Chapter 389: Northern Expedition, Northern Expedition

"Gao Zefu's ancestral home is Tieling Zhongwei, Liaodong, Chongzhen was promoted to the commander of the 40th Division for meritorious service in three years, and the deputy division commander Tang Wei's ancestral home is Ningyuan Qianwei, Liaodong, and he was promoted together with Gao Zefu in the same year, Chief of Staff Huang Hua's ancestral home is Weinan, Shaanxi, and Chongzhen was transferred to the chief of staff of the 40th Division in five years."

Zhao Xin said and glanced up at Chen Cao on the seat, and saw that there was no response, so he continued: "Wang Xiaojie's official document to the Governor's Mansion said that Tang Wei and Huang Hua were both killed on the beachhead of the Jiangqiao Ferry, Gao Zefu himself organized the dead soldiers to blow up the defensive position of the Qing army with explosives, and then charged personally with a gun, and was injured by the opponent when engaging the Qing army. ”

"Where's Zhang Cai?"

Chen Cao suddenly spoke, Zhao Xin was stunned for a moment, and his head turned for a long time before he said urgently: "Zhang Cai set up a central news agency in Beijing at the request of the emperor, and Zhang Pu and Zhang Pu are both in Beijing. ”

"Zhao Xin."

"The Emperor..."

"Send the official document of the Governor's Mansion to Zhang Cai, and tell him that I have only one request, to publicize the deaths of Tang Wei and Huang Hua, and to focus on the propaganda of the injured Gao Zefu, and to write out the momentum of our soldiers who are not afraid of death, and tell Zhang Cai that he only has two days, and after two days, I will let everyone in Nanjing know about this battle of crossing the river."

"Minister, let's go..."

Chen Cao stood up, looked around at the important ministers of the court standing in the Taiji Palace, and said after a long time: "After being at peace with Jiannu for a long time, it will make our people in the south think that we will rule with them like the former Song Dynasty, I am not Zhao Gou, and there will be no ministers like Jia Yidao in the court, what do you think?" ”

As a hardcore, Huang Chunyao was the first to come out: "Your Majesty, please go on the Northern Expedition..."

Xu Fuyuan, Zou Weilian, Chen Yan and others came out one after another: "Please Your Majesty's Northern Expedition..."

The sound of a bang sounded, all of them were asking for the Northern Expedition, the corners of Chen Cao's mouth rose, staring at the ministers in the palace, and waited until it was quiet before Shi Shiran said: "Gentlemen, since ancient times, it has been smooth to fight in the north and south, looking at the imperial court in my land of China for thousands of years, the only one who won the final victory in the south and the north was Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty;

I...

Determined to personally conquer, pacify the northern Jiannu, and restore peace to the world..."

The ministers in the hall bowed down one after another, and sang in unison: "Your Majesty Shengming..."

"The crown prince will be ten years old after the New Year, and I will take it with me during this Northern Expedition, as for Beijing, where is Zhang Fengnian?"

A middle-aged man in a new-style military uniform in the corner of the hall walked out of the queue steadily, it was Zhang Fengnian, the pro-army commander of the year, but everyone who understands knows that this Zhang Fengnian has always been the commander of the Shanghai Garrison District, when did he enter Beijing?

"Minister Zhang Fengnian is in..."

A standard military salute, Chen Cao nodded slightly: "From now on, the Nanjing Garrison Command will be established, with Zhang Fengnian as the commander and 3 divisions under its jurisdiction. ”

Zhang Fengnian stood up and saluted again: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the minister will definitely live up to Your Majesty's expectations." ”

After arranging everything, Chen Cao asked everyone to go back to prepare for the Northern Expedition, and his own people returned to the palace to quickly explain some important things to Queen Li Xiang.

The next day, the whole of Nanjing became filled with righteous indignation under a tide, followed by the deeds of the battle of the 40th division of the Shenwu Army that spread through the streets and alleys, and before the afternoon, hundreds of thousands of people in Nanjing took to the streets to patrol the streets to Hongwu Gate, shouting the slogan of expelling the Tartars.

"The human heart is available..."

Chen Cao was on the tower of Hongwu Gate, but he didn't show up, and after saying this, he took people back to the palace.

Early in the morning of the third day, the imperial palace issued a message, which was the matter of the Northern Expedition, and the slogan of "expelling the Tartars and restoring China" at the end of the document was vividly remembered.

The Dingwu Army and the Longwu Army were all assembled, and they would cross the river from Dashengguan to the mouth of the Xijiang River in Jiangbei two days later, and then go north to Chuzhou, Fengyang and other places.

Under the supply chain of the foreign trade group, nearly 400,000 logistical materials and equipment of the two armies began to be continuously transported from Dasheng Pass to Xijiangkou, with as many as 300,000 people.

.

"Your Majesty has led the army to march in person, and is on the way to come."

Wang Xiaojie handed the official document to Yuan Shizhong, and then looked at the officers and soldiers marching on both sides: "How far are we from Yangzhou?" ”

"The forward troops are estimated to be less than ten miles, and an hour ago I received a report from Han Shun's department that the 1st Group Army has crossed the Yangtze River, and maybe it will arrive at Yangzhou City before our army."

Wang Xiaojie nodded and said loudly: "Give the order to the forward department, you must shoot under Yangzhou City in front of the 1st Army." ”

Grabbing merit is a good thing, and it proves that those who fight have the intention of fighting.

The 32nd Division of the forward Zhang Qin'an Division really arrived in Yangzhou earlier than Weng Linzhi's 1st Army in the fierce running, but in exchange for artillery and other heavy siege equipment, it was backward.

Zhang Qin'an looked at the Yangzhou city wall that could be seen with the naked eye not far away, and couldn't help sneering: "If we take Yangzhou City first, hehe, I heard that Your Majesty has personally conquered it, and this credit is not small." ”

"Master, the Tartars dug dozens of deep trenches outside the city."

Zhang Qin'an raised the clairvoyant mirror, and sure enough, in front of Yangzhou City, there were countless trenches like cracks, which caused great difficulties for the troops besieging the city.

"How?"

Zhang Qin'an frowned, and a marching staff officer spoke: "Division, if you wait for all the troops to arrive, the field artillery directly under the army can collapse Yangzhou City after a few rounds of shelling." ”

Zhang Qin'an looked at the staff officer coldly, and then sneered: "Idiot, the big army is coming, our 32nd Division still has oil and water to fish?" The people of the 1st Army are not good at stubble, and the number of field artillery under Weng Linzhi's department is no less than ours. ”

Liao Pindong, the deputy division commander, spoke: "Our artillery is still behind, why don't you organize a manpower charge first and see how the Tartars are deployed?" ”

"That's the only way," Zhang Qin'an nodded: "First send a battalion to explore the truth." ”

With the sudden sound of artillery and gunfire, the officers and men of the 32nd Division, which were marching on the extremely difficult trench position, were taken by surprise, and the officers and men who were retreating were also killed and wounded by the rain of throwing weapons and arrows in the sky.

A battalion sent out returned with more than 100 men.

Zhang Qin'an had a cold face: "The Tartars of the dog were waiting for us here, don't rush, wait for the artillery, if we go on like this, we will have to die a lot, the Yangtze River has been crossed, we can't make a mistake here, go, and report the situation here to the military seat immediately." ”

.

"Commander, not far away is the friendly army of the 32nd Division of the Shenwu Army."

Weng Linzhi looked at the officers and soldiers of the 32nd Division who died in the ambush of Jiannu, and then turned around and said, "Go, pull out our field artillery and Shenwu artillery, and bomb the damn." ”

The victory of the Dantu War was also thanks to the blessing of the Shenwu Army, the defeat of Li Shihan and Bao Chengxian made Li Yongfang lose the confidence to defend the Yangtze River defense line, and the strength of the Qing army was horse warfare, that is, most of the firearms troops were mainly ethnic minorities and Han people recruited from Liaodong and Northwest.

Li Yongfang did not go to the city to command, at this moment he had just finished deploying the defense of Yangzhou, and after shrinking his forces, he was determined to fight against the Ming army in Yangzhou City, after all, street fighting was much more cost-effective for his 150,000 Han army and eight banners than shooting at them on the plain.

The earth-shattering cannon rang out suddenly, shaking the teacup on Li Yongfang's tea table, and soon a junior colonel ran into the yamen of Yangzhou in a panic.

"Don't you, the Ming army has begun to shell the city wall."

Li Yongfang took a deep breath, and then said: "Let Yang Lian Maha and Li Shihan defend the city well, and then warn Li Shihan that the head of Yangzhou City is his last retreat, without my order, whoever dares to leave his post without permission will be killed." ”

"Yes..."

Not long after, Yang Lian Maha, the general of the city's head, ordered artillery to return fire, and engaged in a large-scale artillery battle with the 1st Army.

Casualties on both sides began to mount.

Putting down the clairvoyant mirror, Weng Linzhi frowned: "Jiannu's artillery is also far away, underestimate them, how many Shenwu cannons did the foreign missions in Shanghai resell to these guys?" ”

"Commander, it's better to mobilize the artillery of the whole army."

Weng Linzhi looked at the troops of the 34th Division a few miles away on the left, and then shook his head: "No need, our artillery is also behind, it seems that Yangzhou is a difficult bone to gnaw, and you have to die to take it down.

We're going to work with the Shenwu Army. ”

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After Chen Cao crossed the river, he took the Dingwu army to the east, heading to the direction of Yizhen, but met the herald who hurried from Yangzhou on the way.

Walking into the temporary line, at this moment the staff officers from the Governor's Mansion were racking their brains to draw, Zhao Xin followed Chen Cao's side: "Wang Xiaojie and Weng Linzhi converged and shelled Yangzhou, when the first army arrived, an artillery battle was launched, the enemy and we were killed and wounded, after a large-scale artillery battle, the west side of the city wall of Yangzhou was blown up by artillery, and the Shenwu army launched a charge, all of which were repelled by Jiannu who defended the city. ”

"Yangzhou is big?"

In the face of Chen Cao's rhetorical question, the clever Zhao Xin arched his hand: "The emperor doesn't know, the Jiannu who defended the city dug dozens of deep trenches in all directions of Yangzhou City in advance, and it became a great obstacle for the soldiers to cross these trenches when they charged. ”

"These tricks?" Chen Cao frowned and looked at Zhao Xin: "This is not our previous tactics?" ”

Zhao Xin was embarrassed and said: "It's true, but the minister guesses that the trench tactics should have been taught to them by those foreign envoys in Shanghai, otherwise they wouldn't have done it." ”

Chen Cao walked back and forth a few steps, and then ordered: "Give Wang Xiaojie and Weng Linzhi an order, tell them not to act rashly first, and wait for me to come with a large army, so that the Jiannu in Yangzhou can taste the power of our cannons;

Also, let Weng Linzhi send troops to harass the rear of Yangzhou, if it can lead Dai Shan over. ”

"Yes, I'll do it..."