1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 656 Attacking Nanjing ([-])
On August 1650, 10, Nanjing.

The Nanjing City Wall was first built in the 1366th year of the Yuan Dynasty (26), and was completed in the 1393th year of Hongwu (28) of the Ming Dynasty. It lasted 1 years and involved 3 department, 5 guards, 37 provinces, 162 prefectures, and 28 counties across the country. , a total of 3.5 migrant workers, about [-] million city bricks, and finally completed the pattern of four layers of city walls (Miyagi, Imperial City, Capital City, Outer City).

The construction of the Nanjing City Wall changed from the old square or rectangular system. On the basis of the Jiankang City in the Six Dynasties and the Jinling City in the Southern Tang Dynasty, the city was built according to the direction of the mountains and water systems.Gain the benefits of the mountains and rivers and control the situation of the rivers and lakes.The Qinhuai River outside the south is the natural moat, the Zhongshan Mountain is the backing to the east, the Houhu Lake is the screen to the north, and the Sina Stone City enters, forming a three-dimensional military fortress with unique defensive characteristics.

Among them, the inner city wall is 35 kilometers long, and the outer city wall is more than 60 kilometers.There are more than ten gates in the inner city, all of which have quite large-scale enemy towers, as well as several wooden gates and Qianjin gates.The urn city set up by the gate is divided into inner and outer, and the size and shape of the urn city are also different.Each city gate has two gates inside and outside. The outside one is a "thousand catty gate" lowered from the top of the city, which has a strong defensive effect; the inside one is two gates made of wood and iron.

Facing this gigantic city, the more than ten thousand officers and soldiers of the Ming and Qi allied forces gathered at the Guanyin Gate were at a loss for what to do.As Gu Sanmazi said, 10 people are required to capture this rare and powerful city in the world.

Although it was learned from the captive Qing army generals that after the annihilation of the Qing army under Luck Dehun, there were less than 7000 defenders in Nanjing.However, the more than 1 coalition forces appeared to be too small in front of this huge city. Let alone besieging in all directions, even if they only attacked the section of the city wall at the Guanyin Gate in the north, it might not be enough for these [-] people to fill.

Due to the geographical barriers of mountains and rivers, it is impossible to achieve unified deployment and coordination outside the city.However, the defenders in the city can rely on the traffic of the city wall to quickly support and respond to each other.Even though many tactical staff members of the Qi State studied many successful siege examples, they were full of helplessness and discouragement after actually inspecting the city defense of Nanjing.

Conquering this mighty city not only requires more soldiers and horses, but also takes a lot of time, and these two things are precisely what they lack.

"Digging tunnels and planting explosives won't work?" Li Fade asked with his eyes wide open.

"The Guanyin Gate we are currently in (the northernmost gate of Nanjing Waiguo City, located between the Yanziji Guanyin Valley, the gate no longer exists. According to research, its location is about in front of the current Yanziji Middle School), located in Yanzi There is no moat between the Jiguanyin Valley, but the two wings of the city walls are built along the mountain, and the city gate is between the mountain beams. If you want to dig tunnels and bury explosives, it will be tantamount to blowing up that valley." He Yunfeng frowned. He frowned and said: "As for the other gates, they either lead into the Qinhuai River, or across the back lake (now Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing), or backed by Zijin Mountain. With people like us, it is estimated that we will not be able to attack them in a short time. Enter Nanjing City."

"How did Jiannu break into Nanjing City five years ago?"

"...Five years ago, Nanjing City surrendered voluntarily." A Ming army guerrilla reminded in a low voice.

"..." Li Fade was stunned when he heard the words, and then cursed, "Damn it, such a strong and strong city was so easily occupied by Jiannu!... We just watched helplessly outside the city. ?”

"We still have to try to fight." He Yunfeng said: "Let's bombard the city wall with artillery first, maybe in the process of fighting, we will suddenly find an opportunity."
-
After Tan Chunli got off the city wall, he led a few soldiers to a house not far away.

"Old Qin, what's the situation outside the city?" Lu Yufu asked aloud seeing Tan Chunli enter the house.

"Apart from still bombarding the city wall with artillery and digging trenches, no personnel siege operations have been launched yet." Qin Chunli walked to the table, picked up a large bowl, and poured down the wine in it in one gulp.

"Just bombarding the city wall is useless!" Lu Yufu said disdainfully: "The Nanjing city wall is a full three or four feet thick (one foot in the Ming Dynasty was about 2.83 meters), even if it is bombarded for three to five days, it may not be able to blow the city wall down! After leaving the outer city, there is also the inner city, Ming...does the Ming army have the ability to attack?"

"What if we help them?" Qin Chunli put the wine bowl heavily on the table, then looked at Lu Yufu with burning eyes.

"You...are you crazy?" Lu Yufu stood up in shock, then walked quickly to the door, looked out with his head, and then closed the door tightly again.

"Old Qin, I know that you hate those Manchurian Eight Banners masters, but you shouldn't have such an idea." Lu Yufu sat next to Qin Chunli and said in a low voice, "It's been five years, it's time to let it go!"

"Let it go?" Qin Chunli stared at his blood-red eyes, and said sadly, "That's my wife and child, and also your sister and nephew, all died at the hands of these slaves! ... and my father who was not able to take care of him Mother. How can I let go?"

Lu Yufu was silent when he heard the words.

"Look at our outfit again..." Tan Chunli pointed to Lu Yufu's bald head, then grabbed the pigtail on the back of his head, and said in a hissing voice, "After we die, we probably won't have the face to see our ancestors." !"

Lu Yufu remained silent.

"Two years ago, what happened to the lilac girl in the Wanyu Tower, have you forgotten?"

Lu Yufu closed his eyes. The girl Lilac in the Wanyu Tower was a noble lady he fell in love with two years ago. He planned to get some money to redeem her back home and become a concubine.Unexpectedly, he was taken by a leader of the Manchurian Eight Banners stationed in Nanjing, and he insisted on snatching her back to the mansion. He also told the local officials who came to ask for her that this woman was a fugitive from the north and should be taken by him. back.However, within ten days, a broken straw mat wrapped Lilac girl and threw her into a mass grave outside the city.This made Lu Yufu deeply hate the commander of the Eight Banners of Manchuria.

"On weekdays, have those Manchurian masters ever looked at you high? As a general in the Hezhou camp, a humble Manchurian soldier can call you around, have you ever been willing?"

"The Eight Banners lords stationed in the city wantonly enclose land, presumably the farms you once hoarded have also been taken away by others?"

"A few years ago, we were the ones who took the lead in attacking Jiangxi and Hubei. In the end, not only were the credits stolen by others, but even most of the looted property had to be handed over to those Manchurian masters! General Lu, are you right? These, have you ever been willing?..."

"Have you said enough?" Lu Yufu kicked the table in front of him away, staring at Tan Chunli viciously, "Could it be that when we were in Daming, we Qiu Ba could have a better life than now?"

"It's hard." Tan Chunli shook his head and said, "But, in Daming, at least we don't have to be other people's slaves! We are treated like dogs!"

"In Daming, we warriors are not the slaves of those literati, and we are treated like dogs by literati!"

"Brother Lu, are you planning to be a servant of the Eight Banners of Manchuria for the rest of your life?"

"Da Ming, it's hopeless." Lu Yufu shook his head, "Old Tan, I know you hate the Eight Banners of Manchuria and always want to stab them. But you shouldn't take us to be buried with you, let alone give birth to a child at this time. Rebellious..., ah!..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Yufu suddenly felt a pain in his lower abdomen, subconsciously stepped back, and looked down, only to see a knife stabbed into his abdomen.

"Brother Lu, I don't want to be a slave of the Manchus for the rest of my life." Tan Chunli held the handle of the knife and stabbed it forward vigorously, and the man also leaned over, staring at Lu Yufu with gloomy eyes, "Besides, my family of five My life, I must get it back! Daming is calling, and I just want to bury all the Eight Banners of Manchuria in Nanjing with me!"

Lu Yufu pushed Tan Chunli away, and then staggered towards the door. The gushing blood instantly soaked through the armor, and the ground was scarlet.

"Plop!" With a sound, Lu Yufu fell to the ground, his body was twitching continuously, and his hands were trying to grab something.

"Squeak", the door of the room opened, and several officers walked in, seeing Lu Yufu who was still not dead on the ground, his footsteps were obviously hesitant.

"He doesn't want to." Tan Chunli held the knife and said calmly, "...How many brothers have you contacted outside?"

"My lord, there are more than 430 people who are willing to do it with us." A tall military officer stepped over Lu Yufu who was lying on the ground, clasped his fists and said: "During the contact period, there were 15 people who were hesitant. Just in case, we have secretly killed them." gone."

"430 people?" Qin Chunli frowned, "There are still a little few people, not enough to seize the inner and outer city gates. If people outside the city have any doubts and dare not attack the city, we may be given All chopped up!"

"How about sneaking out a person at night to contact the Ming army outside?"

"It's too risky!" Qin Chunli said, "Every city gate is supervised by soldiers from the Eight Banners, and the garrison troops belong to different battalion heads. If we sneak out of the city, we will be easily discovered. We must start tonight. If there is any delay In time, the layout of the city will be more stringent."

"With more than 400 of us, it is no problem to open the Guanyin Gate, but there are more than a dozen gates in the inner city, and the defense is even tighter than that of the outer city. How can we allocate more people to knock on the gates of the inner city?"

"He Boping, who is stationed at the Taiping Gate in the inner city, should be able to fight for it." Tan Chunli stroked the short strands of his chin, and said thoughtfully: "Although he usually behaves submissively, I am afraid that the hatred for the Eight Banners of Manchuria is not in my heart." Wait."
-
When night fell, Thule, the ginseng leader of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and the Blue Banner, had accompanied Hong Chengchou to inspect the defense of the northern city wall, and then returned to a house near the Taiping Gate with a tired face.Throughout Nanjing City, all the courtyards and houses near the inner and outer city gates were requisitioned by the Qing army and turned into temporary garrisons for the army.

Taiping Gate is a single-hole city gate, and the city walls on both wings are built along the mountain, covering Zhoushan Mountain in the west and Fugui Mountain in the east. , is the closest passage to the city guarding Zijin Mountain.The city wall on the east side of the city gate was called the "Dragon Neck" during the Hongwu period. It was the location of the dragon veins of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, it is the only section of the entire Nanjing inner city wall without a moat, and it is the key position for the defense of the Qing army.

To be on the safe side, Hong Chengchou placed most of the Manchurian Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners troops to garrison the inner city. At the same time, he also deployed nearly [-] more reliable Han troops from various towns. After breaking up the establishment, they were distributed at several important city gates. Act as the forward (cannon fodder) of the Eight Banners.

"Where are the generals of the Han army, such as Bu Congshan?" Thule asked after removing his armor.

"A guerrilla under Bu Congshan's command happened to have a son today, I heard that he was invited to have a drink." A guard replied.

"Bastard!" Thule was furious when he heard this, and immediately stood up, "The army of hypocrisy is pressing down on the country, and there is a threat of ruining the city at any time. How dare they drink and play under such circumstances? Don't they think that Is military law like a child's play?"

As he spoke, Thule got up and walked out of the house, followed by several Ba Yala.

In another house less than a few hundred meters away from Thule's house, a fierce fight had just ended. He Boping, a guerrilla in Wucai Town, was walking slowly with a few soldiers with a long knife in his hand. Among the scattered corpses, check one by one whether there are any survivors left.

The head of Bu Congshan, the chief soldier of Wucai Town, had been chopped off and was held in Qin Chunli's hands, his eyes were still wide open, as if unwilling to resign himself to his fate.

"Old Tan, I was tricked by you this time!" He Boping stopped and looked at Tan Chunli with a look of helplessness on his face.

"Don't say such disheartening words!" Tan Chunli said with a stern expression on his face, "We have dedicated the city of Nanjing tonight, and we will be the great heroes of the Yongchu court in the future. Promotion and fortune are nothing to worry about!"

"If Emperor Yongchu can't last long, wouldn't we be buried together soon?"

"How could it be?" Qin Chunli shook his head with a smile, "With the help of the Qi people, the Yongchu court has survived several sieges by the Qing army, and it has always stood firm in Denglai. The worst thing is that when the time comes, it will be able to follow the Qi." The Chinese hid overseas together.”

Just as he was talking, a soldier on guard suddenly ran over from the door, with a look of panic on his face.

"The Eight Banners are here!"

"How many are here?" He Boping was taken aback, and Tan Chunli beside him was also very nervous.

"……Five people."

"Five people?... just killed them to sacrifice the flag!"

"...Well, get ready and kill them all!"

That night, Hong Chengchou slept very late.In the huge Nanjing city, there are only 500 defenders, of which less than [-] are from the Eight Banners troops. Both the coach Le Ke Dehun and the Jiangnan admiral Zhang Tianlu fell into Longtan Town, so that the many Han troops in the entire Nanjing city faintly The morale of the army is unstable.All this made him secretly worried.Now, he can only pray silently, relying on the power of the Eight Banners in the past and his status as a bachelor of the governors of the five provinces, he can deter the current Han troops in the city that are not under each other.

As long as they can survive a few days safely, and wait for the people in the city to organize and organize one after another, and then make it impossible for the attacking Ming army to shake the Nanjing city defense, it may be possible to stabilize the situation in the entire city and keep this most important city in the south of the Yangtze River.

Today, the Ming army outside the city fiercely bombarded the Guanyin Gate in the north with more than ten artillery pieces. Fortunately, the city wall was tall and thick, except for shaking off large pieces of rammed earth and city bricks, it hardly caused serious damage to the city wall.If this is the case, it can last for a few more days.Even if the outer city is lost, it doesn't matter.The defense of the inner city is tighter, and the city wall is thicker and stronger. If there is not a month or two, it may be difficult to blow down the city wall.However, by that time, a large number of reinforcements from the surrounding areas should also arrive.If the Ming army does not retreat, it will inevitably be gathered and wiped out by our Qing army under the city of Nanjing.

"My lord, my lord..."

"What's the matter?" Lying on the bed, Hong Chengchou vaguely felt that someone was calling him, although he was impatient in his heart, he managed to open his eyes.

"The Ming army has entered the city!" The housekeeper Hong Gui said in a panic, "Master, get up quickly!...The Ming army has entered the city. I have called my servant, and I will protect the master and leave the city immediately!"

"How did the Ming army enter the city?" Hong Chengchou was completely awakened immediately.

"I heard that the defenders in the city opened the city gate..." Hong Gui helped Hong Chengchou out of bed, took his hand and walked out of the house, "Master, before the Ming army has attacked here, let's hurry up." Escape from Nanjing City quickly."

Outside the gate, several servants surrounded Hong Chengchou and headed south of the city.In several directions in the north of the city, fires had already ignited, and there were faint shouts of killing.

It's over, Nanjing is not safe, and Jiangnan is in danger!

(End of this chapter)