The autumn rain continued, it rained for more than ten days, the Qing soldiers since they entered the Yangzhou territory, the rain has not decreased, as if the heavenly prince did not want to see the iron hooves of the captives trampling the rivers and mountains in the south of the Yangtze River, the road was muddy, enough for Kong Youde's 50,000 troops to fall in place and could not play, so they had to slow down.

The 30,000 Eight Banners led by Ao Bai are partial divisions, although all of them are cavalry, but the water network in the south of the Yangtze River is vertical and horizontal, and it rains for many days, and the horses can not grow wings to fly, and they cannot travel thirty or fifty miles a day, and at this time Ao Bai is less than 200 miles away from Kong Youde.

Song Xian was ordered by Wang Lanping, led two thousand light horses, traveled lightly, and appeared around Kong Youde's team at any time like a ghost, and there was time to just shout and run away, Kong Youde was already made frantic by this gloomy newspaper, this was another Song Xian troublemaker, the mood was simply depressed to the extreme, he couldn't wait to let the whole army have wings, fly to the city of Yangzhou, and fight happily, but also relieve the bird spirit in his heart.

At this time, Yangzhou City was completely shrouded in the shadow of war, a large number of people outside the city poured into the city, for a while Yangzhou City was overcrowded, people were panicked, everyone talked about the highest is what the Manchu people look like, whether there are three heads and six arms, how hundreds of thousands of people dare to go to our land with hundreds of millions of Han people to spread wild, whether the Manchu people like to kill people, what the Manchu mother-in-law looks like, and so on.

Yangzhou Governor Shi Kefa is also very busy these days, and he sent an urgent report to the capital in two days to ask for reinforcements, but he clearly knew that the imperial court did not have soldiers for him at all, and this was just to motivate the soldiers around him.

Looking forward to the stars and the moon, there is finally news, there is a report from the Malay that a large number of Ming troops are coming from the direction of Nanjing, and it is none other than Wang Lanping, the Marquis of Dingnan, the commander of the Nanjing garrison.

As soon as he heard that it was him, Shi Kefa was happy and worried, happy that he no longer had to fight alone, and worried that he and Wang Lanping were not quite in the right way, this person was too scheming, and the killing was too heavy.

Anyway, it's better to have reinforcements than not to come at all, at the moment, Shi Kefa sent people to chisel open a city gate sealed by earth and stones, welcome the champion army into the city, and personally took the officials of the government office to set up a banquet in the Yangzhou Governor's Mansion, preparing to wash the dust for Wang Lanping.

This is the second time Wang Lanping has entered Yangzhou City, the city is still prosperous, but the many people who stopped on both sides of the team are not as enthusiastic as last time, everyone is talking about the group of champion sergeants called Huazi who walked in front of them, and some of them are even more bold to point out that this is the Ming Dynasty's king, sloppy, or Shi Inspector's soldiers.

This time the champion army entered Yangzhou, all the way to the rain, more than ten days of rapid marching, tired on the road to sleep and doze, hungry while marching while eating a few hard nests, almost not even a mouthful of hot water to drink, not to mention bathing and changing into clean clothes, the mud on the body is dry and wet, such an embarrassing look in the eyes of the people, it is indeed a little unbearable.

Wang Lanping didn't know that the soldiers were too hard, but the time was too tight, and he must not let Kong Youde rush to the city first, and at that time, even the heavenly soldiers and generals could not save Yangzhou, Kong Youde surrounded the city, and then the 150,000 troops of Prince Qingyu arrived later, so Wang Lanping could only go back and forth from where.

Wang Lanping looked at the people watching on both sides of the team, and couldn't help but think of one thing in his heart, the history books say that it is recorded that Duoduo and Kong Youde broke through Yangzhou and slaughtered 800,000 people. Dressed brightly, is it a god soldier?

Wang Lanping urged the mount, there was a noise of gongs and drums in front of him, he raised his eyes and looked, only to see that the banner of Shi Inspector was slowly coming along the street, and the accompanying soldiers were really wearing a thing that made people envious, and he was ashamed of himself compared to his side.

A soldier came to Wang Lanping with Shi Kefa's big silk, Shi Kefa's body was a little thinner than before, but his spirit was still there, and his eyes were extremely energetic although they were red.

Due to the war, Shi Kefa changed his Confucian costume, this time he changed into a suit of armor, and one turned over and dismounted, clanging, he arched his hand and smiled.

"Dingnanhou, farewell the day before yesterday, think deeply, when Yangzhou City is in danger, you can get the help of General Wang's army, the luck of the people of Yangzhou, but also the luck of my Shi Kefa, please, Shi has set up a banquet in the Governor's Mansion to catch the wind for Dingnanhou and all the soldiers, please!"

Wang Lanping didn't get off the horse, picked up the horsewhip and pointed behind him, "Inspector Shi, why is this city gate sealed?" Do you want to stay in it for the rest of your life? ”

Shi Kefa smiled humbly, "The enemy is currently in the city, and the troops in the city are insufficient, so I have to make this decision."

Wang Lanping snorted, dismounted, handed over the horses to his subordinates, and pointed to the city wall, "The banquet will not go, my soldiers have been working hard for days, and the Inspector of Labor has sent someone to settle down, the war is urgent, let's take a look at the city defense first" After saying that, he separated the crowd and headed towards the entrance of the city.

Shi Kefa was left out in the cold, his face was a little embarrassed, in fact, he didn't like these clichés of ushering and sending, and after laughing at himself, he immediately ordered his subordinates to quickly call the rear team into the city to settle down.

The champion army that followed Wang Lanping into the city was only more than 7,000 people, and the rest of the brigade were all camped outside the city, which was also a common practice for Wang Lanping to use troops.

Sending out the troops, the two walked on the city wall, and the smoke and rain outside the city were hazy, and they couldn't see far away.

Wang Lanping took the opportunity to ask about Yangzhou's city defense, and he wanted to hear if Shi Kefa had any plans for defending Yangzhou.

"Old Shi Ge, the enemy is outnumbered, what countermeasures do you have?"

"What good way can there be, the Tatar is surging, the purpose is to unify the south of the Yangtze River, Yangzhou is the most in the north of the Yangtze River

The military town they want is also the key point they are determined to win, this will be a bad battle, and as you know, the strength is far apart, so I will withdraw all the defense lines outside the city to the city and gather troops in order to fight against the city."

Wang Lanping nodded, shrinking the strength is also a strategy at this time, if the troops are too scattered, and when the city is besieged, the Ming army outside the city will completely lose its command, and it will soon be wiped out by the Manchurians.

However, Wang Lanping also does not agree with the deployment of all the troops in the city, trapped in the city is equivalent to watching others fight, too passive, not to mention that this is Yangzhou City, there are no less than a million soldiers and civilians, trapped in the city is undoubtedly sitting on the mountain, food is a big problem.

Shi Kefa saw that Wang Lanping no longer spoke, but just looked around, he knew that Dingnan Hou Tong was a master of war, a strategy of fine warfare and defense, and he could help Yangzhou at this time of great difficulty, it must be with a winning grip, otherwise he would never come here to find death with his scheming.

"I have heard that Dingnan Hou Zhibing, what do you think are the shortcomings of this city defense?" Shi Kefa asked.

Wang Lanping was not modest, and pointed to the city gate when he entered the city just now, where there were still stones scattered around the four fields, which were used to block the city gate, "There is no need to block the city gate by shrinking the troops, Shi Lao, are you afraid that the full people will come in or you don't want to go out?" ”

"The city is here, honesty and the city are dead" Shi Kefa said heroically and awe-inspiringly, whether it was his expression or tone, it showed that he was right.

Wang Lanping arched his hand and said, "I admire this statement, put it to death and come back to life, dare to ask Shi Lao, how do you plan to defend it?" ”

Shi Kefa bowed his hand in the direction of Nanjing, "Fight to the last soldier, live up to the emperor's grace, and live up to the people's hopes"

Wang Lanping made a gesture of please, signaling to continue while talking.

"Shi Lao's loyal and brave heart was moved, but you are just talking about the result, I want to hear your strategy for the battle, and the troops are matched"

Shi Kefa put his hands behind his back and sighed, "Sitting in a dangerous city, how can there be any battle strategy, but just relying on the city to defend and wait for reinforcements."

"This is too passive, full of people, a steady stream of troops, how long can Yangzhou hold on, if there are no reinforcements, sooner or later it will be lost"

"You Dingnanhou will not be waited for by me, with your champion army, I Shi is worry-free, haha!"

"This is not helpful, my troops are only 30,000 men, and in a hurry, a lot of heavy artillery has not been delivered in a hurry."

"What are you afraid of, you broke Liu Zeqing's 30,000 people with 3,000 cavalry, and then you were able to level Gaojie without abandoning a single soldier, and the fighter lies in the general's plan."

Wang Lanping smiled, it is rare for Shi Kefa to have this kind of insight, but at this time and that time, no matter how good the strategy is trapped in the city, it can't be used.

Wang Lanping said, "In my opinion, this city gate cannot be blocked, and the soldiers' hope of survival cannot be extinguished."

Shi Kefa was stunned for a moment, "Why can't I understand what you say, aren't you conniving at the soldiers to escape?" ”

"If you lock them up, will they be able to fight to the death with one block of ten? It's useless, no one wants to die, forcibly locked up, it will only make them unable to see a way out, whether they should run or can run"

"General Wang's words are serious, the art of war is cloudy, the mourning army will win, how can you break the enemy without the determination to break the cauldron and sink the boat?"

"The art of war may not be used everywhere, let's open the city gate, and send more people to defend it."

Shi Kefa was a little displeased, thought for a while, and suddenly smiled, "It's okay, according to General Wang, come and remove all the boulders in the city gate holes, and send an additional five hundred soldiers to each city gate to defend day and night."

Walking along the city, the two of them watched while walking, Shi Kefa told Wang Lanping about the city defense every time, standing on the city wall, only to see the streets in the city crowded with people, grinding shoulders and backs, compared with the last time, there are many more people in this city.

Suddenly, Wang Lanping asked, "Old Shi, how many people are there in this city?" ”

"The original people are 580,000, and recently there are many people who have come to avoid the scourge of war, hundreds of thousands of people, it is difficult to count, and more and more, I blocked the city gate, part of the reason is precisely for this consideration, there are too many refugees, Yangzhou City simply can't accommodate so many people, and the people in the city are afraid of more than 720,000 at this time."

A trace of uneasiness flashed on Wang Lanping's face, so many people, if they want to fight, something big must happen, Yangzhou City is only five or six miles away, in case of a plague, the dead person cannot be estimated.

Wang Lanping said, "This is not good, you can't let so many people here, you have to find a way to send them out of the city, if the war can't be stalemate, trapped in the city, how much food will you get, once the food is cut off, the dead must be piled up, and then the plague will break out, it will be a disaster for Yangzhou, you are tantamount to harming them"

Shi Kefa was puzzled, "I also know this, but the people voted for me, I can't send troops to drive them out of the city."

Wang Lanping said with a deep color, "When the interruption continues, it will be chaotic, Yangzhou City is related to the Yangtze River defense line, and you can't hesitate."

Shi Kefa nodded and said, "Then what do you say?" ”

"Starting tomorrow, the people in the city will be sent out of the city in batches, and those who are willing to stay and defend the city will be paid according to the soldiers."

"That's hundreds of thousands of people, where to send it? How to place? ”

This problem is really a difficult problem, in history, Shi Kefa trapped Yangzhou, fought to the death and did not surrender, and finally Yangzhou City was broken, and 800,000 people became wild ghosts under the knife, this kind of thing must not happen.

Wang Lanping didn't think of a way for a while, "That's it, no matter what, they can't be placed in the city, my sailor is still parked on the riverbank, send troops to send them over to board the boat, they can go as much as they want, I hope the Manchurians will give us enough time."

Shi Kefa nodded, "That's it, I'll order someone to arrange it when I go back."

Unconsciously, the sky has darkened, the two of them walked up to the city tower and looked into the distance, there is nothing to see in this city defense, Shi Kefa is completely arranged with Wang Lanping's subordinates when he defended Gao Jie before, and the equipment used to defend the city is also prepared, but Wang Lanping doesn't like to hide in the city and just blindly defend, he has to attack, and offense is the best defense.

Shi Kefa saw that Wang Lanping had changed a lot of his military and political affairs, and his face gradually became impatient, after saying so much, what are you going to do?

So, Shi Khan said, "The Marquis of Dingnan seems to be not very satisfied with my strategy of fighting and defending, dare to ask what you think?" ”

Wang Lanping looked at the hazy distance and said flatly, "Take the initiative"

Shi Kefa was surprised, "The Yi people are powerful, there are 50,000 people in Kong Youde alone, and there are 30,000 cavalry in Aobai, and there are more than 150,000 troops in Sizhou who can rush over at any time, and the combined army of you and me is only 60,000 people, and it is too insufficient to defend the city, how dare you take the initiative to attack?" ”

Wang Lanping said with a smile, "Old Shi is too careful, Sizhou is stationed here for nearly a thousand miles, if you want to keep Yangzhou, you must first eliminate these 80,000 people and scare the old dog of Duoduo to death."

Shi Kefa was surprised again and again, couldn't help but smile in his heart, and said secretly: This kid really dares to speak, he wants to eat 80,000 people on the other side, you really bring these people are heavenly soldiers and generals, this is too risky, my Yangzhou soldiers can't accompany you to die in vain.

Shi Kefa asked, "Then how do you want to use the soldiers, and how do you want me to cooperate with you?" ”

Wang Lanping glanced at him sideways, and said in his heart: You don't want to make trouble for me, and I don't expect you to help me anything.

Wang Lanping said, "The champion army is here to defend Yangzhou, this battle should be the vanguard, Shi Lao only needs to defend the city, and take the initiative to attack the enemy and leave it to the juniors."

Shi Kefa couldn't ask for it, "Very good, then there is Laoding Nanhou, and all the grain and grass supplies of your army are supplied by Yangzhou, but there is an order, please General Wang just speak"

Wang Lanping laughed, "Thank you first."

Suddenly, Wang Lanping's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he saw something unusual, he fixed his eyes and looked closely, there was a forest two miles away from the city, and a few figures could be seen shaking in the forest just now.

Wang Lanping frowned and pointed out, "Old Shi, didn't I say that the forest obstructed the sight of the defense city when I was leaving last time, and it was also very easy to be used by the enemy, so all the trees should be cut down."

Shi Kefa said, "I can't bear to be alarmed by the place where the bones of the first pavilion are buried for a hundred years"

Wang Lanping is happy in his heart, the living can't be saved, and he still cares about people who have been dead for decades, are they sick? It's pedantic to the extreme.

After a turn in the city, the two separated, Wang Lanping refused to be placed in the city of Shikefa, and returned to the camp of the champion army that had just been established ten miles outside the city, and this egg could not be placed in one basket.

At night, Song Xian completed the task of harassing the enemy, led the team back to the barracks, and informed Wang Lanping of the movements of Kong Youde's army.

The next morning, the sky was already clear, and the ground was gradually drying.

At noon, Wang Lanping ordered all the 20 artillery pieces brought by the army to be dispatched to target the woods that obstructed the sight of Yangzhou's city defense, and bombarded them.

Suddenly, the smoke and dust in the forest rolled, the fire rose, it was the middle of autumn, the dryness was abnormal, the wind helped the fire, after a cannon, the forest covering an area of hundreds of acres turned into a sea of fire.

Shi Kefa heard the sound of artillery in the city, and thought that it was a siege by Manchurians, so he hurriedly put on his armor, ordered his generals, and prepared for battle.