Suzhou, Jiangsu Governor Yamen. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Yuqian, the tired governor of Jiangsu, put down Lin Zexu's reply from Yi Zhixin, who was urgently transferred from Hangzhou, and gently rubbed his temples that were a little painful.

"Come on, go and ask Chen Huacheng, the governor of Jiangnan." Commanded to the outside world, he slowly leaned back on the back of the chair, since the British army captured Kunshan, the city of Suzhou is panicked day by day, although all kinds of reinforcements continue to gather in Suzhou, but because of the battle of Kunshan, the British army won more with less, and easily captured the Kunshan county defended by 10,000 green battalions, not to mention the gentry and merchants in the city, even the officials in the city, few believe that Suzhou City can be defended.

During this period of time, he was extremely tough in dispatching troops, recruiting young and strong, strengthening the city defense, and talking about people and things in a row, inspecting the city defense everywhere, which was really tired, but Yi Zhizhi said that the British army would not attack Suzhou at all.

Chen Huacheng came quickly, and after entering the door to greet him, he arched his hand and said, "What do you command?" ”

"No formality, sit." Yu Qian said and handed me Yi Zhi's reply and said, "Take a look at the karma." ”

After a quick look, Chen Huacheng was silent for a long time, for Yi Zhi's judgment, he didn't give Yu Qian a reaction, but the so-called concern is chaos, the British army easily captured Jiading and Kunshan, and the soldiers pointed directly at Suzhou, sitting in Suzhou, how could Yu Qian, who was responsible for defending the territory, dare to take such a big risk?

Seeing that he was silent, Yu Qian asked directly: "What does Ye Zhang think?" ”

"When it comes to espionage, intelligence gathering, and intelligence analysis, the last general is ashamed of himself." Chen Huacheng said in a deep voice: "Yi Zhi, as a counselor minister and Shanghai Dao, dare to assert this, he must be completely sure. After speaking, he paused, and was promoted from a low-level military attache all the way to a first-class admiral, he relied not only on bravery, but also on the intrigue in the officialdom.

Without waiting for Yu Qian to speak, he continued: "Although Suzhou is not an important place for soldiers, but its prosperity and wealth are comparable to Jiangning and Hangzhou, and there is no room for error.

Furthermore, Yi Zhishu once analyzed that the British army's move was intended to attack the east and west, and the real intention was to attack Jiangning. ”

Hearing this, Yu Qian's heart lit up, this is equivalent to a bad thing becoming a good thing! After a slight sigh, he said: "If Yi Zhi's judgment is correct, when will the British army in Kunshan retreat?" ”

After making a silent calculation in his heart, Chen Huacheng said: "The short is five days, and the long is ten days." ”

On 5 July, the British army in Kunshan withdrew to Wusong, and on the 9th, Pu Dingcha, Bajia, and Guo Fu led 25 warships, 12 steamers, 5 troop carriers, and 50 transport ships along the river, leaving five warships to block the mouth of the Yangtze River, and 3,000 army troops to garrison Wusong.

Shanghai. Northern suburbs shooting range.

The dull sound of gunfire echoed over the shooting range, and the air was full of choking gunsmoke, Yi Zhizhi stood under a big tree and watched the volunteers carry out live-fire training, after repelling the invading British troops, the training of the volunteers not only did not slacken, but they grasped it more tightly, especially the live-fire training, which increased significantly, and he would personally come to inspect every once in a while, in order to show the importance of the live-fire training of the volunteers.

With a dull gunshot, a large cloud of smoke spread in the queue, which was the smoke produced after the burning of black powder, and it was easy to imagine that tens of thousands of muskets fired in a volley, how big the smoke would be, I am afraid that even the figure on the opposite side could not see clearly.

"Click" A rapid sound of horses' hooves came from behind him, Yi Zhizu turned around and took a look, and saw that it was Ren An in the front, and immediately realized that there was important information, otherwise Ren An would not have come in person.

When he came to him, Ren An saluted a military salute, and then sent a piece of information, and after only a few glances, Yi Zhizhi said in a deep voice: "Go back to the camp." ”

The British army finally followed the original trajectory and marched towards Jiangning! This made Yi Zhizu breathe a sigh of relief, and when he returned to the camp, he carefully read the information twice before handing it to Xiao Mingming.

This information is very detailed, and he knows that it was sent by Huang Dianyuan without asking, and the British army organized all the ships into a forward fleet and five columns, the forward fleet consisted of five battleships, two steamships, and a survey ship, and five columns, each column consisted of four warships, a survey ship, a troop carrier, and ten transport ships, each column was five to ten miles apart, and they went up the river while surveying.

After quickly reading the information, Xiao Mingliang hesitated a little before saying: "Principal, the British army has left three thousand troops and five warships in Wusong, one of which is still a third-class battleship, which shows that the British army attaches great importance to ensuring the safety of the back road. ”

"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements." Yi Zhishu said and ordered: "Hurry up and inform the group, and set off for Shanghai immediately." Saying that, he looked at Ren An and said, "Start Plan A." ”

The horse returned to the Daoya, and Yi Zhishu immediately transmitted the information to Hangzhou, Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Jiangning and other places in an expedited manner of 800 miles.

Hangzhou Qincha Xingyuan. After receiving an urgent report from Yi Zhi, Lin Zexu issued a series of orders one after another, and gave Daoguang a share of the fold, and then set off for Jiangning overnight.

With Lin Zexu's orders, the monk Lingqin stationed in Ningbo handed over the defense to Liu Yunke, the governor of Zhejiang, and led more than 10,000 troops to return quickly and rushed to Jiangning.

In Suzhou, Yuqian, the governor of Jiangsu, and Chen Huacheng, the governor of Jiangnan, led the second battalion of Fubiao, the fifth battalion of the promotion, and the soldiers and horses of Langshan Town and Fushan Town, who came to the aid of Suzhou, quickly rushed to Jiangyin.

The soldiers and horses of Xuzhou Town and Huaiyang Town rushed to Zhenjiang to be controlled by Yang Fang, the counselor.

The general army of Su Songzhen went to Shanghai to be restrained by the Counsellor and the Minister of Counsel and the Shanghai Daoyi.

Anhui governor Cheng Cai led Anhui soldiers and horses to Jiangning.

In order to hurry, Lin Zexu did not take the waterway but took the land route, through Changxing all the way to Jiangning but six hundred miles, all the way to the hurry, but only a few days of effort, sitting in the bumpy carriage, he couldn't help but think of the train, the opening ceremony of the Foshan-Guangzhou Railway, he personally tried to take the train, not only fast, but also not bumpy at all, you can also drink tea and read the newspaper on the train, where is like a carriage, the bones are about to shake apart.

If Hangzhou can really build a railway from Hangzhou to Beijing, it will be too convenient to travel, and it is also convenient to transfer troops, but now is not the time to think about this, he quickly retracted his thoughts, since the main force of the British fleet has gone north, the goal is already very clear, except for Jiangning, the British army that is not worth it in other places takes such a big risk.

On the front line of the Yangtze River, according to the proposed plan, there are only four battlefields, Jiangning, Zhenjiang, Jiangyin, and Wusong, and the British army is advancing westward, and Jiangyin is to be spared, so the first target of the British army is undoubtedly Zhenjiang. However, the British army was strong, and it was not ruled out that the troops would be divided into two routes and attack Zhenjiang and Jiangning separately.

Don't be in a hurry, you can't be in a hurry, you have to calm down, judging from the intelligence, the speed of the British fleet will not be fast, even if you divide your troops to attack Jiangning, it will take at least ten days to reach Jiangning, as for Zhenjiang, he is not too worried, Yang Fang has been going to Zhenjiang for some time, and the troops are sufficient, so there is no need to worry too much.

However, he always felt that there was a little omission, meditated, sorted out the previous deployment over and over again, and he finally reacted, the British army marched all the way along the west, and the key to the passes such as Goose Nose Mouth, Fushan, Pushan Pass, Jiaoshan, and Xiangshan on the big river all need to resist, even if it is a slight resistance, otherwise the British army is afraid that it will be suspicious, but it will not fall short.

Shanghai Daoya, study.

Yi Zhizhi was bored in the study and practiced calligraphy, during this time, he basically didn't ask much about the affairs of the Daoya, and all the government affairs were thrown to Bao Shichen and other masters, Bao Shichen now knows that a big war in Jiangnan has begun, and he rarely comes to disturb him, and he reports once a day in the morning and evening.

"Young Master." Li Wang reported outside the door: "Zhou Shirong, the chief soldier of Susong Town, Jiangnan, came to visit. ”

Zhou Shirong? Yi Zhixiang put down his pen and thought about it before saying, "Please let him in." As he spoke, he cleaned up slowly, although the Qing Dynasty was a military system with literature, but Zhou Shirong was the chief soldier of Su Song Town, and he was a second-rank military attaché, not something that he could restrain as a fourth-grade sub-patrol Su Songtai, but he didn't plan to go out to greet him, let alone open the door.

Seeing that only a small guy came out to lead him in, Zhou Shirong was unhappy in his heart, but Lin Zexu's order was very clear, now he, the chief soldier of Susong Town, was content with this counselor minister, even if he was dissatisfied, he could only bury it in his stomach, and when he entered the courtyard, he didn't see Yi Zhi's contented figure, he was really a little annoyed in his heart, damn, the Taoist shelf of these four grades is too big!

Listening to the sound of footsteps in the courtyard, Yi Zhishu slowly walked out of the study, paced to the door, and saw that he was still out to greet him, Zhou Shirong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly arched his hand and said: "The last general, Zhou Shirong, the chief soldier of Susong Town, Jiangnan, has seen adults." ”

Returning the salute, Yi Zhixiang stretched out his hand and said, "Mr. Zhou, please." ”

The guest of honor sat down, and Yi Zhizhi said straightforwardly: "In the first battle of Wusong, Chen Junmen did not retreat, and the soldiers and horses of Susong Town retreated first, but is there such a thing?" ”

Seeing that he opened his mouth, Zhou Shirong's boss was uncomfortable, and hurriedly said with a smile: "It's not a retreat, it's a rout..... It was a rout, the British artillery fire was fierce, the rockets were dense, and it was really impossible to resist. ”

Yi Zhixin knew that Lin Zexu transferred a town of soldiers and horses to him because he was afraid that he would not have enough troops, but the problem was that the soldiers and horses in Susong Town were not able to be used at all, at most, they could be used as coolies, and he groaned slightly, and then he asked: "How many soldiers and horses do you have under Zhou Zongrong?" Report the facts, don't harm others and yourself. ”

This is not polite at all, Zhou Shirong does not care, and says truthfully: "After the two battles of Wusong and Kunshan, there are only more than 800 soldiers and horses left under the last general. ”

"Let's set up camp in the northwest suburbs of the county." Yi Zhisuff said casually: "However, please also ask Zhou Zongrong to control his subordinates, and not to go out of the camp without reason, let alone harass the people." ”

"Definitely, definitely." Zhou Shirong hurriedly bowed his hand and said: "Don't worry, my lord, the last general will strictly restrain his subordinates." After a slight pause, he said: "I heard that the silver of Shanghai Yiyong is three times that of the green camp, and now Susong Town is under the control of the adults, ....... the people." ”

Hearing that he still wanted treatment, Yi Zhixiang couldn't help but smile and said: "The silver of the righteous and brave is three times that of the green camp, but it is the silver taels that Liu Zhixian raised from the gentry and merchants of Shanghai, and the soldiers and horses of Susong Town have not made an inch of ......." ”

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Zhou Shirong took over and said, "We don't have merit and hard work." ”

"I'm just looking at the credit here." Yi Zhizu said coldly, picking up the teacup and sending it straight to the guest.

Coming out of the Taoist office, Zhou Shirong had an evil fire in his belly, and seeing that his face was not good-looking, Wang Fengxiang, a guerrilla in the front camp, came up and said, "That kid didn't agree?" ”

"Hmph." Zhou Shirong snorted coldly and said, "We can't afford to mess with that kid, can't we afford to mess with Shanghai Magistrate?" Let's go, go to the county office. ”

In less than an hour, Liu Guangdou, the county magistrate, came to the Taoist government with a sad face, and when he saw Yi Zhi's contentment, he gave his hand again and again: "My lord, my lord, you can be the master of your humble duties, Zhou Zongbing asked for 5,000 stone of grain as soon as he opened his mouth, and he also had five fat pigs and a few ...... vegetables every day." ”

"Bastard!" Yi Zhisuff scolded angrily, his eyes rolled, he glanced at Liu Guangdou, and said: "How did Lord Liu forget, the two thousand volunteers in Shanghai were recruited by the county government, and I will transfer two battalions to you to obey orders at any time?" ”

Liu Guangdou dared to take this hot potato, and waved his hand again and again: "My lord, even if there are two thousand righteous bravery, I don't have the courage to be lowly and humble." ”

Yi Zhishu was speechless for a while, and said with a slight mutter: "That official sent someone to pass the order, and the soldiers and horses of Susong Town were immediately pulled out, and they returned to Chongming to stand by!" ”

Hearing this, Liu Guangdou was overjoyed, and hurriedly said: "Those soldiers have a lot of ...... eyes. ”

"It's not a big deal for you to see the excitement." Yi Zhisuff glanced at him and said, "This official is doing this for you." ”

"Don't dare, don't dare." Liu Guangdou hurriedly said: "The humble position is because I am worried that they will harm the people of Shanghai. ”

"100 stones of grain, 5 fat pigs, 50 loads of vegetables and vegetables, go and treat them." Yi Zhishu said: "I will send another person to give an order, ordering them to return to Chongming early tomorrow morning." ”

This is much more gentle, Liu Guangdou hurriedly bowed his hand and said, "Xiaguan will go and prepare." ”

Watching Liu Guangdou leave, Yi Zhishu shook his head a little speechlessly, he was not afraid of causing trouble, the soldiers and horses of Susong Town were stationed in Chongming on the other side of Wusong, and this battle had to be deployed in Chongming, although the soldiers and horses of Susong Town could not fight, but the soldiers were all local natives, familiar with the location, and they could be used.

To Yi Zhi's surprise, after receiving the order, Zhou Shirong hurried over, and as soon as he saw him, he arched his hand and said, "I hope that the adults will give us a way to live." ”

Yi Zhishu looked at him coldly and said, "What do you mean?" ”

Zhou Shirong said with a sad face: "Wusong is now occupied by the Yingyi, and the mouth of the river is blocked by the Yingyi warships. ”

Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said, "Zhou Zongrong doesn't want to go back to Chongming, so let's go to Jiangyin." ”

Jiangyin? Zhou Shirong is not stupid, Yu Qian and Chen Huacheng led the troops to Jiangyin, it is obviously a battlefield, instead of going to Jiangyin, it is better to return to Chongming, even if he said: "The last general will obey the orders of the adults and lead the troops back to Chongming." (To be continued.) )