The day after Deng Ming released the captives, Liu Tichun returned to Zhongxiang. After hearing about this, he came to Deng Ming, and after meeting, he did not mention the matter of the prisoners, but tried to dissuade Deng Ming from continuing to attack Wuchang.

"Wuchang is the center of Huguang and even the world, although the city of Wuchang is empty now, but I heard that there is a danger in Wuchang, the Qing captives of Jiangling and Yiling will definitely rush to the rescue, they will go down the river and arrive in a blink of an eye." Liu Tichun did not object to Deng Ming taking his troops to the Yangtze River to show off his might, but he opposed a serious attack on Wuchang: "If you want to defeat Wuchang, you must first attack Hanyang." By the time we take Hanyang, cross the Yangtze River, and blow up the city wall of Wuchang, the upper captives have already received a report from Jǐng and must have arrived. I am afraid that the sailors of our army will not have an advantage, and if they are blocked in the Yangtze River and fail to return to the Han River, the army will be very dangerous; Even if the sailors were able to retreat back to Hanshui, our officers and men who remained on the south bank would be in danger. ”

Of course, the fortresses around Yiling and Jiangling are very important, but no matter how important they are, they cannot be compared with Wuchang. Zhong Xiang annihilated a large number of Wuchang's jīng soldiers in the first battle, and although Deng Ming released the captives, it was impossible for these combat-ready soldiers to regain their combat effectiveness in a short period of time. According to Liu Tichun's judgment, under such circumstances, once the Ming army appeared on the Yangtze River, the governor of Huguang was likely to draw troops from the upper reaches without regard for a single thing; If the Ming army stormed Hanyang, Hu Quancai was likely to let the Qing army in Jiangling and other places go down with the whole division, and the Qing army in Wuchang attacked the Ming army from east to west. For the Qing court, even if Yiling and other places were lost, as long as Wuchang was still there, there would still be river defenses, and if Wuchang was gone, the entire Yangtze River system in Huguang would collapse.

"If the captive divisions in Yiling, Jiangling and other places and the Tartar divisions in Wuchang, Huangzhou and other places, plus the strength of Hunan, Hu Quancai will be able to make up 60,000 or 70,000 troops, 20,000 or 30,000 armored soldiers, and the strength of the naval division is also very strong. Although we also have 14,000 armor soldiers, most of them are new recruits, and the team is not well trained, so I am afraid that the chances of victory are not great. Liu Tichun snapped his fingers and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the two armies one by one: "General Li of Xingshan has a long way to go and cannot support us in time; We do not have an advantage in land and water, and we have troops under Wuchang Jiancheng, so it is better not to fight this battle. ”

Liu Tichun said that the odds of victory were not good, and it was very polite to use half of the opponent's troops and inferior sailors to attack a fortified city like Wuchang, which was completely self-defeating. This is still the best situation, it is possible that Hu Quancai can send part of the army back to pose a great threat to the Ming army, and it will not make the Jiang defense fail.

Deng Ming patiently listened to Liu Tichun's tirade, and thought that what the other party said was very reasonable, but there was only one point he didn't understand: "Who said I want to fight Wuchang?" ”

The expression on Liu Tichun's face seemed to say, "Don't hide it from me."

After hearing that Deng Ming released Wuchang's troops and went home, Liu Tichun felt that he immediately understood Deng Ming's intentions, and thought that Deng Ming must be preparing for the attack on Wuchang. After the prisoners of war returned, the news of the defeat of Zhong Xiangqing's army would spread quickly, making the already empty Wuchang even more panicked; Secondly, seeing that these prisoners of war survived, the fighting spirit of the rest of the troops in Wuchang would also be affected, and they would not desperately resist when the Ming army was approaching the city and the city was about to be broken; In the end, Deng Ming gave each soldier a tael of silver, and this rare behavior would spread along the way, so that more people would know that the Ming army was pressing the border.

After listening to Liu Tichun's explanation, Deng Ming smiled and said: "I don't hide it from General Liu until now, I just want to let them go, and I have no intention of attacking Wuchang." ”

Liu Tichun still didn't believe it: "If it weren't for the immediate attack on Wuchang, what good would it do to let them go?" ”

"Can't you release the captives without profit?" Deng Ming asked rhetorically.

Liu Tichun was stunned for a moment, and said anxiously: "Does the Admiral think that these soldiers can remember this kindness for a long time?" ”

Liu Tichun told Deng Ming that these Wuchang soldiers are certainly scattered now, but if time comes, they will be reorganized by the Qing court, and when the next time they fight, they will be led by officers and in the middle of the army, even if they have a great impression of Deng Ming, they will not have the opportunity to defect.

The news of Zhongxiang's fiasco had the greatest shock effect only in the first month, after which the Qing army would gradually forget about it. Releasing the captives can only cause a sensation in the short term, but if you don't take advantage of this opportunity to attack Wuchang, it will be redundant.

"I see." Deng Ming seriously thought about Liu Tichun's words: "General Liu is reasonable, but I really have no intention of attacking Wuchang immediately. ”

"Then why did the Admiral release the captives?" Liu Tichun asked reluctantly, he decided that Deng Ming wanted to take a military adventure, so he rushed to dispel his thoughts.

"I don't have any military purpose." Deng Ming just listened to Liu Tichun's initial words before he had the idea of going to Wuchang, and planned to pretend to have a plan to capture Wuchang to lure Hu Quancai to give up Jiangfang, but after listening to Liu Tichun's analysis, he realized the shortcomings of his original vision, so he gave up as well.

"What do you do with the money for those soldiers? Isn't it to win people's hearts? Liu Tichun still didn't believe it.

"If these two thousand captives were to go home empty-handed, they would certainly cause a great disturbance to the common people along the way. It is not far from here to Wuchang, eating on the road, taking a boat, each person has dozens of dollars is enough, I give more to make them feel ashamed, and they will not bully the people, or even rob and commit murder. "If the captives spread their grievances on the people along the way home, Deng Ming felt that these people were harmed by themselves.

"Yes, even though the people along the way are grateful, if a month or two passes, they gradually forget about it. Didn't the Admiral plan to take the opportunity to go down the Han River? ”

Liu Tichun felt that Deng Ming's purpose was to dispel the fear of the people along the way about the Ming army, so that they were willing to cooperate with the Ming army and provide supplies and intelligence for the Ming army. However, this effect has been weakened over time, and if the Ming army comes back after half a year or a year, the people will still be afraid.

Deng Ming had no choice but to continue to explain......

Two days later, Zhou Peigong and several other captured staff members saw that there was no movement, so they had the courage to tentatively tell the Ming army that they also had families in Wuchang. In this era, scholars and big-headed soldiers are not equal, and these staff members have no bottom in their hearts. They felt that since they didn't even kill the big-headed soldiers, they probably wouldn't kill the gentry.

Unexpectedly, Deng Ming's treatment of them was no different from that of those Wuchang soldiers, and he also sent them home with one tael of silver each.

These staff members were not optimistic about the Ming army in Kuidong, and they didn't want to stay in the Ming army longer. However, the Ming army's handling method still made Zhou Peigong and others stunned, and then they were furious. One of the older staff members was the most excited, angrily throwing the silver at Deng Ming's feet, shouting that the soldiers should be killed and not humiliated. The staff was furious and spitting in the tent, and the onlookers thought that the old man had gone into a state of madness.

Deng Ming took two steps back to avoid him, and looked down at the piece of silver on the ground. The other party threw the silver at his feet instead of slashing it at his face, so it can be seen that there is still some sanity left.

After saying goodbye to these people, Deng Ming asked the guards to escort them out of the barracks.

Afterwards, Deng Ming asked Zhou Kaihuang puzzled: "It's not too little for us to give each person a tael of silver, he just hired a car, and it was enough to take the car back to Wuchang." ”

"One or two pieces of silver is a lot, but it is the same treatment as ordinary soldiers, where do you put the faces of these scholars?" Zhou Kaihuang felt that Deng Ming's matter was not too appropriate, and said with a smile: "It is best if the admiral does not send silver, and if you want to send it, you have to give it one hundred taels per person." ”

"One hundred taels! But they're captives. Deng Ming jumped up in surprise. Since he received a large sum of silver, the food of the guards has improved significantly: "Even if we buy a sheep to eat every day, it will not cost us a hundred taels of silver a month!" I heard that the gentleman who teaches a private school, at the end of the year, the parents of the students will give a gift of one or two silver, right? ”

"However, even each soldier is given a tael of silver, and a gentleman who reads and writes, isn't he worth a hundred times?" Under normal circumstances, a tael of silver for the captive staff should not be a small amount, but Zhou Kaihuang reminded Deng Ming that the silver he had announced earlier for the soldiers was severance pay, not life money. Since they are so generous to the soldiers, it seems too mean to give less than one hundred taels of severance pay to the scholars, and one tael of silver is an out-and-out humiliation: "Since you are reluctant, it is better not to give it." ”

"I'm afraid that they will starve on the road, and some of them are old, their legs, feet, and eyes are not good, and they can rent a car or rent a boat with a tael of silver." Deng Ming defended himself in a low voice.

After learning the news, Liu Tichun, who was about to go to the local area to collect supplies again, rushed to join in the fun.

Liu Tichun asked puzzledly: "Half of the reputation of the admiral depends on himself, and half depends on the gentry to spread it. If the gentry of Huguang thought that the Admiral was intent on humiliating them, it would not do the Admiral's reputation any good; And treat these gentlemen well, you can express to the scholars of Huguang the determination of the commander to recover Huguang, this is a good opportunity to buy horse bones......"

Liu Tichun thinks that some of those staff members really want to leave, but some of them are pretending. If Deng Mingbiao is eager to be talented, they may not mind playing the role of a horse bone.

"Does everything I do have to have a military purpose?" Deng Ming sighed: "Can't I let them go back to visit their families, no matter how high or low, they will be given one or two pieces of silver for the journey?" ”

……

Huguang Governor Yamen.

The day before the outbreak of the Battle of Zhongxiang, the prefect of Anlu Mansion noticed the appearance of the Ming army's sentinels, and immediately sent someone to send a letter to Hu Quancai, reporting that the vanguard of the Ming army had driven to the city, and that Zhongxiang City had blocked four city gates in accordance with the orders of the governor, and nearly 6,000 armored soldiers had gathered in the city, which was enough to ensure that the city was foolproof.

This letter made Hu Quancai very satisfied, and he slept soundly that night. Unexpectedly, this was the last letter from the prefect.

The day after receiving the report, when he was waiting for reinforcements from Huangzhou Mansion and other places in the Yamen, a 600-mile urgent military information flew into the Governor's Mansion -- Zhong Xiang was lost, and the entire army of Anlu Mansion was destroyed.

This report was like a bolt from the blue, and Governor Hu was overwhelmed.

The provincial army sent to Zhongxiang was the existing Jīng Rui unit and mobile force in Wuchang, and Hu Quancai was very confident in the combat effectiveness of this army and the command ability of the Hanyang general army, believing that even if 100,000 Ming troops attacked, it would be enough to protect themselves. But now Zhong Xiang announced that he was lost in the blink of an eye, and nearly 6,000 armored soldiers were not only unable to defend Zhong Xiang, but they couldn't even hold on for a few days. Judging from the timing of the two reports, Zhong Xiang seems to be the same as Yicheng, which was broken by the Ming army in just two days. In the face of the Ming army's offensive, the six thousand armored soldiers seemed to be powerless.

"How many thieves are coming this time?" Hu Quancai collapsed in his chair in a daze, and after a while, he was already sweating profusely.

Yicheng had only a few hundred armored soldiers, and it fell in two days; Zhong Xiang had nearly 6,000 armored soldiers, and he still fell in two days. The strength of the Qing army in the two places is obviously very different, but there is no difference in front of the Ming army. This only shows that the strength of the Ming army was so strong that the speed of the breakthrough of the city depended only on the speed of their advance - the vanguard arrived, set up camp, the main force was in place, began to attack the city, and then broke the city - as for how many Qing troops were stationed in the city, it did not make a difference.

"Is there really more than 200,000 rogues, and there are tens of thousands of armor soldiers among them?" Hu Quancai remembered Deng Ming's inscription again, the Ming army claimed to have an army of 570,000: "But there are so many people, how did they come out of Yunyang?" ”

Before, Hu Quancai thought that the Ming army was only 20,000 or 30,000, and later thought that it was no more than 40,000 at most, and if there were really more than 100,000 or even more than 200,000 people on the opposite side, the speed of the Ming army moving south from Xiangyang would be too amazing, which can only show that the other side has a large number of ships - where did Hao Shaoqi conjure up these ships?

However, Hu Quancai no longer had the heart to figure out how the Ming army was killed from Yunyang, and the problem at hand was that even if the other party had 50,000 or 60,000 armor soldiers, he would take Zhong Xiang in two days, and this speed was too amazing. The nearly 6,000 armored soldiers in the city can completely guard the city wall of the county seat.

The soldiers and horses in Huangzhou and other places have not yet gathered, and the Jīng Rui in Wuchang has lost most of it, and the opponent has strong soldiers and horses and has a large number of ships. Hu Quancai almost threw down the arrow in the court, and ordered the soldiers and horses in Yiling, Jiangling and other places to rush back to rescue Wuchang. It's just that Hu Quancai also knew that once he gave up Yiling and Jiangling, it would be equivalent to giving up the Yangtze River defense line that Hong Chengchou had painstakingly operated for many years, and there would be a big hole in the defensive circle of 5,000 miles of Nanming in the past five years.

After a fierce psychological struggle, Hu Quancai reluctantly suppressed the idea of immediately recalling the Jiangfang troops, intending to observe the movements of the Ming army for a few more days. Jiangfang cannot be moved for the time being, but Hunan still has some troops to summon, and although many of them have been transferred to Guangxi and Guizhou, there are at least some housekeepers left in various localities. Hu Quancai wrote a letter to the Qing court to plead guilty, wrote an urgent letter and sent it to Běijīng, asking Shunzhi to order the Green Battalion in Henan to immediately go south to assist in the battle; On the one hand, he ordered all the prefectures in Hunan to quickly count the jīng rui armor soldiers in their hands, and quickly reported them to the Yamen, the governor of Huguang, to know, and at the same time asked the prefectures to gather these troops and prepare to rush to the aid of Wuchang.

After a few days of busyness, the spies sent by Hu Quancai to Anlu Mansion reported that the Ming army had not continued to move south for the time being, and the troops of De'an Mansion and Huangzhou Mansion had also arrived in Wuchang one after another, which made Governor Hu feel a little relieved.

Two days later, Governor Hu learned that several soldiers from Anlu Mansion had escaped, and he immediately ordered these soldiers to be sent to the Yamen of Wuchang, so that Hu Quancai would personally inquire about the process of Zhongxiang's first battle and the strength of the Ming army. Hu Quancai's answer to these soldiers surprised Hu Quancai, they all explained that the army had dug down the city wall just one day after arriving in the city, and the south and north of the city collapsed at the same time, and in a blink of an eye, the Ming army swarmed in from two gaps, and the Qing army resisted for only two hours.

This siege process made Governor Hu's heart that he had just let go suddenly tighten again. The Ming army was unimaginably strong, and it was able to dig two gaps in the city wall in one day. According to the descriptions of these breakouts, the Hanyang general army was not caught off guard, he had already noticed in advance that the Ming army had dug up the city wall, and sent troops to fortify it in advance, but it seemed that he could not even delay the time before the powerful offensive of the Ming army.

Hu Quancai seemed to have seen the boundless Ming army rushing to the foot of Wuchang City, waving countless shovels and hoes, and completely hollowing out the foot of Wuchang within a few days. Thinking of this, Hu Quancai hurriedly threw down the order arrow and asked the envoy to quickly go to Jiangling and Yiling to deliver the order.

Seeing that the governor of Huguang was about to give up Jiangfang, several of the governor's staff in the yamen and some of Wuchang's generals rushed up to persuade him to die, begging the governor to observe for a few more days, after all, the sin of abandoning Jiangfang was too great. Although no one can survive after the loss of Wuchang, the Qing court will definitely be furious and condemn the Huguang officialdom if they abandon Jiangfang.

One of the reasons why these people prevented Hu Quancai from removing Jiangfang was that the words of these breakthrough people could not be fully believed. They were all small soldiers in the city, not officers guarding the towers, and they could not see the whole picture of the attack and defense on the city walls; The second reason is that although the Ming army has a large number of people, it may not necessarily go south to take Wuchang, after all, there is a natural danger of the Yangtze River. It is also possible that the Ming army will go north to attack Henan, if this is really the case, wouldn't it be in vain to give up the river defense and provoke the displeasure of the imperial court?

There are even more generals who can implement the policy of clearing the wilderness north of the Yangtze River and on both sides of the Han River, so that the Ming army feels that there is no oil and water to fish in the south, so that the possibility of them going north to Henan is even greater.

After pondering carefully, Hu Quancai felt that what his subordinates said was also reasonable, although the Ming army was powerful, it did not necessarily come to fight Wuchang with iron heart.

Seeing that the governor no longer insisted, the generals under the hall hurriedly picked up the three arrows on the ground: one for Yiling, one for Jiangling, and one for the Yangtze River sailors stationed in Poyang Lake.

The general held the arrow in both hands, and Governor Hu hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out to take back the three arrows.

I was about to insert them back into the quiver when I suddenly heard a voice: "Report! ”

There was another shout outside the hall.

A herald was introduced into the hall, and he beat a thousand, fell on one knee in the hall, and told the governor of Huguang that a large number of Wuchang soldiers who had been captured at Zhongxiang had returned, and had been released by the Ming army.