Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 316: Hauge's Withdrawal

Heavy rain poured down, and the originally hard soil gradually became muddy in the water flow. Not only was it difficult for people and horses to pass, but even the vision was affected, and the visibility was less than five meters.

The Qing army had already been defeated. Under the all-out attack of Zhou's army, the wailing of the Qing army was like fallen leaves swept away by a storm. Even in the wind and rain, it was still clearly audible.

In the heavy rain, a large number of Qing soldiers surrendered like lambs without shelter, their eyes filled with despair and fear.

Lin Shiqi ran quickly from a distance to the king's flag. He must have run too hastily as his whole body was covered in mud and his boots were covered with thick mud.

As soon as Lin Shiqi saw Meng Jun, he said quickly: "Your Majesty, the rain is so heavy, you should immediately call off the troops and stop chasing the Qing army. If you delay any further, I am afraid that countless soldiers will be infected with colds tomorrow!"

At the critical moment, they fought in the rain. Since they had already won and Duoduo had escaped, they would get the greatest result even if they continued to chase him. As the saying goes, if you hurt the enemy, you will lose eight hundred of your own. By this time, the Zhou army had been fighting in the rain for a long time, and the soldiers' physical strength was almost at its limit.

After hearing this, Meng Jun nodded immediately and said, "Shiqi is right. Yu An, pass the order down and sound the horn immediately to stop the pursuit."

After he finished speaking, Meng Jun looked up at the sky. The heavy rain was still falling. The rain splashed on Meng Jun's face, which was a little painful. Seeing this, Meng Jun said anxiously: "It will take a long time for the army to return to the camp. We should immediately choose a place to camp and let the soldiers take shelter from the rain and drink hot ginger water to prevent colds."

After issuing the military order, Meng Jun felt relieved. There were many things to do after the war, but no matter how many trivial matters there were, Meng Jun was still happy. After defeating Duoduo in this battle, neither Haoge nor Baiyintu would dare to fight again. If they were defeated again and again, would they still want to keep the northern territory? By then, before Meng Jun could launch the Northern Expedition, the civil uprising in the north might be beyond the Qing government's control.

Therefore, Meng Jun was 70% sure that Hauge and Baiyintu would not fight again. Baiyintu would return to defend Jingzhou, and Hauge would probably abandon Wuchang and return to Jiangbei. Meng Jun was determined to take the remaining Wuchang. No matter whether the Qing army defended Wuchang or not, even if the army was like ants to the city, Wuchang would be taken.

…………

On the outskirts of Xianning, in the Qing army camp, Hauge had received the news of Duoduo's defeat. Duoduo was defeated, and the Bordered White Banner lost more than 2,000 people. Wu Sangui fled, and only a few of the defeated soldiers returned to the camp. Most of them were captured and scattered in all directions. Duoduo's headquarters had lost the strength to fight again.

These pieces of bad news made Hauge go from originally disdainful of the southern soldiers to now feeling shocked and shivering all over. Although Hauge hated the two white flags, he also recognized the combat effectiveness of the Bordered White Flag. But he did not expect that they would be completely wiped out on the battlefield.

Hauge could not intuitively imagine what the situation in Huguang, and even in the world, would become. Even though Hauge was not politically sensitive, he knew what Duoduo's defeat meant. The myth that the Eight Banners were invincible if they had less than 10,000 men, or more than 10,000 men, was completely shattered.

Hauge slumped in the chair, and his generals looked at each other in bewilderment. The army had just arrived in Xianning and was preparing to capture the camp outside the city. Everyone had a good idea. They would first break the camp outside the city, and then see if there would be any opportunity to attack Xianning City once the camp was broken. If so, they would just pull out the nail of Xianning City. If not, they would lock the city, and then the main force would meet up with Duoduo to attack Meng Jun together.

Just after arriving in Xianning, they besieged the camp outside the city for two days. Seeing that the enemy camp was already in danger, the weather was not good and it began to rain heavily. The Zhou army in the camp had no choice but to survive for one more day. Unexpectedly, when the army was taking shelter from the rain, Duoduo, the main force of the three armies, was defeated.

Hauge was thinking about the impact of Duoduo's defeat on the world situation, but his subordinate Yi Chengge was thinking about whether they should continue to attack the camp outside the city.

Yi Chengge said whatever came to his mind, and immediately asked, "My Lord, when the rain stops, will we still attack the main camp?"

Haoge was in a state of confusion at this time. Hearing Yi Chengge's words, he had no intention of answering. Leng Sengji beside him said in a deep voice: "Prince Yu is in the main battle. Since Prince Yu has retreated, we should withdraw our troops immediately. Xianning and Meng are very close. When the rain stops, we will return to Wuchang first and make plans later."

Turge frowned and said with some reluctance: "Although the Meng bandits have won, I think their troops must have suffered heavy losses. Why don't we lead the cavalry forward and see if there is an opportunity to take advantage of it?"

When Aobai heard this, he immediately retorted: "It rained most of the day yesterday and all night. Today the rain is lighter, but it is still falling. Given the current road, the cavalry can't even march as fast as the infantry, let alone charge."

Upon hearing this, Turg sighed unwillingly. At this time, Leng Sengji narrowed his eyes and looked around at the people present. Whether it was Aobai, Turg, or Yichengge, they were all Prince Su's confidants.

Leng Sengji said in a subtle tone: "Prince Yu lost his army and the two white flags were greatly weakened. Your Highness is the eldest son of Emperor Taizong. Whether according to Manchu customs or Han customs, the throne should be inherited by Your Highness."

As soon as these words came out, not to mention the expressions of the other people, Haoge's eyes lit up involuntarily. Although Duoduo's defeat had a serious impact on the Qing Dynasty, for him, the greatest impact was on Dorgon.

How did Dorgon get the shameless title of the Emperor's Father and Regent? It was not because his decision to enter the Pass brought him unparalleled prestige.

But now, all the lands of Jiangnan and Huguang have been lost, and the Bordered White Banner suffered heavy losses. This has greatly reduced the strength of Dodo, who strongly supported Dorgon, and more importantly, Dorgon's prestige has suffered a severe blow.

Thinking of this, Hauge immediately stood up, swept away his previous decadent look, and said with great spirit: "Pass the order, the army is ready, and when the rain stops, immediately return to Wuchang."

And in the Zhou army camp besieged by the Qing army.

Wang Fugui frowned at this time. Deputy General Chen Lei beside him said worriedly: "General, if the Qing army attacks again like yesterday, the camp may not be able to hold out for a few days. It's time to contact the people in the city. After the rain stops, when the Qing army attacks, let Pingguo Town harass them from behind."

Wang Fugui said, "But..." After a while, Wang Fugui sighed and said, "Zhang Yingwei's troops have been newly built and are going out of the city to harass. I'm afraid that by then, we will lose more than we gain, and Haoge will seize the opportunity to break into the city in one fell swoop. If Xianning City is lost, we will all die here."

Chen Lei advised: "Tongzhen, we can't hold out for long. If it doesn't work, let's find a way to retreat back to the city."

After pondering for a long time, Wang Fugui slowly said, "Let's wait for two more days. I think when the rain stops, the king will definitely have a decisive battle with Duoduo. Let's wait for the news of the king's decisive battle before we make any decision."