Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 77
Outside the city of Yangzhou, the Qing court guarded the Ezhenzhun Pagoda on the mountain, and led three thousand men and horses of the Manchurian Zhengbai Banner. Together with Meile Ezhen and Li Tai, two thousand Han troops led the Zhenglan Banner, and jointly supervised the Han army Li Benshen, Bai Yongfu and others. 8 horses continue to besiege Yangzhou.

Since Duoduo led more than [-] horsemen across the river to capture Jiangnan, the Qing army that besieged Yangzhou did not attack the city. Instead, they built a stronghold and dug trenches to trap Wang Yan to death.

At this time, the materials in Yangzhou city were already scarce, especially grain and grass, which was only enough for one month's food. Wang Yan saw the Qing soldiers digging wide trenches and building earth walls outside the city, so he knew the intention of the Qing generals, and he led the troops out of the city. Fan rushed to kill, but was forced back to the city because of the disparity in strength.

On July [-]th, Wang Yan saw that the ditches and earthen walls dug by the Qing soldiers under the city had slowly become intertwined. If the Qing army were allowed to dig for a few more days, it would be difficult for Yangzhou soldiers to leave the city. sky.

Wang Yan and the other generals looked at each other, the face of a large number of Qing soldiers digging ditches outside the city couldn't help but look heavy, and they were extremely worried about the future of Yangzhou.

But when everyone in Yangzhou was feeling heavy, the Qing army who were digging under the city suddenly stopped their movements and returned to the Qing camp one after another.

The abnormality of the Qing army made Wang Yan puzzled for a while. Just when he couldn't understand it, there was a faint sound of silk and bamboo in the Qing camp.

When Wang Yan heard it, his expression changed drastically.

"The Qing camp seems to be celebrating and feasting. Could it be that Nanjing has been lost?" He Gang, who was on the side, also had a pale face and said in horror.

All of a sudden, people in Yangzhou were panicked.

It was night, and Wang Yan couldn't sleep because of the day's events. Everything he worried about happened. The land in the south of the Yangtze River may have fallen into captive hands. What should the remaining [-] soldiers and civilians in the isolated city of Yangzhou do?

The country was overthrown, the country was ruined and the family was gone. Wang Yan sighed for the rapid collapse of the court, and was extremely worried about the way out for the soldiers and civilians in Yangzhou.

Under the moonlight, Wang Yan was only wearing a long gown, walking back and forth in the courtyard, thinking hard, but he couldn't come up with a solution, he couldn't help feeling extremely annoyed.

From time to time, Wang Yan still didn't feel sleepy. The huge crisis and responsibility caused him, who was only in his twenties, to have a few strands of white hair on his head.

At this time, Wang Yan looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky, facing its light, he could not help but sigh.

"Has the general ever rested? I have something important to report, so hurry up and pass it on!" A voice sounded outside the courtyard, it was Qu Congzhi who was in charge of night watch.

Wang Yan had already heard the voice, wondering in his heart what else to do at this late hour, he said directly: "But Mr. Qu, just come in directly, the general hasn't rested yet."

When Qu Congzhi led a person into the courtyard, he saluted hurriedly, then stood aside, and when the person who led in saw Wang Yan, he bowed down and said in a sobbing voice: "General, the last general is lucky." Don't disgrace your life, and move here to rescue the soldiers, which is fifty miles east of Yangzhou City."

It was Hu Weizong who came here. He was ordered to sneak back to Yangzhou, contact Wang Yan, and discuss breaking the siege.

"Get up quickly!" Seeing Hu Weizong, Wang Yan couldn't help but hastily walked over to help him up after hearing what he said, and then said excitedly: "At the beginning, the general ordered you and a hundred people to go out of the city to ask for help, but saw the Qing army boats on the river, hunting around , Brothers have suffered countless casualties, I would have been very worried, but now that you have come back safely and brought in reinforcements, I would have been very relieved."

"General, the last general is ordered by Lord Zuo to come to contact the general, and agree to cooperate with the internal and external to break through the Qing army's east camp and help the general break through." Hu Weizong was lifted up and said to Wang Yan.

Zuo Maodi followed Xia Wanchun's words and gave up his plan to retreat to Zhejiang Province. He left a thousand men with warships and bluffed at the mouth of the Yangtze River. .

Along the way, the army moved in concealment until they were fifty miles away from Yangzhou, but they still didn't find the sentry cavalry of the Qing army. Zuo Maodi and others couldn't help secretly praising Xia Wanchun's talent.

Hearing Hu Weizong's words, Wang Yan hesitated in his heart. Now that the Qing soldiers were celebrating Duoduo's victory in the south of the Yangtze River, they believed that the overall situation had been settled, and he felt slack. It is possible, but if he led his troops to break through, what would the people of Yangzhou do?

Yangzhou City was defended for two months, killing and injuring countless Qing soldiers. If the people of Yangzhou fell into the hands of the Qing soldiers, the Qing soldiers would surely massacre the city to vent their anger.

"The matter of breaking out of the siege still needs to be discussed." Wang Yan frowned and said, "The people of Yangzhou, I can't bear to abandon it. I will think about it, and I will give you an answer after thinking about it."

"The heart of the general will be known by the end of the day, and so will the people of Yangzhou." Hu Weizong was very moved when he heard Wang Yan's words, but he didn't want Wang Yan to make unnecessary sacrifices. Nothing is easy. Now that Nanjing has fallen, Your Majesty has been taken captive, and a general is needed to help the country, how can we be trapped in the city."

"General!" Qu Congzhi on the side, has already learned about the situation from Hu Weizong along the way, knowing that with the overthrow of the imperial court, Yangzhou's hope has been completely cut off. Breaking out now is the last chance for Yangzhou's defenders, and he said sadly: "Next The official thought what Hu Weizong said was reasonable, and asked the general to save some fire for Yangzhou and lead the troops to break through. The official is willing to lead the people to defend the city and stay in Yangzhou for the general."

"I will know what you two mean!" Wang Yan heard the words, but he did not change his original intention: "But I will never give up on the people of Yangzhou!"

Seeing Wang Yan's resoluteness, the two couldn't help sighing, but they stopped speaking to persuade each other.

At this time, Wang Yan asked the two of them to retreat first, and waited for him to think about it again. If there is a way to get the best of both worlds, they would discuss it again. The two came to ask for a meeting.

These two people also came from outside the city of Yangzhou, and one of them was Dai Zhifan, one of the hundred warriors who went out of the city to ask for help.

Like Hu Weizong, he was rescued after being seriously injured, but Hu Weizong was washed to the opposite bank of Zhenjiang by the river, while he was washed downstream and was rescued by a businessman.

Dai Zhifan was unconscious, and the businessman was selling goods from Songjiang to Anhui. When he was injured, he had already reached the boundary of Huizhou, so he bid farewell to the businessman, went to the local government, and presented Wang Yan with a letter asking for help.

At that time, Jin Sheng, a Jinshi of the Chongzhen Dynasty, was in Huizhou. He was invited by the magistrate to enter the Yamen to discuss countermeasures. He learned of the crisis in Yangzhou.

Jin Sheng was deeply aware of the danger to his family and country, so he decided to go out of the mountain and together with his disciple Jiang Tianyi, sent troops to help Yang. However, they had few people and supplies along the way, so they moved slowly. Zhengyi County is a hundred miles away.

At this time, Duoduo had already passed the Yangtze River, and the Qing army in the north of the Yangtze River focused their attention on Yangzhou, but they didn't realize that they were soldiers and horses.

With only 4000 troops, Jin Sheng did not dare to attack the Qing camp and enter Yangzhou, so he sent his disciple Jiang Tian and Dai Zhifan to infiltrate Yangzhou, get in touch with the defenders, and then make plans. , but was rarely captured.

At this time, Zhan Ba, who delivered the decree for Duoduo, did not return to Beijing, but stayed in the Qing camp outside Nanjing to assist Zhunta.

After Dai Zhifan and Jiang Tianyi were captured by the training sentry Qing soldiers, they were about to be taken to the Zhunta tent for questioning, but Zhunta held a big banquet in the camp because of Duoduo's capture of Nanjing and Hongguang's capture. Drunk, Zhan Ba ​​did the fine work for him.

When the two were captured, they thought they were going to die, but Zhan Ba ​​not only did not kill the two, but after a letter of divorce, he helped them enter Yangzhou at night.

At this time, Wang Yan learned what happened from the two people, and read Zhan Ba's letter. He couldn't help being overjoyed, and excitedly said to everyone: "Heaven is helping Daming, and there will be a plan to break the prisoner!"

(Thanks to Tang Doudou 123 for the reward of dreams getting farther and farther away from me, and also thanks to book friends for their recommendations and comments!)
(End of this chapter)