Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 159 Looking North to the Southern Capital

Suzhou City, Governor's Mansion, brightly lit at night.

In the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion, many generals were discussing various matters concerning sending troops. The hall was crowded with people, clerks coming in and out from time to time, and messengers were hurriedly taking orders and rushing to various places.

"In the past six months, the Firearms Workshop has cast another 31 cannons. Together with the original ones, our army already has 53 cannons. There are more than 100 small cannons such as the Tiger Zun cannon that have been transported to Suzhou from various places. The Firearms Workshop has developed a new type of portable cannon with extremely high accuracy, which can penetrate armor within 100 steps. However, there are only 50 of them," Zhu Tu stood up and said to Meng Jun.

"Okay, we can form a special team to carry the artillery, and take the enemy by surprise on the battlefield, or even snipe and kill the enemy generals," Meng Jun nodded when he heard this.

"This time, the army is expected to carry up to 20,000 kilograms of gunpowder, which should be enough for the firearms and cannons. Yang En picked up a cup of strong tea and took a sip, looking a little tired.

Hearing this, Lin Shiqi shook his head and said firmly: "This is far from enough! No one can predict how long this war will last. We must be fully prepared. It is always right to stockpile more gunpowder."

At this time, Zhao Kang, a clerk in the Governor's Office, stepped forward to express his opinion: "We currently only have more than 20,000 kilograms of gunpowder, but there is no need to worry. Once the supply from the rear catches up, it will be immediately transported to the front line to fill the gap." He said in a firm tone.

Meng Jun made the decision and said, "Let's start with 20,000 kilograms of gunpowder, and then we'll ship in more batches. Also, the Governor's Office will send letters to all places to recruit civilians, and check whether they have all been collected."

"Last month, we sent a letter to all counties, and the list of laborers has been submitted. 87,000 laborers have been conscripted for corvée labor, and they will arrive in Suzhou after the new year." Yang En flipped through the document, and then said to everyone.

At this time, Lin Shiqi said to Meng Jun: "Commander-in-chief, this is an unprecedented battle for our army. Should we transfer Han Tongzhen's Kewu Army back to Sucheng?"

Meng Jun thought for a while, shook his head and said: "The place where Kewu Town is stationed is strictly guarding Fujian and Jiangxi. Even with Han Xiong's military strength, if the Qing army attacks, it will be a struggle to defend it. His troops cannot move lightly."

"Then the Wu'an Town under Zhao Tongzhen can be transferred here. The Qing army cannot cross Suzhou Prefecture and threaten Songjiang."

"Yes, Xia Wanchun, send a letter immediately to transfer Wu'an Town to Changshu," Meng Jun said quickly.

Xia Wanchun immediately agreed, then sat at the desk beside him, quickly wrote the transfer order and handed it to Meng Jun. Seeing that there was no problem, Meng Jun immediately stamped the governor's seal, and the messenger took the military order and immediately rushed to Songjiang.

"With a population of 100,000, the material consumption is huge. The further the front line moves forward, the more difficult it will be to supply the rear. In my opinion, it is much more convenient to transport food and grass via the Yangtze River." Bai Yongfu said to the generals.

Lin Shiqi looked at the map and frowned, then said: "The army must go along Jiangyin and Zhenjiang to Jiangning, but Changzhou and Wuxi cannot be ignored either."

Guo Hu said: "Why not split the troops into two groups?"

"It is not a good idea to divide the troops, Governor. After the massacre by Bolo in Jiangyin, nine out of ten houses are now empty. The Tartar army has no troops stationed in Jiangyin, and at most there are only a few hundred garrisons. You can send a detachment to take it, and the main army will leave Suzhou, first take Wuxi, then conquer Changzhou, and then go north to join the detachment, capture Zhenjiang, and finally go straight to Jiangning." Lin Shiqi became more and more excited as he spoke.

After a long and intense discussion, everyone reached a consensus. Almost everyone thought that they should march along the Yangtze River. This magnificent river could save a lot of manpower by relying on the power of the river water.

At this time, Yang En was a little excited and said: "Since we are marching along the Yangtze River, can we reduce the number of civilians we can recruit?"

Hearing this, Wang Fugui shook his head like a wave drum and said, "No, no, we can't do without civilians. They have to transport food and weapons, build fortifications, dig trenches, set up camps, carry the wounded, and clean up the battlefield. I already feel that 80,000 are not enough, how can we reduce it further?"

Meng Jun interrupted the argument between the two and said to Yang En, "Mu De, the Governor's Office should immediately send a letter to all coastal counties to requisition ships to transport food and fodder for the army."

"Yes, Governor, I will give the order immediately."

After Meng Jun finished speaking, he continued, "Since we are marching along the Yangtze River, the navy is extremely important. Send an order that the navy built by Zhao Yongping will be temporarily under the command of Shen Tingyang to escort the civilian ships transporting food and fodder."

Xia Wanchun sat aside, holding the teapot in his hand, and stood up from time to time to fill the tea for the generals present. His eyes were focused and serious, listening to everyone's words while thinking secretly.

These words were very different from the war he had imagined. In his mind, war should be a contest full of strategy and wisdom, a life-and-death duel between the enemy and us on the battlefield, and a feat of generals planning and winning thousands of miles away. However, what he heard at this moment were the complicated and trivial affairs of the army, the supply of food and grass, the training of soldiers, and the rectification of military discipline.

The night was deep and everything was silent. The generals sat in the hall and discussed the strategic deployment fiercely. Time passed by, and it was late at night. Meng Jun saw that everyone looked tired and knew that they were exhausted. So he turned to Yu An and said, "Go and ask the kitchen to make some noodle soup to refresh everyone."

After a while, the steaming hot noodle soup was served. Although it was just an ordinary bowl of noodle soup, it was as delicious as delicacies from the mountains and the sea to the hungry and exhausted people. Everyone ate it with gusto.

“Everyone, if we win this battle and recover the Southern Capital, we may not be able to launch a northern expedition yet. However, we can use our navy to isolate the Yangtze River and divide the north and the south. This is our foundation, and the wealth and honor for generations of generals will be within our grasp.” Meng Jun said to the generals excitedly when he saw everyone finished eating.

"Okay, after we take down Nando, the governor can directly become emperor!" Qian Biao shouted excitedly, his voice was deafening, and the smile on his face was huge.

However, after hearing this, the crowd reacted differently. Some smiled and nodded in agreement, some frowned as if they were thinking about the pros and cons, and some remained silent with complex emotions in their eyes.

Meng Jun was furious when he saw this. Qian Biao was outspoken and could say anything he wanted. He immediately cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about? We conquered Nandu to drive out the Tartars and restore our country."

"Yes, yes, the governor is absolutely right. I said the wrong thing." Qian Biao was scolded by Meng Jun. Although he nodded to admit his mistake, he still looked disapproving.