The rays of the sun gradually faded from the sky, the damp breath was blowing away, and the gray clouds slowly moved from north to south, giving people a desolate and desolate feeling.

The capital commander Eshen Batulu restrained the horses and looked around. Beside the road were frosty and snowy woods, and in the distance were silent mountains, and a crow crowned on a branch not far away, and flew away in a daze. Suddenly, a melancholy feeling hit Eshen's heart.

When the news of the fall of Nanjing came, the Qing troops deployed on the front line of Quzhou, Lishui, and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province learned that the back road was cut off, and the army was immediately confused. The Ming army in Fujian Province took advantage of the situation and came out from Xianxia Pass and Fenshui Pass, with an obvious purpose, to stick to the Qing army and wait for other Ming troops to pounce from the north.

Trying to assemble the Qing army in three places and defeat the Ming army in front of it was not only time-consuming, but also chaotic, and there was no certainty of victory. The Hangzhou general sent people three times a day to urge him to return to his division in order to hold on to Hangzhou. In desperation, Prince Yue An Le issued an order to retreat to Hangzhou. The route of Dutong Eshen Baturu departs from Lishui, takes Jinhua, and turns to Hangzhou.

If it is good to hold the defensive line, but as soon as the army withdraws, although it is not engaged, it is like a defeat. A large number of Green Flag officers and soldiers began to flee, drilling in the mountains and entering the forests, everyone knew that it was still possible to escape for their lives now, and when they arrived in Hangzhou, they were also surrounded, forced to fight, and the outcome was even worse.

A Ming army of more than 10,000 people tiptoed behind and chased after without hurry, and the Eight Banners did not dare to stay too long, so they pressed this side, ran hundreds there, chased over, and there were hundreds of them here. Even the always obedient Green Banner soldiers are fierce, often taking advantage of the lack of Eight Banner soldiers in front of them, suddenly fighting each other with swords and guns, snatching horses and heads and burrowing into the forest.

Withdrawing from Lishui to Jinhua, there was already a third of the Green Flag soldiers, but the pursuers behind were outnumbered. Many of the fleeing Green Banner soldiers cut off their braids and in turn acted as the vanguard of the Ming army, chasing them more quickly.

There were also more interceptions on the road, and the people fled to the villages and towns they passed. Knowing that the Qing army was going to pass by, and it was the last time. Who still stays at home waiting to be robbed and killed. The long-term infiltration finally saw the effect, and as soon as the identity of the intelligence bureau personnel was revealed, the patriarch or gentry agreed with a mouthful, summoned some bold and strong men to set up an ambush, and called on the people to break the road and hinder the march of the Qing army.

What about Hangzhou? Dutong Eshen Baturu sighed secretly, knowing that now he is just living one day at a time, and unless he puts on his wings, there is only one way to perish. The road was difficult. The pursuers behind him were scattered, and the heavy artillery was also largely abandoned.

Suddenly, in the afterglow of Eshen Baturu, he noticed that there was a bright light flickering in the woods, and he immediately became alarmed and shouted: "Be careful, there is a lurk in the forest!" ”

As soon as the words fell, there was a "whoosh". The tightness of the bowstring sounded, and an arrow shot out of the woods. There's still a little fire in front of the tail.

One of the Eight Banners was caught off guard and was being shot in the shoulder, with a scream of pain, he wanted to reach out and pull it out, and the gunpowder tied to the shaft of the arrow exploded. Although the amount of medicine is not large, it is close to the ear. He was also wrapped in a few pieces of broken iron, which immediately blew him up all over the face, screaming and falling off his horse.

The marching army was in disarray, and arrows flew straight into the forest. There were even Qing soldiers who jumped off their horses, raised their shields and swords, and shouted and searched the forest.

Ahh

The sun is obscured by clouds, and the forest is even darker. The wind blew the branches of the trees and the sound of the fallen leaves brushing the ground, as if they were hiding thousands of troops.

Several Qing soldiers who entered the woods ran towards the place where the screams were made, and with a "bang", the sound of the machine spring on the ground sounded, and the foot of a Qing soldier was stuck by the bouncing beast clip, which was the kind of sawtooth beast clip that was specially hunted and killed by fierce beasts, and the strength was so great that it broke his calf bone at once. screaming, the Qing soldier wanted to bend down and reach out to break it, but the pain was so painful that he lost his strength.

The companions hurriedly rescued, this help, that prying, but in the chaos they neglected to prevent falling, several crossbow arrows suddenly shot out, and two more Qing soldiers were injured and hung the lottery.

"Get out!" Qing Bing was extremely angry, looked around vigilantly, and roared angrily, "Cowards, come out to fight." ”

There was the sound of the wind, the swaying of the branches, and the sound of footsteps, but there was no human figure in sight.

Several Qing soldiers felt a chill in their hearts, looked at each other, and slowly retreated backwards with their injured companions.

With a "boom", a bright light flashed, and a lead bullet shot in, hitting the lower abdomen of a Qing soldier, and the huge impact immediately damaged his internal organs, vomiting blood, rolling and screaming on the ground in pain.

"Kill!" Shouts rang out all around, the grass shook, and I don't know how many people ran through the forest.

The Qing soldiers were terrified, waved their weapons wildly, and fled out of the forest in a panic.

A person suddenly jumped up in the grass in front of him, and the spear in his hand was swift and incomparable, and stabbed into the chest of a Qing soldier. Then he crossed the barrel of the gun, knocked open a slashed tiger tooth knife, and the barrel of the gun swept violently, hitting the opponent's neck, knocking the opponent staggering.

Three uninjured Qing soldiers outflanked and besieged, Wang Zhan turned around and hid behind a tree, and suddenly flashed out from one side with a spear piercing the throat of a Qing soldier like a poisonous snake. Drawing the gun, blood shot out, and the Qing soldier was still staring wide when he died, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Several sharp arrows were fired, and the two Qing soldiers fell one more, and the last one saw that the situation was not good, turned around and fled. After a few steps, the soldier screamed, and the tip of a spear came out of his back through his chest, and he stared blankly at his chest, and as soon as the spear was drawn, he immediately fell straight down.

Several figures flashed out from the surroundings, slashed and killed, killed the wounded Qing soldiers, and then dragged the corpses back into the woods.

"Keep going!" Dutong Eshen Batulu knew that he couldn't delay here, the pursuers behind him were getting closer and closer, and the situation in the forest was unknown, even if there were only a few bold rebels, now was not the time to clean them up.

The Qing soldiers were angry, but they were a little helpless, so they had to continue to move forward on guard, vigilant against attacks in the forest.

"Whoosh", a sharp arrow pierced the air, pierced the darkness in the forest, and shot forcefully into the throat of a Qing soldier, and actually brought him off his horse.

Damn it! When did the cowardly southerners have the courage to attack the Eight Banners? Oshen Baturu has a kind of depression of being bullied by dogs in Pingyang, and the attackers in the forest are so annoying that they stick to it like a dog's skin plaster. Let's go into the forest. To hit the trap, and the woods are dense and deep, it is not easy to search; Ignore him, and make some trouble for the team's march from time to time.

Attacks like this have been encountered many times, sometimes very simply, and not a single soldier is injured. But there was still a delay; Many roads were also dug with potholes, making the retreat of the Qing army fast and slow.

With such a speed of marching, the Qing generals such as Eshen Batulu still felt that they could arrive before the Ming army in the north attacked Hangzhou. But what they didn't know was that the three armies of Yanshuo, Dangshuo, and Zhengshuo had already divided their troops and accelerated their southward march to the south of Hangzhou to intercept them.

From Guizhou to Hunan, then to Hubei, and down the river, the Ming army captured a lot of mules and horses after a series of battles. When the siege of the Qing army in Zhejiang began, Zhu Yongxing and his staff officers expected that the Qing army would concentrate on Hangzhou, the last stronghold. Strike it for the sake of dividing. The three armies pressed Hangzhou with infantry, and used captured mules and horses to carry thousands of musketeers around Hangzhou and march south, to intercept the Qing army before it decided to withdraw and reach Hangzhou.

At this point in the war, it is certain that the Qing army will be in turmoil, and it is also predictable that a large number of Green Flag soldiers will flee. In other words, the Qing army, which still seemed to have a lot of troops, will be greatly reduced all of a sudden, and only the thousands of Manchurian and Mongolian Eight Banners are the most determined.

So, despite the fact that the musketeers who accelerated south were only in the thousands. However, as long as the Qing army was ambushed and intercepted on the road before it entered Hangzhou, it could not be completely annihilated. The Qing army, which was in a hurry and was already in turmoil, was still very sure. Moreover, at this time, the people's hearts changed greatly, the Qing army walked as if it was in an enemy-occupied area, and the Ming army walked as if it was in its own ruled area.

Not to mention the Qing army on another road, Eshen Batulu has now seen the power of the people, the kind of power that has been suppressed for a long time and can finally erupt.

There are obstacles on the main road. Three trenches are horizontal, behind the trenches the Ming army is dazzling in red clothes, behind the Ming army is the strong people wielding swords and guns, and then behind are the people in front of the support who carry the basket.

The Ming army was not very numerous, only more than 2,000 people. Traveling lightly, he passed through Zhouyue County along the way, but he did not encounter any decent resistance, and there were even those who chased after him and asked for surrender. When they came to Yiwu and Pujiang areas, the Ming army immediately blocked the road to build fortifications, and sent people to call on the people from all directions.

The area around Yiwu and Pujiang was originally a key area in the anti-Qing anti-riot campaign, and the personnel of the intelligence bureau were mobilizing guidance, and when they heard that the Ming army had arrived, the people who had taken refuge in the military disaster immediately rejoiced and enthusiastically supported it. There were even anti-Qing rebels who came to join and help in the battle, and in less than two days, more than 20,000 people gathered.

Under the cold and freezing, the three trenches were completed in one day; Although the rejection of horses and deer is simple, it is also the result of the people's tireless work and hard work. There is also a breastwall, which is built of frozen soil, and then splashed with water and frozen, and it is very strong. Moreover, this is only the first line of defense, and the second line of defense behind him is being built by hundreds of people who are desperately digging and building in turns, their hands are frozen purple and frozen, and no one complains of bitterness or tiredness.

Hot rice, hot dishes, hot soup, even if the common people did not eat or eat less, the lightly armed Ming army did not starve and endure, and soon recovered most of their bodies.

Sometimes there are exceptions, but most of the time they dominate the progress of history, and they will also add heavy bargaining chips to the balance of war. Nanjing was recovered, and the victory of the Ming army in Jiangnan was decided, which further encouraged the people's accumulated feelings.

"The people's hearts are available!" Li Chengjue, the commander of the first division of the Yanshuo Army, was quite satisfied, this fortification has been completed, although the number of the Ming army is a little less, but for defense, he, a general who has fought with the Qing army since Yunnan Province and is familiar with the combat characteristics of the Ming army, is still very confident.

"Your Excellency is right. The people's minds are clear, but the people's hearts are disgusted! Ma Chenliang, an undercover member of the Intelligence Bureau and instigating the Yiwu people to revolt against the Qing Dynasty, nodded with a smile, these also have his credit, Jiangnan is restored, he no longer has to hide his identity, it will be of great use.

"That's right." Li Chengjue suddenly remembered something and asked: "You said that there are a few people who dare to attack the Qing army, and they have quite a success, so call them to show the general?" ”

"Don't say it, my lord, I want to send them to the barracks, and they are good soldiers!" Ma Chenliang greeted one of his subordinates with a smile, explained a few words, and his subordinates took the order and left.

"There are still more than 10,000 Qing troops-" Li Chengjue looked into the distance and said: "Although it surpasses our army, the army's morale is in turmoil, and there are pursuers behind it, and if it is unfavorable, a large number of people will flee." There are thousands of Manmeng Eight Banners left, and even if the cavalry is strong, it will suddenly not be able to reach the position of our army. ”

"Adults can mobilize the people to participate in the war." Ma Chenliang said: "I don't know the lowly duties elsewhere, but there are indeed many people in Yiwu who dare to fight. ”

"Yiwu, where Qi Shaobao recruits." Li Chengjue nodded thoughtfully.

Using the righteous people to help the war, Li Chengjue also has this thought. But he is afraid that it will backfire, and once the chaos is broken, the overall situation will collapse, and even the Ming army will be affected. Listening to Ma Chenliang talk about Yiwu, his heart couldn't help but move.

In a few moments, more than a dozen sturdy young men rushed over under the guidance of Ma Chenliang's men, carrying a lot of captured armor and weapons on their backs.

Li Chengjue looked left and right. They are indeed all strong, and their momentum is very different from that of ordinary people, so they nodded again and again, and praised: "Sure enough, all of them are heroes, Yiwu is a good soldier, and the name is well deserved." ”

Ma Chenliang smiled and stretched out his hand and said, "My lord, his name is Wang Zhan, and he is a descendant of the Qi family's army. The marksmanship is sharp, and the archery is also good. attacked the Qing army, and he killed four of them alone. ”

Li Chengjue looked at it and saw that Wang Zhan's eyes were attentive, his back was straight, and his body was strong, so he couldn't help but stretch out his thumb, "It's good." Kill the enemy for the country. Loyalty. ”

Taking a step back, Li Chengjue said loudly to everyone: "You are all good men. to be able to achieve such a great achievement. When the war is over, the government will have its own rewards and commendations, so that the soldiers and civilians of the Ming Dynasty will know that those who have contributed to the country can glorify their ancestors and leave their names in history! ”

"Your Excellency." Wang Zhan stepped forward and took a deep look. He said expectantly, "Can you let me wait to join the army?" I am not afraid of death, and I am also familiar with martial arts, and I am willing to do my best for my Ming Dynasty. ”

"It's good not to be afraid of death, it's good to be familiar with martial arts-" Li Chengjue pondered for a moment and said, "Since you are so loyal." The general will send a few officers to organize the people and strong, and if necessary, he will lead you to kill the thieves and make meritorious contributions. However, you must be careful to follow orders, and know that military law is ruthless. The tone of the last few words had become stern, and his eyes had scanned everyone sharply.

"Once you have joined the army, you should obey the order, and there will be no disobedience." Wang Zhan relied on his proficient martial arts, fought the county seat, fought the green flag, and attacked the Manchurian army, and had already established a certain prestige, at least these elites who acted with him were subdued by him.

"Okay." Li Chengjue smiled slightly, stretched out his hand to call the pro-soldiers, explained a few words, and the pro-soldiers led Wang Zhan and the others to arrange.

Although the Ming army had fierce muskets, purified sulfur, improved formulas, and granulated gunpowder, it already had an advantage over bows and arrows, but after all, there were still fewer people. If there is really an unstable defensive line, these people can also reinforce one or two and use them as a counterattack force.

The horn sounded continuously, and the Qing army, which was blocked on the way, rectified for a while, rested their horsepower and body, and began to attack.

Time is tight! The commander of the capital, Eshen Baturu, knew that there could be no delay, and he must do his best to break through the obstacles in front, otherwise as soon as the pursuing troops arrived, they would be defeated in front and back. There has been a lot of delay on the road, and he doesn't know who came up with this bad trick to break the road, it's too annoying. Many horses stepped into the traps, broke their legs and feet, and all the artillery was abandoned, just to speed up, to accelerate.

The horns and war drums were urging tightly, and the black and oppressive Qing soldiers, under the loud encouragement of generals at all levels, broke out into a hoarse cry and rushed towards the low wall of the trench in front.

The first trench is not wide, nor is it deep, more than a dozen simple ladders to catch up with the system, the Qing soldiers will climb the ladder and walk quickly, and soon they will step on the flat ground, and then walk more than 20 steps, it is every two trenches.

The sharp swan sound sounded on the Ming army's position, and the fire guns made a huge sound of unison, and on the chest wall, dense white smoke rose up, pouring into the Qing soldiers in front of the second trench and shooting out a bloody mist, howling and rolling to the ground.

The curved shape of the braigraphic trench fortifications allowed for more soldiers to concentrate more firepower after the fortifications, and counting the high hills on both sides, there were fully 400 musketeers in the first line of positions.

With the recoil of the launch, Wu Ge turned to face his companion behind him, and the companion vigorously pushed the fire gun directly into Wu Ge's arms, and took the empty gun with his hand. Wu Ge quickly mounted his musket on the breastwork, turning the angle to aim at the enemy...... Another cloud of white mist erupted. The Firecracker didn't have the time to check the results, and Wu Ge, who had this in mind, turned around again and waited to reload.

Loaded again, got it again, and racked the gun again...... A Qing soldier stretched out his bow and arched his arrows, and was about to shoot in front of the trench, but the fire gun shot a heavy projectile, which hit the Qing soldier's chest in the package of gunsmoke, and the armor did not help, and the Qing soldier elephant was slammed with a heavy hammer, and fell to the ground with blood foaming in his mouth.

The first trench passed easily, but in front of the second trench it was like a big wave hitting a stone cliff, and the Qing soldiers crowded the narrow strip between the two trenches, completely unable to use it, and were beaten all over the ground by fierce musket fire.

Distance, that's where it all matters. In the first trench, the bow and arrow were almost no threat to the Ming army, and crowded in front of the second trench, but it was the range of the musket, although the bow and arrow were threatening, but due to the number of people and the terrain, it could not form a suppressive effect.

The spearhead was still the Han soldiers, and their archery level was not as good as that of the Eight Banners of Mongolia, and they were almost like live targets in front of the trenches.

Ahh Screaming, several Qing soldiers who climbed the ladder were hit by muskets one after another, fell down the trench, and some of the lucky ones were blocked by the third trench, at this time the distance was closer, the fire was more fierce, and they were quickly wiped out.

The black crushing mouth behind the breastwork continued to burst into flames, and one by one the Qing soldiers were knocked to the ground by the projectiles. They let out a variety of howls, or fell heavily into the trench in front of them, or fell backwards on the hard ground.

The white smoke rose and merged into a dense patch, which was soon diluted by the cold wind. The flat ground between the two trenches, not counting the dead or not dead Qing soldiers who fell into the trenches, has been lying all over the dense corpses of the Qing soldiers, and those who died have different expressions, or their eyes are wide open, or their faces are full of unwillingness, or their eyes are deep fear and incredulity. (To be continued......)