1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3859

Cheng Yunya didn't even have time to put on his coat before he hurried outside to look around. The inn where he was staying was not far from the riverbank, and he could see the river view not far from the door.

The morning mist had mostly dissipated over the river, revealing a clear view of the opposite bank. As expected, the report from his subordinates was correct: the hundreds of large ships that had been densely packed at the Yanziji Wharf on the opposite bank had all vanished without a trace.

Having been busy in Nanjing for so long, Cheng Yunya certainly understood what the scene before him meant.

The sudden disappearance of these ships at Yanziji Wharf could only mean one thing: the Haihan Army's fleet chose to depart quietly before dawn.

By the time people in the surrounding area noticed something amiss in the morning, the fleet had probably already reached the Taipingfu section of the river upstream.

This was clearly done to minimize the variables during the operation and make it difficult for the enemy to predict the progress of the Haihan Army's march on the Yangtze River.

In fact, before the main force set off overnight, several warships had already sailed in several groups to various ports and wharves along the upstream coast to impose a temporary blockade on the areas. This blockade would not be lifted until at least two days after the main force had passed through, in order to clear the river surface in advance and create conditions for the main force to move quickly.

However, Cheng Yunya was completely unaware of this beforehand. Upon seeing this scene, he recalled Qin Jian's vague remarks about the dispatching of Yanziji Wharf yesterday, which coincided with the sudden launch of the Haihan Army.

Although Cheng Yunya was not a spy, he had his own mission. He had to find a way to send back any new developments in Nanjing to Jiujiang as soon as possible so that his boss could be prepared.

However, the Haihan Army launched its attack without warning and blocked the main transportation routes from Nanjing to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Even if the message could be sent back to Jiujiang, it would probably be too late.

At this moment, Cheng Yunya could only pray that Haihan would fulfill its agreement with its boss and take over Jiujiang peacefully.

In fact, Cheng Yunya from the Ming Dynasty was not the only one who harbored this wish. Many people in the fleet that was currently sailing to Jiujiang also hoped that the mission could be completed without fighting.

Ning Zijing was clearly one of them. His ideas were in line with those of his father, Ning Qi, who believed that military force was only a last resort and that peaceful handover was the most ideal way for the old and new to succeed each other.

The Executive Committee's appointment documents for Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi were not sent to Nanjing by telegram until yesterday, along with the Executive Committee's approval of the action's launch time—midnight that day.

The appointment letter confirmed Ning Zijing as the first governor dispatched by Haihan to Jiujiang Prefecture, while Ha Jianyi would serve as the garrison commander. Having received these appointments, it was only natural that the two of them would participate in this operation.

Ning Zijing did indeed want to personally verify whether the peaceful transition plan claimed by Tao Hongfang and Shi Chengwu was truly feasible. If this approach could be implemented in Jiujiang, it might be possible to extend it to a larger area in the future. This operation was commanded by Shi Chengwu, who spearheaded the entire plan, while Tao Hongfang remained in Nanjing, providing logistical support for the Haihan Army organization launching the attack.

However, Ning Zijing, who came from a civil service background, was actually participating in such a military operation of conquering cities and seizing territories for the first time, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Shi Chengwu noticed Ning Zijing's unease and comforted him with a smile: "Zijing, we have already reached an agreement with the prefect of Jiujiang on the handover. If everything goes smoothly, there will be no fighting, and it will be considered an armed parade. Even if some unforeseen circumstances arise that require military means to resolve, we have made the corresponding preparations and it will not affect the final outcome of this trip."

Ning Zijing said, "Actually, I'm also a little curious about how many Ming troops are stationed in Jiujiang, and what their attitude is towards this matter."

Shi Chengwu said, "Jiujiang has an important geographical location. Originally, it was garrisoned with one guard and six garrisons. However, Jiujiang Guard is located in Jiangxi, but it is under the jurisdiction of Nanjing. This made it inconvenient to manage and naturally caused many problems. During the Wanli period, Jiujiang Guard was gradually transferred to the jurisdiction of Jiangxi. However, this also reduced most of the funding, and the number of guards and their benefits gradually shrank."

"By the Chongzhen era, the situation of Jiujiang Guard was almost the same as that of most other guard posts, with a chaotic organization and a serious decline in combat effectiveness. However, a few years ago, due to the defeat in Yingtian Prefecture, the Ming army that retreated to Jiangxi was disbanded, and some of them were added to Jiujiang Guard, which could be considered to have reached the standard of full strength."

"According to the prefect of Jiujiang, the attitudes of the various military leaders in Jiujiang are not the same. Some want to hand over their military power in exchange for a better future with our country; others believe that in chaotic times, only having troops in hand is the foundation for survival, so they do not intend to surrender to us. Of course, they have no intention of resisting, so they are likely to choose to retreat and escape to avoid a direct confrontation with our army."

Ning Zijing nodded and said, "So, there shouldn't be any Ming navy on the Yangtze River that can threaten us?"

Shi Chengwu said, "When we attacked Yingtian Prefecture, the Ming army had already gathered almost all of its naval forces in the Yangtze River basin below Hubei, wanting to defeat us through a decisive battle. However, things did not go as planned. Almost all of the Ming navy that participated in the battle was lost, and it has not yet recovered its strength. The entire Jiangxi navy only has thirty or forty ships in total. Even if they come to fight, they will only be giving away their credit for nothing."

Hearing this, Ning Zijing felt much more at ease. The two armies were vastly different in strength, and the Ming army had almost no chance of winning, so it was no wonder that the enemy had no intention of resisting.

Ning Zijing then remembered something else and asked, "Between Jiujiang Prefecture and Nanjing, there should be several other prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. After we take Jiujiang, what should we do with these places?"

Shi Chengwu said, "Taiping Prefecture on the south bank of the Yangtze River was brought under the jurisdiction of Nanjing two years ago. Further upstream, the Tongling County under the jurisdiction of Chizhou Prefecture has also been taken over by our country. After taking Jiujiang, we can naturally take over Chizhou, which is sandwiched in the middle."

"As for Hezhou, Luzhou, and Anqing on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it will take some time to digest them. But as long as we control the Yangtze River shipping route from Jiujiang to Nanjing, the ownership of these riverside prefectures will be a foregone conclusion. It's just a matter of when we can free up our resources to occupy these places."

At the height of his enthusiasm, Shi Chengwu raised his arm and pointed towards the river ahead, saying, "Zijing, after taking Jiujiang, our forces can then directly target the Poyang Lake Plain and the Jianghan Plain in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. If the Ming Dynasty sends troops to rescue us, that's exactly what we want. We can use the Yangtze River to quickly mobilize our troops and wipe out their main force along the river. If the Ming Dynasty sits idly by, then we can easily take over these two rich lands!"