Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 315 Great Victory

After sending the letter, Wu Sangui immediately ordered his infantry to withdraw from the battlefield with all their strength. It was not easy to retreat when two armies were in battle, but as many as possible could be escaped. Moreover, if they escaped in time and the friendly forces nearby had not yet withdrawn, then Zhou's army would most likely attack the army that was still resisting first, instead of chasing his own infantry.

But how could Duoduo not guess Wu Sangui's thoughts? As soon as he saw the letter, he immediately ordered a retreat. However, the withdrawal order first reached the ears of the Mongolian general Bortai, followed by Shen Yongzhong's Han army flag. As for the bondservants and the Green Camp, they had already become the first targets to be abandoned.

As soon as Bortai received the order, he immediately ordered the Mongolian cavalry to turn around and flee from the battlefield. The 6,000 men under Bortai's command were all cavalry, and they did not charge into the battle line. They only served as supervisors and provided auxiliary support for archery. Up to now, the Mongolian cavalry had suffered the least losses, with less than 500 of the 6,000 men killed in action.

The Han army flag under Shen Yongzhong was also in a miserable state. His cavalry first charged hard under the rounds of musket fire, but there were only 600 cavalrymen left, and the infantry was in an even more miserable state. Half of the Zhou army's artillery fire was poured on the Han army flag, and even the shrapnel shells were all offered to the Han army flag.

Even though the morale of the Han army flag was higher and they had resisted more, it had reached its limit. After Shen Yongzhong sent the order to withdraw the troops to the front line, he sighed and said, "Whether you live or die, it depends on your fate."

Afterwards, he led more than 600 cavalrymen and left the battlefield without looking back. When Lieutenant General Cao who stayed at the front line received the order to withdraw, he was so sad that he could not even cry. The two armies had been fighting for so long, it would be impossible to withdraw so easily. Lieutenant General Cao's mind was working at high speed, and then he had an idea. He ordered the messenger to inform the generals at all levels of the withdrawal. Without hesitation, he mounted his warhorse and galloped away under the protection of several personal soldiers on horseback.

The army, whether it is the Zhou army or the Qing army, is made up of people, not just numbers in a game. The morale and combat effectiveness are clear at a glance.

The reason why people are human beings is that they can think, but in the old-style army, both the commander-in-chief and the generals hope that the army has no ability to think. The soldiers will execute whatever orders are given. The Seventeen Prohibitions and Fifty-four Beheadings are intended to strictly control the army. This is only okay on weekdays, but on the battlefield, especially at the critical moment of life and death, morale and military spirit are particularly important.

As early as when they shouted that the Bordered White Banner was annihilated, the Qing soldiers were already hesitant. A hesitant army might trigger a series of reactions at the slightest disturbance, let alone such a big commotion. Wu Sangui, Bortai, and Shen Yongzhong evacuated one after another, and the Qing troops one after another began to try to leave the front line.

The Qing army had been fighting for a long time and was tired and hungry, with heavy casualties. In addition, rumors were spreading. Some said Duoduo was captured and killed, some said Duoduo was struck by thunder, some said Wu Sangui rebelled, and some said King Zhou Mengjun was the reincarnation of the Dragon King and could call the wind and rain in battle.

It was not just a rumor. More importantly, many cavalrymen were galloping away from the battlefield. The morale of the Qing troops still on the battlefield had already been greatly reduced. It was unknown where the collapse started, or perhaps it happened at the same time, in an instant.

The Qing army on the battlefield, facing the full-scale pursuit of Zhou's army, was like a flock of sheep being chased by wolves, and they were in a great rout. Their figures, under the pursuit of Zhou's army, were like fallen leaves blown by the wind, falling one after another in the rain.

Duoduo was so angry that he had a hidden illness. Coupled with the strong winds, heavy rain, and the cold and damp south, Duoduo had a fever.

Duoduo felt uncomfortable all over, cold and hot, his head was dizzy, and he could only hear him mumbling: "Thief... thief... thief"

He Luohui was standing by and quickly ordered his men to find something to shelter from the rain. Perhaps Duoduo's miserable appearance moved some immortal, and the Qing army actually found a carriage. He Luohui quickly ordered his men to harness the war horses, put Duoduo in the carriage, and then headed towards the main camp.

At this time, Ha Zhe'a said to He Luohui on horseback: "General, although we lost this battle, there are still tens of thousands of defeated soldiers. There must be defeated soldiers fleeing the battlefield. Should we send someone to collect the defeated soldiers?"

This was supposed to be a decision made by Duoduo, but at this time Duoduo was already unconscious, and the deputy commander of the army, Bolo, had already led his troops to rescue Ezhou. Among the generals present, He Luohui had the highest military rank.

He Luohui slapped his forehead when he heard this and said to Ha Zhe'a, "There are too many things to do. I forgot about it. What Captain Ha said makes sense. Captain Ha will take care of gathering the defeated soldiers!"

Ha Zhe'a hesitated for a moment, but nodded and replied, "I'll do my best."

When Duoduo and others were retreating, the Qing artillery was still trying to destroy the Red Cannon. However, due to such strong wind and rain, the gunpowder had already been soaked. The Qing gunner tried several times but could not ignite it at all. The angry gunner drew his sword and swung it hard at the Red Cannon several times. Unfortunately, with such little force, he could only leave a few white marks on the cannon weighing thousands of pounds.

The gunners vented their anger for a while, then stopped helplessly. Seeing that the army had been completely defeated, it might be too late if they didn't run now. Then these gunners, together with the guards, abandoned the twelve red cannons and fled.

A large group of Duoduo's men rushed towards Ezhou City, while Wu Sangui went in the opposite direction. Wu Sangui stopped more than ten miles west of the battlefield and tried to gather the defeated troops.

The Qing army was completely defeated and fled in panic. Qian Biao looked up and saw that there was no one in front of him who dared to resist with weapons. Qian Biao couldn't help laughing up to the sky. After laughing, he shouted to the guards around him: "Shout with me! Long live the king!"

"Long live the king! Long live the king! ..."

Although Meng Jun arrived at the battlefront, he actually did not encounter a single living enemy. Meng Jun listened attentively to the cheers of the soldiers in front of him. The original cheers were of various kinds, some shouting "Victory", some shouting "We've won", and some shouting "The Tartars have fled", until more and more people shouted the same word "Long live the king!"

The sound waves came one after another, and even the strongest winds and strongest rains could not stop the loud sound waves, which could shake the heavens and the earth.

Hu Zhan looked at Meng Jun and suddenly felt that his body was so tall and strong. His legs became a little weak and Hu Zhan had an urge to kneel down.

Meng Jun's eyes revealed a trace of ambition that he had never revealed before. Suddenly, Hu Zhan seemed to hear a voice. It was Meng Jun whispering: "The world will eventually belong to me!"

On the 22nd day of the first lunar month in the third year of the Yongli reign, Meng Jun and Duoduo fought in Huguang. Duoduo was defeated and Meng Jun won a great victory. When the news spread, the whole world was shocked!

(I don’t know if you guys think this is too fast. I’ve written nearly 40 chapters for this decisive battle, from the foreshadowing to here. Please give me some advice, O_o)