eliminate the invading Qing army.

While issuing the order to attack the city, Zhu Jing'an also ordered people to send out the sentries to ensure that he had absolute control over the battlefield situation.

In addition, Zhu Jing'an simply set up his camp on Yuelu Mountain in order to better observe the battlefield.

Zhu Jing'an clearly wanted to bully the Qing army for not having large-caliber artillery!

If the Qing army had large-caliber artillery in Changsha City and could bombard Yuelu Mountain, Zhu Jing'an would definitely not put his camp on Yuelu Mountain as a target.

……

In Changsha City!

Looking at the mighty Ming army reinforcements arriving on the battlefield outside the city, Yan Xishen, the governor of Hunan, Zhao Deshun, the commander-in-chief of Hengzhou, Xu Tai, the commander-in-chief of Chenzhou, and others all looked solemn.

"One, two, three, four...ten, twenty, thirty, forty, 130 three!"

"The Ming army reinforcements actually brought more than 100 heavy artillery pieces this time. Changsha may be difficult to defend now!"

Zhao Deshun silently counted the heavy artillery brought to Changsha City by Ming army reinforcements, and couldn't help but gasp.

A total of 130 three large-caliber artillery pieces, not including those he failed to see, as well as a larger number of small-caliber artillery pieces.

This number is really amazing!

Looking at the number of Ming artillery pieces outside the city, Zhao Deshun felt his calves begin to cramp a little.

You know, before the Ming army's reinforcements arrived, even if the Ming army did not have large-caliber artillery that could be used to attack the city, it was still overwhelming the Qing army defending the city in Changsha.

They even stormed and captured all the Qing army's strongholds outside Changsha City, and besieged the Qing army inside Changsha City.

Now Ming army reinforcements have arrived, bringing so many large-caliber artillery that can be used to attack the city.

Zhao Deshun couldn't help but wonder, was it possible to defend Changsha City?

Thinking of these, Zhao Deshun's heart couldn't help but sink.

Xu Tai on the side also looked panicked.A pair of palms holding the city wall gradually tightened, and veins popped out on the back of the hands.

Yan Xishen couldn't help but take a deep breath again, his face was also gloomy and scary.

At this moment, a Qing soldier trotted up to a few people and spoke.

"Sir Governor, the two military gates, the Ming army is here!"

After the Qing sergeant finished speaking, Yan Xishen and the other three exchanged glances, and then Yan Xishen spoke.

"Ahem, go bring them here!"

"Hmph, I would like to see if the war has reached this point, what else does the Ming thief have to say?"

When the Qing soldiers heard this, they kowtowed, then turned and left.

Soon someone was brought.

This man was wearing a Ming Dynasty official robe and a black gauze on his head. Although his beard was gray, he looked quite upright and had a heavy bookish air about him.

It is Xiong Weilin, the contemporary headmaster of Yuelu Academy.

Yan Xishen couldn't help frowning when he saw that the person coming was Xiong Weilin.

"Mr. Xueqiao has been upright throughout his life, with outstanding character and profound knowledge. How come he doesn't care about his reputation now, and for the sake of glory and wealth, he has to work for the thieves?"

In this era, Yuelu Academy's influence on Hunan and the entire southern scholarly community was quite outstanding.

If Xiong Weilin, the mountain leader, chooses to work for the Ming thieves, he will probably cause an uproar among the scholars.

When the time comes, there will really be very few Hunan gentry who turn to thieves!

When Xiong Weilin heard this, he just shook his head and said.

"Why did Governor Yan say this?"

"I work for the Ming Dynasty because I want to restore the Han family's reputation and restore the Han family's world. Why should I be an official in the name of the Qing Dynasty?"

While speaking, Xiong Weilin pointed to the black gauze on his head, and then pointed to the flower feathers on Yan Xishen's head.

Nothing was said, but everything was said!

Look at your and my clothes, you, a traitor who is loyal to the barbarians, what right do you have to despise me, a loyal minister of the Han family?

Seeing this, Yan Xi couldn't help but grit his teeth.

He wanted to ask someone to pull Xiong Weilin down and chop down the sacrificial flag, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't say them anyway.

As the headmaster of Yuelu Academy, Xiong Weilin has great influence!

If Yan Xishen dares to kill him, the wealthy gentry in Changsha City may turn their backs...

Zhao Deshun on the side opened his mouth to help Yan Xishen.

"Mr. Xiong, tell me straight, why are you coming to Changsha?"

"Then the prince of the Ming Dynasty, what message do you want you to bring to us?"

Hearing this, Xiong Weilin cleared his throat and spoke.

"His Royal Highness has a kind heart and does not want to see weapons harming the common people and gentry in Changsha City."

"That's why I finally give you a chance to surrender!"

"If Governor Yan is willing to surrender, His Highness the Crown Prince promises to put aside Governor Yan's previous resistance and will allow Governor Yan to remain in his original position."

"If the two commander-in-chiefs surrender, they can be exempted from their previous crimes, retain their military ranks, and continue to lead troops."

"But if you are still stubborn and continue to resist the king's army, your lives will not be saved after the army breaks the city."

After Xiong Weilin said this, he took a deep breath and continued.

"His Royal Highness also said that if we resist for one day, we will kill [-]% of the surrendered troops as a warning after breaking the city."

"Resist for two days, then we will trap and kill [-]% of the surrendered troops!"

"Resist for three days and trap and kill [-]% of the surrendered troops!"

"If you resist for more than three days, you won't have to surrender. All the surrendering troops will be trapped and killed, leaving no one behind."

"This is the fate of those who dare to resist the Ming Dynasty King's Master!"

"Don't say it's unpredictable!"

As soon as Xiong Weilin said this, there was a burst of noise all around.

Everyone's faces were full of shock and fear.

Yan Xishen and others did not care about the threat from the Ming army, because they had already made up their minds to exchange their lives for reputation.

But the soldiers below cannot care less!
They fight as soldiers just to eat rations. There is no need to risk their lives, right?

When Yan Xishen saw this, he snorted coldly and said.

"The army led by General Agui will arrive soon. If the thieves are capable, Changsha Fort is right here. He can come and get it."

"Why bother to persuade him to surrender?"

"As soon as General Agui arrives, our Changsha garrison will cooperate with him internally and externally. By then, we will not be the passive ones."

"If the prince of the Ming Dynasty is really wise, he should withdraw from the siege of Changsha now and prepare to face General Agui instead of continuing to attack Changsha."

Yan Xishen wanted to use his words to encourage the Changsha garrison and restore their morale.

But the effect is not obvious!
Because Agui was about to lead his troops to Changsha, but Yan Xishen said it himself, and there was no basis for his words.

The Ming army reinforcements and heavy artillery groups outside the city were actually placed in front of everyone.

Looking at those dark heavy cannons, who can not be afraid?
When Xiong Weilin heard this, he didn't force it, he just said with fists in his hands.

"You should think about it for yourselves!"

"Which is more important, your own life or your allegiance to the Lord of the Tartars!"

"..."

Yan Xishen and others were speechless for a while.

……

Soon, Zhu Jing'an received a report that the Changsha defenders refused to surrender to the Ming Dynasty!

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, he was not angry at all, but immediately gave the order.

"Launch the siege!"

Boom!dong dong!

The war drums were beating loudly, and the artillery deployed by the Ming army outside Changsha City began to fire.

With a roar, the cannon popped out of the chamber and shot towards the Changsha city wall!

There was a loud bang, and a cannonball hit the Changsha city wall heavily, causing earth and rocks to splash out from the city wall.

After the school shooting was completed, the Ming army's artillery began to deliver firepower.

Boom!Boom!
There were bursts of shelling.

The sound of artillery resounded throughout Changsha.

At the same time, the Ming army was preparing to attack the city non-stop.

The large-caliber mortars were also ready to fire, and the corresponding explosive shells were transported to the artillery position.

The gunners began to prepare for loading quickly, calculated and designed various elements, and prepared for the bombardment.

The Ming Army has now achieved a breakthrough in the production technology of explosive ammunition and is able to mass-produce it.

This time when the army went north, Zhu Jing'an brought many explosive bombs with him, preparing to use them to attack the enemy.

Changsha City, which refuses to surrender, will become the first fortified city to taste the taste of explosive ammunition after the Ming army deployed large-scale explosives.

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(End of this chapter)