Chapter 206: Send Troops Eastward and Occupy Yingtian

In June of the eighth year of Chongzhen in 1635, the army of saving the people was divided into several routes and attacked Huguang.

One route was led by Wang Chao himself, from Xing'an, Shaanxi, through Xunyang, and eastward along the Han River to enter Yunyang Prefecture, Huguang.

One route was led by Wang Dahu, from Qutangwei, Sichuan, along the Yangtze River, through Wushan, and entered Jingzhou Prefecture.

At the same time, Li Yu and Wang Shi led their troops from Guizhou to Chenzhou Prefecture and Jingzhou.

A total of four armies attacked Huguang together.

Because in order to encircle and suppress the rebels such as Gao Yingxiang, most of the troops in Huguang were transferred to the border between Huguang and Henan and Nanzhili.

This led to the emptiness of the south of Huguang.

Li Yu and Wang Shi marched all the way, and there were almost no cities that could resist. After a few bombardments, they surrendered.

Perhaps those high-ranking officials were willing to resist the attack of the army of saving the people.

However, ordinary soldiers at the bottom did not have this idea.

Anyway, even if the Salvation Army occupied the city, they would only attack the high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen. The soldiers at the bottom of the society would just become civilians.

Isn't this what they have always desired?

In the Ming Dynasty, how difficult it was to change the military status to civilian status?

And now, all this is within reach.

Without the support of the low-level soldiers, how could those high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen resist the Salvation Army?

Surrendering obediently might still save their lives, but if they fought to the death, they would only die and their clans would be destroyed.

Therefore, the attack of the two people can be said to be extremely smooth.

In less than half a month, they had occupied the two prefectures and began to enter other prefectures in Huguang.

Although Wang Dahu, who came down from the Yangtze River, encountered stronger resistance.

However, facing Wang Dahu's military formations and guns, the Ming army along the way did not have much resistance. In just over half a month, they had occupied Jingzhou Prefecture.

And to be honest, the Ming army that the dynasty faced was the most powerful one.

Although after Gao Yingxiang and his men entered Shaanxi, Lu Xiangsheng and others, after some discussion, led most of the troops eastward and returned to Henan to encircle and suppress Zhang Xianzhong and other troops.

However, in order to prevent Gao Yingxiang from making a comeback, Yunyang Prefecture still had nearly 100,000 troops stationed.

Unfortunately, they were facing the strongest people's army and the Dynasty, which had countless guns and artillery.

A thousand-foot-long golden dragon of national destiny hovered above the head of the Dynasty, and endless dragon energy and golden clouds spread, suppressing all hostile transcendents.

There was no chance for the Dynasty to attack. After the true energy was suppressed, the Ming army on the opposite side had no resistance to guns and bullets, just like the lambs to be slaughtered.

Moreover, if the army formation is coordinated, with the blessing of the Dynasty's mobilization of national destiny, everyone's guns are comparable to machine guns.

And artillery is not worse than ordinary missiles.

Not to mention a hundred thousand troops, even if he came with another million, it would not make much sense.

One day to occupy Shangjin, one day to occupy Yunxi, and one day to occupy Yunyang Prefecture.

These places are where the most troops are stationed, and 90% of the 100,000 troops are here.

After occupying these places, Wang Chao immediately divided his troops to sweep Yunyang Prefecture and march into Xiangyang Prefecture.

Three days later, Yunyang Prefecture was completely occupied.

Going down along the Han River, they captured Junzhou and Zuoqiying all the way. On the third day, they also occupied Xiangyang Prefecture, and then occupied the prefectures and counties of Xiangyang Prefecture.

The speed of the march was even faster than the Ming army's request for help.

Therefore, even though Wang Chao had occupied the two prefectures, Lu Xiangsheng had not received the news that the Salvation Army had sent troops to attack Huguang, and was still searching for Zhang Xianzhong's traces in Henan to encircle and suppress him.

On the contrary, Chongzhen was the first to notice something was wrong.

From a spiritual perspective, the entire southern part of Huguang was rolling eastward with a bright yellow national destiny force, quickly covering Huguang.

The national destiny of the Ming Dynasty was being rapidly assimilated.

The national destiny golden dragon above the capital began to whine and roared towards the southwest. The dragon energy around it surged, but it had no effect.

Countless chains bound it, and no dragon energy leaked out.

How could Chongzhen not notice such a big change?

He communicated with the national destiny golden dragon at the first time, and checked the situation in Huguang area from the perspective of the national destiny golden dragon.

However, after the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty there was assimilated, it was a black hole for Chongzhen and could no longer be observed.

However, the Salvation Army had just marched in and had not had time to attack the occupied areas. Although the national destiny led by the Salvation Army also disrupted the surrounding weather, Chongzhen could not see the details.

However, he could also see some shadows of the Salvation Army.

Not to mention, just by looking at the place where the national destiny was swallowed up and disappeared, it could be guessed that the Salvation Army launched an attack.

For a moment, Chongzhen couldn't help but feel anxious.

Especially after seeing the speed at which the national destiny and territory were disappearing, he almost vomited blood again. What were those defenders doing? Were they all useless?

Chongzhen wanted to split the dragon energy clone again and attack the people's rescue army.

However, he was worried that he would be swallowed by the national destiny golden dragon of the people's rescue army again.

However, although he was a little hesitant about whether to split the dragon energy golden dragon clone, Chongzhen did not hesitate to send troops to encircle and suppress.

At the first time, Chongzhen sent several saints in a row, urgently ordered Lu Xiangsheng to go south to suppress the bandits, and ordered Hong Chengchou and Qin Liangyu to resist the people's rescue army.

However, all this takes time.

Especially Hong Chengchou and Qin Liangyu.

After basically encircling and suppressing the rebels, Hong Chengchou had withdrawn to train again.

When the Salvation Army went east to attack Huguang, Hong Chengchou was discussing cultivation with Qin Liangyu in Shizhouwei.

Therefore, even if Chongzhen issued an imperial edict, they would probably not receive it.

However, they did know that the Salvation Army had already gone east to attack. After all, they were next door, and their main defense target was the Salvation Army in Sichuan.

It’s just that the Salvation Army’s attack speed was too fast. By the time they received the news, Wang Shi had occupied Changde Prefecture again.

The only places still under their control were Shizhouwei, Yongshun Xuanweisi, Jingzhou Xuanweisi, and Yuezhou Prefecture, and the surrounding areas were all occupied by the Salvation Army.

They were already trapped in the middle.

If the Salvation Army’s main attack target was not to continue to move eastward, I’m afraid they would not be able to defend these four places.

Wang Shi and Wang Dahu only sent a detachment to attack Jingzhou Xuanwei Division and Yuezhou Prefecture.

Although the two detachments were not strong, they still suppressed the Ming army.

Even with the personal command of Hong Chengchou and Qin Liangyu, and the extraordinary army they formed, the result was still not optimistic, and they were always losing ground.

At this time, what could they do to stop the attack of the Salvation Army on Huguang?

In just one month, the Salvation Army had occupied most of Huguang, and only Shizhouwei and the surrounding area were still struggling to maintain under the resistance of Hong Chengchou and Qin Liangyu.

However, they had reached their limit. The newly formed extraordinary troops, plus the dead, captured, and escaped, had lost more than half, leaving less than 20,000 people.

In addition, there was no reinforcement and food supplies were scarce.

At this time, the two were extremely discouraged, and they knew the final outcome.

On the other hand, Wang Chao had led his army into Nanzhili and approached Yingtian Prefecture.

At this time, it can be said that the whole Ming Dynasty had received the news.

The southern provinces and Yingtian Prefecture were all mobilizing troops to prepare to resist the attack of the Salvation Army.

The governor of the four provinces, Lu Xiangsheng, did not care about the elimination of Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, and immediately led his troops to help Huguang.

But when he arrived, the entire northern part of Huguang had been occupied by the Salvation Army. He had led his troops to attack several times, but there was no effect, and his own troops were lost.

Seeing that he could not break through the defense of the Salvation Army, Lu Xiangsheng had to lead his troops eastward, hoping to intercept the Salvation Army before it entered Nanzhili.

As a result, Wang Chao almost reached Yingtian Prefecture, and he rushed to Nanzhili.

It was because of the previous record that most of the cities that Wang Chao and his men passed along the way surrendered.

What Wang Chao and his men had to do was to take over the cities.

On July 20, Wang Chao's army besieged Nanjing, and Wang Dahu began to lead his army to recover the Nanzhili area south of the Yangtze River.

In August, Lu Xiangsheng rushed all the way to the north of Yingtianfu, the secondary capital, and looked across the river from Yingtianfu.

He had fought across the river several times, but he only suffered heavy losses and returned in defeat.

In September, the reinforcements mobilized by the southern provinces finally arrived outside Nanzhili, ready to rescue the secondary capital Yingtianfu.

Although many people saw that Wang Chao's purpose was just to encircle the points and prepare to destroy the living forces of the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop.

However, they had to rescue.

If the rescued people's army occupied Yingtianfu and deployed defenses along the Yangtze River, the Ming Dynasty would be completely divided.

At that time, the areas truly controlled by the Ming Dynasty would only be Beizhili, where the capital was located, and the three provinces of Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong.

Is this Ming Dynasty, which has lost more than two-thirds of its territory, still the Ming Dynasty?

Not to mention the existence of peasant uprisings such as Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng in Henan and Shandong.

It can be said that the Ming Dynasty at that time was about to fall apart and had entered the countdown to its demise.

It can be said that Yingtian Prefecture was extremely important and absolutely could not be lost.

Unfortunately, all this was not up to them.

After the reinforcements entered Nanzhili, they were immediately hit head-on by the people's rescue army led by Wang Dahu.

The soldiers and horses in Jiangnan.

Well, they had not experienced war for a long time and neglected training.

It was okay to bully the common people, but whenever they encountered regular troops, they would collapse at the first touch.

Not to mention facing the people's rescue army.

The 400,000 troops assembled in several southern provinces were defeated by 5,000 cavalry led by Wang Dahu, who chased them for dozens of miles and killed countless prisoners.

If this was not the country, and the dynasty had repeatedly instructed not to kill too much, I am afraid that there would not be many people left in the 400,000 reinforcements.

Even so, it also caused nearly 50,000 casualties, which can be said to be corpses everywhere and blood flowing like a river.

Facing the killing god Wang Dahu and the people's salvation army, the remaining more than 300,000 soldiers had no courage to resist at all.

After seeing the people's salvation army, they either fled or surrendered.

In the end, Wang Dahu and his men actually captured more than 200,000 prisoners, and less than 100,000 escaped.

Under normal circumstances, it is extremely difficult for 5,000 people to guard more than 200,000 prisoners, and it is normal for them to rebel again.

However, they have been frightened by Wang Dahu's army.

Faced with the guards of 5,000 people-saving soldiers, no one dared to act rashly.

In October, after receiving the news of the defeat of the reinforcements, the morale of the defenders of Yingtian Prefecture plummeted, and they no longer had the courage to resist.

On October 5, the ministers of the six ministries in Nanjing and the princes and nobles opened the city to surrender.

Wang Chao did not have a good impression of them, and naturally did not have a good face.

In their trembling eyes, Wang Chao only left one sentence.

"Everything remains the same!"

After hearing this, the surrendered officials and the royal palace dignitaries were stunned at first, and then they were overjoyed.

Then, they were detained and guarded by a group of wolf-like people-saving soldiers.

At this time, facing the black muzzles of the guns and the cold-looking people-saving soldiers, they just woke up.

Wang Chao's words of everything remaining the same were not said to them, but an instruction to the people-saving soldiers.

In November, batches of Ming Dynasty dignitaries were dragged to Caishikou and beheaded in public.

In a dozen days, at least tens of thousands of people were beheaded, their property was confiscated, and their families were forced to do hard labor.

After that, the dynasty began to deploy defenses along the Yangtze River and prepare to attack Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

He planned to wait until he conquered Jiangnan, then go north and completely destroy the Ming Dynasty.