The news of Bumbutai's assassination spread widely, and it would be no exaggeration to say that the world was shocked.
Especially in Hunan, Jiangnan, Jiangxi and other places on the front lines of the war, the Qing army, which was already in a passive defensive posture, instantly became weaker.
Even Geng Jingzhong took the initiative and sent troops to capture several state capitals.
But that's all.
At this time, Geng Jingzhong was working hard to manage the Qujiang defense line and had no spare power to mobilize the army northward.
On the Jiangxi side, the news of Bumu Butai's assassination almost arrived in Ningdu Prefecture together with Ming army reinforcements.
Seeing the mighty Ming army reinforcements outside the city, the Qing army in Ningdu Prefecture fell into panic!
Especially after they heard the news of Bumbutai's assassination, their panic spread like a plague, spreading unstoppably and rapidly.
…
Zheng Chenggong watched the reinforcements of the Liberation Army arriving one after another, and excitedly stepped forward to hug Xia Yuankui, the commander of the Liberation Army in this battle.
"Haha, reinforcements have finally arrived, Wu Dingbo, I have been waiting so hard for you!"
Xia Yuankui was polite and polite, and saluted Zheng Chenggong with clasped fists.
"The general has met the prince!"
Xia Yuankui was a member of Zhu Hongyu's imperial guard. After being released, he frequently made military exploits and was promoted quickly.
He even received a knighthood!
Zheng Chenggong helped Xia Yuankui up and asked.
"Wu Dingbo, how many soldiers and horses have come for this reinforcement?"
Xia Yuankui didn't show off and answered directly.
"Forty thousand people!"
"Among them, there are 20,000 Liberation Army and 20,000 Guiyi Army, which is enough to break the deadlock in the Jiangxi war!"
Among the 20,000 Liberation Army members, most were recruits who had completed recruit training but had not yet been on the battlefield or seen blood.
But even so, Xia Yuankui was quite confident when he said this.
Not only is the confidence in the quality of the soldiers of the Liberation Army, but also the confidence in the heavy artillery group of the Liberation Army.
Xia Yuankui pointed to the artillery carriages pulled by strong oxen and horses in the marching array of the Liberation Army. The meaning was obvious.
I don't know much about anything else but a lot of cannons!
Zheng Chenggong looked at the long line of artillery pieces under his nose, squinted his eyes, counted them, and took a breath of air.
What he saw alone was hundreds of artillery pieces!
What he didn't see was just more!
Xia Yuankui stopped a baggage truck pulling several boxes of artillery shells, opened a box, pointed to the artillery shells inside and said.
"Your Majesty, please look!"
Zheng Chenggong followed Xia Yuankui's fingers and looked at the ordinary bombs with a look of astonishment on his face.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this shell?"
Xia Yuankui explained with a smile.
"This is a new type of blooming bullet developed by the arsenal. With the same amount of powder, it is nearly two or three times more powerful than the old type of blooming bullet."
"In this battle in Jiangxi, this new type of explosive ammunition was put into practical use on the battlefield for the first time!"
"I'll definitely beat the crap out of Qingluo!"
Zheng Chenggong's face was filled with a smile that couldn't be concealed, and he made arrangements.
"The army has traveled a long distance and is exhausted. It has just arrived in Ningdu Prefecture today and it is not appropriate to launch an attack. Let's recuperate for a few days."
"When the army is ready, we will be able to conquer Ningdu Prefecture in one fell swoop and break the deadlock in the Jiangxi war."
Xia Yuankui said.
"Okay, let's repair it overnight!"
The Ming army led by him rushed all the way from Guangzhou to Ningdu Prefecture. Although it was not a rapid march on the road, the physical strength of the soldiers was also very exhausted.
After traveling a long distance, the army does need a period of time to recuperate before it can go into battle.
…
The Liberation Army, which had just arrived in Ningdu Prefecture, began to repair, but Zheng Chenggong did not rest.
Instead, he began to command the civilian men under him to cooperate with the engineering troops of the Liberation Army to set up artillery positions outside Ningdu Prefecture.
In the open space outside Ningdu Prefecture, countless people are busy.
Trenches were dug and shaped, heavy artillery positions were arranged behind the trenches, and field artillery with insufficient caliber was pushed down into the trenches and will be used for close range shooting.
The arrival of the Liberation Army not only boosted Zheng Jun's sluggish morale, but even the civilian men felt a little more energetic and were working enthusiastically!
Xia Yuankui stood on a high platform in the camp and looked in the direction of the city wall of Ningdu Prefecture.
Zheng Chenggong stood beside him with his hands behind his hands, telling him the progress of the war in Jiangxi during this period.
The whole process of the battle between Zheng Army and Qing Army!
The focus is on the city defense situation in Ningdu Prefecture!
Xia Yuankui listened and nodded repeatedly to show that he understood.
A group of relevant staff officials gathered together to discuss something and discuss ways to attack the city.
A staff officer stood up and said.
"Currently, the weakest point in Ningdu Prefecture's city defense is in the northwest corner."
"Our army can concentrate its superior firepower and superior troops to make a concentrated breakthrough in the city defense of Ningdu Prefecture!"
Xia Yuankui pointed at the northwest corner of the city wall on the sand table and said with narrowed eyes.
“It sure works!”
"But the main purpose of our army in this battle is not to conquer a Ningdu city!"
"But try to annihilate the effective forces of the Qing army in Jiangxi as much as possible!"
As he spoke, his finger pointed at the sand table, a small town called Wulong Town not far from Ningdu Prefecture.
Now Wulong Town is not a simple town, but a complete military camp!
Most of the reinforcements mobilized from various parts of Jiangxi to reinforce Ningdu Prefecture were stationed in Wulong Town.
The fierce battle between Zheng Chenggong and the Qing army in Ningdu Prefecture was actually a fierce battle with the Qing army in Wulong Town.
Zheng Jun's attack on Ningdu Prefecture has never been too strong!
Xia Yuankui said with a serious tone.
"In this battle, Wulong Town takes priority!"
"The goal is to annihilate the main force of the Qing army in Wulong Town as much as possible. As for Ningdu Prefecture, there is no rush."
"Ningduzhou is right there, and he doesn't have any legs, so he can't escape."
"Furthermore, Ningdu Prefecture, Zhoucheng and Wulong Town are already at each other's horns!"
"If our army cannot conquer Wulong Town, then the war in Ningdu Prefecture will probably not go smoothly."
"..."
"Here!"
Everyone responded in unison.
…
Early morning of the second day!
The golden sun rose in the sky, and the sky was just getting brighter. After arriving in Ningdu Prefecture, the Liberation Army, which had been repairing all night, launched an attack on Wulong Town.
It's not because Xia Yuankui didn't let his soldiers repair for a while, but because the war situation in the world is still very tense.
But overall, Ming Dynasty is still at a disadvantage.
The war in Jiangxi cannot be delayed!
Xia Yuankui must resolve the Jiangxi war as soon as possible to buy more time for the Ming Dynasty to adjust its strategy and prepare for the Ming army to attack the main force of the Qing army heading south.
The ground was covered with red armor, and countless soldiers marched in formation. Field artillery was pushed to the front of the formation, ready to fire at close range.
Zheng Jun did not paddle, but followed the Liberation Army out of the camp.
When the Liberation Army launched an attack on the frontal battlefield, the Zheng Army also wanted to attack the flanks of Wulong Town!
And be prepared for Ningdu Prefecture to counterattack out of the city and sneak attack the Ming army's retreat.
The Qing army in Wulong Town was awakened by the roaring war drums. They did not expect that Ming army reinforcements had just arrived and launched an attack on Wulong Town.
Although they were surprised, they did not panic and responded quickly.
Archers, sword and shield soldiers, and even cavalry were all ready to face the enemy.
The defenders of Ningdu Prefecture City also climbed onto the city wall and looked towards Wulong Town.