Dominate the Country

Jiangnan is beautiful in spring. All things revive, spring returns to the earth, and the willow tree takes out her green branches.

And the pitter-patter spring rain, like a quiet girl, quietly weaving smoke-like gauze. The spring rain from the south of the Yangtze River and the soft wind fall gently from the misty sky like flowing hair.

The wind carries the rain, and the rain carries the wind.

By the Xuanwu Lake, rows of willow trees were hidden in the drizzle, as if they had disappeared into the fog. At this time of year, Gao Jin and Gao Zhaode were in high spirits. He fell in love with the beautiful Jiangnan in the spring rain.

As the governor of Liangjiang, as the fourth son of Liangzhou Commander-in-Chief Gao Shuming, the nephew of the bachelor Gao Bin, and the cousin of Emperor Qianlong's concubine Huixian, Gao Jin's preferences were the benchmark for the officialdom of Liangjiang. During Gao Jin's tenure in the past two years, there were always more garden buildings on the shore of Xuanwu Lake from time to time, such as the reconstruction of the Hulu Temple, the addition of the Lake Pavilion, the Daxian Tower, the Guanyin Pavilion, the Lotus Appreciation Hall, etc. [Xuanwu Lake was called Yuanwu Lake during the Manchu and Qing Dynasties because Kang Mazi’s word Xuan was taboo.]

But this spring, the spring of the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, Gao Jin no longer wanted to visit Xuanwu Lake. Because Chen Ming's army has broken through Penghu County and is only one step away from Anqing, the capital of Anhui Province. The more than 10,000 troops led by Jiangnan Admiral Huang Zhenggang, with Jiangsu Green Camp as the main force, are still several hundred miles away from Anqing.

Gao Jin was afraid that the fall of Wuchang would fall on him. The former governor of Huguang died in vain, and the court did not provide any pension or preferential treatment. If it were not for the many activities of the Irgenjueluo family in Beijing, it is possible that he would not even have a posthumous title. Gao Jin is now sixty-three this year, only two years younger than Ding Chang, but he doesn't want to end up in such a miserable situation as Ding Chang.

General Rong Bao of Jiangning had already supervised the banner troops of Fu Liang, the deputy commander of Jingkou in the Eight Banners garrisoned in Jiangning. Together with the water and land Ding Yong from Susong Town and Fushan Town, they arrived in Guichi. However, Gao Jin had stayed in Jiangning City for many years. The combat effectiveness of the Jiangning bannermen and the soldiers and horses of Susong and Fushan towns is well known.

Jiangnan is too rich and too comfortable. The market is prosperous, the atmosphere is extravagant, and the iron-clad army is thrown into this rich nest. It will not take long for it to rust and rot. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners garrisoned by the Qing government, they repeatedly ordered military rectification. They even required the Eight Banners garrisoned in Jiangning to send a part of their flag soldiers to Maoshan for siege drills every year. The two deputy commanders of Jingkou and Jiangning, as well as the general himself, all went there. However, there are no eggs.

In the spring of the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, when the situation was becoming increasingly tense, Gao Jin had already reported to Beijing, requesting that more than 3,300 Han soldiers originally stationed at Jingkou [Zhenjiang] be reenlisted in the Han army. This did not mean that these 3,300 people were required to rejoin the banner. Instead, they were asked to re-enlist.

In the 28th year of Qianlong's reign, the Qing government forced more than 3,300 Han soldiers stationed in Jingkou to take up the flag, and transferred 2,000 Mongolian Eight Banners in Jiangning City to station in Jingkou. This incident caused a big wave at the time, but no matter how big the wave was, it could not withstand the erosion of time. Thirty years after Qianlong's reign, everything calmed down. Now Jiangnan is being shrouded in the clouds of war, and Gao Jin thinks of the 3,300 Han troops again.

Chen Ming's army crossed Jiujiang and Hukou without attacking, but first captured Madang Town in the east of Pengze County. Then they returned to the Jiangzhong Island in the Yangtze River Channel in Pengze County and Furong Dun in the west of the county, where they used small boats to carry soldiers ashore.

The main forces of the Jiangxi Green Camp were concentrated in Jiujiang and Hukou. There were only a few civilians in Pengze County who were practicing bravery. Facing the Fuhan Army's attack, they were all able to resist. Chen Ming landed a large force at Furongdun, and after sweeping Pengze County, he launched a massive attack on Hukou.

Gao Jin is now worried to death about the Battle of Hukou.

If Chen Ming wins the Battle of Hukou, Jiangxi will be in trouble. The main forces of the green battalions in Jiujiang Town and Nangan Town in Jiangxi are on the Hukou-Jiujiang line, including three naval battalions. When Chen Ming led the army directly through Hukou, the three naval battalions of Hankou, Yueyang, and Hukou shrunk. Entered Poyang Lake. They can be regarded as being blocked to the west of Anqing by the Fuhan Army. There is no need to worry about the Hankou Naval Camp in Hubei and the Yueyang Naval Camp in Hunan being driven to the south of the Yangtze River.

And if Chen Ming fails to win at Hukou, you can be sure that he will go down the river to capture Anqing and Wannan. This poses a greater threat to Jiangnan, and the blow to Gao Jin is no smaller than losing Hukou. Anqing is the provincial capital of Anhui.

Another one, in the first month of this year, a braid-cutting case suddenly broke out in Zhejiang.

Masons Wu Dongming and Guo Tingxiu from Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, contracted a project to build a city bridge. Everything went smoothly at first. By the end of the month, the project had entered into the arduous task of driving wooden piles into the river. Due to the high water level, pile driving was difficult. At this time, a rumor began to spread widely in the local area: the city bridge can be driven down by wrapping human hair around the pile. If women's hair is used, it will cause hair loss in women. If a few handfuls of soybeans are used to wrap the hair tightly, it can cause childhood acne. hurt. At the same time, some people made up lyrics and spread them everywhere: "Monk Stonemason, you are responsible for it. Let the monk die first, then the stonemason. Go home early and build the bridge yourself." Then strange things happened around Deqing County, and hundreds of people braided their hair. People are afraid of being cut. And this storm quickly spread from Zhejiang to southern Jiangsu. People have legends that someone wants to cut the braids of thousands of people, seize the souls and build bridges, cut people and horses out of paper, glue them into the braids, chant a spell and inject blood, so that the humans and horses can walk, take people's property, and even seduce people's souls.

In the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, Jiangnan was shrouded in the shadow of war. Because of the incident of the bannermen in Jingzhou, the foundation of the Manchu Qing Dynasty's rule had been shaken. Under such circumstances, the braid-cutting case was of extraordinary significance. The vast majority of lower-class people in Jiangnan naturally believed in this rumor related to witchcraft. Because the rumor about paper people and paper horses has three attractions for the people: one is that they can take other people's property; the second is that they can be used as amulets; and the third is that they can kill people.

After Gao Jin heard about this, his first reaction was to report it to Beijing immediately, but he was stopped by his staff. The staff reminded him to think about the emperor's mood at this time and the impact of braid-cutting on the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. He'd better not pick a fight with this kind of thing.

The current Hangzhou general in Hangzhou is still there, and he is a genuine Manchu. Didn't he report it to Beijing? Otherwise, the Gao family would have passed the news to Gao Jin long ago.

The official criteria for judging sorcery or evil arts in successive dynasties in China mainly depend on whether it is rebellious. Anything that resists the government and the court is sorcery. Under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, cutting off a person's braid was obviously anti-Qing. In Chinese history, most of the advocates of the people's uprisings used methods such as bonfire fox calls, talismans and prophecies. If this matter is reported, it will cause a big case.

If it is a peaceful year, a big case will be a big case. Now it is not peaceful.

"What is the identity of Duke De? He is the Governor-General of Liangjiang, concurrently the Governor of Jiangsu, and the Governor-General of Heyun, in charge of military and political power. He is in a high position and has great power. His loyalty to the emperor and the Qing Dynasty is evident to all.

Now that Chen is invading, Duke De is up early and late, worrying about the war. How can he have time to worry about other things?"

...

The sight turns to Jiangxi.

Hukou, anyone who knows a little about Chinese geography knows where this place is and what important geographical advantages it has. China's largest river (Yangtze River) and China's largest freshwater lake (Poyang Lake) meet here. It is a corner with Jiujiang in the west and the throat of Anqing in the east with Xiaogushan. It is bordered by the Yangtze River in the north and controls Poyang Lake in the south. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It is the starting line of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the "northern gate of Jiangxi on the water", the "key to the rivers and lakes, and the thoroughfare of three provinces".

Here, the Poyang Lake War was fought before and after, and then the Hukou Jiujiang War. Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Youliang, Shi Dakai, Zeng Guofan, and other heroes staged more exciting scenes around this land. When the Republic of China was established, Li Liejun swore an oath at Hukou, and finally the Madang Hukou War during the Japanese invasion of China. It was all around this land.

What Chen Ming has to do now is to conquer this land. His army and the Jiangxi Green Camp guarding Hukou fought again and again in Chenjiaqiao, Tangshan, Longshan, Judge's Peak, Shuangfeng Peak, Shishan, Laotaishan, and Yanposhan.

Two or three battles a day are low-intensity. The peak was on February 5th. Longshan, Judge's Peak, Shuangfeng Peak, the Fu Han Army and the Jiangxi Green Camp fought nine battles in one day. In the frequent and fierce battles, Chen Ming took four days to completely defeat the Hukou defenders and captured Hukou County.

Nan Gan Town was beaten and fled. The 4,000 soldiers heading north, together with Ding Yong from southern Jiangxi and the two battalions of soldiers guarding the Nanyang City Camp, were defeated by the Fu Han Army.

Now the only obstacle facing Chen Ming is Jiujiang.

Jiangxi only has these two military towns. Jiujiang Town fully defends Jiujiang Prefecture, leaving the other side of Hukou to Nangan Town to guard. Now Nangan Town is defeated in Hukou. If it were not for geographical restrictions, even the remnants of Nangan Town would find it difficult to escape.

In this way, Chen Ming's only enemy is Jiujiang on the other side.

At this point in the situation, Chen Ming remembered the Hukou War between the Taiping Army and the Hunan Army in history. The Taiping Army, which had been defeated for half a year, destroyed the Hunan Navy in one battle, and Zeng Guofan was beaten to jump into the river.

The situation in that battle is not applicable now. Because there is no substantial difference between the surface ships of the enemy and us.

The Hunan Navy in the Hukou War used two large warships, the Crab and the Dragon, as the driving force to carry baggage, food, food utensils, beds, etc. The first type is equipped with heavy artillery, which is suitable for commanding in the center, but the hull is heavy and the rudder is not easy to turn; the other type is a light and flexible sampan, which is convenient for attacking and fighting, but it is inconvenient to eat, sleep and camp. It must be combined and rely on each other to have combat effectiveness. Shi Dakai seized the opportunity and took advantage of the terrain advantages of Hukou and his own arrangements to dismember the Hunan Navy in one fell swoop, like a bird without wings, like a worm without feet, laying the most solid foundation for the Taiping Army to turn defeat into victory in this battle.

But none of this is suitable for the current war. The surface ships of the Fu Han Army are like the Taiping Navy in history. Almost all of them are converted from civilian ships, and some are not even converted. They are directly used as civilian ships. The load is small and can only be equipped with tiger squatting guns. The bluffing ships and sentry ships of the Qing soldiers are also classified as civilian ships, not to mention the second brother.

The warships on both sides were of similar quality, and none of them had the ability to carry heavy artillery, which highlighted the solidity of the Qing army's defense at Hukou and Meijiazhou. The Jiangxi government invested huge amounts of manpower and material resources in it regardless of cost, and built a large wooden raft and a small wooden raft in the mouth. But this is not the point, and it is not of much use. Because the distance inside the mouth of Hukou is too small. The focus of the Qing army's deployment is the series of hills and mountains outside Jiujiang City on the west bank of Hukou: Shizi Mountain, Huishan, Maoshantou, Niutou Mountain, Tuanshan, Dashan, Qingshanzui, Jigongling, etc., all of which have green camp militias set up camps and set up artillery positions, and also set up two wooden cities on the edge of Meijiazhou. They are as high as the station, with three layers of gun holes and densely arranged around them. Outside the camp, wooden stakes and bamboo sticks are spread over more than ten feet, and three trenches are dug. Large wooden frames are used to build horizontal and diagonal frames on them, and iron caltrops are nailed on them.

Without fierce artillery fire, such fortifications are difficult to conquer. The mountains are not high, but they are very close to each other, the farthest is only three or four miles, and the closest is only one or two miles. It is convenient to support each other, as if a chain firmly guards the line from Meijiazhou to Dagutang in Poyang Lake.

The Qing soldiers in Jiangxi are not afraid that the Fu Han Army will attack the east bank of Hukou and go south. Not to mention how far the distance between the east bank of Hukou and Nanchang is, Chen Ming can't afford the time loss. The Jiangnan Green Camp is rushing to reinforce Anqing. If the Fu Han Army really goes south to Nanchang, Anqing will have more than 10,000 reinforcements before it can reach the provincial capital of Jiangxi. The most favorable situation for the Fu Han Army now is the emptiness of Anqing and southern Anhui. Moreover, Chen Ming's army still has a thin tail hanging in Hubei. There are hundreds of large and small ships on the river outside Hukou carrying most of the money and food materials of the Fu Han Army in Hubei, which must not be discarded.

The Fu Han army will attack Nanchang from the east bank around Poyang. Does this mean that Chen Ming will take the initiative to split his troops into three parts? Is Chen Ming mentally disabled? He is seeking death.

It is because of this consideration that the Qing soldiers in Jiujiang are not even afraid that Chen Ming will abandon Jiujiang Prefecture and go south by water to threaten Nanchang after breaking through the Hukou water barrier.

Because the Hukou waterway is too narrow. After Chen Ming led the army south to Poyang, the Qing army can completely block the Hukou waterway with sunken ships. Someone in the Jiangxi officialdom had proposed this opinion before, but this move is a demon disintegration method that kills one thousand enemies and loses eight hundred of its own, and no one dares to use it lightly.