If Xia's army doesn't move, it will be violent; if it moves, it will be thunderous.
Taicang.
Zhang Pu dragged his frail body out of the house and came to the street.
At this time, the whole city of Taicang was mobilized, standing on both sides of the road, singing and dancing to see off the Xia army as they set off.
The officers and soldiers of the First Division lined up four in a row, wearing brand-new military uniforms and shiny, sturdy leather boots.
Tens of thousands of people marched in unison, and the loud footsteps were breathtaking.
One after another, the artillery was pulled by horses, stretching endlessly.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Pu couldn't help but sigh.
This Ming Dynasty is finally dead.
He couldn't say anything about Xia Guo's sending troops.
After all, the Xia Kingdom was extremely benevolent and righteous. Chongzhen did not die and never used troops.
Now that the Ming Dynasty is cut off from Zuo and the Xia Kingdom takes over the territory, no one can say anything.
How can Jiangnan, which has been experiencing peace for a long time, stop such a powerful army?
Looking back, I think about the debates I had with Liu Zongzhou over the years. They ended in failure in the face of the devastating military power.
Zhang Pu's enthusiasm waned and he turned back to his small courtyard.
Once the courtyard door is closed, regardless of the ups and downs outside, it becomes a unified entity.
Local officials knew who he was and what he had done, but they did not harass him.
But since then, Zhang Pu has stopped expressing any political opinions and slowly disappeared from people's sight.
He began to concentrate on academics and the compilation of his works, which was also an explanation of his future affairs.
Although the land south of the Yangtze River has always been under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, it is deeply influenced by the Xia Kingdom because it borders Songjiang Prefecture and has not cut off contact with it for a long time.
To put it bluntly, many places in the south of the Yangtze River depended on the Xia Kingdom's trade.
Therefore, the people here did not have much resistance to Xia Guo's arrival.
Wherever Xia's army went, the people came out in large numbers, decorated with lanterns and colors, and ate pots of pulp to truly welcome the king's army.
Before Xia Jun's operation, the Ministry of Military Affairs specially emphasized military discipline. Therefore, Xia Jun never disturbed the people wherever he went.
They did not occupy people's houses, did not ask for people's belongings, traded fairly, and maintained order. As a result, the places that were included in the Xia Kingdom hardly felt any changes, and the transfer of power was completed.
The operations of the Southern Strategic Cluster were divided into three routes.
Zuo Rong personally led the First Regiment and Second Regiment of the First Division and the 32nd and 33rd Public Security Divisions to march along the Yangtze River and rush to Nanjing via Changshu, Jiangyin, and Zhenjiang.
Qiao Shuangcheng and Li Junxiang led the 3rd and 4th regiments of the 1st Division and the 29th and 45th Public Security Divisions to attack Suzhou, then crossed Taihu Lake, took Guangdefu and Ningguofu, and headed straight to Jiangxi.
According to the plan, the 1st Division was responsible for military operations in South Zhili, and the 10th Division was responsible for Zhejiang.
After Southern Zhili and Zhejiang are settled, two groups of soldiers and horses will enter Jiangxi from the northern and eastern fronts.
After pre-judgment, a big battle can only happen in Jiangxi.
The military operations in southern Zhili were personally directed by Zuo Rong, while the Zhejiang side was handed over to Ji Conghua and Geng Wanrong.
Just when Zuo Rong captured Changshu, Ji Conghua and Geng Wanrong had already accompanied Zhang Guizhang and more than 370 officials into Hangzhou City.
Zhang Guizhang was Zhang Huangyan's father, so he was a native of Zhejiang, so he was sent by the central government to handle Zhejiang's government affairs.
Xia Jun's actions immediately caused an uproar in Jiangnan.
Especially here in Nanjing, people are panicked and have different thoughts.
"Although the capital has fallen and His Majesty has died for his country, our Ming Dynasty needs to continue. Today, King Fu is here to ascend the throne."
The civil and military officials of Nanjing came together to discuss countermeasures. Ma Shiying thought it was a good opportunity to usurp power and advocated making King Fu Zhu Yousong the emperor.
In this way, he can control the government with his support and have great power.
As an eunuch, he had long been fed up with being squeezed out by the Donglin Party and Qingliu. He vowed that as long as he was in power, he would definitely complain and take revenge.
Unexpectedly, with so many civil and military officials sitting together, only a few agreed.
It is obvious that everyone has different calculations.
Ma Shiying was anxious and clung to his righteousness.
"Do you want to be the second minister?"
Wei Guogong Xu Hongji was also present, but his health was not very good, and it was obvious that he did not have much time left.
But it doesn't matter if he dies, but he has to plan for future generations.
He looked at Liu Kongzhao.
"Uncle Sincerity, how many troops and horses are there in Nanjing now? Is it possible to stop Xia's army?"
Liu Kongzhao's face immediately fell.
"My father-in-law, have you forgotten the past?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was extremely ashamed.
At that time, Fang Yuegong acted rebelliously in Songjiang Mansion, which caused Songjiang merchants to revolt.
Nanjing also sent troops and horses, marching by waterway, with the intention of quelling the rebellion.
Fortunately, the Xia army arrived in time, and the Ming army in the south of the Yangtze River was severely defeated. Even Liu Kongzhao became a prisoner of the Xia army.
It was Xu Hongji's face that redeemed him.
It can be said that when it comes to who is most afraid of Xia Jun, Liu Kongzhao ranks second, and no one dares to say first.
As for the virtues of the Jiangnan Ming Army, everyone knows very well.
Even if you want to fight Xia Jun, you can't win.
Seeing that Nanjing's civil and military soldiers had no fighting spirit, Ma Shiying became extremely anxious.
If this continues, his ambitions will be in vain.
However, just when he wanted to continue doing something, the messenger ran in in panic.
"Report, Jiangyin County Magistrate Lin Zhiji has opened the door to dedicate the city. The Xia army has already approached Zhenjiang Prefecture."
boom……
Everyone was in a panic, and they didn't expect Xia Jun to arrive so quickly.
Lin Zhiji was from Putian, Fujian. His family's business with Xia Guo was booming, and his heart had long been devoted to him.
Therefore, when the Xia army came to the city, Lin Zhiji and other officials discussed it and decided that no one wanted to die, so they quickly opened the door and surrendered.
Jiangyin is the gateway to Nanjing. Once this place is lost, there will be no dangerous places under the city of Nanjing.
Ma Shiying only felt passionate and wanted to quickly finalize the matter of King Fu's accession to the throne. But when he wanted to speak again, he was interrupted again by the intruder.
"My lords, Jiang Shang... Jiang Shang..."
Knowing that the civil and military affairs of Nanjing had changed, they ran out of the yamen one after another and climbed onto the city wall near the river.
With just one glance, everyone felt two wars and felt despair.
But on the wide river, Xia's warships had already formed a line, and countless cannons were aimed at Nanjing City.
This is what Xia Jun did back then, forcing the officials in Nanjing to cower and acquiesce in the change of ownership of Songjiang Mansion.
Now, old things are happening again, and everyone suddenly realizes that they still don't have a good way to deal with it.
"My General Zuo has said that if you all know the current affairs, your life, property and family can be saved. No matter what you have done, you will not be held accountable. If you resist to the end and the city is broken, you will all act in accordance with military law."
Xia Jun representative Hong Jingcai entered the city alone and conveyed Xia Jun's attitude to the officials.
The conditions were far from good, and these officials were not given much power. But Xia Jun didn't care, because the city in front of him couldn't stop Xia Jun at all.
If it weren't for buying time, the Xia army generals would prefer to attack the city.
Because only by fighting can you achieve military success. Otherwise, what’s the point of just having an armed march?
(End of chapter)
