"Big young marshal! Those dog thieves of the Southern Army seem to have retreated! ”

Zuo Menggeng, who had been tormented all night in terror, at dawn, after surviving the time when he was most likely to launch a night attack, he couldn't stay up any longer, and fell on the bed, just falling asleep, but was woken up by his subordinates.

"What? Lie about the military situation, Ben Shuai killed your whole family! ”

"Dashuai!" The pro-soldiers were used to shouting eagerly, and hurriedly changed their words to call Zuo Mengeng the commander: "How dare the little ones lie, Jin Shengheng and several other generals are already waiting for the marshal in the second hall to discuss military countermeasures together!" ”

"Is the military situation real?" Zuo Mengeng's mind was still groggy, but he fought hard to ask a few generals of the left battalion in front of him.

"Marshal, last night the lights in the southern army camp were suddenly chaotic and noisy, we thought that the southern army was coming to attack us at night. However, after waiting for a long time, I never saw any military horses go out. Then, we sent spies out of the camp to patrol the sentry at the risk of death. ”

It is indeed a risk of death, the spies in the left battalion are all veteran oilers, and at this time they go out of the camp to sentry, which is no less than the head taken down and kicked as a ball. However, under the coercion and lure of gold, silver, and knives from Jin Shengheng, Wang Tiren and others, there were still dozens of scouts who went out of the camp to explore at night. However, he didn't dare to go too far ahead, just in the blank space between the Nanyue Army and the Zuo Battalion, looking at the lights in the Nanyue Army camp from afar, avoiding the patrol team and acting as an observation post.

At this time, these scouts, whose faces were covered with blades of grass and dirt, and whose bodies were covered in blood and mud and turned into dust, stood in front of several top figures of the left army. (Don't say why the grass leaves are dirty, blood cement soil, you just fought a battlefield with tens of thousands of casualties during the day and looked at it all night, if you can still ensure that the clothes are neat and the face is neat, then it is not life, but all kinds of anti-Japanese dramas.) ）

"What you saw from last night to this morning, I will show you to the handsome!"

Since last night, in the Nanyue military camp, there are endless lights and people's voices. Although people come and go, it is not noisy and noisy, but it seems quite orderly. The scouts were confused and didn't dare to get close enough to peep. When I arrived in the east, I saw a team of Nanyue troops escorting heavy materials, driving out of the camp, and going to the river to either carry the materials onto the boat, or carry the baggage along the river.

"From the first group of people leaving the camp and getting on the boat, to now, at least more than 5,000 military horses should have left, and tens of thousands of our captured brothers have been escorted away."

"The big and small ships have gone a lot. At least twenty gunboats, at least hundreds of civilian ships, merchant ships, and sand ships! At present, I see Liang Guogong's ship, and there are also many people busy on the ship, raising a few sails, and some people carrying water, vegetables and other things to the ship! ”

"Handsome! This.... ”

The generals of the left army were a little confused. If they defeated the rout, they were all experienced, but if they escaped, how could they be so orderly and uneventful? That kind of thing, in their opinion, should be more desperate than charging and attacking. Whoever shouted and neighed, shouted and shouted and killed, and carried it to loot the villages and towns along the way again, and no matter what, these villages and towns could not be left to the enemy. Then, when retreating, their own troops controlled the ferry junction and other traffic points and did not allow other troops to pass. If necessary, you can add up the machine guns, and when Lao Tzu's team has passed, then burn the pontoon bridge, as for saying that other troops can get by, what does Lao Tzu care?!

(Stop!) Stop! The script is wrong again! You're talking about the national army next door! Can Zuo Liangyu and Zuo Mengeng's father and son have a machine gun in their hands?! Darn! ）

Retreat is an extremely test of an army's organizational discipline and internal mechanism, and the ability of commanders, generals, and officers to control and organize and command troops. Those who can organize the retreat well and make it orderly and calm are definitely a powerful army with combat effectiveness. It's a pity that Zuo Mengeng can't do such a technical thing.

"Five thousand people left, twenty gunboats?!" Zuo Mengeng began to hesitate. He paced back and forth down the hall repeatedly. "Is Liang Guogong's handsome banner still in Jiujiang City? Is the main force still there? ”

"Handsome! It's all still there! At present, all those who have come out are under the banner of the garrison brigade. Except for the garrison brigade, none of the Marine Division Army Battalion nor the Guards Brigade have ever been seen! Several scouts were very honest and explained what they saw and poured beans into bamboo tubes one by one.

"Humph! The main force did not move in place, but just let a team like the garrison brigade escort Lao Tzu's men to the east. This is clearly digging a pit for our Lao Tzu! I plan to show weakness and let Lao Tzu attack, and I want to fight Lao Tzu's ambush! As soon as our team leaves the camp, believe it or not, their eastward march will immediately turn around and kill back, copy our back road, and eat our remaining tens of thousands of people in one bite! ”

"The marshal is right!"

"The Southern Barbarian is not only ruthless when he fights, but even more ruthless when he calculates others!"

"We can't go out! Don't fall for this! ”

A smug smile appeared on Zuo Mengeng's face: "Yes! Not only can't we fall for their evil, didn't he give us Lao Tzu fragrant bait and plan to catch our dragon? Let's eat the bait, and leave the hook to deal with them! ”

"Dashuai, what should we do then?!"

"In order to lure us out of the camp to attack them, the southern barbarians have gone eastward, and the river is bound to be empty. Let's just take advantage of this gap to send people across the river to contact Ma Degong, Tian Xiong and others under Huang Chuangzi, bring them a batch of gold, silver and jewelry in our camp, and ask them to detain the boats in Jiangbei, and plan to welcome us across the river to conspire together! ”

The so-called conspiracy in Zuo Menggeng's mouth is actually very simple. As early as when their father and son gave up Wuchang, or were beaten by Li Zicheng's army, they ran out of Wuchang and fled to Jiujiang, they quietly contacted people from all walks of life in Jiangbei, exchanged information with each other, and connected in series.

Now, the situation in Jiangbei is unstable, and the soldiers and horses in the four towns are a little agitated, and a mutiny is just around the corner. How can this kind of thing be missing, and the Ping Thief Town Zuo Liangyu Division, who has always been experienced in this kind of thing?

Although Huang Degong, who is closest to Zuo Mengeng, has always been known for his loyalty, his loyalty to the imperial court does not mean that his subordinates Tian Xiong, Ma Degong and others are the same.

Historically, on the battlefield where the two armies were fighting, Tian Xiong and Ma Degong decided to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Huang Degong didn't know that the army's mood had changed, so he beheaded the envoy sent by Liu Liangzuo to recruit him and led his troops to battle. Taking advantage of Huang's unpreparedness, the rebels secretly fired an arrow and shot it in the throat. Huang Degong killed himself. Emperor Hongguang was captured alive by Tian Xiong and others and presented to the Qing side. There is a record that describes the scene at that time: "Tian Xiong took the Hongguang Emperor on his back, and Ma Zhao (Ma Degong's nickname) held the Hongguang Erzu. Hongguang wept and begged the two. The two said, 'My fame is here, and I can't let you go.'" 'Hongguang hates, gnaws on the flesh of the male neck, and bleeds the clothes. ”

What does that mean?? "You are the famous official position of the two of us, glorious and rich, the meal ticket for the rest of your life, how can I let you go?!" In order to keep his glory and wealth, one of the two people carried Emperor Hongguang on his back, and the other grabbed Hongguang's two feet, lest the other person let him go.

It was because of this contribution to Emperor Hongguang that the two were added to the Qing court. Zhang Cunren, the governor of Zhejiang, said in the fragment of the manuscript: "The general soldier Tian Xiong collected the defeated pawn of Huang Fei and tied Hongguang to surrender to sincerity. For his "hard work and high achievements", he suggested that the Qing court should be appointed as a governor, see "Historical Materials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties", edited by the first book, page 20.

Zuo Menggeng's idea at this time, if the Nanyue Army really withdrew for some reason after giving himself a heavy blow, then our Lao Tzu would make two preparations, one was to review his mistakes to Liang Guogong with tears, and ask the marshal to take over his army, and from then on he would be the precursor of the marshal and serve the work of dogs and horses. The other is to find a way to cross the Yangtze River and go to Jiangbei to merge with the soldiers and horses of Jiangbei. With the momentum and fame of the left army, among the armies in Jiangbei, it is still firmly in the first place.

Therefore, Zuo Mengeng has an attitude at the moment, no matter how your Nanyue army shows weakness and lures the enemy, let's just have one attitude, "Strictly guard the camp, and the wall will not come out!" ”

This point is the essence of Zuo Liangyu, who was born in the Liaodong Army.

However, as soon as the defense of the battalions and towns was arranged, a new military situation had arrived outside.

"Handsome! On the riverside, Liang Guogong's ship has begun to raise its sails, and a large number of people escorted a soft sedan car onto the ship! In addition, the Aomei, which was anchored near the Liang Guogong ship, had also raised its sails, and the flag of Li Huamei's tigress had also been erected on the top of the mast! ”

"Have you ever seen the tigress Li Huamei and Liang Guogong herself?"

"I haven't seen this before! However, on the riverside pier, the banner of the Guards Brigade appeared. ”

What the?

The report of the leader of the scouts suddenly changed the attitude of the generals of the Left Army present!

"The banner of the Guards Brigade appeared on the Jiujiang Wharf?"

"How many centaurs are on the docks?"

"Are you really the soldiers and horses of the Guards Brigade?"

Everyone knows that the Guards Brigade is the core of the combat effectiveness of the Nanyue Army and the elite unit of the whole army. More importantly, they, like the Han family Yulin and Genghis Khan's cowardice, are all troops who follow the commander's actions. It is also the most critical strategic reserve in the hands of the commander, ready to invest in the most critical moment on the battlefield and the position and direction that can best change the situation of the battle.

The appearance of the Guards Brigade on the Jiujiang Wharf shows that Li Shouhan may also be seriously preparing to go east and evacuate Jiujiang to return to Nanjing.

"Our scouts were far away and couldn't see very clearly, there were about six or seven battalion flags, two or three thousand men on board, and some men and our captured brothers carrying artillery onto the ship. Those guns were dismantled from the gun bodies and gun mounts, packed and carried to the bottom cabin of the ship! If you hadn't really withdrawn, how could you have dismantled all the cannons?! ”

"Also, the subordinates also spied near the dock, those soldiers and horses gathered near the dock to board the ship, some of them took off their helmets because they were anxious, and the weather was a little warmer, and under the soft hats, they were all bald!"

That's right! There is one thing that the Nanyue Army and the Qing Army have one similarity, that is, the hairstyle. The Qing army was a money rat tail, while the Nanyue army was a different kind. All the main elite troops are bald heads without exception. According to Li Shouhan, this is to rescue and bandage when encountering head trauma. However, somehow, it was passed around and became a symbol to distinguish the main elite troops from the ordinary troops within the Nanyue Army. Therefore, all troops above the garrison brigade are almost without exception bald. In the watch teams, mobilization brigades and other units in various places, officers above the captain level are also bald heads, which are used to show their qualifications and military exploits.

"Handsome! Nanban, this is really leaving! ”

"Something must have happened in the city of Nanjing! Lao Li Tou hurriedly rushed back to Nanjing to extinguish the fire! Otherwise, with the style of the Nanyue Army, if they don't hack us to death one by one, then it's called a ghost! ”

"Dashuai, don't miss the opportunity and come again! Taking advantage of the good opportunity that there is something in Nanjing City and the Southern Army is going to withdraw, let's gather people and horses and give Lao Li a knife in the buttocks, and also let out this evil breath in our chests! Let the world see the interests of our left army! ”

"That's it! Lao Jin is right! Lao Li Tou returned to Nanjing, and in his camp, heavy grain and grass were indispensable! Let's not snatch him at this time and recover some vitality, but when?! ”

These generals of the Left Army are all old fritters who have been in the army for many years. I know very well the conventions in the army, where the army marches and retreats, those urgent and valuable materials are probably with the Chinese army, but like what kind of grain, grass, gunpowder, equipment, these bulky and inconvenient to move, can only walk slowly in the rear army.

At this time, if we take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Nanyue Army has already boarded the ship and go east, we will leave some soldiers and horses guarding the escort and rush over to grab a handful, not only can we make up for our combat losses, but we can also say loudly in front of the world that the Nanyue Army, which has never been defeated since its formation, was defeated by our left army!

With such a tyrant army as the Southern Yue Army, the cumbersome materials they left in the rear army should not be bad! Robbing the grain and supplies of the Nanyue Army is better than robbing several states and counties!

"Don't be hasty! Let's find out! Be sure to get close to see the movements of the Southern Army and find out their details! Zuo Mengeng forced himself to suppress his hot heart, tried to calm himself down, and ordered the scouts in the army to go and reconnoiter the movements of the Nanyue army.

The waiting time is always very slow. Everyone was bored in the lobby for a long time, and finally a scout reported the latest military information of the Nanyue Army.

"Enlightened handsome! In Jiujiang City, Liang Guogong's handsome flag was lowered. His old man's ship had already raised two-thirds of its sails, and the gunboats guarding around him and the sand boats transporting soldiers and horses had all raised their sails! Looks like it's about to leave the port! ”

"In Jiujiang City, who is and where right now?!" Zuo Menggeng's heart was about to jump out with excitement. He knew that the flag of the commander in the army must not be moved or raised at will. At the beginning, Li Huamei's achievements in Tashan fell short, and it was because her flag recognition was hit by a cannonball and the flagpole was broken, which led to the chaos of the Liaodong Army and finally the end of the whole army retreating. Therefore, Shuai Qi will never move and lift easily! Now that the Li Zishuai flag in Jiujiang City has been lowered, it shows that the retreat of the Nanyue Army is a sure fact!

Now, since Li Shouhan has left, then who is in charge of Jiujiang City, leaving the general behind the palace to guard, is the top priority that Zuo Mengeng cares about.

After listening to the latest situation of the scout's report, Zuo Mengeng and Jin Shengheng all laughed wildly?

At the head of Jiujiang City, the raised banner, "Governor Jiang Chu Yingwan and other places to suppress the affairs of the Kou", this position and official title was Yuan Jixian, who was detained in the army by Zuo Liangyu's army. Unexpectedly, the prisoners sent by the Left Army to the Nanyue Army to act as a negotiation bridge became the master of Jiujiang City in the blink of an eye. How can this not make Zuo Menggeng's hearts ecstatic? You must know that Zhang Shixun, the general of Yuan Jixian's subordinates, was above the lobby at this time. In the process of the left army's eastward movement, he also made great contributions. He colluded privately with the generals of the left department, set fire to the whole city at night, and suddenly became in chaos, and the generals of the Yuan department could not survive, so they broke the door and went out to camp with the left army; Zuo Liangyu's troops took advantage of the situation to enter the city to kill, kidnap and plunder.

Yuan Jixian's soldiers and horses are all in the hands of Zuo Mengeng, and he himself is also a prisoner of the left army. It's good not to open the city to greet you. At most, it is a person who looks at the emperor from afar, burns incense and bows, and then hangs the beam, throws water, and takes medicine to commit suicide.

Since Yuan Jixian is the master of Jiujiang City, and the man-eating tigers have retreated along the waterway, the arrogance of the hyenas and jackals has become arrogant.

"Battalions listen to orders!"

For the first time, Zuo Mengeng felt the majesty and power of being the commander of the First Army.

"The markers are here!"

"Check the soldiers and horses, select the elite and select the forward. Feast on war meals, tie up clothes and armor, and organize weapons. At dusk, the whole army took the inner battalion of 5,000 pro-troops as the lead and took Jiujiang City! ”

"Send someone to cross the river quickly, tell Tian Xiong and Ma Degong, and tell them that Lao Tzu is going to Jiujiang City to drink wine and eat meat, if you want to come, hurry up and prepare large and small boats to cross the river!"

At dusk, the pro-army in the left camp, led by 5,000 cavalry, proudly left the camp.

At the end of the line of sight is the city wall of Jiujiang City. Behind the big river, the flotilla sent by Huang Degong's subordinates, Tian Xiong and Ma Degong, who rushed from Jiangbei, could already be seen faintly on the river.

"Sons! Some of the people in Jiujiang City are fat and fine grains, some are good armor knives and guns, and some are gold and silver! Those who are not afraid of fat meat, who are not afraid of heavy silver dollars, go up to Ben Shuai! ”

Zuo Mengeng roared viciously, and the pro-soldiers of the inner camp whose eyes had been stimulated red by wealth and murder and adultery screamed strangely, and rode their horses towards Jiujiang City.

It was already possible to distinguish the outline of the battlements of the city wall in the twilight, when suddenly a cannon rang out, as if a thousand thunderbolts had exploded from the ground, and the originally dreary city was suddenly lit up.

"General Zuo, why did you arrive at this time? Tired of waiting for a long time! Shi Lang waited here for a long time! ”

At the head of the city, the original Yuan Zishuai flag was torn down, and what was raised was the banner of Shi Lang, the commander of the naval division of the Nanyue Army!