I want to be emperor

Chapter 348 The Different Qinhuai River

The second year of Chengshun of the Great Chu Empire and the ninth year of Ming Chongzhen.

October [-]th, in Jinling City, Jiangning County, Yingtian Prefecture, that is, Yuhuatai, Nanjing City in Ming Dynasty.

Yuhua Terrace is located between the outer and inner city walls of Jinling City, in the southern area of ​​Jinling City. This is a rare highland in Jinling City.

And it is more than 1000 meters away from the moat of Jinling City, which is the Qinhuai River, and directly opposite is the Changgan Bridge across the Qinhuai River. Behind the Changgan Bridge is the most important gate in the south of Jinling City: Jubao Gate.

If the Ming army could rely on the Yuhuatai Highland for defensive operations and deploy heavy artillery on it, it would be enough to cover the surrounding areas, and it would be impossible for the Chu army to launch siege operations here.

But it is a pity that although the Ming army built a camp and stationed troops here at the beginning, and even deployed two Hongyi artillery, when the Ming army on the outer wall of the city retreated without a fight, the more than 1000 Ming troops stationed at Yuhuatai also He ran away completely, and even handed over the two precious red barbarian cannons deployed on the mountain to the Chu army with their ammunition intact.

When the first division of the Chu Army arrived here yesterday, all they could see were the intact camp fortifications and a batch of artillery, except for a single figure.

Naturally, the first division unceremoniously occupied the camp built by the Ming army here before, and turned the muzzles of two Hongyi cannons left by the Ming army, aiming at the direction of Changgan Bridge.

The next day, that is, today, Luo Zhixue led the [-]st Guards Division and other troops to Yuhuatai and set up a frontline headquarters here.

Luo Zhixue did not set up the headquarters in the original building in the mountain, but built a temporary tent directly on the top of the mountain, facing the Jinling city with a good view, and used it as the frontline headquarters.

At this time, Luo Zhixue was standing on the top of the mountain where the headquarters was located, looking at the Jinling City in front of him.

Within the line of sight, there are still many residential buildings. After all, this area is between the outer city wall and the inner city wall. It is already considered an urban area, with many buildings.

It's just that quite a few buildings have been forcibly requisitioned by the Chu army. This is not to say that they are used as barracks, but to demolish these houses to make enough space for the army to launch a siege.

A large area of ​​residential buildings is in front of it, which is the famous Qinhuai River, which makes the monarchs and ministers of the Great Chu Empire never forget, and dream of coming here.

The Qinhuai River in the early days actually existed as the moat of Jinling City by the Ming court. However, as the area around Jinling City was at peace, more and more residents lived in Jinling City and moved towards the periphery. From the original pure river and moat, it has evolved into a prosperous commercial place.

On both sides of the Qinhuai River, there are many shops and restaurants, and there are many boats in Hanoi. Many shops and boats, as well as a large number of young ladies, together constitute one of the most famous gathering places for young ladies in China for thousands of years.

For hundreds of years, only the Eight Great Alleys of Youzhou City, where Gegemen haunted after the demise of the Eastern Captives, and the west bank of the Huangpu River in Songjiang Prefecture, where a large number of courtesans haunted during the warlord melee, can be compared with it.

Oh, no, there is another city in the south of the 21st century that has carried forward this way again and is known for its high-quality services.

It's a pity that those young ladies and sisters abandoned the traditions of their ancestors and went to play live broadcasts.

It's simply a decline in the world, and people's hearts are not old, which makes people sigh with pity.

It's just that the area along the Qinhuai River, which used to be prosperous in the past, is now desolate. Apart from the fixed ones that cannot be moved, all the movable ones have basically disappeared.

As for the sparsely dressed ladies and sisters who are good at playing and singing, I can't see any of them...

Now these boats and a large number of ladies and sisters have basically fled the Qinhuai River to avoid the impending siege.

After all, the Qinhuai River is not just an ordinary river, it is also the moat of Jinling City in the south city.

Since yesterday, the generals and soldiers of the Chu army in gray uniforms have already arrived here and set up many artillery pieces.

The ladies and sisters were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and almost everyone who could escape escaped.

If they don't escape, they will be directly in the middle of the battle between the armies of the two sides, and they will be directly flanked by the front and back...

Although they don't mind being flanked back and forth on weekdays, it's different today. The Chu army's artillery is too much and too fierce, and even the Ming army on the top of the city is facing each other, deploying a large number of light and heavy artillery in the Jubaomen area.

When they really fought, the fierce artillery fire was definitely not something they could bear.

What's more, whether it's the Chu army or the Ming army, no one intends to pay...

Once they fight, if they are hit by the cannon, they will be cannoned in vain.

deficit!
The painting boats gathered by the young ladies ran away, either going upstream to hide, or going down to enter several other tributaries, and some directly entered the Yangtze River.

As a result, the Qinhuai River that Luo Zhixue saw today was bare, without a single painted boat.

To be honest, this is different from the Qinhuai River in Luo Zhixue's imagination.

He is a little disappointed!
On the north bank of the Qinhuai River is the inner city wall of Jinling City, and there is a very conspicuous city gate tower among them.

Xu Zhixian pointed to a tall city gate in the distance and said: "That is the Jubao Gate. According to the information we have detected, the enemy army is heavily stationed here. There are about [-] soldiers around the city gate, and artillery weighing more than [-] jin. About ten, including two Hongyi Cannons."

As he said that, Xu Zhixian pointed to the right side of Jubao Gate and said: "A few miles to the right of Jubao Gate is Tongji Gate, and Tongji Gate continues east to Zhengyang Gate."

"These three gates are the three largest gates in the south of Jinling City. In theory, they are also the most suitable gates for us to launch a strong attack, because the distance is short and the surrounding space is large enough."

"However, the enemy army has also deployed heavy troops on this line. There are about 2000 enemy troops on the front line of Jubao Gate, and the garrison strength of the other two gates is also about [-] to [-]. There are at least a few thousand Ming troops deployed on the city walls, to guard against our attack on these city walls, and at the same time serve as a mobile force to reinforce the above-mentioned three city gates.”

"According to our judgment, the Ming army has deployed a total of 8000 to [-] troops on the front line of these three city gates, including some new standard troops in the enemy army."

When Xu Zhixian said it, although he indicated the direction, in fact, because of the relatively long distance, Luo Zhixue could only see a rough shadow.

Therefore, when Xu Zhixian said that, he also asked his staff to spread out a hand-painted military map on the big table.

This is a map of Jinling City carefully collected and drawn by the intelligence personnel of the Great Chu Empire. The map is very detailed, down to every street and every small stream.

Since the beginning of last year, the Great Chu Empire has begun to send a large number of intelligence personnel to the areas controlled by the Ming court. Whether they are spies from the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Commerce or the Military Intelligence Department, they will collect local geographic information.

Traffic arteries, dangerous checkpoints, and the defense map of the city are the most important.

As the largest and most populous city in the south of China, Jinling City is also a city of great political significance, as well as a cultural and economic center. Naturally, it has been highly valued by intelligence agencies such as the Military Intelligence Department.

The Military Intelligence Department had already set up an intelligence station in Jinling City last summer, and gradually increased its manpower and developed personnel locally.

So far, the Military Intelligence Division has more than 100 intelligence personnel directly under it in Jinling City.

The peripheral members, that is, those who took money to do things, were even more recruited and bought by the Military Intelligence Department. There were more than 500 people, including some civil and military officials of the Ming court who were bought and bought by the Military Intelligence Department.

These hundreds of intelligence personnel seem to be a lot, but they are still very small in Jinling City with a population of more than 30.

Jinling City, which was in the Huaxia region in the seventeenth century, was the second most populous city, second only to Youzhou City, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

In such a huge urban population, there are only a few hundred intelligence personnel plus hundreds of peripheral members who have been recruited and bought. In fact, it is difficult to take care of all aspects.

But the Military Intelligence Department doesn't need to spy on all the information. After all, the main business of the Military Intelligence Department is military intelligence, and everything else is done by the way.

In military intelligence, the number of troops stationed in the city, the situation of the civil and military officials who command the troops, and the main fortifications of the city are the top priorities.

The work efficiency of the Military Information Department is also good. Before the Chu army arrived at Jinling City, the military map of the entire Jinling City was drawn out, and even some new fortifications and hidden forts built by the Ming army were marked. come out.

When the first division officially arrived outside Jinling City, the Military Information Department of the People's Republic of China passed on the latest situation of the Ming army in the city, including the garrison situation of each department.

Only in this way can Xu Zhixian accurately tell how many Ming troops are stationed at Jubaomen, and how many Hongyi artillery are there.

Because among the defenders of Jubao Gate, several of them are peripheral members of the Military Intelligence Department, and one of them is a hundred households...

They don't have to work hard to collect information, and they can basically mark the deployment locations of most of the artillery by walking around casually.

That is to say, when the Ming army in the city, especially those senior generals and military commanders, even the Chu army outside the city is unknown, and the exact number of people is unknown.

Luo Zhixue and Xu Zhixian of the Chu army even knew the detailed deployment of troops and artillery deployment of the defenders in the city.

Not to mention the general information, even the specific locations of the eight outer rooms that Yingtian Governor Zhang Guowei placed outside were even found out.

Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian, especially likes to ride horses. The eight outer rooms are all Yangzhou skinny horses.

The intelligence department of the Great Chu Empire attached great importance to Jinling City, which also allowed the Chu army to learn the most important military information in the city immediately after arriving in Jinling City today.

Xu Zhixian pointed to the large military map on the desktop and said: "Because there are more defenders at the three main gates in the south and the Qinhuai River serves as the moat, it is more difficult to fight across the river."

"At the same time, there is also feedback from the intelligence department. Our military intelligence department and other intelligence departments have already contacted some civil and military officials of the Ming court who love my king's teacher in the city. They will launch a mutiny under the leadership of Li Yuankui and cooperate with our army to seize the city. .”

"And part of the troops under Li Yuankui's control are currently deployed here!"

"Chaoyang Gate in the West City!"

"Currently, there are more than 800 Ming troops deployed by the Ming army at this city gate, and they are all under the control of Li Yuankui and the others. At that time, relying on their confidants, they will be able to open the city gate at the first time, and then welcome the army into the city. .”

"After our army entered through the Chaoyang Gate, it was the Nanjing Palace City of the Ming Dynasty. There were not many Ming troops deployed here, and we could even ignore him and launch an attack directly along the city wall to the south, and cooperate with the frontal offensive troops to capture Zhengyangmen and Tongji. The three southern city gates, the Jubao Gate and the Jubao Gate."

"If the operation is done well this time, then we can completely repeat the battle of Nanchang, and directly enter the city without a strong attack."

"As long as our army successfully enters the city, there will be no suspense in the next siege battle."

While listening, Luo Zhixue also took a simple battle plan from Xu Zhixian.

The battle plan is written very simply.

It is to let the first division that arrived in the early stage act as a frontal offensive force, but it is not for attack, but to attract the attention of the enemy. It is mainly deployed on the front line of Jubaomen and Tongjimen, making a strong attack posture.

The Sixth Division, which arrived later, was going to detour around Chaoyangmen, and at dawn, with the cooperation of the rebel army, surprise Chaoyangmen and seize it.

Then the main force was separated to launch a roundabout attack on the Zhengyangmen line in the south, and cooperated with the [-]nd Infantry Brigade of the [-]st Guards Division deployed in this direction to take Zhengyangmen.

Then he went to Tongji Gate and Jubao Gate.

The entire battle plan is very simple, not even a sophisticated battle plan.

Because the most difficult point here is to seize one of the city gates and enter, and this difficult problem will be handled by the Ming army's uprising troops led by Li Yuankui.

Therefore, after seeing this, Luo Zhixue knew that the Jinling Battle this time was not a big one.

Because there are only more than 2 defenders in the city, they are a group of old and young disabled, with no morale and low equipment level.

Even if it is a real strong attack, it will not take much trouble, it is nothing more than a certain amount of casualties during the strong attack.

However, among the more than 2 defenders, according to the feedback from the intelligence department, at least 2000 of them have clearly surrendered to the uprising...

This is almost one-tenth of the defenders.

Not to mention the defenders, even the senior civil and military officials of the Ming court in the city, in fact, many have secretly contacted the Chu army through various channels.

Why do you get in touch? Naturally, you have to turn around and surrender anyway.

The defecting officials of the Ming court contacted by Li Yuankui were actually only a part of them, mainly the defecting officials of the Ming court who were in charge of the Military Intelligence Department and the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Commerce.

However, the defecting officials in charge of the Hanwu Branch and the Naval Intelligence Office did not get involved, and they also had their own plans.

Throwing your heart and hugging your thighs, people don't have to follow you Li Yuankui to do it, they can do it themselves!

Therefore, neither Fan Jingwen, the governor of Nanjing, nor Zhang Guowei, the governor of Yingtian, knew that a large number of civil and military officials and ordinary soldiers under their hands had secretly defected to the Great Chu Empire.

Just wait for the Chu army to officially attack the city and cooperate with the Chu army!

And this day did not wait too long. In order to avoid heavy snowfall after the siege time was delayed, a large number of gentry and dignitaries in the city ran across the river and lost a lot of money and food. After Luo Zhixue led the main force to arrive, he signed relevant combat orders immediately , and prepare to officially attack the city.

After all, it was getting colder and colder this day. According to the experienced farmers, the snow would only last for three to five days, so there was no time for the Chu army to drag it down.

At the same time, on the Yangtze River, ships can be seen leaving Jinling City almost every day, but the navy is still powerless against it.

Since the navy is unreliable, the army can only speed up to take Jinling City by itself to avoid further loss of money and food.

Under such circumstances, the Chu army, intelligence agencies, and Ming court surrender officials such as Li Yuankui finally determined the time for the siege.

At dawn on October [-]th, Li Yuankui and the others will open the Chaoyang Gate to welcome the kings of the Chu army into the city.

　I went back to my hometown and ran all day today. It was past nine o’clock in the evening when I took the time to code, but I still allowed me to write more than 4000 words. I kept full attendance and lived up to everyone’s waiting.

　　I am really good at rainy days!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)