"Hold the camp gate." After Zhou Kaihuang withdrew from the camp, he immediately ordered a soldier to report the situation in the camp to Yuan Zongdi.

The other three camp gates don't know what to do now, but Zhou Kaihuang plans to hold this camp gate, and if Yuan Zongdi's army can quickly rush back, maybe he can rescue some supplies. The battalion was not very far from the front line, and Zhou Kaihuang felt that it was okay to hold on for a while.

Looking at Yuan Zongdi's general flag from a distance, it was not far away, and began to move towards the camp, but soon stopped moving, and the direction of chóngqìng suddenly erupted into a thunderous shouting and fighting, and the originally weak cannon sound at the head of chóngqìng city suddenly rang out.

"The Tartars are out of the city." After hearing the movement in the distance, Zhou Kaihuang said with a calm face and gritted his teeth. He guessed correctly, today Wang Mingde concentrated all the main forces to deal with Yuan Zongdi, and after seeing his camp on fire, he asked the whole army to prepare, and killed Yuan Zongdi from the city at the first moment when the flag was moved.

The Ming army still had a lot of soldiers engaged in civil engineering work and the army covering them under the city, and although they had stopped working, they could not quickly assemble and withdraw all of them. Yuan Zongdi originally wanted to take the Chinese army, the only force that could react quickly, to rescue the camp immediately, but Chóngqìng's Qing army suddenly attacked, and he had to turn around to meet the battle to protect the rest of his subordinates.

"Grain and grass for the army!" Zhou Kaihuang glanced back at the camp again, anxious.

The enemy army that came to set fire was obviously a small force, and it would not be Tan Yi's main force, and now there was a big battle on Yuan Zongdi's side, and it was the main battle that decided the victory or defeat, Zhou Kaihuang was ready to give up this place and rush to protect the chief.

"I hope that Fuhou can defeat Tan Yi, a thief, at least for a while." Zhao Tianba comforted Zhou Kai Wasteland. Yuan Zongdi's troops were originally scattered to do a full-scale attack, if Tan Wen rebelled with him, it would be three to one, and Yuan Zongdi's comprehensive rout would be a matter of no time. Zhao Tianba is counting on Tan Wen to still be his own person, so two against two, there is still room for recovery in the situation.

Without waiting for Zhou Kaihuang to lead the team to set off, Tan Wenbu, located on the left flank of Yuan Zongdi, broke out in a big rout, Deng Ming saw the Ming soldiers scattered on the left running all over the mountains and fields towards the direction of the Yangtze River, the enemy soldiers followed very closely, and behind the rout were the wanton slashing pursuers.

"Hmph, I collapsed without even seeing the flag, most of them escaped from the battle." Zhao Tianba saw Tan Wen's troops collapse like a landslide, and his heart was cold. The cries of the rout will hit the morale of Yuan Zongdi's troops, and will also disrupt Yuan Zongdi's position. Now Yuan Zongdi's troops are trying to assemble while they are struggling to resist the enemy forces in Chóngqìng, and the enemy forces behind these routs will slam into the backs of Yuan Zongdi's troops.

The rout soldiers who ran at the front had already arrived near the big camp, separating the big camp from Yuan Zongdi's general banner, and the dust they kicked up obscured the vision in front.

"There's no chance." Zhao Tianba made a judgment and immediately shouted to Zhou Kaihuang: "Retreat, protect Mr. Deng, let's go downstream and join Yasukuni." ”

"Useless officers and soldiers can't withstand even a moment or a moment!" Zhou Kaihuang pointed at the scattered soldiers of Tan Wenbu and scolded, very angry. Without the cover from the side, Yuan Zongdi's defeat is irretrievable, and it is estimated that they will soon break through. Zhou Kaihuang immediately remembered Yuan Zongdi's entrustment, if there was an extraordinary situation, he would keep Deng Ming safe no matter what.

"Mr. Deng come with me!" Zhou Kaihuang didn't dare to continue to think about the battle situation under the city, and Zhao Tianba and Zhao Tianba dragged Deng Ming to the bank of the Yangtze River, and the soldiers who had just gathered also ran with the two officers. Yuan Zongdi's fleet was anchored on the Yangtze River, and now that total rout was a foregone conclusion, these ships were their only hope of escaping.

Running to the riverside and seeing that the fleet was neat and sound, Deng Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The soldiers of Yuan Zongdi's fleet had discovered the sudden fire in the camp earlier, and seeing the chaos on the shore, the general manager of the water camp immediately ordered all the soldiers to be on guard, and the soldiers unsheathed their swords and wound their crossbows. As soon as Mr. Qian saw Zhou Kaihuang, he shouted from afar: "Mr. Zhou Qian, how is the camp?" ”

"Half of the officers and soldiers defected, the remaining half collapsed, and the grain was burned!" Zhou Kaihuang replied loudly and jumped on the boat. The soldiers of the Yuan Department who fled to the river in the early stage had already boarded their ships one after another, and the last group followed Zhou Kaihuang behind. Zhou Kaihuang glanced back, followed by the dense Tan Wenbu rout, he waved his hand and said to the twenty-year-old Shuiying Qianzong: "There are no more of us, loosen the cable and start the boat!" ”

Yuan Zongdi's fleet totaled more than 100 large and small river boats, enough to carry thousands of soldiers. After the incident, the commanding officer of the fleet ordered most of the ships to sail in the direction of Chóngqìng to meet Yuan Zongdi's main force, leaving thirty ships in preparation for receiving the soldiers withdrawn from the direction of the main camp. After listening to Zhou Kaihuang's words, Shui Ying Qian always understood the heavy losses, and his face couldn't help but darken, and he immediately ordered to prepare to set sail. If Yuan Zongdi under the city of Chóngqìng had little hope of turning defeat into victory, then the ships that had gone to meet him would have to retreat as soon as they loaded the soldiers, and they would need to quickly chase after them to keep up with the large army.

Right in front of the people, hundreds of Tan Wen's routed troops rushed towards the boats by the river. Most of these soldiers were already bare-handed, and when they saw that the ship Deng Ming had boarded began to loosen its cables and prepare to leave, some of the soldiers who were running in front jumped onto the dock, waved their hands and rushed to the side of the boat, desperately shouting: "Help me, help me!" ”

The ship's guards immediately reversed the blades of their guns and slammed them at them. After driving away the nearest ones, the sailors of the ship stood in a row on the shore-facing side, the spikes of their swords and guns pointing straight outward, apparently not intending to let any of them aboard.

Deng Ming saw that there were many routs crowded outside the wharf by the river, and more and more people gathered, and many of them jumped into the river and swam to the Yuan boats that were not too far from the river bank. And those boats and Deng Ming's boat were also unceremonious, sticks and sticks were beaten at the people, and several soldiers of the Ming army of Tan Wenbu in the water were beaten away from the side of the boat, and some people were smashed into the river and never showed their heads again.

A young man who looked like an officer sat on the shore not far in front of Deng Ming's boat, he pointed at Zhou Kaihuang, who was watching coldly, and scolded loudly: "Kill a thief with a thousand knives, Lao Tzu will not let you go even if he is a ghost!" ”

Zhou Kaihuang sneered and was about to sneer at him, but suddenly remembered that Deng Ming was by his side, this was Chongzhen's third prince, and Yuan Zongdi was still counting on him to speak for himself in the future. Zhou Kaihuang quietly glanced at Deng Ming beside him, and pondered in his heart: "Although the third prince has a good temper and can get along with us, but the guy opposite is always 'a thief, a thief', which has aroused the enmity of his parents, and he has a knot in his heart, I am afraid it will not be good for the prince." ”

But Mr. Shuiying Qianzong did not have any scruples about opening up the wasteland, and he immediately replied with a halberd finger: "Useless officers and soldiers, being a ghost is also a waste!" If you don't dare to fight with the Tartars, you will play tricks with the common people, and you are also considered Han? Bah! Shui Ying Qian then ordered to set sail.

"Brother Zhou!" Deng Ming heard the terrible cries of the Ming army, and he didn't care about the blood stains on his body, so he grabbed Shuiying Qianzong and pleaded with Zhou Kaihuang: "Why don't you save them?" There is still a place on the ship, and it can still be loaded with people! ”

Shui Ying Qian didn't know the origin of Deng Ming, but he had seen Deng Ming beside Yuan Zongdi, and Yuan Zongdi was polite to him. At such a critical juncture today, the captain of the guard is with him, which shows that Yuan Zongdi attaches great importance to this person, and may be the master of Yuan Zongdi's reuse. Mr. Qian patiently explained: "Sir, please see, we don't have many ships, and we may have to pick up our brothers if we go forward." If you carry one useless officer or soldier, you must carry one less brother of your own. Besides, there weren't many pursuers behind them, and if these wastes dared to turn back to face them, they would definitely be able to fight. ”

Deng Ming didn't know how many people each boat could hold, and Mr. Shuiying Qian's words immediately blocked him back.

There were indeed not many pursuers behind these routs - after Tan Yi's main force had defeated Tan Wen's troops, they rushed to help the Qing troops flank Yuan Zongdi. But the routs were disheveled, most of them had lost their weapons and were in a mess, and it was hard to imagine that they were still capable of resisting their pursuers. And they knew very well that the defeat under the city of Chóngqìng was decided, even if they organized themselves to turn around and resist the pursuing soldiers, they would still be unable to escape death after Yuan Zongdi retreated.

Deng Ming looked around, and more Tan Wenbu soldiers jumped into the water in spite of it, struggling in the icy river in December. Some of the smashed people did not return to the shore, but continued to swim forward in despair, as if trying to use their own strength to get to the south bank and leave the chóngqìng battlefield - this is also a glimmer of life, but how many people can cross the Yangtze River?

"Take them to the south bank," Deng Ming grabbed the arm of Shui Ying Qian, "Just take them to the south bank, let them go, and let them find their own way." ”

Shuiying Qian was always a little impatient: "Mr. must also know that it is easy to please God and it is difficult to send God......"

Before he finished his words, Zhou Kaihuang intercepted and said: "Okay, just follow Mr.'s plan, let them get on the boat, and after they are sent to the other side, they will all be bombarded, and they will immediately go to pick up the Duke of Ying." ”

Zhou Kaihuang didn't care about the fate of the soldiers of the Ming army of Tan Wenbu, but since Deng Ming was on his side, he still had to give Deng Ming a face. He estimated that in Deng Ming's heart, he still had some closeness to these descendants of the Ming Army.

When Mr. Shuiying heard Zhou Kaihuang say this, he couldn't help but be stunned. Deng Ming finally got Zhou Kaihuang to ask for help, and immediately urged him: "Hurry up and transport people, Guogong is still waiting for our ship over there." ”

Shui Ying Qian said: "Since Mr. knows that Guogong's side is urgent, what are you doing with these dog officers and soldiers who hate us?" ”

Hearing that Yuan Zongdi's cronies and guards and the newly recruited master were going to save people, Shui Ying Qianzong had no choice but to unwillingly order people to be released on board.

After a wave of flags and shouts, the ships began to contain the Ming army. The Ming troops on the dock swarmed up, and Deng Ming's boat was quickly filled with people.

The young Ming army officer on the shore saw Deng Ming's movements just now, and also guessed his conversation with Zhou Kaihuang and Shuiying Qianzong, and knew that thanks to this young man, he saved the lives of himself and these brothers and subordinates around him, so he bowed to Deng Ming after getting on the boat. Zhou Kaihuang sneered when he saw this, turned around and walked away, he didn't want to accept any thanks from this guy.

Deng Ming hurriedly helped the young officer up and said a few polite words to the other party.

"Dare to ask what Engong is called?" Although he had only said a few words, the officer immediately noticed that the person in front of him did not seem to be a soldier, as if he had heard someone call him "sir".

"Deng Ming, my name is Deng Ming." Deng Ming replied, politely asking rhetorically, "What do you call it?" ”

Deng Ming's way of answering made the young officer slightly stunned and a little surprised.

"This person is probably a scholar, I heard that some scholars speak very strangely. Most of them are Yuan Zongdi's masters. The young officer thought to himself: "How can a good scholar go along with these thieves?" Most of them are also shameless people who have no integrity. ”

After all, the other party is his savior, and he has a glimmer of life when he leaves the North Shore. Although they boarded Yuan Zongdi's ship, these Ming officers and soldiers were reluctant to appreciate it, unwilling to admit that they were rescued by the rest of the intruding army, and would rather think that they were rescued by Deng Ming, a scholar.

"If you report your name, the thieves will say it in the future, and you will owe them a favor." Thinking of this, the officer bowed to Deng Ming: "Da En dare not say thank you, and his life is not enough." ”

……

All the soldiers on the shore got on board, and thirty boats were crammed, and the general manager of the water camp ordered the boat to sail again.

Tan Yi's forces were limited, and his most dangerous enemy was Yuan Zongdi's combat troops, so there were not many people sent to pursue the rout. Seeing that the Ming army on the sailor division was heavily guarded, Tan Yi's subordinates did not dare to act rashly, but just stood in the distance and shouted for a while, watching the fleet go offshore and gradually move away.

The heavy security on the ship was not only to prevent the pursuit of the Qing army, but also to fear that Tan Wen's subordinates would hijack the ship. However, most of these routs were bare-handed, and after running and swimming desperately, they were exhausted and did not have such thoughts. The boat soon reached the Guò River, and after reaching the south bank, the Ming soldiers of Wanxian County honestly disembarked and left.

When Deng Ming's boat set sail again, the young officer led his subordinates on the same boat to bow down to him and shouted in unison, "Thank you, Mr. Deng, for saving your life." "They have made up their minds not to count this favor on Yuan Zongdi's subordinates.

When he drove to the place where the artillery was most sounding, Deng Ming saw that there was a lot of worry on the faces of the officers and soldiers around him. Everyone understands that since Tan Yi's main force is not behind Yuan Zongdi's camp and Tan Wen's rout, it must be to attack Yuan Zongdi himself. Coupled with the Qing army in the city of chóngqìng, Yuan Zongdi's shape was dangerous, and he didn't know if he could get out or if he could board the ship and retreat.

Soon it drove to the gathering place of a large number of Ming ships, and it seemed that there was no fierce battle on the shore. Zhou Kaihuang and several others analyzed that Yuan Zong knew that nothing could be done when he first saw the enemy troops flanking in front and rear, and immediately organized the army to retreat to the river. Yuan Zongdi made great efforts to retreat the main force to the riverside to form a ring defense, but unexpectedly, the Qing army's offensive gradually eased down, and instead of attacking the Ming army's position, it opened a distance and watched from afar, as if it did not intend to interfere with the Ming army's boarding.

Yuan Zongdi first tentatively retreated part of the troops on the ship, and then cautiously retreated another part, seeing that the Qing army still did not make any big moves, Yuan Zongdi ordered to carry the wounded soldiers onto the ship. There were only a few large boats in the river boats, most of them were small boats, and they did not carry many people, and when they came to Chóngqìng, Yuan Zongdi's troops were advancing by land and water, and camping along the coast. But the current shape shì, staying on the shore is undoubtedly waiting for death, including the boat where Deng Ming is located, is as full of soldiers as possible. The soldiers on each Ming ship were on guard with bows and arrows - if the Qing army launched a general attack when the Ming army retreated, they had to hold their positions and cover their comrades to get on board safely.

However, the Qing army did not launch the expected onslaught, but only bombarded the Ming army with guns and artillery, and at the same time sprinkled a large number of arrows.

"Alas, they also know that after burning the grain and grass in our camp, we are afraid that we will be helpless against chóngqìng for a few months." Looking at the Qing army on the opposite side, Zhao Tianba and Zhou Kaihuang looked up to the sky and sighed: "But fortunately, most of the brothers have been rescued." ”

Thousands of soldiers were lost under the camp and the city of Chóngqìng, and more than 5,000 of the 7,000 Dachang soldiers brought by Yuan Zongdi landed safely.

"Let's go back to Dachang." Zhou Kaihuang said bitterly. The expedition was obviously a failure, and the only thing that could be done was to return to the base area as much as possible, and the grain and grass along the way had not yet landed.

Jiang Zhou, which was full of soldiers, gradually left the chóngqìng, and the soldiers, who had been highly nervous for more than an hour, finally breathed a sigh of relief and put their bows and arrows at their feet, allowing their tense arms to relax a little.

Deng Ming looked at the head of Chóngqìng City, which was gradually moving away, and his heart was full of indescribable feelings: "In such a torrent of history, I really can't do anything alone." Knowing that this battle will be repeated, I can't remind them...... Although I knew that the Manchus were bound to sweep the whole country, I couldn't even think of a way to escape. ”

When he was melancholy, suddenly a few clouds of white fog rose from the first part of the city, and then the thunder of the cannon came into his ears, Deng Ming looked blankly at the smoke that gradually rose into the air, and asked himself suspiciously: "Is this a demonstration by the Qing soldiers?" ”

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

Deng Ming's side suddenly sounded a continuous jǐng shouting and shouting, and he turned to look in the direction of the bow of the boat, only to see a large number of ships rushing into the Yangtze River from the fork of the Jialing River not far ahead.

During the more than an hour that Yuan Zongdi had carefully retreated from the river, Wang Mingde sent all the Jīng sharp sailors who had been drawn from the city of Chóngqìng to Tan Yi's camp, who had not only their own ships but also those captured from Tan Wen. As Tan Yi and Wang Mingde expected, Yuan Zongdi, in order to guard against the pursuit of the Qing army, used all the ships to cover the retreat of the infantry. The Qing sailors raised jīng at the fork, and when the Ming fleet began to retreat, they came out to deliver the final blow.

The ships of the Qing army had no extra burdens, and they were full of sails, taking advantage of the river to pounce on those Ming boats full of soldiers and with a deep draft......