With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

"In this battle, our army suffered more than 800 casualties, killed more than 4,000 enemy soldiers, captured more than 10,000, seized more than 1,500 horses, and captured a certain amount of supplies."

The logistics officers, specifically responsible for counting the spoils of war, summarized the results of the day's battle.

Most of the casualties in this battle came from the Longxiang Army, while the New Army's suicide squad suffered the fewest casualties, since they were providing fire support from the rear and it was difficult for them to be injured or killed.

Timely inventory of battle losses is beneficial for subsequent troop operations.

They fought very smoothly in this battle, and if they hadn't been ambushed by the enemy during the pursuit, their casualties would have been even lower.

Chu Gang also summarized the daytime battle.

With their superior firepower, they can be more daring, but they must be wary of enemy counterattacks during the pursuit.

Although a steady and methodical approach may be slower, it will certainly allow us to defeat the enemy completely with minimal casualties.

However, Chu Gang wanted to proceed steadily and surely, but the reality did not allow for this.

"I have the following plan for tomorrow's siege of Jianyang City: first, we will try to destroy and seize the enemy's ships, then cross the Mayang River and attack the Jingxing Gate, Tongsi Gate, and Gongchen Gate of Jianyang City."

Jianyang City has a total of six city gates: Chaoyang Gate in the east, Jingxing Gate in the south, Tongsi Gate in the west, Gongchen Gate in the north, Rulin Gate in the southeast, and Shuimen Gate in the southwest.

The confluence of the Mayang River and the Chongyang River is located at the southeast gate of Jianyang City, forming a natural moat for the city.

The width of the Mayang River is approximately 80-120 meters, and during the flood season when spring and summer are in transition, the water depth can reach more than 8 meters.

Chongyang Creek is 150-200 meters wide, and its depth is similar to that of Mayang Creek.

To besiege Jianyang City, they must cross the river.

A powerful navy is needed for tens of thousands of people to cross the river.

After the new army occupied Jianning Prefecture, Li Tian had already begun planning the construction of a navy.

A month and a half has passed, and the navy currently has only a little over a hundred ships and more than three thousand men. The army is called the First Army of the Mountain and River Navy, and its commander was Zhou Zhi, the former commander of the Second Regiment of the Seventh Army.

When this naval force was first established, it only blocked the Jianxi River and did not actually participate in any major battles.

During the daytime battle between Kong Youde and the second army, the navy only used iron chains and wooden plank bridges to block the Qing navy's support and attacks.

This successfully bought valuable time for the second lane to fight.

However, it was precisely because the land battle ended so quickly that the Qing army's navy had not yet broken through the defenses, while the Qing army's land forces had already collapsed.

This caused the navy to fail to achieve its intended purpose, leading to a frustrated return upstream to support the fleeing Qing army.

"However, before crossing the river, we must destroy the enemy's navy."

Chu Gang looked at Zhou Zhi, the commander of the First Army of the Shanhe Navy, who was standing to the side.

The latter shook his head with a wry smile; "Commander, although I will certainly carry out your orders, as you can see, our navy has only been established for a month, and none of my new army brothers know how to conduct naval warfare in this era. We rely entirely on prisoners and new recruits. If we fight a hard battle, I'm afraid we will be completely wiped out."

Zhou Zhi explained the current predicament of the navy.

Currently, most of the officers in the First Army of the Shanhe Navy are locals or prisoners of war, with only a few generals being new soldiers who have died for their country.

Although the new army's suicide soldiers had received military training, they were clearly inferior to the naval commanders of this era in their knowledge of how to fight on ancient wooden ships.

For this reason, Zhouzhi also promoted a local man with experience in naval combat to be his staff officer.

"The navy's mission in this battle is not to confront the Qing navy head-on. We only need to lure the Qing navy out so that our land forces can launch an artillery attack, and you can finish up and seize the ships."

The two rivers were not wide, but they had advanced weapons such as mortars, Hanyang rifles, and Jian'an rifles.

It is possible to attack the enemy navy from the shore.

To ambush the enemy navy, all you need is a relatively flat riverbank.

"Yes, Commander, I will definitely complete the mission." Hearing that the mission was simple, Zhou Zhi said nothing more.

With the plan finalized, everyone dispersed.

Just then, in the dead of night, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out outside the camp, piercing the silent stillness of the night.

"Enemy attack!"

Gunshots rang out.

The troops on night watch immediately shouldered their guns and went into combat readiness.

At this moment, He Luohui, who had just approached the new army's position, broke out in a cold sweat.

"We've been spotted by enemy sentries!"

"Never mind, let's charge!"

"Brothers, follow me and kill!"

The area below the position was a gentle slope, without any barricades to intercept the cavalry.

He Luohui saw this and launched a direct attack.

Eight hundred cavalrymen trampled the ground, creating a thunderous booming sound.

However, when they were halfway there, the cavalryman at the front suddenly tumbled and fell to the ground.

The deep trench beneath their feet formed a defensive line, directly tripping the horse.

The horse stumbled, its front hooves broke, and the soldier was thrown from its back.

At night, the new army abandoned its position in the first layer of trenches, leaving only a few hidden sentries.

Inside the second layer of trenches, troops took turns on guard duty.

When the whistle blew, the soldiers on guard in the higher trenches on the second level immediately launched a counterattack.

"shot!"

"Throw incendiary bombs to illuminate the way!"

"Quickly inform the regimental commander that our troops need reinforcements!"

Several ceramic pots filled with fuel were lit and thrown out of the position.

The firelight illuminated the Qing troops hidden in the darkness ahead.

Upon identifying the enemy, the soldiers immediately opened fire.

The crackling of gunfire rang out, and He Luo felt a chill run down his spine.

His night raid was discovered, and the enemy had already reacted; his sneak attack failed!

"What appears to be a defensive lapse is actually a trap; this rebel force is extraordinary."

"withdraw!"

He Luohui did not persist in his attack and turned to run away.

All eight hundred men are elite troops; he would be heartbroken to lose even one. If the operation fails, it's better to cut the losses in time.

"Damn it, I had just fallen asleep when the Qing army arrived. What bad luck!"

Chu Liuxiang, the battalion commander of the Shenji Battalion of the Fourth Army of Longxiang, led his troops out with a rifle in hand.

They had barely fired a few shots after arriving at the position when the enemy troops slunk away.

"Don't run away if you dare!"

"Let's call it a day, let's go back to sleep." Seeing the enemy army leave, Chu Liuxiang led his men back to continue sleeping.

"Second Company Commander, keep a good watch tonight. Send someone to report on tonight's night raid, saying that the enemy has left. I will have the Third Company join your company in strengthening the patrol tonight," Chu Liuxiang reminded him before leaving.

"Yes, Battalion Commander." Second Company Commander.

A minor incident occurred during the night, but it did not prevent most of the soldiers from getting a rest.

One night passed.

He Luo returned to Jianyang City in disappointment, and the second army began its operation.

After finding a relatively flat riverbank, Zhou Zhi decided to lure the Qing navy there.

Chu Gang also moved four mortars to the opposite bank of the river, intending to use powerful firepower to destroy the enemy navy.

Zhouzhi lifted the blockade on the river, an action that immediately attracted the attention of Wan Deren, a Qing naval commander.

"The rebel army has actually lifted the blockade; could it be that they want to fight me?"

Wan Deren was suspicious and did not make a decision immediately, but instead presented the information to Kong Youde.

Meanwhile, Kong Youde, in the Jianyang City government office, had a solemn expression.

"The rebels have made their move. They want to cross the river and besiege Jianyang City." Kong Youde handed the intelligence to Chen Tai and Zhang Cunren.

Upon seeing this, Chen Tai panicked. Thinking of the New Army's powerful artillery, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"They've surrounded us so quickly! We absolutely cannot let them besiege the city. We must destroy all their ships and prevent them from crossing the river!"

Chen Tai's expression was ferocious; he was afraid, angry, and terrified.

Once the city was besieged by the new army, he had a premonition that he would die there.

No, I have to leave Jianyang City!

Zhang Cunren frowned; "General Jingnan is right. If the rebels want to besiege the city, they must cross the river. To stop them from besieging the city, we must destroy all of the rebels' boats."

Kong Youde pondered for a moment; "Alright, let Wan Deren lead the navy to stop the rebels from crossing the river, and strengthen the defenses inside the city to prevent spies inside the city from colluding with the rebels outside the city."

At this moment, Chen Tai's eyes revealed a murderous glint; "Your Highness, our army has just suffered a defeat and its morale is low, while the enemy army has just won a victory and its morale is high. There are also Han spies causing trouble in the city. I suggest that we order a massacre of the city to eliminate the hidden dangers in the city and also boost the morale of our army."

He felt uneasy if he didn't kill all the Han people in the city.

Upon hearing this, Kong Youde and Zhang Cunren were both shocked, staring wide-eyed at Chen Tai in disbelief.