Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 214
In Wuchang Mansion, Luck Dehun, Governor of Huguang Tong Yanghe, Governor He Mingluan and other officials of the Qing court gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

Now Yuezhou has fallen into the hands of the Ming army, and Jingzhou is also surrounded by the Ming army. The Qing army in Huguang has been divided into three parts by the Ming army.

The first part, about 1 people, assembled in Wuchang, the second part, about 2 people, stationed in Changde, and the third part was the Geng Zhongming and Zheng Siwei's besieged in Jingzhou, with about [-] people people around.

Of course, in addition to this, there are also some green battalions guarding the localities in various prefectures in Hubei. There are more than 3 people in total, but these soldiers and horses basically have no combat power, and they can only serve the Ming army when they are sent to the battlefield.

Since Wang Yan entered Chu, he has encircled Wei to save Zhao and attacked the west one after another. The Qing soldiers in Huguang have lost 5 people, and the advantages gained by the Qing soldiers have disappeared. The situation in Huguang has been reversed again, and the initiative has been regained. In the hands of the Ming army, the Qing army had to face difficult choices.

For Luc Dehun, how to fight this battle is not only related to whether the Qing army can gain a foothold in Huguang, but also related to his own political and military life, so he must not fail.

At this time, Le Kede pointed at the map with a serious face and said: "Wang Yan's purpose is obvious. He occupied Yuezhou and surrounded Jingzhou with soldiers in order to control the entire Yangtze River and cut off the retreat of the Changde defenders. And he took advantage of the natural danger of the Yangtze River to block the commander in chief on the north bank, and then used his superior force to encircle and annihilate Duke Xushun Shen Zhixiang's lone army. Now that everyone understands his intentions, what countermeasures can be taken?"

He Mingluan was born as a civil servant, so he doesn't have much say in this matter, but Tong Yanghe, in addition to being the governor of Huguang, is also a member of the Zhenglan Banner of the Han Army. He participated in the wars between the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Can help the counselor.

At this time, he listened to Luke Dehun's words, frowned and thought about it, and said: "Lord Baylor, there are only two ways to go in the current situation, either to help Jingzhou, or to fight Yuezhou, but the slave thinks that Jingzhou is beyond salvation, and the only way to fight is to fight Yuezhou." Only Yuezhou can have a chance."

Luck Dehun slightly frowned and said, "Why at this time? What's the difference between the two? Governor Tong can try to say."

Tong Yanghe got up, walked to the map, pointed and said: "Master Baylor, although Zheng Siwei has withstood the siege of 30 Chuangni troops for nearly a month and is quite capable, Wang Yanbu is different from Chuangni. The equipment is so excellent, King Huaishun was defeated by firearms, Zheng Siwei may not be able to defend the city."

In Geng Zhongming's memorial, there are many descriptions of Wang Yanzhi's army, among which the ratio of artillery to bird control, as well as the swarm of bees and hundreds of tigers rushing to shoot arrows, all left a deep impression on everyone.

At this time, the Manchus were fighting in the mountains and rivers, and they used firearms very frequently, but they were mainly heavy artillery. The Manchurian warriors still believed in riding and shooting, but this time the strength of Wang Yan's army has attracted Luck Dehun. vigilance.

He felt that it was necessary to remind the regent that the firearms of the Han people must be restricted, otherwise the advantages of the Manchu warriors would be wiped out.

At this time, Tong Yanghe saw that everyone agreed with his analysis, so he went on to say: "Wang Yan defeated King Huaishun and obtained countless supplies and food. In addition to the money and food he brought, the supplies are abundant. He must rely on these supplies. Recruit Li Guo, who was defeated in the west of Hubei, to fight. At that time, the Ming army will reach [-] troops, and Zheng Siwei will definitely not be able to hold on. There are only two possibilities for Lord Baylor to help Jingzhou. The Qing Dynasty was not only a failure, but the Han army in Changde was facing a white flag, and it was very likely to be encircled and wiped out. Second, Wang Yan had not conquered Jingzhou, so Lord Belle could order Xu Shungong to abandon Changde and attack the Ming army, but Wang Yan did not To solve it, he only needs to retreat to the south bank and deal with Duke Xushun first, or send troops from Yuezhou again to force Wuchang, and he will immediately break the situation!"

When Lu Kede heard the words, his face was gloomy and cold, "In this way, saving Jingzhou is a must-have! If so, how about attacking Yuezhou?"

Aiding Jingzhou without sending troops means abandoning Geng Zhongming and Zheng Siwei, of which Zheng Siwei is nothing, but if all of Geng Zhongming's troops are buried in Jingzhou, then the Zhenghuang Banner of the Han army will be all over.

Such a responsibility is not something anyone can easily bear.

Tong Yanghe looked at Le Kede's muddy face, couldn't help trembling in his heart, suddenly knelt down and knelt down and said: "Master Baylor, in fact, when Wang Yan used his scheme to transfer you back to Wuchang, he took the initiative. This matter is due to the negligence of the servant, which made our Qing Dynasty fall into such an unfavorable situation, and the servant also asks Lord Baylor to punish him again!"

Seeing this, Lu Kede was agitated, and he waved his hand in a rather irritating way: "This is the end of the matter, I don't want to hold anyone accountable now, you should tell your countermeasures first, what I want is Now, what should I do now to save the situation and kill Wang Yan."

"Zha~" Tong Yanghe patted his sleeves, stood up with some panic, and continued: "Master Belle, King Huaishun has lost his elite, and the situation in Huguang has actually returned to before the war started. The enemy is strong and we are weak. If Lord Baylor wants to stay in the battle, he can only dispatch a group of soldiers and horses, especially boats, from Jiangxi, and then go up the river to take down Yuezhou and connect Changde, Yuezhou and Wuchang. A line. In this way, Wang Yan will be trapped in the Jingzhou area, and no matter whether he takes Jingzhou or not, he will be surrounded by our Qing Dynasty."

Today, there are two gates in Hunan, one of which is Changde, which is already in the hands of the Qing army. If the Qing army is taking Yuezhou, Wang Yan will be blocked from Hunan, and his north, east, and south will be blocked. It is controlled by the Qing soldiers, and to the west of him is the Three Gorges, which is Zhang Xianzhong's territory. It is difficult for him to fly through the encirclement circle created by the Qing army even if he spreads his wings.

After listening to Tong Yanghe's countermeasure, Luck Dehun stood up and looked at the map for a while, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly: "From this point of view, attacking Yuezhou is the most beneficial decision at the moment, and the battle can The key to victory is time. If I take down Yuezhou first and unite with Changde, we will win the Qing Dynasty. If Wang Yan takes Jingzhou first and surrounds and annihilates the defenders of Changde, then we will lose the Qing Dynasty!"

"Master Baylor is wise, that's right! The key to this battle is time, it's like a big gamble!" Tong Yanghe said respectfully.

At this time, Luck Dehun walked back and forth on the map several times, and then suddenly stopped and said: "The battle is a big gamble! Aiding Jingzhou, a draw is difficult, but fighting Yuezhou, there is a chance to fight to decide Chu The land! Now I am handsome, with Jingzhou as my ear, I will turn the tide of the battle in one fell swoop!"

"Master Baylor is wise~"

"Soldiers are precious and fast. This commander can send troops to attack Yuezhou. Governor Tong will immediately go to Jiujiang and dispatch boats to help!"

"Zha~ The servant obeys!"

(End of this chapter)