The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 448 Attack!

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and Zhi said:"

"… General Chen Wang, who suppresses bandits, has a long history of loyalty and righteousness. He has served in the army for a long time, commanded various towns, recovered famous cities, and eliminated rebellious evildoers, and has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats."

"It has saved the southeastern half of the country from the danger of sinking, and has also rebuilt several prefectures in the Yangtze and Huaihe River regions."

"He is both wise and brave, and is a pillar of the country; his contributions are outstanding, and are truly appreciated by me..."

"I hereby grant you the title of Marquis of Jingnan, and grant you the imperial decree to govern Jingxiang forever. I respect you!"

Chen Wang sat in the side tent, holding a teacup, gazing at the dragon robe placed not far in front of him, thinking about what had happened during the day.

Border troubles arose again, the Renwu Rebellion broke out, and the northern country was in disarray. It was thought that what was sent from the north was an imperial edict to support the king, but what was actually sent was this document of conferring a title.

"Brother, what does the old emperor mean by this?"

In the tent, Chen Gong and Hu Zhili sat on the left and right sides of Chen Wang.

Chen Gong sat lazily on the side, frowning and wondering.

"It is a fact that we do not obey the government orders and the military orders. We are like separatists. The old emperor does not tear his face with us, but even rewards and promotes Big Brother. I don't understand."

Hu Zhili sat upright, staring into thought, nodding slightly. This time he could not quite understand Chongzhen's behavior.

"Jingnan Bo..."

Chen Wang was playing with the golden seal of the Earl in his hand. Chongzhen not only conferred the title on him, but also gave him the power to take charge of the military affairs of the Southern Kingdom and act at his discretion.

Along with the golden seal, there was also a dragon robe.

A python robe that is very similar in shape to a dragon robe, except that it is missing two corners and one claw, everything else is similar to the dragon robe.

To be more precise, this python robe does not look like a python robe, but more like a dragon robe that has been modified into a python robe.

"I know what our Majesty means."

Chen Wang put down the golden seal in his hand. The golden seal made a dull sound when it touched the table, interrupting the discussion between Chen Gong and Hu Zhili.

"The Central Plains, Jianghuai and Huaihe Rivers are in our hands. In the northwest, there are the Chuang army, in Liaodong, there are the Jiannu, and in the south of the desert, there are the Mongols."

"The only areas that the Ming court could actually control were the northern Zhili and Shandong provinces, and the only remaining city in the Liaoxi Corridor was the isolated city of Ningyuan."

Chen Wang pushed the map on the table forward and picked up the war chess placed on it.

Around the areas controlled by the Ming court, there were dozens of chess pieces of the Chuang army, Mongolia, and Jiannu.

"When the Jiannu invaded this time, Huang Taiji, with Abatai as his commander, led the Manchu, Mongolian, and Han armies of the Eight Banners, 24 Gushan Ezhen, about 40,000 people, and joined forces with the Chahar, Khalkha, Alukhorchin, Wengniud, Aohan, Naiman, and Horchin Mongols to gather a force of 100,000 to attack the Ming."

"The north and south are cut off, the grain transport is blocked, and the Ming court's grain and grass are not enough to support it until the middle of next year."

There were only a dozen or so war chess pieces in the territory controlled by the Ming court.

"Although the Ming court controlled Shandong, the troops in Shandong were almost completely wiped out in the battle of Pizhou, and the remaining elite troops were all captured by our army."

"The only troops Chongzhen can rely on now are those from the four towns of Changping, Baoding, Jizhou, and Miyun, totaling no more than 40,000 soldiers and horses."

"Although Xuanfu is still in the hands of the Ming court, it is isolated and difficult to get help. Not only does it have to deal with the threat from Mongolia, but it also needs to deal with the threat from the Chuang army."

"Even if we count the 30,000 troops Zhou Yanru led on the periphery, there are only 70,000 people."

Chen Wang pointed to the location of Beijing on the map and spoke slowly.

"The Beijing camp is exhausted and unable to fight. This is a consensus. The 15,000 Beijing camp soldiers that Zhou Yanru led when he went to war were barely put together after careful selection."

"The soldiers in the capital who are still here are just a bunch of ruffians who are just filling in the numbers. The number on the list is just a number."

"If we include all the imperial guards in Beijing, including the eunuchs' guards, the total number of troops under the control of the Ming court is about 100,000."

Hu Zhili looked solemn. He was the chief of the Intelligence Department and all this data had passed through his hands. He knew that what Chen Wang said was right.

only……

"Although we suffered heavy losses in the Songjin Battle in Liaozhen, we can still provide some help after recuperation..."

"Do not."

Chen Wang shook his head and interrupted Hu Zhili's words directly, he said firmly.

"Liaozhen will not move."

"The storm is coming, and everyone knows that the building is about to collapse. The weakness of the Ming court is not only seen by us, but also by the Qing court and Liaozhen."

"The imperial edict to support the king cannot move Liaozhen."

"The Battle of Songjin has proven that even if we mobilize the elite troops from all nine frontiers, it is difficult to defeat the Qing army in a field battle."

Chen Wang picked up a military chess piece belonging to Liaozhen and pushed it back to its position at Shanhaiguan.

"So, Liaozhen will not move, nor dare to move. They want to protect their interests."

Chen Wang turned to look at Hu Zhili and asked.

"How is the preparation of the receiving ship going?"

"The commander of the Denglai Navy is now Huang Fei, the general of the Aid and Suppression Navy. The matter has been agreed upon by the middle of this year."

Hu Zhili lowered his head slightly and replied.

"At the end of this month, Huang Fei will lead his fleet northward under the pretext of aiding Liaodong and harassing Liaoxi."

"We have already made connections in Liaozhen. Before Zu Dashou went north to Jinzhou, he ordered to protect our two families. If you want to bring your family back, you must fully cooperate."

"The one guarding Shanhaiguan now is Zu Kuan, the general of Shanhaiguan. We have already made contact a few days ago. Once the ship arrives, our two families can board the ship and head south."

In history, Zu Kuan was arrested and dismissed from his post because of the loss of Jinan in the Battle of Shuyin, and was executed for the crime of losing his fiefdom.

However, this time, due to Chen Wang's intervention, Jinan was not lost, and Zu Kuan was even promoted for his meritorious service in the victory.

After that, Zu Kuan followed the troops from the Eight Garrisons to aid Songjin and fought in Ningyuan.

After the former Shanhaiguan General Ma Ke was transferred to be the General of Changping Town, Zu Kuan also became the new Shanhaiguan General.

After Zu Dashou's death, the power of the Zu family in Liaodong was greatly reduced.

Only the eldest son Zu Zepu was still alive, and Zu Zepu was ordered to take over the post of General of Liaodong.

In the original timeline, Wu Sangui should have taken over as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong.

However, because Zu Dashou died in battle, the position of Liaodong General was handed over by Chongzhen to Zu Zepu.

The current situation in Liaozhen is quite critical. At the beginning of the year, it sent envoys south to secretly contact Chen Wang.

After the connection between the north and the south was severed, the grain transport system was poor and it was difficult to supply the capital, not to mention the situation in Liaozhen.

The collapse of the Ming court was inevitable, and Liaozhen now needed not only food and fodder, but also foreign aid.

It is for this reason that the need for sea vessels to pick us up came into being.

Zu Zepu cooperated to escort the relatives of the Chen and Hu clans to the south in exchange for an alliance.

Chen Wang promised that once there was a change in the northern country, he would send troops north to occupy Shandong first and respond to Liaozhen.

Hu Zhili paused for a moment and asked, "Huang Fei only has about 60 to 70 seagoing ships under his command, of which there are only more than 20 large-scale Fuzhou ships. Their combat power is not strong. Is he comparable to Zheng Zhilong..."

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly. The Qing army has not stopped the construction of its navy in recent years, but due to the problems of shipbuilding technology, the development is very slow.

However, compared with the Denglai Navy, the Qing Navy's combat effectiveness was still much stronger.

When Kong Youde defected and headed north, he took with him quite a few ships.

In the sixth year of Chongzhen, Denglai's navy fought a naval battle with the Qing army in Lushun. The commander of the battle was Huang Fei's father Huang Long. The final result was that the Qing army won and Huang Long died in battle.

The Denglai Navy suffered a series of setbacks. Although it still has more than 60 ships, most of the sailors are newly recruited and their combat effectiveness is weak.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Wang nodded in agreement.

"Let someone from the Intelligence Department contact Zheng Zhilong. Liaozhen will need to ship in food and fodder by sea, and the Denglai Navy does not have enough ships."

"Zheng Zhilong will not refuse to do anything that can make money."

Zheng Zhilong was unqualified as a subject and a lord, but he was undoubtedly qualified as a businessman.

As long as it is profitable, Zheng Zhilong will definitely agree.

What's more, what happened in Wuchang has almost spread to Fujian.

The situation is now almost clear.

Zheng Zhilong was a smart man. He knew which side he should side with to gain greater benefits between the Wanmin Army and the Hanzhong Town.

"Hide the shipyard in Haizhou carefully so that Zheng Zhilong won't find out anything."

After giving the order, Chen Wang continued to give instructions.

As a businessman, Zheng Zhilong would never allow anyone to challenge his maritime hegemony, and Chen Wang was very clear about this.

"The Intelligence Department has set up a very strict defense in Haizhou. Now Haizhou has become a military fortress. Ordinary people are not allowed to enter and leave at will. The surrounding guard posts have also been integrated. Please rest assured, big brother."

Chen Wang nodded. Hu Zhili was thoughtful and thought that as long as the news did not leak out, Zheng Zhilong's men would not investigate Haizhou.

"Huang Fei, you need to be more attentive. This person can be used."

Huang Fei was not very famous in the history of the late Ming Dynasty. After all, he was just a naval commander, but Chen Wang remembered him very clearly.

"You can offer him the position of commander-in-chief of the East China Sea Fleet."

Huang Fei was not well-known in the early days, and did not accomplish much in the later days, but he died heroically.

After the establishment of the Southern Ming Hongguang court, Huang Fei and others led 40,000 people south from Miaowan and stationed in Zhenjiang. Later, they moved to Wuhu to quarry stone.

On July 11, the first year of Longwu, the Qing army marched southward. Huang Fei was defeated in the battle with the Qing army. After his army was defeated, he joined forces with the general Wu Zhikui.

On August 6, Huang Fei and Wu Zhikui wanted to retreat to Zhoushan, but the Qing navy arrived again.

Huang Fei led his troops in a fierce battle with the Qing navy at Desheng Port, but was ultimately defeated until dusk.

Huang Fei was hit by three arrows. Seeing that he was powerless to turn the tide and defeat was inevitable, he ordered more than 30 of his family members to commit suicide by drowning, and then he jumped into the water himself to commit suicide.

However, the Qing navy arrived soon after and used a hook to forcibly arrest Huang Fei onto the warship. When he refused to answer their questions or to respond to their attempts to persuade him to surrender, they broke Huang Fei's left hand.

Huang Fei was tied up and taken to Nanjing. When he saw Hong Chengchou, he pointed at him with his right hand and cursed him.

The Qing army broke Huang Fei's right hand, but Huang Fei still cursed Hong Chengchou, so the Qing army cut off his tongue.

Huang Fei couldn't speak, but he still glared at Hong Chengchou and kept muttering.

On September 5, Huang Fei, Xue Quji and Tang Shirong were taken to the outside of Shuixi Gate by the Qing army and beheaded.

Huang Fei has a strong sense of family and country, and the hatred between him and the Qing court is indelible, so there is no need to worry that he will defect to the Qing court.

Moreover, he had been in charge of the navy for many years and was experienced, so he dared to fight against the Qing army.

Sun Shenwu could take charge of the inland navy, but there had been no candidate to lead the foreign navy, Chen Wang.

And now Huang Fei is undoubtedly the best candidate.

"Don't worry, big brother. I will do my best with Huang Fei."

Without Chen Wang's excessive instructions, Hu Zhili also understood the importance of Huang Fei to their future development.

The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and Liaozhen was isolated and would be difficult to preserve if sea transportation failed.

If the Qing army could obtain all the troops from Liaozhen, it would undoubtedly greatly increase its prestige and military strength, and it would undoubtedly encounter more resistance when it goes north to advance into the northern country in the future.

Chen Wang recalled the historical route and timeline of the Qing army's advance.

The time when the Qing army invaded this time was not much different from the original timeline, but the strength of the Ming army was much weaker than in the original timeline.

"transfer order."

Chen Wang tapped the table lightly. In just a moment, he already had a solution in his mind.

"Hanzhong Town's troops remain stationary, be on guard against the enemy in Guanzhong."

"The First Division of Henan Town, Chen Ming's entire division will move to the Tongguan line to guard the Tongguan line and guard against the enemy forces in Shanxi and Guanzhong."

"The 2nd Division of Henan Town, Chen Yongfu's troops are heading north to support Xuzhou, and will join forces with Gao Qian's troops of the 3rd Division of Henan Town to defend Xuzhou and wait for an opportunity to fight."

"The Fourth Division of Henan Town, under Sun Qiyun, will head north to Kaifeng to take over the defense line of the former First Division and guard the area north of the Yellow River."

Sun Qiyun led the so-called righteous army into Nanyang in June. Now it is the end of October, and almost all the powerful families in Nanyang have been wiped out.
Therefore, this rebel army in Henan no longer had a need to exist. After a fake siege, Sun Qiyun naturally became the chief officer of the Henan Fourth Division.

The number of soldiers is naturally 12,000, and the remaining followers are all incorporated into the ranks of the guards to serve as farmers to support the combat soldiers.

Today's guard army sequence no longer undertakes warfare, but is solely responsible for military farming affairs. It is no longer headed by the chief of the guard, but by the military farming officials appointed by the Hanzhong Town.

"The First Division of Shandong Town, Gao Jie's troops returned to Haizhou to exchange defense with Hui Dengxiang's troops."

"The Second Division of Shandong Town, under the command of Hui Dengxiang, will move south to Gaoyou to take over the defense line of the First Division."

The newly formed Second Division of Shandong Town has been training for almost three months now, and the degree of improvement is limited with continued training.

War is always the fastest way to enhance military strength.

"Brother, are you ready to take action against Yangzhou?"

Just from the strategic deployment, Hu Zhili almost understood what Chen Wang meant.

"The role of the People's Army has been lost..."

Chen Wang nodded, without any intention of concealing his strategic intentions, and a heart-pounding murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Since they are no longer useful, why should we keep them in this world?"

"Order the three armies around Wuchang to advance eastwards today and go down the river..."

Chen Wang's gaze moved southward on the map, finally to the location of Wuchang, and he spoke slowly.

"I want……"

"Take over the three provinces and forty-two prefectures in the southeast!"