Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 389 Wu Sangui Enters Xi'an

When the order spread throughout the city, there was an uproar and chaos. Many people cried out that they had livestock, land, and houses at home, and suddenly how could they take all these things away? Moreover, each person could only take one package.

Many people came to An Tai and asked if they could delay for a few days so that they could deal with their belongings, but An Tai refused one by one.

An Tai said clearly: "If you leave, you can take your valuables with you and still be alive. If you don't leave, your land and house will belong to someone else, and your life will also belong to someone else!"

Meng Qiaofang naturally got the news of the commotion in the city. He was extremely anxious. He knew very well that once An Tai withdrew his troops, the city of Xi'an would certainly not be able to be defended.

Therefore, Meng Qiaofang came to An Tai's mansion overnight to explain his speech. When Meng Qiaofang saw An Tai, he looked exhausted.

But the situation was urgent, and Meng Qiaofang had no time to care about An Tai. He said to him directly: "Xi'an is the ancient capital of 13 dynasties and the place where emperors rose. It is not comparable to ordinary counties. Although the Wu invaders are at the gates of the city and are rampant for a while, we are shouldering the heavy responsibility of the country. How can we abandon it lightly?"

An Tai shook his head and said, "Of course I know what the Governor said, but there is a huge disparity in strength now. Moreover, the Green Camp soldiers are not up to the task, and there are countless people with evil intentions. The families of the Eight Banners are all in the city. Once the city is broken, I will become a criminal!"

Meng Qiaofang advised again: "Xi'an's defenses are strong and there is sufficient food and grass. If everyone is united, we may be able to resist the strong enemy. Moreover, if you withdraw from the important city of Xi'an without authorization, the court will surely be furious. I hope the general will think twice!!"

Meng Qiaofang, as the governor-general of the three borders, could mobilize all the Green Camps stationed in various places except for not being able to command the Eight Banners. Otherwise, why would Meng Qiaofang need such earnest persuasion?

But despite such persuasion, An Tai still refused, and even said that if the court blamed him, he would take all the responsibility.

Meng Qiaofang had no choice but to leave Antai Mansion, knowing that Xi'an could not be defended and staying in the city would only lead to loss of military strength. Meng Qiaofang simply ordered all the soldiers and officials of all ranks in the city to prepare to evacuate Xi'an.

Meng Qiaofang decided to lead his people to retreat to Qingyang Prefecture and first join the troops of Li Sizhong, the governor of Shaanxi. Li Sizhong was in Yan'an Prefecture at that time to quell the rebellion of Wang Yongqiang. His troops still had 12,000 Shaanxi soldiers, and the time to quell the rebellion had come to a critical moment.

The next morning, the four gates of Xi'an were opened. Not only did the families of the Eight Banners flee out of the city, but a large number of Green Camp, officials' families, slaves, and even gentry, merchants, and civilians fled the city to seek refuge. For a time, all four city gates were blocked.

As officials in the city fled, the basic ruling institutions were completely paralyzed. Some ruffians took the opportunity to smash shops, loot property, or rob in the streets and rape women. The city was in turmoil, and the people were in panic.

After capturing Lantian, it was not until the third day that Wu Sangui's vanguard scouts arrived at the southern city of Xi'an. Seeing the city gates open, several scouts bravely entered the city. They saw a few corpses lying sparsely on the streets, some shops showed signs of being burned, and the Qing troops in the city had disappeared.

It was not until Sun Wenhuan led two thousand light cavalry into the city of Xi'an that he immediately ordered his men to control the four gates. However, there were still some stupid people in the city who were trying to rob merchants. Sun Wenhuan immediately killed all these ruffians who were still wandering on the streets.

Wu Sangui took control of Xi'an without bloodshed. Even until Wu Sangui entered Xi'an and sat in the lobby of the Governor's Mansion, Wu Sangui still felt a little unreal that he had captured the important city of Xi'an so easily.

Fang Guangchen congratulated Wu Sangui, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty, for taking Xi'an without any effort."

Wu Sangui laughed and said, "Thanks to Tingxian's advice, we were able to capture Xi'an. The first credit goes to Tingxian, and the second credit goes to Wenhuan!"

Fang Guangchen said modestly but with a bit of pride: "Your Highness, General Sun made a surprise attack on Wuguan, so he should be rewarded generously. I am not worthy of the first merit."

The two looked at each other and laughed. After a long while, Wu Sangui asked, "The strategy we envisioned at that time has now been fully realized. According to your opinion, what should our army do next? I intend to take Shaanxi first and then observe the changes in the situation."

Fang Guangchen said confidently, "Your Highness, I have been thinking about this for a long time. Since Duoduo was defeated in Huguang, the Qing court can no longer control all places at will. People's hearts have changed. Now that Your Highness has captured Chang'an and has isolated Hanzhong, you should send envoys to persuade the Hanzhong defenders Wu Maocai and Liu Jinzhong to surrender. In my opinion, Liu Jinzhong betrayed Zhang Xianzhong in the past. Now that Hanzhong has become an isolated place, how dare Liu Jinzhong surrender to Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo? I have 70% confidence in persuading this man to surrender."

Wu Sangui nodded repeatedly and said, "Tingxian's words make sense. Please speak your mind!"

Fang Guangchen continued, "Our army has captured Xi'an. We are now at the peak of our power. We should immediately send envoys to Fengxiang, Pingliang, Gongchang, Qingyang, and Linzhao to persuade them to surrender. If anyone refuses to surrender, we will immediately send troops to wipe them out. Officials who refuse to surrender should be exterminated along with their entire families!"

After finishing speaking, Fang Guangchen paused for a moment and then said, "However, Your Majesty, although the situation is very good now, we cannot be careless. Meng Qiaofang, An Tai and others have not been pacified yet, and they have fled in a hurry. We need to pacify these two as soon as possible."

Wu Sangui felt that Fang Guangchen's words were very much in his heart. He was very excited and choked up as he said, "Tingxian... is truly a great talent bestowed upon me by God!"

Fang Guangchen was so grateful when he heard this that he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is my job and it is not worth mentioning. However, Your Majesty is broad-minded and willing to accept advice. He is open-minded and listens to my humble words. I dare not fail to be loyal to you and will do my best until my death."

Wu Sangui quickly helped Fang Guangchen up and said, "Tingxian, when I succeed in my mission, I will not let you down!"

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler who will surely accomplish great things. Your Majesty's possession of Xi'an is like Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty's possession of Sichuan and Shu. I am fortunate to serve you, which is a great honor in my life. I will fulfill my duties, assist you, and work together to achieve great things, in order to repay your kindness."

The two of them flattered each other until dusk fell. Fang Guangchen wanted to leave, but Wu Sangui repeatedly stopped him, saying that he wanted to sleep with Tingxian and talk all night long.

After capturing Xi'an, Wu Sangui ordered Sun Wenhuan to lead 5,000 cavalrymen to pursue Meng Qiaofang, An Tai and others.

Meng Qiaofang and An Tai, a large group of people, accompanied by their families, and the garbage they discarded along the way provided Sun Wenhuan with the best direction.

However, Meng Qiaofang and others had evacuated Xi'an three days in advance. Therefore, when Sun Wenhuan crossed Tongchuan, Meng Qiaofang and An Tai had already retreated to Qingyang City. On the day of evacuating Xi'an, Meng Qiaofang sent cavalry everywhere to mobilize Fengxiang, Pingliang, Gongchang, and Linzhao prefectures, and also drew troops from Ningxia, Liangzhou, and Xining garrisons to gather in Qingyang Prefecture. Meng Qiaofang decided to gather a large army and fight a decisive battle with Wu Sangui.