Chapter 307: Guard the Jiang and Guard the Huai River
"To defend the river, we must defend the Huai River. We should rely on Huai Si to fight the Tatars here."
In Qinghe City, which faces Huai'an City across the Yellow River, this is the original residence of the governor of the river and the administrative office of Huaiyang Road. The canal here is divided into the Yellow River and it is also an important water transportation center of Huaiyang.
After Huama Liu surrendered, the deputy commander stationed here naturally surrendered immediately. Anyway, this deputy commander was an old acquaintance. Qin Dapeng, who was originally stationed in Taizhou, had fought against the Ming army on Jingjiang Island.
It was not Liu Liangzuo and his five tiger generals who proposed to defend Huaihe River, but Huang Binqing, the admiral of the Zhejiang Navy, who opposed the abandonment of important places such as Huai'an, Qinghe, and Sizhou.
"Huai'an and Sizhou are at both ends of Hongze Lake, and are connected to the Huaihe River, the Yellow River, and the canal. This is a favorable terrain suitable for our navy. It connects the rivers and seas and provides joint defense by land and water. We can stop the Tartars here and prevent them from going south."
"Liu Qing's opinion?" Zhu Yihai asked Huama Liu.
"It is true that to defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huaihe River, but that also has a prerequisite. If the Huaiyang land in the south of the Yangtze River is occupied, then the Huaihe River is the front line. Guarding the Huaihe River is inevitable. The rear area is stable and can be used as support. But now there is no such condition.
Qing troops are still stationed at Fenglu, and the upper reaches of the Huaihe River and Xuhai, the upper reaches of the Yellow River north of Huai'an, are both under the control of the Qing army."
"Not to mention Jiangning, Susong and other places in the south of the Yangtze River. News of the defeat has just been reported in Huguang. If we defend Huaihe now, we will be surrounded by enemies from all sides."
Huang Binqing said, "Don't be afraid. The Tatars don't have a navy. The soldiers from Jiangning can't cross the river, and the soldiers from Huguang and Anqing can't cross. Even Fenglu and others upstream of the Huaihe River won't pose a threat to us."
Liu Liangzuo didn't want to stay behind. Tan Tai, He Luohui and Kong Youde, the three shun kings, led 30,000 elite troops to go south together. This was not the 30,000 green camp. Huama Liu followed Duoduo on the southern expedition. How did the four towns collapse in the first place?
, he knew very well how to sweep across Jiangnan.
"Su Lupp, the defense of Huai is not just to defend Huai'an City, but to rely on the vertical and horizontal water network to block the Huainan River Basin from the north of the Huai River, from Xuzhou in the north to Yangzhou in the south.
However, the shortcomings of the Huaiyang area are also obvious. It is too flat and flat, and lacks the protection of mountains. It is easy for the Tatars in the north to break through and move south.
It is true that they have no navy now, but the width and depth of the Huanghuai River are actually far less than those of the Yangtze River or the sea. They can easily cross the river with ordinary watercraft or even wooden rafts. Tan Tai only needs to recruit watermen from the upper reaches.
Ships and merchant ships, as long as you give them some time, it will not be a problem to mobilize tens of thousands of ships."
"When there are countless boats going down the river, how can we prevent it? Besides, winter is coming soon. It has been getting colder every year in the past few years. The Huai River and canals are frozen three feet every year."
"The Huanghuai River is not as good as the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River has several important ferry crossings, but here you can cross the river everywhere, so it is impossible to prevent it."
Although Liu Liangzuo was afraid of death, he was still an old soldier after all, and he had started his career guarding Lu'an in Fengyang. He definitely knew the Jianghuai area better than Huang Binqing.
The so-called guarding the river must guard the Huaihe River does not mean guarding the Huaihe River, but the strongholds in the north such as Xuzhou, Sizhou, Huai'an, Fengyang, Shouzhou, and Yangzhou. Relying on these strongholds, it is actually divided into
three lines of defense.
In the west, Shouzhou, Hefei, and Hezhou serve as a line of defense. Its main function is to connect the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, preventing the north from breaking through the Huaihe River from Henan. The plains are unstoppable and can be directly connected to the Yangtze River.
This line of defense ensures that even if the northern army breaks through the Huaihe River, the southern army will still have a line of defense.
Hefei has had an important geographical location since ancient times, and that’s why.
Xuzhou, Sizhou and Huai'an are another line of defense, which is a frontal defense against the soldiers and horses coming down from the southeast of Shandong. The focus of this line of defense is Xuzhou.
The last line of defense is Yangzhou. Once Xuhuai is lost, the Northern Army can drive along the canal straight to the Yangtze River. Yangzhou can be said to be the last gateway to the east of the Yangtze River, especially since there is Guazhou Crossing here.
Once these three lines of defense are lost, although the river will still be blocked, the Northern Army can choose the crossing location at will.
Whether it is the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Southern Dynasties or even the Southern Song Dynasty, if you want to stay in the south of the Yangtze River, guarding the Huaihe River is a must.
But the problem now is that both sides of the Yangtze River are in the hands of the Qing army, and the Ming army bypasses the enemy's rear to defend the Huaihe River. Isn't this a bit puzzling?
How can you defend Sizhou in Huai'an? Not to mention Shouzhou, Hefei and Fengyang upstream, Xuzhou in the north is also in the hands of the Qing army, and Jiangning in the south is also in the hands of the Qing army. How can you defend it here?
Aren't you trapped in a tight siege?
The so-called advantages of rivers, lakes and seas did not pose much threat to the Qing army. After all, these rivers and lakes were not insurmountable.
"Your Highness, I suggest that before the Tatars arrive in Xuzhou, they should immediately send troops north along the canal to seize Xuzhou. With a navy stationed at Huishan Lake, they can cut off the canal, intercept the Qing army's supply line, and serve as support to the north of Xuzhou.
Soldiers." Huang Binqing still advised.
Weishan Lake connects Xuzhou to the south, Yanzhou to the north, Nanyang Lake and Dushan Lake to the north, is adjacent to the canal and the Yellow River to the east, and can reach Jining in the north.
The waters of these large lakes are very wide, and there are many lake islands such as Weishan Island in the lake. There is no problem in deploying a navy, but it can threaten the canal and support Xuzhou.
Zhu Yihai lowered his head and looked at the map in front of him.
He did go north to cause trouble for the Qing army, but he didn't come for a head-on confrontation, and he doesn't have the strength yet.
Liu Liangzuo's surrender was unexpected, but it did not affect the original plan. With his thousands of cowardly soldiers, Zhu Yihai could capture him as long as he caught up before the Qing army went south.
"Hongze Lake, Weishan Lake and even Gaoyou Lake can indeed arrange for some navy ships to enter, send some troops to establish base areas, mobilize the surrounding people to resist the Qing, find opportunities to harass the surrounding Qing troops, and disrupt their transportation lines, etc.
But you can’t put the cart before the horse.”
"Our plan to go north is very clear. Before Tan Tai goes south, we will clear the Xuhai-Huaiyang line along the canal. We will demolish all the cities that can be demolished and transport away all the money and grain.
, all the craftsmen who can be taken away will be taken away. After we finish sweeping and demolishing, we will leave the Yellow River and go to Yuzhou Island in Haizhou."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Yuzhou Island is the Yuntai Mountain of Lianyungang in later generations. It was connected to the land during the Qing Dynasty, but at that time it was still an island. Haizhou was connected by Salt River, Lianshui, etc.
Qinghe Town and Shuyang on the north bank of the Yellow River.
Haizhou Bay has a coastline of more than 300 miles, a deep-water harbor, and many islands.
In Zhu Yihai's view, the location here is very important, especially this island, which he values very much because it can capture the garrison and become an important frontier fortress that threatens the Qing army in Shandong and Xu Hai's rear.
Just like when Mao Wenlong built a Pi Island in North Korea, which gave Hou Jin a headache, the strategic importance of Haizhou Bay and Yuzhou Island will not be less than that of Chongming Island.
Going north can threaten the Denglai Peninsula, and landing can directly threaten Haizhou and Xuzhou. To the south is the mouth of the Yellow River, and along the river are Huai'an and Sizhou.
The Haizhou Bay area is also an important salt-producing area in Huaibei, which is not much different from the salt production in Huainan.
The most important point is that Yuzhou Island is a large island in the sea, which cannot be easily crossed like the Huaihe and Yellow Rivers.
Zhu Yihai insisted on demolishing Huai'an, Qinghe, and even Xuzhou because it was easy to demolish the city but difficult to rebuild. After demolishing these important strongholds on the Huanghuai Canal, it would be difficult for the Qing army to protect the water transportation. Without a strong enough fortress, it meant
Since the Ming army has a stronghold in Haizhou Bay, they can come over for a walk at any time.
Even if the Qing army regained the Huaiyang area, it would be very painful in the future and they would be unable to protect the canal and their grain, salt and goods.
"We have to take the initiative. If we stay to defend the city, we will be in trouble. But if we destroy the city and evacuate now, the Qing army will be in trouble."
"We have the advantage of the navy. We can base ourselves on Yuzhou Island in Haizhou Bay, and we can also leave some soldiers and ships in several large lakes in Hongze. We will not fight the Tatars head-on, but only cause destruction here in Huaiyang.
No matter how strong the Eight Banners of the Tatars are, they still need food, drink, and food and salary, and as you have seen the situation in Huaiyang now, it is very dilapidated and has not recovered at all."
"As long as we continue to destroy and destroy, it will be difficult for the Tatars to station troops here. If they cannot station enough soldiers, then they will not want to transport the grain taxes from the south of the Yangtze River to the north. This is a lifeline. If we are stuck here, we will strangle them.
Throat."
"If we demolish their cities, block their canals, and control their salt fields, this vast Huanghuai land will become a hunting ground where we can come and go freely."
"If we really want to defend the city head-on, then why should I come here? If we can fight directly in Hangzhou, wouldn't it be better to fight in Shaoxing? It would even be more advantageous to retreat to Quzhou and other places.
The time has not yet come, please wait a moment!"
After the meeting, Zhu Yihai divided his troops into several groups. He personally led one group to go north along the canal to Xuzhou, while the other groups went to attack Fengyang, Shouzhou in the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, and Haizhou in the northeast.
Zhu Yihai's request is also very simple. Take advantage of the emptiness of these places and sweep them along the way. If the resistance is fierce, go around them. Anyway, there are not many Qing troops in the city and they will not pose a threat. In the towns that have been captured, organize the people to tear down the city walls, block the moats, and divide the cities.
They threw away the money and food in the government treasury, even took away the files and books in the government office, and took away the officials.
Completely paralyzing the local area, even after the Tatars recover, they will not be able to rely on it, let alone restore their rule in a short time, collect money and food from the local area, etc.
This was a major sweep against the Tatars.
Since you can't keep it, then don't keep it at all. If I don't keep it, don't even think about it.
From now on, everyone can come and go freely in this place.
It is always easier to destroy than to build.
In the past, the Tatars invaded every year and looted and destroyed everywhere. But now that the Tatars have occupied the Central Plains, it is Zhu Yihai's turn to treat him in his own way.
Governing a country requires more than just being able to fight.
The most important thing is actually the word money.
Money is the foundation of national governance. The salaries of officials, palace expenses, and raising the army to fight wars are all inseparable from money and food. However, these cannot be solved by soldiers who can fight. They can be solved by ordinary local people farming and manufacturing.
Turn it over.
Jiangnan has been defeated, Huguang has also been defeated, and now it is Huaiyang's turn.
As long as this place is destroyed, the Tatars will be in deep trouble like Chongzhen and cannot extricate themselves.
In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the losses caused by the southeastern Japanese pirates to the Ming Dynasty were no less than those of the three major Wanli expeditions, so don't underestimate the damage, sometimes it was more powerful than frontal combat.
Without the grain from Huguang, the salt from Lianghuai, and the money from Jiangnan, the Tatars can no longer be arrogant.
