Mu Tan was not very clear about his ancestors, only knowing that it might be a pirate. Eighteen years ago, Mu Tan was captured in a battle to clear pirates in Funing Town. At that time, he was still a six-year-old child and was left in the army as a servant. Because he was like a black charcoal, everyone called him "charcoal head". After growing up, Charcoal naturally joined the army, made contributions to the war between Chaoshan and other places and was appointed as a small officer. When he became an officer, he needed a name that could be taken advantage of, so he gave his current name.

Before coming to Fengjie, Zheng Chenggong told Mu Tan that he would first try to meet the "Young King Tang" and observe his words and expressions, and then hand over Zheng Chenggong's letter to him. If the "Young King Tang" doesn't look bad, Mu Tan would convince him to go to Fujian. Mu Tan's task is to protect the "Young King Tang" in person and ensure that he can meet the Yanping County Prince safely.

Before meeting Deng Ming, Mu Tan had heard a lot about him, especially after the news of the Kunming fire was sent back to Fengyue, the crowd was excited. Everyone had never left Deng Ming for more than ten days. Mu Tan was already very impressed by this "Young King of Tang". Besides, the matter of this letter had been hidden in his stomach for so long, and Mu Tan himself felt a little uncomfortable.

Deng Ming opened Zheng Chenggong's letter and looked like it.

Zheng Chenggong's letter was very long. At the beginning, he recalled the kindness of the old King Tang, expressed his intention to repay the kindness of the king with his death, and soon got to the point and mentioned his upcoming battle in Nanjing.

Although the Qing Dynasty had ruled Jiangsu and Zhejiang for more than ten years, Zheng Chenggong did not think that the Qing Dynasty's rule there had been stable. Perhaps Deng Ming might not agree when he first came here, but now he agrees with this view very much. Deng Ming saw that local officials in Yunnan and Guizhou had almost no psychological barriers in their daily work. From this, we can see how local officials used to work for the Yongli court in such a large area of ​​territory as Huguang and Guizhou, how to continue working for the Qing court now, and the people also think that it is natural for paying taxes to the Qing court. As long as Wu Sangui's army is still in Guiyang, these people will sincerely do what they should do. Although Xiying has been operating in the southwest for many years, Wu Sangui has just arrived, but his rule can be maintained.

Or in feudal society, the concept of rule was different. Although it was not long in this era, Deng Ming had already realized the mentality of many ordinary people. For example, many of the soldiers served in the army for generations, and their ancestors served for the Ming Dynasty. Now that the Ming Dynasty is not good, they still have to survive and continue to engage in the industry of their ancestors, so they naturally served for the Qing court. Those scholars, who wanted to be officials to manage the country, may feel heartbroken about the Lu of Shenzhou, but the scholars who bravely stood up were all eliminated by the Qing Dynasty. Others would feel that since they could not participate in the imperial examinations of the Ming court, they had to participate in the imperial examinations of the Qing Dynasty. As for the people at the bottom, the ideas of the people at the bottom were similar. As for the Han people, of course, they felt that paying taxes to the Han people was more reasonable, but since the Zhu Ming regime did not have the ability to collect taxes and paying imperial grain was a fairy and authentic thing, then there was no way to leave it to the Qing court.

In order to attack the Yongli court in the southwest, the Qing court has imposed heavy taxes in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas in the past two years. According to Zheng Chenggong, Latin Laf has been full of complaints. Of course, it is still just complaints so far. In addition to public grievances, the Qing court almost drained all the mobile troops in the southeast and pushed them all to Yunnan and Guizhou. According to Zheng Chenggong's investigation, there are only about 80,000 Qing troops left in Nanzhili, Zhejiang and other places, most of which are local troops.

In addition to some troops left behind in the base areas, Zheng Chenggong could dispatch at least 150,000 troops this time. Zhang Huangyan also said that Zhoushan and other places only need to leave 10,000 defensive troops, and Zhejiang Ming army could send 30,000 troops to concentrate 180,000 troops against the 80,000 scattered Qing army. Zheng Chenggong believed that this would be a devastating advance, and the Qing army in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River could be completely defeated within three months.

Zheng Chenggong also believed that as soon as his army entered the Yangtze River, the 80,000 Qing troops would begin to turn against him in large numbers. For example, the Qing army admiral Ma Fengzhi, who was stationed at Wusongkou, held 15,000 field troops, including 3,000 cavalry, which was the most important and largest mobile force in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River after Wu Sangui's western expedition. In recent months, Zheng Chenggong has been communicating with him, threatening to dispatch 200,000 troops to attack him. Ma Fengzhi was arrogant when he replied, saying that he was not afraid of Zheng Chenggong at all, nor did he believe that he could have even 30,000 field troops. The Prince of Yanping felt that he could smell the fear of Admiral Wusong from it, and the other party must also know that the southeast is empty now. If he really saw more than 100,000 Ming troops coming from the sea, Zheng Chenggong felt that Ma Fengzhi might not dare to resist at all, and even surrendered.

The letter Zheng Chenggong wrote to Deng Ming was definitely heart-warming. He had suspected that Wen Anzhi was Yongli's best friend, so when he planned to counterattack Nanjing with Zhang Huangyan, he did not intend to notify Fengjie too early. However, Zhao Tianba's arrival surprised Zheng Chenggong, not only because he found the traces of the descendants of the Tang Dynasty, but also because he was a descendant of the Tang Dynasty who was supported by Wen Anzhi.

Wen Anzhi had an absolute influence on the Sichuan Ming army, and was an old minister of the Tianqi Dynasty. He was very important in both military and political terms. Although Zheng Chenggong had planned to give Tang Wang Xusi desperately, he knew that the Zhejiang Ming army led by Zhang Huangyan would inevitably oppose it. If he found Deng Ming himself, Zhang Huangyan would probably also oppose it, and he would suspect that it was faked by Zheng Chenggong.

But now Wen Anzhi suddenly changed from a potential opponent to a powerful ally. Zheng Chenggong would just push Wen Anzhi forward, which means that this young Tang King was found by Wen Anzhi. What reason does Zhang Huangyan have to doubt? After many veterans of the dynasty of Tianqi, Chongzhen, Hongguang, Longwu, and Yongli, how could the young Tang King found be a fake? Will Wen Anzhi ignore his later years in order to help Zheng Chenggong? Since everyone knows that Wen Anzhi cannot lie, Deng Ming's life experience is unquestionable.

But why did Wen Anzhi help him? This question has puzzled Zheng Chenggong for a long time.

Wen'anzhi came out for the Ming Dynasty rather than for the Emperor Yongli, but Longwu, Shaowu and Wen'anzhi had no friendship. In the end, Zheng Chenggong felt that it might be that when the son of the Ming Dynasty was too disappointed, and for the Ming Dynasty, he had to find another royal family that could not disappoint the patriots in the country. Zheng Chenggong had no idea about Deng Ming. In his letter, Zheng Chenggong did not take the description of Deng Ming's defeat of Tan Hong and Tan Yi. In his opinion, it was impossible for the clan's children to have this courage. Since Wen'anzhi recommended this person, it would be ordinary to boast about him.

After confirming that Wen Anzhi was an ally, Zheng Chenggong had a new idea for this counterattack.

Previously, Zhang Huangyan suggested that he divide the work with Zheng Chenggong: Zheng Chenggong was responsible for attacking Nanjing City and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while the upper reaches of Nanjing City and Jiangxi were the offensive targets of the Ming army in eastern Zhejiang. Zheng Chenggong agreed happily, guessing that Zhang Huangyan wanted to maintain the superiority of the Ming army in Zhejiang to the Ming army in Fujian, so as to restrain himself and not let him do anything wrong. But this would be fine. At that time, Zheng Chenggong planned to conquer Nanjing and forcefully gave Tang Wang Xusi in front of Xiaoling. If Zhang Huangyan was by his side, this matter might not be done, and he would just send Zhang Huangyan to Jiangxi. As long as the matter of Xusi was done, Zheng Chenggong did not believe that Zhang Huangyan would return to attack Nanjing, and even if he really came, he would not be afraid of him.

Now that Wen Anzhi is an ally, Zhang Huangyan's power is no problem. In Zheng Chenggong's original plan, if the Fengjie Ming army does not defend neutrality, it will be Zhang Huangyan's ally, and their strength is always no worse than Zheng Chenggong. But now with the help of the Wen Commander, Zhang Huangyan's 30,000 soldiers are not worth mentioning.

Moreover, with Wen'anzhi's cooperation, Zheng Chenggong could go up the river with Zhang Huangyan, attacking from Nanjing to the Three Gorges in one breath, and completely divided the Qing court into two. The Qing court lost the tax-heavy land of several southeastern provinces and was isolated from the north and south. Instead, the Ming army could rely on the Yangtze River, connected east and west and maneuver quickly... Zheng Chenggong became more and more excited the more he thought about it. The great cause of Zhongxing was about to be achieved inadvertently. It was really a big loss for the Emperor Yongli, which attracted all the main forces of the Qing court to the southwest. Wu Sangui, who was far away in Yunnan and Guizhou, was not needed to mention Hunan, and the Qing army in Guangdong and Guangxi did not have to return to Nanjing for two years. One or two years later, Zheng Chenggong would not have to wait for them to come. If they did not turn against each other and surrender, they would have to fight against them.

Many of the main forces of the Qing army in Gansu and Shaanxi were sent to Yunnan and Guizhou, and the remaining Qing army would have to be long-lasting to be dispatched to Nanjing. As for the Manchu soldiers in Beijing, Zheng Chenggong originally felt that he had the advantage of a navy and was not afraid of them; now, depending on the development of the situation, he could quickly bring the 100,000 old troops of Wen'an in the Three Gorges area through the Yangtze River to help. Zheng Chenggong felt that the camp was not because it had no combat power, but because it was too scarce. As long as there was wealth support from the southeast, the former camp of the Three Gorges and the old Sichuan army in Fengjie could soon regain their momentum.

"The Prince of Yanping is really brave and good means." After reading Zheng Chenggong's long letter, Deng Ming commented with emotion.

Mu Tan, who had not spoken, showed a look of great agreement on his face. Zheng Chenggong's wonderful ideas made their subordinates admire him. When Deng Ming asked about some details, Mu Tan also knew everything and said everything.

In order to prepare for this attack, Zheng Chenggong had already started to launch continuous harassment in Fujian and Guangdong, causing the Qing court's attention to move southward. In order to deal with Zheng Chenggong, the Qing court had ordered Geng Jimao to move his vassal to Fujian, specifically targeting Zheng Chenggong's possible offensive. After learning that Geng Jimao moved his vassal, Zheng Chenggong began to frequently land in southern Zhejiang, which not only attracted the Qing army in Zhejiang to Wenzhou, Taizhou and other places, but even the already empty Nanzhili sent troops to Zhejiang to reinforce the coastal defense.

At the same time, Zheng Chenggong had not forgotten to send an edict around Nanjing, claiming that he would personally lead 200,000 troops to attack. This edict was always a bluff. No official near Nanjing believed that Zheng Chenggong had an army of 200,000. Therefore, he determined that Zheng Chenggong's main goal was to restrain the Qing army and prevent them from leaving Nanzhili. Not long ago, in order to curb Zheng Chenggong's new wave of land landing to attack prefectures and counties, Qing army troops were ordered to go south and enter Zhejiang to cooperate in defense. Even if these Qing soldiers returned immediately after learning that Nanjing was in danger, they would not be able to get there for two months. If they learned that Zheng Chenggong had all the land in the south of the Yangtze River during the march, the Qing court was divided into two by north and south, and the army was dispersed overnight.

At present, Zheng Chenggong is using these military operations as a cover to concentrate all his mobile forces, preparing to take advantage of the sea transportation to suddenly appear on the Yangtze River together. Deng Ming can imagine that when the empty Qing army in Nanzhili saw the Ming warships covering the sky and the sun on the Yangtze River, when they realized that Zheng Chenggong really had a army of 200,000 and was close to him, his morale would definitely fall to the bottom of the valley.

Strategic deception, the east-west attack, psychological offensive, and more importantly, the unprecedented maneuverability of large-scale maritime transportation is used to create a maritime raid that has never been precedent in the history of the Chinese nation. In Deng Ming's impression, it seems that the methods used for the famous Normandy landing are similar.

But it still failed after all!

Deng Ming did not know the details, but he knew that Zheng Chenggong's carefully planned operation eventually failed. Although this plan should not fail on paper: the enemy's troops had been attracted to the secondary direction, the deeper they headed south, the deeper they went into Zheng Chenggong's trap. The enemies in the main war zone were not only empty but also scattered, and they would not be able to get reinforcements in the short term. Zheng Chenggong had fully considered the maneuverability of both sides.

On a larger strategic basis, the southeast is the money bag of the Qing Dynasty. The large amount of money and grain produced in southern Zhili and Zhejiang provide the ability to buy many traitor troops. Before Huguang and other places could recover from the trauma of war, whether it was Yunnan, Guizhou, Ganzhou, Shaanxi, or other green camps in other parts of the country, they had to rely on the wealth of the southeast region; Wu Sangui, Geng Jimao and other Han vassal kings led a large number of elite troops, and the Qing court controlled them through the food and grass in the southeast. Now Wu Sangui and others were out of reach for Nanjing. Even if they could use their power to fight Zheng Chenggong, would the Qing court really dare to let these vassal kings enter the southeast region?

If Zheng Chenggong's plan is realized, the Qing Dynasty's rule would collapse within a few years. Even if the Qing Dynasty drove Zheng Chenggong out of Nanjing within a few years, the isolation of the north and the south in recent years would be enough to cause the Qing Dynasty to lose control of the Han warlords in various places. Even if there was no separatist rule among the heroes, it would at least retreat to the situation that was more than ten years ago.

"So Zheng Chenggong must have failed. If he succeeded, history would not be what I knew." Deng Ming had already come to a conclusion in his heart. He read the letter again, and Deng Ming could not find the loopholes in Zheng Chenggong's plan. Almost everything was in line with his vision, and there was no reason to fail.

"But he still failed, why?" Deng Ming couldn't express his inner doubts.

Zheng Chenggong's plan did not rely on surrendering generals. It was best for local Qing soldiers to surrender. Even if they did not surrender, the Ming army had an absolute advantage. Without fear of the Qing court's rapid response, the Qing army walked back with two legs and was about to reach the year of the Monkey and Horse Month. Needless to mention ancient times, there was no precedent in even areas outside China. Before such a genius plan that people had never thought of before, there were no need to worry about any mature countermeasures on the other side. On the contrary, you can enjoy the benefits that the enemy could bring due to shock and overwhelming.

When the army appears on the Yangtze River, the outcome should be clear.

Why did Zheng Chenggong fail?

...

Deng Ming quickly took the letter to Wen Anzhi and discussed Zheng Chenggong's military plan with the latter. To Deng Ming's surprise, Wen Anzhi was very optimistic about Zheng Chenggong's plan.

"I thought he wanted to take Ningbo first, then go along the avenue and head straight to Nanjing. It turned out that he wanted to enter the Yangtze River directly." Wen Anzhi shook his head repeatedly, thinking that Zheng Chenggong was very likely to fail.

"Why?" Deng Ming found this plan very exciting. Although he had heard of many grand landing plans, such as the scale of the Normandy landing was definitely larger than Zheng Chenggong's this time, when a plan full of fantasy ideas was placed in front of Deng Ming, he would involuntarily deeply attracted it.

"Since ancient times, there has been no such army to fight through water routes..." Wen Anzhi pointed out that in the past, even the famous Battle of Red Cliff, the battle between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang in the early Ming Dynasty, the purpose of the water battle was to ensure that the army could pass through the water safely. When the navy had the highest status, it was just the degree to which water and land advance together.

Since ancient times, both sides of the war have wanted to have important grain-producing areas. One side of the war will try its best to drive the opponent as far as possible, while the other side will try to get closer to the grain-producing areas. This is also what the Qing court is doing. For the sake of Nanjing's security, the Ming army must be expelled from eastern Zhejiang and southern Zhejiang. If the eastern Zhejiang and southern Zhejiang are safe, in order to ensure that the Ming army cannot make a comeback, they must drive the Ming army out of Fujian. The southerly front is, the more remote Nanjing will be from danger and become safer.

Wen Anzhi's opinion was that he should make steady progress in Fujian. If he made more aggressive progress, he could consider establishing a base in southern Zhejiang. However, the safest way was to march into Guangdong, connect with Yunnan and Guizhou, and then fight eastward step by step. As long as the soldiers use their lives, it would be natural to restore Shenjing and even expel the Tartars.

At this time, Deng Ming realized that it was because he knew more successful battles that he felt that Zheng Chenggong's plan was very feasible. People in this era held the same idea as Wen Anzhi. Therefore, the Qing court felt that it should increase troops to stabilize the front in Fujian, and that Zheng Chenggong would honestly carry out a tug-of-war in Fujian. Even if he sent the defenders of Nanjing, there was nothing to worry about - the enemy was still far away, and even if he was invincible, he would not be able to defeat him in a few years.

"Zheng Chenggong not only has the advantage of surprise attacks, but also has a great advantage. The Qing court's reaction was probably first confused, and then was furious: How could you fight like this? The Qing court's reaction may be slower than I thought. As long as Zheng Chenggong can win, the hard work of the Qing Dynasty for more than ten years will disappear. Why hasn't it become a classic war example that has been passed down through the ages?"

After saying goodbye to Wen Anzhi, the more Deng Ming thought about this plan, the more he felt that its significance was far more than setting fire in Kunming. This was the winner and loser to reverse the world in one fell swoop.

Deng Ming called Mu Tan and told him his decision: "The Prince of Yanping asked me to see him, but now I'm afraid I won't have time to arrive in Fujian. I plan to go to Jiangnan and meet him in Nanjing."

Mu Tan hesitated for a moment and quickly agreed. He had no doubt about Zheng Chenggong's victory. Mu Tan and Zhao Tianba's situation were very similar. He was not only Zheng Chenggong's confidant, but also a brave and resourceful hero among the younger generation. Before coming here, Zheng Chenggong had told him that as long as the young King of Tang was not extremely disappointing, as long as he was not an idiot, he would support him as the governor after he conquered Nanjing, and he would definitely guarantee him to ascend to the throne in the future.

Mu Tan knew very well the importance of Deng Ming to his benefactor, and at the same time he had secretly regarded him as the future emperor. He is now in Fengjie, so Mu Tan has not said these words to Deng Ming yet. This is also Zheng Chenggong's explanation. Although Wen Anzhi seems to be an ally, who dares to say that he will not change his mind suddenly? This will have to wait until Deng Ming leaves Fengjie before he can reveal it, so as not to accidentally leak the news, causing some changes.

"Without any further, sir, let's explain to the supervisor now, and we will set out as soon as possible. We will have to pass through a large area of ​​Tartars along the way. We can't walk very quickly. I guess by the time we arrive, the king has already conquered Nanjing."

Deng Ming nodded and went to Wen Anzhi to discuss leaving Fengjie again.

"Mr. Wen is not young anymore, and it is not good to stay in Fengjie. There are few people and are not rich enough resources." Mu Tan still remembers Zheng Chenggong's feelings. He planned to persuade Wen Anzhi to move to Nanjing after he established Deng's name as the governor of the governor. If Wen Anzhi is willing, he might as well serve as the chief assistant of the governor of the governor of the King of Tang. For Zheng Chenggong, this can not only expand the influence, suppress opposition, but also repay Wen Anzhi's alliance with him.

Now that Deng Ming has done what he did in Kunming, Mu Tan felt that the Ming Dynasty's revival seemed to be near: "Your Highness is heroic and will surely become famous all over the world soon. The king supports Your Highness as the governor. Anyone who hears it must applaud. I am afraid that even Shangshu Zhang has no reason to object. The governor of Wen is highly respected. I remember that the governor of Wen said that he is a Shujishi. The imperial court has not been born as a Shujishi for many years, and he is still a veteran of several dynasties. He is not sure how strong he is than the horse leader used by the son today. The king revived Nanjing in one fell swoop, which is enough to make the rebels and the rebels frightened. In the future, the governor of Wen will be in charge of the ruler, and the king will be in charge of such a wise ruler. Are you still worried that you cannot expel the Tartars and restore the mountains and rivers?"

The future of the Ming court has always been full of fog over the years - this is a good statement, and more precisely, the crisis is getting worse and there is no hope. Suddenly, Mu Tan felt a bright light in front of him, and he really felt like he was clearing the clouds and seeing the sun. Not only did the Ming Dynasty regain hope, but Zheng Chenggong's camp could also gain the greatest benefit from this victory-

Today I have updated 6,000 words, not a lot. I wish you all a happy New Year and all the best.

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