After receiving the news, Shang Kexi, who had not yet arrived at Dayukou, was momentarily hesitant.
He also did not understand how the situation had suddenly taken such a sharp turn for the worse. Previously, the Regent had sent him to guard Dayu and Xiaoyu Mouth, but now.. what was he to do?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: As expected of someone who started in business, he's quite good at psychological warfare. *Cat nodding in satisfaction. jpg*
There are holiday red envelopes in this chapter too~
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 247
Especially after encountering Wu Sangui, this man wept uncontrollably, accusing the Regent of not trusting him enough, which led to the loss of Dayukou and forced him to flee in panic.
Wu Sangui's troops had indeed suffered heavy losses. Shang Kexi knew Wu Sangui even better, knowing that if it wasn't due to a genuine defeat in battle, Wu Sangui would never have been in such a wretched state.
He looked at Wu Sangui with suspicion and asked, "The Little Emperor of Southern Ming actually didn't attempt to persuade him to surrender?"
At the mention of this, Wu Sangui gritted his teeth in hatred.
Not only did the other party refuse to persuade him to surrender, but he even played a trick on him after he had proactively revealed his intention to surrender.
Now that Dorgon had grown suspicious of him, he had to find a way to dispel Dorgon's doubts, otherwise, his life would be in danger!
Wu Sangui said with a solemn expression, "The Southern Ming Emperor did indeed once attempt to persuade me to surrender, but I am a loyal subject of the Qing Dynasty; how could I ever surrender to the Great Ming?"
Shang Kexi: Heh.
Whether you believe that or not is up to you.
Whether you believe it or not, I certainly do not.
Wu Sangui saw that his expression was indifferent and that he showed no sign of believing him, so he could only say in a low voice, "In the past, the Ming monarchy committed many injustices, the Mandate of Heaven for the Ming Kingdom has reached its end. What we see now is nothing more than a final, dying flicker; how could I possibly ever go back?"
Shang Kexi said nothing, but he did not believe Wu Sangui's claims.
What do you mean by "fate has run its course"? How could a country whose fate has run its course defeat the Imperial Uncle Regent so decisively?
If one were to say that the mandates of the Chongzhen, Hongguang, Longwu eras had reached their end, he would believe it.
One could tell just from the atmosphere of the imperial court; even the Longwu Era was considered quite decent.
As for the Prince of Lu acting as Regent.. that is even beyond comparison.
However, the current Emperor Guanglie was not someone those three could compare to.
Shang Kexi looked at Wu Sangui and said, "In that case, what does the Prince of Pingxi think should be done?"
Wu Sangui said decisively, "Head to Huairen and rendezvous with the Imperial Uncle Regent!"
This was Wu Sangui's only choice now.
If he showed even the slightest hint of not wanting to meet the Regent, Shang Kexi might kill him on the spot.
Wu Sangui was always excellent at reading people's expressions. Although Shang Kexi's expression remained indifferent and showed no intent to kill, Wu Sangui could still sense the scrutiny in his eyes.
He and Shang Kexi both held princely titles, both had been personally bestowed by Dorgon; what reason did Shang Kexi have to scrutinize him?
It could only be that the Regent had instructed him to do this, since Shang Kexi had not yet developed any murderous intent, Wu Sangui could only try his best to dispel his suspicions.
At this point, whether he wanted to or not, he had to go and take a gamble with Dorgon.
Wu Sangui felt even more hatred for Zhu Ci, wishing he could personally execute him.
Shang Kexi also felt that the most important thing to do at this moment was to head to Huairen to rendezvous with the Regent; it should not be difficult to hold Huairen once the forces of all three parties converged.
However, a trace of gloom still lingered in his heart.
What happens after holding Huairen? Can they still advance? If they can't even hold Pianlingkou, how can they possibly take it?
The Ming Army already possessed divine weapons and possessed the advantage of the terrain; if they could not capture Pianlingkou, they would have no choice but to remain in a stalemate here.
Perhaps.. the Imperial Uncle Regent's intention was to stall until winter?
Most of the Ming Army was composed of Southerners, who might not be able to endure the freezing cold; when that time comes, even if the Southern Ming does not want to stop, it will have no choice.
Shang Kexi and Wu Sangui led their teams all the way to Huairen.
Dorgon's attitude toward Wu Sangui was the same as always when they met; he seemed to have never harbored any suspicion toward this man.
He even comforted Wu Sangui, saying it would be no matter if he could not hold Dayukou.
“I originally intended to have Prince Zhishun share your burden, but I did not expect the Ming Army to be so fearless of death, making me worry they might suddenly launch a surprise attack,” Dorgon said with a sigh.
Wu Sangui said with a look of frustration and self-reproach, "It is my incompetence; I failed to hold Dayu and Xiaoyu Mouth to support the Regent."
Dorgon did not continue this topic, but instead brought Shang Kexi and Wu Sangui together to discuss how to defend the area next.
At this point, even if he did not trust Wu Sangui, he would still have to use him.
Moreover, Wu Sangui was right under his eyes at this moment; any sign of unusual movement would be noticed immediately.
However, Dorgon felt that after what had happened, regardless of what occurred between Wu Sangui and the Southern Ming Emperor, Wu Sangui would likely not choose to surrender to Southern Ming again.
Wu Sangui was indeed very proactive, stating, "The Southern Ming previously only relied on the advantage of the Long-range Matchlock, but this firearm has no other special features besides its long range; if it is not facing a large army's charge, the Long-range Matchlock is of no use."
Dorgon nodded; he thought the same.
Meanwhile, Shang Kexi, standing to the side, did not say a single word; after all, he had never seen what that so-called Long-range Matchlock looked like, could only listen to descriptions, making it impossible to form an effective judgment.
At this time, he only needed to follow orders.
Because Shang Kexi's army remained largely intact, while both Dorgon's and Wu Sangui's forces had suffered varying degrees of damage, Shang Kexi's troops would serve as the main force for this army's charge.
Shang Kexi took the orders and departed immediately to prepare for the campaign.
After all, the Southern Ming Emperor had arrived too quickly. After they occupied Pianlingkou, they seemingly did not take any time to rest or regroup; the Emperor had directly led his great army in pursuit of the Imperial Uncle Regent toward Huairen.
The squad Dorgon left behind to cover the retreat had been completely wiped out, but at least they had fulfilled Dorgon's mission.
Shang Kexi departed in a hurry, Wu Sangui tactfully requested to go patrol the city gates.
After he left, Dorgon rubbed the jade thumb ring on his right hand, pondered for a long while, then asked in a low voice, "Is everything arranged?"
The person beside him gave an affirmative response. Dorgon closed his eyes and gave a gentle wave of his hand. "Withdraw."
That night, Wu Sangui had just finished setting up the defenses and, after confirming that there were no vulnerabilities at either of the two city gates, prepared to return to rest.
As a result, he was surrounded by a group of people as soon as he descended from the city gate. The Niu Lu E Zhen leading them shouted, "Wu Sangui, the Prince of Pingxi, is suspected of treason. The evidence is irrefutable. By order of the Imperial Uncle Regent, this man is to be arrested and imprisoned to await interrogation."
Wu Sangui immediately let out a loud shout: "Dorgon is murdering loyal officials; heaven and earth will not tolerate him! Attack!"
Wu Sangui's subordinates immediately rushed forward and clashed with Dorgon's men, killing the leading Niu Lu E Zhen directly.
After being released, Wu Sangui immediately said, "Let's go, out of the city!"
Fortunately, he had been prepared and had set a secret signal with his subordinates; otherwise, he would likely have been killed by Dorgon at this very moment.
Dorgon had originally been resting, but upon hearing this news, his expression turned cold: "Wu Sangui indeed harbors treacherous intentions."
After he finished speaking, he ordered more men to be sent to capture Wu Sangui, adding, "Regardless of the cost."
However, by the time he issued this command, Wu Sangui had already left Huairen City.
Long before the defensive arrangements were made, he had already planted his own men among them, at this moment, they happened to be in charge of opening the city gates.
Wu Sangui ran all the way to the military camp in the outskirts, leading the main force to begin fleeing north.
He did not dare to confront Dorgon head-on, let alone with the Ming Army pursuing from behind; the only choice Wu Sangui had was the Mongols, specifically the Weilaite.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: You useless thing, how could you just run off like that? At least give Dorgon a beating! *Mao slams the table in frustration. jpg*
This chapter features holiday red envelopes~
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock
Chapter 248
When Zhu Ci brought his men to pursue, the scouts also discovered the traces of Wu Sangui's escape.
He pondered for a long while before saying, "There is no need to worry about that for now."
Wu Sangui's flight to the north at this time was certainly not arranged by Dorgon; from any strategic or tactical standpoint, the north does not temporarily require heavy troop defenses.
It is highly probable that Dorgon and Wu Sangui are having an internal conflict.
Zhu Ci indeed wanted to give the fallen dog a beating, but before that, he needed to deal with Shang Kexi first.
Zhu Ci did not know what Shang Kexi's personality was like, but his deployment of troops and formation of battle arrays were very steady, forming a sharp contrast to Dorgon's flexibility and cunning.
It looks like the Qing Army thinks we cannot stop their massive charge.
Normal," Zhu Ci said calmly. "Our troops are fewer than theirs, since they cannot allow the long-range matchlocks to fire one by one, they will naturally choose a mass charge with their main army.
All rocket launcher launches take time, as long as they can withstand the first wave of rocket launchers and enter medium range, the rocket launchers will become useless.
It was just a pity that the Qing Army, or rather, Shang Kexi was destined to be disappointed.
Once his great army finally broke through the fire blockade of the Single-shot Rocket Launchers and prevented the Long-range Matchlocks from exerting their power, they were faced with Rapid-fire Guns, which were most suited for medium range.
When Shang Kexi received the battle report and saw the number of casualties, he couldn't help but feel a wave of dizziness.
In his estimation, victory was essentially within reach this time. The strengths and weaknesses of the Southern Ming Jinyi Guard were already very obvious; although the Southern Ming Emperor had more than just the Jinyi Guard under his command, it was clear that the other units were far less elite than the Jinyi Guard.
Only the Jinyi Guard would use such strange flag-based command methods.
The Jinyi Guard numbered only over ten thousand men. Under the charge of the main army, those ten thousand men were like raindrops falling into the ocean, incapable of stirring up any real waves.
As long as the Jinyi Guard is crippled, all of the Ming Army's defensive lines will collapse on their own, even if the Southern Ming Emperor presides over them, it will be useless.
If the Southern Ming Emperor does not dare to deploy the Jinyi Guard, then that would naturally be even better; when it comes to cavalry, how could Southern Ming possibly compare to the Qing Dynasty?
The first wave of the charge used slaves, Han people, criminals to absorb the fire from the Single-shot Rocket Launchers, followed by the cavalry charging toward the enemy.
As a result, what met these cavalrymen was the intense firepower of long-range matchlocks. Under the sweeping fire of the long-range matchlocks, the cavalry sent out by Shang Kexi suffered losses of at least ninety percent, if not all of them, killed in action.
He knew very well how difficult it was to train cavalry; never mind for him, even for the Qing Dynasty, such a loss would be unacceptable.