Liu Kongzhao wore an arrow jacket commonly worn by naval officers. He looked dusty, but he still had a smile on his face, and he didn't look like he had lost a battle.
Zhu Cixiang felt bad when he saw his appearance, and asked quickly: "But Wuchang and Hankou were captured?"
"Back to Qian Suiye," Liu Kongzhao replied with a smile, "I captured the city of Wuchang, but it was too late to capture Hankou. When my warship arrived, the rogues had already arrived. There was no castle to defend in Hankou, and the thieves were about to arrive. The gentry and merchants in Hankou Town scrambled for their lives and crowded into the Yangtze River pier, crying for their fathers and mothers. When I saw how pitiful they were, I sent warships to rush for transportation, and finally snatched most of them out."
"Really? You went to save people..." Zhu Cixiang nodded, thinking: Why are you so sincere, so stupid? Why are you saving those landlords and profiteers? They are not good people. They occupy so much fertile land and only give the court more than two million shi rice a year... The vastness of the lake is sufficient, and the world has more than enough! What's wrong with these people? Wouldn't it be better to let Li Zicheng's soldiers kill more?
Wuchang Prefecture does not have much official land and military villages to divide! If you don't kill more, how can you get enough points?
With this thought in his mind, an expression of approval appeared on Prince Zhu's face: "Well done, Uncle Chengyi, well done... You are truly worthy of being a descendant of Liu Wencheng!
What about Wuchang Fucheng now? Can my army be stationed? "
Liu Kongzhao replied: "Wuchang Fucheng is now controlled by Caojiang Navy, and Chitose's 6th Division can walk across. However, the river near Wuchang Fucheng is narrow. As long as the bandits can transport the Hongyi artillery to Guishan in Hanyang, they can block the river. , and can also bombard Wuchang Fucheng. Therefore, Chitose's navy cannot enter Wuchang. Chen's navy warships have now retreated to the river between Huangzhou Fucheng and Xiao Wuchang City.
The minister suggested that Qian Suiye temporarily set up his headquarters in Xiaowuchang City. As long as he built a fort at Fankou and blocked the river, everything would be safe. "
Xiaowuchang was originally called Ezhou, and was called Wuchang County in the Ming Dynasty, while Wuchang Fuchang was Jiangxia County.
Wuchang County and Huanggang County (county) in Huangzhou Prefecture face each other across the Yangtze River. Both places are strategic points for controlling the Yangtze River. Not far to the west of Wuchang County, there is a famous dangerous place called Fankou.
Fankou is very close to the Yangtze River and is located in a tributary of the Yangtze River. It is surrounded by water and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If a bastion is built at Fankou and large-caliber cannons are placed on the bastion's gun platform facing the Yangtze River, the Yangtze River can be blocked.
In addition, Wuchang County and Huanggang County are across the river. There are docks outside the city walls near the Yangtze River in both cities for naval forces to berth. As long as the Fankou strategic point and the two cities of Wuchang County and Huanggang County are controlled, a pontoon bridge for blocking should be built between the two cities. The navy coming from the lower reaches can safely anchor on the Yangtze River.
According to the suggestions of Wu Sanfu and the Yangtze River Navy Admiral Liu Chongru (Shen Tingyang's bow gun Liu), Zhu Cixiang's Chinese army camp should be placed in Wuchang County.
But now that Jiangxia, the capital of Wuchang Prefecture, has not been lost, Prince Zhu can't squint in Wuchang County. This seems too courageous.
After listening to Liu Kongzhao's report, Zhu Cixiang asked again: "Then have you seen Li Zicheng's navy? How do they compare with your Jiang Jiang navy?"
"I haven't seen Li Zicheng's navy." Liu Kongzhao replied, "But I heard from the gentry who escaped from Hankou that Li Ni came in from the river, and his navy came along the Han River, with hundreds of warships. , the largest of which are several tower ships, shaped like city walls."
"I know," Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and smiled, "Unfortunately, I want to go to Wuchang County by water. First, occupy Huanggang and Xiaowuchang as the base of the navy. At the same time, build a fort at Fankou and deploy twelve pounds of red barbarians. cannon.
The 6th Division landed in Wuchang County. Except for the two regiments that guarded Wuchang County and Huanggang County, all of them were stationed in Wuchang Fucheng. What do you think? "
Liu Kongzhao has been in charge of Caojiang Navy for many years and is very familiar with the situation along the Yangtze River. He has been stationed in Jiujiang for many days and is also familiar with the situation along the Yangtze River in the Wuchang Prefecture and Huangzhou Prefecture sections.
Therefore, when fighting along the Yangtze River in Wuchang Prefecture and Huangzhou Prefecture, you have to listen to his opinions.
Liu Kongzhao also thought that he was as resourceful as his ancestor Liu Bowen, so he made a plan for Zhu Cixang: "If you advance and occupy Jiangxia, you will be the main offensive, and if you retreat to Fankou, you will be the main defender. Between advance and retreat, it depends on whether Qiantui wants to attack or retreat. .”
Zhu Cixiang nodded: "Well, I am going to attack! Uncle Chengyi, are you ready to march westward with me?"
"Why don't you dare?" Liu Kongzhao clapped his chest, "There are twelve thousand officers and men in Cao Jiang Navy. Everyone is gearing up and wants to follow His Highness the Crown Prince to fight against thieves!"
"The navy stops at Fankou," Zhu Cihong said, "You go and choose the three thousand Jiang navy who can fight six battles, and follow me to Wuchang. After arriving at Wuchang Fucheng, you will...become a Jiangdu Stay here as an envoy!"
"The left-behind envoy from Jiangdu?" Liu Kongzhao was startled, "Which Jiangdu?"
There is Jiangdu County under Yangzhou Prefecture. Liu Kong Zhaoxin said: Prince Zhu will not let me be the county magistrate of Jiangdu County, right? Although there is plenty of oil and water, it is too small.
Zhu Cixiang said: "This palace is planning to merge Wuchang and Hanyang Prefecture (Hankou belongs to Hanyang Prefecture at this time) to establish Wuhan Prefecture, which will be the river capital of the Ming Dynasty. Together with Yingtian Prefecture, it will become the east and west capitals to jointly control the Yangtze River waterway."
He had just finished saying this. Before Liu Kongzhao spoke, Yuan Jixian had already spoken, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to merge Jinling and Wuchang into two capitals. What about Fengyang? What about Beijing? Will it make people think that the imperial court has no intention of the Northern Expedition?" Do you want to stay in Jiangnan?"
Zhu Cixiang glanced at Yuan Jixian, smiled and said: "I have looked at the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and found that Jingzhou has always been an internal trouble in the Southern Dynasty. If we cannot control Jingzhou, we cannot stabilize the Southern Dynasty. If we cannot stabilize the Southern Dynasty, the Northern Expedition will not succeed."
Now that the imperial court has established its capital in Jinling, there is no problem in controlling Jiangnan and Huaiyang, but Jingchu and Huguang are ultimately out of reach. That's why I want to set up Jiangdu. In the future, the imperial court can travel along the river. It will take a few months for Jiangdu and a few months for Nandu, so that both ends can be firmly controlled.
In addition, the northern capital of Yanjing was changed to Beiping Prefecture during the last Northern Expedition, and it will be the fiefdom of the King of Beiping in the future. Even if the Northern Expedition succeeds, the imperial court will not return the capital.
As for Fengyang, the central capital, its name has always been unrealistic, and Fengyang is only more than three hundred miles away from Nanjing, so it is not difficult to control at all. Therefore, I have already thought about it and will withdraw from the Zhongdu Remaining Department when the time is right. "
He looked at the three elders in the cabin and said with a smile: "Qiu Shibo (the hereditary earl) and Fang Shibo are both natives of Huguang. They are familiar with the situation and have people to look forward to. It is better to patrol Hubei with one person and judge Wuhan with the other. As for Yuan Xiangzan, You can be both civil and military, and you are enough to governor the military affairs of Huguang, Shaanxi, and Henan. I wonder if these three old gentlemen are willing to bear a share of the hard work for the country?"
Only then did Qiu Yu and Fang Gongyue realize that Zhu Cixiang had already made arrangements - they wanted them to use Wuchang and Hanyang as their bases to favor Huguang, a large treasure land for the imperial court.
And Yuan Jixian's job is just in the name of inciting hatred. It is similar to Shi Kefa's governor of the seven provinces, but I don't know where he will be sent to be a target?
...
"Your Majesty, we can reach it. It's another three to four million taels! It's a pity that we couldn't capture Wuchang, otherwise we could have doubled it!"
King Li Chuang, who was standing on Turtle Mountain and looking at Wuchang City, listened to Tian Jianxiu's report and just smiled: "I didn't expect that the old wealthy people in Huguang are quite good at hiding money. For this level, they can still squeeze out three or four hundred dollars." Wanliang!"
Huguang has been ravaged by Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Zuo Liangyu in turn over the years, and its vitality has been severely damaged!
But as long as Huguang rice can continue to be transported to Jiangnan, the damaged energy can always be replenished. But the strategy adopted by Li Zicheng to teach the land by dictation was the real disaster for the Huguang gentry.
"We captured a lot of gentry, right?" Li Zicheng asked Liu Zongmin with a smile.
Liu Zongmin said: "We captured more than a thousand people wearing scarves and Taoist robes, and tens of thousands of profiteers doing business, and detained them on Hanzheng Street."
"Okay!" Li Zicheng said, "Send them all to Wuchang Mansion!"
"Send to Wuchang?" Liu Zongmin was startled, "These people can't deal with us! Why not..."
He waved his hand and made a murderous gesture.
Li Zicheng smiled and waved his hand: "Why kill them? Send them across the river to eat Zhu Cixiang's free food!"
