In late September, Jiangnan is still like a furnace. Bai Sheng stayed in Changsha for 5 days late, leaving a regiment of the 2nd Brigade of recruits to serve as the garrison of Changsha. At the same time, the division headquarters taught the brigade to stay behind and train the reorganized Qing prisoners of war. Then Bai Sheng waved his sword and pointed at the three towns of Wuhan. On the way, the troops received good news from Chen Jinyu that the headquarters had occupied the Daye Iron and Steel Plant and formed a flanking attack on Wuhan.

Wuhan is located in the Jianghan Plain, which is a treasure of nature and has the effect of being the thoroughfare of nine provinces. Bai Sheng occupied Changsha, and Chen Jinyu occupied Daye. The Qing army hurriedly retreated to Jiangbei, and after Liu Mingchuan entered Hubei, he immediately ordered to abandon the southern bank of Wuhan. Jiangnan was dazzled and occupied in such a short period of time, which shows how strong the rebels were. Liu Mingchuan believed that Li Hongzhang's insistence on the Yangtze River defense line was the only option, so Liu Mingchuan ordered all Qing troops on the south bank of Wuhan to withdraw to Jiangbei.

In less than 6 days, Bai Sheng's troops arrived at the city of Wuhan. On the same day, Bai Sheng and Liu Yunlong's troops joined under the city of Wuhan, not to mention the joy of the officers and soldiers, the two Northern Expeditionary armies met under the city of Wuhan, which means that half of the rivers and mountains in the south of the Yangtze River are in the bag. The time soon entered October, and on this day, Bai Sheng and Liu Yunlong stood on the dock to welcome the arrival of the Yangtze River fleet. The previously busy, wide river was almost empty of ships, and it seemed very peaceful and quiet, and there seemed to be no trace of war.

"Division commander, why don't you launch an attack on Jiangbei in one go, although we occupy Wuhan, it is depressing." Liu Yunlong broke the silence. "Yes! I also have this thought, why not kill the past in one go, now we are able to do it. "Division commander, see the deputy commander-in-chief in a moment, you have a few kind words." Bai Sheng said with a smile: "If you don't launch an attack on Jiangbei, it must be the intention of Commander-in-Chief Deng." I know the temper of the deputy commander-in-chief. Otherwise, the order would have been given earlier. ”

Hearing Bai Sheng mention Deng Zixuan and Liu Yunlong, he didn't know what to say, when it came to the strategic policies of the high-level, as an officer of Liu Yunlong's level, he couldn't ask about it. There was a whistle in the distance, and the shadow of the fleet appeared downstream. Soon, the huge body of the ironclad battleship of the Northern Expedition approached the dock. The sailors lowered the spiral ladder and saw Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chen Jinyu and Fleet Commander Fan Tao walking down in high spirits.

"Report to the deputy commander-in-chief, Bai Sheng, commander of the 1st Division of the Northern Expeditionary Army, to report to you!" Bai Sheng raised his hand and saluted a standard military salute. “haha！ Brother Bai, we finally met. When you left, you would never have imagined that you would come so quickly today! Chen Jinyu opened his arms and hugged him warmly. Big brother, don't say I didn't expect it, I'm afraid I didn't expect it, the commander-in-chief's foresight seems to be like a divine help, which can be called turning the sea and the river upside down! Bai Sheng was overjoyed.

Chen Jinyu said with the same feeling: "Everything today fully shows that the lord is a generation of masters who have never appeared in the ages, and it is destined for us to follow the lord, which is the will of heaven that cannot be violated." It is also the creation of us. "Deputy commander-in-chief, I don't know anything, Weishenme will not take advantage of the victory to march to Jiangbei, and we now have the ability to do so." Bai Sheng took the opportunity to change the topic and confuse it. Chen Jinchuan said: "At present, we have quickly occupied half of the rivers and mountains in the south of the Yangtze River, which is somewhat unexpected. According to our overall strategy, we originally wanted to annihilate a large number of Qing troops in the south of the Yangtze River, but the Qing court changed its strategy, which prompted us to change the overall strategy. ”

Chen Jinyu continued: "According to the commander-in-chief's new strategy, we must consolidate the existing base areas. Now we have to face a new problem. As the occupied area expands, the number of our troops cannot meet the needs of the operation, the battle line is lengthened, and the logistical supply becomes more difficult, which will take time. Not fighting a war for which we are uncertain and unprepared is what we must do, and this is also the new strategic intention of the commander-in-chief. ”

Chen Jinyu continued: "At present, the Qing court is constantly hoarding heavy troops on the Yangtze River defense line, according to Wanchuan's military intelligence, the Qing army on the opposite side of Wuhan alone has concentrated 100,000 troops, and there are 50 of the latest Western artillery, in addition to the original artillery of the Qing court reached 100, and the French provided the Qing court with 100 rotating machine guns, we are already at a disadvantage in terms of heavy weapons. In addition, with the expansion of our Northern Expeditionary Army, the combat effectiveness also declined. ”

"According to the latest information provided by Guangzhou, Western countries are now fully assisting the Qing court. As early as a month before the two countries, foreigners sent a large number of instructors to train the Qing court's troops, especially the Qing court's artillery units. The ancients said: Knowing oneself and knowing that the other is invincible, we must know that our opponents are also growing. At present, Liu Mingchuan, who is serving as the first-line defense of the Yangtze River in Hubei, has been in battle for a long time, and his command has concentrated 500,000 troops, and only the latest Western guns have hunted 50,000 people. The next step, according to the commander-in-chief's intentions, is to fight the scattered enemy first, the weak enemy first, and quickly strengthen himself while gradually eating away at the enemy, but all this will take time. Now that you're a senior commander, you should have that kind of strategic vision. ”

"Deputy Commander-in-Chief, I understand. It seems that we do not have the conditions to attack Jiangbei at all, so the next step of army expansion is imperative! "Bai Sheng's head." Yes, the deputy commander-in-chief's advice made me pause, our total strength on the front line of the Yangtze River is only 50,000 horses at present, and it will definitely not be possible to enter the north of the Yangtze River to face the Daqing Army and the foreign army, it seems that we need time. Liu Yunlong looked ashamed.

Chen Jinyu said majestically: "As high-ranking commanders, you must not be overjoyed. Since ancient times, the arrogant army will be defeated, which is what the commander-in-chief is most worried about. Yesterday I received a letter from the Commander-in-Chief who told me to make sure that I preached to the senior commanders that this was not to get carried away by the victory. In the next step, we will face not only the Qing court, but also Western countries, and we will fight against the United Nations forces, so we must make commanders at all levels urgently understand the operational characteristics of Western countries. ”

"According to the instructions of the commander-in-chief, in order to meet the needs of the war, we must quickly establish an ammunition factory in Wuhan, and at the moment the munitions industrial enterprises can no longer meet the needs of a large-scale war. Two days later, the cargo ship from Shanghai will arrive at the dock, and the personnel and machinery will come with the ship. My task is to quickly prepare for the construction of the arsenal, and your task is to expand the training of soldiers. "On the day Chen Jinyu arrived in Wuhan, he convened a meeting of officers above the regimental level to deploy the tasks for the next stage."

On the same day that Chen Jinchuan arrived in Wuhan, Liu Mingchuan, the new governor of Hubei, also came to Wuhan. He first visited the artillery position, and at this time, the foreign instructors meticulously trained the artillery drills. "Your Excellency the Governor, the rebel warships are showing off their might, and we should block the river with artillery fire." A subordinate spoke. "Idiot, you think the cannonballs fell from the sky, and they were brought by foreigners across the sea. Our shells should be used against the enemy's attack, not thrown in the river. In addition, the rebel warships are large-caliber naval guns, and once the artillery positions are exposed, they will be devastated, understand? Liu Mingchuan split his head and covered his face.

"My lord is Mingjian, my subordinates are stupid!" Not to mention that Liu Mingchuan is by no means in vain. In fact, after Chen Jinyu led the fleet to Wuhan, he ordered Fan Tao to enter combat preparations, and once the enemy's artillery fire was obstructed and the artillery position was exposed, he would definitely attack and destroy it with all his might. There were no fortifications in Wuhan, so large-caliber naval guns were more than enough to deal with the enemy's infantry artillery. Because the water surface of the Yangtze River is very vast, there is no need to worry about enemy infantry artillery.

Liu Ming came to the riverbank, and the defensive position on the riverbank was formed. One side of the river is full of sandbags, bunkers, hidden caves, and three defensive positions are formed. The construction of the defensive position is the masterpiece of the foreigner's consultant, and Liu Mingchuan has to secretly admire the foreigner's cleverness. He also learned about the characteristics of the Northern Expeditionary Army through foreigners, and at the same time, he also understood that Jiangnan Weishenme soon changed hands. As an enemy, he praised the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army in his heart, and at the same time deeply understood his own weaknesses.

Although there are now hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command, it is pure nonsense to want to attack. The Qing army has long been fighting defensive operations, which is the strength of the Qing army. Now with the strong support of foreigners, Liu Mingchuan is confident that he will stick to the defense line of the Yangtze River. The 500,000 soldiers and horses were under his own command, so that there would not be a situation in which they fought separately in the past. After Liu Mingchuan took office, he promulgated stricter military discipline, and killed those who slacked off, disobeyed orders, and were informant.

At present, Liu Mingchuan is not worried about logistics supply, and in the past, the logistics supply of the Huai Army's operations was the biggest weakness. Now all this is not worried, the Qing court, with the Empress Dowager Cixi as a model, faced such a crisis, fully supported the front battle. And the foreigners also continued to put pressure on the Qing court in this regard, urging the Qing court to do better than ever. Frankly speaking, the Qing court in this period was not yet to the point of losing the hearts and minds of the people, and there were still a large number of loyalists. Therefore, the internal and external conditions seem to form a joint force, which is also the reason why Liu Mingchuan's confidence has increased greatly.

Standing in the bunker of the riverbank position, a general soldier introduced the situation and said: "Your Excellency, the rebels have occupied the opposite bank for 10 days, and there has been no movement. The rebels are in full swing, but there is nothing to attack? What are their intentions to stump them? Liu Mingchuan also didn't understand that the rebels Weishenme didn't launch an attack, could it be that they really had other intentions? But he understood one thing and said: "Master Li was wise at the beginning, if we entered Jiangnan, I am afraid that we will all become ghosts under the knife now." It is now certain that the rebels are not in a position to attack Jiangbei so far. Therefore you must not slack off and continue to hold your ground. After Liu Mingchuan inspected the riverbank fortifications, he was even more confident.

Two days later, about 10 steam cargo ships arrived at the Wuhan docks, accompanied by Chief of Staff Seinfeld. "Report to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief that the machinery and equipment of the arsenal arrived safely. Another 30,000 rifles, 10,000 grenades, 30 artillery pieces, 3,000 shells, and 50,000 military uniforms were also safely delivered. "Now that Seinfeld has gradually matured after the polishing on Jinshan Island, the style of talking on paper has retreated, and it has been replaced by a down-to-earth atmosphere. People are comprehensible, and gold will always shine.

Seinfeld was familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War, and after several years of training, his talent gradually revealed. At the moment, he is in charge of logistics and supplies, and this part is well organized by him. The army did not move, the grain and grass went first, and the theory and practice were well grasped. "The chief of staff has worked hard, the next step is to expand the army quickly, you are busy!" Chen Jinyu said with satisfaction. "Please rest assured that the deputy commander-in-chief will ensure that his subordinates will complete the task!" Seinfeld swore with his chest up, clearly showing that he was full of confidence. After the occupation of Wuhan, the military operation came to an end for the time being, not to mention that the military government wanted to straighten out the localities and appoint a party leader, and the reorganization of the Northern Expeditionary Army was also launched.