The rain grew lighter and smaller, becoming thin as silk; The clouds are getting thinner and thinner, and there is already light in the cracks of the clouds; The battlefield also gradually fell silent.

The sound of swords clashing, shouting and scolding, the groans of the wounded, the cries of pain of the dead before dying, the slightest sound of blood spraying into the air, the friction of knives stuck in bones, used to be intertwined with the sound of rain and thunder. The symphony has now been played, but it is a bleak scene.

The boots stomped on the ground, making a pop-pop, pop-pop sound, and splashing red mud spots. That's right, muddy water stained red with blood.

"Wayao Chong, White Temple—hehe." The Syrian Gong Ma muttered to himself and laughed twice.

In this inconspicuous small place, 5,000 Qing troops rushed from Qujing were surrounded and ambushed by more than 20,000 Ming troops and native soldiers, and were annihilated here. Well, at least the county chronicles and government chronicles will record this battle.

"Qujing's enemies are less than five thousand, why doesn't Your Highness take advantage of the victory?" Li Sixing, the prince of the Jin dynasty, walked briskly in the muddy water, there were still blood stains on his clothes and armor, but there was an urgent look on his face, "Guogong, you should make a suggestion to Your Highness." ”

Ma Weixing shook his head and said: "The troops in eastern Yunnan are not sufficient, and our army must return to defend Yiliang and Shilin in order to prepare for the attack of the Qing army in Kunming." If Qujing is not taken, how many troops can the Qing army draw to attack Lu Liang except for the defenders? Our army only left 3,000 men and horses, plus the native soldiers of the Zi clan, it was enough to defend it. ”

"His Royal Highness Min is not ready to recover Yunnan Province in one fell swoop?" Li Sixing asked suspiciously: "When he came out of Meng, His Royal Highness once said bold words. ”

"It's just a matter of letting out the wind and confusing the enemy." Ma Weixing smiled and said, "Otherwise, His Royal Highness Min doesn't have to make a big show and show it to the public." However, His Royal Highness Min had told me in private. The liberation of Yunnan Province may not have to go through a major war. By next year, it is very likely that it will be taken lightly, or without a fight. ”

"Can you?" Li Sixing's eyes widened.

"Can or can't, let's see later!" Ma Weixing looked around, the corpses were lying around, knives and guns were everywhere, and he gently exhaled a long breath. said: "I will lead 10,000 horses to rush back to Yiliang first to protect His Highness." You and Ma Ning'er clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and—"

"Guogong, the last general will not stay behind Lu Liang." Li Sixing hurriedly put aside this messenger.

Ma Weixing glared at Li Sixing amusedly, and said helplessly: "Then Ma Ning'er will temporarily guard Lu Liang, and you will lead the army to escort the wounded and then retreat!" ”

"The last will obey." After Li Sixing gave a proper salute, he turned around and left.

Ma Weixing looked at Li Sixing's back and shook his head gently. This son is still too young, and he doesn't think deeply enough. It is possible to break the city and annihilate the enemy by taking Qujing directly, but the battle line is too long, and the troops of Yiliang and Shilin are insufficient, and if the Qing army in Kunming takes the opportunity to occupy it, the retreat will become a problem.

His Royal Highness Min is still clever, empty but not attacking. Let the Qing army in Yunnan Province want to give up, and if you want to code, you must once again divide the troops. Weaknesses and flaws are once again exposed. Taking advantage of Yunnan Province to consume the tired Qing army is indeed a very good strategy. Or--His Royal Highness Min doesn't want to recover Yunnan too soon, because he feels that the foundation is not yet stable, and he still needs to wait for his wings to be full.

Thinking of the emperor and the court in Burma, Ma Weixing couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head. Since the son of Min Shizi entered Yunnan, he has been eclectic. Simply pull out talents, and officialdom is appeased. But there are those who are proud, and there are those who are lost, and some old bureaucrats who are unwilling to do so are colluding in private, just waiting for the provincial capital to be restored. It is necessary to propose to enter Burma to meet the driver.

Alas, I'm afraid that civil strife will break out then, right? According to the wisdom and martial arts of His Royal Highness Min, he should not lose in the power struggle, right? It's just that – will this good situation of revival be lost? Seeing Ma Ning'er running briskly from a distance, Ma Weixing had no choice but to temporarily put away his thoughts and stepped forward to explain in detail.

………………

The bad news came one after another, at this time Wu Sangui had just completed the deployment of troops, and led nearly 20,000 horses from Kunming to the Chenggong area, and Yiliang was still sixty or seventy miles away.

"The defenders of Qujing were ordered to send troops to Lu Liang, and they were surrounded by heavy enemy troops in the mountains of Wayao to Baimiao, and the whole army was annihilated, and the general line of Weiming was not ......"

"The defenders of Chengjiang County were ordered to move west to Jinning, but they were ambushed on the way, and most of them were killed and wounded. The Ming army took advantage of the situation to attack the city, and Chengjiang County lost ......"

"The defenders of Jinning County were ordered to return to Kunming, and the defenders were less than 1,000 people, and they were besieged by the Ming army and broke ......"

"The Ming army in western Yunnan, led by the puppet king Dingguo, marched towards Chuxiong in a big way, and was about to ...... the city."

In the next few days, urgent military newspapers arrived one by one. At the beginning, Wu Sangui was still hesitant and sent people to Qujing to inquire about the situation, and the army drove out of Kunming on time. But on the way, another series of battle reports came, and he knew that something was wrong, so he slowed down his march and sent someone to confirm the news again.

When he arrived in Chenggong, Wu Sangui didn't dare to move forward no matter what. Unfortunately, it was confirmed that the outer defensive line south of Kunming had fallen apart, and he had drawn most of the Kunming garrison.

"The handwriting is vivid, well, the seal letter can also be fake." Fang Guangchen carefully examined the fake letters held by the defenders of Jinning County, and sighed in admiration: "It turns out that the puppet sect's post-recruitment is like this, a few letters reach tens of thousands of elite soldiers, amazing!" ”

"Xianting-" Wu Sangui was upset when he heard this, and interrupted unhappily: "This is not the time to boast about the profound wisdom of the pseudo-sect, but what should our army do?" ”

Fang Guangchen smiled bitterly, sighed, and said, "Lord Wang, what else can I think about now?" I move before the enemy moves, step by step, it's hard to show it! ”

"Then you can't think about it?" Wu Sangui snorted and stayed for a long time, but sat down dejectedly.

Fang Guangchen hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Lord Wang, speak out, don't blame the verbal collision. ”

"Xianting, what kind of relationship do you and I have, how can I sin with my words?" Wu Sangui waved his hand and said warmly: "If you have something to say, it doesn't hurt to say it." ”

Fang Guangchen nodded and said: "Our army is passive everywhere, because it is tired of three big cities and it is inconvenient to transfer troops, so it is led by the nose of the pseudo-sect. Now in Yunnan Province, the situation of our army is unfavorable, and in the long run, it will be gradually exhausted by the Ming army, and a piece of horse will not be able to leave Yunnan. ”

Wu Sangui pondered for a moment and asked, "What should I do?" ”

"Abandon the city and gather troops, and transfer to Guizhou Province." Fang Guangchen looked at Wu Sangui's face, paused, and continued: "Exit Chuxiong." Bao Kunming, Bao Qujing, and slowly transferred troops to Guizhou Province as the foundation for their lives. ”

"If you withdraw from Chuxiong, Kunming will be in danger!" Wu Sangui hesitated and shook his head, and said, "According to the current strength of our army. Whether Kunming and Qujing can be kept is unknown. ”

"Heavy troops are concentrated in Qujing, Kunming, I don't think the Ming army will capture it soon." Fang Guangchen smiled slyly and stretched out his hand to the guide, "If the puppet clan takes Kunming, how should it treat the puppet emperor of Burma?" ”

Wu Sangui's eyes rolled, a hint of joy appeared on his face, and he slapped his thigh. said: "Ah, the puppet emperor is in Burma, and the puppet clan can command the generals and be authoritarian. If he recovers the provincial capital, it is his proper intention to enter Burma to welcome him, and if he delays doing it, there will be many discussions, and civil strife can be expected. ”

Fang Guangchen smiled. said: "So, there are not many defenders in Kunming. If you can keep it, if you can't keep it, you will give it up. As long as Qujing can be ensured, after the Ming army enters Sichuan from Jianchang, it will cut off the connection between Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province in a roundabout way, and our army will also enter Guizhou without worry. ”

Wu Sangui thought so, but said without worry: "I'm only afraid that the court will blame." Repeated defeats, loss of city and land, how to push? ”

"Pushing? How could the prince have such an idea? Fang Guangchen snorted and said, "The soldiers who can fight in the south are all vassals. The prince is the head of the three feudatories, how dare the imperial court? The greater the strength of the Ming army, the more relied on the prince, which is a truth that has only recently been figured out by the humble position. As long as the prince has tens of thousands of elite soldiers in his hands, even if the court is dissatisfied, will he dare to persecute him? ”

"The Eight Banners of Manchuria—" Wu Sangui hesitated.

"The Eight Banners of Manchuria? How many centaurs are left? Fang Guangchen took out a few pieces of paper from his arms and handed them to Wu Sangui, "This is written by the pseudo-sect, and it has been widely spread in the Ming Tong region, so it is really clear and accurate!" ”

Wu Sangui took the paper and read it carefully, then pondered for a long time before he smiled bitterly: "The pseudo-sect - hehe, it is really not a strong opponent who can win." Only by forbearance and waiting, and waiting for Sun Kewang and the like, can he break the enemy and win. ”

"Inspector Hong can wait for several years before he can make a contribution in one fell swoop; The prince is in full bloom, how can he not wait? Fang Guangchen said with a smile.

After a trace of doubt was dispelled, Wu Sangui finally made up his mind, picked up the brush and began to issue military orders. After writing, he hesitated again, raised his head and looked at Fang Guangchen inquiringly.

Fang Guangchen sighed helplessly and said, "I have to send my acquaintance's cronies to deliver the military order letter, so as not to be taken advantage of by the enemy." In the future, I will change the seal letter and token, and tell the generals to know the way. ”

Wu Sangui smiled bitterly, nodded helplessly, summoned a few personal guards, and asked them to go to various armies to give orders.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Wu Sangui lacks the courage to make a desperate bet! After receiving the information that the Qing army was retreating, Zhu Yongxing was in Yixing to supervise the construction of fortifications. What was expected to be a bitter battle of attack and defense now seems impossible to happen.

"The repair and reinforcement of the fortifications must not be stopped, but must be completed." Zhu Yongxing passed the information to his generals, looked up at the construction site with ravines and ravines, and said slowly: "After this place is stabilized, our army can turn to use troops." ”

"Wu Sangui just shrank back? His mother's × is of a tortoise. Seeing that there was no big battle to fight, Li Sixing, the son of the Jin dynasty, couldn't help but be a little angry, and he burst into a foul mouth, was glared at by Zhu Yongxing, and immediately lowered his head.

The Manchurian troops withdrew from Yunnan Province, Wu Sangui was busy adjusting, and the Ming army had internal responses, and forged military orders and created chaos, and finally took the lead. But will Wu Sangui retract so honestly, or is there another conspiracy? If he divides his forces to Chuxiong, Kunming, and Qujing, will he be so stupid? Can Chuxiong be captured, or will there be a bitter battle around Chuxiong?

Zhu Yongxing touched the stubble on his chin, thinking left and right, and it was difficult to make a final judgment. After that, he simply threw off these problems and concentrated on thinking about the next move of the soldiers and horses of the headquarters. Well, since the enemy's movements are not yet clear, then I will be the main one, and I will fight mine.

"Intensify reconnaissance of Qujing's intelligence." After thinking about it, Zhu Yongxing gave the order, and then turned around thoughtfully.

According to the analysis of the current situation, Qujing is the weakest link, and Zhu Yongxing naturally shifted his attention there, but he was worried that the troops were not enough. Although the counteroffensive was a victory, it was mostly an internal and external attack, and the losses were not optimistic.

The newly built army and the Qing army fought like this, and it is not too much to call it a war of attrition, but Zhu Yongxing has no dissatisfaction. After all, the army has not been built for too long, and the equipment is also lacking, so it is gratifying to be able to burst out with such combat effectiveness.

Similar to Fang Guangchen's analysis, Zhu Yongxing also believed that in the southwest, and even south of the Yangtze River, the army to which the three feudatories belonged had the strongest combat effectiveness. In the green camps of other provinces, Zhu Yongxing didn't look too much at it. If the strongest Qing army is eliminated, and then the Zheng family sailors and the thirteen families are united to cut off the Yangtze River, Jiangnan may not be greatly damaged. Zhu Yongxing had such an idea, and felt more and more that it was indeed feasible.

Combined with the current war situation, Zhu Yongxing hoped that Wu Sangui's strength could be consumed more in Yunnan Province, and the siege of the city and the land fell second. The vitality of the Qing army is gone, and as long as there is sufficient money and food to stabilize the place, the Ming army can drive straight forward.

The information that came in the next few days made Zhu Yongxing feel confused, and he didn't know what trick Wu Sangui was playing.

Qujing increased the army by 10,000? This should be the Qing army in Kunming, but Wu Sangui was really stupid enough to distribute the remaining 30,000 people and horses in Yunnan Province equally among the three cities? And to divide forces to ensure that the roads of the three cities are clear?

Zhu Yongxing did not dare to act rashly, but only sent additional scouts and messengers to continue to reconnoiter the movements of the Qing army, and inquired about the situation in the two major theaters of southern and western Yunnan.

According to the plan of the General Staff, the troops of the Western Yunnan Theater slowly forced into Chuxiong and were the main force for the siege; The Southern Yunnan Theater, with the cooperation of the fake military order, first broke through the outer defense line south of Kunming, and then sent an army from Shuangbai to approach Chuxiong from the south and cooperate with the Western Yunnan Theater to capture Chuxiong.

This strategy was based on the fact that the number of defenders in Chuxiong remained unchanged, or they were transferred to Kunming and became weaker. If Kunming increases troops to Chuxiong, the two theaters of eastern and southern Yunnan will coerce Kunming and force Wu Sangui to transfer troops back to defense.

Although there is no 100 percent certainty, both Zhu Yongxing and the General Staff feel that the chances of success are very high. After all, Kunming's importance is higher than that of Chuxiong and Qujing, and Wu Sangui is unlikely to ignore it.

However, the development of events was beyond the expectations of Zhu Yongxing and the General Staff, and when the latest battle report from western Yunnan reached Zhu Yongxing's hands as quickly as possible, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide in surprise.

"The Qing army abandoned Chuxiong and has withdrawn to Kunming with the whole division, and our army has taken ...... without a fight"

Wu Sangui abandoned Chuxiong and gathered troops in Kunming, is this abandoning the car to protect the commander, or is there another plan...... Zhu Yongxing was confused for a while. (To be continued......)