After receiving a positive answer from Mu Tan, Zhou Kaihuang and Zhao Tianba were both surprised.

Zheng Chenggong's army stopped fighting many times because the soldiers were thinking of returning, and once Geng Jimao attacked the base by sneak attacks. Therefore, Zheng Chenggong had already decided to take all his family away before this expedition, and Mu Tan was also very clear about this.

After a while, Zhou Kaihuang comforted Mu Tan, saying that he had heard from the seniors who had been scrambling the camp, and the situation might not really get that bad. However, Zhou Kaihuang obviously lacked confidence when he said these words.

Zhao Tianba privately suggested returning to Huguang to Deng Ming, and he no longer had much hope for Zheng Chenggong's victory: "Even the family of Zhang Shangshu has arrived, the family of Yanpingfan will certainly be in the army earlier. Once the morale of more than 100,000 troops is disintegrated, it will not be easy to pack up. Let's go back to Huguang first to avoid being in danger; if the prince of Yanping is more cautious than Zhang Shangshu, it will not be too late for us to go to Nanjing after he wins."

Deng Ming shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I can't win. If Prince Yanping thought of this, how could he not remind Mr. Zhang?" Zheng Chenggong had never had any experience in moving combat. Deng Ming probably didn't know the tricks. He said to Zhao Tianba: "There are tens of thousands of Fujian troops and tens of thousands of Zhejiang troops. Although we may not be able to play a big role in going to Nanjing, we can't watch so many good men in danger and do nothing."

Since Deng Ming was determined to continue moving forward, the guards naturally did not object. Everyone discussed that night how to help Zheng Chenggong gather the morale of the army, but after discussing for a long time, they did not come up with a feasible countermeasure. Zhao Tianba even asserted that even if the Prince of Yanping obeyed Deng Mingyan, this matter would be difficult to recover. I am afraid the best way is to temporarily evacuate from the city of Nanjing, at least return to Zhenjiang. After getting rid of the enemy, mobilize the military and the family to separate, place these relatives before making a comeback. However, this not only takes a lot of time, but also makes it not easy to get the family safely out of the enemy.

This conclusion made Deng Ming feel a little desperate.

Zheng Chenggong has been invincible since entering the Yangtze River. The Qing army is no match for the Fujian army at all. Nanjing is the goal that Zheng Chenggong is determined to win. How could he convince him to withdraw his troops at the moment when his victory is in sight? But what is more worried about now is time. Zhou Kaihuang said that after his family arrives, the Fujian army will become a mess within ten days. I wonder if the family has arrived for a few days. Is it because the Qing army has begun to notice the chaos of the Ming army.

...

Nanjing, August 5th, today is the thirteenth day after Zheng’s army arrived at the city of Nanjing, and the eleventh day after the family arrived.

The recent movements of the Ming army outside the city made the Qing army very puzzled. As Yu Xin's troops closest to Nanjing, their camp now seems to have become a town. The Ming army has built a large number of simple houses. These chaotic buildings not only have no defense capabilities, but also hindered the Ming army's own reconnaissance and contact capabilities.

Looking at the large camp outside the city, Guan Xiaozhong, Liang Huafeng and other Qing army generals looked at each other. The Ming army opposite was not like an army, but more like a group of refugees who fled.

Yu Xin's troops were even more exposed to the eyes of the Qing army on the city. The soldiers went to the riverside to fish in groups every day. A few days ago, soldiers caught the Yangtze River fish for their families. The neighbor's children were jealous and shouted to eat. So the fathers in the camp went fishing together. Guan Qizhong, they could see that the Yangtze River was densely packed with soldiers from Yu Xin's troops. The Ming army traveled by the riverside and on the camp road, carrying fishing gear instead of weapons and armor.

When they saw that there were few people in the Ming army with weapons and many people with children, the Qing army generals suggested attacking these Ming army to try. However, the sound of this attack a few days ago was very weak, and everyone thought that it was Zheng Chenggong who deliberately lured the Qing army to attack. Once the Qing army launched an attack, it would be ambushed by Zheng Chenggong, who deliberately showed weakness. And now it was finally delayed by fraudulent surrender for a while. Nanjing City was looking forward to reinforcements from the north day and night. It originally planned to continue to delay after the expiration of the thirty-day period. If the attack was launched, wouldn’t it be that there would be no chance to delay time?

As time went by, the sound of demanding to take the initiative became louder, because the movements of the Ming army outside the city became less and less like a trick to lure the enemy. Now not only did Yu Xin's camp dispersed, but even the other Zheng troops behind him were completely devoid of the army. Including Zheng Chenggong's central army, the Ming army not only expanded camps like Yu Xin's troops, cast nets to fish by the river, but also no longer strictly investigated vendors.

Perhaps it was because Yu Xin was blocking the front. The Ming army on the second line seemed even more scattered than the front army. In the past three days, the camp was bustling like a market. Vendors and farmers around Nanjing City went to the Ming army camp every day to go to the market and sell poultry eggs, cloth, rice wine and other items to the Ming army.

At first, the Qing army in Nanjing did not believe it. Later, they sent soldiers to make up as vendors to reconnaissance at the Ming army camp. Sure enough, they easily passed the level and were almost not seriously investigated. A team of Qing army spies who made up as vegetable vendors even came to the side of the Ming army navy and were also greeted by the Ming army on the ship. After they got on the ship with cargo, many women immediately gathered around to choose and buy their various vegetables.

The Qing army did not spend much effort to spy on a large amount of urgently needed information in Nanjing. In just a few days, the Qing army had already marked the locations of various Zheng troops on the map, and also learned about the general situation of the Zheng army's troops and equipment.

Although the Ming army was so ridiculous, there was still endless debate on whether to take the initiative to attack the Qing army in the city. Governor Jiang Guozhu firmly opposed the battle. He had witnessed the powerful combat power of the Fujian army. Moreover, in the battle of Zhenjiang, Zheng Chenggong showed superb command ability and control of the army. The chaos outside the city was now in chaos, and it was weird no matter how you look at it. Other generals who participated in the battle of Zhenjiang were also politicians, and those generals who broke through Guazhou and fled back to Nanjing were also supporters of this faction.

However, many other generals who had not yet fought with Zheng Chenggong thought they could try it. Among them, the most determined person in the main battle was Liang Huafeng, who came to support from Chongming Island.

Previously, because Su Song's navy did not dare to intercept the Ming army, Zheng Chenggong was able to quickly break into the Yangtze River. First, Liang Huafeng had been impeached a lot, and civil and military officials in Nanjing wanted to use him as a scapegoat to shirk his unfavorable crimes of fighting. Secondly, Ma Fengzhi and Liang Huafeng's avoidance of the war were also suspected by many people to have a secret agreement with Zheng Chenggong. When Liang Huafeng came to reinforce Nanjing, some people in the city were worried that he was coming to make a profit for Zheng Chenggong, so they almost let him in.

In order to clear away the charges of avoiding the enemy and the suspicion of colluding with the enemy, Liang Huafeng insisted on going out of the city to counterattack, and caught Zheng Chenggong off guard.

The five hundred Hangzhou-garrisoned Eight Banners who had just arrived in Nanjing were the largest assault force in Nanjing. The main combat faction felt that if this cavalry was used to launch the first attack, there would be greater results. However, Jing Zhang, who commanded the Eight Banners soldiers, disagreed. After talking to the Eight Banners soldiers who fled back, he believed that the combat effectiveness of the Zheng army should not be underestimated. The original Eight Banners garrisoned Eight Banners were higher in terms of military strength and quality than the Eight Banners garrisoned Eight Banners. Moreover, after the destruction of the Eight Banners in Nanjing, these five hundred and Eight Banners were the most reliable force in Nanjing. If there were any accidents, it would be difficult to predict what the defenders in the city would do.

Although most of the Qing generals who fought with Zheng Chenggong were still scared, Guan Qizhong, the commander of the Zhenjiang Battle, agreed with Liang Huafeng's opinion and assured Lang Tingzuo, the governor of the Qing Dynasty Liangjiang who presided over today's meeting, the Ming army was not a trick to lure the enemy, but a sudden collapse of morale occurred due to some reasons.

The generals quarreled together. Lang Tingzuo looked at Guan Qizhong and Liang Huafeng who were strongly advocating the war, and knew the thoughts of these two people. If Liang Huafeng could not make meritorious contributions, then the charge of "no war, resulting in the destruction of the southeast" in the future would not be eliminated; and Guan Qizhong's situation was even worse. The eight banners in the country were only 20,000, and 4,000 were lost in Zhenjiang. As the commander of this battle, the Qing court would not spare him lightly in the future. If Guan Qizhong could not make meritorious and redeem himself, it would be very likely that the speculators would destroy the clan in the future.

"It is better to use mistakes than to make merits. Let Guan Xiaozhong and Liang Huafeng go out of the city and work hard, but the Manchu soldiers should not act rashly." Lang Tingzuo thought in his mind. He was not very sure of defending Nanjing. However, for more than ten years, the Qing Dynasty has been at the upper hand. It seems that the Southern Ming Dynasty is just a lingering breath. Lang Tingzuo is determined to stand on the side of the winner. The governor of Liangjiang Lang Tingzuo is in charge of the fertile land in the southeast. Even if he surrenders to Zheng Chenggong, he will not be able to get a better position than he is at present. The Ming court cannot hand over Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to a demobilized management.

After making up his mind, Lang Tingzuo ordered the troops in Nanjing to be on guard and sent the manager Xiao Zhong and Liang Huafeng to attack Yu Xin's troops at night to test the truth and reality of the Ming army. The Eight Banners of Hangzhou did not participate in this attack, but stayed in the city and monitored the various green camps in the city.

"If this battle is not won, when Guan Qizhong and Liang Huafeng come back, they will kill them and send their heads to Zheng Chenggong to apologize. They insist that they were the two of them making their own decisions." When the two went to rectify their troops, Lang Tingzuo had already decided to retreat. Both of them had passed letters with Zheng Chenggong. Seeing their false surrender and repeated recurrences, Zheng Chenggong was definitely angry. As long as they sent their heads, Lang Tingzuo felt that it was still possible to continue to delay time. Moreover, these two people were all guilty generals in the eyes of the Qing court, and even if they killed them, they would not make the court very dissatisfied. After all, Lang Tingzuo's purpose was to delay time and wait for reinforcements from the north to move south.

Although he was strongly advocating the war, Guan Xiaozhong and Liang Huafeng did not expect to send them to fight the Zheng army. Governor Lang also ordered them to only lead cavalry, obviously they were preparing to run away if they couldn't beat them. The military order was like a mountain. The two of them shouted so loudly just now that they could not retreat when things were about to happen, so they had to prepare for each of them.

"Although Zheng Ni seems careless, this battle cannot be taken lightly," Guan Xiaozhong said to Liang Huafeng: "If the situation is unfavorable, it may be better..."

"Even if the situation is unfavorable, can we still return to Jiangning (Nanjing)?" Liang Huafeng asked back.

The dignified Admiral Guan Qizhong now can only bring hundreds of Green Camp cavalry out of the city to rob the camp in person. Liang Huafeng was clearly the commander of the Susong Navy, and was ordered to take five hundred naval officers and soldiers on horseback to fight tens of thousands of Ming troops... In the heart of Lang Tingzuo, the Governor of Liangjiang, Guan Qizhong and Liang Huafeng's crimes were no matter how great it was.

Guan Qizhong was speechless, so he hurriedly bowed to Liang Huafeng to rectify the troops and prepare for the city to rob the camp. Many of the green camp cavalry who followed Guan Qizhong out of the city fled back from Zhenjiang and Guazhou. I heard that so few soldiers were going to fight with the Ming army, and many people looked fearful on their faces.

"Zheng Ni has indeed collapsed and his morale is corrupt. This matter is definitely not false." Guan Qizhong spent all his words to boost his morale: "If Zheng Ni can be hit by a head-on blow tonight, it will definitely shock Zheng Ni, and he will never dare to underestimate Jiangning's soldiers again..." Guan Qizhong told his subordinates that as long as this battle can hurt Yu Xin and make Zheng Chenggong hesitate, it will give Nanjing more time, and perhaps wait for more reinforcements to arrive.

After the preparations before the war, Guan Qizhong ordered to wrap the horse's hooves with cloth, tie the horse's mouth, and then open the city gate in the darkness and quietly walk out of the city.

Although they each used a city gate and Liang Huafeng, it took a long time for hundreds of cavalry to leave the city. In particular, in order to conceal their whereabouts, the Qing army could neither raise torches to light the light nor dare to gallop. Instead, everyone led their mounts and tiptoed out from under the city gate in the dark.

Seeing that the soldiers were unable to leave the city for a long time, Guan Qizhi was anxious. Although he used all the hidden means, the movements of so many people were still quite large. According to Guan Qizhi's experience, the attacking side during the siege would definitely set up secret sentries outside the city gates, and more than one place. Several times when the Qing soldiers accidentally made large noises, Guan Qizhi felt a sudden heartbeat, thinking that an arrow would rise into the sky immediately.

But the surroundings were still quiet and nothing happened. Guan Qizhong finally led all his troops out of the city. The Qing army still did not dare to be careless, and the cotton cloth wrapped in the horse's hooves had not been taken off. Guan Qizhong personally led the team and slowly sneaked towards Yuxin camp in the dark.

It should be inevitable to be discovered by a secret whistle, but the later it is discovered, the greater the results of the robbery. Guan Qizhong has explained in advance, and everyone put the bamboo tube of the fire-storing fold on his waist. Once it is discovered by a secret whistle by the Ming army, they will immediately ignite the fire, and then rushed to the Ming army camp at full speed, striving to kill as much as possible before the Ming army reacts.

But there was no sound around. The signal from the Ming army's secret whistle made Guan Qizhong anxious. And the harder he couldn't wait, the more worried Guan Qizhong was, and he wondered if the Ming army had any more hidden means of calling the police. Maybe the other party had already set up a trap and was waiting for him to go and fall into the trap.

Suddenly, a fire light appeared beside him. Guan Feizhong watched the fire dragon galloping towards the Ming army camp in a daze. From the direction and scale, Guan Feizhong determined that this was Liang Huafeng's army who had left the city from Yifeng Gate. Although the latter followed Guan Feizhong's advice and was also holding a man and carrying a horse's hoof when he left the city, the time spent leaving the city was longer than Guan Feizhong. After Liang Huafeng and other five hundred subordinates left the city, they were anxious to untied the package on the horse's hoof, and lit a torch and rushed straight to Yu Xin's camp.

"I raised the fire so far away. Is this a robbery or a death?" Guan Xiaozhong cursed in his heart. He knew that Liang Huafeng's men were all officers and soldiers of the Susong Navy, and most of their horses were collected along the way: "I was killed by you tonight."

Since it had been exposed, Guan Xiaozhong hurriedly issued an order. The officers and soldiers took action together, removed the cloth from the horse's hooves, took out the fire and lit the torch, and then all got on the horse and launched a charge towards the Ming army camp.

When he rushed into the Ming army's camp, Guan Qizhong's imagination of arrows and guns did not appear. The cavalry of the Qing army whizzed past the Ming army's camp room. The houses along the way were lit by torches, but Guan Qizhong still did not see the Ming army infantry lined up in front of him in armor, and there were no shouts of killing behind him. Instead, there were panic crying from women and children everywhere.

He rushed to the near the central tent of the Ming army, which was in front of the camp wall of Yu Xin's initial camp, Guan Qizhong did not see any enemy soldiers in a defensive posture on the camp wall. There was still no shouting and fighting, only the earth-shaking crying. Now Guan Qizhong felt that he was not robbing the camp, but looting an unguarded town. After rushing into the wall of the Ming army, a team of cavalry was finally blocking the way, but with the light of fire, Guan Qizhong could clearly see the Qing army uniforms on these people and the green flags they were holding.

This team of cavalry was under Liang Huafeng's men. They happily told Guan Xiaozhong that the Ming army's vanguard Yu Xin had been captured alive.

"Have you caught Yu Xin?" Guan Xiaozhong confirmed again. He felt as if he was dreaming.

"It's easy to capture." The Liang army officer and soldier looked happy. Before leaving the city, their commander also said that the Ming army was careless, but the soldiers were still uneasy. After all, the enemy they faced was very powerful. They defeated the elite Qing army in Nanjing in just two days, and they were also a navy member on Chongming Island not long ago. However, victory came so easily. Liang Huafeng rushed all the way from outside the camp to Yuxin's camp without any resistance. Zheng Chenggong's vanguard general was tied up by the Qing soldiers before he woke up.

Guan Qizhong felt that this was a dream. He had seen the courage of this Zheng army general on the battlefield in Zhenjiang. At that time, Yu Xin held a long horse-slashing sword and rushed to the front line of the Fujian army. Guan Qizhong saw Yu Xin wave a Eight Banners soldier standing in front of him in one stroke. As for Yu Xin's personal guard, he was also unstoppable. He followed the main general and quickly cut the Qing army front line, surrounding and annihilated Guan Qizhong's elite former army.

"Where is this person's personal soldiers?" Guan Qizhong asked again. No matter how poor the army is, the chief general's personal soldiers will always have a certain combat effectiveness. Guan Qizhong can't figure out where Yu Xin's personal soldiers have gone.

"No one ran away." Liang Huafeng's subordinates reported proudly: "When my general rushed into the tent, none of them had time to put on his armor."

"Isn't there anyone wearing armor?" Guan Feizhong repeated softly. The facts were in front of him. The strong army that once defeated the Eight Banners of Manchuria and the Nanjing Green Camp was eliminated by the Five Hundred Susong Navy without any effort.

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