The next day, Chen received a report that the troops had occupied Dantu, and then received news that Dantu's Qing army had fled. Chen Jinyu immediately decided to advance to Nanjing, and the Yangtze River Fleet continued to set off. Facing the river breeze of Xi Xi, Nie Shicheng and Chen Jinyu stood side by side on the deck and looked up, "Lord Chen, I want to know how your army captured the French warship. "Obviously, Nie Shi became a fog. Chen Jinwei briefly introduced the Battle of Majiang and the general course of the Shanghai City Incident, and accidentally captured the French warship.

Nie Shicheng was simply fascinated by this, and he didn't expect that the battle could be carried out like this. Chen Jinxuan opened the conversation box to introduce Deng Zixuan's unforgettable days such as building a military academy, training officers, and pulling up the team. Zuihou Chen Jinchu said: "At present, the Northern Expeditionary Army has occupied Guangzhou, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Fujian. Shen Baozhen, the governor of Jiangxi, abandoned the darkness and surrendered to the light, and I had two troops going north, one entering Guizhou and the other approaching Changsha. After our troops occupied Nanjing, they formed a flanking attack on Wuhan. There is no doubt that half of the south of the Yangtze River is available. ”

Chen Jinyu said proudly: "It can be said that the court is no longer a problem, if the Qing court does not have the support of foreigners, the Northern Expeditionary Army will kill Jiangbei." In fact, the Qing court is a walking dead in our eyes, and it is not worthy of being an opponent at all. In the future, our biggest enemies will be the countries of the West, and we may face temporary difficulties, but the victory of Zuihou will definitely be ours, because we are the righteous army! ”

Nie Shicheng was secretly shocked and thoughtful, because the Qing court blocked the news, a general of his level could not know the whole situation at all. Hearing Chen Jincheng's introduction, Nie Shicheng was a little confused. Zhang Zhidong surrendered to the enemy. Shen Baozhen surrendered to the enemy. And half of the rivers and mountains change color like a trick, it's unbelievable. Especially after the Northern Expeditionary Army broke through the city, it quickly posted a notice to calm the people, neither burning, killing and looting, nor liquidating the officials of the previous dynasty and the Manchu nobles. It seemed that those rumors were true, and Nie Shicheng suddenly respected this army.

Nanjing's Governor Yamen, Admiral Wu Qing, and Governor Ding Richang gathered together early in the morning, waiting for news from the front. The Northern Expeditionary Army has already launched an attack on Zhenjiang, and it is not known what the situation is. I don't know anything, and I am most apprehensive as a chief officer. The two stared at each other and pretended to be calm, but in fact, they both knew what they were thinking. Suddenly, there was a hurried sound of horses' hooves outside, and after a while, I saw a subordinate crawling in and shouting: "Lord Governor and Lord Admiral, it's not good, Zhenjiang was captured by the rebels yesterday, and General Nie was killed in battle." This morning Dantu was occupied by rebels. ”

The two were shocked when they heard this, and Ding Richang said hurriedly: "Lord Wu, Nanjing can't hold it." If the rebel warships blockade the river, we will all be turtles in the urn. "Wu Qing is a martial artist, and at this time, he is even more of a master of the six gods, and he doesn't know what to do. If you abandon the city and flee, you will be guilty of abandoning the city, and you will have to be late according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty. Escaping from battle as a governor is also a capital offense. Suddenly, Ding Richang frowned, and he thought about it. "Lord Wu・・・・・・・."

Wu Qing was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered the Qingzi battalion in Jiangning to quickly return to the division to defend Nanjing. Soon after, Wu Qing announced that the rebel warships were coming, and ordered the Qing army of the fort to launch an artillery bombardment. There were some warships on the river, but there were a few cargo ships. This is a double reed played by the two, the purpose is to confuse the public and excuse their escape. While ordering the Qingzi battalion to retreat, Wu Qing gave an order to the Qing army's green battalion defending the line from Dantu to Jiangning: hold the position.

With the roar of the Qing army's artillery, several cargo ships on the river were damaged. At this time, the city of Nanjing was in chaos, and the dignitaries, the old and young of the Manchu Qing Dynasty rushed to the riverside, preparing to flee to the north of the river. However, Wu Qing ordered the soldiers to requisition all the boats and not allow them to cross the river, and the wharf was full of people, and some people even paid a high price to buy boats.

The merchants and civilians in the city seemed very calm, and the prestige of the Northern Expeditionary Army had long been famous all over the world, so they wished that the Northern Expeditionary Army would come there as soon as possible. On a secluded street in Nanjing, a plaque in front of a beautiful courtyard house reads Nie's house. This is Nie Shicheng's house, and at this time, the beautiful Mrs. Nie is holding her two-year-old son in pain. The husband guarded Zhenjiang, and now that the Northern Expeditionary Army has reached the city of Nanjing, the husband is afraid that there will be more than one bad luck. At this time, there was chaos outside, and Mrs. Nie was worried.

All the maids and servants in the house ran away, and the door of the house was opened. A few Qing soldiers who took advantage of the fire to rob came to the door, "Brother, Nie Shicheng is dead, his wife is a famous beauty, why don't you go in and be happy." hit it off, and several Qing soldiers laughed lewdly. At this moment, several men in strong suits came to the door. One of them said: "This is Nie Shicheng's mansion, I don't know what happened to his wife!" As he spoke, several people drew their short guns and flashed in.

Suddenly, there was the cry of a child and the cry of a woman for help, and several people searched for the sound and entered the house. Several Qing soldiers were found picking off a young woman's clothes, and the child was sitting on the ground crying in fright. Several gunshots rang out, and the Qing soldiers fell in pools of blood. Mrs. Nie, who was disheveled, didn't care about shame, and hurriedly picked up the child and looked at the visitor in horror. "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid, we are the Northern Expeditionary Army, and we are here to protect you." Another man said, "Madam, General Nie is safe and sound, and you will meet soon." ”

In the early morning of the next day, the fleet was the first to reach Nanjing. At this time, Nanjing was already an empty city, and a regiment of soldiers on board went ashore at the dock and quickly took over the whole city. Nie Shicheng returned home eagerly, and Chen Jincheng personally accompanied him. The scene of the meeting was very touching, and Mrs. Nie held the child and told about yesterday's experience, crying silently. Nie Shicheng was furious and clenched his fists and said, "Thank you for saving your wife!" Then he pulled out his waist knife, waved the knife to cut off the braids, knelt in front of Chen Jinyu and said loudly: "Lord Chen, Nie Shicheng has decided to change his mind and start anew. I decided to join the Northern Expeditionary Army. ”

Chen Jinyu was overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward to pick up Nie Shicheng and said, "On behalf of Commander-in-Chief Deng, I welcome you to become a member of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Two days later, the main force arrived in Nanjing, and by the way, the vast majority of the captured officers and soldiers of the Shuzi battalion were escorted to Nanjing. The next day, Chen Jinyu ordered brigade commander Liu Yunlong to lead two infantry regiments and cavalry battalions to advance quickly to Daye, and to quickly occupy the Wuhan Iron and Steel Plant. At the same time, Fan Tao was ordered to lead the fleet to cover the waterway. Chen Jinyu did not have to be a big yee, and he decided to stay in Nanjing to reorganize the troops.

On this day, on the playground of the Jiangnan camp in Nanjing, Nie Shicheng was dressed in the uniform of the Northern Expeditionary Army. The black-pressed soldier below stood. "Brothers, what kind of team the Northern Expeditionary Army is, everyone knows in their hearts. I decided to join the Northern Expeditionary Army and break with the Manchu court. Would you like it or not? "Yes!" The officers and men below were excited. "Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chen of the Northern Expeditionary Army promised that if there are those who do not want to stay free, they will pay for the passage home." "Are we willing to stay?" "Master Nie, we are willing to follow you!" There is no need to doubt that Nie Shicheng is very prestigious among officers and soldiers.

Chen Jinyu stepped forward and said loudly: "Brothers! Welcome to the Northern Expeditionary Army, and now on behalf of Commander-in-Chief Deng, I appoint Nie Shi as the commander of the Independent Regiment of the Third Division of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Then a deputy head of the regiment was appointed, and the deputy commander was a staff officer beside Chen Jinyu. The dissolution of the team is naturally a matter of cutting and changing military uniforms. Since Nie Shicheng's original team was only 1,200 people, Chen Jincheng selected 800 qualified soldiers in the green camp of the Qing army to form a large regiment of 2,000 people.

The young offspring who asked to join the Northern Expeditionary Army inadvertently set off a wave of joining the army. Many young people are impulsive because of the beautiful military uniforms of the Northern Expeditionary Army, although this idea is simple, but it is pure nonsense to ask the people to be more conscious. According to the actual situation, Chen Jinyu formed a new corps of 2,000 people. The enthusiasm of the people must be supported, and the expansion of the army is imperative. This was followed by the harsh military training of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

In the barracks playground, soldiers of a battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Brigade were drilling. The officers and men of the newly formed independent regiment and the new regiment stood around and watched, the purpose of which was to let them see how the Northern Expeditionary Army conducted daily military training. First of all, the soldiers were fully armed and marched around the playground for a 5-kilometer cross-country march. A hurried march is almost a trot.

The soldiers carried their backpacks with the straps of their rifles around their necks and the rifles lying horizontally on their backpacks. The cartridge box around the waist of each soldier contained 70 rounds of ammunition. In addition, with the addition of four grenades and a wooden military kettle, the weight reached more than 30 catties. Seeing the tireless trotting of the soldiers, the people around them almost looked stupid, both envious and surprised.

"No wonder the Northern Expeditionary Army was invincible, it was really well-trained. If you don't know if you don't see it, you will know what the gap is when you see it with your own eyes. Nie Shicheng sighed. Chen Jintang said with a serious face: "The army built by Commander-in-Chief Deng must not only have strict military discipline, but also cultivate the tenacious will of the soldiers. Commander-in-Chief Deng said that sweating more in peacetime and shedding less blood in wartime. It is necessary for soldiers to develop iron feet and strong physical souls. Make soldiers fearless warriors. ”

Chen Jintang continued: "The daily training of the troops is like this, and it is rain or shine. Our officers have undergone rigorous training in military academies and are culturally qualified. In the future, the officers of your unit will also be trained, and those who are not qualified will be eliminated. We're building a regular army. Commander-in-Chief Deng repeatedly stressed that an army without culture is a stupid army. At present, in the army, each company has a cultural instructor to let the soldiers read and read. ”

After hearing this, Nie Shicheng said enthusiastically: "Deputy Commander-in-Chief, don't worry!" I will not disappoint your expectations, let alone disgrace the reputation of Commander-in-Chief Deng. Starting tomorrow, I will train according to the training syllabus of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Chen Jintang said with a smile: "You can't be in a hurry, you should take it step by step." For example, in the 5-kilometer cross-country rapid march, the weight of the soldiers reached more than 30 catties. Therefore, if you want to meet the standard at the beginning of the training, the soldier's body will not be able to stand it, so I recommend starting with a 2-kilometer rapid march and then gradually increasing the size. ”

The sound of a grenade explosion was heard from the side of the kung fu playground, and the two couldn't help but turn their heads to look. I saw that the soldiers of a company began to throw bombs, and many "new soldiers" around them were so frightened that they covered their ears. Then the shooting show begins. The soldiers were skillful and clean-cut. There are standing, squatting, and lying postures, and everyone is dazzled by it. Suddenly, the recruits seemed to be infected and glad to be part of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

What touched Nie Shicheng the most was that as a captured defector, he did not suffer any discrimination, but received a minimum of respect. Although the Northern Expeditionary Army had strict military discipline, the relationship between officers and soldiers and between soldiers was very harmonious, and there was basically no abuse or beating of soldiers. In particular, the treatment and salaries of officers and men are uniformly distributed, regardless of whether they are high or low. In this way, Nie Shicheng and his officers and soldiers have an indisputable sense of belonging.