In fact, even the civil servants and generals in the imperial camp were not unanimous about where to go next.
For example, although Xu Shiqi was old and prudent, he wanted Zhu Yihai to return to Shaoxing, but he wanted to stay. He hoped to follow the Northern Expeditionary Army all the way to Nanjing City. Not to mention conquering Nanjing, he at least hoped to worship Xiaoling Mausoleum under the city.
If we really find an opportunity to attack Nanjing, whether we can defend it or not, the significance will be far-reaching.
Chen Qianfu wanted to penetrate Changzhou all the way, and then enter Jingjiang in Chongming. Using this natural barrier as a base, he would rely on the strength of the navy to establish a foothold in the south of the Yangtze River, and then fight against Huaiyang and other places in the north of the Yangtze River.
Yuan Zongdi didn't say much. He actually wanted to return his post as the commander-in-chief of the Ma Army as soon as possible and rush back to Huguang. The battle of Jingzhou and Wuchang was about to start. As the commander-in-chief of Hubei Province, of course he wanted to go back as soon as possible. After all, he was the supervisor of the country.
He promised him that when Hubei was recovered, Jingzhou would be handed over to him for garrison.
If he doesn't go back, everyone may not leave him behind after Jingzhou is defeated.
Zhang Mingzhen has received a new appointment. He was appointed as the admiral of Liangjiang and went to Jiangxi to assist Zhang Guowei in guarding Ganzhou, regaining Jiangxi, and even supporting the Huguang and Anhui wings.
He gladly accepted this appointment. From Shipu Guerrilla to Zhejiang Commander-in-Chief, then to Zhejiang Admiral, and now to Liangjiang Admiral, no matter what position he was given or where he went, he resolutely followed the orders of the Supervisor.
So at this time, he had already begun to focus on Jiangxi, and was busy selecting 5,000 people as the backbone of Jiangxi in accordance with the orders of the prison country, preparing to go south.
The eight towns of the Northern Expedition will inevitably be split up, and they will no longer be able to stay together in the south of the Yangtze River.
Zhu Yihai also has a relatively clear understanding. It is unrealistic to take advantage of the victory to attack Nanjing, or to compete with the Qing army for big cities in the south of the Yangtze River.
We had previously taken advantage of the opportunity to seize a few cities, but it was impossible to hold them at this stage, so we had to abandon them voluntarily. It would be good if we could get some money, food and materials, eliminate some traitors and traitors, and attack the surrendered Green Camp. We can't expect anything further.
fantasy.
It’s almost time to disperse, but this time we disperse, it’s also for the next stage of the big game.
Huguang, Jingxiang, Jiangxi and Anhui, these two new battlefields, need the support of the imperial guards who have experienced in Sanwu. Using them as the backbone to establish the new Ming army there, they need to have proven their loyalty on the battlefield.
Generals such as Wang Zhiren, Zhang Mingzhen, and Yuan Zongdi will come to take command, and the battlefield will become even bigger.
The dispersion of the Forbidden Army is not a disadvantage or a weakening, but it is spreading fire.
Using the Forbidden Army as a kind of fire to ignite the righteous gentry and loyal men everywhere and unite to fight against the captives will make the Tatars exhausted. Only by mobilizing them and dispersing them in this way can the Ming army have more opportunities to annihilate and weaken them.
"This time we will temporarily cease our activities, but this is just turning from the bright side to the underground. We will still continue to fight against the invaders. Therefore, I hope that everyone can publicize it well with the gentry and common people everywhere so that they understand our strategy and do not follow the Tatars.
The dispute is over the length of time."
In order to avoid the recurrence of the Jiangnan Massacre in history, Zhu Yihai hoped that no one from anywhere would defend the city and resist. At this time, even the Imperial Army of the Northern Expedition could not defend the city and could not withstand the main force of the Qing army. How could the righteous people everywhere hold on?
So I have to give up temporarily.
Guild Yan Wo is a good chess piece. Next, he hopes that the rebels from all over the country will go underground and some people will surrender to Gong Yan Wo.
In this way, all areas in the south of the Yangtze River will turn green overnight and return to the illusion of Tatar control, and there will be a high chance of avoiding random massacres by the Tatars.
Zhu Yihai's strategy has been continuously emphasized since the Northern Expedition, so it can now be understood and supported by the generals in the army. After all, it is indeed quite effective.
······
Taicang Prefecture.
Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Pengyi, the chief military officers appointed by King Yiyang, each led five thousand troops, crossed the river from Chongming to Qiya Port and landed at Qiya Port to attack Taicang. According to the plan, Huang Fei and Wu Zhikui attacked Suzhou, while Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Pengyi attacked Taicang.
Tian Yang, a scholar from Dongge University, led his troops to attack Taizhou in the north of the Yangtze River and threatened Yangzhou.
Navy Governor Jing Benche stayed in Chongming.
Shen Tingyang, the left minister of the Ministry of Hubu and the right minister of the Ministry of War, went to attack Jingjiang.
If the offensives of all parties go smoothly, they will gather in Zhenjiang to join forces, seize Zhenjiang, and then recapture Nanjing.
The attack by Zhang Shiyi and others did not go well. There were Qing troops stationed in Liuhe Fort at Qiya Port who refused to surrender. They could not lay siege. So after deliberation, they sent some troops to surround them and the rest marched along the river to prepare. We went to attack Taicang Prefecture, but we still couldn't defeat it.
At this time, the person guarding Taicang Prefecture City was Zhang Guozhu, an acquaintance of Zhang Shiyi. He was also under Liu Zeqing's command at that time. However, because they were not direct descendants of Liu Zeqing, they sympathized with each other and even became brothers. In fact, both of them were relatively good at fighting. Zhang Shiyi was a guerrilla general under Zhu Dadian.
We were brothers in the past, but now we are at war with each other.
Originally, when Liu Zeqing surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Guozhu refused to surrender, and each took his troops and fled. Later, Zhang Shiyi and the governor Tian Yang supported King Yiyang to supervise the country and worshiped him as the admiral and chief military officer.
Zhang Shiyi sent a letter to recruit his good brother Zhang Guozhu, but because he didn't have many soldiers, he only got the rank of general. Later, Zhang Guozhu followed Chen Wu south, but the boat capsized in Ningbo, and he managed to escape, and finally the Gangu was demoted. Qing Dynasty, now under the command of Su Song, Admiral Wu Shengzhao, as deputy general.
He was sent by Wu Shengzhao to defend Taicang Prefecture. In addition to several hundred old Jianghuai archers and newly recruited soldiers, more than a thousand people guarded Taicang Prefecture, but they could withstand the fierce attack of two generals, Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Pengyi.
If you can't attack for a long time, the loss of two cards will be considerable.
Tonight Zhang Guozhu sent someone to see Zhang Shiyi quietly and delivered a secret letter.
"Both Admiral Huang and General Wu were defeated like mountains. Seventy-eight thousand soldiers were all dispersed overnight. Now Admiral Huang committed suicide after being captured. General Wu returned and joined the Qing Dynasty. Boluobele has led tens of thousands of troops to the north and will attack them at any time. My general said that he and Zhang Gong are sworn brothers, so he came here to persuade him that those who know the current affairs are heroes. Zhu Ming will die early and there is no way to save him. At this time, it is useless to fight with death. It is better to change his family and join the new dynasty. With Zhang Gong’s abilities and my general’s recommendation, he can at least hold the position of commander-in-chief.”
After some persuasion from someone here, Zhang Shiyi was already a little moved.
Several of his cronies also persuaded him to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, because there was really no hope at this time. When they were under the command of Liu Zeqing in Huaibei, their troops and horses were much stronger than now, but they still couldn't even fight against the Qing army. No. Now the two Zhangs claim to have tens of thousands of people, but they are all nonsense. They know very well that they are homeless beggars and strong men who are forced to pull. They have no training and lack of armor, let alone fighting spirit. Tens of thousands of people surround Zhang Guozhu. Can't beat it no matter what.
"I didn't expect that Admiral Huang's army was defeated like this." Zhang Shiyi sighed. The small court of the King of Yiyang relied on Huang Fei's troops to support the situation. Unexpectedly, Huang Fei was defeated without even fighting in the Suzhou City. Fei are all dead.
"Surrender, General."
When Zhang Shiyi saw that all his generals had asked to surrender, he could only sigh that the time was right.
"If we want to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, brother Zhang Pengyi is afraid that he will not allow it."
"Then they will be tricked and killed, and then they will be coerced into surrendering together." Someone shouted.
Zhang Pengyi, courtesy name Xiaoxian, was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. During the late Chongzhen period, he was the deputy general of Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui surrendered to the Qing army and led the Tatars into the pass. Zhang Pengyi and his younger brother Zhang Jirong were shameless and led some troops southward. Hongguang was awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief of Huai'an.
.
Later, with the governor of Huai'an, he supported King Chongming of Yiyang to supervise the country. Although his subordinates were small, they were highly disciplined. Brother Zhang Pengyi was even more courageous than anyone else.
No matter where his soldiers went, they never entered private houses. They entered the city at night and would rather stand all night before breaking into private houses, let alone looting people.
It is a pity that this former Guan Ning elite is now too small, only a few hundred people, otherwise ten Zhang Guozhu would not be able to withstand the Zhang Pengyi brothers.
"Okay!" Zhang Shiyi said solemnly with a gloomy face.
Zhang Pengyi frowned when he saw the servant sent by Zhang Shiyi in the middle of the night asking him to come over to discuss matters.
"Brother, Zhang Shiyi wants to rebel." Zhang Jirong said directly.
In fact, Zhang Pengyi had already seen that something was wrong. He knew the relationship between Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Guozhu. In the past two days of siege, Zhang Shiyi was obviously not working hard, and he also found that he was in private contact with Zhang Guozhu.
"Brother, is it true that Huang Shuai committed suicide after defeat and Wu Zhikui surrendered?"
"Probably so." Zhang Pengyi said.
"I'll call up my brothers right now, break into Zhang's camp, and chop him down."
Zhang Pengyi stopped his brothers and said, "Zhang Shiyi has surrendered the thieves. I'm afraid he was already prepared. Besides, killing him now is of no use. Call the brothers and let's go."
"Where to go?"
"Isn't it said that Jiangnan Admiral Zhu Wugang, the ninth brother of Lu Jianguo, has just captured Suzhou? Let's go and surrender to him."
Zhang Pengyi's men claimed to have 5,000 soldiers, but they left 2,000 men under siege in Liuhe Fort. They had suffered a lot in attacking Taicang these days. The news of the sudden defeat of Generals Huang and Wu made his new soldiers run away again.
few.
The only ones the two brothers can really fight are the five hundred Guan Ning's old troops. Most of the others are recruited refugees and ordinary people, with no fighting power at all.
There is no point in fighting Zhang Shiyi and Zhang Guozhu here. Instead, you may be dragged by them and surrounded by the Tatars who arrive.
After thinking carefully for a while, Zhang Pengyi decided to join Lu Jianguo instead of returning to Chongming. He was deeply disappointed with the King Yiyang he once supported.
But he was even more unwilling to surrender to the Tartars.
If he was willing to surrender, and he surrendered to the captives along with Wu Sangui, now it is estimated that the governor of Zhejiang is not Zhang Cunren but him. After all, Zhang Cunren was also Wu Sangui's deputy general at that time.
The brothers beheaded Zhang Shiyi's servants, summoned five hundred of Guan Ning's old men, and did not want any other recruits. They packed up their things and left the camp at night.
When Zhang Shiyi received the news, his subordinates went to chase him, but he stopped him.
"Don't chase the poor guy, leave him alone."
In fact, Zhang Shiyi also knew very well that with the cowardly soldiers under his command, if he really wanted to forcefully pursue the Zhang Pengyi brothers, he would not only be unable to keep them, but he might also suffer heavy losses.
Zhang Pengyi refused to surrender. If you want to go, let him go, as long as you don't hinder him.
"Recruit all Zhang Pengyi's men, and then send people to recruit the two thousand people under Liuhe Fort."
At dawn, Zhang Shiyi led nearly ten thousand people and surrendered to Zhang Guozhu, who had thousands of people in Taicang City.
Zhang Guozhu was overjoyed and hurriedly claimed victory. He said that he faced the siege of tens of thousands of King Yiyang's thieves for several days. He led more than a thousand soldiers to fight back desperately. On a dark and windy night, he led a death squad of 500 people out of the city to attack the enemy camp at night and was defeated.
Zhang Pengyi's brothers killed thousands of them and successfully persuaded the commander-in-chief Zhang Shiyi and his troops to surrender.
In order to make up for the thousands of Zhang Pengyi's men he lied about beheading, Zhang Guozhu sent troops out of the city to the countryside to massacre the people, returned to the city with their heads, and then claimed that they were Zhang Pengyi's brothers who had been beheaded.
After Zhang Shiyi surrendered, he realized what he was doing and added five thousand men and horses to the number left by Zhang Pengyi. The two brothers each received half, and each received two thousand.
Boluo in Jiading soon received the report of Zhang Guozhu's victory in Taicang. There was also a victory report on his desk, which was a report from Tu Guobao, governor of Jiangning, saying that with the support of the green camp of Yan Wo Gong, Li Yuchun and other troops, he attacked the puppet troops at night.
, successfully recaptured the Suzhou city lost by Li Shutai. The puppet army in Suzhou was defeated and fled in all directions. The puppet admiral Zhu Wu fled in panic, and many tribesmen asked for surrender and surrender.
