The specific strategy was reconfirmed, and Xiao Daheng followed Li Hualong to hold a more urgent military meeting in the army.

After the meeting, Xiao Daheng made a decision to let Chai Guozhu's deputy, Liu Guoxiang, the deputy chief soldier of Jizhen, lead an elite army to divide his troops with Li Hualong, cross the river south from Huguang, and then rush to Nanjing to carry out a deterrent blow to the rebels in Nanjing.

At the same time, along the way, pay attention to gathering and guarding against the army, inquire about the local defense situation, and so on, and if there is urgent information, it must be immediately sent to the Beijing Division, and so on.

Li Hualong knew that he could no longer change the decision of the imperial court, and in addition to his indignation, he also had a little more worry.

The rebels are attacking Yangzhou Mansion in the north at this moment, and they have not attacked Yangzhou Mansion before, what evil intentions are hidden in this? Is there any other meaning in this?

That's for sure.

But the imperial court was not willing to take the risk.

If this opportunity is lost, what will the situation look like?

Li Hualong didn't know that what he could do now was to relieve the crisis in Yangzhou Prefecture, stabilize the front, and then try to free up his hands to cross the river south to support Liu Guoxiang and achieve his strategic goals.

I just don't know if it's going to work.

At noon on September 10, Li Hualong led the army to take an oath and read out the emperor's "holy decree" at the same time, declaring the Xiao rebel army in Jiangnan to be a thief army, and calling on the people of the world to crusade against the thief army together, as a refutation to the Northern Expedition document issued by Xiao Ruxun.

However, this belated rebuttal does not seem to be very confident.

Li Hualong led the army to advance by land and water, and requisitioned a large number of Cao transport ships to transport troops south, so as to reduce the marching time, while Liu Guoxiang led the elite 8,000 people of Jizhen to march with Li Hualong.

At the same time, Jiang Dahai commanded the naval division and the marines to launch an attack on Yangzhou Mansion very sharply, destroying all the defensive measures set up by Yangzhou Mansion on the north bank of the Yangtze River early in the morning with artillery, and the firepower of the Zhennan Army Naval Division was enough to crush the firepower of Yangzhou Mansion, and they had no power to fight back against the attack of Yangzhou Mansion's gunboats.

At the same time, the marines of the Zhennan Army approached the city of Yangzhou, and at the same time launched an attack, they shot a large volume of crusade against Shen Yiwen into Yangzhou City with trebuchets and crossbow arrows, and dealt a more violent blow to Yangzhou City psychologically.

On 14 September, Jiang Dahai received information that the imperial court had sent Li Hualong as the governor to lead 200,000 troops south to Yangzhou Mansion to help, but according to intelligence analysis, 200,000 was just a boast, and the real number may not even be 100,000.

"In this case, even 100,000 people can't be arranged, it seems that the Liaodong Army really didn't go south, the marshal's guess is right, the Liaodong Army doesn't go south, they can only use the Jizhen soldiers as the main force, the number is not enough, and the Beijing camp is mostly a waste, this army of soldiers and horses is probably the main force that Shen has always been able to take out!"

On the Zhennan ship, the flagship of the Zhennan Army's naval division, Jiang Dahai looked at the information sent to his hand, and his face was full of sneers.

Chen Long, who had sent Xiao Ruxun's instructions to Jiang Dahai before, was standing beside Jiang Dahai and looked at Jiang Dahai with some surprise.

"Do you know so many words now? It's only been a little over a year, right? A year ago, I remember that you only recognized more than 300 words. ”

In the face of Chen Longzheng's questioning, Jiang Dahai straightened his chest with some pride.

"Mr. Chen, it's not just you who are willing to work hard to learn to read, the marshal has requirements, the higher the position in the future, the more you have to recognize more words, and those who can't read can't be high-ranking officials, I'm the chief soldier of the sailor, how can I be a general soldier if I don't know a little more words?"

Chen Long was looking at Jiang Dahai with interest.

"Okay, Shibei should be impressed in three days, and your Jiang Da general soldier will no longer be Wuxia Ameng!"

"That's nature! Now I know at least 1,500 words, and this kind of reading and writing is no problem! I've also read the book of soldiers! ”

"Can you read the military book?"

Chen Longzheng was really a little surprised at this moment: "There are so many obscure sentences in the military book, can you also figure it out?" You can read the words and you can't understand the meaning, right? ”

"I can't figure it out, can someone just figure it out? It would be nice to explain it to me, and when I recognize more words, I will be able to understand it myself! ”

Jiang Dahai pointed to an old Confucian in his forties and fifties standing not far from him, with a face full of wind and frost.

"It's ......"

"Nanzhi's Tongsheng, called Jiang Dengge, is my own family, I have not been admitted to the imperial examination for twenty or thirty years, the old boy was born, after my department entered Nanjing, we recruited poor scholars who were willing to do clerical work, he was the first to come, he knew the words and read the book, but he couldn't get into the fame, and he was about to get into the magic barrier, if it wasn't for the fact that the family really didn't have money to open a meal together, it is estimated that he would not come."

Jiang Dahai sighed.

"That's right...... These children are really pitiful, I have seen more than 100 such people around Dashuai, many children, and some talents, all their lives have been ruined in the imperial examination, and they can't get a fame when they are old, they really go crazy! ”

Chen Longzheng shook his head, and then asked, "Are these people reliable?" Willing to do things for us? ”

"Don't worry, Heishui is staring at it, everyone knows the roots, it's not that the poor people don't dare to ask for it, don't you say it, those black water is almost pervasive after the expansion! After I took Zhenjiang, thirty or fifty people went to the north, and now the information has come back several times. ”

Jiang Dahai took out a note and handed it to Chen Longzheng.

"I see, no wonder Dashuai isn't worried about you, but I can remind you that Li Hualong is not simple."

Chen Longzheng spoke.

"Do you still recognize Li Hualong? Intelligence said that he was from Henan. ”

"He was the governor of Liaodong, and he used to be Li Rusong's top boss, when he was in North Korea, Li Rusong mentioned this Li Hualong more than once, and the marshal had some impressions, so when we guessed the candidate for the commander of the army in Shen's side, the marshal mentioned this Li Hualong."

Jiang Dahai nodded, and asked again, "Why is this person not simple?" ”

"Can control the civilian officials of the Liaodong Army, do you think he can be simple?"

Chen Longzheng smiled: "This person has won a lot of battles in Liaodong, but later he was overwhelmed by the officials, and his relatives died in his own family, so he took the opportunity to go home and went to Ding Wei, and he didn't enter the court for three years." ”

"So what? My sailor is on the river, even if he gets artillery, he can't hit me, so he doesn't want to pass here, anyway, my main task is to contain rather than break, as long as Li Hualong is contained, isn't it enough? ”

Chen Longzheng rolled his eyes: "Aren't you afraid that they will find another place to cross the river and kill you by surprise?" ”

Jiang Dahai looked at Chen Longzheng.

"You can think of it, I can't think of it? They have put tens of thousands of people in front to save Yangzhou, how many people can they send to attack me from the flanks and rear? Shen has always had not many men and horses on his hands, and they are now eager to open up the canal, but don't forget, even if there is no Nanjing and Zhenjiang Mansion, as long as my sailor is still there, they will not want to open the canal channel! ”