There is not a single cloud in the sky, and the deep blue sky, evaporated by the sun, is covered with a layer of lavender clouds. The Yangtze River, which is thousands of miles away, reflects a few green snails, flowing eastward like a dream. From a distance

Looking at it, the masts and masts are clustered together, and the mast ropes are densely sloping and swaying slowly.

Jiangling, also known as Jingzhou, is located in the south-central part of Hubei Province, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and in the west of the Jianghan Plain. It borders the Yangtze River to the south, the Han River to the north, controls Bashu to the west, and connects Hunan and Guangdong to the south. It was known in ancient times as "the thoroughfare of seven provinces".

"Jiangling was once the capital of Chu State, named 'Ying'." Liu Tichun, King of Xunyang, stood on the deck of the Yangtze River Navy flagship, pointing and introducing with a beaming face, "It controls Bashu to the west and Xianghan to the north.

With Jianghu on its lap and Wu and Guangdong on its arm, it is the key link between the Central Plains and Lingnan, and is known as an important town in the southeast."

The Thirteen Families of Kuidong sent troops to cooperate with the Yangtze River Navy's westward advance to attack Yidu (also known as Yiling in ancient times). Seeing the strength of the Chu army, they did not dare to go out of the city to fight, so they huddled in the city and defended it. King Xunyang Liu Tichun personally led an army

The army of the army sailed eastward and met with the Yangtze River Navy at Jiangling.

During the Battle of Jiangling, the Yangtze River Navy broke through the river blockade in this important area, and the westward movement was successful. After passing through Yidu and Yiling to the west, they entered the area controlled by the Thirteenth Family. They could rest and regroup before joining forces.

Combat.

"Does Your Majesty want to attack this place?" Chen Shangchuan, the admiral of the Yangtze River Navy, was also in a good mood. He chuckled and said, "It's better to let the Qing army survive for a while. After our army has been reorganized, we can then flex our muscles."

"It is better to attack Yidu than to attack here, or to attack Xunyang and Xiangyang into the Han River." Liu Tichun shook his head and said: "Yidu is the gateway to the Three Gorges, and you can move in and out freely if you occupy it; Xunyang and Xiangyang can raise money for the food collection.

The land is also very close to our army and is a threat."

"Your Highness has made a plan. After gathering with the Thirteenth Honorable Men, Kaifeng can act according to the plan." Chen Shangchuan bowed his hands to the south with an expression of admiration and said: "Your Highness is wise and powerful, and has high hopes for us.

I was told beforehand that we must assemble the army first and then fight. We must not be greedy for temporary success, let alone take the lives of our soldiers lightly.”

"Your Highness is kind." Liu Tichun also hurriedly raised his hands to show respect. He said: "I am waiting in a corner, eager to open up the situation. I am impatient. I hope Admiral Chen will not care."

Facing the trusted generals sent by His Highness Min, Liu Tichun, although he was promoted to the rank of king, did not become a prince and behaved very humbly.

"Your Majesty, your words are serious." Chen Shangchuan bowed his hands to Liu Tichun and said politely: "Your Highness does not think that Zhu Xun is in a corner. Instead, he concludes that he persists in fighting in the heart of the enemy, and his loyalty can be shown."

"Your Highness, it's really, really -" Liu Tichun didn't know how to express it for a moment, and kept holding his hand to the south.

"Your Majesty, let's set off now!" Chen Shangchuan asked for permission, and after receiving permission, he passed down the flag order. The mighty fleet sailed eastward under the anxious gaze of the Qing soldiers in Jingzhou, with more than one person in sight.

Only then did the Qing soldiers disappear from sight.

The Yangtze River Navy has more than 200 ships and more than 100 combat vessels. The others are transport ships. Guns, ammunition, food, supplies, and 300,000 taels of silver are also provided as military pay.

"Your Highness——" Liu Tichun looked at the list, couldn't suppress his excitement, and bowed south again.

This is not only a simple supply, but also shows the attitude of His Highness Min. Once upon a time, the army with the former Dashun Army as the main body had such treatment and received such generosity.

"Your Highness is wise and wise, no one can match him." Chen Shangchuan presented Zhu Yongxing's secret letter with both hands and said: "The reform of the military system is for the safety of all ministries and to show the intention of treating everyone equally. There are now seven armies of the army and the army. The prince is in charge.

The King of Jin commanded the Zhenshuo Army, the King of Wei commanded the Destroy Shuo Army, the King of Zhao commanded the Jingshuo Army, the Duke of Xu controlled the Shuo Army, the Prince of Jin temporarily commanded the Zhengshuo Army, and Yi Guogong temporarily commanded the Po Shuo Army. Each army

They are not arranged numerically to avoid the suspicion of being close to each other. How can others know that Your Highness has worked so hard?"

Each army has a serial number, which means that regardless of the original history, they are all imperial divisions. Instead of arranging them numerically, this is indeed a method adopted by Zhu Yongxing to avoid suspicion. And "Suppress, destroy, conquer, appease, conquer, destroy"

The words ", annihilate" all mean to completely eliminate the Qing Dynasty. These names can also show the determination to fight the Qing Dynasty to the end and "the Han and the traitors cannot stand together".

Of course, the numbers have been established, but many of the armies have not been fully staffed. Currently, only King Ma Bao of Wei's Shuo-Destroying Army has reached the standard.

"Each division has more than 12,000 men. Three divisions make up one army, plus artillery, heavy equipment, or a few cavalry. The total number is around 40,000." Liu Tichun read the document on the reform of the military system, calculated it, and said:

"Our army can definitely make up this number, but it is still unclear whether each family is willing to lose pay to raise troops."

The secret letter has been produced. In order to repay His Highness Min's trust, Liu Tichun did not mince words about the situation of Kuidong's armed forces acting independently. Although a joint force of 15,000 to 6,000 people has been established, it is really unclear what the attitudes of each family will be if they want to expand it.

Good judgment.

"Each private army can stay temporarily, but the military pay is different." Chen Shangchuan said bluntly, "Of the 300,000 silver, 200,000 are for the Shuo army, and only 100,000 are for the various honors. The Yangtze River Navy

It also belongs to the Tushuo Army, which is dispatched by the prince and Li Shangshu. If each family disagrees, with the current joint forces and the Yangtze River Navy, they can also fight in all directions and gradually grow stronger. The prince must not forget that these five thousand muskets are equipment for the Tushuo Army.

The Yangtze River Navy has hundreds of large and small artillery pieces and three thousand elite troops from Shuo's army. How can the Chu army be its opponent? His Highness' intention is that most of the land captured from siege and siege will belong to Shuo's army, as a means of development and growth.

.”

Liu Tichun understood. Although there was no force, His Highness Min would not supply a private army for a long time that was suspected of separatism and did not obey orders. Moreover, the number of seizures in future wars was also determined. The Shuo army had navy to help, so it could only be

It develops more and more, controls more and more territory, and receives more and more supplies.

"Even if it is a joint force, each family has their nephews and close associates as generals, leading the armies of each family respectively." Liu Tichun was still worried and said, "How to solve this?"

"Take advantage of the training opportunity to break up and reorganize." Chen Shangchuan said without hesitation: "There are still hundreds of instructors in the fleet, and they will be placed in it. If there is anyone who is dissatisfied and withdraws troops, he will

Go, the officers and soldiers under the prince’s command should be able to supplement them, right?”

"That's no problem." Liu Tichun agreed happily, and then said, "I'm just afraid that someone will talk about a certain family."

"Your Majesty is loyal to the country, how can he be afraid of slander?" Chen Shangchuan smiled lightly and said: "We also need to build a military academy. In the future, all officers will do this, not only to learn and improve, but also to control the army."

Liu Tichun nodded, hesitated for a long time, and finally asked: "Why does His Highness Min trust me so much? These secrets should be discussed privately with Li Shangshu, right?"

"His Highness has something to say: Liu Tichun, Hao Yaoqi, Yuan Zongdi, and Li Laiheng were among those who swore not to surrender to the Qing Dynasty and risked their lives to fight to the end; in terms of loyalty, Liu Tichun and Li Laiheng should be recommended; in terms of bravery, strategy, and knowing how to love the people,

Liu Tichun is the only one." Chen Shangchuan paraphrased Zhu Yongxing's words. Naturally, there was a hint of intimacy in it, but it was also quite correct and pertinent.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your trust, I dare not repay you with death." Liu Tichun was truly moved at this time. He knelt down to the south and kowtowed several times.

……………

The arrival of the Yangtze River Navy was a shock and excitement to the Thirteenth Family. First of all, from the ship equipment point of view, although the Thirteenth Navy also has a navy, the ships are very small, and a ship of 100 tons is a behemoth. Not to mention the ships on board.

That powerful new artillery piece.

Secondly, the supplies and military pay loaded on the ship were a timely help to the Kuidong area, which is surrounded by mountains, sparsely populated, and underdeveloped production. Many urgent needs were alleviated at once, and the morale of the military was also boosted.

Finally, it was the attitude expressed by the imperial court. When Chen Shangchuan first arrived in Xingshan County, he visited Li Zicheng's widow Gao, accompanied by Li Weizuo, Li Laiheng and others, read out the imperial edict and awarded rewards. In the imperial edict, she was regarded as a loyal wife.

, means turning over a page in the history of Dashun Army on the basis of respect.

The reward was generous, which was different from the conditions Li Wei Zuoqian had when he came. Several large mirrors with clear reflections stunned everyone; silk and satin, gold and silver jewelry, and a letter of greeting from His Highness Min's concubine Mengzhu.

, and a cloak sewn by herself, which made Mrs. Gao burst into tears of gratitude. She wanted to ask for a favor.

Gao has a weak nature and is not a person who can inherit her husband's legacy and reorganize the mess at a critical moment. Otherwise, the various departments of Dashun Army will not work independently and can only cooperate but not unite. But after all, she is Li Zicheng's widow. The original Dashun

The generals of the army must respect her, and her words will have a certain influence. Starting with the Gao family can show more sincerity.

Even though Mengzhu is just a concubine, the fact that she is so favored has already been known to everyone through Li Weizuo. Moreover, His Highness Min has not yet had a wife, so there is nothing wrong with caring about his family members, and on the contrary, he seems easy-going and approachable.

After dealing with the women, the next big thing is for a group of men. Liu Tichun, Li Laiheng, Hao Yaoqi, Yuan Zongdi, Dang Shouxu, Ma Tengyun, He Zhen, Ta Tianbao, and Wang Guangxing each received a reward of 10,000 silver.

Wan was handed over to Li Weizuo for government operations. The two hundred thousand silver will be used for the formation, equipment and military pay of the Tushuo Army. This order suddenly shocked everyone.

By the time Chen Shangchuan announced the various measures for military reform proposed by the imperial court, everyone was not shocked but shocked.

At first glance, it seems that the imperial court is only responsible for the supplies and pay of the Tushuo Army, and ignores the other redundant troops. But in fact, this is not the case. The formation of the Tui Shuo Army only distinguishes between the main combat force and the local guard force.

It’s different. Soldiers who cannot join the Shuo Army will still maintain a certain military salary, but the military salary will be provided by the local government.

Local supply? Doesn’t that mean you have to pay for it out of your own pocket? Or, to put it another way, hand over local governance to the Minister of War, the Governor-General of Military Affairs, and Sichuan Governor Li Weizuo. The local officials appointed by him will collect tax revenue and distribute it to the local security forces.

Of course, in the past, there was no funding from the imperial court, and each army relied entirely on its own to maintain its pay. But once the order was given, the nature was different. Not handing over power meant separatist rule, but handing over power was unwilling.

"His Highness has something to say: Although the establishment of each army is determined, if the excess troops are indeed elite and capable of fighting, they can be formed as independent divisions and receive the same treatment as sergeants and sergeants in the army." Chen Shangchuan and Li Weizuo exchanged glances, stood up and smiled.

He said: "Your Highness wants to drive out the Tartars and regain China with a million-strong army. You don't have to worry about your troops being dismantled and having no place to use them."

Li Weizuo, Chen Shangchuan and Liu Tichun had discussed it in private. Liu Tichun and Li Weizuo secretly did the work of Li Laiheng, Hao Yaoqi and Yuan Zongdi. They got the support of the three people and were quite confident in achieving their goals.

"It is a good thing to form the Tuoshuo Army, but not knowing what our army's next move will be always makes people have doubts!" ​​Hao Yaoqi seemed to have doubts, but he was leading the topic, "If the Tuisuo Army cannot be swayed,

In addition to the peripheral threats, wouldn't drawing troops and forming an army result in an empty defense and be unable to resist the Qing army?"

Li Weizuo coughed slightly, stood up and walked to the map. He pointed and said: "Currently, the threats our army faces are in the east, west and north. According to the deployment of the staff, we must first use the navy to advance westward, or defeat the Qing army in Chongqing.

The navy can destroy the enemy ships, or frighten the Chongqing defenders, and with His Highness the King of Jin in western Sichuan controlling the eastward advance, there will be no worries in the west."

Everyone's thoughts were drawn away, and their eyes followed Li Weizuo.

"After removing the threat from the west, we will use the navy as an aid to attack Yiling in the east and seize the gate of the Three Gorges to control the Three Gorges." Li Weizuo drew a line on the map with his finger and tapped Yiling heavily, "With this

As a base, attack Huguang. The Chu army is not strong in combat and is no match for our army. Taking the materials and population of Huguang and operating the eastern Sichuan can solidify the foundation."

Speaking of this, Li Weizuo turned his attention to Hao Yaoqi and said with a smile: "The war on the east and west sides has been decided, and the last one is the north. The land and water armies will go up the Han River and attack Gucheng and Xiangyang, thereby controlling the Han River and eliminating

Threat from the North."

"Excuse me, sir. Is it conquering or plundering?" Li Laiheng said: "Not to mention Chongqing, Yiling, Gucheng, and Xiangyang are all relatively strong cities. If you just wander around outside the city, you won't gain much, let alone control them.

Order it now.”

Li Weizuo returned to his seat and handed over the next words to Chen Shangchuan. Although Chen Shangchuan held the title of admiral, he still represented Zhu Yongxing and had the meaning of an imperial envoy.

"The city is strong, but there are ways to break it." Chen Shangchuan said confidently: "This time the navy came, but it brought many military talents. They will train the troops and master new tactics, and the city will be strong in the future.

Down."

"The army led by His Highness has repeatedly conquered fortified cities. Do you use this method of warfare?" Yuan Zongdi asked.

"That's right." Chen Shangchuan nodded and listed the names one by one like a treasure trove, "Yongchang, Dali, Longweiguan, as well as Nanning, Xinhui, Guangzhou, Meizhou, etc. that were broken by the Eastern Expedition, their strength should be corresponding.

No worse than Gucheng, Xiangyang, or Yiling?"

After the play was over, Li Laiheng and others seemed to be convinced and expressed their support for the formation of the Pei Shuo Army. In this way, even if others were unwilling, the combined strength of these few people would be more than enough to form the Pei Shuo Army.

After a flurry of words, Dang Shousu, He Zhen and others also expressed their opinions. Not surprisingly, they all expressed their support for the Shuo army, but the extent of the actual actions was not immediately apparent. After all, this is the imperial court.
To be continued...