There were three Ming army troops to reinforce Jiangxia. They were: East Route Army Jin Shenghuan, Middle Route Army Hui Deng Xiangbu, and West Route Army Wang Yuncheng's Department.
Including Li Cheng and Ma Jinzhong who guarded Jiangxia, there were five groups in total.
These five troops formed Zuo Liangyu's core team. They were the capital for Duke Kunshan and the Hongguang court to compete with Zheng Chenggong.
According to Zuo Liangyu's previous plan, he first used Jiangxia City as bait to attract the Qi Army's Fifth Corps from the Huguang direction to attack, and then mobilized a large army to eliminate Pu Gang between Huangpi and Jiangxia. After eliminating the threat from the Qi Army, the large army Go north and take over the Central Plains.
I have to say that this plan is very successful, but unfortunately, there is no execution ability.
Because it ignored one variable, that is, the sudden appearance of the main force of the Qi army.
Zuo Liangyu believed that the Ming army would first go north and then south, and then rescue Huguang after Zheng Chenggong was eliminated (or was eliminated by Zheng Sen).
It's a pity that Mr. Kunshan was wrong.
In February of the first year of Guangde, the main forces of the First, Second, and Seventh Corps of the Qi Army successfully joined forces on the Jianghan battlefield.
The arrival of the main force of the Qi army announced the countdown to the destruction of Zuo Liangyu's army.
The three reinforcements on the left had just set off when their whereabouts were detected by Qi army sentry horses.
Jin Shenghuan and others did not even see the Jiangxia city wall before they were blocked by the Qi army deployed in advance.
In the next few days, Duke Kunshan, who was in command of Chongzhou, first witnessed the fall of Jiangxia City and the surrender of the Ming army in Hankou, Wuchang. Then, he received a rescue report from three routes of reinforcements.
Jin Shenghuan said in Tang Bao that at least 100,000 Qi troops had crossed the Yangtze River and were unstoppable. He implored General Zuo to allow the Ming army to retreat immediately.
Before Duke Kunshan could react, another news came that the three armies were defeated.
Not only did the reinforcements fail to rescue Jiangxia, they couldn't even save themselves.
In early March, Ming troops from all walks of life in the Jianghan Plain were scurrying around like headless flies, escaping and looting towns along the way.
The Ming army was afraid of the strong and bullied the weak, and was called bandits by the people of Huguang.
On March 3rd, the reinforcements that set out from Chongzhou and Xianning returned along the original route after a series of disastrous defeats.
On the fourth day of the lunar month, the Ming army sacked Chongzhou and Xianning.
After plundering, they set fire to the city and fled to Ezhou overnight. There were a large number of ships there that could allow them to escape back to Nanjing faster.
Wang Zengbin commanded the cavalry regiment to follow closely, with five thousand fine cavalry killing them all the way until they reached Longpanji on the Yangtze River.
The post road from Xianning to Ezhou was littered with Ming army corpses. Each battalion on the left trampled on each other, killing thousands of people.
~~~~
On the fifth day of March, the Supreme Emperor personally visited the security gate in the south of Wuchang City to review the three armies.
The five major corps, totaling more than 30,000 troops, held a massive prisoner dedication ceremony in front of the security gate.
In the Battle of Wuhuang, a total of 3,000 Ming soldiers were beheaded and more than 10,000 Ming soldiers were captured.
The Supreme Emperor ordered that more than 500 of the stubborn and heinous people be killed. The rest surrendered to the Ming army and were pardoned. They became the vanguard of the Southern Expedition, preparing to march eastward with the Qi army to attack Ezhou, Jiujiang and other cities.
The troops and horses of each unit rested in Wuchang for a while. On March 8, the army went eastward along the river and continued to pursue the remaining soldiers on the left.
At this point, the Qi army completely eliminated the threat from the Ming army in the direction of Huguang, and the empire's territory further expanded southward.
Zuo Liangyu's original strategy of ambush from ten sides to encircle and annihilate the Qi army has now become a laughing stock. Except for Zhenjiang general Li Cheng who died for his country, the other four of his five generals all surrendered to Qi and became the vanguard of the Eastern Expedition, preparing to attack the Hongguang court. Counterattack.
The Ming army's Jiangbei defense line collapsed.
Nanjing is in danger.
The situation was over, but Duke Kunshan did not choose to escape immediately, but retreated to Ezhou.
While he sent envoys to beg Da Qi to stop the army, he also sent people back to Nanjing to force Emperor Hongguang to abdicate.
Until this time, Zuo Liangyu still had wishful thinking that as long as Zhu Changying voluntarily abdicated and Nanming surrendered to Da Qi, Liu Zhaosun would accept the peace negotiation and give up the eastward advance.
After all, Zheng Chenggong landed in Liaodong, besieged southern Liaoning day and night, and Shandong was corrupted. Liu Zhaosun must have been under great pressure.
"Emperor Wu Ding is willing to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. He just wants more money, and women can give it to him. He is a smart man, and he knows how to accept it when he sees it."
Ezhou, at the foot of Baiji Mountain, the Ming Army camp.
The Duke of Kunshan, who looked tired, took the trouble to reassure the envoy. He was already a little nervous due to a series of failures. He was more comforting than trying to reassure the envoy.
"He is different from before. He did not massacre the city or kill everyone in Jiangxia. This is a good sign. It shows that he is not a madman, so we can talk to Ming Dynasty, right?"
The envoy held the handwritten letter from Marshal Zuo and was about to go to the Qi Army camp five miles away. He handed the letter to Wang Zengbin, the commander of the Qi Army. Seeing the Marshal asking this question, the envoy quickly nodded in agreement.
Wang Zengbin and the cavalry regiment he commanded have been chasing Zuo for half a month. They are currently the Qi army closest to Zuo Liangyu.
Therefore, if you want to negotiate peace, you cannot avoid this person.
"Leave early and come back early. If you don't come back in two hours, your brother will be killed and your parents will be killed."
According to the Ming army's experience in dealing with the Qi State, envoys to the Qi State were a high-risk profession and almost escaped death.
The guard pressed the scabbard with his hand and looked fiercely. The envoy no longer hesitated and stood up to leave quickly. He quickly left the left camp with the letter in his arms.
~~~~~
"It's too late to negotiate for peace now! Go, aren't you planning to attack Xuzhou next year?"
Wang Zengbin tore the letter into pieces and threw it on the envoy's head.
"You are not allowed to surrender. Let him continue to fight! You can surrender if you want. You can ask him to bring his head to pay homage to the soldiers and civilians who died in Xuzhou!"
The chief messenger knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.
The cavalry regiment training official Wu Jiang pulled Wang Zengbin aside and whispered:
"Old Wang, important peace talks must be reported to the Supreme Emperor before making decisions. You cannot be hasty. Have you forgotten the lesson of General Qin?"
Wang Zengbin scratched his head and said disapprovingly:
"Qin Jianxun lost the battle. There was a traitor in the Fourth Corps, so the Emperor punished him. Don't compare the Cavalry Regiment with the Fourth Corps. All of my men are heroes and there are no cowards."
Fang Wujiang waved his hand towards the guard, indicating that the Ming army envoy should be taken down first.
When the messenger saw someone coming up to drag him, he quickly begged:
"Two generals, two superior officers, please don't kill me. I have an eighty-year-old mother above me, a baby waiting to be fed, and two unmarried nieces. If you kill one of me, you will kill four of them!"
Wang Zengbin said impatiently: "I didn't say I wanted to kill you. You are a messenger. Why would I kill you? Get out!"
The guard let go of his hand, and the envoy kowtowed as if he had been granted amnesty, turned around and fled.
Fang Wujiang looked at the envoy's back and sighed: "General Wang, what does this mean?"
Wang Zengbin smiled and said: "The Supreme Emperor said that at critical moments, the chief officer must be able to act cheaply. Now is the critical moment. Zuo Liangyu ran away before sending people back to Wuchang. We must attack immediately. Don't let the Ming thieves escape."
On the tenth day of March, Zuo Liangyubing arrived in Ezhou and invited Yuan Jixian, the governor of Huguang, to meet him in the boat.
Duke Kunshan took out the secret edict "Prince Zhu San (the third son of Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youjian)" from his sleeve, set up an altar on the ship to torture the animals, beheaded the white horse, and called all the generals to drink the horse's blood and swear an oath of alliance.
The faces of all the generals showed joy, and the warriors were keenly aware that something big was about to happen.
Zuo Liangyu cried loudly facing the southeast, got up and said to Yuan Jixian:
"The Revolution of 1898 (Liu Zhaosun usurped the throne by regicide in the second year of the Apocalypse), Prince Zhu San survived the catastrophe. Adhering to the late emperor's edict, he planned to command the troops in the south of the Yangtze River, restore the Central Plains, and drive out the Qi captives. However, there was Ruan Dacheng who could not stop Liu Zongyi and all the treacherous ministers. The king of Gui, Zhu Changhui, won the throne first. Zhu Changhuan framed him as a false prince and imprisoned him in Nanjing. Now the Ming Dynasty is suffering from internal and external troubles. Ruan Dacheng and his ilk are dying in a dream. The country is about to perish today! We loyal ministers cannot sit idly by and do nothing. !”
He wiped away his nose and tears, drew his sword and shouted:
"Do you dare to follow me, Lord Qing, to support the Ming Dynasty and save the Third Prince Zhu?!"
The generals said in unison: "Don't dare to disobey!"
Yuan Jixian saw the conspiracy at a glance. The Qi army followed closely, and Zuo Liangyu was already a lost dog.
The left army was neither a match for the Qi army nor had anywhere to go. This dirty move on the side of the Qing emperor was for the purpose of plundering Nanjing.
This stupid man will harm the people even before he dies.
"The authenticity of the Third Prince Zhu has not yet been determined. I don't know who sent the secret edict. Besides, the old virtues of the late emperor must not be forgotten, and the new kindness of the emperor cannot be ignored!"
He bowed down to the generals and begged:
"Everyone, why are the people suffering from this military disaster? I hope you will take pity on me, don't let me cause trouble again, and don't seduce me!"
Zuo Liangyu said with a surprised look on his face: "Governor Yuan cherishes the people, don't we generals cherish the people? Governor Yuan is judging the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain! It makes me feel chilled!"
Zuo Liangyu waved his hand, and the guards came forward to help Yuan Jixian, who was kneeling in front of everyone, up.
"Come here, show Lord Qing's message to Governor Yuan for review!"
"Captain Yuan, what do you think of this literary talent? Does it need to be revised?"
"snort!"
Yuan Jixian stood up without even looking.
He returned to the shore and rushed to Jiujiang overnight. He ordered his troops to guard the city gate and not allow the left soldiers to enter the city. He predicted:
"Zuo Liangyu's death is approaching."
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