Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 367 Overseas Mercenaries! A Battle for National Destiny
Two days later,

The rebellion in eastern Zhejiang has entered a stalemate.

Calm and calm!

All of this was like the calm before the storm.

When the imperial edict from the capital reached Wuchang Prefecture, it highly praised Li Qiong, Tang Youwang, and Hong Yanchuan for their great victory in the Hanzhong region.

Simultaneously,

An imperial edict arrived in Nanjing, urging Xu Shichang to expedite the suppression of the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

Ximentang was fully responsible for suppressing the rebellion in Jiangnan and officially included southern and northern Jiangsu in its garrison area.

Hong Yanchuan, from the Hanzhong region, was riding high on a series of great victories.

He was originally a person who loved grand achievements and was very concerned about his reputation.

All along,
He harbored resentment towards the fact that the Ximen Hall was widely regarded as the most powerful army in the Great Qian Dynasty.

He believed that his hundreds of thousands of troops were the backbone of the Great Qian Dynasty, and their fighting power far surpassed that of Ximen Tang.

While in Hebei, it was because his army had been holding back the main force of Prince Ning, Li Mu, that Ximentang had the opportunity to defeat Prince Han, Li Ben.

not to mention,
When Ximentang pursued Prince Li Ben of Han, he only managed to drive him back to Yueyang Prefecture.

In the end, he took matters into his own hands and defeated Prince Li Ben of Han, who fled in terror and sought refuge with Prince Li Mu of Ning.

Eager to claim credit, he made a boastful statement in the victory report sent to the capital: "Attack Xiangyang and annihilate Prince Ning, Li Mu!"

Emperor Li Zheng had already received news of Li Qiong's victory.

He was overjoyed to learn that the main force of Prince Li Ben of Han had been completely defeated by Ximentang and had fled to Yueyang Prefecture.

Although Li Ben, the King of Han, did not die, as long as the enemy's main force was defeated, his teeth would be pulled out.

From then on, it wouldn't be so easy for Li Ben, the Prince of Han, to make a comeback.

And now,
Hong Yanchuan even led a large army to attack Yueyang Prefecture, utterly defeating the remnants of Prince Li Ben's army.

The key is,
With three armies converging, 400,000 troops arrived in Xiangyang Prefecture.

If we can defeat Prince Ning Li Mu's Northwest Army, then quelling the rebellion of the Daqian Dynasty will be just around the corner.

Thinking of this, Emperor Li Zheng felt extremely excited, and even his health improved considerably.

He held Hong Yanchuan and Li Qiong's report of victory and read it aloud at the court assembly.

In the imperial court, all the ministers became excited.

If this trend continues, it seems that the rebellions of the regional princes will soon be quelled.

The rebel forces throughout the Daqian Dynasty were always led by Li Mu, the Prince of Ning, of the Northwest Army.

Whether it was Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, Li Ben, the King of Han, or even Li Gang, the King of Min, they all followed the lead of Li Mu, the King of Ning.

As long as Prince Ning, Li Mu, is eliminated, then the world will be at peace.

Emperor Li Zheng ordered General Li Qiong, Tang Youwang, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and others to fully cooperate with Hong Yanchuan.

The Battle of Xiangyang was crucial to the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty!
If we can defeat Prince Ning, Li Mu, then the Great Qian Dynasty will prosper once again.

and,

Emperor Li Zheng asked his ministers to discuss the reconstruction after defeating Prince Ning, Li Mu.

Everyone seemed to feel that victory was assured this time.

Although many court officials discovered that the entire war in Hanzhong was somewhat suspicious.

A minister submitted a memorial, arguing that Prince Li Ben of Han had fled from Yueyang Prefecture and was deliberately feigning weakness to lure Hong Yanchuan's large army into Xiangyang territory.

Once Prince Ning, Li Mu's, army forms an encirclement, the imperial army of 400,000 will be in grave danger!
Honest advice is hard to hear!
Emperor Li Zheng was very displeased when he heard this.

The situation was very favorable, and it seemed that the Northwest Army was about to be defeated.

How could you say such unlucky things at this time?

but,

The vast majority of people shared similar thoughts with Emperor Li Zheng.

Unfortunately, the recent wars in the Great Qian Dynasty have left everyone overwhelmed.

Hong Yanchuan is now leading an army of 400,000, preparing for a decisive battle with Prince Ning, Li Mu, in Xiangyang Prefecture.

Everyone naturally has high expectations for Hong Yanchuan's story.

of course,

Many people also suggested that, taking advantage of the stabilization of the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang, Xu Shichang's army and Ximen Tang should be quickly transferred to the Hanzhong region to attack Xiangyang.

Concentrate our forces and first defeat Prince Ning, Li Mu.

Then,

The entire rebellion of the Great Qian Dynasty will collapse.

This suggestion greatly appealed to Emperor Li Zheng.

His biggest worry was the Northwest Army of Prince Ning, Li Mu, who was the only vassal king who could threaten his throne.

Prince Ning, Li Mu, has gained momentum; if we cannot defeat them...

If Prince Ning, Li Mu, leads a large army to attack the capital, the imperial family of the Great Qian Dynasty will likely be replaced.

but,

Just as Emperor Li Zheng was about to issue an imperial edict, the Imperial Advisor Feng Guoxuan strongly dissuaded him.

He certainly did not want Ximentang to continue sending troops to Hanzhong.

Because Ximentang was not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court, any military deployment would come at a cost.

Every time Ximentang sends troops out, he occupies a considerable amount of territory.

Cangzhou Canal Wharf, Shandong, Songjiang Prefecture, Nanjing in southern Jiangsu, Xianning Prefecture in Hanzhong —!
Xi Mentang's military strength grew stronger and stronger, and the entire court was filled with apprehension.

This time,
Seeing that the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty had victory in sight, there was no need to send Ximen Tang to lead the troops.

Therefore,
The Imperial Advisor Feng Guoxuan strongly suggested that Ximen Tang should continue to garrison Jinling and that there was no need to send troops to Hanzhong.

Although Feng Guoxuan's words sounded grand and dignified, the officials and civil servants were not fools; they understood immediately.

The development of Ximen Hall has already made the emperor and the imperial advisor wary.

then,

This sparked a debate in the imperial court.

The final result left Li Zheng hesitant.

He trusted Chen Jie deeply, but his suspicion prevented him from being completely at ease.

Just then, unexpectedly, the rebels in eastern Zhejiang finally attacked Huzhou and went straight for Suzhou Prefecture.

The decisive battle in Hanzhong has not yet begun.

Unexpectedly, the rebels in eastern Zhejiang marched directly north, and the fiercest battle broke out in Suzhou Prefecture.

For a while,
Southern Jiangsu is in dire straits, Nanjing is in dire straits, and the entire Jiangnan region is in chaos.

As the war in eastern Zhejiang intensified, the entire court was once again shocked.

The chaos in the Great Qian Dynasty has been brought under control!

Now, not only in eastern Zhejiang, but also in Guangdong and Guangxi, eastern Guizhou, southern Sichuan, the Western Regions, and Tibet, the fiercest battles have begun.

One wave is not flat, another wave rises!
War swept through the entire Daqian Dynasty.

Even the Japanese who occupied Northeast China began to advance towards Shanhaiguan.

At the Shanhaiguan pass, the Kwantung Army amassed 500,000 troops, eyeing the pass with predatory intent.

this moment,
It was as if the powder keg of the Great Qian Dynasty had been completely ignited.

Feng Guoxuan's idea coincided with that of Emperor Li Zheng.

As the emperor's teacher, Feng Guoxuan naturally knew Li Zheng very well.

He felt this was a great opportunity, so he immediately suggested that Ximentang quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang and at the same time check and balance Li Gang, the King of Min in southern Fujian.

As a result,
Xu Shichang's army was also unable to be transferred to the Hanzhong region.

As long as the imperial army in Hanzhong defeats Prince Ning, Li Mu.

Then Li Qiong could rise to power and replace Xu Shichang as Minister of War.

The Great Qian Dynasty had already reached a point of dire straits, with infighting and scheming still taking place in the court.

The various factions are still pursuing their own interests.

Xu Shichang could not have gained the merit of defeating Prince Ning, Li Mu, without entering the Hanzhong region.

of course,

Feng Guoxuan was still planning to wait and see for a while, as long as Hong Yanchuan's good news reached the capital.

Then he will have a next plan: to divide Hong Yanchuan, Tang Youwang, and Li Qiong's army.

At this stage, three armies have surrounded Xiangyang.

but,

Feng Guoxuan did not want the three armies to unite as one. Once the rebellion was quelled, he needed to instill mutual suspicion among them.

According to Feng Guoxuan's strategy, Xu Shichang was kept in Nanjing while Ximentang was sent to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang and wage a war of attrition.

then,

The army of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty swept through Prince Ning, Li Mu.

In this way, the forces of all sides in the Great Qian Dynasty will be balanced.

Emperor Li Zheng understood Feng Guoxuan's suggestion and also believed it to be the best solution.

then,

He issued an imperial edict ordering Xu Shichang and Chen Jie to garrison Nanjing and continue to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

The entire rebellion in Hanzhong, including the Battle of Xiangyang, was led by Hong Yanchuan.

Nanjing is a strategic stronghold in Jiangnan and a hub connecting the north and south.

Geographically speaking, this area is one of the most important regions of the Great Qian Dynasty, and it cannot be lost.

not to mention,
Jinling has become the headquarters of Ximentang.

If Ximentang wanted to stabilize the situation in southern Jiangsu, he had to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

-

Ximen Tang was finally able to rightfully garrison Jinling.

Songjiang Prefecture, Jinling, Shandong, Cangzhou, Tianjin Wei—!
The eastern coastal area of ​​the Great Qian Dynasty finally came under the jurisdiction of Ximentang.

Although Chen Jie remained the Governor-General of Shandong.

but,

In terms of regional officials, he is currently the governor-general of the province with the largest geographical area in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Although Hanzhong is not yet Ximentang's territory, it has already established a foothold in Xianning Prefecture.

In the future, Hanzhong will also be in Ximentang's hands.

A smile appeared on Chen Jie's face after he saw the imperial document.

During this period, Simon Tang has kept a low profile.

Even the credit for suppressing the rebellion in Hanzhong was entirely given to Li Qiong, the Grand General of the Ministry of War.

He originally thought that Emperor Li Zheng would go back on his word and refuse to relinquish the garrison in Jinling.

Surprisingly, the emperor was not blinded by victory.

in fact,

Chen Jie didn't care about official positions at all.

He was already the Governor-General of Shandong; any further promotion would only be a nominal title.

What he wanted was a legitimate reason for his actions.

With the official documents from the imperial court, he could then openly and aggressively take action against the martial arts world of Jiangnan.

and,

Southern and Northern Jiangsu are now rightfully under the jurisdiction of Ximentang.

Ximentang can continue to expand and maximize its profits.

As the territory occupied by Ximentang grew larger, the generals within Ximentang were promoted based on their military achievements.

As for the position to be promoted, it will be confirmed after the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang is quelled.

That's one way to put it.
Almost any of the elite core members of the Ximen Hall who participate in battles have the opportunity for promotion.

Even soldiers can earn first-class military merit if they perform well.

Just after Chen Jie handed over the garrison duties of Jinling City to Guan Qilin.

The second batch of supplies from Ximentang arrived in Nanjing from Qingzhou, Shandong.

Zhang Dezhi was in charge of escorting the supply train; he was one of Chen Jie's confidants.

When Ximen Hall was first established, Zhang Dezhi was the second-in-command of Humenfang, and eventually joined Ximen Hall.

He was originally in charge of intelligence in the Ximen Hall's "undercover department".

Since the headquarters of Ximentang moved to Shandong, Zhang Dezhi has been in charge of logistics.

His martial arts skills are not high, but he has a calm personality, making him well-suited for logistical work.

This time, more than 10,000 boxes of bullets and 50,000 boxes of artillery shells were delivered.

In addition, there were 20,000 boxes of hand grenades, 5000 60mm mortars, and 500 120mm mortars.
100 boxes of armor-piercing rounds, 500 boxes of incendiary rounds, and 500 heavy machine guns;
At the same time, there were also reports from various departments of Ximen Hall, including Thirteen Aunt's "Dive Department", Yan Kuangtu's "War Department", Xiong Chao's "Bear Department", and Zhang Changfeng's "Eagle Department".

in addition,

There were also work reports from key personnel such as Huang Tianyou from the arsenal and Deng Yonghe from the Ximentang fleet.

Currently, the Simenton arsenal in Qingzhou, Shandong, has undergone two rounds of expansion, which has greatly improved its production efficiency.

Meanwhile, oil extraction and refining in Shandong are in full swing.

The arsenal's production capacity has basically stabilized, and the AK47 assault rifle, which is being copied, has been deployed to the elite units of various departments.

The main force stationed in Shandong was equipped with mortars and shells, as well as heavy machine guns!
in addition,

Pig iron from steel mills has now become the bottleneck.

Chen Jie had no choice but to arrange for Zeng Xuanhuai to trade with Westerners and buy iron billets directly from them.

Under the management of the canal gangs, most factories in Shandong have become more standardized.

During this period, Ximentang's funds have become increasingly abundant.

Chen Jie's top priority was military expansion. No matter how advanced the weapons were, there had to be enough people to control them.

Otherwise, if you conquer a place but no one is stationed there, it's all for nothing.

Shandong has always maintained a military strength of 100,000, and the same is true for Songjiang Prefecture, which has always maintained a military strength of 100,000.

Xu Xiaodao of Xianning Prefecture has recruited 20,000 new soldiers, divided into six regiments, and is currently conducting intensive training.

Once the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang is quelled, the 30,000-strong army of Xianning Prefecture will be a force to be reckoned with.

Chen Jie secretly made an estimate,
If you include the special operations regiment and personal guard battalion around him, Ximen Tang now commands an army of nearly 250,000.

In addition, there was Ximentang's fleet, reconnaissance regiment, and cavalry regiment, totaling nearly 30,000 men.

Leaving aside Ximentang's combat strength, just considering the number of people...

An army of 280,000 men is enough to make anyone tremble at the mere mention of it.

No wonder Emperor Li Zheng, despite his great trust in Chen Jie, couldn't sleep or eat properly when he thought of the army under Ximentang's command.

and,

Once Ximentang stabilizes in Jinling City, he will defeat the rebels in eastern Zhejiang.

Then, in the coming period, Ximentang will expand once again.

The First Army of the Great Qian Dynasty—this is no joke.

Fortunately, Ximen Tang was wealthy and powerful; otherwise, supporting an army of 280,000 would have been a major headache.

Liu Qi also accompanied the supply train this time.

After Zhang Dezhi and Chen Jie finished reporting their work, Liu Qi leaned close to Chen Jie and whispered:
"Brother, do you still remember that Frenchman 'Jack Bonaparte' when we defeated the Western Allied Forces at Ningbo Prefecture in eastern Zhejiang?"

"At that time, we gave him a sum of money and a batch of warships to help him expand his power."

"That guy has always wanted to serve Big Brother—!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was taken aback.

Jack Bonaparte?
Chen Jie nodded and said, "He's here? We gave him a lot of gold coins last time to attack Taiwan Island. I wonder how that guy is doing now?"

Several months have passed since the last time the Western Allied Forces were defeated in Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province.

Liu Qi nodded and said:
"Jack Bonaparte has raised a powerful army in the East China Sea and occupied a small island."

"He went to Qingzhou, saying he had something to discuss with you."

“I think these Westerners must have something very important to tell you, so I brought them here from Qingzhou.”

Chen Jie nodded and smiled, saying:
"Well done! I never expected Jack Bonaparte to come all the way to Nanjing!"

“Call him to the military camp; I want to have a serious talk with him.”

Chen Jie gave the two cruisers to Jack Bonaparte with the intention of turning them into the most powerful mercenary force on the high seas.

In just a few months, has Jack Bonaparte already achieved results?

Chen Jie's primary task for Jack Bonaparte was to have them take over the island.

Since Taiwan Island is currently occupied by the Japanese, it will take some time for Ximentang's fleet to break the sea blockade.

Therefore,
If Jack Bonaparte could acquire Bay Island while expanding his business, it would save Simon Tang a lot of time.

at this time,

Chen Jie was eager to know just how powerful Jack Bonaparte's mercenary group was.
(End of this chapter)