Chapter 48: Gloomy Retreat

  "Nailing wooden stakes can only make it easier to climb, but it's not much help when attacking." Zhu Yongxing gestured with his hand, "The slope is too steep, at an angle of 70-80 degrees, using bows and arrows is like shooting into the sky, and the damage to our army is very limited. As for people, during the attack, they almost have to push from behind, one falls down, maybe several will be knocked down."

  Pausing for a moment, Zhu Yongxing continued: "The fire guns are high and low, and the Qing army's shields and armor have little protective effect. They can only use lives to fill them up. Even if they take down the three defense lines here at the cost of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, there are still several more passes behind, with less than 20,000 Qing troops in total, each pass will suffer heavy casualties, what strength do they have left to attack Tengchong?"

  "Your Highness is wise and has a deep plan, making people admire you greatly." Baizhilong first flattered him with a sentence, then said meaningfully: "The rainy season is coming soon, at most there are only twenty or so days left!"

  "Yes! When the rainy season arrives, it will not only affect this place but the entire Yunnan. The Qing army's grain transportation and troop deployment will be very difficult. Moreover, they are not adapted to Yunnan's rainy season and do not know its severity." Zhu Yongxing glanced at Dao Bailong, feeling that this guy was not simple-minded and could guess the crucial condition he had not mentioned.

  "Your Highness, Li Jinwang and Gongchang Wang are either in Mubang or Menggen. There are also many other Ming troops in the three provinces of Xuan and Liu. " Qīng Bái Lóng cautiously bowed his head and asked: "Why do you want to take a great risk, hastily gathering the Ming army and loudly displaying your flags, isn't it to lure the Qing army into battle?"

  You certainly don't know why I didn't rush to surrender to Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan; you don't know that the Qing army's strength in Yunnan at this time is not so powerful; you don't know that if I only care about safety, delay time, it will only wait for the remnants of the Ming army in Yunnan to surrender like a tide; you also don't know how much negative impact the emperor abandoning the country and the guardian hiding will have on the forces still resisting the Qing...

  Zhu Yongxing pondered, not rebuking the impolite remarks of Bao White Dragon. After a pause, he carefully chose his words and slowly began to speak: "The Qing army appears strong but is actually weak, yet few have discovered this secret. I will use several branches of the defeated army to provoke them, and I am confident of certain victory. And victory will shatter the misconception that the Qing army's power is unbeatable, dispelling the gloomy atmosphere that has been shrouding various branches of the Ming army."

  Bai Long retreated silently, and for Zhu Yongxing's burning of books to heaven, he was deeply respectful in his heart, but based on his fear of the Qing army and consideration for the safety of his own tribe, he had always been in a contradictory mood. The reality was that the combined forces of the Ming army and the reorganized Yongchang and Tengyue refugees were not something he and his tribesmen could resist, so pretending to surrender and waiting for an opportunity to act became his only choice.

  If we can defeat the Qing army, it's good, but if the Qing army wins, can our tribe escape the disaster? Qīnguó's dark smile, the more powerful the Ming army's interception is, the more casualties the Qing army suffers, and the Qing army's revenge will be even more brutal. The massacre of the city, the slaughter and looting, the Qing army's evil deeds in Yunnan are well-known, he can't afford to have any illusions that they will understand his difficulties and let him off lightly.

  Every time the Qing army killed one of their own, they undoubtedly drew closer to the Ming army. By the time the exhausted and worn-out Qing army entered Tengchong and Panzhihua, he and his tribesmen seemed to have only one way out - to fight side by side with the Ming army, using force to avoid the Qing army's brutal revenge.

  Of course, he can also counterattack, hoping to exchange it for the Qing army's forgiveness. But can the Qing army stay here for a long time? The Ming army temporarily avoided the three declarations and six warnings in order to avenge the imperial clan who was left behind, and the degree of revenge is likely to be no weaker than that of the Qing army.

  Bai Long's mind was a jumble of thoughts, turning over left and right, yet not one perfect solution could be found; it was unexpectedly difficult to preserve his integrity and become a wallflower.

  "Do you know why Mangshan Kezu is fighting with all its might?" Zhu Yongxing glanced at Bao Weilong, whose face was changing color, and asked calmly.

  "I heard that Your Highness has appointed his tribal chief as the Pacification Commissioner of Annan, and that his tribe had been oppressed in Burma for a long time, so they followed Your Highness to Yunnan to seek a land of happiness." Bao Bailong was taken aback, and replied truthfully.

  "This guy's Sinicization is quite high, and he even uses the term 'Lei Tu'. Zhu Yongxing smiled slightly and said: "Lei Tu, yes, this word is used well. But where is Lei Tu? In Annan Gaoping, you have to climb mountains and wade through rivers, and fight bloody battles to get it. In this world, entrusting one's fate to the pity and forgiveness of others is a pitiful act. Heaven will not take care of those who do not pay out and do not work hard. The Mangshan Ke clan believes in my promise of this distant happiness, does the Guizhou official believe that I can defeat the Qing army and protect this land from the Qing army's poison?"

  Bai Long remained silent, but Zhu Yongxing's intention was already very clear. Whether he was harboring a lucky chance or fully supporting the Ming army, he had to make a gesture, even if it was just lip service, and Bai Long would have to prove it in his future actions.

  "No rush." Zhu Yongxing lightly waved his hand, his eyes already turned towards the first line of defense, "Let's see how the enemy breaks through this strategic location I've set up!"

  ……

  No guns, no cannons, and no aerial bombing. Wang Jinbao's mood at this time was more helpless and angry than the expeditionary forces that attacked this strategic location with great difficulty hundreds of years later.

  With the support of wooden stakes nailed down, it was still extremely difficult to attack from below. The arrows shot by our side posed little threat to the enemy, while the arrows and spears shot by the enemy from above not only had a long distance but also great lethality. Moreover, the continuous firing of muskets made the Qing army's casualties rise linearly, yet they hadn't even touched the fence.

  The old-fashioned muzzle-loading rifle had a large bullet and an unstable trajectory, which would cause severe injuries if it hit the body. There were even historical records of people dying from being shot in the arm. The muzzle-loading rifle was most suitable for use in fixed defensive battles with cover, and the continuous rain of bullets formed by the assembly-line loading and firing method caused heavy casualties among the Qing army that attacked from below.

  Going up the mountain is difficult, and coming down is also extremely difficult. Many wounded soldiers fell to the ground, and because they couldn't be evacuated in time, they lay in the dusty chaos, moaning and crying out until their last drop of blood was gone.

  Too much blood has been shed. After three unsuccessful attacks, the floating soil in some places is turning into mud, red mud. The Qing army that participated in the war was exhausted and helpless, with mud in their mouths and noses, and yellow dust all over their heads, faces, and bodies. Not one of them was not cursing this damned gray slope.

  This situation made Wang Jinbao furious, but he had not yet lost his mind. At sunset, he reluctantly looked at the flag on the mountain again and angrily ordered a retreat, ending this day's costly uphill battle.

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