On the second day after Zhu Yousong ascended to the throne, Qian Qianyi, Huang Zongxi, Hou Xun and others from both the government and the public rose up to attack. Even some members of the Donglin Party joined the attack on them, and the memorial to Tan Hai was also Flying like snowflakes towards the court, in just one day, there were more than 200 memorials to Tan Hai. The former gentleman and moral model suddenly turned into Wang Mang, Cao Cao and his like who were rebellious and seeking the throne. On the same day, Qian Qianyi, Huang Zongxi, Hou Xun and other seventeen people finally resigned collectively because they could not bear the huge pressure of public opinion.
Fortunately, Zhu Yousong only approved their resignation and did not hold them accountable. Then he immediately issued an order to reinstate Shi Kefa and Wu Zongguan to their posts as the first and second assistants. After the split of Donglin, the political struggle in Nanjing continued. Once upon a time a dramatic change occurred.
Because Shi Kefa was currently living in Nanjing, he was recruited into the palace and reinstated on the same day, taking full charge of Nanjing's defense. Shi Kefa took office, and on behalf of the cabinet, he proposed that Shang Yi lead the army to Nanjing to garrison, which was immediately approved by Zhu Yousong. He also decided to use Gao Hongtu and Wang Dehua, the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department, as envoys to go to Hangzhou to recruit Shang Yi. At the same time, he also recruited Wu Di to return to Nanjing to take up a post.
Moreover, Shi Kefa was afraid that Shang Yi would not come to Nanjing, so he wrote a letter to Shang Yi himself, asking him to put the overall situation first. He also wrote a letter to Wu Di, asking him to try his best to persuade Shang Yi to send troops. .
Gao Hongtu and Wang Dehua set out from Nanjing on December 20th. They also knew that the situation was critical and could not be delayed, so they rushed all the way. By this time, the first heavy snow since the beginning of winter in Jiangnan had passed, and the temperature had warmed up a bit. , although the road still has a lot of snow-covered water, it is still easier to walk than the snow, and the section from Huzhou to Hangzhou is a new road, wide and flat, and there is no water. The itinerary They also speeded up a lot and arrived in Hangzhou on the 22nd. When entering the city, the two of them were also warmly welcomed by Shang Yi and Wu Di.
After reading out the imperial edict, Shang Yi immediately said that he had no personal enmity with the Donglin Party members and that it was his duty to serve the country. Moreover, the soldiers, horses, food and supplies in Zhejiang had been prepared, and he would be there tomorrow. Send troops and rush to Nanjing to garrison, and also ask the two envoys to rest assured.
Gao Hongtu and Wang Dehua couldn't help but feel relieved after hearing this. Unexpectedly, Shang Yi agreed immediately without even showing Shi Kefa's letter. However, in this way, Nanjing still had hope of holding on.
It turned out that the day before Gao Hongtu and Wang Dehua arrived in Hangzhou, Akashi Ji, the secret envoy of the Xuanhuang Sect, had arrived in Hangzhou, met with Shang Yi to state his interests, and said that now the Donglin Party was no longer an obstacle, and the Xuanhuang Sect It can control the situation in Nanjing, so as long as Shang Yi is willing to lead his army to Nanjing to garrison, Xuanhuangjiao is willing to do everything possible to cooperate with Shang Yi, defend Nanjing and resist the Qing army.
In fact, Shang Yi had known about what happened in Nanjing for a long time, and thought what happened in the Golden Palace was very funny. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yousong could come up with such a trick to make the Donglin Party suffer such a humiliating loss in the Golden Palace. Of course, all of this It was really not easy for the Duxuan Emperor to instigate Cehua from behind. But when the emperor reached this point, it was indeed enough. Shang Yi did not doubt Akashi Ji's words, because with Zhu Yousong's IQ, he would definitely not be able to think of this. This is a damaging move. It seems that the Xuanhuang Sect has indeed firmly grasped Zhu Yousong. After eliminating the Donglin Party, it can indeed control the entire Nanjing situation.
Although Shang Yi had already made plans to fall to Nanjing and use Zhejiang's strength to resist the Qing army, these were the worst plans based on the Donglin Party's unwillingness to deploy itself to garrison Nanjing. From Shang Yi's heart
He said that he still very much hoped to be able to defend Nanjing, because if Nanjing was not lost, the Qing army would not be able to bypass it.
Passing through Nanjing to attack the Zhejiang area, this way, the Zhejiang area does not have to face the Qing army directly, and it can also greatly reduce the damage and impact of the war on the Zhejiang area. It is still of great benefit to the Zhejiang area. Moreover
You can also strengthen your depth and room for maneuver against the Qing army.
In addition, at the same time, Nanjing is the political and economic center of the entire south, and is now the capital of Nanming. Therefore, whether in strategic or political significance, it is very important to defend Nanjing and the entire south's resistance to Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Shang Yi and
After discussing with Akashi Hime, she also decided to send troops immediately and try her best to defend Nanjing.
However, although he decided to send troops, Shang Yi also knew that it would not be easy to defend Nanjing. The situation Nanjing faced now was indeed very critical, because the Qing army advanced from both sides of the Yangtze River, and almost all strategic positions along the river were lost, and the city of Nanjing was also directly exposed
In front of the Qing army's front.
Although the city defense facilities in Nanjing City are very strong, the area that needs to be defended is too large and wide. It will take at least five to six divisions to completely defend it. And the current merchant army cannot concentrate so many troops in Nanjing City.
garrisoned here. Therefore Shang Yi quickly made a plan
Plan to garrison Nanjing with only a small number of troops and guard a few key points of the city. When the Qing army attacks, they can appropriately abandon a few city gates, put the Qing army into the city, and use the streets in the city.
He used the key areas and his own familiarity with Nanjing's environment to fight street battles with the Qing Army.
Anyway, as long as Nanjing City is not withdrawn, it means that Nanjing has not been completely lost, which is justified at the political and strategic levels. At the same time, it can hold back a large number of Qing troops and ensure the security of the Zhejiang region. Moreover, the tactical characteristics of the merchant army and
Weapons are better than Qing
The Qing army was suitable for street fighting, so they used urban warfare to contain the Qing army on the inside. At the same time, the main force of the merchant army roamed around Nanjing, looking for fighter planes to try their best to annihilate the Qing army's effective forces, turning the Nanjing defense battle into a battle that was carried out three hundred years in advance.
Defense of Leningrad.
This is the best tactical plan adopted by Shang Yi to defend Nanjing under the current conditions. Of course, because the battlefield is mainly conducted in the city, implementing this tactic will definitely cause significant damage to Nanjing's urban facilities.
, and civilian casualties
It may also be very huge, but Shang Yi has no other way. Anyway, Nanjing is not his territory, and the road to death is not a poor road. Even if Nanjing is reduced to ruins, as long as he can block the Qing army and protect the Zhejiang area
, that is also worth it.
Akashi Ji did not object to the plan proposed by Shang Yi to defend Nanjing. She was naturally aware of the current situation in Nanjing. Therefore, the hope of defending Nanjing was not so much relying on the superior combat effectiveness of the merchant army.
It is said that he relied on Shang Yi to win every battle.
It’s just that fighting a war is not just about armies, but about relying on strength and the miracle of the weak defeating the strong. It’s not that easy to stage. To put it bluntly, Nanjing now has the right time, location, people and people. Why should we refuse?
What about the enemy Qing army? Even the Xuanhuang Sect itself had a red heart and prepared with both hands, planning to withdraw from Nanjing and escape at any time.
However, the Xuanhuang Sect also knows the importance of Nanjing, so it is not willing to give up Nanjing easily unless it is absolutely necessary. And Akashi Ji came to Hangzhou this time to see if Shang Yi can show a true
There is no way to defend Nanjing. If Shang Yi can't come up with a truly feasible way, the Xuanhuang Sect has no intention of just waiting to die in Nanjing.
After Shang Yi proposed such a plan, Akashi Ji truly felt that if Shang Yi's tactics were followed, it would indeed be feasible to defend Nanjing. Therefore, on behalf of the Xuanhuang Sect, he promised to fully support Shang Yi's plan.
Plan to jointly resist the Qing army's attack. It also ensures that the masters of the Xuanhuang Sect will listen to Shang Yi's orders.
After getting Akashi Ji's approval, Shang Yi felt a little more confident. Because the first condition for fighting street fighting is that the urban environment is favorable to him. This environment includes the geographical environment and the support environment of the people, and the Qing court is obviously also in Nanjing.
Many intelligence personnel were stationed, so this battle to defend Nanjing was not only
There is an open war, and there is probably a secret war. Although I also have an intelligence network in Nanjing, it is obvious that the Xuanhuang Sect has a much greater advantage in this regard than I do. After all, they are a local snake in Nanjing, and they have already
It has been in business for a hundred years. With their full cooperation, things will certainly be much easier to handle.
So Shang Yi and Akashi Ji discussed some details of cooperation. Both parties reached an agreement on many aspects of cooperation such as city defense, unified command, and covert actions. Then Akashi Ji said goodbye to Shang Yi and rushed overnight.
Return to Nanjing and report to the Jiao Zhong.
It is precisely because Shang Yi has done everything in his mind that he seems calm and unhurried when he receives the envoys from the imperial court today, and he agrees to send troops immediately, and also expresses impassionedly that he will
He will make every effort to protect Nanjing and save the fate of the Ming Dynasty.
Wu Di had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, he was very happy to be able to resume his post just over a month after resigning. Moreover, his political opponents had also been eliminated, and he no longer had to worry.
If someone is dealing with him, at least this time he can sit in the position of second assistant for a longer time.
But Wu Di also knew in his heart that the current situation was not much better than when Chongzhen stayed in Beijing. It can be said that Nanjing was also in danger and could be breached by the Qing army at any time. Therefore, being reinstated at this time may not be a good thing.
This is a good thing. However, Shang Yi has already stated that he will lead his army to garrison Nanjing, which also gives Wu Di a little confidence. Although Wu Di does not know Shang Yi's plan to defend Nanjing yet, he has confidence in Shang Yi's military capabilities.
Still quite convinced.
So after receiving the two envoys, Shang Yi also arranged for them to rest in the post office, and he immediately summoned the generals to start making arrangements. Tomorrow everyone will set out together to lead his troops to garrison in Nanjing.