Zhao Ming hurried to Guanyin Gate with Li Yuanyin, and when he entered the tent, he saw Li Chengdong talking to Hu Weizong.

When Hu Weizong saw Zhao Ming coming in, he hurriedly got up and folded his fists, and smiled and said, "Master of the Hall!"

Zhao Ming walked forward and punched Hu Weizong on the shoulder, "Brother Hu!" and then called him to sit down.

At this time, Li Chengdong said with a calm face: "General Zhao, Brother Hu came here to inform us of an emergency military situation!"

Hu Weizong said: "I was active in Jiaxing a few days ago and found a Qing army with tens of thousands of people, and everyone was carrying armor. They hid in the morning and left at night to Songjiang. It is estimated that Duoduo had returned to the army, so I came to tell you!"

Jiaxing is located between Hangzhou and Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, and is the closest passage from Zhejiang to the Yangtze River Estuary.

"Where is Duoduo retreating?" Zhao Ming was happy at first, then frowned again and said, "This Qing army wants to block the estuary of the Yangtze River and cut off my way to sea!"

Hu Weizong said: "It is not certain whether Duoduo withdraws his troops at the moment, but I asked the brothers of the Tiandihui to investigate."

Li Chengdong said with a black face: "No matter whether Duoduo withdraws his troops or not, we must retreat!"

Zhao Ming had a calm face. When the Qing army led a side division into Shanghai, Chongming might be in danger. Once the Qing army regained Chongming and built a fort, it would be difficult for him to enter the sea.

"No wonder Kong Youde did not attack today. It turned out that he knew that the Qing army had returned north." Zhao Ming murmured, then looked up and said, "We occupy Chongming, entered the Yangtze River, trapped Zhenjiang, broke through the outer land of Nanjing, worshiped Xiaoling Mausoleum, and shocked the south of the Yangtze River. Now that the Yangtze River has been traversing for more than two months, the Qing army has gathered and prepared to form a net to encircle us. It is indeed time to withdraw our troops."

It is not easy to persevere until now. If you continue, it will cause you to fall into danger. Zhao Ming decided to retreat to the estuary of the Yangtze River first.

This place can be advanced and attacked, retreat and move, and stand in an invincible place.

If Duoduo did not retreat, the Ming army could still rely on the sandbanks at the estuary of the Yangtze River and attack everywhere to harass the Qing army, so as to constrain the Qing army.

If Duoduo's main force retreated and the Qing army gathered in Jiangnan, Zhao Ming would be able to return to Zhoushan calmly.

After all, Jiangnan is a place controlled by the Qing army. The Ming army is like going deep into the army alone and there is a possibility of being surrounded at any time. Li Chengdong had wanted to leave long ago. Seeing that Zhao Ming did not object, he made a quick decision and ordered: "Then let me order the entire army and leave tonight!"

The Battle of the Yangtze River lasted for several months. With Kong Youde's arrival, the Ming army was no longer able to do anything. Now that we learned that the Qing army in Zhejiang had returned north, Li Chengdong and Zhao Ming immediately decided to withdraw from the Yangtze River and preserve their strength.

Zhao Ming immediately ordered the soldiers to transport money and grain overnight and transport the seized materials onto large ships. If they really couldn't move them away, they would set fire to the fire, and no grass or tree could be left to the Qing army.

...

At the foot of Shili Mountain, at the Qing army camp, Kong Youdezheng discussed with his generals, and Liu Liangzuo said: "The thieves are condescending and the army attacks from above, and it is really difficult to see results."

Kong Youde smiled and showed a secret letter, saying confidently: "This is a letter sent by Prince Yu. When the army in Zhejiang returned to Jiangnan, the prince has sent 10,000 troops to seize Chongming and the fortress along the river. The bandits are willing to trap Shili Mountain, so they will be trapped. When Prince Yu's soldiers arrive, Shili Mountain will be the tomb of Li Hezi and Zhao Tiebang!"

When Liu Liangzuo heard the words, his eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Prince Yu returns to his post and Zhao Tiebang doesn't slip away yet, then he's dead."

As he was speaking, the Qing general Liu Liangchen took the tent in and said anxiously: "Prince, Shili Mountain, Jinchuan Gate, Guanyin Gate, Yanziji fires soaring into the sky, and the bandits are afraid they will escape."

Liu Liangzuo was stunned. He smashed his mouth and couldn't speak. He just felt that his mouth was like a light, and the thief was really about to escape.

Kong Youde suddenly stood up with a blush, then roared: "Hurry up, order all the troops and horses to chase me!"

In the dark night, the Ming soldiers boarded the ships on the river and evacuated from Nanjing. The Ming army camps and city towers lit a raging fire, and five or six hundred large and small ships covered the river.

The ship was moving along the water, faster than the galloping horse, and left Nanjing City in a moment, leaving the flames behind.

Kong Youde led the cavalry to bypass the burning fire and rushed to the riverside. The Ming army was gone, and the seized materials and property were moved to nowhere.

"It's outrageous!" Kong Youde was furious when he saw this. He attacked for more than half a month, with countless casualties and injuries. In the end, he actually let the Ming army retreat calmly, which was simply a shame for him.

Hong Chengchou, who rushed over, also had a gloomy face and looked at the river without saying a word.

Old thief Hong looked down on himself and looked down on others. He actually looked down on many nobles in the Qing Dynasty, thinking that few people in the world could surpass him.

Over the years, not many people have given the old thief Hong a high look. Huang Taiji is one, and today there seems to be another potential opponent, that is, Zhao Ming and Zhao Tiebang.

This person's name is unknown. As soon as he was born, he made such a big noise, which made him feel embarrassed. It will definitely be a disaster in the future.

Hong Chengchou had a feeling that maybe it wouldn't take long before Zhao Tiebang would become his strong rival.

...

The Ming army fleet covered the river and arrived in Chongming two days later. When they met the Qing army attacking Chongming, the large water camp ships rushed across the river. The Qing army's bamboo rafts capsized one after another. The Qing general Jue Luo Langqi drowned in the river.

After the Ming army entered the Yangtze River, they successively transferred some people, especially the gentry and heroes who took the lead in the uprising, to the sandbank near Chongming.

These people are famous in the local area and have too great targets. When the Qing army wants to take revenge, they will definitely not be able to escape. Therefore, Zhao Ming persuaded them to go out to sea together. Most of the leaders who responded came to Chongming one after another, but there were exceptions. For example, Taoist priest Zhang Chongfu and others decided to stay in Jiangnan, continue to resist the Qing Dynasty, collect intelligence for the Ming army, and contact the gentry who were in love with the Ming Dynasty.

Later, Zhang Chongfu, using his identity as a Taoist priest, traveled around the south of the Yangtze River, contacted a large number of gentry, and asked for food and iron from them, and smuggled them to the sea, providing great help to Zhao Ming.

This time the Ming army entered the Yangtze River, and there was too much noise. In addition to the response of a large number of gentry and heroes, hundreds of thousands of ordinary people also participated.

The Ming army was short of maritime resources and could not support so many people, so they had to evacuate.

The people joined in to have fun, killed a few Qing dynasties, divided some things, and most of them were scattered in the countryside.

However, there were still many people who were afraid of revenge in the Qing army, especially those outside Nanjing. Many people followed Zhao Ming to Chongming.

When the Ming army set out from Jintang Island, there were only more than one hundred ships and more than six thousand people. But now, with the Ming army and people in Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other places, they gradually retreated to Chongming. The scale of the Ming army had rapidly expanded to six hundred ships and one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians.

Jintang Island could not accept so many people, so Zhao Ming placed the people in the sandbank of Chongming, reclaimed land, built water camps, and prepared to leave the army and navy, who always lived in Chongming.
Chapter completed!