November 28, the eighth year of Yongli, Ganzhou Mansion, Jiangxi.

It is an important town in the south of Jiangxi, together with the four provinces of Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and Huguang, and has always been a battleground for soldiers. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty set up a governor of Southern Jiangxi here to control the capitals of Ganzhou, Nan'an and several other provinces around it, in order to strengthen the rule of these places far away from the provincial capital.

Since the establishment of the governor of Southern Jiangxi, his role has been particularly significant. In the Ming Dynasty, Mr. Yang Ming Wang Shouren went down the river to suppress the rebellion of King Ning. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, a few years ago, the mighty Jiangxi Jin Shenghuan and Guangdong Li Chengdong raised the two provinces anyway, and it was also because the governor of Southern Jiangxi and the elite under his jurisdiction successively withstood the three large-scale attacks of the Ming army, so that Jin Shenghuan was defeated in Nanchang City and Li Chengdong drowned in Taojiang.

Over the years, the military and political side of Southern Jiangxi has always guarded this important military land for the Qing court. In the past few years, in addition to local stability, it has also supported the surrounding provinces and helped suppress various anti-Qing forces, which can be said to be a sparing effort. However, this year, due to the battle of Zhoujiapu last year, Huguang was temporarily peaceful, but the collapse of the heavens and the earth in Fujian, as well as the destruction of Guangdong, really shocked the Qing army in Southern Jiangxi.

The chaos in Fujian only suddenly appeared in the second half of the year, although there was an omen earlier, but no one particularly took it to heart, now that I think about it, I only blame Zheng Chenggong and Chen Kai for singing realistically. However, the chaos in Guangdong had already begun at the beginning of the year, and the more prestigious Li Dingguo led the army to sweep through western Guangdong, which was already a clear matter in front of us.

In the winter, the clammy and cold wind blows, and it drills into the cuffs, neck, and even through the skin to the flesh and bones. But even so, from the governor Yi Yonggui to the local county officials in Ganzhou, all of them are standing in this cold wind, looking forward to the north.

Yi Yonggui succeeded Liu Wuyuan, who returned to Beijing due to illness last year, as the governor of southern Jiangxi.

Unlike the feudal frontiers of Tong Guoqi, Qin Shizhen, and Li Qifeng, who were also governors of the surrounding provinces, he was always a military general, and in the third year of Yongli, he was also sent by the general army of Linqing in Shandong, and brazenly created the Caozhou Massacre in the process of suppressing Liu Zeqing, one of the four towns in Jiangbei, who was originally one of the four towns in Jiangbei, in the process of plotting against the Qing Dynasty. The number of victims of that massacre is not recorded, but "the afterglow is still alive, there is almost no sunshine between the suburbs, and the people are ruined and the land is desolate." So far, in the past five or six years, the sores have not risen, the vitality has not returned, the wrens are sucking, the wind is roaring, and there is a big bad luck since the pottery. (Note)

In Liaodong and Beidi, the wind in Liaodong is cold and biting, and it is inevitable to feel cold when wrapped in thick layers. Especially those places that can't be covered, they will be hit by the cold wind, and even saliva can be exported into ice. It's been the second year since I came here, and the temperature at the coldest time here is estimated to be in full bloom in Liaodong, but the soggy cold is like a poisonous snake wrapped around his body, which makes Yi Yonggui feel uncomfortable. Even, every winter, he unconsciously misses the cold wind in Liaodong, which is a little deeper than in summer.

"The one surnamed Chen is really not a worry-free person, first in Fujian, and now he is going to Guangdong to toss."

"Who says it's not, then Zheng Cheng and Li Cheng are not fuel-efficient lamps, but they are also tossed in one province. I think the one surnamed Chen is the culprit, the real demon king of the world! ”

The wet and cold wind was blowing, and the people who were waiting had not yet arrived, and among the waiting officials and generals, the least thing was whispering. Yi Yonggui didn't care about this, he just thought that those officials moved their mouths to warm up. In fact, even if it is him, he will chat with the high-ranking officials and marshals beside him from time to time, and the least is the war in Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

The situation in those two provinces is quite bad, which is why he is here with a group of officials to greet him. On the Fujian side, it is said that the Qing court has decided to put Jidu, the son of Prince Zheng Jierharang, in charge. For there, Yi Yonggui is not particularly optimistic about the situation he heard, and what he can do is naturally to strictly guard against it and prevent the Ming army from entering Ganzhou as much as possible. On the Guangdong side, the Qing court sent Gushan Ezhen Zhumala, who was a veteran general who had fought for many years, and there were two Han princes on the ground in Guangdong, so the success was also a little bigger. This time, what he was waiting for was the reinforcements of the Eight Banners of Jumala.

In fact, from the bottom of his heart, he still hopes that it is Kakhamu who comes, not how good the two of them have a good relationship, but it is really that Kakhamu is the Angbang Zhangjing of the Left Wing Four Banners of Jiangning in Jiangning, Jiangning, and from Jiangning to here, two or three months are enough. Where is it like now, it has been almost a year since the chaos, and the convenience of the reinforcements by water has not yet arrived in Ganzhou, let alone in Guangzhou.

"If the Tithami commander of the army, when he arrived in Guangzhou, it was when Li was so sick that he couldn't get out of bed, and he didn't have to deal with Wu Zisheng and embroidery needles. Even, even if you only come to manage allegiance, it's better than dragging it out until now! ”

He thinks so in his heart, but he never says it in his mouth. Here, it is not only the face of officialdom, but more importantly, although they are both minions of the Eight Banners, the Manchu Army Banner and the Han Army Flag are also different from cloud and mud, the gap between heaven and earth.

I waited patiently here, because yesterday a letter came saying that the convoy of reinforcements would arrive today. For the reinforcements, he has been looking forward to Ganlin for a long time and needs to prepare, Yi Yonggui has prepared it early - grain and grass, people's husbands, guides, and even military prostitutes in the women's camp, everything is available, as long as he can do it, it will definitely be in place.

Standing in the cold wind and waiting for more than an hour, at last, from a place out of sight, there was a sound of trumpets, mixed with the crisp sound of leather whips falling and shouting and scolding.

Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.

After a long time, the boats slowly approached under the pull of a group of slender men. Yi Yonggui looked into the distance, and even Pegasus arrived to report the Qing army flag they saw. Soon, the Qing army in front of him contacted the fleet and determined that it was Zhu Mala's reinforcements, and Yi Yonggui couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Slave should be eternal, meet ......"

When the fleet arrived, the minions holding the flag were in front, Goshha was guarding the flanks, the generals followed, and the clothed minions waited for the masters to disembark from the ship.

Zhu Mala got off the boat, Yi Yonggui hurriedly led his officials and generals to step forward, saw the real banner of the solid mountain, and hurriedly bowed to the ground, calling himself a slave repeatedly, it seemed that he was still superior to the subordinate civil officials and military generals who claimed to be lowly and lowly.

Gushan Ezhen is not the owner of the banner, but he is also the second only to the banner owner under the Eight Banners system, and is used to take charge of the household registration, production, upbringing, training and other matters of the banner. Yi Yonggui's head knocked on the ground, his buttocks cocked, and it was a matter of course that he knelt down, and even those subordinates were honored.

Zhu Mala got off the boat, looked at the kneeling civil and military forces, his face was a little impatient, but he also said "get up", just raised his hand, Yi Yonggui thanked him and stood up, confessed to a Manchurian Eight Banners officer beside Zhu Mala, and followed Zhu Mala's side and back.

"How's the preparation?"

"If you go back to your master, everything is ready, and the army can go to the barracks with the officers of the local green battalion to rest and recuperate."

"How is the war in Guangdong?"

"Back to the master's words, the prince of Pingnan sent a letter a few days ago, saying that Xinhui has been lost."

"What about Guangzhou?"

"If you go back to the master, Guangzhou should still be there, there are still more than 10,000 feudal soldiers in Pingnan and Jingnan, and Guangzhou is easier to defend and difficult to attack than Xinhui." Speaking of this, Yi Yonggui hesitated for a moment, and then bowed down and whispered to Zhu Mala: "Master, listen to the prince of Pingnan, this time it is not only the old thief, but even the rebel Chen Kai is here, and Xinhui Chengpo is the handiwork of the rebel. ”

"Chen Kai?" Hearing this name, Zhu Ma paused violently, then took another step and continued to move forward: "A Han dog, a little conspiracy, just take it as ability." You must know that the Eight Banners Army is looking down, even if he has more cunning, he must first defeat the Eight Banners Army. ”

"What the master said, what the master said."

Jumala didn't care too much, at least in his opinion, the real difficult opponent was Li Dingguo, who was a two-time famous king. As for Chen Kai, with Jiancheng and the sailor, Geng Jimao, who bullied and bullied Geng Jimao, who had nothing to do, and Shang Kexi, who was a clever woman, was embarrassed to cook without rice, and the conspiracy was not even a fart in the face of absolute strength.

However, Li Dingguo is paired with Chen Kai, which cannot but be taken seriously. After all, the combination of fierce generals and strategists is like Liu Bei sitting on the Five Tiger Generals, with or without Zhuge Liang on his side, it is also a world of difference.

"When the news was released, it was said that the army came all the way from the capital, and it was exhausted, and it would take three months to recover the physical strength of the war horse before it could enter Guangdong to fight."

"The minions obey."

The news was disseminated locally, and even more so in the direction of Guangdong. However, while spreading the news, Jumala also sent henchmen to Guangzhou to inform Shang Kexi to prepare for him secretly.

The army was in dire need of recuperation, and it spread quickly. For a time, the Qing court officialdom and people in Southern Jiangxi and even Guangdong circulated the saying that the Qing court asked Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao to defend the city of Guangzhou and wait for the Eighth Banner Army to recover its combat effectiveness before it could break the siege.

This is exactly what Jumala urgently needs to see. When the news spread, it was already the beginning of the lunar month, Zhu Mala hurriedly mobilized a large army, set off secretly, and soon crossed Meiling, and met with Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao, who also came secretly, in Qingyuan.

It's still the same as it was back then, but it looks a little older. However, Geng Jimao, since the defeat of Lu Feng the year before last, his health has not been very good, and he has only improved slightly after two years of recuperation. This time, I had to come in person, after all, the stakes were high.

After meeting, the Han vassal king is naturally not comparable to the ordinary Han army banner people of Yi Yonggui, but it is not good to be too big in front of Gushan Ezhen. However, just like last year's Titicamu, for Geng Jimao, the general of the defeated army, it is always not as good as Shang Kexi, who has repelled Li Dingguo, and when it comes to the current war situation, it is mainly based on Zhumala and Shang Kexi, and Geng Jimao just adds a sentence from time to time.

"Xinhui is lost, and now the battle situation is like this. There is one thing, but God helps the Qing Dynasty. ”

"Oh?"

"Chen Kai, Guo Zhiqi and Lian Chengbi are not in harmony, and they are in the same situation. According to the detailed report, as soon as Chen Kai arrived at Xinhui, he immediately forced Guo Zhiqi away. At that time, the old thief urgently needed Chen Kai's artillery team, so he acquiesced to this. When Xinhui fell, the two sides quarreled again, but this time the old thief did not face Chen Kai, so Chen Kai went directly with the Fujian soldiers he brought. ”

The Ming army fought infighting, and the Qing army, which was originally in danger, turned defeat into victory, and such a plot has been staged too many times. Whether it is Zhu Mala, Shang Kexi, or even the inexperienced Geng Jimao, they have seen too much. As for what Shang Kexi talked about at the moment, as long as Zhu Mala heard it, he immediately smiled. Only Geng Jimao had a sad face.

"Could this be a trap set by Chen Kai, deliberately showing weakness?"

Although it is said that heroes are not judged by success or failure, but for such a person who was frightened by Chen Kai, Zhu Mala lacks respect from the bottom of his heart. Regarding Geng Jimao's speech, Zhu Mala only pointed out one point, that is, "No matter whether he shows weakness or not, the old thief also has an army of 40,000 or 50,000, and this has not changed".

Reason, Geng Jimao understands, speaking of which, in the past two years, he is no longer the arrogant prince who was young and proud and has no one in his eyes, people always have to go through setbacks to grow, he has indeed grown, at least that pride and arrogance were cut by Chen Kai and there is nothing left. However, the fact that he was defeated by Chen Kai twice is also there, and if he says it, there is always a taste of fear of the enemy like a tiger in it, which is very unpleasant.

Seeing that Geng Jimao was blocked by Zhu Mala's mouth, Shang Kexi looked at this nephew, and there was no lack of thinking of his admonition to others. Speaking of this matter, Chen Kai is indeed a scheming guy, which is recognized by the officialdom of Fujian and Guangdong provinces. But this time, the possibilities do exist, but there is not much room for maneuver.

As he explained to Geng Jimao, for example, Zheng Chenggong used troops in Fujian, and Chen Kai could not use too many soldiers and horses; For example, Chen Kai has already divided his troops with Li Dingguo, separated by a Pearl River waterway, even if the Ming army's naval division is strong, as if entering a no-man's land, but if the two sides join forces again, it will not be so easy. As for the division of troops this time, it is even more adhering to the normal state of factional strife and winning Xinhui, and both sides seem to feel that Guangzhou is nine out of ten, so it is inevitable that they will rush to start grabbing a better position for the party after the war and seize greater merit and interests.

"This king discussed with the king of Jingnan, and Xinhui fell, so he continued to drag down the army of thieves with Dongguan, Shunde, and Sanshui counties, so that his soldiers were tired. However, last month, Chen Wei seized Henan Island south of Guangzhou with his sailors, which is likely to be a precursor to Chen Wei's intention to use this as a cover to go to join the old thief, so this king simply lost Shunde to Lian Wei. ”

Shang Kexi intended to take advantage of the factional dispute of the Ming army to separate Chen Kai and Li Dingguo through the Ming army in western Guangdong.

Xinhui and Shunde fell one after another, and the Ming army's naval division blatantly caught the muzzle of the cannon outside Guangzhou. The current battle situation seems to be very dangerous for the Qing army. However, after Shang Kexi's operation, the Ming army has been divided into three, and if you count Hao Shangjiu, who is anyway, it is even more divided into four, and the state of division that is not connected is a good opportunity for each to break through.

"Hao Shangjiu's wallhead grass is still attacking Heyuan County, and there are few soldiers, just 5,000 soldiers and horses; Chen Kai has 10,000 soldiers, and the main force is in Dongguan; As for those thieves in western Guangdong, that is, Embroidery Needle and Chen Qice are still relatively capable of fighting, and the others may not be the opponents of the local green camp. Take the group of thieves first, but it is easy to give the old thieves an opportunity to take advantage of. The key to this battle lies in the main force of the old thief! ”

"Then capture the thief and capture the king, and solve the old thief first. As long as the old thief is defeated, the other thieves will inevitably collapse on their own. ”

A veteran who has been fighting for half his life, he can easily see where the opponent's key points are with experience alone. The plan was set, and the two sides carried it out separately, and the first step was naturally to solve the vanguard of Jin Tongwu's onslaught on Sanshui.

At this time, it is already the tenth day of the lunar month. There are only four days left before the final stage of the Battle of Xinhui in history.

Note: From the "Dingtao County Chronicles" revised in the twelfth year of Shunzhi.