"Boom, boom, boom——!"

On the Yangtze River, eight gunboats were divided into two rows and fired their guns in a flat row. At a distance of more than 100 paces from the gunboats, the dense crowd of small and medium-sized boats and small sampans were scattered and diligently sailed towards the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Although the distance was very close, the results of the gunboats were not good. The gunboat was not large, with only two three-pounder guns and three one-pounder guns on one side, plus the shooting was solid, and it was fired with the water shaking. Therefore, although many ships were sunk and destroyed, they were a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of ships on the river.

After learning that the Runing army in Hexian, Huanggang and Lu'an had begun to move, Zhang Xianzhong's peasant army in Shucheng moved quickly, and they collected a large number of nearby ships to cross the Yangtze River before the Runing army surrounded them, and escaped the encirclement of the Runing army.

Zhang Xianzhong is indeed cunning as a fox, and his sense of danger can be described as first-class. This sudden crossing of the river caused Zhang Xianzhong's old battalion and the main baggage to have all crossed the river, and by the time the detachment led by Tang Liu arrived at the mouth of the river, there were only more than 30,000 old, weak, women and children left in the peasant army who had not yet crossed the river.

"Sixth brother! How long will it take to shoot like this? Let's drive up and bump into it! ”

The captain of Tang Liu's gunboat was originally his brother of the Cao Gang, and this captain was sweating profusely because he was afraid that he would not complete the task of cutting off the peasant army from crossing the river.

The gunboats of the Runing Army are all close to 100 materials, although they are all pediatrics compared to the sea ships, but on the Yangtze River, they are out-and-out giants, and they can indeed sink and overturn the small boats of the peasant army.

"Do you think we didn't get hurt after the collision? Besides, what if you sail to the middle of those small boats and be attacked by them or by their gangs? Our Runing Army only has a few ships. I can't afford to lose one. Although Tang Liu said this, his eyes were also full of anxiety.

"My lord! The observation post signaled that our ship had already moved a hundred paces. The pro-soldier on the side said.

"Hey——!" Tang Liu hit the bridge heavily with his right fist, and then reluctantly ordered: "Turn all around!" Distance yourself again. ”

Because the gunboats of the Runing Army were upstream, and the boats of the peasant army downstream spread across the river for several miles. So as soon as the gunboat sailed into the group of ships of the peasant army, Tang Liu was afraid that his gunboat would be attacked.

And along the current, the gunboats were also getting closer and closer to the group of ships of the peasant army. In order to open the distance, the gunboats could only turn their sails backwards after entering a hundred paces and pull away again. However, the speed of the sailboat's steering was quite slow, so the gunboat's action also gave the peasant army a gap to cross the river.

See the gunboat turning. The peasant army on the north shore uttered another shout. They pushed down a large number of boats and rowed hard towards the opposite shore.

……

Before nightfall, Zhang Rubao and Ferreira led the seventeen gunboats of the main fleet of the Runing Army to the crossing of the river, and they joined the detachment led by Tang Liu, and finally cut off the crossing of the follow-up peasant army.

Ultimately. In the encirclement of the marines of the navy division brought by ship and the troops rushing from Hexian County, the more than 10,000 peasant troops who had not crossed the Yangtze River all surrendered. And Zhang Xianzhong led more than 50,000 peasant troops to successfully jump out of the encirclement of the Runing army. The strength is basically undamaged.

"My lord! The villain has not finished his work. Please punish you! After seeing Zhang Rubao, Tang Liu said ashamedly.

"It's not your reason." Zhang Rubao was also very helpless, "I didn't expect Zhang Thief to be so slippery." And in the past few years, our sailors have been raised like stepmothers, and only five ships have been launched before and after. So I can't blame you, and the general won't blame either. Zhang Rubao comforted.

"It was supposed to be the Army's order late. What do you blame us sailors for? Being able to knock out so many ships, Deputy Commander Tang has already done a good job. Ferreira has learned Chinese very well, but his temper is still as outspoken as a Westerner, and he has not learned any euphemism in Chinese speech.

"Can't say that!" Zhang Rubao subconsciously stopped Ferreira's words. But when he thought that he was surrounded by his own water master's brothers, he changed the topic again, "Let's report the situation to Runing first!" ”

After learning that Zhang Xianzhong's peasant army had jumped out of their encirclement, Xue Yong and Zhang Rubao sent urgent reports to Runing, in addition to asking Wu Shigong for guilt, they also asked about their next move in Huguang.

And Wu Shigong did not blame them. He only asked the fleet of the naval division to still patrol the river to prevent Zhang Xianzhong's troops from crossing the river again and flowing into the hinterland of Huguang. And Wu Shigong also asked Xue Yong to integrate the Runing army of Changmeng and Hexian County, to firmly control the area from Lu'an to Hexian, and then march in the direction of Wuchang and Xiangyang.

After solving the problem of the back garden, the various units of the Runing Army were also in place one after another, ready to start a full-scale military operation. But no one expected that this confusing world chaos was fired by an unexpected army.

July 12, Canal Pier.

"Get off the boat! Move fast! ”

A group of generals and colonels were beckoning the soldiers on the ship to get off the ship quickly. Although the soldiers had bright armor and shiny weapons, their unfamiliar movements and nervous expressions showed that they were all new soldiers.

Looking at those recruits, Zuo Yin said with some concern: "The proprietor! Can those soldiers do it? I have only practiced for less than a month, and I can't even stand in line. If they are allowed to go into battle now, the students are afraid that the proprietor's reputation will be damaged. ”

"What's a good name?" Yu Zilian waved his hand and said, "If you don't rise up, the Ming Dynasty will change the sky." Without Kaifeng, there would be no Henan; Without Henan, Jiangnan and the capital will not be able to be saved. It's just that when the time comes, we can keep this army, and if we don't have the world, then what's the use."

"Isn't there still Wu Runing?" Zuo Yin asked.

"Hey——! Wu Runing and the thief are not the same thing? It's the same for the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Then we can't be pioneers!" Zuo Yin said, "Of our 20,000 people, except for the 200 Jiading we brought from the Ruzhou Army and the more than 200 generals sent by Grandpa Lu, the rest are all recruits. I've never been on the battlefield, I've never seen blood. We have recruited more than 7,000 from the military households in Jiangnan, and more than 6,000 from the children of the good family, and the rest are civilian scoundrels and prisoners, and the whole army may be scattered as soon as they face the thieves. ”

"I also know this. It's good that our Ruzhou army is here! There aren't so many worries. Hey——! Yu Zilian sighed.

"Hey——!" Zuo Yin also sighed and echoed, "That's it!" (To be continued......)