Chapter 225 New Year's Eve - Take the initiative (1)
On December 26, Tun Qi led the vanguard of the Qing army to break through the outer city wall of Nanjing and stationed themselves at the university campus in the southeast outside Nanjing. On the same day, Zhenghong Banner Manchuria Gushan Ezhen Han Dai also led
The army is stationed by Nanhu in the southwest of Nanjing. The outside troops of the Merchant Army have also entered the pre-arranged position and are looking for fighters.
On the 27th, Azige personally led an army to Nanjing City and stationed his troops at Jubao Mountain in the south of the city. At this time, the Qing Army had gathered about 120,000 troops outside Nanjing City, and most of them were stationed in the south.
Because the city of Nanjing was too big, more than 100,000 troops could not surround it, so they could only block one side of Nanjing. On that day, the Qing Army launched its first tentative attack on the city of Nanjing. The main attack direction was
Treasure Gate.
Although Shang Yi was ready for street battles with the Qing army, this did not mean that he would give up defending Nanjing's city walls, because Nanjing City has very complete city defense facilities and the outer Qinhuai River as a moat. The Qing army wanted to
Directly attack Nanjing City
, we must first forcibly cross the Qinhuai River outside. With such good conditions, it would be a waste if we do not take advantage of them and deal a heavy blow to the Qin army first. Retreating to Nanjing City is really untenable.
Choice in the case of city walls.
Moreover, at this time, the Merchant Army had also set up defensive positions outside the Qinhuai River, using the Qinhuai River as a barrier to resist the Qing army's attack. Although the Qinhuai River is not a big river, under the tight firepower of the Merchant Army, it was impossible to break through.
It’s not that easy, and the merchant army’s navy
It also blocked the Yangtze River entrance of the Qinhuai River, preventing the Qing navy from passing through the Yangtze River to support the attack. They could only rely on more than a hundred small boats temporarily recruited by the Qinhuai River to cross the Qinhuai River, many of which could hold ten people.
There are more than a dozen soldiers and a dozen or so boats.
Although the Merchant Army did not bring many heavy artillery this time, it was more than enough to hit such a small boat. Therefore, the sound of the artillery roared, causing water columns to rise and the waves to roll on the Qinhuai River. The Qing army's ships were sunk one by one, and the Qing soldiers
They fell into the water one by one and died, because they were unable to attack the other side. Under the attack of the merchant army, Azig quickly understood that a strong attack was useless, so he quickly retreated and stopped fighting.
This time, the people and officials in Nanjing finally experienced the tense atmosphere of an army approaching the city. Although the Qing army had not yet invaded Nanjing, the huge explosions outside the city could still be heard very clearly. However, it was not.
It didn't take long for the explosions to calm down, and the city of Nanjing also realized that the merchant army had once again repelled the Qing army's attack, so there was a burst of joy. The reputation of the merchant army was once again pushed to its peak.
However, in the next three days, the Qing army remained stationary and did not launch another attack on Nanjing. It only launched a tentative attack on the merchant navy on the river, but was hit by the navy's heavy artillery.
After sinking more than ten ships, they immediately retreated. The city of Nanjing also regained a lot of vitality, because the people's confidence in the merchant army was greatly enhanced.
But Shang Yi knew very well that the Qing army's attack had just begun, and was all tentative. Moreover, artillery, guns and other firearms had not been used yet. They probably had not arrived yet. Therefore, the real threat was still behind and must not be avoided.
I thought that the Qing army only had its skills.
Moreover, through reconnaissance of the Qing army outside the city, Shang Yi also knew that although the Qing army had not discovered any attacks in the past few days, they were not idle either. Instead, they were working hard to chop down trees and build rafts, and they also collected a large number of people from the Yangtze River. The ships are obviously preparing for the next attack. It can also be imagined that once the Qing army launches another attack, both intensity and scale will be much larger than these few times.
So Shang Yi also took this opportunity to issue a comprehensive mobilization to the residents of Nanjing, calling on the people to resist until the last moment once the Qing army breached the Nanjing city wall, regardless of gender, age or child. .
Of course, Shang Yi will not just wait for the Qing army to attack in the city. Although Cheng Jin on the outside is mainly responsible for finding opportunities to annihilate the enemy, in defense on the inside, we still have to focus on myself and actively strive to take the initiative to attack. opportunities and firmly grasp the initiative on the battlefield. This is the tactical and strategic thinking that Shang Yi has been taught since he received military education.
However, although the Qing army has not launched another attack, it still defends the camp very tightly, setting up checkpoints at every level and fortifying step by step. There have been several small battles involving hundreds of people on both sides. Although the merchant army has taken advantage of the range and firepower, it has been They all had the upper hand, but there was never a good opportunity to launch a medium- to large-scale attack.
When the river bank failed, Shang Yi also turned his attention to the Yangtze River.
According to the information provided by the scouts, the Qing navy was stationed at Longjiang Pass, also known as the famous Longshan Shipyard, and almost all the ships collected were anchored here. If the Longshan Shipyard could be destroyed, the Qing navy could be severely damaged. , not only can it eliminate the support of the Qing army from the Yangtze River, but it can also cut off the connection between the two sides of the Yangtze River. The merchant army can also pass through the Yangtze River and launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Qing army. It can be said that it kills multiple birds with one stone.
On the water surface, the navy of the merchant army has an absolute advantage. Although the fourth and fifth fleets do not have battleship-class warships, compared with the river ships temporarily recruited by the Qing army, they are definitely at the level of giants, and they can all be used on the water surface. Sailing in the Yangtze River, it has an overwhelming advantage in firepower, so it is completely possible to fight a strong offensive battle, so Shang Yi also approached Huang Zhen, the commander of the navy, to discuss the plan for the attack.
And just when Shang Yi was formulating a plan to attack Longshan Shipyard, he also received a flying pigeon message from Cheng Jin. It turned out that Cheng Jin had found a fighter plane.
After Azig's army approached the city of Nanjing, Jueluo Bahana was tasked with protecting his flanks. The total number of troops was about 40,000, and they were stationed in Ningguofu, Gaochun, Lishui and other places. They were generally arranged in a north-south column, blocking the way. The road from Guangde to Nanjing was opened. However, the total military strength was actually not as large as the external forces of the Merchant Army.
Of course, this cannot be blamed on Azig, because to attack a strong city like Nanjing, the main force must be concentrated, and according to the combat common sense of this era, Azig also believed that Shang Yi would definitely concentrate the main force and defend Nanjing with all his strength. A certain amount of troops will be retained on the outside, but it will only serve as a containment, with a maximum of 10,000 or 20,000 troops. This is because Azig heard that the merchant army is very good at launching surprise attacks, so he deployed so many troops to defend himself. The flank, in his opinion, should be completely sufficient.
Cheng Jin's first attack target was Gaochun County. Gaochun County is located southwest of Yingtian Prefecture, just between Gucheng Lake and Shijiu Lake. The offensive area is not large. Jueluo Bahana left 10,000 defenders here. However, Gaochun County is the middle point of the Qing army's outer defense. As long as Gaochun is attacked, the entire Qing army's outer line will be affected, which will also facilitate the merchant army to use troop dispatch to defeat them one by one.
Although Gaochun County also has the disadvantages of narrow terrain and small offensive area, Cheng Jin believes that as long as the merchants' advantage in firepower is used and the artillery and infantry cooperate, Gaochun County is still very confident. And even if the attack is
Without leaving Gaochun County, we can still implement the tactic of encirclement and reinforcements. If we can annihilate the reinforcements of the Qing army, we will also achieve the strategic goal.
Therefore, Cheng Jin also planned to dispatch two divisions, two brigades, and a cavalry regiment for this battle, with a total strength of about 38,000. The two divisions would be responsible for the main attack on Gaochun, and the two brigades and the cavalry regiment would be responsible for covering the battle.
Call for reinforcements. The time for this battle is set on December 30, New Year’s Eve. Because on this day, people’s psychology will always be more relaxed than usual.
After reading the successful plan to attack Gaochun, Shang Yi was also very satisfied. This was in line with his requirements. Since the Qing army concentrated its main force under Nanjing City, there was no need to be polite on the outside, and this battle was successful.
The chance is almost 100%. In addition, the navy that plans to attack the Qing army can also be launched at the same time.
At the same time, the Qing army suffered a real heavy blow, and once the Qing army's outer lines and naval forces were hit at the same time, then the inner lines must be mobilized. In this way, they might be able to find fighters on the inner lines and form a continuous attack.
attack opportunities. And maybe after this battle, the current critical situation can be reversed.
So Shang Yi immediately replied to Cheng Jin and asked him to proceed as planned. At the same time, he also ordered Huang Zhen and Ma to organize a fleet to prepare for the attack on the Qing navy, and the time was set for December 30th.
It also allowed the Qing army to spend a special New Year's Eve night.
After making preparations for the battle, Shang Yi notified the Xuanhuang Sect, Shi Kefa and Wu Zong respectively of the plan to attack simultaneously by water and land. Of course, before the final result was announced, they were also informed
Don't make it public, only a limited number of people know about it.
After learning about Shang Yi's series of military plans, both Zhu Shicheng, the leader of Xuanhuang, Shi Kefa, and Wu Di were once again amazed by Shang Yi's mysterious military skills. They never imagined that it would be so critical now.
under the situation
, Shang Yi still has a way to save it. Of course they all know that this time the attack on both fronts has a high chance of success, and it is very likely to win on both fronts. It seems that Shang Yi defended Nanjing and repel the Qing army for the second time.
A southern invasion is not impossible.
At the same time, Shi Kefa and Wu Di also told Shang Yi that although the Qing army was now approaching the city, on the night of New Year's Eve, the palace would still hold a New Year's Eve banquet as usual, and would also distribute some free food and wine to the people of Nanjing, and also invite the merchant army to send a party.
detachment of troops and hold a small-scale prisoner dedication ceremony, which is actually just a
This military parade, and Shang Yi, as the pillar of Nanjing City, must attend, and this prisoner presentation ceremony will naturally be performed by the merchant army. Therefore, Shang Yi is asked to make defensive arrangements on this day. Of course, there is also a special concession on this day
Shang Yi brought several guards to the dinner so that he could give orders to the merchant army at any time.
After Shang Yi heard this, he thought about it and felt that it was okay to still hold the New Year's Eve dinner. Of course, Shang Yi's focus was not on the dinner, but on the military parade before the dinner, because on the one hand, it could calm people's hearts, and on the other hand, it could also encourage them.
The morale of the civil and military officials would be even better if they could receive a good news report that night and announce it immediately, so they agreed.