Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Hong Chaoge gestured, and the two turned and left.

Even from several miles away, he felt a powerful sense of oppression when he saw the tanks and steel torrent of Ximentang.

"Back then, I abandoned the capital and led the elite Imperial Guards to the Hanzhong region, stationed in Jiujiang Prefecture, all in order to obtain the greatest benefit."

"Jiujiang Prefecture will be a strategic location that military strategists will fight over!"

"The fighting power of Ximentang's army is extremely fierce. Whether it is Japanese or Westerners, they are no match for Ximentang."

"Our current strategy is to defend the city and use the million people of Jiujiang Prefecture as leverage to restrict Ximentang's artillery and heavy weapons."

"We need to deplete Ximentang's troops and ammunition as much as possible. The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for us."

"The situation of the Great Qian Dynasty has just stabilized, but the surrounding environment is beset by internal and external troubles. Whether it is Prince Li Hongyu of Guangdong and Guangxi, Prince Li Chuang of Shu, or Prince Li Mu of Ning, including the Japanese Kwantung Army, they will not sit idly by and watch Jiujiang Prefecture be occupied by Ximentang."

Hong Chaoge took a deep breath and continued:
"If Ximentang takes over Jiujiang Prefecture, he will be able to bring the entire Hanzhong region under his control."

"At that time, we can attack Li Hongyu in Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, Li Chuang in southern Sichuan to the west, and Prince Ning, Li Mu, in the northwest. The entire Central Plains region of the Great Qian Dynasty will be under the guns and cannons of Ximentang."

“Some people are more concerned about the garrison in Jiujiang Prefecture than we are. As long as we hold Jiujiang Prefecture to the death, whether it is the Japanese Kwantung Army, or the Prince of Ning, the Prince of Shu, or the Ninth Prince, they will definitely send troops to help us get out of the siege.”

Tang Manjin nodded slightly in agreement:

"Chaoge, you're right. The longer we hold out, the better it will be for us."

Hong Chaoge narrowed his eyes and said:
"Although Ximentang won the battle of Yangxin County, he suffered heavy losses, with many of Xu Xiaodao's elite troops dying."

"Simon Hall needs to be ready to deal with attacks from the Eastern Fleet at any time in the East China Sea, while the capital and Tianjin need to be on guard against Guan Qilin's army pressing in at any time."

"Therefore, they are destined to be unable to mobilize large numbers of troops to support the Hanzhong region."

"If this attrition tactic continues for a few more games, it will be Ximentang who can't hold on."

Tang Manjin could only agree with Hong Chaoge's views.

He had been Hong Chaoge's "little brother" since childhood, always obeying his every word.

The key is,
He knew Hong Chaoge very well and knew that the other party only liked to hear the same opinions and absolutely could not refute them.

then,

Tang Manjin nodded and said, "The battle in Yangxin County where the Japanese besieged the Ximentang position was a strategic mistake by the Japanese!"

"Knowing full well that the Ximen Hall position is easy to defend but difficult to attack, Dashanyan still chose to launch a direct assault. Isn't that just courting death?"

"However, this battle has shown us the formidable strength of Ximentang's Jinling reinforcements, which will be of great help to our upcoming defense of the city."

"To limit Ximentang's massive cannons and that pile of iron lumps, we need to bring the people of Jiujiang Prefecture to the city walls and have them build fortifications."

"No matter how powerful Ximentang's cannons are, they dare not attack large numbers of civilians!"

Xi Mentang now holds military power in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The only way to prevent Ximentang from using weapons of mass destruction is through the lives of ordinary people.

have to say,

Although Hong Chaoge and Tang Manjin were despicable and shameless, they had grasped Ximentang's weakness.

-

Boom—boom—!
Hong Chaoge and Tang Manjin clearly underestimated Ximentang's fighting strength.

In less than half a day, Ximentang's tank army swept away the defensive positions of Jiujiang Prefecture.

Bunkers, moats, trenches, and horse-drawn carriages!
All of these were as fragile as paper under the crushing force of the heavily armed brigade, utterly vulnerable.

Looking at the tanks, heavy machine guns, mortars, heavy field guns, and so on outside Jiujiang City.

The massive battle formation made of steel gave people an extremely strong sense of oppression.

The soldiers guarding the city were terrified when they saw this.

After a round of attacks, and with the barrage of artillery fire, the soldiers defending Jiujiang Prefecture lost their confidence in the first defensive battle.

Ordinary guns and cannons are useless against a torrent of steel.

Even when shells hit a tank, they only forced it to stop; they couldn't penetrate the tank's thick armor shields.

Intensive firepower became the dominant theme around the city walls of Jiujiang Prefecture.

Tang Manjin led his elite troops on the city wall of Jiujiang Prefecture, responsible for the defense of the main gate.

In less than half a day, his voice became hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, and his helmet was knocked askew.

He was almost squeezing the binoculars out of shape, but Ximentang's powerful attacks were getting fiercer with each wave.

The entire city wall was on the verge of collapse and was about to crumble.

The city gates of Jiujiang Prefecture were destroyed by bombing, the nearby bunkers had long been destroyed, and many sections of the city walls had collapsed.

Smoke filled the air, and the bodies of the guards near the city walls of Jiujiang Prefecture lay scattered about, a horrifying sight.

It seemed that as long as the tank corps rushed into the city, they could easily take Jiujiang Prefecture.

but,

Chen Jie, inside the armored command vehicle, frowned deeply as he looked in the direction of Jiujiang Prefecture.

"Damn it—these bastards actually let innocent civilians guard the city walls?"

Chen Jie has always tried to prevent the war from affecting ordinary people.

Therefore, during the siege, he reduced the use of incendiary bombs to avoid harming innocent civilians.

However, the garrison of Jiujiang Prefecture stationed innocent civilians on the city walls, clearly intending to restrict Ximentang's artillery.

Hong Chaoge was right about one thing: Ximentang could not stay in Jiujiang Prefecture for long.

Time is of paramount importance to Simon Hall.

Therefore,
We must take Jiujiang Prefecture within five days.

However, after destroying the outer defenses of Jiujiang Prefecture, Hong Chaoge and Tang Manjin used the people of Jiujiang Prefecture as cannon fodder.

If we launch a direct assault, many innocent civilians will likely die.

For a moment, Chen Jie fell into deep thought.

"My lord, the former prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture, Lord Huang, has arrived!" A guard from the Ximen Hall approached Chen Jie and reported in a low voice.

Prefect of Jiujiang?

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie was taken aback.

Soon, he recalled that Zeng Xuanhuai had once mentioned the prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture to him.

Huang Mingsun is said to have been a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

When Ximentang occupied Nanjing, Zeng Xuanhuai even recommended Huang Mingsun to Chen Jie, believing that the man was talented.

However, Chen Jie was always busy and didn't pay much attention.

of course,

Following the entry of Oshima Yutaka, who led the Kwantung Army into Jiujiang Prefecture, and then the troops under Hong Chaoge's command stationed in Jiujiang Prefecture.

Huang Mingsun, the former prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture, had no choice but to flee.

Unexpectedly, when Ximentang attacked Jiujiang Prefecture, Huang Mingsun actually requested an audience with him.

Chen Jie frowned and asked in surprise:

"Huang Mingsun? What's he doing here? Take him to the council tent."

After speaking, Chen Jie got out of the armored command vehicle and headed to the military camp's council tent.

He was thinking about how to break the deadlock as quickly as possible, storm into Jiujiang Prefecture, and avoid harming innocent civilians.

After a few minutes.

Huang Mingsun led a few people into the military tent of Ximentang.

He greeted Chen Jie with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant, displaying a scholarly demeanor.

"Lord Huang, Xu Shichang and Zeng Xuanhuai both recommended you to me. I remember that the Ministry of Personnel issued an official document ordering you to go to the capital to report on your duties. Why are you still in Jiujiang Prefecture?"

After greeting Huang Mingsun, Chen Jie asked with a smile.

"Your Highness, I am getting old and really do not want to travel far from my homeland, so I am applying to retire and return home!"

Chen Jie looked the other party up and down for a moment and realized that it was just an excuse.

It wasn't that he was too old; it was just that the country was unstable, and the Japanese had swept through and seized Jiujiang Prefecture, which made him lose confidence in continuing to serve as an official.

Chen Jie listened to the other party's thoughts for a moment, a smile appearing on his face, and asked calmly, "What brings Lord Huang to see me?"

Huang Mingsun said, "I heard that Prince Qian encountered obstacles when he attacked Jiujiang Prefecture. I have prepared some things that may be able to break this deadlock!"

After he finished speaking, several soldiers carried in several large wooden crates.

"Oh? What are these things?"

Chen Jie was somewhat surprised after hearing this.

Could these boxes of goods break through Jiujiang Prefecture's defenses?

For a while,
Chen Jie had no idea what this Lord Huang was up to.

Huang Mingsun smiled calmly and ordered, "Pour out the contents of the box."

Several soldiers opened the wooden crates and dumped all the contents into the West Gate meeting tent.

"What's the purpose of all this paper?" Chen Jie asked.

quickly,

Chen Jie could see that the ground was covered with letters, many of which were written in calligraphy.

Huang Mingsun nodded, and said confidently:
"Your Highness, this is the solution I was referring to!"

Chen Jie remained silent, then said in a deep voice, "I would like to hear the details."

Huang Mingsun took a deep breath, carefully considered his words, and explained:

"Most of the remnants of the Imperial Guard under Hong Chaoge were from Hebei and the capital. They had left their homeland to fight in Jiujiang Prefecture."

"To take Jiujiang Prefecture without bloodshed and without harming innocent civilians, we must attack from the inside out!"

"If we attack from the outside in, even if we manage to capture Jiujiang Prefecture, it will be a devastating war, with countless innocent people dying under the fire."

“These are family letters, letters I had written to demoralize them.”

"We must make these rebels understand what they are fighting for. Continuing to aid and abet the wicked will not only lead to their deaths, but will also bring ruin to their families and families!"

Chen Jie was taken aback upon hearing this.

Information warfare!
Oh my god!
This guy's got something! He actually understands the essence of information warfare!

Chen Jie glanced through the letter, nodded slightly, and said:
"These methods are good, but these letters need to be rewritten."

"It is necessary to use an emotional approach to write about the loneliness and solitude of fighting far from home, as well as the expectations of parents back home, with emotion."

"Although the letters were not written by their families, they should be able to evoke emotions in everyone, and create a sense of empathy."

"Furthermore, it needs to be emphasized that as long as they give up aiding and abetting evil, the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty and the new Imperial Guard can reinstate them."

"Since this is a war of public opinion, we must ensure that all soldiers see hope!"

“They are not fighting for Hong Chaoge, nor for the Japanese, but for themselves and their families.”

"Their hope for redemption and bringing honor to their ancestors will be through meritorious service; otherwise, they will implicate their entire family and be forever unable to hold their heads high."

Upon hearing this, Huang Mingsun's eyes widened immediately.

“Good! Prince Qian is more thoughtful. As long as these letters appear in Jiujiang Prefecture, they will surely cause a sensation in Jiujiang Prefecture.”

“This is an open conspiracy. Even if Hong Chaoge knows that these letters are fake, he cannot say a word.”

"Moreover, if he tries to confiscate it, the situation will be even worse. Many soldiers will turn their guns on him once they realize what's happening."

"The soldiers stationed in Jiujiang Prefecture were already demoralized and did not want to continue fighting."

"Upon seeing these letters, I believe that no remaining soldier of the Imperial Guard could remain calm."

"They may not care about their own lives, but everyone cares about their family—!"

"Back then, most of the people who were able to enter the Imperial Guard were only qualified because of their families' connections."

"Family honor will be their Achilles' heel!"

Chen Jie laughed and said, "Whether it can affect morale is not important. As long as Hong Chaoge sees these letters, he will definitely suspect that all the soldiers will have thoughts of rebellion!"

“Once the conflict between them is ignited, we can expect Jiujiang Prefecture to collapse from within.”

Huang Mingsun quickly flattered, "Prince Qian is wise!"

Chen Jie patted Huang Mingsun on the shoulder and said with a smile:
"Lord Huang, this matter has been handled very well!"

"But you need to think carefully about how to write this to shake the morale of the remaining Imperial Guards soldiers in Jiujiang Prefecture."

Huang Mingsun nodded and said, "Don't worry, Prince Qian, I'll go and prepare right away."

"The new emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty ascended the throne, and the court was not in chaos. The new policies began to be fully implemented."

"Although the implementation is somewhat slow in other regions of the Great Qian Dynasty, Jiujiang Prefecture is not far from Jinling, and we are all full of expectations for the new policies of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"The Qian King's governing philosophy was in line with the will of the people: what was taken from the people was used for the people, and all land was designated as collective ownership by the common people."

"Any soldier who thinks of this during battle will be driven crazy and have a goal to strive for."

“Prince Ning Li Mu, Prince Shu Li Chuang, Hong Chaoge and the Japanese, they acted against the tide of history. Although they had a strong military, they lost the hearts of the people.”

"The Great Qian Dynasty only truly embarked on the path of reform after the rise of the Qian King!"

Chen Jie smiled calmly and said, "Alright! Although everyone likes to hear flattery, you're being too hasty!"

"Considering that you have some ideas and abilities, after we take Jiujiang Prefecture, you will go to Shandong Academy for further studies for a period of time."

"As for whether you can be reinstated as the prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture, that depends on your ability!"

Huang Mingsun nodded and said, "Understood! Your subordinate will certainly live up to your expectations."

He had someone take several boxes of letters away, intending to produce more emotionally charged letters according to Chen Jie's wishes.

obviously,
He was not alone, but surrounded by a large group of scholars.

Upon hearing that he was qualified to study at the Shandong Academy, he knew that he had achieved his goal for the day.

According to the information he received, anyone who graduated from the Shandong Academy would be given an important position.

As long as he can graduate from the Shandong academy smoothly, his starting position will be at least the prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture, and he may even be able to take on a higher position.

-

Early the next morning.

Ximentang launched another attack on Jiujiang Prefecture.

but,

This attack was somewhat strange. Ximentang's heavy artillery and armor-piercing shells did not bombard the city walls, but instead intermittently bombarded the area around the walls.

Compared to yesterday's devastating scene, today's attack was remarkably quiet.

The soldiers defending the city are under much less pressure compared to yesterday.

Hong Chaoge and Tang Manjin observed from within the city wall's fortifications for a period of time and found that Ximentang did not launch a fierce attack.

For a while, they didn't know what had happened.

Did Ximentang abandon the attack after seeing so many innocent civilians on the city walls?
It seems this strategy was absolutely correct!

A large number of ordinary people were laying bricks and carrying sandbags around the city wall.

Whenever Ximentang launches a fierce artillery attack, the most casualties are these innocent civilians.

After observing for a moment, the two concluded that Ximentang would not launch a large-scale attack in the future.

They were exhausted last night and barely slept at all.

Hong Chaoge was worried that Ximentang would launch a night attack, so at night he specially arranged tens of thousands of civilians near the city wall.

If Ximentang launches a night attack, these innocent civilians will be the first to die.

He believed that as long as Ximen Tang cared about the greater good of the Great Qian Dynasty, he would not fire on innocent civilians.

As he wished, the fire at Simon Hall did indeed cease.

Faced with innocent civilians, Ximentang retreated, and sporadic shelling only resumed this morning.

The two yawned, and it seemed that Ximentang would not continue his strong attack.

then,

They thought they should hurry up and take a nap first. (End of Chapter)