Chapter 312 The situation in Zhejiang, the navy enters the Yangtze River
May 25th.
Zhang Yuliang was on the battleship Qin Shihuang and saw Hu Hai, commander of the Third Division of the Eighth Army, commanding the soldiers of the Qin Army to land in Dinghai County, Ningbo Prefecture.
He saw the flag of the Qin army flying over Dinghai County and said happily: "Thank you for the navy's help.
After taking Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang will be in the possession of our Eighth Army."
After the Eighth Army captured Fujian, Zhang Yuliang left the First Division behind and let Zhao Xin control the overall situation in Fujian.
A large army must be retained to assist Fujian civil servants and suppress the surrender of the Ming army and the Zheng family.
There are large armies stationed in various cities, which can provide timely support to local officials and suppress the resistance of local gentry.
The First Division also left one regiment to garrison in Taiwan and the Penghu area.
Zhang Yuliang tried to suppress the situation in Fujian with only the police force.
But he found that in the south, clan power was too strong and the gentry had a broader vision. They understood the power of firearms.
Once the gentry groups practice armed training, once it becomes a trend, the garrison will have no way to control it.
A strong regular army must be left behind to effectively deter the local gentry and clans.
Zhang Yuliang led the second and third divisions, with the cooperation of the navy.
Continuing to implement the leapfrog tactics, they launched an attack from the sea to the land.
The second division, Zhang Ziqing, attacked Wenzhou Prefecture.
After taking control of Wenzhou Prefecture, attack Taizhou Prefecture to the north and Chuzhou Prefecture and Jinhua Prefecture to the east.
The third division attacked Ningbo Prefecture. After capturing Ningbo Prefecture, it attacked Shaoxing Prefecture to the west, and then attacked Hangzhou Prefecture and Jiaxing Prefecture to the north.
Occupy the core coastal area of Zhejiang, and leave Zhang Ziqing to garrison the Zhejiang area to prevent the resurgence of resistance forces in Zhejiang.
Gradually captured the rest of Zhejiang.
Zhang Yuliang, with his third division, could continue to occupy the coastal prefectures and counties in South Zhili with the cooperation of the navy.
Li Qingmu, Minister of the Navy and Governor of the South China Sea Fleet, saw Zhang Yuliang standing on the deck with a smile on his face.
He walked over and handed a military newspaper to Zhang Yuliang.
"The naval communication ship sent a military report that the Second Division of the Eighth Army has captured Wenzhou Prefecture.
With the cooperation of the navy, they are attacking Taizhou Prefecture.
The second division will then attack Chuzhou Prefecture and Jinhua Prefecture in the interior on its own."
After Zhang Yuliang thanked Li Qingmu, he opened the military newspaper and read it carefully.
Zhang Ziqing wrote in the military newspaper the actions of the Second Division in detail, including some of their interrogations of prisoners.
After Zhang Yuliang read the military report, he said happily: "Okay, this is really great."
The worries in his mind were resolved.
He looked at Li Qingmu and said in a relaxed tone: "Captain Li, I learned about it from your navy.
The Jiangnan gentry purchased a large number of red cannons from the Dutch.
There were some local gentry in Fujian who were practicing armed training, but they were vulnerable and did not have much impact on our army.
The gentry in Zhejiang were richer and could run larger-scale regiment training and armed forces.
I have always been worried that the gentry's regimental training weapons and these red barbarian cannons will cause certain obstacles to our army.
What I thought before was too extreme. These gentry have different interests based on their different origins.
In Wenzhou Prefecture and Ningbo Prefecture, a large part of the gentry here are mainly engaged in maritime trade, and their dependence on land is very low.
Because our policy is mainly aimed at the gentry who own a large amount of land.
The gentry who are mainly engaged in maritime trade have a better attitude towards us.
They know that we are vigorously developing maritime trade in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
It has strong maritime trade interests and some land interests, which can be completely discarded.
These gentry accepted us very quickly, and most of the prefectures and counties they controlled chose to surrender to us.
Especially counties in coastal areas surrendered very quickly.
The land-based gentry are very hostile to us.
The regiment they led was well-armed and very offensive.
They not only held fast to the county seat, but never surrendered until the city was breached.
These gentry regiments were trained in armed forces, and they dared to take the initiative to attack our army's garrison troops and logistics troops.
But someone tipped us off that their overall combat effectiveness is not strong.
The heavily armed Qin army could directly wipe out these gentry's nests where they trained and armed themselves.
Once the commanding gentry is captured, these regiment trainers, as if their backbone has been ripped out, will immediately surrender on a large scale."
Li Qingmu nodded and said: "The enemy we face is never a whole.
They are all composed of different forces.
We divide and disintegrate these forces based on their circumstances.
This will make it easier to resolve the resistance of these gentry.
After all, whether they participate in maritime trade or not, the interests of the big gentry and the small gentry are completely different.
Now our army is no longer as difficult as it was when we first started.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is only a matter of time before our army takes over the world.
In order to preserve their family, they will not resist too fiercely as long as they have a glimmer of hope."
Zhang Yuliang agreed with Li Qingmu's words and found that the battlefield situation had changed.
He looked through his binoculars and saw that the soldiers of the Third Division had successfully landed.
Zhang Yuliang said happily: "We have already reached Zhejiang, according to the military report sent by Commander Su Xiong some time ago.
The First Army, the Second Army, and the Fifth Army have fully attacked the southern Zhili area.
After occupying Zhejiang, our army will also march north to South Zhili. At that time, four armies will attack South Zhili.
The Hongyi artillery purchased by the Ming Dynasty were all deployed in Nanjing City. They could not stop the attack of the four armies of our army.
After capturing Nanzhili, the war came to an end.
Everyone can rest and recuperate."
Li Qingmu said: "The war between your army's northern battlefield and southern battlefield is over.
You can rest and recuperate.
The king will also establish a new country, and the people can live a stable life.
Our Navy should be very busy.
The benefits of maritime trade are too huge and no country will let it go."
Li Qingmu felt that they could win so quickly.
It means that King Su He of Qin has enough money.
The consumption of a large amount of weapons and ammunition, the pensions of soldiers in the army, and the consumption of daily training of the Qin army all require huge amounts of silver coins.
The military expenditures of the Qin army mainly came from industrial and commercial taxes and the purchase of war bonds by the gentry.
Those businessmen had the ability to pay huge taxes and purchase bonds worth millions of taels of silver at one time.
This is also closely related to the development of maritime trade. The merchants who paid large amounts of taxes and purchased large amounts of bonds were mainly merchants engaged in maritime trade.
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Zhang Yuliang led the soldiers of the Third Division of the Eighth Army to launch an attack on Ningbo Prefecture.
Dinghai County has become a logistics supply center, continuously transporting logistics supplies to the front line.
Field hospitals and other related institutions also immediately began to perform their functions.
The water network in the Jiangnan area was crisscrossed, so they captured many small boats and rushed to Ningbo via water transportation.
Zhang Yuliang said to Hu Hai: "Do you feel that the Ming army here in Ningbo Prefecture is very weak.
It is also very rare for the gentry to practice armed training.
I read Zhang Ziqing's military report and found that the Ming army in Wenzhou Prefecture was much stronger than that in Ningbo Prefecture.
This situation is very abnormal.
Ningbo Prefecture is the most important place for smuggling by the gentry in the Ming Dynasty, and its economy is extremely developed.
The Ming army here can also learn some information about the Xiyi people, and they have a better understanding of the power of firearms.
I now feel that there are too few Ming military firearms here, which is completely abnormal."
Hu Hai guessed: "The army commander, maybe the elite of the Ming army, are all concentrated in the city of Ningbo.
The armies from all over the Ming Dynasty habitually put their best things in their capitals.
They don't pay much attention to counties and towns.
This is very good news for us.
There are no counties or towns to stop our army, so it is not too difficult to capture the Ming army's city."
Zhang Yuliang fell into deep thought. He felt that this reason was too far-fetched.
The Eighth Army soon arrived at the city of Ningbo Prefecture, and Zhang Yuliang asked Hu Hai to try to attack the city of Ningbo Prefecture.
Under the cover of artillery, Hu Hai led his troops to easily scale the city wall of Ningbo City.
The soldiers threw grenades and fired a few shots, and the Ming troops on the wall fled.
Zhang Yuliang led his troops into Ningbo City. He frowned and said, "The situation is not right now. The Ming army here in Ningbo City is too weak.
None of them can compare with the strength of the gentry training group outside the city."
Zhang Yuliang immediately sent troops to seize local officials and interrogate them.
The situation in Zhejiang must have undergone unusual changes.
After Zhang Yuliang interrogated many officials in Ningbo Prefecture, he learned about the current situation in Zhejiang.
Su Li of the Fifth Army, with a force of 60,000 to 70,000 including the garrison, rushed from Ningguofu, South Zhili, into northwest Zhejiang.
After they captured Quzhou Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture, they launched an attack on Hangzhou Prefecture.
Lord Lu Zhenfei, Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, urgently mobilized the Ming army from Ningbo and Shaoxing to support Hangzhou Prefecture.
When Zhang Yuliang heard the news, he understood the reason for the change in the situation in Zhejiang.
The Fifth Army actually moved south from Nanzhili and was about to reach Hangzhou Prefecture.
Ningbo Prefecture and Shaoxing Prefecture are now empty of troops.
Zhang Yuliang immediately divided his forces and captured the remaining counties in Ningzhou Prefecture, while sending troops to attack Shaoxing Prefecture.
He also sent troops to inform the navy of the news and let the naval fleet enter Hangzhou Bay to assist the Fifth Army in attacking Hangzhou.
The fifth army's labor force is on an expedition, and the logistics supplies may not be smooth.
They have already reached the coast of Zhejiang. The navy's transport ships carry a large amount of supplies, which can replenish the supplies of the Fifth Army.
The Third Division of the Eighth Army attacked Ningbo and Shaoxing. The resistance of the Ming army in the two prefectures was very weak. The elite troops here had been mobilized by the Hangzhou Prefecture.
June 16th.
Zhang Yuliang led his troops to the Qiantang River.
He saw the Qin army camp on the other side of the river.
Floating bridges have been erected on the Qiantang River.
It seems that the Fifth Army is also preparing to pass through the pontoon bridge and attack Shaoxing Prefecture.
Zhang Yuliang ordered the Eighth Army to set up camp and sent communications troops to contact the Fifth Army.
He confirmed each other's identities with the Fifth Army on the opposite side.
Zhang Yuliang and several assistants walked across the pontoon bridge and came to the barracks of the Fifth Army.
Su Li walked out of the military camp at this time, and he said embarrassedly: "Commander Zhang, I was negligent.
Our army was preparing to attack Shaoxing Prefecture when we suddenly heard that the Eighth Army had captured Shaoxing Prefecture.
I informed the army to make some adjustments, and we were ready to make a comeback and attack Nanjing again.
I still want to thank the Eighth Army for its help, without you notifying the navy to enter Hangzhou Bay.
Our army will not receive a large amount of ammunition replenishment and will have enough strength to capture the city of Hangzhou."
When Su Li said this, he gritted his teeth.
He captured Ningguofu in Nanzhili and tried to attack Nanjing City, but the Fifth Army was blocked by Moling Pass.
It lasted five days and there was no progress.
The main reason was that the logistics supply line was long, and he also underestimated the enemy and rushed forward.
The logistics supply lines were not fully grasped, the transport troops were harassed by the Ming army, and ammunition could not keep up with consumption.
Su Li saw that the Ming army was trying to encircle him, so he immediately withdrew his troops.
After fighting several blocking battles, the arrogance of the Ming army was eliminated.
Su Li went south to attack Zhejiang and surrounded Hangzhou Prefecture, but encountered the problem of insufficient ammunition.
After the navy came into contact with them, the Fifth Army obtained sufficient supplies and captured the city of Hangzhou.
When Zhang Yuliang heard Su Li's thanks, he smiled and said: "This is completely a small problem. We should help each other to solve the difficulties we encounter."
Zhang Yuliang asked Su Li about the situation on the battlefield in the southern Zhili area.
He exchanged a few words with Su Li and exchanged some experiences on leading troops in battle.
Zhang Yuliang returned to the military camp on the other side and contacted the navy.
Take a navy ship and rush to the battleship Qin Shihuang.
In front of Li Qingmu, he spread out a map of the southern Zhili area.
"Captain Li, can navy ships enter the Yangtze River?
Assist our army to attack the prefectures and counties along the Yangtze River.
We can capture Yangzhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, and Zhenjiang Prefecture along the way.
In this way, the First Army is from the west of Nanjing, the Second Army is from the north of Nanjing, the Fifth Army is from the south of Nanjing, and we are from the east of Nanjing.
Surrounding Nanjing City on all sides, making it impossible for the Ming army in Nanjing City to escape."
Li Qingmu was thinking about Zhang Yuliang's combat method.
"The battleship's draft is too deep and there is no way to enter the Yangtze River.
Cruisers can enter the Yangtze River.
It happened that the cruiser Foshan had just undergone major repairs and the new cruiser Guilin was put into service.
These two cruisers, together with some ordinary warships, formed the Yangtze River Fleet to assist the Eighth Army.
They can travel in inland rivers, and their firepower is better than that of inland river warships."
After the naval battle between the Qin army's navy and the Xiyi people's navy.
It was found that the naval gun coordination was unreasonable, so while the ship was being overhauled, the naval gun configuration was changed.
The Guilin sank, but most of the officers and soldiers on board were still alive.
Li Qingmu transferred a cruiser of the same model that had just been tested at sea and used it as the new Guilin.
After Zhang Yuliang discussed with Li Qingmu, he immediately gave the order to the Eighth Army.
Let the third division board the ship at the Qiantang River and head north.
Zhejiang was put in charge of Zhang Ziqing, commander of the Second Division, to assist civilian officials in handling Zhejiang affairs.
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The battleship Qin Shihuang took the lead, and the navy, with a large number of transport ships, set out from Hangzhou Bay to attack the Yangtze River Estuary not far away.
Admiral Feng Sanqiu of the Second Fleet commanded the warships to begin attacking the Ming Navy on Chongming Island.
The Ming navy here had no strength to withstand the Qin navy's attack.
The navy quickly captured Chongming Island and controlled the Yangtze River estuary.
Li Qingmu looked at the Songjiang Mansion next to him, and asked Zhang Yuliang: "Commander Zhang, our navy has the ability to fight directly from the mouth of the Yangtze River to the gates of Nanjing.
Your Eighth Army chooses to occupy Songjiang Prefecture and other prefectures little by little, or let the navy ship send you directly to the gates of Nanjing."
Zhang Yuliang looked at Li Qingmu's confident expression, and the suggestion he made was very attractive.
Zhang Yuliang thought for a moment, waved his hand, and replied: "Our mission is to occupy the prefectures and counties of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming army had a large territory, so they could collect taxes and recruit young men to resist our army.
The king said, don't worry about the gains and losses of a city or a place.
Now that we have reached the gates of Nanjing, we may not be able to capture Nanjing just by ourselves.
However, the prefectures and counties east of Nanjing were captured to cut off Nanjing's retreat.
That would have a much greater effect than stationing troops under Nanjing City.
When our army surrounded Nanjing City from all sides, no matter how strong the city wall was, it could not stop our army's attack.
Occupying the prefectures and counties east of Nanjing would also allow naval transport ships to pass smoothly without being blocked by the local Ming army.
This can provide sufficient material support for the army attacking Nanjing City."
After Zhang Yuliang thought carefully, he chose to conquer the prefectures and counties east of Nanjing first.
The Third Division of the Seventh Army, with the help of the navy, landed at Songjiang Prefecture.
