The Qing army in Gucheng collected and hid all the ships in advance, just like Yunyang. This was one of the important defensive measures during Hong Chengchou's five provinces, which could effectively curb the mobility and transportation capabilities of the Ming army. However, the speed of breaking the city in Yunyang and Gucheng was far beyond the expectations of the defenders. Like Yunyang, these ships were also captured by the Ming army, which saved the Ming army's time to collect ships. The Han River Basin has been under the control of the Qing army for several years. Their ships were larger and better than the Ming army, which stayed in the remote mountains. After obtaining these ships, more than half of the Ming army could march on a boat.

"I once attacked Xiangyang two years ago," Hao Yaoqi boasted to Deng Ming on the boat: "Without the assistance of other generals, I would conquer Xiangyang alone."

"Then Hu Quancai drove back to Fang County," Yuan Zongdi and Hao Yaoqi had a good relationship, and laughed and revealed his old story: "I couldn't bring much supplies and population back at all."

Hao Yaoqi was not angry at all: "I didn't say that I had guarded Xiangyang, I just said that Xiangyang is not difficult to fight."

"There are a lot of things in Xiangyang." He Zhen asked hurriedly.

"Of course there are quite a lot. Xiangyang Prefecture is a big city, and a large amount of food, grass and military pay must be transferred from there," Hao Yaoqi said with some regret: "It's a pity that although he attacked Xiangyang last time, Gucheng and Yunyang were both in the hands of the Tatars. The water routes were different, so the seized food had to be distributed to the local people. It was probably confiscated by the Hu thieves afterwards."

Two years ago, Hao Yaoqi took the land route when he sneaked into Xiangyang. The city of Xiangyang was captured by Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng from the end of the Ming Dynasty, and was destroyed and plundered by Zuo Liangyu. Over the past decade, the camp and the Qing army have also repeatedly tug-of-war around Xiangyang. The city changed hands many times, and the city walls were destroyed again and again. After Hong Chengchou opened the Jingliu Mansion in Changsha, he did not set Xiangyang as a link in the five thousand-mile defense line, but instead focused on Yunyang and Gucheng. Two years ago, when Hao Yaoqi attacked Xiangyang, the light army bypassed the front stronghold of the Qing army. At that time, the city walls in Xiangyang were not completely restored and were easily broken by the Ming army. However, it was precisely because he bypassed the front stronghold of the Qing army that the traffic line between Hao Yaoqi and the rear was still closed by the Qing army. He could neither stick to nor transport the seizure.

Hu Quancai, the current governor of Huguang, was the governor of Yunyang appointed by Hong Chengchou at that time. After learning that Hao Yaoqi sneaked into Xiangyang, he did not send troops to attack, but sent troops to set up defenses along the Han River, threatening Hao Yaoqi's grain transport team and scattered troops, forcing the Ming army to retreat to Fang County.

"That's good." He Zhen also knew that this is not the same. Two years ago, the main force of the Ming and Qing dynasties confronted Huguang. Hong Chengchou specially set up a governor in Yunyang, stationed heavy troops, and firmly controlled the Han River Basin. Now the main force of the Qing army went to the southwest. The Qing army in Huguang was weak, and the Ming army captured Yunyang and Gucheng, controlled the upper reaches of the Han River, and moved forward and retreated freely. This time, the troops were sent without much effort and seized many people in Yunyang and Gucheng. He Zhen was full of expectations for Xiangyang: "We will definitely get a lot of things."

Liu Tichun did not join Deng Ming, Hao Yaoqi and others in the chat, but met his blasting team in the cabin. The walls of Xiangyang are ten meters thick, which are not comparable to Yunyang and Gucheng. Moreover, there are wide moats on all sides of Xiangyang, and there are relatively few places to choose from blasting.

"If one coffin is not enough, we will put two coffins. If two coffins are not enough, we will put three coffins. No matter how thick the city wall is, there will always be a day when it is blasted." Liu Tichun said heroically. Xiangyang's wall will undoubtedly be a arduous test of his blasting skills, but Liu Tichun will face this new challenge with confidence.

...

Three days later, Xiangyang.

The red flag of the Ming army was flying above the city wall.

The capture of Xiangyang was much easier than the generals of the Ming army imagined. After Li Dingguo's army was expelled from Huguang, the Qing army determined that the Ming army in the East did not have the ability and supplies to launch a large-scale attack. Hu Quancai, the governor of Huguang, judged that they did not even take down Yunyang and Gucheng. In this case, Xiangyang, located in the rear, would of course be very safe, so the troops stationed in the city were fewer than the first two cities.

After learning that the Ming army had captured Gucheng and Yunyang in a blink of an eye and wiped out nearly 10,000 Qing troops in front of them, Xiangyang was in chaos. The prefect concluded that the Ming army had strong military strength - it was obvious that the Governor of Huguang had serious misjudgment. The Ming army not only had the supplies to support the dispatch of 100,000 troops, but also had the animals and manpower to carry these supplies.

But it is useless to say anything now. With the thousands of troops in Xiangyang City, the prefect knew that he could never resist the Kuidong army. Moreover, even if he wanted to resist, the Xiangyang wall was not repaired at all, and the morale of the army was also sluggish. When he saw the ships of the Ming army vanguard coming from the upstream, some of the auxiliary soldiers slipped away. The prefect hanged himself after igniting the warehouse.

The fire lit by the prefect was quickly extinguished by the Qing soldiers who did not escape. The reason why these Qing troops stayed in the city was to surrender to the Ming army. Despite this, the Ming army's capture was quite pitiful. The Yunyang Governor's Office has been removed, and there are no more main forces in front of them that need a large amount of supplies. Huguang's grain this year has been transported to Guizhou, and mice can almost run away in the warehouses in Xiangyang City.

Years of tug-of-war have left few people in Xiangyang City. Especially after the last time Hao Yaoqi's light army attacked Xiangyang, Hong Chengchou felt that it was not safe to place craftsmen and population in this place that was unprepared and too close to the front line, so he moved them all to Wuchang.

"I couldn't get anything," He Zhen sat on the chair in the government office with melancholy without saying a word: "If I had known that Xiangyang was so poor, it would be better not to come."

Liu Tichun complained to Hao Yaoqi: "It's all you who actually destroyed the city wall so much."

There were large gaps everywhere on the city walls of Xiangyang, and there was no need to explode at all. Although Liu Tichun could also explode now, seeing the thick walls, Yuan Zongdi and Deng Ming both believed that one or two coffins might not be enough, and tried their best to persuade Liu Tichun not to waste materials in this place.

Faced with Liu Tichun's reproach, Hao Yaoqi was full of grievances: "How could I know that they didn't build the city wall at all? Besides, if it were you, would you keep the city wall in Xiangyang?"

Two years ago, when Hao Yaoqi distributed grain to the people, he asked the people who received the grain to scatter the city walls of Xiangyang and burned the city towers. Seeing that Xiangyang was so destructive, it would probably take a lot of manpower and material resources to repair the city. If it was repaired, a considerable amount of troops would be stationed to defend the city walls to prevent Hao Yaoqi from coming to scatter the city again. Anyway, Hong Chengchou had decided to transport the population and craftsmen away, so he would not repair it. What happened to Xiangyang when Hao Yaoqi left two years ago? This time he came.

Deng Ming had heard from the generals who broke into the camp that the Qing army had no elite troops in Huguang. This expedition proved that what the generals said was true. However, the will of the Qing army's local guards still surprised Deng Ming. Knowing that they could not resist, the Qing officials in the three cities chose to commit suicide rather than escape, which was enough to show the Qing court's deterrence and control over local officials.

Another problem is that these officials would rather commit suicide than surrender to the Ming army, which is even more ominous, indicating that local officials in various places do not think that the Southern Ming still has any hope, at least it is slim, so they would rather die to exchange for their family benefits.

"We have broken three cities in a row, two of which are prefectures. I believe the whole province has been shaken now," Deng Ming felt tricky by the stubbornness of these Qing officials. In addition, he was also disappointed with the performance of local gentry: "But I have not seen any heroes come to help us, why?"

"Because they think we are treacherous robbers." Yuan Zongdi said angrily. After Hong Chengchou arrived in Changsha three years ago, he paid great attention to winning the support of the gentry of Huguang. Originally, most of the gentry in the local area were inclined to the Ming court, and also provided help to the entrepreneurship camps and the Xiying under the banner of the Ming court. However, Hong Chengchou has been unremittingly differentiated and disintegrated for several years, and spared no effort to promote the gentry and entrepreneurship camps, making the scholars believe that the Qing court was their kind.

Hong Chengchou's propaganda over the past three years has been quite effective. A large number of gentry who originally tended toward the Ming court have now become neutral. The Huguang scholars who were actively providing information and materials to the generals of Li Dingguo and Kuidong have now acted as if they were evading the world: they neither support the Tartars nor the rebels, and their nephews began to participate in the imperial examinations of the Qing court.

"Is that right?" Deng Ming said softly. After hearing Yuan Zongdi's introduction of the situation, he felt that in addition to his prejudice against the peasant uprising troops of the camp and the Xiying, the precarious situation in the Southern Ming Dynasty was also one of the reasons why the gentry was no longer willing to help the Ming army. The emperor's abandonment of the country might have hurt many people's hearts before.

"You said there are no elite Tartar troops in Huguang. So, can we continue to go down the Han River?" Deng Ming felt that the influence of Xiangyang and Xiangyang prefectures might not be great enough. After all, this is not the center of the Qing government's rule in Huguang. It has been repeatedly tug-of-war for more than ten years. He asked the four generals about their opinions: "We now have a total force of more than 30,000, and about seven or eight thousand soldiers. Is there a Qing army in Huguang that can pose a major threat to us?"

"It's hard to say about Huguang, but we don't have a big threat to Hubei Green Camp. If it takes a long time to transfer troops from Hunan, will they be willing to draw all other defense zones for our 30,000 people?" Liu Tichun looked down on the combat effectiveness of the Qing army in Huguang. For many years, the Ming army in Kuidong has been able to suppress the Chu army of the Qing court. The Hubei army and the Hunan army are far less devoted to the Qing court than the Northern Green Camp.

The Ming army interrogated some captured Qing army officers overnight and asked some things from the surrendered Qing soldiers. In the end, Deng Ming judged that there was no particularly powerful Qing army garrison downstream of the Han River. The Qing army, which is currently more combat-effective in Hubei, is currently deployed in the Yiling area to guard against the Kuidong Ming army down the river, which is consistent with the information that Liu Tichun and the others know.

"Then we will continue to go south, attack Yicheng, and then enter Chengtian Prefecture and fight until Zhongxiang. If the Tartars have strong troops, we will retreat to Xiangyang. If the rear of the Tartars is empty, we will continue to follow the Han River and march into Wuchang." Half of Yunyang Prefecture was originally in the hands of the Ming army, and Xiangyang was also breached by the Ming army several times, but Chengtian Prefecture is different. It has been controlled by the Qing army in Huguang for a long time. Deng Ming felt that if he could break through the city of Zhongxiang, it would definitely cause a great shock to the people of Huguang, making the gentry wonder whether the Qing army could still control Hubei firmly. If he had the opportunity to move forward, even if the warship under the banner of the Ming army appeared in front of Wuchang City, it would probably cause a sensation. It would be a great encouragement to those who still miss the Ming Dynasty in secret: "Anyway, we have no worries, and the upstream of the Han River is in our hands. If we want to leave, no one can do anything to us."

Deng Ming's words caused some discussion. He Zhen, the first to come out to support him, pointed out that Chengtian Prefecture has not encountered war for many years. Hong Chengchou has opened many military camps there. There are a large number of merchants and craftsmen in Zhongxiang. If they can be broken, they should be able to divide a lot of things. Even if they don't go to Zhongxiang, even if they walk a little longer, they will explode Yicheng, which is close to them. It will cost a lot to come to Xiangyang, and it will not be worth the loss. Even if it is to make up for the losses along the way, they have to go forward for a while.

Hao Yaoqi also agreed with this opinion. Since his expedition, his troops have not been damaged at all, but have increased: "This time we quickly broke through the Yunyang defense line must have been beyond the expectations of the Tatars. Now the Han River is empty, and if we don't take advantage of the victory and fight a few more cities, it will probably not be so easy when we come again next time."

Of course, Liu Tichun would not object to continuing the attack. Although he had absolute freedom to explode the Xiangyang city wall or not, he certainly would be willing to consume the gunpowder more meaningful. Moreover, if he just used the Xiangyang city wall for experiments, it is conceivable that Yuan Zongdi and the others would not lend him gunpowder to themselves. But if they attacked Yicheng and Zhong Xiang, then they would have no reason not to share the cost, especially He Zhen. Liu Tichun felt that as long as he said, "If you don't take the gunpowder out, you won't give it to you." He Zhen would obediently serve the gunpowder in his army with both hands.

Yuan Zongdi never expressed his approval or objection. He felt that he had gone a little too far. He never thought he would fight Zhong Xiang when he sent troops to Dachang. If he had known this, he would have brought more soldiers out.

"What do you think of General Yuan?" Deng Ming did not intend to force Yuan Zongdi to go with him. If the other party was unwilling to continue the attack, it would be good to stay in the rear and carry supplies.

"I was wondering whether we should send a fast horse back to Dachang and go to Fengjie to ask General Wen for some reinforcements." Yuan Zongdi felt that the war was expanding rapidly, and perhaps he could ask Wen'anzhi to issue an edict to various places in Kuidong and ask several other companies to participate in the operation.

"Okay, we should report the victory to Fengjie." Deng Ming smiled. Before sending troops, the generals in Kuidong felt that this action would last until the end of June, with the largest scope, that is, to expand to the suburbs of Xiangyang. But now in early June, the Ming army has put the attack on Chengtian Prefecture on the agenda, so it is necessary for Fengjie and the rear to know about this huge change.

"Then, that's it." Seeing that everyone agreed to continue moving forward, Deng Ming raised another thing: "I just mentioned that Hong Chengchou was disturbing people's hearts in Huguang. Our dispatch of troops this time also had an inspiring purpose, but I'm afraid that the three years of doubts cannot be clear all at once. I think we need to let the elders of Huguang know that we are not rioters, but Ming officers and soldiers."

The other four people looked at Deng Ming together, waiting for his next sentence without saying a word.

"It would be great if General Wen came with us, or if King Anton came with General Hao." Deng Ming sighed. There was also King Anton in Hao Yaoqi. That was a real royal family, not a fake like Deng Ming. It had a considerable appeal to those who miss the Ming Dynasty. However, it also had the same problem as most other royal families, that is, they were willing to hide in the safe rear and never followed the army to encourage morale.

The four people remained silent, and Hao Yaoqi slandered: "Third Prince, why are you sighing? Is your sign no more effective than King Anton and Governor Wen?"

"I decided to send a letter to Huguang, just..."

When Deng Ming said this, the four people's hearts were raised and they all sat upright on the chair.

"How about the name of the governor of Huguang?" Deng Ming said, looking around everyone: "I claim to be the governor of Huguang appointed by General Wen, and the governor of the army to attack Zhong Xiang and Wuchang, how about the rebels?"

The four people who had just sat upright returned to their original posture. The third prince finally had to continue to hide his identity, and I don’t know why he was so stubborn.

"No, the governor is all civil servants," Yuan Zongdi coughed and opposed: "Sir, have no fame."

"Yeah." Deng Ming lowered his head and thought, thinking that Yuan Zongdi's opposition was reasonable. In this way, the gentry might think that this Ming army was even more bandits. Their leaders dared to call themselves civil officials without even fame.

"Then I am the General General of the Military Affairs Office of the Yangtze River appointed by General Wen. How about it? All the military affairs around the Yangtze River are under my jurisdiction." Deng Ming thought for a while and added: "How about the General General of the Yangtze River and the General General of the Military Affairs Office of the Han River?"

"It sounds like a water camp." Yuan Zongdi opposed it again, this time his voice was lower than last time.

"Is that?" Deng Ming followed the rank of the military officers of Huguang, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Nanjing, right?"

The reason why Deng Ming wanted to add the title of Jiangxi and Nanjing to himself was that he planned to finish the work at once. Anyway, after attacking Zhong Xiang, he had to go to Nanjing. He added it in advance and could still be used when he arrived at Zheng Chenggong.

"It seems that they are too long." Yuan Zongdi has opposed it twice, and he will not speak out again. This time it was Liu Tichun who said tentatively.

"Then... Admiral Huguang, Jiangxi, Jiangnan..." Deng Ming looked at everyone's faces: "Is it still good? Let's do it, the General General of Military Affairs of Jiangnan, it's okay. Just say that General Wen has handed over all the military affairs south of the Yangtze River to me for cheap."

"What about Jiangbei?" He Zhen originally made up his mind not to object, but in the end he couldn't help it. Although this title didn't sound like a water camp, everyone is still in Jiangbei now, and even if they take a boat from Hanshui to Wuchang, they didn't set foot on Jiangnan.

"If there are Tartars in Jiangbei, of course, I will take care of it." Deng Ming explained.

Soon, the Ming Dynasty's Jiangnan Admiral Deng's manifesto was issued from Xiangyang. He claimed that he was ordered by Wen Anzhi, the commander of Sichuan's commander, commanded 570,000 troops to go out to Kuidong to conquer Jiangnan. He first attacked Huguang, and had already captured Yunyang, Gucheng, and Xiangyang, and called on righteous men from all over Huguang to join the army and serve the court.

{Piaotian Literature www.piaotian.net Thank you for your support, your support is our greatest motivation}
Chapter completed!