1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 775 Breaking Guangnan ([-])

On March 1661, 3, Nanping.

After more than a month of tide-like offensives, the Guangnan National Army launched several assaults, captured the entire territory of the Huaying Kingdom on the eastern front, and gathered more than 1 troops to besiege Yongshun.On the western front, the Guangnan Army, which received reinforcements, also captured all the territory except Pleiku, the capital of the Nanpan Kingdom, and entered Champa.Near Nanping, the Guangnan Kingdom assembled more than [-] troops, facing off against the Qi army across a long and narrow valley.

At sea, the Guangnan navy, which knew it was invincible, hid all ships of all sizes in various river forks and the Hue navy's stronghold, and resolutely refused to face the Qi navy.

The Annan Fleet of the Qi State Navy led the ships under its jurisdiction and the ships of the Gu Rong Department's navy to bombard more than a dozen towns along the coast of Guangnan State and block the mouth of the Xianghe River.However, in view of the fact that Hue, as the capital of Guangnan, is well-defended, more than a dozen large and small forts are arranged on both sides of the Xianghe River, posing a fatal threat to any ship that wants to break into the Xianghe River and attack Hue.Therefore, the naval ships of the Qi State could only swim back and forth in the waters outside the river mouth, as a strategic deterrent to the royal city of Guangnan State.

During the one-month build-up of Qi's military forces, more than [-] armed forces have gathered in Nanping, including more than [-] from a musket battalion in nearby Hexian Town, and more than [-] Ming troops from the Gurong Department of Qiongzhou. , Champa Firearms Battalion more than [-].The Luzon General District, the Ryukyu General District, and the Qi State vassal Weiguo will conduct partial mobilization after receiving the request from the Annan General District, and will send reinforcements at any time according to the progress of the war.

"What, you mean, regardless of the tens of thousands of Guangnan troops near Nanping and Yongshun, directly attack its capital Hue?"

At the military meeting, everyone had a heated discussion on how to launch a counterattack against the Guangnan Army.Most people believe that with the currently assembled troops, the threat to Nanping and the north will be eliminated first, and the more than [-] Guangnan troops confronting the Qi army in the valley will be wiped out.Then it was transferred by many ships to rescue Yongshun.Finally, turn around and clean up the Guangnan Army that invaded Champa.

However, Yue Zhongwu, commander of the Annan garrison and commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Marine Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Linghui (Lieutenant Colonel) opposed the above opinion. He believed that although the style of play was relatively safe and safe, it was time-consuming and could not be fully utilized. Qi army's maritime superiority.In addition, with this method of attack, in addition to relying on the power of the navy to break the siege of Nanping and Yongshun, it is necessary to go deep into the inland to annihilate the Guangnan army that invaded the territory of Champa, and to attack Huaying and Nanpan in the future. .

As we all know, except for the coastal line, the Annan area is full of high mountains and dense forests, and the canyons are vertical and horizontal, which is very unsuitable to give full play to the firepower advantage of the Qi army.If one is not careful, the Guangnan Army will even take advantage of the terrain and lay an ambush, which will inevitably cause a large number of casualties.

"So, on the premise of ensuring the safety of Nanping and Vinh Thuan, we did not entangle too much with the Quang Nam Army, and directly assembled the main force, went straight to their lair, and attacked their capital - Hue!"

"Although Hue is located in the coastal area, it is also seven or eight kilometers away from the sea. From the mouth of the Xianghe River to the port of Hue, there are fortresses on both sides. If our naval ships rush in, they will suffer a lot of losses." Deputy Commander of the Annan Fleet Yao Wu frowned and said.

Does this Yue Zhongwu want to use our navy as a stepping stone to achieve his brilliant military exploits in breaking down the enemy's capital?If we take warships to break into the Xianghe River, attack Hue, and clear the forts on both sides of the bank for the landing troops, it is estimated that at least a dozen ships will be lost.You know, in order to guard against the threat of our navy, the Guangnan Kingdom has spent more than ten years buying a lot of artillery from the Netherlands, Portugal, England and other Western countries, most of which are placed in Hue and Hue. On both sides of the Fragrant River.

"We will not launch an attack on Hue from the mouth of the Xianghe River." Yue Zhongwu said, motioning to an intelligence officer to hang a map of the Hue area on the wall, and then holding a baton, he went in the direction of Hue. Moving south, it stopped at a lagoon.

"After years of continuous geographical exploration of the Guangnan area, we have almost completely grasped the geographical features of the coastal areas of Guangnan." Yue Zhongwu lightly placed his baton on the position of the lagoon, "According to this map, we It can be clearly seen that this huge lagoon has a narrow passage extending out to the sea. Although the width is only 200 meters to 600 meters, its water depth is fully navigable for small and medium-sized ships under [-] tons."

"According to the information provided by the Black Yiwei, there are no forts near the lagoon, and there are even very few garrisons. If our army gathers a large number of small and medium-sized ships, under the cover of naval warships, they will quickly kill them through the lagoon channel." Enter the lake, and then head straight north. On the north side of this lagoon, there is a small river that goes straight to Hue. However, the water is so deep that some large ships can only navigate to a small town called Perfume."

"However, this is enough." Yue Zhongwu pointed his baton from the location called Perfume to Hue again, "The distance between Perfume and Hue is less than ten kilometers. If the army marches in a hurry, it will take two hours to reach Hue." Attack to this place. As for the supplies brought by the army, many small boats can be used to drive along the river all the way to Hue."

After finishing speaking, Yue Zhongwu put down his baton, looked at the military and political officials and military officers present, and finally turned his gaze to Yao Wu, waiting for his decision.

Yao Wu got up and went to the wall, stood in front of the map and looked at it carefully.

"Are you sure that the lagoon channel can pass ships under [-] tons?"

"Four years ago, under the guidance of the local Annan people, a merchant from our country of Qi drove a boat directly into the Lagoon Lake through this passage, and arrived at the Perfume City. The sailors on the boat also carried out field measurements and believed that it was completely passable with a full load of [-]. ships under a ton."

"Here, where is the nearest Guangnan garrison?"

"In Tuolong (now Da Nang, Vietnam)." Yue Zhongwu stepped forward and pointed to a coastal location south of Xiehu Lake. "Before the war, the Annan people had more than [-] troops stationed here. It is estimated that at this time, for In case of our army's attack, the number will increase slightly."

"From this lagoon to Hue, the Annan people probably have quite a few garrison troops, right?"

"After calculations by the intelligence staff, it is believed that there may be 2000 to 8000 Guangnan garrison troops from this lagoon to Xiangshui, and then to Hue. The Annan people's army in the rear is basically deployed near their capital, Hue, and the number of troops is estimated. It will be around [-] to [-] people. Therefore, in order to ensure that we can successfully attack Hue from here, the Annan Fleet of the Navy needs to launch a feint attack at the mouth of the Xianghe River to attract the attention of the Quang Nam Army."

"The main force goes straight to Hue, can Nanping and Yongshun be safe?"

"Nanping will stay with one company of the Marine Corps and four squadrons of armed township soldiers, plus the temporarily recruited Minzhuang, even if the Annan people dispatch tens of thousands of people, they will not be able to attack." Yue Zhongwu thought for a while and said: "As for Yongshun , may suggest that they abandon all the outlying forts and strongholds, and stick to the main city by the sea. With the solid defenses and a large number of firearms in the city, the Annan people have nothing to do with it. But..."

As he said that, Yue Zhongwu looked at the general of the Champa Firearms Battalion present, and said softly: "After the Annan people fail to attack our Annan territory, they may shift their attack targets, increase their attack on Champa, and weaken them first. The military strength, thinking that it will deal with our counterattack in the later stage."

"Even if the Zhancheng people can't fight in the field, with their strong firepower, it should be no problem to defend Bin Tonglong." Yao Wu waved his hand indifferently and said, "I think your method is a bit risky, but it's straightforward. There is still some hope of smashing Quang Nam's lair and capturing Hue. Okay, let's implement this counterattack according to your strategy. Now, I authorize you to command all the troops participating in the war on land, so that I can teach the Annan people a lesson and teach them what to do. How to maintain a submissive attitude towards our country of Qi!"

"Yes, sir." Yue Zhongwu saluted Yao Wu solemnly, "I am determined not to disgrace my mission. I vow to destroy the capital, capture the king, and completely surrender Guangnan!"
-
March 3, Hue.

Ruan Fu, the king of Guangnan, stood on the tower with his hands behind his back, with a serious expression on his face, facing northeast, and staring intently at the direction of the sea.

Since the night of New Year's Eve, when he ordered the attack on Champa and Qi territory, he fell into a state of extreme anxiety.The attacks on the east and west fronts went relatively smoothly. The Huaying Kingdom occupied its entire territory almost without bloodshed.

But to his disappointment, the attack on the two territories of Qi State did not go well.Except for the capture of a few small outposts and settlements in the first few days, their main city and core fortress, under repeated storms, failed to shake the slightest bit, and instead lost troops.The generals leading the troops on the front line complained one after another, claiming that the Qi army's firepower was extremely fierce, with dozens of cannons at the top of the city.As soon as the artillery fire was fired, the sound shook hundreds of miles, and the bullets rained down. The soldiers were killed and wounded, and they were beyond human power.

Especially under the city of Nanping, the Qi army gathered more than tens of thousands of troops in just a few days and launched continuous counterattacks.The Guangnan Army successively lost several frontier strongholds captured at the beginning of the period. In order to regroup the army, the Guangnan Army temporarily retreated for dozens of miles and built fortifications on the steep valley roads.After defeating the enemy's sharpness, counterattack again.

Dozens of ships of the Qi State Navy started heading north shortly after the start of the war, frequently attacking villages and towns along the coast of Guangnan, causing the entire coastal area of ​​Guangnan to be alarmed.

Ruan Fubin has ordered the officials of coastal prefectures and counties to do their best to evacuate the people and property under their rule, abandon the towns that are difficult to hold on or are too close to the sea, and implement a limited number of fortified walls to clear the fields to prevent the Qi army from landing and attacking.

For a country like Qi that has absolute control over the sea, Ruan Fubin also understands that when a war is launched, Guangnan will inevitably suffer more losses.But if Qi State is allowed to gradually erode the power of Guangnan Kingdom, and ignore their suppression and exclusion, in the long run, our Guangnan Kingdom will lose its prestige and its status as a regional power will not be maintained.

However, Ruan Fubin still has a clear sense that Guangnan cannot completely defeat Qi, a maritime power far away from the Annan region, due to its weak naval strength.He is going to quickly capture Huaying, Nanpan, Zhancheng, and the territory of Qi State with the momentum of thunder, and then start negotiations with Qi State based on this, forcing the other party to make some concessions and respect the special status of Guangnan State in the Annan region , stop supporting Champa, provoking the power of Quang Nam, and ultimately maintain the original regional power.

The muffled roar of artillery from the mouth of the Xianghe River showed that the ships of the Qi State Navy were constantly trying to rush into the Xianghe River, and then engaged in a fierce artillery battle with the Guangnan Fort.Their purpose is very simple, they want to attack the capital of Quang Nam along the river to the port of Hue, in an attempt to end the war in this way.

Almost every hour, Kuai Ma would send the battle reports of the forts on both sides of the Xianghe River attacking the ships of the Qi army.Over the past few days, the dozens of warships of the Qi State that were swimming in the nearby waters changed their lingering posture before, and sent ships in turn to attack the mouth of the Xianghe River.But under the fierce bombardment of the fort, they were repulsed again and again.Ruan Fuyou, the king's younger brother who went to supervise the battle, kept sending good news, sank and damaged several ships of Qi State, and killed more than a thousand enemies, preventing the enemy from breaking into the river mouth for half a step.

For coastal defense and river defense forts, Ruan Fubin still has some confidence.From the mouth of the river to the port of Hue, there are more than ten forts and more than a hundred artillery pieces arranged along the line.In the construction of these forts, many Westerners participated in the design and construction.They claimed that under such strict protection, even the most powerful fleet in the world would pay a very heavy price if they wanted to attack Xianghe, enough to keep Hue peaceful for hundreds of years.

In addition, within [-] kilometers around Hue, Nguyen Phuc still left more than [-] troops, including the elite Shenwu Four Guards, equipped with a large number of firearms.If Qi State wants to land from other places and attack Hue, it will inevitably be blocked by our Guangnan army and let them bleed dry on land.

The Qi army is far away from here, so it is inconvenient to come and go for support, and Guangnan has the advantage of the right time, place, and people. If we can keep forcing them to land at sea and fight a war of attrition, Qi will definitely not be able to last long.At that time, they will have no choice but to make peace and recognize our due status and rights in Guangnan.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the Perfume City!" Suddenly, a guard quickly stepped up the tower, knelt down on one knee and played: "The Qi army suddenly attacked the Perfume City in the late afternoon (13:15 to [-]:[-]), The local garrison guards are fighting back with all their strength, and I request the king to send reinforcements to relieve the siege."

"How did the Qi army come from the south?" Ruan Fu was stunned, "There are more than [-] guards stationed in Tuolong, why didn't they receive any warning?"

There are lagoons and mountains to the south of Hue, and there are more than [-] troops stationed in Tuolong Port. How could the Qi army suddenly attack Perfume City?You know, Xiangxiang is less than [-] miles away from Hue, and the Qi army can attack the city of Hue in a short time.

"The messenger from Perfume City said that the Qi army took a large number of boats and went up the river from Xiehu Lake to the base of Perfume City, and then suddenly launched an attack. Moreover, the Qi army's offensive is fierce and their weapons are sharp. At this time, it may be..."

"Go back to the palace!" Ruan Fubi turned pale, waved his sleeves, and walked quickly towards the city.

"Call the commanders of the Imperial Forest Guard, the Four Shenwu Guards, the Six Guards in front of the Palace, the Four Elephant Taming Guards, and the Shunhua House Guards to come to the palace to discuss matters immediately!"

(End of this chapter)