Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 295 Send Troops

Previously, Zhou's army was located in the southeast and its strategic position was very passive. Although there was the danger of the Yangtze River, if the Huguang area was occupied by the Qing army, they would move downstream and Zhou's army would have no place to defend. If they were not careful, they would suffer a disastrous defeat and it would be difficult for them to turn the situation around.

The situation was tense, the Qing court was watching covetously, and Zhou's army was always in danger. Therefore, although Meng Jun wanted to reform the current ills, he had not yet gained a firm foothold, so he did not dare to make any big moves. Meng Jun could only hide his intentions.

Even though Meng Jun defeated Lekedehun and took over Jiangxi, the external strategic environment has improved slightly. Compared with the past when the Zhou army only had Suzhou and Hangzhou, the Zhou army now has some room for error. Even if it suffers one or two defeats or makes some policy mistakes, Meng Jun still has a chance to turn the tables.

Although Meng Jun could not compare with the Qing court in terms of area, the territories occupied by Zhou's army were all the best areas. After Lin Shiqi issued an edict to conquer Jiangxi, Meng Jun issued an edict to appease the officials of Jiangxi in order to stabilize the local area as soon as possible so as to take over Jiangxi smoothly and quickly.

It was not until Meng Jun arrived in Jiujiang that many county officials from northern Ganzhou went to Jiujiang to pay a visit to Meng Jun. Meng Jun comforted the officials with kind words, which put many officials at ease.

Jiangxi is a land of fish and rice. Although it was bullied by Jin Shenghuan, its foundation is still good.

However, as Duoduo went south and the Qing court gathered troops in Huguang, Meng Jun also contacted various parties and gathered troops. Both sides tried to achieve their goal in one battle. Meng Jun stood in the camp outside Jiujiang City, and the feeling of walking on thin ice once again surged into his heart.

The day after the banquet, Meng Jun, Li Dingguo and Zheng Sangong gathered together to discuss the joint military strategy of the three armies.

In the military tent, a huge map was hung above, on which was marked the known distribution of troop forces of the Qing army and the terrain and topography of their garrisons.

Li Dingguo's intention was that Duoduo had just arrived and his foothold was unstable, so the three armies should attack Wuchang together and drive Duoduo off the Yangtze River in one fell swoop.

Zheng Chenggong also supported preemptive action, but he also suggested using the navy to transport infantry across the river in an attempt to cut off the Qing army's food supply.

Meng Jun already understood what the two men were thinking. He knew very well that this decision would affect the outcome of the battlefield, the fate of the world, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Meng Jun looked at the location of Wuchang on the map for a long time without saying a word, but in the end, he agreed with the advice of Li Dingguo and Zheng Chenggong and took the initiative to send troops to Wuchang.

Meng Jun finally decided to send troops, not because Li Dingguo and Zheng Chenggong were the two people who persevered to the end in the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, but because of many reasons. As Li Dingguo said, Duoduo's army had just moved south from the north and could not fully adapt to the southern climate. Moreover, since this army had traveled thousands of miles from Beijing to Huguang, the Qing army must be very tired.

What's more important is that nearly 500,000 people are not engaged in production and are only supported by the shogunate. Yang En is no longer hinting to Meng Jun in a subtle way, but is actually explaining the difficulties of the shogunate. The shogunate can only support the army's campaign in Huguang for four months. If it drags on, not only will the army's food supply be difficult to sustain, but even the shogunate will collapse.

Meng Bian also told Meng Jun one more thing, that is, many refugees in the north of the Yangtze River were trying to cross the river and pour into the south of the Yangtze River.

The reason for the emergence of these refugees was the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the fighting and stalemate between the Qing army and the Zhou army in the south of the Yangtze River.

In addition, the Qing court occupied the north and the southeast was controlled by Meng Jun. The world was falling apart. When the nest is overturned, all eggs will be broken. All walks of life in society suffered a huge impact.

Especially for the cities along both sides of the Grand Canal, Meng Jun now controls the south of the Yangtze River, so it is naturally impossible for him to transport supplies to the north. Therefore, the Grand Canal, which was once extremely busy, now has very few ships sailing on it.

This dealt the greatest blow to the water transport industry, which was almost completely paralyzed. People who originally relied on water transport for their livelihood also lost their jobs.

Tens of millions of canal workers, boat trackers, and dock porters lost their jobs and were struggling to make ends meet. According to intelligence obtained by Meng Bian, some canal workers had already gathered together to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and rise up in rebellion. Although all these chaos occurred under the rule of the Qing court, as the saying goes, "a move will kill a tree if it is not moved, and a move will save a person." Many people heard that the south of the Yangtze River was prosperous, so they fled the north, which was once again in chaos, and headed towards Meng Jun's rule.

But as more and more refugees poured into Nanjing, this became a major hidden danger in the shogunate.

If Meng Jun had enough land or some colonies, he could provide wasteland for the refugees to open up, but Meng Jun doesn't have that much land now, and there is no industry that can provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of refugees.

In response to this, Meng Jun could only send a letter to Yang En, ordering him to recruit some of the physically qualified canal workers, civilian laborers, etc. into the army to prevent these people from becoming refugees.

At that time, Meng Bian said to Meng Jun: "Your Majesty, the Qing court is already in great difficulty. Many secret reports say that Dorgon has forcibly collected food and salaries from all over the country. In order to supply the Qing army in Huguang, Dorgon has continued to collect Liao salaries and also collected salaries to suppress bandits. If it drags on for another year or two, Dorgon will probably be defeated without being defeated, because the Qing court can no longer delay."

Meng Jun responded to Meng Bian's words with a wry smile. He knew very well that the Qing court could not drag it out any longer. If it tried to drag Duoduo down by dragging it out, he would probably end up being brought down as well.

No matter what Meng Jun was thinking, on this New Year's Eve, Meng Jun spent the New Year with his soldiers in the Jiujiang camp. Looking at those smiling faces, or those laughing and scolding, Meng Jun couldn't help but think in his heart, can they survive this battle?

The next day, early morning.

Meng Jun looked at the pale east and could not help but be stunned. The night was finally over, and it was a new year again. This was his fourth year in this era. After the military meeting ended, Li Dingguo rushed back to Changsha without stopping, intending to lead his troops north to attack Wuchang.

Just when Meng Jun was a little dazed, Yu An walked up to Meng Jun and said, "My king, it's cold, put on more clothes."

Meng Jun came back to his senses after hearing this, shook his head, and then as if he felt something, he looked to the right, only to see Li Wendao turning out of the tent.

Meng Jun looked at Li Wendao and said with a smile: "Master, why don't you go to Jiujiang City to tell fortunes today?"

"Fortune-telling is just my hobby. It doesn't matter if I don't go for a few days." Li Wendao bowed and replied in a calm tone.

Meng Jun just smiled and didn't answer. Li Wendao walked up to him, looked at Meng Jun carefully, and said, "Has the king made a decision?"

Meng Jun frowned when he heard this and asked, "What?"

"Your Majesty's expression is becoming more and more resolute. This must be a sign that you have made up your mind about something important, so I asked this question."

Meng Jun was moved after hearing this: "Oh, then the Taoist priest may be able to figure out whether my decision is correct?"

Li Wendao laughed and said, "Your Majesty is teasing me. Your Majesty is not an ordinary person. What you think is correct."

Meng Jun was delighted and in a good mood. He asked again, "What if I change my mind again? Is that correct?"

"I have been blessed with the destiny. Everything I do is just and everything I think is God's will!" Li Wendao said confidently, holding his head high.

After these words were spoken, Meng Jun laughed loudly and walked away with big strides, saying as he walked: "Master, you are such a wonderful person!"

Yu An, who was walking behind, turned around and glared at Li Wenda. He thought to himself that he had always believed in Li Wenda. Of course, he still believed in his divinations now. However, Yu An already had some doubts about Li Wenda's character. What immortal airs? Pah, he was just a flatterer. Whatever he thought was all God's will. Yu An wanted to cover his ears when he heard this.

........................

Wuchang, temporary Prince Su's palace.

At this time, Haoge looked at his uncle Duoduo expressionlessly. Standing next to Duoduo was He Luohui. Haoge turned to He Luohui with a sinister look, as if he wished to eat this man alive. However, He Luohui turned a blind eye and didn't care at all.

Why Hauge hated He Luohui so much was a matter of several years ago.

It was in the first year of Shunzhi's reign. Once, Haoge said to He Luohui, Luo Shuo and Yang Shan: "Gushan Ezhen Tan Tai, the commander of the guards Tulai and Qixin Lang Suoni have all been attached to me. Now they are leading two flags to attach themselves to Prince Rui."

This means that these people supported him before, but now they have turned to rely on Dorgon. The implication is that these people are sycophantic and will join whoever has power!

After venting his dissatisfaction in front of He Luohui and others, Haoge pointed the finger at Dorgon and said: "Prince Rui is always ill, how can he manage the affairs in the end! If he can employ the capable ones, then I should employ the incompetent ones."

Hauge added: "You have received my kindness, so you should serve me. You can watch his movements carefully."

Yang Shan immediately expressed his loyalty and said, "We are willing to die for Wu Zheng and sacrifice our lives for him. Will the king not be at ease?" Luo Shuo said the same thing.

Hauge hated Dorgon, who was competing with him for the throne, and often complained about him, but Hauge only spoke to Yang Shan, He Luohui and Luo Shuo.

Another time, Haoge said to He Luohui and the other two: "Prince Rui is not a blessed man, but a sick man. How long will he live to complete his mission?"

Especially after drinking, Hauge even cursed angrily: "How can I be like that sick man! I wish I could tear his neck with my own hands and kill him!"

But these private conversations were only known to He Luohui, Luo Shuo and Yang Shan.

However, He Luohui believed that Haoge's words were perverse and he was extremely irritable, and was not a suitable person to be a ruler. Therefore, in the first year of Shunzhi, He Luohui reported Haoge's perverse words to Dorgon.

Therefore, Dorgon summoned all the kings, beile, beizi, and internal ministers to jointly try Hauge. Hauge did not hide the fact that he had said these words.

But Hauge was, after all, the eldest son of the previous emperor, with an important identity and status. Dorgon had only been assisting the government for a short time, and his position was not solid, so he did not dare to imprison or detain Hauge. He only imposed the following punishment: seizing the soldiers of the Ten Niulu under his command and fining him five thousand taels of silver.

As for the treatment of those involved, there was no leniency at all, and the situation was full of blood. Yang Shan was charged with (joining the king to cause chaos and not turning himself in), that is, he did not expose or report the incident, so he was executed.

Luo Shuo's crime was (breaking the law and flattering the king, he was once forbidden to approach the king, but later he went back and forth with the king and had private discussions), and he was also executed.

At the same time, Yang Shanluoshuo's property was confiscated and given to Turai, who served the country. Gushan Ezhen Heluo was able to remain loyal and report the rebellion of his leader, and was therefore favored by Dorgon.

Therefore, Haoge deeply hated He Luohui, the man who betrayed him. Seeing He Luohui standing in front of Duoduo, Haoge sneered and said, "A traitor is even more hateful. Prince Yu, you should be very careful!"

Duoduo was calm and unperturbed, saying calmly, "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it. If Prince Su hadn't slandered Prince Rui, how could he have suffered in the past?"

Upon hearing this, Haoge angrily cursed: "How could a Manchu boy produce a traitor like He Luohui? You may have the blood of a southerner, you are despicable and shameless!"

After hearing this, Duoduo smiled calmly, not taking it as an offense, and said slowly: "Don't be impatient, it's been so long, there's nothing to worry about."

The conversation between the two was like a battle between two armies, with swords drawn. Seeing this, Bolo on the side didn't dare to say a word, but just stared at his feet.

Hearing this, Haoge became even angrier. Just as he was about to start cursing, a Goshha hurried in and said, "Your Highnesses, the Meng thieves have sent out their troops!"

Haoge and Duoduo had no time to argue, and stood up one after another.

Haoge asked anxiously, "How many soldiers did the Meng thief send?"

"According to the scouts, Meng Jun swore an oath to march out to Jiujiang City. The entire army is heading out, and the army is said to be 500,000 strong!"

"Five hundred thousand, how is that possible!" Duoduo was stunned when he heard this, but he quickly reacted and said with a sneer.

But when the army attacked, Haoge and Duoduo successively issued orders, ordering the army to prepare to meet the enemy. After giving the order, Duoduo was a little angry, and cursed at Bolo beside him: "Meng the thief treats me as nothing, and he doesn't want to die sitting still, but dares to imitate the mantis!"

…………

Outside Jiujiang City, the army gathered, flags fluttered, and war drums rumbled. It was a solemn and magnificent scene. Meng Jun stood on a high platform, wearing black armor, a red robe, and a long sword on his waist. He stood on the high platform, looking majestic.

The morale of the troops is high, no further explanation is needed.

"If the soldiers retreat, they will be killed; if the generals retreat, they will be killed; if the commanders retreat, they will be killed! This time, we will not return until Duoduo is defeated!"

Countless messengers spread Meng Jun's words to all directions.

After a while, all the soldiers shouted in unison: "Soldiers retreat, be killed; generals retreat, be killed; commanders retreat, be killed! We will not return until Duoduo is defeated!" The sound was so loud, like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting. The roars were as powerful as a rainbow and could be heard clearly for dozens of miles around.

With Meng Jun's order, the army set off.

Looking from a high place, one could see that outside the city of Jiujiang, the army was overwhelming. Looking around, there were dense crowds of people moving around. The word "huge" was not enough to describe the large number of Zhou troops.

Occasionally passing by an undulating road, it was like a black shadow of the god of death, terrifying. The army went up the river, and on the Yangtze River, the Zheng family's navy was mighty, and the warships broke through the river water, splashing layers of turbid waves.

Meng Jun stood on his horse, looking at the army moving like swarms, thinking deeply.

Originally thought that dawn would come and the night would pass, but in this chaotic world, the night seemed to be rather long. Meng Jun looked up at the sky again. The war was about to begin. Could he survive this time?

(This chapter is a two-in-one chapterO)