When retreating, the Qing army was afraid that the Taiping army in the city would go out of the city to pursue, but there was no movement in the city, and there was no movement in the cave of the city gate, and there was not a single soldier of the Taiping army at all.

To be honest, at this time, if the Qing army attacked it twice at any cost, the Taiping army was afraid that it would really not be able to hold on. At present, they only have the strength to defend the city and have no strength to pursue the enemy, not to mention that no matter how bold Ge Zheng, Jiang and them are, they do not have the courage to go out of the city to pursue the Qing army, in their minds, the impression of the Qing army's invincibility in the field is very profound.

It's thank God that he can hold the city, who dares to go out of the city as a hero, even Zhou Shixiang doesn't dare to make this decision here. The Qing army suffered serious losses, and the Taiping army's casualties were not small, just like two tigers were injured in a fight, which side could not help which side.

The Taiping army did not dare to go out of the city to pursue the Qing army, but the artillery in the city did not rest. All kinds of small cannons roared in unison to harvest the lives of the retreating Qing soldiers, and when the retreating Qing troops entered the range of the Hongyi cannons, the swordsmen who had been waiting for a long time ordered the Han army flag to capture the gunners and open fire. One cannon after another fired, and hundreds of Qing troops were killed and wounded.

In this siege, the Guangdong Green Battalion and the garrison Green Battalion under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture produced a total of more than 4,000 people, but only more than 2,000 retreated, more than 3,000 blue flag Han troops lost nearly 600 people, and the 600 soldiers directly led by Qin Guocheng also lost one-third, together with the previous green battalion siege, after two battles, the casualties of the Qing army were no less than 4,000 people. The only thing that didn't have any losses was Geng Zhongde's hundreds of Yellow Banner Han Army, and the other was the unscathed Governor and Fu Pacesetter.

During the retreat, a cannon exploded not far behind Qin Guocheng, almost giving all the Han troops here, and after getting up from the ground, Qin Guocheng's face was pale, and his helmet was gone, and he stumbled and ran away with the support of Goshha, and then ran out of the deadly Hongyi cannon blow.

When he reached safety, Qin Guocheng ordered to gather the remnants of the army. While personally going to Shang Kexi to plead guilty. When he arrived in front of Shang Kexi, he fell to his knees like a deflated ball without saying a word, and he didn't dare to look up at Shang Kexi.

"Get up, this defeat is not a crime of war. It is the fault of this king, who underestimated the enemy. ”

Shang Kexi didn't mean to blame Qin Guocheng, he sighed when he looked at this extremely embarrassed love general, and then stepped forward to help him up.

"Lord Wang"

Qin Guocheng's face was bitter, and his face was flushed. It's hard to be ashamed. Since going south, he Qin Guocheng has suffered such defeats, and subconsciously he is not convinced.

The retreating Qing troops withdrew to the camp one after another, and some officers had already gathered the defeated troops and resettled, and the generals came to ask the king of Pingnan for their guilt. What made them feel at ease was that Shang Kexi did not cure them of the crime of defeat, but comforted them with kind words, which made the generals feel moved and uneasy in their hearts. I was moved by the fact that after such a big defeat, King Pingnan, who had always governed the army very strictly, did not cure their crimes, but it was uneasy that he lived up to the trust of King Pingnan. So many soldiers and horses were lost.

Looking at the generals who knelt on the ground, and then looked at the new city that was still fluttering with the banner of the Taiping Army, Shang Kexi had mixed feelings, and was melancholy for a while, thinking that he had fought all his life, since he joined the Qing Dynasty, he had fought in the south and the north for more than 20 years, and how could he have suffered such a defeat today! Could it be that this little Xinhui City really can't be taken, and it really makes him Pingnan King at a loss!

In the middle of the ring, he suddenly turned around and asked Ban Zhifu: "Who is the guard in the city?" ”

Ban Zhifu was stunned. said: "It is said that Zhao Sihai was born as a bandit. ”

Shang Kexi shook his head: "This person can never be a bandit!" There should be a charter in the city, which can be said to be defensive, and the guards are afraid that there are other people, and it is impossible for them to be bandits. Who is this person? ”

Shang Kexi's eyes were deep, and he stared at Xinhui tightly, confused in his heart.

Seeing Shang Kexi's lonely face, Ban Zhifu persuaded: "Lord, since this Xinhui City can't be attacked today, it's better to attack it again tomorrow." Please also ask the prince to rest in the account! ”

Hearing this, Shang Zhixin was also busy saying: "Father, please enter the account to rest, and leave the siege of the city tomorrow to my son, my father can rest assured, there is a lesson today, and if we fight again tomorrow, our army will definitely break the city!" ”

The son's oath made Shang Kexi smile bitterly, raised his hand and raised the horsewhip in his hand, pointed to the tall Xinhui City in the distance, and said to the generals: "Will you definitely be able to break the city tomorrow?" ”

When the generals heard this, no one dared to answer, and Shang Zhixin did not dare to pat his chest and say that he would definitely be able to break the city tomorrow, after all, the fierce and miserable situation of today's battle was in the eyes of everyone, and attacking the city was never the advantage of the Qing army. If you want to break the city, you can only transfer cannons from Guangzhou, and you can't take eighty percent of this city if you fill it with human lives alone.

Seeing that the generals didn't speak, and his son had no voice, Shang Kexi was even more tired, but at this time, after seeing that Wang Guohui, the deputy capital commander, hesitated, he stepped forward and said: "Lord Wang, with what the last general has seen, I'm afraid this Xinhui City can't be beaten." ”

"Can't beat it?"

Shang Kexi's expression sank, his face showed a little displeasure, and he angrily reprimanded Wang Guohui and said: "Is it impossible to let the Xinhui be occupied by thieves!" You can't fight, you can't fight, hum, this king sees that you are scared, and you don't dare to fight! ”

Seeing that King Pingnan was angry, Wang Guohui was startled, and hurriedly said: "Lord Wang, the last general is by no means afraid of thieves, the last general means that this Xinhui City cannot be attacked, but it can be surrounded." ”

Siege?

Shang Kexi was stunned, his heart moved, and then he hesitated, the art of war is cloudy, the besieging soldiers must be several times the defenders of the city, so that the city can be besieged to death, so that the defenders in the city have the possibility of breaking through. However, the Qing army lost four or five thousand people in the two sieges of the city, and the remaining troops were less than 10,000 people. But if the assault continues, how can it be captured based on the solidity of this Xinhui City and the tenacity of the Taiping army? If he can't take Xinhui, how can he return to Guangzhou and explain to the imperial court?

Shang Kexi was a little embarrassed for a while, and he didn't know whether he should adopt Wang Guohui's opinion on besieging the city, he turned to look at the generals under his command: "What do you think? ”

Ban Zhifu didn't think much about it, nodded and said: "The last general agrees with Wang Dutong's opinion, this city can't be beaten, but it can be surrounded!" ”

Shang Zhixin shook his head and said: "Father, my son thinks that the siege of the city takes too long and involves too wide, and at the moment in Guangdong is not my family of Qing soldiers. It is better to attack quickly, and it will be bad for me to drag on for a long time. ”

"What do you mean?" Shang Kexi looked at his son and was noncommittal about his words.

Shang Zhixin said: "Why don't you dig into the ground instead, and choose some warriors to break through the city at night." ”

As soon as the words fell, he heard Zhou Bingzheng, the counselor, say: "This method of the prince can be used elsewhere, but I am afraid that it will not be possible to use it in this new meeting." Last year, Li Dingguo's army attacked this Xinhui, digging tunnels, digging walls, and shield carts, these methods have been done several times, and many cannons have been brought, but it is useless once. According to me, since Xinhui is difficult to attack, it is better to return to Guangzhou. If it is surrounded here, after a long time, it is impossible for the Ming army not to know, if it really attracts Li Dingguo, it will be more than worth the loss. After speaking, he cautiously looked up at Shang Kexi.

Shang Kexi did not express his opinion, but Shang Zhixin said angrily: "Xinhui is the south gate of Guangzhou, how can it be abandoned?" Abandon this portal, there will be no barrier to the south of Guangzhou, if the Ming army attacks Guangzhou from Xinhui, what do we block! ”

Zhou Bingzheng didn't dare to contradict Shang Zhixin, but he also insisted on his own opinion, and said loudly: "Lord Wang, Xinhui City was built by us a few years ago, Li Dingguo's tens of thousands of troops are helpless, and our army is also difficult to attack in a hurry. ”

Seeing that Zhou Bingzheng still dared to refute himself, Shang Zhixin was so angry that he said angrily: "Why do you have the prestige of a thief and destroy my ambition?" Since my father went south, he has conquered everything, he is invincible, he has swept thousands of miles, and now he is afraid of the enemy if he fails to attack once? If only a thief and the Taiping army can't take it, how can they win a decisive victory with the soldiers and horses of the Southern Ming Dynasty in the future? You say, if we don't win the Xinhui, this Xinhui will be nailed in our eyes, if we don't pull it out, the thieves in the city will collude with Li Dingguo, and I can have peace of mind in Guangzhou, and I will be able to gain a foothold? ”

Zhou Bingzheng asked: Yes, if Xinhui is not taken, what if the Taiping Army and Li Dingguo's soldiers and horses join forces to attack Guangzhou?

"Xinhui must not be abandoned, and no matter what, it cannot withdraw its troops!"

"If you don't withdraw your troops, how can you fight? Do you have what it takes to break the city? ”

"If you can't beat him, you can surround him to death, and if you surround him for a few months, I don't believe that this Taiping army can hold on! When there is no food, they will starve to death without us fighting! ”

"Surround him for a few months? Joke, what can't happen in these months? Besides, how much food is in the city, do you know? What if the thieves hadn't starved to death in a few months? ”

"You can't beat and surround, you can't walk and go, so what should I do, you guys will find a way to get out!"

“”

There are generals who still want to storm Xinhui, but who can continue to fight this battle that takes people's lives. Some generals agree with Zhou Bingzheng's opinion to withdraw troops, but what does it mean to give up Xinhui to Guangzhou, can this Xinhui really give up?! Some generals do not agree to fight, nor do they agree to retreat, they can only agree with Wang Guohui's opinion to besiege the city, but the siege involves a lot of money, how many soldiers are needed to besiege the city, and how much food is needed, it must be known that the siege is not only the defenders in the city, but also the food and grass of the soldiers and horses outside the city.

You say your reasoning, I have my opinion, and none of the generals can convince anyone, and they quarrel a lot.

During the quarrel, Shang Kexi suddenly raised his hand and shouted: "What are you arguing about?" Whether to fight or not, how to fight, this king has his own decision! ”

The generals were too busy to say more.

Glancing at the generals, Shang Kexi turned his heart sideways, he was not a mother-in-law, so he made up his mind at the moment, and said: "This king's plan has been decided, besiege the city!" (To be continued.) )