Dominate the Country

[Thanks to the book friend ‘book friend 150316003513326’ for the 500-coin reward]

The Qing army that successfully ‘recovered’ Huai’an and headed southward left a part to garrison Huai’an City, and the main force turned from southward to eastward. The accompanying fleet entered Sheyang Lake through Jianhe River in Huai’an. The Qing army’s cavalry and infantry marched along the northern shore of Sheyang Lake. The land and water army bypassed the northern end of Sheyang Lake and then marched towards Yancheng along the waterway east of Sheyang Lake. The Salt Transport River there was the transportation line that the Qing army could rely on - avoiding the big killer Gaoyou Lake.

The Fu Han army in Yancheng quickly withdrew from the city, and the remaining small 10,000-stone grain in hand was also distributed to the local people. In August and September, more and more refugees from northern Jiangsu gathered in Yancheng. Now there are 35 porridge sheds in Yancheng, and there are at least 150,000 refugees outside the city. This heavy burden made the Fu Han army consume nearly 1,000 stones of grain in Yancheng every day, which is really a terrible number.

Now let's throw this "big burden" to the Qing Dynasty.

The one in charge of the rear guard mission in Yancheng is Tang Wencan. After the battle in Wuxi, he has caught Chen Ming's attention. Although he is still a battalion officer, he is a trustworthy person in the Fu Han Army.

The man standing in front of him is Xiao Changchun. He looks to be in his thirties, of medium build, with a square face. The skin on his face and hands is very rough, like an old farmer who has been working in the fields for many years. His fingers are thick and there is dirt between his nails. His eyes are deeply sunken, as if he has not slept well for several nights.

The man standing side by side with Xiao Changchun is also a middle-aged man in his thirties, but he is a sturdy man, at least 1.8 meters tall, which is absolutely tall in this era. He was wearing short tight pants and a wide leather belt around his waist. It was late autumn and the weather was already quite cold, but he was still wearing only a single layer of clothing. His well-developed muscles on his shoulders and arms were bulging, and could be clearly seen through his clothes. There was a scar on his eyebrow as long as a middle finger, and the red flesh scars were twisted and twisted, like a flesh-colored centipede, which made him look even more powerful.

A thick braid was coiled around his neck. This man didn't have long hair. Neither he nor Xiao Changchun had braids. He had a square face and a pair of shrewd eyes flashing under his thick eyebrows.

"Commander Tang, we had a pleasant cooperation this time. We will meet again in the future." The dark camp and the army were no longer one, but no one could say whether Commander Tang Wencan and the two men in the dark camp would work together in the future.

Xiao Changchun, who looked like an old farmer in front of Tang Wencan, was the stationmaster of the Dark Camp in Yancheng Station. The burly man next to him, surnamed Wei, Wei Changkong, was Xiao Jian's deputy and the second-in-command of Jiangnan Special Branch. Coincidentally, there was a "Chang" character in his name like Xiao Changchun. The two of them appeared in front of Tang Wencan, the commander of the rear guard. It was obvious that the Dark Camp in Yancheng had prepared a feast for the Qing army.

"You two, see you later, take care of yourselves!" The Qing army had already entered Yancheng, and the time to test the Dark Camp was coming. Tang Wencan's camp risked staying in Yancheng for one more day, attracting the attention of the Qing army, and sharing a lot of pressure with Xiao Changchun and Wei Changkong - he was risking being attacked and killed by the Qing cavalry.

One day may not seem like much time, but it is also precious for the Dark Camp. Because this action was decided at the last minute, it was finalized after Feng Sheng'e appointed Shandong Lianyong as the vanguard. Xiao Changchun and Wei Changkong had one more day to prepare, which meant that the preparation period was extended by 20 to 30 percent. Of course, they were grateful to Tang Wencan. After the Battle of Wuxi, Tang Wencan was firmly labeled as trustworthy. Now his future is much brighter than before, but it can't be called far-reaching. He is already in his forties, and it is hard to say when he will retire. More friends, more roads!

Watching Tang Wencan's camp disappear on the distant horizon, Xiao Changchun's eyes became sharp and sharp. "Brother Wei, Yancheng will depend on us next."

"I will definitely kill that old thing." Wei Changkong's face was full of murderous intent.

"As for the assassination, my Yancheng station is powerless to help, but I will definitely help you mess up the Qing soldiers."

The two dark camp figures said words without hiding anything. Their battlefield was in the dark, and the time to really take action was also in the dark.

While they were talking, the Qing army in Gangzhen Town was still marching towards Yancheng. The Qing army's vanguard led the way with a thousand Green Camp cavalry, followed by more than 5,000 Shandong militiamen, led by Liu Yong, the Minister of Shandong militiamen.

Originally, the Qing army's pioneers in Shandong were drawn from the Green Camp, but Feng Sheng'e hurriedly invited Liu Yong to join the army after learning about the number of more than 100,000 refugees in Yancheng. Liu Yong was not polite either. He had twice served as the governor of Jiangsu Province and had a certain reputation and prestige in Jiangsu. To appease the more than 100,000 refugees in Yancheng and prevent them from causing trouble at this time, Liu Yong was the best candidate for the army heading south.

In the afternoon, about 6,000 Qing troops entered Yancheng, and soon 600 to 700 cavalrymen went straight south from Yancheng, following the Yunyan River to chase the Fu Han army that had just evacuated in the morning. There were only 500 to 600 people, all infantry, without artillery or muskets, and very few armored soldiers. As long as the 600-700 cavalry can catch up, they will win in one blow. It's like a free military achievement, a good start and boosting the morale of the army. Only a fool would watch the fat meat slip away for nothing.

The lieutenant general who led the team thought so, and Liu Yong himself thought so too.

Liu Yong had 5,000 Shandong militiamen around him. Would 5,000 Shandong men with swords and guns be afraid of hundreds of thousands of refugees? Moreover, before the Fu Han Army left, they distributed the remaining 10,000 stones of grain to the refugees. In Liu Yong's eyes, this was inevitably a way to win people's hearts, but it did allow hundreds of thousands of refugees to have food to eat temporarily.

Liu Yong played his own life card, sat in an eight-man sedan chair, and swaggered into Yancheng. Along the way, he shouted in person: Liu Yong from Zhucheng, Shandong has arrived. After the militiamen took control of the entire city, Liu Yong ordered people to open all the city gates and not to stop people from entering and leaving the city to calm people's hearts. He sent militiamen to patrol the city and post notices to strictly enforce laws and discipline.

When dusk came, dozens of heads fell to the ground, and hundreds of people were shackled, and the whole Yancheng calmed down.

"This old dog is really capable. What a pity..." What a pity that he worked hard for the Tartars.

"So he deserves to die even more." Wei Changkong was right next to Xiao Changchun, gritting his teeth and saying, "If this bastard is killed, and he continues to spread rumors that the Tartars want to use Shandong militia as cannon fodder, I don't believe that Shandong militia can still maintain a stable morale." If it weren't for the Confucius photo-shopping incident that KOed the contemporary Yansheng Duke, Liu Yong might not have been able to take the position of Minister of Tuanlian. There were different voices among the Shandong warriors. But Liu Yong's capital was indeed sufficient. Kong Zhaohuan retired due to illness, and he could still encourage and suppress the local militias when he sat in the position of Minister of Tuanlian.

In a very ordinary residential house in Yancheng, Xiao and Wei were sitting at a stone table under a big tree in the backyard. On the stone table in front of them was a detailed map of Yancheng's city buildings and streets.

But the two people's attention was not on the map, but on Liu Yong. This is a real good dog. It took only half a day in Yancheng to calm the situation like a storm. This was something Xiao and Wei had never thought of before.

"There must be chaos inside and outside the city!"

"I'll send someone." The shacks outside Yancheng are connected, mostly with logs as frames, straw mats and reeds as walls, to protect against wind and rain. The refugees have poor awareness of fire prevention. Even if they don't need to cook, they will occasionally have fires when they light a fire to boil water or roast a fire. When the Fu Han Army was there before, they would organize young and strong people in the red and yellow vests of each porridge shed to patrol every night, and also added many large water tanks to the shack area, which were used to store water for refugees to drink and to put out fires in an emergency.

However, as the last Fu Han Army withdrew from Yancheng this morning, the entire shantytown was in chaos. The simple order marked by the porridge sheds was completely disrupted, and there was no need for the hidden camp to fan the flames. The large water tanks placed in the open space of the shantytown were either smashed or occupied by some tyrannical people. Today, the people in the shantytown have to cook by themselves. Tonight, there may be no need for the dark camp to take action, and a fire will start outside the city. Even if the dark camp attacked in secret, no one would think that someone had deliberately set the fire, and pointed the spearhead at their great benefactor, the Fu Han Army.

In the Yancheng government office, Liu Yong leaned tiredly on the big chair in the signing room. As an old man in his fifties - this age was definitely old in the Qing Dynasty - from leaving Beijing to presiding over the militia in Shandong, he experienced many battles with Kong Zhaohuan in the middle, and then led the assembled militia to go south with the army. For two or three months, he has not had a good rest. Today, I arrived in Yancheng and have been busy until now, and I am exhausted. Fortunately, the busyness is worth it. Yancheng is already stable, but...

"Don't worry, sir, we will be on guard tonight!"

Shandong is a place where heroes come from, but it is also a place of saints. The Confucian scholars in Shandong are very strong. If it were in the official army of the Qing Dynasty, it would be led by a military man. Then the militia under Liu Yong is a naked scholar fighting. He returned to Shandong to serve as the first Minister of Militia. The Kong family was out of the game. Liu Yong relied on the reputation of the Liu family among the scholars and gentry in Shandong, as well as his personal appeal in Shandong, and finally suppressed many local militias. These militias already existed, but they were scattered in various towns and villages in Shandong. Liu Yong used the appeal of his family and the ruling power of the Qing court to gather these militias together, making them believe that doing so would change their fate and allow them to obtain the fame and fortune they dreamed of...

So when a large number of militias gathered together, everyone discovered that the militias in Shandong were led by scholars. The real leaders of those militias were mostly scholars with achievements. There are heroes in Shandong, but not every hero has money and food. It is not possible to engage in militia without money, food and clans. And how many families in Shandong with money, food and clans would not go the route of studying and taking imperial examinations?

This is just like the Chen family back then. The "good man" Chen Erbao was only a thug of the family. The ones who really stood at the top of the family were Chen Hui, Chen Cong, Chen Quan, etc. Those who work with their minds rule others, and those who work with their hands are ruled by others. This sentence from "Mencius" applies not only to Shandong, but also to the whole of China.

Although these literati are very active in their minds, Liu Yong's suggestions are often insightful.

Liu Yong's eyes were shining: "In Yancheng, stability during the day is only the primary thing, and the focus is on the night. Tonight is the first night for officers and soldiers to enter the city, which is particularly important." The Fu Han Army has been entrenched in Yancheng for many days. It is nonsense to say that they have no ambush in this place. The Fu Han Army's secret camp is now famous all over the world!

It is not uncommon for Shandong militia to stabilize Yancheng inside and outside during the day, but it is a real skill to spend the night safely.

However, Liu Yong never thought that he would become the target of the Fu Han Army. Chen Ming, whose army had already withdrawn to Gaoyou Prefecture, felt that his morale was still very weak. He had to use various means to weaken the strength of the Qing army, and assassinating Liu Yong and disrupting the Shandong militia was the simplest, most powerful and most feasible one!

"Kill that Liu tonight, and we will have made a great contribution in this battle!" Wei Changkong said to his men. "Liu Yong, this old dog, is the leader of the Shandong militia. Without the leader, this militia of nearly 10,000 people is just a mob.

Everyone also knows the significance of the next battle. The Grand Commander retreated again and again, regardless of whether the morale of the army was low or high, because there was no certainty of victory. If we kill Liu Yong and disrupt the Shandong militia, we will break a rib of the Tartar and increase the chances of winning the next battle."

Wei Changkong glanced at the men of the Special Operations Department with an eagle-like gaze, "We must kill Liu Yong!"

"We must kill Liu Yong!"...