Although the peace talks with the Portuguese were secret, it was impossible to know any news at the level of Wang Dong, especially as he was a senior naval general, and the command of the South China Sea Fleet was in the hands of Wang Dong. After fighting such a battle with the Portuguese fleet in the South China Sea, in order to prevent the Portuguese, the South China Sea Fleet did not relax at all about Macau's every move.

Just as Ma Gongcheng was concerned, as the battle in Guangzhou began, once the Portuguese fleet with strong combat suddenly kicked from behind, how could Wang Dong ensure the navy's support to the army? Furthermore, Wang Donglai was also responsible for the escort of Bao Honghui's transport fleet. How could some of the things Bao Honghui did before escape Wang Dong's eyes?

Originally, Wang Dong was a little unsure and even doubted whether Bao Honghui had a two-minded affair with Macau. However, Wu Sidao later explained a few words to him in private. Although he did not directly explain the inside story, the information he revealed was enough to make Wang Dong understand what was going on.

"This is serious?" Ma Gongcheng asked.

Wang Dong nodded and said, "Eight out of ten, otherwise the emperor would not be so relieved to let us attack Guangzhou directly."

Ma Gongcheng thought about it and nodded, "That's true, but... it's cheaper for these red-haired ghosts!"

Speaking of this, Ma Gongcheng looked angry. If the Portuguese had not intervened in this battle, Guangzhou would have been taken down by him long ago. Why should he be dragged until now? Furthermore, the South China Sea Fleet suffered heavy losses in the battle of the South China Sea. As the head coach, Ma Gongcheng hated the Portuguese to the core. If it weren't for considering the overall situation, and with the main force of the Portuguese fleet being particularly aware, he even wanted to attack Macau first.

"Cheap? Haha..." Wang Dong sneered: "Why would the court be so cheap for my children in the South China Sea? In my opinion, it's just a stopgap trick. After taking Guangzhou and sweeping Guangdong, the emperor will definitely not be able to spare these guys."

Wang Dong's words made Ma Gongcheng agree. The Ming Dynasty is not a soft persimmon at the mercy of others. With Zhu Yicheng's personality, how could he easily let go of the Portuguese in Macau? However, how would Zhu Yicheng deal with these red-haired ghosts? This is not the problem that Ma Gongcheng and Wang Dong are considering. The most important task facing them now is to take over Guangzhou and completely solve the Guangdong issue.

A few days later, the Ming army's battle against Guangzhou officially began.

Wang Dong's fleet entered from the Pearl River, and the warships arrived directly under the city of Guangzhou. With the roar of ships and guns, Ma Gongcheng's army troops were divided into two groups, marching from land to Guangzhou from the northeast and southeast. At the beginning of the battle, both sides took the stance of a decisive battle.

Guangzhou is a big city. After these days of continuous construction, Guangzhou has almost become a huge fortress. Although the Qing army failed to own a certain number of city-guarding cannons in Guangzhou, relying on the red and barbarian cannons left in the Ming Dynasty for a time, the Qing army in Guangzhou was defending well. After a few days, although there were many casualties, Guangzhou's defense was not broken through by the Ming army.

As the governor of Guangzhou, Liu Xing had a good defense. Liu Xing was not surprised to defend Guangzhou, but only seeking stability. He even took the initiative to give up the defense of the outer city near the Pearl River to avoid directly facing the strong artillery fire of the Ming fleet. Instead, he used the outer city to the inner city as the main defense target, and combined with the internal defense structure built later, to offset the gap between the two sides.

In this way, Guangzhou will be much harder to fight. The difference in combat effectiveness between the Ming army and the Qing army is that the Ming army is more well-trained, coupled with the advantages of firearms, but now Liu Xing retracts all his limbs into the turtle shell like a turtle, leaving the Ming army tortoise craze outside and never shows up.

But once the Ming army attacked the outer city, Liu Xing relied on the urn and internal defense structure to resist the death. This greatly reduced the advantageous role of the Ming army's firearms, and also brought the Qing army closer to the combat effectiveness of the Ming army in the city defense war. Using this method, Liu Xing also appropriately added a large number of soldiers and brave men in his hands to the battle in batches, using actual combat methods to quickly improve the combat effectiveness of these soldiers and brave men, while reducing casualties in the elite green camp.

If it is in the north or in the mainland, the Ming army may be able to use explosives to attack the city and directly find ways to blast the city walls and open up Guangzhou's defense. However, this method will not work in Guangzhou at all.

You should know that Guangzhou City is located south of the Pearl River, and then it is the sea. It is extremely low at an altitude. Digging down one foot of the ground will spread, so that gunpowder cannot be buried at all. Similarly, it is impossible to dig tunnels into the city. In this way, the Ming army can only conduct strong attacks, but the effect of several strong attacks is not good, which makes it extremely anxious to win the Guangzhou Ma Gongcheng as soon as possible.

Ma Gongcheng did not expect that the unknown Liu Xing was so difficult to fight. It seems that it is not unreasonable that he was recommended by Lan Li as the governor of Guangzhou. After evaluating the determination and combat effectiveness of the Qing army in Guangzhou, Ma Gongcheng knew that the battle in Guangzhou was not easy, and it seemed that it would be impossible to win Guangzhou without spending a lot of effort.

To this end, Ma Gongcheng began to adjust the direction of the attack and aimed at Baiyun Mountain. He planned to take down Baiyun Mountain first and then block Guangzhou with cannons, and then break through the opponent's defense.

However, it is not so easy to take down Baiyun Mountain. Although Liu Xing gave up the defense of the outer city, it was only aimed at the southern and southeastern parts of the Pearl River. Baiyun Mountain is the highest place in Guangzhou and is also a key place to defend Guangzhou. With Liu Xing's eyes, it is absolutely impossible not to see this.

In Baiyun Mountain, the Qing army also set up a focus on defense and also dispatched elite troops to station. It was difficult for Ma Gongcheng to capture Baiyun Mountain. When the Ming army launched an attack on Baiyun Mountain, Liu Xing repelled Ma Gongcheng's attack several times in a row, which made Ma Gongcheng extremely angry. He continued to mobilize his troops to launch a fierce attack on Baiyun Mountain, trying to capture it as fast as possible.

"Master Liu, thank you for your hard work these days." In Guangzhou City, it has been several days since the war started. With Liu Xing defending the city, the Ming army has been unable to break through the defense of the Qing army several times. The Qing army officials who were panicked at the beginning of the war have gradually calmed down. Especially Zhao Hongcan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was relieved and was complacent about being able to listen to Lan Li's opinions and let Liu Xing be the defender.

Today, seeing the war slowed down, Zhao Hongcan specially held a banquet at the Governor's Office to entertain Liu Xing. In addition to the two of them, Guangzhou General Guan Yuanzhong, Guangdong Governor Fan Shichong, governor Zou Henian and others accompanied him.

"Master Xie, this is just the duty of the subordinates, and it is not hard work." Liu Xing raised his glass when he saw Zhao Hongcan raise his glass, and quickly picked up the wine in front of him and said modestly.

"It is both duty, but it is also ability." Zhao Hongcan smiled and said, "General Liu has rules and regulations to guard Guangzhou. The 100,000-sea and land army of rebels cannot move forward in front of General Liu. This is really the merit of General Liu. Come on, let's take a cup with me to respect General Liu. After this battle, everyone here will join hands to ask the court for General Liu to make a contribution!"

"The Grand Marshal said it is right. Thank you for your hard work in General Liu these days."

"Thank you for your hard work, please ask you for your safety in Guangzhou..."

Everyone said in a lingering manner, raising their glasses to greet Liu Xing. Liu Xing hurriedly said that he did not dare, but at this moment, he was extremely happy. He had been in the army for 30 years and had been mediocre in the eyes of others. He was just lucky enough to get the current position. How could he have had such glory as today?

After drinking all the wine in the glass in one sip, Liu Xing's generousness attracted everyone's praise. After he put down the wine glass, Zhao Hongcan asked Liu Xing how confident he was to defend Guangzhou, or how long he thought he could defend Guangzhou, everyone around him also showed eager eyes.

"This... Judging from the current situation, it should be no problem to stay in Guangzhou for three or five months, but no matter how long it takes, this official will not be guaranteed." Liu Xing said bluntly.

Three or five months, this time is not short, and it has even exceeded the expectations of many people here. Especially Zhao Hongcan, he originally thought that it would be enough to defend Guangzhou for three months. Judging from the current situation in Henan and Sichuan, it will not take long for the Central Plains to change. The Ming army came from afar and its offensive will not last long. You should know that the Ming army is so large, and the daily consumption of the Ming army is astronomical. In addition, the Ming army is good at using firearms. Now as the weather gradually gets hotter, summer will be coming in a few days. Guangdong often has monsoons and heavy rainstorms every summer. By then, the Ming army's attack on Guangzhou will definitely not be as strong as it is now.

When the monsoon arrives, the Ming army will be in trouble. Whether the firearm can still be used is a different story, let alone how to attack Guangzhou. By then, the imperial army will wipe out the bandits in the Central Plains, and the Ming army will naturally retreat when they see the difficulties. Maybe by then, if the Qing army in Guangzhou can seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack, they may be able to recover the prefectures and counties occupied by the Ming army in one fell swoop.

"Okay!" Zhao Hongcan smiled and said, "If Liu Zongzhen can hold on to Guangzhou for more than three months, it will be the first result when our reinforcements arrive! With Liu Zongzhen here, I think the rebels will definitely return in a defeat under the city of Guangzhou."

"The officials dare not..." Liu Xing said quickly, and at the same time he promised that he would stick to Guangzhou and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.

As the lord of the city guard, Liu Xing could not drink too much. After drinking three cups, he stopped. Everyone present understood and no longer persuaded him. He just asked Liu Xing to eat more food. At the same time, he asked Liu Xing to ask about the current situation and Liu Xing's next arrangement for Guangzhou's defense.

Liu Xing did not hide this and immediately started talking. Listening to Liu Xing's story, everyone nodded repeatedly, feeling that Liu Xing had a relatively comprehensive consideration of both response, prediction and even some possible changes, which did take a certain amount of time.

Zhao Hongcan couldn't help but admire Lan Li's vision. Liu Xing has been serving as the general for a day or two, but only Lan Li can see that he is a good general. This is really a hot topic! Unfortunately, Lan Li is still bedridden and his injuries have not improved for a long time. If Lan Li can lead the troops, and with Liu Xing here, the two of them join forces, maybe with the power of Guangzhou, they can not only defend Guangzhou, but also find ways to directly repel the thieves outside.

Just when Zhao Hongcan was feeling emotion, he saw a confidant coming from outside, standing at the door with a little anxious look, as if he was about to say something to him. Seeing this, Zhao Hongcan couldn't help but frown slightly, and then continued to chat with Liu Xing as if nothing had happened, and then found a dressing person to get up. When he had just walked out a few steps, the confidant who had been waiting in the corridor quickly came up and whispered: "Master, someone in the capital is here to ask for a meeting with the Master."
Chapter completed!