According to Tang Hui's original idea, dense checkpoints were set up along the river, and medium and large camps were set up at intervals.
When it was discovered that the Baoxiang army wanted to cross the river, the sentry post immediately lit the beacon, and the Ming army in the nearby medium and large camps quickly reinforced it. As long as the Ming army acted in time, it was completely possible for the Baoxiang army to cross the river when it first started. They launched a counterattack and suppressed the first batch of troops crossing the river to protect the thieves from crossing the river.
At the same time, the main force in Wuchang City will attack quickly, trying to reach the point where the thieves can cross the river within one day, and then continue to snipe to ensure the thieves can cross the river.
Once the troops protecting the thieves crossing the river were suppressed on the beach, there would not be enough space to form an array, and they could not even transport artillery.
And without a large number of artillery, especially heavy long-barreled artillery, the security force is just a tiger without teeth.
When the time comes, the Ming army will use the pile of human lives to kill the rebel troops crossing the river who have lost the protection of artillery, thereby blocking the cross-river offensive of the defense army.
For these reasons, Tang Hui, who had retreated from Zhongxiang to Wuchang, formulated this seemingly risky division of troops, but in fact, in Tang Hui's view, this was the only strategy that could keep the Baoxiang Army on the north bank of the Yangtze River.
His successor Yang Sichang did not change this defensive strategy. This was not because Yang Sichang did not want to change, but because he was not easy to change.
On the one hand, it is impossible for the Ming army to engage in beachhead sniper warfare today and defend Wuchang tomorrow. If they change tactics during this period, it will easily kill themselves.
On the other hand, the current Yang Sichang also had a bad reputation and was unable to give direct orders to the various ministries in Huguang.
After all, he himself has not officially assumed the post of Prime Minister for Military Affairs of the Five Provinces, and he is even still in his hometown in Wuling County, Changde Prefecture, Huguang.
After Tang Hui was arrested, Emperor Chongzhen wanted to resurrect Yang Sichang. However, reviving Yang Sichang was very troublesome. Even if Emperor Chongzhen insisted on his own way, there were still necessary procedures. For example, the edict to resurrect Yang Sichang had to be issued at least three times. Just fine.
Otherwise, everyone will lose face and have no way to explain to the world!
At this moment, Yang Sichang's return from love is still going through the process.
At present, Yang Sichang has already declined the second imperial edict of regaining love. According to the rules, he will have to give in again later.
After the process is completed, it is estimated that he will not officially take office until November.
Although Yang Sichang had actually begun to intervene in the defense of Huguang and other places, he also began to coordinate the defense of the five provinces through Zhezi's suggestions to Emperor Chongzhen, so as to concentrate the forces of multiple provinces to encircle and suppress the Bao thieves.
But the name is not justified, and since others are not in Wuchang, it is difficult to know more detailed information and make more appropriate and detailed arrangements.
This also led Yang Sichang to choose to continue the beachhead sniper defense strategy developed during Tang Hui's period.
This strategy seems feasible, but Xu Zhixian, who is on the staff of the Da Chu Empire, is full of loopholes.
"They want to attack halfway across the border, which is a good idea, but can they do it? Impossible!"
Standing on the south gate of Hanyang City, Xu Zhixian looked at the Dachu navy ships that had covered the river in front and said: "Our army has been planning for more than a month to cross the river, and the first batch of troops to cross the river were carefully selected. Commandos, and focused on strengthening their equipment!”
"The more than 800 soldiers in the Crossing River Assault Battalion are all proficient in water skills. They are also highly disciplined and have outstanding technical and tactical skills."
"We have also prepared a good batch of armor for this group of soldiers. The spearmen, sword and shield men and other close combat troops all wear heavy armor, and the musketeers, archers and light artillerymen also wear half armor."
"The commando team will carry six self-made light cannons of 200 kilograms and two field guns of two and a half kilograms on board the ship."
"The ships they are traveling on are all specially selected flat-bottomed ships that can be directly washed ashore when the time comes, and some of the ships can be directly used as artillery positions after being aground."
"Whether it is combat awareness or combat capability, this commando battalion is the best choice!"
"And they have already gone through a month of intensive adaptability training and simulated river crossing exercises three times, all of which were a complete success!"
"In addition to the assault battalion, our Hanshui fleet will also provide sufficient fire support for the troops crossing the river. If necessary, the military warships will also directly beach the beach to provide fire support at the nearest location."
"After washing up on the beach, the engineering troops on board the ship will carry out emergency construction and strive to move the two hundred kilograms of light artillery and the two and a half kilograms of field guns temporarily carried on the ship off the ship and ashore in the shortest possible time."
"As long as we can stabilize the beachhead, we can welcome more friendly troops to cross the river. Within one day, we can transport a fully armed brigade across the river by ship and provide this brigade with at least twelve guns. Two-and-a-half-pound field guns and twenty two-hundred-pound short-barreled light cannons.”
"By the next day, our first pontoon bridge will be built. By then, more troops will continue to cross the river through the pontoon bridge, and a large amount of ammunition will be supplied to the troops crossing the river through the pontoon bridge."
"As long as our pontoon bridge can be built, and as long as our artillery and ammunition can cross the river, then this river-crossing operation will be a complete success."
Xu Zhixian seemed very confident in this crossing of the river.
This kind of confidence is not blind self-confidence, but comes from our own adequate preparations and the strong combat effectiveness of the Home Guard Army itself, especially its artillery strength.
When the Ming army thought that the defense army was crossing the river, it was just a group of people rowing bamboo rafts and rafts, carrying nothing but a sword or a spear, and not even artillery support.
But in fact, during the Baoxiang Army's river-crossing operation, the first batch of troops crossing the river were all wearing heavy armor and carrying artillery. It was expected that ships would directly hit the beach to serve as forts.
——
About ten kilometers west of Wuchang City, in the morning, after the Han River fleet arrived near Shuilin Town, a large number of soldiers of the Home Guard Army who had been hiding in Shuilin Town suddenly rushed out. At the same time, a small river on the edge of this town A large number of small boats also poured into the Yangtze River.
The arrival of the Hanshui Fleet of the Baoxiang Army, coupled with the sudden influx of Baoxiang Army soldiers into Shuilin Town, appeared on the bank of the Yangtze River, and a large number of small boats also ran out.
No matter how stupid the Ming army on the other side of the river was, they could guess that the thieves were making big moves.
Soon, the Ming Army checkpoint on the south bank lit a beacon fire, and nearly a thousand soldiers rushed out of a nearby Ming Army camp.
After seeing the beacon fire, a Ming army camp four or five kilometers away also started an emergency dispatch according to the plan they had formulated.
The actions of the Ming army on the other side did not affect the Baoxiang army's plan to cross the river.
A large number of soldiers of the Home Guard Army began to board various boats, most of which were built on site in Shuilin Town and hidden in the small rivers in Shuilin Town. After the soldiers boarded the boats, they began to paddle and sail. Rowing towards the other side of the Yangtze River.
On the other side, more than ten warships of the Hanshui Fleet headed towards the planned landing site first.
At this time, more than two hundred ships of various types were densely packed on the river in Shuilin Town.
There were warships from the Hanshui Fleet, ships for the commandos, ships for soldiers of the 1st Infantry Regiment, ships for the 1st Engineer Battalion, and behind them there were ships transporting various combat supplies and tools for building pontoons.
Although most of them are small sampan boats, there are not many ships with a displacement of more than ten tons, and there are only a dozen large ships of tens of tons.
However, the sight of so many ships is still very spectacular and even shocking.
In the Ming Army camp on the other side of the river, the generals responsible for leading the camp and nearby checkpoints, a total of more than a thousand Ming Army generals, broke out in cold sweat as they looked at the densely packed ships on the river.
This time, protecting the thief army is for real.
With so many ships, at least there are thousands of thieves who want to cross the river!
If these security thieves were allowed to successfully cross the river and land, it would be completely over.
"Quick, everyone run and pull out the artillery!"
"Damn it, put on all your armor, you bastard. Are you asking for death if you don't wear armor?"
The general withdrew his gaze from the river and yelled at his subordinates.
Now, he can only yell to calm the panic in his heart!
"Quickly, send the fast horse Pegasus to Wuchang and other nearby camps. Tell them that the main force of the rebel army has crossed the river and let them rush over as soon as possible. If they arrive too late, the rebel army will come and kill them!"
"I know the beacon has been lit, but it's not safe enough. Send someone on horseback to report it!"
"Also, keep your eyes open to see where exactly they are going to land. As soon as the place is determined, we will directly pull our Franco aircraft and general cannons over and prepare them in advance. As long as they dare to get close to the land, we will fire directly! "
Just when the Ming troops on the opposite side were panicking, Brigadier General Han Ziping, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, also boarded a ship on the pier in Shuilin Town.
At this time, he was wearing a dark blue general officer's uniform. The yellow collar badge represented that he was a general officer. The yellow one-star epaulette on his shoulder represented his brigadier general rank.
As the brigade commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, Brigadier General Han Ziping personally led the commando team, the 1st Infantry Regiment, the 1st Post and 2nd Post of the 1st Engineering Battalion, and the 1st Battalion of the 1st Baggage Regiment. A batch of troops crossing the river were launched to cross the river.
The victory or defeat of this cross-river battle also depends on the success or failure of the first batch of troops crossing the river.
Only when their first batch of landing troops cross the river successfully cross the river and occupy the beachhead position can they cover the construction of pontoon bridges by the engineering troops and allow more friendly troops to cross the river in the future.
Once it fails, it will not only lead to the failure of the cross-river battle, but also lead to heavy losses for the first batch of troops crossing the river.
Therefore, Han Ziping was also under great pressure. However, although he was under great pressure, Commodore Han Ziping looked relaxed and even smiled when he boarded the ship.
He also said in a joking tone to the commander of the First Division Li Chengtong, the deputy commander of the First Division Brigadier General Cao Hongsheng and others on the shore: "You two brothers, you can just watch the show in the back and watch me, Old Han, give you a good start, haha , I, Han Ziping, have decided on this first achievement of crossing the river!"
