"Sanfu is right... we can't let the Tatars run amok in our hinterland!" Zhu Cixiang can ignore Chuzhou, but he can't ignore Yangzhou. The five salts in Yangzhou have to hand over 6 million taels of silver a year. The tax package is there!
Moreover, Yangzhou City itself is the third largest city in the southeast after Nanjing and Suzhou. After the comprehensive introduction of commercial tax, the amount of tax paid to the Ministry of Accounts alone is not a small amount.
In addition, there are many fertile fields on the ground in Yangzhou Prefecture that belong to the military garrison, and hundreds of thousands of shi of white rice are turned over to the military garrison every year.
How could Zhu Cixiang ignore such a cash cow city? Moreover, the city was filled with wealthy businessmen and gentry, who were the people who fed and clothed the Ming Dynasty! He is the "patron" of the Crown Prince Zhu Cixi, and he has paid enough protection fees! Zhu Cihong's time as a national leader was too short, and his thinking was still the same as that of an honest businessman. He had to get paid to do things. This was the spirit of the contract!
If we really want to come to Yangzhou for three days like in history, who will ask for protection money in the future? That was even more serious than killing his father, Emperor Chongzhen!
Therefore, the most filial son in the world immediately became anxious and had to grab Hauge's "tail" to prevent him from going to Yangzhou to kill people.
"Send troops!" Zhu Cixiang looked up at the sky outside the window. The sun was blazing in the sky at noon. "The sun is too strong now. We will send troops in the evening and take the night route... It is more than sixty miles from our place to Chuzhou." , should be able to arrive tomorrow morning!”
"Are you marching at night?" Military Advisor Li Yan was a little worried, "You won't be attacked by the Tartars at night, right?"
"Master Chitose, marching more than sixty miles in one night is too hasty..." Wu Sanfu was also a little worried, "If the Tartar cavalry comes over, I'm afraid it won't be easy to deal with. And after the march is over, we are very likely to We will encounter Tartars!"
"The Tartars in the north are still besieging Fengyang?" Zhu Cixiang turned the topic to Fengyang again.
"Still under siege!" Li Yan said with certainty, "Although our sentinels couldn't get too close, they still heard the sound of Hongyi cannons firing from a distance... There are quite a few cannons. ah!"
"Then there must be a main force!" Zhu Cixiang said, "If there are many cannons, there must be a main force... The Tartars must be divided into two groups.
More than 20,000 people were killed all the way south, and our four divisions had 56,000 people! If there are twice as many of them, what else is there to be afraid of? It doesn't matter if they attack at night, let Shi Yangjiang and Hao Yaoqi take the lead together! "
Zhu Cixiang had five foreign general regiments in his hands. In addition to Ferreira's artillery regiment, the remaining four months were initially responsible for training a model infantry regiment of 2,500 people (including 2,000 combat soldiers).
After the initial four regiments were basically formed into an army, most of the foreign generals and some Ming army officers who had experienced with the team were transferred to train eight new eight regiments based on the four fire gun associations. Model group.
After the four divisions were organized in the Jiangbei camp, the four foreign general regiments that trained infantry all rose up and became the foreign general regiment that guided one division. After they upgrade, the level of each group's business becomes even more obvious. General Shi Ruanyang's regiment, which had fought in the Thirty Years' War and the British Civil War, was significantly better than the other regiments. Naturally, Zhu Cixiang relied on him as the backbone and was sent to take charge of the most elite former military division among the four model divisions.
The commander-in-chief of this former military division was Hao Yaoqi, and he was also a "roving bandit" who had participated in the Battle of Dagukou and a "roving bandit" brought by Li Yan and Hong Niangzi. Both in terms of fighting will and combat experience, they are significantly higher than other departments under Zhu Cihong.
In addition, these "rogue soldiers" also had certain psychological advantages over the Qing army - they were the Eight Banners Real Manchuria who violently defeated the Qing army at Dagukou!
Zhu Cixiang paused and then said: "The Chinese army and artillery regiment are moving with the middle divisions of Wang Qi and Rodoni (Portuguese foreign general)... The military advisor is with me. Third Assistant, you go to Wang Huzi (Wang Beard) )’s successor.”
"Got the order!"
"I accept the decree!"
Li Yan and Wu Sanfu both stood up and gave orders - although they did not agree with Zhu Cihong's "adventure", once Prince Zhu made a decision, they could only handle it.
Moreover, with Hao Yaoqi and Shi Ruien taking the lead with the most powerful forward division, if the Qing army really wanted to engage in a night attack, it would probably not be able to take any advantage.
Maybe there will be another "Battle of Dagukou"!
...
In the 18th year of Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was evening on June 21st.
When night fell, the 18,000-banner army led by Hauge and Obai had successfully arrived at Daqianling in the northwest of Chuzhou City.
The terrain of Chuzhou is Beiling and Nanyuan. There are two hills in the northeast and northwest. The northwest is called Daqianling and Huangfu Mountain, and the northeast is called Shigu Mountain.
There is a tunnel between the two hills, and there is a pass near Chuzhou City called Qingliu Pass.
Qingliu Pass and Chuzhou City were guarded by a small number of Ming troops. They were the guards of the new army to overcome difficulties and were subordinate to the troops left behind in Zhongdu. There are not many people, so if you add one piece, it’s half the price.
In addition, the local regiment training in Chuzhou also mobilized, recruiting three to four thousand people to cooperate with half of the guards to guard Qingliu Pass and Chuzhou City.
Of course, such a defense could not stop the 18,000 bannermen, but Hauge and Obai did not attack overnight because they could not figure out the details of Chuzhou - in fact, they did not know that Zhu Cixiang had arrived in Dingyuan , and did not know that there were as many as 56,000 troops who followed Zhu Cixiang to Dingyuan.
Because it is difficult for the sentinels they sent to get close to conduct reconnaissance. Moreover, Zhu Cixiang sent troops from the Jiangbei camp to the north too quickly, which greatly exceeded Hauge and Obai's expectations. They didn't even send out enough sentries before Zhu Cixiang's army crossed the pond.
In this case, Hauge and Obai must be more cautious. So on the night of June 21st, we found a high slope in Daqunling to set up camp.
Of course, the camp was hastily set up, and there were no trenches or walls. They relied on cavalry to patrol and provide warning.
But just when Hauge finished his military duties and was about to take a good rest for a few hours, unexpected news came again!
"Your Majesty, the sentinels came to report that tens of thousands of Nanman soldiers were coming from a distant direction and had already crossed the pond..."
"What?" Hauge squinted his eyes and looked at Obai who had come to report to him. He was stunned again and again, "Tens of thousands? Already crossed the pond...so many? So fast?"
"There's more!" Obei said, "They're still marching!"
"What? Are you still marching at night?"
Obai nodded, "The slaves have just come down from the top of Daqianling Mountain... You can see their torches from a high place! They are like a river of fire, endless, there are really tens of thousands of them!" "
Tens of thousands of Ming troops marched at night... Where did they come from? Hauge couldn't believe it. Is such an army really a Ming army? It seems to be no worse than the Eight Banners Soldiers! And they are all infantry!
What does it mean that the infantry is marching so fast? Not just a rash advance, but a group of elites rashly advancing!
"Your Majesty," Oboi asked, "do you think we should send out troops for a night attack?"
Hauge frowned, "Send troops for a night attack? How many troops can be sent now?"
"Only 3000..."
It's late at night, and even Manchuria has to sleep after an army has been marching all day! Therefore, the most that can be pulled up to the battlefield is 3,000 people.
"What are you talking about for only 3,000?" Hauge yawned, "Walking at night and so fast, this is not something a weak soldier can do!"
Oboi nodded, "Your Majesty, should we... move the camp to a higher place?"
"Move the camp to a higher place?" Hauge thought for a while, "Confront them here at Daqian Ridge?"
"Yes!" Obai said, "The terrain of Daqianling is favorable to us. The mountain is not steep, but it is stuck at the gate of Yingtian Mansion... If we can win Fengyang City together, If we win, we will have a battle with Nanbing along Daqianling Ridge. If we win, the gateway to the north of Yingtian Mansion in Jiangbei will be in our hands!"
Hauge smiled and said: "What a good idea... It seems that the crown prince of the Zhu family still doesn't know how to use troops! Not only has Fengyang City not been built impregnably, but heavy troops have not been deployed in Daqianling!"
