Zhang Mingzhen nodded, "Your Majesty's order was issued by him personally, but with Ma Jixiang's temperament, he may have to knock them out."

Zhang Huangyan sighed softly, "They are innocent, so they forced them to add a crime of cheating on the thief, and now they have to pay for money to redeem themselves. It's ridiculous and shameless."

Zhang Mingzhen also sighed, "The atmosphere in the face of the country is like this, and you and I are unable to change for the time being. Cangshui, let's go! I'll find all the people for you."

The two walked into a room, and there were already twenty or thirty people standing in the room. They were all dressed in different clothes, both of whom were old and young, and they stood silently, which made the atmosphere in the room a little depressing.

Zhang Huangyan said without nonsense, "Everyone, Zhou Xian occupied Zhoushan and Chongming, which led to the Ming Dynasty being threatened by it at all times. This situation must change. You will go to Zhoushan Island and Chongming Island in batches, and no matter what method you use, you will successfully board the two islands. Then, hide on the islands in various identities, find out the deployment of troops, warships, food and grass reserves, generals and other things. Six months later, the imperial army will raise troops to recover the two islands. Whether the Ming Dynasty can recover the two islands and maintain stability in the rear depends on everyone present. I would like to ask you all here."

Everyone clasped their fists and said, "Be loyal to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Mingzhen said in a deep voice: "Each person has a settlement fee of 100 taels of silver. After the matter is completed, each person will give another 200 taels of silver. There will be another reward for those who have made meritorious services. If you sacrifice your life for the country in this process because you were discovered, I will give your family a settlement fee of 300 taels of silver. But if you dare to reveal your identity and tasks, not only will you not have any money, but your family will also be implicated. Go! After receiving the money, go back and say goodbye to your family and set off in three days."

After everyone dispersed, Zhang Mingzhen walked to his seat and sat down, "Cangshui, if you want to take down Chongming Island and Zhoushan Island, there must be a navy. With our current situation, it may be difficult to do it."

Zhang Huangyan sat next to him and nodded silently, "Fortunately, we still have half a year to make good use of it, and as long as we make a good use of it, we can still make a difference. Moreover, even if we fail to create a fleet, as long as we can convince General Zheng and Zheng Hongkui, it will still be no problem to recover the two islands. Otherwise, when the imperial army goes north in the future, these two places will always threaten the rear of our army."

Zhang Mingzhen nodded gently, "Cangshui, you will definitely be valued when you return to Nanjing with Your Majesty this time. But the wood is soaring in the forest, the wind will destroy it. You must act low-key and don't give those jealous and capable people the chance to sue you."

Zhang Huangyan nodded, "Thank you for reminding me, General, I will pay attention. In fact, I also understand that I am too impatient and not suitable to be an official in the court. Next, I will do my best to train a new army that can be fought for the court. As for the fight for power and profit, I cannot do it and will not participate."

Zhang Mingzhen smiled, "That's right. I will draw another thousand general manager from the army, ten general managers, and fifty guards to you. On the one hand, it can protect your safety, and on the other hand, it can also help you train soldiers."

Zhang Huangyan showed gratitude, "Thank you, General."

Zhang Mingzhen waved his hand and said, "Why do you and I need to do this?"

Zhang Huangyan hesitated for a moment and said, "General, Yangzhou is the gateway to Nanjing, and it is of great importance, but it is also a place where it is easy to attack and difficult to defend. General Zhou occupied Gaoyou, and the army could reach Yangzhou directly in half a day. If he waited for it to reach the city of Yangzhou and siege it from all sides, Yangzhou might not be able to hold on for long."

Zhang Mingzhen nodded, "I have this concern, too. But I thought that Jiangyin and Zhenjiang were on the other side of the Yangtze River. If there was something wrong in Yangzhou, I only needed to hold on for two to three days before reinforcements could arrive, and there was no worries."

Zhang Huangyan shook his head, "What you said can only be the remedy after the troops surround Yangzhou, rather than make preparations in advance. I thought the focus of Yangzhou's defense should be placed outside Yangzhou. Although Zhou Tusong occupied Gaoyou, there was not much place for us to defend. However, there was Shaobo Town in the southwest of Yangzhou and Taizhou City in the southeast. Some soldiers could be stationed in the two places as the outposts of Yangzhou. Once the northern soldiers came, they could warn Yangzhou as soon as possible to ensure that there was no accident."

Zhang Mingzhen pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, just do what you said."

Just as the two were talking, Zhang Mingzhen's general Ruan pushed the door and walked in, "General, something is wrong!"

Zhang Mingzhen looked puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Ruan Jin looked at Zhang Huangyan, "Mr. Zhang, you asked me to send someone to monitor Zhou Xian's army's evacuation. I sent people. But after I found out that they left Yangzhou, they rushed all the way, and even after they arrived in Gaoyou, they did not enter the city, and still rushed north."

Zhang Mingzhen said: "What's strange about this? After solving the Yangzhou incident, Zhou Xian will definitely return to fight with the Manchus. The sooner he rushes back, the better, wouldn't it be?"

Ruan Jin replied: "But after passing Sizhou, Zhou Xian's army suddenly turned west and rushed towards Sanyi Town. There, a floating bridge connected by wooden boats across the Huai River had been built there. The scout had asked the people nearby and realized that the ships had been parked on the shore as old ships, and it was only suddenly completed in one or two days. The scout said that when he came back, Zhou Xian's army was crossing the river."

Zhang Mingzhenqi said: "Walking west, you have to cross the Huai River. What do Zhou Xian want to do?"

Ruan Jin stepped forward and said, "General, after passing Sanyi Town, the nearest big city is Fengyang. Do you think he wants to attack Sun Kewang?"

Ruan Jin looked happy. He was once a little pirate who plundered merchant ships near Songjiang, but was later surrendered by Zhang Mingzhen. In the process of pacifying Huang Bin's fu, he was as the pioneer of landing on the island and was unstoppable. He gradually became a confidant general under Zhang Mingzhen.

Later, Ruan Jin followed Zhang Mingzhen to fight north and north, and also fought with Sun Kewang in Wuhu.

But that time, Sun Kewang had the advantage, and Ruan Jin fought hard before waiting for Huang Degong's reinforcements to arrive. Although he finally defeated Sun Kewang, the soldiers under Ruan Jin were killed and injured, so he formed a grudge against Sun Kewang.

After Sun Kewang surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, Ruan Jin never had the chance to seek revenge on Sun Kewang. At this moment, he felt that Zhou Xian was going to attack Sun Kewang, so he was of course full of joy.

Zhang Mingzhen shook his head, his heart full of doubts. He took a map and looked carefully. "Look at the direction. After Zhou Xian crossed the Huai River, he seemed to be heading towards Fengyang. But he had just reached a peace agreement with us. How could he attack Sun Kewang's troops who had already surrendered to the Ming Dynasty? Is he crazy?"
Chapter completed!