Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 379

In August, since Mandahai encircled Guangzhou, he divided his troops into four groups and wiped out all the outlying strongholds of the Ming army on the east bank of the Pearl River. high tower.

They built hundreds of earth platforms outside the city, which were higher than Guangzhou City. They were used to look down on Guangzhou City, observe the situation in the city, condescend, and shoot cannons and arrows into the city.

Both Fujian and Guangdong are mountainous and have little arable land, but both have a population of over [-] million. Originally, the harvests of the two places would not be able to support so many people. Fortunately, Guangdong and Fujian have developed foreign trade. Silk, porcelain, and medicinal materials exchanged a lot of wealth for the two places, and then bought a large amount of rice from Nanyang and Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

A large part of the food in Fujian and Guangdong came from external supplies, while the Qing army's food came from Zheng's accumulation, which was not a lot. Naturally, it was impossible to feed the captured villagers.

In the land of Guangnan, the climate is hot. Even in autumn, the heat is not inferior to the summer in the south of the Yangtze River. The Qing soldiers urged the villagers to fill the river and pile up soil day and night in the scorching heat, but they only gave them one meal a day. Porridge, no less than a hundred thousand villagers died of exhaustion.

The women who were plundered by the Qing soldiers were divided among the banners, and they were slaughtered day and night. For dozens of miles outside the eastern suburbs of Guangzhou, the fields, mountains, trees, huts, and Qiu tombs were all gone.

At this time, the defenders of Guangzhou had just repelled another attack by the Qing army. The soldiers and Minzhuang who defended the city let out a long sigh of relief when they saw the enemy retreat.

The land of Guangnan has enjoyed peace for many years since the Japanese invasion was pacified.

Different from the yearly battles in the north, the south of the Ming Dynasty is another scene, with a stable and prosperous life, but when the Qing soldiers came, all good things were immediately smashed to pieces before the barbarism and violence.

The Qing army has been attacking fiercely for more than half a month, and the city of Guangzhou has already shed countless blood. The soldiers and civilians killed and injured every day have shocked the people in Guangzhou.

At this time, the soldiers guarding the city were very tired. After the battle, some civilians dragged their exhausted bodies to clean up the corpses on the city wall. If they were soldiers from the Qing Dynasty, they would throw them directly into the city, and if they were comrades, they would carry them to a place Put it away neatly, and bury it immediately after registering your identity.

The main forces defending the city were the regular army and soldiers from all over western Guangdong. Taking advantage of the gap between the battlefields, they sat and rested against the city wall to recover some strength and prepare for another attack from the Qing soldiers.

At this time, a group of people walked up the city wall from the bottom of the city, and the soldiers who had been sitting by the wall suddenly stood up one by one spontaneously, "Your Highness~"

Surrounded by Su Guansheng and others, King Zhu Yukai of the Tang Dynasty stepped up the city wall to visit the soldiers who were desperately defending the city. He passed by a famous soldier. An old soldier with empty sleeves stopped in front of him.

The connection between Guangzhou and the outside world has not been cut off. Because of the naval blockade of the Pearl River, the prefectures in western Guangdong have been preserved, and supplies are transported into Guangzhou from the Pearl River every day.

It was precisely because of this lifeline that the price of rice in the city did not soar, which helped Su Guansheng stabilize the hearts of the people.

The Qing army tried to attack the navy several times and cut off the connection between Guangzhou and western Guangdong, but all ended in failure.

Not only supplies were transported into the city from western Guangdong, but sometimes reinforcements ranging from hundreds to nearly a thousand people from various prefectures rowed into the city.

Among them, the Yangzhou soldiers from Qiongzhou Prefecture are the most numerous. The old soldiers are members of the Yangzhou soldiers. When the Yangzhou people on Qiongzhou Island heard that the Qing soldiers were attacking Guangzhou, they spontaneously formed more than 2000 people and came to Guangzhou to help in the battle. , and most of these 2000 people are disabled.

Tang Wang stroked the old pawn's empty sleeves, and said with some emotion in his heart, as if he was asking the old pawn, or asking himself, "How can you draw a bow and arrow with only one arm?"

The King of Tang went to the city almost every day. Although he did not participate in the hand-to-hand combat with the Qing soldiers, he would come to boost morale between the sieges, so most of the defenders knew this Highness.

Hearing the words, the old soldier couldn't help standing up straight, and said without hesitation: "Reporting to Your Highness, although I can't draw a bow and arrow, I can still use a knife, and I can still kill the northern captives."

Zhu Yukai was a little moved, "What's your name, where is your family name, when the siege of Guangzhou is over in the future, this king will definitely reward you!"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the villain is from Huainan, and his name is Li Dingyi!" The old soldier hurriedly said respectfully, "We Yangzhou people are inseparable from Beilu. If we can kill Beilu to avenge our father and elders, our heart is enough~"

Zhu Yukai patted the old soldier on the shoulder. He also heard that a group of old soldiers from Yangzhou came to the city. They all followed Wang Yan to guard Yangzhou. Later, Wang Yan reorganized the Five Loyalty Army, and some old soldiers and disabled people were eliminated. down.

Some of them were assigned to various prefectures in western Guangdong to be responsible for training the prefectural soldiers, and some were placed in Qiongzhou prefecture together with the people of Yangzhou.

The defense of the city this time was thanks to this group of experienced veterans. They not only commanded the government soldiers and the people to fight, but even when they fought, they were much better than the new soldiers.

After the king of Tang left, several government soldiers immediately surrounded him, "Old Li, Your Highness has already praised you~" These government soldiers and civilians were envious of being rewarded by the Tang king's supervision of the country.The old pawn also said proudly: "Back then, when I was guarding Yangzhou with the Duke, I raided the Zhunta camp at night. That's when I lost my arm. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't expect the Duke to take me from the pile of dead people. I rescued me from the hospital, and personally bandaged my wounds, I will never forget that honor to this day!"

There are many Dukes in Ming Dynasty, but when people address them, they usually use their full names, such as Duke Xu and Duke Mu.If someone only said the word Guogong, he must be referring to Wang Yan, the Duke of Chu.

Everyone had just seen His Royal Highness the King of Tang's praise of Li Dingyi, and now they heard that the Duke himself applied medicine for him.

"Ms. Xu is here~ Mrs. Xu is bringing food to everyone~"

At this moment, during the siege, Xu Yanyan and Li Xiangjun, dressed in red makeup, led a group of women to the city with baskets, and distributed the prepared pancakes to the soldiers defending the city.

The cruelty of the war made the strict etiquette meaningless. Not only men had to go to battle to kill the enemy, but even women, under the mobilization of the government, began to help defend the city and do what they could.

"The Qing soldiers came to kill again~"

Suddenly, Li Ding let out a loud cry, and saw the Qing soldiers who had just retreated not long ago, making a comeback again, and countless Qing soldiers rushed towards the city wall of Guangzhou again, shouting.

Tang Wang and his party were rushed down from the city tower immediately, and the women who delivered food on the city were also ordered to go down to the city. The guards quickly stood up and began to check their equipment.

"The Qing army is about to attack the city. All armies are not allowed to panic. Soldiers return to their positions and prepare to meet the enemy~"

For a while, the generals ran around the city repeatedly holding their sabers, shouting urgently.

"Boom~" There was a cannon sound, and the Hongyi cannons placed on the high platform outside the Qing army city struck a Ming army thousand households immediately, and the shells never stopped. , and smashed the blood of several soldiers behind Qianhu.

(Thanks to the little bookworm cc fans, the wolf dog guarding the slaves, the rewards of Yuedong Woxin, thanks to Chu Muyu, k&ke, the monthly ticket of Yuedong Woxin, and thanks to the descendants of Ziye Sanlang for the gift)
(End of this chapter)