The Huai Army cleaned up Longchuan and Chaozhou Prefecture, and almost all the northeastern Guangdong areas were controlled by the Huai Army. A large number of gentry officials were arrested and handed over to the Jinyiwei. Almost all military offices surrendered, and the farmlands of gentry and military offices became imperial fields. However, many gentry and officials fled into the mountainous areas of northeastern Guangdong. They naturally were unwilling to accept their failure. These gentry officials formed many landlord armed forces and were ready to counterattack at any time.

After returning to Longchuan, Li Guodong's Huai Army was about to march westward to Guangzhou, and the main force could not stay in eastern Guangdong. In order to prevent the counterattack of landlords, Li Guodong ordered to strengthen the training of militia.

Li Guodong stood on the stage, and the black militia officers stood under the stage. He looked around and opened his voice and shouted loudly: "Dear villagers, we are about to leave Longchuan and fight west to Guangzhou. After we leave, those returning groups may come back at any time. At this time, you need to take up weapons to defend your homeland! If you fail, all the fruits of victory you have already obtained will be gone! They want to steal their own land and turn you into their tenants and slaves again. Can you agree?"

"Can't agree!" Thousands of militia officers shouted in unison, and their roars soared into the sky.

"That's good!" Li Guodong waved his hand, "You are all people who have been soldiers and are also the backbone of militias that we give priority to training. I hope that during this period, you can strengthen your militia training, and when the enemy counterattacks, you can repel their attack! Can you do it?"

"Yes." The militia officers in the audience were not confident enough to answer.

"Hit louder! I can't hear it!"

"Yes!" The militia officer's voice increased by dozens of decibels this time.

"Okay, starting from tomorrow morning, I will observe your training myself, hoping to satisfy me!" Li Guodong shouted loudly.

"Please don't worry, grandpa, we will definitely not let you down!"

The next morning, Li Guodong personally took his people to various villages to inspect the training of militias. The training of militias in each village and township was satisfactory. These militias had been trained in two months. Although they were still not as good as regular troops, the team was still neatly walking and the soldiers obeyed orders.

Since militia use bird guns, crossbow machines and spears in large quantities, the training time for individual combat skills does not need to be too complicated, and it is not as troublesome as training knife players. Whether it is bird gun players, crossbow players or spear players, they are all quick-forming troops. It only takes three months of training to get on the battlefield to fight.

In medieval Europe, crossbows were called despicable weapons because crossbowmen's training was much simpler than archers. Even an ordinary archer would require at least three years of training. An archer who had been through Yang with a hundred steps was no less training than a cavalry. For example, the archers of the Qing army, the Eight Banners of Manchus used archers since childhood, and every excellent archer had training time for more than ten or even twenty years.

The crossbowman can achieve quick success in just three months. In addition to being slow to load, the crossbow is much stronger than the bow and arrow.

On the European battlefield, a crossbowman who had been trained for three months could easily kill an elite knight who had spent his whole life training, so the crossbow was called a despicable weapon by the knight.

The reason why muskets eventually replaced bows and arrows is not because the original muskets are powerful, but because muskets' training is much simpler than archers. Although the muskets load at a slower speed, a farmer can kill a heavy armored cavalry after two or three days of training. Moreover, the cost of muskets is much lower than that of bows and crossbows, so muskets replaced bows and arrows in Europe, and even crossbows.

The militia in eastern Guangdong are five types: spearmen, bird gunner, crossbowman, small gunner and shieldman. Except for the relatively complex training of shields, which are mostly military veterans, the rest of the troops only require simple training to be quickly accomplished.

The source of bird guns is mainly the bird guns seized by the Huai Army. At present, the Huai Army is gradually replacing imported flintlock guns, and the eliminated bird guns are provided to the militia. The weapons used by the small gunmen of the militia are tiger squat cannons, light Folang machines and turtledove-legged guns. Many of the firearms are weapons originally owned by military households or captured in counties, and some are weapons seized by the Huai Army from other places.

The training of the militia entered the right path. Li Guodong left behind a group of his own officers, serving as instructors and wartime commanders of the militia. Then he personally led the Huai Army and went down the East River to march westward to Guangzhou.

The Huai Army advanced eastward and conquered Xunzhou (now Tuocheng), Heyuan, Guishan (now Huiyang) and other cities. Eighty thousand Huai Army arrived at the city of Huizhou.

Huizhou is located in the lower reaches of the Dongjiang River. Dongjiang River walks in an inverted shape, and the Xizhi River flows into the Dongjiang River here. The river section of Huizhou is wide and the surrounding river network is crisscrossing.

Referring to the Guangdong Battle in real history, the Kuomintang, which had been defeated continuously, confiscated a large number of fishing boats, in an attempt to make it difficult for the PLA without a naval. Later, the PLA sent a scout squad to take the lead and enter Guangdong. With the cooperation of local guerrillas and underground parties, they seized a large number of ships, which laid the foundation for the victory of the Guangdong Battle.

Therefore, in the Pearl River Delta, it is difficult to move without a navy.

The rebels' Dongjiang Navy gathered on the Huizhou River. Although the Dongjiang Navy is only a branch of the rebels' Guangdong Navy, the size of this navy is not comparable to that of the Huai Army Navy who came through the watershed by land. Because the Huai Army Navy passed the watershed through the watershed, there was no large warship at all, all small boats. The rebels' Dongjiang Navy is not small in scale, with many large warships such as Dafu ships and Guang ships equipped with multiple artillery, as well as large and medium-sized warships such as Haicang ships, Cangshan ships, Cangshan ships, Cangzhou ships, Chasing boats, and large centipede ships. As for fire attack ships, mother-child ships, eagle ships, net shuttle ships and small sampans, there are countless small ships such as fire attack ships, mother-child ships, eagle ships, net shuttle ships and small sampans.

"If we cannot defeat the rebel naval forces, our army will not be able to break through Huizhou at all." Wang Quandao.

Huizhou City is surrounded by water on three sides. If the navy cannot win, it will not be able to surround Huizhou. As long as the rebels control the waters of the Dongjiang River, the rebels can rely on the strong city to defend themselves, and on the other hand, reinforcements and food, grass and ammunition can be continuously transported into the city from the river surface.

It is a very disadvantageous thing to not take control of the river and attack a strong city by the river. It is equivalent to the opponent blocking the attacking party with a city wall, and the troops, food, grass and ammunition consumed can be continuously replenished. This will naturally be a great disadvantage for the attacking party.

In history, many siege battles can be won, which is to consume the opponent's manpower and city defense supplies. They attack the city again and again with cannon fodder, causing heavy casualties and injuries to the opponent's personnel, food and medicines to be consumed, and the defense equipment can be consumed, and finally attack the city. When attacking a city with river supplies, unless it can destroy the city, it may not be able to take it for several years.

"If we fight against the rebels on the Dongjiang River, we will definitely not be our opponents. The rebel naval force is more than five times the strength of me. Even if we win by chance, the Pearl River naval force downstream of the rebels will continue to reinforce, and our army has no chance of winning." Shi Lang said.

Wang Quan suggested: "We should wait a moment, and wait until the Zheng family navy enters the Pearl River and destroys the rebel navy, and we will attack Huizhou again."

Li Guodong raised an objection: "When the Zheng family navy comes, it's too late. We signed a five-year agreement with Jiannu, and it's been a year since then! We have to take over Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan, obtain the high-quality iron ore in Qiongzhou and the steel production industry in Guangdong, and then we can explode the troops."

"Lord, isn't there still four years left? It's completely time." Shi Lang said.
Chapter completed!