Sixteenth day of the campaign.

According to the agreement, more than 400,000 Southern Coalition troops divided into three routes and advanced into the territory of the Qing Dynasty at the same time.

On the west road, Zhang Xianzhong, the emperor of the Great Western Kingdom, led 120,000 troops out of Sichuan, crossed Hanzhong, took Xi'an, and then went north, responsible for capturing Shaanxi and Shanxi.

Zhang Xianzhong was even more fierce than Ouyang Shuo expected, and directly dispatched an army of 120,000, almost fighting the country.

On the east road, Guo Ziyi led the 90,000 Flame Army, together with the 30,000 Dashun Army and the 60,000 Southern Ming Army, a total of 180,000 troops, from Huai'an to the north, responsible for capturing Shandong.

In the middle road, Li Jing led the 60,000 Great Xia Janissary Army, also together with the 30,000 Dashun Army and the 60,000 Southern Ming Army, a total of 150,000 troops, from Yangzhou to the north, responsible for capturing Henan.

The three-way army agreed to meet in Beijing.

In view of the fact that there were few rivers in the north, which was not conducive to the operation of the naval division, the royal fleet led by Zhou Yu did not follow north. The three thousand divine guards also stayed in Jianye for the time being to protect Ouyang Shuo's safety.

Before leaving, Li Jingbu and Guo Ziyi had a meeting in Yangzhou City.

After the two armies met, Li Jing made an adjustment to each department, mainly to take back all the separated Great Xia Guards and reorganize them into a single corps.

In addition, it is an adjustment and reorganization of the Dashun Army and the Southern Ming Army.

Dolgon could see the weakness of the Southern Coalition Army, and Li Jing could not know.

Let's not talk about the Great Western Army on the West Road for the time being, after all, it is too far away to be reached. For the 120,000 Southern Ming troops belonging to the four towns of Jiangbei, Li Jing, with the cooperation of Guo Ziyi, took the opportunity to rest and recuperate in Yangzhou, and brought the power of Jianye's great victory to disrupt and reorganize, and also took the opportunity to install a group of officers from Daxia and Luofengcheng to enter the Southern Ming Army.

In this way, Li Jing's control over the Southern Ming Army was greatly improved.

The 60,000 Dashun Army was also divided into two by Li Jing and assigned to the Middle Route Army and the East Route Army. Although the generals of the Dashun Army had a lot of complaints about this, they had just expressed their stance in front of Ouyang Shuo, so it was naturally not good to immediately regret it.

In this way, Li Jing decisively seized the favorable opportunity after Jianye's victory, and reorganized the Eastern Route Army and the Middle Route Army with the Inhuman Army as the core, which greatly weakened the possibility of internal fighting.

At the same time, the probability of the Southern Ming Army and the Dashun Army "acting without authorization and disobeying orders" was greatly reduced.

…………

After the reorganization, the three-way army immediately marched one by one according to the original goal.

During this period, the 400,000 Qing troops distributed in the northern border, under the unified command of Dolgon, quietly retreated like a tide and quickly assembled towards Yanjing.

For a time, the official roads in the north were full of Qing army marching figures, and dust and smoke were billowing out.

This abnormal move of the Qing army was soon keenly caught by the people in various places, and there were many discussions among the people, some people said, "The Qing army is afraid, retreat without a fight, and prepare to roll back to the outside of the pass." ”

The Southern Coalition Army of the Northern Expedition became more and more outrageous in the word of mouth of the people.

In the morning, it was said that it was an army of 500,000, but in the afternoon it became an army of 700,000, and in the evening, before nightfall, it was already rumored to be an army of millions.

The more you talk about it, the more exaggerated it becomes.

But the people still believe this. Those who were a little more bold had already quietly taken out the hoes and firewood knives hidden at home and assembled at the secret location. The less timid only dare to talk quietly to see the after-effects.

No matter who it was, the way they looked at the Manchurian was very different from before, everyone just stared at it and didn't say anything cruel, but it was enough to frighten the Manchurian fart.

Especially the ruthless Manchu nobles who bully the people on weekdays, they were even more frightened and didn't dare to go out, and some simply packed up and followed the Qing army's buttocks, and fled in disgrace.

That night, a local militia attacked the yamen and killed officials appointed by the Qing Dynasty.

Ironically, more than ninety percent of these officials were Han Chinese, and after the Qing army was powerful, they were either greedy for power, or in order to save their lives, or actively or passively became Manchu slaves.

A large part of them were Ming officials before.

The local militia forces were all merciless and killed all of them, and even their families could not be spared, and they were brutally killed by the red-eyed militia.

The real Manchu officials got the news in advance and quietly evacuated under the escort of the Qing army.

Riots are sometimes so blind and bloody, and the northern land, which has just calmed down, starts from the southernmost side, and is soaked in blood one bright red circle after another.

These circles are strung together to form a thick line of blood.

The blood line gradually spread from the south to the north, gradually becoming a trend of destroying the world and destroying the world.

"It's going to change!"

As the Qing army accelerated its withdrawal, the rebellion and uprisings in various places also intensified, and when the southern coalition army entered the north, it was not the fierce resistance imagined, but the people spontaneously opened the city gate and welcomed it.

A sea of people.

The lively scene once gave people an illusion.

"Are we on the wrong track?" Some soldiers muttered to themselves, looking a little overwhelmed.

In this way, the three-way army almost effortlessly, along the trajectory of the Qing army's retreat, miraculously, regained the lost territory at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.

Hanzhong, Xi'an, Tongguan

Guide, Kaifeng, Qinzhou

Wherever the army went, it announced its liberation, because it was too smooth, but it seemed a little unreal.

In the first two or three days, the army could still remain vigilant at all times, for fear that the Qing army would kill a horse gun or have some ambush, and as time went by, the tense nerves of the soldiers gradually relaxed.

When the exact news came from the fine work, the army finally put their minds at ease.

"There is no need to doubt it anymore, the Qing army has indeed retreated!"

After confirming the information, whether it was Li Jing, the commander of the Central Route Army, or Guo Ziyi, the commander of the East Route Army, their expressions were a little complicated, and there was no excitement on their faces, but they looked very dignified.

"When things go wrong, there must be demons!"

However, the generals of the Dashun Army and the Southern Ming Army under their command were elated one by one, they were like a great victory, and their waists were straighter than the other.

The cheers of the people, the eager eyes of the maidens, and the victories one after another, gradually overwhelmed their minds, consumed their will, and blurred their judgment.

In the back, they really regarded themselves as invincible and invincible.

At first, in the face of cheers, they were full of doubts: "Are we heroes?" ”

"Yes, we are heroes!"

Now, they have answered as a matter of course.

Because it was too smooth and too lively, discipline in the army began to relax, and the soldiers became scattered, not only did they have no motivation for early exercises, but even the march was no longer so fast.

They have become self-absorbed.

…………

At the same time, Zhang Xianzhong, who is in charge alone, has a more complicated mind.