Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 991

On August [-]th, although it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, Sichuan has been known as a furnace since ancient times, and the weather was still scorching hot. It was still a huge test for the Jin army, which was mainly composed of northerners.

Because the Jin army used to mainly fight against the tribes of the Western Regions and Moxi Mongolia in the north, the equipment of the soldiers was still mainly from the north.

Jin Guo's strategy shifted from westward to southward. The whole process can be said to be very hasty, and the national strength of Jin Guo is not as good as that of Ming Dynasty after all. , from Lianghuai and Nanyang to the southwest, but Jin Guo has no ability to produce equipment that can be used by the Jin army to fight in the south in a short period of time.

The troops following Hauge to fight in southern Sichuan were alright. Because of their war missions, they were given priority in obtaining equipment. However, the troops in eastern Sichuan basically didn’t have summer clothes because they had no wars. Change.

Wu Sangui returned to the camp south of Fotuguan, near Dadukou, which is the core of the defense of the entire eastern Sichuan.

He just went to various ferries along the Yangtze River to inspect the defense of the army and the preparations for crossing the river, so that after Hauge defeated the Ming army in Luzhou, he would cooperate with the main force of the Jin army to march south of the Yangtze River.

If the Jin army wanted to cross the Yangtze River, there were two methods. One was to prepare as many bamboo rafts as the Ming army did, and choose a ferry that could take advantage of the water to cross the river. The second was to rebuild the pontoon bridge that the Ming army had burned.

The wooden boards on the pontoon bridge were burned, but the iron locks on the Hengjiang River and the iron ox holding the iron locks on the bank were still there. The Ming army couldn't bear to destroy the iron chains that took three years to cast.

Wu Sangui entered the tent, took off his armor, sat down with some sweaty underwear leaking out, picked up the water bowl on the table, and said: "The several ferry crossings along the route have been fully prepared, and now we just wait for the emperor's side." When the news comes, we can cross the river and defeat Wang Deren."

Hu Guozhu stood beside him and nodded, "If the emperor succeeds and defeats He Tengjiao's 6-strong army, will Wang Deren on the other side be so frightened that he will give up Chongqing and retreat to Guizhou when he hears the news?"

Wu Sangui nodded slightly after hearing this, "It's very possible. If he escapes to Guizhou and joins forces with Chen Youlong, we won't be able to defeat them one by one, and in this way, Guizhou's defensive strength will be greatly enhanced. We want to take advantage of the momentum to attack." Going to Guizhou will not be possible.”

Wu Sangui pondered for a while, "Guozhu, every crossing in the north of the Yangtze River should be ready to cross the river at any time, and more spies should be sent in the direction of Luzhou. This king should know the news before Wang Deren, and then pin him in Chongqing. He retreated to Guizhou."

If Haoge defeated He Tengjiao, and then ate up the 3 Ming army in Chongqing, then the entire Ming Dynasty's power in the southwest would be wiped out, and it would no longer be able to threaten the Jin Kingdom.

Hu Guozhu heard the words and said yes, clasped his fists and said: "The last general will make arrangements now!"

After he finished speaking, he took his leave and left, but just as he walked out of the door, he suddenly stopped, and there seemed to be bursts of gunfire coming from the river in the distance.

Listening to the sound of the cannon, it was the red cannon of the Ming army. The Jin army in Sichuan was rarely equipped with such heavy artillery.

Hu Guozhu couldn't help being slightly taken aback. Wu Sangui in the room also heard the movement and was surprised. The two sides of the strait have been quiet for several months. Why did the Ming army start shooting today?
Wu Sangui walked to the door, listened for a while, and frowned. He just came back from the ferry, and everything was normal, and the spies didn't find anything unusual about the Ming army on the South Bank. Why did the Ming army shoot?Is it okay to be idle and try artillery?

Wu Sangui didn't take it seriously, but he casually ordered a soldier: "Go and see, what's going on?"

The soldiers led away, Wu Sangui returned to the tent, shook his head, and took out a map to watch.

About half an hour later, the soldiers who went out to check galloped to the front of the camp, hurriedly got off their horses, handed the horses to the soldiers at the camp gate, and then rushed to Wu Sangui's tent.

Wu Sangui was studying the map, and according to the marks on the map in his mind, he displayed all the mountains, rivers, rivers and cities.

He heard a report from someone outside the tent, so he asked someone to come in casually. As soon as the soldier entered the tent, he saluted out of breath: "My lord, Luzhou has fallen! Sun Kewang went down the river in a boat. When he arrived at Dadu, the Ming army fired artillery. Bombard Sun Kewang's ship."

After the guard finished speaking, Wu Sangui didn't react. After waiting for a while, he suddenly raised his head, shifted his gaze from the map to the guard, stood up abruptly, and said in surprise, "Sun Kewang, why did you escape to this king?"

?The Tuojiang River flows from north to south. After Sun Kewang boarded the boat from the North Gate Wharf, he did not go upstream, because it required wind and oars. Instead of going upstream, go down the river and enter the Yangtze River.

His fleet appeared on the other side of Chongqing, and the Ming army's artillery array naturally opened fire after discovering it, so there was a movement just now.

The guard had no choice but to say it again, Wu Sangui's eyes flickered after hearing this, and after a while he ordered: "You immediately lure Sun Kewang!"

After receiving the order, the personal guard quickly saluted and accepted the order, so he had to run again.

The fall of Luzhou made Wu Sangui a little surprised, but at the same time he was a little excited. He didn't know if Hauge had gone south as planned, and if He Tengjiao had been defeated.

For a while, Wu Sangui walked back and forth excitedly in the tent, suddenly he stopped and shouted to the outside: "The banner officer sends down an order to beat the drums for the king to gather the generals."

Inside the Jin Army's camp, there was a sudden sound of beating drums. The general who was beating the same drum was slightly taken aback, then tidied up a little, and rushed to Wu Sangui's big tent.

After the three-way drum sounded, the main generals of the Jin Army had gathered together.

At this time Wu Sangui came out from behind the screen, all the generals got up together and said, "My lord!"

Wu Sangui waved his hand, sat down directly on the commander-in-chief seat, then looked at the generals on both sides, and said loudly: "The king just received the news that Sun Kewang lost Luzhou, and now he has fled to Dadukou. According to the emperor's plan , the main force stationed in Fushun should have gone south and is fighting He Tengjiao, and our troops in eastern Sichuan should also move immediately."

"He Tengjiao has besieged Luzhou for more than a month, and the Ming army has long been exhausted. Although they captured Luzhou, the casualties may be huge. The emperor suddenly goes south at this time, and he will surely kill the Ming army. Don't worry..."

All the generals in the tent became a little excited when they heard this, and at this moment, Sun Kewang had already arrived outside the camp.

Wu Sangui thought for a while, after all, Sun Kewang was also a figure who had once been called a king. Although he was down and out now, he should give some face, so he asked Hu Guozhu to welcome him into the camp, while he waited outside the tent.

(End of this chapter)