After separating from Liang Yue in northern Shaanxi, Li Guo and Gao Yigong took a detour south to join Li Zicheng in Xi'an.
As a result, the two of them were still halfway. Li Zicheng had already defeated Tongguan and had to withdraw from Shaanxi and go to Henan.
After hearing the news, Li Guo and Gao Yigong accelerated their journey, but they encountered Qing troops on the way. After a bloody fight, Gao Yigong died in battle, and Li Guo escaped alone after being defeated.
As a result, he had no way to go to Henan, so he had to turn into eastern Sichuan and join forces with Hao Yaoqi and others.
Li Guo was worried about Li Zicheng's safety and kept urging Hao Yaoqi and others to send troops to rescue. But Hao Yaoqi and others had already been beaten down by the Qing army and their fighting spirit had been weakened, so they did not dare to go.
Not long after, the news of Li Zicheng's defeat and death came, which made Li Guo miserable and even more depressed.
When Li Zicheng was defeated and died, Yuan Zongdi was by his side, so Li Guo only wanted to know the truth. Yuan Zongdi didn't have any entanglements. After all, he had done nothing wrong.
"At that time, the Tatars were surrounding me from all directions, and each tribe was fighting on its own, and no one could care about the other. Following His Majesty's orders, I led the army to the riverside to find a way out, but I was surrounded by the Tatars and could not escape at all. If the empire's General Zuo Hua hadn't led the warships to rescue him, he wouldn't have seen me today." Li Guo listened carefully and asked, "Were you not in Elong Town at that time?" Yuan Zongdi told the truth.
"Li Jin was guarding Elong Town, and he died at the hands of the Tatars together with His Majesty." Li Guo finally figured out the cause of Li Zicheng's death, and the tangle in his heart disappeared.
"How will the National Defense Forces treat us?" Yuan Zongdi braced himself as the substantive negotiations for surrender entered.
"It is said that His Majesty admires you very much, and His Highness King Wu also praised your benevolence and righteousness. After you come here, you will not worry about your future." Li Guo glanced at the others.
"What does the honor and disgrace of my life and death matter? It's just that there are so many brothers and they must be settled well." Yuan Zongdi laughed.
"Even you, Li Buzhi, can be kind to you, how can the empire be harsh to others?" The truth is very simple, and once it is said, everyone immediately puts aside their worries.
Yuan Zongdi also told Li Laiheng's situation, which made everyone feel more at ease. Early the next morning, Li Guo led his men out of the village and surrendered to the National Defense Forces.
At the same time, Wang Guangxing also ushered in the end. The National Defense Forces used artillery fire to cover several hilltops, and then took advantage of the heavy losses of the defenders to rush forward in one go.
Even without the use of firearms, just hand-to-hand combat, Wang Guangxing could not stop him. Seeing that the defeat was certain, Wang Guangxing jumped off the cliff with full of unwillingness, ending the hero's life.
Hao Yaoqi watched with fear as the fighting on Wang Guangxing's side subsided, and the flag of the National Defense Forces fluttered alone in the smoke.
He finally understood that the situation was over. He did not dare to ask for anything, and happily surrendered to the National Defense Forces.
The one-and-a-half-month-old Kuidong offensive ended successfully, and the National Defense Forces completely opened the door to march into the Land of Abundance.
On November 17, the National Defense Forces officially entered Chongqing, shaking the entire Sichuan and Sichuan land. The enemies before them were Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi and others from the Great Western Army.
However, as the National Defense Forces approached step by step, Sun Kewang and others were still busy in internal strife. When Zhang Xianzhong was here, these people were infighting, dissatisfied with each other, and often had stumbling blocks in private.
Zhang Xianzhong saw it in his eyes and deliberately did not care about it in order to maintain a balance. But when he died, there was no pressure on these people's heads, and they immediately fell apart.
Sun Kewang felt that as the boss, the other brothers should obey him, so he acted more and more domineeringly.
However, Li Dingguo was very popular in the army, and many people were more willing to follow him. Ai Nengqi and Liu Wenxiu also became friends with him.
Seeing Sun Kewang occupying Chengdu, Li Dingguo and the others led their troops southward and stopped near Emei.
The National Defense Forces rushed into Sichuan, immediately making both sides feel the pressure. But the rift between the two parties has already formed, and there is no way to sit down together to discuss. They can only find their own way out.
"Li Dingguo's talents are rare, so you can try to recruit them. Sun Kewang has no clear connection with the Canming regime, so we must eliminate him resolutely." Zuo Rong's approach to dealing with the Daxi regime was the same as dealing with the Kuidong thirteen families.
Pull a group together, fight a group, divide the enemy in detail, and reduce the difficulty of military operations. Therefore, the National Defense Forces did not take any action throughout December. They only established a forward base in Chongqing and continued to hoard supplies.
But anyone with a discerning eye can see that doing so means that the National Defense Forces will not move, and will complete their mission once they move.
During this period, envoys from the National Defense Forces kept coming in and out of Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo's armies to discuss peaceful recruitment matters.
It is difficult for even the parties involved to distinguish between the true and false. At the same time, various parts of Sichuan are always in a state of agitation.
When the landlords and gentry heard about the situation in Huguang, they packed up their belongings and fled south for fear of being liquidated by the National Defense Forces.
Businessmen from all over the country were enthusiastic, connected with each other, and looked forward to the National Defense Forces. Some brave people even banded together, staged armed riots, captured prefectures and county towns, and sent people to invite the National Defense Forces to move in.
The people of Sichuan, who had long been exploited by the landlords and gentry and persecuted by the government and army bandits, were the new force among them.
The people of Sichuan have been longing for the beauty of the empire a long time ago.
They had long had enough of the hard life, and they hated the Daxi Army entrenched near their home.
In this case, the intelligence obtained by the National Defense Forces was extremely detailed. Even Sun Kewang knew exactly what he ate for every meal.
On December 25, all logistical preparations were completed, and the 14th Division also arrived to join them, so that the Sixth Front Army was finally fully equipped.
Zuo Rong gave an order, and the National Defense Force's attack was officially launched. The 10th Division swept along both sides of the Yangtze River and liberated the southern Sichuan area.
The 14th Division moved north from Chongqing and captured northern Sichuan. At the same time, it was also responsible for cutting off the connection between the Daxi Army and Liangyue, Shaanxi, and completing the plan to close the door and beat the dogs.
Seven days later, the 10th Division engaged Sun Kewang's troops for the first time. As a result, Sun Kewang was shocked by the powerful combat effectiveness of the National Defense Forces.
Luzhou, which was garrisoned by 10,000 people, only resisted for an hour and a half before the National Defense Forces rushed into the city. General Feng Shuangli was shot twice and fell unconscious. He was carried away by his own guards and fled.
The generals all ran away, and the soldiers below were completely defeated regardless of their fighting spirit. The National Defense Forces were not satisfied with capturing Luzhou and took advantage of the situation to pursue them.
Longchang, Neijiang, Zixian, and Ziyang all came down at once. Further ahead is Jianyang. After passing Jianyang, there is no danger to defend Chengdu.
Sun Kewang has already felt the disaster.
