Chapter 479: Useless Liu Zeqing, the breakthrough is in Xuzhou
"The Royal Guards in Jinling City have expanded to 100,000 soldiers. They are currently undergoing confidentiality training under the leadership of the commander Zhou Yuji and his wife."
"A large amount of cultivation resources of all levels are continuously transported to the Yongwei Camp station near the Imperial City?"
In the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City in the north, Li Dingguo sat on a stone bench in a pavilion, listening to Wei Jinfan's report who came again today, and frowned slightly.
He also could not have imagined that the Ming Dynasty imperial family, which was on the decline, would have the potential to revive.
"Commander-in-chief, various signs indicate that the Ming imperial family has reached some kind of deal with those Jiangnan families, giving Emperor Chongzhen the opportunity to control some military power."
With Wei Jinfan's evil mind, he could guess something after a little thought, and said to Li Dingguo, "If Chongzhen is given enough time, he might do something surprising."
"In view of this, should we launch a full-scale offensive against the area south of the Yellow River in advance?"
She gave her suggestion, "Anyway, the four armies we deployed on the north bank of the Yellow River have rested for half a year after reorganization and have recovered to their peak condition, enough to launch a large-scale attack."
"Let alone conquering Jiangnan, even if we conquer the Central Plains and Huaibei area north of the Yangtze River, we can greatly weaken the potential of the Southern Ming Dynasty and further establish the foundational advantages of our army."
"Given the current situation of our Renaissance Army, we can afford the consumption of various resources even if we start wars with the Tartars and the Southern Ming Dynasty at the same time."
"Otherwise, once the Southern Ming Dynasty gains more and more control over the imperial court under Chongzhen's efforts, it will be detrimental to our future army's march southward."
"As long as our army captures all areas in Jiangbei, we will not only weaken the battlefield potential of the Nanmen Dynasty, but also gain tens of billions of people, fundamentally establishing our army's advantage."
As a core senior figure in the Renaissance Army, Wei Jinfan knew very well that after the reorganization and upgrading of the Renaissance Army, the combat effectiveness of each legion had more than doubled.
Any main combat corps of 500,000 soldiers can defeat any new army corps of the Southern Ming Dynasty.
Don't be fooled by the rumored four regiments of the Southern Ming New Army, each of which has million combat soldiers, but most of them are a motley crowd, and their overall combat effectiveness is far inferior to any main combat corps of the Restoration Army.
Coupled with the huge advantages of the revived navy and the fully motorized equipment of the army, as long as the four main combat corps are deployed, it will be enough to capture all areas south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River within two years.
"Hey……"
Li Dingguo sighed for a rare moment, thought for a moment, and said, "I didn't want to start a war to unify China's nine provinces so soon, but the situation is pressing."
He is telling the truth.
Compared with unifying the nine provinces, Li Dingguo was more inclined to first destroy the remnants of the Later Jin Dynasty headed by Huang Taiji, and even destroy Goguryeo and Japan, opening up a large amount of living space for the Han people and eliminating future hidden dangers around the nine provinces of China.
However, the great changes that are looming in the Southern Ming Dynasty are a perfect opportunity for the Fuxing Army to march southward to capture cities and territories, thus significantly weakening the enemy's war potential.
If left unchecked, once Emperor Chongzhen or the Jiangnan Aristocratic Family Alliance eliminates dissidents and stabilizes, it will pose a huge threat to the Fuxing Army.
Moreover, after the Fuxing Army occupied the entire area north of the Yellow River, it had been vigorously rectifying the local areas and restoring people's livelihood order for more than half a year, with remarkable results, and had basically restored the ability to start a new round of war.
Of course, if the Southern Ming court was not about to change, it would undoubtedly be more appropriate to give the Fuxing Army a year or two to recuperate.
But nothing goes as planned, and unexpected situations always occur.
The major changes that are now emerging in the Southern Ming Dynasty are due to this unexpected factor.
As long as Li Dingguo is not stupid, he will seize this opportunity to weaken the enemy and strengthen himself.
In the vast land of China, the most densely populated areas are undoubtedly the areas south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River where the Han people live.
Of the approximately 200 billion Han Chinese population, more than one-third live on this land.
Once the Renaissance Army is able to seize the opportunity to capture it, let alone anything else, the tens of billions of people gained will be enough to lay the foundation for the future dominance of the world.
As for taking this opportunity to conquer Jiangnan in one fell swoop and unify the nine provinces of China?
I'm sorry, but considering the situation that the Fuxing Army is facing now with multiple enemies, we really can't do it.
You have to eat your food one bite at a time to avoid indigestion or choking.
It was impossible for Li Dingguo to allow the Southern Ming Dynasty to resolve their own internal crisis and then leisurely counterattack the Fuxing Army.
Since many signs indicate that a major change in the Southern Ming Dynasty is about to begin, as long as he is not stupid, he will seize this rare opportunity.
Be it taking advantage of someone's misfortune or adding insult to injury, it is what an wise ruler does to send a large army south to capture the vast area south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River.
Although the Fuxing Army was not fully prepared for the new round of war southward, the Southern Ming Dynasty was even worse off.
The struggle for power between the Ming imperial family and the aristocratic families in Jiangnan is now intensifying. They are already unable to take care of themselves and have no spare energy to deal with the southward advance of the Restoration Army.
Therefore, although this round of southward war has both advantages and disadvantages, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
"Wei Jinfan, go and inform Cao Yongxiang who is doing business in the capital, and Hongmei who is in charge of government affairs, to come to the Forbidden City."
Li Dingguo immediately gave instructions to Wei Jinfan.
The top-level framework of the Renaissance Army is different from any other top-level forces.
Li Dingguo's prestige was supreme. He had the final say on all matters, big or small, without having to hold a court meeting.
However, since launching a new round of war to the south would involve too many implications, it would be necessary to discuss with Hongmei and Cao Yongxiang to perfect the plan.
Cao Yongxiang, who was stationed at the defense line on the south bank of the Yellow River, returned to Beijing this time after receiving a notice from the military. He went to the logistics headquarters to receive the latest upgraded and top-grade magic weapon set for the soldiers of the Qinglong Legion.
Li Dingguo's ability to refine magical instruments has been qualitatively improved with the completely unlocked cauldron, his natal divine weapon.
The magic weapon sets that have been used by various legions for many years have more or less shown signs of wear and tear, and their quality cannot keep up with the needs of the soldiers whose combat effectiveness has greatly increased.
It is imperative to upgrade the standard magic weapon sets equipped by the soldiers of the main combat legion.
During the recent few months in Jingjing City, Li Dingguo's main job was to use his natal magic weapon, the Da Ding, to refine the latest version of the top-grade magic weapon set in large quantities.
Because these new equipment are of vital importance, the commanders of each main combat corps will personally lead a fleet to the capital to receive them for safety reasons.
The four major corps on the north bank of the Yellow River, including Cao Yongxiang, are the first batch. Next will be the five major corps on the Liaodong front and the three major corps distributed in various jurisdictions. They will take turns to send fleets to the Beijing logistics headquarters to receive new equipment.
The reorganized Renaissance Army currently has a total of twelve main combat corps. Each corps has a strength of 500,000 soldiers, all of whom are warriors of at least the second level of martial arts. Their combat effectiveness is far superior to what it used to be.
The naval officers and soldiers will also be reorganized into five major fleets. In addition to the First, Second and Third Fleets which have already been reorganized, the Fourth and Fifth Fleets are being formed in full swing.
Each naval fleet is composed of 300,000 warriors. The total strength of the five fleets will reach an unprecedented million. "Yes, Commander-in-Chief."
Wei Jinfan immediately took the order and left.
……
In Huaibei, on the bank of the Grand Canal west of Jingshan, treasure ships of all levels gathered at the large dock.
This is a vital canal checkpoint fortress where the Yellow River splits into three parts after entering the Huai River and then converges on the north bank of Xuzhou City.
Over the past month, treasure ships from the First Fleet of the Fuxing Navy have continued to gather here, which is obviously extraordinary.
"Xiao Shitou, the army is about to march south to Xuzhou. How are the preparations going?"
Liang Liping, who had just arrived here from Jinan City, asked her younger brother Liang Dingming.
A month ago, she received an order from the military to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army in this round of southward movement, responsible for attacking Liu Zeqing's troops entrenched in Xuzhou and Yangzhou.
Due to the urgent military situation, Liang Liping, after arranging the military and political affairs of Shandong, rode a large goshawk in the early stage of level six directly to this frontline military port fortress.
If we want to successfully capture Xuzhou, where three rivers converge, the navy will be the main force.
The fleet sailed south along the Grand Canal west of Jingshan Mountain, and it would take less than half a day to reach the city of Xuzhou.
Although Xuzhou has built a solid defense line, the attack that the Fuxing Army is about to launch comes without any warning. In all likelihood, it will catch Liu Zeqing's army off guard and capture Xuzhou City and this important military town in one fell swoop.
Once Xuzhou City fell, the Huai River and Huainan regions would be undefendable and Liu Zeqing's army would be doomed to failure.
The impact of this Xuzhou surprise attack on the war situation was crucial and it cannot be overemphasized.
"Sister, don't worry."
Now that there are no outsiders present, there is no need to be so reserved. Little Stone smiled innocently, touched his big head with his hand, and said to his sister Liang Liping with a smile, "He Lijing and I have been sitting in this frontline fortress for more than a year, preparing for the army to march south to capture Xuzhou. We are not idle."
"As early as three months ago, we had already completed various arrangements for Xuzhou. We even sent Mo Xiaoyong to personally lead a team of military intelligence personnel, who were stationed inside and outside Xuzhou and were able to transmit real-time intelligence back to the city."
"Today, Xuzhou City is as transparent as a mirror in the eyes of our army. There is no secret at all."
"That greedy idiot General Liu Zeqing has only known how to amass wealth and live a life of debauchery since taking office. He is simply a typical loser!"
"At present, the only elite soldiers under his command are 100,000 family servants, half of whom are stationed in Xuzhou City and the other half in Yangzhou City."
"The remaining one million warriors are just a mob and are not worth worrying about."
He sneered, "I wonder if the civil and military officials of the Southern Ming court are taking the wrong medicine? They actually let Liu Zeqing, a useless guy, take charge of such an important new army."
"Now our army has gathered here, including 500,000 soldiers from the Xuanwu Corps, plus the 600,000 naval officers and soldiers from the First and Second Fleets. Once we start the raid mode and head south along the Grand Canal, it will be no problem for us to capture Xuzhou on the same day!"
Xiao Shitou, who has not fought the enemy for more than a year, is now itching to fight and can't wait for the upcoming surprise attack southward.
His aptitude for cultivation is excellent, comparable to Wan'er and Hongmei.
A month ago, another batch of nine acquired top-grade spiritual fruits cultivated by Wan'er using the Three Lights Divine Water matured. Xiao Shitou immediately spent a large amount of military merit points that he had been accumulating and successfully exchanged for one. After nine days of seclusion, he broke through to the early stage of level six in one fell swoop.
He and his sister Liang Liping, who had made a breakthrough earlier, finally caught up with the first-tier masters of the Fuxing Army.
"That's good."
Liang Liping nodded in satisfaction, then thought of something and continued, "Our Fuxing Army has a lot of combat missions this year and next year. We will simultaneously start fighting against the Southern Ming Dynasty, the remnants of Huang Taiji's Later Jin, and Japan."
"While I was heading south to join you, the Navy's Third Fleet had received an order from the military to head to the Ryukyu Kingdom to start a war against the Shimazu family, one of the three major forces in Japan, and prepare to capture the Ryukyu Islands in one fell swoop."
"Little Stone, as the new commander of the reorganized Xuanwu Army, you must be careful in the future so as not to disappoint the commander-in-chief's trust in you."
Liang Liping spoke to her brother earnestly.
She knew that Xiao Shitou's talent was comparable to that of a peerless genius. Although he was a veteran in the battlefield, he was still too young and needed to be reminded and instructed frequently.
"It would be nice to have endless battles!"
Little Shitou waved his fist excitedly and said to his sister Liang Liping, "Don't worry, I will do my best to fight this battle southward."
"Besides, with my sister and He Lijing here, it will be easy to deal with Liu Zeqing's army!"
It's not that he underestimates the enemy he is about to face, but he has the right to look down on Liu Zeqing, a real waste.
Although it was rumored that Liu Zeqing had received strong support from the Chengguo Mansion, a powerful military family in the Southern Ming Dynasty, various intelligence collected by the Military Intelligence Department showed that Liu Zeqing was not a cause for concern at all.
Compared with his previous opponents, Liu Zeqing is not on the same level at all.
"Well, that's true."
Liang Liping came prepared this time. She had made various analyses of this round of southward war and knew that her brother was not bragging but telling the truth.
"Compared to Kaifeng and Luoyang, which are commanded by Cao Yongxiang and Wan'er, and the armies of Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng that they are about to face, Liu Zeqing, who is stationed in Xuzhou City, is really not worth mentioning."
She once again reminded Xiao Shitou, "That's why our three armies of the Fuxing Army are heading south this time. We can't afford to lose the first victory in Xuzhou!"
"Once our Eastern Army quickly breaks through in Xuzhou and Yangzhou, it will have a huge impact on the entire war situation, and it is not impossible to force the defenders of other defense lines of the Southern Ming Dynasty to retreat south in one fell swoop."
After saying this, she looked towards the end of the Grand Canal where the water flowed southward, and a murderous look flashed in her eyes.
The Fuxing Army was not well prepared for this southern expedition, and the breakthrough point was in Xuzhou.
Not only the military was aware of this, Liang Liping was also aware of it.
This is also the reason why she quickly went south, anxious to reunite with Xiao Shitou and He Lijing.
(End of this chapter)
