Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 19 Gao Jie died, Suizhou was shocked
Released by Wang Yan, Zhan Ba ​​ran all the way back to Cangzhou, and immediately wrote a memorial to plead guilty to Dorgon, stating that he was attacked by rebels and robbed the Northern Mission.

He was afraid that the Qing army would really catch up with Wang Yan and obtain his letter of surrender, so he followed Wang Yan's words and only said that the rebels fled to Shandong.

Dorgon was furious when he heard the report, and hurriedly sent a message to Shandong, ordering Hetuo to pursue and suppress the Northern Mission as soon as possible, and arrested the Northern Mission and returned to Beijing.

Just as the Qing army was digging three feet in Shandong to find Wang Yan's rebel army, the Zhongyi Battalion had already turned to Henan.

At this time, the Qing army was at war with Dashun, and supplies were continuously transported from North Zhili and Northern Henan to the front line. Along the way, Wang Yan and the others pretended to be horse thieves from time to time to attack and kill small groups of the Qing army, obtain supplies, and rob post horses. Make everyone two horses.Of the 1000 Shandong rebels, there are only over [-] left. The reason why they escaped was because most of them were cavalry.

The rebel army used to be inferior war horses, even mules, but now almost everyone can get a healthy horse and become a strong army.

All the way south, it wasn't until Wang Yan was on the bank of the Yellow River, grabbing a boat to cross the river, that the Qing army knew that the rebel army that attacked Zhan Ba ​​had already arrived in Henan, but it was impossible to pursue and suppress it at this time.

As early as the end of October, after the Qing court captured Shanxi, it immediately mobilized two armies to destroy Shun at the same time. One was led by Azige, Wu Sangui, and Shang Kexi, who borrowed Li Guo and Gao Yigong from Mongolia to besiege northern Shaanxi, and the other was led by Duoduo Attacking Tongguan, the two sides fought fiercely, and the Qing army naturally had no extra strength to chase and suppress Wang Yan who had already crossed the Yellow River.

The time came to the tenth day of the first month of 1645 in the first year of Hongguang. After traveling thousands of miles, Wang Yan and the others finally came to Suizhou, which was controlled by the Ming army, and entered a safe zone.

It happened that Gao Jie led the army to go north and was living outside Suizhou City. Wang Yan went to visit with Zuo Mao first.

Zuo Maodi was eager to go south to expose Chen's traitor, so that the princes in the court could prepare for the Qing Dynasty, but the Loyalty Camp needed him to find a place to settle down, so he had the heart to let Wang Yan temporarily return to Gao Jie's command .

Wang Yan was only a thousand soldiers, so naturally it was impossible for him to receive much courtesy from Gao Jie, but when he heard that Wang Yan had a thousand cavalry under his command, he immediately changed his attitude, and in front of Zuo Maodi, he set aside food and grass, as well as more than 1000 pieces of mandarin duck wares. robe.

Wang Yan asked his subordinates to collect the supplies with Gao Jie's subordinates, and then took the troops to send Zuo Maodi who was in a hurry to go south. He rode with him for ten miles, and when he met a long pavilion, he stopped to say goodbye to the missionaries.

"My lord, let's go, I don't know when we will see each other!" Wang Yan took the drink from Liu Shun and practiced it for Zuo Maodi, feeling a little sad in his heart.

Zuo Maodi took the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp. He has been with Wang Yan for a long time, and they have become friends for many years. At the same time, he knows his talent very well. "Shi Heng will stay in Xingpingbo's army with peace of mind. When I return to the court, I will definitely recommend him to His Majesty and recruit Shi Heng into the court. With Shi Heng's talent, he will definitely become a pillar of the court in the future."

Zuo Maodi traveled thousands of miles with Wang Yan, and the two talked a lot on the way. Wang Yan's analysis of the situation convinced him deeply. Both of them believed that resisting the Qing Dynasty was the top priority, and that rebellion against the bandits could be done slowly.

"The princes of Nanjing are keen on the strategy of uniting the captives. If you want to change the course, you will encounter many difficulties. For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and the Han family, Lord Zuo, please accept your obeisance." Wang Yan saluted.

"Shiheng don't worry, I will definitely persuade His Majesty to rectify the troops and tidy up the old rivers and mountains." Zuo Maodi supported Wang Yan's hand and said affectionately. "It's been a year, so let's not live here."

At present, Wang Yan wrote a song, "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky? The evening wind blows, the sound of the willow flute fades, and the setting sun is outside the mountain? The end of the sky, the corner of the earth, half a friend is scattered? Life is a rare gathering, There is only parting. Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky. May I ask you when you will return here, and don’t linger when you come. At the end of the sky, at the corner of the earth, half of your friends are scattered? A pot of turbidity is poured out. Huan, don't dream of cold tonight?"

A group of people were moved by Wang Yan's singing, Zuo Maodi and others left him with tears, while he watched all the missionaries travel southward until they finally disappeared between heaven and earth.

After seeing off everyone, Wang Yan returned to the camp to train the Loyalty Camp.

Gao Jie's troops went north, not because of the Northern Expedition, but because Shi Kefa was keen on the strategy of uniting with captives and destroying thieves.

On October 24, the Qing court issued an order to officials and common people of Ming Dynasty in Henan, Nanjing, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, etc., saying: "The ministers in the south of you were the emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, who suffered from bandits, the mausoleum was burned, and the country was destroyed. If the family dies, if you don't send a soldier or shoot an arrow, it's like a mouse hiding in a hole. It's the same crime. When our soldiers advance and suppress, and the thieves rush to the west, you don't know the southeast. Second, the bandits are your great enemy, and they don't think about conquering them, but the generals support the crowd, harass the good people, and make countermeasures of their own, in order to inspire the army, the crimes are three."

The proclamation issued by the Qing court obviously contained evil intentions, intending to deny the orthodox status of the Hongguang Dynasty. It is self-evident to start a war. possible.

Therefore, Shi Kefa personally arranged for Gao Jie's troops to enter Henan, intending to join forces with the Qing army to suppress the bandits, and to split into Qin to attack the Dashun army. A little more leverage in the peace talks.

At this time, the main force of the Qing army is fighting fiercely with the main force of the Chuang army in Shaanxi, and the military history of Hebei and Shandong is empty. If the Ming army suddenly makes a northern expedition and the Qing army is attacked on both sides, the recovery of Beijing is just around the corner. It is a pity that such an excellent opportunity was wasted by mediocre officials. It is a pity that Ya!It hurts!
Over the past year, Wang Yan's experience has made him grow up slowly. After witnessing the great situation in Shandong being ruined and the officials in the south doing nothing, he is no longer blindly convinced by those famous officials. .

Wang Yan's subordinates came under Gao Jie's touch, but Gao Jie didn't summon him again, so he focused on rectifying the Loyalty Camp, ordered people to make flags, and changed the entire Loyalty Camp into uniform mandarin duck battle robes and flying saucer helmets. It looks like a strong army.

Gao Jie didn't come down with a military order, Wang Yan was also happy, and took the Zhongyi Battalion out to practice riding and fighting all day long, and two days passed in a blink of an eye.

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Wang Yan returned to the camp after rehearsing soldiers and horses as before, but found that the atmosphere in the camp was not right, as if something big was about to happen.

Wang Yan led the troops back to the camp suspiciously, and was thinking about asking Liu Shun to investigate, but he had already seen him rushing into the tent. "My lord, Gao Jie was killed by Xu Dingguo. General Li Chengdong invited you to discuss the matter, wanting to retaliate with troops."

Wang Yan is now the leader of the Loyalty Battalion, and most of the soldiers call him General or Qianhu, but Liu Shun has never changed his name, and keeps calling him Young Master.

Hearing what he said, Wang Yan was startled. He had just entered Henan from the land controlled by the Qing army. He didn't know the news and didn't know the situation in Henan, so he couldn't figure out that Gao Jie would be killed by Xu Dingguo suddenly.

Wang Yan left the tent with a gloomy face, and walked towards the handsome tent while thinking about Gao Jie's death and the impact of fighting against the overall situation of the Qing Dynasty.

Gao Jie's department is the most powerful of the four towns in Jiangbei. He was very capable in fighting when he was still following Li Chuang. Now that he is dead, the Lianghuai defense must be greatly affected.

At this time, Gao Jie's army must have a turbulent heart, and they need a powerful figure to stabilize the army's morale. Will there be such a person?
Wang Yan was very worried and wanted to contribute to the world, but now he is just a small boss and can't influence the current situation at all.

Before he knew it, maybe Wang Yan himself didn't realize it, he had already begun to yearn for strength in his heart, longing for a power that he could master.

Wang Yan was walking to the commander's tent with a heavy heart, and many other Qianhus in the camp were also walking there. Only then did he learn from his mouth the reason why Gao Jie was killed.

It turned out that Xu Dingguo, the Henan general guarding Suizhou, had secretly colluded with the Qing court long ago, and even took the initiative to send his sons Xu Er'an and Xu Erji to the Qing army camp on the north bank of the Yellow River as hostages.

After Gao Jie knew this, he was worried that Xu Dingguo would lead his subordinates to dedicate the Suizhou area to the Qing court, so he led a large army to Suizhou, intending to use the superior force to coerce Xu Dingguo and his troops to march west with him.

Xu Dingguo knew that he had few soldiers and could not defeat Gao Jie, so he was terrified in his heart and rushed to the Qing court for rescue, but Hauge had no troops to send, so he made up his mind and wanted to take risks.

When he went out of the city to pay a visit to Gao Jie, he was very respectful on the surface, but actually he was thinking about how to deal with it. Soon, he thought that Gao Jie, Zhao Qijie, and Chen Qianfu were going to clean up the dust, and held a banquet in the city of Suizhou to lure Gao Jie into the city.

Zhao Qijie, the governor of Henan Province, and Chen Qianfu, advised Gao Jie not to enter the city easily, in order to prevent changes. However, Gao Jie was born as a military general and had a large number of soldiers. Xu Dingguo did not dare to act rashly.

During the banquet, Xu Dingguo asked the police to persuade him to drink, and got Gao Jie drunk. In the middle of the night, an ambush broke out and killed Gao Jie and his soldiers. Only Zhao Qijie and Chen Qianfu escaped from Suizhou today because they were careful.

In the commander's tent, Li Benshen, Hu Maozhen, Li Chengdong and other Gao Jie's subordinates were listening to Zhao Qijie and Chen Qianfu tearfully scolding Xu Dingguo with gloomy faces, and everyone was filled with resentment.

"I want to send soldiers to attack Suizhou, take Xu Dingguo's dog head, and avenge my uncle. You can follow me if you want." Li Chengdong drew out his sword, his face full of resentment. He had followed Gao Jie for many years and regarded him as his brother and father. Now that Gao Jie was killed, How could he not be angry.

At this time, there is no leader in the camp, and Gao Jie's nephew Li Benshen is not good at soldiers, so he took the time to let Li Chengdong decide.

Gao Jie treated his soldiers well, otherwise it would have been impossible for his subordinates to follow him from Shaanxi, through Shanxi, Huaiqing in Henan, all the way to Shandong, and finally stationed in Xuzhou.

This kind of march is several times more powerful than Wang Yan and the others.

The general and school in the battalion felt Gao Jie's love and affection, and when they heard Li Chengdong's words, they immediately became excited, and they all agreed, and wanted to send troops to attack Xu thief!

At that moment, Li Chengdong and Li Benshen dispatched military orders to let the army attack the city immediately, but at this moment, someone suddenly came to report, "Master Governor, generals, then Xu Dingguo has abandoned the city and fled. He wants to cross the Yellow River north and lead his troops to Qing Dynasty." gone."

"Thief!" Hearing this, Li Chengdong was furious and said bitterly. "Who wants to be the vanguard and hunt down this thief for me!"

(End of this chapter)