Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

November has arrived, and even in southern places like Shinju, winter has fully arrived.

A light rain had just fallen, and the dark clouds had not yet dispersed when a cold wind blew in. The damp chill seeped into every part of the body, making one feel a chill from the inside out, causing one to shiver involuntarily, and even breathing became heavy and slow.

There were few pedestrians in the city, and the shops on both sides of the street had closed early. Although it was not yet dark, Xinzhou City was quiet.

After deciding on the strategy of sending troops north to Hangzhou, Li Chengming sent the message to the other commando members and summoned them back to Xinzhou City to discuss the matter.

Li Chengming could make the decision on such a major matter as sending troops to Hangzhou, but he couldn't avoid discussing it with his comrades afterwards.

One day after Li Chengming sent the message, all the commandos gathered in Xinzhou City.

Zhou Lei exclaimed excitedly, "Comrades, it's been so long! I've missed you all so much!"

Since capturing Qianshan City, Zhou Lei has been stationed there and has not returned.

Chen Shaoping said, "It's been a long time since I've seen everyone. It's so rare to be able to get together like this today."

He Mingqiu said, "I fish every day in Ehu Town, and I'm tired of eating fish. Is there anything good to eat here?"

Yan Huidong said to Huang Longkun, "I've finished building the generator for you, but what about the gelatinous explosives you promised? We've driven Jin Shenghuan away, but you still haven't delivered them."

Huang Longkun said guiltily, "It was an accident, an accident. The safety issues of the initial batch of gelatinous explosives and primers haven't been resolved yet. Now that the primers and other things are done, I can't give them to you. I need to prepare for the trip north to Hangzhou."

The commandos hadn't seen each other for months, and once they got together, they started chatting non-stop.

Li Chengming came over and patted the table, signaling everyone to be quiet.

After everyone quieted down, Li Chengming said, "Alright, let me give you some background. In September of this year, the Lu Prince's regime crossed the Qiantang River, attempting to retake Hangzhou, but failed. In December, the Lu Prince's generals Fang Guoan and Wang Zhiren gathered nearly 30,000 troops to try and capture Hangzhou. This time it was even worse; almost all 30,000 troops were lost. From then on, the Lu Prince's regime completely lost its ability to launch attacks..."

Li Chengming first briefly explained the situation in Zhejiang, then analyzed the reasons for sending troops to Hangzhou, and finally asked, "Everyone, what's your opinion on the Restoration Army's dispatch of troops to Hangzhou?"

Liang Zicheng spoke first: "Captain, I agree to send troops!"

Then the other commandos also expressed their support for sending troops to Hangzhou.

After reaching a consensus, Li Chengming said, "My initial plan is to send 2,000 troops, using the name of the Ming army, to march north from Wuyuan, passing through Huizhou and Ningguo, and then into Zhejiang, Hangzhou. Before reaching Hangzhou, the biggest enemy along the way will be the Zhang brothers, Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu, who have already surrendered to the Qing. My opinion is to eliminate them first and remove the Qing army's threat to Wuyuan!"

Chen Shaoping said, "I also know something about Huizhou. Even before the Restoration Army arrived in Wuyuan, there was already a small Qing army stationed in Wuyuan. But after Wuyuan surrendered to our Restoration Army, the small Qing army from Huizhou left Wuyuan. It seems that they do not want to have a conflict with our Restoration Army for the time being."

Chen Shaoping led his troops into Wuyuan County and became quite familiar with Wuyuan and the surrounding environment.

Liang Zicheng added, "Zhang Tianlu is no benevolent man. His temporary retreat doesn't mean anything. We've occupied Wuyuan in Huizhou, and Zhang Tianlu is the general of Huizhou. Sooner or later, there will be a battle between him and our Restoration Army. Our best option is to take the initiative and completely crush them!"

Yan Huidong asked, "How many soldiers does Zhang Tianlu have?"

Chen Shaoping thought for a moment and said, "I also sent people to inquire about the situation in Huizhou. Judging from the size of the troops, they number around five thousand. From what I've gathered, their strength should be inferior to that of the Jin and Zheng armies of similar numbers!"

The brothers Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu were originally Ming generals who surrendered to the Qing after the fall of the Hongguang regime in Nanjing. When Zhang Tianlu surrendered to the Qing, he only led two or three thousand troops. Even if he later expanded his army, his strength should not have exceeded five thousand.

Li Chengming nodded and said, "Zhang Tianlu's traitorous troops are not difficult to deal with, but we must finish them off quickly, then head north to Ningguo Prefecture, and finally east to Hangzhou!"

Liang Zicheng asked, "Captain, when we defeated Jin Shenghuan, we already attracted the attention of the Manchus. If we defeat Zhang Tianlu as well, it means we have the strength to send troops on a northern expedition. Won't that attract a large Manchu army to encircle and suppress us?"

Although the Xingfu Army was powerful, it was still confined to a prefecture. The Manchus did not yet regard the Xingfu Army as a major threat. However, if the Xingfu Army first defeated the Zhang Tianlu brothers and then marched north to capture Hangzhou, it would definitely be regarded as a major threat by the Manchus.

Li Chengming said, "Even if it attracts a large Qing army to besiege us, we cannot stay here forever. After we capture Hangzhou and deal a heavy blow to the Qing army in Jiangnan, we will adopt a strategy of defending in the north and attacking in the south."

The other commandos nodded emphatically, just as He Mingqiu had said: "I've long been annoyed with those Qing troops in Jiangnan. Those beasts are even more cruel than the later 'Little Days' (a derogatory term for the Qing army). Do they really think China has no one to fight? In any case, I support sending troops to deal with them!"

Li Chengming and his group analyzed the impact of sending troops. If they captured Hangzhou, the Qing army would first have to consider retaking the city before considering the Southern Expedition to Restore the Army.

Of course, this does not mean that the Qing Dynasty will not take action against the Xingfu Army. The Qing Dynasty will probably order Jin Shenghuan to send troops again to attack the Xingfu Army entrenched in Xinzhou Prefecture.

However, Jin Shenghuan's elite troops have already lost more than half of their strength in Qianshan City and Ehu Town, and the next army sent may not be as strong as the first.

Therefore, in Li Chengming's view, Jin Shenghuan was no longer a threat.

After finalizing the troop deployment plan, the next step was to select the generals.

Li Chengming asked, "Who among you is willing to lead the troops into battle this time?"

To Li Chengming's surprise, everyone raised their hands this time.

"You guys?" Li Chengming smiled helplessly and said, "You all used to make excuses when I asked you to lead troops into battle, why are you all so eager this time?"

"Hehe, Captain, this time is different," He Mingqiu said. "Even someone like me who doesn't know much about history has heard of the 'Ten Days of Yangzhou' and the 'Three Massacres of Jiading.' The Qing army in Jiangnan committed many atrocities, and it is an honor to personally lead troops to eliminate them."

Li Chengming looked around at everyone and said, "Is that what you all think too?"

The other assault team members all nodded in agreement.

Li Chengming smiled. This was one of the reasons he had planned to send troops to Hangzhou.

Li Chengming said, "There's no need for so many people to go on the expedition. How about this, I'll just select some. Hui Dong, as an observer, you'll be indispensable for scouting enemy positions. You're one of them. Any questions?"

Yan Huidong stood up and answered loudly, "No problem!"

Li Chengming continued, "There's one more person, Shao Ping. You did a pretty good job recruiting and training soldiers when you were in Yushan County. Are you confident about leading the troops into battle this time?"

Chen Shaoping also stood up and shouted, "I have confidence!"

Li Chengming nodded and said, "Then it's Hui Dong and Shao Ping. Does anyone else have any objections?"

Although the others weren't selected, their comrades' departure was equivalent to their own, so they weren't too disappointed and all shook their heads, saying, "No objections!"

Observer Yan Huidong and sniper Chen Shaoping were originally the best partners, and they were working together again after a long time apart!