Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 278 Divination

War is not just about two armies fighting each other on the battlefield. The preliminary preparations are huge and busy. This is not a fight between a hundred or a thousand people, but a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of people. Once the war machine starts running, countless people are running around and working hard for it.

In the city of Jinling, the shogunate was extremely busy, preparing many matters for the war, such as naval boats, allocating laborers, counting food, fodder, military tents, iron pots, water bags, bedding, craftsmen who accompanied the army to repair weapons and armor, and transporting arrows, swords, guns, artillery, etc.

Fortunately, there was the Yangtze River waterway, which was guarded by the navy. Civilian ships were requisitioned and traveled day and night, fully loaded with military supplies, along the Yangtze River waterway heading north to Jiujiang. Transporting supplies along the Yangtze River saved a lot of manpower. At the same time, whether it was the loss of food or the accidental loss of other supplies caused by wind and rain, using the navy for transportation not only saved time and reduced consumption, but also reduced the number of civilian workers in transportation, and there was no need to station soldiers to protect the grain route.

Shiploads of food and baskets of fodder were needed to fill the stomachs of soldiers and provide strength for war horses. The Jiujiang waterway was extremely busy, with boats moving like a weave and masts and oars blocking the sun. Some heavy items, such as artillery and gunpowder, were all transported to the front of the army by the navy.

The food supply is of utmost importance. As the saying goes, food and fodder must be sent before troops move out. The shogunate spared no expense, opened the treasury, and collected food and fodder in preparation for unexpected military needs.

At this time, Jiujiang City was bustling with soldiers. Soldiers from the two towns that arrived earlier had already entered the city. They were Wuning Town led by Wang Fugui and Wusheng Town led by Liang Sanhu. These soldiers were dressed in armor and armed with weapons, and were stationed in Jiujiang City.

As soon as Wang Fugui arrived in Jiujiang, he immediately set about strengthening Jiujiang's fortifications. He ordered the city walls to be thickened and raised, and more arrow towers to be set up to strengthen the city's defenses. At the same time, he also organized manpower to reinforce the city gates. In addition, Wang Fugui ordered all the trees outside the city to be cut down to ensure that the top of the city wall could be seen at a glance, and the cut wood was roughly processed into logs, which would be used to defend the city.

Why was Wang Fugui so diligent? It was not only because of Lin Shiqi's military order, but also Meng Jun's strict order. In Meng Jun's mind, Jiujiang should be the place where the army would advance and store food and grass. How could Wang Fugui not pay attention to such an important place? If the granary was lost and the army was defeated, Wang Fugui would not be able to bear the consequences even if he had ten heads.

At the same time, Jiujiang, as an important port in the Yangtze River Basin, is vital for the transportation of supplies for the navy. When Wang Fugui arrived, he discovered that there were too many ships traveling to and from Jiujiang, making the dock extremely chaotic. Not only was unloading slow, but entering and exiting was also extremely inconvenient. Therefore, Wang Fugui actively expanded port facilities and increased the number of docks in order to better accommodate the transportation of ships and food.

Liang Sanhu was also not idle. He was responsible for rectifying military discipline and training soldiers. Liang Sanhu was now a prominent figure in the army and had a very high prestige in his town. Not only in Wusheng Town, but even the soldiers in other towns knew Liang Sanhu's name.

Liang Sanhu strictly required the soldiers to abide by the discipline and not to disturb the people. He also organized training to improve their combat effectiveness. The most famous general of the Zhou army personally enforced the discipline. Jiujiang City was in order and no warriors disturbed the people. The people all praised: "The king's army has arrived in Jiujiang."

………………

Jinling City.

The smell of war was getting stronger and stronger. Most of the soldiers had already gone to Jiujiang. Meng Jun decided to lead his personal guards and a group of officers and officials to Jiujiang on the eighth day of December to lead the army under the strict protection of Gao Yi's 5,000 heavily armored troops.

Before going to Jiujiang, Meng Jun still has one thing to do, that is the Jiangbei Camp, which is like a shitty plaster. In the past, the Jiangbei Camp had many soldiers and generals, but now with the withdrawal of Bai Yintu, the Jiangbei Camp has been empty, leaving only a few thousand Green Camp soldiers stationed in the camp, which is like a rotten persimmon that can be broken with one step.

Although the decision was made to fight a decisive battle in Huguang, Meng Jun still decided to destroy the Jiangbei camp before going to Jiujiang. If he got the chance, he could push the battle line to the Huaihe River. It has been said since ancient times that to defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huai River. Without the Huaihe River defense line, the city of Nanjing only has the danger of the Yangtze River. The Qing army can be seen across the river, and Nanjing is always threatened by the Qing army. Of course, this is just a small force, and the real battlefield is still in Huguang.

Afterwards, Meng Jun ordered Zhao Yongping's troops to cooperate with the naval division of Shen Tingyang, wait for an opportunity to cross the Yangtze River, break through the Jiangbei camp, and then go north along the canal, occupy Gaoyou City, and threaten Huai'an.

After arranging everything, in three days Meng Jun would leave Jinling and head to the Huguang battlefield.

After nightfall, Meng Jun's thoughts were in a mess. The battle was imminent. The danger of this battle made Meng Jun a little nervous. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night. He simply sat up and looked out the window at the sky. He saw that it was already dawn and the sky was slightly bright.

He immediately shouted to the outside of the door: "Let Yu An in."

"Yes," the soldier outside the door responded, and then hurried footsteps came over, and the armor on his body made a rustling sound as he ran.

After a long while, Yu An hurried in, panting and bowing, "I am here, Your Majesty."

"Go, invite Taoist Priest Li here."

"Yes, Your Majesty"

Of course Meng Jun knew that it was a taboo for those in high positions to ask ghosts and gods instead of caring about the people. However, when the war was approaching, he felt uneasy and could not hide his worries about the unknown war situation. War was not only a contest of military strength and strategy, but also a confrontation of mind and will. Meng Jun knew that Li Wendao would definitely say good things, but now, he wanted to hear good things.

After receiving the order, Yu An did not dare to neglect and hurried to Li Wendao's residence. Taoist Li was a mysterious figure. In Yu An's mind, Taoist Li was not only a master who knew Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, could observe the celestial phenomena, and could communicate with the gods through hexagrams, but also a wise man who could see through people's hearts and guide people out of confusion.

When Yu An arrived at Li Wendao's house, Li Wendao had already gotten up and was practicing a slow set of boxing techniques in the yard in the morning light.

Before the turtle-like boxing was finished, Yu An couldn't wait to say, "Master, stop boxing and follow me. The king wants to see you."

Upon hearing that the king had invited him, Li Wendao did not dare to delay. He quickly packed up and followed Yu An to the palace.

When Li Wendao arrived, Meng Jun looked at Li Wendao and said slowly: "I have heard about the Taoist's divine divination, and I am confused. Can you please tell me?"

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"I want to fight a decisive battle with the enemy army in Huguang. In this war, tens of millions of people, thousands of miles of land, and tens of thousands of soldiers will be involved. Victory or defeat is just a matter of a second. There will be countless corpses. I am terrified. I would like to ask the Taoist priest to predict the future of this battle?"

Li Wendao smiled when he heard this, and then he said slowly: "Your Majesty, when we had few soldiers and generals and no territory, we were fearless. Now we have more than 100,000 soldiers, thousands of generals, and thousands of miles of territory. Your Majesty, what is there to fear? Although war is dangerous, your heart is as solid as a rock. You don't have to fear the wind and waves. As long as you are determined, God will reward hard work, and you will be able to turn danger into safety and rule the world in one battle."

After Li Wendao finished speaking, it was like a spring breeze blowing through Meng Jun's heart, making Meng Jun unconsciously relax a little. Seeing this, Li Wendao said, "Well, I will tell you a fortune for you, Your Majesty!"

After saying that, he took out a handful of copper coins from his arms. The surface of these copper coins was already mottled. Li Wendao gently threw the copper coins on the table. The copper coins rolled in the air, making a crisp sound.

The copper coin fell to the ground, and Li Wendao closed his eyes and concentrated for a long time. He slowly opened his eyes, with a deep light flashing in his eyes, and said: "Your Majesty, the hexagram shows that it is the Qian hexagram of the Book of Changes, and the six lines from bottom to top are the first nine, the second nine, the third nine, the fourth nine, the fifth nine, and the top nine.

A gentleman works hard all day and is vigilant at night, so he will not make mistakes. Even if you are in an advantageous position, you must not take it lightly. The flying dragon is in the sky, which is beneficial for you to see the adults. You will usher in a glorious moment. Your Majesty, the old Taoist interprets the hexagram. The hexagram shows that although there are dangers and obstacles, they will eventually turn danger into safety. Although this battle is difficult, your Majesty will be able to overcome danger with wisdom and strategy. This is a very auspicious sign. "

Hearing this, Meng Jun laughed loudly and said, "This is the Taoist's divine hexagram. If we win this battle, I want to build a Taoist temple for you to demonstrate your divine hexagram ability!"

After Li Wendao left, Meng Jun looked at the bright sky and thought to himself, "Perhaps there is such a thing as destiny and national destiny, but a truly powerful person, as long as he has the truth in his heart, should be able to move forward fearlessly. Courage is the magic weapon for winning in war. I should change the national destiny!"