Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 388 The Great Sage Reborn

The First Brigade of the Imperial Guards conquering Xiangtan was expected. However, the military situation was urgent, so Danchu forbade the First Brigade of the Imperial Guards to enter the city to rest. At noon, he summoned Yang Fang and asked him face to face, "How many troops do you have?"

The Huben Town Guards have a full complement of 12,000 men. The First Brigade was established the earliest, with many veterans and fully equipped. It is the strongest of the three guards brigades.

"All the troops have been sent out to pursue the Tartars. There is also an auxiliary battalion and several direct teams inside and outside the city. The total number of people is less than 3,000."

"After lunch, you will send out standard bearers to call all the troops together. Make sure they are assembled before the hour of Xu. Tonight, you will lead your troops to cross the river overnight and advance rapidly to the north of Tiaomajian, cooperating with the cavalry to launch a fierce attack on Tiaomajian." Dan Chu ordered, his tone revealing unquestionable authority.

The Red Army's ships had limited carrying capacity, and the main infantry force advanced along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River to attack Changsha, and the natural barrier of Tiaomajian was the only way to go.

Ma Baodu led the cavalry brigade and the second brigade of the personal guards to launch a massive attack, and there would be no problem in removing the natural barrier of Tiaomajian. The key was that the Red Army had to launch a fierce attack before the Qing army could react, block the enemy's retreat at Tiaomajian, and then annihilate the enemy to the greatest extent possible.

"Yes." Yang Fang was young and brave, but this was not enough for him to be the commander of the first brigade of his personal guards.

During the Battle of Yudu, the previous assistant commander, Mo Erzhen, died. Yang Fang was a childhood friend of Cen Danchu and a fellow boy soldier, so he took over as assistant commander, first as an acting commander, and after four months of observation, his performance was remarkable and he was successfully promoted to a full-time position.

Yang Fangzheng wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to improve his prestige in front of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions by capturing Xiangtan, but he had to cross the river overnight, and he could not even think about the spoils of war. Once the military order was issued, the subordinates were bound to be depressed.

Danchu was promoted from a boy soldier to a prince, and he didn't understand his little tricks? So he said to him, "Yang Fang, do you know that for a general, which is more important, following the will of the superior or winning over the subordinates?"

Winning over subordinates? Yang Fang waved his hands hastily, fearing that he could not avoid it, and said: "Of course, we are following the will of the superiors. The Red Army regulations state that officers at all levels must execute the orders of their superiors word for word. Winning over subordinates is something that the Tartars and the Ming Army can do. The Red Army only cares about subordinates, not win them over."

In order to unify the entire army, Dan Chu personally reviewed and promulgated a set of regulations and three drill manuals throughout the army, namely "Red Army Regulations", "Infantry Drill Manual", "Cavalry Drill Manual" and "Artillery Drill Manual".

The regulations and drill manuals made detailed provisions for the Red Army's operations, training, and management. As long as a literate officer managed, trained, and commanded the troops in strict accordance with the regulations and drill manuals, he would definitely not make major mistakes.

"Haha," Danchu said with a smile, "You are good at learning and can quote regulations easily. However, as a general, it is reasonable to win over your subordinates. You have just been appointed as the assistant commander. If you want to win over your subordinates, you must lead them to fight big battles and achieve great achievements. Over time, your prestige will be established."

Yang Fang was a smart man, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to be the assistant commander. He then said, "I understand. The king ordered me to cross the river and attack the enemy at Tiaomajian. This is an opportunity for me to make merit, and also an opportunity for the assistant commander to make merit."

Danchu thought to himself, "As a general, you don't have to do everything yourself, nor do you have to charge into battle yourself. What can you do this afternoon?"

Yang Fang was stunned for a moment, then realized that the king was still unsure of him and wanted to test him. He thought for a moment and said:
"The first thing to do is to send a standard bearer to pass the message and summon all the troops to assemble in the area of ​​Zhaoshan and Muyun City. The first thing to do is to send people to collect ferries. I will take the director of the camp office and the heads of various departments to survey the crossing points between Zhaoshan and Muyun City."

It was definitely too late to build a floating bridge. If we wanted to move faster, we could only use ferries or even rafts to carry troops across the river. It was not easy to use ferries to cross the river with 12,000 troops. How long it would take to cross the river depended on how many ferries we collected, the Red Army's organizational ability, and the selection of the crossing point.

Therefore, Danchu's military order was as urgent as fire, urging him to cross the river overnight.

"Liu Fangliang has arrived with the 12th Brigade. His brigade is newly formed and is short of manpower. You should give the city to Fangliang and let him handle the prisoners. As for the spoils, you can pick up the valuable ones and give the rest to Fangliang."

"Yes, I'll obey your command." Yang Fang obeyed the instructions very well, which made Danchu very satisfied.

"Go ahead. Ma Bao has stopped in front of Tiaomajian and is waiting for you to go over and attack the Tartars from behind."

Danchu did not go into the city to rest, but continued to stay outside the city, urging the auxiliary troops to clear the waterway.

The Red Army captured Xiangtan and hoisted a red flag on the city wall. The news spread quickly throughout the suburbs of Xiangtan.

By the evening, many volunteers and civilians had gathered in the east of Xiangtan City and the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. Among them were nearby volunteers, local soldiers who surrendered voluntarily, boatmen, fishermen, tenants, and even some gentry who came here because of the reputation of the army.

The tents were like snow, and torches were everywhere. The Righteous Army was not afraid of the Red Army, and they were mixed outside the Red Army camp. This was simply unimaginable in the battlefield environment at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

There is enough manpower. The Huben Town Artillery Brigade has 6,000 men, the Auxiliary Brigade goes by water, and the 12th Infantry Brigade goes by land, all of which have arrived in Xiangtan. Together with the volunteer army, volunteers, and prisoners, it is enough to clear the sunken ships and wooden fences. The key is to find the right method. At dusk, a lieutenant came to the central army tent excitedly and said happily: "My lord, we have found a way! The first sunken ship has been cleared."

"Oh?" Danchu was delighted and asked, "How did you clean it?"

The young officer was confused and couldn't explain it clearly after gesturing for a long time.

Dan Chu rode on the black dragon horse and suddenly arrived at the shipwreck.

Huang Heming, the assistant commander of the Auxiliary Corps, was in charge of dredging the waterway. Upon hearing the news, he immediately came over to pay his respects.

When they heard that the King of Nanyue was coming, the righteous people at the scene all knelt down unconsciously. Once the righteous people knelt down, the righteous army and the captives also knelt down, and no matter how they were persuaded, they could not stop.

Danchu smiled and said, "I heard that the sunken ship was cleared. I was so happy that I wanted to come and take a look. But I disturbed you. Pass the order, everyone, get up and don't stop the work at hand."

Huang Heming replied, "Your Majesty, you have a brilliant plan. It is true that three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. There is a boatman who knows how to salvage sunken ships. After he explained and tried it, it really works. Your Majesty, please look, the fence has been removed, and the second sunken ship has also been raised from the water."

In addition to drilling through the wooden hull, the shipwreck was also filled with earth and rocks, making it difficult to move and salvage after sinking into the water.

Huang Heming followed the advice of the boat people and first sent people to swim into the water to tie the sheepskin raft to the sunken ship to increase its buoyancy. He then tied the tow rope to the sunken ship and mobilized hundreds of soldiers and civilians to pull the tow rope on the shore, successfully pulling the sunken ship.

The wisdom of the working people is indeed infinite. Danchu was happy, and seeing that the soldiers and civilians present were cautious, he left on his own accord and ordered the boatman to be summoned.

The man didn't look very old, but his hair was already gray. He was a little reserved when he saw Danchu. After asking around, he learned that he was the leader of the Tanka people in Xiangtan area. He often salvaged sunken ships to supplement his family income, so he knew this method.

"Very good. You have done a great job in helping the Red Army clear the waterway today. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask."

The leader of the Tanka people, also known as the Tanka Chief, was a middle-aged man named Lu Shichun. He often interacted with Han people. Although his accent was heavy, he could still be heard clearly: "Thank you for your grace, Lord. The Tartars are tyrannical and wantonly imposed fishing taxes on the Tanka households. They also cut off the river and destroyed our livelihood. I am doing this to vent the anger of the Tanka people. I dare not ask for anything from you, Lord."

Huang Heming, the assistant commander of the auxiliary troops, was born a horse dealer. He traveled all over the country for many years and was concerned about the suffering of the people. He advised: "It's okay. The king is most compassionate to the poor and the weak. You can speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Lu Shichun hesitated for a moment, then bravely said, "I heard that there are many Tanka people in the Heavenly Army Navy. If the king does not mind, can you accept us Tanka people to join the army?"

The Red Army was about to expand its navy, and Danchu was eager to do so. He smiled and said, "Okay."

"I heard that in the Nanzhili area, people raise fish in lakes to avoid the trouble of boats and ships in storms. Would the king allow us, the boat people, to raise fish in lakes?"

"can."

Lu Shichun was overjoyed and kowtowed again, saying, "Your Majesty, you have been so kind and virtuous. We Tanka people will never forget it. If you become emperor and establish a country soon, we Tanka people will follow you till death."

Danchu was stunned. The officers and soldiers in the tent were shocked when they heard this, and they all looked at Danchu with expectation and hope in their eyes.

"Haha," Danchu laughed it off and said, "Now it is the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty loves the people and is not the ruler who wants to destroy the country."

"Humph!" Lu Shichun sneered and said, "It's not that the villain is rebellious. The Ming Dynasty's harsh rule is more ferocious than a tiger. The Qing Dynasty also abused the people endlessly, even worse than that. Only the king sincerely loves the people, advocates equality, requires tenants to pay taxes, and liberates the boat people. The Red Army is invincible, and the people support him. If the king is not a great saint reincarnated, how can there be such a scene? If the king becomes emperor and establishes a country as soon as possible, it can be regarded as saving the people from danger."

Danchu's heart was moved, and he smiled and said, "I know it, please tell me more."

(End of this chapter)