Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 315: He is indeed a veteran on the battlefield
It is true that Zhu Cilang is not afraid of the Tartars, but saying that he is not afraid of the red-haired people is a bit of bragging.

Based on his understanding of this world, he could naturally guess that the incident in Guangzhou was the work of the Dutch East India Company, not the national act of the Dutch Republic.

Even judging from the Red Hair's troops participating in the war and the time, he was 60 to 70 percent sure that this war was probably just a decision made by the TW Governor and did not have the support of the Batavia Council.

But what can we do about it?
It is not uncommon in history for subordinates to kidnap their superiors. As long as a military operation is successful, the superiors will always be forced to increase troop forces for various reasons.

What's more, occupying the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong was the original plan of the East India Company. However, it was defeated in the previous battle, and the competition between the Netherlands and Spain had reached a critical moment, so the Dutch temporarily gave up this idea due to the situation.

But now the situation in the whole world is completely different.

The rebuilt Spanish Armada was destroyed in the Battle of the Scalding Sea, and the future United Kingdom was also in its development.

The most crucial thing is that the war in China is in full swing. If Zhu Cilang cannot cut off the Dutch tentacles as quickly as possible and show his own "strength", then the greedy Dutch will surely make another move after seeing the weakness of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will surely fall into a two-front war.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang, who was always accustomed to taking steady steps, decided to "advance lightly" and try to end the war in Jiangxi in a short period of time so that he could focus all his strength on dealing with the Red Hairs.

It is easy to cut off something with your fingers, but it is difficult to show your strength.

At the root of it all, the gap between the two sides in terms of navy was too great. The Batavia Council alone had more than ten warships comparable to the Middlebrook and nearly a hundred armed merchant ships.

Although the Ming Dynasty had a large number of ships, according to the Dutch standards, except for a dozen new ships that had not yet formed combat effectiveness and were considered warships, most of the others could not even meet the standards of armed merchant ships.

Under such a power comparison, Zhu Cilang had to put in a lot of effort if he wanted to let the Dutch know that the Ming Dynasty was not easy to mess with.

In any case, all the generals finally understood the reason why their majesty was "anxious", and the mighty Ming navy also went straight to Ganzhou along the Ganjiang River through the Poyang Lake water system.

It has to be said that this news was like a bolt from the blue to the Qing army in Jiangxi. Not only did the defenders of the cities along the river close their city gates after seeing the huge fleet, but even the surrounding cities were also on high alert.

It's not that they were afraid of fighting. It's just that the Ganjiang River and Fuhe River were simply unable to withstand the deployment of the Ming navy. Rather than going out of the city and being bombarded, it would be safer to defend the city.

At this point, some people may ask why the Ming army navy could hardly move on the Yangtze River, but once it entered the Poyang Lake water system it could charge forward as if it had no scruples.

In the end, the land of China has always been a place where the north and the south are at war, so large rivers like the Yangtze River and the Yellow River have become important lines of defense.

On the other hand, the Ganjiang River and Fuhe River, which run from north to south, have very little strategic significance, not to mention that there is rarely an east-west confrontation in China. The fact that these waterways cannot run from north to south greatly reduces their strategic significance.

As a result, the Qing army was able to set up multiple defenses on the Yangtze River based on the defensive fortifications handed down from the ancestors, while the tributaries of the Ganjiang River became almost undefended thoroughfares, allowing the Ming army to advance to Ganzhou without any scruples.

“Report~~~~~!”

As a shout rang out in the military camp in Fuzhou City, Jin Shenghuan, who was lost in his thoughts, immediately stood up and took a few steps out to greet them.

"How is it, is the news true?"

"Reporting to the commander, the Ming navy has indeed moved south along the Gan River."

"Where's Nanchang? Is it lost?"

"As far as I know, the Ming army was eager to move south and did not attack Nanchang."

After asking a few questions in a hurry, Jin Shenghuan waved his hand to signal the soldiers to go down and rest. When there was no one else in the hall, he seemed to have lost his soul and fell into deep thought.

On the surface, since the Ming army had already taken the Ganjiang River, Fuzhou, which was on another waterway, only had to face Chang Guanlin's troops, but did not have to worry about whether the city defenses could withstand the warships and artillery.

After receiving this news, Jin Shenghuan, the defender of Fuzhou, should not have been as excited as he is now even if he did not congratulate himself.

But he knew clearly that the key to deciding the war in Jiangxi was in Ganzhou.

Now the Ming army has marched southward along the Gan River, but Ajige's city has not yet been captured.

Under such circumstances, what use would it be even if he could hold off the enemy for a hundred years?
"waste!
Xu Yong is a waste! Wang Deren is a waste!

Ajige too!"

After cursing a few times angrily, Jin Shenghuan's resentment did not diminish in the slightest.

According to the original plan, Xu Yong was responsible for guarding the Yangtze River waterway and blocking the Ming army in Zhejiang.

As long as they can hold out for more than a month, even if Ganzhou is strong, with Wuzhen Chaoha's siege ability, Ajige and Wang Deren can break the city and destroy the enemy and take Ganzhou. By then, the Qing army in Jiangxi will be able to threaten the surrounding provinces like a sharp blade inserted into the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming army will have no choice but to respond passively.

But that loser Xu Yong couldn't stop the Ming army!
But that loser Ajige was intercepted by Wuzhen Chaoha!
In addition, Ganzhou had not been captured for a long time, and the situation in Jiangxi changed immediately.

Although Jin Shenghuan was in Fuzhou, how could he remain calm under such circumstances?

"Send the generals in the city to come to discuss the matter."

After thinking for a while, Jin Shenghuan seemed to have made up his mind. He shouted outside the tent and then turned his attention back to the map.

According to the current situation, his troops had no chance to influence the outcome of the battle except to wait passively.

But he was born into a military family, and the only reason he could get to where he is today was because of his hard work. How could he give up easily before he had reached the end of his rope?

thus
"Marshal, the generals have arrived."

While he was thinking, all the generals in the city had come to the outside of the military tent according to his military orders. Afterwards, each general entered according to his status. Only then did Jin Shenghuan shift his attention away from the map.

"I think you have already heard about the news that the Ming army has entered the Gan River," Jin Shenghuan said, pausing for a moment. After getting confirmation from the generals, he continued, "I called you here to discuss how we should respond."

As soon as the words fell, the tent fell into complete silence.

Although these people are not well-known, any one of them can be considered a veteran on the battlefield. At this time, the Ming army's navy is like a dragon entering the ocean and a tiger returning to the mountains. What can they do while blocking the enemy on the edge of the battlefield?
"General, Gan and Fu are thousands of miles apart. Even if we can get rid of the Ming army in front of us, I'm afraid it will be too late."

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, some caring ones stood up and said a few words, but his words were known to all the generals in the tent.

Even if it could temporarily prevent his commander's words from falling to the ground, it would be of no use in the current situation.

However, this kind of scene was within Jin Shenghuan's expectations. As soon as the general finished speaking, he directly threw out his idea.

"We are rebel generals, and we have no other choice but to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty. The situation in Jiangxi is extremely precarious, so we decided to lead a group of troops to the south to help the prince capture Ganzhou."

"Commander, think twice!"

"Marshal, if we really go south, there will be no turning back!"

"Marshal, I'm afraid it's too late."

As soon as he finished speaking, the generals who seemed to be at a loss immediately started to persuade them. However, after seeing their performance, Jin Shenghuan just frowned and said nothing. He sighed only when the voices of everyone gradually died down.

"Alas~~~~, how could I not know what you were thinking? But when Hu Maozhen and Li Chengdong rebelled, the prince only had Jiangnan. Now..."

Although Jin Shenghuan had not finished speaking, all the generals present understood his unspoken meaning.

It's just a change in the situation. Now the Ming army has taken the absolute initiative after breaking through the Yangtze River defense line.

As long as the Ming army can win on the battlefield of Ganzhou, they will be trapped.

Under such circumstances, how could they get the bargaining chips to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince forgive these rebellious generals?
After realizing this, all the generals present couldn't help but regret their original choice.

But at that time, the Ming Dynasty was obviously on the verge of collapse. Who could have thought that the prince would do such a thing?

"So," just as the generals were feeling regretful, Jin Shenghuan's words drew their attention back again: "After much deliberation, I decided to go south to Ganzhou and fight for a way out."

Having said this, although the generals in the tent still had some doubts in their hearts, they did not dare to continue to object.

After that, Jin Shenghuan made some arrangements and decided who would stay and who would leave with him.

Jin Shenghuan's men were all veteran soldiers, and within half a day after the military order was issued, all the troops were ready to set off.

But when he and his troops left the city the next day, their marching route was all the way north, not south.

Faced with such a situation, the trusted generals came to ask, and Jin Shenghuan's answer to them was quite interesting: "Fuzhou is too far from Ganzhou. Let's go back to Nanchang first, and then go south along the Ganzhou River after recruiting enough boats."

(End of this chapter)