Jinghu North Road, Ezhou, Wuchang County.

The sound of shouts of killing and shelling came one after another, and the small county town had been shattered to a thousand points -- this county seat of Wuchang was not located in the Wuchang District of Wuhan City in the later generations, but was a little further east, near Daye County of the Xingguo Army on Jiangnan West Road. It is the territory of Ezhou Town, the former Song Kingdom, which is now loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

Just when Chen Dexing invaded Jiangnan from the southeast sea, Jiang Wanli, the military affairs minister of the Great Song Dynasty and the ambassador of the pacification and control of the two rivers, and the ambassador of the regimental training, personally commanded the 60,000 waterway army and went up the river to attack the rebellious town of Ezhou.

Wuchang City was the forward fortress of the Ezhou army to resist the Song army, and it was surrounded by Jiang Wanli's large army ten days ago, and then there were fierce battles for several days.

Jiang Wanli's army is also a regimental training army, which is a regimental training army on Jiangnan West Road, commonly known as Ganyong. It sounds similar to Zhejiang's Zheyong, but in fact it is very different.

First of all, Gan Yong, whose number has increased to 100,000, all obeys Jiang Wanli's orders! Jiang Wanli is the leader of Jiangnan Shilin, and there are protégés everywhere on Jiangnan West Road, and Gan Yong is organized by relying on these protégés and the clans of his protégés. Jiang Wanli is their general leader, just like the status of Zeng Guofan in the Hunan army in history! Moreover, at this time, there was no thorn like Zuo Zongtang in Gan Yongzhong, and Jiang Wanli himself was now the ambassador of Pingzhang Military Affairs and the pacification of the two rivers, and the ambassador of regimental training, which can be described as a great power! I don't know how much the authority of Bija seems to have flourished in Liangzhe.

Of course, this is also related to the two Zhejiang giants. At this time, the two Zhejiang provinces included Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Jiaxing, Huzhou and most of Zhejiang. How can Jiangxi compare with it? However, what the Jiangxi giants cannot compare with the two Zhejiang giants is only the financial resources and the number of Jinshi, and their control over the population and land. But it is not under the two Zhejiang giants at all! Through them, Jiang Wanli can control Jiangxi's population and land more effectively.

Secondly. Jiangnan West Road is mountainous and industrially and commercially underdeveloped. The life of the peasants is also more difficult than that of the two Zhejiang. It is in line with the ancient adage that poor mountains and bad waters produce elite soldiers! Therefore, the soldiers of the Jiangxi regiment training army are also more hard-working than the soldiers of the two Zhejiang regiments. Moreover, because of its proximity to Jinghu and Huaixi, the main battlefields of the Mongol and Song wars, the military traditions of the people are also better than those of Zhejiang. Not only are there more bow and arrow clubs and martial arts clubs than the two Zhejiang scholars, but the Jiangxi scholars are also more concerned about military affairs than the two Zhejiang scholars.

In addition, while the feudal towns in Jinghu North Road, Huainan West Road, and Sichuan all fell to the Ming Dynasty, the officials and scholars who supported the Great Song Dynasty in these territories defected to Jiangxi one after another. Most of them were recruited by Jiang Wanli. Among them, some officials and non-commissioned officers with considerable military experience have become the backbone of the Jiangxi regiment's military training. With their help, the training level of the Jiangxi regiment training army is also much higher than that of the two Zhejiang regiments.

Finally, it is probably the biggest difference between Jiangxi group training and Zhejiang group training. It is the Jiangxi regiment training army that has been fighting for the past two years. First, Li Tingzhi's Chu Yong would attack Chizhou, then he would fight the invading Tang army in Huaidong, and then attack Quanzhou under Li Tingzhi's command.

Although it was not a fierce battle or a hard battle, it was bloodshed for the generals after all!

……

I have seen blood, and the soldiers who have been in battle are different from the recruits. In this battle of the western expedition to Ezhou, Gan Yong, who has been in battle for a long time, really showed quite strong combat effectiveness!

The siege of only ten days had already broken the county town of Wuchang, which the Ezhou army had painstakingly managed. Gaps have been made on the city wall one after another, and on both sides of the city wall, there are many bullet marks -- these are all made by the 3,000 jin and 4,000 jin copper cannons of the Jiangxi regiment training army at short distances! Especially in the eastern part of the city, where the Jiangxi regiment trained the army to attack. Almost an entire section of the wall was gone, and the bricks had collapsed to form a slope. The rammed earth inside also collapsed, which was dug by the Jiangxi regimental training army to the bottom of the city wall, and then buried H medicine to blow it up!

Collapsed walls on both sides. The corpses were piled up on top of each other. There are regimental training officers and soldiers in red battle jackets, and there are also Ezhou officers and soldiers in yellow battle jackets. The officers and soldiers on both sides were wearing armor of the same standard, including foot armor, leather armor and paper armor. I didn't see the famous steel armor. Even if they die in battle, the bodies of both sides often scuffle together!

The Ezhou army apparently put up the most stubborn resistance here! And the Jiangxi regiment trained the army. The same resolute attack was launched, turning the place into a large pile of corpses. And it was on this pile of corpses that they made a breakthrough and broke through into Wuchang City!

Now the city of Wuchang is full of fire, and most of the thousands of Ezhou troops stationed here have collapsed, leaving only the personal soldiers of the guard general Zhang Zhi still relying on the county government to carry out the final stubborn resistance. Zhang Zhi's first battalion of soldiers were all equipped with steel armor - this was made of Nanfen steel given by Chen Dexing when Ezhou Town took refuge in the Ming Dynasty. These steel-armored soldiers are also elite, and now they are blocking the gate of the county government, and they are doing the last battle of trapped beasts. Two or three thousand Jiangxi regiments had already surrounded this place, and they launched several attacks, but they were all repelled by those "iron men". For a while, I couldn't help them.

Jiang Wanli's handsome flag has been planted in the east gate of Wuchang County at this time. Jiang Wanli, the new military and state minister of the Great Song Pingzhang in military uniform, has already ascended the city pass surrounded by his own soldiers and staff. Overlooking the county town shrouded in firelight and shouts. This 60-year-old Song Dynasty celebrity is really old and strong now. Although he was wearing dozens of pounds of armor, his waist was straight, and when he walked up to the city, he didn't even need to be supported.

A staff member reported to him loudly: "Pingzhang Gong, Ezhou Zhang Sheng's general flag has appeared in Jiangxia Mountain!" ”

Jiang Wanli stroked his gray beard, Zhang Sheng was originally the envoy of the Great Song Dynasty Ezhou, and now he is the temporary Grand Duke of Ezhou on the side of the Ming Dynasty - that is, he will go overseas to be the Grand Duke in the future, and now he temporarily has the meaning of Ezhou.

I don't know if it's because it's just a "temporary lead", Zhang Sheng doesn't seem to have much interest in defending Wuchang County. Wuchang was besieged for ten days before his army marched from Jiangxia County (Ezhou Prefecture) to Jiangxia Mountain.

"What's the news on the trolls?" Jiang Wanli stroked his beard and asked again.

"There is no news," the staff reported, "It seems that Xia Gui, Gao Gao, Lu Wenhuan and other thieves are not planning to rescue Ezhou." ”

Jiang Wanli's son, Jiang Hao, took over the topic with a smile, "My lord, these thieves are not Chen Wei's lineage, and they are not of the same mind as Chen Wei, we may be able to defeat them all and collect all the places upstream." ”

Jiang Wanli shook his head, "It's true that Xia Gui, Gao Dai, Lu Wenhuan, and Lu Wende from Sichuan have different intentions with Chen Wei, but they won't let us break them individually." If the father's army is attacking Jiangxia City now, you see that Xia Gui, Gao Gao, and Lu Wenhuan will not move! ”

Jiang Hao frowned and said in a low voice: "My lord, could it be that this battle ends in Wuchang City?" ”

"Stop at Jiangxia Mountain, take down Fankou and Bailuji, plus this Wuchang county, it is enough to resist the thieves upstream."

How did Jiang Wanli not know the strength of the upstream towns.

Among them, Ezhou Town is the smallest, and Huaixi Town and Xiangyang Town in the north of Ezhou, and Jiangling Town in the west of Ezhou are behemoths. Xia Gui, the king of Huaixi of the Ming Dynasty (temporary leader), controlled all the territory of the Huaixi Road of the original Great Song Dynasty, with nearly 70,000 troops; King of Jiangling (temporary) Lu Wenhuan owned Jiangling Mansion, Yuezhou, Yingzhou, Fuzhou, Hanyang Army and other places, with 40,000 troops; Xiangyang King (temporary) Gundam controlled Xiangyang Mansion, Junzhou, Fangzhou, Suizhou, Guanghua Army, Xinyang Army, Ande Mansion and other places, with more than 60,000 troops.

If the three towns of Huaixi, Jiangling, and Xiangyang are provoked to send troops, the Jiangxi regiment training army, the water army along the river, and the Jiangdong regiment training army controlled by Jiang Wanli will have to go all out to resist. At that time, if Chen Dexing comes from the east, the Great Song Dynasty will be over.

Therefore, Jiang Wanli's westward expedition did not end at the point, and the target was only Jiangxia Mountain, Wuchang City, Fankou, Bailuji, these military important places. In order to form a defensive line west of Jiangxi Road, block the upstream Daming Domain Town Army from moving eastward. At the same time, it is also to deter Cao Shixiong, the envoy of Tanzhou Jiedu, and Wang Jian, the pacification envoy of Guangnan West Road, who have not yet been publicly surrendered. In order to ensure that Jinghu South Road and Guangnan West Road can continue to remain within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty.

At this time, an explosion suddenly sounded in the direction of the Wuchang County Ya, it was the Jiangxi regiment training military thunder arrows bombarding the gate, followed by the earth-shattering shouting and killing sound.

Jiang Wanli exhaled, relying on two or three hundred steel-armored soldiers, he couldn't hold it for long after all. It seems that Wuchang County has been won! Next, as long as Zhang Sheng is forced away from Jiangxia Mountain. The Western Expedition was a success.

"Is there any news from Liangzhe?" Jiang Wanli suddenly asked again.

"The latest Tang newspaper, Linhai County and Huangyan County in Taizhou, and Huating County in Jiaxing Prefecture have fallen. In addition, more than 3,000 people of the Du clan of Taizhou Yimen were all slaughtered by Chen Shun, and now everyone in Liangzhejiang Shilin is indignant! ”

"What?" Jiang Wanli was stunned for a moment and touched his beard, "Taizhou Yimen Du...... Do they have a grudge against Chen Dexing? ”

Jiang Hao shook his head and said, "How is it possible?" Chen Dexing is Lin'anzi and has never been to Taizhou. ”

Jiang Wanli is old, and he didn't turn a corner for a while, but just sighed and said: "Anyway, the Du family is full of loyal martyrs, and the court must commend it well." He paused again, "It's been almost a month now, and Chen Wei has only taken down three small counties, and it seems that the Great Song Dynasty is still promising." ”

"It's a bit sluggish, indeed." Jiang Ho responded. In January of the war, Chen Ming took the three counties of Liangzhejiang Road, which was indeed unexpectedly slow.

"Don't be slow!" Jiang Wanli laughed, "It must be the desperate resistance of the two Zhejiang Shilin, and Chen Zhizhi's soldiers suffered heavy casualties!" Why did he slaughter the Du family in Taizhou? From the father's point of view, he just wants to make an example! But...... How will we, who read the saints, bow to such wicked thieves? In the future, the two Zhejiang scholars will definitely redouble their resistance and fight to the death! Without a few years of work, Chen Thief did not want to get two Zhejiang. Is it just that he has a salary to sustain the war for several years? Pickaxe, it seems that we are right to move to Hong. As long as we can persist in Hongdu, drag on for a few years, and drag down Chen Wei, the Great Song Dynasty may not have the situation of Sun Wu. (To be continued......)