The First Army Headquarters and the First Division of the First Army, which set off from Guangzhou, finally arrived in Ganzhou, Jiangxi.
Su Xiong looked at Ganzhou City with its walls completely collapsed.
"The commander of the Third Division, Chen Zhongwen, was so fast. We marched as fast as we could, but we couldn't catch up with him."
Su Xiong's strategy was to end the Jiangxi campaign as soon as possible and head to the Yangtze River to join the Qin army in the direction of Huguang.
According to the appointment of King Su He of Qin, after joining forces, he will become the commander-in-chief of the southern battlefield.
If the First Army is too slow, the other armies will have captured Nanjing after joining forces.
Su Xiong didn't have the shame to become the commander-in-chief of the army.
The First Army was much later than other armies and had to use quick attack tactics to gain time.
The Ming army in Jiangxi was not strong, and the First Army was the strongest army of the Qin army.
The Qin army in Jiangxi has very easy logistical supplies.
All we need to do is cross the Lingnan Mountains and transport supplies from Guangdong to the Ganjiang River.
Materials can be transported quickly through waterways.
The first army's goal was to attack the important Ming army cities near the river.
Su Xiong was confident that the First Army could deal with the Ming Army they encountered.
He asked: "Chief of Staff Wenfang, where are the Second and Third Divisions fighting now?"
The Third Division of the First Army is stationed in Nanxiong Mansion, which is the closest to Jiangxi.
After receiving Su Xiong's order, they immediately attacked Ganzhou Prefecture in Jiangxi Province.
The Second Division was stationed in Lianzhou, and the commander of the Second Division, Chai Jin, reacted very quickly. After receiving the order, he attacked Changning County, Jiangxi Province.
Li Wenfang, Chief of Staff of the First Army, immediately replied: "Commander, the Second Division and the Third Division.
After they arrived in Ganzhou, they all attacked along the two main waterways in Jiangxi.
They only occupied important cities near the river, and the garrison relied on the important cities to slowly expand their power to the surrounding areas.
Now all the ships around Ganzhou have been taken away by them.
The 1st and 2nd Divisions attacked forward.
The garrison will control important waterway nodes to facilitate the transportation of troops, grain, grass and weapons.
There will never be a situation where we are defending the city alone and helpless.
I have just received a report from the Second Division and the Third Division. The Second Division is attacking Jianchang Mansion.
They had besieged Jianchang Mansion for two days, and the Ming army in the city was encouraged and rewarded by Prince Yi's Mansion.
After the second division captured Jianchang Prefecture, he would capture Raozhou Prefecture and Guangxin Prefecture, seize the east bank of Poyang Lake, and contain the Ming army there.
If the Second Army attacks quickly, it will be before the Poyang Lake Ming Navy can react.
By capturing a large number of Ming Navy warships and controlling the Yangtze River, we can refit these Ming Navy warships and control the Yangtze River.
After the third division captured Ganzhou Prefecture, it took a large number of transport ships and attacked northward along the waterway.
Now we are attacking Linjiang Mansion, after capturing Linjiang Mansion.
Chen Zhongwen plans for the Third Division to immediately launch an attack on Nanchang Mansion."
Su Xiong listened to Li Wenfang's introduction and saw that the second division's Chai Jin's attack speed was as expected.
The Ming army in eastern Jiangxi was poor and weak, with only a few large cities such as Jianchangfu.
The Second Division will definitely be unstoppable and march quickly to capture Raozhou Prefecture on the east bank of Poyang Lake.
The speed of Chen Zhongwen's attack from the third division was beyond his expectation.
The western part of Jiangxi is a key defensive area. Following the Gan River, one can attack all the way from Ganzhou to Nanchang City.
This all depends on strength. Without extremely strong strength, there is no way to do it.
Su Xiong exclaimed: "Chen Zhongwen's speed is so fast, faster than the fastest speed I expected.
We must also follow up with Chen Zhongwen as soon as possible.
He only has one division of troops, and after successive battles, he may not be able to capture Nanchang Prefecture."
Su Xiong did not stop at Ganzhou Fucheng and asked the First Army to speed up its march.
At the same time, a wide range of ships were seized and used as troop carriers and transport ships.
Su Xiong also arranged for the logistics department to cut wood and build transport ships here in Ganzhou.
There is no need to shade-dry the wood, as kiln-dried wood is not durable.
But as long as these ships can be used during the war.
Su Xiong quickly captured enough ships and led his army northward along the Gan River.
All obstacles along the way were cleared by Chen Zhongwen's third division, and the fleet was able to quickly rush to Nanchang City.
…………………………
Chai Jin looked at Jianchang Fucheng in front of him, punched the table with his fist, and said angrily: "Sell hemp batch, and give me the artillery to suppress the Ming army in Jianchang Fucheng."
The commando team brought explosives and blew open the city gate for me.
You idiot, I will take down Jianchang Fucheng today.
Prince Yi's Mansion is notorious, let them accept the justice of the law."
Qin Guangchang, chief of staff of the Second Division, advised: "Commander, don't be too anxious, our artillery regiment has heavy artillery.
Jianchang Fucheng is built with bluestones and is extremely solid.
Using artillery, it only takes five or six days to capture Jianchang City.
Jianchang County doesn't have many cannons, but they have many powerful bows and crossbows.
You can hide within the city walls and shoot those who approach the walls.
When we attack the city now, we are not using our own shortcomings to attack the enemy's strong points."
Chai Jin shook his head and said: "Don't say five days, we don't have three days.
We must capture Jianchang City as soon as possible. It is best to capture Jianchang City today.
Our First Army received the news of dispatching troops too late.
The friendly forces in Hanzhong and Huguang sent troops more than a month earlier than us.
Even if they are far away from Nanjing, we are close to Nanjing.
Judging from the combat effectiveness of our army, it is really impossible to say who will arrive at Nanjing City first and who will arrive at Nanjing City later.
When the army commander issued the order to dispatch troops, he specifically stated that Jiangxi should be captured as soon as possible while ensuring victory.
We are even only responsible for attacking the main city where the Ming army is stationed on the river bank.
Small county towns and prefectural cities without Ming army garrison were handed over to the garrison to attack.
The army commander's purpose is to end the war in Jiangxi as soon as possible and push the front to the Yangtze River as early as possible.
If our second division is faster, it will affect the overall battle situation.
If we reach the east bank of Poyang Lake as early as one day, we can contain the Ming army in Raozhou Prefecture and prevent them from supporting Nanchang.
The army commander can use a small number of troops to capture Nanchang Prefecture as soon as possible.
There is a Poyang Lake Navy in Raozhou Prefecture. If a large number of Ming Navy warships can be captured, it will be beneficial for our army to attack the Yangtze River."
When Qin Guangchang heard what Chai Jin said, he stopped stopping Chai Jin.
After thinking carefully, he made a suggestion: "In addition to artillery, hot air balloon troops should also be used.
Let the hot-air balloon troops drop bombs on Jianchang city walls and inside the city, causing chaos among the Ming troops in the city."
After the two of them discussed the battle plan, the Second Division took action immediately.
The artillery regiment began to violently bombard Jianchang City, suppressing the Ming army on top of the city.
The hot-air balloon troops took off on the upwind side and flew towards Jianchang City.
The second division also formed a commando team, holding stainless steel shields and braving the rain of arrows from the Ming army to fill the moat of Jianchang City with sand.
The hot-air balloon unit quickly completed the bombing.
The artillery regiment used black powder rockets to attack Jianchang City, mainly to disrupt the Ming army.
The commando team took advantage of the chaos at the top of Jianchang City. They immediately rushed to the gate of Jianchang City carrying explosive bags.
There are still some Ming troops at the head of Jianchang City, who intend to stick to their posts and use bows and crossbows to shoot at the soldiers who dare to approach the city wall.
The stainless steel shield blocked most of the Ming army's arrows.
After crossing the moat, the Hongyi cannon on the head of Jianchang City suddenly fired cannonballs.
Directly kill the shield soldier holding the steel shield.
Some people were hit by arrows and shot and fell to the ground on the road, but they did not frown and rushed towards Jianchang City one after another.
The Ming army's arrow rain was so dense that no one could rush to the bottom of the city wall.
Many soldiers threw explosive packets at the city gate at the last moment of their lives.
A soldier who was eliminated by the cavalry and kept half of his armor.
He wore armor and joined the commando team, and was very lucky not to be shot.
He had already run close to the city wall, and the cannon on top of the city could not pose a threat to him.
He has armor on his body. Even if he is hit by the Ming army's arrows, these arrows cannot penetrate the stainless steel armor.
The soldier crawled slowly on the ground, using the cover of the corpse to gradually approach the city gate without attracting the attention of the Ming army.
He stacked the explosive packets around the city gate at the city gate and connected the fuses of the explosive packets together.
He took out the fuse from his pocket and lit the fuse of the explosive bag directly.
The Qin soldier gritted his teeth and rolled quickly towards the moat.
He shouted at the same time: "Everyone, get back."
When he tried his best, he rolled directly into the moat.
Only a boom was heard, and the explosive package exploded directly.
Chai Jin saw that the gate of Jianchang City had been blown into a large gap.
He said excitedly: "The soldier who blew open the city gate was so brave. I want to take credit from him personally.
Let one brigade and one regiment attack Jianchang City immediately."
The soldiers of the Qin army carried guns and a large number of grenades on their waists and launched an attack on Jianchang City.
The city gate had been blown open, and the morale of the soldiers in the city immediately collapsed.
After several charges, the Qin army broke through the Ming army's defense line and entered Jianchang City.
Chai Jin saw the army entering the city and quickly took control of the situation in the city.
He handed over Jianchang City to the garrison, and the second main force continued northward on the transport ships they collected.
The soldiers are a little tired, but they can be repaired on the transport ship.
As long as logistics security is ensured, the morale of the Qin army is sufficient to support continuous high-intensity operations.
Chai Jin must reach the east bank of Poyang Lake as quickly as possible and must not let the big fish of the Poyang Lake Navy escape.
…………………………
Zhu Shi Zhou Wu of the Third Division of the First Army immediately stopped the division commander Chen Zhongwen.
"Commander, we are resting in Linjiang Mansion for a few days and cannot attack again.
After our army attacked Linjiang City, we already ran out of ammunition and could not launch another large-scale battle.
For more than half a month, the soldiers slept less than four hours a day.
The soldiers are very tired, so if we attack Nanchang Mansion with our exhausted troops, we will be easily defeated by the Ming army."
Chen Zhongwen saw Zhou Wu stopping him with determination.
He also knew that the third division was very tired.
They fought from Ganzhou Prefecture to Linjiang Prefecture, and experienced more than thirty battles.
Soldiers are either fighting or on the way to fight.
Even though logistical supplies are fast through waterways, they consume ammunition faster.
But he couldn't rest, Nanchang City was already in sight.
As long as Nanchang is captured, it can be connected to the Yangtze River through Poyang Lake.
Chen Zhongwen made a partial compromise.
"Old Zhou, do you think this will work? Send our modified warships to take the lead and clear the obstacles ahead.
The soldiers took a good rest on the transport ship.
When our army arrived in Nanchang, they only besieged but did not attack.
This way it won't consume too much ammunition.
As long as we wait a little longer, the logistics transport ship will be able to resupply us with ammunition.
Look at the Ming armies in various parts of Jiangxi. After we arrive, which city dares to take the initiative to leave the city.
As long as they dare not take the initiative to leave the city, our troops can rest in Nanchang City in batches.
We are short of ammunition, but with the ammunition we have, we can still fight a few tough battles.
We have strong fire support. If the Ming army in Nanchang City really wants to take the initiative to attack, I have a way to stop them."
Chen Zhongwen explained to Zhou Wu in detail the urgency of encircling Nanchang earlier.
Zhou Wu was persuaded by Chen Zhongwen, and he agreed to Chen Zhongwen's compromise plan.
The third division immediately took action.
They boarded the boat from Linjiang Mansion and went straight to Nanchang City.
The transport ship was equipped with four 120mm artillery pieces and eight machine guns, and was temporarily used as a warship to clear the Ming army along the coast and open up waterways.
The troops of the Third Division are in the transport ship, seizing the time to rest.
The Third Division had some twists and turns along the way, but did not encounter any obstruction by the large Ming army and arrived at Nanchang City via waterway.
It took the third division more than a month to finally fight from Ganzhou Prefecture to Nanchang Prefecture.
They followed the Gan River, defeated the Ming army in the main cities along the Gan River, and controlled this most important waterway in Jiangxi.
The Third Division only set up positions at the Nanchang City Pier.
The artillery regiment fired at Nanchang City, proving that the Qin army had arrived at Nanchang City.
At the beginning, there was also a small group of Ming troops in Nanchang City, testing the Qin army.
After they were attacked by machine guns and artillery, they learned about the strength of the Qin army. All the Ming troops were too frightened to leave the city and huddled in Nanchang City.
…………………………
4333 (the ninth year of Chongzhen), March 10th.
Chen Zhongwen led his army to Nanchang City for three days.
He found that the Ming army retreated for two days and saw that the Qin army did not attack the city, and they became bolder again.
An army has been organized in Nanchang City and they want to send a large army to attack the Third Division at the dock.
All their actions were observed by the scouts on the hot air balloon.
Chief of Staff Qin Guangchang said anxiously: "What's going on in the logistics department? Why haven't the ammunition been shipped yet?
Each artillery has an average of less than three shells.
Each machine gun only had one belt of ammunition left.
The soldiers have plenty of ammunition, with an average of thirty rounds of ammunition per person.
Today's guns are so powerful, but ammunition needs to be replenished in time.
In the past, when flintlock guns were used, gunpowder and ammunition could be produced locally and easily by craftsmen."
According to the previous intervals, the logistics department should have arrived yesterday.
Now the logistics department is late. The Third Division is fighting extremely fiercely. The reason why it can fight so smoothly is to use massive amounts of ammunition to crush the opponent.
Now the Third Division is short of ammunition and can only carry out a large-scale battle, which is still a defensive battle to save ammunition.
If the Ming army in Nanchang City continues to harass them, the Third Division will easily fall into a situation of running out of ammunition.
"Old Zhou, there is no need to worry. The Ming army in Nanchang City is attacking us, and we will beat them hard in this battle.
Let the Ming army never dare to leave the city again. If we delay for a while, no matter how slowly the army commander's main force moves, they should reach Nanchang City."
As soon as Chen Zhongwen finished speaking, he heard the cheers of the army outside.
They immediately walked out of the camp, stood on the dock, and looked towards the south. Dozens of large ships were coming up the Gan River.
Chen Zhongwen and others immediately went to greet him.
Su Xiong saw the flag of the Qin Army set up on the dock outside Nanchang City.
He ordered: "The first division disembarked and prepared to attack Nanchang City."
Su Xiong's order was issued, and Lu Chenyang commanded the soldiers of the First Division to quickly jump off the transport ship and set up a position outside Nanchang City.
Su Xiong took the officers of the First Army off the ship.
He saw the officer of the Third Division approaching.
Su Xiong stepped forward and patted Chen Zhongwen on the shoulder.
"Zhongwen, you have suffered a lot these days. The march was too fast. We were chasing after you. There were no enemy troops to stop us, so we couldn't catch up with you. The march was really fast this time."
Su Xiong never thought that Chen Zhongwen would march so fast.
Chen Zhongwen said excitedly: "Commander, our attack speed is so fast, which has great benefits.
I intercepted the Ming army military report sent from Jiujiang Prefecture to Nanchang City.
Jiujiang is still in the hands of the Ming army, and our friendly forces have not yet attacked Jiujiang City."
When Su Xiong heard the news, he smiled.
Su Zhuang and the others have not yet reached Jiujiang. After he captures Nanchang City, he can wait for Su Zhuang and the others in Jiujiang.
The First Army will not miss the opportunity to attack South Zhili.
Su Xiong issued an order: "To attack Nanchang City, the first division will serve as the main force and the third division will serve as the reserve force.
The soldiers have just disembarked, let the troops adapt first, and then we will officially launch the attack on Nanchang City early tomorrow morning."
The first division set up siege positions, and the third division replenished weapons and ammunition.
The Qin army was outside Nanchang City, making preparations to attack the city. The Qin army wanted to capture Nanchang City in one fell swoop.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
My body has recovered in the afternoon and I will update as normal tomorrow.
You can’t eat things that have been left in the refrigerator for too long!