(PS: Added an update. Apologies.)
Jianye.
The news of Yangzhou's fall was like a huge dark cloud that shrouded the sky above Jianye City.
Along with the news, there were all kinds of rumors, such as, 'Since the Qing army has captured Yangzhou, they will soon attack Jianye', causing panic among the people, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
In the court, some ministers had already vaguely suggested that they should consider surrendering for the sake of the "safety of the people". Ouyang Shuo, the newly appointed Regent, naturally became the target of public criticism.
Even Emperor Hongguang, who was sitting on the Dragon Throne, felt uneasy.
Looking at the ministers in the hall who each had their own thoughts, Hongguang Emperor, who had long lost control of the situation, looked around. In the end, he realized that he could only rely on Ouyang Shuo.
No matter what, Ouyang Shuo still had 40,000 troops under his command.
"What do you think we should do?" Glorious Light Emperor asked.
Ouyang Shuo was actually calm, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, although the enemy has captured Yangzhou, they are only taking advantage of our precarious situation, they have not directly confronted our army. Who will emerge victorious is still unknown."
"Yes, yes, yes. You are absolutely right."
The Glorious Light Emperor grasped at straws as if he was grasping at straws. Only then did he remember that the 200,000 mutant soldiers were still intact. He said, "If that's the case, I hope that you can quickly move the army back to Jianye and garrison it."
The other ministers also agreed. Without a large number of soldiers guarding the place, they really couldn't be at ease.
Seeing this, Ouyang Shuo helplessly said, "Our army already has a countermeasure, please rest assured, Your Majesty. As for Jianye's safety, there are 40,000 mutant soldiers and Liu Liangzuo's troops guarding it.
As he spoke, Ouyang Shuo lightly glanced at Liu Liangzuo.
Liu Liangzuo seemed to have sensed Ouyang Shuo's gaze, and his face slightly twitched.
"Right, right, right."
Although Glorious Light Emperor nodded repeatedly, he didn't dare to refute Ouyang Shuo. After thinking for a while, he cautiously said, "For the sake of safety, I hope that my beloved subject can return the troops as soon as possible."
For the Emperor to go this far, it was tasteless.
When Ouyang Shuo saw this, he couldn't bear to lose face for Brightlight Emperor in the end, so he nodded in agreement. Of course, the vanguard army would have to make their own arrangements as to how they would set it up.
He did not believe that just by relying on Guo Ziyi and Jia Xu's combination, they could not break through a Yangzhou City.
…
After the court was dismissed, Ouyang Shuo returned to his residence.
In the end, the turmoil in the Imperial Court was only a small problem. What Ouyang Shuo was worried about was that the remnants of the Great Shun army and Great Xi's Zhang Xianzhong, whom he had just contacted, would be thwarted because of this.
In order to win over the remaining troops of the Great Shun Army, Ouyang Shuo even asked Li Jing to personally receive them.
"I hope they have some patience."
That afternoon, Guo Ziyi's secret letter was urgently sent to Ouyang Shuo. After reading it, Ouyang Shuo couldn't help but praise Jia Xu's scheme.
"Bringing Jia Xu along this time is the right decision."
With Jia Xu's plan, Ouyang Shuo felt much more at ease. He immediately summoned the person in charge of the Mountain Sea Guards and ordered, "Yangzhou has fallen. Those clowns will definitely be jumping around. This is the best time to collect evidence. Don't let it go."
"Understood!"
In fact, the Mountain Sea Soldiers had already gathered some evidence. However, there were still some cunning old foxes who had hidden themselves well, so the Mountain Sea Soldiers had yet to dig them out.
"This time, we're going to catch them all in one fell swoop." Ouyang Shuo's eyes shone with a cold light.
As the Mountain Sea Guards attacked, the already turbulent Jianye City was bound to become even more turbulent.
…
On the fifth day of the battle.
When Guo Ziyi's troops suddenly bypassed Yangzhou City and appeared upstream of the Huai River, one could imagine the surprise and shock of the Qing army. "When did they sneak past?" Duo Duo was very puzzled.
In order to avoid detection by the Qing army, Guo Ziyi had put in a lot of effort.
Similarly, it only took one morning.
With the cooperation of the Imperial Navy, Guo Ziyi's troops only took one morning to recapture Sizhou, which had been conquered by the Qing army. They also intercepted the provisions that the Qing army was preparing to transport to Yangzhou City, successfully achieving the strategic goal that Jia Xu had set.
This time, it was the Qing army's turn to be upset.
According to Duo Duo's original plan, he was prepared to fight the enemy in Yangzhou City. After wiping out the Southern Ming Mutant Army, he could directly march in and take Jianye.
"This was originally a very safe battle plan."
Now that Guo Ziyi's troops had suddenly made such a move, it completely disrupted Duo Duo's battle plan. Not to mention anything else, the issue of provisions had suddenly become a big problem for the Qing army.
As mentioned earlier, the Huai River and the Yangtze River were the main transport routes for provisions in the southern region. The Qing army's provisions were mainly transported through the Huai River. Now that the Imperial Navy of the Xia Dynasty was stuck in the upper reaches of the Huai River, the Qing army's neck was immediately choked.
Not to mention that Di Chen did not bring a naval fleet for this battle. Even if he had, with the standard of the two Great Zhou fleets, in front of the better equipped Imperial Navy of the Xia Dynasty, they would be defeated.
As for the Qing army's hastily assembled navy, it was even more inadequate.
Under the command of Zhou Yu, who was already familiar with inland naval battles, the Imperial Navy was an invincible existence. It was no wonder that the Qing army did not know that the Imperial Navy had passed by Yangzhou City.
Yangzhou City, the Castellan's Residence.
Duo Duo summoned Di Chen, Lian Po, and Abatai, who had just led his troops to meet up, for a meeting.
"Yangzhou City is already short of provisions. It can only sustain the army for five days at most. What should we do next? Everyone, please speak! "Duo Duo did not immediately come to a conclusion.
In front of the Qing army, there were only two options: south or north.
"I suggest north." The one who spoke was Di Chen. "Jianye is not like Yangzhou. It is a majestic city and heavily guarded. It will not be easy to attack it. If our army suffers a setback in Jianye, we will be in danger of being attacked from both sides by the enemy. As long as we go north and get provisions, we will be able to gain a firm foothold and choose another day to fight. "
Di Chen had a thorough understanding of the strength of the Great Xia Imperial Army. He knew that with the Imperial Army guarding Jianye, it would not be easy to capture it. Therefore, he suggested north, which was a wise strategy.
Unexpectedly, Di Chen's words angered someone. It was Abatai, who had just arrived.
"Tsk, you Dissimilated Man, you are boosting the morale of others and diminishing your own prestige." Abatai was very rude to Di Chen. "How can a small Jianye City resist the Qing Iron Cavalry? I suggest we go south immediately. "
As he spoke, Abatai asked Duo Duo for permission to fight. "When we go south, I am willing to be the vanguard!"
It was no wonder.
Ever since the Qing army entered the pass, especially after Emperor Shunzhi moved the capital to Yanjing and destroyed Great Shun, the Qing Dynasty's tendency to unify the world had gradually become clear.
It was inevitable that a Manchu Eight Banners general like Abatai would become arrogant and think that the Eight Banners army was invincible and could dominate the world.
Moreover, Di Chen was a Han, so Abatai had no scruples.
Hearing this, Di Chen's face instantly turned red. He clenched his fists, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. Di Chen was a proud man. How could he bear the humiliation of a boorish man like Abatai?
To be honest, the strength of the Eight Banners army was only comparable to that of the peasant army, so Di Chen did not take it seriously at all.
Just when Di Chen was about to get angry, Duo Duo suddenly spoke.
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