Chapter 955: Outside Nanjing City, the tip of the head is against the mai

(0955)

Without the obstruction of the Hu Ben Navy, the Zheng family fleet successfully arrived outside Nanjing City.

At this time, Nanjing City had already received news that a large number of warships had entered the Yangtze River. Because the news came very suddenly, and at this storm, rumors were flying all over the sky. The news clearly stated that it was Zheng Zhilong's fleet, but after the news came, it turned into the Hu Ben Fleet chasing the Zheng family fleet behind. In the end, the Zheng family fleet disappeared and became the pure Hu Ben Fleet.

"The Hu Ben Army is here!"

"The Hu Ben Army is here!"

"The Hu Ben Army is here!"

Such shocking news spread in every corner of Nanjing City.

The main fleet of the Hu Ben Navy came to the river near Nanjing, which was extraordinary. The entire Nanjing city suddenly changed color.

Last time, Zhang Zhun arrived in Nanjing City and blatantly shelled Nanjing, which made officials at all levels in Nanjing very horrified at this plague god. Now, the military power of this plague god has reached a terrifying level. Even the Tartars were defeated by him, and he came to Nanjing again. Who knows what would happen? Even the most optimistic person could not imagine the consequences.

When the news came, Lu Jiude, the eunuch in Nanjing, simply abandoned the city and ran away. A lot of other officials, as well as the powerful officials, also ran away. Instead of staying in Nanjing and accepting the butcher knife of the Hu Ben Army for free, it would be better to run away quickly. Maybe if you are lucky, you can escape to Shu and survive. In the end, only the Minister of War Liu Zongzhou left behind in Nanjing.

Liu Zongzhou's heart was actually very up and down. Liu Zongzhou knew a little bit about Zhang Zhun's character, the plague god. If the Hu Ben Army occupied Nanjing, there would definitely be nothing good for him. However, in the face of the Hu Ben Army, Liu Zongzhou had no choice but to be aware of the arrival of the Hu Ben Army. Because all the guards under his command had escaped. Well, to be precise, all the senior officials ran away, leaving only the lower-level officers and military households.

This situation is even more dangerous. Because generally, the officers and households at the bottom of the garrison welcome the arrival of the Hu Ben Army. Liu Zongzhou did not expect them to rise up to resist the Hu Ben Army. They did not open the city gate and welcome the arrival of the Hu Ben Army. It was already calculated that a clever wife could not cook without rice. The garrison troops in Nanjing were already penniless, so Liu Zongzhou had to let it go.

Who knew that in the end, there was a definite news that it was not the fleet of the Hu Ben Army entering from the estuary of the Yangtze River, but Zheng Zhilong's fleet. This news made Liu Zongzhou feel a little more at ease. Zheng Zhilong's fleet should not be as terrifying as the fleet of the Hu Ben Army. Of course, deep in his heart, Liu Zongzhou also knew that the Zheng family fleet should have bad intentions when it arrived at this time.

Sure enough, after Zheng Chenggong led the fleet to the city of Nanjing, he immediately sent someone to send a letter to Liu Zongzhou, asking him to open the door and accept the arrival of the Zheng family fleet. The Zheng family fleet was willing to unite with the court to fight against the Hu Ben Army. Originally, Zheng Chenggong thought that as long as his letter was in the hands of Liu Zongzhou, Liu Zongzhou would definitely open the city gate quickly. However, the result of the matter was a bit unexpected - Liu Zongzhou flatly rejected Zheng Chenggong's suggestion.

"Nanjing cannot make decisions, you should ask Beijing for instructions!"

Liu Zongzhou's response was neither soft nor hard, neither salty nor indifferent, but his position was very firm.

As the number one figure in Nanjing City, Liu Zongzhou rejected Zheng Zhilong's proposal for a simple reason. He could not believe in Zheng Zhilong. He estimated that this was Zheng Zhilong's people making trouble. Zheng Chenggong's letter was to earn the gate of Nanjing City and finally achieve the goal of occupying Nanjing City. Strictly speaking, Liu Zongzhou's taboo for Zheng Zhilong was still above Zhang Zhun.

Why? Because before Zhang Zhun, Zheng Zhilong was already a rebellious figure. The court repeatedly invited peace, and he rebelled repeatedly and had more capricious times than Zhang Zhun. Apart from Xiong Wencan, Zheng Zhilong did not sell anyone's account. Liu Zongzhou naturally disliked such a person. Especially last time, Zheng Zhilong's subordinates slaughtered Haizhou City, and they had a great feeling for Liu Zongzhou.

Although Zhang Zhun's troops were enemies of the court and had always been unable to get along with the court, it is undeniable that Zhang Zhun's troops were doing things openly and loved by the people. The elimination of the Tatars alone made Liu Zongzhou admire him from the bottom of his heart. Liu Zongzhou also admired the discipline of the Tiger Army very much. Zheng Zhilong's troops were indeed far behind Zhang Zhun's troops.

Regarding Nanjing City, Liu Zongzhou's principle is actually very simple. Nanjing City is the location of Taimiao, and Liu Zongzhou does not want to disturb Taimiao. Therefore, he hopes that the ownership of Nanjing City can be resolved through peaceful means. No matter who wants to occupy Nanjing City, he must agree to Liu Zongzhou's basic conditions. Liu Zongzhou's attitude is the same for the entire Jiangnan. He also does not want to destroy the entire Jiangnan due to the war.

At this point, Liu Zongzhou would rather believe Zhang Zhun than Zheng Zhilong. The strict discipline of the Tiger Army can ensure that Zhang Zhun's degree of damage to Jiangnan is absolutely the least. However, it is hard to say that Zheng Zhilong's troops will be. If Zheng Zhilong's troops occupy Jiangnan, perhaps what they have created will be a group of pure bandits.

"If Nanjing City doesn't open, we will take measures."

Zheng Chenggong couldn't hold back his face.

"no!"

Liu Zongzhou's affirmative reply.

"fire!"

Zheng Chenggong immediately roared in anger.

Zhang Zhun dared to get angry with him, Zheng Chenggong, but Liu Zongzhou did not have the qualifications.

The combat effectiveness of the Zheng family fleet is definitely the best in Jiangnan. Apart from the damn Tiger Army, no one is the opponent of the Zheng family fleet. Zheng Zhilong is determined to control Nanjing City, so Zheng Chenggong can't be polite.

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

With Zheng Chenggong's order, the sound of cannons suddenly shook the sky.

The Zheng family fleet warships on the Yangtze River all set up shelling formations and then fired guns and fired towards Nanjing City. One round of shells landed inside and outside of Nanjing City without hesitation, creating a devastating momentum. More than one hundred large warships were shot fiercely, and their power was indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The military and civilians in Nanjing were all frightened by the rumbling sound of cannons and the raindrops. They ran out of the south gate of Nanjing to avoid the falling shells. Anyone with normal memory could not help but remember what happened four years ago. I really didn't expect that after Zhang Zhun, Zheng Chenggong dared to fire a gun at Nanjing City!

Anyone with some knowledge knows that there is Zhang Zhun in front and Zheng Chenggong in the back, firing cannons at Nanjing City. This is really a big deal! In this rumbling cannon, the majesty of the court has disappeared. As the highest-level official left-behind city in Nanjing City, Liu Zongzhou's face was even more ugly, just like a living dead person.

In the past, only Zhang Zhun dared to be so disrespectful to the court. Now, there is another Zheng Zhilong! This means that the authority of the court is rapidly losing. As long as someone with a little power in his hands, he can bare his teeth at the court. With Zheng Chenggong's example in front, who can guarantee that no one will continue to imitate Zheng Zhilong?

Among the local officials of the Ming Dynasty, there were indeed many people holding heavy troops. It seemed that Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, Shi Kefa and others all had a large number of troops. If they followed Zheng Zhilong's footsteps, things would be difficult to deal with. Moreover, in addition to these civil servants, there were also generals and other soldiers, and they also had a large number of troops. In troubled times, the fate of civil servants was as valuable as shit. In troubled times, it was a paradise for military generals.

Damn Zhang Zhun!

Damn Zheng Zhilong!

If possible, Liu Zongzhou would mercilessly send Zhang Zhun and Zheng Zhilong to the court and behead him. Unfortunately, he did not have such ability. Therefore, he could only hide helplessly in Nanjing City, silently enduring the shelling of the Zheng family fleet.

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

"Dongdongdongdongdongdong!"

The shelling of the Zheng family fleet lasted for half a day.

In Nanjing, there was a panic. Those who wanted to escape, or those who were able to escape, had already run away. The rest were afraid to escape, or those who were unable to escape. They all gathered in front of Liu Zongzhou, hoping that Liu Zongzhou would come up with an idea as soon as possible. If Zheng Chenggong continued to bombard like this, Nanjing City might be over.

Liu Zongzhou was so complained by a group of officials that he was about to die. Many people think that cooperating with Zheng Zhilong to fight against the Hu Ben Army is actually a good choice. The Zheng family fleet and the Hu Ben Army have deep hatreds, and the imperial court and the Hu Ben Army also have deep hatreds. It is natural for the two to join forces and fight the enemy together. With the Zheng family fleet guarding the Yangtze River, perhaps it is possible to protect the southeast half of the wall.

However, there are many people who oppose it. If you surrender to the Hu Ben Army, you will lose some property, some land, your own family, and other things, which can basically be saved. The Hu Ben Army has good discipline and will not kill people indiscriminately. If you unite with Zheng Chenggong to fight against the Hu Ben Army, you may even lose your life. Zhang Zhun is never ruthless to those who dare to resist him. Everyone can calculate the accounts here.

It was not agreed, it was not agreed. There was no way, so Liu Zongzhou had to send someone to negotiate with Zheng Chenggong, saying that there were different opinions in Nanjing and asked Zheng Chenggong to wait for three days. Three days later, he would give Zheng Chenggong a clear reply.

"Three days?"

"Okay! I'll wait!"

Zheng Chenggong nodded and said.

The purpose of his arrival in Nanjing was to win over the gentry in Jiangnan and establish a broad alliance against the Hu Ben Army. Therefore, blindly firing fire could not achieve the entire purpose. After giving them a big stick, it was time to give them a sweet date. Zheng Chenggong believed that in three days, there should be a good result. It was a foregone conclusion that the Zheng family army entered Nanjing City.

However, before the third day arrived, a whistleboat rushed from the downstream and reported to Zheng Chenggong with a panic: "Young Master, it's not good, the fleet of the Tiger Ben Army has appeared."

Zheng Chenggong frowned and said, "Those miscellaneous things that are not afraid of death! Come on, what are you afraid of?"

He thought that trying to attack the Zheng family fleet was the Cangshan ships that fleeing. Zheng Chenggong was not careful about the Cangshan ships the size of sparrows. If the other party rushed over, he could let the other party be buried under the water. However, his subordinate's answer surprised Zheng Chenggong: "Young master, it's not a small boat, it's all a big boat! Dozens of big boats!"

Zheng Chenggong suddenly felt excited.

What?

All are big ships?

Dozens of large ships?

Could it be that the main force of the Hu Ben Army Navy has arrived?

Grass! It's impossible! How could the Hu Ben Navy arrive so quickly?

Even when the Zheng family fleet set off, the Hu Ben Army had already learned the news and sent the fleet southward, it would not be possible to arrive so quickly! The transmission of the news takes a lot of time. Even the fastest fast horse would take at least five days to get from Fujian to Shandong. Zhang Zhun received the news and mobilized the fleet, which would take time. After calculations like this, Zheng Chenggong estimated that he would have at least ten days of maneuvering time.

In these ten days, Zheng Chenggong was just enough to occupy Nanjing City, and at the same time rectify the officialdom of Nanjing City, and establish a united front against the Tiger Ben Army. As long as the gentry and wealthy families in Jiangnan were brought to this united front, even if the Hu Ben Army Navy headed south, his Fifth Fleet would have the strength to fight with the Hu Ben Army.

But who would have thought that the Hu Ben Navy would follow him less than three days after he arrived in Nanjing? If he hadn't believed in evil, Zheng Chenggong would have really thought that there was a ghost in this world. He once doubted whether he had read it wrongly and regarded illusions like mirages as real.

However, Zheng Chenggong soon had to believe that all this was true. Because the second wave of the sentry ship arrived again. The sentry ship reported that the main fleet of the Hu Ben Army Navy had already approached the river near Taixing, and there was an artillery battle between the two sides. The Zheng family fleet could not compete and had to retreat temporarily. The warships of the Hu Ben Army Navy were very powerful, and several ships of the Zheng family fleet had been injured.

Zheng Chenggong couldn't help but gritted his teeth and clenched his hands tightly. The situation in front of him was once again beyond Zheng Chenggong's expectations. His original plan seemed to be broken by the Hu Ben Army again. Outside Nanjing City, fighting with the Hu Ben Army Navy was very unfavorable for the Zheng family fleet! He really didn't understand, how could the Hu Ben Army's movements be so fast?

In fact, why the Hu Ben Army's fleet appeared outside Nanjing City is purely a coincidence. This arrival of Hu Ben Army fleet is the first fleet led by Li Jicheng. The main purpose of Li Jicheng's arrival in Nanjing is actually to show off. Yes, it is to show off. Of course, you can also understand that this is an armed demonstration.

Anyway, the ultimate goal of Li Jicheng's arrival was to make the officials guarding Nanjing feel the strength of the Hu Ben Army, thereby further shaking their already shaky psychological defense line. It would be best if the officials in Nanjing City could take the initiative to surrender under the threat of the Hu Ben Army fleet.

In essence, Zhang Zhun did not want a major war in Jiangnan, which would make Jiangnan as bad as if it was Beizhili. By the way, the situation in Beizhili is really bad. So far, Hejian Prefecture and other places in Beizhili have only input and no output, which has caused Zhang Zhun a headache. Only input and no output, which is the hindrance of the Hu Ben Army!

The people in Northern Zhili were most seriously damaged by the Tartars, but they themselves did not have the resources that the Hu Ben Army could use, which led to the economic recovery of Northern Zhili, which was very slow. At the same time, due to the impact of the Little Ice Age, the drought in Northern Zhili was much worse than that in Shandong. The Hu Ben Army dug many deep wells in the local area, but still could not provide enough water.

The southeastern half of the Ming Dynasty was the most developed economy, and most of the money and food of the Ming Dynasty were provided by the southeastern half. If the southeastern half could be taken down intact, it would be very beneficial to the establishment of the new empire. The areas currently occupied by the Hu Ben Army were basically stolen from the enemy and were all under the destruction of war and must be rebuilt to restore productivity.

Only the southeastern half is different. The economy of the southeastern half can directly provide combat effectiveness for the Hu Ben Army. As long as the Hu Ben Army makes modifications or adjustments in some systems, the productivity of Jiangnan can be further released. Obviously, under the current circumstances, the southeastern half is the core of the new empire's wealth.

Yes, from the time when Huang Taiji surrendered, Zhang Zhun began to consciously establish a new empire. Since Emperor Chongzhen could not lead the country to prosperity and strength, there was only one to replace him. Zhang Zhun thought that his level was definitely good. At least, it was better than Chongzhen. With his four hundred years of knowledge, it was not impossible for the Han people to dominate the world.

To control the southeastern half, you must first control the city of Nanjing. So, Zhang Zhun ordered Li Jicheng's fleet to head south from Weihaiwei Port and rush to Nanjing, using all necessary means to control Nanjing City in the hands of the Hu Ben Army. As a result, Li Jicheng had just entered the estuary of the Yangtze River when he received news that the Zheng family fleet had arrived in advance.

"It's Zheng Chenggong again!"

Li Jicheng frowned quietly.

The Zheng family army did not dare to confront the Hu Ben Army directly, and it was a bit annoying to make trouble behind the scenes. However, this was also a kind of war strategy, and the Hu Ben Army had to deal with it when they saw a move. He estimated that Zheng Chenggong would probably have to control Nanjing City first, and then join forces with the landlords and powerful people in Jiangnan to oppose the Hu Ben Army. Li Jicheng's guess was basically the same.

Speaking of which, Zheng Zhilong's plan coincided with Zhang Zhun. Nanjing City suddenly became the focus of the competition for Jiangnan. Whoever can control Nanjing City will have most of the control over the entire Jiangnan.

“Speed ​​up!”

Li Jicheng ordered the order.

Since Zheng Chenggong was near the river in Nanjing, he happened to go upstream, blocked him, and then caught turtles in the jar. Last time, Zheng Chenggong could still escape, but this time, I believe there was no chance to escape. With the strength of the First Fleet, when he encountered the Zheng family fleet, he could fight alone.

Sure enough, after the Hu Ben Navy crossed Taixing, it encountered the periphery of the Zheng family fleet. Naturally, the two sides fought without hesitation. The Hu Ben Navy bombarded the Zheng family fleet with a round of gunfire and drove away the warships of the Zheng family fleet. The Zheng family fleet's sentry ships rushed to report to Zheng Chenggong.

Following the retreating Zheng family fleet warship and Li Jicheng's fleet appeared on the river near Nanjing. At this time, Zheng Chenggong had already led the entire Zheng family fleet to prepare for battle. At this time, Zheng Chenggong would never dare to underestimate the Tiger Army Navy.

"Prepare for the fight!"

Li Jicheng ordered without hesitation.

The fifth fleet of the Zheng family has more than 20 three-masted gunships and more than 50 armed merchant ships. Li Jicheng's first fleet has six Dragon God Ships and forty sword-tooth ships. When it comes to the number of warships, Zheng Chenggong has the advantage. However, when it comes to combat effectiveness, Li Jicheng has the advantage. All under Li Jicheng's command are professional combat ships. The combat effectiveness of the Tiger Ben Army Navy's sword-tooth ships is not comparable to that of the armed merchant ships of the Zheng family fleet.

However, this is the Yangtze River, with a very special geographical location, which has greatly restricted both sides of the battle. The Yangtze River surface looks very wide and seems to have many warships placed. In fact, due to the draft, all warships cannot be placed at the forefront of the battle. Both sides can only send a small number of main warships to fight.

"Order the Dragon God Ship to fire a volley!"

Li Jicheng held up the Mile Mile Mile and said decisively.

The six dragon god ships lined up in a row, facing the upper reaches of the side, aiming at the Zheng family fleet in the distance. This is already the limit of the Yangtze River. Even if there are more warships, they cannot be displaced. The six dragon god ships are connected to each other, like a thick wall of artillery, giving people a daunting feeling.

When Zheng Chenggong saw that the road was not right, he hurriedly ordered all three-masted gunships to step forward and take the most dense formation to counterattack. He tried to use red-clothed cannons to shoot against the Hu Ben Navy. Relying on the advantage of the large number of three-masted gunships, he was in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and first knocked out the warships of the Hu Ben Navy. It would be even better if he could break a gap.

When the main fleet of the Hu Ben Army Navy appeared, Zheng Chenggong felt that it would be difficult to achieve the situation if he wanted to control Nanjing City. Under such circumstances, he decided to retreat temporarily. As long as he opened a bloody road from the middle of the Hu Ben Army fleet, all the warships of the Zheng family fleet would rush towards the estuary of the Yangtze River along the water flow.

Because the three-masted gunships of the Zheng family fleet are arranged vertically and each ship does not occupy much space, the three-masted gunships are basically arranged in place. However, because each three-masted gunship only has two red-clothed cannons that can be fired. The total of all three-masted gunships can be fired at the same time are only fifty red-clothed cannons.
Chapter completed!