Zhou Shixiang arrived in Shunde on the second day of the September 2nd. Just as he personally went out of the city to welcome Geng Jimao into the city a few days ago, Hu Qili also opened the city gate and went out to welcome him Zhou Dashen.

The difference is that after being welcomed into the city, Prince Jingnan was placed under house arrest in the Jingnan Palace. At this time, he could only listen to the sound of wind and rain under the eaves of the corridor, but did not know about family, state and world affairs. After Hu Qili welcomed General Zhou into the city, he honestly handed over the city's defense to the Taiping Army, and all the food and grass stockpiled in the city were handed over to the Taiping Army.

Zuo Qing and the magistrate Wu Eryuan were also forcibly rushed out to greet Zhou Dashuai by Hu Qili's men. One of them looked angry and the other was full of sorrow. I thought that the thief scholar would definitely persuade them to surrender when they came, but the thief scholar ignored them at all and only sent them to Guangzhou. This made the two of them feel humiliated and the other was disappointed. If they saw the juren Xu Yingyuan, they didn't know if there was the indignant thief scholar who was too disrespectful to scholars at the time. This may not necessarily mean that I didn't want to be clear, but you have to put down your figure and go to "visit three times in the cottage" right? At least you have to make your face feel comfortable!

When appeased Hu Qili and his generals, Zhou Shixiang once again promised the position of General of Huizhou, and ensured that Hu Qili could lead his troops to conquer Huizhou after the matter was underway. This made Hu Qili and his subordinates feel relieved, and their worries for many days were wiped out.

The city prepared a banquet early in the city. During the meal, Hu Qili mentioned his family's family in Huizhou and the safety of his generals. After hearing this, Zhou Shixiang immediately sent an order to go back and Tieyi, who wanted to stay in Guangzhou, immediately sent someone to pick up the families of these surrendered generals. If necessary, Wang Zhaoxing from Foshan and Zhao Ziqiang from Nanhai could help. No matter how much effort or how much money they spent, they would definitely take them back.

Zhou Dashui's special affairs were handled and decisively, which naturally made Hu Qili and others very grateful, and they all stood up to kowtow to Zhou Shi.

Zhou Shixiang stopped them with a smile, and as he drank, he suddenly started to ask.

"When was the last time Shunde transporting grain to Shang Zhixin's army?"

“Six days ago.”

"How many have you been lucky?"

“It can be eaten for ten days.”

"Thus, can the food and grass in Shang Zhixin's army last another two or three days?"

“It should be.”

Zhou Shixiang nodded and thought for a moment and asked again: "Where have the Han army who fled back?"

Hu Qili said: "I was afraid that there would be spies hidden in it, so I dared not let them enter the city, so I asked them all to go to the Guanyin Temple in the west of the city, and I asked someone to send them some food every day. I just waited for the commander to come and then settled it."

The Qing army and his predecessor, Jin army, used spies to enter the city in advance in the battle with the Ming army, and then suddenly launched an attack to seize the city. The Ming army suffered a lot of losses. At that time, many cities outside the pass were taken away by the Jin army. After careful calculations, Li Chengdong also used this method to seize Guangzhou. Zhou Shixiang followed suit and seized Guangzhou. Naturally, he knew that Hu Qili's arrangement was the most appropriate method. Otherwise, if Shang Zhixin really wanted to seize Shunde, this war would cause more trouble.

He nodded and praised him a few words, and then ordered the whole army to enter the city, rest in the city today, and the troops would enter Sanjiangkou tomorrow to fight to the death with Shang Zhixin.

"The Grand Marshal wants to attack Sanjiangkou?"

Zhou Shixiang's decision surprised Hu Qili and others. Shunde was not only a food supply point for the Qing army on the Sanjiangkou defense line, but also a must-pass route for the Qing army on the Sanjiangkou defense line to Zhaoqing.

Zhou Shixiang knew that the Qing army was not well fed and the morale was unstable, so why didn’t he guard Shunde City and waste his life and die, but instead risked to go out of the city to find the Qing army to fight a decisive battle? This beast was still fighting, and there were more than 10,000 Qing troops at Sanjiangkou. If they really wanted to fight their lives, the Taiping Army would definitely win?

Zhou Shixiang did not explain to Hu Qili and the others that he had sent people to contact Chen Qice and Zhu Tong of Xinhui. In addition to telling them what had been left behind in Guangzhou, he asked them to immediately reorganize the army and cooperate with the Taiping army to attack the Qing army on the Sanjiangkou defense line. In this way, the navy was in front and the Taiping army was behind, and the two attacked each other, and the morale of the army was extremely depressed, could Shang Zhixin still have the power to turn the world back?

Of course, the main reason that prompted Zhou Shixiang to decide to fight the decisive battle immediately was that he could not stay at Sanjiangkou for too long. His trip brought most of the military power in Guangzhou. Although the two battalions of troops were reorganized by the young and powerful people in the city, it was a face-saving thing, but it was just used to fool the surrendered generals of the prefectures and counties. The real Taiping Army in Guangzhou City was only about a thousand people. Therefore, Zhou Shixiang had to return as soon as possible to avoid being able to see through the virtual and real Guangzhou. Anyone who had eaten the courage of Xiongxin and leopard also made him a "My Qing army is back!"

Zhou Shixiang knew the old general Chen Qice's character, but he also knew that Zhu Tong, the general of the country, was a master who did not see a rabbit and did not show eagles. For this reason, the price he gave was not only to supply the food and grass of the Ming army in Xinhui for half a year, but also to send it to the full palace of Zhaoqing.

After Zhou Shixiang promised to defeat Shang Zhixin, the Taiping Army would take a break and work together with Chen and Zhu to attack Zhaoqing. After conquering Zhaoqing, the Taiping Army returned to Guangzhou, and the Ming army under Chen and Zhu took over Zhaoqing.

There is a territory of the government, close to Xinhui and a navy to rely on. No matter how incompetent Chen Qice and Zhu Tong's subordinates are, they can always gain a firm foothold in Zhaoqing.

Zhou Shixiang himself was a little reluctant to give up Zhaoqing because Zhaoqing was the same strategic location as Xinhui, and both were the gateways of Guangzhou. Li Dingguo, who failed to attack Zhaoqing, then, would attack Xinhui again.

If Zhaoqing and Xinhui were handed over to Chen and Zhu, Zhou Shixiang would have a quarrel with the Yongli court in the future, and the Ming army of Zhaoqing and Xinhui would be the sharp sword hanging over Guangzhou. It would be understandable that the Xinhui was handed over to Chen Qice that day, and it would be a big deal to hand over Zhaoqing today. Zhou Shixiang would have to hand over Zhaoqing today.

But Zhou Shixiang decided so. In his letter to Xiangshan Song Duke Xiang, he said that the next target of the Taiping Army was Shaozhou, and then Chaoshan. After obtaining these two pieces of land, the Taiping Army would not go to capture Zhaoqing, but would go from Shaozhou to Hunan and Jiangxi.

Duke Xiang of Song felt from Zhou Shixiang's vague words that Zhou Shixiang seemed to be interested in leading his army north to recover the Nandu, but the southeast was a place of wealth and wealth of the Qing court, and there were also heavy troops guarding him, but he didn't know where he got the courage to recover the Nandu.

Duke Xiang of Song was confused. He had to do his responsibilities to persuade Zhou Shixiang. He believed that the Taiping Army should live in Guangdong and develop well, with Guangdong Province as its foundation, and slowly consolidate it for a few years before embarking on the Northern Expedition. At least there must be a base for going north to provide a steady stream of money and food.

Zhou Shixiang had his own ideas. No matter how poor his history was in his previous life, he also knew that the Zheng Cheng army had grown into the Yangtze River.

Maybe I can do something that Zheng can't do, but the premise is that I have the ability to get a bargain when Zheng was defeated in Nanjing.
Chapter completed!