Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 363 Fang Guozhen Surrenders

Yang Jing detained Qiu Nan here not only to show him the strength of the Shengwu Army and prevent Fang Guozhen from making a misjudgment, but also to take the opportunity to launch a river crossing operation.

He had been worried that Fang Guozhen's navy would come and cause trouble when he crossed the river to attack Shaoxing Road. Now, the envoy was temporarily detained here and could not go back, and Fang Guozhen did not know the attitude of Lu Jin, so he dared not act rashly.

On the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month, the crossing operation was launched, but Fang Guozhen's navy did not come.

Yang Jing had previously asked Zhang Long to scout the terrain and select a location to cross the river, but in the end he did not choose to cross the river in Xiaoshan because that was the estuary of the Qiantang River. The river was too wide and there were tides, which caused the water flow to be unstable, making it very difficult to build a floating bridge.

Therefore, the final crossing point was chosen between Fuyang and Hangzhou, a place later called Shuangpu Town.

The Qiantang River flows out from the mountains in central Zhejiang in the southeast. After turning several big bends in Fuyang, it makes a sharp turn at Shuangpu Town, and then turns another big bend before flowing directly into the sea, causing the flow rate of the river to slow down greatly. At the same time, the river here is not too wide, and there are several bends away from the estuary, so it is almost not affected by the Qiantang River tide.

In addition, Shuangpu Town itself has a flat terrain, which is suitable for the assembly of large troops. Moreover, opposite Shuangpu Town, which is Wenjiayan in Binjiang District in later generations, the terrain is relatively narrow, which is suitable for concentrating troops to cross the river from one point. After the vanguard troops cross the river, it is also easy to establish a bridgehead defense line on the opposite bank, thus buying more time for subsequent troops to cross the river.

The width of the river in this section is only 700 meters, and the water is relatively shallow. A bamboo pole can be easily inserted into the bottom of the river, making it convenient to fix the boat and easier to build a floating bridge.

After determining the crossing location, the East China Front Army immediately began to act. A continuous number of grain boats were towed from the canal to the Qiantang River, then went upstream along the west bank and converged towards Shuangpu Town.

On the other side of the river, Dingding, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, was also keeping a close eye on the movements of the Shengwu Army. When he discovered that the Shengwu Army was collecting boats and rowing them into the Qiantang River a few days ago, he knew that Yang Jing was going to cross the river.

Ding Ding was so anxious that he sent people to find Fang Guozhen, asking him to send the navy to help. However, Fang Guozhen's envoys had already arrived at Yang Jing's side and had been there for several days, but had not returned yet. Fang Guozhen was afraid of angering the Shengwu Army again, so wouldn't the previous surrender letter and gold and silver be given away in vain?
So he used the excuse that he had to attend to the funeral of his two brothers and refused to send out the navy. Dingding became anxious and sent several messengers in succession. Finally, Fang Guozhen simply found another excuse, saying that he suffered heavy losses when he went to Liujiagang to fight the enemy navy last time. Not only did two of his brothers die, but also tens of thousands of his soldiers were killed. Every household in Zhoushan, Taizhou and Wenzhou hung white flags. The court just kept urging him to use troops but did not give him a penny of compensation, so he was determined not to send out troops.

Asking for money before a war is a good tradition left by the former Song Dynasty
Dingding was furious, but there was nothing she could do. In fact, Fang Guozhen was also anxious, wondering why Qiu Nan hadn't come back yet. Could it be that Yang Jing was unable to make the decision and he was sent to Jiankang to see Lu Jin again?
On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, all the ships and troops used to build a pontoon bridge were assembled in Shuangpu. Dingding, the coward, ran to Shaoxing city in a flash and had people prepare ships on the beach, ready to flee to the sea at any time. He only sent Quan Juer, the Wanhu of Qingyuan Road, and Puxiannu, the Wanhu of Luomuying, the father and son, to lead 30,000 soldiers to Wenjiayan to block the Shengwu Army from crossing the river. This was the last mobile main force of the Yuan army in the entire eastern Zhejiang area.

At the beginning of noon, Yang Jing gave the order to start crossing the river. Thousands of boatmen drove the grain boats from Shuangpu Town to the other side. Shuangpu Town and Wenjiayan on both sides of the Qiantang River were crowded with the armies of the Shengwu Army and the Yuan Army. Quan Juer and Puxiannu sent a large number of archers to the shore to shoot at the boatmen of the Shengwu Army who were building a pontoon bridge.

Yang Jing concentrated most of the artillery of the two imperial guard divisions on the river bank, with more than a hundred cannons, and bombarded the archer array of the Yuan army on the opposite bank.

This section of the river is only 700 meters wide, but the artillery regiment's heavy howitzers and field guns can easily fire at a range of more than 1500 meters. The light howitzers can also fire at a range of more than 1200 meters when using full charge to fire flower grenades. This ultra-long range completely suppressed the archers of the Yuan army on the opposite bank. As soon as the cannon sounded, the Yuan army was immediately defeated, and the boatmen took the opportunity to continue building a pontoon bridge.

Qiu Nan, who was dragged to watch the show, was stunned. Qiu Nan was not good at military affairs, but he had heard that Fang Guozhen was defeated in this naval battle because the Shengwu Army’s navy was equipped with a large number of muskets. He did not expect that not only the navy, but also the land battle had so many muskets, and the range of these large muskets was far beyond his cognition. They could actually push back the Yuan army on the opposite bank by more than a mile across a river more than a mile wide.

Under the suppression of artillery, the Yuan army was unable to continue to obstruct the construction of pontoon bridges, so three pontoon bridges were quickly extended to Wenjiayan on the opposite bank. The main force followed closely behind. The first wave to cross the river was the musket regiments of the two imperial guards divisions. After crossing the river, more than 8,000 musketeers quickly lined up under the cover of artillery fire, forming eight large square formations and pressing towards the Yuan army. The artillery on the Shuangpu Town side also stopped firing. Zhang Long's cavalry regiment followed closely behind. The cavalry dismounted one after another, leading their mounts and quickly walked to the other side.

Quan Juer, a Wanhu of Qingyuan Road, immediately led his troops to engage in a decisive battle with the musketeers who had just crossed the river when he saw that the artillery bombardment of the Shengwu Army had stopped. He was prepared to attack the Shengwu Army halfway across the river while the latter was still unstable. However, as soon as his vanguard troops arrived in front of the musketeers' formation, they were crushed by three rows of continuous rounds of shooting. Quan Juer was shot to pieces on the spot, leaving only his son Puxiannu still commanding the central army.

A cavalry regiment that had just crossed the river took the opportunity to launch an attack on the fleeing Yuan army, completely defeating the Yuan army on the spot. Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng also began to cross the river with the main force of the 40th Army. When Puxiannu saw that the large force of the Shengwu Army had already crossed the river and the enemy still had the advantage of thousands of cavalry, he did not dare to continue to fight. He had to gather the fleeing soldiers while fleeing northward towards the nearest Xiaoshan County.

Yang Jing immediately called the messenger and shouted, "Send a message to Zhang Long immediately. Tell the cavalry to destroy all the Yuan troops in the field at all costs. Do not let these 30,000 people escape to any city!"

"Yes!"

As long as we can eliminate the last mobile force of the Yuan army in the wild and prevent them from escaping to various cities to strengthen their defenses, it will be much easier to continue attacking Shaoxing and Qingyuan, and it will also give a powerful deterrent to the remaining Yuan army in Shaoxing and Qingyuan.

After giving orders to the cavalry and seeing that the 40th Army had completely crossed the river, Yang Jing called Guo Zixing and others over.

"Guo Zixing."

"The general is here!"

"You take two main regiments of the 117th Division, plus three supplementary regiments, six mountain cannons, and a trap camp, a total of more than troops, to attack Zhuji and Pujiang. After taking Pujiang, temporarily garrison there, send scouts to Wuzhou (Jinhua), keep an eye on the movements of the Yuan army in Wuzhou and Quzhou, and report to me in Hangzhou at any time."

"The general will obey the order!"

Guo Zixing was very excited. After joining the Shengwu Army for so long, he finally had the opportunity to lead the troops alone. Although he was only going to attack two cities, Zhuji and Pujiang were not ordinary small counties. Moreover, Pujiang was located at the eastern pass of the Jinqu Basin. Once it was taken, it would be equivalent to closing the eastern gate of the basin. If he wanted to attack Wuzhou Road and Quzhou Road later, his troops would most likely continue to be used as the main force.

The future is bright! The premise is that this independent leader must fight well.
"Xu Yong."

"The general is here!"

"You lead the two main regiments of the 110th Division, plus two supplementary regiments, a trap camp, and six mountain cannons to attack Shengxian and Xinchang along the Cao'e River. After the battle, set up defenses along the Guanling Mountain line and monitor Tiantai County in Taizhou. Report to me in Hangzhou at any time if there is any situation."

"Yes!"

After arranging the two detachments, Yang Jing called the messenger again and, in front of Qiu Nan, asked him to give orders to the 40th Army, asking Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng to lead the main forces of the 40th Army to attack along Shaoxing Road, Qingyuan Road (Ningbo Prefecture) and Ninghai, until they reached Ninghai and Xiangshan, and at the same time send scouts to guard in the direction of Taizhou.

After the messenger left, the generals also set off with their respective troops. Yang Jing then stood by the river in Shuangpu Town and asked Qiu Nan, "Brother Qiu, do you know what Fang Guozhen said after you returned?"

"Don't worry, Governor. I know what to say." Qiu Nan agreed quickly. After watching the Shengwu Army crossing the river, he still didn't know the strength of Lu Jin. This time he went back to make Fang Guozhen face reality. At the same time, Yang Jing told Xu Yong to stop fighting at Tiantai Mountain, and told Yu Tonghai and Zhang Desheng to fight at Ninghai and Xiangshan, and then stop advancing to Taizhou. This was also the last chance for Fang Guozhen. If he didn't surrender honestly, the army would continue to march to Taizhou after fighting Ninghai!

This was said specifically for him.

Yang Jing heard this and said, "If the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces Dingding and that inspector Dong Shouqu ran to Fang Guozhen."

Without waiting for Yang Jing to finish his words, Qiu Nan said, "Please rest assured, Governor. I will explain the situation to Wan Hu and ask him to escort all these Yuan officials to Hangzhou and hand them over to the Governor for disposal."

Yang Jing nodded with relief, "Well, go ahead. Fang Guozhen must be getting impatient after waiting for so many days."

Qiu Nan then hurriedly said goodbye and boarded the boat prepared for him by Yang Jing. He did not return to Haiyan County, but went directly back to Zhoushan from Shuangpu via the Qiantang River.

On the day Qiu Nan left, Puxiannu, who was fleeing to Xiaoshan County, was chased and killed by Zhang Long's cavalry on the way. His two main generals were all killed in the battle, and the remaining defeated soldiers were all annihilated and surrendered under the city of Xiaoshan. The last mobile force of the Yuan army in eastern Zhejiang was completely annihilated in Xiaoshan.

The defenders of Xiaoshan County witnessed this scene from the top of the city. Seeing the main force of the government army destroyed under the city and the army of the Shengwu Army approaching Xiaoshan in an endless stream, the defender of Xiaoshan immediately opened the gates and surrendered the city, which became the first city captured by the Shengwu Army on Shaoxing Road.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, after the main force of Yu Tonghai's 40th Army conquered Shaoxing, before the main force could continue to advance, several counties including Shangyu, Yuyao, Cixi and Dinghai surrendered. Only the main city of Qingyuan Road (Ningbo) was still holding on. Yu Tonghai sent troops to take over the cities along the way while heading towards attacking Qingyuan.

At the same time, Zhang Desheng was ordered to lead a detachment to attack Fenghua, Ninghai and Xiangshan. The entire battle in eastern Zhejiang was about to come to an end. The Shengwu Army would soon occupy all the plain areas north of the mountainous areas in central Zhejiang. At the same time, the door to the Jinhua Basin had also been opened to the Shengwu Army.

As soon as the army has rested, it can continue the attack to the southwest at any time, fighting all the way from Jinhua, Quzhou, and Xinzhou, extending its tentacles into Jiangxi Province, and heading west to Nanchang!
On the other side, Qiu Nan also returned to Zhoushan by boat.

When Fang Guozhen saw him, he asked hurriedly, "Why did you take so long to come back? Where did you go? If you went to Hangzhou, it would have taken quite a while. If you went to Jiankang, you wouldn't be back so soon, right?"

Qiu Nan immediately explained, "My Lord, when I landed in Haiyan, I was sent to Hangzhou to meet the General Yang Jing, who was in charge of the East China Expedition. This is what they said to the outside world. The Luzhou soldiers called him the Governor of the East China Front Army. After I met Governor Yang in Hangzhou, I told him about the submission of the memorial, but they were not satisfied. They felt that we were playing both sides. They wanted you to hand over the navy fleet and the Taiwen route, and also send all three sons to Jiankang as hostages."

Fang Guozhen got angry when he heard this. This was too much of a bully. Not only was it not enough to send one hostage, but he also wanted all three sons to go? He also had to hand over his fleet and territory. Wouldn't that mean he would be left with nothing? Lu Jin had such a big appetite, what could he give him? However, he still suppressed his anger and continued to listen.

Qiu Nan quickly recounted all that he had seen and heard over the past few days. There was a military camp in Hangzhou that stretched for twenty miles, with at least hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. This was not all the troops of the East China Front Army. Yang Jing also sent several separate divisions to attack various parts of eastern Zhejiang.

He was forced to stay for a few more days, and Yang Jing deliberately let him see Yu Tonghai's 40th Army coming to support him. The meaning was very clear: the Shengwu Army had so many troops that you could not defeat them, so you should think carefully about whether you want to sincerely submit to them.

Afterwards, Yang Jing took Qiu Nan to observe the Shengwu Army crossing the river, and focused on describing the Shengwu Army's muskets and artillery. The large muskets with a range of more than three miles defeated the Yuan army across the Qiantang River. Eight thousand musketeers defeated the Yuan army, and finally the cavalry charged, and the last 30,000 mobile main forces in eastern Zhejiang were wiped out.

Finally, he also talked about Yang Jing's advance plan, which was to have all the armies fight to Tiantai Mountain and Taizhou Road, and no longer advance towards Taizhou. However, the army had already arrived at the edge of Taizhou, waiting for news from Fang Guozhen. If Fang Guozhen dared to say no, they would immediately march south to see if Fang Guozhen could stop them!
After hearing the size of Yang Jing's army, Fang Guozhen calmed down immediately. He knew they were definitely not going to win, so he had to talk about the treatment for surrendering. So he asked, "They want so many troops, and they also asked me to hand over the navy and the Taiwen Army, but they didn't say what arrangements they have for me?"

Qiu Nan quickly explained, "I have said that, although no specific arrangements have been made yet, Governor Yang has hinted to me a lot. In their Shengwu Army, apart from the Grand Marshal Gongshu in Jiankang, the highest military rank is Governor Yang, known as the Governor of the Front Army. Under him are positions such as the Group Army General, the Army Chief, the Superintendent, the Regiment Commander, and the Thousand Household Battalion Officer.

"This Governor Yang said that he joined the army when Marshal Gongshu had just conquered Luzhou. At that time, the Shengwu Army had not yet been officially established. The other person who will be promoted to the governor of the front army is Zhu Liangzu, who led the army to attack Jiangbei this time and is currently resisting Tuotuo in Huai'an. Governor Yang also told me about this person, saying that he was the Liu'an Yibing Marshal of the Yuan court and surrendered after being defeated by Marshal Gongshu.

"He asked me to tell you that the general Gongshu in Jiankang doesn't care about the general's background. Even if he has fought with a surrendered general, as long as he is willing to surrender sincerely and has ability and merit, he will not hesitate to promote him. Just like Zhu Liangzu in Jiangbei, you should not have any concerns. If you want to surrender, don't hesitate, otherwise you will get nothing in the end.

"In addition, he also said that before the expedition, the commander-in-chief Gongshu told him about how to arrange for you, saying that it was rather special and might be different from those generals who surrendered to the Shengwu Army in the past. He told you not to make it public and not let everyone know. If you have any confirmation, you can send someone to Hangzhou to find him at any time.

"But the conditions for continuing the talks are to hand over the territory and the navy fleet, and to hand over the three princes to Jiankang. If you don't agree to these, there will be no need to talk about the rest. As for how to arrange for you, he didn't say anything. If you don't agree, I'm afraid he won't say anything either."

Fang Guozhen frowned and remained silent for a long time after hearing this. It was the first time he felt so powerless. When facing the Yuan army before, he could still resist. But now facing the Shengwu Army, they were much more capable than the Yuan army.

Fang Guozhen was silent for a while, then asked Zhan Ding who was standing beside him, "Sir, what do you think of Gongshu Jin's conditions and arrangements?"

Zhan Ding immediately said, "Since you have surrendered, there is nothing wrong with handing over the navy and Taiwen. As for sending the three young masters to Jiankang as hostages, since it was a special request made by the commander-in-chief, it shows that he still values ​​you very much. I think this is a good thing.

"Since I took the initiative to ask for the hostage, I will not easily turn against you and settle the score with you later.

"I suspect he wants to entrust you with important tasks, but he doesn't trust you, so he took the initiative to ask for hostages."

"Entrust me with an important task?" Fang Guozhen immediately raised his head and stared at Zhan Ding.

Zhan Ding nodded and said, "Didn't Governor Yang specifically instruct you not to spread the news? At the same time, they are so aggressive to ask you to surrender. This is very contradictory. They want you to surrender, but don't want everyone to know. I'm afraid the important task they want to entrust to you is related to the Yuan court. Especially since you control the grain transport on the sea route, since those fleets can transport grain to Dadu, they can naturally transport troops to Dadu."

Fang Guozhen's eyes suddenly lit up and his gaze became deep.

Zhan Ding added, "Of course this is just my guess. I can't guess what the specific arrangement will be. Your Excellency might as well agree to it first, or make an appointment with Governor Yang for a local meeting."

(End of this chapter)