Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 321 Iron Chains Blocking the River
Once the Red Army captured Luoding Prefecture, it had completely seized the initiative on the battlefield. It could move north to Deqing to fight for Zhaoqing, or move south to Yangchun to fight for Yangjiang.

By capturing Zhaoqing, the gate to Guangzhou was opened, and the Red Army could go down the Xijiang River and head straight for the city of Guangzhou.

By capturing Yangjiang, there would be hope of cutting off Shang Kexi's route of return and joining forces with the Third Synchronous Infantry Brigade to attack the Pingnan Fan Army.

Cen Danchu chose to go north to Deqing for the simple reason that the northern route provided convenient water transportation and logistical supplies. In addition, the Imperial Guards were already exhausted and could not make long-distance raids like before, so it was not convenient to take the long detour southward.

On the first day of March, the Red Army advanced in two directions, one down the Fengchuan River and the other up the Luodingzhou River, aiming directly at Deqing. The defenders fled without a fight, and the Red Army easily captured Deqing.

On March 3, Danchu convened a front-line meeting in Deqing to plan the attack on Zhaoqing. The Red Army gathered in Deqing, including the First Brigade of the First Town, the Fourth Brigade of the Second Town, the Hu Ben Town Personal Brigade, the Auxiliary Brigade, and the Navy Brigade, with a total of more than 50,000 troops. The rest of the troops had also arrived at the front and gathered in Fengchuan and Luodingzhou.

The meeting was very short. The director of the Operations Bureau, He Zhaoji, started by saying, "The Tartars have suffered successive defeats on the northern front, and most of their elite troops have been killed, and their morale is low. According to reliable intelligence, Zhang Cunren is still in Zhaoqing, gathering more than 20,000 troops to try to reverse the defeat.

"On the southern front, the Tartars have also taken the initiative to retreat to the Gaozhou area. The Third Brigade launched a counterattack and caught up with the Tartars in Suixi, winning a great victory. Shang Kexi did not dare to linger in the battle and continued to retreat, trying to retreat to Yangjiang to ensure his return route."

He Zhaoji cleared his throat, pointed at the map with a small bamboo stick, and said: "The king has ordered that the northern route will be the main battlefield, and we will go down the West River, first conquer Zhaoqing, and then take Guangzhou.

"Hu Ben Town, the Second Town, and the First Brigade of the First Town will take the northern route and be the main attack force, under the command of the king himself. The rest of the First Town will join the Nanyang Fleet and take the southern route to be the auxiliary attack force, under the command of Wei Zhentong."

As the battlefield situation changes, it is only natural to change the deployment. Fortunately, the Red Army is well organized, and with the town-level organization, it is easier to command troops and adjust deployment.

Danchu said: "The situation is clear now. After this adjustment, there will be no major adjustments in the future. If everything goes well, our northern and southern lines will meet under the city of Guangzhou and attack Guangzhou together."

Wei Guosong, the commander of the First Town, was very experienced and said with a smile, "Lord, what if the First Town captures Guangzhou first?"

"If the First Town captures Guangzhou, you will not be allowed to enter the city. Wait for me outside the city, hold the horse and whip for me, and lead me into the city."

"Hahahaha," Wei Guosong laughed and said, "There are fewer Tartars on the southern front, and with Wang Xing and Du Yonghe supporting us, maybe our First Town can really capture Guangzhou on its own. When that happens, I will welcome the king outside Guangzhou."

"Okay, you're on your own at the southern front. Do you have any trouble?"

Wei Guosong made a rough calculation and found that the First Town, excluding the First Brigade, had less than 40,000 troops. Add the Nanyang Fleet, Wang Xing from Wencun, and Du Yonghe from Qiongzhou, and there would be no problem for them to take charge.

"Don't worry, my lord. There will be no difficulty."

"Well, I'll leave the affairs of the southern front to you. The military situation is urgent, so I won't keep you here any longer."

"Yes." Wei Guosong was about to leave when Danchu called him back. He said, "Old Wei, see you in Guangzhou."

Wei Guosong laughed, saluted solemnly to Danchu, and rode away from the camp.

The meeting turned to discussing the attack on Zhaoqing. Since the loss of Luoding, the Qing army has become more conservative and has been shrinking its defenses. From Deqing Prefecture to Zhaoqing Prefecture, all the towns along the way were abandoned. Zhaoqing is the gateway to Guangzhou and is a place that must be fought for by military strategists.

Zhang Cunren focused on the defense of Zhaoqing and set up two iron chains on the river surface of Beiling Mountain to block the river surface. Beiling Mountain is located 15 miles upstream of Zhaoqing. The West River tightens here. There are high mountains on both sides of the river bank, and the terrain is quite dangerous.

The Qing army hung two iron chains on the cliffs of the mountain to block the river, and set up camps and deployed artillery on the mountain. On the east side of the iron chain, three large rafts were floating on the river. Mud was laid on the rafts, and artillery was installed on the rafts, like three wooden cities.

Just by listening to the introduction of the chief of the reconnaissance section, the generals had a direct impression of the Zhaoqing River Defense.

"Zhang Cunren is really capable of deploying iron chains to block the river in such a short time."

"What ability do I have? If I were the governor of five provinces, I would have everything I wanted. I could even find someone to lay iron chains to block the river."

Danchu smiled contemptuously and said, "The Tartars had warships, but Zhang Cunren did not dare to fight them. Instead, he abandoned all the key points upstream and blocked the river with iron chains, and deployed all the warships behind the iron chains. This shows that the Tartars have lost their courage and only have the heart to defend, not the ambition to advance."

The Operations Bureau planned to first use the land forces to conquer Beiling Mountain, remove the iron hooks on the cliffs, and then go down the river to attack Zhaoqing.

Ruan Dinh Phong, the commander of the Navy, expressed a different opinion: "Since the war began, the Navy has not fought a major battle and has been gathering strength for a long time. The soldiers are eager to fight. It would be better to let the Navy prepare fire ships and burn the iron chains..."

China was a country with frequent wars, and the ancients often used iron chains to block the river. The attacking side could burn the iron chains with hot oil. There are countless examples of this in history books.

However, it was the end of the Ming Dynasty, and firearms were advanced. The navy warships were easily destroyed by enemy artillery shells when they were under the iron chains. This was just like the shield carts and ladders used for sieges. These large siege equipment had become extinct in the end of the Ming Dynasty, because firearms were advanced in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and shield carts and ladders had no defense against the defenders' artillery shells.

Someone immediately objected: "I'm afraid this plan won't work. The river is narrow in the Beiling Mountains, less than two miles at its narrowest point. If the Tartars set up cannons on the mountain, they can easily bombard the navy's warships."

Danchu was inspired by Ruan Tingfeng's words. Under normal circumstances, the Red Army must first use the land forces to conquer Beiling Mountain. But if the navy warships were used to break the iron chain directly, they could catch the enemy by surprise, quickly break through the river defense, and then go down the river and attack Lingyang Gorge.

Lingyang Gorge is located downstream of Zhaoqing. It is a natural barrier that controls the retreat of the Zhaoqing defenders and is also the last barrier of Guangzhou. The Ming Dynasty sent a lieutenant general to garrison Lingyang Gorge because of its strategic location. Zhang Cunren naturally knew the importance of Lingyang Gorge and also sent troops to garrison Lingyang Gorge.

If the Red Army could capture Lingyang Gorge, they would have a chance to completely wipe out the Qing army in Zhaoqing. If they followed the routine of attacking Beiling Mountain first and then cutting off the iron chain blocking the river, it would inevitably take too long and lose the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Lingyang Gorge.

Danchu became interested and asked, "Tingfeng, are you sure that the Navy Association can break the iron chain?"

"We are sure." Ruan Tingfeng said confidently: "The Tartars don't have many red cannons. Even if they do, they are deployed on the top of Zhaoqing City, not on Beiling Mountain. Then, when the navy is stranded under the iron chain, the Tartars can only use light artillery such as Weiyuan Cannon and Sub-mother Cannon, which will not pose much threat to us. Our army can use hot oil to roast the iron chain. When the iron chain is burned red and softened, we can use axes and scissors to cut the iron chain while it is hot."

"Good." Danchu readily agreed and said, "I will use the navy as the vanguard to break the enemy's iron chains."

(End of this chapter)