In the second year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty and June of the seventeenth year of the Yongli Dynasty in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army in Jiangnan and the Qing army in Shandong formed a strange confrontation. Because of the fear that the Ming army would attack Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou and other key areas, the Qing army in Shandong actively carried out preparations for the southern expedition, and a large amount of baggage that should have been sent to the Jiaodong front line was not sent, but was transported by boats and vehicles to the direction of Huai'an, and the Jiaodong front only ensured the necessary grain and grass; The Ming army was also aware of the movements of the Qing army, and Deng Ming moved the camp to Zhenjiang, where he camped on the other side of the canal as he did during the Second Eastern Crusade.

In late June, after learning that the Ming army showed a posture of closing the canal, the Qing army's offensive in Shandong became more weak, and the support from Beijing continued to enter Shandong, but these thousands of Qing soldiers did not look at Jiaodong, and went straight south along the canal; Even the troops that had been surrounded by Seven were ordered to rush back to the canal.

Lin Qilong, the governor of Caoyun, had already reported to Beijing that Deng Ming's entry into the Kou this time might have a total of more than 100,000 troops, and more than 40,000 armor. Although the total number of soldiers is not as good as that of Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Huangyan's joint invasion of the Yangtze River, the number of soldiers is basically the same. Hearing that the scale of the army's mobilization was so large, and that a large camp had been erected in Zhenjiang, Beijing was even more suspicious of Deng Ming's plan to isolate the north and the south and find an opportunity to gain a foothold in the south of the Yangtze River.

However, Chiang Guozhu's report stated that Nanjing had not yet been attacked, so the Qing court did not order the troops to advance at full speed to reinforce Nanjing—Deng Ming had shown amazing combat effectiveness in previous campaigns, Beijing had no intention of sending the troops to their deaths, and the Ming army still had the strength to control the Yangtze River. Therefore, Beijing was extremely serious, slowly concentrating field troops in southern Lunan and Huaibei, and maintaining communication with Nanjing and Yangzhou on the other hand.

At about the same time, Liu Tichun and Wang Guangxing led their headquarters to cross the Yangtze River and set up camp not far from the entrance of the canal. After learning that the Qing army had slowed down its offensive in Shandong, the Ming army judged that it was increasingly likely that the Qing army would move south, so the Ming army further strengthened its control of the canal. Once the news of the main force of the Qing army was received that the main force of the Qing army was marching south, the Ming army would all go north to fight. The canal was the fastest route for the main force of the Qing army to march and transport baggage, and the same was true for the Ming army.

Now the Ming army has not yet controlled the entrance to the canal, just to avoid cutting off the upcoming Cao Yun. Deng Ming felt that the Eastern Expedition had basically achieved its goal, and he was more interested in attacking Zhejiang than the Qing army's heavy army group in Shandong. It was a last resort to lead the war to both sides of the Yangtze River, and the art of war is cloudy, "before thinking about victory, thinking about defeat first", although the southeast governor remains neutral, but if the Ming army is unfortunately defeated, Deng Ming does not dare to guarantee that he will not encounter the scene of the wall falling down and everyone pushing.

"Our attack on Zhejiang can reduce the pressure on Zhoushan and Chongming, and if we can mobilize the forces of Li Shutai and Geng Jimao, it will also help the Fujian army, and we can also force them to pay another ransom fee under the pretext of Zhejiang's breach of the contract." When Deng Ming and his allies discussed their strategy, he once again emphasized that it did not seem to be a good time to engage the Qing army in Shandong at this time: "Even if we defeat the Qing army in Shandong, we will not be able to occupy Shandong. If it is a crushing victory, our army's deterrence of the southeast will also be affected, and the ones who will benefit are Jiang Guozhu and Zhang Changgeng, who are sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight. ”

However, the situation in front of Beijing seems to be eager to try, and Deng Ming already has the capital to fight head-on with the main force of the central government of the Qing court, so he is not willing to risk the situation getting out of control.

"The deployment of the Qing army is a bit strange, so there is also a possibility that they don't want to go south, but they still want to solve Yu Qi first. But the heavy troops of the Qing court in Shandong were attracted by our heavy army group in the south of the Yangtze River, just as we were attracted to them. So I'm not going to cut it off. Soon this year's Cao Yun will begin, and if the Qing court sees that we don't even have the strength to cut off the Cao Yun, it is likely to conclude that our strength is not enough. If his judgment is correct, when the Cao Yun begins as usual, the Qing court will underestimate the strength of the Ming army in Jiangnan, and the tighter and tighter strings may begin to loosen, and then Deng Ming will consider retreating or going south to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to carry out more important work.

……

A few days after Liu Tichun and Wang Guangxing crossed the river and prepared for the main force of the Ming army to enter the canal, the Qing army in Shandong also learned of this situation from the urgent report.

"If the canal is blocked by thieves, then the Deng thieves will be able to attack Jiangning without worry." After seeing the report, Prince Kang slapped the table heavily. From the very beginning, he strongly advocated that the whole army give up on the seven southward marches and fight to the death with Deng Ming. At the thought of defeating Deng Ming's great feat, Jie Shu was so excited that his whole body heated. Besides, as long as Deng Ming is defeated, it will not be difficult for the master to destroy Yu Qi in Shandong.

"Otherwise, don't worry." Although he also wants to make meritorious contributions, he is much more cautious. Now that Deng Ming has control of the Yangtze River, if he wants to cross the river safely, he must wait for Deng Ming to be entangled in other things, so the best time is definitely not now, but when Deng Ming starts attacking Nanjing.

At present, Jiang Guozhu sends three letters a day to Beijing to report safety, since Deng Ming's main force is not around Nanjing, where will they be? Obviously, he was guarding Zhenjiang, intending to wait for reinforcements to cross the river and attack one and a half crossings, and then calmly besiege Nanjing. In the past few years, the Qing court's strength has suffered a great loss due to the repeated defeats against Deng Ming, and after several major defeats in Xiamen and Wanxian, the Qing court's strategic mobile forces have been very limited.

Although the Qing army in the south was slightly relieved by Zheng Chenggong's death, this heavy army group in Shandong was still very important, and if it was ambushed by the cunning Deng Ming, there would be no strength to reinforce Jiangnan in the short term. In other words, the Qing court would temporarily lose control of the southeast because it did not have more strategic reserves.

"Zhou Peigong's report has arrived." Just when Jieshu and Kubilong were at a standout, the Yangtze River suppressed Deng Premier Yamen and sent a new report. Under the instructions of Deng Ming and Jiang Guozhu, Zhou Peigong vigorously boasted about the strength of the Qing army along the Yangtze River, saying that he was confident that he would keep the flow of Cao Yun unimpeded.

After the First Battle of Gaoyou Lake, the Qing court did not expect Zhou Peigong to completely defeat Deng Ming, but still believed that Zhou Peigong could lead several provinces to follow Deng Ming, so that the Ming army could not disperse its forces and concentrate on attacking the city for a long time.

"Jiangning is on the south bank, Yangzhou is on the north bank, there is Zhou Peigong, Deng Ming can't beat Jiangning if he stays on the south bank, and he can't seal the canal if he leaves fewer soldiers." Li Guoying did not agree to fight in Jiangnan from beginning to end.

Needless to say, the masterpiece from Beijing does not have a deep understanding of "northerners fighting horses, southerners fighting boats". Fighting against the Ming army, which had an absolute advantage in the naval division on the Yangtze River, Li Guoying felt that there was really no possibility of completely annihilating Deng Ming, but if he was not careful, he would be wiped out by the other party.

And this is not a no-man's land like Sichuan, and a scuffle of more than 100,000 troops on both sides can definitely turn the rich Jiangnan into white ground. Although Deng Ming has been acting very restrained now, Li Guoying believes that he is really in a hurry, and Deng Ming can also do things to force and strengthen Ding.

"Jiangning is the Nanjing of the former Ming Dynasty, Deng Ming also wants to seize the capital as his one day, he not only wants an intact Jiangnan, but also cares about the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, so it is best for us to stay here in Shandong." Li Guoying didn't dare to mention any more water superiority of the Ming army to Jieshu and Kubilong, before Li Guoying got up, the two people said with disdain, when the Manchurian soldiers went to the south of the Yangtze River, they didn't see the Yangtze River moat in Li Guoying's mouth play the slightest role.

Of course, Li Guoying understood that there was no army of resistance at that time, and the four towns in Jiangbei and the Chu army where Li Guoying was at that time all surrendered when they heard the wind, and naturally the Yangtze River moat was meaningless. But the current Ming army is not a Southern Ming Hongguang army without fighting spirit, and Zhou Peigong and others only dare to follow from afar, holding the city and the camp. The advantage of the sailor was no joke - although Li Guoying knew that Zhou Peigong's military strength was far less powerful than he boasted in the report, but the ability to follow Deng Ming's army and spy on it was remarkable. Li Guoying felt that none of his subordinates in Chongqing could have this kind of copy - it was indeed a hero from ancient times, and a talented person from all generations.

"Our army continued to stay in Shandong, Deng Ming was entangled by Zhou Peigong, he couldn't take a strong city like Jiangning, and he refused to completely destroy Jiangnan, and he knew that we could reinforce at any time, so he had to withdraw his troops in the end. Our army can reap the full benefits without a fight; If you rush to fight with Deng Ming, in case it is unfavorable, it will be troublesome. Li Guoying seriously analyzed Jieshu and Kubilong: "Now Deng Ming is entrenched in Yangzhou, probably because he is worried that we will attack him along the canal and affect his population transportation, so he ignored the threat of Jiang Ning and Zhou Peigong, and the whole army is stationed in Zhenjiang. ”

Although he didn't guess the reason why Deng Ming was guarding against the Qing army in Shandong, Li Guoying's speculation was basically accurate: "The slave thinks that Deng Ming is probably watching now." If we go south to fight him, then he will fight; If we continue to pack up Yu Qi, then he will hurry up and move the population back to Sichuan, or go to loot Zhejiang. ”

"Then we will go straight to Sichuan and beat him into a lost dog?" Jie Shu's eyes flickered, and he immediately asked, "How dare you say that you guessed correctly?" ”

"Soon the luck will begin." Li Guoying replied.

"That's right," Ji Bilong nodded, "If Deng Ming can't cut off Cao Yun, if Zhou Peigong can really ensure Cao Yun as he said, Deng Ming won't take Jiangning's troops." ”

"If his troops are insufficient, if we go to reinforce again, won't we be able to capture Deng Ming alive?" Jieshu still didn't turn the corner.

"When we go south, the strength of the imperial court is naturally stronger; But we couldn't change the boat, when the east wind blew, Deng Ming ran upstream, not when the east wind was not when he ran down the river, and we didn't have a sailor to stop him. Both sides of the Yangtze River are densely populated, and as long as Deng Ming is out of the way, he can always grab enough grain, and he doesn't have to worry about supplies at all until all the prefectures and counties along the Yangtze River are robbed. Li Guoying sighed, this is the trouble of not having a sailor, the Qing army even if it breaks its leg on the shore, don't want to catch up with Deng Ming, and you have to run along both banks, and beware of Deng Ming taking advantage of the exhaustion of the Qing army to come down and shoot back: "If Deng Ming can be eliminated, then let alone both sides of the Yangtze River, even if the entire south is broken, the imperial court doesn't care; But who dares to say that Deng Ming can't wait for the tailwind to go to Jiangxi and Huguang? Besides, he can still escape into the sea, go to Zhoushan or even Fujian-if he can't catch Deng Ming, and smash Jiangnan, will the imperial court agree? ”

Jie Shu was silent, and Ji Bilong shook his head, this situation must be something that the imperial court cannot agree to.

"That's why the minions often say that Huguang and Liangjiang shouldn't build so many fortresses along the river at all, but still have to build a sailor. But, alas, far water can't quench the thirst of the near. Li Guoying said: "Deng Ming doesn't force the imperial court to be anxious, and the imperial court is reluctant to let the south of the Yangtze River erode. Deng Ming is the same, he must think that if Jiangnan is made into a no-man's land like Sichuan, he will not be able to use Jiangning as the capital in the future. Therefore, if Deng Ming can't cut off Caoyun, it may not even be because of Zhou Peigong's threat, but because he intends to let us see him clearly, or that he sent a signal to find another battlefield to win or lose. ”

Jie Shu and Ji Bilong both stared at Li Guoying, and the latter smiled bitterly: "The minion and Deng Ming have been fighting for several years, although they are enemies, they also have a bit of a tacit understanding. ”

"What if Deng Ming cuts off the luck?" Suppilon asked rhetorically.

"In addition to showing that Deng Ming is strong and not afraid of Zhou Peigong at all, it also shows that Deng Ming doesn't want to send a signal of 'finding another place for a decisive battle', that is, he doesn't care if Jiangnan becomes a battlefield." Li Guoying said with confidence.

"That is?" Jie Shu also asked closely.

"The luck of Cao is broken, which means that Deng Ming is determined to fight with us in Jiangnan, and he really has the idea of taking Jiangning." Li Guoying pondered for a moment: "I think that although Deng Ming is brave in battle, he has always been cautious in expanding his territory, and it doesn't seem like his style to storm a fortified city like Jiangning while there are us and Zhou Peigong behind him." ”

Jie Shu and Ji Bilong glanced at each other: "Then wait for the news of Cao Yun." If Deng Ming asks us to fight outside the south of the Yangtze River, we can also agree to this agreement, Governor Li, haven't you been persuading us to stay away from the Yangtze River? ”

……

Zhenjiang.

"Zhang Shangshu actually came in person?" Deng Ming walked to the gate of the camp to greet the Ming military department who came from Zhoushan.

After Zhang Huangyan saw Deng Ming, he couldn't wait to ask Deng Ming's next strategy: "What are you going to do with the troops in Zhenjiang?" ”

"Zhang Shangshu actually asked this?" Deng Ming asked in surprise.

"yes." Zhang Huangyan was a little confused when he heard it: "How can you not ask about such an important matter?" ”

"I thought that Zhang Shangshu would ask me first about going to King Qin in Burma, and how the emperor is safe now." Deng Ming said quickly.

Zhang Huangyan glanced at Deng Ming deeply, and his face first showed a hint of annoyance, but he immediately regained his composure, and snorted coldly: "The invincible and invincible prince of the country has not been able to rescue the emperor, right?" ”

"Nope."

"Guessed, so I didn't want to ask at all! It's not that I don't care, but I want to save face for the country! Zhang Huangyan snorted heavily: "Okay, what are the plans of the Guogong Tun Soldiers Zhenjiang?" ”――

Author's note: The people who signed up in the top registration post, only the last Chen Xin on the fifth page signed up for the gender of female, I didn't miss it, right?