scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 252 The Accidental Nail
What is a meeting?The general meeting is the banquet after the meeting!
This is the case in ancient and modern times, in China and abroad, and it is even more so in Pingxi Palace, which is full of traitors, rebels, traitors and rebels.Following this precedent, after the Wu Jun Yuezhou Conference, which decided to fight the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, was over, the old traitor Wu had to order a large banquet to entertain the civil and military generals. Fatty Lu did not dare to refuse, so he had to stay and participate in the meeting.So, soon, countless torches were quickly lit in the venue downstairs in Yueyang, dozens of square tables were set up, and the well-prepared Pingxi Palace guards also quickly filled up countless wine and dishes, and the banquet began.

Just like in history, in history, after the old traitor Wu fought against the Qing Dynasty and helped the Ming Dynasty to declare rebellion, most of the wolves, tigers and leopards under the old traitor Wu's command who feared the world would not be chaotic supported them from the bottom of their hearts. Generals like Wu Guogui, the fat old father-in-law, who don’t want to risk rebellion, only verbally express a certain degree of weakness and opposition, and then they don’t hesitate to devote themselves to the great cause of anti-Qing, until they died on the battlefield and remained unswerving. Only a few lackeys Cowardly and rebellious, fleeing from the anti-Qing forces-and they are all innocuous kittens and puppies.

It is precisely for this reason, and the current situation of the Wu army is far better than the situation when it raised troops in history-in history, it was really a desperate corner of the enemy's country, but now the Qing army has lost all its elite, and the Wu army broke through the Yangtze River Grasp the strategic initiative.So generally speaking, the atmosphere of the banquet celebrating the rebellion was lively and harmonious. Not only did no one disturb the scene, the slogans of attacking Beijing and capturing Kang Mazi alive kept coming and going, and every time they said it, it aroused applause. He even won the loud support of countless people, as if he was not loyal enough to the old traitor Wu if he didn't follow up with a few words to kill Kang Mazi and his whole family and fuck Kang Mazi's mother.

It was probably infected by the warm atmosphere, maybe it was the spread of optimism, or it was more likely that they were loyal and cute. In short, there were more than a dozen generals of the Wu army who couldn't wait to come to the old Wu traitor and volunteered to lead the army. Jiangnan, act as the vanguard for the main force of the Northern Expedition of the Wu Army!It's a pity that besides drinking and eating meat, the old traitor Wu just laughed and said nothing. He was always noncommittal about the scrambling of Wu Jun's generals, and he never even said a word about when the Northern Expedition was.

It’s really not that the old traitor Wu’s strategy is conservative and his tactics are rigid. The key is that Wu’s army is not Li Zicheng’s invading army or Zhang Xianzhong’s rogue army. How much, Wu Jun is not only a tiger-wolf division with political opinions and political ambitions, but also has its own territory and rear, especially now that Wu Jun has gradually begun to develop towards the goal of all firearms arms, and its dependence on rear supplies is increasing. Even the traitor Wu, who is experienced in military affairs, will not launch a gambling northern expedition with all his eggs in one basket.

"Old Taishan, my son-in-law is not talented." Xia Guoxiang, the traitorous second son-in-law of the old man Wu, who was brutally deprived of his power because of accepting bribes from Xiong Ci, couldn't wait any longer. , Bowing and bowing again, he desperately asked for a fight: "My son-in-law has the courage to ask Lao Taishan to allocate [-] troops to my son-in-law. Taking advantage of the emptiness of troops in the Central Plains, take Anhui Road or Henan Road to the north, and serve Lao Taishan. Go straight to Huanglong, capture the Emperor Mangou alive and offer it under the tent, hoping for the favor of my father-in-law."

"My lord is very pleased that my son-in-law has such great ambitions." The traitor Wu finally spoke, and said with a smile, "However, the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains is not a trivial matter. It must be discussed slowly and carefully considered."

"Father-in-law, don't miss this opportunity, never again." Xia Guoxiang said anxiously: "Now the remaining elite main forces of Mangou are either in the south of the Yangtze River or in Shaanxi and Gansu. There are only a few places in the Central Plains guarded by green camps, and there is no city or place that can stop our army. The iron hoof is our army's golden opportunity for the Northern Expedition, if we don't seize this opportunity quickly, when Mangou recovers from this and re-arranges heavy defenses in the Central Plains, the difficulty of the Northern Expedition will be extraordinary."

"My son-in-law's words are quite reasonable." Old Man Wu smiled treacherously, then shook his head and said, "But the time is not yet ripe. The matter of the Northern Expedition has to be discussed carefully by this king with Mr. Xianyan and Mr. Maoxia."

Xia Guoxiang was also eager to make meritorious deeds and atone for his crimes, so he asked again: "Old Taishan, why is the time immature now? Is it immature there? My son-in-law doesn't understand. What else can Mangou stop our cavalry in the Central Plains?"

The old traitor Wu stretched his face, and his face gradually showed anger. Fatty Lu next to him saw that the situation was not good, he hurriedly stepped forward to hold Xia Guoxiang, and said with a smile: "Second uncle, it is a good thing that you want to do meritorious service for grandfather, but you also You have to think about your grandfather, and your grandfather also loves you and worries about you, so he is not in a hurry to agree to your request."

"What is it for?" Xia Guoxiang turned to Fatty Lu and asked.

"There are many reasons, but the most important thing is that the nail in Jingzhou has not been pulled out!" Fatty Lu replied: "Jingzhou is located in the upper reaches of Jiangyue, and is located in the water and land throat connecting Huguang and Sichuan. If this nail is not pulled out, Not only was our Huguang army unable to get in touch with General Wang Pingfan of Sichuan, but it was also facing the danger of Jingzhou Mangou going down the river to block the Yangtze River again at any time. Moreover, the north of Jingzhou is connected by roads with Shaanxi and Gansu, and the elite troops deployed in Shaanxi and Gansu The main force can go south by land at any time to reinforce Jingzhou, and then threaten our rear hinterland and the food roads of the Northern Expedition, so if the nail in Jingzhou is not pulled out, grandfather will not be able to feel at ease in the Northern Expedition.”

"Just the defeated generals in Jingzhou? Even Labu, who can't beat Tan Hong and Wu Zhimao, deserves to be called a nail?" Xia Guoxiang and many Wu army generals laughed, and they still dared not fight the main force of Wu army after several years of fighting. Qing La Fubu, who confronted head-on, was extremely contemptuous.Xia Guoxiang turned to the old traitor Wu and asked: "Old Taishan, is it true what Yifeng's nephew and son-in-law said, you are worried about the gang of dogs in Jingzhou, so you can't make up your mind for the Northern Expedition for the time being?"

"When did Yifeng only have such a reason?" The old man Wu scolded his son-in-law angrily, then nodded and said, "However, what Yifeng said is also very reasonable. If you don't pull out the nail on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Jingzhou, this king will be very angry." It is difficult to carry out the Northern Expedition with confidence."

After all, the old traitor Wu glanced at Fatty Lu again, and asked, "Yifeng, since you have seen the importance of Jingzhou, are you interested in going to Jingzhou and joining hands with your father-in-law Wu Guogui to unplug this old man?" a nail?"

"God damn old traitor, are you thinking of me again at this time?" Fatty Lu, who had already made up his mind not to go to Jingzhou, murmured in his heart, and said with an apologetic smile on his face, "How dare grandson-in-law refuse to follow my grandfather's order, it's just... .”

"Old Taishan, let me go." Xia Guoxiang said impatiently: "Yifeng has received too many errands these days, and he should take a break, and even the old general's affairs cannot be separated from Yifeng. So let my son-in-law handle this mission, and ask my father-in-law to give my son-in-law [-] troops to go up against the current and capture Jingzhou for Lao Taishan!"

"This..." Old Man Wu was a little hesitant. It wasn't that Old Man Wu couldn't trust his second son-in-law with rich battlefield experience, but that Old Man Wu had other purposes after wanting Fatty Lu to command the Battle of Jingzhou, so he ordered Lu Fatty's name.

"My lord, the students think that one peak is the only way to capture Jingzhou." Fang Guangchen, who had always been opposed to the old traitor Wu's reuse of Wu Yingqi and Xia Guoxiang, saw that the situation was not good, so he stood up and cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the entire Huguang battlefield is full of dogs. Only the Jingzhou army is left. In order to contain our army and prevent our Chuanhu army from joining forces, Emperor Mangou must order Labu and Tuhai to defend Jingzhou. I will definitely do my best to defend the city and wait for reinforcements to rescue me."

"In this way, the battle in Jingzhou must be a bloody battle. General Xia was brave in fighting and took the lead in every battle. He is indeed an ideal candidate to attack Jingzhou. However, if the enemy fights to the death, even if our army wins, it will inevitably suffer heavy casualties and take a long time. , and Yifeng is not only able to fight tough battles, but also has a flexible combat style, and is good at adapting to local conditions to maximize his strengths and avoid weaknesses. When he goes to capture Jingzhou, he will not only have greater confidence, but also minimize the losses of our army."

"Mr. Xianyan's words are reasonable, and my son-in-law also believes that this battle must be done by Yifeng." Hu Guozhu agreed from the perspective of Wu Jun's interests, and said: "Yifeng has fought against Tuhai many times, and he is familiar with Tuhai's military style and combat habits. , know yourself and the enemy, and naturally you will be victorious in every battle.”

"The old man also thinks that Yifeng should be sent to this battle." Old Han Wu nodded, then turned to Fatty Lu and said, "Yifeng, what do you think? Would you like to go?"

"Grandfather, Uncle and Mr. Xianyan are so loving and absurd, if grandson-in-law refuses to talk about it, that is hypocritical." Fatty Lu smiled bitterly in his heart, and replied: "Of course grandson-in-law is willing to go..."

"Yifeng, wait a minute." Xia Guoxiang grabbed Fatty Lu, knelt down to the old traitor Wu, clasped his fists, and said loudly: "Father-in-law, since our army started, my son-in-law has not made any achievements so far. Ashamed, I just ask my father-in-law to give my son-in-law another chance to show my filial piety by capturing Jingzhou for my father-in-law. If the attack fails, my son-in-law will be punished by military law!"

After all, Xia Guo kowtowed one after another, his attitude was very firm, but old traitor Wu was quite hesitant, thinking, what credit are you in a hurry to grab?I asked Yifeng to go to fight Jingzhou, because I planned to let him go to Sichuan with me to command the Shaanxi-Gansu War after Jingzhou was taken, and let you lead the East Route Army to fight Jiangxi. Now you rush to the west front, and in the future I will take Yifeng Transferring from the east line to the west line will not only take a lot of effort, but also make Yifeng whisper that the old man is partial to the son-in-law.After hesitating for a while, the old traitor Wu looked at Xia Guoxiang with a firm face, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Okay then, I will give you another chance to attack Jingzhou."

"Thank you father-in-law, my son-in-law will definitely not let father-in-law down." Xia Guoxiang was overjoyed, and quickly kowtowed to thank him.

"My lord..." Fang Guangchen was a little anxious, but the old traitor Wu waved his hand to stop him, and just said to Xia Guoxiang: "I will give you [-] elite soldiers, and I will give you [-] new-style muskets. The Yuezhou Navy will give you half of it for your subordinates. In addition, Songzi Wu Guogui's [-] troops are also under your command, but I want you to take Jingzhou within a month and open up the connection between our Huguang army and Sichuan!"

"Father-in-law, please don't worry, my son-in-law will definitely not let you down." Xia Guoxiang promised confidently, and then said arrogantly: "And my son-in-law will not take a month, 20 days, if you don't take Jingzhou City within 20 days, My son-in-law is willing to lead the army."

"There is no joke in the army, you'd better stop talking big to me." The old man Wu snorted coldly, "If you can't win Jingzhou within a month, you don't even think about having any chance to be alone in the future!"

Xia Guoxiang agreed loudly, saluted and thanked him full of joy, and the old traitor Wu turned to Fatty Lu and said, "Yifeng, don't rush back to Wuchang, after the funeral of the old general Ling is over, you will marry the old man and Xiaotu." Well, the little tu is not young anymore, and the old man is still waiting to take care of his grandson." Fatty Lu, who finally didn't have to go to Jingzhou, was overjoyed, and hurriedly saluted and thanked him.

………………

On the third day, Xia Guoxiang set off with an army of [-], and went directly westward to Jingzhou from the north bank of the Yangtze River to pull out the nail. Xia Guoxiang captured Jingzhou, Wu Yingqi also returned to the Wuchang garrison, and went to command the Wu army there to prepare for the grand plan of the army. Fatty Lu stayed in Yuezhou at the request of the old Wu traitor. The traitors deal with the internal problems after playing the banner of anti-Qing and Fuming.

Although it was at the last minute that he gave up the idea of ​​proclaiming himself emperor immediately and decided to play the banner of anti-Qing and Fuming, but what Fatty Lu secretly admired was that the old traitor Wu, who was born to be rebellious, obviously made two-handed preparations in secret, because he was in Yuezhou On the second day after the conference ended, the old traitor Wu decided to change his name to the king of Zhou, and decided to change the 13th year of Kang Mazi to the first year of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Wu Junzhong's generals have been using the Mite Qing printed letter; in addition, they also ordered to stop using Mite Qing's coin Kangxi Tongbao, and use Dazhou Utilization Tongbao instead. They also showed the mother coin samples of "Utilization Tongbao" on the spot and issued them to the state capitals in the southwest. sample casting.As for the military flags, military uniforms, and general helmets, the old traitor Wu prepared extremely well in secret. In less than a day, the entire army in Yuezhou was replaced. Even Xia Guoxiang's Western Expeditionary Army went out after replacing the military flags and caps. .

The army is the lifeblood of the old traitor Wu's tightest control. It is naturally easy to implement cutting braids and changing crowns, but after reaching the people, they have encountered some troubles more or less. The cruel laws and regulations that never leave the head, refuse to cut off the mouse tail on the head no matter what.However, Wu Yingjing, nephew of old traitor Wu, was not a vegetarian either. After beheading thirty or forty commoners who refused to cut their braids, all the people in Yuezhou obediently cut off the tails of rats and replaced them with Han square scarves. The situation in other places is also the same. In front of Wu Jun's butcher knife, who is as cruel and ruthless as the Qing army, the people in the five southwestern provinces obediently cut off the rat's tail and regained the Han family's attire. It was also re-continued in the southwest area.

Another advantage of cutting braids and changing crowns is that Wu Jun's work of distinguishing between the enemy and the enemy is much easier, and it is also much easier to win over the backbone Han people who refuse to submit to the brutal rule of Mi Qing. After the Braid Yiguan Calligraphy spread to Huangzhou, He Shirong and the Golden Dragon Rebel Army, who were dealing with the Qing army in the Dongshan area of ​​Macheng, immediately cut off the mouse tail on their heads and announced that they would accept the old traitor Wu as subordinate.

The news was sent back to Yuezhou, and the Wu army finally did not disappoint the Macheng rebels this time. The connection between Huangzhou Fucheng and Henan was broken, forcing Yu Chenglong to retreat to Huangzhou City to survive, while Wu Jun's blade was approaching Anhui and Henan, and the Central Plains were shaken.

On the ninth day of November, when Wu Jun’s internal reorganization after changing the banner came to an end, news of the strategic adjustment of the Qing court also came one after another. The [-] Qing army led by the Qing army stopped going south to Fujian, and divided into two groups. They rushed to Luzhou, Anhui for reinforcements all the way to prevent the Wu army from going north to Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong, and returned to Anqing all the way to consolidate the defense of Jiangxi and ensure the safety of Jiangnan's financial and taxation center.

The only thing that surprised the old traitor Wu and others was that most of the [-] troops newly conscripted by Kang Mazi in Henan, Zhili, and Shanxi were sent to the battlefields of Nanyang, Xunyang, Guide, and Anhui. However, very few troops were invested in the hinterland of Henan. Kaifeng and Luoyang, the most populous and most economically developed cities in Henan, were still very defenceless.

"What is Kang Mazi doing?" After marking the deployment of the Qing army on the sand table of the national map with his own hands, the old traitor Wu frowned, and asked Fang Guangchen, Liu Xuanchu, and Wang Shirong, who were puzzled, "What do you say?" Why did Emperor Mangou leave such a large gap in the north of Wuchang Hanyang? Isn’t he afraid that our army will go straight to the hinterland of Henan and directly threaten his Zhili capital?”

"Students believe that Emperor Mangou should have no choice." Fang Guangchen replied respectfully: "Emperor Mangou not only needs to ensure that the two rivers are important for taxation, but also prevents our army from capturing Jingzhou, Xiangyang and Xunyang, and opens up liaison with Sichuan. The main Shaanxi-Gansu forces that double-teamed him were simply not strong enough to deploy, so we had to take a gamble, let go of the hinterland of Henan, and deploy heavy troops to the two flanks of Henan, so as to avoid the danger of being defeated by our army one by one on the long defense line."

"Perhaps Emperor Mangou wanted to use Henan to set up a trap to lure our army to go north." Liu Xuanchu pointed out: "If the main force of our army goes deep into the hinterland of Henan, then the troops deployed by Kang Mazi on the two wings can double-team the left and right sides and block it again with heavy troops. The Yangtze River, cut off the connection between the main force of our army and the rear, and put the main force of our army in a predicament without food or pay."

"Perhaps there is an even bigger conspiracy." Wang Shirong interjected darkly: "The most terrifying thing in the hinterland of Henan is not the army full of dogs. There is one more terrifying thing. The prince can't guess it, right?"

"Mr. Liangchen, don't you mean the Yellow River?" The old man Wu laughed treacherously, and said, "Emperor Mangou is not a lunatic. He will dig up the Yellow River and flood our army? There are many people in the hinterland of Henan. Once the Yellow River breaks its embankment, what will happen?" Millions of people will be left homeless."

"When there is no way out, the Emperor Mangou can do crazy things." Wang Shirong replied solemnly: "Please think about it, my lord, for the inhuman Emperor Mangou, the life of his dog is the most important thing. Or is the life of millions of Han Chinese more important?"

"Mr. Liangchen is right, and this matter has to be guarded against." Fang Guangchen and Liu Xuanchu reminded with solemn expressions.

The old traitor Wu thought for a while, then smiled again, and said: "Then the main force of the old man will not take this route to the Northern Expedition, and only send a partial division to take the hinterland of Henan. Let's see if Kang Mazi has the guts to fight for the old man's partial division. , go to this place to risk the disgrace of the world."

"My lord is right. Sending a partial division to take Henan is indeed a clever strategy. It can not only disrupt Mangou's Central Plains defense line, but also weaken Mangou's human and financial resources to ensure the safety of the main force." Liu Xuanchu first patted a horse Fart, he reminded again: "However, the prince's next strategy should be finalized. Whether the main force of our army should take Shaanxi-Gansu or Jiangnan first, I have to ask the prince to make a decision as soon as possible. Although our army is in good momentum now, no matter Manpower, material and financial resources are far from the opponents of Mangou, and the longer it takes, the more unfavorable it will be to our army.”

"Of course this old man knows." The old man Wu nodded, and then frowned and said: "But the problem now is that if the nail in Jingzhou is not pulled out, the old man will not be able to do his best no matter whether he takes Jiangnan first or Shaanxi-Gansu first--this Xia Guoxiang , counting the time, he should have fought Jingzhou Mangou at least four days ago, whether he won or lost, how come there is no news yet?"

"It should be soon." Liu Xuanchu comforted: "My lord, don't worry, General Xia has rich experience in the battlefield, and with the great help of General Wu Guogui, even if he can't take Jingzhou City urgently, he won't suffer too much on the battlefield."

Old Traitor Wu nodded, expressing his agreement with Liu Xuanchu's statement, but at this moment, Hu Guozhu hurried into the meeting hall of Old Traitor Wu with a stack of documents, and said loudly as soon as he entered the door: "Father-in-law, there is news from Jingzhou." .”

"How?" Old Traitor Wu couldn't wait to ask: "Good news or bad news?"

"There is good news and there is bad news, but I don't know which one my father-in-law wants to hear first." Hu Guozhu replied with a mournful face.

"Let's talk about the good news first." Old man Wu had a bad premonition in his heart.

"The good news is that Mr. Maoya's son Zhaoyong, General Liu Zhifu, has made meritorious service." Hu Guozhu replied: "Mangou Xunyang Admiral Tong Guoyao sent Xiangyang General Yang Laijia to reinforce Jingzhou. General Liu knew that Yang Laijia was an old general of Zheng Chenggong. When Zheng Chenggong’s Northern Expedition failed, Yang Laijia’s army was besieged and forced to surrender. Mangou other armies are on the way to reinforce Jingzhou."

"Mr. Maoxia, you really gave birth to a good son." Old man Wu was overjoyed, and Liu Xuanchu was also beaming with joy, very happy that his only son was doing well.

"There is still bad news, father-in-law, don't be angry when you hear it." Hu Guozhu said helplessly: "My brother-in-law was defeated in Jingzhou. He was repelled by Mangou three times in five days and lost more than 3000 soldiers. In addition, our naval division Lin Xingzhu's division and the Guogui brother's crossing army were also defeated on the Yangtze River. Xu Zhi, the commander of the Yiling Navy who was full of dogs, took advantage of the opportunity of our army Wu Guogui's division to cross the river, and suddenly launched a surprise attack. Nine warships of our army were sunk, more than [-] troop carriers, nearly a hundred small boats, and our soldiers lost more than... [-]."

"Wow!" Old man Wu flipped the table over and roared, "Xia Guoxiang, Wu Guogui, and Lin Xingzhu grew up with nothing to eat? How could they be attacked by the Mangou navy while crossing the river? What's the loss? "

"Back to father-in-law, it's not my son-in-law who excused my brother-in-law and Guogui brothers, it's not that they are incompetent, but that traitor Xu Zhidu is too cunning." Hu Guozhu replied tremblingly: "According to brother Guogui's report, that traitor Xu Zhidu is too cunning." First, he pretended to be cowardly and deliberately withdrew from Yidu to Yiling, luring our Songzi army to cross the river, and then at night, taking advantage of the opportunity of smooth sailing, he suddenly dispatched troops, and arrived at the Jingzhou Tiger Ferry in just one night, killing our troops crossing the river. Jiang's army was caught off guard."

"What's even more irritating is that Xu Zhidu even used his wife. He personally led the warships into our fleet and entangled with our sailors. His wife Xu Bitch took the opportunity to attack our troop transport The fleet caused heavy damage to our army, and if our soldiers crossing the river were not equipped with life-saving gourds, the loss would have been even greater."

"Trash! They're all trash!" After breaking through the Yangtze River with great difficulty, he ended up suffering his first major defeat since the rise of the army. It was still defeated by a woman, and the traitor Wu's nose almost lost his breath. Crooked, and shouted: "Immediately send an order to Xia Guoxiang and Wu Guogui, give them ten days to find this place back for the old man! Otherwise, the military law will do it!"

(End of this chapter)