Chapter 402: The Key to the Battle Wu Sangui

The Red Army captured Changsha, annihilated more than half of the Qing army, captured Hong Chengchou alive, and beheaded Shen Yongzhong. The war went more smoothly than any previous major war.

Since Oboi had led reinforcements to Wuchang Prefecture, the Red Army did not pursue the victory, but instead divided its troops to capture Yuezhou, Changde, and Chenzhou prefectures around Changsha, preparing to gain a foothold in Hunan before advancing further.

As Oboi suffered a great defeat at Tunqi and the morale of his officers and soldiers was low, he also returned to defend Wuchang Prefecture, patiently waiting for Sun Kewang and Wu Sangui to lead their troops to attack.

When Cen Danchu was stationed in Changsha, he did not become complacent, but instead paid close attention to the war situation in the southwest.

“Is there any new news from the West Camp?” Dan Chu would ask the Intelligence Bureau about the movements of the Dashi Army every day.

Although there is no definite evidence, after collecting clues from all sides, it is not difficult to see that Sun Kewang has already sharpened his knife, ready to stab Cen Danchu from the back from western Guangdong when the Red Army and the Qing Army are in a stalemate.

“Sun Kewang has accelerated the transfer of troops from various places. The troops gathered in Guangxi Prefecture, Guangxin Prefecture, and Qujing Prefecture in Yunnan have increased to 50,000, and the troops gathered in Liping Prefecture in Guizhou have increased to 30,000.”

The Dashi Army could easily invade Nanning, Guangxi, by starting from Guangxi Prefecture, Guangxin Prefecture, and Qujing Prefecture in Yunnan. Similarly, starting from Liping Prefecture in Guizhou, it could easily invade Guilin, Guangxi.

Once the war starts, it will be bloody.

Danchu sighed, “Sun Kewang was defeated in Qingyuan last year, and his front troops suffered heavy losses. How could he attack our army and do something that would make his relatives sad and his enemies happy? Isn’t he afraid of chilling the hearts of heroes all over the world by doing this?”

“A dog will always eat shit!” Qian Bingdeng, who was always polite, couldn’t help but curse. “Sun Kewang excluded Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo, and couldn’t even tolerate his own brothers. How could he live in peace with the king? How could he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed? Sun Kewang is a hero, and he is unwilling to be under someone else for long. He will have a fight with the king. Why not take this opportunity to annihilate the West Camp in one fell swoop, deter the small groups, and stabilize the overall situation in the southwest.”

Yes, how could we allow Sun Kewang, this fierce tiger, to sleep soundly beside our bed? If we don’t get rid of Sun Kewang, we can’t occupy Yunnan and Guizhou. If we don’t occupy Yunnan and Guizhou, the Red Army’s rear will be unstable and will always be threatened by the Western Camp.

Mo Guangshu commented, “To the north of Xiying is Wu Sangui, who is occupying Sichuan, and there is also the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. The king is a man of extraordinary talent, and he occupied Hunan in one fell swoop, blocking Xiying’s way to the east. Sun Kewang lives in Yunnan and Guizhou, and is tied up. Disaster will happen in the long run.”

“He spent five years training the front army, but was defeated in Qingyuan. This time he provoked the enemy first, isn’t he courting his own destruction?” Danchu said, and then asked, “Where is the third town?”

The Third Regiment was established more than a year ago and has been training in eastern Guangdong. Wu Jie, a trusted general of Danchu, is the commander of the regiment. Since the war, the Third Regiment has been stationed in Guangdong and Guangdong.

“The vanguard of the Third Town has reached Xunzhou, and Wu Jie himself has reached Wuzhou.” Operations Director He Zhaoji replied, “The main force of Guangxi Town has gathered in Guilin. Town Commander Chen Wu has previously requested additional troops. The town currently has 20,000 soldiers. The additional garrison troops are composed of militia, local chieftain soldiers, and new recruits. They have already been deployed.”

Guangxi Town is Guangxi Garrison Town, which was upgraded from Guangxi Garrison Association. As the name suggests, the soldiers of the Garrison Town are all garrison troops. Since its establishment, Guangxi Garrison Town has never experienced a major war, but this time it will face a powerful force like the Dashi Army.

Therefore, Cen Danchu transferred the Third Infantry Regiment from Guangdong to assist the Guangxi Regiment in resisting the Dashi Army.

In the war situation of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, defending a city was much easier than attacking it. Danchu could easily defeat the Dashi Army with one town of infantry and one town of garrison soldiers.

The key to the battle was still in Huguang. Aobai led the army in Wuchang, like a sword of Damocles hanging high over the heads of the Red Army. The combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners Army was undoubtedly much higher than that of the Dashi Army.

“It’s time for the Second Town to go out!” Danchu had already made up his mind and said, “Send a message to Kuang Shi to gather the main forces of the Second Town to besiege Nanchang.”

The Second Regiment had a staff of 54,000 men and horses. After entering Jiangxi for more than half a year, it had integrated countless volunteer armies, with a total of 70,000 to 80,000 men and horses. The Qing army did not have the elite Eight Banners in Jiangxi, and the Second Regiment of the Red Army had many old soldiers, and they were highly equipped with muskets. Kuang Shi led his troops to besiege Nanchang, which was bound to affect the overall situation, and Oboi would not sit idly by.

Looking back at the entire map, Guangdong, the Red Army’s fundamental stronghold, was already short of troops. In the entire Guangdong, the Red Army had only one garrison and one infantry regiment – the first infantry regiment had two infantry regiments and one cavalry battalion, all of which were withdrawn to the Huguang and Jiangxi battlefields.

Wei Guosong, the commander of the First Town, was stationed in Wuzhou and took care of both Guangdong and Guangdong. He actually only had one infantry regiment and several directly affiliated troops, less than 20,000 soldiers.

“Abahai is stationed in Wuchang and is eager for revenge. There will be a major war soon. We have to speed up the expansion of the army.” Danchu ordered.

The Red Army made great gains in Changsha, beheading more than 10,000 people, and more than 10,000 Qing soldiers surrendered or were captured. With the surrender of the Thirteen Families of Kuidong, the Tusi soldiers of Xiangxi, and the volunteer army of Hunan, the conditions for the Red Army to expand its army were ripe.

Cen Danchu decided to add a new infantry regiment, named it the Fifth Infantry Regiment, and promoted Hu Yiqing as the commander of the regiment.

Hu Yiqing was Cen Danchu’s sworn brother, and had made great military achievements, so he was qualified to be the commander of a town. This town had the 13th, 14th, and 15th infantry regiments, a direct cavalry regiment, and several direct troops under its jurisdiction.

The 13th Brigade was led by Baojing Tusi Peng Chaozhu, and its main body was composed of Xiangxi Tusi soldiers. The 14th Brigade was led by Yuan Zongdi, and its main body was composed of the 13 families of Kuidong, especially the remnants of the Dashun Army. Its flag commanders included Hao Yaoqi, Ta Tianbao, etc. The 15th Brigade was led by Zhao Xing, formerly a general of Jiao Lian.

Mo Guangshu was in charge of the Fifth Infantry Regiment and said, “There is no problem with the weapons. The Fifth Regiment is mainly composed of volunteers and prisoners. They can provide their own weapons and there is no problem with the supply of guns and ammunition.

“It’s mainly cotton clothes and military pay. Huguang and Jiangxi are cold in winter, and there is heavy snow every year. The Logistics Bureau has prepared 120,000 sets of winter clothes, mainly for Huben Town and the Second Town. Now that a Fifth Town has been added, there won’t be enough cotton.

“Then there is the military pay. The army has been fighting for years, and military expenses have skyrocketed. Fortunately, the autumn harvest is coming soon, and with the autumn grain and autumn taxes, the military pay of the Fifth Town will be settled.”

“The cotton-padded clothes issue cannot be delayed at all.” Danchu said, “The Tartars are good at fighting in winter, but our army is not used to cold weather. On the one hand, we must continue to ask Jiaozhi for them, and if necessary, we can exchange them with muskets. On the other hand, we must ask Zhu Chenggong for help to purchase cotton from the southeast coast.”

Thinking of Zhu Chenggong, Cen Danchu sighed: “Although Zhu Chenggong is not a heroic leader, he is still a hero. He is not comparable to a treacherous hero like Sun Kewang. He is in Fujian and will never attack me from the side.”

I really hope Zhu Chenggong can send troops to the Northern Expedition to reduce his pressure.

“Zhu Chenggong was recently defeated in Nanjing. Even if he wanted to launch a northern expedition, he does not have the strength to do so,” said Qian Bingdeng.

Hunan is a place where the north and south meet, and a place that must be fought for by military strategists. The Red Army won a great victory in Changsha and was expected to occupy Hunan, but to some extent it also stirred up a hornet’s nest, and had to face the threats of the three armies of Oboi, Sun Kewang, and Wu Sangui at the same time.

The Red Army could handle any of the three directions, but if they attacked from all three directions, the Red Army would be overwhelmed.

“Most of Zhu Chenggong’s land forces have been destroyed, but his navy is still strong enough to traverse the southeast coast.” Dan Chu said, “I hope he can respond to us and actively send troops to harass the southeast coast.”

“Rather than counting on Zhu Chenggong, we should count on Wu Sangui.” Qian Bingdeng said, “If Wu Sangui is willing to send troops to attack Yunnan and Guizhou, the overall situation will be saved. The great traitor Wu Sangui has become the person who decides the outcome of the war.”

(End of this chapter)