Chapter 646 643 [Direct Attack on the Gate of Life]
Li Dingguo's 10,000-strong army did not go to the mouth of the Red River, but went straight to Thang Long, the capital of Annam.
Because the entrance of the Red River to the sea at this time was still in a semi-developed state, there were mangroves everywhere along both sides of the river. There is no big port for warships to berth, and it is very troublesome to transfer to a small boat to enter the Red River.
Ten thousand troops were divided into two groups.
The first way is to take a sea boat to the estuary of Majiang River. There is no need to change boats. The navy can reach directly outside Thanh Hoa City.
The second way is to take a sea boat to the estuary of Lanjiang River. After sailing into Lanjiang River, you can change to a small boat and travel for more than ten miles to reach the outside of Ngee An City.
Why attack these two cities?
More than 80% of the high-ranking officials in the DPRK and Central Government under Zheng's regime have their hometowns in these two places!
The Ma River Basin and the Lan River Basin were the earliest areas to be developed in Vietnam and were also the capitals of Vietnam's Dinh Dynasty and the former Le Dynasty.
As long as they occupy these two cities and then quickly control the surrounding villages and towns, Zheng's officials in the court and central government will be dumbfounded, and a small half of Zheng's grain-producing area will be gone.
This is all thanks to Xizuo and merchants. Otherwise, how would the rulers and ministers of Nanjing know? Most likely they would be foolish enough to attack Shenglong Mansion.
After returning from Japan, Yuan Shizhong was finally promoted to deputy division commander and assigned five thousand troops to attack Nghe An.
After taking a boat to the estuary of Lanjiang River, missionary officer Xu Xuechang walked out of the cabin, stood on the deck and bowed towards the river.
"Old Xu, who are you worshiping?" Yuan Shizhong joked, "Could it be that your ancestors lived here in Annan before?"
Xu Xuechang said seriously: "It's not about worshiping ancestors, but worshiping sages."
"Which sage can be found here?" Yuan Shizhong asked.
Xu Xuechang said with emotion: "In the early Tang Dynasty, Prince An encountered a storm here, and his boat capsized and he was unfortunately buried at the bottom of the sea."
Yuan Shizhong was even more confused: "Who is Wang Zi'an?"
Xu Xuechang said: "The setting clouds and the solitary owl fly together, and the autumn water is the same color as the sky. Even if I tell you, you don't understand. When this battle is over, I will teach you to recite the "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng"."
Yuan Shizhong asked: "He seems to be a talented man from the former dynasty. Why did he come here by boat?"
Xu Xuechang said: "During the Tang Dynasty, this was the land of the Tang Dynasty."
"Then we have regained the lost ground, and our name will definitely be left in the history books." Yuan Shizhong suddenly became happy, imitating Xu Xuechang and bowed his hands, "I, old Yuan, also came to pay homage to the sages, the king...what is the king?"
Xu Xuechang said: "The prince's name is Bo, and his courtesy name is Zi'an."
Yuan Shizhong said while paying homage: "Mr. Wang's spirit in heaven will bless this battle with victory. Come, bring some wine!"
Drinking is not allowed in the military, but highly distilled alcohol is available to clean wounds.
Yuan Shizhong poured three cups into the river and offered sacrifices to Wang Bo from a distance. He suddenly felt much better, although he had no idea what Wang Bo did.
Not long after the naval warship sailed into Lanjiang River, it encountered a sandbar. The sandbank bisected the Lanjiang River, making it impossible for large ships to pass through. They had to put down small boats to transport supplies, while soldiers landed and advanced along the river bank.
It is indeed the earliest developed area in Vietnam. Both sides of the Lan River are lush and green, and they are all rice seedlings planted not long ago.
Xu Xuechang once again reiterated the military order: "Command to the officers and men not to trample the crops. The cavalry should lead their horses and move slowly!"
When the gentry and farmers along the river saw the army coming from the sea, they were all frightened and hid in their houses. Only a few people were sent to investigate from a distance.
Pan Chunfu was from a wealthy local family. He had a nephew who was promoted to Dongge Bachelor's degree and was responsible for copying Hanlin Academy proclamations for Zheng Zhi. He also has a clan brother who serves as the deputy commander-in-chief of Taiyuan Road. He also had a son who was sent to Liangshan Road as a supervisory censor.
As for other types of petty officials, the Pan family has more than twenty.
This shows the rich heritage of the Nghe An and Thanh Hoa clans. Whether it was the leader of the Li Dynasty or the powerful official Zheng family, they all relied on the nobles of the two places to raise their armies.
"Master, the Han soldiers did not come to kill, they just walked west along the Lanjiang River." Pan Gui, the servant of the family, rushed back to the house to report.
Pan Chunfu muttered: "Keep going west, we are going to attack Ngee Ann City. Didn't they plunder along the way?"
Pan Gui shook his head: "There was no looting and no crops were trampled. The military discipline is much better than that of the officers and soldiers (Zheng Jun)."
Pan Chunfu suddenly understood and said: "The Han soldiers did not plunder the people or trample the crops because they wanted to maintain peace in the south. Lord Zheng returned with a great defeat. The defeated soldiers had just passed through Nghe An a few days ago, and they had caused great harm to Nghe An. . The domestic troops are empty, and Annan is afraid that this time he will destroy the country."
Pan Gui asked: "Master, what should we do?"
Pan Chunfu said: "The Zheng family is unpopular and will be destroyed sooner or later. Emperor Li is weak and not a wise king who can turn the tide..." Suddenly, Pan Chunfu made an impassioned speech, "Ngee An is the homeland of the Han family, and I, the Pan family, have always passed down poetry and etiquette to our family. . And today the soldiers have arrived, so you have to prepare a pot of food to welcome the king's army. Quickly kill the pigs and sheep, and catch up in the boat to reward the heavenly soldiers!"
This is the correct route to advance!
If troops are sent from Guangxi and Yunnan, not to mention crossing mountains and ridges along the way, even if they are beaten to pieces, the Vietnamese gentry and nobles will not feel bad.
Going straight from the sea to Nghe An and Thanh Hoa, you will directly reach the headquarters of the Vietnamese nobles, including the home base of the Zheng family. Not to mention conquering cities and territories, even trampling crops with horses is as uncomfortable as cutting the heart of a Vietnamese noble.
When the Datong army was about to arrive at Ngee Ann City, Pan Chunfu had already caught up with him by boat and was quickly brought to Yuan Shizhong.
"Pan Chunfu of Nghe An, pay homage to the general of the Celestial Dynasty!" Pan Chunfu knelt down and kowtowed.
Yuan Shizhong was very surprised. He led his troops to kill him. How come the Vietnamese gentry actually welcomed the king's army?
Yuan Shizhong asked: "Are your ancestors Han?"
Pan Chunfu said: "Nghe An has been the land of China since ancient times, and the people have also been the people of China. Although the Pan family lives in Nghe An, their ancestors passed the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty and became the chief minister of Fujian Province. For hundreds of years, I, Pan, have been His poetry and etiquette are passed down from generation to generation, and he has devoted himself to studying the Book of Songs for generations."
Yuan Shizhong understood that this guy was just a loser, and he was also a very discerning loser.
Pan Chunfu said: "General, the common people have prepared some wine and food..."
"No need, the march is important." Yuan Shizhong immediately interrupted.
Pan Chunfu was about to say something, but he saw that Yuan Shizhong had already continued on his way, and none of the soldiers in the army coveted what he had brought.
Pan Chunfu was frightened and murmured to himself: "I don't plunder, I don't destroy farmers, I don't care about goods, wine and food. With such a strong army, how can the remaining soldiers of the Zheng family stop it?" He turned around and shouted, "Send someone to deliver the message quickly, Tell the Pan family’s disciples everywhere not to resist Han soldiers when they encounter them, it’s best to offer yourself to the city and perform meritorious service!”
The clan brother Pan Chunfu is most worried about is now the deputy commander-in-chief of Taiyuan Road.
What if the younger brothers resisted and angered the Chinese generals, and the Han soldiers destroyed the Pan family?
Ninety percent of the Pan family's shops and land are located here, and it is impossible to move them away. They have long been a piece of meat on the chopping board.
To be honest, if officials of Zheng's court heard that Nghe An and Thanh Hoa were occupied. In order to save their family, they probably surrendered faster than the other, opening the gates of the capital every minute to welcome the king.
Inside Ngee Ann City.
Wu Anguo had received the news that the Datong army was killing him. He was on pins and needles and didn't know what to do.
Annan's local administrative system is divided into roads, prefectures, roads, towns, states, counties, and communes.
The Dao is similar to the provinces of the Ming Dynasty, with the Dusi, Chengsi, and Xiansi, which correspond to the Ming Dynasty's Dudu Commandery Department, Chengxuanzhengshi Department, and Anchasi Department.
Wu Anguo's official position was Zuo Chengzheng of Yi'an Road, that is, Zuo Buzheng Envoy.
"Brother Bangyan, don't hesitate, quickly recruit troops to defend the city!" You Chengzheng Chen Fan urged.
Wu Anguo said anxiously: "The King of the Qing Dynasty took away the two generals during this expedition. The remnant soldiers who fled back from the defeat said that General Wu had died in the battle, and General Fan had disappeared. The remaining troops were not defeated. , were all taken to Shenglong Mansion by the Qing King. The suburbs of the city have already been recruited once. If we forcefully recruit soldiers again, I am afraid that the farmers themselves will rebel!"
King of the Qing Dynasty is Zheng Zhi's title.
This guy also has a title, abbreviated as King Yi, and his full title has 134 characters. Namely: Dewei, grace, trust, wisdom, open-mindedness, caliber, justice, kindness and filial piety... The King of Chongxun, Guangde, Xianmo, Chenglieyiyi.
Zheng Jing's father Zheng Song is even more powerful, with a title of 192 characters. He dared to throw any words into his title about his great talents and strategies, his integrity and loyalty, his courage and courage to create a world.
The Hanlin bachelor who gave the father and son the honorary title must have turned gray. Because Zheng Zhen’s grandfather also had a title, which was a total of 234 words. It had been used by previous generations and could not be repeated by future generations. There were no electronic dictionaries in ancient times, so where could one come up with so many good words?
Chen Fan said: "You can't recruit troops in the suburbs, so recruit troops in the city. Tell the people in the city that once the Han soldiers break the city, they will kill all the people in the city!"
Wu Anguo did not respond directly, but said: "Since the Han soldiers have arrived in Nghe An, will they also go to Thanh Hoa?"
There are more nobles in Thanh Hoa!
Wu Anguo and Chen Fan were both from the Qinghua clan.
"This..." Chen Fan was speechless.
If Han soldiers really captured Thanh Hoa, and if I resisted in Nghe An and caused losses to the Han soldiers, wouldn't my hometown be exterminated?
Wu Anguo said: "The Han soldiers even came to Nghe An, how could they not go to Qinghua?"
It was more convenient for the Datong Army to send troops to Qinghua. Not only was the road closer, but there was no need to change ships. Navy warships could sail directly to the city.
Chen Fan was also restless at this time, facing a dilemma to protect his family and country.
If you choose to defend the country and defend the city, you will definitely not be able to protect your family. If you want to protect your family, you have to surrender in Kaicheng.
The two of them thought about it and both felt that Ngee Ann City could not be defended.
However, they did not dare to surrender.
If the Han soldiers looted and then left, Zheng would come to her senses and definitely liquidate those who surrendered.
Then... don't fight, don't surrender, don't leave, just pretend that nothing happened.
The two administrative officials were sitting in the Chengsi Yamen. They declined all visitors and only sent officials out to inquire, so that they could get news about the Datong Army at any time.
After waiting for a moment, the official rushed in in a panic: "Deng Xiansi is recruiting troops to defend the city!"
This Deng Xiansi can be understood as the inspector of Ngee Ann Road, who is usually in charge of the judicial and criminal prisons of the province.
Wu Anguo was shocked and stood up in a panic and said: "Deng Xiansi mistook me! I am the chief officer of Yi'an. If he recruits troops to defend the city, it is equivalent to me recruiting troops to defend the city. Go out and stop him quickly. This city cannot be defended. At least it must be defended." Make it clear to the Han soldiers that they are not the soldiers recruited by the two of us!"
"Yes, yes, hurry up and stop him." Chen Fan was also frightened.