Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 325 Approaching Wuchang (2)

Zheng Chenggong left behind nearly 200 warships, led by the naval general Chen Yaoce, to assist Zhou's army in attacking Wuchang. Later, the remaining 26,000 infantrymen boarded the ships one after another.

The Zhou army's generals looked at the Zheng army's departing backs with mixed feelings. Liang Sanhu curled his lips, grumbled, and cursed, "The pirates ran away so fast. Your Majesty has lost money on this business."

Bai Yongfu also shook his head and said, "In the battle of Ezhou City, the Zheng family lost more than 10,000 men, especially the newly defeated army. Your Majesty only saw the Zheng family as having more ships. Their infantry is not as good as Jin Shenghuan's!"

"Tsk, what do you know? The king has thought it over carefully. How do you say that word? What is that...what is it that thinks deeply?" Qian Biao got stuck in the middle of his sentence and hurriedly asked Bai Yongfu who was standing beside him.

Bai Yongfu didn't want to pay attention to him. Seeing Qian Biao staring at him, he said unhappily, "Plot! Plot! Plot!"

"Yes, the king is very thoughtful and shrewd. How can you, a bunch of fools who are wise but pretend to be wise, guess what he has done?" Qian Biao accused everyone with confidence.

Bai Yongfu was speechless after listening to this. He raised his hand and said to Qian Biao, "Either read more books, or don't read them at all. Don't read halfway. It really makes me uncomfortable to hear what you say." After that, he turned and left, not wanting to talk nonsense with Qian Biao anymore.

Qian Biao: “…………Hmph!”

The Zheng army left one after another. Seeing this, Gu Yanwu said with some emotion: "Your Majesty, you used the land of Fujian as a reward in exchange for the Zheng army. Isn't it a pity?"

Meng Jun looked at the Zheng army boarding the ship one after another, and said leisurely: "In this world, not everything goes as planned. The Zheng army blocked the Yangtze River with its navy, forcing Duoduo to use most of his artillery for river defense. They also captured Ezhou, causing Duoduo's troops to suffer even greater losses. Perhaps this move is a loss-making business in the eyes of the world, but how could I have known the chances of winning at the time? I must work hard to gain even more strength."

Gu Yanwu smiled upon hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. Fortunately, we win this battle. Once the country is unified, the Zheng family's territory will not be able to change the overall situation."

Fujian is located in the southeast. Although the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is also difficult to send out a large army. Moreover, the land is barren and it is difficult to support too many troops.

However, the Zheng family started out as a maritime trader. In history, with the tiny island of Taiwan, they were able to maintain an army of more than 100,000, with strong and sharp armor, spears and arrows, thousands of warships, and connections with the inland areas, winning the hearts of the people, and not running out of money. The reason they relied on the benefits of the ocean trade was their ceremonial power.

But no matter what, if the Zheng family gets Fujian, their power will increase greatly. Although Meng Jun said so, he didn't know the pros and cons of this move in his heart.

At this time, Li Wendao appeared from nowhere, came to Meng Jun's side, bowed and said: "Congratulations, my king, you defeated Duoduo in one battle. This battle will surely go down in history."

Gu Yanwu looked at Li Wendao and asked in surprise, "When did Taoist Li come here? Why haven't I seen you these days?"

Li Wendao heard this and said slowly: "Although the war has ended, many soldiers have died in battle. I have been on the battlefield these days, praying for the souls of the heroes. But even though they have been prayed, many soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield and are unknown to the world. It's really a pity."

Meng Jun turned his head, his expression solemn, and said: "The Taoist priest has done immeasurable merits. According to your words, I intend to build a Hall of Heroic Souls for the fallen soldiers, and offer sacrifices to them all year round, with incense burning all the time."

"Your Majesty, this is a very good thing." Li Wendao bowed deeply.

"Loyal bones are buried everywhere in the green mountains, so why should we return home wrapped in horsehide?" Meng Jun said these words unconsciously.

Shen Congwen's eyes lit up and he praised: "Although your words are a paraphrase of Mr. Dongpo's poem, the idea is extraordinary. Your Majesty is a man of great talent in both literature and military strategy!"

Meng Jun was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect that this poem had not appeared in this era. It just appeared in his mind unconsciously. Meng Jun laughed to hide some embarrassment.

…………

Just as Meng Jun was looking at the Zheng army from afar, Zheng Chenggong was also looking at Meng Jun on the flagship with sharp eyes, and he did not say a word for a long time.

Chen Yonghua, who was standing by, came closer, lowered his head slightly, and said, "The matter of Huguang has been resolved. Zhou's army will surely conquer Wuchang, and its power will increase greatly. Once the Qing army withdraws from Huguang, if King Zhou leads his army south and pacifies Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangdong, how will the national surname cope with the situation then?"

Zheng Chenggong raised his eyebrows and said, "So what? The King of Zhou may not go south. Even if he does, he may not be able to defeat Sun. Besides, I have the benefits of sea trade, and my annual income is more than a million. This time I have Fujian, and I can use the people of Fujian to expand the army. Within three years, I can have 200,000 soldiers and a powerful army. There is no place in the world that I can't conquer!"

Chen Yonghua was worried. Who could know how the world would change in three years?

The warships set sail, and Zheng Chenggong was full of vigor and said in a loud voice: "This time when we return, we will send envoys to Japan to obtain Japanese lead and copper. I intend to mint coins, expand the mines in Fujian, and manufacture armor, swords, guns, and firearms."

Then he said to Chen Yonghua beside him: "After attacking Ezhou, we realized that our army's fighting power is not strong. Wait until we return to Fujian. Go out to supervise the training day and night, and make sure all officers and soldiers practice according to the rules. The first merit is to break the city. The Iron Man Army is here. I will watch the battle at the foot of the city. The Iron Man Army has iron armor and iron heads and faces, with only their feet exposed. If an arrow hits their body, they will pull out the arrow and fight again. They are unstoppable."

Chen Yonghua heard this and said, "The Iron Man Army is like the heavy armored army under the King of Zhou. It has 5,000 troops and is very costly."

Zheng Chenggong laughed and said, "Money is just dead stuff. With elite soldiers and sharp armor, everything in the world can be obtained. The King of Zhou has 5,000 heavily armored troops, so I will build 5,000 iron men!"

Chen Yonghua felt his scalp tingling as he listened to this. They had to build the Eight Banners Army of the Qing Dynasty and the Iron Man Army. No matter how much money they had, it would not be enough to keep wasting it. However, looking at Zheng Chenggong's high morale, Chen Yonghua resisted the urge to give him advice, but he made up his mind to give him some advice when he returned to Fujian.

Meng Jun led his army to stay in Ezhou City for two days, and then went up the river, advancing both by land and water, with great momentum, heading straight for Wuchang. The size of his army was like the water of the Yangtze River, vast and unstoppable.

The Qing army had been closely monitoring Zhou's army for a long time. Duoduo Haoge knew about Meng Jun's move as soon as he made one. Zhou's army was so powerful that Wuchang City was shocked three times a day.

Duoduo had already decided to withdraw from Wuchang, but before the Jirgalang people arrived in Wuchang, his order had already arrived, saying: "Wuchang is an important city, we must not give it up lightly!"

When Duoduo saw the military order, he became even more depressed. Jirgalang's men had not arrived yet, and he had no idea about the current situation in Wuchang City. Even if Hauge was willing to defend Wuchang to the death, he might not be able to do so.

When Hauge learned of the military order, his face turned as pale as liver. The current Wuchang City was like a dead end. Wouldn't this military order push him into a dead end?