Chapter 50: The Great Water

A fire in Yangzhou is likely to be a plan for Hong Chengchou's golden cicada to get out of its shell.

If Hong Chengchou can successfully retreat to Xuzhou or Shandong. If we use the current means, will we let the army be under the fortified city again?

In such a tough battle, firearms play a major role, unless human lives are filled, most of the soldiers are waiting for the castle to be blasted open, and the large group of soldiers will attack it again and finish it.

Zhang Xuan was a little moved, and was about to decide, when suddenly Zheng Lian came over from the side and whispered a few words in Zhang Xuan's ear. Zhang Xuan's face changed suddenly, and he said, "Please." ”

Not long after, a person walked in, it was none other than Fu Shan.

Compared with a few years ago, Fu Shan now has a hint of wind and frost.

Zhang Xuan got up to greet him and said, "Mr. Fu, don't come unharmed." ”

Fu Shan immediately saluted and said, "Meet Your Majesty." ”

Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand to help Fu Shan up and said, "Fu Shan, is a great hero of our dynasty, without Mr. Fu's intelligence work, there would be no Chinese New Year's Eve rebellion, and it would not have made up his mind to march the army." ”

Fu Shan said: "Your Majesty praises falsely, the Chinese New Year's Eve rebellion, Weichen is just a contribution. ”

Zhang Xuan said: "Mr. Fu is polite, sit, sit, sit." ”

Zhang Xuan pressed Fu Shan on the embroidery pier, Fu Shan didn't dare to say anything, as soon as he sat down, he remembered his mission here, and immediately said: "The minister is from Beijing, and there is a major piece of information. I want to report to Your Majesty. ”

Zhang Xuan said: "What's the matter?" ”

Fu Shan said: "The minister heard that a few days ago, Hong Chengchou sent Hou Fangyu to secretly meet the empress dowager. A day later, I left in a hurry, I tried to inquire about the news, but I didn't get specific news, but I just knew that Hong Chengchou prepared a plan, which would hurt Tianhe, hoping to get the endorsement of the Qing court center, and Hou Fangyu was responsible for the implementation of this matter. ”

"This news is still the news that Hou Fangyu got from there."

"The specifics, but it's not very clear."

"It's just that Hong Chengchou is extremely despicable, he thinks that this matter is too hurtful, and it must be a big conspiracy."

Zhang Xuan listened, but did not speak. I heard Gao Yigong say: "This matter has been done, he burned Yangzhou City, this fire has burned tens of thousands of people at least, and tens of thousands of people have been displaced, is this matter good enough to hurt the peace of the heavens?" ”

Fu Shan said: "No, Yichen speculated on Hong Chengchou, what are the people of just one city, and what do you still need to ask for, it is difficult for you to forget the origin of Hong Chengchou's reputation in the northwest." ”

Everyone was stunned, and immediately turned out Hong Chengchou's reputation from the depths of their memory, and the three words of Hong Butcher were not given in vain.

Many people have experienced Hong Chengchou's massacre of the northwest at the beginning, and there are so many killings that they are simply full of pits and valleys. Never plan to do it, and now tens of thousands can shake Hong Chengchou's heart.

Come to think of it.

They don't

Shi was a little frightened by Hong Chengchou's premeditated plan to hurt the peace of the heavens.

What is it that makes people like Hong Chengchou slaughter with bloody hands, and I feel that I can't bear it.

Zhang Xuan thought for a while, he sighed lightly and said: "If there is one thing that Hong Chengchou can't afford more than burning Yangzhou City, I'm afraid it will be a ruin." ”

As soon as he said this, everyone couldn't help but be shocked.

In particular, those who participated in the battle of Kaifeng were even more worried, because they had all seen the mighty and unstoppable appearance of the water of the Yellow River after breaking through the embankment.

Even Zhang Xuan remembered for a while that the water of the Yellow River, like the hand of a giant, gently slapped on the city wall of Kaifeng, so that the army could not attack the city wall for several months, and it easily collapsed.

At that time, he picked up every little life.

As soon as I remembered that the army was going north along the canal, after being dug up the embankment on the way, the flood rushed down, and hundreds of thousands of troops were all fish and turtles.

Zhang Xuan's subordinates are the main force of his lineage, and most of the middle and lower-level officers are from the martial arts, and the so-called protégés of the Son of Heaven are also.

If these people are lost, Zhang Xuan's control over Great Xia will be loosened I don't know how much.

Just like Luo Yulong, after Luo Yulong's defeat in Shandong, even though he has not died. But he couldn't control Great Xia at all.

Zhang Xuan really had the strength to ascend the throne after Luo Yulong's defeat.

"Your Majesty, knowing that Hong Chengchou has such a poisonous plan, let's avoid this line."

Fu Shan's face suddenly turned pale and said, "I'm afraid it's too late." What Hong Chengchou is thinking about is not necessarily the Yellow River, but Hongze Lake. ”

Hong Zehu, these three words made Zhang Xuan's heart tremble.

When he went south from Fengyang, he had personally gone to see Hongze Lake.

If the Yellow River is a hanging river on the ground, then Hongze Lake is a hanging lake on the ground.

Because the south of Hongze Lake is where the ancestral mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is located, there is only reinforcement in the past dynasties and no flood discharge.

As a result, the dikes are getting higher and higher, and the lake is collecting more and more water.

Guyin Hongze Lake is the result of the siltation of the Huai River. The Yellow River seizes the Huai into the sea, under the accumulation of yellow sand, the river channel increases, and at the beginning, the Huai River water can also share a river channel with the Yellow River water.

But for a long time.

Under the action of the Yellow River, the river channel has increased, and the water level of the river channel is higher than the water surface of Hongze Lake. Therefore, it is impossible for the water of Hongze Lake to flow into the sea from here.

Only by raising the surface of Hongze Lake can water flow out of the Yellow River. 、

But if it rains heavily, the Yellow River pours into Hongze Lake.

It also caused floods.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty cited a good policy for water control, which was to divert the Huai River to the Yellow River and use the Huai River water to wash the Yellow River waterway. Where does the water of the Huai River come from, it naturally comes from Hongze Lake.

It's just that it's just a maintenance policy,

The situation of the Yellow River's waterways is getting worse and worse.

Therefore, as long as Hongze Lake is excavated, tens of thousands of rivers can be washed down the canal. When the time comes, the Huai River will seize the river and enter the sea.

And the Yangzhou area is where these lakes wash down.

Zhang Xuan immediately came down, and all the troops moved to the high ground northwest of Yangzhou.

It's just a day.

Zhang Xuan had just gained a firm foothold here, when he heard a report from the north, and the water rushed down.

It seemed that the sun did not want to see such a tragedy, and with the boiling water came countless clouds, which converged in the sky.

After a while, it started to rain.

The flood below is like an angry wave, and the rain above is like a filament. One static and one moving, becoming a stark contrast.

The sound of the waves, like thunder, Zhang Xuan's ears rumbled, he could only see that hundreds of people were struggling in the flood, and he didn't know how many prefectures and counties near Yangzhou had fallen into the water country.

Not to mention, a bumper harvest is just around the corner.

On the ground of Lianghuai, although because of the war, agriculture was not very prosperous. But there are still many fields waiting for a good harvest, at least millions of stones.

But under the flood, it was all in vain.

A fire in Yangzhou has caused many people to suffer heavy casualties, and now when the flood rushes, these people will be buried in the belly of the fish. Not to mention, the grain harvest is out, such a tragic situation, even if the people are lucky to survive, I am afraid they will not survive this winter.

Zhang Xuan had no idea how many people died here.

I don't even know how many days it will take for the water to recede, just like the flood in 1931. In the second year, I don't know how many people died in it.

This is in terms of people's livelihood and, more importantly, in the military.

Hong Chengchou's move immediately thwarted Zhang Xuan's military intentions.

Zhang Xuan originally wanted to go north along the canal to Shandong, but now he didn't even think about it.

Although what Hong Chengchou did was wolf-hearted, and he didn't know that his sage books had been read on that dog, Zhang Xuan had to admit that this trick was ruthless enough.

It didn't take much effort, and only the Yangzhou area, which could not be defended, thwarted Zhang Xuan's strategic intentions.

Moreover, after all, the Xia Dynasty is newly built, everything is not very stable, Zhang Xuan can sit firmly in the position of the emperor, and it is the other generals of the Yuan Dynasty who are the descendants under his command.

And war is the time for military power to be shaken. If Zhang Xuan wants to still occupy the advantage and sit firmly on the throne of the emperor, he must suppress the other ministries.

This is why Zhang Xuan must drive in person. And the reason for leading the main force. Even if you don't want the greatest military exploits, you must control the overall situation after the Northern Expedition.

It's just that now all this has to be replanned, not to mention anything else, that is, the redeployment of the army, which also took Zhang Xuan a month.

The time is on the Qing court's side.