The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 386: Throw yourself into a desperate situation and then survive; put yourself in a deadly situation and then live

Outside the central army tent, the wind grew stronger, blowing up thousands of flags.

Inside the central army tent, the lights flickered, making the figures of the people unclear and unsteady.

Sun Chuanting lowered his head, stood in front of the sand table, and pressed his hand on the edge of the sand table.

Most of his face was hidden in shadow, making it difficult to see his expression.

Chen Wang maintained his salute posture, facing Sun Chuanting, waiting for Sun Chuanting's response.

Hu Dawei and Fang Guoan looked at Sun Chuanting, waiting for his military order.

Xiao Shending and Zheng Jiadong looked gloomy and worried, waiting for Sun Chuanting's decision.

There was an eerie silence in the big tent.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but the lights in the central military tent seemed to have dimmed a lot.

And Sun Chuanting finally raised his head in the end.

Sun Chuanting's movement of raising his head drew everyone's attention to his face.

Sun Chuanting looked tired, and the sharpness of the past was no longer visible between his brows.

Seeing the devastation everywhere, seeing the slim chances, seeing the country's decline.

All of this made Sun Chuanting feel more and more tired.

Sun Chuanting opened his mouth slowly, straightened his body, and slowly swept his eyes over the generals in front of him, gradually becoming determined.

Finally, his gaze rested on Chen Wang.

Looking at Chen Wang's tall figure, Sun Chuanting had a complicated expression.

Before the campaign to support the king, Chen Wang, who had only fought in a thousand-mile area in Shaanxi, Huguang and Henan, could be considered a qualified general with the ability to control a town, but he could only control a town.

However, Chen Wang nowadays, his vision is no longer limited to one place or one city. His overall planning is first-rate, his marching and deployment are orderly, and he has the style of a great general.

During the campaign to support the king, he deliberately gave Chen Wang advice and taught him his research on battle formations, and the skills of deploying troops and commanding battles.

Most of the time, Chen Wang served as his deputy.

"Returning to Suzhou is indeed the best solution right now..."

The solution Chen Wang came up with is indeed the best and most reliable solution.

The food supply was cut off and the army had no more than nine days' worth of food.

The army had been in arrears of wages for a long time and had been cut off from food. It was surrounded on all sides and was in a desperate situation. If it was not careful, it would be in danger of collapse.

The best approach at this moment is to act decisively and immediately withdraw the reinforcements.

only……

The situation has come to this point...

How to withdraw...

As soon as they withdrew, the Ming army in Fengyang City was like a turtle in a jar and a fish in a pot.

At this time, there was internal turmoil in the southeast, and Zhang Xianzhong took advantage of the situation to enter Jiangxi.

Natural disasters have been constant, and public grievances have been accumulating for a long time. When the war broke out, a large-scale civil uprising broke out in Jiangxi.

The previous war in Nanzhili prompted the imperial court to issue an edict, dispatching troops from the southeastern provinces to rescue Nanzhili.

As a result, a large number of combat troops were withdrawn from Jiangxi, and the remaining garrison troops were mostly unable to fight and were completely unable to do anything about the civil unrest, so they could only hide in the city garrisons.

Many cities were even broken by the rebels. Jiangxi Province was in a state of panic. The officials, gentry and landlords could only organize militias and form alliances to protect themselves.

Today, northern Jiangxi is in flames and the war continues.

Zhang Xianzhong went all the way south and entered Jiangxi through many places.

This time, Zhang Xianzhong did not burn, kill and loot as he had done before, but instead started to mobilize the Fire-Fighting Army.

They opened the granaries to release grain, raised the banner of rebellion, and put forward the slogans of equal distribution of land and exemption of grain tax, pacifying the Central Plains, and eliminating corrupt officials.

Zhang Xianzhong used his own elite cavalry as the main force and trained a large number of infantry.

They no longer moved quickly like before, but began to march in an orderly manner.

On the way of retreat, a large number of people who had lost their land and livelihoods due to natural disasters and man-made calamities joined Zhang Xianzhong's troops one after another.

At the same time, the rebel forces in various parts of Jiangxi also unanimously moved closer to Zhang Xianzhong, who was in the limelight at the time.

Not long ago, news came from Jiangxi that Zuo Liangyu and Luo Rucai had a fierce battle with Zhang Xianzhong's troops in Jiujiang.

Zuo Liangyu and Luo Rucai led 17,000 troops together to pursue the enemy all the way, first winning a small victory in the west of Jiujiang, and then pursuing the enemy all the way to the outskirts of Jiujiang city.

Unexpectedly, just outside the city of Jiujiang, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly ordered his troops to return to fight.

Zhang Xianzhong personally led his elite cavalry to charge the battle line. The pursuing Ming army's vanguard was caught off guard and collapsed. The lieutenant general Wang Yunfeng, who was the commander of the vanguard, was killed in the battle.

After the pursuing vanguard is frustrated, the general situation should be to observe the enemy situation, then reorganize the army and pursue again.

But behind the vanguard, the leader was Luo Rucai.

Luo Rucai had a deep hatred for Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Xianzhong fled to Sichuan and used Luo Rucai as bait to lure the Ming army, resulting in heavy casualties among Luo Rucai's troops.

Even Luo Rucai's uncle Luo Dain was killed in the chaos.

Finally, Luo Rucai was surrounded and killed by the Ming army in the deep mountains and forests in Sichuan, with no way to heaven and no door to earth.

Luo Rucai finally chose to surrender and accepted all of Yang Sichang's requests for amnesty, and only made one request.

After being recruited, he would lead a battalion and join the hunt for Zhang Xianzhong.

Luo Rucai was originally gathering the defeated soldiers, intending to reorganize his forces before pursuing the enemy.

But as luck would have it, he saw Zhang Xianzhong's big banner among the chaotic army.

When enemies meet, they are naturally jealous of each other.

Luo Rucai became furious and immediately ordered the entire army to put on armor. He then personally led the armored cavalry to charge towards Zhang Xianzhong.

Zhang Xianzhong's original intention was to take advantage of the proximity of Jiujiang to defeat the pursuing Ming army vanguard so that he could safely cross Jiujiang City and continue southward.

But he never expected that Luo Rucai would ignore him and actually attack him.

At this time, Zhang Xianzhong naturally could not give in.

If they retreat, it would probably cause a chain reaction and they would be defeated in one fell swoop by the cavalry led by Luo Rucai.

Zhang Xianzhong therefore went into battle determined to do so.

Then the local battles gradually expanded, and subsequent reinforcements from both sides arrived, making the situation increasingly chaotic.

A fierce battle broke out outside the city of Jiujiang.

The troops under Zhang Xianzhong marched eastwards, and although they were quite tired, they had sufficient supplies and were able to barely keep the army well fed and clothed.

The common people who came from all over the place to follow the army transported supplies for the army and carried armor and weapons, so the physical fitness of the soldiers under Zhang Xianzhong's command was naturally well preserved.

On the other hand, the Ming army was already at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, and after days of traveling, they were short of supplies, lacked food and clothing, and were already exhausted.

The troops under the command of Zuo Liangyu and Luo Rucai could not be considered elite.

In the battle of Luohou Mountain, most of Zuo Liangyu's elite troops were killed, and they suffered heavy casualties in subsequent battles.

The troops under Zuo Liangyu's command are now a mix of new and old soldiers. The old frontier soldiers he brought from Changping are now no more than a thousand people.

Luo Rucai originally had an elite force under his command, but most of them suffered casualties in the Ming army's repeated encirclement and suppression operations. Although he subsequently trained a new battalion of soldiers, his real direct lineage was still the more than a thousand elite cavalrymen he led when he surrendered.

The battle under Jiujiang City ended with Zhang Xianzhong's great victory.

When the balance of power on the battlefield tilted, Zuo Liangyu saw that the situation was hopeless and led his troops to evacuate the battlefield.

Seeing that the distance between him and Zhang Xianzhong was getting farther and farther and that more and more enemy troops were pouring in, Luo Rucai had no choice but to give up.

The situation in the southeast is getting worse.

Zhang Xianzhong now roams across Jiangxi and no one can stop him, causing a huge uproar.

If they evacuated Fengyang at this time, the Ming army in Fengyang would be in an irretrievable situation.

If the Ming army in Fengyang was annihilated, not only would the entire Southern Zhili fall into enemy hands in the near future, but Zuo Liangyu would also lose control.

The reason why Zuo Liangyu is still willing to obey orders now is largely because of Hou Xun's orders and his hatred for Zhang Xianzhong.

After Zuo Liangyu was defeated in the Battle of Jiujiang, he began to hesitate and was unwilling to fight with all his heart.

If Hou Xun died, Zuo Liangyu would probably ignore Zhang Xianzhong and concentrate on managing his troops. Now Zuo Liangyu has 30,000 to 40,000 troops under his command, and Liu Guoneng, Xu Kebian and other peasant soldiers who surrendered only obey Zuo Liangyu's command.

Zuo Liangyu now shows signs of being a warlord!

Today, the northern land is desolate, plague is rampant, and natural disasters continue.

The South, especially the Southeast, is almost the country's only money bag today.

If the southeast falls, the road will be blocked.

According to the current situation, I am afraid...

Sun Chuanting clenched his fists. He didn't even dare to think about the consequences of the fall of the Southeast.

The Battle of Songjin was about to break out, the situation in the northwest was in chaos, and the southeast was showing signs of collapse.

Such a situation.

How can I withdraw?

But what can I do if I don’t retreat now?
Sun Chuanting stared at the sand table in front of him.

At this moment, he completely understood Lu Xiangsheng, who had led a lone army into Jiazhuang.

He thought Lu Xiangsheng had a choice, but in fact Lu Xiangsheng had no choice at all.

At that moment, at this moment.

It seems that Sun Chuanting has a choice.

But Sun Chuanting had no choice at all.

"Fengyang's gains and losses."

Sun Chuanting's gaze slowly swept across the crowd.

He took the command whip placed aside and pointed it towards Fengyang's position on the sand table.

“It concerns the overall situation of the South.”

"If Fengyang is lost, Nanjing will not be safe."

"If Nanjing is lost, the fall of Southern Zhili will be imminent."

"The situation in the southeast has deteriorated, and the bandit army can no longer be controlled."

In fact, everyone in the tent knew what Sun Chuanting said.

But the current situation is so dangerous, what else can we do if not retreat back to Suzhou?
Sun Chuanting slowly raised his head and retracted his gaze from the sand table in front of him.

His eyes wandered and moved slowly, scanning the generals and officers in the central military tent.

"The barbarians in the northwest are in chaos and are constantly harassing us."

Sun Chuanting's voice was low and hoarse, and he spoke each word with emphasis.

"The southeast is in turmoil, and war is everywhere."

Sun Chuanting lowered his head and looked at the sand table in front of him.

"The Liaodong border situation has been corrupt for a long time."

"Natural disasters continue, and plague breaks out again."

Sun Chuanting closed his eyes and was speaking.

"War and weapons roiled the people, and people's livelihood was in decline."

"Overturn..."

Sun Chuanting's voice was very low, but everyone in the central military tent could still hear it clearly.

“It’s very close.”

As soon as Sun Chuanting finished speaking, there was dead silence in the central military tent.

The breathing sound that was originally imperceptible seemed extremely clear at this moment.

Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly. Even though he had excellent self-control for a long time, Sun Chuanting's words still made his breathing speed up involuntarily.

Chen Wang's eyes moved slightly, and Hu Dawei, Fang Guoan and others in the tent were already shocked and terrified.

What Sun Chuanting said now is extremely treasonous. If the censor hears about it and reports it to the emperor, he will be arrested and imprisoned immediately.

"so……"

Sun Chuanting put down the command whip in his hand and looked at the people in the tent again.

"Fengyang, we can't retreat."

Chen Wang's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression remained unchanged, and he looked directly at Sun Chuanting.

Hu Dawei and Fang Guoan both looked slightly gloomy. They looked at each other, then smiled bitterly and showed helpless looks.

Xiao Shending and Zheng Jiadong both had frightened looks in their eyes and gloomy expressions. They subconsciously took a half step back and frowned coldly.

Sun Chuanting took in the expressions of all the generals in the tent without exception.

When people are in a desperate situation, it is normal for people to want to survive and have different opinions.

Sun Chuanting raised the whip in his hand again, but this time he did not point it at Fengyang, but at Nanzhili.

"Troops from Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi have already arrived to support Nanzhili. The fastest of them is only a hundred miles away from Nanjing and can serve as follow-up reinforcements."

"The food supply route to the north has been cut off, but our army can obtain supplies from the south."

Sun Chuanting held the command whip in his hand and pointed at Linhuai.

"Linhuai is located to the east of Fengyang. Now that we have occupied Linhuai, we only need to communicate with Nanjing to obtain food and grass."

There is no doubt that there is abundant food and fodder in Nanjing City.

"It is indeed feasible to obtain supplies from the southeast, but the roads to the southeast of Linhuai are all open. Fengyang Mountain is controlled by the bandit army, so it is very easy to cut off our supply."

Fang Guoan, who had been silent all this time, stood up at this time and raised questions.

Fengyang Mountain is a mountain range located fifty miles south of Fengyang City.

It is located at the junction of the southern part of Fengyang and the northern part of Dingyuan County, running nearly east-west and stretching for more than 80 miles.

Fengyang was besieged and could not receive supplies because the Wanmin Army occupied Fengyang Mountain, stationed troops and set up camp on the tall Fengyang Mountain, cutting off the supplies and aid coming from the south.

"I know."

Sun Chuanting dropped the command whip in his hand and said firmly.

"Therefore, we must capture the eastern part of Fengyang Mountain to ensure the safety of the southeast."

Sun Chuanting's tone was unquestionable.

Chen Wang had been working under Sun Chuanting for a long time, and he knew that Sun Chuanting had already made the final decision in his mind.

No matter how many words there are, no matter how many factors influence it, it is destined to be impossible to change Sun Chuanting's decision.

Chen Wang sighed in his heart.

Eventually, things inevitably shifted towards the worst.

Sun Chuanting's choice was actually within Chen Wang's prediction.

Proposing to retreat back to Suzhou was an effort made by Chen Wang.

We hope that Sun Chuanting will change a little after enduring a year in prison and torture.

But now it seems.

Sun Chuanting is still the same Sun Chuanting.

Inside the Chinese military tent.

Sun Chuanting raised his head, straightened his spine, and the sharpness reappeared in his eyes, just like when he was in Heishui Yushi and Qingshan Pass.

A heavy burden was placed on his shoulders, but there was still no way to subdue him.

"Throw it into a desperate situation and then it will survive; put it in a deadly situation and then it will live."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Sun Chuanting dropped the whip in his hand and gave orders in a serious voice.

"tomorrow."

"March!"