Chapter Twelve

  Beijing, inside the Forbidden City.

  Shunzhi has been in power for several years since the removal of Dorgon. Shunzhi had not encountered any unpleasant things for a long time. Looking at his ministers, Shunzhi slapped the table and said: "What? Are you all speechless? My Manchu people have always been brave and good at fighting. Now that you've entered the pass and enjoyed yourselves for too long, can't you fight anymore?"

  Hong Chengchou was secretly making hand gestures and eye signals with Wu Sangui from below.

  Wu Sangui also stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops under my command to march south and eliminate the rebel army."

  Shunzhi nodded in satisfaction and praised: "Good, Wu Qing's family deeply understands my intentions. As you requested. The firearms camp will let you choose the weapons." After finishing speaking, he looked at the ministers below and said: "You see, now that the country is in danger, not a single Manchu has volunteered to go to war. It seems that you are preparing to spend your whole life in Ningguta. You have disgraced the dignity of your ancestors."

  At this time, a young general walked out and said: "Long live the Emperor, I am willing to go with General Wu to suppress the bandits."

  Shunzhi nodded in appreciation: "Good, Ao Bai. I confer upon you the title of First Brave Warrior of Manchu Qing. Gabadutu. Wear the yellow riding jacket. Everything will be entrusted to you and Wu Qing's family from now on. Dismissed!"

  "Report." I stood in front of the military camp, watching the soldiers singing a revised version of the Liberation Army song. Although they were covered in mud and sweat, their enthusiasm was still high.

  The guard beside him reported: "Your Excellency, the reconnaissance battalion's message is that Wu Sangui's vanguard of 15,000 troops has already passed through Hubei and is heading towards the Yuezhou defense line. According to the information, this time the vanguard is led by Ma Bao, one of Wu Sangui's top ten generals, under the command of the Han Banner."

  I nodded and said to him: "Alright, I know." After finishing speaking, he stood at the door and muttered to himself: "What's destined to come will still come." He turned around and looked at me who was about to leave, saying: "**, you immediately go notify all the battalion-level commanders and above, tell them to rush to the division headquarters conference room for a meeting. No mistakes allowed!"

  I took a look at the conference table downstairs and everyone was there. They were all sitting there discussing today's meeting, some people thought it was a training session that had some problems and I came to criticize them.

  "I solemnly said to the people below: 'Comrades, quiet down for a moment. First, please ask Scout Regiment Captain Wang Zuo to report on the specific situation. Everyone should not speak after hearing the situation.'"

  I finished speaking and nodded at Wang Zuo, indicating for him to get up and speak.

  "We have scouting camps in all directions within a hundred miles of Yueyang, so we quickly obtained first-hand information. According to the news from the scouting camp, Wu Sangui's main force is now stationed near Chibi in Hubei Province, with about 80,000 people. The vanguard general is Ma Bao, and the vanguard has already arrived near Linxiang. This man is one of Wu Sangui's top ten generals, brave and good at fighting, with endless military strategies. He is our greatest threat. In addition, Ao Bai led five thousand elite soldiers from the Manchu Red Banner to station within a hundred miles of Wu Sangui. Report finished."

  "I looked at the officers sitting there, their faces full of disbelief and a hint of complacency. I said: 'You team leaders and comrades from the training brigade, don't just sit here listening like this. It's not good to be so gloomy and inactive. Everyone should speak up actively, we still need democracy here. We often advocate for democracy with the common people, but none of you military leaders have a democratic consciousness, this won't do. If you don't speak up voluntarily, I'll call on each of you one by one. Also, I want to sound an alarm for everyone: whether it's Wu Sangui or Ao Bai, both are worthy opponents that we should take seriously. So now, you mustn't have any naive ideas, remember the principle that a proud army will surely be defeated. Alright, let me start with someone. Lei Tong, you speak up first." I said, pointing at Lei Tong.

  Lei Ting stood up, thought for a moment and said: "I think this time we still need to discuss with Wu Sangui and others. If we expose our military's advantageous weapons too early, we can swallow Wu Sangui's army. But this will inevitably shock the Qing court, and now the Minister of War of the Qing Dynasty is Hong Chengchou, who controls part of the Han Eight Banners and Manchu Eight Banners. Moreover, Geng Jingzhong's troops are also active in Jiangxi and Hunan, and our loss here will inevitably attract most of the Qing army to our side. Therefore, I think that in the short term, we are not suitable for too much direct conflict with Wu Sangui's army, only by lulling the enemy into dealing with Li Dingguo in Yunnan can we achieve greater development."

  I led the applause and said, "Well, Lei Feng's opinion is still good, considering a deeper level of problem. Next, don't let me point to you, just speak in order from your military rank."

  Zeng Qing stood up and said, "Comrades, I don't quite agree with Comrade Lei Feng's tactics." He walked to the large map in front of the division headquarters and continued, "If we let Wu Sangui and Ao Bai pass through, Yueyang will be their only supply station along the way. But our current situation in Yueyang is completely exposed. When 200,000 troops come to attack us with only 10,000 men, I think it's just a piece of cake." He paused for a moment and said in a deep voice, "So I think we can't have any illusions about avoiding them this time. The only way I think is worth trying is to take action quickly, try to eliminate the vanguard troops within the Linxiang border, and we don't have as much baggage as they do. Our mobility is stronger than theirs, and we are in a better position to launch a surprise attack. So let's try to ambush all the enemy troops that dare to invade us outside of Hunan Province."

  Wang Hu stood up at this time and said: "Both of you are right, I also have some different opinions here. It's just that Wu Sangui wants to deceive you. You should know that others are old generals who have experienced a hundred battles." After finishing speaking, he sat down again.

  Yi Tianxing, with a sinister tone, said: "You all shouldn't say such things now. I think it's not impossible for them to be deceived." After finishing his sentence, he noticed everyone's gaze was focused on him and continued: "All of you know that Wu Sangui went on the expedition with Ao Bai, although they were nominally of equal rank, in reality, I think Ao Bai is the main general, while Wu Sangui is just a vanguard, a vanguard with more troops."

  After finishing, looking at everyone still being confused, he continued: "Ao Bai is the first brave general of the Manchu people, and now his age is not big. However, it is also an old minister of two dynasties. So it's inevitable that there will be a bit of arrogance. As long as he forces Wu Sangui to advance and attack, I think he must be able to make Wu Sangui fall into our trap."

  Saying that he was afraid others wouldn't understand, he said: "For example, if someone is walking a dog. If we just harass this person a bit, do you think the person walking the dog will let go of the dog?"

  Yi Tianxing finished speaking and gave a military salute to me and Zhou Lun before sitting down.

  I watched several officers finish speaking and said with great comfort: "Not bad, you can have your own initiative, I'm very happy. Although some may be a bit immature. But overall, I think you've already taken the first step. I think now you are fully capable of cooperating to command this battle."

  I looked at Zhou Lun and said, "What do you think, Commissar?"

  Zhou Lun also stood up and nodded, saying: "Not bad, I also think that you several regimental commanders have the ability to command this battle, but I want to remind you of one thing: 'The smallest loss in exchange for the greatest benefit, the lives of soldiers are more important than their own lives.' After finishing, he said, fearing that others might not understand: "What I mean by importance is not asking you to sacrifice. You know, it's not easy for an army to cultivate an officer."

  I stood up and said: "Alright, you several regimental officers call your staff to the division's combat room to study the actions of this battle. Dismissed!"

  I stood on a small hill outside the barracks, and the guard came over to me and said: "The commander says it's going to rain soon, you'd better go back."

  "I said to him: 'How can you ask me to rest now? Wu Sangui's army is about to arrive, and our troops are facing a test. Although the command of the battle has been given to several people, you have followed me for so long, you should also know their personalities. I think they are not mature enough yet. We cannot afford to lose."

  "Alright, let's head back."

  As soon as I finished saying that, the raindrops the size of beans had already fallen. In my room, wiping off the wet clothes, I said: "You go and call Secretary Zhang over for a moment, I have something to discuss with him. Also, no one is allowed to enter my room without my permission."

  Aaron stood beside me and said, "A Xiao, what do you think about this matter? According to historical records, Wu Sangui should have gone through Shaanxi and Sichuan before entering Yunnan. As for the activities in Hunan, it should be only Wu Sangui's subordinate Ma Bao cooperating with Geng Jingzhong. Now that we've delegated command power, there shouldn't be any problems, right? Lately, my eyelids have been twitching a lot."

  "I said with a sneer, 'Who knows? Maybe our joining in has also changed the course of history. Now we can only fight back when attacked and cover up when necessary. I didn't come to discuss with you whether we should fight this battle against Wu Sangui or how to fight it. But rather, it's about those concerns you have, do they really have the ability to command this battle? This is indeed a troublesome problem for us now."

  "Ah, I still think it's unnecessary for us to fight Wu Sangui's troops," Ah Lun said, looking at me. "Although his army is considered elite within the Qing military, our forces are still superior in terms of combat power. We can eliminate this old tiger if we let him into our rear. The current plan is to send Wu Sangui's troops to Yunnan and have them attack Li Dingguo and the Southern Ming army. From what I've seen, his army has a good chance against those Western troops. Meanwhile, after Wu Sangui is tied down in Yunnan, we'll use a single division to hold him back when the Western troops are about to be defeated, preventing him from counterattacking us. Our main force will then take the route through Jiangxi and meet up with Geng Jingzhong. As for other Qing supporting troops, they must contact our headquarters and Lv's army to block their way."

  I thought for a moment and nodded: "It's still not good this way. We can't change our minds overnight. Now that we've given them command, and I see they're full of confidence too. I think their plan is also reasonable. The problem is whether they can lure these seasoned old foxes into their trap. Don't worry, let's just watch from the side and assist them when the time comes. If it doesn't work out, we'll take command again. They'll have to be trained sooner or later."

  Zhou Lun smiled and said: "Haha, you have your own clever plan, mountain man."

  I also laughed and scolded: "Ugly little boy, you're also mocking me now. Just wait and see how I'll settle the score with you."

  "Hey, hey! Kid, don't forget that we're on the same level. Besides, I won't give you any leverage, haha, if you want to take revenge, wait till next life!"

  The morning sunlight finally appeared, although June and July are the rainy season in Hunan, but after yesterday's heavy rain, the sun struggled to come out again today, dispelling the gloom of the previous day. The soldiers were singing military songs with high morale, and Wu Sangui's arrival added a stimulant to their excited blood, making them eager to kill Wu Sangui immediately. I was also doing my morning exercise with great interest, years of military training had made it a habit for me. A guard stood beside me, protecting me, he was a lay disciple of the Hengshan Sect, and his Hengshan Sect martial arts skills were impressive. After observing him, I assigned him to be my guard, he worked very professionally on this post, but I also knew he wanted to go to the front line like other soldiers to fight against the enemy, however, I thought it was better to let this promising young man learn more things from me before sending him out so that he could handle things independently.

  Zhou Lun rushed over while running and said: "Master, the scouting camp just came with news that Ma Bao's vanguard troops have arrived at the Yangtze River and are preparing to cross the river."

  "I nodded and said, 'Commissar, I won't bother with this matter anymore. The specifics of how to fight this battle, or how to deceive Wu Sangui and provoke Ao Bai's anger, are up to Lei Ting and the others. You just assist from the side.'"

  Zhou Lun smiled and replied, "I certainly can't overstep my authority on this one. The orders still have to come from you. I've already notified the people in charge of several places in Yuezhou, including Chen Daolong, the president of the Yuezhou Chamber of Commerce and the 'Grain King', as well as Xu Yize, a disciple of Xu Guangqi and the head of the New Learning Academy. They'll make sure all the ordinary people wear Qing dynasty clothing, while our troops will be disguised as the Qing garrison in Yuezhou city. As for the county magistrate we killed earlier, I've found a scholar in Yuezhou who looks just like him, so we can have him impersonate the dead man after some makeup."

  I smiled and replied, "Since you've already prepared everything for our retreat after we fail, I won't worry about it. I'll just tell the warmongers in the troops to go all out with their plans. You can represent the leader of the Qing army and deal with them."

  Zhou Lun said with a gaze that could tear me apart: "Then I'll go."

  Ma Bao's troops finally entered the city of Yueyang at dusk, with high spirits and flying flags. The people inside and outside the city were very cooperative with our work. They all held up the Qing dynasty's dragon flag and shouted loudly, but I don't know what they were shouting about. Probably they were greeting all the female ancestors of Wu Sangui. Ma Bao walked in front, waving his hands to both sides, while nearly 10,000 vanguard troops were stationed in the military camp outside the city, only a dozen or so officers and Ma Bao entered the city together.

  I stood on the city wall and watched Ma Bao's proud appearance with a smile, it seems that they really dare to make a desperate move.

  In the most luxurious wine house in Yuezhou City, that fake county magistrate held up his wine cup and said: "General Ma, we are all former Ming Dynasty people. I won't be polite with you anymore, it's still a habit to call you General Ma."

  That Ma Bao stood up and said: "What kind of person are you? I've never been to the south under Lord Wu's command, always stationed at the border. How do you know me? You're kidding. I just got promoted to General recently. Tell me what kind of person you are."

  Ma Bao shouted "Come on!" and the dozen or so officers drew their swords. Zeng Qing, who was standing beside him, opened a window and beckoned to the soldiers hiding in the city below. They immediately rushed up. (This was also Zeng Qing's second precaution to prevent exposure, but he didn't expect it to be used so soon.) Lei Feng led his brothers in the charge, with Wang Hu following close behind. The others, seeing these strange weapons, were about to resist, but Lei Feng's gun wasn't one to be trifled with - one shot and a man fell. The others didn't dare move after that.

  Wang Hu walked forward and took a closer look at Ma Bao, Wang Hu sneered and said to Ma Bao: "This is indeed Ma Bao, one of the ten evil dogs under Wu Sangui."

  "Damn it, I'm Ma Bao, what kind of dog are you?"

  The warriors heard this and one of the warriors standing next to Ma Bao used his gun butt to give him a push, Wang Hu turned to them and said: "Take him back to the military camp."

  Wang Hu again said to the fake county magistrate: 'You also follow me for a trip.' At this time, there were already soldiers who had gone back to inform other soldiers to surround this vanguard team.

  In Ma Bao's military camp, I looked at Ma Bao's skull with wide eyes, although it was no longer on his body, but still frightening. I asked the officers below, "Have you all seen?" Only then did Tang Cheng, the regiment commander of the First Regiment, report: "Yes, everyone has gathered outside the military camp and their weapons have been confiscated."

  I nodded and said: "Take these officers out."

  I looked down at the sea of black-clad people below, the flickering torchlight casting an eerie glow on their faces. I shouted in my loudest voice to the former Ming dynasty soldiers below: "Brothers, those of you who were formerly part of the Ming army, move to the right! New recruits, stand in front here! Qing soldiers, stand on the right!" The crowd remained silent. Soon everyone had moved into position, and it became clear that there were only over 500 former Qing soldiers. The rest were all former Ming dynasty soldiers.

  "I took a look and said in my loudest voice: 'Very good, it shows that everyone is still very sincere on this matter. Brothers, do you know? The Qing army used to be called the Manchu people, and all of their people put together were not as many as we have here. But these hateful Manchu people, they raped countless Han women on our land, and in just a few decades, they became a nation with a population of over a million. Since the Qing army entered the pass, you have seen them committing all sorts of evil on the land left to us by our ancestors - burning, killing, looting, raping our sisters... Our brothers were killed by them without mercy, and our sisters were raped. Do you still want to help these robbers fight against your own Han people? Think about it, since Shunzhi ascended to the throne, what about the ban on haircuts, the enclosure of land, the Yangzhou massacre, the Jiading massacre... how many innocent civilians were killed by these robbers? You are betraying our nation, think for yourselves, can you face your parents? Can you face your wives and loved ones waiting at home? If things go wrong, when you return, they may have already been killed or raped by the Qing dogs. Are you willing to be accomplices to these robbers? Tell me, who wants to continue being a robber, I will let you off this time. But next time, we will retaliate with a hundred times more force.' The crowd below was already discussing and arguing. Many soldiers had tears streaming down their faces. Perhaps it was because I spoke too emotionally. Many of our warriors were in tears. I knew that their hearts were already struggling."

  "I continued: 'If you're willing to follow us and fight, brothers, go kill those Qing dogs for me.'"

  Our warriors had several who were already shouting to kill behind them. Those soldiers who were inspired by me rushed towards the Qing army. More and more people have rushed past. In the end, there were still over 600 soldiers who did not want to continue being soldiers. I also gave them some resettlement fees and let them go. The other 4,000 soldiers were still arranged according to the previous division and the principle of matching old soldiers, so that the teaching brigade could not be established independently. In the end, a new division was established in accordance with Zhou Lun's method. Lei Feng served as the division commander, Wang Hu served as the deputy division commander, Wu Shuang served as the division political commissar, and other military leaders were promoted from within the teaching brigade. The newly established division was called the Fourth Field Army of the Liberation Army. The former deputy division commander of the Third Division was taken over by Zeng Qing. The regimental commander was taken over by **.

  I looked at the outcome of this battle and smiled at Zeng Qing and several others, saying: "It seems that you are very bold, daring to use the entire city of Yue as a bet. Fortunately, you convinced the governor. Fortunately, you succeeded, otherwise I don't know how you would explain it to the people of Yue."

  They were sweating all over. I achieved the effect, nodded satisfactorily and said: "Alright, you can go prepare for the next battle now. It seems that we can't get along with them this time."