Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 247 Destruction! The end of Shi Dakai!

Senggelinqin benefited a lot from the one-month campaign to suppress the Nian Rebellion.

He lost a lot of weight and was extremely tired, but his spirit was still high.

Originally, suppressing the Nian Rebellion was a very painful battle, because the Nian Army usually came in groups here and there. When they saw that the officers and soldiers were weak, they would gather and annihilate them, and when they saw a large group of officers and soldiers, they would flee without a trace.

Moreover, most of the cavalry of the Nian Army came and went very quickly, and once they fled, they could not be caught up at all.

Although there were more than 100,000 Nian Army in Shandong, there was only one real large-scale battle.

Senggelinqin entered Shandong with less than 10,000 cavalry at that time, and the main force led by Shengbao fell far behind. This made the Nian Army feel that they had found a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they gathered more than 20,000 people and had a head-on confrontation with Senggelinqin's cavalry.

And half of Senggelinqin's less than 10,000 cavalry were the newly trained Sixth Cavalry Division, a full 4,000 people.

Although these 4,000 people have only been trained for more than half a year, they are definitely not new recruits.

Because they were the most elite Khorchin cavalry before, but they have received the most professional cavalry training in the past six months.

Physical training, organizational training, shooting training, and combat training.

Every day from opening their eyes to closing their eyes, they are training frantically.

The intensity of the training exceeds the sum of the previous four or five years, and it is a scientific training method that can maximize the efficiency and effect of training, and is combined with the richest diet.

In the past six months, it can be said that there have been many actual combat exercises.

In the past six months, there have been countless actual combat exercises.

Actual combat exercises between cavalry and cavalry, and exercises between cavalry and infantry.

Moreover, Mongolian horses are usually only auxiliary war horses in this cavalry division, and the real main war horses are all superior Ili horses.

Ili horses are not enough, and even horses are bought from abroad at a high price.

The salary, military expenses, food, clothing, weapons and equipment of the three divisions add up to a full 10 million taels.

And the cavalry division of 7,000 people accounts for a small half of it.

Therefore, this first major battle produced an incredible result.

The more than 20,000 Nian troops were stunned.

The battle report said that Senggelinqin won a great victory, with 10,000 cavalry chasing and killing 20,000 to 30,000 Nian troops.

In fact, the real situation was that 4,000 elite cavalry divisions desperately chased and killed 20,000 to 30,000 Nian troops.

Senggelinqin's remaining 6,000 cavalry were not brave, but poorly organized.

At the beginning of the charge, they were also brave, but because the war horses were not strong enough, their speed was slightly behind.

But after repeated charges and repeated crushing.

The remaining 6,000 Mongolian cavalry could not hold on, their organization was completely messed up, and their physical strength was at its limit.

On the contrary, the 4,000 elite cavalry divisions fought harder and harder, and kept chasing and killing.

The Nian troops were killed and fled everywhere, with countless casualties.

This scene is very similar to Wang Shiqing's cavalry division in the Jiaxing battlefield.

After the battle, they couldn't believe that they were so strong.

Wang Shiqing's cavalry division fought this battle.

Senggelinqin's cavalry division continued to fight.

In the battle, they constantly summarized, recorded, learned, and verified what they learned in textbooks and in class.

Theory plus practice, more and more in-depth.

So in the continuous battles, the combat effectiveness of this army is rapidly improving.

And the other Khorchin cavalry, unwilling to lag behind, tried to catch up with the footsteps of the cavalry division, and gradually became stronger in the continuous battles.

A virtuous circle was formed.

In the camp, Senggelinqin was almost carried off the warhorse.

He didn't know how long he had been fighting in succession, and his body was covered with countless wounds. He didn't know how long he hadn't slept, and his whole body was stiff.

At this time, he needed to soak his whole body in hot water so that he could recover.

Fu Qi and Du Xing'a grinned and soaked their feet in hot water, and then made a series of comfortable and painful sounds.

This series of fierce battles, their legs were scarred, and the taste of soaking in hot water can be imagined.

"Monk King, if this continues, we will be able to gain tens of thousands of strong troops after a few months of fierce fighting, and use the strong to lead the weak." Fu Qi said.

Du Xing'a said: "I wonder how Su Ye is doing in Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou."

Then, Du Xing'a said: "Monk King, a bad situation is brewing."

Monk King said: "Yes."

Du Xing'a said: "In the fierce fighting for more than a month, we fought very smoothly, almost winning every battle. Especially the cavalry division and the new infantry division, the record is remarkable. Their record is certainly also stimulating other Mongolian cavalry and Green Camp officers and soldiers. But those Mongolian cavalry and Green Camp soldiers are also affecting them."

Senggelinqin also noticed this.

In the Tianjin military station, military discipline is extremely strict.

Once the discipline is violated, it will be severely punished, confined, whipped, executed, etc.

There will be no favoritism, no exception for anyone.

Moreover, there is absolutely no situation of sucking the blood of soldiers or corruption.

More than 20 people who tried to get the silver had been killed, and their heads were hung in a prominent place in the military station.

But after coming to Shandong to suppress the Nian Rebellion, the discipline was relaxed at first.

The old Eight Banners habits that were suppressed in the military station gradually recovered.

Although military discipline has not been particularly corrupted, it has been visibly corrupted.

Daily training and many small rules in marching and fighting were completely abandoned.

How to light a fire, how to fold a quilt, how to care for a war horse, etc., originally had a set of rules, but gradually they no longer followed them.

Du Xing'a was considered a very stern man, and he still strictly maintained military discipline, but the officers under his command were all from the Old Eight Banners. As they slackened, it was naturally useless to rely on him alone.

Even worse is the corruption of property.

The superiors exploiting the pay of the officers and soldiers below is something that currently neither the Bannerman Cavalry Division nor the Infantry Division dares to do.

But there are always seizures in wars. At first, this group of people handed them over to the public in accordance with military discipline.

But later on, fewer and fewer people surrendered to the public, and the cavalry divisions and infantry divisions gradually enriched their own pockets.

However, Seng Gelinqin himself did not like property very much, so he was relatively generous to the soldiers. They also turned a blind eye to the private possession of property by the soldiers.

Du Xing'a was really worried when he saw all this.

If this continues, this army will soon fall back to its original point.

Several soldiers stepped forward to take off Senggelinqin's armor, supported his scarred body, and were about to step into the bathtub.

At this time, a messenger came in with a cold wind.

This is the royal envoy sent by Duan Hua.

"I have met the Monk King and all the military sects."

Seng Gelinqin said: "Chongqi, what's wrong?"

The envoy in front of him is Prince Zheng Duanhua's son-in-law, Arut Chongqi.

This man is the real Wenqu star of the Eight Banners of Mongolia. According to the trajectory of history, he will become the number one scholar in the imperial examination two years later, and he will also be the only banner man in the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

"In just six days, Prime Minister Su wiped out Li Shixian's tribe, Huang Wenjin's tribe, and Shi Zhenji's tribe, and recovered Jiaxing and Huzhou," Chongqi said.

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of several people present changed.

Monk King and Shengbao were one point ahead, but were tied in an instant.

"Amma and Sixth Uncle want to ask Monk King to march immediately to recapture Jinan Mansion. We must do it quickly, faster than Su Yi."

Seng Gelinqin and Shengbao looked at each other.

The next situation is clear.

Monk King and Shengbao regained Jinan Prefecture, and Su Yi destroyed the 140,000 to 50,000 troops of Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng.

"This battle is easier on our side." Shengbao said.

Chongqi said: "What Ama wants is for us to fight quickly here, and then lead the army back north immediately."

Seng Gelinqin's expression changed slightly and he said, "Why are you going north and back to Beijing? A mutiny?"

Shengbao said: "We are much closer to Beijing after all."

Chongqi said: "Amma means what if it ends in a draw?"

Everyone fell into silence, and their expressions changed slightly.

The so-called draw does not mean that King Monk and the Nian Army fought to a draw, but that they fought to a draw with Su Yi.

In that case, Duan Hua also solemnly asked King Monk to lead his army back to Beijing as quickly as possible, just to be ready for a mutiny.

Deposed Empress Dowager Cixi from power and imprisoned her.

Su Yi still has troops in Beijing, two to three thousand new infantry divisions, and Zhang Guoliang and Feng Zicai's more than 10,000 garrison divisions.

Shengbao said: "Su Yi is leading the main army in the south, and the power of the capital is at its most empty. After we recaptured Jinan, we led tens of thousands of troops back to the capital, which can directly determine the outcome. Su Yi's army in the capital is simply Not our opponent.”

Seng Gelinqin said: "Where is Ronglu? He also has the third infantry division in his hands, which has been guarding the capital. He is completely loyal to the Queen Mother of the West."

Shengbao said: "Jing Shou still has a garrison division with more than 10,000 people. Even if Ronglu stands with the Queen Mother of the West, their combined strength will be about 30,000, while ours will be eight or nine Ten thousand people fight, but we still win.”

"Hit?!" Seng Gelinqin's expression changed slightly.

He could not imagine a civil war in the capital.

"At that time, Su Yi led his army to Chengde. We tried our best to stop the civil war. For this reason, I did not hesitate to kill Boyan." Seng Gelinqin said: "This time, Su Yi forcibly abolished the Eight Banners, which led to complete confrontation between Manchu and Han. The world Chaos. In order to avoid civil war, he came up with this method. He sent Ni and I attacked the Nian army. This method was used to determine the outcome and avoid direct civil war. "

"We are fighting, even fighting to the death, but we are doing our best to avoid civil war. What will be the consequences if a civil war breaks out in the capital?"

Shengbao said: "Isn't that a last resort? Now it has been completely proved that as long as the banner people innovate, they can be used to great effect. The Shandong suppression campaign was so smooth and a complete victory. How can we keep this victory? If we don't seize this opportunity, How can the Eight Banners be saved?”

"There is no turning back! Even if we win this decisive battle, will Su Yi be willing to admit defeat? Will the Queen Mother in the west be willing to hand over all her power and imprison herself in the cold palace?"

"Even if there is no guarantee that there will be a civil war, we must be prepared for war and prepare for a battle with Su Yi's remaining troops in the capital."

Seng Gelinqin waved his hand and said, "We must win against Su Yi first."

"In this battle, the advantage still lies with us!"

"Send the order, stop resting and continue marching towards Jinan Mansion!"

"Help me pierce the armor."

Several soldiers were slightly shocked. You just took off your armor, and you haven't soaked in hot water yet.

"Didn't you hear? The military situation is on fire!"

"We must defeat Su Ye in this battle, and we must win his heart."

Soon, several personal soldiers brought heavy armor, which was already extremely smelly, and put it on Senggelinqin's wounded body again.

Then, with the help of everyone, he got on the warhorse with difficulty.

He tied himself to the horse's back with a rope again.

More than half an hour later.

The 70,000 troops of the monk king and Shengbao, who had just started to rest, began to gather again.

Senggelinqin shouted: "I know you are tired, but I am more tired."

"I am already 52 years old this year. According to the Mongolian lifespan, I should go to see Changshengtian."

"Su Ye won a great victory in the south. In just six days, he recovered Jiaxing and Huzhou."

"Now, our records are equal again."

"If Su Ye had wiped out Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's troops first, what would have been the consequences? You all know it."

"We are not fighting against the Nian Army, we are fighting against Su Ye, and we are fighting against time."

"In order to preserve the Eight Banners and the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, we must fight to the end."

"Use the fastest speed to eliminate the Nian bandits and recover Jinan."

"Let's go!"

With an order, Senggelinqin, Shengbao, Fu Qi, Du Xing'a and others led the army to march towards Jinan Prefecture under the cover of night.

Racing against time, with great momentum.

……………………

Songjiang Prefecture!

Li Hongzhang was caught in a difficult choice.

He was almost the first to know that Su Ye had recovered Jiaxing and Huzhou, and then he suffered a huge blow.

Now, Su Ye has led his army south to attack Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai.

This is probably the biggest decisive battle in the past 20 years.

It is also the most important decisive battle.

It not only concerns the fate of the rebellion, but also the fate of Su Ye and the court princes and ministers.

What should he do, Li Hongzhang?

At this time, should he keep his troops in place, or follow Su Ye's army south to attack Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng together, or attack Suzhou?

Zhou Fu, a staff member, said: "Su Ye has never liked you, how much does he value Zuo Zongtang?"

Li Hongzhang certainly felt this, and Su Ye's attitude towards him has always been relatively cold.

He almost never took the initiative to recruit him, and even if he did, he would just say it lightly.

Su Ye really didn't like Li Hongzhang, especially his negotiation with the Russians in history, which was detrimental to the country and beneficial to himself, and could not be whitewashed.

But these things have not happened yet. After all, this is a talent, and Su Ye also wants to recruit him, although he is not as eager to recruit talents as Zuo Zongtang.

However, every time Su Ye tried, every time he tried to recruit, Li Hongzhang would push back softly.

Moreover, almost every major choice was made on the opposite side of Su Ye.

This time, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's army of more than 100,000 easily broke Changzhou, Wuxi, and Suzhou. Don't you, Li Hongzhang, have any responsibility?

Next, you heavily defended Songjiang and forced Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng to attack Zhejiang in the south. Isn't it embarrassing for Su Ye?

Isn't it secretly helping Senggelinqin and Shengbao?

Li Hezhang (Li Hongzhang's third brother) said: "The key is whether the second brother can be Shen Baozhen?"

Shen Baozhen betrayed the Hunan Army at the critical moment and surrendered to Su Ye.

Now, he is already a senior official under Su Ye, in charge of Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone. Although he has been relieved of his post as governor of Jiangxi, he is likely to become the minister of Westernization of the court and directly enter the Military Affairs Office.

Of course, the prerequisite for all this is that Su Ye wins this decisive battle and has absolute initiative in the center.

Zhou Fu said: "Shen Baozhen was in a desperate situation back then, so he betrayed the Hunan Army and joined Su Ye. But since then, his reputation in the literati has been completely ruined. Now the key question is, are you willing to be Shen Baozhen?"

It's strange.

Li Hongzhang can barely be regarded as a Westernization faction, and Su Ye is also a Westernization faction.

The two should obviously be like-minded, but Li Hongzhang is unwilling to follow Su Ye from the bottom of his heart.

What he wants is Shen Baozhen's position, but if he joins Su Ye, can he get this position?

Without a doubt, it's impossible.

The most important thing is that he is the governor of Jiangsu, and he has tens of thousands of troops in his hands, all of whom are from the Hunan Army.

If he wants to join Su Ye, it depends on whether the Hunan Army recognizes him.

For a long time, the Hunan Army and Su Ye have been both enemies and friends.

But in the final analysis, they gradually became hostile. Because Su Ye's policy is very clear, and the Hunan Army will be greatly reduced in the future.

How many people's livelihood and how many people's interests are this army?

"I am not Shen Baozhen, and I can't be Shen Baozhen." Li Hongzhang said firmly: "But Lord Su Ye is fighting with Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng in the south, and we can't sit idly by."

"As the governor of Jiangsu, I have the responsibility to recover the lost territory."

"Pass the order, the army will assemble and prepare to recover Suzhou."

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Fu's face changed slightly.

As a staff member, he hoped that his master Li Hongzhang would still stay in Shanghai and watch Su Ye and Senggelinqin fight to the death.

But what does Li Hongzhang's sending troops to Suzhou represent?

The Taiping Army general guarding Suzhou now is Lin Qirong, and the closeness of his relationship with Su Ye is well known.

Next, if Su Ye could eliminate Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng, he could lead his army northward as quickly as possible and directly capture Suzhou.

He wouldn't even need a single soldier.

If Li Hongzhang sent troops to capture Suzhou, Changzhou, Danyang, Wuxi, and Zhenjiang.

Then these great achievements have nothing to do with Su Yi.

Unfortunately, we can't blame him because Li Hongzhang was the governor of Jiangsu and was fully responsible for regaining the land.

Therefore, Li Hongzhang sent troops to attack Suzhou to help Seng Gelinqin and Shengbao.

Lips are dead and teeth are cold.

If Sushun, Duanhua and others lose, then the Hunan Army will be in danger.

Since he chose to take sides, Li Hongzhang decided to stand till the end.

The next day!

Li Hongzhang led tens of thousands of Hunan troops and 5,000 foreign gun troops to kill in Suzhou in a mighty manner.

……………………

Su Yi received an urgent report from the intelligence office on the way to the battlefield in Hangzhou.

Li Hongzhang sent troops to Suzhou.

After receiving this information, Su Yi's face twitched slightly.

It seems that the Hunan Army is indeed going to the dark side.

At that time, in order to fight against the emperor, Su Yi and the Hunan Army had a brief honeymoon period, but even then they were mostly the same bedfellows.

Every time I deal with Zeng Guofan, it is very difficult.

Each time, you have to pay more benefits in order to gain the cooperation of the other party.

As Su Yi entered the center, this honeymoon period of cooperation came to an abrupt end.

Because Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and others clearly knew that if Sushun, Duanhua and others represented the center, they would be able to accommodate the Hunan army.

Su Yi represents the center, so there is no room for the Hunan Army.

In their own eyes, they have no choice.

But Su Yi is completely biased towards the Han people. If he takes charge of the center, there will definitely be a steady stream of Han ministers entering the center in the future to take charge of state power.

But Zeng Guofan and the others wanted too much, including military power, governance power, and financial power, they all wanted it all.

"It's going to rain and my mother wants to get married, so let her go." Su Yi said with a smile: "Li Hongzhang thinks Suzhou is easy to fight, and he thinks Lin Qirong and Li Shixian are easy to fight, so let him fight."

"Li Shixian was a little reluctant to let go when fighting with us, because in his mind, I was his teacher. But when fighting with Li Hongzhang, he could completely let go."

This information only allowed Su Yi to stay for a few minutes before continuing to lead his army south.

……………………

Taiping Army base camp in Hangzhou.

Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng were smoking.

"In heaven, many people can surrender to Su Yi, but for the two of us, there is absolutely no such possibility." Shi Dakai sighed: "He and I have had a grudge for a long time, and why are you?"

Chen Yucheng said: "I don't know why, but I just wasn't convinced, and then the confrontation has reached this day."

He didn't want to talk more, but it was over now and he had no regrets.

The siege of Hangzhou has been going on for several days.

Very fierce, but never broken.

After the Taiping Army entered Zhejiang, Wang Youling's strategy was very clear. He concentrated all his efforts to defend Hangzhou, so Jiaxing and Huzhou fell with little resistance.

The army under General Hangzhou was also somewhat unreliable due to the massive disarmament.

But Zhejiang League Training and Zhejiang Green Camp were personally captured by Wang Youling, and they have participated in many wars in the past few years. Their combat effectiveness is not very high, but they also have very few weapons and equipment.

Both Wang Youling and Su Yi were willing to spend a lot of money to arm Zhejiang's army.

Therefore, in the siege battles in the past few days, although the Taiping Army was extremely fierce, it was also dangerous many times.

But Su Yi's army was too fierce and pushed the Taiping Army off the city wall again and again.

The Taiping Army was best at tunnel warfare, digging tunnels directly under city walls and then using massive amounts of explosives to blow them down.

It even formed a path dependence, waiting for this trick to work every time he attacked the city.

This attack on Hangzhou City was no exception, with thousands of engineers and more than a dozen tunnels being dug at the same time.

But this takes time and even more luck.

At least until now, no tunnel has been dug under the city wall of Hangzhou.

After the news of Su Yi's victory in the Jiaxing battlefield came, the morale of the Hangzhou city defenders became even higher.

Ever since, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng faced a choice.

Should we stay in place and fight, or should the entire army withdraw westward and retreat to Anhui?

But there was almost no entanglement. Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng had already made their decision.

Stay where you are and fight where you are.

The reason is very simple. If hundreds of thousands of troops defend in place, they will have a huge positional advantage.

But if an army of hundreds of thousands retreats, it will no longer be a unit, and it will be easy for Su Yi to defeat them individually.

Moreover, they have been besieging Hangzhou for so long and have built a very mature defense system.

Dense ravines and countless camps.

…………………………

Three days later!

Su Yi led an army of more than 20,000 people to the battlefield in Hangzhou.

When we reached the top of the mountain and looked at the entire battlefield through binoculars, we all took a deep breath.

The entire city of Hangzhou has been completely surrounded.

Most of the west part of Hangzhou is the West Lake, so there are not many Chen soldiers. But the east, north, and south directions are all Taiping Army camps.

The topography of Phoenix Mountain in Wansong Ridge in the southeast is very special. Half of the two mountains are inside the city and half are outside the city. There is no formed city wall.

But it is these two mountains where the defenses on both sides are the most intensive.

More than half of the Taiping Army's artillery positions were located on these two mountains, allowing them to bombard the city of Hangzhou from a commanding height.

Wang Shiqing said: "Commander, it's difficult to fight."

Su Yi nodded.

It's really hard to beat.

Although this is an internal and external attack, the Taiping Army's position is too complete.

Countless trenches and ravines, countless horses to resist, and countless camps.

In the environment of hot weapon warfare, it is actually no different from siege.

Su Yi had just experienced a similar battle, a street fight with Li Shixian in Jiaxing City.

Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's 140,000 troops were almost defensive to the teeth.

Su Yi's extremely powerful cavalry would have difficulty functioning in this kind of terrain.

This kind of battlefield is suitable for stupid battles.

Use artillery and a powerful army to push forward bit by bit.

But Su Yi's troops are far from enough for this style of play.

The army he can directly attack is only about 10,000 people, unless the cavalry is used as infantry, but this is impossible.

As both sides progress, the battle becomes increasingly difficult to fight.

After Su Yi's army of more than 20,000 arrived on the battlefield, they also began to build defensive positions along the mountains and kept a certain distance from Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's armies.

In comparison, the Shandong battlefield is really much more primitive.

………………………………

On the first day, there was no fighting.

The next day, there was no fighting.

On the third day, there was still no fighting.

Su Yi was not in a hurry to attack Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's army, and the Taiping Army was not in a hurry to attack Hangzhou City.

In Su Yi's commanding tent, a battlefield sandbox was constructed in the shortest possible time.

The battlefield map and battlefield sandbox are all very accurate.

The Taiping Army's army numbered 140,000 to 50,000, and their positions stretched for dozens of miles.

The general staff desperately searched for flaws in Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng's army.

"Commander, at least from a defensive perspective, there are almost no large-scale flaws."

"First of all, there are fortifications and trenches everywhere here, and the cavalry is not suitable for charging."

"Our infantry is very powerful, and it will definitely be able to penetrate the defensive line in a certain direction, but even if it does, it is of little significance. It is easy to fall into the enemy's siege."

"There are 44,000 Hangzhou City defenders, but there are only about 18,000 people who can attack us from both inside and outside. Including the infantry we can use to attack, that's about 30,000 people."

"The enemy in the north of the city is the weakest. The Taiping Army only has about 40,000 people. We have 30,000 people attacking from inside and outside. It is possible to penetrate the northern defense line of the rebels. But in this way, the 50,000 rebels in the east will lose the West Lake in the east. The 10,000 people in the direction will definitely support the northern defense line. By then, our 30,000 people will probably be surrounded by 100,000 enemy troops."

"Of course, even if we are surrounded by 100,000 people, we may not be unable to win. But... the cost will be very high, and the battle will drag on for a long time."

Su Yi looked at the sand table and said slowly: "Times have changed, and so have the battlefields."

The staff officer said: "There are three plans that can still kill the enemy by surprise."

Su Yi said: "Air raid, right?"

The staff officer said: "Yes, we once used an airship to kidnap the Empress Dowager Ci'an and the young emperor from Chengde, but we are still unprepared for threats from the air."

"After several years of transformation, the rebellious army has developed from cold weapons to hot weapons, so the war model has changed, making positional warfare more difficult to fight."

"But one thing is that the army with hot weapons needs a lot of ammunition, and the rebel army has no awareness of air defense at all, so it will probably still hit and store important supplies such as gunpowder, shells, bullets, etc."

"So we have three options."

"The first plan is to find the ammunition depot where the weapon was fired and conduct an air strike to detonate it."

"The second plan is to find the rebellious grain depot and ignite it with air strikes."

"The third option is to find the headquarters of Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai and conduct air strikes to behead them."

"Because air strikes are very random, they must be successful in one strike, otherwise the enemy will defend. Therefore, one of the three plans must be chosen."

Su Yi said: "Give up the second one. The amount of food and grass needed by an army of hundreds of thousands is astronomical. We have a small number of airships and a very low bomb load. Even gasoline bombs can burn at most a fraction of the enemy's food and grass." Amazing.”

Whether it is an air strike detonating the ammunition depot or a beheading air strike on Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai, it will have miraculous effects.

Su Yi said: "The Intelligence Department took action immediately to find the location of Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai. Find the location of the ammunition depot of the rebel army."

"yes!"

…………………………………………

Just a few hours later, officers from the Intelligence Division came to report.

"Commander, we got the specific locations of Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng an hour ago, but basically their locations are not fixed. They will move to another place almost every once in a while."

Li Shixian knew that Su Ye would not assassinate him, so he boldly came to drink with Su Ye every time.

Because Su Yi was eager for Li Shixian, and even valued him more than the Taiping Army under his command.

But Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng knew clearly that Su Yi wanted to get rid of them quickly.

In fact, when Su Yi first arrived on the battlefield, he sent an envoy to visit Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng for final negotiations.

However, it was rejected.

Previously on the battlefield in southern Jiangsu, Su Yi was able to have face-to-face talks with Shi Dakai.

But now, this space has been lost.

"And the ammunition depots of the rebellion army are divided into three places."

"The first place is on the island in the middle of the West Lake. There are rebel ships defending it, so it can be called safe."

"The second place is on Phoenix Mountain in the southwest of the city."

"The third place is in the east of Hangzhou, between Wangjiang Gate and Houchao Gate, 2,700 meters east."

The Intelligence Department took out a map and marked the locations of the three ammunition depots very clearly.

It has to be said that the Taiping Army's anti-espionage work was a mess. In less than a day, the location of the ammunition depot was detected by Su Ye's Intelligence Department, and it was accurate to the meter.

Of course, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng were actually very careful.

If the air latitude is not considered, the ammunition depot on the island in the middle of the West Lake and the ammunition depot on Phoenix Mountain are almost completely safe.

Even the ammunition depot in the east of the city is under the dense defense of the army.

Under normal circumstances, it is almost impossible to be detonated and destroyed.

However, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng never thought about air defense.

There must be a first time, right?

Su Ye said: "All airships are ready, all bombs are ready."

"Be ready to airstrike the ammunition depot at any time."

"Wait for the wind to stop!"

With Su Ye's order, more than a dozen cavalrymen rushed out.

A few hours later, in the middle of the night.

Su Ye's forces used all their strength to build five airships and began to approach the battlefield in Hangzhou.

Airstrike bombs were also fully prepared.

However, it is winter now, and Hangzhou is not far from the sea. The north wind is really strong, which is not suitable for flying or airstrike.

Wait for the wind to stop!

On the top of the mountain, Su Ye looked up at the stars and felt the howling north wind.

Anhui Provincial Governor Ma Xinyi was beside him, bowed to Su Ye and said: "Thank you for your trust."

Su Ye said: "What's wrong?"

Ma Xinyi said: "I have just been under the command of the Prime Minister, and this top-secret operation has not been concealed from me."

Su Ye smiled and said nothing.

Su Ye is so famous that Ma Xinyi has heard so many rumors about him before, especially the struggle between the Southern Seven Provinces Alliance and the central government. The struggles and strategies made Ma Xinyi feel that Su Ye was an unfathomable politician.

But after meeting and getting along with each other, he gave people the opposite feeling.

Su Ye is strategic and uses all means to deal with things.

But he is extremely frank with people.

He doesn't look like a politician at all, not even a statesman.

Any politician Ma Xinyi has ever met pays attention to power tactics, and speaks with some reservations, hiding a lot, and likes to play tricks.

But Su Ye is completely different, that is, he speaks directly, almost without hiding his head and tail.

In many cases, this situation will be very disadvantageous. But... the sense of trust he brings to people is really unparalleled.

"En Xiang, has this air raid tactic ever been seen abroad?" Ma Xinyi asked.

Su Ye said: "No, at least in terms of airships, we are the most advanced."

Ma Xinyi said: "The war has entered a new chapter."

"Following the Prime Minister, I can really broaden my horizons and clearly feel the progress of the army and the war."

Su Ye said: "Brother Gu Shan's enterprising spirit is really pleasing."

Ma Xinyi was worried and confused about the future before he came to Su Ye. But after coming, he was suddenly full of great confidence.

Mentor Yuan Jiasan has reached the end and can't give him Ma Xinyi more space.

But Su Ye can, so on Su Ye's side, Ma Xinyi sees his bright future.

As long as I am proactive and keep up with the pace, my future may not be inferior to Shen Baozhen and Zuo Zongtang.

……………………………………………………

The next day!

The wind gradually subsided.

Su Ye still did not launch an attack.

Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng still did not attack Hangzhou City.

Su Ye's army continued to build fortifications.

The Taiping Army tried their best to deepen and raise the defense of their positions, which were truly intertwined and impenetrable.

Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng inspected the defense of their positions every day and felt more and more at ease.

They were veterans on the battlefield and understood many things. They knew that even the strongest army would find it difficult to break through such a defense.

They felt more and more secure.

However, they really had never thought about the threat from the air.

On the other hand, their engineering troops continued to dig tunnels frantically.

At the same time, they dug more than 20 tunnels. What if one of them could be dug under the city wall?

However, all the news was bad.

Collapse, collapse, collapse.

Hangzhou City is next to the Qiantang River and the West Lake. The groundwater here is terrible. The tunnel digging tactics are simply a nightmare.

Therefore, Shi Dakai ordered to drain water while digging tunnels.

Support while digging.

Although this method is a bit stupid, it can ensure that the tunnel can be dug under the city wall, but the progress is very slow.

Now, they are racing against time.

As long as they dig through the tunnel, blow up the city wall, and break through Hangzhou City, then Su Ye's more than 20,000 troops outside will not be scary.

"King Yi, Su Ye's envoy is here to pay a visit."

Shi Dakai was about to refuse directly, but after a little hesitation, he still said: "Let him come, and invite King Ying as well."

……………………………………………………

Inside the tent, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng met Su Ye's envoy.

"Su Yi asked you to come, why?" Shi Dakai asked.

The envoy Su Yi said: "My commander-in-chief is interested in the talents of these two people and can't bear it, so he sent a villain to make the final lobbying."

Shi Dakai said: "Do you advise us to surrender?"

Messenger Su Yi said: "Yes."

Shi Dakai said: "Can Su Yi grant me the title of king? Can you grant me half of Zhejiang?"

Chen Yucheng said: "Can Su Yi grant me the title of king? Can you grant me the other half of Zhejiang?"

Messenger Su Yi said: "I'm afraid it's impossible."

Chen Yucheng said: "Then will I be able to become a prince in the future? Can I lead an army of 100,000 or 200,000 people?"

Messenger Su Yi said: "That's okay."

In fact, Su Yi can give Chen Yucheng what he wants.

What Shi Dakai wanted, Su Yi couldn't give.

Chen Yucheng sneered and said: "It's a pity that I don't want to be the servant of the master of the Qian family."

Envoy Su Yi said: "Why is this? My master likes many talents in the Kingdom of Heaven, and you, Chen Yucheng, are the first."

Chen Yucheng said: "How can there be so many reasons? Your master and I don't get along, and I don't like him."

Messenger Su Yi said: "This is really the last chance."

Shi Dakai sneered and said: "Can your commander defeat my army of hundreds of thousands? On the contrary, Seng Gelinqin and Shengbao are about to break through Jinan Mansion."

Chen Yucheng said: "Your master, Su Yi, is about to lose his position as the center. He cannot protect himself. You still want to recruit us?"

Envoy Su Yi sighed and said: "The last chance has been abandoned by the two of you like a pair of worn-out shoes, so I'll take my leave."

Then, he left directly.

It can be regarded as Su Yi's last effort.

After the envoy left, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng immediately left the camp, fearing that they would be assassinated by Su Yi and moved to another place.

Shi Dakai stood at a high place and said, "Su Yi seems to be at his wits' end. We have been here for several days, but there has been no fight."

Chen Yucheng said: "In this world, who can be much smarter than others? How much more brilliant? There are only so many battles? In the current battle situation, anyone with a discerning eye will know at a glance that there is no way to fight."

"Su Yi's desire to win quickly is a complete daydream."

"He has no time and we have plenty of time."

Shi Da laughed and said: "I never thought that one day we would become distant allies with the Eight Banners Qingyao, even though we are incommunicado."

Chen Yucheng said: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"

At this time, the north wind stopped.

In the sky, a sound suddenly came from a distance.

Many people raised their heads, pointed to the sky and said, "Look, look, what is this in the sky?"

Several black spots converged towards Hangzhou City from all directions and flew from the sky.

Five airships.

Neither too fast nor too slow, very stable.

And while flying, it also kept losing altitude.

Everyone saw it more and more clearly and were filled with astonishment.

This, what is this?

Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng watched the five airships getting closer and closer.

Two of them flew towards the island in the middle of the West Lake.

The other two ships flew towards Phoenix Mountain in the south of the city.

The last one flew towards the east of the city.

For a moment, Shi Dakai's hair stood on end and he said in horror: "Ammunition depot, ammunition depot, Su Yi's target is our ammunition depot."

"Quick, quick, quick, send people to defend."

"Go transfer!"

Haha, it’s a waste of time to transfer this astronomical amount of ammunition. If I give you two quarters of an hour, how much can you transfer?

Five airships came to the top of the three ammunition depots and slowly lowered their altitude.

"Fire, fire, fire..."

The Taipings kept firing at several airships, although they had no idea what they were.

Although they are full of fear, horror and fear.

However, how could it be possible to hit it from a height of several hundred meters?

aim!

bomb!

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Densely packed bombs were dropped from the airship pod.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

Next, there was an earth-shattering explosion.

Never before.

The end of Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng has come.

……………………

Note: I finally finished writing, and it’s just a few minutes before midnight. My benefactors, can you please continue to give me your monthly tickets? thank you