Dominate the Country

Every family has its own problems.

As for the Fu Han Army, Yang Shijin wanted to kneel down and sign a military order to Chen Ming because of the problem of Chongming Island. The pressure on the shoulders of the navy is heavier than Mount Tai. So will the Qing army on Chongming Island have an easy life?

The southeast wind blows Chongming. Time has entered April.

Since Huang Zhenggang led the navy and the army to withdraw to Chongming in early March, the strategic environment of Chongming Island has changed too much in just one month.

At the beginning, they still had Haimen Hall behind them to rely on, and Changzhou also tied down the main force of the Fu Han Army. And now?

For a whole month of March, the Fu Han Army in Yangzhou, relying on the power of the Jiangnan Army, pushed its sphere of influence from outside Yangzhou City to Gaoyou Prefecture, and then went east to take Xinghua and Dongtai, just like the original operation of northern Jiangsu, but much smoother. By the middle and late part of the month, Taizhou, Nantong Prefecture and Haimen Hall had all become the territory of the Fu Han Army. When the news of Changzhou's fall came, the whole island was in panic and depressed.

Life on Chongming Island is also very hard now.

Huang Zhenggang stood on the high platform of the water camp, looking at the eastern sky, like a cold stone statue. No one could see that the mainstay of the more than 10,000 Qing army on Chongming Island was actually exhausted.

For a whole March, Emperor Qianlong in Beijing only issued a series of commendations to Chongming Island. One imperial edict after another conferred yellow jackets and double-eyed peacock feathers on Huang Zhenggang and other naval and land generals, and even hereditary titles such as Yunqiwei, Qiduwei, and Qingcheduwei. Huang Zhenggang even got a second-class male title.

But what's the use of this? What the Qing army on Chongming Island needs most is reinforcements, reinforcements!

In late March, first the Haimen Hall was occupied by the Fu Han Army, and then the news of the fall of Changzhou spread throughout Chongming like the wind. It was really like a thunderbolt, which completely destroyed the morale of the Qing army on Chongming Island.

What hereditary titles, yellow robes and jackets? Very precious, right? But that preciousness is precious when you are still alive. The current Chongming Qing army is facing a life-and-death issue. And many of the families of the navy officers and soldiers are still from Jiangnan, or even more southerners. In the face of the big issue of life and death, many people suddenly realized that the emperor's rewards and awards were all empty.

What if you wear a double-eyed peacock feather and a yellow jacket? You will still lose your head with a knife.

From late March to early April, the morale of Chongming Island was getting lower and lower. Chen Ming also took a boat to look at the Qing army's naval camp, and the morale was not much higher than that of the Qing army in Changzhou in the last two days. Huang Zhenggang sent someone to deliver a letter to Chai Daji in Zhoushan. No matter how many warships or civilian ships Chai Daji could spare, Huang Zhenggang ordered Chai Daji to come to the rescue immediately.

"Maybe I am courting death. I should withdraw from Chongming!"

Looking at the boundless water in the east, Huang Zhenggang's eyes twitched. He was completely unsure of his risky move. And the price he paid was too high.

"Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back!" Huang Zhenggang took a long breath. The order had already been issued. Success or failure depends entirely on God's will.

Chen Ming stayed in Wusong. His life is not busy now. Several people from the logistics department have been transferred to the civil service. Naturally, they are all senior officials. At the same time, his fourth cousin Chen Min was appointed as the deputy governor of Nanjing. Of course, the governor belongs to Chen Ming. Nanjing has a special status. Shen Guozhen, the former deputy editor-in-chief of the "Zhongyuan Daily" who was born in Zhejiang, was appointed as the Jiangnan Supervisory Censor. His background was very clean. Although he was exiled to the border at a young age, his identity itself had a strong symbolic significance.

The Lu Liuliang case severely damaged the vitality of the Zhejiang literati, but many students stayed. If it was the Qing Dynasty, this would naturally not be a qualification to show off, but for the Fu Han Army, it would be a very glorious halo. Shen Guozhen's background made it easy for him to win the hearts of some Jiangnan literati.

And more importantly, the Qing army had already collected lijin in Yangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou for a long time. When the Fu Han Army entered northern Jiangsu again, Chen Ming unexpectedly found that the resistance of the local people was much smaller than expected.

In addition, the Fu Han Army was upgraded to a new weapon, and surrounded the main force of the Qing army led by Feng Sheng'e in one battle. The momentum of sitting on the Jiangnan could not be stopped, and the number of students and various people who came to surrender was much more than the previous time. Although the battle of Changzhou had just ended, the rule of the Fu Han Army in southern Jiangsu had opened up the situation.

Whether it was the gentry students or the gentry landlords, most people cut off their braids obediently.

As the saying goes, my hero is his enemy. By the same token, the good fortune of the Fu Han Army was the great misfortune of the Qing soldiers. The smooth progress of local affairs gave Chen Ming more skills and energy to deal with the affairs of Chongming Island.

In order to deal with Huang Zhenggang, the old stubborn, he used the secret camp and the sniper team. The former intended to instigate the Qing military officers on the island, and the latter assassinated Huang Zhenggang. However, the former made some progress, while the latter wasted his efforts - Huang Zhenggang's guards were very tight.

"Your Highness, a secret report came from Zhoushan, Huang Zhenggang recruited Chai Daji to come to Chongming to help." Liu Wu hurried to Chen Ming's side. Chen Ming, who was looking towards the direction of Chongming Island, suddenly turned back, "Chai Daji?"

What did Huang Zhenggang want to do?

Yang Shijin and other naval commanders were quickly recruited, and the four generals of the Fu Han Army Navy agreed that this was a great opportunity. The navy had originally thought of jumping out of the Yangtze River, and now the Qing army took the initiative to deliver it to the door, so they would rush out, stop Chai Daji, and then attack Zhoushan!

Huang Zhenggang stood on the high platform, and his naked eyes seemed to be able to see the commotion at the mouth of Wusong across a hundred miles of water.

Chen Ming also believed in the accuracy of the news sent by Chen Jigong from Dinghai. Although the secret camp of the Fu Han Army had never instigated Chai Daji to rebel.

Whether it was Chen Jigong, who was closest to Chai Daji, or Chen Ming, who was far away by land, they had never thought of recruiting Chai Daji. Because this man had shown great bravery in several battles with the Fu Han Army, and was a brave general in the Qing army's naval battles.

Chen Ming never regarded such people as targets for attack. The secret camp would not be so "reckless" as to directly pry the popular people that the Qing Dynasty needed.

Chai Daji, who was so scared that his courage was about to break, is now a second-class light car captain and a deputy general of Wusong. At first glance, he seems to be really popular. If he knew that he had been looked up to by Chen Ming, a big man who was regarded as the number one enemy by the Qing Dynasty, should he cry or laugh?

"Your Highness. Chai Daji's troops are the only navy in Zhoushan." Most of the navy in Zhejiang gathered in Fujian. Although the Fu Han Army had conquered half of Zhejiang, not many warships fled to Zhoushan to hide. Instead, many Lu Yong and some bannermen from Hangzhou took civilian ships to Dinghai.

"If his troops are dispatched, our army will rush straight to the mouth of the Yangtze River tomorrow to see if Huang Zhenggang will come out of the hole or not." The flesh on Yang Shijin's face disappeared. He was under a lot of pressure in the past month. The pride when the army went down the river in early February was thrown out of the sky.

This time, if Huang Zhenggang did not go out, the navy would sail out of the mouth of the Yangtze River and head straight to Zhoushan. Anyway, Ningbo has been taken by the Fu Han Army now. Even if the attack on Zhoushan is unfavorable, they have a place to stay and replenish ammunition and water.

Chen Ming's opinion of the navy is now open, and his impression of Yang Shijin and others must have fallen to the bottom. Yang Shijin, Chen Dai and others must produce results as soon as possible, real results! To restore their image in Chen Ming's heart.

After finally building up the navy from scratch, they don't want to be kicked out when the harvest season comes.

Chen Ming looked at the map. The wide Yangtze River estuary is much larger than what we see in later generations. In later generations, the three major islands in the Yangtze River estuary have already taken shape except Chongming Island, while Changxing Island and Hengsha Island are just a series of sandbanks in the middle of the river. Invaded by seawater all year round, the soil is salty and grass and reeds grow everywhere. It is a saline-alkali land full of reeds and three-edged grass.

But for those who are not familiar with the water conditions at the Yangtze River estuary, this series of sandbanks next to Wusong is a devil's shoal. The two previous warships of the Fu Han Army were stranded in the waters of Changxing Island in later generations.

Time passed quickly, especially when the army was preparing. Yang Shijin said that they would set off tomorrow, but the fleet did not set sail until noon the next day. This is a fleet that can be used both on land and on water. Chen Ming personally sent the first marine corps of the Fu Han Army on board. More than 600 people were stuffed into ten sea vessels. A group of officers who were used to riding river ships were specially selected from Jiujiang to serve as the backbone. The leading battalion officer was called Deng Yun. According to the report from the dark camp, this young battalion officer had a great favor to Xie Hu, the prefect of Anqing. Xie Hu had just been given the title of Anhui Supervisory Censor. Now this newly trained marine battalion has also joined the fleet.

The fleet that left the Yangtze River estuary this time was mainly composed of thunder ships and bird ships, with a small number of fast crab ships. The long dragon ships and large sampans were not suitable for the wind and waves in the open sea. The side of the ship was too low, so they were just lying across the Yangtze River. In addition, there were the sea vessels gathered in the Songjiang area.

"Your Highness..."

Liu Wu's voice was cautious. It was not only Yang Shijin who lost weight in this month, but also the flesh on Chen Ming's face. It's just that Chen Ming is a person who doesn't like to vent his anger.

Chen Ming hates it the most when he is angry and finds someone else to blame.

In his previous life, his father loved to drink and always got drunk. He seemed to feel uncomfortable if he didn't pour the wine into other people's stomachs when he sat at the table, and the result was that he always got drunk alone. Since Chen Ming could remember, his mother was angry with his father, and seven or eight out of ten times were because his father was drunk again. His mother was angry and vented her anger, and the atmosphere at home changed. And every time the cold pressure came, Chen Ming, her son, became her punching bag!

So Chen Ming, who had had enough of this, swore early that he would never vent his anger on others. Although he didn't dare to say that he had done it, he would try his best to restrain himself.

But for people like Liu Wu who "served" Chen Ming, Chen Ming's character was not as good as venting his anger on others. At least after the temper was released, the alarm could be lifted. Whenever he saw Chen Ming's "cold face" that made him so anxious that he was fuming but he was forcing himself to endure it, Liu Wu and the others would always think of the underwater Dragon King Cannon - a time bomb!

"Can Huang Zhenggang come out?" Gao Yanming was a little unsure. He felt that if Huang Zhenggang came out at this time, the two navies would fight against each other, and the Fu Han Army would most likely win.

The news of Changzhou had spread to half of China, and it was also spreading on Chongming Island. How could it not have an impact on the morale of the Qing army?

"What if Huang Zhenggang didn't come out? What if he came out? Now it's different from before." Liu Wu handed Gao Yanming a cup of tea, "We have taken Ningbo, and the fleet can still settle in Ningbo after leaving the Yangtze River."

Liu Wu had never thought that a surface battle alone could involve so many "side issues" before. Just a dock issue firmly held down the "dragon head" of the Fu Han Army Navy. It was not until Hangzhou was taken that the proposal for the fleet to attack Zhoushan directly from the Yangtze River estuary was put on the agenda. Of course, Hangzhou Bay itself is not conducive to the berthing of a large number of fleets due to the specific tidal, quicksand, silt belt and other hydrological environments of the Qiantang River. It can only be used as a temporary resting place. Then Ningbo was also taken. Ningbo Port is a top-notch berthing place, and the navy has finalized the "going out" strategy and does not intend to be depressed in the Yangtze River anymore.

All the reasons are due to a port.

…

"Boom boom boom..." Huang Zhenggang came out.

Chen Ming was at the mouth of Wusong, looking at the Qing warships floating outside the port, his eyebrows were raised and about to fly up.

What the hell is going on? He felt like he was being raped after trying to tease someone. The sound of cannons echoed outside Wusongkou, because the Qing fleet led by Huang Zhenggang did not intercept the "going out" fleet, but came to fight the remaining Fu Han Army inland warships.

"I..., it seems that I underestimated the heroes of the world."

Chen Ming rubbed his forehead. After receiving the plan of the navy's "going out", he seemed to become blind. He only thought about whether Huang Zhenggang would come to fight, and what would happen if he didn't come to fight. His eyes and brain seemed to follow the fleet to fly out of the Yangtze River estuary, but he completely forgot about this possibility.

The sea breeze made Chen Ming cool all over, and a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

...

Wusongkou, Shitang artillery position. One cannon after another burst out with a roar!

Don't think that Wusongkou will become easy to bully because the navy has left the main fleet. Chen Ming has deployed artillery positions on both sides of the Huangpu River. Because of the range of cannons in this era, the artillery firepower on both sides of the strait had a relatively weak control over the ocean, but the protection of Wusong Port was still acceptable.

Huang Zhenggang stood on the bow of the ship, holding a telescope and looking at Wusongkou. This was their only chance. Chen Ming had no idea that Huang Zhenggang's recruitment of Chai Daji to lead his troops to help was part of this plan.

Huang Zhenggang used the risk of Zhoushan's possible loss to fight for his chance to attack Wusongkou. As long as Wusongkou was captured, all the warships in the Huangpu River were destroyed, and all the military supplies here were burned clean, the Chongming Qing army had not yet reached a desperate situation.

"Boom..." A huge firework bloomed on the river surface, and the scorching firelight made Huang Zhenggang close his eyes. It was a Qing army watercraft that was detonated by a cannonball and the gunpowder on board was exploded. The entire watercraft seemed to have become paper and was torn into pieces by the shock wave of the explosion.

"Report to the army, Chen's artillery fire is fierce. General Chen's warship was damaged and his left leg was shot off..."

"Report..., Zheng Canrong was killed by a cannonball..."

Wusongkou was filled with smoke and cannons roared. Dozens of Qing warships were tilting their hulls and bombarding the positions on the Huangpu River. In the Huangpu River, a large number of long dragon boats and large sampans were hiding four or five miles away from Wusongkou.