"Sir, the main force, the main force has arrived."
The sentry stood on the mast and used binoculars to observe the situation in various parts of the Xijiang River.
He saw a huge fleet coming from the south.
The flag on the fleet is their Eighth Army.
When Hu Hai heard the news, he completely relaxed.
There were only about twenty armed merchant ships left, and all their artillery shells had been used up.
If the Ming navy attacked them again, their entire army would probably be wiped out.
His mission was to cut off the Xijiang River, and the Ming navy attacked them, so they could only try their best.
Hu Hai took all the armed merchant ships to meet the main force.
Zhang Yuliang stood at the bow and looked at the remaining twenty or so armed merchant ships.
Each armed merchant ship had multiple damages on its hull.
Nearly half of the armed merchant ships had their masts broken.
Zhang Yuliang met with Hu Hai, commander of the Third Division, on the ship.
"You have worked hard."
Hu Hai said excitedly: "Thank you, Commander, for your compliment. Our Third Army has completed its mission perfectly and not a single ship has been allowed to cross the Xijiang River."
"Your mission has been completed very well.
I have received news from the Military Intelligence Bureau that the reinforcements and supplies from Guangzhou to support Wuzhou City are now blocked in Zhaoqing City.
The more than 200,000 Ming troops in Wuzhou City have become a lone army."
Zhang Yuliang led two divisions of the Eighth Army and launched an attack on Wuzhou City through the Xijiang River.
While attacking Wuzhou, they also captured Deqing City, an important town on the edge of the Xijiang River.
A regiment of artillery was left behind to guard Deqing City.
With an artillery regiment and enough ammunition, the Xijiang River near Deqing City can be blocked.
The Ming navy launched a massive attack, but they were unable to break through Deqing City in a short time.
The artillerymen of the Eighth Army are all elite. When using land forts, they can hit seven out of every ten shots without any problem at all.
…………………………
Xiong Wencan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, looked anxious as he watched the thieves in yellow launch another fierce attack on Wuzhou.
The Xunjiang River flooded, and most of Wuzhou Prefecture was flooded.
When Wuzhou City was built, flood problems were considered. The city was built on a low hill and was not flooded.
Wuzhou Mansion became a vast country, giving them a short respite.
During this time, the thieves in yellow were unable to attack Wuzhou City.
Xiong Wencan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, mobilized soldiers and horses from all over Guangdong to support Wuzhou City.
At the same time, supplies were mobilized from various places, especially the imitation Hongyi cannons from Foshan, and the real Hongyi cannons were purchased from the Hongmao Yi people in Haojing.
Xiong Wencan also wrote an inscription to the emperor, asking the imperial court to support Guangdong and Guangxi.
Relying solely on the strength of Guangdong and Guangxi, there is no way to withstand the attack of the thieves in yellow.
Xiong Wencan knew that no matter how fast the court responded, it would take half a year for orders to come and go.
In addition to the time to mobilize troops, he must hold Guangdong for a year.
Guangxi suffered from acute conflicts between locals and tourists, and Guangxi was unprepared.
Suddenly faced an attack by hundreds of thousands of thieves in yellow.
Guangxi did not hold out for three months, and most of the area fell.
Wuzhou was able to hold on because the thieves in yellow were affected by the floods.
Now that the flood has receded, the thieves in yellow are attacking again.
"My Lord Governor, of the thirty red cannons on the top of the city, seventeen have been destroyed by the yellow-robed thieves.
Please, Lord Governor, deploy new Hongyi cannons as soon as possible.
Without the Hongyi artillery to defend the city, our army has no confidence in stopping the yellow-robed thieves from attacking the city."
"Your Majesty the Governor, our army has been defending the city for three days and has suffered heavy casualties. Please request for replacement and repairs."
"My Lord Governor, no ships have been arriving from Xijiang.
They have been seven days overdue and have not delivered supplies or personnel to Wuzhou City.
The 200,000 troops in the city need to consume huge amounts of food and grass every day.
Without replenishment, the army will be out of food in two months."
Xiong Wencan also had a headache after listening to what his subordinates reported.
There was no delivery of supplies to Xijiang, so something must have happened to Zhaoqing Prefecture.
He has sent his master to take command, hoping to open up Xijiang.
This must be a small force of yellow-robed thieves who clashed with the Ming Navy in Xijiang.
Officials reported the day before yesterday that thieves in yellow clothes had occupied Lianzhou Prefecture.
The yellow-robed thieves in Guangxi have begun to attack Guangdong.
He had already ordered to mobilize the Ming army in northern Guangdong to go south to support the southern prefectures and resist the attack of the yellow-robed thieves.
As long as we persist until the reinforcements sent by the imperial court arrive, we can hold most of Guangdong.
Xiong Wencan saw that the morale of the Ming army was now low, so he sent a supervising team to strictly implement his orders.
Any general who slacks off will be held accountable immediately.
He usually treats his subordinates very kindly, but this is an extraordinary period.
Wuzhou City must be defended until the imperial reinforcements arrive in Guangdong.
Xiong Wencan killed the chickens to scare the monkeys and dealt with several slack generals. The morale of the Ming army was temporarily stabilized.
However, as the red cannons grew larger and fewer, the cannons on the east wall were dismantled and transported to the west to resist the attack of the yellow-robed thieves.
His master went to Zhaoqing Mansion to check the situation.
It's been half a month since I left, and no news has been sent back at all.
"Your Majesty the Governor, Your Majesty the Governor.
Xijiang is coming, and a large group of ships are coming."
The guard of Dongcheng City said in a panicked tone.
"The Xijiang River has been opened, and our fleet has finally arrived."
Xiong Wencan was very anxious and busy dealing with the attack of the thieves in yellow.
Not paying attention to the guard's expression and tone, he thought the supplies from Guangdong had arrived.
"Your Majesty the Governor, they are not our people. Their flag is the army of thieves in yellow."
When Xiong Wencan heard this, he immediately stood up.
"What? How could this happen?"
…………………………
Zhang Yuliang stood on the deck and looked at the fortified city more than ten meters high on the river bank.
This is Wuzhou City. The ownership of this city will determine the ownership of the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
Without capturing the city of Wuzhou, logistics supplies from Guangxi to Guangdong would have to go around in a big circle before they could be sent to the front line.
If the logistics supply line is too long, it will make the frontline soldiers timid in fighting.
Save every shell and bullet and use it on the most important battlefield.
The logistics supply line is still extremely fragile and requires crossing many small rivers, but these small rivers are still not connected.
The Ming army could cut off its logistical supply lines by sending out an elite force.
The Ming army had 200,000 troops stationed in Wuzhou City, and the Qin army could not just let it go.
This will waste a lot of troops and cannot occupy Guangdong in a short time.
Once the Ming court was given a chance to breathe, the Ming army's troops in the south moved in full force.
The Guangdong and Guangxi areas became a battlefield where the two armies fought fiercely.
Their ruling foundation in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions is weak, and if it is delayed for too long, no one can predict the consequences.
Zhang Yuliang opened the map and checked Wuzhou's defense.
There is not much to say about Wuzhou City. This fortified city is not very easy to fight.
There are forts on the Xunjiang River next to Wuzhou City to prevent the Qin army from passing through the Xunjiang River.
In front of the fort, Xiong Wencan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also used a sunken ship to directly block the Xunjiang River.
No ship can cross the Xunjiang River.
Xunjiang River and Xijiang River are one river.
The section in Guangxi is called the Xunjiang River, the section in Guangdong is called the Xijiang River, and the section at the mouth of the river is called the Pearl River.
Zhang Yuliang looked at the map and suggested: "The first division mainly carries out siege operations.
The Third Division opened up the Xunjiang River, and we connected with the First Army through Xunjiang.
The First Army has sufficient supplies. If the two armies are connected, it will be easier to capture Wuzhou City.
We have used up all our rockets and don't have many artillery shells left.
If we can't get through Xunjiang, we can only act as a partial division."
Wang Kun agreed: "I support opening up the Xunjiang River. The forts in the Xunjiang River are all in fixed directions, and they do not take into account the enemies in the direction of the Xijiang River.
The sunken ship also sank in front of the fort, and the fort can be approached through the Xijiang River.
Our armed merchant ships can easily destroy the forts on both sides of the Xunjiang River, creating opportunities for soldiers to clean up sunken ships.
The cannons of armed merchant ships and artillery regiments can also suppress the Hongyi cannons at the head of Wuzhou City."
Zhu Shiguan Yuntao and other senior officials of the Eighth Army also agreed with this combat plan.
No officers in the 1st and 3rd Divisions objected to this battle plan.
"Okay, let's act according to this plan."
The Eighth Army immediately took action and prepared to attack Wuzhou.
Wang Kunming, chief of staff of the Eighth Army, reported to Zhang Yuliang: "Commander, everything is ready."
"All the artillery of the Eighth Army will cover the siege of the city, and the First Division will try to see if they can use ladders to climb the city.
The third division used armed merchant ships to cooperate with the artillery regiment to attack the forts on both sides of the Xunjiang River."
Zhang Yuliang could only choose a ladder to climb the city, but could not use explosive packs to blow open the city wall.
Wuzhou City uses part of the mountain as its foundation, and even yellow gunpowder explosives cannot blow open the city wall.
We can only use traditional ladders to attack the city and try to capture Wuzhou City.
This is also the reason why the First Army did not capture Wuzhou City for a long time.
The field artillery of the Eighth Army Artillery Regiment fired a salvo, hitting the shells on the east wall of Wuzhou.
"It's really strange that there is no Hongyi cannon on the east wall of Wuzhou."
Wang Kun guessed: "It should be the defenders of Wuzhou, and they didn't think that the enemy could launch an attack from their rear.
There are no red barbarian cannons on the east wall of Wuzhou."
The siege was extremely fierce, and there were no Hongyi cannons on the east wall of Wuzhou.
The Ming army also relied on traditional defensive tools such as rolling logs, stone stones and gold juice to withstand many fierce attacks by the Qin army.
The Qin army attacked Wuzhou City many times but failed to scale the east wall of Wuzhou.
Guan Yuntao, Zhu Division of the Eighth Army, saw this situation.
"Commander, this won't work. Our elite troops are wasted in siege warfare. This battlefield is a meat grinder.
We must come up with better ways to attack the city.
Our army is already small in number, has not yet established contact with the First Army, and has no new barracks to replenish new recruits.
If you lose a warrior now, there will be one less warrior."
Zhang Yuliang had no choice. If there were rockets, he could use them directly to hit the city wall, and the soldiers would have a chance to board the city wall.
"It's been opened, Xunjiang has been opened.
Commander, I will personally cross the river to contact the First Army."
Chief of Staff Wang Kun said with surprise.
Zhang Yuliang was also extremely surprised when he heard the news.
"You three can't live without each other. In this situation, it's most appropriate for me to go."
A tall, tall man approached the camp, with blood stains on his body.
This is You Guangxiao, deputy commander of the Eighth Army, who has just inspected the siege of the First Division.
The deputy positions in the Qin Army do not have much power. They are generally officers who are ready for promotion and have passed the deputy position experience.
During the war, once the chief officer dies in battle, the deputy will replace the chief officer and immediately take over the army.
Zhang Yuliang looked at You Guangxiao. He usually kept a low profile in the military and rarely made any noise in combat meetings.
He is also a senior member of the Eighth Army and knows all the situation of the Eighth Army.
Now the three chief officers really can't leave the battlefield, so it's just right for them to visit Guangzhou Campus.
"Pay attention to safety, the Ming army will not use hot bombs.
Their Hongyi cannon would only make a hole in the ship at most.
Once the ship capsizes, jump into the river immediately to save yourself."
Zhang Yuliang lowered the intensity of the Eighth Army's siege and waited for the good news from You Guangxiao.
…………………………
"Captain Su, the Xunjiang River has been opened by the Eighth Army. The deputy commander of the Eighth Army, Colonel You Guang, has arrived at our camp by boat."
Su Xiong listened to the report from Chief of Staff Li Wenfang.
"There was a fierce shelling in Xunjiang, and I thought it was the Eighth Army.
It was easier for them to attack from Xijiang, and they finally opened up the waterway.
The security team will bring you to Guangzhou School quickly."
Colonel You Guang entered the camp. He greeted everyone and introduced the situation of the Eighth Army to them.
He proposed the support the Eighth Army needed.
"Our Eighth Army is attacking southwest Guangxi and has taken control of all prefectures in the southwest and southwest of Guangxi.
All the rockets have been used up, and artillery shells have become scarce.
The Eighth Army is in urgent need of supplies.
The security forces following us have occupied large areas of Guangxi and Guangdong.
There are not enough security guards now.
Please ask the Dudu Mansion to replenish our ammunition and personnel."
Su Xiong smiled and said: "This is no problem at all. I will immediately arrange supply ships to supply your Eighth Army with a large amount of weapons and ammunition.
The personnel are also easy to deal with. Zhu Shi under the Dudu Mansion is constantly transforming Ming army prisoners.
Some good seedlings were replenished into various armies through training in the new military camps.
For other Ming armies, let them mix with the garrison and garrison them in other areas.
The Guangxi government acted quickly and effective rule had been established in some places.
Guangxi doesn't need so many garrison troops, I'm going to transfer them all to Guangdong."
Su Xiong and other First Army officers began to discuss with You Guangxiao the plan to attack Wuzhou City.
The First Army and the Eighth Army have encircled Wuzhou City and must defeat it.
They discussed the battle plan, took a boat from Guangzhou School, and returned to the Eighth Army barracks with a large amount of supplies.
There was an artillery regiment by the river, suppressing the Hongyi artillery at the head of Wuzhou City, and the fleet passed through the Xunjiang River without any danger.
Zhang Yuliang took all the officers of the Eighth Army to welcome the returning Colonel You Guang.
"Commander Zhang, Governor Su asked us to serve as the main attacking force."
School You Guang, like Zhang Yuliang and others, introduced the battle plan that Su Xiong and the others had already planned but could not implement due to objective conditions.
The hot air balloon carried powerful bombs and accurately bombed the Ming army in the city.
The First Army cannot use hot air balloons. The wind is southeasterly here in Guangdong. The First Army is downwind and the hot air balloons cannot fly over Wuzhou at all.
Their Eighth Army was upwind. After the hot air balloon dropped its bombs, they could land at the First Army's camp.
Rockets cannot attack the city, and normal rockets are thrown forward.
Rocket fuzes can be triggered normally.
Rockets are thrown high into the sky and most of them turn into dumb bombs after landing.
The First Army is now preparing bombs dropped by hot air balloons.
Using a spring delay fuze, the detonation time of the shell can be controlled.
After Zhang Yuliang received the supplies, he began to arrange soldiers to implement the plan according to Su Xiong's plan.
The two armies have agreed to officially launch a general offensive at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.
