Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 463: Changes in Yunnan (4)

When Wu Sangui heard that the firearms had been defeated, he was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said to Fang Guangchen beside him: "The firearms are really useless. The best firearms are only cannons!"

Although the musket team was defeated, Wu Sangui did not care too much about it, as this was a team that Wu Sangui had formed on a whim.

However, the army was pursuing Li Dingguo's main force, so how could it be blocked by Jin Tongwu? Wu Sangui immediately ordered Hu Guozhu to lead his 5,000 elite troops to break through the blockade in one fell swoop.

After all, Jin Tongwu had few soldiers. After more than an hour of fierce fighting, Jin Tongwu's troops were exhausted. Along with Hu Guozhu's troops, they rushed towards Jin Tongwu's defense line like a tide.

Jin Tongwu stood in front of the formation. Although he was physically and mentally exhausted and panting, there was unquestionable determination in his eyes. He raised the spear in his hand and said, "Kill!" There were not many inspiring words. After years of fighting, the generals had already reached a tacit understanding.

Smoke rose high, drums and horns blared, and soldiers of both armies drew their weapons and fought bravely. The place where the two armies clashed was truly a place where blood stained their robes and corpses covered the weeds.

However, Jin Tongwu's troops were already at a disadvantage, and they had been fighting for a long time. Just as they blocked Hu Guozhu's first round of attack, after the enemy's offensive paused, Jin Tongwu looked around and found that less than half of the soldiers were left behind. Most of the soldiers who were still alive were injured.

Jin Tongwu looked up at the sky. He had been holding back the pursuers for nearly two hours. If he continued to hold them back, they would all be wiped out. Then, while Hu Guozhu's troops were reorganizing, Jin Tongwu led the remaining troops away from the battlefield.

Jin Tongwu blocked Wu Sangui's main force for Li Dingguo for a moment, which gave Li Dingguo precious time.

Just as Li Dingguo used the precious time gained by Jin Tongwu to hastily retreat to Gongshan, the two thousand elite cavalry led by Xia Guoxiang had arrived at the river mouth. Although Xia Guoxiang failed to block Li Dingguo's retreat, Li Dingguo's troops were now in marching formation.

The scouts under Li Dingguo's command detected Xia Guoxiang's cavalry from afar and reported back immediately. For a moment, Li Dingguo's command was in turmoil.

Jin Weixin was horrified and said to Li Dingguo: "The Wu thieves really sent light cavalry to go around and cut off our retreat!"

When Prime Minister Xia saw that Li Dingguo's troops had not yet completed their adjustments, he made a prompt decision and immediately led the cavalry in a swift assault.

The sound of horse hooves, the collision of weapons and the shouts of soldiers were intertwined. Li Dingguo knew very well that if he allowed the cavalry in front of him to disrupt the formation at this moment, Wu Sangui might catch up with him, and the consequences would be disastrous.

So he made a prompt decision and personally led 500 cavalrymen to launch a counterattack against the Xia State Prime Minister's cavalry.

Although Li Dingguo had a small number of cavalry, Xia Guoxiang had already crashed into Li's army. Li Dingguo attacked Xia Guoxiang from behind.

Li Dingguo was an expert in martial arts. He swung his sword and killed several enemy cavalrymen in succession. His target was the chief general of the Wu army, Xia Guoxiang, who was standing next to the big flag.

Li Dingguo wielded his sword like the wind and ran straight to where Prime Minister Xia was. As the saying goes, to capture a thief, you must first capture the leader. As long as you can repel or kill Prime Minister Xia, the morale of the Wu army can be completely undermined.

Following Li Dingguo's charge, five hundred elite cavalry followed closely behind, and quickly approached Xia Guoxiang like a bamboo breaking force.

Although Xia Guoxiang was in the army, he also felt the danger from behind. He looked back and saw Li Dingguo rushing towards him like a lion, with a bright red long sword, full of murderous intent.

Prime Minister Xia's face changed, and he immediately ordered the cavalry to stop charging and turn around to kill Li Dingguo.

But Li Dingguo had a sharp eye and attacked at the right time. Xia Guoxiang had more men and horses, but at this moment Li Dingguo rushed into the heart of the city. He wanted to stop him, but he was powerless.

Li Dingguo was seen dodging left and right on horseback, avoiding the enemy's swords and spears, and swinging the long sword in his hand from time to time. His sword was extremely sharp, and every time he swung, an enemy rider would fall off his horse.

Seeing that Xia Guoxiang was right in front of him, Li Dingguo squeezed his horse's belly hard and rushed straight after him like an arrow from a bow. Xia Guoxiang hurriedly drew his sword to meet him.

In the fierce confrontation, Li Dingguo seized the opportunity, and with a flash of his sword, he accurately cut Xia Guoxiang's left shoulder. Blood gushed out. Xia Guoxiang cried out in pain and fell on his horse. The guards around him fought desperately to protect him and saved his life.

Li Dingguo's attack not only directly caused Xia Guoxiang to lose his combat effectiveness, but also greatly reduced the morale of his cavalry. Xia Guoxiang's face turned pale and he urgently called for a withdrawal.

After repelling Xia Guoxiang, Li Dingguo took this opportunity to quickly reorganize his troops and continued to move towards Kunming.

When the news that Li Dingguo had begun to withdraw his troops reached Kunming, the Yongli Emperor and his ministers were horrified, and there was a scene of doomsday panic. The Yongli Emperor was restless and worried, and the ministers had their own thoughts, but in the court, everyone was righteous and no one mentioned evacuation.

Normally, Yongli would listen to the advice of civil officials and censors, such as curbing the Western Army and controlling the generals. However, when it came to a threat to his own life, he would not listen to anyone.

The governor Cao Mingfeng urged Yongli: "Your Majesty, although the Prince of Jin has temporarily withdrawn his troops, he has not actually been defeated. This is just a temporary measure.

Therefore, I think that if Your Majesty withdraws from Kunjing again, the army will be shaken and the people will lose their hearts. This is like destroying the Great Wall, which is a taboo for the country. If the emperor personally governs a place, the army will be stable and the people will be safe. Now that the King of Jin is still here, his people are brave and will surely be able to turn danger into safety. Your Majesty must not act rashly. "

After Cao Mingfeng finished speaking, the palace was filled with enthusiasm, and all the ministers agreed with Cao Mingfeng's words. Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongli asked slowly, "According to Cao Qing's opinion, what should I do?"

Cao Mingfeng bowed and replied, "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty should stay in Kunming to boost morale and wait for the King of Jin to reorganize the troops. Then there will be good news. In this way, both internal and external stability can be achieved and long-term plans can be made."

After hearing this, Emperor Yongli saw that all his ministers agreed with this idea, so he nodded and said, "What Cao Qing said is very true. From now on, I will stay in Kunming and share the hardships with my subjects and wait for the news of victory from Prince Jin."

The conversation between the emperor and his ministers in the court soon spread to Kunming City, and the tense atmosphere gradually eased. The people and the soldiers defending the city were relieved when they learned that the emperor was determined to stay. For a time, people's hearts were settled and morale was revived. The people all said, "This is truly the emperor!"

However, Emperor Yongli promised in the court to defend Kunming and vowed to live and die with the city. His lofty words were still there, and the people all praised his ambition. But after the court was dismissed, Emperor Yongli became worried and could not sleep at night. He could not resist the fear in his heart, and he suddenly felt regretful.

The next day, the morning was misty and the dawn was just beginning. The emperor secretly summoned his attendants and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and quietly prepared the carriage. He fled Kunming without caring about the emperor's majesty. At this time, all the officials were still fast asleep and no one knew anything.

When the court meeting started, the court officials were shocked to find that the emperor had gone away. They could only look at each other in shock and fear. For a moment, many ministers rushed home to pack their bags, some to follow the emperor's footsteps, while others gave up their official positions and returned home out of despair.

As the saying goes, everything has a beginning, but few can have an end. By doing this, Emperor Yongli broke his alliance and oath and lost trust with the world. When the people of Kunming heard the news, they all sighed and hated his cowardice. Their disappointment was beyond words.