Regarding the matter of Aobai's southern expedition, Zheng Chenggong did not plan to wait for the Qing army to come to the door after the assembly, it would be an attack by the Qing army, and the Ming army would be beaten passively, so he would take the initiative to attack. These are all lessons from the failure of the Northern Expedition three years ago, and lessons from bleeding after losing Gan Hui, Yu Xin, and other generals.

Passive guarding the south of the Yangtze River, waiting for the Qing army to assemble, can calmly launch an attack on themselves, then the initiative is completely in the hands of the Qing army, and the Qing army can wait for the Ming army to launch an attack when the morale is low. If you take the initiative to attack, it is the best policy to use the advantages of the sailors to grasp the initiative on the battlefield and break through the strong enemies.

After formulating all the plans to fight against Aobai, the Ming army went ahead without moving grain and grass. Compared with the relatively dangerous cities of Changshu and Hangzhou, the best food gathering place for the Ming army was Chongming Island.

Zheng Chenggong did the same as Wang Xinyu during his expedition to Burma, choosing Jiangkou Island, which was not easy to be attacked by the enemy, as a grain hoarding point, so that he could radiate to Jiangbei and Jiangnan and attack everywhere; If you retreat, you can use Chongming Island as the center to confront the Qing army at the mouth of the river, even if the war is unfavorable, the Ming army will withdraw from the Yangtze River at any time and return to the sea, and you will not be greatly injured.

On the shore of Chongming Island, Ming army transport ships loaded with weapons and ammunition sailed from the open sea and docked at the dock, and Minzhuang and auxiliary soldiers were moving boxes of goods from the ships. On the Yangtze River, small transport ships loaded with grain sailed out of the upper reaches and various tributaries and arrived at the wharf of Chongming Island, unloading the grain requisitioned from all over the south of the Yangtze River. There are also some transport ships carrying export goods such as ceramics and silk purchased from all over the south of the Yangtze River, which are transported to Chongming Island and unloaded, and then loaded onto sea ships.

The sea vessels, which had unloaded their weapons and ammunition, were loaded with export goods, left Chongming Island and sailed out to the open sea.

"It's coming!" There were Qiongzhou soldiers shouting on the dock.

Two large Spanish galleons bearing the logo of the Nanyang Company sailed into Chongming Island and docked at the pier.

Minzhuang and the auxiliary soldiers immediately caught up with the boat and tied the cable to the ship. Set up a springboard. After a while, someone began to carry all kinds of goods from the ship and disembarked. The two ships carried bags of cement, cigarettes and other goods from the South Seas, as well as boxes with the sign "Fragile goods, handle with care" on them, and contained various glassware.

cement, which was used to build the fortress and fort of Chongming Island; Cigarettes are not only the Ming army's own consumer goods, but also some of them are commodities used for sale; As for glassware, it is a luxury item sold to Gangnam.

Chongming Island. The Ming soldiers, armed with steel knives and leather whips, were urging the captives to work.

Groups of Qing prisoners carried huge stones, pushed small carts full of bricks, dug up the ground dirt, carried sandbags and mixed cement, and were busy on the construction site. Scaffolding has been erected, and walls, forts, and bastions have risen from the ground.

"Add dinner tonight! Keep it all up! Those who work hard can be rewarded for eating meat! A Ming officer shouted loudly.

After the captured Qing soldiers were sent here, they had to do hard work, but at least they would not go hungry here. Every day, coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and corn are full, and occasionally brown rice and coarse noodles can be eaten. The vegetables eaten are usually greens, soy products, potatoes, and sometimes even meat. In short, they were taken prisoner. However, the food was no worse than when they were the Green Battalion Clearers, and it was guaranteed to fill their stomachs, which left the captives without any opinion.

Some captives who are addicted to cigarettes can also supply cigarettes in limited quantities. Although it is the worst cigarette, it tastes much better than the tobacco they usually smoke.

Inferior cigarettes became a sought-after item among the captives, and some of the captives were not too addicted to cigarettes. He even sells the cigarettes he supplies to his companions at a high price. These captives did not have any silver on them, but they were actually paid for their work, and before the end of the hard labor period and the restoration of their freedom, the wages were temporarily stored in the hands of the Ming army, and when the service period was up and they regained their freedom, the wages would be paid to them.

Many of the Ming soldiers who supervised the work were captured by the Qing army who had been captured in Fujian and other places, and they had regained their freedom after two years of service. Many people had nowhere to go, so they chose to join the Ming army. With the example of these former Qing prisoners, every Qing prisoner believed that he could be paid.

The lack of cash on hand did not affect the prisoners' private transactions. The Qing captives, who sold cigarettes, received IOUs from their own companions. Over time, the IOUs became paper money among the captives, which could be freely circulated and could be used not only to buy cigarettes from others, but also to sell their goods to some captives who knew how to fish and shrimp, and to obtain IOUs from their companions, who could then use them to buy cigarettes and sell them to others.

The Ming army did not prohibit the Qing army from trading prisoners in private, but some soldiers from the former Nanyang Company's escort team also paid special attention to those economically minded prisoners, and after they completed their servants, they would recruit these financially minded guys to work in the Nanyang Company.

On the 20th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, according to the established plan, the Ming army prepared to cross the river to attack the Caoyun Green Camp in Yangzhou.

In addition to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, there are rivers and lakes such as Xincheng River, Gecko River, Phoenix River, Slender West Lake, Shao Bo Lake, Gaoyou Lake, etc., this terrain is not conducive to the movement of the army, but it does not affect the mobility of the Ming army for the benefit of the water division. However, the attack on Yangzhou mainly relied on the combat effectiveness of the land division. Zheng Chenggong has always been haunted by the defeat of the Caoyun Green Battalion in the last Northern Expedition, and this time he vowed to destroy the Caoyun Green Battalion first.

"Today we are going to destroy the Tartar Caoyun Green Camp first! Avenge the soldiers who died three years ago! Three years ago, it was those Caoyun Green Battalions on the other side that attacked us! What a shame! Be ashamed today! Standing on the bow of the boat, Zheng Chenggong said to Wang Xinyu in a serious tone.

What made Zheng Chenggong feel most humiliated was that it was not how strong the combat effectiveness of the Qing army of these Caoyun Green Battalions was, but Zheng Chenggong's own mistakes, and after the delaying tactics, he thought that the Qing soldiers would surrender, so he relaxed his vigilance again, and as a result, after being attacked by the Caoyun Green Battalion, the Ming army immediately collapsed, which buried a group of elite generals in vain. If it was a frontal fight with real swords and real guns, Zheng Jiajun would definitely not lose to the Caoyun Green Battalion.

"Three years ago, this king made a fatal mistake, and today he will not make a mistake again! The procrastination of those years gave the Tartars the opportunity to gather forces to fight back. We can't concentrate them now, we have to attack and disrupt their deployment. Zheng Chenggong continued to talk to himself. The failure of the Northern Expedition three years ago was the most painful thing in Zheng Chenggong's life.

The Ming army crossed the river to attack the Caoyun Green Camp in Yangzhou, with a total of more than 1,000 ships. Carrying more than 30,000 elite troops, and carrying siege mortar cannons, red-coated cannons, three-pounder copper cannons, four-pounder copper cannons and other sophisticated weapons, the Zheng family's elite troops such as iron man, long knife soldiers, bird gunners and archers all participated in the battle. The Nanyang Army dispatched mercenary teams, sophisticated Western-style artillery, flintlock pistols, as well as elite soldiers such as ironclad pikemen, halberd soldiers, Miao knife soldiers, and iron men.

At this time, Wang Xinyu had already agreed to marry Miss Qian. After careful consideration, he decided to accept Qian Zhiyu. Because this is a political marriage, marrying Qian Zhiyu can get more support from the Jiangnan Shi clan. And this Qian Zhiyu is as beautiful as a flower, and there is nothing to lose if he marries her.

However, the army is about to go out, and Wang Xinyu plans to cooperate with Zheng Chenggong first, and after capturing Yangzhou, he will come back to marry Miss Qian. So after deciding on this family business, he led the army to attack.

On the morning of the 20th, outside the mouth of the Yangtze River where the Yangzhou Grand Canal flows, groups of large and small warships flying the battle flags of the Ming army suddenly appeared on the river, heading in the direction of Yangzhou.

On the edge of the Jiangbei Canal. There were few Qing troops stationed there. Originally, a battalion of the Qing army was stationed here, claiming to be 1,000 people, but in fact, there were only more than 500 people because of empty salaries. But some time ago, Zhang Huangyan entered the river. When the fleet passed through the Yangzhou River, it once shelled the Qing army camp, and the Qing army here basically ran out, leaving only a few dozen people to guard.

The Qing soldiers saw the Ming warships appearing on the river. I don't think so, since Zhang Huangyan entered the river, the Ming fleet sailed almost every day on the river from the mouth of the Yangtze River to the area of Jiangning. There were even huge gunboats that penetrated deep into the river around Anqing, and the Qing army was powerless to stop them.

Seeing the Ming warships on the river, the Qing army thought that it was another routine patrol of the Ming fleet.

"Behold, they are coming unto us! It seems to be going to the shore! Suddenly, a soldier screamed.

"Bad thing! The pirates are going to land! A small officer of the Qing army said.

"My lord, let's release the beacon smoke signal immediately!" A soldier who looked less than seventeen or eighteen years old said.

Before he finished speaking, the Qing soldier was hit hard in the back of the head and burst chestnuts, only to hear the general of the Qing army yelling: "Are you impatient?" Why don't you run now, still thinking about releasing beacon smoke? Light the smoke and we won't be able to run away! ”

The Qing army abandoned the barracks and beacon towers, and fled for their lives since ancient times. The Ming army crossed the Yangtze River and set foot on the land on the north bank without being stopped by a single soldier.

The landed Ming army marched along the canal, both by land and water, and killed in the direction of Yangzhou. On the other hand, the Ming army entered from the Mangdao River in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, sailed north along this large river more than a mile wide, and killed Yangzhou from the east.

A Qing soldier had already reported to Cai Shiying, the governor of Caoyun of the Qing army, and Lin Qilong, the general soldier of Yangzhou, who were stationed in Yangzhou, the news that the Ming army had entered Jiangbei and killed Yangzhou.

"Lord Cai, Haikou is coming to Yangzhou! They did not attack Jiangning and Zhenjiang in the south of the Yangtze River, but came to attack Yangzhou, and the behavior of the Haikou was really strange. Lin Qilong said a thousand words.

Cai Shiying also couldn't understand why the Ming army was reluctant to seek the near and far, and instead of attacking Jiangnan first, they wanted to cross the river to attack Yangzhou. After thinking for a moment, Cai Shiying came to a conclusion: "It must be that Jiangning is a strong city, and the thieves dare not attack it rashly, so they gave up Jiangning and invaded Yangzhou." ”

Lin Qilong said: "My lord, the city of Hangzhou is also very strong, hasn't it been broken by thieves?" ”

Cai Shiying sneered and straightened his face: "Although the city of Hangzhou is strong, isn't it because Zhu Guozhi is bent on copying the homes of those big families in Shanyin?" As a result, the soldiers were lost, which made the Hangzhou Green Battalion send troops to attack a large family, but the big family did not defeat it, but the Hangzhou Green Battalion was damaged in Shanyin! The thieves took the opportunity to send troops to Hangzhou, and how many defenders were there in Hangzhou at that time? No matter how big a city is, it must be defended, and the bigger the city, the more defenders are needed. ”

"The city of Yangzhou is strong, our Caoyun water and land divisions are in Yangzhou, the city has strong troops, and the thieves come to attack us instead, it is simply self-defeating!" Lin Qilong Road.

Cai Shiying said: "Our Caoyun Green Battalion, if we go out of the city to fight, we may not be able to break the enemy." But with the city to hold on, the thieves can't conquer Yangzhou without a month or two! As long as we persevere, as soon as Lord Ao's imperial army arrives, it will be the time when Zheng Rebellion's army defeats Yangzhou! At that time, our army took advantage of the victory to pursue and recover Jiangnan together, hahaha! ”

The army of the Ming Army's sailors who entered from the Mangdao River had people from the Heaven and Earth Society leading the way in front of them, and they were very familiar with where there were barrages in the river and where there were underwater hidden piles.

The Mangdao River is wide and suitable for large warships. Several Tiandihui fishing boats that opened the way in front of them continued to drop mines into the river, blowing up the underwater piles arranged by the Qing army in the river.

The one-mile-wide river, except for artillery, the Qing army on both sides of the river could not threaten the warships of the naval division in the river, except for artillery. The Qing army did not have large-caliber heavy artillery on both sides of the Mangdao River, and the small artillery such as tiger squat artillery and general cannon arranged on both banks had just opened fire, and they were immediately counterattacked by the Ming fleet.

The cannon roared on the river, and the Ming warships of more than 100 tons spit out fire, and the shells smashed into the Qing army fort on the shore, and in the blink of an eye, the Qing army fort was hit with thick smoke.

These inland river warships are all inland river warships of the Fujian army and the Zhejiang army designed by Wang Xinyu himself, with a small displacement, shallow draft, and dual power of wind oars, so they can come and go freely in the inland river. This type of ship has two decks, the lower deck is the oarsman's cabin, and the upper one is the gun deck, although it is not the closed gun deck of Western warships, but the gun emplacements are protected by thick wooden planks, and each side has the powerful firepower of six guns. These guns, designed according to the British bronze cannon, have a long range, a fast rate of fire, and a lot of power.

The artillery of the Qing army on both sides of the strait was all suppressed at once, and the Qing soldiers who were not killed abandoned their artillery and fled.

"Ahead of the river, I found a Tartar fire attacking raft, and it was going down the river!" A personal soldier reported to Chen Wenda, the general of the Zhejiang army.

"Release the boat! Go destroy the Tartars' fire attack raft! Chen Wenda ordered.

Most of the sailors and soldiers of the Zhejiang Army are seaside fishermen, who were born and raised at the sea since they were children, and their skills in manipulating ships are far from being comparable to those green battalion Qing soldiers. The Qing army also used to have a group of skilled sailors, but in the Battle of Xiamen Sea, the elite naval divisions of the Qing army were almost wiped out, and now those Caoyun naval divisions are not opponents of the Ming army at all.

The Ming soldiers rowed small boats and rushed over to meet the fire attack rafts. After the two sides approached, the Ming army fired rows of random arrows.

The arrows were like locusts, and the Qing soldiers who were rowing the raft were hit by arrows one after another, screaming and falling into the water.

The boat overturned the raft, disarming the threat of the fire raft to the big ship. (To be continued.) )

PS: There's another chapter tomorrow at noon, and after that, it's an early morning update