When he was young, a secretary of the Secretariat of the Palace Affairs Department stepped forward and said with a full air: "The emperor has arrived!" ”

As soon as these words came out, except for the soldiers and agents on the security mission in the square, everyone else bowed thirty degrees in unison!

The next moment, everyone saw a group of figures appear on the gate tower of the Zhonghua Palace with the lanterns hanging high, and the man and woman in the middle were obviously the emperor and empress of the empire.

Although most of the low-level people were limited by the distance, they couldn't actually see what Lin Zhe looked like, but even if they only saw a figure vaguely, it was enough to make them satisfied.

Lin Zhe was wearing a specially made Chinese dragon pattern dress at this time, and after taking two steps forward, he gently raised his right hand, and then waved his hand to the thousands of people in the square.

When he waved his hand, Lin Zhe had a year in his heart, if there was a megaphone or something like that at this time, and he put a microphone in front of him, would he want to learn a few words from the leaders of later generations?

It's a pity that there are no of these now, and in the face of the thousands of people in the field, few people can hear Lin Zhe shouting loudly even with all his might, so he just smiled and waved his hand lightly.

Chen Jing beside her was also smiling, just standing quietly beside Lin Zhe, watching the men around her wave to his subjects, a very special feeling arose, although she knew that she had such a fiancé many years ago, and she had imagined what her fiancé would be like.

But no matter how rich her imagination was in the past, I am afraid she would not have thought that Lin Zhe would become the emperor of this ancient land and the co-lord of the world a few years later.

The gaze is slightly deflected. She saw Fang Defei and Li Huifei and other concubines more than ten meters away, and she couldn't help but feel happy. Even if you are favored by Fang Defei? Even if you Li Huifei gives birth to a prince, you don't have to stand aside obediently!

I am his wife. The mother of the nation!

I am the woman who stands here with him, worshiped by his subjects, and you will have to live in my shadow for the rest of your life.

At this time, Lin Zhe naturally didn't know what Chen Jing was thinking in his heart, what was going on in his heart, women's minds were strange and unguessable most of the time, no matter what Lin Zhe thought, it was estimated that he couldn't guess what was thinking about Chen Jing's mind now was that he was in the limelight and suppressed a group of harem concubines.

After waving to his subjects, he sat down on the tower of the city gate. Then the official in charge of tonight's activities on the side came forward to report: "The fireworks are ready, please show your majesty!" ”

Lin Zhe naturally nodded and said, "Then let's start!" ”

Not long after, a rapidly rising firework appeared in the sky above the square, and a few seconds later it exploded in the night sky with a bang, and countless fireworks flowed in the night sky, more dazzling than the stars in the sky and more dazzling than the bright moon!

Just when the fireworks on the Imperial Square in Nanjing lit up the entire sky, making countless people fascinated, the city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi was also on fire. The rumbling sound of explosions echoed throughout the night sky.

In the Yangtze River, more than 20 warships of the Imperial Navy lined up, and the artillery on them fired from time to time, firing shells at the Zhenhu army on the shore.

On land. Many soldiers of the Chinese Army launched attacks again and again against the Zhenhu Army!

On the many makeshift docks along the river, soldiers were laboriously moving heavy artillery and vehicles laden with food or shells from their ships to the shore, even as night fell.

In the temporary headquarters of the 4th Division by the river. Xu Pengan was discussing military affairs with his generals under the candlelight.

"The 10th Regiment's attack has been blocked, and Lieutenant Colonel Shang has asked for support!"

"In the left-wing direction. The 1st Battalion of the 12th Regiment successfully broke through the enemy's position and now advanced to a distance of less than a kilometer from Jiujiang Prefecture! The second battalion of the regiment has also successfully captured two batteries at the intended combat targets! ”

"Now that these two batteries have been captured. In the future, the heavy artillery will be deployed and ready to cooperate with the navy to carry out artillery bombardment in the Jiujiang urban area! ”

The Fourth Army began to launch a large-scale landing operation on Jiujiang under the cover of the navy yesterday, and among the units of the Fourth Army, it was the first to land on Jiujiang, and as the main force in the Jiujiang Campaign, the Fourth Division naturally took the lead, landing first, and quickly launched an attack on Jiujiang.

However, the advance speed of the Fourth Division in the past two days has not been very fast, mainly because in the early stage of the landing, the Chinese army mainly covered the landing, and this landing not only sent the infantry up to finish the matter, but also had to send a large number of artillery, baggage and a large amount of military supplies ashore.

At the same time, the Zhenhu army was obviously unwilling to give up Jiujiang, invested heavy troops in the direction of Jiujiang, and established a dense defense line, most of which were composed of fortifications such as fortifications, infantry trenches, and breastwork, and its complexity was certainly not as good as the defense line built by the Chinese army in Wusong Fort, but it was far from being comparable to ordinary fortifications.

Lin Chengting's department was originally the first army in China to use trenches against the Chinese army, and the Zhenhu army stared at the Chinese army to steal divisions all day long, so the Chinese army immediately learned any tactics when they appeared.

Lin Chengting couldn't learn this Minny rifle and breech-loading rifle and skirmish tactics, but it was relatively easy to learn just digging trenches.

As a result, Jiujiang under the defense of the Zhenhu army was not mainly based on the Jiujiang city wall, but mainly on the outer strongholds outside the city, especially a large number of trenches and breastwork.

If the Chinese army wants to attack Jiujiang directly, it must first clear these peripheral strongholds one by one, but on the other hand, the core of the battle between the Chinese army and the Zhenhu army is not the offensive and defensive battle at the head of the city, but the tactical strongholds on the periphery.

After the domestic war entered the era of line lines, the importance of the city wall began to decline rapidly, especially after the new army in the country was generally equipped with many artillery. The walls that were impassable to the enemy in the age of cold weapons only required a few cannon shots, and most of them were no different from papier-mâché. Even if the city wall of Xiongguan Dacheng will not be able to be opened by artillery for a while, it can also be blown up by direct blasting.

There are more and more new troops in the country. Not only did the importance of traditional fortifications such as city walls decline rapidly, but it also directly eliminated the cold weapon troops.

A few years ago, if the domestic cold weapons troops could still play a certain role as cannon fodder, then today in 1859, the role of the cold weapons troops has been reduced to the level that they are no longer qualified to be cannon fodder.

This can be seen from the operations of the Chinese army in the recent period, whether it is the Northern Expedition of the Sixth Army or the Western Expedition of the Fourth Army, the Royal Army is basically undertaken by the Royal Army alone, and it is rare for a large number of auxiliary divisions to cooperate in the operation.

When the Fourth Division and the Zhenhu Army were fighting over a large number of tactical strongholds outside Jiujiang City, many heavy artillery pieces on the side of the Fourth Army did not arrive. At the same time, in the early stage of the landing, stability was the priority, so Xu Pengan did not let the troops advance too fast, but adopted a steady and steady approach, with the core tactical goal of consolidating the landing and conquering the Zhenhu Army Fort.

As for the follow-up in-depth advancement, as well as the direct attack on Jiujiang, I am afraid that it will have to wait until other troops of the Western Expedition, such as part of the main force of the Fifth Division, the First Independent Field Artillery Regiment, and even wait until the First Guards Mixed Brigade arrives.

After all, there are not many Zhenhu troops within the Jiujiang range. In order to build the Jiujiang defense line, Lin Chengting strengthened and built a number of batteries along the river in Jiujiang, and deployed more than 60 large-caliber shore fire defense guns. In addition, more than 20,000 troops of the Zhenhu Army and the New Army of the Zhenhu Army, as well as no less than 20,000 auxiliary defense troops, and more than 50 field artillery pieces of various types, were also deployed in Jiujiang.

You're welcome. Lin Chengting has already taken out all his family resources and deployed them in Jiujiang!

In order to take Jiujiang, which was defended by strong troops, it was quite difficult to rely on a single fourth division. There must be more troops.

In the operational planning of the Fourth Army, except for the Second Mixed Brigade, which had already moved directly south from the eastern area of Panyang Lake to the hinterland of Jiangxi. Among the other main forces of the Fourth Army, the Fifth Division sent a regiment along the north bank of the Yangtze River to Hubei, while other units, including the Fourth Division, most of the Fifth Division, and the First Independent Field Artillery Regiment, were prepared for use in the Jiujiang Campaign.

In addition, the 1st Guards Mixed Brigade, which also carried out the Western Expedition but was not under the command of the Fourth Army, would also support the Fourth Army in the Jiujiang Campaign.

On the Royal Army alone, about 18,000 officers and men will participate in the Battle of Jiujiang, and the Royal Navy will also send more than 30 warships, dozens of transport ships, and up to 5,000 officers and men to cooperate with the army.

In addition, there was about 4,500 men of the 1st Guards Mixed Brigade.

And the above-mentioned troops were only the troops that participated in the Jiujiang Campaign, and they were far from all the troops of the Chinese Empire that carried out the entire strategy of the Western Expedition.

In order to conquer Jiangxi, Guangxi, Huguang, Yunnan-Guizhou and other provinces, the Chinese Imperial High Command has dispatched three major military forces, including the Second Army, the Third Army, and the Fourth Army, and the above-mentioned troops have a total of the Second Division, the Fourth Division, the Fifth Division, the Tenth Division, the Eleventh Division, the First Mixed Brigade, the Second Mixed Brigade, the Third Mixed Brigade, the Fifth Cavalry Regiment, the First Independent Field Artillery Regiment, and the First Guards Mixed Brigade of the Guards system.

For this reason, the General Headquarters has already adjusted the Fifth Army and the Seventh Army stationed in Shanghai and Jiangyin, and the defense of southern Jiangsu will gradually be transferred to the Fifth Army alone, and the Seventh Army will lead the Sixth and Seventh Divisions to leave southern Jiangsu and then rush to the front line of the Western Expedition.

Since a large number of main forces have been transferred from the eastern coastal areas, in order to fill the vacancies in these areas, the high command has accelerated the speed of the formation and training of the Fourth Mixed Brigade and the Fifth Mixed Brigade, of which the Fourth Mixed Brigade trained in the Huai'an area will be responsible for the defense of northern Jiangsu and even part of northern Anhui.

The Fifth Mixed Brigade formed in Hangzhou will be responsible for the defense of the Zhejiang region.

For example, if the Seventh Army wants to move westward, the equipment and soldiers must be replenished first, and then a certain amount of adaptability training will be carried out, and it will have to wait until the Fourth Mixed Brigade and the Fifth Mixed Brigade are formally formed before they can free up their hands to advance westward.

If you put the time in a few months, then it will be found that the Chinese Empire will devote most of its troops to the westward expedition!

The scale of the entire Western Expedition is even larger than the previous Northern Expedition! (To be continued.) )