Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 203 Entering the city easily

There were undercurrents surging in Jiangning City, and Hong Chengchou knew it clearly in his mind. However, a good cook cannot cook without rice. There were more than 30,000 soldiers in the city, and half of them were deserters. As for the forced conscription of men, they might be able to do their job by carrying wood and throwing stones, but as for defending the city to the death, Hong Chengchou had no such illusion. Since the Qing Dynasty went south, it had not done a single thing to benefit the people. Instead, it had massacred the people, shaved their heads, changed their clothes, and plundered their property.

When Meng Jun arrived in Jiangning, Hong Chengchou ordered people to grind ink and spread paper. His fingers stroked the smooth rice paper, his eyes were deep, he took a deep breath, picked up the pen, and wrote: "The king is wise and brave, leading the army to come in person. Although Chengchou is not talented, he also knows that it is difficult to defy fate. Today's situation cannot be reversed by human power. Chengchou is willing to surrender the city. I only hope that the general can save the lives of the people in the city and prevent them from suffering. If the general can promise this, Chengchou will lead the people to open the city gate and welcome the general into the city.

However, this matter is of great importance. I hope the general can give you half a month to allow Chengchou to calm the people, appease the generals, and arrange matters. By then, the city gates will be opened wide, and the king can take over this magnificent city without spending a single soldier."

After writing the letter, Hong Chengchou carefully blew dry the ink, then sealed the envelope and handed it to the messenger. As the messenger left, Hong Chengchou sighed and prayed secretly in his heart that Meng Jun would suddenly lose his mind. Even if he couldn't delay for half a month, he would delay it for as long as possible.

If that fails, he can only hope to rely on the tall walls of Jiangning to slightly dampen the enemy's morale, boost the army's morale, and hold out until help arrives.

After receiving reports of the fall of Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and the crisis in Jiangning, the regent in Beijing was worried that if Jiangning was lost, the southeast would be in danger. Then, it is very likely that the vast Han area south of the Yangtze River would change.

On March 2, Dorgon sent Aisin-Gioro, led by Baiyintu, Gushan Ezhen Suohong, Lai Ta and others to lead 20,000 elite Eight Banners troops from Beijing to Jiangning for reinforcement. He also dispatched more than 43,000 green camps from Henan, Hebei, Xuzhou, Huai'an and other places. At the same time, Dorgon took the opportunity to order Jiang Xiang of Datong, Shanxi to send troops south to help Jiangning.

Jiang Xiang was hesitant, but under Dorgon's strict order, he still reluctantly sent troops. He sent his general Yang Zhenwei to lead 6,000 troops to the south. Before Yang Zhenwei left, Jiang Xiang warned him, "Don't make decisions on your own. In a battle, you must try your best, but you can't use all your strength either."

Although Duoduo found it difficult to go on the expedition, Dorgon still tried his best to squeeze out more troops from the north to support Jiangning, instead of withdrawing them from Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Huguang and other places. For Dorgon, the fight to wipe out the remnants of the Ming Dynasty had come to the last moment. He still believed that as long as Yunnan and Guizhou were pacified, he could take back Jiangning even if it was lost in the southeast.

But for Hong Chengchou in Jiangning City, these troops were just a drop in the ocean. After Meng Jun's troops arrived at the city, the atmosphere in Jiangning City was terrifying and tense.

Fulsheng, who had lost an arm, was worried that the people in the city were Meng Jun's accomplices, and wanted to kill them all to prevent future troubles. After Hong Chengchou's strong dissuasion, he gave up this crazy idea. Jiangning also avoided the tragedy of a massacre. Even though there are only a few hundred people in the Eight Banners now, if they join forces with people from the Han Army Banner such as Ke Yongsheng and Zhang Guoliang, they may really be able to kill people in Jiangning city.

At this time, every household in Jiangning City had their doors and windows tightly shut, and even the sounds of chickens and dogs barking had disappeared, with a solemn and deadly silence. The price of grain in the city soared, and the people did not even dare to go out to buy rice. Some people even starved to death at home.

After receiving Hong Chengchou's letter, Meng Jun burst out laughing. At this point, the outcome could be decided in one day, but he actually wanted to give him half a month. Was he playing a joke? Meng Jun then threw the letter aside and did not reply to Hong Chengchou at all.

After receiving the secret letter from the city, Meng Jun transferred Ningwu Town to the vicinity of Dinghuai Gate and supplemented Qian Biao's troops with five battalions of service troops. After everything was ready, the attack began.

On March 16, Meng Jun mobilized a large army and began to attack the inner city of Jiangning. When the dawn broke, the attack of Ningwu Town began under the city wall near Dinghuai Gate. They rushed to the city wall like a tide, and the shouts of killing were deafening. However, the soldiers guarding the city were unusually quiet, without any panic, and even had a little excitement in their expressions.

Wu Tiao stood on the city wall, looking at the approaching Zhou army expressionlessly. At this time, the military supervisor Zhao Geng looked at Wu Tiao in confusion. When the Zhou army's ladders began to approach the city wall, the soldiers guarding the city still did not put up any resistance.

At this time, Zhao Geng shouted, "General Wu, what are you doing? Why aren't the soldiers firing their cannonballs?"

Wu Geng looked back at the personal guard behind him, and when their eyes met, he saw that the personal guard was holding a sharp blade. In an instant, the blade flashed, and the blade fell with decisive movements. Zhao Geng didn't even have time to put up any resistance before he died.

Zhao Geng's face still showed astonishment and disbelief, and his guards were also shocked by this sudden change. When Zhao Geng's guards were caught off guard, Wu Geng's men took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. They quickly started killing, swinging their swords at the enemy mercilessly. For a while, screams came one after another, and the bloody smell was filled. Soon, dozens of guards were killed.

Wu Tiao also ordered his confidant to report to Ke Yongsheng, saying that although the Zhou army's attack on the city was urgent, the city of Jiangning was high and it would not be difficult to defend.

Lin Shiqi watched his men swarming up the city wall without losing a single person, and cheered loudly in excitement. The clerk Chu Zhangyin beside him stroked his beard and shouted, "The army has already secured the emperor's residence, and they are preparing to recover the country."

However, something went wrong at the Yifeng Gate. Zhao Zhilong's former subordinates had opened the city gate as planned. However, their actions were discovered by Zhang Guoliang. When Qian Biao's troops rushed into the city, they met Zhang Guoliang's troops, and a fight ensued.

The sound of killing was deafening as the two sides engaged in close combat. However, Qian Biao's troops were in high spirits and they entered the city in one battle, while Zhang Guoliang's troops were originally defeated and reorganized, and were forced to retreat step by step by Qian Biao's troops.

However, the battlefield was still stalemate, and the city gate was narrow, so it was not easy to break through. At this moment, Lin Shiqi and Wu Tiao's troops attacked Zhang Guoliang from behind like a celestial being. This sudden attack caught Zhang Guoliang off guard.

The morale of Lin Shiqi and Wu Tiao's troops was high. They rushed towards Zhang Guoliang's defense line with thundering force. Zhang Guoliang's headquarters was defeated and Zhang Guoliang disappeared. With the Yifeng Gate wide open, an endless stream of Zhou troops swarmed in. Ke Yongsheng, who was stationed at Dinghuai Gate, was horrified and refused to follow Hong Chengchou's order to retreat into the imperial city. Instead, he opened the city gate and fled with his troops.

More than 3,000 troops of Ma Decenggong stationed at the Shen Ce Gate retreated into the imperial city, as did Lin Guangyuan's 6,000 troops and Babutai's 2,000-plus troops. Hong Chengchou watched the sounds of killing echoing throughout the city, and with a wry smile he looked at the defenders of only more than 10,000 people. He knew that Jiangning City could no longer be defended.