Ao Bai still had 130,000 troops in his hands, which was still more than the Ming army, but the old Eight Banners, which were the core force of the whole army, were basically lost, and the four Manchurian generals of Luo Keduo, Wahe, Songkui, and Sashku were beheaded, and Luo Keduo's front army was completely annihilated, and the Qing army that suffered a crushing defeat was demoralized, and the grain route was threatened. What's more serious is that the news of Aobai's defeat spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River, and those guys who did not insist on a wait-and-see attitude at both ends of the rat head could not return to the imperial court "anyway", which meant that even if the Aobai army arrived in Hangzhou, they would not be able to obtain food supplies on the spot.

The naval division was the weakness of the Qing army, even if the Qing army owned Hubei, Hunan and other places that produced grain, it could not be supplied by water, and if it wanted to continue to confront the Ming army, the grain routes that relied on land transportation were not only unsafe, but their own consumption was very serious. The heavy auxiliary troops carrying grain had to consume grain, and the grain transport team also had to transport the grain and grass needed by the cattle that hauled the grain, and if the Qing army continued to advance, it could only suffer an even more serious defeat.

After weighing the interests of all parties, Ao Bai had no choice but to admit defeat and withdraw with the main force.

As long as Aobai's main force withdraws to the Guichi area and relies on the Yangtze River water transportation, it can still confront the Ming army in the south of the Yangtze River, waiting for recuperation and then finding an opportunity to counterattack.

And in the Yangtze River Anqing upward, the river is densely covered with barrage cables, underwater artificial piles are densely packed, the Ming fleet is difficult to enter the waters of Anqing, plus it has entered the autumn, the wind direction changes, and the northwest wind begins to blow, it is difficult for the Ming army to go upstream, if you want to storm Anqing, the Qing army in the Anqing area on both sides of the dense forts, Anqing near the naval division, and complex underwater conditions, coupled with unfavorable wind direction, will make the Ming army suffer great losses.

The key is whether Ao Bai can bring the main force back to Guichi opposite Anqing safely.

Whether it is Wang Yuyou or Wang Xinyu, it is impossible for Ao Bai to retreat, and he will definitely send troops to pursue. But Cai Yurong, a hardcore traitor who was left behind by Aobai, stubbornly blocked the Ming army. Protect the Manchurian Taijun and retreat safely.

The vanguard pursued by the Ming army did not carry siege weapons, and was blocked by Cai Yurong for a while. It will take at least two days for the auxiliaries and artillery in the rear to come up, and during this time, the main force of Aobai can withdraw for nearly a hundred miles.

But can Ao Bai really run a hundred miles in two days?

The Qing army hurried back to Guichi, but found that the return journey was not all smooth sailing.

Luo Zimuqi's soldiers, who went deep behind the enemy, divided a part of their forces, and cooperated with the mountain soldiers of the Qiongzhou army, and the scouts of the Zhejiang army and the Fujian army, constantly harassed on the road of the Qing army's retreat, especially the mountain soldiers of the Qiongzhou army and the night did not collect. At long distances. At close range, the poisoned arrows of the mountain soldiers and the lightning bolts of the night did not collect the lives of a large number of Qing soldiers. Moreover, these mountain soldiers who did not collect at night, were familiar with all kinds of traps, and had various methods of killing, which made it difficult for the Qing army to move and retreat very slowly.

"Smack" A green battalion soldier waved his whip and slammed it on an auxiliary soldier with armor: "Go quickly!" ”

On the narrow mountain road, the Qing army pulled out a long snake-like procession. Auxiliaries drove carts full of ammunition and food, pushed and pulled cannons of various types, carried armor, and carried cauldrons on their backs. Difficult march on the mountain road.

Even some of the Qing soldiers of the Green Battalion were not much better, because the auxiliaries and civilians were killed in battle, and they picked armor and weapons for the Eight Banners. The task of carrying rations and supplies fell on the Green Battalion soldiers.

A Green Battalion soldier carried heavy armor and weapons, as well as a bag of dry food and jerky from the Eight Banners, plus his own weapons and armor. The whole body is carrying more than 100 pounds of heavy objects, walking on the mountain road, the sun is scorching on the head, and the potholes under the feet are really uncomfortable.

"I'm too tired to walk!" The Green Battalion soldier laid down his burden and sat on a large rock on the side of the road panting.

"Snap", a leather whip slashed the head and face, and it was knocked down.

The Green Battalion soldier turned his head and saw a Eight Banners soldier holding a horse whip, standing in front of him like a fierce god.

"My lord! The villain really can't walk! You're good, let the villain take a breather. The Green Battalion pleaded bitterly.

The Eight Banners couldn't help but say a whip and whipped it: "Get up for Lao Tzu!" ”

The green battalion soldiers had no choice but to stand up, pick up the burden and continue on their way.

The Eight Banners soldier turned his head and said indignantly to the other Eight Banners soldier: "These Han dogs, if you don't fight, you will be lazy!" ”

Because this green battalion soldier has been in contact with the Eight Banners for a long time, he can understand a little Manchu, especially swearing. In any language, swearing is the first thing to learn. Hearing the word "Han dog", the green battalion soldier was very annoyed, and he didn't know where the courage came from for him to bump into him: "Lao Tzu is not your clothed minion!" We are also soldiers! You have horses, why don't you use your own horses? Do you want us to pick it for you? ”

"Smack" The Eight Banners soldier whipped down again: "You Han dog, you dare to be hard-mouthed!" ”

The Green Battalion soldiers, who couldn't bear it, came up and took the whip from the hands of the Eight Banners soldiers in one fell swoop.

"Han Dog still dares to fight back! Someone! Kill these Han dogs for Lao Tzu! The Eight Banners shouted.

More than a dozen Eight Banner soldiers surrounded him and beat the Green Battalion soldier. But these ****-stricken green battalion soldiers are not good at stubble, and more than a dozen green battalion soldiers who were originally called by the Eight Banners as porters also came up and scuffled with the Eight Banners. After all, these green battalion soldiers are all veterans drilled out of the pile of dead people, but the eight banner soldiers are the second and third generations of eight banners, and they are not the opponents of the green battalion soldiers at all. In the blink of an eye, the Eight Banners were beaten and rolled all over the ground by the Green Battalion soldiers, and the Eight Banners soldiers who took the lead in the murder were beaten to the point that all their front teeth fell off.

"Someone! Han dog beats people! The Eight Banners, who had suffered a big loss, shouted.

"What's going on here?" Zu Zeqing, the superior general of these green battalion soldiers, dared to come when he heard the news.

When the green battalion soldiers saw their main general coming, they knelt down one after another, and complained to Zu Zeqing: "My lord, they are too bullying! Let the villain pick up things without saying anything, the villain can't walk, and he whips the villain with a horsewhip. The villain is a soldier, not an auxiliary, let alone their clothed minions! ”

"Master Zu! These barbarians beat us Manchurian warriors, and the wicked people sue first, you can do it! A soldier of the Eight Banners who was beaten like a pig's head said.

Zu Zeqing was still a little backbone, and was trying to find a way to protect his soldiers, at this time Tun Qi came up, and after asking about the situation, Tun Qi arched his hand to Zu Zeqing, and said with an angry face: "Master Zu." Your soldiers are beating people! According to military law, the Han people beat the Manchurian warriors and should be beheaded! ”

"It's your people who hit people first! Have my soldiers been beaten in vain? Zu Zeqing retorted angrily.

Tun Qi sneered: "Lord Zu, what about you Han people helping us Manchurian warriors pick up things?" Deliberately slowing down, is this the right to fight? But they violated military discipline, but they also beat the Manchurian warriors, should they be beheaded? ”

Zu Zeqing was furious, but he didn't dare to show it on his face, he couldn't kill his own soldiers, but he had to give the Manchu people a step down. So he arched his hand and said: "Lord Tunqi, they are all veterans who followed the last general to birth and death, and made great achievements!" If you behead them, I'm afraid it will cause a mutiny! In this way, the last general will let people beat them with thirty military sticks, in order to correct military law! ”

Tunqi insisted on beheading those green battalion soldiers, and at this time, Ao Bai came.

After asking about the situation, Ao Bai said angrily: "Lord Tunqi is going to kill people for this matter? When we entered the customs. The armor and weapons of the Eight Banners warriors are all inseparable! Today, the descendants of these warriors have all transformed into a group of gentlemen! Look what you have become! When you go out to fight, there are still people carrying gambling equipment! In the barracks also in violation of the ban on drinking! If you are brave in battle, forget it! Look how you guys play! ”

Unexpectedly, Ao Bai did not protect the children of the Eight Banners, Tun Qi was so frightened that he hurriedly beat a thousand: "The adult has to teach a lesson!" It's all the last general's lax discipline! ”

It was at this time. Suddenly a gunshot rang out on the road ahead.

"What's going on?" Ao Baijiu asked.

After a while, the spearhead in front reported: "Report to your lord!" There are Han dogs in front! Their firearms have a very long range, and they hide in the grass to plot against us, and they always kill us! ”

"Search ahead! When the main force is not enough. Don't let a thief come within 200 steps! Ao Bai shouted.

Since the last time Ai Xing Ah was killed by the Ming army with rifled guns at a long distance, the Qing army's actions have become more cautious, for fear of being plotted along the way. If you are sniped into one or two generals, it will cause the whole situation to change.

The Qing army sent sharp soldiers into the mountains and forests on both sides of the road to search.

In the mountains and forests, there was a burst of gunfire and the sound of bows and arrows. After a while, the spearhead of the Qing army retreated in disgrace.

"Crazy Scouts! There's a madman army ahead! It's those crazy people who don't want to die! More than 100 of our brethren went in, and only a dozen of us returned. The team manager of the Qing army's top soldiers said with palpitations.

The madman army in the mouth of the Qing army is Wang Xinyu's mountain army. Although Cai Yurong broke off and blocked the pursuing troops of the Ming army, the mountain army bypassed the path and rushed to the front of the Qing army to attack and harass. Shi Fu and his mountain sergeants each carried only three days' worth of dry rations. They are familiar with the life of the mountains and forests, drink mountain spring water when they are thirsty, dig birds' nests when they are hungry, eat snake meat, and eat wild fruits. The golden autumn season is the harvest season, and the mountains and forests are full of wild fruits, some of which can be eaten and some are poisonous, and they are very familiar with this.

With the protection of the mountain soldiers, the sharpshooters who did not close the team at night were even more like fish in water, and they did not attack the Qing army, and immediately retreated into the mountains and forests after they succeeded, and handed over the rest of the matter to the mountain soldiers to deal with.

Various methods of attack emerged: digging traps on the road and arranging mechanisms; Suddenly, a hornet's nest fell into the crowd of Qing troops; Stones suddenly rolled down the hill; When the Qing army squatted in the grass to relieve their hands, deadly poisonous snakes crawled out of the grass; camped at night, suddenly gongs and drums sounded in the mountains and forests, shouting and killing, and the Qing soldiers tossed for a long time, but it was a false alarm; But when the Qing soldiers relaxed their vigilance, someone approached and fired rockets at the Qing army's camp.

The rockets fired are not rockets fired with bows and arrows, but the kind of rockets used in fire trucks. The mountain soldiers carried single-shot rockets, often at night, to surprise the encamped Qing troops.

The accuracy of the rocket is not high, but the target of the Qing army's camp is large, and any rocket that drills into the camp and explodes can cause the Qing army to panic for a while, and they can't sleep for a night.

The weeds on the side of the road were also poisoned by the mountain soldiers. When the mules of the Qing army's baggage team ate grass, many of them died. As a result, heavy artillery, food, and all kinds of baggage could only fall on the shoulders of the auxiliaries and the people. In this way, the retreat of the Qing army was even slower, but they could not lose grain and grass, and they were reluctant to lose artillery.

The attacking Ming army is like a blood-sucking mosquito, and when it finds an opportunity, it will come up and bite it. Although the losses of the Qing army were not large, they seriously affected the speed of the Qing army's march. What's more serious is that the mountain soldiers may threaten the baggage and materials of the Qing army at any time, and if one is not careful, the grain and grass are burned by the Ming army's sneak attack, it will be even more troublesome.

Shi Fu led more than 500 mountain soldiers and ambushed in the mountains around Shimaling. After three hours of hard work, they set up a mechanism above the mountain road. The official road here passes at the foot of the mountain, and if the mountain army blows up the boulders on the mountain, the stones rolling down from the mountain will block the road. The Qing army had to waste half a day if they wanted to move all the rocks, which would buy time for the main force of the Ming army that was pursuing behind.

"More than a hundred Tartar soldiers are here!" A mountain soldier came to report to Shi Fuyu.

"More than a hundred Tartars are nothing! There are more than 500 of us! Shi Fu said softly.

After the Qing army's top soldiers approached, Shi Fu and his brothers suddenly jumped up from the grass and attacked the Qing army.

As soon as the two sides looked at each other, dozens of Qing soldiers were hacked to death and shot to death by poisoned arrows.

"Ahh It's a mad scout! A Qing soldier saw the attacker in front of him clearly, screamed in fright, turned and ran.

"Whoosh" A feather arrow roared, penetrated from the back of the Qing soldier's heart, and shot the Qing soldier through the heart.

Although the movements of the mountain soldiers were very fast, it was impossible to ensure that all the more than 100 Qing soldiers were killed without making a single movement. A soldier picked up a firework and lit it.

"Gourds!" Shi Fu cursed, flew over, and the knife in his hand came out of his hand and shot through the throat of the Qing soldier. It's a pity that I was still a step too late, and I only heard a "bang", and a colorful firework bloomed in the sky.

"I wanted to stone some Tartars to death, but it looks like I can't help it! Get ready to blow up the stones! Shi Fu shouted.

The mountain soldiers lit the fuse and quickly evacuated. After a while, the fuse was shortened to a powder jar buried in the ground, and suddenly a loud sound of landslides and ground cracks erupted, and several boulders were exploded and rolled down the mountain, blocking the official road in the middle. Then another explosion sounded, and a hundred-ton boulder exploded, turning into countless stones and falling from the mountain.

"Let's go! The Tartars are definitely going to send a large army in! Shi Fu beckoned his hand and ordered the brothers to evacuate.

In Qianxian County, the Ming army auxiliaries have arrived, and the artillery has also been transported.

Looking at the Ming soldiers who were building siege weapons and erecting cannons, Cai Yurong sneered: "We have stopped these thieves for two days, and we can already do it!" Let's retreat before the thieves attack the city! Go to Changhua to defend the city! (To be continued.) )