I Build an Aircraft Carrier in the Ming Dynasty

On the 26th, Wang Baihu, who was responsible for bringing the soldiers into Nanjing City, came back and reported that he had successfully infiltrated Nanjing and prepared with Tong Youwei and others.

Therefore, the next day Wu Changqing led an army of 80,000 troops to Nanjing, and the remaining troops were stationed in Changzhou and Danyang respectively, which was regarded as a way out.

To prevent them from being attacked by Qing troops from Zhenjiang or Liyang, these places have not been recovered by Wu Changqing, and neither Danyang nor Changzhou is safe.

Although the probability of his defeat in Nanjing is very low, anything can happen on the battlefield, and it is right to leave a way out.

The 80,000 troops on this expedition were his main force, including 7,000 flintlock troops and 13,000 arquebus troops. 5,000 archers, 3,000 cavalry, 50,000 infantry, more than 900 artillerymen, and some other miscellaneous personnel.

The people who were recruited and transported grain were not counted. Danyang was not far from Nanjing, and there were not many people who were recruited.

The force of this 80,000-strong army was no smaller than the Qing army last time, because they carried a large number of professional siege equipment.

Building car, rush car, boxcar, wooden ladder...

These cumbersome siege equipment seriously delayed their marching speed. After walking for three days, the army arrived in Jiangning County, south of Nanjing.

If you want to attack Nanjing, you must first attack Jiangning.

There are hillsides on both sides of Jiangning, there is no way to go around it, and there is no need to go around it.

After all, the city wall of Jiangning County is not high, and the city is not particularly large. It is impossible for such a small city to defend an army of 80,000.

Boluo did not expect Jiangning County to play any role, and symbolically left 3,008 banner soldiers and 5,000 green battalions stationed there.

The rest of the main force was all concentrated in the city of Nanjing, ready to stick to Nanjing.

They still have 35,000 Eight Banners soldiers in Nanjing City, plus 15,000 yuan for the Green Camp. With 50,000 people, it is actually very easy to defend an attack of 80,000 people.

Of course, the premise is that the weapons gap between the two sides should not be too large.

For example, Wu Changqing now has cannons, flintlock guns, and grenades. If they want to defend Nanjing City, they will have to go through a hard battle.

On Jiangning City, Lu Guangzu, who was in charge of defending the city, was scolding his mother in his heart.

In a small county like Jiangning, what should you guard?

The city wall is only less than four meters high. What makes people vomit blood is that the city wall is still built of rammed earth. This kind of city wall still had good defense before artillery was invented, but when artillery appeared, this kind of rammed earth city wall became fragile.

As long as a few more shots are fired, the wall will collapse.

As soon as the city wall is crossed, the defensive power of this city directly becomes zero.

After all, Jiangning is only a small county, so it can only afford rammed earth.

Unlike Nanjing, the city walls have long been reinforced with fired bricks.

This brick-reinforced city wall is so strong that it is difficult for artillery to destroy it.

As a descending general, Lu Guangzu naturally couldn't get any good tasks, and the task of hitting a stone with an egg fell on his head.

However, what worried Lu Guangzu did not happen, and Wu Changqing did not let the artillery fire.

It has only been less than a month since the last big battle, and their shells have only been replenished partially, which is not very abundant, and they need to keep them to fight Nanjing.

In a small county like Jiangning, there is no need to waste precious shells.

Three thousand flintlock troops stepped forward and came to a place only tens of meters away from the city wall. They were suppressing the front of the city. Lu Guangzu was so frightened that he could only shrink under the battlements and did not dare to look up to check the enemy's situation. .

"Archer, hit me back."

Lu Guangzu gave the order to fight back, but unfortunately, their number of archers was too small, and they obviously suffered a loss in the confrontation with Wu Jun.

After some suppression, Lu Guangzu was surprised to find that the Ming army did not send troops to attack the city.

Only a scholar-like person stood up with a big cylinder with a small top and a big bottom.

"The guards in the city listen, our army's artillery is in place, and the tens of thousands of troops are ready. You can't defend Jiangning. You saw it just now, you can't even stop our soldiers from approaching.

Surrender, for your own life and future, for the lives of your subordinates, surrender. As long as you are willing to surrender, my general will treat you preferentially.

Now the generals who have surrendered to our army have all been reused. If you don't believe me, I can call a few of your old friends out right now..."

This is a heart-to-heart battle that Wu Changqing came up with. If he can persuade the enemy to surrender, it will make a lot of money. If you can't convince it, it's just a waste of time.

Moreover, even if the main general of the Qing army cannot be persuaded, this kind of shouting can more or less blow down the momentum of the enemy army and weaken their will to resist.

Fang Qihe shouted the truth, and those soldiers would inevitably be afraid, worried, and discouraged when they heard it.

On the city wall, Lu Guangzu was angry and anxious.

Annoyed that he could not surrender, his family was moved to the north and held hostage. If he surrendered, his family would be exterminated.

What is urgent is that what Fang Qihe shouted is the truth. Facing the well-equipped Wu Jun, they have no chance of winning, and they will really die here.

These remarks directly shook Lu Guangzu's military heart.

Some soldiers have heard of Wu Jun's prestige and dare not fight against such a division of tigers and wolves. What's more, the numbers of the two sides are now very different, the weapons and equipment are very different, and the morale is very different.

than the disparity.

The soldiers who had no fighting spirit in the first place, were shouted even more without fighting spirit by Fang Qihe's remarks.

If it weren't for the chaos in the city now, many soldiers would have started to flee at this time.

Even if you don't surrender, it's better to flee to Nanjing, where the city walls are at least higher and stronger.

"Mighty men, think about your family, think about your children, think about your old parents. If you die in the battle, your old parents will be left unsupported, your children will be left unsupported, and your wives will be occupied by others. Why, why do you still work for the Manchu Qing..."

These are all words of persuasion written by Wu Changqing himself. Wu Changqing relied on some clips he saw in film and television dramas, and then pondered them.

This kind of shouting is ineffective for a firm-willed army, but it is a good catalyst for an army that has already been shaken.

On the city wall, some soldiers couldn't help but think of their wives and children at home. Thinking that they are facing a life-and-death situation, and wondering if they will have a chance to see their relatives again, some soldiers could not hold back their tears.

Even some soldiers who have not yet married, think that they will die in battle before they have even tried the bridal chamber in their entire life, and they are also ten thousand ten thousand unwilling in their hearts.