1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3888

July arrived, and although the peace talks being held simultaneously in Hangzhou and Nanchang were still ongoing, no substantial progress had been made.

The Ming Dynasty could not agree to surrender the entire territory of Jiangxi in exchange for temporary peace. Haihan, on the other hand, was unwilling to give up and allow the Ming Dynasty to maintain its presence in Jiangxi.

However, during this period, the three routes of the Haihan Army that were attacking Jiangxi finally had time to rest and reorganize. The new government teams in various prefectures were also quietly replaced, with officials in Donghai, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Fujian receiving orders to take up their posts one after another.

The fighting between the two countries in the various prefectures was brief and limited in scale, resulting in relatively minor damage. Social order was quickly restored in some of the newly occupied territories. In most areas, people had already largely accepted the reality of the change of dynasty before the new local officials appointed by Haihan even took office, and returned to their original way of life.

The generals who commanded this operation finally met up at Zhao Family Village near Nanchang City to discuss their next move.

You Zhiyuan and Xu Kaiyuan had no objection to the peace talks currently being presided over by Shi Chengwu and Ha Jianyi. However, they both believed that the hope of peacefully taking over Nanchang should not be pinned on negotiations. As long as all participating troops were ready, they could launch a final general offensive against Nanchang.

Shi Chengwu had been preparing for war in this direction all along, and during the negotiations, he did not stop supplying various military supplies needed for the siege from the rear. In June alone, more than 400 ships carried military supplies from the Nanjing Yanziji Wharf in the rear to the front lines in Jiangxi.

These supplies included heavy artillery and its ammunition, as well as demolition weapons such as grenades, landmines, and explosives. At the same time, Shi Diwen also specially dispatched an engineering company and a sniper squad from the Zhoushan base to the Jiangxi front to reinforce the city, in preparation for the attack on Nanchang.

In addition, there were some secret weapons that were rarely used in actual combat before, which Shi Diwen also arranged for Shi Chengwu in advance.

Shi Chengwu certainly didn't think that he was the only one who could enjoy such treatment. He also knew that Xu Kaiyuan and You Zhiyuan each had powerful backgrounds, and that Fujian and Guangdong were also strong in military strength and military industry. He guessed that they probably still had some tricks up their sleeves.

If we attack Nanchang next, it will be a good opportunity to see the treasures of each school.

Once all three forces were ready, Shi Chengwu informed Zhao Mingyu that since the long negotiations had failed to reach an agreement, the ceasefire agreement would be terminated. The Haihan Army would continue its military operations in Jiangxi, but the Ming army would have two days to withdraw from Nanchang City. Otherwise, they would have to bear the consequences.

The situation that Zhao Mingyu had been worried about finally happened, but when he heard Shi Chengwu's ultimatum, he felt a sense of relief.

Although this was not an ideal outcome, Zhao Mingyu, as the key figure representing the Ming Dynasty in these negotiations, felt he had done his best and could say he had a clear conscience. Those in Nanchang who advocated for war, faced with this result, would likely be unable to accuse him of betraying his country for personal gain.

As he was leaving, Zhao Mingyu frankly stated his last request: "General Shi, when your country attacks Nanchang, I earnestly hope that you will cherish the lives of the people and minimize the harm to the innocent. On behalf of the people of Nanchang, I thank you, General!"

Whether Zhao Mingyu's tactic was moral blackmail or a genuine expression of his feelings, Shi Chengwu didn't care. He nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Lord Zhao, after the city falls, our army will strictly enforce discipline and refrain from killing or plundering civilians. We will also prioritize the safety of any Ming soldiers and your officials who lay down their weapons and surrender. Please convey this message to us, Lord Zhao." Zhao Mingyu smiled wryly, thinking to himself that such words were tantamount to persuading someone to surrender, and how could he possibly convey such a message?

Finally, Zhao Gan, the current manager of Zhao Family Village, escorted Zhao Mingyu and his group to the riverbank to board the boat.

Just before boarding the ship, Zhao Gan deliberately walked to Zhao Mingyu's side and whispered, "Lord Zhao, Nanchang City is already an ominous place. Why do you have to go back? Just find an excuse to stay here. At least you can safely avoid this calamity."

Zhao Mingyu solemnly replied, "As the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangxi, how can I, in this time of national crisis, flee to the enemy for my own selfish reasons? If Nanchang falls one day, I should remain in the city to live or die with them, only then can I be considered to have fulfilled my duty. This parting may be the last. From now on, you should manage Zhao Family Village well!"

Seeing this, Zhao Gan knew that Zhao Mingyu's mind was made up and that further persuasion would be useless, so he bowed deeply to Zhao Mingyu to express his respect.

After Zhao Mingyu and his party left by boat, Zhao Gan returned to the manor to report back to Shi Chengwu.

After hearing Zhao Mingyu's parting words, Shi Chengwu was quite moved and couldn't help but sigh, "Although this Lord Zhao is a bit pedantic, he is still a loyal minister! If we can save his life after we capture Nanchang, we will do our best."

You Zhiyuan said, "I heard that Brother Shi had secretly contacted this Lord Zhao half a year ago, trying to persuade him to surrender. Now it seems that this man's mind is very firm!"

Shi Chengwu said, "I contacted his former students and tried to reach out to him through letters, but there has been no significant progress in the past six months. I thought he left Nanchang to negotiate in order to find an opportunity to stay, but I didn't expect that he would still go back knowing that the Battle of Nanchang was imminent. It seems that the methods I used before were completely ineffective."

Xu Kaiyuan said, "Which path he chooses is his own choice. We have already given him a chance to avoid being taken prisoner. But in the end, he chose to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, so we can't blame him."

On July 7th, the Haihan Army, which had already entered the territory of Nanchang Prefecture, set off from their respective garrisons and marched towards Nanchang City, gradually forming a three-pronged encirclement.

Upon returning to the city, Zhao Mingyu was no longer disturbed by the news of the Haihan Army's breakout and advance. He had already informed all parties in the city of the negotiation results, and there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution. As for the upcoming siege, as a civil official, he would find it difficult to go up to the city walls to command the battle, and could only stay in the rear to help with some miscellaneous tasks.

Zhao Mingyu was indeed not optimistic about the prospects of defending the city. He had seen the true face of the Haihan Army when he was in Zhao Family Village. Whether it was military appearance and morale or weaponry, they far surpassed the Ming army in Nanchang City. No wonder the opponent did not bother to make any compromises at the negotiating table.

Zhao Mingyu's current hope is that Nanchang can be held for a few more days, perhaps wearing down the Haihan army outside the city and giving them another chance to start peace talks. At that time, those in the city who are clamoring to teach the Haihan army a lesson might change their minds and attitudes.