Dominate the Country

"After the great victory in Pengpo Town, Linru Town could have been successfully defeated. Because the bandits in the mountains on the left and right were still strong and repeatedly attacked and disrupted the grain roads and supplies, my brother selected elite troops to attack and suppress the mountains on both sides of the Yi River. Qiu. The thieves will use their spare time to arrange themselves closely against you. By the time the elite Shaanxi soldiers return to the formation, you will be indestructible and it will be difficult to attack in a hurry..."

When Wu Dashan told others about the war in Henan, he always kept silent about his poor fighting skills. He finally relied on the strength of his numbers to defeat Pengpo Town, and allowed Yang Ping and Feng Shaohua to retreat safely with the remaining soldiers. Linru Town. He is currently writing a letter to his brother in Beijing. Letters from home are no better than writing memorials to the emperor. They can be written more directly. But Wu Dashan wrote the last two sentences, the more you taste it, the worse it tastes. This is very unlucky. Annoyed, I crossed out the last two sentences, then put down my pen, having no interest in writing anymore.

Lying on the cotton chair, Wu Dashan subconsciously moved his buttocks. He had hemorrhoids, a chronic disease. In the past, I was treated well in the city of Xi'an, and it didn't seem to be much of a hindrance. But now I feel like it's too much of a hindrance when I'm on the front line. This chronic disease that has tortured him for more than ten years has not caused Wu Dashan pain now. It is not the right time, so Wu Dashan leaned on the cotton chair and remembered what happened when Pengpo Town was conquered. At that time, he sacrificed himself for you and swept the two wings of the mountain first. , it was not a mistake, but now I have repeatedly attacked Linru but failed. It was not a mistake at the beginning but it is also a mistake now.

…

The south wind blew into the window with drizzle. Chen Ming saw off the eastward troops at night, and it started to rain at dawn. He looked out the window at the vast expanse of white. Even the towering Jiujiang City Wall not far away seemed to be invisible, with almost no shadow visible.

Sporadic gunfire sounds came intermittently. It shows that the soldiers of the Fuhan Army stationed at the east gate of Jiujiang have started a contact battle with the Qing army. The war has progressed, and the final moment of the Fuhan Army's victory is gradually approaching. The Qing army is gone and can no longer stop the Fuhan Army from occupying the entire city.

The advantage on the river side is undoubtedly firmly controlled by the Fuhan Army. The Qing navy either annihilated or fled. With the failure of the Qing navy's counterattack yesterday morning, not a single enemy ship could be seen in Jiujiang. In this place, Chen Ming recruited many shipbuilding craftsmen, the number of which was much greater than that of Wuchang. Moreover, a lot of wood used for shipbuilding was also seized, including fir, pine, cypress, teak, and elm, all of which were shade-dried. It can be said that with these wood, if time can give him a year, he can build the boat he wants now.

However, time will not stop, and the Fuhan Army, which has a large number of shipwrights and carpenters in hand, does not dare to build ships in a big way. It is more likely that this batch of wood will be burned by Chen Ming when he has no choice. If the war situation goes unfavorably.

Kui Yi and Shu Shan had already withdrawn from Jiujiang Prefecture and fled to Ruichang, but at this time, thousands of Ding Yong, recruited by the Jiangxi government in southern Gansu, also rushed to Xingzi in Nankang Prefecture at night. Because the news of the Fuhan Army's attack on the bank of Poyang Lake reached this team, this team did not go straight to Jiujiang through De'an, but went to Shouxingzi County of Nankang on the east side of Lushan Mountain on the bank of Poyang Lake. Not far to the north from Xingzi County is Gutang.

Jiangxi Inspector Wu Hubing rushed to Nankang with the army. As soon as he entered Xingzi County, Wu Hubing heard the rumors that Jiujiang City was destroyed. His whole body immediately felt bad, with a strong sense of bitterness all over his body, from the inside out. His luck was really bad.

This matter directly hung him on the fire: Jiujiang, are you going to save him or not?

If he rescued them, he would immediately go north with thousands of people; if he didn't rescue them, he would be taken to Beijing in the future, and that would be a crime.

The main reason is that there is no clue to this matter, and no one can say for sure whether Jiujiang City is really broken. What happened to the remaining soldiers?

What exactly is the next step? Going straight to Jiujiang? Or should we defend Nankang first? Wu Hubing couldn't make up his mind for a while.

According to reports, all the Fuhan Army troops rushed to Jiujiang City. Gutang and other places previously captured by them had been abandoned. It seemed that it would not be difficult for Wu Hubing to go to Jiujiang on his behalf. This made it even more difficult for Wu Hubing to make up his mind. Isn't Chen Ming a "fresh boy"? The Qing army suffered so many heavy losses at his hands, Wu Hubing couldn't help but think about it.

Going straight to Jiujiang seemed logical, but it made him fearful. Wu Hubing was in a dilemma for a while.

"My lord, my lord, the magistrate of Dehua County is outside the door asking for an audience." In a large courtyard in the north of Xingzi City, Wu Hubing's long follower quickly walked up to Wu Hubing and whispered.

"Dehua County Magistrate?" Wu Hubing was overjoyed as the rain came after a long drought. No matter how the Dehua magistrate came to Xingzi County, the burden on his shoulders can be thrown off.

Outside the gate, a gray-faced Xie Hu looked eagerly inside. He almost wanted to see Wu Hubing directly in the next moment, and in the next moment, thousands of Gannan civilians outside the city would start heading north.

After Jinjipo was successfully attacked by the Fuhan army, the Qing army quickly launched a counterattack. Almost all the Qing troops in the two wooden cities on Meijiazhou came out. The result was a natural failure. Not only did it fail, it failed miserably.

Jiujiang Associate General Zheng Wenzhi was seriously injured. Zheng Wenzhi's soldiers fled southward with Zheng Wenzhi and Xie Hu in their arms. When they arrived at Gutang, they continued southward until they reached the junction of Jiujiang and Nankang Prefecture. Xie Hu had been gathering as many defeated troops as possible. Early this morning, he heard the news that the Mingyong from southern Gansu had arrived at Xingzi, so he quickly ran to Nankang.

When Wu Hubing met Xie Hu, Xie Hu explained his intention and vowed to ensure that Jiujiang City would not be lost. Wu Hubing smiled heartily: "Thousands of people from Ganzhou and Ji'an came here bravely to be mobilized by Mr. Wu. They are serving the country and quelling the chaos in Jiangxi. I dare not not do my best."

"It's just that the battle of Jiujiang is not the work of Jiujiang alone. I have to stay in Nankang for two days to discuss some things with the prefect, Mr. Hu. I will leave the task of the people's bravery going north to you. Are you willing to take on this important task?"

The seemingly righteous Wu Hubing's words chilled Xie Hu's hot heart. However, some people are different from ordinary people. Wu Hubing's clear blame, Xie Hu gritted his teeth and took it. After a moment of hesitation, he said solemnly: "The country has nurtured scholars for 120 years, and they should be used in difficult and dangerous times. This trip is full of difficulties and dangers. Xie Hu dare not refuse even if he dies." After that, he stretched out his hand to Wu Hubing to ask for a handwritten note, and then turned around to say goodbye.

Hearing the word "death", especially Xie Hu's serious and solemn expression, Wu Hubing felt a little ashamed. The negative characters will always be like this when facing the positive characters and the "righteousness". But compared to this shame, Wu Hubing was more concerned about his life and his official hat.

There were four to five thousand militiamen who followed Wu Hubing from southern Jiangxi. Two days later, when Xie Hu arrived outside Jiujiang City, there were only more than two thousand people left. Xie Hu, who was devoted to the court, was just a small county magistrate. How could he control four to five thousand militiamen? Moreover, he knew nothing about military affairs. What could he do with just a few words from books? If it weren't for the Jiujiang Xiebai soldiers who followed him, it would not be impossible for the militiamen from southern Jiangxi to run away.

These mountain people recruited from southern Jiangxi were very fierce, but they were not deaf. The Jiujiang Prefecture City had fallen, and the remaining remnants relied on the mountains outside the city to fight to the death in order not to be wiped out by the Fu Han Army. Such a place was something that only ghosts would be willing to go to. Many training leaders in the militia gathered their own people and muttered, and left with the team without saying hello. If it weren't for the defeated soldiers and officers of Jiujiang Association who covered up for Xie Hu, there would be more than 2,000 people left.

"Brother Baoguang, we can't go in anymore. We can only go here. Wait here, wait for the defeated soldiers on the mountain outside the city to rush out by themselves." Zheng Wenzhi, who was hanging one arm, said to Xie Hu. He admired Xie Hu's loyalty, but he couldn't accompany Xie Hu to die.

Anyway, the governor of Jiangxi, the general of Jiujiang Town, and the prefect of Jiujiang had all fled, and the court would not take the life of a lieutenant general first. His general had fled to Ruichang, and Zheng Wenzhi was still outside Jiujiang City.

In the city, Chen Ming also received a report from the reconnaissance brigade. A Qing army reinforcement was approaching, which was really bold.

Now this reinforcement, mainly composed of trained braves, stopped more than ten miles southwest of the city. This distance poses no specific threat to Jiujiang City, but it poses a certain threat to the Fu Han Army outside Jiujiang City, and it is even more attractive to the defeated Qing soldiers who were forced to run up the mountain.

Huang Jie directly asked Chen Ming for orders. Two or three thousand Qing troops actually appeared outside Jiujiang City at this time. The leader was so brave. In the eyes of Huang Jie and other Fu Han Army officers, this was even more of a provocation to the Fu Han Army.

Chen Ming didn't care about this little fight at this time. Since Huang Jie asked for two battalions, he gave him two battalions. He waved his hand and went to fight. Chen Ming continued to wait for Anqing's report attentively.

In two days, Xie Hu led the Gannan militia to travel hard on the road for two days, and Gao Pingshan had been leading the army eastward for two days. Whether Anqing City was taken down or not, the battle report should have arrived.

Liu Wu carefully changed a cup of hot tea for Chen Ming. He naturally knew what Chen Ming was waiting for. He also knew how much the gains and losses of Anqing would affect Chen Ming's next plan. He carefully took the cold tea and carefully put the hot tea next to Chen Ming's hand, not daring to make any extra noise.

Although Jiujiang City was very lively at this time, and even the prefectural government office was very lively, the room where Chen Ming was located was very quiet and silent.

Chen Ming sat on the chair like a wooden man, closing his eyes and waiting for the pigeon to deliver the letter. At this time, the magic weapon that activated Chen Ming was not the sound of speaking, nor the battle report from outside, but a "coo".

Liu Wu left the room with the cold tea. In the corridor outside the door, Chen Dawei led a group of guards to protect the surroundings. Seeing Liu Wu coming out of the room, he winked at Liu Wu. And Liu Wu gave him a very later-style action - shrug.

So, if the superior likes something, the subordinates will also like it. The people around Chen Ming have become more and more different from their fathers in some words and deeds. And in the entire Fu Han Army, there are more people imitating Liu Wu, Chen Dawei and others.