Maolu Mountain.

Almost when the Ming Navy broke through the blockade and accelerated towards the hinterland of Huguang, through the secret communication channel, Lin Guo Gong Li Laiheng and Yi Guo Gong Hao Yaoqi also received the secret message brought by the courier.

Since the secret passage was built, it has not been used for several months for fear of being discovered by the Qing army.

Huang Li was afraid that the confidentiality was not enough, so even the letters he sent were encrypted.

"Hurry up and get the "Wu Mu's Suicide Note"." Li Laiheng arranged for the exhausted messenger to go down to rest, and immediately took out the pamphlet and started looking for it according to the numbers on the secret letter.

By combining the three numbers of page, row, and column, you can find the corresponding text. It is a very simple and clever encryption method.

"Have landed in Huguang." There were only four short words, but Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi were relieved and looked at each other and smiled.

"The action is ahead of schedule. It's less than three months!" Hao Yaoqi sat down in his chair and said with a big grin: "It's time for us to fight back and help His Highness attack Huguang."<

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Li Laiheng nodded vigorously and said: "Without further delay, we will launch a major counterattack tonight. I have been holding back my nerves these days."

Dive through the rows of piles, tunnels leading to the trenches, cross the rows of piles, climb over the planks and ladders of the trenches, rocket launchers that destroyed the wooden city, and even drills to simulate counterattacks, the Ming army was fully prepared.

The Qing army thought it was an iron-locked cage, but with targeted tactics and cracking weapons, Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi, as well as the Ming army soldiers, did not take it seriously.

A large-scale counterattack would not only break the blockade and siege, but also deal a heavy blow to the Qing army and destroy its effective strength.

Similarly, this is also a kind of containment, and it is also a response and support for friendly forces to attack Huguang.

The Qing army wanted to rescue Huguang, so it had to keep troops to guard the Ming army in Maolu Mountain to prevent them from fleeing eastward and entering the hinterland of Huguang. With one thing at a loss, too many troops could not be dispatched anywhere.

Although Huang Li only informed and did not give any instructions, both Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi believed that the Qing army took the initiative to withdraw from the siege, but they did not fight back, which was the biggest mistake.

Li Laiheng and Hao Yaoqi had a brief discussion and then issued an order to convene the officers for a military meeting to determine the counterattack at night.

Since it can be called a major counterattack, it is not just one or two locations, but an attack at multiple points along the Qing army's broad blockade, directly attacking as many as ten wooden cities.

With a breakthrough at one or two points, the Qing army could calmly mobilize reinforcements. If battles broke out in more than ten places at the same time, it would be difficult for the Qing army to distinguish the opponent's main attack point, and it would be difficult for the Qing army to choose where to invest the reserve force.

Although the Qing army numbered 50,000 to 60,000, when they besieged Maolu Mountain, they were divided into flood defenses within a hundred miles, and their strength was severely divided.

Even though the Qing army had tens of thousands of cavalry and was very mobile, there were still places where it couldn't take care of them and couldn't rescue them.

However, the Ming army could take advantage of its internal lines, concentrate its forces at several points, and launch fierce attacks.

Arrangements were being made intensively here, preparing to deal a heavy blow to the Qing army. Mulima and Tuhai, who were stationed in Huanglong Mountain, received the bad news that the Ming navy had broken through the interception and headed straight into the hinterland of Huguang.

"Trash, a bunch of trash." Mulima smashed the tea bowl and hurriedly ran inside the tent angrily, like a rampaging beast.

Tu Hai also looked frustrated and helpless, frowning and thinking about the next response.

They were well aware of the emptiness of Huguang. However, they did not expect that the Ming Navy was so powerful. The Huguang Navy and the Dongting Navy were no match, and the Ming Army easily completed the breakthrough.

Not only did the interception fail, Huguang area will be attacked by the Ming army, and the plan to siege Maolu Mountain also declared bankruptcy.

A long siege consumes food, and 50,000 to 60,000 Qing troops besieged it for a long time. Without a large amount of food and supplies, it would be impossible to sustain it.

And the hinterland of Huguang was attacked. Whether it was recruiting men or transporting food, it would be disrupted. I was going to starve, and I had to surround myself!

The key is that the strength of the Ming army in Maolu Mountain is still there, and more than 20,000 troops cannot be ignored or ignored.

"Yiling, Jingzhou, Jiangling, Yueyang, Wuchang..." Tu Hai buried his head in the map, guessing where the Ming army would attack.

Mulima was unwilling to give in, and still had a little bit of luck and fantasy, and said solemnly: "If our army only sends one cavalry to pursue the rescue, and the other troops still besiege the enemy, is it feasible?"

Until now, Mulima and Tuhai don't know how many Ming troops have attacked Huguang. It would be a pity if it was just a false shot to divert the tiger away from the mountain, but the siege plan failed.

Tuhai pondered for a moment and said: "In my opinion, the cavalry should be sent to Yiling first. That is the nearest city and the first target for the Ming army to attack. From there, we may be able to get more accurate information."
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After a pause, he added: "The bandits in Maolu Mountain have been tightly surrounded. There is no sound from inside and outside, and they will not know the situation outside. Our army quietly mobilized troops, and they are still kept in the dark."

Looking at Mulima, Tuhai continued: "A group of cavalry will go first, and then prepare to withdraw from the siege. Let's lift the siege tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!"

"After spending so much effort and wasting so much time, let's just forget it?" Mulima's eyes widened and her nostrils flared, unable to hide the anger in her heart.

Tu Hai pondered for a moment and said tactfully: "Even if the siege continues, we don't know when we will be able to defeat the bandits. Now that the situation has suddenly changed and Huguang is in danger, we can only change our deployment."

"The Green Camp of Gansu, Shaanxi and Henan was left to garrison Yuan'an to prevent the bandits from fleeing eastward. Our army turned to Huguang, first defeated the enemies who entered Huguang, and then returned to besiege or attack."

"If the bandits take the opportunity to flee to the river and drag their families with them, it will be difficult to take care of them all. Gansu, Shaanxi and Henan Green Camp can wait for the opportunity to chase and kill them, but it will work wonders."

Mulima blinked her eyes, thinking that if she said this, maybe bad things could turn into good things. There is also this in the art of war, which seems to be called luring the snake into action.

"Such an adjustment in deployment can be regarded as a flexible method." Mulima's tone softened a little and said: "Quickly report to the court, and then dispatch troops from Jiangxi and Henan to rescue Huguang. The Liangjiang Navy can also be dispatched to defeat the bandits.

Master, let them never come back."

Tuhai nodded in agreement. The only ones who could rescue Huguang as quickly as possible were the green soldiers from these two provinces.

"The navy of the two rivers may not be able to guarantee victory. In addition, the navy of Poyang Lake in Jiangxi can fight against the bandit navy." Tu Hai added: "It is better to report to the court quickly and then issue an order to the local government to delay the time. It is better to let the army

General, or Governor Zhang wrote a letter asking for help."

Mulima thought for a while and felt that although there was something wrong, she had to obey the authority in a hurry and not care about much. With her elder brother Obai in the court, the punishment afterwards was taken lightly.

After the decision was made, Mulima took action immediately, dispatching three thousand and eight banners' elite cavalry to rush to Yiling first.

In his opinion, if the bandits did not have a precarious geographical location to rely on, they would have been defeated by the brave Eight Banners soldiers long ago. In a field battle, three thousand fine cavalry can defeat more than ten thousand enemies.

They rashly attacked Maolu Mountain and were attacked and killed by the Ming army. The Eight Banners, which had banned 10,000 troops, now only had more than 7,000 people. The Gansu and Shaanxi Green Camps and the Huguang Green Camps also made several strong attacks on dangerous positions, and also lost nearly 4,000 people.

In other words, there are 57,800 Qing troops currently besieging Maolu Mountain.

By leaving more than 20,000 troops in the Green Camp in Gansu, Shaanxi, and Henan, the troops that can be mobilized are enough to fight against the Ming army that rushes into the hinterland of Huguang.

In an urgent memorial to the Qing court, Mulima once again suggested that the Qing court order Wu Sangui to send troops and take advantage of the opportunity to attack eastern Sichuan. However, he also knew that the court had not responded to the letter, which must be due to poor communication and Wu Sangui was delaying.
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Retreating from a siege is not an easy task. Careful arrangements must be made, and the order of retreat must be sloppy to avoid giving opportunities to the thieves.

Mulima and Tuhai summoned Wang Yizheng and Hu Maozhen, had another discussion, and finally decided on a plan to withdraw from the siege, starting tomorrow.

When Hu Maozhen returned to the camp, night had fallen, and the stars in the sky seemed to be blinking.

"Steady, accurate and ruthless, it will penetrate directly into the hinterland of Huguang. It will definitely cause a big chaos!" Hu Maozhen did not enter the tent immediately, but looked up at the night sky with his hands behind his back, and fell into long thoughts.

He understands and is more familiar with the speed and maneuverability of Yangtze River boats than Mulima, Tu Hai, or even Wang Yizheng.

When returning to the army for rescue, the cavalry can still have some speed, but it will not be able to pose much of a threat to the Ming army, which has the advantage of boats. Instead, it may be led by the nose and run back and forth.

"As you travel thousands of miles down the river, the cities and towns along the river are empty and can become targets for the enemy's attacks. It can be said that it is impossible to guard against them!" Hu Maozhen sighed softly, very worried about his family members in Wuchang.

Hu Maozhen was originally a subordinate of Li Zicheng's general "Mountain Harrier" Gao Jie, who abducted Li Zicheng's wife. In the first year of Shunzhi, Prince Duduo of Yu went on an expedition to the south, and Hu Maozhen surrendered with him.

In the fifth year of Shunzhi, after Jin Shenghuan rebelled against the Qing Dynasty, Hu Maozhen suppressed it effectively, made many military exploits, and was promoted. Since then, he has been following Hong Chengchou.

In the 16th year of Shunzhi's reign, Hu Maozhen entered the memorial due to illness, and the ministry decided to retire.

In August of the first year of Kangxi, the Qing government again appointed Hu Maozhen, who was first granted the title of Commander-in-Chief of Ningxia and then the Right Commander-in-Chief. After Dong Xueli's death, Hu Maozhen was promoted to Admiral of Huguang.

He had the same mentality as many generals who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and the Han Dynasty at that time. Before the judgment of Xuan Huang, Hu Maozhen also had many ambiguities with Nan Ming. He was ready to assess the situation and go with the wind.

When he was stationed in Changde, Hunan, Hu Maozhen once sent a message to Sun Kewang: "As long as the master (named army) arrives in Changde, I will surrender without fighting."

Although the matter has passed, Hu Maozhen still suspected that the Qing court had mastered this secret, and was also worried about being reported and the Qing court settling accounts.

The reason why Hu Maozhen said he was sick and retired was because he wanted to avoid disaster and spend the rest of his life in peace. Unexpectedly, he was appointed again and returned to Huguang.

"The false prince is really fierce. In his hands, the bandits in Xishan have completely transformed. He has won many victories, which is shocking. Is there really such a thing as destiny?"

Hu Maozhen shook his head, with mixed emotions. He was not optimistic about the Ming army's invasion of the hinterland of Huguang and the battle plan of leading the army back to rescue Huguang.

But Lord Manchu had already given the order, and there was no chance for him to say anything, which made him helpless and a little resentful.

After thinking hard for a long time, Hu Maozhen could not fly to Wuchang. He could only hope that the defenders of Wuchang were strong enough, or that the Ming army did not have such a big combat goal.

After staying in the cold night wind for a long time, Hu Maozhen returned to the camp in a state of confusion.
Chapter completed!