The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 382 Chongzhen Fourteenth Year

Fengyang is located in the Jianghuai Hills, with high terrain in the south and low terrain in the north. The southern part is mainly composed of eroded mountains and hills, while the central part is mainly river terraces and hills, with relatively small terrain undulations.

To the north is the Huai River, which is an alluvial plain, so it is flat and extremely convenient for the army to deploy.

The Huai River begins at Dafu, flows underground, and appears at Yangkou.

The Huai River, together with the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Ji River, is known as one of the "Four Rivers".

The Huai River has abundant water, so there are countless fertile fields on both sides of the river.

The economy is extremely developed with a crisscross network of waterways, boats travelling back and forth, and merchants coming and going.

In normal times, even in winter, there are many caravans and boats on both sides of the Huai River.

But now, in the midst of war and chaos, hundreds of thousands of troops from the people's army surrounded the central capital Fengyang.

The huge Fengyang Zhongdu was surrounded by a military force numbering hundreds of thousands.

Today, the northern part of Fengyang, on the south bank of the Huai River, is full of camps set up by the People's Army. On the river bank, people coming and going are all the People's Army cavalrymen wearing helmets and armor.

Not to mention merchants and peddlers, even birds and animals didn't dare to get close.

On the north bank of the Huai River, opposite the endless camps of the Wanmin Army were the camps of the Ming army that were advancing southward to suppress them.

A large group of cavalrymen rushed across the fields on the north bank, their fiery red flags appearing and disappearing among the fluttering white snow.

The bugles sounded continuously and the command flags waved.

Across the plain, several black lines meandered and extended all the way to the distant horizon.

At this moment, all the Ming troops heading south were approaching the middle section of the Huai River, approaching Fengyang...

On the north bank of the river, the river breeze was so cold that it was almost impossible for Sun Chuanting to open his eyes.

In the field of vision, the wind and snow were getting stronger, and the camp of the Wanmin Army was covered by the snow and became blurred.

Sun Chuanting looked gloomy and his thoughts were in a mess.

Before he was imprisoned, the 36th Battalion of bandits had been beaten to the point of being torn apart and nearly destroyed.

If Xiong Wencan had not been greedy and incompetent, the rebellion in the Central Plains would have been quelled long ago.

But now, the situation in the entire southern country has fallen to the bottom, which is even more severe than when the bandits were at their peak in the seventh year of Chongzhen.

This army of people that emerged from Henan, from top to bottom, completely exceeded Sun Chuanting's expectations.

All the sorrow in my heart finally turned into a long sigh.

"I never thought that the situation in the South would become so deteriorating..."

Compared with the Thirty-Six Battalions which have been developing for more than a decade but still have difficulty in breaking away from banditry and have always been in a scattered state, the Ten Thousand People's Army is not a bit stronger.

After being released from prison, only a year or so had passed, but the People's Army already had the power to overthrow several provinces.

Along the way, the more Sun Chuanting learned about the Wanmin Army, the more he realized how terrifying it was.

As the Wanmin Army continued to open its warehouses to provide relief grain and its slogan of "equal distribution of land and exemption of taxes" influenced it, not only did a large number of refugees join its ranks, but even many poor people began to support the Wanmin Army.

The number of the Wanmin Army continued to expand and its combat effectiveness continued to increase.

"The Ten Thousand Bandits took advantage of our pursuit of the remnants of the Thirty-Six Battalions to rise up, and today they have become very powerful, but their time is short after all."

Chen Wang was wearing iron armor and a red cotton cloak, standing alone beside Sun Chuanting.

The armored soldiers who served as guards were standing a dozen steps away, and the rest of the generals were in charge of the soldiers in their respective camps.

After Sun Chuanting arrived at the north bank, he inspected the battlefield and only asked Chen Wang to accompany him.

"The Ten Thousand Bandits are completely different from the Thirty-Six Battalions. The Thirty-Six Battalions are roving bandits, mainly composed of elite cavalry, so they can move as fast as the wind and are difficult to annihilate."

"But the majority of the bandit army are infantry. They have set up camps in the cities along the way, intending to become a sitting bandit. We only need to defeat them head-on once and they will be wiped out."

Chen Wang didn't know why Sun Chuanting suddenly expressed his emotion, but he had to respond and at the same time try to find out Sun Chuanting's true thoughts indirectly.

"Now that the bandit army has surrounded Fengyang, it is a crisis, but it is also an opportunity for our army."

"If we can defeat the main force of the Wanthiere Army in Fengyang, it will be difficult for the bandit leader Li Yan to stir up trouble in the Southland again, regardless of whether he is beheaded."

Chen Wang carefully considered his words and spoke slowly.

"Once the Ten Thousand Bandits are defeated, the bandits inside the pass will be so frightened that they will never again have the intention of rebelling."

"By then, the interior of the country will be cleared up and the unrest will be eliminated. It will be very close."

A glimmer of light appeared in Sun Chuanting's eyes, but then slowly faded away.

"The unrest has been eliminated..."

Sun Chuanting turned his head slightly, his eyes stayed on Chen Wang's face for a moment, and then quickly retracted them.

"I hope so..."

Chen Wang noticed that Sun Chuanting seemed to want to say something, but for some reason, Sun Chuanting did not continue on this topic.

Sun Chuanting's face was pale, and he looked at the Huai River flowing eastward in front of him. His voice was low and hoarse, no longer as passionate as before.

"We can't afford to lose this battle."

These words seemed to be spoken to Chen Wang, but also seemed to be spoken to himself.

Chen Wang's mind moved slightly, and he hesitated for a moment. He did not choose to respond, but just stood silently beside Sun Chuanting.

"Report from the Northwest: Li Zicheng invaded Songpan and Taozhou and defeated the troops from Shaanxi. Zuo Guangxian and Li Guoqi have been demoted for their crimes."

Sun Chuanting's voice was very soft, but to Chen Wang's ears, it was no less than a thunderclap in the plain.

"how is this possible?"

Chen Wang frowned. Li Zicheng fled to Qinghai and attacked Songpan and Taozhou from Qinghai. Songpan and Taozhou had the advantage of geographical location.

Zuo Guangxian and Li Guoqi were both veterans of the battlefield, and their troops were considered the best and brightest of the era, with a total of more than 20,000 soldiers and horses.

With such a force, it is difficult to wipe out Li Zicheng, but it is not a problem to defend the existing territory.

With a strong garrison, sufficient food supplies, and the advantage of geographical location, how could they not be able to stop Li Zicheng's attack?

Even if the Mongols in Qinghai were included, it would be absolutely difficult to capture Songpan and Taozhou.

Chen Wang remembered very clearly that at that time, the Khoshut tribe of the Qinghai Mongols had just sent troops to Xikang to eliminate Donyue Dorje, the leader of the Bon religion regime.

This year is the 14th year of Chongzhen. In this year, Gushri Khan raided Tibet and then destroyed the Tsangpa Dynasty in one fell swoop, killing the last king of the Tsangpa Dynasty, Karma Danjung Wangbu.

This was the critical time for Gushri Khan to advance into Tibet, so how could he lend troops to help Li Zicheng?

The troops under Li Zicheng's command had been shrinking under the previous suppression. According to a report submitted by Shaanxi Governor Ding Qirui a few years ago, there were only more than 30,000 soldiers left under Li Zicheng's command.

"Disputes in the snowy areas continue, and Qinghai and Mongolia are too busy to take care of themselves."

"There are many chieftains in Songpan and Taozhou. Could it be that they..."

Chen Wang stopped talking halfway through.

There is only one possibility for the fall of Songpan and Taozhou.

When I looked up, I saw Sun Chuanting looking at me.

"Could it be... the guards of Songpan and Taozhou..."

Sun Chuanting nodded slightly and said in a deep voice.

"Most of the Qiang chieftains in Songpan and Taozhou rebelled and joined forces with Li Zicheng, causing unrest in the northwest."

"However, after conquering Songpan and Taozhou, Li Zicheng did not attack again."

Chen Wang calmed down. He knew why Li Zicheng stopped sending troops, and he also figured out why Li Zicheng chose to send troops to Songpan and Taozhou at this time.

It is most likely because at that time the Mongols in Qinghai were preparing to attack the Tsangpa Dynasty.

Since Li Zicheng had formed an alliance with the Mongols in Qinghai, he should also send troops to fight.

In exchange, Li Zicheng borrowed troops from the Mongolian army in Qinghai, contacted the Qiang chieftains in Songpan and Taozhou, attacked them, and occupied their territories as his base.

With his understanding of history, although there was not much information about the Northwest, Chen Wang was able to guess the general situation.

However, Sun Chuanting obviously did not know the inside story, so he was still worried about the Northwest.

"Zhang Xianzhong is still on the run, and the situation in Liaodong is not optimistic either."

Sun Chuanting shook his head, looking extremely worried, and sighed.

"When we arrived at the waterside yesterday, a secret report came from the imperial court." "The Jiannu built a camp outside Jinzhou City, surrounding the city. They dug deep trenches outside the camps, erected fences, and dug deep trenches between the camps. Now Jinzhou City is surrounded and water is impassable."

With every word Sun Chuanting spoke, his voice became deeper.

"The outer city of Jinzhou fell because of the rebellion of the Mongolian soldiers inside the city. The Jinzhou soldiers have now retreated to the inner city for defense. The Jiannu repaired the moat and destroyed the city walls. Zu Dashou sent a letter to the capital, saying that Jinzhou's external aid and supplies have been cut off, and there is only about three months of food left."

"The court is now discussing how to rescue Jinzhou."

"The Liaodong War will take place within these two months..."

If Li Zicheng's invasion of Songpan and Taozhou only made Chen Wang feel a little surprised.

Now, the information Sun Chuanting told about Liaodong made Chen Wang feel cold in his heart.

The butterfly's wings flapped again. His arrival caused more and more changes, and more and more things had deviated from their original track.

Chen Wang clearly remembered that the Battle of Songjin broke out in March and the outer city of Jinzhou fell.

However, the outer city of Jinzhou fell more than two months earlier than in history.

Chen Wang frowned and thought deeply, he had an idea.

The biggest reason why the progress of the Battle of Songjin was pushed forward was probably that the Qing army did not gain much from its southward march during the Wuyin Rebellion.

In order to make up for this loss, the Qing army increased the speed and intensity of the attack.

"Although Zhang Xianzhong is still on the run, General Zuo is leading the troops behind him and can't cause much trouble."

Looking at the worried-looking Sun Chuanting, Chen Wang hesitated for a moment, took a step forward and said.

"As for Liaodong..."

"We are in the South, thousands of miles away from Liaodong. Even if we want to help, we are powerless."

"All we can do is trust the generals of the Nine Frontiers to stabilize the situation."

Although the outcome of the Battle of Songjin was already known, the Ming army's chance of winning was less than 20%.

But if he had a choice, Chen Wang still hoped that the Ming army would win.

If Songjin is defeated, hundreds of thousands of good Han men will be buried in the wild...

Everything outside Shanhaiguan will fall into the hands of the Qing army.

If you want to take it back in the future, you will need to spend ten or even a hundred times the strength.

Just like the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun given away by the child emperor Shi Jingtang, it is difficult to recover.

The strong wind blows, blowing up thousands of battle robes.

Sun Chuanting closed his eyes, but the sadness between his brows still could not be dispelled.

"Chen Wang..."

"I want to ask you a question."

Sun Chuanting turned his head and looked at Chen Wang. He spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.

"The governor asked, I hope you will tell me everything you know."

Chen Wang lowered his eyebrows and answered respectfully.

"Do you think... our Ming Dynasty... is really doomed?"

Chen Wang had thought about many questions, but he never expected that Sun Chuanting would ask such a question.

trap?

This was Chen Wang’s first thought.

Could it be that Sun Chuanting discovered something through some clues?

Chen Wang subconsciously tightened the goose-feather knife at his waist, and his eyes swept to both sides.

Most of the hundreds of armored soldiers around were Sun Chuanting's personal guards. He only brought Chen Gong and seven or eight personal guards.

If Sun Chuanting wanted to...

wrong……

Chen Wang reacted quickly.

Sun Chuanting probably didn't notice.

Even if they noticed, they wouldn't take him down at this time.

A great war is about to begin, and no accidents can occur in the army.

After all, Chen Wang was a veteran in the battlefield, and in just a short moment, he had figured out the key.

He raised his head and met Sun Chuanting's gaze.

Chen Wang was also convinced that Sun Chuanting's question was not a trap.

Because, in Sun Chuanting's eyes, Chen Wang did not see the same sharpness as before.

Some are just melancholy, some are just worry...

And...sadness...

Although only about a year had passed, Sun Chuanting seemed to have become a different person.

Originally, Sun Chuanting was a very aggressive person, but he was just the governor of a province. However, he dared to confront Yang Sichang, who was the Minister of War and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet and was favored by the emperor at that time.

He has always been decisive and enterprising in his actions, even more so than Lu Xiangsheng.

Looking at Sun Chuanting, who was almost a different person from before, Chen Wang suddenly thought of a poem.

A poem written to Sun Chuanting by later generations.

Gains and losses are not a big deal, just wield the sword to cut off the worries of the country and family.

Sun Chuanting is the same as Lu Xiangsheng.

When you reach a desperate situation, you know that it is impossible to do it, but you still do it.

They are the most orthodox images of literati and the most orthodox images of gentlemen in Chinese history.

Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness.

Set up the heart for the heaven and the earth, set the destiny for the livelihood and the people, for the sacred and inherited knowledge, and for the peace of the world.

They tried their best to turn the tide and save the collapsing building.

But, in the end…

They still failed...

The building is about to collapse, how can it be supported by a single piece of wood?
The tide is about to turn. How can one person stop it?
The Ming Dynasty had been plagued by problems for a long time and was already in a state of terminal decline...

The stronger the river wind, the colder it is even if you are wearing winter clothes.

Chen Wang did not answer Sun Chuanting's words.

From the look in Sun Chuanting's eyes, Chen Wang understood everything.

He didn't need to answer this question.

because.

Sun Chuanting.

In his heart.

In fact, the answer already exists.

"Pass on my military orders."

Sun Chuanting raised his head and tightened the goose-feather knife at his waist again. His eyes gradually became firm.

The river breeze was cold, blowing up waves that spread into the distant sky and earth.

Sun Chuanting's firm voice spread far away.

"Cross the river."

I haven't written for a long time, so there may be some problems with the rhythm of the writing. If you think there are any parts that are not well written, you can point them out in the comments and I will correct them.