Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 500 Ping Liao (4)

Wu Keshan died, and most of the 15,000 cavalrymen who fought with him were also killed in the battle. The rest laid down their arms and surrendered after Wu Keshan's death. Khorchin followed the Qing Dynasty, and shed blood for the Qing Dynasty before it was destroyed.

At dusk, the main battlefield on the grassland had gradually become quiet.

Except for a small number of Khorchin cavalrymen who escaped from the battlefield, the rest were either captured or killed by the allied forces of the Twelve Tribes. On the battlefield, there were only corpses covering the grass, groups of captives, and many war horses still grazing on the grass.

Liu Kun stood on the battlefield on horseback, looking at the afterglow of the setting sun shining on the battlefield dozens of miles away. His eyes saw the broken flags, the ownerless war horses strolling around at will, and the corpses thrown together at random.

Liu Kun couldn't help but feel a little emotional. He couldn't help but hear the last meeting with his father. His father's tone of disappointment was still fresh in his memory: "You have wasted your time, only knowing how to chase chickens and rabbits, and not knowing how to study hard and pass the imperial examinations. The Liu family has a long tradition of farming and studying, and its reputation for generations will be destroyed by you!"

At that time, Liu Kun was dismissive of this and left home on his own. It happened that Huang Chengman was recruiting soldiers on horseback in the south of the Yangtze River. Liu Kun joined the army without hesitation and did what his father least wanted him to do.

Today, after experiencing adventures on the battlefield and fighting for life and death, I finally understand the deep love a father has for his son.

Korchin had been defeated, but the battle was not over yet.

The Twelve-Tribe Allied Forces used a small number of people to clean up the battlefield, and the rest of the army began a ruthless hunt on the Khorchin grassland. Whenever they arrived at a small Khorchin tribe, they would set off a bloody storm.

Most of the able-bodied men in Khorchin were killed on the battlefield, and it was impossible for the women and children to maintain a tribe and control this fertile pasture.

The twelve-tribe coalition forces quickly divided up all of the Khorchin tribe's women, cattle, sheep, horses, tents and supplies. The Khorchin tribe, which was once very popular on the grasslands south of the desert, just disappeared.

Just when Huang Cheng swept across the Khorchin grassland, Man Dahai's 10,000 cavalry finally arrived. Man Dahai led the cavalry to rescue a small Khorchin tribe and captured some prisoners of the coalition forces. He learned from the prisoners that Wu Keshan had died and Khorchin had been destroyed.

Man Dahai was shocked and felt pessimistic about the future of the Qing Dynasty. The Twelve-Division Allied Forces, plus Huang Cheng's troops, were powerful and their morale was high because of their great victory. If Wu Keshan had not been defeated, Man Dahai could have joined forces with Wu Keshan and found a way to delay the Qian army on the grassland.

After learning of the destruction of Khorchin, Man Dahai immediately sent a fast horse to deliver this urgent information to Shengjing. Man Dahai then stationed troops in Duolun for two days. Only when the coalition forces showed signs of advancing towards Duolun did Man Dahai withdraw to Liaodong.

Shortly after Man Dahai withdrew his troops, Huang Cheng led the coalition forces to Duolun.

With the fall of Khorchin, some fence-sitting tribes in the south of the desert expressed their loyalty to the Qian Dynasty and asked the court to issue an edict of enthronement. At the same time, in order to express their irreconcilable attitude with the Qing court, they sent cavalry and contributed cattle and sheep just to join Huang Cheng's coalition.

Huang Cheng stayed in Duolun for five days. The coalition army was expanded from twelve to sixteen, and even some tribes in northern Mongolia sent people to participate.

Huang Cheng swore an oath to his troops in Duolun and decided to go through Durbi, cross the Liaohe River, and march into Liaodong.

…………

The battle on the Khorchin grassland ended with a great victory for the Qian army. When the news reached the capital, officials and people were excited.

Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, the world has been in turmoil, and the era of barbarians ravaging the Central Plains is finally coming to an end. Everyone realizes that a powerful dynasty will take the stage again.

Meng Jun was also very happy in his heart. However, despite his excitement, Meng Jun still needed to come up with a more effective strategy for Zhao Yongping who was blocked in the Ningjin defense line.

The Liaoxi Corridor is narrow and there is only one road. The Qing government employed so many civilians and expended so much energy. Even if the God of War were alive, if he had to fight his way through this line of defense, he would have to wade through it step by step at the cost of human lives.

As for taking a detour through Liaodong via Xifengkou and Qingshanguan, that is actually not realistic. The vast and rugged mountain roads make it difficult for a large army and its baggage to move. A small number of troops can go through this route, but it is extremely dangerous for a large army to go through this route.

Just as the imperial court was discussing how to break through the Ningjin Defense Line, the person Meng Jun was waiting for finally arrived in Beijing. He was Zheng Chenggong.

The second year of Zhaowu, June 22nd.

At the Port of Tianjin, a fleet consisting of two huge three-masted gunboats, five galleons, and more than forty large frigates was docked at the pier.

After the Qian Dynasty unified the interior of China and pacified the southwest, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, Meng Jun personally issued an edict to summon Li Dingguo, Wu Sangui, and Zheng Chenggong.

However, when the imperial edict reached the three people, each person's reaction was different.

Li Dingguo refused to obey the imperial edict and wrote a letter to Meng Jun: "The imperial carriage has been unified, and the four directions are peaceful. Only the holy ruler is in power. However, the affairs of the world are over, the glory has faded, and everyone has his own place. This is common sense. I have been on the battlefield since I was young, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, and fighting for thousands of miles. I am already exhausted.

Therefore, I have thought again and again that wealth and honor are not what I desire, and rank and salary are not what I seek. I remember that when I was a grassroots, my ambition was to bring peace to the world. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, why should I ask for anything else?

Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return to the countryside. I only wish to grow old in my hometown, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, and spend the rest of my life leisurely wandering among the forests and springs. This is enough for me. I do not seek a position in the court, nor do I envy the honor of the temple."

Wu Sangui immediately obeyed the imperial edict, shouted "Long live the emperor", entrusted the army to his confidants, and then rode non-stop all the way from Guangxi to the capital.

However, after receiving the imperial edict, Zheng Chenggong was hesitant, as he was deeply afraid that this was a trap set by Meng Jun for him.

So after receiving the imperial edict, Zheng Chenggong delayed his journey north on the pretext of a sudden illness, and urgently summoned his confidant Chen Yonghua in Fuzhou to return to Quanzhou.

A few days later, Chen Yonghua hurried back to Quanzhou.

Zheng Chenggong said to Chen Yonghua: "If we go north, we may face the disaster of King Huai!" (King Huai of Chu and King Zhaoxiang of Qin held a meeting at Wuguan, but Qin detained him and forced him to cede Wu County and Qianzhong County, but he refused and died in Qin.)

Chen Yonghua shook his head and said, "The emperor started from humble beginnings and has never broken his promise." Having said this, he looked at Zheng Sen hesitantly and said, "And for a small corner of Fujian, he left a bad name in history. The emperor is not a fool."

But seeing that Zheng Chenggong was still hesitant, he advised: "If you do not obey the emperor's edict, there will be disaster. I heard that the emperor also sent edicts to Wu Sangui and Li Dingguo. If the prince is really uneasy, why not lead the fleet to the sea and stop at the port to show the strength of our navy!"

Only then did Zheng Chenggong agree to set off. Zheng Chenggong traveled by sea. Although Wu Sangui arrived half a month earlier, it was Zheng Chenggong who arrived in Tianjin first.