Encirclement and support (please subscribe for support)

Author: Scholar Wu

Encirclement and support (please subscribe for support)

After Hou Qianhai and others had their fill of wine and food, they continued their journey to Hangzhou.

Huang Sanba personally sent Hou Qianhai out of Xin'an County.

Outside the pavilion, the two still looked like they were deeply in love with each other and reluctant to leave. Huang Sanba said: "My dear brother, you need to be more careful on your way to Hangzhou."

"Hangzhou is not very safe now, and my brother's property in Hangzhou also needs manpower to protect me. Huang Bao and others are my close servants, so they will follow my brother to Hangzhou City. They are familiar with this road and can be my guides."

Hou Qianhai also said: "Brother also needs to be more careful, lest the Ming army comes back to trouble you. In this way, I will leave 20 soldiers for the eldest brother to protect his safety, and let Huang Bao and the others take care of the shortage of these people.

Follow the army to Hangzhou City."

Although Huang Bao and others were leading the way, Hou Qianhai was still cautious. Whenever there was a dangerous canyon, he still sent sentries to investigate first to avoid being ambushed by the Ming army.

After all, this big brother came suddenly. Hou Qianhai sent people to inquire in Xin'an. Huang Sanba was indeed the richest man in Xin'an. Some of his subordinates had relatives in Xin'an. They had indeed heard of the name "Huang Batian", and

This man indeed made his fortune by selling smuggled salt.

That's why Hou Qianhai dared to take this route and bypass Fuyang directly.

Daming Mountain is located between Lin'an and Xin'an. It is famous for its strange pines, strange rocks and sea of ​​clouds. At this time, Hou Qianhai was not in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Daming Mountain. The mountain road was rugged and difficult to walk. In order to avoid the Ming army, they even took the route off the beaten track.

The mountain road is very difficult with thorns and thorns along the way.

Fortunately, there was no danger at all. After one day and one night, they safely entered the territory of Qiantang County.

Huang Bao pointed to the pagoda in front and said: "Mr. Hou, look ahead is the Baochu Pagoda. As long as you climb over the Gemstone Mountain, you will reach the city of Hangzhou."

Hou Qianhai also sighed: "This journey was quite hard. Thanks to Brother Huang for leading the way, we were able to arrive safely. Otherwise, we might have fallen into the pocket of the Ming army."

At this time, the spies sent out also came back and reported, saying: "According to the news, the Ming army did not completely surround Hangzhou City. They occupied Fenghuang Mountain in the south of Hangzhou, and fired at Hangzhou City from time to time."

Hou Qianhai said: "The Ming army has indeed blocked Phoenix Mountain in the south. Fortunately, we did not go to Fuyang. Otherwise, even if we can successfully reach the outside of Hangzhou, we will inevitably have a fierce battle with the Ming army."

"We should wait until night before leaving Baoshishan and heading to Qiantang Gate to avoid being discovered by the Ming army during the day."

Huang Bao said: "Hangzhou is now besieged by the Ming army. The city gates must be closed day and night. The soldiers guarding the city at night may not dare to let us in. If the Ming army is alerted by then, we will not be able to enter the city.

, wouldn’t that put the army in danger?”

Hou Qianhai suddenly realized and said: "It is true that I was negligent, or Brother Huang was thoughtful. It seems that there are no Ming troops near Baoshi Mountain. Let's set off for Qiantang Gate now."

The Baoshi Mountain where the Baochu Pagoda is located is located to the north of the West Lake, while the Ming army camp on the Fenghuang Mountain is located to the south of the West Lake.

With a whole West Lake separating them, Hou Qianhai felt that it was relatively safe. So with an order, the army began to set off towards Qiantang Gate in Hangzhou.

At this time, Huang Yu had already led the 2,000 troops of the Shenji Battalion to ambush for a long time. Seeing Hou Qianhai finally dispatched, the Shenji Battalion suddenly opened fire.

The dozens of squatting tiger cannons of the Shenji Battalion have already adjusted their positions.

Following Huang Yu's order, artillery suddenly roared, and the Qing army immediately went into chaos.

Then there was another "bang, bang, bang" sound of firecrackers, and many Qing soldiers were shot and fell to the ground.

Hou Qianhai even cursed in his heart. He was cautious along the way, but he didn't expect to be ambushed by the Ming army when he was about to reach Hangzhou City.

After firing several rounds of fire cannons, the Ming army slowly fought its way out of the mountain and intercepted the second half of the Qing army.

At this time, the unlucky Hou Qianhai was hit in the calf by the Tiger Crouching Cannon and became unable to move.

Without saying a word, Huang Bao picked up Hou Qianhai and ran towards Hangzhou City.

Fortunately, they were already very close to the city of Hangzhou, and Huang Bao rushed to the city in one breath.

Hou Qianhai was also frightened at this moment. Fortunately, although the Ming army rushed out from Baoshi Mountain, they only intercepted half of their troops.

Moreover, they did not follow them to the walls of Hangzhou City. During this battle, nearly a thousand Qing soldiers still ran back to Hangzhou City.

At this time, Huang Yu also stopped the Ming army who was about to continue the pursuit and shouted: "Stop the pursuit and let them enter the city. Our mission has been completed."

No reinforcements were seen for several days, and the Ming army bombarded the south of the city, causing panic among the people in Hangzhou. Even the food price increased to 1 tael, 5 taels of silver per stone.

Hearing that Yanzhou Commander-in-Chief Hou Qianhai led his troops to Hangzhou for support, Xiao Qiyuan paid great attention to him and immediately summoned him.

Hou Qianhai, whose calf was injured, was carried into the Zhejiang Governor's Yamen. Seeing his miserable face, Xiao Qiyuan comforted him with a few words of encouragement.

Hou Qianhai also told Xiao Qiyuan his experiences along the way in detail. The fact that he received 10,000 taels of silver from Huang Sanba and became a sworn sworn brother with Huang Sanba was naturally concealed by Hou Qianhai.

After hearing Hou Qianhai's experience, Xiao Qiyuan was also deeply shocked. Hou Qianhai had already been targeted by the Ming army before he left Yanzhou Mansion. If he hadn't been careful all the way and took the mountain trails of Daming Mountain, he would have been killed at all.

Before they could reach Hangzhou, they would have been wiped out by the Ming army long ago.

Finally, Hou Qianhai said angrily: "It's a pity that only half of those who have traveled a hundred miles have reached the outside of the city after many hardships. Unexpectedly, they were attacked by the Ming army under the city of Hangzhou. The Ming army did not have many troops. It is a pity that

The soldiers and horses guarding the city did not go out of the city to respond, otherwise they would surely have wiped out this Ming army."

How could Xiao Qiyuan not hear that he was complaining that the defenders of Hangzhou refused to save him and did not leave the city to meet him. However, Hou Qianhai's ability to lead reinforcements to arrive was a great encouragement to the morale of Hangzhou city.

So Xiao Qiyuan rewarded Hou Qianhai with five thousand taels of silver, and said that he would report to the court his contribution to risking his own life to come to the rescue, and arranged for his troops to be stationed in Mancheng in Hangzhou to help guard Yongjin Gate.

At this time, the Eight Banners in Hangzhou had long been wiped out, and there were only a few old, weak, women, and children left in the city. The army was quite empty, and Hou Qianhai could fill this gap.

After receiving the reward, Hou Qianhai immediately changed his face and said sternly: "I will definitely live up to the cultivation of the governor in my humble position, and I will fight the Ming army to the end to protect Hangzhou."

In the Ming army camp in Phoenix Mountain, Huang Yu was reporting the results of this attack to Qian Mo. This time, the Shenji battalion killed more than 600 Qing soldiers and captured 400 people. Only 7 of them were injured. It can be said that it was a great victory.

Seeing Huang Yu's listless look, Qian Mo smiled and said: "This Shenji Battalion has been able to fight without a single blow. Why does Mr. Huang still look unhappy?"

"Do you feel that the killing is not enough, or do you feel that it is a pity that this Qing army was not completely wiped out?"

Huang Yu said: "I dare not question the Governor's military orders because of my humble position. Since the Governor allowed this group of Qing soldiers to enter the city, he must have carefully considered it."

"I am just reflecting on the tactics of our Shenji Battalion. Now this modified Tiger Crouching Cannon is convenient for our troops to carry around, which greatly enhances our army's field combat capabilities."

"It's just that today's Rumi Gunmen still cannot shoot without interruption. Even if they are equipped with bayonets, they still need the cooperation of shield soldiers and spear soldiers."

Qian Mo said: "The rapid expansion of our army a while ago, coupled with the relocation of the Tianjiazhuang workshop, has indeed affected the output of Lumi gun."

"The rate of fire of the matchlock gun is indeed unable to achieve uninterrupted fire coverage. This cannot be blamed on the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion for not training hard."

"You have also seen the battle report in Si'an Town. Facing the Eight Banners' heavy armored infantry and cavalry, the effect of multi-arms cooperation is better than pure firearms combat."

"It is not advisable to use firearms troops to resist the Qing cavalry in the plains. Mr. Huang should not hesitate. Only by using favorable terrain and fortifications can the advantages of firearms be fully utilized. In particular, a comprehensive defense system such as a bastion is most suitable for the Shenji Camp.

.”

"I think the Shenji Battalion did a pretty good job in this Baoshi Mountain ambush. With only 7 wounded, they killed and captured a thousand Qing troops, creating a record of annihilating a thousand Qing troops with the smallest casualties in the history of our army."

Huang Yu, a general who is decisive in killing and good at summarizing, is Qian Mo's favorite. It can be said that among the generals of the battalions under the Governor's Mansion, Huang Yu is the most valued by Qian Mo. I believe that Huang Yu can become a unique commander in time.

Qian Mo also intended to cultivate Huang Yu's overall perspective. After all, in terms of combat bravery and tactical proficiency, the current generals of several first-class battalions all have their own strengths, and strategic awareness requires talent.

So Qian Mo asked Huang Yu: "Since you said I had a deeper meaning in letting this group of Qing soldiers enter the city, why not ask Mr. Huang to guess what my intention is?"

Huang Yu said: "Previously, the city of Hangzhou was empty of troops. Governor Qian led us and others to march straight into Hangzhou without forcibly attacking the city. I'm afraid the purpose was not to directly occupy the city."

"It was to force the Qing troops from other directions to return to support Hangzhou. I guess something must have happened to the Ming army in eastern Zhejiang."

Qian Mo said with satisfaction: "Yes, although Dingxihou successfully captured Ningbo, he is currently besieged by Tian Xiong in Ningbo Mansion. I besieged Hangzhou because I really want Tian Xiong to return to his army."

Huang Yu added: "The Governor ordered our Shenji Battalion to attack Hangzhou, and the Chongming Battalion was stationed on the outside. We wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate the various Qing troops who came to aid Hangzhou."

Qian Mo said: "It seems that my intention cannot be concealed from Mr. Huang at all. I gave this strategy a popular name called 'encirclement point for reinforcements'."

Huang Yu looked at Liu Yichen and said with a smile: "This time Governor Qian ordered Beizhiwang to open up and let a thousand Qing troops enter the city. I'm afraid there are already insiders from the Intelligence Department infiltrating the city."

Qian Mo was not surprised when Huang Yu saw his previous intention of surrounding the spot for reinforcements. This intention itself was obvious. Huang Yu could see it, and Xiao Qiyuan could also see it. However, Qian Mo's intention was also a conspiracy, and Xiao Qiyuan could also see it.

Even if Qi Yuan saw it, he still had to obediently send reinforcements to Qian Mo's mouth in waves.

However, Huang Yu could guess that insiders from the Intelligence Department had infiltrated Hangzhou City, which really surprised Qian Mo.

So Qian Mo said to Liu Yichen: "Although it took so much effort to finally get the insider into Hangzhou City, Xiao Qiyuan will definitely take strict precautions and not take any action for the time being."

Asked Huang Yu again: "Now that we have eaten up the reinforcements from Hangzhou and Yanzhou, Xiao Qiyuan still has not transferred Tian Xiong back. What does Mr. Huang think we should do next?"

Huang Yu said: "If we want Tian Xiong to come back for help now, there are only two strategies."

"Either attack Hangzhou fiercely and drive Xiao Qiyuan into a panic; or attack Shaoxing and directly cut off Tian Xiong's escape route."

Huang Yu's basic strategic vision is still very good. In the current situation, if Qian Mo were from Huang Yu's perspective, he could only think of these two methods.

However, after all, the amount of information obtained by the two people was not the same. Qian Mo still had other means to force Xiao Qiyuan to submit and recall Tian Xiong to Hangzhou.

So Qian Mo said: "What General Huang said is true. At this moment, we really need to force Xiao Qiyuan and Tian Xiong to break this deadlock, but there is no need to attack Hangzhou for the time being."

"The Intelligence Department has already instigated the rebellion of Hangzhou Bay Navy Vice Admiral Zeng Jiahui, let's just wait and see the good show."

Since Xiao Qiyuan reduced all the forces of the Hangzhou Prefecture to Hangzhou City, there are no Qing troops stationed in Haining County, located east of Hangzhou and south of Jiaxing.

Qian Mo did not occupy Haining. On the one hand, it was because Jiaxing Prefecture was actually controlled by Qian Mo, and there was no need to waste troops to garrison Haining.

On the other hand, it was because Haining was where the Hangzhou Bay Navy of the Qing Army was stationed. Qian Mo did not have a navy in his hands, so if he rashly occupied Haining, he would easily be attacked by the Qing Navy.

Although after the Ming Dynasty occupied Chongming, the Qing army had transferred a large number of naval warships from Jinshanwei and Haining to defend Wusongkou. At this time, the Hangzhou Bay Navy had been greatly weakened, but now there is no one in hand.

Warship Qian Mo was still helpless against them.

On a lucky ship in the Qingjun water village in Haining, Vice Admiral Zeng Jiahui of the Hangzhou Bay Navy was discussing with his men.
To be continued...