Dominate the Country

In mid-August, Chen Ming's army arrived outside the city of Yichang. The mighty fleet was like a long dragon, with hundreds of large and small ships covering the surface of the Yangtze River. The 15th Brigade of the Fu Han Army attacked Yichang first. Zhao Yongji had been informed by Chen Ming long ago, and he excitedly accepted the order. The 15th Brigade's thousands of troops disembarked and assembled one after another, and then drove to the outside of Yichang. The entire Third Artillery Battalion was sent by Chen Ming to help Zhao Yongji.

Gao Qiao stood beside Chen Ming, with jealousy in his eyes. In his eyes, Yichang was a ripe peach that he could get with just his hand. Zhao Yongji's military exploits not only came easily, but were also taken from Gao Qiao's mouth. Gao Qiao was now indignant one after another; Shi Meng also stood beside Chen Ming, but there was no trace of jealousy towards Zhao Yongji in his eyes. This man obeyed all of Chen Ming's orders. And with such a person leading the Guards Brigade, Chen Ming really felt relieved to hand over the Guards Brigade to him.

How did it feel to have thousands of soldiers in armor lined up outside the city? The Qing army soldiers on the top of Yichang City felt their lower abdomen tighten. When the 48 cannons were pushed and pulled two miles outside the city wall by the officers and soldiers of the Third Artillery Battalion, the Qing army soldiers on the top of Yichang City really peed their pants.

But at this time, no one cared to scold the cowardly soldier.

Fan Shishou and Zhu Gui looked at the Zhao character flag standing next to the blood tiger flag with a pale face - Li Feng Xiaowei Zhao. This is the biggest official who surrendered to Chen Ni since the war began, and he also surrendered two generals in one breath. It is said that when the news reached Beijing, the emperor was so angry that he stabbed Yunyang on the map.

Two generals, all from Yunyang Town!

"Rebel, traitor..." Zhu Gui was so angry that he trembled all over. Chen Ni actually asked Zhao Yongji to attack Yichang, which made Zhu Gui more angry than if he had come to attack Yichang himself.

"You have betrayed the country's grace, helped the tyrant to commit atrocities, and are shameless..., curse! Curse loudly..." Fan Shishou trembled all over, pointing at Zhao Yongji, who was wearing iron armor and standing majestically under the general's flag outside the city, and roared.

The top of Yichang City immediately rang out the curse of Zhao Yongji.

Zhao Yongji didn't care about being hated. Before he made the decision to sell the city, he had already thought of the world's infamy. But so what? In the future, when the Chen family sits on the throne, he, Zhao Yongji, will also be a founding hero. It's better than dying in Xiangyang City!

Even if the Chen family fails in the future, he will have enough time to arrange a descendant to go to other places incognito to enjoy the family wealth. Now, the more the Qing soldiers curse, the more he is a member of the Fu Han Army.

Zhao Yongji sneered disdainfully. "The donkeys in Guizhou have run out of tricks. No need to pay attention to them." Zhao Yongji suppressed his officers' and soldiers' requests for "fighting" and only ordered the artillery battalion to speed up. He kept silent now, and would answer them with artillery shells later.

On a double-decker ship on the Yangtze River, Ma Wenjie was looking at the battlefield with a telescope. Compared with Zhao Yongji on the battlefield, Ma Wenjie seemed more nervous. Why did Chen Ming want him and Zhao Yongji to follow the army and specially send the 15th Brigade to attack Yichang? Ma Wenjie knew it very well. This was definitely not a pledge of surrender. When they surrendered Xiangyang, their pledge of surrender was already real.

Ma Wenjie's family had long been taken away from his hometown in Shaanxi by the secret camp, but only direct relatives, some side branches and in-laws were taken away. After the news that Ma Wenjie surrendered to the Fu Han Army was confirmed by the Qing Dynasty, although they fled in all directions, sixty or seventy people were still captured, and the Qing Dynasty beheaded them all. They also dug up all the ancestral graves of the Ma family, and the bones were destroyed and scattered by the Eight Banners of Xi'an. Ma Wenjie and the Qing Dynasty have a deep hatred, and there is no possibility of going back. The same is true for Zhao Yongji. The two have made up their minds to follow the Fu Han Army, so they are naturally not afraid of a little criticism. Ma Wenjie is now worried about whether Zhao Yongji can win the first battle!

The situation in Yichang City has been sent to the Fu Han Army every day these days. The decision-making level of the army - officers above the regiment level, all think that Yichang is completely vulnerable. If Zhao Yongji cannot win the first battle, his situation in the Fu Han Army will be difficult.

According to the military regulations of the Fu Han Army, senior officers at the level of brigade commander must be equipped with the rank of general, but Zhao Yongji is a lieutenant with a rank because he does not have enough military merit. The rules set by His Highness are that in the future, no matter how high the official position of those who surrender, as long as they have no military merit, they will only be a lieutenant with a rank. That is, no matter how much capital you bring when you surrender, the lieutenant with a rank will end. The general rank below, if you want it, you have to fight hard. During the military meeting in Jingzhou, His Highness told Zhao Yongji in front of everyone that he would give him a deputy military rank as long as he could capture Yichang.

Looking at Yichang City with Ma Wenjie's eyes, he also felt that Yichang was vulnerable. But it's better to be safe than sorry, right? This battle had a huge impact on Zhao Yongji.

"Fire!"

The artillery position sent a signal that it was ready, and Zhao Yongji immediately asked them to fire. Do you really think he likes to hear the insults on the top of the city? Knowing that it's good is one thing, but feeling it in your heart is another.

"Boom boom boom..."

The artillery camp didn't test the guns at all. Knowing that all the decent cannons on the top of Yichang City had been moved to Nanjin Pass, and the rest were all broken or fake goods, so they boldly bombarded the top of the city.

What? You said it missed? Then adjust it. Will it delay things? No delay. The cannons on the top of Yichang City have a range of no more than one mile, and the artillery is afraid of nothing. It's not like the cannons on both sides are evenly matched, so every shot has to achieve maximum effectiveness and not be wasted.

Shrapnel shells swept over the top of Yichang City. After a quarter of an hour of bombardment, the dark green top of the city turned into a patch of black rags in the east and west, and the city tower became shaky under the bombardment of shells.

Zhao Yongji waved his hand, and the 15th Brigade's engineering unit rushed to the South Gate of Yichang City with explosive packs and long ladders.

The entire process of blasting the city gate was extremely easy and smooth, because after the smoke cleared, Zhao Yongji could not see any figures on the top of Yichang City. It seemed that all the Qing troops on the top of the city had fled.

Without waiting for the engineering unit to blast, he sent a battalion with long boards and long ladders to approach the South Gate.

After the engineering unit completely blew up the South Gate of Yichang, part of the battalion had crossed the moat and carried long ladders to the top of the city.

The artillery unit had stopped firing, but the mortar unit began to extend its firing into the city. The extended distance was very small, just near the city gate. The dark camp had previously said on the notice in the city that the people near the city gate should not stay at home, but take shelter with relatives and friends. When the Fu Han Army took Yichang, all losses would be compensated.

The entire city gate was blocked by the Qing soldiers with sandbags. The engineering troops began to clean up the soil and sand inside, and the battalion that moved over successfully occupied the Great South Gate. The camp officer asked the messenger to report to Zhao Yongji, and the Qing soldiers fled.

Standing on the Great South Gate, looking at the entire Yichang City, you can clearly see the Qing soldiers who fled in panic rushing towards the North Gate [due north]. ——Yichang is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River. After the Yangtze River flows out of Nanjin Pass, it slants down to the southwest, and only turns eastward when it reaches Zhijiang. So the Fu Han Army attacked Yichang from south to north. Nanjin Pass is also in the north of Yichang. If the Qing army really has sufficient combat power, they can also station troops in the south-Huya Mountain and Jingmen Mountain between Yichang and Zhijiang.

The latter has been a natural barrier since ancient times. Huya Mountain and Jingmen Twelve Bei on the south bank of the Yangtze River face each other from north to south. The cliffs on both sides are thousands of feet high, rugged and abrupt, like tiger teeth, forming a river pass. This is Jingmen Mountain, which is jokingly called "the throat of Sichuan and Hubei", and is known in history as "the first pass of the western frontier of Chu".

Below Huya Mountain is Huya Beach. There are many huge rocks and reefs on Huya Beach. The Yangtze River passes through here, with turbulent water and steep waterways. If ships want to pass safely, they must have the help of towpaths, so many ships have been wrecked here. Therefore, when ships passing through here, they are afraid of the beach, and often avoid the beach and cross the river diagonally to the Fairy Bridge of Jingmen Mountain and go south.

When the Qing army retreated to Yichang, they destroyed the migration road here. But Fan Shishou and Zhu Gui were frightened by Gao Qiao and did not dare to leave troops here. After Gao Qiao occupied Zhijiang, he began to repair the migration road of Huya Mountain. And when the sailors were sent to regulate the waterway, they used gunpowder bags wrapped in oil paper and oilcloth, and bamboo poles to pass through the fire ropes, which blew up many reefs in Huya Beach. Although the conditions were limited and the work could not be done to the fullest, it also made the waterway much smoother.

Gao Qiao stayed in Zhijiang for two or three months, and it was not in vain.

The Qing army gave up the tiger's fang Jingmen, so Chen Ming rushed to the city of Yichang without firing a single shot this time.

"Tell your battalion officers to chase, chase immediately--"

Zhao Yongji's face was dyed red by the blood that surged up. He was excited, just like the first time he fought a war, his body was trembling. After the messenger rode away, Zhao Yongji took several deep breaths to suppress his excitement. "Let all the troops go, except for the guard battalion that stayed behind, all other troops go. Occupy Yichang City..."

A quarter of an hour of artillery shells drove away the last bit of courage of the Qing army defending the city. When they found that the governor and the censor who had asked them to stand on the city wall and curse Zhao Yongji had all disappeared, the Qing army's bravery no longer had a bit of fighting spirit.

They all fled towards the north gate, and no one noticed that the government office was already closed. Although Fan Shishou, who fled in a panic, found that Zhu Gui had separated from him, he could never have imagined that Zhu Gui was in the government office with the gate closed and the whole government office was rumored to be burning itself to death.

Zhu Gui, who was pressed on the chair by two men from the Fu Han Army, looked at Zhou Wenjue in disbelief, looking at Zhou Wenjue with a shaved head and braided hair.

"You, you..."

"I didn't expect that I, Zhu Gui, was blind and mistook you, a traitor, for a loyal and good person..." Zhu Gui ran to the government office to throw himself into the trap, not for anything else, but to protect the blood of Zhou Wenjue, who was rumored to be burning himself to death. During his escape, he came to Zhou Wenjue specifically to ask for his child, and was also preparing to submit a memorial to Beijing to show that Zhou Wenjue was a loyal and brave family. Unexpectedly, Zhu Gui really didn't expect it...

"Kill..."

"Charge, charge quickly. The Tartars are all at the north gate..."

The shouts of the Fu Han army that rushed into the city had reached Zhu Gui's ears, and Zhu Gui had completely given up. He had fallen into the trap, and there was no chance of being rescued.