Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 371: The First Battle of Crossing the River - Anqing

The huge fleet was sailing south along the central axis of the Yangtze River route.

The navy was escorted by two Ji Kang-class light gunboats and one Susong-class battleship.

With the current, but not too much with the wind.

The boat speed is still considerable.

Zheng Hean stood at the bow and chatted with Yang Yuchun.

The two of them had similar personalities and a good relationship in private. They were partners in the attack on Anqing.

Zheng Hean was the chief and Yang Yuchun was the deputy.

He led 2 light infantrymen of the 5000nd Corps to attack Anqing.

There were no cavalry or artillery, but they were equipped with 600 large rifles as firepower output.

……

"Brother Zheng, is the landing site reliable?"

"It was sent by the Intelligence Agency, so it should be reliable. Director Liu is a reliable person."

Yang Yuchun chuckled.

Zheng Hean's personality is even more straightforward and hot-tempered than his.

If you don't like something, it's easy to talk about it.

Zheng Hean also smiled:
"The captain is an old hand. Pass Anqing Prefecture and sail west 30 miles to enter this Pogang Lake. If there are Qing army artillery garrisons nearby, they won't be too strong. The navy will help us blow them up."

On the side, the captain of the ship who was affiliated with the Coal Bureau laughed and said:

"Don't worry, Generals. We often go to Anhui section of Yangtze River. I have sailed to Anqing Prefecture more than a dozen times before, so I am very familiar with it. Now is the flood season, and the fleet can sail directly from Yangtze River to Pogang Lake. There is no problem at all."

Zheng Hean smiled and said:
"We went around behind Anqing's defenses and avoided his defensive focus to the north and west."

Yang Yuchun nodded:

"I just don't know when the heavy artillery that Your Majesty mentioned will arrive?"

"We have to destroy the fort at the mouth of the Wan River first so that the ships from our hometown can dock. The heavy artillery must be unloaded nearby. It's too heavy to travel long distances on land."

……

As he was speaking, Zheng Hean suddenly looked embarrassed.

"What's wrong? Brother Zheng."

"Ouch, I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts, I have to go to the bathroom."

Zheng Hean bent over and left in pain.

"General Zheng, what's this?"

"Oh~" Yang Yuchun shook his head.

Schistosomiasis is difficult to eradicate.

obviously,
Although the medicine Zheng Hean took had some effect, it only suppressed the disease and failed to eradicate it.

The entire Wu Kingdom,

Perhaps Li Yu is the only one who has the clearest understanding of the horrific spread of this disease.

There is a phenomenon that is counterintuitive.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, infectious diseases were very frequent in the Jiangnan region in summer and autumn.

Other regions often experience major epidemics only after floods or droughts, but Jiangnan, with its dense population and frequent travel, has long been plagued by various epidemics.

Especially water pollution. Washing vegetables, clothes and toilets are all done in the same river, a perfect chain of infection~
Fortunately, the economy is prosperous and medical care is relatively sufficient.

Therefore, although various infectious diseases are prevalent, they have been suppressed at a certain level, and not nine out of ten houses are empty.

……

Anqing Prefecture City.

Suddenly, a warning gong sounded, and then the whole city followed suit.

A large group of Qing troops rushed up to the city wall, pointing and talking.

On the Yangtze River,
Hundreds of ships flying the Wu flag were passing by, with an astonishing momentum.

"Where is Wu Zetian going to attack?"

"I do not know."

"Could it be that they have conquered Jiangxi and are returning home in a show of strength?"

"Amitabha, just don't hit Anqing."

After a while,
Mingliang was fully armed and ran up to the city gate tower.

Through the telescope, he clearly saw the situation of the fleet, almost all of them were troop ships!

"Master, the bandits don't have many escort warships."

"Well, I see."

"Or, we can also send out the navy to intercept the bandits."

The Anqing camp originally had 15000 troops, and later half of them were stationed in Chaohu.

In addition to 7000 land soldiers, the city defense force also had 7 ganzi ships, 3 Fu ships, and 2 tower ships, equipped with firearms such as copper cannons, bowl-mouth guns, and sub-mother cannons.

They are all new ships, anchored in the Wan River west of Anqing City.

……

Mingliang hesitated for a moment:
"The pirate ship is going with the current. We may not be able to catch up with it if we send out our warships now."

"Notify the navy to be on alert. If the Wu bandits covet our Anqing, send them all out to strike them head-on. If they return to the bandit den in Jiangnan, forget it."

"Whoo."

The generals and officers around were all muttering in their hearts.

Today, Lord Mingliang is as afraid of his enemies as a tiger.

With the support of the Wanhekou artillery, the navy may not win, but it will definitely not lose.

This little episode was over quickly.

The last white sail also disappeared into the horizon.

As usual, Anqing Prefecture sent four teams of scouts to conduct reconnaissance and alert along the river bank to the east.

……

The Yangtze River has a clear turn to the east of Anqing Prefecture.

There is a short section running north-south.

The Qing army stationed two outposts here, as well as a simple artillery position made of wood and bricks.

Qian Zong stared in amazement at the aggressive Wu warships.
Draw the sword:

"Brothers, fire."

"Hold on, I will ride back to Anqing to get reinforcements."

……

Since the chief officer is so cunning, it is natural that the people under him will not resist sincerely.

After the first round of shells from the Ji Kang class fell.

There is no one at the fort.
They left behind a 1-jin red cannon, two French guns, and several boxes of low-quality powder gunpowder.

The Ji Kang class battleships took the lead.
The fleet sailed into Pogang Lake one after another.

Zheng Hean looked at the straight river and said with emotion:
"They are really rich. This river is dug so well."

Born as a farmer in northern Anhui, he is very sensitive to water conservancy facilities. Every time a river channel is dug, the grain yield on both sides of the river can increase by 3% and the probability of flooding can be reduced by 3%.

No time to sigh,
My eyes suddenly opened up.

The vast Pogang Lake has a cool breeze.

The captain of the ship reminded loudly:

"Two generals, you can prepare to land."

Zheng Hean was in high spirits. He climbed up the mast and shouted:

"Brothers of the Second Legion, take down Anqing Prefecture and bring honor to our family."

One call, a hundred responses.
In the reed marsh, all kinds of birds were frightened and flew away from these terrible two-legged beasts.

……

The captain searched for five suitable landing points along the river bank.

A long springboard was erected,

The soldiers stepped onto the land in order, and all of them were carrying considerable weight.

The flintlock rifle, bayonet, and ammunition weighed more than ten pounds.

There were also dry food, salt, fire starters, oil paper, and a gourd (or leather bag) filled with water.

Two people carry guns in a group.

The one carrying the big iron pot is naturally the cook.

It was impossible for Yang Yuchun's armored soldiers to march in armor, so the armor, tents, straw raincoats, straw, honeycomb coal, etc., took up 50 mule-drawn carts.

Medical officer Lu Huichun also worked tirelessly, bringing with him two apprentices who were carrying medicine boxes.

The medicine box contains clean cotton cloth, hemostatic drugs, various common medicinal materials, and various knives.

On the hat,
The red word "医" makes him stand out from the crowd and is very eye-catching.

Zheng Hean thought about it and asked him:
"Doctor Lu, do you have any medicine?"

"General Zheng, your stomach is still not healed?"

"Yes."

Zheng Hean was in great pain. He would rather die in battle than die of illness.

"Give."

Zheng Hean took off the stopper and gulped down half the porcelain bottle.

I don't know if it was a psychological effect or if it really worked for me, but he felt his stomach was much more stable and his strength was gradually coming back.

……

March quickly and make a circle.

From the east of Anqing Prefecture, go around the west of Anqing Prefecture, first destroy the Wanhekou Fort, and occupy the nearby Wankou Town. The Intelligence Agency said in detail:

Wankou Town is a thousand-year-old ancient town with rich resources and sufficient food.

After being taken quickly, it can be used as a supply.

It also has a mature dock where ships can unload heavy artillery.

Liu Qian is very meticulous in his work, and his intelligence suggestions impressed Zheng Hean.

of course,

No one knew that Smith, who had pretended to be a member of the Seres mission, had obtained a copy of "Map of the Qing Dynasty" from the Ministry of Rites in the capital, and it had already been transferred to the archives of the Intelligence Agency.

Therefore, Liu Qian had a purpose.

This intelligence was obtained after spies were sent to investigate the mouth of the Wan River in the western suburbs of Anqing Prefecture.

……

After walking 2 miles,

The vanguard encountered Qing army scouts.

Without saying a word, Wu Jun picked up his muskets and started shooting.

After a burst of dense gunfire, three of the four Qing scouts fell off their horses and one escaped.

Zheng Hean didn't care. He glanced at the sun and shouted loudly:

"Brothers, hurry up. Let's try to have dinner in Wankou Town."

We met in the villages along the way.
They were unable to escape, and dared not engage in hostile behavior.

However, people who reported the news kept running to Anqing, and the Qing government's baojia system was still quite efficient.

As the baggage trains moved slowly,

Zheng Hean and Yang Yuchun discussed it and decided to divide their forces.

He led 1000 light infantrymen to attack Wankou Town and occupy the territory first, thus securing a foothold for the army.

"Brothers from the 1st and 2nd Battalions, take some dry food and water, and unload everything else. Follow me and speed up."

……

At this time, Anqing Prefecture had already received intelligence about the enemy.

They began to block the city gates, and soldiers went up into the city, while the number of scouts was increased to 20 teams.

Mingliang sighed:

"I didn't escape after all. If I didn't cross the river, the enemy would cross the river to find me. Well, let's have a bloody battle in Anqing City."

He calmed down,

He ordered the preparation of stones, logs, kerosene and lime, and the clearing of the houses near the city wall.

Simultaneously,

The only 400 cavalrymen in the city were gathered as a reserve.

Order the yamen runners to inform the people,

Anyone who leaves the house without reason will be considered as collaborating with the enemy and can be executed on the spot.

Anqing was shrouded in a terrifying and murderous atmosphere.

……

Half an hour before sunset,
Zheng Hean led the vanguard and hurried to the outside of Wankou Town.

"Fix the bayonet and load the gunpowder."

They marched in unison and easily captured Wankou Town. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they wiped out the local patrol soldiers.

More than a dozen people were killed and more than fifty were captured.

There was chaos in the town.

"Block all roads and control the town, quickly~"

The two most elite battalions of the 2nd Corps acted swiftly and bravely.

Except for the captain who escaped, the rest of the town's leading figures were captured.

Zheng Hean was very unskilled in persuading people to surrender, as this was his first time.

And he was surprised to find that the title of fellow villager was not useful.

Just as people from Jiangsu are scattered, people from Anhui are also scattered.

The Anqing people did not recognize him as a fellow villager from Yingzhou Prefecture. His eyes showed unwilling obedience and helpless cooperation. There was no empathy!
This made him miss his hometown again.

if,

This is not Anqing Prefecture, but Yingzhou Prefecture.

He stood on a high place and raised his arms to call for help, and his fellow villagers would come to his doorstep and raise thousands of armed men in minutes.

If this were Fuyang County of Yingzhou Prefecture, all the young and old men in the county could rebel against the Qing government together.

There is no need to mobilize, nor to talk about the great cause of the Han people's country. All you need to do is open the arsenal, pay the soldiers, and have two full meals a day.

……

Thinking of this, Zheng Hean couldn't help cursing:
"Damn it, lock these bastards up in the yard."

"Quickly take control of important locations, such as granaries, herbal medicine shops, mule and horse markets, rice shops, and blacksmith shops. Find a few loudmouths to tell the folks in Wankou Town that the Wu army is the legitimate Han Chinese. No matter if you are a student or a craftsman, as long as you are willing to surrender, you will have the opportunity to become an official in the future."

When the sun only has the last ray of light on the horizon,

The scout came back and brought back information about the mouth of the Wan River, three miles away.

"Deputy Commander, something terrible is happening."

"Why are you panicking?"

"There are Qing warships moored near the fort at the mouth of the Wan River. They can respond from afar! And they are already on guard. The warships have weighed anchor and are moored in the center of the river. Barricades have been set up around the fort, and patrols have been added."

Zheng Hean pushed everyone away.

I ran to the top of the tallest observation building in the town and looked at the faint lights of the fort torches in the distance.

He gritted his teeth and said:
"Organize a death squad and touch them up."

"Find the brothers who can see the road at night. There is no shortage of wine and meat for the brothers. No one should give in."

A group of young soldiers around him laughed and said:
"Brother Zheng, don't worry. The damn Li Wenxiang didn't even show any fear after his death. Do you think we are inferior to him?"

……

Hula la,
A suicide squad of 300 people was formed from the soldiers who were not night blind.

Due to the good food of the Wu army, a high proportion of soldiers could see normally at night.

Travel light, with each person carrying no more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

In fact, Zheng Hean felt that 5 shots were too many.

In addition to the bayonet, each man also carried a dagger. Once they got up there, they had to fight hand-to-hand.

"Brothers, once the artillery fires, if Yang Yuchun hasn't arrived yet, you must get all the people in the town to run with torches in hand."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

A soldier laughed and said:
"Don't worry, deputy commander. It's just a scare tactic. When the Qing army sees so many torches everywhere, they will be scared to death."

Wanhekou Fort,
It was supervised by Mingliang himself. The main building is made of bluestone slabs and huge timber, and has a solid structure.

Still using the old thinking, half of the artillery had their muzzles fixed so that they could only fire at the area where the Wanhe River flows into the river.

Now, Wu Jun suddenly appeared behind him.

The defenders of the fort were in a panic, busy aiming the other half of the movable artillery carriage to the rear.

……

The sun sets and the earth falls into darkness.

At the Wanhekou Fort, a torch was inserted on the wall every 3 meters.

The Qing army also lit more than a dozen bonfires in the surrounding areas.

Zheng Hean led a suicide squad of 300 people and quietly moved to 100 feet away from the artillery position.

Go forward.
Your whereabouts will definitely be exposed.

He took a deep breath and took off his red and black military uniform, revealing the white coarse cloth shirt underneath.

"Pass the order down. When killing people, pay attention to their clothes. Those in white shirts are our people!"

Military orders were whispered from the front to the back of the team.

Zheng Hean observed for a while.
He raised his bayonet and shouted:
"rush!"

He took the lead and the others followed immediately.

300 suicide squad members trotted towards the artillery position, with the people in the front carrying a dozen wooden ladders collected from the town.

……

The defensive focus of the fort is in the front.

There were only some makeshift barricades and fences at the rear.

There was also a trench that was 2 feet deep and 4 feet wide. It was so simple that it was a fool's dream to try to stop the ferocious soldiers.

But when the death squad removed the barricades, the bells tied to them rang.
When the Qing troops at the fort heard the news, they immediately rang the gong to sound the alarm.

At the same time, light the artillery and fire at the enemy no matter where they are.

Under the urging of the officers, the Qing army gunners rushed into the gun positions and lit the fuses.

The red cannon loaded slowly, but the submachine gun fired very quickly, and with a roar, large amounts of shotgun shells were scattered everywhere.

By the light of the bonfire,
Members of Wu’s suicide squad were shot and fell continuously, wailing in pain.

Zheng Hean shouted loudly:
"Go, go ahead."

"The faster you rush, the less likely you are to die."

Under his influence,

Everyone rushed forward with their heads down, almost at the speed of a 100-meter sprint, and put the wooden ladder up to the back wall of the turret.

The death squad members with childish faces held the ladder in one hand and carried the flintlock rifle in the other, then rushed up the ladder.

……

(End of this chapter)