Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 478: Troops Arrive at Huai'an
Lianghuai is a fertile land in the world. If it can be effectively governed, it will be able to obtain huge taxes.

Places like this have always been important targets for all parties to fight over. Even though they are easy to attack but difficult to defend, many battles have taken place there.

According to common sense, the Ming and Qing dynasties were no exception. Once the war broke out, this place was inevitably devastated by the chaos of war.

But to everyone's surprise, ever since the sound of cannon fire at the river mouth several months ago, both the Ming and Qing sides seemed to have other plans in mind, and apart from a barely acceptable battle in Yangzhou, everything else was just a show.

Faced with such a situation, Zhu Cilang did not adjust the battle plan. After capturing Gaoyou, he even ordered the three generals at the front to conduct a reckoning with the enemy.

He understood clearly that after passing Huai'an, it would be difficult for the navy to gain an advantage in the local battlefield, so here he had to destroy the Qing army's manpower as much as possible.

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"Prime Minister! My Li family is loyal to the Qing Dynasty. You have to make the decision for me!"

After a burst of crying, a young man in his twenties immediately knelt in front of Hong Chengchou.

This man was the eldest son of the Li family in Gaoyou. He escaped the liquidation of the Ming army only because he went north to transport salt.

Of course, if nothing unexpected happened, a stray dog ​​like him would never come to Hong Chengchou's study and cry.

But people are always determined by fate. When he was hesitating in Huai'an with his caravan, he unexpectedly ran into Wang Zhengzhi who had not yet returned north.

Coincidentally, when Wang Zhengzhi was working in Yansui, he had some business ties with the Li family, and the eldest son of the Li family, who was the successor being trained by the Li family, had also met him several times.

When Fang Yi saw him, the already confused Master Li felt as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. However, when he asked the other party to find a way out for the Li family, Wang Zhengzhi proposed to take him to see Hong Chengchou.

Lord Tianguang, although the small Huai'an court only occupies the area of ​​a few prefectures, Hong Chengchou's official position is still the prime minister of a country. Although his Li family can also have a few words with officials of the third and fourth ranks, they cannot reach such a high level.

Therefore, when Wang Zhengzhi brought up this matter, Young Master Li agreed with many thanks and later appeared here.

But then again, when one becomes an official of a certain level, he no longer has the emotions of an ordinary person. What's more, his Li family and Wang Zhengzhi only have business dealings without any personal feelings at all. In the eyes of Mr. Li, this visit may be that Uncle Wang brought him to climb the social ladder out of old friendship, but in Wang Zhengzhi's eyes, it was another purpose.

"The Li family? Is it the Li family from Gaoyou?"

"Yes, Prime Minister, you have a good memory. The Southern Dynasty was brutal. Not only did they kill my father, they also exiled all 79 members of my family to Qiongzhou. I came here to ask the court to send heavenly soldiers to destroy the fake dynasty and restore peace to the people of the world."

Listening to the heart-wrenching words of Mr. Li, Hong Chengchou just glanced at Wang Zhengzhi who was sitting below him and said no more.

Normally, as the local chief, he would have given some comfort and consolation to the people under his rule who were suffering from the enemy. But now he looked indifferent, as if he had nothing to do with the Li family's affairs.

Seeing this, Young Master Li secretly glanced at Wang Zhengzhi's face, but the other party seemed calm and composed, so he could only lie on the ground and wait for the nobles' response.

Time passed by little by little, but the room was still silent. After a while, Young Master Li, who had always lived a life of luxury, was about to collapse, and at this time the voice of Prime Minister Hong was heard.

"How the court should act is up to you princes to decide. You, a humble person, are trying to coerce the court. If the Southern Dynasty can exile your whole family to Qiongzhou, can't I exile you to Ningguta?"

When saying this, Hong Chengchou's tone was still so calm, as if this matter was not enough to cause him any emotional fluctuations. However, he could ignore Young Master Li, but Young Master Li could not underestimate every word uttered by Prime Minister Hong. Before the words were finished here, he was already kowtowing on the ground there.

Honestly speaking, a man of Hong Chengchou's status and position had no need to tease such a young man. However, he had already thought of the reason why Wang Zhengzhi brought him here, and he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.

"You fool, just answer whatever the Grand Secretary asks. Why do you have to talk about all that nonsense?"

As Master Li kowtowed, Wang Zhengzhi, who was sitting beside him, finally spoke. He then glanced at Hong Chengchou inconspicuously, and seeing that he still had no expression on his face, he continued, "After all, your Li family is a model of local gentry. The court cannot sit idly by. All right, leave now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Young Master Li, whose forehead was swollen from being hit, retreated timidly. When there were only two people left in the room, Wang Zhengzhi put on a compassionate look.

"When a country prospers, its people suffer; when a country perishes, its people suffer. I wonder how many more families will suffer when the Southern Army attacks us this time."

"Ah."

In response to Wang Zhengzhi's sigh, Hong Chengchou just responded and then remained silent. Then the two of them fell into silence again. After a long while, he started talking again.

"Don't blame me, Grand Secretary. I didn't bring this man here to cause trouble. It's just that the cities in Huaidong surrendered at the sight of the enemy. You have to come up with a solution."

What Wang Zhengzhi said is both right and wrong.

It is correct because no decent battle took place after the Ming army moved north. It is incorrect because the Eight Banners troops had long been transferred back to Huai'an, and only some garrisons taken over from the Ming Dynasty were left in various places.

He was the imperial envoy sent by Beijing to negotiate peace. Although he might not be fully aware of the arrangements in Huai'an, it was reasonable for him to know about the arrangements that were made public.

At this moment he threw these words at him, and even though Hong Chengchou did not have so many years of experience in officialdom, he could still know that his meaning was not as simple as it seemed.

"You are not a member of the military, so there are some things that I cannot explain in detail. However, the capital has already made arrangements for all matters concerning Huaidong. You just need to wait patiently for the results, and there is no need to cause any more trouble."

Hong Chengchou's tone was much softer than before, and there seemed to be a hint of request in it.

According to common sense, he had been the head of the humanities officials in Hanzhong of the Qing court since his surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and at this time he had become the prime minister of the small court in Huai'an.

A man of his status should not have used such a tone towards Wang Zhengzhi, but the pressure he was under was increasing with the loss of cities and the approach of the Ming army, and his anger suddenly dissipated a little.

To be honest, when they set up this trap, both he and Dorgon had anticipated that they would be under pressure from all sides.

But when letters and requests were delivered to the Prime Minister's Mansion, he realized that the nobles of the Eight Banners who had already gained huge profits in Lianghuai did not have the courage to look for Dorgon, and the gentry of Lianghuai who had already bet all their chips on the Qing Dynasty could not find Lekodehun either.

In the end, all the pressure from all sides will be borne by him alone, as if all the strategies were decided by him alone.

At this point, even though Hong Chengchou was a man of strong mind, he was exhausted by the bombardment from all sides. Facing Wang Zhengzhi, who had other intentions, he could no longer maneuver.

"Grand Secretary, please forgive me for speaking frankly. When Prince Yu went south, many of the Eight Banners nobles had already occupied salt fields and farmland in the Huai River area. Even if the court has made arrangements, you still have to appease some of them. If so..."

"That's enough! If you want to leave, just leave and don't get involved in this matter anymore!"

After an angry shout, Wang Zhengzhi stopped talking abruptly, but he did not react to Hong Chengchou's attitude. After a moment's silence, he spoke lightly.

"Since the Prime Minister is unwilling to talk to me any more, I will leave Huai'an and take my leave."

After he finished speaking, Wang Zhengzhi bowed and left the study, but he had no intention of continuing to linger.

Hong Chengchou was right. His purpose was to leave Huai'an.

He had no idea about being detained earlier. After all, the Ming army had not crossed the river at that time. Staying in Huai'an was not dangerous at all, and he could grasp the movements in front as quickly as possible. Once an opportunity arose, he would reach a contract with the Southern Dynasty as soon as possible.

By then, with such merits, it would be no problem for him to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister.

But the situation in Huaidong ultimately turned out to be beyond his expectations.

Facing the relentless advance of the Ming army, Hong Chengchou and Lekodehun just kept retreating. Even though they kept saying they had made arrangements, the Ming army's vanguard fleet had already reached the edge of Hongze Lake, but there was still no response at all.

Under such circumstances, he had no intention of staying in Huai'an City any longer, so it was reasonable for him to seek a safe reason to leave.

After half an incense stick of time, Wang Zhengzhi arrived at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion. An old servant came to greet him and he asked in a low voice, "Is everything ready?"

"All right."

"Well, let's leave the city then."

After saying a few words, Wang Zhengzhi walked towards the carriage. At this time, the old servant suddenly asked a question. Wang Zhengzhi thought for a moment and said firmly, "I will not return to Beijing, but to Jiangbei."
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The arrival of the Ming army caused some panic in Huai'an City, but at this time the Qing army had already taken up a state of alert, and except for high-ranking officials like Wang Zhengzhi who had legitimate reasons, it was difficult for anyone to leave the city smoothly.

But then again, there wasn't actually too much panic or tension in Huai'an City due to the enemy being at the gates.

After all, the Grand Canal had already been blocked by the Qing army using sunken ships and other objects, and the Ming army could not directly drive warships out of the city like they did in Yangzhou.

Under such circumstances, the news of the Ming army's arrival had not yet spread, and ordinary people did not feel much fear or tension.

To be honest, going through Hongze Lake was not the best option for the Ming army.

Although Huai'an is surrounded by large rivers and lakes, the triangle formed by the Yellow River, Huai River and Hongze Lake is dozens of miles in size.

With the canal cut off, even if the Ming army's warships could pass smoothly between the river and the lake, they would be helpless against Huai'an, which was located in the middle of this triangle.

Therefore, at the beginning of the march, Huang Fei proposed the idea of ​​building a strong camp and fighting a stupid battle. He planned to spend one or two months to clear the blocked canal, and then reach the outskirts of Huai'an City.

I have to say that this is actually the safest way.

As long as there are warships to protect the Ming army, no matter what arrangements the Qing army makes in Huai'an, the Ming army will be invincible. By then, Huai'an will be at their disposal, and the place where the Yellow River and the Huai River meet will also be smoothly controlled.

Although Chang Guanlin and Mei Chun were not naval generals, they could clearly see the benefits of this. However, when they reported this plan to Yingtian, Zhu Cilang, who had never interfered with their military deployment since crossing the river, directly rejected the plan.

He understood clearly that the canal was not as big as the Yellow River and the Huai River. In addition, there had been constant wars in recent years and the local government was no longer as diligent in dredging the river as before. What if his own men went to great lengths to break into the canal, but the Qing army blocked the river?
By then, the huge fleet would be unable to advance or retreat. A single fire would be enough to turn the army's support into ashes. By then, the Northern Expedition Army would have no choice but to be defeated.

This was not groundless worry on his part.

Not only are there rivers extending in all directions here, but there are also Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake nearby. If there really are dozens of ships hidden somewhere, it is not surprising that these outsiders cannot find any trace of them.

After understanding his Majesty's thoughts, the three generals in front couldn't help but feel a little scared.

As soon as they received the letter, they changed their original arrangement. Then the Northern Expedition Army entered Hongze from Gaoyou Lake, and after selecting the landing site, they assembled their troops and arrived there.

"Reporting to the commander, the vanguard has landed, and there are no traces of Qing troops around!"

After reporting, Chang Guanlin, who was standing at the bow, turned his attention away from the shore. He then glanced at the other two people, and when he saw that they also had puzzled looks on their faces, he asked the soldier in front of him again.

"How far out are the scouts?"

"Reporting to the commander, it is three miles away."

After he finished speaking, Chang Guanlin gently waved his hand, and the soldier bowed and retreated. However, the three generals on the boat fell into deep thought.

They could understand why the Qing army did not set up fortifications on the shore. After all, Hongze Lake was like the Yangtze River. It seemed that there were obstacles everywhere, but in fact it was full of loopholes.

It would be fine if they just didn't make any arrangements, but why wasn't there even any sign of the Qing army?
Could it be that their thoughts about Huai'an are the same as before, with no intention of defending it to the death?
Thinking of this, the three of them simultaneously thought of the ship wreckage that stretched for more than ten miles. Then this speculation was put to rest, and their doubts became even stronger.

It is obvious that the Qing army must have made some arrangements near Huai'an, otherwise why would they go to such great lengths to block the canal directly?
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"It's too late to think about it now. You should set up camp on the shore first, and I will guard the retreat for the army."

After the words fell, Chang and Mei suddenly laughed. Before Huang Fei could ask again, Mei Chun spoke first: "General Huang, we have fought with the Tartars more than once or twice. Even their elite Eight Banners were only defeated. How can a small Huai'an stop such an army of tens of thousands?"

(End of this chapter)