Zhu Yongxing knew the complexity of night warfare, and if the enemy and the enemy were mixed, it would be difficult to give full play to the superiority of troops, even if they wore markers. Of course, only God knows what advanced tactics such as interspersing and dividing can do at night. Eliminate uncertain factors as much as possible, give full play to the superiority of troops, and win an upright victory with the posture of Mount Tai pressing the top, this is the tactic that Zhu Yongxing will adopt.

"Attack on three sides, advance steadily, press the enemy to the river bank, and there is no way to retreat after the worst. Remember. Zhu Yongxing raised a finger and solemnly reminded: "In addition to wearing emblems, the commanders of all units must also control them properly, maintain the advancing front, move forward steadily, and not rush into a surprise attack, causing chaos and accidental injury." An hour later, the general assault began. ”

"Yes!" The generals responded in unison.

"Those who descend will not be killed, and those who abandon their weapons will not die." Zhu Yongxing said another sentence after the most reluctance, and said with a smile: "Our territory is large, and it takes a lot of labor to mine, open up wasteland, and build roads. This free labor is even more abundant. ”

The generals laughed heartily, and they all said goodbye to Zhu Yongxing and retreated, and went to their respective units to transfer troops.

……………

A swollen white cloud slowly drifted in front of the moon, making the moonlight hazy and the river seemed to become darker.

Two small boats quietly rowed out from the south bank, taking advantage of this brief bleakness, and headed for the river.

Xia Guoxiang glanced back at the south, there were bonfires lit in the area where the Qing army was gathered, and there were soldiers with auxiliaries, more than 20,000 people was not a small number. But these people still don't know that several main generals have quietly left and ruthlessly abandoned them.

Abandon the army and abscond! I've been fighting for many years, and I'm a veteran of the battlefield, but I've also had such a notoriety. Xia Guoxiang shook his head with a wry smile and withdrew his gaze. Where there is life, there is hope. Run, run. The prince is right, I am both the chief general and the son-in-law of the prince, if I am killed or captured in battle, I will lose the face of the prince.

Thinking of this, Xia Guoxiang seemed to have some comfort. But the heart is always there. It is not so easy to escape, and if it is discovered by enemy ships on the river, the consequences can be imagined.

Although the Yuanjiang River is in the dry season, the water flow is still very fast. The two small boats were rowing by oars, and the sailors did not dare to make too much noise, so they gradually widened the distance and drifted downstream.

Each ship, in addition to the sailors, could carry only three or four people, and for the sake of secrecy. Xia Guoxiang only secretly notified several old generals in Liaoxi with the highest official ranks, as well as Wei Pu, who was also Wu Sangui's son-in-law. Wei Pu was already injured, and he was languishing on the boat, his eyes blank, and he didn't know what Lu Dao was thinking.

The two sailors tried to stay on the right track so that the ship did not deviate too much. But the other boat was unlucky, or the sailors were not good enough, and had drifted too far downstream.

A rocket burst out. A large ship in the middle of the river that was responsible for monitoring the movements of the Qing army apparently noticed the anomaly and fired rockets to illuminate the observation. The boat that had drifted too far was discovered. The gong sounded loudly, and two more rockets were fired. The figures on the big ship shook, followed by flashes of bright light, muskets and arrows.

Finished! Xia Guoxiang bit his lip tightly, and Wei Pu and Fu Wenyuan also turned their heads to look, although they couldn't see their faces clearly. It seems to be very nervous as well.

"Quick, quick." Fu Wenyuan urged repeatedly, his voice trembling a little.

Because of Zhu Yongxing's order, as long as the Qing army no longer erects pontoon bridges, the ships of the naval division will no longer block the river at the risk of the Qing army's Hongyi artillery bombardment on the shore. And to monitor and warn mainly. Therefore, the ships were relatively dispersed, and deliberately avoided the river controlled by the Qing army on the south bank.

It's just that in this way, the sailor has reduced the losses, but it also gives Xia Guoxiang and others the opportunity to abandon the army and abscond. In a state of panic, the boat finally slammed and docked on the shore. Xia Guoxiang let out a sigh of relief, and he also heard Fu Wenyuan and Wei Pu's gasps as if they had been amnestied.

It's just that when Xia Guoxiang went ashore on the water, he didn't forget to look back, and the other boat was gone, obviously more than lucky. There is a general on that ship, and the commander of the two escorts, both of whom are old generals of Liaoxi by their father-in-law! He couldn't help sighing, feeling cold behind him, it turned out to be a cold sweat.

……………

Suddenly the sound of cannon fire broke the silence of the night. The fires that exploded on the south bank burst out one after another, and the earth-shaking shouts of killing could be heard clearly even across the river.

"The pseudo-clan is vicious, and even attacked overnight despite the fatigue of the soldiers." Although Wu Sangui was cursing, his voice seemed weak and depressed.

That's right, of course Wu Sangui would not watch his army being wiped out, and secretly took out Xia Guoxiang and others, just in case. He had already sent cavalry along the river to find a suitable place to cross the river. Although there are early warnings of interception by ships on the river, if the boats that are far away and avoid surveillance can find a narrow spot on the river, they may not be able to succeed in smuggling.

It's just that it takes time, and the overnight attack of the Ming army on the other side obviously broke this illusion of Wu Sangui, so that he could only witness the annihilation of his own troops with his own eyes. That kind of sadness and helplessness is naturally extremely heavy.

Without the main general, the army will soon collapse; With the main general, it is difficult to escape annihilation, but it can hold on for more time and bring greater damage to the Ming army. Comparatively speaking, Wu Sangui still attaches more importance to the lives of his two sons-in-law and generals.

"Lord Wang, you better go back to the camp and rest!" Xia Guoxiang had already changed his clothes and was by Wu Sangui's side, he felt that it was really not a good thing to stand here and watch the army on the opposite side be wiped out, so he persuaded him euphemistically.

"Rest?" Wu Sangui shook his head slightly, paused, and said resolutely: "Go back to the camp to rectify the soldiers and horses, and withdraw the troops." ”

Xia Guoxiang's eyes widened suddenly, but he soon came to his senses and admired his father-in-law's decision.

The conquest of Yuanjiang has failed, and the remaining army is not only unable to attack again, but must guard against the enemy's counterattack. Camping and not leaving, except for maintaining some face, is useless at all, and it takes a lot of risk. When the enemy on the other side of the strait has free up his hands, it will not be so easy to retreat safely.

The withdrawal of troops is the most correct action at present, and it is also an imperative approach. It is better to withdraw than not to withdraw, and it is better to withdraw early than to withdraw late. I can afford it, I can put it down, and since I am defeated, I will admit it. When faced with it, we will make the most advantageous choice, so why should we care about any useless face? When the interruption continues, there will be trouble. Wu Sangui understood this sentence deeply and interpreted it thoroughly.

The fighting on the other side was still going on, and Wu Sangui had already resolutely turned away. I didn't even look back again.

……………

The progress of the general offensive was much faster than expected, and the Qing army lost the unified command and supervision of the commander-in-chief, and the morale of the army was even more sluggish, and it collapsed in less than three hours under the crushing of the onslaught on three sides.

Xia Guoxiang and Wei Pu ran away! The boats on the river intercepted another small boat that had been smuggled in, and two sailors and one escort commander were killed by muskets and arrows, and the other two Qing generals were taken prisoner. After interrogation, the sailor learned that the big fish had been released by Langdao, and someone urgently sent someone to report.

There are some regrets. Originally, Zhu Yongxing also wanted to capture or behead these two Wu Sangui's sons-in-law, so as to give Wu Sangui a heavy psychological blow, or humiliate this old traitor. But the matter has come to this, and Zhu Yongxing is more or less responsible. Therefore, he did not blame the sailors for negligence, but praised them for their contribution in capturing and killing the Qing generals.

After this battle, the army led by Wu Sangui had suffered a great loss in strength. The offensive and defensive momentum is reversed, and it is time to clean up this old traitor. Zhu Yongxing quickly put aside this little regret. Start planning for future actions. With the help of ships and the advantage of the total number of troops, the options are diverse. It can cross the river from the upstream in a roundabout way, and the camera cuts off the retreat of the Qing army; It can also transport troops to the lower reaches of Lu, return to Mengzi, and attack the stone screen; It is also possible to use troops on both flanks at the same time. The east and west attacked the camp of the Qing army in Jiangbei.

In the early morning, the overall situation had been decided, and Zhu Yongxing found a room to sleep and rest under the persuasion of Na Song and others. The Battle of Yuanjiang was finally won, and the Qing army in Jiangbei could no longer pose a threat. Zhu Yongxing, who was very settled in his heart, slept very sweetly this night. He didn't wake up until dawn, and according to the time, it was already more than nine o'clock in the morning.

After washing up and eating something casually, Zhu Yongxing began to inspect under the protection of his personal guards.

The sun shines on the body, and it is warm and pleasant. Yuanjiang deserves the reputation of "natural greenhouse" and "pearl of mourning", with suitable temperature and pleasant climate.

It's just that the surroundings of Yuanjiang City have just been ravaged by the war, and as far as the eye can see, there are mounds of mounds, chaotic trees and horizontal branches, broken flags and soldiers, and even the corpses that have not had time to be cleaned up and buried, which is even more devastated and miserable.

This is war, and it is easier to destroy than to build. Zhu Yongxing sighed in his heart, along the way, but saw that many Ming troops had been stationed in the village, leaving only sentries to inspect, and obviously still sleeping and resting. Although it is winter, the temperature is still 16 or 7 degrees, and there is no worry about freezing and cold.

Several generals worked hard, and although most of the troops were resting, they still sent alert troops along the river, which made Zhu Yongxing feel relieved and gratified.

Before the Qing prisoners could be screened, the soldiers and auxiliaries were mixed together, and they were kept in several depressions, there were always 10,000 or 20,000 people, and the guards were also very tight. Once he laid down his arms and surrendered, the tiger also became a lamb, and Zhu Yongxing was not worried that these guys would be in trouble.

Any politician with a savvy knows that the most effective means of breaking up the enemy is to treat the prisoners preferentially. Zhu Yongxing did not dare to call himself a politician, nor did he prepare any preferential treatment. But he can still do it without killing prisoners, or as few as possible.

Moreover, the free labor he spoke of with the generals was not a joke. Yunnan has a well-developed mining industry, and to support the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty, it is necessary to expand mining and smelting, whether it is a knife to cut the pleasure, or let the guilty people serve a period of time or indefinite coolies, and create value to atone for their sins. As long as you think about it with your head, it is not difficult to choose between the two.

War-torn and depopulated is a long-standing problem. If there is a sufficient population, Zhu Yongxing is completely sure that he will swallow Annam, re-emigrate to enrich it, and change the proportion of personnel in the occupied areas. But now, he can only tear down the east wall to make up the west wall, and use the puppet regime to slowly digest it.

"Your Highness, the King of Ruyang is here." Yang Guoxiang pulled the horse's head, approached Zhu Yongxing, and reminded him.

Zhu Yongxing nodded lightly, and Le Ma greeted Ma Bao and the others.

"See Your Highness." Ma Bao and the others took the lead in dismounting and bowing down.

"No courtesy." Zhu Yongxing smiled kindly, jumped off the war horse, and said, "It's not the right time for me to let you have a rare rest." ”

"Your Highness is serious." Ma Bao said with a smile: "The last general will wait for his health, even if he doesn't fit his eyes for a few days, he won't be fine." Your Highness, please also enter the camp for a while. ”

"Nope." Zhu Yongxing waved his hand and said, "As soon as I enter the camp, don't make any more noise." Missed the rest of the generals. ”

"Then, will I wait with His Highness to patrol it?" Ma Bao obviously has something, but there are many people, and it seems that it is difficult to speak.

"Very good." Zhu Yongxing smiled and got back on the horse, accompanied by Ma Bao, Ma Weixing and other generals. Continue to make rounds.

As they walked, the team pulled away. Seeing that it was an opportunity, Ma Bao mentioned the horse to the front, half a horse's head behind Zhu Yongxing, bowed down and said: "Your Highness, the matter of Guangguo Gong will be responsible for negligence in the end, and please ask Your Highness to punish you for the crime." ”

Zhu Yongxing didn't turn around immediately, but just hummed softly. After a pause, he said slowly: "Although Guangguo Gong is guilty of deception, he has no fact of collaborating with the enemy, and I saw the report of the Military Intelligence Department on the road. Small punishment and big commandment! As for the crime of negligence, King Ruyang is an excuse, right? Presumably it's for Guangguogong, right? Hehe. ”

Ma Bao looked at Zhu Yongxing's smile, and he couldn't help but bow his hand in his heart, "Your Highness is aware of everything." At the end, this little bit of careful thinking can be seen through at a glance. ”

"Ruthless is not necessarily heroic. How the pity is not a husband. Zhu Yongxing turned his head and said with emotion: "When I read the history books, I deeply felt that the famous Southern Song Dynasty general Li Xianzhong was affectionate, righteous, loyal and fearless. He would rather risk his guilt than take back his wife from the Golden Land. However, Li Xianzhong traveled thousands of miles south to his homeland, and captured the enemy chief alone with a knife in his hand. Stick to the city, and the corpses of the enemy are like mountains; 'But the king's affairs in the world, won the name before and after his death', loyal to the country, not written on his back. But it was written in his heart. ”

"The last general is willing to serve Li Xianzhong and serve the country loyally." Ma Bao responded with indignation, paused, and then lowered his voice and added: "Help Your Highness achieve great things for thousands of years, and you will never give up in the end." ”

This was said very explicitly, Zhu Yongxing smiled heartily and praised: "Li Xianzhong was born in Suide, and the king of Ruyang is also a heroic man in Gansu and Shaanxi. Troubled times and disputes, turning things around, it is the time for a good man to show his skills and leave a name in history......"

Zhu Yongxing stopped his words, rode into the dust, and was galloping from the riverside to this side, not knowing what had happened to the military situation, he turned his head to look at each other.

Everyone also waited silently, guessing differently in their hearts, and their faces showed solemnity.

The rushing rider rolled his saddle and dismounted, saluted and reported: "Your Highness, the ships on the river have come to report that the Qing army in Jiangbei seems to have retreated, and thousands of cavalry have just left the camp, which seems to be the troops behind the palace." ”

Zhu Yongxing couldn't help but be stunned, and glanced at Ma Bao, who was also surprised and showed a surprised expression.

"Let's go, let's see." Zhu Yongxing had doubts about what the signal corps said, "plausible" and "plausible," so he simply came to see it to be believing, so that he could be down-to-earth.

The group turned their horses' heads one after another, followed behind Zhu Yongxing, and ran towards the river.

By the river, more than a dozen improvised trestle bridges have been repaired, and boats are also docked on the shore. Zhu Yongxing and the others boarded a big ship, slowly sailed away, and approached the opposite shore.

In the field of vision of the telescope, the flag of the Qing army's Jiangbei camp is still there, and there are also figures standing behind the wall, but there are almost no moves.

Zhu Yongxing was puzzled, but he couldn't be sure right away. put down the binoculars and handed them to Ma Weixing casually.

Ma Bao kept holding the binoculars to observe, guessing and muttering, "Something is wrong, it looks like a bluff." ”

Ma Weixing looked at it for a while, then passed the telescope to other generals, shook his head lightly, and said, "According to the last general, it is most likely an empty camp." ”

The boat came to a halt near the shore, and the crowd looked more closely and clearly. Although they all suspected that it was an empty camp, no one dared to be sure easily.

"Send someone to scout!" Ma Bao turned to Zhu Yongxing and asked: "Send a few more boats over, send a few cavalry ashore, and if there is a fraud, you can also pick them up and leave." ”

Zhu Yongxing hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly. This task is very dangerous, it is said that the ship is answering, and if there is an ambush in the battalion, it is estimated that there will be scout cavalry who will die. However, there is no way around it. Only by judging the situation of the Qing army as soon as possible can we make a plan to deal with it as soon as possible.

After some tossing, half an hour had passed, Zhu Yongxing held the binoculars and finally saw the signal from the scout cavalry. There was even a bold guy who climbed up the walled tower and kicked the banner of the Qing army down.

"Sure enough, it's an empty camp." Zhu Yongxing rolled his eyes and shook his head a little incredulously, "Wu Yi actually withdrew like this, really, really unexpectedly." Could there be another trick to round our army? ”

"I'm afraid it's unlikely." Ma Bao thought for a moment and said, "The enemy army has lost nearly half of its strength and has lost its ability to attack. It is estimated that he was afraid that our army would cross the river to attack after the rectification was completed, so he retreated overnight. ”

"If I am the chief general of the Qing army, I will retreat when I see that I can't do anything." Ma Weixing said: "But if you want to be as simple as Wu Revers, you can't do it." ”

Zhu Yongxing thought about it for a while and figured it out. Retreat is undoubtedly the best choice for Wu Sangui at present, which not only preserves his strength, but also escapes from danger. It is estimated that most of them are going to be stationed in Shiping and aiming at Yuanjiang. If the Ming army goes to attack, the situation of the host and guest will change, and it will not be easy to win. What's more, Wu Sangui may still receive reinforcements, and there is also the possibility of change in the comparison of troops.

"It's a pity that I thought about it for a long time last night, and I already have several plans to attack Wu Yi." Zhu Yongxing smiled bitterly and shook his head regretfully, "It's useless now." Wu rebelled and decided, but I despised him. ”

"Although Wu Shun has made a decision, but after this battle, he has already lost his heart, and when he sees His Royal Highness's banner in the future, he will have no heart to fight." Ma Bao, the king of Ruyang, complimented. (To be continued......)