300 miles and 5 hours!
Of course Chongzhen, who could only talk to people on paper, didn't understand what Zhu Cixiang was talking about?
Behind these “300 miles” and “5 hours” is actually a lot of investment. First, the roads and bridges between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River were renovated and fortified!
In the past seven or eight months, the Generalissimo's Mansion, the Zhongdu Remaining Department, and the Huaiyang Governor's Yamen have successively hired 200,000 to 300,000 people to support the Jiangbei camp leading to Fengyang Fucheng, Huai'an Fucheng, Xuyi County, Shouzhou The official roads of the city and Luzhou Fucheng were renovated.
All bridges along the way were also reinforced so that the 12-pound Hongyi cannon could pass through.
In addition, simple bastions were built next to important bridges, a small number of guards officers and soldiers were stationed, and general artillery that could block river bridges was deployed.
The second is the strong marching ability of the new army to overcome difficulties - a distance of 300 miles is considered fast for the ordinary Ming army in three or four days. Before the Wuqiao Mutiny, thousands of soldiers and horses led by Kong Youde and others traveled a mere thousand miles from Dengzhou to Wuqiao, Dezhou, for a month, moving an average of more than three miles a day... until they ran out of food!
Such things are not allowed in the New Army of Overcoming Difficulties! The standard official march speed of the new army is no less than fifty miles a day, while the requirement for emergency march is one hundred fifty miles a day, maintained for two days, and can be put into battle immediately after completing the march.
In other words, the 300-mile official road march can be completed in only two days, and the troops can immediately go into battle.
This kind of marching speed can already compete with the Eight Banners powerful army!
Thirdly, a 600-mile expedited newspaper network covering the Yangtze River and Huaihe River has also been established. The Tang newspaper sent from Fengyang Fucheng can be delivered to Jiangbei Camp within 5 hours!
With this Tangbao network, Zhu Cixiang can remotely command the entire Jianghuai battlefield from the Jiangbei camp. You can also keep track of the invading Qing army's movements and seize the opportunity for a decisive battle in a timely manner.
In addition, there is a rather large wharf south of Jiangbei Daying. Through this wharf and the Yangtze River Navy, the 60,000 troops stationed in the Jiangbei camp can also move to Anqing or Jiujiang by water in a very short time.
With Anqing as its base, the new army can cross the Dabie Mountains and reach Xinyang Prefecture in Runing Prefecture within twelve days to join the battlefield in Henan.
With Jiujiang as a stronghold, the New Army can launch an attack on Huguang.
In other words, with Jiangbei Daying as the center, relying on the Yangtze River waterway and the two "sub-centers" of Jiujiang and Anqing, as well as several important official roads between the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. Zhu Cixiang's 60,000 new troops can maneuver quickly between the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers and along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
No matter where Hauge breaks through, Zhu Cixiang's army can rush to the battlefield as quickly as possible.
Even if Zuo Liangyu, who is half dead and inactive, raises troops in Wuchang, Prince Zhu can mobilize the army in the shortest time to prevent or extinguish it!
Zhu Cixiang's troops deployed along the Huaihe River and Liu Kongzhao's navy in Jiujiang (formerly Caojiang Navy, now designated as Jiujiang Navy) were just to resist the Qing Dynasty or Zuo Liangyu, or other forces moving down the river. It's just a "human shield" for the forces.
In the military terminology of later generations, this was called "great defense in depth." The so-called "defending the Yangtze River must defend the Huaihe River" actually refers to this large-scale defense in depth - from Fengyang to the Jiangbei camp, a defense depth of three hundred miles is now in front of the Qing army!
...
South Zhili, Mengcheng.
When the father and son Zhu Cixiang and Chongzhen entered the Jiangbei camp, Lord Qiubele (which Hauge himself did not admit), General Jingyuan, and Prince Su Hauge of the Qing Dynasty were riding their horses into the camp with an angry look. It was empty and everywhere. The dilapidated houses in Mengcheng County after the fire.
What made him angry was not the scene of scorched earth fighting against the Qing Dynasty in Mengcheng County, but his fourteenth uncle, Dorgon, the regent of the Qing Dynasty.
Dorgon's behavior of holding the emperor hostage and sleeping with the queen mother was already too much!
But a few days ago, something even more extreme happened again. Dorgon actually used the "Great Victory in Xuzhou" to promote himself another level, from regent to regent for the emperor's uncle.
Not to mention, the imperial edict that consecrated him as the regent of Dorgon's father also came with a lot of privileges. For example, during all great ceremonies, such as hunting, leaving the army, etc., the princes and nobles would gather in one place to wait for the decree to be delivered, and they would also "kneel down to greet Dorgon". If they go out (out of the city) and return to the palace, the princes and nobles need to send them to the palace gate.
In addition, if it is New Year's Day or celebrations, the civil and military ministers will go to congratulate Emperor Shunzhi and then go to congratulate Dorgon. When going to court, Dorgon got off the sedan chair inside the Meridian Gate, while the kings had to get off the sedan chair outside the Meridian Gate and so on.
In other words, when Hauge returns to Beijing, he will have to kneel down to greet Dorgon... We are all princes, and Hauge is the eldest son of the late emperor, so why should he give birth to Dorgon? kneel? Dorgon is putting himself above the kings, and is preparing to usurp the throne! And the only one who can stop him from usurping the throne, looking at the Qing Dynasty, is Hauge!
"Your Majesty, we're here!"
Obai's voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Hauge's thoughts. Hauge looked up and saw a shabby government office in front of him. It was said to be a yamen, but in fact there was no such thing for a long time - it was burned down by someone else! Half of the lobby inside was gone—the roof was gone, but the walls were still there.
"That's it?" Haug frowned. Dorgon was already sleeping in the Forbidden City. The eldest son of the late emperor and the prince of the Qing Dynasty lived in this roofless house?
Obai smiled bitterly and said, "My servant has sent people to find thatch. We can build a thatched roof tonight."
"Thatched roof..." Haug looked around and saw that everything was scorched and there were no good houses. "Okay, okay, it's just a thatched roof. It's pretty cool."
"What the prince said is absolutely true!" Ao Bai nodded repeatedly, "The thatched roof is just cool..."
Hauge wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile: "Then let's do it quickly... What should we do now? I'll just stay in a house without a roof for a while?"
"How can you do that?" Obai smiled, "I have prepared a cowhide tent for you... and even asked someone to boil the bath water."
"That's pretty much it!" Hauge got off the horse as he spoke, and immediately a servant from Zhenglan Banner stepped forward to hold a parasol for him. Obai led the way, taking Hauge all the way to the backyard of the county government office, in front of a cowhide tent with a lot of thatch on the top.
The curtain of the tent was opened, and several women dressed as maids were going in and out, busy.
Hauge smiled and asked: "Where did they catch them?"
"Reporting to your lord," Obai said with a smile, "They are all honorable and filial to you. They were not captured here in Nanzhili. They are all slaves covered with blue flags."
Shang Kexi is a prince, but Ao Bai, who is Gu Shanerzhen, can call him by his first name. This shows how rich this prince is? If he were a serious Manchu prince, even a county prince, Obai wouldn't be able to call him that.
"Shang Kexi is really good at getting things done," Haug smiled, "By the way, where did Shang Kexi go? Why didn't I see him?"
"In response to your Majesty's words," Obai said, "Shang Kexi has led people to collect ships along the Wo River, Beifei River, and Xifei River."
Guoshui, Beifeishui and Xifeishui all pass through Mengcheng County, all running from northwest to southeast, and all lead to the Huaihe River.
"What? Can we still find the boat?" Hauge was stunned, "The county town has been burned to the ground like this..."
"Shang Kexi sent someone to report that they found some," said Obai with a smile. "There are no big ships, but there are many small ones. Xu Xun and Zhu Chunchen, relying on the Huaihe Navy, are not afraid of our brave men driving them." Can we cross the Huaihe River in a small boat?"
"Hahaha..." Haug laughed, "Do they think it's the Three Kingdoms now? The northerners ride horses and the southerners drive boats. They have dozens of warships and I have no soldiers from the Qing Dynasty. ?”
"That's right!" Obai said with a smile, "We came south with dozens of Hongyi cannons. Not to mention the small Huaihe River, so what if it was the Yangtze River? One of the Hongyi cannons was mounted on the riverside. Every ship has been reduced to rubble!"
