Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 115 Containment

On a narrow and rugged ancient road, six or seven figures could be seen struggling forward. Their clothes were already tattered, covered in dust and stains, and their faces revealed endless fatigue and weariness.

"Your Highness, Xianxia Pass is not far ahead. As long as we pass this pass, we can reach Fujian." There was a hint of expectation in Zhang Huangyan's voice, but there was a hint of worry about the future in the depths of his eyes.

Zhu Yihai was so tired that he could hardly speak. He just nodded slightly to show that he heard it. He was filled with frustration. He was exhausted physically and mentally after traveling all the way here. The annihilation of the whole army almost made him collapse.

Moreover, his future would still be uncertain if he entered Fujian. Abdicating and returning to his own fiefdom might be his best destination, and imprisonment was not impossible. Thinking of this, Zhu Yihai sighed deeply. All his ambitions had turned into nothing.

…………

Tulai's face was full of disbelief, his eyes were wide open, and his mouth was slightly open. He simply couldn't believe what he saw - Bolo's army would lose so badly!

Tulai had originally been full of confidence in Bolo, believing that he would definitely be able to defeat Meng Jun, but now it was completely beyond his expectations. Bolo's miserable appearance, and the fact that the Eight Banners soldiers who retreated to Ningbo had almost no fighting spirit, low morale, and even lost all their horses and weapons, made Tulai feel extremely shocked.

Tulai could not help but fall into deep thought, wondering if Bolo had made some fatal mistake. Then Tulai asked in a low voice: "Marshal, why is the loss so heavy?"

Bolo shook his head and remained silent, while Bai Yingtu, who was standing next to him, said with a serious expression: "The Meng thief is so arrogant that he launched an attack with his entire army in the pouring rain! Fang Guoan's Green Camp was vulnerable to the fierce attack of the Meng thief and was riddled with holes. Although the Eight Banners soldiers fought bravely, they could only fill the gaps in the defense line that kept appearing in the face of such a fierce offensive. In this extremely chaotic battle, the Green Camp collapsed and the army was disbanded..." Bai Yingtu's words were full of grief and indignation. He witnessed the tragic battle with his own eyes and still remembers it vividly.

At this point, Tulai's face was filled with sorrow, and his heart was filled with helplessness and worry. The joy that had originally been brought about by the successful elimination of Zhu Yihai had now disappeared.

Instead, deep worry filled my heart. The defeat of Bolo was like a heavy blow, and the dawn of victory that I had been looking forward to disappeared in an instant.

He took a deep breath, then saluted the commander-in-chief and asked in a heavy tone: "Commander-in-chief! With the strength of our army, it may be difficult to defend Zhejiang. Moreover, Shaoxing and Hangzhou have fallen into the hands of Meng the thief. Without the navy, we cannot return to Jiangning."

At this point, Tulai paused for a moment, and then continued: "Fujian is occupied by Zheng Zhilong again. If we want to evacuate, I'm afraid we can only go through Taizhou Prefecture, bypass Jinhua Prefecture, and then pass through Quzhou Prefecture before we can enter Jiangxi. Marshal, we must make a decision as soon as possible."

When Bolo heard this, his lifeless eyes flickered for a moment, and after a moment he said: "Okay, but the soldiers are exhausted. After a few days of rest, we will retreat to Jiangxi first." Tulai seemed to be hesitant to speak, but in the end he said nothing.

Meng Jun and other generals were also discussing how to completely annihilate Bolo's troops. If Bolo was annihilated, the situation in the world would definitely change. That would be the first time that the entire Eight Banners Army of the Qing court was surrounded and annihilated, which would definitely boost the morale of the Ming army in the south.

"Governor, you see, Bolo has no navy, and Fujian is where the emperor is staying. If Bolo wants to withdraw, he must retreat to Jiangxi. The only important roads from Zhejiang to Jiangxi are the Xieling Pass and other passes in the north, or Yushan County in the south. Both of these roads pass through Dingyang County," Han Xiong said firmly, pointing to a point on the map.

Several people gathered together to check. Qian Biao asked in confusion, "There are only these two roads. Can't we go somewhere else?"

Han Xiong said confidently: "There are only these two roads. The rest are just narrow paths. A small group of people can pass through, but a large army will never be able to bypass them."

Meng Jun looked at the map and asked, "Who occupies Dingyang County at this time?"

"Reporting to the Governor, the flags on the city walls have changed. They surrendered to the Qing some time ago, and later I heard that it was occupied by the Ming general Liu Ruyu. I don't know what the situation is now," Han Xiong said with a wry smile and shook his head.

Meng Jun looked at the map and scratched his head. "Dingyang is nearly 500 miles away from Shaoxing. It's a long journey. It takes more than half a month for infantrymen to walk there, and it takes more than ten days for cavalrymen. Moreover, they have to pass through Jinhua Prefecture and Quzhou Prefecture on the way."

"Governor, the news of Bolo's defeat must have spread throughout Zhejiang. If Jinhua Prefecture saw our army's flag, they would not dare to do anything, let alone change the flag on the spot. Besides, Jinhua Prefecture does not have many troops stationed there, so it will not be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jun immediately ordered, "Pass the order. Among the entire army, anyone who can ride a horse must be selected. At least another 2,000 people must be selected. Even if they have to be tied to horses, they must reach Dingyang before Bolo. Bai Tongzhen, you must lead your 2,000 cavalry to Dingyang County immediately. Remember, as long as we defend Dingyang, Bolo will be blocked here. This time, I must skin Bolo alive." At the end, Meng Jun clenched his fists and said loudly.

Bai Yongfu gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, Commander-in-Chief, I will definitely rush to Dingyang as fast as I can. If Bolo's army arrives, I hope the reinforcements will come quickly."

Meng Jun nodded slightly, and then Bai Yongfu immediately turned and left, while Meng Jun continued: "Wuxing Town, Wang Fugui, lead his troops to march south to Jinhua Prefecture, Changlin, Kewu, Wuning Town, and the auxiliary troops, the heavy armored troops, the whole army will march south to Ningbo. Although we have defeated Bolo, Tulai still has nearly 10,000 Manchus and Mongols in his hands. We still need to be cautious and not be careless."

The generals around him nodded one after another, indicating that they understood. They knew that the war was far from over and they could not let their guard down at any time.

A moment later, two thousand cavalrymen under Bai Yongfu galloped out of the camp and headed towards Dingyang County.