It was already ten days later when Zhao Peng received the news that Li Zicheng and failed to come out of Shaanxi.

"Li Zicheng retreated to Huguang, and Jiannu would inevitably follow and pursue Huguang, but the main force of our army needs to defend Nanjing and station in Lianghuai. Now we must send someone to recruit Li Zicheng. If Li Zicheng is defeated, Jiannu will take the opportunity to seize Huguang! Once Huguang is lost, Jiannu can go downstream and go straight to Jiangnan, and then the defense line between the two Huaihei will be in vain." Zhao Peng entered the palace and suggested to Zhu Cixuan.

To defend the river, you must defend the Huai River. Now Huang Degong and Gao Jie are stationed in the two Huai Rivers. Their army has been trained by Zhao Peng and there are 10,000 Nanjing New Army to assist in garrisoning the two Huai Rivers. It is impossible for the Qing army to descend from the two Huai Rivers.

However, the Yangtze River defense line was too long. Since the Qing army could not attack Jiangnan from the two Huaihe areas, they could launch an attack from Huguang or attack Sichuan.

Li Zicheng retreated to Huguang and the Qing army followed and pursued him. At this time, Xiangyang became a crucial strategic location.

If the Qing army wanted to cross the river from Nanjing, it must first occupy the two Huaihe Rivers; if the Qing army wanted to cross the river from Wuchang, it must first conquer Xiangyang. If the two Huai Rivers and Xiangyang were both in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, if the Qing army wanted to cross the river south, it would be left to take the Sichuan route.

Although Li Zicheng and Zhu Cilang can be said to have a grudge against killing their father, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Cilang still adopted Zhao Peng's suggestion and let go of his personal grudges first. He decided to send people He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi to send imperial edicts to recruit the rebel army. At the same time, he also sent envoys to Sichuan to recruit Zhang Xianzhong.

However, the envoy sent to He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi to send an order was still halfway, and Zhao Peng's Jinyiwei got a few bad news: Xiangyang was also lost, Li Zicheng retreated and crossed the Yangtze River, and then Li Zicheng was killed in Jiugong Mountain!

But the blessing of misfortune was that after Li Zicheng crossed the river, he burned all the ships on the river, and the Qing army would not have crossed the Yangtze River so quickly for a while.

Upon receiving this news, Zhao Peng made a quick decision and personally led 30,000 new troops to fight and went upstream along the Yangtze River to Huguang. On the one hand, it was used to stop the Qing army, and on the other hand, it decided to personally recruit Li Zicheng's remaining troops.

"I didn't expect that a generation of heroes would be defeated in just three months after they were lost in Xi'an!" Zhao Peng sighed.

Once Xiangyang was lost, most of Hubei had fallen into the hands of the Qing army, and only a small piece of Jiangnan left in Hubei was still in the hands of the Ming Dynasty. If Zhao Peng also withdrew 10,000 new troops from the two Huaihe Rivers, all 50,000 new troops were stationed in Nanjing, it would be enough to protect himself, but this would be too cowardly, which would be equivalent to giving all the territory except Jiangnan to the Qing army.

When the turtle shrank, it is strictly for the Qing army to be given all the territory except Nanjing to the Qing army, and it is difficult for Jiangnan to defend. If the Qing army actively attacks the lost territory, the new army of the Ming Dynasty has not been completely replaced. According to Zhao Peng's plan, it is possible to use infantry to compete with the cavalry after fully equipped with flintlock rifles. Otherwise, if the fortress is given up and the infantry will still be difficult for the infantry to fight against the cavalry.

Therefore, to block the momentum of the Qing army's going south, we must recruit the rebel army and adapt them into a loyal camp like in the original historical time and space to prevent the Qing army from entering Huguang.

The second ship of the Princess-class flying scissor frigate, the Princess Zhaoren, and the third ship of the Princess Yongning Princess, have been completed. If these two 500-ton flying scissor frigate, according to Western standards, are the fourth-level frigate-level ships, but in the Yangtze River, these two fourth-level frigate-level frigate-level ships are already invincible giant ships.

Zhao Peng did not intend to transfer the Yuefei battleship back. The Yuefei was too big and had too deep water. If he fought in the inland river, he might not be able to compare with the effect of a princess-class frigate.

The plan to dispatch 10,000 new troops and 100,000 auxiliary troops to Dagukou is temporarily delayed within the plan. At present, we must first protect Huguang and then seek an attack.

Before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Shaowu, Zhao Peng took two flying scissor frigates, the Princess Zhaoren and the Princess Yongning, 120 large blessed ships, 150 Cangshan ships, 180 Haicang ships, 200 fast crabs, and more than 500 Yangtze River inland transport ships. The ships were carried by 20,000 naval officers and soldiers, carrying 30,000 Nanjing New Army 50,000 auxiliary soldiers, and rushed up the Yangtze River toward Huguang.

The fleet arrived in Wuchang and found that the Qing army was building ships and rafts on the riverside on the north bank of the Yangtze River, attempting to cross the river.

"Fire the cannon!" Zhao Peng gave the order.

Thousands of cannons on two frigates and more than 600 Chinese warships fired volleys, and the whistling shells hit the shore, killing the Qing army auxiliary soldiers who were building ships and rafts, were forced to put down their lives, flee in a hurry, and stay away from the shore.

Zhao Peng ordered the navy officers and soldiers to fire rockets, burning down the wood that the Qing army had prepared to build ships and rafts.

Then Zhao Peng ordered the navy to keep an eye on the movements on the shore, and he brought more than a thousand Jinyiwei and three thousand Nanjing new troops, landed in Wuchang, and rushed to Xianning to find the remnants of the rebel army.

But before he saw the rebel army, he first met Du Yinxi, who was then the governor of Hubei.

It turned out that it was because of the surrender of the remnants of the Chuang Army that Du Yinxi and He Tengjiao had different opinions. After receiving the imperial edict, Du Yinxi immediately expressed his intention to personally recruit the remnants of the Chuang Army and adapt the remnants of the Chuang Army into a loyal camp. However, He Tengjiao refused to respect the order. He believed that His Majesty the Emperor must have been bewitched by the slander ministers, otherwise, how could he issue an order to recruit a rebel who had a grudge against His Majesty for killing his father?

Du Yinxi defended: "This imperial edict is not an edict issued by His Majesty alone, but the cabinet has all voted to pass."

He Tengjiao sneered: "Cabinet? Humph! Who doesn't know what the cabinet is going on now? The chief minister, Master Shi Ge, is now the father-in-law, and several assistants, Lu Zhenfei, Qian Qianyi, who is not the son-in-law? This edict says that it was written by the cabinet ticket, but isn't the bewitched Majesty alone? "

Du Yinxi said: "Who said that Your Majesty was bewitched? Your Majesty is taking into account the overall situation. Since the thief intends to be used by our Ming Dynasty, why not do it? Now Jiannu is in great power. If you are stubborn again, my Ming Dynasty will be in danger!"

As a result, the stubborn He Tengjiao failed to enter, so Du Yinxi was kicked out of the Huguang Governor's Office in Yuezhou, making way for He Tengjiao's confidant team. He was transferred to Xianning as the governor of Hubei. In fact, it was He Tengjiao's plan to advance openly and secretly. Du Yinxi was nominally the governor of Hubei, but his government orders did not leave the territory of Xianning, and he had the sign of a governor and did the responsibilities of the prefect.

But one disadvantage must be another advantage. Although Du Yinxi was not worthy of his name, he also entered the ranks of ranks of officials in the border areas. He could cross He Tengjiao and directly recommend Li Guo, Tian Jianxiu and others to Emperor Shaowu, recruit this peasant army, and put forward the proposal to form a loyal camp.

"Hahaha!" After hearing what Du Yinxi said, Zhao Peng laughed, "Heroes have similar views! Du Futai, my husband also felt that he should recruit thieves and use them for our Ming Dynasty to protect the grain production area in Huguang! If Huguang is lost, not only will Jiannu solve the food problem, but he can also go downstream at any time and threaten Nanjing."

When he heard that Zhao Peng was going to the thief camp with hundreds of Jinyiwei to see the thief camp, Du Yinxi asked worriedly: "Marquis must not take risks. If the thief is not good for the Marquis, it will be a major loss to our Ming Dynasty."
Chapter completed!