Yunyang has a unique geographical advantage because it controls the Han River and is connected to Qinba. During the Taiping Period, it was also the richest central city in the upper reaches of the Han River.
In the Ming Dynasty, Yunyang's status rose again and again, from a village to a county, and then to a prefecture. Later, the imperial censor of the capital was sent here to govern the four directions, and finally he commanded eight prefectures in four provinces.
However, these advantages of Yunyang also make him a battleground for military strategists.
During the Chenghua period, a government was established in Yunyang. After the establishment of Fuzhi, Yunyang spread from all directions, thousands of merchants gathered, and there was a fierce fire cooking oil. But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's rebels had five battles with the government and the army here.
During the great massacre, the construction of more than 160 years after Yunyang was established was almost completely destroyed.
During the Chongzhen period, there was continuous famine, and the land was bare for thousands of miles.
Since Shaotian, Hunan, Sichuan and other places have been rapidly recovering, but Yunyang is still in the state of famine and poverty. Endless wars have turned this place into a dead place.
Wang Guangen's repeated actions only made things worse here.
The screen of Chu is the vassal, the throat of Qin, and the channel of Yu.
In history, all the alliances under the city took place here during the Qin Dynasty, Qin Dynasty and Chu Dynasty.
Yunyang City is to the east, surrounded by mountains to the north, and water to the west and south. There are large areas of fertile farmland in the north, which were once filled with rice flowers, surrounded by distant mountains, and the Han River flows down the city in the southwest.
Outside the city wall on the southwest side is a steep cliff, under which the Han River flows.
The city is high in the north and low in the south, with gentle slopes from east to west and wading down into the Han River. It is shaped like a dustpan, so it is called Dustpan City.
There are three streets, five cities, and six city gates.
There are seven gate towers, three urn towers, and brick and stone walls, one and a half feet high.
Zhu Pengfei looked at the city carefully and had to sigh that from a military perspective, this was indeed an iron city.
But now Zhu Pengfei is also a battle-hardened general. He is no longer the Zhang Dapeng who first entered Wudi. He knows very well that no matter how dangerous the city is, it still needs people to defend it.
The morale and will of the defenders, as well as the forage and equipment in the city, are all key factors that influence the war.
Wang Guangen defended this fortified city, but there were no reinforcements from outside, no food and grass inside, and no morale among the soldiers. Even he himself did not have the will and determination to resist. This battle was already won without having to fight.
Wang Guangen was not a general of the Manchu clan such as Luck Dehun or Bolo or Tan Tai. He was originally a capricious and vacillating military leader, a military leader with a background of rebellion among the hungry people.
Repeated many times.
Over the years, Yunyang has not been stable and has been constantly fighting. Originally, if Wang Guangen had not rebelled, he could have accepted the court's arrangements and reorganized the army to calm the people. According to the arrangements made by Wen Anzhi, Gao Douxun and others, Yunyang would not be in such a state of ruin now.
appearance.
During the Chenghua period, there was a severe drought, and millions of refugees poured into the Yunyang Mountain area to reclaim wasteland and farmland. It can be seen that this mountainous area is not completely useless. In times of great famine and disaster, it is sometimes easier to survive in such mountainous areas than in the Central Plains.
"Tell Wang Guangtai that there is no room for him to bargain here. If he knows the current situation, he will open the city and lead the troops to surrender honestly and happily, and avoid hurting innocent people.
Yunyang is the Yunyang of the imperial court, and the army is the army of the imperial court."
Zhu Pengfei raised his head and said, "It's morning now. When the sun rises to the zenith, if he hasn't surrendered yet, then I will attack the city directly. Don't think that Yunyang City is very strong, but I have siege cannons.
It is easy to defeat this city."
"Now that Kaicheng surrenders, all soldiers can be directly pardoned, and all officers will be sent to Luoyang to wait for the death of the saint."
Zhu Dingguo and Sun Kewang even said bluntly, "Why bother? Just attack directly."
"Let someone shout to the city first and give them half a day." Zhu Pengfei was not in a hurry.
He Zhen suggested that it would be better to pretend to agree to some of Wang Guangen's demands first, and then kill them after they surrender.
"No need to induce you to surrender."
Zhu Pengfei had tens of thousands of troops to capture Yunyang in an upright and dignified manner.
Wang Guangen rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, which was extremely bad. How could such a person bargain with him, let alone agree to keep Yunyang and his troops.
Brothers Wang Guangtai and Wang Chang stood there without saying a word.
By now, it's too late to say anything.
In the city.
Wang Guangen stood on the Bell and Drum Towers in the city. The Bell and Drum Towers went straight into the clouds, and he could have a commanding view of the whole city inside and outside.
Looking at the Ming army gathering, there are still so many rows of boats on the river.
Wang Guangen gritted his teeth.
The shouts of the Ming army were as loud as a mountain, and Wang Guangen could hear them clearly here.
Hearing these words, he despaired.
What made him even more desperate was that he sent people out of the city several times to contact the two brothers, but they were unwilling to reply to him.
"Your Majesty, the brothers can no longer suppress us. They are all clamoring to open the city."
Several members of the family will come up to report.
Wang Guangen sighed, "It must have been secretly instigated by Gao Shiqing and others, right? Where's Governor Xu?"
Governor Xu Qiyuan was half-coerced when he followed him to the Qing Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, Gao Shiqing and others have gone to Xu Qiyuan's house."
Hearing this, he still didn't understand that these people were going to invite Xu Futai, who had long been out of power, and lead them to Kaicheng to surrender. There was no chance that there would be another mutiny soon, and they would chop off his head and claim his reward.
.
It's not that he doesn't have any confidants, but at this point, what's the use of the two battalions of servants?
Now that things have happened, no one is willing to follow him anymore.
"We should go south to Xiangyang as soon as possible."
Wang Guangen just smiled bitterly, "What's the use of going to Xiangyang? Zuo is just trying to delay his dying breath for a few days, that's all. It's my short-sightedness. I was seduced by this king, but it hurt my brothers."
The noise came from far and near, and many soldiers from Yunyang were heading towards the Bell and Drum Tower.
There was a mutiny.
Wang Guangen, who had been prepared in his heart for a long time, didn't take it seriously. He had never experienced anything like this in the past few years.
"The famine that year did not kill me. I have been rebelling for many years, and I have also been among the general soldiers of the Chongzhen Dynasty, the admiral and marquis of the Shaotian Dynasty, and the King of Yunyang of the Qing Dynasty. I will not be at a loss in this life, right?
Come on, chop off my head with a sword, cut it in half quickly, then carry it down and take those bastards to open the city and surrender.
Tell General Ming that I have let down the emperor's kindness, but these brothers are innocent, so don't implicate them. Also, my two brothers, they and I have long since separated from each other, so don't implicate them either.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! A hero is responsible for his work, and his debts are wiped out after his death."
After saying that, he took off his helmet, drew his knife and cut off his braid, then bent down and lowered his head.
"bring it on!"
"Your Majesty."
"Come!"
"Zhuzi, do it. Twenty years later, I will be a good man again, and I will be a prince in my next life!"
The general Zhu Zhu hesitated for a long time and finally drew his sword.
The rebels were already rushing towards the tower, and the footsteps were getting closer and closer.
When Gao Shiqing finally rushed to the top floor with his soldiers, he only saw Wang Guangen's general holding his master's head on the pillar.
"Your Majesty has an order, Yunyang surrenders!"
outside the city.
The Ming army was unloading cannons from the ships, and the men and horses of each battalion were preparing to attack the city in an orderly manner.
The city gate suddenly opened.
Xu Qiyuan, the governor of Yunyang, led by the general Gao Shiqing, led a group of civil servants and military officers out of the city.
Everyone took off their hats, revealing their freshly cut hair. Each of them also took off their official Tatar robes, and went out of the city shirtless to ask for surrender.
He Zhen, Yao Ke, Zhu Dingguo, Sun Kewang and other people looked at this scene and were a little surprised, but also felt that it should be like this.
"Where is Wang Guangen?"
He walked up to the pillar, holding a tray, and lifted the cover. Inside was Wang Xingen's head.
Brothers Wang Guangtai and Wang Chang rushed over and couldn't help crying when they looked at their eldest brother's head.
Zhu Zhu said Wang Xingen's last words.
Zhu Pengfei looked at the head and said slowly for a long time, "The sun has not yet reached its peak. Since you have already come out of the city to surrender, the governor will also abide by his promise. All soldiers in the city will not be held accountable, but the officers will be sent to Luoyang to be sent to Luoyang."
Xu Qiyuan and others knelt down to accept.
The next step is to surrender.
Soldiers from the city marched out one by one, handed over their weapons and armor, registered their names, and then entered the temporary camp.
Zhu Pengfei asked them to cook porridge and feed them, and these people wolfed down the food. They had already rationed the food and had not eaten for a long time. They were all starving and thin.
In order to maintain his own military strength, Wang Guangen even recruited strong men everywhere, even beggars.
Although there were more than 10,000 soldiers, only a few thousand actually fought.
"What to do with these people?"
Sun Shoufa asked Zhu Pengfei.
"How about General Sun Kewang temporarily acting as Hubei Yunxiang Road Branch Inspector and Yunyang Magistrate?" Zhu Pengfei turned to ask Sun Kewang.
The leader of the four righteous sons of Xiying, since the surrender, he has been marginalized in the army everywhere, and his relationship with his sworn brother Zhu Dingguo has become increasingly tense.
Although the remnants of Xiying were reorganized into a town before, the imperial court continued to add sand to the situation.
Now that Zhu Pengfei wanted to transfer him out of the army, Sun Kewang was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it, he agreed. There was no place for him in Xiying anymore, and he would not get along well with Li Dingguo, who had changed his surname to Zhu, so he might as well leave altogether.
"What do Sun Fenxun think the people should do with these soldiers?"
"According to the imperial court's practice, let's disperse and settle down in various places." Sun Kewang said bluntly.
This is also the current practice of the imperial court. Every time a land is recovered, it must clean up the fields, household registration, recruit refugees, etc., sell the land to the people at a different price, or move some to other places.
"Yunyang Mountain has a lot of land but little land, but it has important transportation and well-developed waterway transportation. There have always been many boatmen and trackers here, and it is also rich in wood, medicinal materials, and minerals. I think we can start with working for relief, and engage in transportation and mining.
, you can also invite investment and mining to restore the economy."
Zhu Pengfei divided his troops to garrison the three newly captured counties of Yunyang.
Wang Guangen's suicide led to the surrender of Yunyang City without a fight. More than 10,000 hungry soldiers were arranged and settled. They rested in Yunyang for a night and the soldiers and horses went down the river.
When they arrived at Junzhou, Gao Bizheng, Liu Tichun, Hao Waiqi and the others had already captured Junzhou. They bombarded the city with artillery. After only a few cannons were fired, the city raised a white flag and surrendered.
After taking Junzhou, some soldiers were left to defend the city. They couldn't wait to go along the river to Dagu City.
So Zhu Pengfei and the others did not stop ashore in Junzhou and continued down the river. When they arrived at Gucheng, Gao Bizheng and the others had already forced Gucheng and Guanghua to surrender, and headed straight for Xiangyang along the river.
"It's too fast, this won't work."
Zhu Pengfei stood on the bow of the ship, shaking his head repeatedly, "Your Majesty's decree is that the Tatar army in Hubei must be allowed to retreat into Guanzhong, and let them fight with Wu Sangui. Now we are surrounding Xiangyang. The Tatars in Wuchang, Jingzhou have not yet evacuated. Send the order quickly."
, let them return to Gucheng and not disrupt His Majesty's deployment."
After the Ming army occupied Gucheng, they had actually entered the Nanyang Basin, which stretches across the vast plains. Whether they were going down to Xiangfan, up to Nanyang, or heading to Xichuan and Shangluo, there was actually no obstruction.
"Wouldn't it be better if we took Xiangyang and blocked the Tatars? How can we let them escape?" Zhu Dingguo objected.
Zhu Pengfei said rudely to this sworn brother, "This is His Majesty's will and must be obeyed."
