Mu Tan didn't know much about the situation of his ancestors, only knew that it might be pirates, eighteen years ago, in a battle to clear pirates in Funing Town, Mu Tan was captured, when he was still a six-year-old child, was left in the army as a small servant. Because the person looks like black charcoal, everyone calls him "charcoal head". When he grew up, he naturally joined the army, and was appointed as a minor officer after playing a role in the war against the Manchus in Cháo, Shantou and other places. When you become an officer, you need a big name that you can handle, so I gave my current name.

Before coming to Fengjie, Zheng Chenggong explained that Mu Tan first tried to meet the "Shaotang King", observe the words and observe the words, and then handed Zheng Chenggong's letter to him. If the "Shaotang King" doesn't look too bad, Mu Tan will persuade him to go to Fujian, and Mu Tan's task is to protect the "Shaotang King" and ensure that he can meet the King of Yanping County safely.

Before meeting Deng Ming, Mu Tan had heard a lot about him, especially after the news of the Kunming fire was transmitted back to Fengjie, the crowd was excited, and everyone had not left Deng Ming for more than ten days.

Deng Ming opened Zheng Chenggong's letter and looked.

Zheng Chenggong's letter was very long, and at the beginning he recalled the kindness of the old Tang King, expressed his intention to repay the king's kindness once he died, and soon cut to the chase, mentioning the battle of Nanjing that he was about to launch.

Although the Manchus had ruled Jiangsu and Zhejiang for more than ten years, Zheng Chenggong did not think that the Manchu rule there was already stable. Deng Ming saw that the local officials in Yunnan and Guizhou had almost no psychological obstacles in their work, so it can be seen that in such a large territory as Huguang and Guizhou, how the local officials worked for the Yongli court in the past, and how they continue to work for the Qing court now, the people also think that paying taxes to the Qing court is a matter of course. As long as Wu Sangui's army is still in Guiyang, these people will sincerely do what they should do, don't look at Xiying has been operating in the southwest for many years, Wu Sangui has just arrived, but his rule can be maintained.

In other words, in feudal society, the concept of rule is different, although the time of living in this era is not long, Deng Ming has already realized the mentality of many ordinary people. For example, many of the people who served in the army have been soldiers for generations, and their ancestors served the Ming Dynasty, and now since the Ming Dynasty is no longer good, they still have to live and continue to engage in the industry of their ancestors, so they naturally serve the Qing court; Those scholars, they want to be officials to manage the country, although in their hearts they may feel sorry for Shenzhou Lu, but the scholars who bravely stand up have been wiped out by the Manchus, and the others will feel that since they cannot participate in the imperial examination of the Ming court, they have to participate in the imperial examination of the Manchu Dynasty; As for the people at the bottom, they think about it, as a Han person, of course, they feel that it is more reasonable to pay taxes to the Han people, but since the Zhu Ming regime does not have the ability to collect taxes, and the payment of imperial grain is a matter of heaven and earth, there is no way to hand it over to the Qing court.

In order to attack the Yongli court in the southwest, the Qing court has been rampant in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the past two years. According to Zheng Chenggong's investigation, there are only about 80,000 Qing troops left in Nanzhili, Zhejiang and other places, most of which are still local troops.

Zheng Chenggong can dispatch at least 150,000 troops this time, except for some troops left behind in the base area, and Zhang Huangyan also said that Zhoushan and other places only need to leave 10,000 defensive troops, and the Ming army in Zhejiang can send 30,000 troops. Concentrating an army of 180,000 against the scattered Qing army, Zheng Chenggong believed that this would be a devastating march, and the Qing army in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River could be completely defeated within three months.

Zheng Chenggong even believed that as soon as his army entered the Yangtze River, the 80,000 Qing troops would begin to defect to him in large numbers. For example, Ma Fengzhi, the commander of the Qing army stationed at Wusongkou, held 15,000 field troops, including 3,000 cavalry, and was the most important and largest mobile force in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River after Wu Sangui's western expedition. In recent months, Zheng Chenggong has been corresponding, threatening to send 200,000 troops against him. Ma Fengzhi replied in an arrogant tone, saying that he was not afraid of Zheng Chenggong at all, and did not believe that he could have even 30,000 field troops. The king of Yanping felt that he could smell the fear of Admiral Wu Song from it, and the other party must also know that the southeast was empty now, if he really saw more than 100,000 Ming troops coming from the sea, Zheng Chenggong felt that Ma Fengzhi might not dare to resist at all, and even surrendered.

Zheng Chenggong's letter to Deng Ming is definitely heartfelt. In the past, he had some suspicions that Wen Anzhi was Yongli's sworn friend, so when he and Zhang Huangyan planned a counterattack on Nanjing, he did not plan to notify Fengjie too early. However, the arrival of Zhao Tianba surprised Zheng Chenggong, not only because he found traces of the descendants of the Tang King, but also because this was a descendant of the Tang King who was supported by Wen Anzhi.

Wen Anzhi has absolute influence on the Ming army in Sichuan, and he is an old minister of the Tianqi Dynasty, both militarily and politically. Although Zheng Chenggong had planned to give the Tang King an heir regardless of it, he knew that the Zhejiang Ming Army led by Zhang Huangyan would definitely oppose it, and if he found Deng Ming by himself, it was estimated that Zhang Huangyan would also oppose it, and he would suspect that Zheng Chenggong sent someone to fake it.

But now that Wen Anzhi has suddenly changed from a potential opponent to a powerful ally, Zheng Chenggong only needs to push Wen Anzhi forward at that time, indicating that this young Tang King was found by Wen Anzhi, so what reason does Zhang Huangyan have to suspect? After so many dynasties of Apocalypse, Chongzhen, Hongguang, Longwu, and Yongli, how can the Shaotang King found be a fake? Will Wen Anzhi ignore the evening festival in order to help Zheng Chenggong? Since everyone knows that Wen Anzhi can't lie, then Deng Ming's background is unquestionable.

But why should Wen Anzhi help himself? This question puzzled Zheng Chenggong for a long time.

Wen Anzhi came out of the mountain for the sake of Daming Sheji and not for the eternal emperor, but Longwu, Shao Wu and Wen Anzhi did not have any friendship. In the end, Zheng Chenggong felt that it might be that today's son was too disappointing to Inspector Wen, and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's society, he had to find another clan who could not disappoint the people of the sea - Zheng Chenggong didn't know much about Deng Ming, and Wen Anzhi didn't pay attention to Deng Ming's description of Tan Hong and Tan Yi in the letter, and in his opinion, it was impossible for the children of the clan to have this courage. Since Wen Anzhi recommended this person, it is normal for him to brag a lot.

After confirming Wen Anzhi as an ally, Zheng Chenggong had a new idea for this counteroffensive.

Previously, Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong divided labor: Zheng Chenggong was responsible for attacking Nanjing City and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, while the upper reaches of Nanjing City and Jiangxi were the offensive targets of the Ming army in eastern Zhejiang. Zheng Chenggong readily agreed, and he guessed that Zhang Huangyan wanted to keep the Zhejiang Ming Army against the Fujian Ming Army, so as to contain himself and prevent himself from doing anything wrong. But that's okay, at that time, Zheng Chenggong planned to capture Nanjing and forcibly give the Tang King an heir in front of the filial piety, if Zhang Huangyan was by his side, this matter might not be able to be done, just send Zhang Huangyan to Jiangxi. As long as the matter of the heir is done, Zheng Chenggong does not believe that Zhang Huangyan will return to Nanjing to crusade, and he is not afraid of him even if he really comes.

Now with Wen Anzhi as an ally, Zhang Huangyan's power is no problem. In Zheng Chenggong's original calculation, if the Fengjie Ming army did not keep neutral, it would be Zhang Huangyan's allies, and their strength was no worse than Zheng Chenggong; But now with the help of Inspector Wen, Zhang Huangyan's 30,000 soldiers are not worth mentioning.

And with the cooperation of Wen Anzhi, Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Huangyan could go up the river together, fight from Nanjing to the Three Gorges in one go, and completely divide the Qing court into two. The Qing court lost the tax-paying areas of the southeastern provinces and was cut off from the north and south, while the Ming army could rely on the Yangtze River to connect the east and west and move quickly...... The more Zheng Chenggong thought about it, the more excited he became, this great cause of Zhongxing was about to be achieved inadvertently. It's really thanks to the big target of the Son of Heaven that attracted all the main forces of the Qing court to the southwest. Needless to say, Wu Sangui, who was far away in Yunnan and Guizhou, was that the Qing troops in Hunan and Liangguang did not have to return to Nanjing for a year or two. A year or two later, Zheng Chenggong didn't have to wait for them to come, if they didn't defect and surrender, he would have to fight against them.

Many of the main forces of the Qing army in the Ganxi area were also sent to Yunnan and Guizhou, and the remaining Qing troops had to be dispatched to Nanjing. As for Běijīng's full soldiers, Zheng Chenggong originally felt that he had the advantage of a sailor and was not afraid of them; Now it is more able to develop according to the situation, and if necessary, the 100,000 old troops who have been restrained in the Three Gorges area can be quickly brought in to help through the Yangtze River. Zheng Chenggong felt that the camp was not without combat effectiveness, but that the materials were too scarce, as long as there was the support of the wealth of the southeast, the former camp of the Three Gorges and the old Sichuan army in Fengjie would soon be able to regain their strength.

"The king of Yanping is really bold and has good means." After reading Zheng Chenggong's long letter, Deng Ming commented with emotion.

Mu Tan, who did not speak, showed a look of great approval on his face, Zheng Chenggong's whimsical ideas made their subordinates also admire, and when Deng Ming asked about some details, Mu Tan also knew everything and said everything.

In order to prepare for this attack, Zheng Chenggong had already begun to launch a continuous sāo harassment in Fujian and Guangdong, so that the attention of the Qing court continued to shift southward. In order to deal with Zheng Chenggong, the Qing court had ordered Geng Jimao to move to Fujian to specifically target Zheng Chenggong's possible offensive. After learning that Geng Jimao had moved to the domain, Zheng Chenggong began to land frequently in southern Zhejiang, not only attracting the Qing army from Zhejiang to rush to Wenzhou, Taizhou and other places, but even the already very empty Nanzhili also sent troops into Zhejiang to reinforce coastal defense.

At the same time, Zheng Chenggong had not forgotten the rumors around Nanjing, and claimed that he would personally lead an army of 200,000 to the crusade. This kind of writing has always been a bluff, and no official near Nanjing believed that Zheng Chenggong really had an army of 200,000, so he decided that Zheng Chenggong's main target was in southern Zhejiang and Fujian, and the purpose of the message was to contain the Qing army and prevent them from leaving Nanzhili. Not long ago, in order to curb Zheng Chenggong's new wave of landings and attacks on Fuxian, Qing troops from Xuzhou and Yangzhou were ordered to move south and enter Zhejiang to assist in the defense -- even if these Qing troops returned immediately after learning that Nanjing was in danger, they would not be able to get to Guò by land for a month or two. If it was learned during the march that Zheng Chenggong had exhausted the land south of the Yangtze River, the Qing court was divided into two by the north and the south, and it was not surprising that the army would be scattered overnight.

At present, Zheng Chenggong is using these military operations as a cover, concentrating all his mobile forces, preparing to take advantage of the advantage of sea transportation to suddenly appear on the Yangtze River together. Deng Ming could imagine that when the empty Qing army in Nanzhili saw the Ming warships covering the sky on the Yangtze River, and when they realized that Zheng Chenggong really had an army of 200,000 and was close at hand, their morale would definitely fall to the bottom all of a sudden.

Strategic deception, attacking the west, psychological offensives, and more importantly, taking advantage of the unprecedented mobility advantage of large-scale shipping to create a maritime raid that has never had a precedent in the history of China. In Deng Ming's impression, it seems to be similar to the methods used in the famous Normandy landings.

But in the end, it still failed!

Deng Ming didn't know the details, but he knew that Zheng Chenggong's plan ultimately failed. Although this plan should not fail on paper: the enemy's forces have been drawn to a secondary direction, and the further south they go, the deeper they go into Zheng Chenggong's trap, the enemy in the main theater of operations is not only empty but scattered, and it is impossible for them to receive reinforcements in the short term, Zheng Chenggong has fully considered the mobility capabilities of both sides.

Strategically, the southeast was the money bag of the Manchus, and the large quantities of money and grain produced in Nanzhili and Zhejiang provided the Manchus with the ability to buy off many Han Jiān troops. Before Huguang and other places could recover from the trauma of war, whether it was Yunnan, Guizhou, Ganshan, or the green camps in other parts of the country, they had to count on the wealth of the southeast region; Wu Sangui, Geng Jimao and other Han vassal kings led a large number of jīng sharp troops, and the Qing court controlled them with grain and grass in the southeast of Tongguò. Now Wu Sangui and the others are beyond the reach of Nanjing, even if they can use their strength to fight Zheng Chenggong, but does the Qing court really dare to let these vassal kings enter the southeast region?

If Zheng Chenggong's plan had come true, Manchu rule would have collapsed within a few years. Even if the Manchus drove Zheng Chenggong out of Nanjing within a few years, the isolation between the north and the south in the past few years would be enough to cause the Manchus to lose control of the Han warlords in various places, and even if there was no separation, at least they would have to return to the situation they had been more than a decade ago.

"So Zheng Chenggong must have failed. If he succeeds, history is not what I know it is. Deng Ming had already come to a conclusion in his heart. After reading the letter again, Deng Ming couldn't find a loophole in Zheng Chenggong's plan, almost all of them were in line with his plan, and there was no reason for failure.

"But he still failed, why?" Deng Ming couldn't tell the doubts in his heart.

Zheng Chenggong's plan did not rely on surrendering generals, and it was best for the local Qing troops to surrender, and even if they did not surrender, the Ming army would have an absolute advantage; Not afraid of the Qing court's quick response, the Qing army walked back on two legs, and it was about to be the Year of the Monkey. Needless to say, there was no precedent for such a large-scale landing operation in ancient times, even outside China. In the face of such a genius plan that no one has ever thought of before, there is no need to worry about any mature means of dealing with the other party, on the contrary, you can enjoy the benefits that the enemy can bring because of the shock and overwhelm.

When the army appears on the Yangtze River, the winner should have been clear.

Why did Zheng Chenggong fail?

……

Deng Ming quickly took the letter to Wen Anzhi and discussed Zheng Chenggong's military plans with the latter. To Deng Ming's surprise, Wen Anzhi was not optimistic about Zheng Chenggong's plan.

"The old man thought that he was going to take Ningbo first, and then go along the avenue to Nanjing, but he wanted to enter the Yangtze River directly." Wen Anzhi shook his head again and again, thinking that Zheng Chenggong had a great chance of failure.

"Why?" Deng Ming found this plan very exciting. Although he had heard of many grand landing plans, such as the Normandy landing, which was definitely larger than Zheng Chenggong's this time, he couldn't help but be deeply attracted when a plan full of whimsy was placed in front of Deng Ming's eyes.

"Since ancient times, there has never been a ...... of water to support such a large army to fight," Wen Anzhi pointed out, adding that in the past, even the famous Battle of Chibi and the Great War between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the purpose of water warfare was to ensure that the army could safely access the guò waters. When the status of the sailor was the highest, it was just Cheng dù who advanced by land and water.

Since ancient times, both warring sides have wanted to own important grain-producing areas, and one side will try to drive the opponent as far away as possible, while the other side will try to get closer to the grain-producing area. This is also what the Qing court is doing, for the safety of Nanjing, it is necessary to expel the Ming army from eastern and southern Zhejiang, and if eastern and southern Zhejiang is safe, in order to ensure that the Ming army cannot make a comeback, it is necessary to drive the Ming army out of Fujian. The further south the front, the more secure Nanjing was from danger in the rear.

Wen Anzhi's opinion is that we should make steady progress in Fujian, and if we are more aggressive, we can consider establishing a base in southern Zhejiang. However, the safest way is to march into Guangdong, connect with Yungui and Guizhou, and then fight back to the east step by step.

At this time, Deng Ming realized that it was precisely because he knew more successful examples that he felt that Zheng Chenggong's plan was very feasible. People in this era have similar ideas to Wen Anzhi. Therefore, the Qing court would feel that it should increase the number of troops in Fujian to stabilize the front, and that Zheng Chenggong would honestly carry out a tug-of-war in Fujian, and even if the defenders of Nanjing were sent, there was nothing to worry about - the enemy was still far away, and even if the battle was invincible, it would not be able to fight in a few years.

"Zheng Chenggong not only has the advantage of surprise attack, but also has a very big advantage. The Qing court's reaction was probably first bewilderment, followed by anger: How could you fight such a war? The Qing court's reaction may have been slower than I thought. As long as Zheng Chenggong can win, the hard work of the previous ten years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty will come to naught. Why didn't it become a classic example that has been passed down through the ages? ”

After bidding farewell to Wen Anzhi, the more Deng Ming pondered this plan, the more he felt that its significance was far greater than setting fire to Kunming, which was a winner and loser who turned things around in one fell swoop.

Deng Ming called Mu Tan and told him his decision: "The king of Yanping wants me to see him, and now I'm afraid it's too late to rush to Fujian." I plan to go to Jiangnan and meet him in Nanjing. ”

Mu Tan hesitated slightly, but quickly agreed, he had no doubt about Zheng Chenggong's victory. Mu Tan and Zhao Tianba's situation is very similar, he is not only Zheng Chenggong's henchman, but also a brave and resourceful warrior in the younger generation. Before coming here, Zheng Chenggong had already told him that as long as the King of Shaotang was not extremely disappointing, as long as he was not an idiot, then after he captured Nanjing, he would support him as a prisoner, and he would definitely ensure that he ascended the throne in the future.

Mu Tan was well aware of the importance of Deng Ming to his benefactor, and at the same time, he had already secretly regarded him as the future Son of Heaven. Now he is in Fengjie, so Mu Tan has not said these words to Deng Ming, this is also Zheng Chenggong's confession, although Wen Anzhi seems to be an ally, but who dares to say that he will not suddenly change his hexagram, this will not be revealed until Deng Ming leaves Fengjie, lest the other party accidentally leak the news and cause any changes.

"Without further ado, sir, let's go and explain to the superintendent, and then we will set off as much as possible, and we will pass through a large area of Tartar's territory on the way, we can't go very fast, and it is estimated that by the time we arrive, the king has already captured Nanjing."

Deng Ming nodded, and then went to Wen Anzhi to discuss leaving Fengjie again.

"Inspector Wen is not young, and it is not good to stay in Fengjie all the time, where the population is sparse and the products are not rich enough." Mu Tan still remembers Zheng Chenggong's emotion, he planned to persuade Wen Anzhi to move to Nanjing after the establishment of Deng Ming Jianguo, and if Wen Anzhi wanted to, he might as well serve as the first assistant of Tang Wang Jianguo. For Zheng Chenggong, this was not only a way to expand his influence and suppress opposition, but also to repay Wen Anzhi for his alliance.

Now that he knows what Deng Ming did in Kunming, Mu Tan feels that Daming Zhongxing seems to be close at hand: "Your Royal Highness is heroic and martial, presumably it will soon be famous in the world, and the king supports His Royal Highness as the prison of the country, and anyone who hears it has to applaud, I'm afraid even Zhang Shangshu has no reason to object; Wen Governor is highly respected, I remember that the king said that his old man is a Shu Jishi, the court has not had a Yuan Fu from Shu Ji Shi for many years, or a veteran of several dynasties, I don't know how strong it is to be compared to the horse Shoufu used today, and the king recovered Nanjing in one fell swoop, which is enough to make the Tartars and rebel ministers frightened. In the future, the Governor of Wen will be in charge of the government, the king will be in charge of the army, and he will assist such a Ming master, will he still be worried that he will not be able to expel the Tartars and recover the rivers and mountains? ”

For so many years, the future of the Ming court has been full of fog - this is already a good statement, or more accurately, there is no hope in sight. Suddenly, Mu Tan felt a bright light in front of him, and he really felt that he had seen the clouds, not only did Da Ming regain hope, but Zheng Chenggong's camp could also get the greatest benefit from this victory.

Today's update is 6,000 words, not a lot, I wish you readers a happy and prosperous New Year.