In October of the golden autumn, the drizzle drizzles on the land of Jingxiang. Now it should be the season for harvest. However, in the thousands of hectares of fertile fields, only a small group of farmers who are not afraid of death dare to come out to harvest while the night is dark.

On the muddy land, there was a sound of horse hooves, and then there were wars and soldiers fighting and people fighting. Such scenes were happening every day, and the people had long been accustomed to hiding at home or hiding deep in the mountains.

Half a month ago, after Hou Xuanyan and Du Yinxi joined forces, their troops were no less than 300,000, and their momentum was great. The Qing army was commanded by Wu Sangui. This time, even the Manchu Eight Banners obeyed him. With the continuous influx of the Green Camp Han soldiers, the number of Qing soldiers was increasing day by day, reaching no less than 200,000.

Hou Xuanyan and Du Yinxi defended Wuchang and Yuezhou along the line with the natural danger of the Yangtze River, while Jingzhou was like a prominent sharp knife and stabbed into the north bank of the Yangtze River. Hou Xuanyan and Du Yinxi personally led a large army, aiming directly at Xiangyang, and met Wu Sangui's main force at the foot of Neifang Mountain. The two sides fought fiercely for a day and a night, and each retreated.

The 200,000 troops in Zhongzhen Camp were originally generals of Li Zicheng, Dashun. These people started a revolution in the early years of Chongzhen. I don’t know how many battles were fought, but they were never as tragic as this time.

Neither side was willing to take a step back, just because they retreated, they died. Hundreds of thousands of people came over, and no one could escape. The battlefields of both sides continued to spread, and finally a major battle turned into a protracted fierce battle. In the past half month, hundreds of thousands of people fought in various cities, counties, and mountains and rivers.

The consequence is that both parties have losses but will not be damaged. But if one party wants to withdraw, it will inevitably pay a heavy price.

In a suburb of Xincheng County, Hou Xuanyan's central army camped here, and several generals in the tent surrounded a sand table.

Hou Xuanyan said to Du Yinxi: "We missed the best opportunity. Now the Qing soldiers who are evading the summer heat are returning 66, and the battle situation is gradually getting stuck. I see that in a hurry, no one can eat anyone. I don't know when this battle will be fought."

Du Yinxi's official position is governor, slightly lower than that of Hou Xuanyan. He stared at the sand table with his eyes tightly, frowned and said, "Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming from Hanyang have been hiding in the small town of Hanyang and confronted the defenders in Wuchang. I must have had a trick inside, so I have to guard against it. This team has great combat power, many soldiers and wide generals, and Kong and Geng are also traitors who have been suffering for many years. They are by our side, which always makes me feel like I am on my back."

Hou Xuanyan pointed to the corresponding position of the sand table and said confidently: "Gu Yanwu, Wuchang and Zheng Zunqian, my generals are all my generals. With them on the front line of Wuchang in Yuezhou, I am my first line of defense. The Hunan soldiers recruited by Zhang Huangyan of Changsha Prefecture are training and can support them when necessary, which is my second line of defense. With them here, we are not afraid of the Qing soldiers in Jiangxi and Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming. In this way, there is nothing to be afraid of. Even if they turn around to attack, I can mobilize no less than 100,000 people in Yuezhou, Wuchang, and Changsha to participate in the battle."

After hearing this, Du Yinxi calmed down slightly and sighed: "Oh! We will be here for one day, and the north will fall for one day, and the people will be enslaved by foreign Tartars."

Hou Xuanyan thought to himself that this has changed a lot. If it were in the original pace of history, now only the southwest is still resisting. Thinking of this, Hou Xuanyan suddenly became blessed to his heart, southwest? Zhang Xianzhong?

Hou Xuanyan suddenly raised his head and said excitedly: "Zhang Xianzhong of Sichuan and Shu is now facing the enemy with Haoge. Haoge divides troops to save Jingzhou. Can we send someone to contact Zhang Xianzhong?"

Hou Xuanyan clearly remembered that Zhang Xianzhong could not defeat Haoge, so he resolutely killed all his children and said to his godson, Sun Kewang: "I am also a hero, and I cannot keep my youngest son to be captured by others. You will eventually become the prince. The orthodox period of the Ming Dynasty may not be extinguished at all, and it is God's will. If I die, I will return to the Ming Dynasty in a hurry, so it is not unrighteous." Now, he has no reason to refuse his own situation.

Du Yinxi stared at him, shocked in his heart. He had no choice but to pacify the rest of the Dashun Army, and was scolded by the ministers Jiang Dejing, Lu Zhenfei and others. You must know that the leader of the Dashun Army, Li Zicheng, was dead, and he was scolded for pacifying them himself. Zhang Xianzhong was a living giant bandit, and Hou Xuanyan actually had a whim to negotiate with him to form an alliance.

"Little Marquis, I advise you to think twice before you act. That's Zhang Xianzhong." Du Yinxi said meaningfully. As a general, he agreed to unite all forces that are hostile to the Qing soldiers from the bottom of his heart. Zhang Xianzhong lives in Bashu, and the terrain is steep, and his soldiers are strong and food are sufficient. However, he dare not cross the line easily in political matters. If Hou Xuanyan had this courage, he would support it. So Du Yinxi just kindly reminded him and did not express his opinions.

Hou Xuanyan said disapprovingly: "Although Zhang Xianzhong is ruthless, he is still a Han person. At the critical moment of the country's destruction, he can let go of any hatred. Uniting all Han people who opposed the Qing Dynasty is the right way. Otherwise, when the Tartars enter the world, they will not care whether you are a thief or a gentry. In their eyes, they are all conquered Han people. I will immediately send people to Shu to meet Zhang Xianzhong and say I want to talk to him."

Du Yinxi was in a complicated mood. On the one hand, he hoped that Hou Xuanyan would succeed, form an alliance with Zhang Xianzhong, and jointly fight against the Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, he also knew clearly that most of the people in the court advocated the alliance to suppress the enemy. Since Shi Kefa, the Southern Ming court has always hoped to unite with the Jiannu of Manchus to jointly eliminate Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. Unfortunately, they were just wishful thinking, and the little braids wanted to conquer all the Han people.

The people who truly had a firm will and refused to negotiate peace with the Qing Dynasty were actually Emperor Longwu. Emperor Longwu Zhu Youjian and King Lu of Lu who were sent to Fuzhou by Hou Xuanyan. Although these two uncles and nephews had a bad relationship, they were among the few hard bones in the old Zhu family. They fought bloody battles with the Tartars from beginning to end, and never thought of peace or surrender.

Du Yinxi finally made up his mind and advised: "Little Marquis Governor, should I send someone to ask Fuzhou? After all, this is not a trivial matter."

Hou Xuanyan pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, it's just that the treacherous and slandered the lord in the court, and the powerful ministers deceived the master. Although Your Majesty is wise, there are too many villains. If they are holding Your Majesty over, we cannot compromise. If everything is done today, we must make way for the anti-Qing Dynasty. Any stone that dares to block the anti-Qing Dynasty will turn it into powder!"

Du Yinxi was sweating coldly and asked tentatively: "What does the commander-in-chief mean?"

"I will not accept the orders of the emperor outside. No matter what the conclusion in Fuzhou is, I must meet Zhang Xianzhong."

Du Yinxi suddenly felt a sense of respect in his heart. The young commander in front of him was really determined to drive out the Tartars and restore China. If he was an ordinary powerful minister, he would definitely not do such thankless things for his reputation. Not only did he not help his power, but he would be scolded by civil servants halfway.

"Little Marquis, I am willing to join forces with you to submit a letter!"
Chapter completed!