Chapter 61: Careful Analysis

  Of course, the Qing court also saw the Zhu surname imperial clan as an object that must be exterminated, precisely because of the huge influence they had among the people. The righteous army uprising, must take anti-Qing and restore Ming as its slogan, even various branches of anti-Qing armed forces, all took welcoming the royal relatives as their rallying cry. For example: Kuizhou's thirteen families welcomed Prince Han, Zhang Huangyan welcomed Prince Lu Zhu Yihai, Guangdong Wang Xing welcomed King Tang Zhu Yujian...

  The crowd entered the camp, Zhang Wenchui led them into a large tent, Zhu Yongxing sat in the middle, and Bai Wenxuan introduced the civil and military officials he had brought.

  Zhang Guoyong and Zhao Desheng. When Zhu Yongxing saw these two men, his expression did not change, but he remembered them in his heart. In history, it was precisely these two people who lost hope for their future, took Bai Wenshou and Li Dingguo's troops hostage, and surrendered to the Qing army. However, being vigilant at the right time is necessary, which does not mean that Zhu Yongxing will take any severe measures.

  Now his subordinates can be said to be numerous, of course that is a later matter. But if everyone does not believe and no one uses him, what can be accomplished? Zhu Yongxing only knew one thing, the situation was stronger than people, if he could continue to win or keep pace with the Qing army, the hope in people's hearts would not be extinguished, and that worst-case scenario might not happen.

  Li Weizuo, not bad, although he was a civil official, he had great courage. In history, he was the secret envoy of Emperor Yongli and Li Dingguo's camp in the border area, making the last effort to welcome the emperor out of Myanmar. After Emperor Yongli was captured, he still rushed day and night to the Jinghou camp, planning to rescue him together at Pianqiao Bridge in Guizhou.

  Zhu Yongxing thought to himself, nodded with a smile at Li Weizuo, and deliberately comforted him with two sentences. This is the ideal candidate who can complete one of his planned plans, and first make an emotional investment.

  The personnel introduction is complete, with Wen Chen and Wu Jiang, the imperial court's late life, to now almost everyone's official title is not small. Zhu Yongxing comforted and ordered the crowd to sit down, briefly introducing the current situation of confrontation with the Qing army.

  "...In short, that's the situation. Our army has temporarily blocked the Qing army by taking advantage of the terrain. However, the Qing army did not give up, and even though they suffered heavy casualties in their attacks, they did not stop, with at least 500 sorties every day. I estimate that the total casualties of the Qing army over these days should be more than 2,000, or even more. But General Zhang Yong of the Qing army is a famous general, and although our army successfully blocked him, I suspect he may have another trick up his sleeve. Moreover, the number of Qing artillerymen has suddenly increased, and although it's not advantageous to shoot upwards, reinforcements have arrived, which should be an undisputed fact."

  Zhu Yongxing did not mention specific casualties, and in fact the casualties were indeed not large. Several hundred years later, the expeditionary force defeated the Japanese army at a cost of six to one, or even seven to one, but now this ratio has been completely reversed, with the Qing army fighting hard at an exchange rate of eight to one, or even ten to one.

  Ash Slope, indeed a nightmare for all attacking forces, with slopes of 70-80 degrees, soft and slippery ash soil, making it difficult for the Qing army to take a step. If it rains again, it will become a sticky slope. How can the Qing army attack this deadly Ash Slope? By crawling in the half-foot deep muddy mud? Stepping on it is as slippery as oil, but pulling your feet out is even stickier. If you're not careful and fall down, you'll slide all the way down for hundreds of meters, undoubtedly to death.

  Even if the rainy season affects the use of firearms, using crossbows can still defend this strategic location. Therefore, Zhu Yongxing, apart from worrying that the Qing army would take a detour to attack Tengchong, was quite confident in blocking the Qing army.

  When he had almost finished describing the current situation, Zhu Yongxing smiled and said to Bai Wensheng: "General Zhao has brought his elite troops at just the right time, our army's morale is greatly boosted, it's like sending charcoal in snowy weather!"

  "Your Highness is overpraising." Bai Wenshou nodded his head, humbly saying: "The soldiers and generals have entered Myanmar to rescue the emperor, fighting and killing in battle arrays, and after traveling a long distance, many are suffering from malaria and injuries. We still need some time to rest and recover, I'm afraid we will disappoint Your Highness."

  "It doesn't matter." Zhu Yongxing smiled faintly and said, "The rainy season is approaching, I will lead the troops of Prince Huai Ren, Prince Guang Chang and others to defend against the Qing army."

  "Your Highness's body is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and you are also the guardian of the imperial court. Can't you personally face arrows and stones?" Bai Wenselect hastily advised: "It would be better for me to direct the battle in front, while Your Highness oversees the overall situation from Tengchong."

  "General Zhao, a renowned commander with a hundred battles under his belt, if you take command, I will have no worries." Zhu Yongxing did not immediately appoint Bai Wense to replace the frontline commander. Instead, he smiled and walked aside, lifting the cover off another table, revealing a sandboard map. "This is the position and terrain of both our armies, although it's not extremely accurate, but you can get a general idea. Please, General Zhao and all commanders, come forward to observe, understand the situation, and point out any shortcomings. If there are unclear points, General Zhang Wenchun will explain."

  Bai Wenzhong was surprised, the sand table command has been around for a long time. It is said that when Qin deployed to destroy the six countries, Qin Shi Huang personally made military sand tables under the assistance of Li Si, and sent General Wang Jian to conduct unified war. However, in actual application, it was not widely used, mainly due to the limitations of ancient measurement technology, which could not accurately reflect the terrain, distance, and height of mountains and rivers, and maps were very abstract, only serving as a rough strategic basis, and could not be relied upon as a specific command tool for battle. Generals basically had to personally inspect the battlefield and surrounding terrain, bridges, and roads before making their final battle plan.

  But the sand table made by Zhu Yongxing on the front line was based on the scale of that Yunnan tourist map, combined with the descriptions of the old mule team and local people. The specific situation of mountains and rivers on the sand table, as well as its accuracy, cannot be compared with later generations, but it is currently the most intuitive and detailed command tool.

  With a thoughtful expression, he gave Zhu Yongxing a deep look, Bai Wenselect reported the crime and called over several generals to surround the sand table for a low-voiced discussion, during which Zhang Wenci also introduced and explained with some pride.

  Zhu Yongxing smiled faintly and walked back to his seat, removing his helmet and placing it on the table. Instantly, a murmur of surprise erupted around him as the eyes of the civil officials converged on his short hair.

  "This..." Zhu Yongxing patted his head and explained with a smile: "Cutting one's hair to show determination, haha, as long as the divine state is not restored, as long as the great Ming dynasty is not revived, I will not grow my hair." In fact, Laozi was disguising himself in a different form, making it impossible for you to see the slight difference between his appearance and that of Min Shizi.

  It turns out that the ministers seem to have suddenly realized, with words of praise such as "loyal and dedicated", "righteous and courageous" and "firm in heart and true in intention" pouring forth, Zhu Yongxing simply smiled without saying a word.

  "Gentlemen, you have all spoken incorrectly." Zhu Yongxing raised his hand and pressed down, waiting for the voices to subside before speaking: "I deeply lament the ancestral mausoleum, I deeply pity the people. The rebellious Yi have polluted my ancestral temple, harmed my children and grandchildren, plundered and shaved heads, as if in a flood or fire. This is an opportunity for us to unite and vent our anger together. I hope that all of you can work together with me, support each other, and make a name for ourselves in history. This is the wish of the Emperor, it is the wish of the court."