Author: Scholar Wu

After Ma Erye led the cavalry to Huating, he quickly handed the secret letter from the Intelligence Department to Liu Yichen.

When Liu Yichen saw that the encryption level of this letter was the highest, he immediately returned to his room and took out the template for deciphering the secret letter.

The Intelligence Division also has its own code.

The Intelligence Department will designate a book as the master copy of the code every month. For example, this month it uses the Jiajing edition of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" printed in Suzhou.

The general password is relatively simple, consisting of three strings of numbers forming a word. The first number is the page number, the second number is the line number, and the third number represents the order of the lines. A word is locked through three strings of numbers.

This decoding method is more cumbersome and easier to expose, so it is generally used for ordinary encrypted information that is not urgent.

All emergency information uses MeSign’s dedicated templates.

It's just a few holes randomly cut out of a fixed wooden board, and only the words in these holes are needed.

This encryption method is generally used for important two-line docking, and there is a set of templates for both the upper and lower lines.

Only Qian Ning and Liu Yichen, the two commanders and deputy commanders of the Intelligence Department, have the templates required for the highest level of encryption.

The touch plate that Liu Yichen took out was a combined touch plate. There were four sets in total. It was useless just to get the touch plate. You also needed to know the order in which the four sets of touch plates were arranged.

If the order is wrong, even if you have a touch plate, you will not be able to unlock accurate information.

First, Liu Yichen used "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to decipher a large series of illogical numbers in front of the secret letter.

The order of 2,4,1,3 was obtained.

Then according to this arrangement, the order of combining the templates was adjusted. After a flip of the operation, the contents of the secret message were finally transcribed.

Liu Yichen quickly found Qian Mo with the secret letter and said, "Brothers from the Intelligence Department risked their lives to send back the secret letter. The recent troop deployment of the Qing army has been clarified."

"He Luohui led the Manchurian Xiangbai Banner with 10,000 men, the Han Army's Zhenglan Banner Tulai Tribe with 15,000 men, Horqin's Mongolian Cavalry with 10,000 men, Liu Liangzuo's Green Camp with 20,000 men, and Waijiang's Qing Army Green Camp originally assembled in Anqing.

35,000 people, a total of 90,000 troops set out from Anqing to attack Jiujiang."

"Tan Tai personally led the Manchurian Zhenghuang Banner and Zhenghong Banner 20,000 people, the Han Army Han Army Xianglan Banner Li Guohan's 10,000 people, the Han Army Zhengbai Banner Shitingzhu Department 15,000 people, the Horqin Mongolian Cavalry 10,000 people, and the people who were originally in Xuan

There were 35,000 Qing troops in the Green Battalion assembled in the city, and a total of 90,000 people marched south from Nanjing to attack Huizhou."

"Ma Guozhu led a 20,000 green battalion from Yang, Huai, Ning, Zhen, and Chang to go south to Susong, preparing to attack Jiaxing."

Hearing this, Qian Mosong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It seems to be similar to what we expected. The Qing army's main attack direction is Jiangxi."

"However, we cannot rule out that Tan Tai's group will divide their forces to attack Huzhou and Hangzhou."

Liu Yichen said: "Ma Guozhu set off yesterday. According to the schedule, Ma Guozhu's 20,000 people have probably arrived in Suzhou."

Hearing the news, Qian Mo was still a little surprised. He originally wanted to eat the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia in Bashan's hands first, but he didn't expect Ma Guozhu to come so quickly.

It is estimated that the armies of Ma Guozhu and Bashan will arrive at the city tomorrow.

Liu Yichen said worriedly: "The 20,000 people brought by Ma Guozhu plus the 6,000 people in Bashan's hands are five times more powerful than us. There are too many fish, and I'm afraid we won't be able to eat them!"

"It looks like we have to mobilize reinforcements from Jiaxing and Huzhou. The Huzhou battalion is full of cavalry. They can only travel half a day to Songjiang at most."

Qian Mo said: "This is not just a question of whether you can eat or not. The main forces of He Luohui and Tan Tai have not yet fought against Jin Shenghuan. What will be the consequences if we directly deal with Ma Guozhu?"

Liu Yichen said: "What Uncle Zhongyong means is that we have to sneak away this big fish Ma Guozhu for a few days until the fighting in Jiangxi becomes fierce before we can catch this big fish."

Qian Mo nodded and said, "That's it. Ma Guozhu's 20,000 people can sneak away first. Bashan's Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia are very powerful, so we must find a way to eat them first."

However, it is not easy to eat these 4,000 people in Bashan. Even if they can be eaten, the heavy casualties will not be worth the loss. After thinking about it, Qian Mo still ordered all the cavalry from Jiaxing and Huzhou to be transferred to Songjiang.

At this time, Mr. Ma said: "On the way, we discovered that the Qing army was transporting grain from Taicang to Suzhou, and He Zhiyuan led 500 people to rob the grain."

Hearing this, Hong Fugui frowned and said: "Old Ma, this is too much fun. You didn't come back in time to report after completing the mission, why are you robbing food without authorization? This is against military regulations."

Mr. Ma said helplessly: "That's what I said, but He Zhiyuan said that the general would not accept military orders abroad, and he was willing to accept military law. I thought it was a rare opportunity, so I ordered him to attack."

Then he knelt down and said: "The general did not abide by military regulations and acted without permission. I am willing to be punished!"

Qian Mo said: "There are no rules, no squares. If the governor wants to send out a large army to raid Bashan now, wouldn't you have delayed a major event by robbing food?"

"Deputy Commander Ma, you are also an old man in the army. Why are you so unsteady in your stance and are you allowing He Zhiyuan to act nonsense?"

"Originally, your interception of the Qing army outside the city and the occupation of Wusongkou this time was a great achievement. But sending troops without permission is a serious crime and should be punished according to the law. Now the merits and demerits are offset. I will fine you half a year's salary. You can

Convinced?"

Seeing that Qian Mo did not punish him severely, Ma Erye breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Thank you to Uncle Zhongyong for not killing him. I will definitely pay my dues and make meritorious service."

Qian Mo's face sank and he said: "It seems that this He Zhiyuan is really a thorn in the side. He just went out on his own as soon as the governor promoted him to a hundred households. When he comes back, he will be severely punished."

Mr. Ma immediately became anxious and said quickly: "This guy is definitely a talent. The successful capture of Wusongkou this time was all due to his strategy."

So he told how He Zhiyuan came up with a plan to capture Wusongkou.

Then he said: "He Zhiyuan said that his attack this time was not only to rob food, but also to frighten the Qing army in Suzhou so that they would not dare to act rashly!"

Hearing what Mr. Ma said, Qian Mo also started to love talents. After all, he personally promoted He Zhiyuan, so he couldn't save his face by immediately removing him.

Originally, I thought that if he indulged in pampering, he would be severely punished if he committed any of the following offenses; now in this situation, all he needs to do is give him a little hammering to let him know that he can't be so unruly in the future.

In fact, Qian Mo quite likes He Zhiyuan's character. He himself doesn't like to abide by the rules very much and often doesn't play according to the routine. Unfortunately, none of the generals in the army are like him. Although the most respected Huang Yu is decisive in killing, he also has the overall situation.

Observant, but too disciplined.

In war, you should do whatever you can to get the maximum result at the minimum cost. It is not good to follow the rules too much. Those disgusting tactics on the outside of Jinshan Guard were designed by Qian Mo himself and written as cases and handed over to each battalion.

Qian Mo said: "This kid is too self-righteous. Now Ma Guozhu's 20,000 troops have arrived in Suzhou. His robbery of food will probably make Ma Guozhu furious and send troops to attack us in advance."

Then he said to Liu Yichen: "I'm sure Ma Guozhu will send people overnight to ask Bashan to go north and attack Huating with him from the north and south. You should arrange your personnel to keep an eye on the road from Suzhou to Jinshanwei, and be sure to intercept them."

Since Bashan captured Jinshan Guard during the day, he directly set up his camp to the west of Jinshan Guard, away from the range of the Ming army's naval guns.

At dawn, several fast horses rushed into the camp.

I saw a messenger hurriedly broke into the big tent and said loudly: "The governor of Liangjiang and Henan, Ma Guozhu, has an order: Bashan, the general manager of the Eight Banners in Nanjing, will immediately lead the Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners northward to cooperate with Governor Ma to recapture Songjiang Mansion."

Bashan looked confused at this time and asked in surprise: "Songjiang Mansion has been lost?"

The messenger sighed: "Qian Mo, the puppet governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the Ming Dynasty, personally led an army and captured Songjiang Mansion at noon yesterday."

The Ming army moved so quickly, which really surprised Bashan. Judging from the time, the Ming army captured Songjiang Mansion earlier than they captured Jinshan Guard, but why did no one from Songjiang Mansion come to Jinshan Guard to report the news to him?

?

The location of Jinshan Guard is relatively remote, so the Ming army must have blocked the road.

The envoy said: "This is the order from Governor Ma to His Majesty the Governor. Please take a look at it."

The more Bashan watched, the more frightened he became. The Ming army not only captured Songjiang Prefecture, but also captured Wusongkou. They even went deep into Suzhou and burned the Qing army's grain and grass directly outside Suzhou city.

Bashan said: "The Ming army has actually penetrated deep into the city of Suzhou. Fortunately, Governor Ma has personally led an army of 20,000 to Suzhou. Songjiang will surely be able to recover quickly."

"Governor Ma has ordered me to lead the army north today and recapture Songjiang with him. Is there a designated meeting place?"

The envoy said: "Governor Ma's army will set off in the early morning. However, Suzhou is far away from Songjiang and there are a large number of infantry. I am afraid it will take the afternoon to reach Huating City."

"The Ming army has always been cunning and liked to defeat them one by one. Governor Ma was worried that Lord Dutong would be ambushed by the Ming army, so he asked Lord Dutong to advance to Qingpu Town and join Governor Ma's army before marching together to Huating."

Bashan is well aware of the cunningness of the Ming army. In the Jinshan Guard battle, he suffered a lot from the Ming army's various underhanded tactics.

Then he said: "Governor Ma is very thoughtful. As long as our army joins forces, it will be crushed by absolute strength. Songjiang only has a few thousand Ming troops, and they can't do any tricks."

The Jinshan Guard was a full 60 kilometers away from Qingpu Town, and it was impossible to bring along the Green Battalion infantry, which was lagging behind. So Bashan left 2,000 men from Tang Li to guard the Jinshan Guard, and led 4,000 Manchu and Mongolian cavalry to set off for Qingpu.

Along the way, Bashan still carefully sent out sentries to conduct reconnaissance, for fear of being ambushed by the Ming army. Especially when passing through the ferry and near the valley, he slowed down his marching speed and carefully explored the surrounding area.

Batu said: "It seems that although the Ming army made a surprise attack on Songjiang Mansion, their troops were limited after all. Not even a single Ming army scout was discovered along the way."

Bashan said: "It seems that Governor Ma really chose the right place for us to meet up in Qingpu Town. I estimate that the limited scouts of the Ming Army are on the road from Jinshan Guard to Songjiang Prefecture. Who would have thought that we would go north directly to Qingpu Town.

"

Suddenly, a sentinel came to report: "Reporting to Lord Dutong, the Ming army has been discovered in Qingpu Town ahead."

Batu, who has always been suspicious, said: "Something is wrong. Could this be a trap by the Ming army?"

Bashan said: "Brother Batu, you are overly worried. I paid special attention to the handwriting and seal on Governor Ma's warrant. It is definitely written by Governor Ma himself. There is no problem."

Pointing to the back, he said softly: "Look, isn't the messenger who delivered the order still in the army?"

Bashan thought the same thing. If the Ming army wanted to ambush him, he would definitely choose a place with dangerous terrain. After all, Qingpu Town was an important hub connecting Suzhou and Songjiang. It was not surprising that the Ming army was stationed there.

So he took the initiative to ask Ying and said: "Let the Mongolian warriors under the general's command take care of these Ming troops."

Outside Qingpu Town, the 1,000 armored troops of the Baipao Battalion have already formed their formation.

150 shield bearers holding steel shields stood in the front row, followed by 550 spearmen and 300 warriors holding sabers.

These are 1,000 pieces of iron armor that the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang governorate spent all their materials and manpower to build. In view of the vulnerability of being attacked by Qing archers in the battle of Si'an Town, these armored troops are all equipped with face armor.

Can achieve all-round protection.

Since a pair of armor weighs several dozen kilograms, these armored soldiers are selected from among the soldiers with the best physiques. They can be said to be the cream of the army.

Unlike Chongming Battalion and Shenji Battalion, which use combat as training, this armored army has been undergoing rigorous training, and they have to carry out brutal weight-bearing training and tactical drills every day.

Although they have the best food in the entire governor's office and have meat every day, many soldiers shake their heads when they hear the name of the Iron Armored Army and are not willing to go at all; in the beginning, almost every day there were people who could not stand the intensity of training.

However, it was not until more than a month later that the withdrawal gradually stabilized.
To be continued...