"Damn it, these dog Tatars are really blind. They don't stop during the New Year. I don't know how to run away in this Zhenjiang Fort. Isn't it okay to fight after the New Year? Why are you so anxious to reincarnate?"

Hearing that the heavy artillery troops of the Qing Dynasty had gathered on the Weihua Island River in the east of the city, Yang Zhen quickly led a group of generals to the Zhenjiang Gate Urn City.

When other people saw the scene in front of them, they all frowned and pondered, thinking about countermeasures, waiting for Yang Zhen to ask him questions so that they could give Yang Zhen advice.

Only Zhang Guogan saw the Qing soldiers and horses in the east of the city breaking the ice and driving piles and pouring ice wall bunkers there as before, and he immediately muttered and cursed.

"I don't blame others for calling you a talker, you really haven't buried your reputation!"

Hearing Zhang Guogan curse and complain, Yang Zhen glanced at him, said something casually to him, then turned to Liu Zhongjin who was standing aside and asked:

"They did the same thing last time in the east of the city. According to your estimates, when will their position be able to be built to a position that can directly pose danger to us?"

"A position that can directly pose danger to us? This, the ice layer is thicker now. According to the last experience, it will take one night to break the ice, drill holes, collect water, and cut trees. The earliest is probably tomorrow.

Morning."

It is not difficult to cut down trees and drill holes in the ice, but as the ice becomes thicker, it will naturally become more difficult to break through the ice to obtain water.

In the ice and snow, although they guarded the main channel of the Yajiang River, it was not so easy to get a large amount of water.

After listening to Liu Zhongjin's words, Yang Zhen looked at the others following him and saw that Qiu Zhenhai and others nodded in approval. Of course, he himself had no objections, so he said:

"In that case, then make all preparations for the Qing Dynasty to attack the city and start a battle with me tomorrow morning! We will have extra food tonight and have a good meal. The various departments of the East City garrison will set up posts and continue to build more fortifications in the city!

"Last time our tactics were able to win because the fortifications in our city were complete! Now with the large number of people, the Qing Dynasty thought they would have a chance if they broke the city, so let them suffer even more and give them a more powerful one.

Big lesson!”

It has been two months since the last war ended, and Yang Zhen led more than 10,000 defenders in the city to do nothing.

For example, when Jierhalang fled in panic, the few piles of gunpowder left in Zhenjiang Fort were piled up like hills. Li Lu led the sentry officers of each battalion of the Grenadier Regiment to make a large number of simple flying generals.

.

For another example, the inner and outer city defenses that were damaged in previous battles were almost restored to their original state within two months of free time.

Although the repaired urn city and walls are hardly the same as before, there are many mysteries hidden behind the apparent "difference".

Even if the Qing soldiers and horses break through the city wall again, the troops who enter the city will go directly to death and will be attacked head-on by the ambush deployed in the city.

Because behind every seemingly fragile city wall, there are circles and circles of pocket-shaped fortifications similar to the inner urn city.

"Haha, tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. If the Qing Dynasty launches heavy artillery bombardment of the city, just think of it as firecrackers and fireworks for us to celebrate the New Year!"

What Yang Zhen said seemed casual, but in fact he was just pretending to be relaxed.

But when other people present heard this, they just shook their heads and smiled bitterly, unable to relax at all.

Because everyone knows that since Huang Taiji, the puppet emperor of the Qing Dynasty, has led his army to make a comeback, he must have made great determination.

In fact, of course that is the case.

On the same night, while the Qinglu heavy artillery position on the east river of Zhenjiang Fort was being constructed overnight, Huang Taiji once again convened an imperial meeting in the Zhenghuang Banner camp in the north of Zhenjiang Fort.

Huang Taiji was wearing casual casual clothes, sitting cross-legged on a large Arhat bed. He didn't wear a warm hat. His head must have been newly shaved. Except for the ugly money rat tail on the top of his head, his entire brain shell was covered with light.

The reflected light is bright.

Although it was the season when dripping water turned into ice, there were many glowing charcoal basins placed in Huang Taiji's tent, so not only was it not cold at all, but it also seemed a bit stuffy when there were more people.

The upper eyelid of Huang Taiji's eyelid drooped so badly that he still couldn't open it. He could only use the other eye to stare at the princes, Baylor and ministers who were kneeling on the ground to congratulate him.

Although Huang Taiji is currently in the army and a war is imminent, as the so-called tolerant and benevolent emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the co-leader of the Eight Banners, on the annual New Year's Eve, he would more or less receive the congratulations of the ministers, otherwise

It was too deserted.

"I originally hoped to lead the army in triumph and return to Shengjing before the year, but it's New Year's Eve in the blink of an eye. If you count carefully, it has been nearly three months since I left Shengjing -"

"The slave is guilty."

"I am aware of my guilt."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

As soon as Huang Taiji opened his mouth, before he could finish his words, the princes and ministers kneeling at the front of the tent immediately kowtowed to the ground.

Some claimed to be guilty, some claimed to be aware of the crime, and some directly asked Huang Taiji for forgiveness.

Seeing this scene made Huang Taiji feel uncomfortable, and at the same time he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Gu Xing

After returning to the camp outside Zhenjiang Fort, the sense of accomplishment that Huang Taiji had received from Li Zhu and the people of the court, as he was destined to return to his destiny and to look down on the world, was quickly lost.

The towering Zhenjiang Castle was like a mountain weighing on his heart. Whenever he thought about it, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Long before Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde returned with their heavy artillery teams, Huang Taiji had several times invited Namutai, Baiyintu, Piangu, who had stayed behind, and Jierhalang, who had restored his title of prince to accompany him in triumph, to discuss the capture of Zhenjiang Castle.

method.

However, the methods given by these people are no different from the previous methods.

They unanimously advocated waiting for the heavy artillery team led by Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming to return before making any arguments. No one agreed to launch a strong attack on Zhenjiang Fort before the heavy artillery team destroyed the city wall.

Even Bao Chengxian, who replaced the deceased Fan Wencheng as the bachelor of the Internal Secretariat, also stood with Namutai, Baiyintu and others after learning about the failure of the previous two storms, and advocated long-term planning.

And when Huang Taiji asked Bao Chengxian's opinion in private, Bao Chengxian, who had once again become a bachelor of the Academy of Internal Affairs, carefully persuaded Huang Taiji to consider retreat instead of advancement.

This means that Huang Taiji, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the co-leader of the Eight Banners, cannot stay away from Shengjing for a long time and lose touch with the overall situation. Although Zhenjiang Fort is important, it is only a fortress after all.

Moreover, he believed that as long as Huang Taiji left, Yang Zhen himself would not stay in Zhenjiang Fort for long.

And once Yang Zhen leaves Zhenjiang Castle with the main force of Jinhai Town, Prince Zheng Jierhalang's strength alone will be enough to take back this place.

Bao Chengxian's suggestion made Huang Taiji very angry at first.

But within a few days, he summoned Bao Chengxian again and asked Bao Chengxian that if he really led the two yellow flags back to Shengjing, why would Yang Zhen definitely leave Zhenjiang Fort instead of taking the opportunity to continue heading north to attack Jiulian City or Kuandian and other places?

.

Of course, Bao Chengxian cannot give any guarantee in this regard.

The only reason he provided for Huang Taiji to make such a judgment was that it took nearly two months for Huang Taiji to lead the main forces of Zhenghuang, Xianghuang and Xianglan, Baya La Camp and Aliha Chaoha Camp to Hanyang City and back.

"Good opportunity", stay put.

Yang Zhen neither followed the soldiers and horses led by Huang Taiji to support the Koreans who rebelled under his banner, nor took the opportunity to send troops to attack the Qing camp outside the city. He looked completely uninterested in making progress.

Bao Chengxian had no direct dealings with Yang Zhen, but he was also a Ming general, and he thought he knew the "virtue" of the generals of the Ming Dynasty very well.

However, the reason given by Bao Chengxian could not convince Huang Taiji at all.

Regarding Yang Zhen, Huang Taiji hated him deeply on the one hand, and was very afraid of him on the other.

In the limited number of encounters he had with Yang Zhen, he was at a disadvantage almost every time.

This made him dare not use Yang Zhen's current performance to judge his next move.

Therefore, while Yang Zhen was suffering in Zhenjiang Fort these days, Huang Taiji, who was already exhausted physically and mentally, was also indecisive.

Huang Taiji has been away from Shengjing City for nearly three months. Although he never lacked beauties during the Li Dynasty, especially when he lived in Changdeok Palace, no amount of beauties could stop him from missing Hae Lanzhu.

And the longer he left Shengjing City, the more intensely he missed himself as Concubine Chen.

From his own heart, of course he also wanted to return to Shengjing as soon as possible.

After all, during this personal expedition, he conquered the Li Dynasty for the third time. Not only did he quell the rebellion, but he also forced everyone in the Li Dynasty to shave their heads and change their clothes, so that they could completely become naturalized and submit to him. This was considered a major achievement.

The result was achieved.

Huang Taiji's goal of re-establishing his prestige with the help of his imperial convoys can be considered to have been basically achieved.

Under such circumstances, it makes sense for him to return to the imperial court with his troops and claim a triumphant victory.

After all, the amount of human, animal and property that his troops and horses acquired from the imperial court or from the He Ning Kingdom was obvious to all and was quite considerable.

However, no matter what Huang Taiji thought and how he comforted himself, in the end, he still couldn't get around the fact that Yang Zhen in Zhenjiang Fort City was not captured by him, nor did he surrender to him.

For Huang Taiji, Yang Zhen in Zhenjiang Fort was like a lump in his throat. He couldn't swallow it or spit it out. At the same time, he couldn't pretend that he didn't exist.

"A few days ago, you all advised me to wait for Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde to come back with Tianyou to support the generals before attacking the city. Now that they are back, what else can you say?"

Huang Taiji came back to his senses from his own thoughts and saw the princes and ministers kneeling on the ground asking for his forgiveness. He couldn't help feeling angry.

But he didn't get angry. The princes and ministers who were kneeling on the ground lowered their heads, and no one stood up to speak to him.

"Kong Youde! I heard that your return to the north this time was slow because you confiscated a large number of cannons and firearms from the Hening Kingdom. I ask you, if all your artillery is used to attack the city, how many days will you be able to break the city wall?"

"This——, I don't dare to lie to the emperor. When I withdrew from the Hening Kingdom this time, I and King Huaishun did collect a batch of guns and artillery from various cities in the Hening Kingdom. The total number is one thousand two hundred and forty.

There are four people, but——"
Chapter completed!