The Third Fleet is escorting a troop transport ship, preparing to head to Cam Ranh Bay southeast of Dai Viet.
The Navy's preliminary inspection found that the water depth there was suitable for battleships to berth, and there was no heavy defense by the Vietnamese army, so it was very suitable for a large army to land.
In order to take care of the slow-moving troop carrier, the fleet sailed on the sea at a medium speed and prepared to follow the coastline to its destination.
A steam-powered clipper ship was chasing the fleet at extremely fast speeds.
They were interrogated by the navy and their identities were confirmed.
The Governor of the Third Fleet, Zhang Wanfeng, accompanied the messenger and boarded the ship to look for Bai Yuangui, the uncle of Qingxi.
Zhang Wanfeng found Bai Yuangui who was drawing a marching route map in the cabin study.
He immediately introduced: "Uncle Qingxi, this is the messenger sent by Lord Wei Guogong."
When Bai Yuangui heard the news, he immediately stood up and looked at the messenger and asked, "Did Mr. Wei Guogong have any new instructions?"
Bai Yuangui recalled this combat mission. They landed at Cam Ranh Bay in the southeast of Dai Viet.
Open up a second battlefield, hold off Nan Nguyen, and divide Dayue into two battlefields.
The envoy took out the order signed by Su Hu, Duke of Wei, and said at the same time: "Master Wei Guogong asked me to inform Uncle Qingxi.
Your combat plan will undergo certain modifications.
The Duke of Wei had previously felt that this battle plan was somewhat inappropriate. When he discussed the war situation with the Duke of Fujian, he found that Nan Ruan might not dare to join the war at the beginning.
We cannot create extraneous problems and force the Ruan family to join the war at the beginning of the war.
We previously regarded Dai Viet as a whole, but numerous intelligence reports later showed that it is difficult for the Zheng family and the Nguyen family to coordinate internally and should not be regarded as an overall force.
Lord Wei Guogong ordered you to change the landing place.
After landing at Yi'an in Dayue, Qingxibo was responsible for commanding the army, blocking the way between the Zheng family and the Ruan family.
The main force is progressing smoothly. You are the vanguard to attack the Ruan family.
The main force is not progressing smoothly, and the two armies are attacking the Zheng family."
When Bai Yuangui heard Wei Guogong's new order, a smile appeared on his face.
This command is more flexible than the previous command.
But for their division, the pressure will be greater.
Once the pressure from the main force is not enough, the gap between Zheng and Ruan is not as big as imagined.
Two forces of the Vietnamese army sent troops to attack them. If the battle situation was unfavorable, he could only escape with the help of the navy.
Bai Yuangui read through the orders of Wei Guogong Su Hu.
He immediately replied: "Please tell the messenger to Mr. Wei Guogong that I will respond flexibly to the Vietnamese army according to the situation on the battlefield.
Try your best to complete the task of Wei Guo's public transportation agent."
The messenger shook his head and said, "I'm sorry I can't do this.
Wei Guogong has given Qingxi Bo the authority to decide the battlefield.
I still have a mission to go to the Ruan family with a few lobbyists.
We will win over some Ruan officials.
If the Zheng family goes to the Ruan family for help, we will use various methods to hold the Ruan family back and prevent the Ruan family from prematurely intervening in the war."
The messenger completed his mission and continued to sail south to Guangnan.
Bai Yuangui looked at Zhang Wanfeng sheepishly and said, "Jinghaihou, you just heard that we have to temporarily change direction and go to Yi'an."
Zhang Wanfeng said with a smile: "We are all soldiers, military operations are like this, and it is normal to change plans temporarily.
I will arrange the fleet to head to the new landing site."
Zhang Wanfeng immediately returned to the flagship and issued orders to all ships in the fleet through semaphores.
To change the landing location, not only the troop transport route needs to be adjusted.
The navy's logistics transportation routes and a series of other things need to be adjusted.
…………………………
January 5, 4338 (AD 1641).
Zhang Wanfeng, the commander-in-chief of the Navy's Third Fleet, commanded the fleet to escort the Second Division of the Tenth Army of the Royal Chinese Army as it landed on a tidal flat on the Nie'an coast.
As they prepared to land, they encountered some resistance from the Vietnamese navy.
The navymen of the Zheng family and the Ruan family shared the same hatred and wanted to drive them out.
But this was completely a fool's errand. The navy did not dispatch any battleships, but only relied on a formation composed of the cruiser Nanning.
Their firepower destroyed the entire Vietnamese navy on the sea.
Zheng's Vietnamese soldiers were defending the shore, and the battleships used heavy artillery to drive away the enemy troops approaching the seaside.
Marine Corps soldiers began to land on the beach.
After they landed, they established a stable beach camp.
Naval logistics troops began to build a simple dock.
After the dock was set up and the troop transport ships transporting soldiers approached the dock, they were ready to land the army.
Zhang Wanfeng led the navy ship and docked in the open sea far away from the shore.
He picked up the telescope and watched the army complete the landing in an orderly manner.
Zhang Wanfeng felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. They assisted the Army in landing, and there were no other important tasks next.
The Vietnamese Navy was not even a rival to the Third Fleet.
Just sending out a fleet of destroyers can block the Vietnamese navy in the port and prevent it from getting out.
Zhang Wanfeng's next task is to send people to continuously patrol to prevent the Vietnamese army from escaping from the sea.
These tasks can be easily completed by dispatching destroyers.
The ships of the Third Fleet will patrol near the coastline from now on, and they can only watch with envy as the army performs meritorious service.
Bai Yuangui stepped on solid land. Although the land was a little muddy, he felt at peace in his heart.
He did not rush to lead his troops and defeat the Vietnamese army not far away.
Instead, he ordered the army to set up camp and rest for a few days to allow the entire army to regain its strength.
The army rarely travels by boat, let alone by sea-crossing boats.
They came to Qinzhou Port from the Northeast. Many people lost half their lives and it took them a long time to recover.
Soldiers who cannot adapt can only stay in Qinzhou for training.
Even so, many soldiers could not bear the feeling of the ship rocking in the sea after getting on the ship.
Some soldiers continued to vomit, and in severe cases they could not even eat well and had to rest in bed.
Bai Yuangui understands this kind of physical discomfort. Most people can recover as long as they take two or three days of rest.
The Royal Army of China set up camp and the soldiers got a rest.
The Vietnamese army in the distance had been frightened by the heavy artillery of the battleships, and they did not dare to approach the military camp on the seaside.
While Bai Yuangui let the main force rest, he also sent out a reconnaissance camp to learn about the situation of the nearby Vietnamese troops.
Yi'an is the frontier area where the Zheng clan and the Ruan clan confront each other. The Zheng clan's Vietnamese troops here are all elite soldiers.
After investigation, Bai Yuangui found that the Vietnamese troops here showed no signs of being mobilized.
He believed that the war had not yet started on the main battlefields.
Zheng tried her best, but could not stop Wei Guogong's attack.
None of Yi'an's elite troops were mobilized, and Zheng obviously did not feel the pressure.
…………………………
January 10, 4338 (AD 1641).
The recovery time for the soldiers took two days longer than Bai Yuangui expected.
The soldiers regained sufficient physical strength, and Bai Yuangui immediately launched an attack on the Vietnamese army, which was staring closely at them.
The Vietnamese army began to be very confident, thinking that the Chinese army was only powerful because of its ships.
After they fought with Bai Yuangui, they immediately realized that something was wrong on the battlefield.
Soldiers at the front kept falling, and the soldiers saw constant casualties among friendly forces around them.
They could not bear the casualties. When the casualty rate reached 8%, the Vietnamese army collapsed.
Bai Yuangui ordered the entire army to charge and capture as many prisoners as possible.
The battlefield ended quickly. With their sufficient physical strength, they could easily catch up with the fleeing Vietnamese troops. They captured more than 10,000 prisoners in total, and only a small number of Vietnamese troops escaped.
Under the guidance of the prisoners, the Royal Army of Great China took half a month to break through the Yi'an territory.
The Royal Army of Dahua captured more than 26,000 elite Vietnamese soldiers.
Bai Yuangui received news from the navy that Wei Guogong had launched an attack in the north and was about to break through the Vietnamese army's northern mountain defense line.
He could also feel on the battlefield that the Vietnamese army, which suffered heavy casualties, voluntarily abandoned the city and fled to the north during the last period.
…………………………
At the Vietnamese generals' camp, several generals were discussing strategies.
"The King of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Jie, sent us an order to support Thang Long Mansion.
Our 100,000-strong army was defeated by 10,000 people from the Chinese Empire and was completely defeated.
Twenty-six thousand people were also lost.
Once the King of Qing Dynasty, Zheng Jie, knew about this result, our heads would be in danger."
"Alas! What can be done about this? If we want to lose the battle, it's because we are not as strong as others.
The armies of the Celestial Kingdom have extremely sharp firearms, and their firing rate is fast and accurate.
Firearms have a far greater range than bows and arrows, so what can we do?”
"Brothers, this is a good opportunity.
The King of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Jie, asked us to send 60,000 troops back, leaving 40,000 troops to defend the Ruan family.
We directly transferred back 60,000 elite troops, leaving the old, weak and sick here.
As long as we don't tell anyone, at the critical moment of the war, can King Zheng Zhi of the Qing Dynasty still attack us?"
These generals hit it off immediately, leaving two generals to take the blame, while the others headed north with their cronies.
When Bai Yuangui learned the news, he led a surprise attack at night, defeated the Vietnamese camp, and captured more than 20,000 people again.
The main force of the Vietnamese army escaped, but Bai Yuangui did not choose to pursue them.
The fighter planes disappeared in a flash. They did not have a good greeting with the navy. The land route was muddy and difficult to travel, and the army's logistics supplies could not keep up.
The Vietnamese generals fled in a panic, and 60,000 people lost another 20,000.
They were also afraid that the Chinese army would catch up, so they quickly fled towards Shenglong Mansion.
Along the way, capture some miscellaneous troops, loot the treasuries of other cities, and steal armors and weapons.
They did this, but only found more than 10,000 miscellaneous troops, pretending to be elites, and went to Shenglong Mansion to support them.
…………………………
Bai Yuangui was in Hehuafu City, looking at the more than 50,000 Vietnamese prisoners outside the city. His eyes seemed to be shining and the corners of his mouth were smiling.
Chief of Staff Lu Zixiao was very worried. The food that these 50,000 Vietnamese troops eat every day is a huge expense.
He shook his hand in front of his neck and signaled: "Old Bai, if it doesn't work, let's do it!
If we spend all our energy on guarding the prisoners, our army will be restricted here in Yi'an.
There is no way to go north or south, how can we cooperate with Wei Guogong?"
Bai Yuangui shook his head and said: "These Vietnamese soldiers and those loyal to the emperor will all be shot.
Those who stay now only need to be fed and paid.
They don't care who is commanding the army above.
It may be difficult for them to turn around and go north to attack the Zheng family.
But when they went south to attack the Ruan clan, many people felt no pressure.
During this period of time, I recruited a large number of people of Han descent to serve as translators for the army, just to initially train this army.
If Zheng was so anxious to mobilize his troops to the north, Wei Guogong must have fought well.
If we go south to attack the Ruan family, these Vietnamese troops will be good cannon fodder."
Chief of Staff Lu Zixiao shook his head and objected: "I have thought about this method before, but there is one problem that cannot be solved.
We don't have enough officers.
Our army is a whole, and without a large number of officers, its combat effectiveness will drop sharply.
This is completely picking up the sesame seeds and losing the watermelon. This approach is not worth the gain.
But without the officers and supervisory teams we dispatched, it would be difficult for the Vietnamese army to function.
The original command system has been abolished by us, and the Vietnamese army that has lost its organization is worse than a farmer picking up a hoe."
Bai Yuangui pointed to the seaside and said with a smile: "We have a lot of idle officers."
Chief of Staff Lu Zixiao's eyes lit up and he said: "You mean the Navy's Third Fleet."
Bai Yuangui nodded and immediately set off to convince Zhang Wanfeng.
He only used one reason: the navy would help them defeat the Ruan clan, and the navy would gain a lot of merit.
By adopting his tactics, the navy won't pay too much of a price.
…………………………
4338 (AD 1641), February 7th.
Bai Yuangui looked at the impressive Vietnamese troops on the school field.
The navy dispatched a large number of officers to assist them in training Vietnamese prisoners.
It only took more than half a month of training to get a preliminary look.
These Vietnamese troops have been able to cooperate with naval officers and have preliminary combat effectiveness.
Bai Yuangui and Zhang Wanfeng discussed the strategy of attacking the Ruan family.
"Marquis Jinghai, our army took a navy troopship and raided Guangnan directly from the sea.
You command these Vietnamese troops to go south, pretending to be the main force of our army, and attract the attention of the Ruan family.
I don’t expect you to make a breakthrough, but as long as we don’t get defeated within half a month, I can lead my troops to attack the Ruan family."
Zhang Wanfeng listened to Bai Yuangui's arrangements, but he was not unhappy at all. He was giving military merit to their navy, and it was too late to be happy.
"Uncle Qingxi, don't worry, our navy is not good at land warfare.
But if dozens of naval guns were removed from the destroyer and the Vietnamese troops cooperated with the training, there would be no problem in delaying it for a while."
Bai Yungui and Zhang Wanfeng discussed the tactics and they took action immediately.
Nie'an is very close to Guangnan, and it takes several days to travel by sea ship.
The strategy chosen by Bai Yuangui is very simple.
Use the Vietnamese army, which is barely capable of fighting, to pretend to be the main force to attract Ruan's attention.
He led the main force and took advantage of the long and narrow coastline and small land area of the Nguyen clan.
Attack the Ruan family's center by boat. As long as Guangnan City is captured, the Ruan family's troops will lose their unified command and will be surrounded and suppressed one by one.
…………………………
4338 (AD 1641), February 16th.
Ruan Fulan, Duke of Renjun, looked to the north. Hearing the roar of cannons outside the city, he felt very anxious.
The news coming from the north is getting worse and worse, and the Zheng family may not be able to hold on for long.
Ruan Fuli went to seek peace but has not sent back any information.
The Chinese army entrenched in Yi'an suddenly launched an attack on them.
Duke Renjun Ruan Fulan could only send General Ruan Weizhong to lead the main force of the Ruan family to face the enemy.
The Ruan family must block this wave of offensive and prove it to the Heavenly Kingdom.
They are by no means soft persimmons, and only then can they obtain decent surrender terms.
It rained continuously all night, and three days ago, a large army of the Chinese Empire attacked Guangnan City from the sea.
Ruan Fulan, the Duke of Renjun, sent out large armies to resist, but the news of constant failure came.
In just two days, this army wiped out 20,000 elite soldiers outside the city, and all the troops no longer dared to leave the city.
This army has already reached the gates of Guangnan City.
"Lord, no, something big has happened."
When Ruan Fulan, Duke of Renjun, saw his favored civil servant Lu Chou, his face changed drastically, his body trembled a little, and he ran towards him.
"What happened? Why are you so panicked?"
"Lord, the Chinese army has entered the city.
Our remaining troops are no match for them.
Lord, move to another place quickly, otherwise it will be too late.”
Duke Renjun Ruan Fulan's face changed drastically and he said in fear: "The army of the Celestial Empire has already invaded, where can I escape to?
Do not make fearless resistance and inform the army to surrender."
Bai Yuangui led his troops into Guangnan City, and Ruan's Vietnamese troops put down their weapons.
He captured alive the Duke of Nhen, Ruan Fulan, and all the civil and military officials of the Ruan family who remained in the city.
Nguyen Commandery Duke Nguyen Phuc Lan issued a decree ordering all Nguyen clan troops to surrender to the Royal Army of Da Hua.
The Nguyen clan of Dayue was destroyed by the army led by Qingxi Bo Bai Yuangui.
