Smelting and Exploding the Heavens

Chapter 328
In three months, the White Lotus Sect expanded rapidly.

The south of the Yangtze River is simply a mess, and the most terrible thing about the peasant army's uprising is coercion.

Whenever they go to a place, they must rob the local wealth, food and grass, and then take the bankrupted citizens and peasants back again, and rapidly expand their power like a snowball.

So in the past three months, the White Lotus Sect has ravaged Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Huguang and other places, and the number of people has expanded to one million, and even captured the important town of Xiangyang.

Now he has led an army to besiege Yingtian Mansion, intending to take over Yingtian Mansion, then he can completely separate Jiangnan, negotiate with the imperial court, and accept the recruitment to become the actual controller of Jiangnan.

However, although the Ming court was corrupt, it was not really cowardly, so it was naturally impossible to agree to such a condition.

Fifty thousand elite soldiers have been mobilized from the Northern Frontier Army to go south along the canal, and the two sides will soon fight around Yingtianfu.

Fang Kaicheng, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, followed the advice of the counselors around him, and believed that since Ying Tianfu could not be won in the short term, he should open up a few more battlefields around Ying Tianfu to take the strategic initiative.

At that time, a strategic outflanking and encircling situation will be formed against the elite frontier troops coming from the south, so as to give full play to the superiority in the number of our own troops.

One of the strategic goals worth winning is Chuzhou on the other side of the Yangtze River, and the other is Yangzhou.

Therefore, the change of the White Lotus Sect soon alarmed the county magistrate of Yangzhou City, who went directly to find Fan Zhuoyuan at the Yangzhou Beiwa Army Garrison outside the city.

Looking at the county magistrate in front of him with a fat head and a huge and corrupt belly, Liang Tianyi felt a little helpless.

"General Fan Shen is training soldiers, please wait for the parents of the county, the army has its own military law, it is really helpless."

The county magistrate was shaking all over his body in a hurry, "Oh, what time is it? I really have something important to meet, so why should General Fan Shen put on airs here! It's just a regiment trainer, and you Maitreya sect uses it to make Jianghu The fight is the same as Qi's army back then, why bother!"

Liang Tianyi quickly apologized, "Don't dare, the parents of the county know that we are only used for group training in Jianghu battles, why should they be so anxious, if there is an urgent matter, isn't there the Jiang Defense Army?"

The county magistrate was so anxious that he was about to jump, and Fan Zhuoyuan was long overdue.

"Oh, it turned out to be the county parents. Fan has neglected it. Please don't blame the county parents."

He was talking about getting someone to prepare a banquet, but the county magistrate couldn't wait, and quickly declined: "On weekdays, your teacher is really generous, and you often invite me to a banquet, so you don't have to be so polite today.

Master Fan, General Fan, you know that the White Lotus Sect has sent a large army to attack Zhenjiang. Once Zhenjiang is conquered, they will seize the boats in the city and come across the river. Our Yangzhou is a flat river with no danger to defend.

If the canal is cut off, you and I, as court officials and generals, can't afford it! "

Naturally, Fan Zhuoyuan had already known this information, but without the order of the local civil servants, it was naturally impossible for him, as a regiment training general, to deploy troops without authorization.

Now with a smile, he secretly thought that the opportunity had come, so he said: "So, are the parents of the county planning to send me to wait for the Japanese army to rescue Zhenjiang? If that is the case, why do the parents of the county come and send someone to deliver the military order?"

Seeing that Fan Zhuoyuan did not refuse, the county magistrate was relieved a little, and said cautiously: "I heard that there are more than [-] rebels besieging Zhenjiang."

Fan Zhuoyuan said: "So many!"

The county magistrate immediately raised his heart, and said loudly: "Although there are many, they are all mobs. There must be no problem under Fan Jiaozhu's command!"

"But we only have more than 3000 people after all..."

"What conditions Fan Jiaozhu needs, just come and ask!"

Fan Zhuoyuan was waiting for this sentence, pondered for a moment and said: "Since we are going to fight across the river, warships are indispensable. Maybe the parents of the county will give instructions?"

"allow!"

"Well, there may be a naval battle. Our army only has some small artillery that is useful for field battles. The heavy artillery that has been used in the past will be returned to the treasury every time it is used up. This time it will also be used."

"Heavy artillery, firearms, and armor in the treasury can be taken by the general at will!"

"Ha, since that's the case, please support the logistics."

The county magistrate patted his chest and said: "Yangzhou is so rich, there is still enough food for the army of thousands of people. Those rebels treat the wealthy gentry and households without exception, and they will donate a little money and food for life-saving. I don't think it will be stingy." ! This officer will definitely decide for you!"

Fan Zhuoyuan made a calculation, at least he won't lose money after such a battle, and if he is captured, he can make a lot of money, which is a good deal.

Said: "Since that's the case, when do the parents of the county want us to leave?"

"When will General Fan be the soonest?"

Fan Zhuoyuan said to himself: "Soldiers are precious and fast, I will go to the treasury to get the equipment today, and the county parents will arrange the warships first."

On the second day, all the warships were in place, a total of [-] ships, most of which were temporarily rebuilt by merchant ships, so it took two days to remodel the gun positions and move the heavy guns onto the ship.

Then all the [-] sergeants put on paper armor and boarded the ship to fight. The paper armor for water combat is lighter, and it is actually more conducive to combat than the cotton armor widely used in the Ming army.

Fan Zhuoyuan did not directly command the water battle. According to information from Maitreya believers all over the place, the core of this peasant army is [-] troops basically composed of the original Mingwei army.

They can use blunderbusses and fight in formations, and the rest of the tens of thousands of people are basically cannon fodder, used to consume the ammunition and morale of the defenders in the city.

According to the enemy's deployment, Fan Zhuoyuan ordered [-] spearmen and [-] musketeers to land from the west of the Yangtze River. Under the cover of the local people, they hid in Gaozi Town and quietly ambush.

Then the warships were ordered to march along the Yangtze River and the canal, and bombarded the enemy camp from a long distance for several days.

The discipline and morale of the Peasant Army were extremely poor. The more concentrated they were, the more chaotic their command.

At this time, Fan Zhuoyuan disembarked the five-hundred-sword shieldmen and the three-hundred artillery battalion, pretending to be fighting with their backs, and marched step by step towards the White Lotus Sect army.

Only two hundred artillery battalion soldiers and a group of ordinary believers recruited temporarily control the warships, lined up along the canal, and the heavy artillery points to the shore.

The generals of this White Lotus Sect rebel army were greatly surprised. A mere 800 people dared to attack tens of thousands of them. They really regarded them as clay sculptures and wood carvings.

A group of generals clamored to wipe out the 800 people in one fell swoop, and immediately arranged thousands of peasant troops to rush towards the 800 people.

Fan Zhuoyuan was standing between the sword and shield hands at this time, and beside him was Liu Rong, the commander of the sword and shield battalion who was actually in command.

Liu Rong was the most taciturn among the four capitals, and turned his head to look at Fan Zhuoyuan at this time.

"General, the enemy is rushing forward. They are all infantry at a distance of [-] paces. They are scattered in formation. You can carry tiger squatting cannons and mother and child cannons and wait for them to come within [-] paces and defeat them with shotguns."

Fan Zhuoyuan opened his mouth slightly, the wind blew in his face, and the smell in the air entered his mouth, carrying many chaotic and dirty smells.

Just because of the clutter, it means that the army rushing from the opposite side is more chaotic.

The voices heard by his ears were even more chaotic, even the shouts of killing were only superficial, and there was no strong murderous intent.

On the contrary, the [-] sergeants lined up solemnly behind him, although everyone's heartbeat accelerated at this moment, their breathing was a little short, and they were very nervous, they were always stable.

(End of this chapter)