Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

The first thing to make clear is that the Ming army already had troops stationed in Hubei.

Although most of the troops stationed in Hubei are reorganized prisoners of war.

But the number was quite large, almost thirty to forty thousand.

Although these 30,000 to 40,000 are not aggressive enough, it is still not a problem to ensure the safety of the part of Hubei controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

What Zhu Jing'an did was not to send three reorganizers to Hubei with great fanfare.

Instead, Hubei's forward battalion was replaced by the Ming army's headquarters soldiers!

In order to complete the replacement quietly, Zhu Jing'an had already started to implement it years ago.

Under the pretext of changing the army's defenses, regiments or even battalions were used as units to alternately rotate.

It took almost half a year for the Ming army to quietly complete the subversion of the Hubei garrison.

The forward battalion in the direction of Hubei was transferred to the Ming army's headquarters soldiers!

In other words, Zhu Jing'an actually never sent more troops to Hubei from the beginning to the end.

He just quietly transferred the fish-belly troops heading toward Hubei into elite troops.

At this time, the troops gathered in Jiangbei were indeed the main force of the Ming army!

At least that's the case in terms of the number of troops!

This was also the reason why Zhu Jing'an was able to frighten the Qing court and make the Qing court think that the Ming army's main attack direction was in Huainan.

Zhu Jing'an himself was in Jiangbei, and the Ming army had a comparable number of troops.

What the hell else could be wrong with this?

At least the Qing army couldn't see any problems.

Then, Xiangyang City changed its surname to Zhu!

"Your Highness, how should we fight the war here?"

Zhang Jin asked.

Now there are only eight reorganized divisions of the Ming army headquarters, and Hubei has been assigned three as the main attack direction.

In addition, Nanjing, Guangzhou and other important places also need elite troops to be stationed.

Among them, two are in Nanjing and one is in Guangzhou!

In other words, even though Zhu Jing'an now has a lot of troops, there are only two reorganized divisions that can be used as the main force.

That’s about 24,000 to 5,000 people!

Even in addition to this, Zhu Jing'an still has 50,000 to 60,000 forward battalions on hand to assist in the battle.

But it is not an easy task to deal with the Qing army in the direction of Huainan with these forces alone.

What you need to know is that due to Zhu Jing'an's deliberate strategic deception, the Qing army concentrated its main forces in Huainan.

According to currently available intelligence, the Qing army probably gathered 50,000 new Banner troops, 3,000 Sauron troops, and 20,000 Mongolian troops from foreign vassals in Huainan.

In addition, there are nearly 100,000 green camps from all walks of life, including many elites from Gansu and Shaanxi Green Camps and Zhili Green Camps.

Fifty thousand Korean prisoners of war turned into a servant army!

In total, that's more than 200,000 people.

It can be regarded as the strongest card that the Qing army can come up with so far.

If the 70,000 to 80,000 people Zhu Jing'an currently has are all his own soldiers after reorganization, then it goes without saying that Zhu Jing'an will definitely frame A without hesitation.

But the problem is that they are not!

Zhu Jing'an now has a lot of troops on hand, but his combat effectiveness is somewhat lacking.

If you frame A up there, you may not necessarily be able to defeat all the elite main forces assembled by the Qing army in Fengyang!

Of course Zhu Jing'an also knew this. After hearing this, he thought for a while and spoke.

"Just wait and see what happens!"

"Waiting for the forward battalion from Hunan to move to Hubei to take over the defense, and the headquarters troops from Hubei to go east to assist Jiangbei, and then talk about taking the initiative to attack."

"Before that, our army will be on the defensive in the direction of Jiangbei!"

As for what if after Zhu Jing'an transferred the elites from Hubei, the Qing army transferred troops from Huainan to regain Hubei?

Zhu Jing'an just wanted to say that he was worrying too much!

When the Ming army returned from Hubei to aid Jiangbei, it took the Yangtze River waterway, or downstream.

However, the Qing army from Huainan to Hubei could only go from the Huaihe River to the Yellow River, and had to detour to Henan. (PS: Because in this era the Yellow River did not have an entrance to the sea, it had to seize the Huai River and enter the sea.)

Whoever uses the butt faster knows it all.

If the Qing army wanted to reinforce Hubei from Huainan, Zhu Jing'an could only say that he did a great job.

Because, before the Qing army arrived in Hubei from Huainan, the reinforcements of the Ming army could return from Hubei to Jiangbei.

When the three reorganization divisions return to Jiangbei, Zhu Jing'an will launch an attack on Huainan on the frontal battlefield.

At this time, if the main force of the Qing army was not in Huainan, Zhu Jing'an could successfully capture Huainan.

In this way, there is no difference between the Qing army and the little mouse in the children's story who picked up sesame seeds and lost the watermelon.

Then, Zhu Jing'an would march westward with a large army, cooperate with the Hubei defenders to attack from both sides, and try to defeat the main force of the Qing army in the field.

This is why Zhu Jing'an said to wait and see what happens!

For the current Ming army, since they have captured a piece on the chessboard and have the advantage, it is definitely the best choice to wait and see what happens and wait for the enemy to make a stupid move.

Pursuing victory is not applicable at all times...

……

Forty-five years of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, April 20th.

After Feng Sheng'e was ordered to take over as the imperial envoy, he led his people along the canal and headed south to Huainan non-stop.

On April 20th, he finally arrived in Fengyang City.

At this time, the main force of the Qing court was already gathered in Fengyang City.

Just wait for him, the imperial minister, to arrive to preside over the battle!

However, Feng Sheng'e had just arrived in Huainan when he received a piece of bad news.

Xiangyang is lost!

The Ming thieves pretended to attack Huainan, but sent their main force to raid Hubei. Xiangyang City had already fallen...

After Feng Sheng'e heard the news, he was stunned on the spot.

But then he realized that this time the entire Qing Dynasty had been misled by inertial thinking.

I thought that the direction where the Ming Thief Prince was must be the Ming Thief's main attack direction!

Unexpectedly, Ming Dynasty sent them a strategic trick.

On the surface, they pretended to attack Huainan, but in fact they raided Hubei.

He Lin, a leader of the Eight Banners New Army, asked.

"Master Imperial Envoy, Xiangyang has fallen and Hubei has fallen. What should we, the Qing Dynasty, do?"

He Lin is He Shen's younger brother. When the Eight Banners New Army first started training, He Lin was sent to take up the post by He Shen.

During the First World War in Korea, He Lin made military exploits. Under He Shen's operation, he was promoted by Qianlong to one of the assistant leaders of the Eight Banners New Army.

He commands thousands of new Eight Banners troops!

It can also be regarded as one of the current representatives of the Niu Colu clan in the military.

Chatai, Sangzizabu and others on the side also looked at Fengsheng'e, hoping that Fengsheng'e would come up with an idea.

Hearing this, Feng Sheng'e thought for a while and spoke.

"Indecisiveness leads to disaster!"

"From the current point of view, the overall situation in Hubei has been decided. If our army goes to rescue Hubei now, it will undoubtedly be led by the thieves!"

Having said this, Feng Sheng's eyes looked around and he spoke.

"Therefore, my opinion is that instead of being led by the Ming thieves like this, our Qing Dynasty should give it a try and take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Ming thieves is still in Hubei, so that our army can take the opportunity to go south to the north of the Yangtze River."

"While taking the initiative to attack the Ming thieves, regain the initiative in the war!"

Feng Sheng'e's words made all the generals of the Qing army fall into thinking.

Because before this, they had never thought of the option of actively attacking the Ming army.

However, when they think carefully about what Feng Sheng'e said, they will find that what Feng Sheng'e said is not false.

But it is truly feasible!

If they can seize this opportunity, it may be possible to recapture Jiangbei in one fell swoop, deal a heavy blow to the Ming thieves, and save the current war situation.

Seeing this, Feng Sheng'e knew that everyone was moved, looked around, and continued to speak.     “Everyone, seek wealth and honor in danger!”

"Xiangyang is lost, we have no choice now."

"Our glory and wealth, the life and death of the Qing Dynasty, depend on this battle!"

When everyone saw this, although they still had doubts, they still responded in unison.

Then each went to prepare for the decisive battle south!

……

Outside Yangzhou City, the Ming army camped.

Zhu Jing'an stood on the shooting range, holding a rifled gun and aiming at a human-shaped target 150 meters away.

Eyes, crosshair, and target are three points and one line!

With a snap, Zhu Jing'an pulled the trigger.

The next moment, thick smoke rose from the muzzle of the gun, and the recoil caused Zhu Jing'an's shoulders to freeze.

A projectile flew out from the muzzle and shot towards the target in the distance.

The next moment, the target fell to the ground.

Zhu Jing'an put away his gun and stood up, blowing away the smoke from the gun, and said with a smile.

"Not bad!"

"The quality of the new batch of ordnance is quite reliable!"

Early this morning, a new batch of supply fleets from the Ming Army crossed the river and delivered muskets and artillery to the Ming Army in the north of the Yangtze River to replace battle losses.

Zhu Jing'an came to the shooting range this time to personally inspect and accept it.

He randomly selected a few muskets from this newly delivered batch of munitions and personally tested the guns for acceptance.

As of now, the quality of this batch of arms is still above the level.

Ming Dynasty’s ordnance production system is still reliable!

Zhu Jing'an put the rifled gun in his hand on the table beside him and picked up another flintlock gun. While playing with it, he turned to ask Guo Dashandao who came to Jiangbei with the ship.

"Director Guo, how is the production of our army's rifled guns recently?"

When Guo Dashan heard this, he didn't dare to show off and said it directly.

"Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, according to His Highness's instructions, the Foshan Arsenal has recently improved the boring machine and the cutting heads required for the boring machine."

"Now our army's arsenal has been able to achieve initial mass production of rifled guns. The combined production capacity of the Foshan Arsenal and Nanjing Arsenal can produce approximately one thousand to one thousand two hundred rifled guns per month."

"It is expected that in the next period of time, as the tools become more proficient and more and more qualified craftsmen are trained, the production capacity of rifled guns will be partially increased."

"It is expected to be stable at around 1,500 bottles per month!"

In other words, the current Ming army has the ability to arm a force fully equipped with rifled guns and cannons.

Zhu Jing'an heard this, thought for a while and then said.

"The arsenal is doing well!"

"But the production capacity of rifled guns still needs to continue to expand. Fifteen hundred guns a month are not enough to equip the troops."

Hearing this, Guo Dashan nodded in response.

"Wei Chen understands."

Zhu Jing'an nodded and continued to ask.

"Very good, keep working hard!"

Zhu Jing'an was about to pace around to check out the new type of explosive ammunition.

After the big explosion that shook the city of Nanjing, the Nanjing Arsenal finally made a substantial breakthrough in the nitrification experiment.

Although it has not yet been mass-produced, the laboratory has produced a batch of samples of new smokeless gunpowder on a small scale.

The only drawback is the high cost...

Zhu Jing'an instructed the arsenal to use these new smokeless gunpowder samples to produce a small batch of explosive ammunition, which was probably only about a hundred rounds.

Prepare to be transported to the battlefield for actual combat testing.

At this moment, a fast horse suddenly ran out of the camp.

There was the sound of horse hooves, and after being frisked and notified, a messenger ran all the way to Zhu Jing'an and spoke.

"Your Highness, please report to Your Highness the Crown Prince urgently!"

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, the expression on his face froze and he asked.

"What's the matter?"

"Why are you so anxious?"

The messenger raised his head and said solemnly.

"Your Majesty the Crown Prince, our army's sentries reported that the main force of the Qing army set out from Fengyang, with 200,000 troops, claiming to be an army of 500,000, heading south in large numbers and heading towards Yangzhou!"

When Zhu Jing'an heard this, the expression on his face obviously froze.

The main force of the Qing army went south?

To be honest, Zhu Jing'an did not expect that the main force of the Qing army would take the initiative to go south.

But then Zhu Jing'an realized the seriousness of the matter and couldn't help frowning.

"Immediately send a message to all the generals in the army to come and discuss matters!"

……

While Zhu Jing'an convened the generals to discuss matters, he also issued an evacuation order in Yangzhou City.

The gentry and common people in Yangzhou City were asked to temporarily cross the river and go to the south of the Yangtze River to escape the war.

Once the main force of the Qing army moves south, Yangzhou City will inevitably become the main battlefield.

Moreover, the Ming army will be on the defensive in this battle. Although Yangzhou's city defense will not be in danger, the Ming army in the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture will not be able to take care of it.

If the people under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture did not evacuate in advance, they might be in trouble by the Manchus.

After receiving Zhu Jing'an's evacuation order, the county magistrates and officials in the counties under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture began to take action to help the court organize the evacuation of the people of Yangzhou Prefecture.

In order to show their face in front of His Royal Highness Zhu Jing'an, the officials in Yangzhou Mansion were extremely efficient in their administration.

Not long after Zhu Jing'an's order was issued, the evacuation work began.

Zhu Jing'an stood at the head of Yangzhou City, looking at the densely packed ferry boats on the Yangtze River not far away from the south and north of the Yangtze River, with a faint look in his eyes.

As if he remembered something, Zhu Jing'an opened his mouth and gave instructions.

"Send a group of people to Yangzhou Pier to maintain order! Ensure the smooth flow of the terminal."

"What does it look like in such a mess?"

Zhu Jing'an always remembers one sentence.

Queuing is always more efficient than crowding!

If Yangzhou Pier continues to be crowded like this, even if the Qing army's forward arrives in Yangzhou, not many people may be able to cross the river.

But if Yangzhou Pier can line up in an orderly manner, the efficiency of crossing the river can be greatly increased.

When a soldier beside Zhu Jing'an heard this, he clasped his fists and went to deliver the order.

At the same time, Zhang Jin came to Zhu Jing'an and began to report.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, there is an urgent message from Nanjing. Your Majesty hopes that you will withdraw to the south of the Yangtze River first, and the war in the north of the Yangtze River can be left to the generals."

"Or you can also control remotely from Jiangnan!" (End of this chapter)