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Following an imperial edict issued by the King of Qin, hundreds of thousands of Qin troops marched northward. The war in the Central Plains was in full swing, and the mountains and rivers were shaken by the iron cavalry.
Under the earth-shaking tide of war, no matter how small an individual is, it is difficult to avoid being swept up in it.
Even the people of Yanjing who were temporarily away from the war could already feel the heavy feeling of dark clouds pressing down on the city and threatening to destroy it.
No matter how just either side of the war claims to be, for the common people who are struggling to make ends meet, the fear of war always outweighs all the lofty words.
There were all kinds of rumors circulating in the streets of Yanjing City, saying how the Qin army was harmless and caring for the people, and how the people of Qin lived a good life.
The Han people in Yanjing hoped that the Qin army would attack them so that they could restore their Han clothing and be freed from the miserable life of bondservants.
But people still have an instinctive fear of war.
Even if it is true that the Qin army cared about the people, once the Qin army attacked, who knows whether the Jiannu would drive ordinary Han people to the battlefield to die
People on the street now walk on tiptoe to express their gratitude.
Not to mention Han officials like Gong Dingzi and Xiong Wenju. The news of Lekedehun's defeat was like a bolt from the blue to them, as if the Black and White Impermanence had stepped into their homes.
That day, Gong Dingzi finally waited until the end of the court and hurried back home. Bang! He slammed the door shut and then staggered into the room to look for Gu Mei.
"My husband, you're back. I heard that the Qin army is coming to attack, is that right? Is that right?" Gu Mei came out quickly. Her hair was a little messy, obviously because she was too frightened and had no time to comb her hair and dress up at home.
Gong Dingzi held her hand and said, "We have lost. Prince Lekedhun has lost. The Qing Dynasty is really going to be finished this time..."
"Husband. Aren't there Prince Yu and Prince Ying? Aren't they said to be good at fighting?" Gu Mei's face turned pale and she asked anxiously.
"Mei Niang, you don't know that with Lekedehun's defeat, a large strategic area of Luoyang was lost. Gushan Ezhen Heluohui fled Guanzhong in fear without receiving orders from the regent and fled back to Shanxi like a gust of wind.
Now only Prince Yu is still holding on in Shangqiu, but with Luoyang lost, he is also under attack from all sides. The defeat is just a snap of a finger. Even outside the Great Wall, I heard that the Qin army has crossed the sea to Korea and attacked from Korea. Now the Qing Dynasty has become a turtle in a jar! "
"What should we do? Husband, what should we do?"
Gong Dingzi gritted his teeth and said, "We can't wait any longer. Mei Niang, you should leave the city first. I have an old relationship with Master Mingde, the abbot of Yongqing Ganye Temple. You should stay at Ganye Temple first. I will meet you after I find a chance to leave the city..."
"What about you? Husband, aren't you going?"
"The city gates are being tightly guarded right now, so I can't leave for now. You can disguise yourself a little. It won't be hard to get out. I'll find another opportunity, so it will be easier to leave the city in a dispersed manner."
"But my husband..."
"Don't worry about it, hurry up and get ready, it will be too late if you don't leave now!"
In the Nanyuan Regent Palace, Ganglin said something almost identical to Gong Dingzi's.
Dorgon listened and murmured, "Go, where to go?"
"Your Majesty, it's not too late to retreat back to the border. If we wait any longer and the Qin army occupies the east, our Qing Dynasty will really have nowhere to retreat."
Fan Wencheng did not support retreating outside the Great Wall. It was he and Ning Wanwo who had persuaded Dorgon to enter the Great Wall. Now that the Qing Dynasty had been badly beaten, if he continued to stay inside the Great Wall, Dorgon needed him and he could save his life.
Once he retreats back to the outside of the Great Wall and settles the responsibility for the failure of entering the Great Wall, Fan Wencheng will surely be killed without a burial place.
"Your Majesty, after integrating the troops of He Luohui, Prince Ying, and Prince Yu, our Qing Dynasty still has the strength to fight. Your Majesty, you must not retreat at this time! Your Majesty, think about it, most of the troops of our Qing Dynasty have entered the pass. If we withdraw from the pass with our families at this time, will the Qin army sit back and watch us withdraw safely
If we evacuate the elderly, the weak, women and children outside the pass first, the soldiers at the front will already be in a panic. Once they hear the news of the withdrawal, they will certainly no longer have the heart to fight, and collapse in an instant.
Besides, the Qin army in Ningyuan and the Korean army are already at the Yalu River. If we withdraw the elderly, the weak, women and children to the outside of the pass without the protection of the army, wouldn’t that be sending them into the hands of the enemy? "
"Fan Wencheng, you!" Gang Lin pointed at Fan Wencheng angrily, as if he was about to rush up and fight.
Dorgon slammed the table and shouted angrily: "Shut up!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Fan Wencheng and Guaerjia Ganglin were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and apologized.
Dorgon's face was gray, as if he had aged ten years overnight;
He could guess what Fan Wencheng was thinking, but he had to admit that what Fan Wencheng said was true.
The elderly, the weak, women and children of the Qing Dynasty have all entered the pass. How can it be so easy to withdraw to the outside of the pass at this time when the Qin army is pressing hard
If the army and civilians retreated together, with their families and children, the marching speed would be slow, and the Qin army would definitely attack them like a pack of wolves. The Eight Banners Army could not cope with the Qin army alone, and if they had to protect the elderly, the weak, women and children during the retreat, the result would most likely be that no one would be able to escape.
If the elderly, the weak, women and children were allowed to evacuate first, the army in the front might collapse immediately when they heard the news of retreating outside the pass.
Even if the army at the front can hold on, will it be safe if the women and children are evacuated outside the pass first
Qin Mu was able to send 10,000 troops to North Korea at one time, but who knows whether he would send tens of thousands more to Liaodong.
Even if Qin Mu no longer sends troops to Liaodong, with the Ningyuan and Korean armies, as well as Mongolian tribes such as the Sutni watching covetously, will they spare these elderly, weak, women and children
As the saying goes, it is easy to go up the mountain but difficult to go down. It is difficult to evacuate the border. It is difficult!
Lekedehun was a talented general who had fought on the battlefield for a long time and was always good at fighting. Who could have thought that he would be defeated by Ma Yongzhen so easily and so miserably.
The defeat of Lekedehun completely upset Dorgon, and his mind was in a mess. What should I do? What should I do? He kept asking himself in his mind.
"What should we do?" Ning Yuan looked at the surging Yalu River and the thousands of Qing troops on Tushan on the west bank, and suddenly became worried. This river was not easy to cross.
Behind Ning Yuan stood ten thousand Qin soldiers dressed in black and wearing dark armor. On the large black flag, the word "Qin" written in seal script always reminded people of the Qin Emperor's iron army that swept across the six kingdoms two thousand years ago, invincible and unstoppable.
Behind the 10,000 Qin troops were 20,000 Korean troops. Although they could not compare with the Qin army in spirit and energy, they could still help and boost morale. At least someone was transporting the Qin army's food and grass.
Li Jun worked very hard and personally came with Ning Yuan, threatening to avenge his two brothers. In fact, his two brothers were beheaded, and he probably didn't have time to be grateful to Dorgon in his heart, and the so-called hatred was probably just lip service.
There has been heavy rain in the upper reaches of the Yalu River in the past few days, causing the water level to rise sharply. In addition, Tushan is eyeing the opposite bank covetously, so it is not easy for the army to cross the river.
"Your Majesty, do you have any way to cross the river?" Ning Wan suddenly asked Li Jun.
"Uh..." Li Jun didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't expect Ning Wan to ask him suddenly, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Li Pu, the inner guard, came to his rescue and said, "General Ning, why don't we find a narrow part of the river and wait until night, then send a small boat to cross to the other side, and then tie ropes on both sides. The other soldiers can sit on the bamboo rafts and use the ropes to pull them across the river quickly. As long as we cross one or two thousand soldiers and guard the other side, Tushan will not be able to threaten us to cross the river."
Li Pu spoke Chinese stiffly and intermittently, but he managed to express his meaning completely.
After listening to this, Ning Yuan felt that this method still had its merits. Liaodong was extremely empty now, and he was anxious to attack and turn Liaodong upside down. Li Pu's method was cost-effective, so he might as well give it a try.
When it comes to boat rides, the tall, strong, and fierce Aobai's face changes slightly. A few days ago, he almost vomited his intestines on the boat when he crossed the sea to North Korea. After landing, he lay down for five days before slowly coming back to his senses. Now, when it comes to boat rides, he feels like vomiting... ... ..
Ning Yuan was in a hurry to cross the river, but he didn't care about Guan Aobai's feelings. He immediately sent people to find a suitable place to cross the river.
At night, Ningyuan sent troops to cross the river at three locations. Among them, the troops who crossed the river at a place called Huaziwo were discovered by the Qing army just after dozens of people crossed the river.
A large number of torches suddenly lit up on the other side of the river, and shouts of killing were heard... ... ... .
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ps: With everyone's support in August, I got the monthly ticket award again. I would like to express my most sincere thanks to my brothers here. Please accept my greetings!
Throughout August, I updated twice a day without a single burst. I feel so ashamed of everyone's support. September is a historic month, I will try my best to adjust my state and update as much as possible. I hope you can support me more and vote for me. Bye!
Thousands of words can be summed up in one sentence: Thank you brothers. Without your support, I would not have achieved what I have today. Goodbye!
.(To be continued..)
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