Qiu Yizhi thought of the time when he and his adoptive father were on Youyan Road, talking about everything and even playing tricks on him occasionally. Comparing this with the situation today when he had to choose the right time to say something serious, he felt as if he was in another world.
He really wanted to find someone to talk to about his depression, but among the people he knew well, he certainly couldn't tell the emperor about his feelings; his master Zhongli Kuang was busy assisting the counselor and couldn't be disturbed; the father and daughter of the Yuchi family were responsible for protecting the emperor and couldn't leave him even a step; Li Shengjie was still a young man who didn't understand the ways of the world; although Lin Shuhan had also crossed the river, he had arranged him on another boat; as for Wen Lingjiao and Yiran, he didn't know where they were at the end of the world...
Just when Qiu Yizi was sighing in vain, Zhao Chengxiao from the boat sent "Black-necked Toad" over to ask Qiu Yizi about the next course of action.
Qiu Yizhi knew that the "Black-necked Toad" had a loud voice, and fearing that he would shout and scare the emperor, he quickly regained his composure and whispered to him, "Don't talk. Go and call Zhao Chengxiao up. I have something to say."
Although this "Black-necked Toad" was decisive and efficient in his actions, he was a man without any ideas. After hearing Qiu Yizi's order, he did not say a word and hurriedly got off the boat to invite Zhao Chengxiao up.
When Zhao Chengxiao saw Qiu Yizhi, he immediately asked, "Sir, our army's morale is high and we haven't lost any soldiers. Why don't you order us to pursue the enemy?"
Given Qiu Yizi's current status and situation, there were some things he could say and some things he couldn't say even to Zhao Chengxiao, so he had to explain: "The emperor has ordered us to guard the dock. You command the brothers to stay at Yanziji Dock and not leave without permission. Do you understand?"
Zhao Chengxiao was somewhat puzzled by such an order, but he knew that Qiu Yizi must have his reasons for what he said and did, so he had no choice but to agree and immediately climbed down from the boat.
Without the emperor's order, Qiu Yizhi dared not speak or move, let alone leave the ship without permission. He could only lie on the side of the ship and watch the movement under the ship. He saw that Zhao Chengxiao really followed his instructions and regrouped the team of more than 200 people, and lined up next to the dock, not knowing who they were guarding against. He also saw that these trusted soldiers in the formation, except for a few who were slightly injured, did not lose a single person, and he felt even more relieved, so he simply moved an empty box on the deck and sat down, wondering what was going on in his mind.
… …
The offensive of the government troops under the ship was unusually smooth.
Zheng Rong dispatched several troops to attack the Lingnan Army. The generals and officers in charge made full use of the tradition of the old Youyan Road army's flexible combat. They attacked the defenders who blocked the road if they could, and found another side road to bypass them if they couldn't. The Lingnan Army did arrange some traps and ambushes in the city, but the actions of the government troops were not limited to the gains and losses of a house. If the battle was slightly unfavorable, they would immediately retreat and take a detour. They would rather maintain high-speed maneuvers and intersperse than fight with the enemy.
The reason why the government troops acted so quickly was that they were following the emperor's personal deployment to seal off the city of Nanjing first. Therefore, although there were more than twenty troops dispatched, there were only three targets - the three gates of Nanjing City facing east, south and west respectively.
After about two or three hours, several groups of government troops finally occupied all three gates of Nanjing, and quickly eliminated and captured the small number of troops deployed by the Lingnan Army on the city wall, and then took control of the city wall of Nanjing.
At this point, although the number of troops landed by the imperial court was still at a disadvantage compared to the Lingnan Army defenders in Jinling City, with these inferior forces, under the guidance of correct tactics, they successfully separated the Lingnan Army inside and outside the city, and had formed a situation of closing the door to fight the dog.
When the battle report came from the city, Zheng Rong was overjoyed, thinking that Zheng Yu had been blocked in Jinling City by him. As long as he conducted a careful search, he would be able to catch him, and the rebellion of the King of Lingnan could be put down in one fell swoop.
Originally, Zheng Yu was in Nanjing, but as luck would have it, he heard intelligence yesterday morning that the government troops were planning to attack Zhenjiang and Jiangyin at the same time in addition to landing in Nanjing. Therefore, he thought that Nanjing had been prepared for a long time, and even if the imperial court launched a large-scale attack, it might not be able to be captured quickly. So he left Nanjing and rushed to Jiangyin the day before the Spring Equinox, which was the day agreed by the emperor and his two sons to attack southward.
It was this unintentional act that saved Zheng Yu's life. And now the only one commanding the battle in the city was the old general Sun Hao.
Sun Hao was a veteran of the Lingnan Palace. He was very particular about stable and solid command, but lacked the ability to respond to emergencies. If Zheng Rong followed his initial idea—after occupying Yanziji Wharf, he would wait for the main force from Jiangbei to arrive, and then take further action after observation—then although Sun Hao would be slow to respond, with his combat experience and calm deployment, even if he still failed in the end, he might not be unable to hold on for a while.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Rong listened to the advice of Zhongli Kuang and Qiu Yizi, acted on the spot, and after a fierce attack, he actually took down the entire Jinling City with only a small number of troops.
If King Zheng Gui of Lingnan was still in the army at this moment, he might be able to immediately judge the situation and implement corresponding countermeasures: either rely on the large number of people to immediately organize a counterattack; or simply abandon Nanjing and break out with the looted gold, silver, and food.
But Sun Hao had neither such reaction nor such courage. He only knew that Jinling City was the pillar of Jiangnan Road. Once it was lost in his hands, it would be difficult for the Lingnan Army to occupy Jiangnan again. So out of such consideration, Sun Hao could only send orders to the garrisons in various parts of the city to strictly guard the key points and wait for Zheng Yu to dispatch troops from other places to rescue.
However, the city of Jinling covers a huge area, and the terrain of the streets and alleys in the city is extremely complex. It is difficult for the soldiers to communicate and coordinate with each other, which only leaves the enemy with a good opportunity to defeat them one by one.
The government troops were also not idle. Emperor Zheng Rong, who personally served as the commander-in-chief of the front army, was well aware of the principle of "knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, and winning every battle." He continuously sent soldiers who were familiar with the situation in Nanjing City to inquire about the situation everywhere, and intelligence information in the city was continuously transmitted to his ears.
After knowing that the Lingnan army adopted a conservative defensive posture, he strictly ordered his soldiers to continue to hold the occupied city walls. At the same time, he sent out light boats to urge the Jiangbei army to immediately set sail to cross the river and join the battle.
God really helped Zheng Rong. In mid-spring, a cold wave suddenly hit the north, and a strong north wind blew on the river. All the large and small ships crossing the river from north to south, riding on the slightly cold wind, quickly crossed the Yangtze River like arrows and gathered at the foot of Jinling City.
Seeing that more and more soldiers and officers were gathering under his command, Zheng Rong became more and more confident. He issued orders overnight, instructing his soldiers to attack the key points in Jinling City that were still in the hands of the Lingnan Army.
At this time, the number of government troops was still smaller than that of the Lingnan Army. However, compared with the conservative and slow opponents who only knew how to defend, the government troops were extremely flexible in combat and could often gather several times more troops than the Lingnan Army in a small area. However, due to poor communication and lack of coordination during combat, the Lingnan Army could only be separated and surrounded by the government troops one by one, fighting on their own.
Such an army, no matter how strong its combat capability is, cannot compete with the imperial guards, which have equally strong combat effectiveness, and can only be eliminated one by one.
When most of the Lingnan Army in Jinling City was annihilated, there was less than a day left before the emperor landed. The Lingnan Army that originally occupied various parts of Jinling City now had only one Jiangnan Daofu Yamen left to hold on. The commander inside was none other than the current highest commander of the Lingnan Army in Jinling City - veteran General Sun Hao.
At this moment, the prefectural government office has been surrounded by government troops. As long as the emperor issued an edict, not to mention a fierce attack, even if the government troops outside just kicked and trampled on the tiny place, they would be able to crush the prefectural government office into powder.
However, Zheng Rong intended to win people's hearts. When he heard that Sun Hao was still holding out in the provincial government office, he insisted on getting off the boat and wanted to persuade the old general to surrender. After all, Sun Hao had a deep experience in the Lingnan Army. If he could surrender to the court, the morale of the Lingnan Army would inevitably be greatly hit, and future battles would be much easier.
At this time, every corner of Jinling City had been cleared. Under the protection of many soldiers, Emperor Zheng Rong was able to get off the boat with confidence and walk along the slightly cleared streets all the way to the provincial government.
The city of Jinling has changed hands twice since last year. After several major battles, it has become quite dilapidated, with broken walls and bloodstains everywhere. Even the restaurants and brothels along the Qinhuai River, which were once bustling, are now closed and no longer open.
Qiu Yizhi had seen the colorful and bustling Jinling City, and was deeply moved by the desolate and silent scene today. However, Emperor Zheng Rong was just winning the first battle, and as the saying goes, "the spring breeze makes the horse gallop", he felt that he had arrived in front of the Jiangnan Daofu government office after walking for a while.
The provincial government office was indeed surrounded by three layers of soldiers inside and outside the imperial court. Not to mention a living person, even a fly or a rat might not be able to get in or out from the heavy siege.
Seeing this, Zheng Rong asked the generals in charge of the front army, then ordered people to erect the flagpole, hoist the golden dragon flag, and issued an order: "Find someone with a loud voice, and ask the old general Sun Hao to come out for me. I want to talk to him."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yizhi immediately called over the "Black Neck Toad" and gave him a few instructions, then asked the "Black Neck Toad" to come forward and shout loudly: "According to your order, summon General Sun Hao to come out and speak!"
The "Black-necked Toad" had a very loud and hoarse voice. He had only shouted a few words when he heard a reply from the government office: "Got it. Please wait a moment."
About a cup of tea later, several Lingnan Army soldiers climbed out from the mountain wall next to the main gate of the government office. The leader had white hair and beard, and it was the veteran general Sun Hao.
Zheng Rong was feeling proud when he stood up and said loudly, "General Sun, do you still remember me? It has been so many years since we last met. I hope you are doing well."
It turned out that Sun Hao had followed the King of Lingnan since Zheng Gui was still a prince, so he had met and spoken with the King of Youyan, Zheng Rong, several times in his early years. Therefore, Sun Hao bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not being able to salute you while wearing armor..."
Although Sun Hao had a lot of experience, he was still a warrior after all. After saying this "greeting", he didn't know how to respond and had nothing more to say.
But then Emperor Zheng Rong said, "General Sun, you call me 'Your Majesty' now. These two words are enough for me. What do you think? Considering that you have met me several times before, why don't you surrender? After you surrender, I will still be your general. I will not make it difficult for you. How about it? I will keep my word. Please rest assured, old general."
The emperor was talking to Sun Hao, but Qiu Yizi beside him became nervous. He hurriedly ordered his crossbowmen to take their positions and closely observe whether there were any enemy archers and crossbowmen on the gable ready to snipe the emperor. Once discovered, they would be shot immediately.
On the other side, Sun Hao cupped his hands and agreed, "Your Majesty's words are as good as gold. When he was still the King of Youyan, he was well-known throughout the world... I have nothing to worry about..."