In the seventh year of Yongli's reign, after three wars broke out in Hunan, western Guangdong, and southern Fujian, in the second half of the year, the situation in the entire South China region also tended to calm down.

Through the efforts of Lin Qingyang, Zhou Guan, Cheng Bangjun and others, the Yongli court in the southwest and Xining King Li Dingguo reached an agreement to fight against the Qin King Sun Kewang; and after Yao Zhizhuo and Zhu Quangu entered Guizhou, the Qin King Sun Kewang agreed to the Jiangnan anti-Qing people.

The planned "Three Catalpa Games".

In July, Yao Zhizhuo and Zhu Quangu arrived in Guiyang, and then went to pay a visit. In August and September, Yao Zhizhuo embarked on the road back to South Zhili with the endorsement of Emperor Yongli and the appointment of Sun Kewang. When he came, it was March

They set off in October and walked for four months. When it was time to return, the waterways along the way were flowing downstream. By November, Yao Zhizhuo had already rushed back to Nanzhili to report the news to Qian Qianyi.

"So good!"

Yao Zhizhuo hurried back and confirmed that Qin Wang Sun Kewang recognized the three games of Qian Ping. Qian Qianyi immediately praised it with his hands in his hands and was so excited that he couldn't help himself.

"Ziqiu, in September, Dingxi Marquis Zhang Mingzhen and the Minister of War Zhang Huangyan united more than 400 warships to go north, and they are now stationed in Chongming!"

As he said that, Qian Qianyi picked up several reports copied from the Qing court officials from the case and handed them directly into Yao Zhizhuo's hands, his eyes bright and his expression bright.

"The people of Haiyi listened to their foolishness. The government servants in Shanghai held the county magistrate hostage and tried to open the door and kill the thieves. The subordinate servants and others openly set up the net. If the people's hearts are like this, there is a danger of internal change."

"Everyone in Shanghai is happy for thieves to come, but no one is guarding the city. They hold knives all day long to force the thieves under the magistrate's neck. The magistrate dies in a moment, how quick it is."

"..."

Yao Zhizhuo took the report and looked through it carefully. Some of them were letters from Wang Jing, the commander-in-chief of the Susong Navy, some were urgent messages from Yan Shaoqing, the magistrate of Shanghai County in Songjiang Prefecture, and Zhou Guozuo, the governor of Jiangning stationed in Suzhou, mobilized various troops to go to Shanghai County to expel the Ming Dynasty.

Military orders.

It is undeniable that the Ming army's raid on Shanghai County from the Huangpu River did get a unanimous response from the people of Shanghai. Even though what he saw was only words and had never been seen with his own eyes, Yao Zhizhuo's weather-beaten face turned red. He raised his hand, pinched the report and spoke to Qian

Qian Yi shouted.

"Shepherd, people's hearts can be used!"

For a moment, the dark room in the study became a little brighter with the excitement of the two people. Before Yao Zhizhuo could put down his report, Qian Qianyi said to him: "Now, the army is stationed at the third tip of Chongming.

Sha, Baisha, Pingyang and other places are surrounding Chongming City. I have already sent people to contact you. They are here to respond to the Qiuping Three Bureau according to Damu's arrangement!"

The Three Catalpa games were Qian Qianyi's greatest effort since he was determined to resist the Qing Dynasty. At this moment, Yao Zhizhuo brought Sun Kewang's promise, and as another indispensable participant-the Zheng Group in the lonely southeast also sent

Zhang Mingzhen's fleet headed north. In addition, Qian Qianyi also sent people to contact the great scholar Wen Anzhi, who was the governor of Sichuan and Hubei, and prepared to lure the generals from east Kui to the east to help the Qin vassal army.

Now, everything is ready. As long as Sun Ke is able to break through the Huguang defense line of the Qing Dynasty, and then go down the river, with both the boat division and the rebels present, the recovery of Nanjing will be just around the corner.

However, no less than Qian Qianyi, Yao Zhizhuo was still a little surprised as to why Zheng Chenggong sent Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan, two die-hard loyalists of King Lu, instead of sending generals who were more trusted by Zheng Chenggong, such as Uncle Zhongzhen, Chen Hui, and Uncle Zhongkuang.

Lin Xishan, Zhong Zhenbo, Hong Xu and others. Regarding this issue, Qian Qianyi also mentioned that Zheng Chenggong sent people to explain to him the peace talks between Qing and Zheng, but he didn't know much about it.

"So, Guoxing and Chen Fujun are going to use fake peace talks to plot against the Tatars?"

There was such an operation, and Yao Zhizhuo was stunned for a moment. However, he didn't take it too seriously. After all, it happened far away in Fujian. He traveled all over the country and covered most of the south. He knew that

Such a long distance was beyond his reach. In fact, even when Qian Qianyi proposed the three games of Catalpa Ping, he was a little worried at first about whether the Ming army in the southwest could cooperate with the Ming army and the rebel army in the southeast. But now it seems

It turned out that he was worried a little too much.

"I have contacted Uncle Chengyi, who said that he will immediately set off for Chongming to join the army and lead the army into the Yangtze River waterway to prepare for the southwestern king's division."

Liu Kongzhao, the uncle of Chengyi, is the fourteenth generation grandson of Liu Ji and Liu Bowen, the founding military advisor of the Ming Dynasty, who was praised in later generations as "knowing it five hundred years before and knowing it five hundred years later". He is hereditary uncle Chengyi.

During the Hongguang Dynasty, this person served as the admiral of Cao Jiang and was in charge of river defense, and he was well aware of the hydrological and geographical conditions of the Yangtze River. Although he took the lead in surrendering the Qing army when the Qing army moved south, as a former nobleman who no longer had any power, he had no teeth.

The life of a tiger is not easy, let alone a rabbit whose front teeth have been pulled out.

Life in the new dynasty was difficult, and he naturally missed the splendor of his homeland. As time went by, he became associated with the anti-Qing people in the southeast, and the least of them was Qian Qianyi. This time, Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan

Liu Kongzhao's boat division was stationed at the mouth of the Yangtze River, so Qian Qianyi immediately approached him, using Liu Kongzhao's understanding of the hydrology and geography of the Yangtze River.

"What does the shepherd need from the general?"

"Ziqiu, I plan to pay for you to recruit a group of brave soldiers to come to Chongming to help in the war."

"Please rest assured, shepherd, I will do my best in the end!"

………………

On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month of the eighth year of Yongli reign, while maintaining the siege of Chongming, Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and Liu Kongzhao, who brought their sons and old troops to join them, followed the established plan and marched westward, upstream to prepare for the attack.

The southwestern Ming army is fighting hard in Huguang and may break through the Huguang defense line at any time and then flow down the river.

The boat division entered the Yangtze River Estuary in batches and rushed through the Qing army's river flood control areas such as Langshan, Jiangyin, Jingjiang, Menghe, Yangshe, and Sanjiang. On the 21st of the first lunar month, the army arrived at Guazhou, and then went ashore at Jinshan and defeated the Jinshan garrison.

army, and seized ten Qing army cannons to defend the Yangtze River, gunpowder, money, grain and other items.

At this time, Jinshan was still an isolated island on the river and was not connected to the land. The Ming army won the first battle and there were no Qing troops around. Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and Liu Kongzhao led 500 Ming troops to Jinshan Temple and worshiped Xiaoling in the southwest.

"Hou Fu and Cang Shui led the Wang Division northward to the Yangtze River today. The morale of the people in the south of the Yangtze River has been greatly boosted! I saw the mighty array of giant ships and their invincible majesty all the way along the river. It is possible to restore the Ming Dynasty!"

The host had already prepared the tables and chairs for the incense table. Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and Liu Kongzhao came forward, and their sergeants placed the sacrifices. Liu Kongzhao was the most tactful man. Seeing the momentum of the Ming army at this moment, he immediately praised him and expressed his gratitude to all the generals.

Yi Yi.

"Thanks to the support of Uncle Chengyi and the soldiers and civilians of the Jiangzuo Patriots, Houfu has been at sea for many years and has long wanted to return to Jinling. Today, he has got his wish. Now, Houfu thought that he should pay homage first to comfort the ancestors of the Emperor Ming Dynasty.

The spirit in heaven.”

Zhang Mingzhen was born in Nanjing, and was the residence of Nanjing Jinyiwei. For most people in the army, this place was just the place where Emperor Ming lived, but for him, it was the hometown of his enemy.

After saying this, Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan, Liu Kongzhao and all the generals under the tent immediately put on their hats and uniforms. Together with Uncle Chengyi and others, they all knelt down behind the incense table, bowed several times towards the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing, and recited the sacrificial inscriptions according to the etiquette.

, bluntly stated that the Qing army was plotting to destroy the Ming Dynasty, and the people's lives were in ruins. They now fought back and asked the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty for their blessings, so that they could expel the Tartars as soon as possible. When all the dust settled, they could then sacrifice their ancestors.

This is the most normal sacrificial text and the most consistent with the current situation. After the remote memorial ceremony, there was a ceremony for three days. Before leaving, Zhang Mingzhen splashed ink on the table and composed a poem.

"He supported the Qin vassal, taught him to stay at Jinshan Mountain, paid homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum from afar, and gave him a gift based on his feelings.

Ten years ago, I was alone across the sea, and I was looking forward to the truth in Zhongshan Mountain.

The quail-shouyi banner has just left Chu, and Yan Yun's feather has passed through Fujian.

Master Wang was so upset that his heart and liver were choked, and his father and mother kissed each other in tears.

To the south, look at the Xiaoling Mausoleum and the soldiers in plain sight, and at the Great Banner and Longjin.

In Meng Chunyue of the Jiawu Year, Zhang Mingzhen, the Marquis of Dingxi, and Bo Chengyi wrote the title and the book."

There was a feeling in his heart, and Zhang Mingzhen wrote it without thinking. Zhang Huangyan, Liu Kongzhao and others came forward and took a closer look. It not only stated that they set out from Fujian to meet the Qin vassal army, but also

It was mentioned that the people's support in southern Zhili is available, which corresponds to this situation.

To this end, Zhang Huangyan wrote six rhymes and poems from Zhang Mingzhen's poems, including "Thousands of beacons and fires are connected with Wu and Chu, and thousands of boats are rolling down Zhejiang and Fujian", "When the beacons and three Hunans are conquered, Shu will be conquered first, and when the miasma is eliminated, the five mountains will be restored to Fujian."

, "Whoever supports the Longxiang Festival in the upper reaches, the sun and the boss will personally support Hanjin" and other sentences also vividly illustrate the strategic intention of going deep into the Yangtze River.

"Maybe it will take some time for the Qin vassal army to arrive. Let's go back first and seize Chongming City so we can stay here for a long time."

Among the three, Zhang Mingzhen was the military commander, Zhang Huangyan was the supervisor, and Liu Kongzhao was just the local guide and liaison. They marched westward and stayed here for three days, but no southwestern Ming army came to join them.

However, the Qing army will definitely not be idle during this period. He is responsible for the safety of the army, and returning to Chongming is also a good idea. Moreover, they had already expected it when they were ordered to set off. The two places are thousands of miles apart, and they would collide in one go.

, easier said than done.

As Zhang Mingzhen expected, during this period, Ma Guozhu, the governor of Jiangnan and Jiangxi in the Qing Dynasty, consulted with the Manchu and Han officials stationed in Nanjing, and urgently dispatched the Han army admiral Guan Zhongzhong, the commander-in-chief of the Han army's flag soldiers stationed by the Qing court to assist in the defense.

Pukou and Liuhe reinforced Yizhen and Guazhou. At the same time, troops led by Asha Hafanikan rescued Zhenjiang from Longtan.

As a result, the Ming army had returned to Zhoudong before the Qing army arrived. On the way back, the Ming army and the Qing army under Zhang Tianlu and Wang Jing who were chasing them fought successively at Gusifangou, Fushan, Baimao and other places.

According to Ji Liuqi, the author of "The Northern Strategy of the Ming Dynasty" who was waiting for the examination in Jiangyin at the time, he witnessed with his own eyes at the north gate of Jiangyin, the Ming army's navy covered the river, and the sound of cannons came one after another, like thunderbolts shaking the sky, and everyone watching had a look of fear on their faces.

When they arrived in Zhenjiang, five hundred rebel troops funded by Qian Qianyi and Liu Rushi and led by Renwu Bo Yao Zhizhuo and his subordinate Zhang Qifen also came to join him. The boat division went down the river and soon returned to Chongming Island.

"The army is temporarily resting and reorganizing, and the revision is over, and we will strive to capture Chongming in one battle."

At this time, Chongming was not an island, but an archipelago composed of a number of sandbars at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Chongming City was a county seat, located on Changsha, one of the Chongming Sands, which was the seat of Chongming County in later generations.

At this point in the Ming army, Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan had plans to station for a long time. However, if they wanted to station for a long time and maintain this army, they must first have sufficient food and grass. At this stage, they almost all rely on the supply of food and grass from Fujian.

The anti-Qing martyrs in Southern Zhili also raised some money, but compared with the more than 400 warships and thousands of troops, it was really a drop in the bucket.

For this reason, Zhang Huangyan decided to farm in Chongming. After the Ming army besieged the Qing army in the county, he actually started to prepare for this. The rice-producing towns of Chongming are all in the east of Pingyang Mountain and west of Fusa.

It was controlled by the Ming army. According to the records left by the Qing court: "Building fences and farming, ten miles away from the city, there are many thieves. The people have food for each other, and they are hungry. Those who work for me are waiting to die.

, those who use it for thieves thrive."

Just like in Shanghai and Jinshan, the Ming army also won the support of the people in Chongming. The people were so popular that after only a few days of rest, the army once again launched a comprehensive siege of Chongming City. Only this time, the battle was fought.

After coming down, not only was the city not captured, but even Yao Zhizhuo was defeated.

"This is how I can explain to the shepherd!"

"Ziqiu did his best, but the army was short-lived. Especially when Ziqiu personally boosted morale when the army was defeated, there was nothing he could do to save the day."

Yao Zhizhuo's Renwu Bo was canonized by Lu Jianguo. When Zhang Huangyan established a stronghold in Siming Mountain, Yao Zhizhuo organized a rebel army to fight against the Qing Dynasty in Tianmu Mountain. There was not much difference between the two sides. Once they met, they were very close. Unexpectedly, only

In this battle, the newly formed rebel army under Yao Zhizhuo was defeated by the Qing army. Yao Zhizhuo was killed and Zhang Qifen was captured. They did not even have a chance to rescue them.

The army was defeated and lost its general. The morale of the Ming army was low and they could no longer fight. Seeing this, Zhang Minzhen continued the siege, and Zhang Huangyan continued to organize farming in Chongming. This lasted until March, relying on the resistance of Southern Zhili

Based on the information sent by the Qing people, Zhang Mingzhen found the right opportunity and went directly north to raid Lu Sichang in the southeast corner of Yangzhou Prefecture and succeeded. He defeated the defending Qing army and captured the Dahe Camp garrison seal. Only then did he finally regain his morale.

On the sixth day of March, Zhang Mingzhen succeeded in a surprise attack, and the victory revitalized the morale of the army. On March 29th, Zhang Mingzhen, Zhang Huangyan and others once again led the navy into the Yangtze River. On the fifth day of April, they went to Zhenjiang and burned the small gate.

Yizhen asked the local salt merchants for money and grain for the army, but the salt merchants decided not to give it after discussion. Zhang Mingzhen burned all the more than 600 salt ships of Yizhen in a rage, and then Ma Guozhu panicked.

When the troops were dispatched, they retreated to Chongming.

This was the second time Zhang Mingzhen and Zhang Huangyan entered the Yangtze River. The time was short, but they still did not receive any news about the Ming army in the southwest.

Speaking of which, the economic significance of this dispatch of troops is far greater than the strategic significance. Their fleet has been in Chongming for half a year and consumes a huge amount of food and grass. And Zhang Huangyan's farm in Chongming cannot violate the laws of nature.

It is absolutely impossible to harvest. But the problem is that the food and grass in their hands can no longer last until that time. If they can get this batch of money and food, it is okay, but now they can only find other ways.

"Master Marquis, our army is short of food and grass, and the combat effectiveness of our sergeants is far inferior to that of Guoxing's troops. For the current plan, we still need to ask Guoxing for help. Only in this way can we create greater momentum in Nanzhili.

."

Zhang Mingzhen didn't understand what Zhang Huangyan said. However, during this expedition, he had the intention of getting rid of the control of the Zheng Group. For no other reason, King Lu had shown him the kindness of knowing him, and he was conscious of this kindness alone.

Then we must maintain the independence of the army, so as to make Zheng Chenggong, the "quasi-consort" who has received generous treatment from Emperor Longwu, throw the enemy into the trap.

However, Zheng Chenggong is not easy to get along with. The generals such as Pingyi Hou Zhou Hezhi, Yingyi Bo Ruan Jun and other generals who went south with them have now been completely integrated into the battle order of the Zheng Group and have become military forces that can be directly commanded by Zheng Chenggong.

General. Nowadays, their hard support is actually meaningless, because the grain and grass are in Zheng Chenggong's hands. Not to mention the gunpowder, everything comes from Fujian and Guangdong. As long as the grain ship comes later, they will

They will face the danger of the army falling apart due to hunger.

"Let's go to Wenzhou first and buy a few ships of grain before we come back."
Chapter completed!