Dominate the Country

In the Hanyang government office, Chen Ming occupied the first seat in the hall, with generals Chen Qi and Chen Yongsheng on his left and right.

Chen Yongsheng looked very unhappy. Agui led his army to the south suddenly, which suddenly made the situation in Hubei become delicate. This is an enemy that did not exist when the previous plan was made. In the plan, when Chen Ming came to Hanyang, the vanguard troops led by Chen Yongsheng had already locked up the three passes of Yiyang. And now the Henan Qing army is coming.

In the area south of the Yangtze River, Hunan's Lian Yong has merged into Wuchang. This is another unexpected change. Gong Zhaolin came too fast. The Fuhan Army had entered Wuchang City before they reached the south bank. Although the Fuhan Army had now established a foothold on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and the artillery across the river had fully suppressed Fenghuang Mountain, the strength of the Qing Army in the city had also been reduced. The number of people increased from more than 10,000 to more than 20,000.

There is no need to mention these, the facts are already facts, and what the Fuhan Army is doing now is to face them.

When Chen Ming first attacked Wuchang, he started from Phoenix Mountain. Now Chen Ming does not plan to conquer there.

When the Fuhan Army first attacked Wuchang, Hubei Governor Fan Shishou mobilized people to dig countless trenches and deep trenches on a large area of ​​land east of Fenghuang Mountain. However, the Fuhan Army drove the Jingzhou bannermen and easily filled them with earth bags. A smooth road emerged. Those many trenches were still in place, and the Fuhan Army did not bulldoze them after the war. When the Qing army counterattacked Wuchang, those trenches also became the Fuhan Army's defenses. Now these trenches are all completed again. The Qing army's defense line was up.

If you want to push a shield cart to fill the potholes and trenches bit by bit during the day, and then attack Wuchang City while walking as a cart, it is estimated that this battle will last until the summer. It is not a good place to gather troops and fight at night, with the channels and channels of Phoenix Mountain and the advantage of the mountain. It's completely different now than when Chen Ming first played in Wuchang. The pressure on Chen Ming's shoulders was even greater.

Fighting at night, even if the Fuhan army takes advantage of the situation, the Qing army, which has a defensive advantage, can make the Fuhan army suffer some hardships when attacking. Places with complex trenches are even more difficult to fight. After all, the command and mobilization skills at night are It's inconvenient because the terrain is complicated and the enemy will be more possessive if they are familiar with the geography. Chen Ming planned to attack Hongshan from the southeast. Hongshan also had many ditches, but they were not as good as Phoenix Mountain. After attacking Hongshan and then Shuangfeng Mountain, the artillery could bombard Wuchang City. [Hongshan is in the southeast of Wuchang, with Shuangfeng Mountain in front, then Dadongmen and Xiaodongmen. That section of the city wall happens to be the southern end of Snake Mountain]

"Agui has more than 20,000 troops, and with the cavalry, the fighting strength is still very strong. If Ma Mingxun also steps in, there will be more than 40,000 Qing troops north of the Yangtze River. And Fang Shi in the south of the Yangtze River With Jun and Shi Liang, the Qing army's combat strength will definitely reach more than 60,000 people."

"But these 60,000 people Agui can't fit together. Shi Liang and Fang Shijun are sincerely rescuing Wuchang Mansion. Ma Mingxun's team is uncertain. The morale of the Sichuan army is low. There is no need to be afraid. Ma Mingxun is coming from the west. , Xiaogan or Hanchuan, if you want to threaten Hanyang you must pass through these two places;

A Gui's men came from Henan to threaten Hanyang, and they had to go beyond Xiaogan.

Our army will allocate part of its military strength to Xiaogan and Hanchuan, equipped with artillery. If the Qing army wants to collide head-on, what if we fight them? "

"The most important thing now is the Battle of Wuchang. The progress during the day is too slow, and the situation has changed. We can't afford to waste time in Wuchang. Then we will fight at night." What Chen Ming wants to do now is fight at night, and send troops to rush in at night. In the trench area of ​​the Qing army, the Qing soldiers were exhausted again and again, fighting battle after battle. No matter the cost, he defeated the Qing soldiers. The morale of the last batch of recruits recruited in northern Jiangsu has returned to the standard, and now is the time to sharpen them.

"Grand Governor, the Qing troops from Henan went south because the last general failed to capture the three passes of Yiyang in time. The last general asked for orders to go north and compete with the Tatars in Xiaogan."

Chen Yongsheng's expression changed again and again, and finally he gritted his teeth and stood up to beg. Chen Ming's eyes were also on him for the first time in today's meeting. Chen Yongsheng took the initiative to ask for Xiaogan, which was tantamount to letting go of the credit for the Wuchang battle. Now he was carrying orders from the deputy commander-in-chief of the former army. The commander-in-chief was Chen Qi. As long as the troops across the river fought bloody battles with the Qing army at night at all costs, the senior officers of the Fuhan Army present would not How long do you think the Qing army can sustain its bravery?

"Okay. Just take the First Brigade to Xiaogan, and I will assign you an artillery battalion."

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief." Chen Yongsheng loudly accepted the order. His face was full of determination, but no one knew that his heart was empty at the moment. Agui led the Qing army from Henan to the south. The Fuhan army did not block the three passes of Yiyang. Whose fault was this? It must belong to Chen Yongsheng.

But Chen Ming never punished him or even reprimanded him after arriving in Hanyang. He only said four words to him: "Compassion does not control soldiers." Then Chen Yongsheng mobilized his troops to crush the Qing army in Hanyang overnight, and captured Hanyang Fucheng the next day. Then the naval battalion first swept away the water platoons set up by the Qing army on the river, etc., and then assisted the troops to cross the river. Chen Yongsheng was still the general in the army second only to Chen Qi.

But Chen Yongsheng himself did not feel relieved. He still remembered Huang Jie, because the battle at the Poyang Lake was not ideal, and then he was suppressed by Chen Ming in the army. The task of attacking Anqing was given up by the latecomer. Gao Pingshan made a mistake. So Gao Pingshan became the brigade commander of the second brigade in Anqing. Huang Jie didn't climb up until he arrived in Yangzhou, and his unit number could only be the third brigade.

Chen Ming's personality is not complicated. He is not harsh, strict, or a perfectionist. Just like the steady impression he gives people, he is very upright and steady. Therefore, he remembers some things very clearly, and basically punishes mistakes and rewards merits.

This kind of leader is actually very good, better than the kind of leader who has a little notebook in his heart, remembers everything for you, and when he pampers you, big mistakes and small mistakes are not worth mentioning, but when he hates you, he reveals everything at once. It is much easier to serve than such a leader. It's like you hold your breath underwater for one minute a day, it's okay, and you remember it every day. When you are asked to hold your breath underwater for 365 minutes in one breath during the Chinese New Year, you will definitely be reincarnated. I also pray that I can be reborn in the martial arts world in my next life and learn the turtle breathing technique...

Chen Yongsheng took the initiative to propose to go to Xiaogan this time, and he also had a tentative mind. If Chen Ming did not take the matter of the three passes of Yiyang and the delay of the offensive in Huangpi and Hanyang seriously, his request would most likely be rejected by Chen Ming directly. After all, the attack on Wuchang is the most important. But in fact, not only did Chen Ming not reject it, but he also agreed to it, but he was a little slow. What does this show? This shows that Chen Ming has kept his "mistake" in mind.

The reason why he did not attack was just to capture Wuchang. It should be that Chen Yongsheng had been the main general in the front army before, and it was not good to put him in the back all of a sudden. But now that Chen Yongsheng took the initiative to propose to go to Xiaogan, Chen Ming just went with the flow.

This military meeting ended quickly. Because there is nothing to focus on, there are only three points: First, the Qing army outside is very powerful, but not scary, because they can't make a fist with five fingers; second, Xiaogan and Hanchuan must be defended, and this is enough; third, the strategy for attacking Wuchang must be changed, just like the previous battle in Hanyang, fighting hard at night, the army must take Wuchang City as soon as possible to shake up the momentum.

No one thinks that sending Chen Yongsheng to Xiaogan to defend against the Qing army is a demotion. He is still the commander of the first brigade, and the Grand Commander specially assigned him an extra battalion of artillery. How can this be considered a demotion? Chen Yongsheng himself said that the Qing army in Henan went south to threaten the back of the army, and it was all because he failed to take the three passes of Yiyang in time. He made up for the mess he made himself. How can this be considered a demotion?

That afternoon, countless ships traveled back and forth on the surface of the Yangtze River east of Wuchang. Batches of ammunition were sent to the south bank of the river, batches of fresh troops were sent to the south bank of the river, and a team was sent back from the south to the north of the river.

Aligun did not feel any changes in the Fu Han Army, except that the bombardment in the afternoon was reduced.

Gong Zhaolin led tens of thousands of Hunan militiamen to Wuchang City, allowing Aligun's troops to expand to more than 20,000 people. In addition, a secret report was sent from Jiangbei this afternoon that Agui had led part of the Henan army to Xinyang in the south, and would soon pass Wusheng Pass and enter Hubei.

Tens of thousands of troops suddenly rushed out from Henan. Chen Ming didn't know whether the baggage supply, food and military supplies of the Qing army led by Agui could keep up. More than 20,000 troops and more than 20,000 people are completely two concepts. But no matter what, the Hanyang Prefecture area north of De'an and Xiaogan was still the world of the Qing Dynasty, and food could still be supplied in the short term. Or as long as Agui has silver in his hand, he can mobilize all the army's needs except for arms in De'an to the maximum extent. As long as he has silver in his hand, the government of De'an can get enough wealth from the local big families with empty words.

In the lobby of the government office in Zhongxiang, Anlu Prefecture.

Sichuan Admiral Ma Mingxun knelt on the ground, and the big sweat drops dripped on the stone slab below, leaving one round watermark after another. In front of him was a second-class guard dressed in a yellow jacket, who was asking questions on behalf of Agui. The guard spoke slowly, but like a knife, peeling off the layers of small thoughts and calculations in Ma Mingxun's heart.

Why didn't Ma Mingxun listen to Aligun's orders, and why did he retreat to Xiaogan without authorization after the defeat in Huangpi? And then fled all the way to Anlu Prefecture? Isn't it because he doesn't want to fight to the death with the Fu Han Army. He also thinks that the Sichuan Army has worked hard and made great contributions.

From last year to this year, the Sichuan Army went out of Sichuan in batches, fighting in the provinces, and had no news from their hometowns for a long time. The morale was low and the army had no fighting spirit. This was understandable. But Agui asked Ma Mingxun, what did he want to do by obeying the will of the army and avoiding and fearing fighting? Was he trying to buy the will of the army?

Ma Mingxun knew very well what the next sentence of buying the will of the army was? He knelt on the ground and was really scared at this moment.

Ma Mingxun did not have the heart to be a warlord. He did feel that he had obeyed the will of the army before, and he was not afraid of being punished by the court. Because this was based on the Sichuan Army's hard work and great contributions in the battlefield of Hubei for more than a year. Besides, in the Battle of Huangpi, whether it was Aligun or Zhu Gui, they all watched the Sichuan Army fight alone, holding heavy troops but reluctant to send them out. Ma Mingxun was holding back a fire in his heart. So he ran away, not to Hanyang Prefecture, but to Xiaogan. He felt that he had run away with his troops. If Aligun dared to bring the matter to the emperor, he could tell the whole story. This was not to win the hearts of the soldiers. He had served in Sichuan for a long time and did not want to see his Sichuan soldiers die in vain in a foreign land. He had no intention of winning the hearts of the soldiers. But now think about it...

Since Ma Mingxun, the twenty or thirty Sichuan army officers above the rank of Dusi behind him also knelt on the ground obediently, not daring to make a sound. It was completely different from when they cursed Aligun and Zhu Gui.

"Lord Zhongtang has ordered that General Ma quickly reorganize the Sichuan Army and attack the rebel Chen in Hanyang along the Han River."