Chapter 12 The Bloody Battle of Zhaoqing Soldiers Arrive in Guangzhou

Regarding the solution of the problem of the two Guangzhous, Zhang Zhimu's opinion is that it is best not to use the sword soldiers. Because there are basically no thieves there, they are all officers and soldiers of the imperial court. When Zhang Zhimu and the group of people in Yaogang studied this matter, they also believed that there might not be a major war when they marched into Liangguang, and everyone also thought that if they could not fight, they would not fight. Because we are about to take over these places, it will be a kind of destruction to the people and the city, but we must be prepared to fight. Zhang Zhimu stressed: If there is a major military operation, it is necessary to seek instructions from the command center.

Qin Peng sent a telegram asking for instructions to attack Zhaoqing Mansion, and it seemed that there was no way to attack Zhaoqing Mansion, so he had to fight.

Liu Yun also said: "Qin Peng is very steady, he knows the seriousness of this matter, and we should respect his opinion." Since he said he was going to fight, let's fight! ”

"Hmmm! We should respect the opinions of the generals at the front, who should be the most aware of the situation when they are on the front line. Zhang Zhimu said, "Make a phone call to Uncle Chen and Mr. Ouyang, and if they have no opinion, they will send a telegram to Qingpeng." Agree with them. ”

Liu Yun was about to send a telegram from Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He, who were far away in Datong, and they agreed with Zhang Zhimu's opinion. In fact, Zhang Zhimu could have directly ordered Qin Peng to send a telegram, but because Chen Yufeng and Ouyang He were in charge of the military, in order to respect them and establish their prestige in the army, Zhang Zhimu emphasized that Liu Yun asked Liu Yun to ask their opinions.

After Qin Peng sent a telegram to the command center, he was also anxiously waiting for a callback. The generals below him couldn't wait for a long time, and they all said: "Chief of Staff! Let's fight, if we don't fight in this case, we can't do it, and the family will definitely agree to our fight. ”

Qin Peng's original position was Chief of Staff of the General Staff, and generals used to call him Chief of Staff.

Qin Peng looked at the anxious generals, and his heart was more anxious than them, but Qin Peng knew that when he came out, he got the order that if there was a major situation, he must report it for instructions, and the order was an order, "Listen, we are soldiers, and the orders of the kiln gang must be strictly implemented." I also want to open the city gate with a burst of artillery fire, kill the city and enter it, and settle the battle quickly. But this will not work, and if you win, you will not carry out the order. You are all generals with certain positions, don't you know the consequences of not carrying out orders? ”

Everyone stopped talking, and Qin Peng was also educating the generals at this time, telling them that soldiers must obey orders at all times. What kind of commander can bring out what kind of general, especially the actions of the commander on the battlefield have the greatest impact on the generals below, Qin Peng knows this.

Originally, Liu Chenghuang was the commander of the Southeast Military Region, and he was in full charge, but the command of the march into the two regions was handed over to Qin Peng. Liu Chenghuang understood that Qin Peng left the General Staff this time to come down to lead the troops to exercise, but he basically didn't fight a few battles during the Southern Expedition, and this time he still had to give Qin Peng a chance to exercise. Therefore, Liu Chenghuang did not leave Hainan Island at all. The military command was completely handed over to Qin Peng.

Yaogang's Sixth Army, that is, the Mountain and Jungle Army, under the leadership of Jiang Wei, went directly to Nanning, assisted Li Zicheng's army and officials to enter Annan, and also took over the waterway, Qingyuan Mansion, Guilin Mansion, Pingle Mansion, Wuzhou Mansion, Xunzhou Mansion, Nanning Mansion, Siming Mansion and other places. In fact, many places were not sent by Jiang Wei and others, but the officials and people there took the initiative to come to Nanning and asked Li Wei to send someone to take over there. Because in many places the yamen is paralyzed, bandits are rampant, and the people are struggling to make a living, and they need someone to help them manage the place. Jiang Wei and the others didn't want to divide their troops to take over so many places so quickly, because the officials and police from the kiln gang behind them had not arrived. The main thing is that their actions along the border with Annam, met with great obstacles. The toasts there were adamantly not allowed to set foot in their territory. The border areas are the domain of the Tusi. Li Wei considered that Yaogang's preparations for entering Liangguang were not ready, so he was not too tough with those toasts. It only occupied a few passages in and out of Annan, which could ensure the entry and exit of people and materials in and out of Annan, and no further military action was taken.

After the army was reorganized, Qin Peng personally led the Third Infantry Army to march south from Lingqu, and ordered the two divisions of the Twelfth Infantry Army to start from Ganzhou and follow the waterway to Dayu to abandon the ship and land, cross Meiling from the Meiling Ancient Road to Shaozhou, Guangdong, and advance from Fujian's Eighth Army from Zhangzhou and Xiamen to Guangdong by two routes, all the way to Meizhou, and all the way to Chaozhou along the coastline. The aim of several armies marching forward in parallel is to quickly resolve the issue of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, and Guangxi as soon as possible before all sectors react.

Li Wei's action of the mountain jungle army was very sudden, and it was able to open the way for Li Zicheng's army to march into Annam, but it also shocked the officials of the Ming Dynasty in Liangguang and Guangzhou, and some of them took the initiative to contact the Yaogang people because they had lost contact with the imperial court for a long time, and they knew that the kiln gang people were now in full swing. For these Ming Dynasty officials who took the initiative to get closer, Jiang Wei adopted the method that those who were willing to work for the kiln gang were sent to Hankou or even the kiln gang for training, and their families also gave appropriate arrangements. But there are also some people who are unwilling to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, they are desperately reorganizing their armies and fighting to the death with the Yaogang people and never give up their governance.

The prefect of Zhaoqing Mansion is such a person, it should be said that the prefect of Zhaoqing Mansion is a good official and a clean official, and he has done a lot of good things for the people, and the Zhaoqing Mansion under his rule is very peaceful, and the people under his rule also support him very much. He also regarded himself as a loyal minister, and he had long sworn allegiance to the imperial court, and would never let anyone enter Zhaoqing Mansion. He knew that after the kiln people entered Guangxi, he knew that the time for the kiln people to arrive in Zhaoqing was about to come. Therefore, they reorganized their armies with the defenders of Zhaoqing, and were determined to fight to the death with the Yaogang people. The people of Zhaoqing also responded to the call of the prefect and decided to defend Zhaoqing City with the prefect. Zhaoqing Prefecture has jurisdiction over Duanzhou County, Luoding Prefecture, Gaoyao County, Sihui County, Sanshui County, Gaoming County, Deqing County, Fengchuan County, Kaijian County, Guangning County, Yangjiang County, Yangxi County, Heshan County, Kaiping County and Enping County. There are 1 county, 1 state, and 13 counties. This is a very wealthy place, and all walks of life in Zhaoqing are also rich and powerful, and Zhaoqing City has been built exceptionally strong. When the prefect of Zhaoqing came to the city, he felt that with this strong city, the united army and civilians, and the abundant food and grass in Zhaoqing City, he should have confidence in defending Zhaoqing City.

When the third soldier of the Yaogang Infantry rode into the Xijiang River along the river bank by boat, the prefect of Zhaoqing had already received the report and immediately ordered the army and the people to prepare for battle. When Qin Peng sent them to persuade them to hand over the Zhaoqing envoy and hand over the letter, the Zhaoqing prefect didn't even look at it, took it, tore it up and threw it on the ground, and told the person who came, "Go back and tell your leader that I am an official appointed by the imperial court, and as long as I am here for a day, I will not hand over the place of the imperial court to outsiders." We, the soldiers and civilians of Zhaoqing, swear to death and will not let you into the city. ”

Although the prefect of Zhaoqing swore to defend Zhaoqing, he did not want to fight, so he did not make it too difficult for the envoy. After the envoy went back, Qin Peng was a little surprised, he didn't expect to meet such a master here. This Zhaoqing Mansion and Guangzhou Mansion are the economic and cultural centers of the two Guangxi regions, Qin Peng does not want to start a war here, and the meaning of Yaogang is that if he can, he will not fight. Therefore, after Qin Peng led his troops to surround Zhaoqing, he did not attack, and sent envoys to persuade him to surrender. At first, the defenders also let the envoys into the city, but in the end, they ignored the envoys sent by Qin Peng at all.

Qin Peng knew that it would not work if he didn't fight, and the soldiers of the three armies were also enraged. Qin Peng had no choice but to report the situation here and ask for war.

Now the situation is that the prefect of Zhaoqing is also a bit of a battle, many officials of the original Ming Dynasty came to Zhaoqing Mansion, and many officers and soldiers of the official army ran here. The officials, officials, and soldiers of the prefectures and counties in the jurisdiction also knew that their small place could not be defended, and they all gathered here. There are more than 50,000 defenders in Zhaoqing, plus hundreds of thousands of people who swear to live and die with Zhaoqing. It also made the prefect of Zhaoqing feel that he should be able to fight. Zhaoqing City is close to the water on one side and faces the Xijiang River in the north. The prefect of Zhaoqing thought that such a place was not conducive to the deployment of the army and was easy to defend, as long as the other three sides of the defense were strengthened.

Qin Peng personally took a speedboat to check the city defense situation in Zhaoqing, although the warships from Yaogang did not come, but the tugboat could come over, and the mortar mount tugboat barge, as well as the 65-mm guns on the gunboat, could bombard Zhaoqing City. But Qin Peng would not use this method, because the most powerful heavy artillery in Yaogang could not fire on a barge. On the Xijiang River, the gunboats and barges were within the range of the city's artillery fire, and they would not take risks, Qin Peng still wanted to use 130 heavy artillery to solve the problem of the city wall. Therefore, he placed all the heavy artillery on the west side of the city.

Attacking such a city is not a problem at all for the people up and down the kiln gang. The problem is that Qin Peng has to consider that in the future, every grass and tree in this will be from the kiln, and the amount must be reduced to reduce the damage.

When the Yaogang Command Center called back and agreed to their siege, Qin Peng's plan for attacking the city was also determined. He decided to adopt the method of encircling three sides and attacking one side. Qin Peng received a telegram from Yaogang before noon that day, and the soldiers wanted to start a war immediately, but Qin Peng did not agree, but asked the psychological warfare brigade to start psychological warfare. Broadcast to the city on a loudspeaker: "We have come to take over the defense of this place on the orders of the imperial court. The prefect of Zhaoqing did not let me enter the city, which was to resist the decree. We, the Yaogang People's Army, have been ordered to extinguish Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Zuo Liangyu. Now that the prefect of Zhaoqing studied Zuo Liangyu and resisted us to enter the city, our Yaogang Ming army vowed to capture him alive, and like Zuo Liangyu, escorted their whole family to Beijing City and handed it over to the emperor for disposal. Please don't mention him as a soldier and civilian. ”

At the same time as the loudspeaker broadcast, they also used mortars to launch propaganda leaflets such as the "Letter to the Military and Civilians of Zhaoqing" into the city, telling the soldiers and civilians in the city that we are about to attack the city, and please stay at home to reduce unnecessary casualties. At the same time, the policies of the kiln gang were also publicized. In between broadcasts, some opera music and other programs are also played. In short, it has not stopped. At night, no one could sleep, and no matter how much they understood the broadcast, the music was played that most of them had never heard before, like fairy music. These things are really too magical for these officers and soldiers and ordinary people who are extremely lacking in spiritual life.

When it comes to fighting, things are simpler. Qin Peng sent gunboats to guard in the direction of Guangzhou, and sent another battalion of troops to block possible support from Guangzhou.

As soon as the morning dawned, the loudspeaker broadcast again, "Brothers of the officers and soldiers in the city, please leave the city wall as soon as possible, we are going to fire on the city wall!" ”

At this time, the defenders of the city were a little confused, and the officers reprimanded and threatened them before they stabilized the morale of the army. Only then did the officers in the city know that the loudspeaker under the city was too threatening. They opened fire on the loudspeaker positions. But how could their kind of artillery hit such a target? Before they could fire the second time, a heavy artillery division in Yaogang, plus 130 heavy artillery pieces from various divisions, a total of more than 200 heavy artillery, ran towards the west city wall of Zhaoqing at the same time.

Since the establishment of the Yaogang army, it has never used more than 200 heavy artillery pieces to fire at targets at the same time. Not only were the defenders of the city stunned at once, but even the officers and soldiers of the Third Army of Yaogang were shocked by such fierce artillery fire. The "thump" of heavy artillery and the explosion that fell on the city wall shook the earth and made people feel a little unstable. In this shelling, small-caliber infantry guns and mortars did not participate, and it was completely the heavy artillery itself that sang together. After a burst of earth-shattering shelling, the west city wall of Zhaoqing was blown up with a large opening of more than 100 meters, and the smoke of gunpowder had not yet dissipated, and the mortars began to suppress the fire on the city walls on both sides of the gap, covering an infantry battalion to climb along the city wall to the gap in the city wall.

The defenders of Zhaoqing, how could they have thought that there would be such a fierce artillery fire, the officers and soldiers and civilians who were originally standing on the gap city wall were blown up with the fireworks, and most of the defenders on the city wall on both sides of the gap were shocked to death with bleeding from their mouths and noses. The battalion of the Kiln Gang Kick City occupied both sides of the gap in the wall with almost no resistance. By the time they had mounted their heavy machine guns on the city walls and fired at the city, the mortars began to fire extended, and a vanguard regiment of infantry poured into the city through the gap. Qin Peng, who was observing the situation with a telescope from behind, said: "Say to the commander of the Third Army beside you." The rest is yours. Try to kill as few people as possible! ”

The commander of the Third Army nodded and said, "Okay! Leave it to us, Chief of Staff! You take a break. After saying that, Le's fart ran out.

It should not be said that the defenders on the western city wall of Zhaoqing withstood heavy artillery bombardment, and they suffered countless casualties, even the prefects and generals in the city who were full of wisdom were also shocked by the sudden and fierce artillery bombardment. One by one, they held on to the back of their chairs for fear that they would not be able to sit still, and they were so frightened that they were scared. As soon as the sound of heavy artillery stopped, the prefect commanded, "Go to the west and see how it is?" ”

Before anyone could run out, the mortar explosion rang out again. This time, although the sound was also violent, it was noticeably much quieter. One of the generals straightened his neck and said, "I'm going to see what the hell is going on?" ”

But as soon as he was about to go out, the general collided with a man who hurriedly ran in, and the person who came did not have time to confess, and hurriedly reported: "General, general, no, the western city wall has been blown open a big opening, dozens of zhang wide, and the people of Yaogang are about to come in!" ”

The sound of the cannon stopped suddenly, but there was a constant sound of "bumper" and "pop" gunfire.

The general knew that the kiln men had rushed in, and if he didn't take advantage of their unstable foothold and beat them out, everything would be over. The general immediately ordered that officers and men everywhere immediately join the street fighting.

Because there are many officers and soldiers in the city, they can't all go up to the city wall, and there are still many people in the city, especially the people in the city, who are also fighting to the death. It is impossible for the kiln soldiers in the city to kill less. After the expansion and reorganization of the Third Army, many of them were new recruits, and they were not used to killing face-to-face at first, but under the leadership of veterans, they got used to it after killing a few. Armed with automatic rifles, they fought against the defenders and civilians of the city, not so much fighting as slaughter. People are like this, they get used to slaughtering and get used to it, and the more they kill, the more ruthless they become. In particular, experienced veterans and officers constantly shouted and reminded, "Don't be soft, if you are soft, you should die."

The commander of the Third Army did not expect that the defenders in the city would be so tenacious and desperate. I had to send another division into the city in order to end the battle as soon as possible.

The kiln soldiers who attacked the city wall, according to the previous training, attacked along both sides of the city wall, which was the classic tactic of the kiln gang people. They're going very well. During the attack, whenever they encountered a side road where they could kick the city, they would send people to guard the opening, and the defenders would no longer be allowed to kick the city.

In the afternoon, the Third Army sent another division into the city to search for the remnants of the enemy in the occupied city, and they wanted to settle the battle before dark. The killing in the city is dark, Qin Peng doesn't care, he knows that it is not possible to solve the problem of Liangguang without bloodshed, and the battle of Zhaoqing will also make people who still have illusions about fighting against the Yaogang people take a good look, and tell them that they want to fight against the dead end.

The Cantonese people here in Zhaoqing, although they are not tall, are really unambiguous when they fight fiercely. Killing until the night, there were constant gunshots and even the sound of hand explosions all over the city. The hand ** is the best way to deal with the enemy hiding in the room.

Fortunately, before dark, many tugboats in Yaogang were leaning on the bank of the Xijiang River in the north of Zhaoqing, and they used cables to direct electricity from the boat to the city wall, where they used many searchlights to illuminate the city to provide illumination for the soldiers in the city.

Chen Yufeng learned about the bloody battle in Zhaoqing and sent a telegram to Qin Peng, which was just a few words: "If you don't stand up, it's difficult to show grace." ”

Qin Peng originally understood this truth, but now that Chen Yufeng's telegram came, Qin Peng informed the commander of the Third Infantry Army of the content of the telegram through the radio. The army commander was also a veteran of Yaogang, and immediately understood what Chen Yufeng meant, and also informed the two division commanders who entered the city of this sentence. The two division commanders thought that killing people was too much, and they were worried that Qin Peng would not be satisfied, but now that they had this "holy decree", they understood what to do.

As a result, from the next day, they divided Zhaoqing City into pieces, and all the living people had to swear to obey the kiln people, and none who disagreed were left behind. In the end, it was determined that the prefect of Zhaoqing committed suicide with his whole family when the people of Yaogang came to the prefect. All the generals were killed in battle, and there were no prisoners in the city.

Hearing this result, Qin Peng sighed: "In the past, there was Bao Gong here in Zhaoqing, but now there is another loyal minister!" ”

The streets and alleys of Zhaoqing City are full of corpses. The weather in Guangdong was too hot, Qin Peng hurriedly ordered everyone to transport all the corpses out of the city as soon as possible, and set up dozens of incineration points outside the city. Command the soldiers to clean the blood from the inside of the city, and then bring it from outside the city to the new earthen cover. And I got a lot of lime to pour it. Qin Peng was very afraid of the plague.

The news of Qin Peng's killing in Zhaoqing immediately shook the entire Liangguang region. Those officials who want to resist will also have to weigh up. This killing had a big impact on the rest of the offense.

The army attacking from Fujian in the east also encountered resistance in Chaozhou and Meizhou, but it was not as powerful as Zhaoqing's side. They blasted the gates open with infantry artillery, and the defenders surrendered. Obviously, the officials here understand that the result of recalcitrant resistance is like Zhaoqing. But as an official of the Ming Dynasty, he can't resist it, and he can't get over it in his heart.

The two divisions that crossed Meiling also broke into Meiguan despite the dissatisfaction of the defenders, occupied Meiguan, and took advantage of Shaozhou's unpreparedness to raid Shaozhou and suddenly occupy Shaozhou, with almost no fighting.

The three people made an appointment and met under the city of Guangzhou.

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New progress in "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty": the Battle of Yashan, the defeat of the Yuan army, the counterattack of the Song army, and the landing in Fuzhou.