On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Chen Yejun led Shi Liu's regiment to the southwest, tracing up the Yangtze River, and four days later, he met with a battalion of Molik's Mamluk regiment that had been in Anqing.

After occupying Anqing, he suddenly returned to the division, killed a horse pistol, and occupied Tongling.

Tongling is a strategic goal that has been set long before the departure from Beihai.

The reason why Tongling was deliberately occupied was because it produced a very important strategic material - copper.

Copper is the most important material for coinage. Yuanheng Tongbao, which is still circulating in the market, has been stable because of its relatively high copper content.

However, for the Beihai Volunteers, copper has another significance.

Copper is the most important raw material for the manufacture of bullets and shells.

Previously, the copper used to make bullets mainly came from two sources.

One is that the plum blossom was bought from overseas, and the other is that Jiao Li bought it from Goryeo.

Regardless of the channel, the price is very expensive.

The occupation of Tongling is for copper.

Here the existing copper ingots were collected, all the ships were loaded, and then they continued up the river, and then occupied Jiujiang, arrived in Jiangxi, and occupied another important military position.

At the beginning, when the three feudatories were about to rebel, the Beijing camp led by Wang Ziteng established a large camp in Jiujiang. It curbed the conspiracy of the three feudatories to gradually encroach and gradually move north.

Jiujiang had previously been captured by Molik, and after the withdrawal of troops, a small number of remnants of the three feudatories occupied it again. This time, Chen Yejun was not polite and wiped them out.

After that, he entered Hubei and occupied Huangshi.

The purpose of occupying Huangshi is the same as the occupation of Tongling, which is also for copper.

Copper production in Huangshi and Tongling has a long history, starting from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the following dynasties, these two places were the most important copper production bases.

Yellowstone was also once an important minting center of the Dade Dynasty. In addition to coinage, another product here is also very famous, and that is the bronze mirror.

The bronze mirror of Huangshi is very famous for its marketing at home and abroad.

After collecting all the copper in Huangshi, he sent a warship to escort him down the river, out of the mouth of the Songjiang River, and then along the coast to the north, landing at Niuzhuang, and transporting the copper to Shengjing.

There, these copper ingots will be smelted and then turned into bullets and shells.

Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

On a hill outside Yellowstone, Chen Yejun and Shi Song were strolling on the top of the mountain.

Unlike the north, even though it's the New Year's Day, it's still green.

Chen Yejun picked up a grass and played with it in his hand.

"This is the Copper Flower Grass, right?"

"Yes, wherever copper flowers and plants grow, there are copper mines underground."

Shi Liu's knowledge was learned from local miners.

"With copper, more bullets can be made, and it will be much easier to calm the world in the future. Our fighters can also greatly reduce the number of deaths too. ”

"Alas, we have the advantage of firearms here, the ammunition is sufficient, and the battle damage is relatively small, if the commander of Min fights with the Mogu people, I am afraid that many soldiers will be sacrificed."

"I don't know how Chief of Staff Feng is going, I just hope to pacify the south as soon as possible, go north as soon as possible, and make peace with Chief Min."

A soldier hurried over.

"Report, Miss Lamei is here."

"Oh? Plum blossoms are coming? It seems that there is news from Chief of Staff Feng, go, go back. ”

Chen Yejun and Shi Song returned to the barracks and saw that Lamei was already waiting here.

She was joined by her sisters, Daffodil Xie Baoli and Mr. and Mrs. Cervante.

"I really didn't expect to meet here."

"Yes, Captain Chen, we're meeting again. However, your progress does not seem to be fast. ”

La Meihua is already an old acquaintance, and she has always spoken openly, and Chen Yejun is used to it.

"How did you get here?"

"We have taken Wuchang, I heard that you occupied Jiujiang, so I wanted to go to Jiujiang to meet you, but I didn't expect that this time you were relatively fast, and you actually occupied Huangshi. That's good, and it saves me a trip to Jiujiang. ”

"Heh, you have already occupied Wuchang? Whose troops? ”

"Feng Zimiao's, he was originally going to go north, but when he heard that you occupied Tongling, he stopped for the time being."

"Where's Chief of Staff Feng?"

"In Yueyang, Hunan, the soldiers and horses of the previous dynasty are being rectified there. Alas, those soldiers and horses are simply vulnerable, how can such an army fight, no wonder it will collapse in front of the three feudatories. ”

Tongling is not far from Wuchang, and Feng Zimiao's capture of Wuchang marks that Chen Yejun's second brigade and Feng Ziying's first brigade have opened up the battle line and are not far from meeting the division.

"How is the army of the three feudatories there?"

"There were only more than 800 people, and they had already been frightened, put a few cannons, and surrendered before they could attack. He has been demobilized at the moment. It's really strange that such an army can kill all the way to the imperial capital and sit in the world. ”

"Most of the soldiers and horses in the rear of the three feudatories are weak divisions, and their main forces and descendants still have some ability. Their current elite are in the north. ”

"Chief of Staff Feng is going to Wuchang in the next two days, aren't you going there?"

"Go, naturally."

"Do you know the news from Chief Min?"

The plum blossom showed a look of concern.

"I know something, the situation doesn't seem good, but I'm sure Chief Min will have a way to deal with it."

So Chen Yejun told the situation from Qiu Liang to Lameihua.

"Isn't it dangerous to be so far away?"

Cervante was also worried.

"When we fight, we have always won more with less, and we must believe in Chief Min. He'll have his own way. ”

"Alas, Middle-earth is too big and vast after all, and our little strength is always overstretched. Forget it, it's useless for us to worry about it here. You should meet with Chief of Staff Feng and discuss what to do. ”

Three days later, Chen Yejun went upstream, Feng Ziying went down the river, and met in Wuchang, the first and second brigades of the Beihai Volunteer Army officially joined forces, and the entire southern battlefield was already connected.

Wuchang Mansion, Wuchang City, Yellow Crane Tower.

Feng Ziying and Chen Yejun stood upstairs by the railing, stood for a while, turned around and sat down, and drank tea slowly.

"This life is really amazing. I never thought that one day, you and I would sit here and drink tea. In the past, people have taken the yellow crane to go, and there is no parrot island here. ”

Feng Ziying couldn't help but sigh.

"Who's to say it isn't? Back then, we always ate, drank and had fun in the imperial capital, where would we have thought that now we would take soldiers and horses to gallop across the southern land. ”

"What is even more unexpected is that with such an army, it is invincible and invincible along the way."

"What is even more unexpected is that we actually participated in the competition for the world, and our every move is also related to the safety of the world."

"Song Kuan is a very capable person, and among the three feudal clans, he is the first person with high knowledge. Although the alliance with the Mogu people this time is not in line with the general righteousness, if it is to deal with us, it is really a very fatal move, which can be described as vicious. ”

"Now He Jialin, Zhou Tong and Ma Qingshan have retreated to the northwest, and only the soldiers and horses of Chief Min and His Royal Highness Chang'an are left in the northeast. Chang'an's soldiers and horses are not strong in combat, and it is okay to fight the three feudatories, but if they meet the Mogu Iron Cavalry, they will not be opponents. ”

"It's just that the south is vast, but unfortunately we can't spare our hands for a while."

"Captain Chen, I've been thinking about some things these days, we seem to be too rigid."

"You mean ......."

"Although the south is vast, the main force of the three feudatories has been basically wiped out by us. There are only a few remote remnants left, and they are still resisting. If we don't go, they will watch, and as soon as we go, as soon as we open fire, they will surrender. ”

"The same is true of the situation I encountered, when I was going to fight a long distance, I was ready for a battle, and often as soon as the front arrived, he surrendered."

"At present, apart from Li Gan's presence in Sichuan, there are still some forces in Sichuan, and there is no need to be afraid of threats from other places. The soldiers and horses of our two brigades are here, and it is not worth it to be busy dealing with these small groups of enemies every day. ”

"Chief of Staff Feng, do you mean to send some people north?"

"Yes, the south is here for me, and I am here, one is to destroy the remnants of the larger group, the second is to control the two major tax places of Gwangju and Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the third is to monitor Li Gan. At present, Li Gan is at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and it is estimated that he is still hesitating. ”

"Before leaving Shaanxi, the northwest is not the fundamental place of the three feudatories, and it is difficult to gain a foothold there. Izukawa, there are still us outside, I guess, he didn't dare to go out of Sichuan for a while. ”

"You mean, as long as we will take the imperial capital with Chief Min and overthrow the Tianshun court, Li Gan will either surrender or wait for us to concentrate our forces to exterminate it. There is no other way out. ”

"Yes, that's what I meant. At present, the overall situation in the south has basically been decided. Although the local government is watching, and the soldiers and horses of the previous dynasty are rebellious, as long as I am still here, they will not dare to act rashly. As long as the overall situation of the imperial capital is certain, they will naturally be attached to it at that time. ”

"It makes sense, so I will lead all the soldiers and horses to the north, first, to send the materials and silver taels obtained here to Commander Min, and second, to cut off the road to the south of the three feudatories. The third is to enter Zhili and attract the soldiers and horses of the three feudatories, so that they cannot merge with the ancient Mogu people and deal with the chief Min. ”

"yes, that's what I thought. Although the ancient people are powerful, they are not necessarily the opponent of Chief Min. As long as Chief Min has enough ammunition, it will only be a matter of time before they are eliminated. ”

"That's good, at present, there is only one regiment of Qin Zhong in Shandong, and I am also worried that he will not be able to support himself there. Hand over your material and silver taels to me, and tomorrow I will return to the north. ”

"Okay, that's it. The three feudatories are now dying and struggling, so they have come up with strange tricks, but it is difficult to stop the rolling tide after all. It is in vain to let him do everything. ”

After Feng Ziying finished speaking, the two stood up again and looked at the Yangtze River flowing eastward.

"What do you think about what will happen after the world has calmed down?"

Chen Yejun asked suddenly.

"Are you referring to Chief Min's affairs as emperor?"

"Exactly."

"Previously, I had hoped that Chief Min would be the emperor, but when I talked to Lameihua, I changed my mind. Nowadays, I don't like Chief Min as a virtuous emperor. ”

"Why?"

"Dade, the emperor, Chief Min can't do well. He is only fit to be the king of our North Sea. The courtiers of Dade, we can't do it well, and those practices we did in Bukui and Beihai will not work in Dade, and they will be thankless. Why bother to suffer for yourself? ”

"What if Chief Min is going to do it? Can we not help him? ”

"Chief Min wouldn't want to do it."

Feng Ziying said it very simply.