Ai Xing, Shu Mushi, a native of the Yellow Banner of Manchuria, a first-class duke, and a minister of the guard. In September of the seventeenth year of Shunzhi, Shunzhi once sent scholars Ma Leji and Shi Tu to Yunnan to inspect the war and verify Wu Sangui's performance. After the two returned to report, Shunzhi discussed with the council king Baylor and the ministers, and decided to confer the Minister of the Interior, Ai Xing'a, as the "General of Dingxi", and led the Eight Banners of the Forbidden Brigade to Yunnan, and Wu Sangui to "discuss with the camera".

At that time, Shunzhi still trusted Wu Sangui more, and instructed Ai Xing A to wait for everything to "go to the meeting" after arriving in Yunnan. For example, if you are with Sangui, "all affairs shall be carried out with the king's seal, and if you are not with the king, you will be sealed with the king."

It's just that the situation has changed too quickly, and Ai Xing Ah and the Eight Banners of the Forbidden Brigade have just prepared to set off, and Shunzhi will die. The emperor died, and the courtesy of the ministers could not be abolished, and Ai Xing could only start after the funeral was completed. However, the war situation in Yunnan Province took a sharp turn for the worse, and Wu Sangui led the army to withdraw from Kunming first, then Qujing, and then directly retreated into Guizhou Province, and the entire territory of Yunnan Province was occupied by the Ming army.

Of course, Wu Sangui had already made up the wording, admitting his mistake in the recital, and asking for punishment, but the main responsibility was shifted to the dead ghost Daniel Zhang. Moreover, Wu Sangui was extremely sad in the recital, saying that he had rushed to Beijing and wanted to cry and worship Shunzhi.

But before the Qing court could make a decision, Wu Sangui came back in just a few days, saying that the Shuixi Rebellion had spread rampantly, and it would be difficult to control it if it was delayed. For the sake of the safety of Guizhou Province and the Ming army in Yunnan Province, he could only "personally lead the army to suppress it as soon as possible, so as to clear the elbow and armpit troubles, and cut off the idea of attacking the inside and outside of the Ming Dynasty in Yunnan Province." As soon as the recital arrived, Wu Yingxiong of the Beijing Division began to move, bribing four auxiliary ministers to speak for his father.

Things have come to this point, even if most of what Wu Sangui said was false, his loyalty to the Qing court had been greatly reduced. The four auxiliary ministers also believed that there should be no coercion at this time, and that appeasement should be the best. Although Wu Sangui did not work hard, or had some collusion with the pseudo-Ming, he had not really rebelled in the end. Because of this, the Ming army was unable to advance for a long time, and could only stand in a corner.

From loyalty to vacillation. Wu Sangui's changes made the Qing court angry, but in the end, it was still something that could be won and used, and the Qing court was not stupid enough to force Wu Sangui to the side of the Ming army. Appeasement is appeasement, but vigilance is indispensable. Therefore, in this uncertain situation, the original southward movement of Ai Xing Ah and the Eight Banners of the Forbidden Brigade was postponed, and the Qing court had to renegotiate and re-select the best direction and place to invest troops.

At the same time, the Qing court, with the four auxiliary ministers as the core of the ruling power, also needed to constantly adjust its ruling policies. Conquer people's hearts and stabilize order. Years of war had overwhelmed the Qing court's finances; The resurgence of the power of the Southern Ming Dynasty made the Qing court realize that it was necessary to rule the Han people, who accounted for the majority of the population, and it was also very important to appropriately relax policies and win the hearts and minds of the people with the Southern Ming.

As a result, two views and two factions of figures appeared in the Qing court. One faction believed that the economy should be lightly taxed and renamed Tian (i.e., the Ming Dynasty vassal king's Zhuangtian, which was given to tenants for cultivation free of charge by the Qing court). development of production; Politically, attention should be paid to rectifying the rule of officials. It is necessary to strike at the Han landlords and gentry class in Jiangnan step by step, and slow down the process of attacking the power of the Southern Ming Dynasty in order to recuperate the national and popular forces.

On the other hand, the relaxation of economic policies will lead to a shortage of armaments, and slowing down the process of attacking the forces of the Southern Ming Dynasty is tantamount to raising tigers. At present, it is necessary to increase taxes, accumulate superior forces that can carry out military operations with the overwhelming momentum of Mount Tai, solve the Southern Ming situation in the southwest in one fell swoop, and eliminate the armed anti-Qing movement on the mainland under the banner of restoring the Ming Dynasty. Only then can we recuperate our national strength and be gracious to the people.

……………

Crying temple case? Zhu Yongxing pondered for a long time, sighed helplessly, and put this information aside. The tentacles of the intelligence bureau have extended more and more widely, and relevant and unrelated matters have been reported to various places. It doesn't matter if it's important or not. Zhu Yongxing asked the Intelligence Bureau to compile and sort it out and hand it over for him to see. There are some things that others may not see, but Zhu Yongxing still hopes to use his own ability to dig out value from them.

For example, this incident about the Crying Temple in Wu County, Suzhou, the Intelligence Bureau did not care, and Zhu Yongxing vaguely knew something, but he felt powerless.

To be honest, Zhu Yongxing did not have a good impression of the Han landlords and gentry. Those who gave up their homes for the country have been killed by the Qing army, and there is still a little blood left of those who survived? Every time you slaughter more dogs, the richer you are, the more reactionary you are, well, that's a bit extreme, but it's not unreasonable.

Because they had families and businesses, the landlords and gentry were more concerned about their own net worth, and it was easier for them to change their tendencies than ordinary people. At that time, Hong Chengchou's propaganda and pacification were quite effective, and a large number of gentry who were originally inclined to the Ming court now changed to neutrality and made a posture of escapism: they did not support either the Tartars nor the anti-Qing forces. And their sons and nephews began to participate in the imperial examinations of the Qing court, working hard for "learning and excellence", as for whether it was the court of the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty, it does not seem to matter.

Although the impression is not good, Zhu Yongxing will still help if he can. After all, the gentry in Jiangnan were not as willing to submit to the rule of the Manchus as the northern gentry, and the struggle for the gentry class was also planned by Yi Cheng and Zhang Weihan for Zhu Yongxing's ascendancy.

But now it's just out of reach. The Ming army in the southwest has just spread its two wings, and Guangxi and Sichuan have involved the energy of the Ming army; The South China Sea Fleet is preparing to strike at the naval division of the Qing army in Guangdong, so as to threaten the land through the sea, contain the Qing army in Guangdong, and cooperate with the operation of the Guangxi theater; The information of the Jingshi also kept coming, and Zhu Yongxing and others were paying close attention to the moves of the Qing court, and maybe there would be a big battle with a plan out of the way, and it was also necessary to maintain a certain amount of mobility......

Of course, it is estimated that the Qing court's large-scale use of troops in the southwest will not wait until September or October, because Wu Sangui said in the recital that "when the miasma disappears, and then the army enters Yunnan on a large scale, victory can be expected."

Well, there is still five or six months to prepare, and Wu Sangui also needs time to eliminate dissidents in Guizhou and consolidate his strength. For this, the two coincide.

Zhu Yongxing sneered, put away the information he had read, folded it, thought for a while, picked up his pen, and wrote a letter to the headquarters of the Guangxi Theater.

In the first battle of Simingzhou, flintlock pistols and bayonets exerted great power, but this also caused some different opinions among the officers of the front-line troops on the establishment of the army.

Among them, the main one is the retention and elimination of spearmen. In the eyes of the front-line officers, the use of artillery carriages as cover, coupled with the increase in the rate of fire and range of flintlock muskets, made the spearmen useless. If the whole army is equipped with flintlock pistols and bayonets, not only can the combat power be increased. And even without a gun carriage, with bayonets and dense fire, it was able to withstand the charge of the cavalry.

Zhu Yongxing was not very sure about this, after all, the Qing army did not use cavalry charges in this battle, it was just a small victory. The conclusions drawn by the front-line officers from this were somewhat rash and somewhat hasty.

Although Zhu Yongxing spared no effort to strengthen the weapons and equipment of the Ming army, he also knew that for the time being, the theory of victory with weapons was unreliable. Training, organization, discipline and morale remain crucial factors.

“…… It is a bit too early to judge whether spearmen are worthwhile in the current situation. Rather than indoctrinate the soldiers with uncertain theories, it is more natural to explain them clearly. They should be told that brave cavalry can break through the phalanx, and brave infantry can repel cavalry charges. ”

There was a pause. Zhu Yongxing continued: "Because victory does not depend on the superiority of one branch of the army over others, but on a thousand different circumstances. Tell them about the bravery of the troops, the wit of the commanders, the maneuvering of the time, the effect of gunfire, the rain, and even the sludge, all these factors. It can lead to victory or defeat; But. Generally speaking, a brave man, whether he is an infantry or a cavalryman, is always able to defeat a coward. ”

In modern times, cavalry and bayonet battalion phalanxes relied on neat clusters formed by dense formations to maintain the unity of the offensive/defensive group. So in the collision. It is often directly reflected in the formation of the two sides, which breaks down first. The causes of the collapse may include various factors such as discipline, morale, environment, and command.

Therefore, when Zhu Yongxing was not sure about eliminating the spearmen, it was necessary to remind the officers from another aspect that it was necessary to nip superstition about weapons and equipment in the bud.

Finished writing the letter. Zhu Yongxing called the clerk and asked him to copy some of the contents of the letter and send it to the lecture hall. In this way, we can not only enlighten the officers who are studying, but also enable them to use their brains to carefully study and discuss the issue of the allocation of arms in the army.

Calculating the time, the latest news from the Guangxi Theater is coming soon, and it is estimated that it is about the battle in Nanning. Zhu Yongxing expected good news, because he believed in the Ming army's ability to attack fortifications, and the Ming army's strength advantage was great. Of course, if the attack on Nanning encounters unexpected circumstances and is delayed for a few days, Guangdong is still happy to rush reinforcements, and the variables will be great.

It's just that Zhu Yongxing is really helpless about the speed of communication in this era. The South China Sea Fleet should have launched a response operation as scheduled, attacking Fangchenggang and attacking Lianzhou (now Beihai), but no specific information has been transmitted.

…………………

The weather is clear, and the blue sky is dotted with sparse clouds, so if you have the leisure to relax, it is also interesting to lie in the shade of a tree to discern the shape of the clouds.

But at this time, Ma Xiong, the governor of Guangxi, had no intention of appreciating it, although he was in the shade of the tree, the wounds on his body were soaked in sweat, and there were the moans of the wounded soldiers around him, which made him even more upset.

When the field battle was defeated, he was defeated, first, he did not do his best, and secondly, the losses did not reach the point of breaking his muscles and bones. But the idea of holding on to Nanning and waiting for reinforcements also came to naught, and the speed of time still makes him still feel uneasy when he thinks about it now.

As a veteran soldier, Ma Xiong thought that there was nothing wrong with the arrangement of defending the city. Seven thousand to twenty thousand, if it is to defend the fortified city, the number comparison is not too great. The Ming army also saw this and adopted the tactics of encircling three queyi. Of course, Ma Xiong was not fooled, he wanted to defeat the enemy under the city of Nanning, so that the enemy would be exhausted for a long time, and then wait for an opportunity to counterattack, or after the arrival of reinforcements, he should join forces with the outside and the outside.

However, the optimism came to naught on the third day, and the Ming artillery did not blast the city, but the walls of the north and south suddenly collapsed in large areas. As the Ming army swarmed into the city, Ma Xiong knew that the general trend of the road had gone, and resolutely led 3,000 cavalry out of the city to break through to the east. It was his decision that prevented the Qing army from dying with the city. Although the breakthrough was intercepted and blocked by the Ming army, more than 2,000 cavalry successfully escaped.

This can be regarded as a loss of most of the time, and the vitality is greatly damaged. Ma Xiong led the remnants of the army to run straight to the territory of Guixian (now Guigang City), so that he could get out of the great difficulty and rest for a while.

"Lord Admiral—" The staff who had escaped by luck were in tattered clothes, their hair was scattered, and they had long since lost their grace, and when they had already taken their breath, they leaned over and asked, "Where are we going next?" ”

Ma Xiong frowned and thought for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I was supposed to go north back to Liuzhou, but I don't know what the situation is there now. Moreover, if the war was lost, I didn't want to meet Sun Yanling, that bastard, and I would laugh at him in vain. ”

Ma Xiong and Sun Yanling have a deep grudge, and they are ashamed to be under Sun Yanling, and the staff naturally knows. But now there are only two options, either continue eastward and join up with the Qing army in Guangdong; Either head north and return to the base camp of Liuzhou to take a breather and recuperate. The remnants of the defeated army did not dare to fight with the Ming army again, and they urgently needed a place to eat.

"My lord, the Shang Fan of Guangdong is not a good person, if you go to take refuge, these soldiers may be swallowed by it." The staff thought about it and analyzed: "Even if it is not annexed, when counterattacking the Ming army, our army will be used as the vanguard, and it will not be used with regret." ”

Ma Xiong nodded slightly, his frowns tightened, and he lost the remaining capital, let alone compete with Sun Yanling anymore, even if it is an official position, I am afraid it will not be easy to protect.

"What if—" The staff lowered his voice and said grimly, "While sending someone to inquire about the dissipation, he secretly traveled north." It is naturally good to be able to go back to Liuzhou, if Sun Yanling's gang is already in Liuzhou, our army will make a detour to Guilin and give him a salary from the bottom of the kettle. ”

Ma Xiong was taken aback, he didn't expect his staff to come up with such a vicious plan. But when you think about it, it's not a bad choice. Since Sun Yanling was unrighteous and withdrew his troops north to Liuzhou, there is nothing that cannot be said about returning a tooth for a tooth and taking advantage of the false seizure of its foundation, Guilin.

Moreover, after occupying Guilin, he not only avenged with one arrow, but also cut off Sun Yanling's back road, so that Sun Yanling could no longer steal and play tricks, and could only fight against the Ming army.

Thinking like this, Ma Xiong's face slowly turned from surprise to cunning and smugness, and he slapped his thigh and said hatefully: "Just follow Mr.'s policy." If he is unjust, he blames me for being ruthless. ”

The staff was appreciated and happy, but they still pretended to be reserved, and reminded Ma Xiong: "My lord, this matter is not trivial, don't leak the news, so that Sun Yanling can be on guard." Why don't you explain to the generals first, our army is going north to Liuzhou. It is safest to wait until the news is accurate and then make it public. ”

"Exactly, exactly." Ma Xiong nodded repeatedly, with a long-lost smile on his face, as if he was coming out of defeat.

……………… (To be continued......)