Chapter 30 Two Ways to Dispatch Troops to Bombard Ying Tianfu

The Yaogang people, who had been waiting for the news of the Dashun army to conquer Yingtianfu (Nanjing), were finally able to act. Chen Yufeng and the others immediately ordered the tugboats on standby at Lingshui Wharf and Tongguan to march towards the Yangtze River, and Liu Yun and they sent a division of troops to cross the Qinling Mountains from Chencang Road and advance towards Hanzhong.

Although Liu Yun's expanded Chencang Road cannot be used for horse-drawn carriages on the whole line, most of them can already be opened to traffic. It's just that only mules and horses can pass in the back section. In addition to speeding up the expansion of the road, Liu Yun sent more mules and horses to carry materials to follow the army.

Originally, according to the plan, Zhang Zhimu should have invited Gonggong Li to come over and ask him to tell the emperor that although we do not have the strength to send troops on a large scale immediately, we will send troops to contain the Dashun army. But before Zhang Zhimu sent someone to invite him, Gonggong Li came by himself.

Because of helping the people of Yaogang, Gonggong Li is now confident, and his expression is different when he comes in. After sitting down politely, Zhang Zhimu said: "Father-in-law Li is still a friend enough to help at a critical time." I haven't had time to thank you yet! ”

"I said Zhang Dongjia, we are all old friends, can we watch things when we encounter them? Don't talk about it again. "Gonggong Li's words are also very decent.

"Yes! We've been old friends for a long time, but I didn't expect it to be so unpleasant! I miss the time when we drank wine together and ate meat together. Zhang Zhimu said.

"Hey! Needless to say, I still don't blame you. Everything I do is for the emperor, sometimes I make you unhappy, and I can't help it. Don't talk about that. Father-in-law Li said, "Today is not the time to catch up on the past. Presumably you also know that the thieves have defeated Yingtianfu (Nanjing), and if you don't send troops, I'm afraid Jiangnan will not be protected! The emperor was very anxious and didn't sleep every night. Hi! Don't worry about the officials of the court. The emperor also knows that you are not satisfied with some things. But now is the time for the survival of the society, and you can't look at it like this anyway. ”

"I really didn't expect that Ying Tianfu had the Yangtze River, and we had almost sunk their naval warships. How could Ying Tianfu not be able to hold it? In my opinion, they should be fine for half a year, and then we can be a little more prepared. How good is that? Zhang Zhimu said.

"Zhang Dongjia, we can't wait any longer! You'd better take advantage of their unstable foothold in Ying Tianfu and send troops to take back Ying Tianfu. At that time, you did a great job! Gonggong Li said earnestly.

"Capture back to Tianfu, now we don't have such a large force. I think so. Zhenjiang and the Jiangnan area, we still have a lot of officers and soldiers. They should be organized to take back Tianfu, and we will immediately send a naval army to help in the war. However, our naval wharf in Zhenjiang was demolished by the officers and men of Zhenjiang, and our warships could not be resupplied there and could not fight there for a long time. You tell the emperor that when the officers and troops are ready, our warships will sail over and support the officers and troops with artillery fire. Together, we will win back to heaven. By the way, you also have to send people to our warships to assist us in coordinating with the officers and troops, and command the warships to bombard the Dashun army. What do you think? Zhang Zhimu said.

After listening to Zhang Zhimu's words, Gonggong Li stood up and gave Zhang Zhimu a salute and said, "Oops! Zhang Dongjia, I thank you for the emperor! ”

"Alright, alright! Sit down and let me finish. Zhang Zhimu said, "We have actually been preparing. We have expanded more than half of the Chencang Ancient Road in Shaanxi. I had wanted to wait for the road to be widened before sending troops from there. It seems that we can't wait until then. We are going to let Liu Yun take some people to take Hanzhong directly, so that Hanzhong is very close to Xiangfan and can threaten Xiangfan. can also contain the Dashun army. ”

"Oops! Zhang Dongjia, you can directly knock Xiangfan down! "Gonggong Li is a little anxious.

"You guy, don't I want to beat Xiangfan?" Zhang Zhimu said, "Our army passed through the Chencang Ancient Road, and heavy weapons could not be transported, so our superiority was not obvious. And as you know, our wars are all fought by the superiority of firearms. This poses a fatal problem, with a heavy dependence on logistics. After a war, the ammunition needed will take a long time to be supplied. If Li Zicheng knew about our weakness, they would have waited for us to finish fighting Hanzhong, exhausted the ammunition, and immediately counterattacked, and we would have no ammunition to deal with them. At that time, our firearms were inferior to sticks. Soon it will be overwhelmed by Li Zicheng's sea of people. This time, we have to use the warship to sail to the Han River to scare them, so that they dare not disturb us in order to have a chance of winning. We must not fail, or else. Li Zicheng no one can hold it down. Every time we fought with him, it looked like it was easy. But we know that we all used ingenuity to hit him in the deadly place. Didn't get him to fight back. ”

"Oops! Anyway, as long as you can attack on both fronts. The pressure on the emperor has been reduced a lot, and he can sleep peacefully. Father-in-law Li said, "I'll send the good news to the emperor immediately!" ”

When Zhang Zhimu informed the command center of the news of Father-in-law Li's coming, Ouyang He answered the phone, and he said: "Mr. Zhang, God is helping us." When we want to sleep, someone gives us a pillow. Now Liu Yun and their army have set off on their way. According to the investigation, at the south exit of Chencang Ancient Road, there is no shadow of the Dashun army. The Dashun army in Hanzhong has not yet withdrawn. There is also no sign of destruction in the city. It's just that a large amount of grain has been transported. I'm afraid we'll have to bring some food over in the future. The people of Hanzhong cannot be allowed to go hungry. ”

"It should be easy to do, we can buy some grain from the vicinity of Dongting Lake and ship it over. We are not afraid of warships. Zhang Zhimu said.

"Okay, I'll inform Lu Chengxiang about this." Ouyang He said.

At this time, on the Yellow River, where the Kaiyuan New River, all the boats had to give way to the Yaogang tugboat going downstream. A long queue of tugboats loaded with strings of kilns lined up on the Yellow River.

Emperor Chongzhen in Beijing received the news that Gonggong Li had sent back, and stood up happily. He said the word "good" a few times. Immediately ordered the Jiangnan official army to prepare for a counterattack on Yingtianfu, and must cooperate with the Yaogang warships to fight.

Li Zhi personally went to Lingshui Wharf to inform Guan Furen that the warships of Yaogang were going to enter the Han River to Hanzhong. When passing by Ying Tianfu, they will fire artillery at the outer positions of Ying Tianfu. Nothing else was said. When the news reached Li Zicheng, he asked Song Xiance: "Why are the kiln gang people doing this?" ”

"Huh! Zhang Zhimu couldn't resist Emperor Chongzhen's urging them to send troops, and the response they took was just a countermeasure. Song Xiance smiled and said, "The kiln gang people are clever in their planning! They took Hanzhong at this time, didn't they also send troops for Emperor Chongzhen? ”

"Humph!" Li Zicheng snorted a few times with his nose and said, "It's only now that I can see a little bit of the routine of the people in the kiln." What a plan! ”

"The kiln gangsters' plan is one link after another, and I guess this is probably part of their other plan. It's just that we can't see through it. Song Xiance said.

"Let's lay down a place in the south of the Yangtze River as soon as possible, and stay away from the Yaogang people." Li Zicheng said, "It won't be long before the people of Yaogang will come to Xiangfan." It's better for us to give Xiangfan to the Yaogang people after we lay down the south of the Yangtze River in exchange for some other benefits. ”

"Your Majesty! This Xiangfan is too close to Hanzhong. The Yaogang people have a naval army, they want to take it, but we can't hold it at all. It's better to make an exchange at the right time and the kiln people. Song Xiance said flatteringly.

Li Zicheng said: "That's all for later, the thing in front of us is to let our naval warships not show up on the Yangtze River again." The warships of the Yaogang people came, and they couldn't help but open fire when they encountered them. It is also necessary to let Zong Min and them release fewer people outside the city. The cannons of the kiln people are not vegetarians. It is said that a cannon of 203 caliber can blow up a pond with a single shot. ”

"Good! I immediately sent fast horses and flying pigeons to send the situation to the prime minister and General Quan. It is estimated that the kiln man will leave us time to deliver the letter. After Song Xiance finished speaking, he asked: "When will our army in Hanzhong withdraw?" ”

"There is not much left of the army in Hanzhong. When the kiln gang people come, they will not embarrass them. It's not too late to hand over and then withdraw. Li Zicheng said.

"The emperor is shengming, this also leaves a good impression on the kiln people. In the future, we can discuss something. "Song Xiance.

"Alas! Sometimes we just don't react. Last time, the Yaogang people sent our people from Shaanxi, which meant to show goodwill. We can't read it, so we have to expose your intelligence station. Li Zicheng sighed and said.

Speaking of that intelligence station, Song Xiance felt a little uncomfortable. He didn't expect that the people of Yaogang had already discovered this intelligence station, and he didn't know how much false information was sent back through this intelligence station.

Li Zicheng suddenly asked again: "Do you know that the Yaogang people have exterminated a group of killers this time?" ”

"I heard!" Song Xiance said, "It is said that they are all masters, and it must have cost a lot of money to hire them." It is said to be the 'Qiankun Gate'. ”

Li Zicheng pondered for a while and said, "It shouldn't be! When I was learning art with my master, I heard a few friends who passed by the master talking about the 'Qiankun Gate' when they were drinking together. It is said that it has almost been exterminated. Can there still be such a big force? ”

"It's hard to say, who else can spend a lot of money to invite them out of the mountains? This person must be very silver, and he must also have a way to find the 'Qiankun Gate' and invite the people who move the 'Qiankun Gate'. I really can't think of anyone doing this? Song Xiance said.

"The kiln gang can't find out, so we don't have to worry about it. However, the 'Qiankun Gate' is not self-sufficient, and it can be regarded as the opponent of the kiln gang people. I don't think they're getting better. If the person behind it is known by the kiln man. Hum! It should be bloody again. Li Zicheng said.

According to the agreement, a general sent by the official army boarded the speedboat of Yaogang in Yangzhou, and the speedboat entered the Yangtze River along the canal, and then went downstream, met the Yaogang warship on the river, and boarded the Xiurong warship. Fan Chengkun personally greeted him on the boat.

When the captain of the Xiurong looked at the general, it turned out to be the one who took it last time. It's an old friend meeting. Inevitably, there was another greeting.

Fan Chengkun invited the general to the command room. The river outside was humid and hot, but there was an air conditioner inside the warehouse, and the cool breeze made people feel much better.

After everyone sat down, the general said: "Our officers and troops have accumulated a lot of strength during this time, mobilized a lot of troops and horses from all over the south of the Yangtze River, and concentrated them on the periphery of Yingtianfu. As long as your warships cooperate, we will prepare for a bloody battle and take back to Tianfu in one go. ”

"Then without further ado, our warships are running from the Yellow River, into the East China Sea, and into the Yangtze River, and there is not enough coal and water. In particular, our original supply dock facilities in Zhenjiang have been destroyed by the officers and men of Zhenjiang. Refueling is not possible here. It's better to make a quick decision. Fan Chengkun said.

"In this way, I immediately informed the officers and soldiers of Jiangnan to start the war immediately. The emperor was even more anxious. The general said.

"Good! However, the officers and soldiers were told to concentrate all their forces and take Yingtianfu at one time. Our shells could not be replenished on the spot, and they were gone. Fan Chengkun said.

"Good!" The general was still anxious, and after speaking, he asked the speedboat to send him to Zhenjiang, and agreed with the officers and soldiers, and the Yaogang people opened artillery on time the next morning to bombard the outer positions of Yingtianfu, and then they followed up the attack.

Fan Chengkun and the others were impatient to wait, and reported the situation to the command center.

The call back from Yaogang was simple, "Everything went according to plan. ”

This plan is only known to Fan Chengkun and Liu Yun.

The next morning, a thin layer of clouds floated in the sky, making the light of the rising sun on the river appear particularly soft. It also makes the image in the telescope's field of view exceptionally clear. The Yaogang warship sailed to the front of Yingtianfu on time. This time, the warships from Yaogang included three steel-hulled warships, Xiurong, Fenzhou, and Qinzhou, as well as four steam-powered ships.

The general who went out with the ship also felt very angry. Because now this fleet has a total of three 230-caliber cannons and sixteen 130-caliber cannons. At this time, all the ships on the river seemed to know that a big war was about to begin, whether it was the warships of the Dashun army or the civilian ships transporting them, they were all gone. The ships that came and went to the busiest kiln every day had received Li Mao's notice, and they all hid today.

The officers and troops in Jiangnan are really a lot of concentrated people, and they have long been on standby in front of Ying Tianfu. The Dashun army knew that the Yaogang people were going to come over today and open artillery to bombard the outer positions. However, in the face of the pressure of the army, the outer positions could not be given up and not defended. Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin hesitated again and again, but still arranged men and horses on the outer positions. They were also worried that if all the men and horses were concentrated in the city, the outside positions would be easily lost, and once the Yaogang people fired cannons into the city, the casualties would be even greater.

Fan Chengkun and the general were both holding binoculars on the command platform of the Xiurong, looking in the direction of Ying Tianfu. Before the war, the murderous aura that was about to erupt frightened the birds flying wildly. Makes the air more tense. The general's back was already wet.

Suddenly, there was a cannon shot on the shore. This is a signal that the officers and soldiers are ready. Fan Chengkun immediately issued an order to all the warships through the radio: "All ships prepare, according to the predetermined target, open fire!" ”

As soon as Fan Chengkun's words fell, he heard a "bang", and at the same time, the warship under his feet shook, and the 230 guns on the Xiurong fired first. Then four 130-caliber cannons were fired. Fan Chengkun saw the general covering his ears with his hands. So he brought him a pair of earmuffs and handed them to him. He put on the earmuffs and nodded at Fan Chengkun. At this time, all the warships on the river opened fire. A sea of shells flew to the outer positions of Ying Tianfu.

The sound of all kinds of shells exploding on the position also shook people's hearts. The general's hand holding the telescope trembled. On the outer position of Ying Tianfu, the flames of the bombing soared into the sky. All the fences and artillery were mixed with the soldiers of the Dashun Army, and they were constantly bombed and flew into the sky. On the positions that were abused by shells, the defenders were not killed, but were also shocked to death. They can't feel the horror anymore. However, the Ming army outside the periphery and the Dashun officers and soldiers on the wall of Yingtianfu were almost out of their bodies because of the terrifying artillery fire. Where have they seen such artillery fire. Those who had seen the red-clad cannon before already thought that guy was already terrifying. I didn't think there would be such artillery fire.

The general sent by the imperial court found that the cannons of the Xiurong had stopped. Fan Chengkun also took off his headphones and asked, "Go and have a look!" Why did the cannon stop? ”

Someone reported: "Commander Fan! We are running out of shells. Is it to keep some? When the officers and troops attacked, we moved our artillery fire forward to support their attack. ”

"Good! Inform the warships to suspend the shelling, and wait for the officers and troops to occupy the outlying positions, and then we will cover their attack. Fan Chengkun ordered.

Of course, the general understood what Fan Chengkun meant, and hurriedly gave a thumbs up and said, "Commander Fan is clever!" ”

Fan Chengkun was obviously not used to others complimenting himself like this, and said: "Now it's up to the officers and brothers to see it!" ”

At this time, the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, who had already reacted from the shock of the Yaogang support artillery, were also inspired to have confidence in victory. They know that with such artillery support, they are not afraid of any kind of opponent. They shouted and quickly rushed to the outer positions of Ying Tianfu. There were no casualties, except for some soldiers who broke their feet. The soldiers of the Dashun Army on the position could hardly see the complete corpses. They hadn't learned to dig bunkers to defend against artillery, and they didn't expect such artillery fire. Under such artillery fire, the chances of survival are almost zero. Through the telescope, I saw that the Ming army occupied the first Dashun army position. The imperial court general urged Fan Chengkun: "Commander Fan, hurry up and open fire, all at once!" ”

Fan Chengkun said: "There is no need to let the officers and soldiers prepare again. We don't have many shells, just enough for one shell. The rest is up to them. ”

"Oops! Why don't you bring more shells? The general was in a hurry.

"You think I don't want to bring more? You see, there must be a special place for such shells. Each shell was worth thousands of taels of silver. The 203 shells were almost 10,000 taels of silver. When we came, we had a fight with a pirate ship in the East China Sea. Because they were in a hurry, they had to use more shells to send them away. Fan Chengkun said.

"Let's shoot quickly! Strike while the iron is hot, and let the brothers on the shore occupy more space! The general said.

Fan Chengkun agreed, and ordered the cannon to be fired again. The Ming army on the shore heard that the Yaogang warship had fired again, and they were jubilant. Although the duration of this artillery fire was not as long as the last time, the officers and men of Dashun who had learned their lesson on the position had long since disappeared.

The Ming army took advantage of the situation and advanced the army to the city of Yingtianfu. However, the cannonballs on the Yaogang warship ran out. The anxious court general turned around. Fan Chengkun said angrily: "These officials and soldiers in Zhenjiang are too much. We've gone, you keep the dock for us, and we'll come back if something happens." We've built so many facilities that we're afraid of today. They were so good that they had to tear it down. ”

However, the results achieved by the officers and troops were already good. The general will also go back to repay the merits. Fan Chengkun sent someone to send him ashore in a speedboat.

At this time, Fan Chengkun ordered the boats through the radio: "Everyone is having fun!" Now that the play is over, it's time for us to get down to business. ”

After receiving Fan Chengkun's notice, Li Mao personally sailed out of the canal with a tugboat fleet into the Yangtze River, and went upriver under the escort of the Yaogang warship. They're going to Hanzhong.

On the wall of Yingtianfu, Niu Jinxing and Liu Zongmin both saw the power of the kiln cannonballs. Liu Zongmin, who has always been not afraid of heaven and earth, looked at the cold sweat, and said to Niu Jinxing with trembling teeth: "Prime Minister, now the people of Yaogang are getting more and more terrifying!" When they were in Shanxi, the shells fired were not so powerful. It's like a landslide. It's a pity that those brothers didn't even have a whole body when they died. ”

Niu Jinxing said: "Where did they get these guys from the kiln gang?" Behold, the iron-hulled ship will not sink into their hands. We spent so much money on a bounty, and we couldn't invite such a master. Alas! ”

"At this time, two and three thousand people have died. And thanks to the fact that we withdrew quite a few people. Otherwise, the loss will be even greater! Liu Zongmin said, "Fortunately, they didn't fire at the city wall." If the walls are to be blown down, we will have a hard time defending the city. I don't know if it's over after the kiln people bombard the periphery. ”

"The people of Yaogang will be able to talk about it, and they won't bombard our city wall if they don't say it." Now Niu Jinxing believes the words of the people in Yaogang.

The Dashun army lost several thousand people, but the official army reported tens of thousands. The returning general personally wrote a report to the imperial court, and exaggerated the results of the artillery fire. It is estimated that no less than tens of thousands of thieves died under artillery fire. and sent 100,000 fast horses to report to the imperial court. The letter also scolded the officers and men of Zhenjiang, saying that all the wharf facilities that supplied the warships should not be dismantled, so that the warships in Yaogang could not be supplied on the Yangtze River, and there was no way to continue to support the officers and soldiers in the war. Now that the Yaogang warship has fired all the shells, it has returned for resupply.

When the emperor finished reading this letter, his mood was tasteless. The ministers of the court should have nothing to say again. As long as the kiln gang people come out, the situation will improve. Now it depends on whether those officers and soldiers with high morale can take back Tianfu in one go. Fortunately, the Yaogang people agreed to attack Hanzhong, which would threaten Xiangfan, the thief's lair. Maybe it will have some impact on the situation of the war.

But the next battle situation completely disappointed Emperor Chongzhen.

-------------

Mt. Fuji erupted, Japan was earthquaked. --Progress of "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty".