1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3860

Although Ning Zijing was not a proponent of war, he couldn't help but feel excited when he heard Shi Chengwu describe the broad prospects.

Over the years, Ning Zijing had been reading the battle reports of great victories coming from the front lines while drinking tea in the rear. Although he felt excited and proud, it was not a real feeling. Compared with personally participating in the operation on the front lines now, it was a completely different feeling for him.

The uncles and elders who laid the foundation for the Han dynasty are now slowly growing old and gradually retiring to the second line, while the mission of expanding territory and unifying the world has begun to be handed over to their generation.

Ning Zijing clearly realized that Shi Chengwu and Tao Hongfang were obviously ahead of him, and their preparation for this mission was far more thorough than his own. While he was still worrying about whether he could successfully complete the task of taking over Jiujiang, they were already planning a larger-scale expansion.

Ning Zijing could sense from Shi Chengwu's tone and expression that the other party was not boasting, but rather had extremely strong confidence. This was probably due to his personal participation in and command of the attack on Yingtianfu a few years ago, which gave him a clear understanding of the military strength of the Ming Dynasty.

After personally capturing the most important fortress city of the Ming Dynasty south of the Yangtze River, conquering the world was probably just a matter of time for Shi Chengwu.

During the fleet's journey on the Yangtze River, someone would report every hour on the fleet's current speed, location, and the conditions of the next port, river confluence, and rapids.

Meanwhile, the local officials in the Ming-controlled areas along the route remained remarkably calm, with no one attempting to obstruct the fleet's advance. Not even a single fishing boat could be seen on the river, clearly having heard news of the approaching Haihan fleet and returned to port to seek shelter.

Two days after departing from Yanziji Wharf, the vanguard of the Haihan Army arrived in Pengze County, which marked their entry into the territory of Jiujiang Prefecture.

According to the prior agreement with Lu Congshan, the prefect of Jiujiang, no organized Ming troops would remain in Pengze County, and Magistrate Zhao Qing had also chosen to follow Lu Congshan's lead and hand over the administration of Pengze County when the Haihan Army arrived.

When Shi Chengwu's warship arrived at the dock near Pengze County, Magistrate Zhao Qing, along with more than fifty county officials and gentry, had been waiting on the shore for some time. Meanwhile, more than a thousand local people stood watching from a distance.

Once the ship docked and the gangplank was set up, Shi Chengwu invited Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi: "You two have probably never experienced a surrender ceremony like this before, right? Come ashore and take a look!"

Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi naturally accepted the offer. As Shi Chengwu said, they had only seen records of local governments surrendering in battle reports before, but this was the first time they had personally experienced such a scene.

Upon reaching the dock, they saw Zhao Qing, dressed in official robes, walking briskly towards them, carrying a tray in his hands. The item on the tray appeared to be the official seal.

As Zhao Qing approached, he introduced himself, saying, "Zhao Qing, the magistrate of Pengze County, along with the people of this county, invites you gentlemen to enter the city!"

Zhao Qing made a move to kneel, but Shi Chengwu quickly stepped forward and helped him up, saying, "Lord Zhao, there's no need for such formality! Your judgment and consideration for the overall situation have ensured the safety of the region, which is truly a blessing for the people of Pengze!"

Zhao Qing probably hadn't expected to receive such high praise from Shi Chengwu, and was quite excited. He quickly bowed and replied, "General, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise!" Magistrate Zhao Qing's presentation of the seal outside the city was mainly just a formality. The real handover would require Hai Han to enter the county government office to inventory the government's treasury, granary, files, and so on, and then take over local administrative, judicial, and public security affairs. It would definitely take several days to complete.

Shi Chengwu had a more important mission to fulfill, so he wouldn't linger in Pengze County for long. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhao Qing, he immediately appointed one of his battalion commanders to lead his troops into Pengze County to take charge of the handover.

As a local official familiar with the situation, Zhao Qing will continue to serve as an advisor in the county and assist Haihan in taking over Pengze.

Ning Zijing and Ha Jianyi were only formally appointed just before their departure, and they didn't have their own teams to work with yet, so they could only follow Shi Chengwu's arrangements for the time being.

Whether Zhao Qing was genuinely surrendering or planning some tricks, a battalion of Haihan Army soldiers was enough to keep the situation under control and thwart any conspiracy.

After quickly completing the handover ceremony, Shi Chengwu led the group back onto the ship, without any intention of actually going into the county town to take a look.

Ning Zijing understood that Shi Chengwu was in a hurry to go to Jiujiang, and he did not object. After taking Jiujiang, he could come to Pengze to see it for himself at any time.

Sailing upstream for another seventy li from the dock in Pengze County, the fleet arrived at the most important geographical location in Jiujiang Prefecture: the confluence of the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake.

If no one had explained it to him, Ning Zijing would never have associated such an ordinary river branch with a strategic location. Turning south from this river branch would lead him into Poyang Lake.

Many rivers in the heart of Jiangxi Province first flow into Poyang Lake and then into the Yangtze River from this point, highlighting the importance of the Hukou waterway in Jiangxi's entire shipping system.

Shi Chengwu was well aware of the significance of controlling this area, so he deployed a small fleet on this waterway, which was only two miles wide, to temporarily block the shipping routes from Poyang Lake to the Yangtze River.

Traveling another thirty li upstream from the Hukou River branch, you will reach the location of Jiujiang Prefecture.

This city, built along the river, may not be a large city, but because of its geographical location at the junction of Anhui, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces, and its status as a shipping hub for the entire Jiangxi province, it naturally became a regional commercial center.

According to the information Shi Chengwu possessed, Jiujiang was a trading hub for rice, tea, and porcelain, and more than half of the foreign trade activities in the entire Jiangxi region were carried out through Jiujiang.

Logically, such an important place should be heavily defended by the Ming Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty now has fewer and fewer troops available for combat. With no money or food, it is obviously impossible to deploy troops along the long contact line between the two countries. Troops can only be transferred to where the trouble occurs.

The plan to send troops to reinforce Jiujiang could not be realized in time for various reasons, which gave Lu Congshan, the prefect of Jiujiang, ample room to maneuver, allowing him to agree on a time with Haihan and complete the handover of Jiujiang Prefecture before the Ming Dynasty's response measures were in place.