Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 282 War clouds gather

Although Qian Qianyi was trying hard to gain a foothold in Meng Zhou's power, Meng Jun had a very bad impression of him. Qian Qianyi contacted many officials in the shogunate, but every time he submitted a petition to appoint Qian Qianyi, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response.

Qian Qianyi felt helpless and could only try to go the wife route. Meng Bian was the most trusted confidant of Meng Jun, and his wife Gu Qingmei had an old relationship with his wife Liu Rushi. In addition, Qian Qianyi was a relative of the king and had made contributions in opening the city. Qian Qianyi felt that this time he would be successful.

However, Qian Qianyi asked his wife Liu Rushi to write a letter to contact Gu Qingmei not because he wanted to be an official directly, but because he wanted to meet Meng Jun. He had a good plan in mind and wanted to present it to King Zhou. Qian Qianyi believed that if this plan succeeded, it would definitely change the situation in the world.

…………

Jiujiang City.

When Meng Jun arrived at Jiujiang City, the army had already gathered in Jiujiang City, including Changlin Town, Guwu Town of Bai Yongfu, Wuxing Town of Wang Fugui, Wuning Town of Qian Biao, Wusheng Town of Liang Sanhu, Wuping Town of Wu Tiao, and two towns built by Wang Deren and Zhang Yingwei who were appointed to select the surrendered soldiers.

Meng Jun planned to organize Wang Deren's troops into Pingdu Town and Zhang Yingwei's troops into Pingguo Town. Most of the troops to be added to each town after the war were selected from the service army.

In the camp outside Jiujiang City, there were a total of eight regiments of soldiers, 10,000 soldiers equipped with firearms to break the enemy's will, 5,000 heavy armored soldiers, 2,600 cavalry, and seven regiments of soldiers still on duty, totaling more than 21,000 people. Not counting the Ningwu regiment of Lin Shiqi's troops that was about to arrive, and the Kewu regiment of Han Xiong who had already sent troops north, there were nearly 120,000 soldiers ready to fight outside Jiujiang City.

Outside the city of Jiujiang, the camp where more than 100,000 troops gathered was a spectacular scene. The military camps were connected, as majestic and shocking as the boundless ocean. In the military camps, battle flags were like a forest, and soldiers with helmets and spears were everywhere. Teams of inspectors patrolled back and forth along the camps, and those who violated military discipline would be punished on the spot.

Thanks to the strict health regulations established by Meng Jun from the beginning of the army's establishment, such a large army has never suffered from large-scale casualties due to plague, malaria, or other injuries and illnesses.

The army gathered, which was the prelude to war. As soon as Meng Jun entered the military camp and the royal tent, he issued urgent orders, ordering Lin Shiqi to leave the army and arrive in Jiujiang first for military discussions.

At this time, military reports from all parties were gathered in the army from time to time. When Meng Jun's army began to slowly gather in Jiujiang, Haoge of the Qing army stopped his steps to Changsha in the south. The army was divided into two groups and retreated to Wuchang, Xianning, Ezhou and other places. As for Ruichang, which was close to Jiujiang, Haoge had already withdrawn all the garrisons in the city and retreated to Ezhou.

On the afternoon of the third day after Meng Jun arrived in Jiujiang, Lin Shiqi arrived in a dusty state, accompanied by Meng Hong who was about to go to Kuidong.

Meng Jun patted Lin Shiqi on the shoulder and said, "Shiqi, you can handle this on your own!"

Lin Shiqi looked calm and composed. He just smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. There will be no bloody battles in this expedition. The battle of Nanling City has already frightened the remnants of the Jin army. My expedition to Jiangxi is just like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. They surrendered without any effort."

Meng Jun showed a hint of smile on his face, then turned around and said to Meng Hong: "An old horse in the stable still has ambitions to run a thousand miles. Yunfeng was sent as an envoy to Nanchang and recovered the whole of Gan without bloodshed. His contribution is unparalleled. This time he was sent as an envoy to Changsha and reached an alliance with the King of Jin. Yunfeng is really my Su Qin and Zhang Yi!"

Meng Hong, however, had an expression of pride on his face, and replied excitedly: "Your Majesty, it has been said since ancient times that there are many good horses, but few good horse trainers. I was originally an inferior horse, but Your Majesty had a keen eye for talent and selected me when I was insignificant. How dare I not work hard for you?"

Meng Jun chuckled. He was quite pleased with the old man's flattery. However, Meng Jun turned to business and asked Meng Hong, "Yunfeng, do you have any plans for this mission to Kuidong?"

"Your Majesty, although I have a little understanding of the situation in Kuidong, the forces of all parties are too complicated. It is too early to make any plans at this time. I would like to contact Du Dushi first and act accordingly."

Meng Jun nodded when he heard this, but after hesitating for a moment as he looked at the gray-haired Meng Hong, he couldn't help but say, "Yunfeng, the road is dangerous, be careful."

Meng Hong was deeply moved when he heard this and bowed, "Your Majesty, you have shown me great kindness. Even with my old body, I am still able to accomplish such a great feat. I have left my name in the annals of history. Even if I die, I will have no regrets."

Meng Jun was silent as he watched Meng Hong leave. Lin Shiqi said, "Old man Meng is in good health. He is done in this battle. Let him go back to Nanjing and leave a descendant. It is rare for someone to be childless at such an old age."

Meng Jun did not respond to Lin Shiqi's words. He watched Meng Hong's back disappear outside the camp gate before he said calmly, "Beat the drums, gather the generals!"

Meng Jun's main force entered Jiujiang from the east. The scouts were scattered far and wide and had already passed Ruichang City. The farthest ones had already run to the city of Yangxin. The news they brought back was that Haoge withdrew his troops and defended the three cities of Ezhou, Wuchang, and Xianning.

After three drum beats, all the generals gathered in the central army tent.

Lin Shiqi, Bai Yongfu, Wang Fugui, Gao Yi, Wang Deren, Zhang Yingwei, Wu Tiao, Liang Sanhu, Qian Biao, Huang Cheng, as well as the commander of the scout battalion Zhang Chengsheng, plus a group of civil servants, the entire central army tent was packed.

Meng Jun sat in the main seat. On a wide table was a large map. Meng Jun motioned Zhang Chengsheng to come up and describe the current situation.

Zhang Chengsheng stepped forward and said to the generals, "After the investigation of the scout camp these days, the Hauge tribe has about 50,000 people, of which the Manchu Eight Banners should have 8,000, the Mongolian cavalry is about 4,000, the Han Army Banner should be around 10,000, and the rest are all Green Camps. Most of them were formed in Sichuan and Shaanxi, and they are stationed in Xianning, Wuchang, and Ezhou. The main force is stationed in Wuchang. The number of soldiers in Ezhou is unknown, but it is at least no less than 10,000."

"Where is Duoduo now?" Lin Shiqi asked.

"There was a secret report from Xinyang yesterday that Duoduo's troops would cross the border on November 26th." Meng Bian said.

Bai Yongfu came closer, looked for a while, and said, "From Xinyang to Wuchang, it's more than 400 miles, and Duoduo's vanguard will need at least 12 days to travel."

At this time, Wu Tiao asked, "Where is the Zheng family's army?"

"There was a report this morning that the Zheng family fleet has entered the Yangtze River estuary. The shogunate is providing food for the Zheng army at Huangtian Port in Jiangyin. It is estimated that it will take another seven or eight days to reach Jiujiang."

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, we should contact the King of Jin and order the Jin army to send troops. Changsha is too far away, and the Jin army must at least move to Yueyang." Lin Shiqi said in a deep voice.

(I have had a cold these past two days, so I feel like writing is not going well π_π)