Southern Ming Rebel Army

Meng Jun opened the military secret report from Meng Bian, his eyes fixed on the densely packed text. As he read deeper, Meng Jun's brows gradually furrowed.

After a moment of silence, Meng Jun raised his head and looked at Xia Wanchun who was standing beside him. He said in a low voice: "Let's go to the military camp!"

After saying that, he stood up and walked quickly toward the door. Xia Wanchun followed closely behind him, feeling a little nervous.

Camp.

Meng Jun rushed to the army without stopping and immediately ordered: "Call all the commanders and generals!"

A moment later, Lin Shiqi, Bai Yongfu, Qian Biao, Wang Fugui, Gao Yi, Huang Cheng and others hurried into the tent.

After all the generals sat down, Meng Jun handed the news from Meng Bian to everyone. After reading it, they had different reactions, some were indifferent, while others looked solemn.

Bai Yongfu was the first to speak: "Commander-in-chief, this Lekedehun is not like Bolo, he is good at fighting. Just look at this expedition to Huguang, and you will know that this man is a strong enemy."

Lekedehun, a member of the Qing imperial family and grandson of Daishan, was implicated in the crime of his brother Adali in the first year of Shunzhi and was deposed from the imperial family. In November of that year, he was reinstated as an imperial family member and was given the title of Duolo Baylor. In the second year of Shunzhi, he was granted the title of General Pingnan. Within a year, he defeated the Zhongzheng Camp and killed He Tengjiao, the largest military group in the hands of the Southern Ming. At its peak, He Tengjiao had an army of more than 300,000. However, within a year, it was reduced to ashes and his troops were scattered and defeated. Now, He Tengjiao has only more than 10,000 guards around him, guarding Quanzhou, Guangxi.

Lin Shiqi heard this and said, "Bolo is also known for his ability to fight. Apart from being defeated by our army, I have never heard of his defeat. Even if the remaining troops entered Fujian, they could still capture Zheng Zhilong and destroy the Longwu court."

Meng Jun nodded and said, "I think Leke Dehun will return in all likelihood. We have occupied the southeast for so long, the Qing court will surely react. This time He Tengjiao lost Hunan and retreated to Guangxi. Guangxi is a mountainous area with dense forests, and it is not something that can be quickly razed. We are next to Jiangning, and Hong Chengchou is like a thorn in his side. The Qing court's attention is now all on us."

"There aren't many Eight Banners soldiers under Lekedehun's command, only a few thousand people. The rest are all surrendered Green Camp soldiers. I don't think they pose much of a threat to us," Qian Biao said with some disdain.

Lin Shiqi frowned and said, "That's not the case. The Han army under Lekedehun are definitely not comparable to the Green Camp in Jiangnan. Some of them are surrendered soldiers of the Shun army, and some are elite soldiers of the Ming army. These people have fought in Hunan for a long time and should not be underestimated."

"What do you think we should do now? Should we take advantage of the fact that Lekedehun has not yet returned and march to attack Jiangning, or should we keep our troops in place and wait for him to attack and then counterattack when he is tired?" Meng Jun pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"I think we should take the initiative! Our army has been resting and on standby for half a year, and our bones are a little soft. Now is the time to fight a big battle." Qian Biao said excitedly, with excitement flashing in his eyes.

Gao Yi also agreed and said: "Commander-in-chief, now that we have a strong army and sufficient food, and the soldiers have been trained for so long, it is time to go out and fight."

Wang Fugui, who had not spoken, said at this time: "Governor, we can't wait for the Tartar army to approach Suzhou. The people of Suzhou and Songjiang have just recovered in the past six months, and the fields in various places have resumed production. If the Tartar army comes again, they will definitely burn, kill and loot. Even if they cannot capture Jiangning, they should push the front line to Changzhou."

"Yes, what Wang Tongzhen said makes sense. However, if we can recover the Southern Capital, it will surely inspire the people of the world," Bai Yongfu nodded in agreement. He, Bai Yongfu, now had only one way to go. He had betrayed Bolo so badly that even if he surrendered, he would be dead. Even his old boss Liu Zeqing, who had no soldiers or power, was implicated by him and beheaded on the streets of Beijing. If he could really capture Jiangning, not to mention recovering the country, at least he could divide the river and rule it, and still have a Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Lin Shiqi said hesitantly: "The wall of Jiangning City is about 100 miles long and 60 feet (about 18 meters) high. The wall is also 30 to 40 feet thick (about 12 meters). It took Taizu more than 20 years to build this city. Even a hundred thousand people cannot surround such a magnificent city. Artillery bombardment day and night cannot blast a gap. If Hong Chengchou defends it desperately, I am afraid it will be difficult to break it under a strong attack."

Meng Jun was a bit troubled when he heard this. He could not have imagined that such a magnificent city could not stop the Qing army for several days. Thinking of this, Meng Jun looked at everyone. Only Huang Cheng remained silent, just like an invisible man. Meng Jun asked Huang Cheng: "General Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Cheng was stunned. He did not expect the governor to ask for his opinion. He was stunned for a moment and said, "I have no idea. Everything is up to the governor. I will obey your orders."

Everyone was silent for a while. Even Qian Biao didn't dare to boast when he heard that Jiangning's wall was so tall. Meng Jun was silent for a long time and then said seriously: "The stability of a city lies in the people's hearts, not in the dangers. Since everyone wants to send troops, let's go to the Governor's Mansion tomorrow to hold a meeting and carry out the preparations before the troops are sent out."

All the generals agreed and then left the tent. Meng Jun sat on the chair and pinched his forehead tiredly. Yu An said with some distress: "Commander-in-chief, take a rest if you are tired."

Meng Jun just shook his head and didn't reply. Xia Wanchun beside him asked: "Governor, can we invite the court's officers and soldiers to help us? Isn't our navy insufficient? Please ask the court to transfer the Guangdong navy to attack Nanjing by land and sea."

Before Meng Jun could speak, Yu An sneered and said, "They are busy fighting the civil war, so how can they care about such a small matter as attacking Nandu?"

Meng Jun waved his hand and said, "That being said, there is no problem with Cun Gu's words. It's just a matter of writing a memorial. Cun Gu, I'll leave it to you to write. I'll just take a look after you finish writing it."

Xia Wanchun smiled, but after a moment he hesitated and asked, "Governor, after this is written, which court should it be sent to?"

"Send both. It's just a matter of writing a few more words," Meng Jun said casually. He was now extremely disappointed with both courts. If it weren't for Xia Wanchun's suggestion, he would never have thought that there was a court above his head.

……

Although the Qing army does not have a navy now, and the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty are known to be invincible in cavalry and archery, but not good at naval battles, don't forget that they have Han troops who surrendered to them. The Qing army did not have artillery before, but they eventually got it. They do not have a navy now, but they will have it sooner or later.

Geng Zhongming had already begun to form a navy in Anqing. Hong Chengchou also knew that it was not safe to form a navy in Zhenjiang as it was too close to Suzhou. In Anqing, if Meng Jun wanted to destroy the Qing navy, he had to cross Zhenjiang, Jiangning, Wuhu, Tongling, and Chizhou.