***
Huideng Xiangyuan was one of the leaders of the rebels. He started fighting with Zhang Xianzhong and others in Shanxi since the fourth year of Chongzhen. He was nicknamed Guo Tianxing and was from Qingjian, Shaanxi. He surrendered after being defeated by Zuo Liangyu in July of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen. Because of his fighting Brave and brave, Zuo Liangyu relied on his left and right arms.
When Zuo Menggeng proposed surrendering to the Qing army, he said: "If I surrender to the Tatars, it would be worse than me being a rogue bandit."
Then he led his 40,000 troops, raised a black flag and took a boat to the west. Zuo Menggeng chased him in a light boat, crying for Hui to become the prime minister. Prime Minister Hui Deng felt that Zuo Menggeng could not achieve great things, so he remained unmoved and led his troops across the river.
Seeing Hui Xiangdeng like this, Jin Shenghuan was also disappointed with Zuo Mengeng. In addition, he heard that Azige was defeated by Jianghan and Qin Mu became king in Wuchang and no longer supported the descendants of the Zhu family.
He felt that following Qin Mu was better than surrendering to the Manchus. After all, the Qin State was newly established and expanding in all directions, and there was a high chance of promotion and wealth. Then he also led 20,000 of his men to leave Zuo Menggeng and join Hui Xiangdeng, and discussed joining Qin Mu together.
The 60,000 left-wing troops intended to surrender, and when they arrived at the mouth of Jiujiang Lake, they parked on the river. Di Zhongxing, the naval admiral of the Qin army, was on guard and sent people to recruit them to surrender. However, Prime Minister Hui Deng and Jin Shenghuan had to meet Qin Mu before they would surrender. .
This is when Meng Ke and Cui Feng planned a 60,000-strong army to block Tu Lai and Kong Youde's 100,000-strong Qing army on a front line hundreds of miles long including Jiande, Dongliu, Huizhou, and Xin'an.
Liu Meng's 60,000 Eastern Expedition Army was less than 60 miles away from Jiujiang. Su Jin and Yuan Zongdi led 20,000 cavalry to the north bank of the Yangtze River and reached Huangmei, preparing to attack Anqing via Taihu Lake and Qianshan. Di Zhongxing's navy consisting of 13,000 men, half of which was located in Poyang Lake and the other half of which was located upstream of the lake mouth, was eyeing Hui Dengxiang and Jin Shenghuan.
In fact, the Qin Army's Eastern Expedition has begun. Now Hui Xiangdeng and Jin Shenghuan's 60,000 troops lie across the lower reaches of Hukou, and they must be resolved as soon as possible.
Qin Mu took Sima An and other high-ranking officials to go out again, with twenty hundred-material fortune ships and two hundred thousand-pound Fran cannons. All are revealed to the world for the first time.
The people of Wuchang brought their old and young to the riverside to see each other off. The crowds were like mountains, filling the riverbank. The music of the piano was clanging on the Yellow Crane Tower. Yang Zhi held her son in her arms, and she and Xiao Qiaoer looked at each other from the tower, their clothes and skirts fluttering.
The king's flag with a golden dragon on a black background was raised, the fleet raised sails and anchored, and sailed down the river amidst the cheers of the people, and the fast news was on the vast face.
Zheng Sihai, deputy admiral of the Navy of the Qin Army, was originally from the Dengzhou Navy of the Ming Dynasty. He has considerable experience in naval warfare. He is one of the talents Qin Mu has painstakingly recruited. The navy had been training in Dongting Lake before.
Zheng Sihai looked at the fleet flying down the river, his heart was surging and he was full of emotions. When he was in Dengzhou Navy. There were only five lucky ships worth 400 yuan, and the other Cangshan ships and Eagle ships were in dilapidated condition. The imperial court had no money to build a navy, and the Dengzhou navy was actually in name only, with no defense against the sea.
However, no one expected that in just over a year, Qin Mu would build thirty-six fortune ships with 400 materials each, each with twenty thousand-jin Fran machine cannons, as well as Cangshan ships, Eagle ships, There are nearly two hundred small warships such as sand ships and bluff ships.
Moreover, the naval training began before the warships even came out, and now the number of naval forces has exceeded 10,000. Before. The land cavalry fought vigorously. In addition to training intensively, the navy only served as a troop carrier from time to time. Now, it was finally time for the navy to take the field.
Compared to Zheng Sihai's excitement. However, Qin Mu knew very well that his navy was still far behind Zheng Zhilong's fleet that spanned the four seas;
Moreover, many sailors have no experience in naval warfare. If they were to fight on the sea, the number of guns in the thirty-six 400-year-old ships would not be more than the five Western warships. For other people, it is normal for a warship to have six or seven cannons. Coupled with rich experience in naval battles, others' three ships may be able to defeat thirty of their own;
This is by no means to boost others' ambition and destroy one's own prestige. Although Qin Mu didn't know much about naval warfare, he at least knew that the navy was a technical branch that required long-term training and repeated actual combat to grow.
Fortunately, Taiming was very poor and did not even have a warship worth 400 yuan. The navy in the south of the Yangtze River was useless. Can the Tatars cross the river so easily
With the current fleet, it should be enough to seize control of the long river waterway.
Qin Mu led the fleet to the upper reaches of Jiujiang and met up with the fleet guarding here. At one time, there were twenty-five four-hundred-year-old fortune ships, and more than two hundred ships of various kinds, including eagle ships and sand ships. As for transporting troops, There are more than 300 tankers and merchant ships used to transport grain. The river wind is blowing, the flags are like clouds, and the river is covered with darkness.
As soon as Qin Mu summoned him, Hui Dengxiang and Jin Shenghuan both arrived on the boat. They were both thirty-six or seventeen years old and tall in stature. Hui Dengxiang had a sinister face and a fierce look in his eyes;
In comparison, Jin Shenghuan is more like "Shan Lei", but only compared to Hui Xiangdeng. Compared with ordinary people, he is still an extremely tough type, with thick black beard and hair and piercing eyes.
Qin Mu originally thought that they wanted to meet him with some conditions; but he did not expect that the two of them were very bachelors. As soon as they got on the boat, they immediately pushed the golden mountains and jade pillars, knelt down in front of them, and said in a loud voice: "Prime Minister Hui Deng (Jin Shenghuan) ) Meet the King of Qin!"
Qin Mu lightly unfolded his black royal robe, held his giant sword and said calmly: "I am very pleased that you two can understand the righteousness and not be the lackeys of foreign races to harm my compatriots. We are all strong men. Just tell me what you want."
"How dare we make any demands? I am only willing to die for the King of Qin."
Qin Mu was surprised. He insisted on me, but when he saw me, he said he had no request. Why bother? "Don't you insist on seeing me?"
Hui and Jin bowed their heads again and replied respectfully: "The King of Qin has misunderstood. We want to meet the King of Qin not to put forward any conditions, but because we are unwilling to surrender to others. We only surrender to the King of Qin. From now on, we will only surrender to the King of Qin." I am willing to die for the King of Qin!"
Qin Mu was startled, then laughed and said: "Okay, okay, two generals, please get up."
***
Nanjing.
It was raining heavily outside Jiangjun Yamen, and there were thunder and flashes. Hong Chengchou put down the battle report in his hand and looked at the heavy rain outside, looking uneasy.
This time Dorgon was very generous and granted him the position of "recruiting the military affairs bachelor of the governors of Jiangnan provinces", supervising the military and political affairs of Jiangnan, and granting him the privilege of doing things expediently.
But this does not mean that he can cover the sky with one hand in the south of the Yangtze River. He led the army to attack Zhu Yihai's Beileboluo in Hangzhou, and attacked Tu Lai in Jiangxi with Kong Youde, as well as Gushan Ezhen Baiyin Tu in the Dutong Yamen opposite. , Nikandu has a strong restraint on him.
After taking over Duduo's management of Jiangnan, Hong Chengchou adopted a strategy of focusing on appeasement and supplementing by suppression, and a series of measures to reduce the burden on the people and stimulate economic development, such as appeasing and recommending a large number of Ming Dynasty demoted officials, asking the Qing court to exempt money and grain, Suspension of water transportation tax, etc. In order to ease the ethnic conflicts between Manchu and Han, stabilize social order as soon as possible and reduce resistance.
But the policy he introduced was one thing. Bolo, Tu Lai and others who led the battle at the front did not implement it in this way. They still killed wantonly at the slightest resistance. The anti-Qing situation in Jiangnan not only did not weaken, but intensified.
"Report, Hong University Scholar, the Jiangyin mob resisted tenaciously, and General Liu Liangzuo suffered heavy casualties. Please ask Hong University Scholar to send troops for reinforcements." The messenger rushed into the general's Yamen in the rain. It made the whole hall wet.
"Reply to Liu Liangzuo. Without reinforcements, he is limited to capture Jiangyin City within half a month, otherwise military law will be engaged."
Hong Chengchou shouted coldly, although he had decided to focus on caressing. The strategy of supplementing suppression did not mean that he allowed the rebels to occupy the city and resist. He had also shown no mercy in killing the Ming clan chief Le Wang Zhu Yishi, Ruian Wang Zhu Yifang, and Gao'an Wang Zhu Changqi.
"twitter!"
Just as the messenger exited, another messenger rushed in despite the rain: "Report, Hong University Scholar, on the first day of July, General Li Chengdong defeated one hundred thousand rebels at Jiading Brick Bridge. On the fourth night of July, he defeated the mob Huang Chunyao and Hou Jiading City controlled by Dong Zeng... later..."
"What happened next?" Hong Chengchou asked in surprise.
"After capturing Jiading, General Li Chengdong ordered a massacre of the city..."
"What? You should be killed!" Hong Chengchou stood up in shock and anger, pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. Duduo massacred Yangzhou, which was revealed by Qin Mu's edict. The brutality had made the people of Jiangnan extremely angry. After he took over the military administration of Jiangnan, he had ordered that the city should not be massacred without asking for instructions. Unexpectedly, Li Chengdong refused to change his ways and massacred Jiading again.
"Hurry up and send an order to Li Chengdong to stop massacring the city immediately and go!"
How Li Chengdong should deal with this problem is a bit tricky;
Because the Manchu and Mongolian banner troops were not adapted to the hot weather in the south of the Yangtze River, many fell ill and died. When Duduo went north, he took away most of the Manchu and Mongolian banner troops. Currently, there are only about 20,000 Manchu, Mongolian and Han banner troops remaining in the south of the Yangtze River.
The remaining 200,000 troops are all newly surrendered Green Camp soldiers such as Liu Liangzuo and Li Chengdong. The anti-Qing situation in Jiangnan is getting more and more intense. If Li Chengdong is dealt with at this time, I am afraid it will cause dissatisfaction with Liu Liangzuo and others.
It was raining heavily outside the door, the sky was dark, and lightning flashed across, as if it was going to tear the world apart piece by piece.
Before Hong Chengchou could think of how to deal with Li Chengdong, Gushan'er Zhenbaiyintu came flying over with a group of soldiers. The iron hoofs hit the blue brick road and splashed water.
Gushan is translated as flag in Chinese, and Ezhen is the chief of a banner in Manchu. He manages the household registration, production, education, training, etc. of the entire banner. Gushan Ezhen's status is second only to the flag owner.
Baiyintu didn't even ask for instructions when he entered the yamen. He barged in directly and shouted while taking off his raincoat: "Master Hong, the situation is not good. According to the information sent back by Tu Lai from the front, Qin Mu is already gathering The army is expected to move down the river to attack Jiangning.”
"How many people did Qin Mu gather in total?"
"It's not clear yet, but I think it's no less than 100,000."
Hong Chengchou frowned secretly. He had already guessed that the Qin army might move eastward, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.
You must know that Qin Mu has invested nearly 100,000 troops in Luoyang and another 50,000 in Wusheng Pass. Even if there is some discrepancy between the two numbers, the difference will not be huge.
On the front line from Huizhou to Jiande, Qin Mu invested at least 60,000 troops.
War is not a child's play, it requires real supplies of food, grass and weapons.
More than 200,000 troops were put into the war. Even the Ming Dynasty had to prepare for one or two years before it could launch such a large-scale war.
With the land of two provinces, could Qin Mu still have the ability to immediately launch a larger-scale war after investing 200,000 troops
Hong Chengchou couldn't believe this.
Is there a fraud on the northern front? Qin Mu didn't invest so many troops on the northern front
If that's true, then what was Qin Mu's attempt to hide it from the truth... When he thought of the seriousness of the matter, Hong Chengchou's expression changed sharply.
.
...